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RHYNOLD'"    f-<i^TORlCAL 
GENEALOGV    COLLECTION 


1833  01125  9774 


BIOGRAPHICAL  REVIEW 


VOLUME    XXXIII 


CONTAINING  LIFE  SKETCHES  OF  LEADING  CITIZENS  OF 

SCHOHARIE,    SCHENECTADY 
AND  GREENE  COUNTIES 

NEW  YORK 


Who  among  men  art  thou,  and  thy  years  how  many,  good  friend  ?  —  Xeni  )PHANES 


^\^^ 


no\ 


Sci^l^ 


BOSTON 
Biographical  Review  Publishing  Company 


ATLANriC  STATES   SERIES   OF   BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEWS. 


The   voluiriL-s  issued   in   this  series   up  to   date  are  the  following: 


I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 
V. 
VI. 
VII. 


IX, 
X. 

XI. 

XII. 
XIII. 
XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 


OrsEGO  CouNTV,  New  York. 
Madison  County,  New  York. 
Ukoome  County,   Nkw  York. 
Columbia  County,   Nkw  Yukk. 
C.\yu<;a  County,  Nkw  VDrk. 
Dklaware  County,  New  Yukk. 
Livi.n'O.ston    and    Wyo.ming    Coumti 

Nkw  Viikk. 
Clinion    and     E.SSKX    Counties,    Ni 

York. 
Hami'den  CouNiY,  Massachusetts. 
Franklin  County,  Massachuseits. 
Hampshire  County,  Massachusetts 
Litchfield  County,  Connecticut. 
York  Couniy,   Maine. 
Cumberland  Couniy,   Maine. 
Oxford     and      Franklin     Countii 

Maine. 

CU.MBERLANI)    CoUNTY,    NeW    JeRSEY. 

Rockingham  County,  New  Hampshif 
Plymouth  County,  Ma.ssachusetts. 
C'amden    and    Burlington    Countii 
New  Jersey. 


XXIII. 

XXIV. 
XXV. 
XXVI. 
XXVII. 
XXVIII. 
XXIX. 


XXX. 
XXXI. 
XXXII. 

XXXIII. 


.Sagadahoc,     Lincoln,     Knox,    and 
Waldo  Counties,   Maine. 

SlKAFFORI)     AND     BeLKNAI'     COUNTIES, 

New   Hampshire. 
Sulliyan  and  Merrimack  Counties, 
New   Ha.mpshire. 

HiLLSBORO    AND    CHESHIRE    CoUNTlES, 

New  Hampshire. 
Pittsburg,   Pennsylvania. 
Norfolk  County,  Massachusetts. 
New  London  County,  Connecticut. 
.Middlesex  County,  Massachusetts. 
Essex  County,  Massachusetts. 
Somerset,     Piscataquis,     Hancock, 

Washington,       and      Aroostook 

Counties,    Maine. 
Worcester  County,  Massachusetts. 
Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts. 
Somerset    and    Bedford    Counties, 
Pennsylvania. 

ScHOHARIE,SCHENECTAnY  AND  GrEENE 

Counties,  New  York. 


NoTF.. —  All  the  biographical  sketches  published  in  this  volume  were  submitted  to  their  respective  subjects  or  to  the  sub- 
scribers, from  whom  the  facts  were  primarily  obtained,  for  their  approval  or  correction  before  going  to  press,  and  a  reasonable 
time  was  allowed  in  each  case  for  the  return  of  the  typewritten  copies.  Most  of  them  were  returned  to  us  within  the  time  allotted, 
or  before  the  work  was  printed,  after  being  corrected  or  revised ;  and  these  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  reasonably  accurate. 

A  few,  however,  were  not  returned  to  us;  and,  as  we  have  no  means  of  knowing  whether  they  contain  errors  or  not,  we 
cannot  vouch  for  their  accuracy.  In  justice  to  our  readers,  and  to  render  this  work  more  valuable  for  reference  purposes,  we  have 
indicated  all  uncorrected  sketches  by  a  small  asterisk  (*),  placed  immediately  after  the  name  of  the  subject.  They  will  be  found 
printed  on  the  last  pages  of  the  book. 

i;.  K.  i>l;b.  CO. 


1 3364 82 

PREFACE. 

^^^^NE  oeneration  passeth  away,  and  another  generation  cometh  " — an  ancient 
\\J  writer  thus  summarizes  the  unending  story  of  the  Hfe  of  man  on  the  earth. 
Multitudes  who  came  and  went  long,  long  ago  left  but  scanty  memorials  of  themselves 
and  of  their  work,  and  these  exceedingly  hard  to  get  at,  necessitating  in  our  day  on 
the  part  of  the  heir  of  all  the  ages  a  new  profession,  requiring  detective  ardor  and 
skill  —  that  of  the  archaeologist.  With  the  advance  of  the  art  of  living  has  kept 
pace  both  the  study  of  the  past  and  the  writing  of  contemporary  records,  the  present 
generation  being  especially  mindful  of  its  obligations  in  this  respect  to  posterity. 

For  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  years  has  the  American  republic  kept  with 
open  door  the  best  and  best-attended  training  school  in  the  world  for  the  develop- 
ment of  individuals,  the  result  being  an  unrivalled  body  of  intelligent,  loyal,  serviceable 
citizens,  builders  and,  if  need  be,  defenders  of  their  country. 

The  BiOGR-\PHiCAL  Review,  of  which  the  present  issue,  devoted  to  Schoharie, 
Schenectady,  and  Greene  Counties,  New  York,  is  the  thirty-third  in  our  Atlantic  Series, 
has  for  its  object  to  preserve  the  life  stories,  with  ancestral  notes,  of  numerous  repre- 
sentatives of  the  American  people  of  to-day,  well  known  in  their  respective  localities  — 
men  and  women  of  action  and  of  integrity,  helpers  in  the  world's  work  —  to  the  end 
that  future  generations  may  keep  their  memory  green,  may  emulate  their  virtues, 
profit  by  their  experience,  and  haply,  with  increased  advantages  of  learning  and 
resources,  better  their  example. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW    PUBLISHING    COMPANY. 
October,  1899. 


AUSTIN    A.   VATES. 


BI06RAPHIGAL. 


■ON.  AUSTIN  ANDRKW 
YATES,  one  of  the  lend- 
ing attorneys  of  Schenectady, 
served  with  the  rank  of  Cap- 
tain in  the  Civil  War,  and  as 
Major  of  the  Second  Battalion, 
New  York  Infantry,  was  on 
duty  with  his  command  in  va- 
rious camps  during  the  Spanish  War,  but  is 
better  known  by  the  title  of  Judge,  having 
been  elected  to  that  office  in  1873. 

He  was  born  in  Schenectady  on  March 
24,  1836,  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Austin  and 
Henrietta  Maria  (Cobb)  Yates.  The  original 
ancestor  in  America  was  Joseph  Yates,  an  Eng- 
lishman, who  emigrated  in  1664  and  settled 
in  Albany.  Christopher  Yates,  son  of  Joseph, 
and  the  next  in  this  line,  had  a  son  Joseph, 
who  was  born  in  Albany,  and  settled  in  Glen- 
ville,  N.Y.,  where  he  carried  on  a  large  plan- 
tation bordering  upon  the  river,  and  owned  a 
number  of   slaves. 

Christopher  Yates,  second,  son  of  Joseph, 
second,  and  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  one  of  the  well-to-do  residents 
of  Schenectady  in  his  day.  While  serving  as 
a  Lieutenant  in  the  Provincial  army,  he  was 
wounded   at   the   siege  of    Ticonderoga    in    the 


Erench  War.  He  served  as  a  Captain  under 
Sir  William  Johnson  in  the  engagement  at 
Eort  Niagara,  and  received  fnmi  King  George 
III.  a  land  grant  of  nine  thousand  acres.  His 
term  of  service  as  member  of  the  first  I'mvin- 
cial  Congress  expired  just  si.\  days  prior  to  the 
signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Entering  the  Continental  army  as  a  Colonel, 
he  served  as  Assistant  Department  Quarter- 
master under  General  Philip  Schuyler,  and 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  He 
reared  tive  sons,  each  of  whom  performed  some 
notable  achiex-ement.  Joseph  C.  Yates,  the 
eldest  son,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Union 
College  and  Governor  of  New  York,  1S23-25; 
John  B.  served  as  Colonel  of  a  cavalry  regi- 
ment in  the  War  of  181  2,  was  member  of  Con- 
gress from  ]\Iadison  County,  and  built  the 
Welland  Canal;  Henry  was  a  State  Senator 
from  Albany;  Christopher  was  the  founder  of 
St.  George's  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Schenec- 
tady; and  Andrew,  Judge  Yates's  grandfather, 
known  as  the  Rev.  Andrew  Yates,  D.  D. ,  was 
one  of  the  first  professors  at  Union  College. 

Dr.  Yates  was  a  man  of  superior  intellectual 
endowments,  and  was  well  versed  in  ancient 
and  modern  languages,  including  Holland 
Dutch.      His    professorship   at    Union   College 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


was  productive  of  much  benefit  ti)  that  institu- 
tion while  in  its  infancy.  His  whole  life  was 
one  of  useful  activity.  Laboring  diligently  to 
increase  the  facilities  for  religious  worship,  he 
built  thirteen  churches,  mo.stly  missions  of  the 
Reformed  denomination,  all  of  which  are  still 
standing  anil  are  in  a  flmirishini,'  ccnulition. 
lie  inherited  cnnsiderable  wealtli  liom  his 
falliei'>  estate.  l'"or  his  first  wile  he  married 
.Mary  Austin,  who  was  of  Kn-lish  I'uritan 
stock,  and  was  a  relative  of  the  founder  of 
Austin,  Tex.  Of  this  union  there  were  two 
sons  —  John  Austin  and  Andrew  1-".  His  sec- 
ond wife,  who  was  formerly  a  Miss  llociker,  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  became  the  mother  of  three 
children  —  Mary  Austin,  James,  and  Anna  K. 
Andrew  Yates  also  reared  John  Dominis,  who 
became  the  consort  of  the  Queen  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islands.  Dr.  Yates  died  in  1844,  and 
his  widow  survived   him   some  ten  years. 

The  Rev.  J..hn  Austin  Yates,  his  eldest  son, 
was  born  within  tlie  jMccincts  of  L'liion  Col- 
lege, Schenectady,  in  iSoi.  After  graduatin^^ 
from  that  institution  he  sjient  scjme  time  in 
Europe  studying  the  modern  languages,  and 
spoke  French  and  (ierman  fluently.  He  was 
afterward  a  tutor  at  Union  College  for  some 
years,  or  until  called  to  the  jxistorate  of  a  Re- 
formed church  in  Jersey  City.  As  a  ludjiit 
orator  he  acc(uire(l  a  wide  reputation.  The 
memorable  cholera  epidemic  of  1S49  numbered 
him  among  its  many  victims;  and  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  Schenectady  on  August  26 
of  that  year,  when  he  was  but  forty-eight  years 
old,  was  sincerely  lamented  in  other  localities 
as  well  as  the  vicinity  of  Union  College. 


In  i.Sjcj  he  married  Henrietta  Maria  Cobb, 
an  ado])ted  daughter  (jf  liis  uncle.  Colonel 
John  B.  Yates.  He  was  the  father  of  five 
children,  namely:  Henrietta  C<ibb,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Mary  Austin,  who  married  John 
Watkins,  and  died  in  Columi)ia,  S.  C. ,  in 
1853,  leaving  a  family,  of  whom  John  U. 
and  Grace  S.  Watkins  are  now  living;  John 
15.,  second,  who  served  as  Colonel  of  the 
l*'irst  Miciiigan  Engineers  under  General 
Sherman  during  the  Ci\il  War,  was  later  a 
division  engineer  on  the  ]{rie  Canal,  and  is 
now  in  the  government  service  at  Grosse  Point, 
Mich.  ;  Austin  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  the  late  Captain  Arthur  Reed  Yates, 
United  States  Nav\-.  CajHain  ^'ates  was 
graduated  from  the  Naval  Academy,  Annapo- 
lis, in  1S57,  and  was  thus  senior  to  Schley  and 
Sampson.  He  was  for  some  time  a  naval  at- 
tache in  Japan.  He  served  upon  Admiral 
Farragut's  staff  during  the  Ci\-il  War,  and  re- 
ceived that  officer's  hearty  commendation  in 
recognition  of  his  gallant  conduct  at  the  battle 
of  Mobile  Hay.  He  died  at  Portsmouth, 
\.  II.,  No\ember  4,  1.S92,  on  the  eve  of  pro- 
motion to  the  rank  of  Commodore.  The 
mother  died    in    March,    1842,  aged   thirty-one. 

Austin  Andrew  Yates's  birth  took  place 
while  his  father  was  an  instructor  at  Union 
College,  and  he  was  the  second  representative 
of  the  family  hum  within  its  limits.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  entering  the 
Schenectady  Lyceum  for  his  preparatory 
course,  which  was  completed  when  he  was  but 
thirteen  years  old;  and  in  September,  1849,  he 
began   his   classical  studies  at   Union.      Leav- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ing  college  in  1S50,  he  spent  two  years  in 
Western  Massachusetts,  where  he  continued 
his  studies  under  the  tutorship  of  David  M. 
Kimball,  and,  passing  a  successful  examina- 
tion for  the  Junior  class,  he  completed  the 
course  and  was  graduated  from  Union  College 
in  1S54.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of  the  late 
Judge  Potter,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1S57,  when  twenty-one  years  old.  During  the 
first  few  years  of  his  practice  he  devoted  a  part 
of  his  time  to  newspaper  work,  first  as  editor 
of  the  Schenectady  Daily  Times  and  later  of 
the  Evening  Star. 

Enlisting  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  New  York  Volun- 
teers, during  the  Civil  War,  he  was  promoted 
from  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  to  that  of  Cap- 
tain. He  was  in  the  reser\-e  force  during  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  and  at  Chancellors- 
ville  he  received  such  severe  injury  to  his  eyes 
as  to  necessitate  his  discharge  for  disability. 
Re-enlisting  as  Captain  of  Company  F, 
Fourteenth  Regiment,  United  States  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  he  participated  in  some  en- 
gagements near  Washington,  and  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  sudden  attack  made  by  the  enemy 
under  General  Jubal  A.  Early,  he  assisted  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  who  happened  to  be  present, 
from  the  field.  In  November,  1S63,  he  was 
sent  with  three  companies  to  suppress  a  riot 
among  the  miners  in  Carbon  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Among  the  various  official  duties  of 
his  command  after  the  close  of  hostilities  was 
that  of  the  execution  of  Mrs.  Surratt  and  the 
other  conspirators,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
unpleasant    recollections    of    his   military   ser- 


vice. He  was  brevetted  ALajor  in  1.S65,  and 
appointed  Judge  Advocate  under  Joseiih  Holt, 
Judge  Advocate  General,  and  after  his  dis- 
charge from  the  army  in  1S66  he  resumed  his 
law  practice  in  Schenectady. 

Politically,  Judge  Yates  is  a  Republican. 
In  1867  he  was  unsuccessful  as  a  candidate  for 
the  Assembly,  owing  to  a  factional  discord  in 
the  party.  Pie  was  elected  District  Attorney 
in  1868,  re-elected  in  1871,  and  in  1873  was 
elected  Judge  by  a  large  majority.  He  was  a 
candidate  for  the  State  Senate  in  1885,  but 
lacked  ten  votes  of  being  elected.  In  1887  he 
was  successful  in  his  candidacy  for  the  Assem- 
bly, and  was  re-elected  in  1888.  Upon  the 
expiration  of  his  term  as  Judge  he  once  more 
returned  to  his  practice,  and  is  now  conducting 
a  profitable  general  law  business. 

On  December  18,  1S65,  Judge  Yates  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Josephine  de  Vendell, 
daughter  of  John  I.  Yates.  They  have  one 
daughter,    Henrietta   C. 

In  September,  1S80,  Judge  Yates  was  com- 
missioned Captain  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Separate 
Company,  National  Guard,  State  of  New  York, 
and  later  he  was  commander  of  the  Fifteenth 
Battalion.  In  May,  189S,  as  Major  of  the 
Second  Battalion,  New  York  Infantry,  he  led 
his  command  to  the  field  in  the  Spanish  War, 
and  served  in  camps  on  this  side  of  the  water 
at  Hempstead,  Lytic,  Chickamauga,  Tampa, 
P^ernandina,  and  Camp  Harden.  He  retired 
in  October,  ha\-ing  served  through  all  the 
camps  and  service  which  have  been  the  cause 
of  such  caustic  criticism;  and,  though  his  regi- 
ment   lost    thirtv-one    by    death,    he    brought 


lUOCRArmCAL    REVIF.W 


home  every  one  of  his  four  hunclrecl  and  thirty- 
six  men  alive. 

Judge  Yates  was  president  of  the  National 
Guard's  Association  in  i8go,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  Commander  of  the  local  post  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Re|nd)lic.  He  is  ;i  .M;i>ter 
Mason,  as  were  many  of  his  aiicestnrs.  iiuliul- 
ing  his  father,  grandlather,  ami  ureal-. grand- 
father. 


NDKKW  J.  GUFFIN,  M.D..  a  sue 
cessful  physician  of  Carlisle,  was  born 
in  Greenbush,  Rens.selaer  County, 
N.\'.,  June  6,  1846,  son  of  John  and  Hannah 
(Uing.s)  Guffin.  The  Guffin  family  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  antecedents,  and  was  founded  in 
America  by  the  Doctor's  ,L,'randfatlicr,  .Aiuliew 
Guffin,  who  was  born  in  Xewiy,  Coui)t\-  Down, 
Ireland,  in  1756. 

Andrew  Guffin  cmi;;rated  to  America  when 
a  young  man,  settlin;,^  first  in  Dutchess 
County,  New  York.  Later  he  moved  to  .Sclio- 
dack,  near  Nassau,  Rensselaer  Count),  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1842.  He  was  extensively  eni^aged  in  farm- 
ing. In  politics  he  was  a  Whig,  and  his 
religious  affiliations  were  witli  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed church.  In  i/Si  he  nianied  Haiinaii 
Ustrom,  who  was  b<irn  in  Dutchess  Count)-, 
New  York,  of  German  ancestry.  .Slie  died  in 
1835,  '"  the  age  of  seventy-three.  They  were 
the  jiarents  of  fourteen  children;  nainel)-,  I^Jiz- 
aheth,  Rebecca,  Andrew  G.,  .Sarali,  James, 
John.  Thomas,  George,  Mar)-,  Josiah,  Henr\-, 
Hannah,  FTijah,  and  Jonas.      Elijah   became   a 


teacher  in  an  asylum  for  deaf-mutes.  All  the 
other  sons  were  farmers. 

John  Guffin,  the  Doctor's  father,  followed 
agriculture  in  .Mban)-  and  Rensselaer  Counties 
successively  until  the  last  fifteen  years  of  his 
life,  which  he  spent  in  retirement  as  a  resident 
of  the  city  of  Albany.  He  was  \-ery  success- 
ful financial])-,  owning  a  number  of  farms  and 
other  real  estate.  In  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  in  his  religious  belief  I'resbyterian. 
He  died  in  1S79,  aged  eighty  years.  His 
wife  lived  to  the  age  of  about  eighty-two. 
.Slie  w-as  the  mother  (jf  four  children,  namely: 
Emma,  who  is  no  longer  living;  Andrew  J., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Charles  \V. .  a  clerk 
in  the  American  Mxpiess  Office  in  New  York 
City;  and  Jolin  C. ,  who  was  formerl)-  secretary 
of  the  American  Sewing  Machine  Com])any  of 
New  York. 

Andrew  J.  Guffin,  having  completed  his  gen- 
eral education  at  the  Albany  Classical  Insti- 
tute, enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  War;  and 
subsequent  to  his  discharge  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  J.  R. 
Houlware,  a  leading  physician  of  Alban\-.  He 
then  took  the  regular  course  at  the  .Albany  Med- 
ical College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1868. 
After  a  year's  experience  as  [jhysician  at  the 
alnishouse,  he  settled  for  ])ractice  in  Nassau, 
N.A'. ,  w-hcnce  he  went  to  Canaai-i  Four  Cor- 
ners, and  still  later  to  New  Canaan,  Conn., 
from  which  place  he  ren-|oved  to  Clifton  Park, 
.Saratoga  Count)-,  N.  A'.  In  1897  he  came 
to  Carlisle,  where  he  has  already  built  up  a 
good  practice. 

Dr.    Guffin    is   a    member   of    the    Schoharie 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


County  Medical  Society.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  is  now  serving;  as  Health 
Officer.  A  member  of  the  Piesbyterian 
church,  he  was  formerly  president  of  the  local 
branch  of  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  and  is 
now  its  treasurer. 

Dr.  Guffin  married  October  21,  iS6g,  \'ira 
Phillips,  of  Nassau,  Rensselaer  County, 
N.  Y. ,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Phillips. 
Of  this  union  was  born  one  child,  a  son,  John 
C.  ;\Irs.  Guffin  departed  this  life  in  1S90. 
John  C.  Guffin  was  graduated  from  the  Cobles- 
kill  High  School,  and  is  now  book-keeper  at 
William  V.   Downer's  Life   Insurance  Aoencv. 


lEXWICK  DIBBELL,  general  mer- 
chant, Tannersville,  Greene  County, 
was  born  at  Piatt  Clove,  in  this 
town,  July  5,  1 86 1.  His  parents  were  Har- 
mon B.  and  Deborah  M.  (Hummell)  Dibbell, 
his  father  a  native  of  Colchester,  Delaware 
County,  and  his  mother  a  native  of  Piatt  Clove, 
His  grandfather,  Amos  Dibbell,  who  was  a 
native  of  Holland,  settled  in  Delaware  County, 
New  York,  as  a  pioneer,  and  resided  there 
until  1834,  when  he  went  to  Piatt  Clove.  He 
was  a  millwright  by  trade,  following  that  occu- 
pation a  number  of  years,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  His  wife, 
formerly  Charlotte  Williams,  of  Colchester, 
died  at  eighty-nine  \ears  of  age.  The\'  had 
a  family  of  ten  children. 

Harmon  B.  Dibbell  learned  the  trade  of 
a  millwright,  which  he  followed  at  Piatt 
Clove  for  a  time,    later    movins;   to    Kingston, 


where  he  engaged  in  manufacturing.  After- 
ward he  went  to  P^lka  Park,  erecting  there  a 
mill,  which  he  conducted  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
In  1863  he  raised  Company  E  of  the  P'ifteenth 
Regiment,  New  York  Yolunteers,  engineer 
corps,  and  this  compan)-  he  commanded  until 
mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  politics,  acted  as  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  some  time,  and  was  a  prominent 
man  in  the  community.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
se\ent\--one.  His  wife,  Deborah,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jeremiah  Hummell.  Her  father  was  a 
farmer  and  an  early  settler  of  Piatt  Clove, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred when  he  was  ninetv  years  old.  Har- 
mon B.  and  Deborah  M.  Dibbell  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing—  Egbert,  Renwick,  and  George  W.  Dib- 
bell. Egbert  is  now  residing  in  South  Dakota. 
The  mother  still  survives,  and  resides  with  her 
son  in  Tannersville. 

Renwick  Dibbell  came  to  ElkaPark  with  his 
parents  when  six  years  of  age.  He  attended 
the  common  schools,  and  assisted  his  father  in 
the  lumber  business  until  his  father's  death. 
Forming  a  partnership  with  a  'Sir.  Goslen,  he 
entered  the  contracting  and  building  business 
at  Elka  Park,  erecting  a  number  of  cottages 
there,  also  the  Poggenberg  Hotel,  the  Scho- 
harie Mansion,  and  the  Catherine  Tower. 
This  structure  is  built  of  stone  and  is  fifty  feet 
high.  It  is  fourteen  feet  at  the  base,  and  has 
stone  steps  on  the  inside  leading  to  the  top. 
In  1 888  Mr.  Dibbell  took  up  the  profession  of 
a  civil  engineer,  and  did  considerable  survey- 
ing  in    different    park.s,  also    la}-ing   out    roads 


1!RK;RA1'III(  Al, 


and  running  farm  lines.  In  1895  the  firm 
purchased  the  store  of  C.  V.  Gray,  one  of  the 
largest  mercantile  establishments  in  town,  in 
which  they  carried  a  full  stock  of  groceries, 
boots,  shoes,  notions,  and  other  merchandise. 
This  store  was  conducted  in  connection  with 
their  contracting  business  until  Octolier  14, 
1898,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved. 
Since  that  time  Mr.  Dibbell  has  carried  it  on 
alone.  Mr.  Dibbell  has  resided  here  since  his 
early  boyhood,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
local  public  affairs.  Thr()u.i;h  his  efforts  a 
post-office  was  establisiiet!  at  Klka  I'ark,  and 
he  has  been  Postmaster  there  for  the  ])ast  five 
years.  He  also  succeeded  in  causinj;-  the  ex- 
tension of  the  telegraph  and  telephone  lines  to 
Elka  Park  and  Schoharie  Mansion,  he  being 
the  owner  of  the  telephniie  line.  He  has 
control  of  the  switch  office  for  tiie  Catskill 
Mountain  Telephone  Company,  and  is  local 
agent  of  the  Western  Union  Telet^raph  Com- 
l)any.  Having  a  long  distance  telei)li()ne,  they 
can  converse  with  New  ^'ork,  Boston,  and 
other  cities.  At  tlie  ]iresent  time  lie  devotes 
his  entire  attention  to  his  mercantile  enter- 
prise, the  telegrai^h  and  telephone  agencies, 
employing  five  assistants. 

On  October  17,  i.SS;,,  Mr.  Dibbell  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  Bishop,  of 
Hunter,  daughter  of  Asa  and  Ann  (Hrown) 
Bishop.  Her  father  s])ent  ni<ist  of  his  life  as  a 
farmer  in  Ulster  County.  He  died  in  West 
-Saugerties.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dibbell  have  four 
children-     I'lavius,    hlstella,    Agnes,    and    Kl- 


has  served  on  town,  county,  and  State  commit- 
tees, has  been  a  delegate  to  a  number  of 
county  and  State  conventions,  and  was  Ta.\ 
Collector  two  terms.  He  is  a  mendjcr  of  the 
Knights  of  I'ytliias,  in  which  he  has  held  a 
number  of  the  offices,  and  belongs  to  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  hV-llnws.  He  and  Mrs. 
Dibbell  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Kpisco- 
[lal  clnncli. 


nura. 
Mr 


a  Democrat  in   p(J]ilic^ 


Ih 


fHOMAS  R.  1'0TT1-:R,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  (ilenville,  Schenectady 
County,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  this  town,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1837,  .son  of  Johnson  and  Su.san  M. 
(Romeyn)  Potter.  His  ]»rents  were  born  in 
Saratoga  County,  the  father  in  Galway,  June 
25,  1S03,  and  the  mother  in  Clifton  Park, 
Julv  I,  1807.  The  paternal  grandfather  was 
Simeon  Potter,  who  came  to  Glenvillc  about 
the  year  1809,  and  settled  upon  a  farm  in  the 
north-west  part  of  the  township,  where  he  re- 
sided for  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  funeral 
was  the  first  one  held  in  the  Glenville  Re- 
formed church.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Phcebe  A.   Beach. 

Johnson  Potter,  the  father,  came  with  his 
]wrents  to  Glenville  when  si.v  years  old,  and 
was  reared  to  agricultural  jnirsuits.  He  became 
one  of  the  stirring  men  of  his  day,  and  owned 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty- eight  acres, 
which  is  now  occuiiied  by  his  son,  Spencer  S. 
Potter.  He  served  as  a  Trustee  of  the  town 
and  as  Commissioner  of  Highwa_\-s.  In  poli- 
tic- he  sup])nrted  the  Democratic  part)-.  John- 
son and    Susan    M.  Potter  were   the  jxirents  of 


c;.    X.    FKISDIE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


seven  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity, 
and  tour  are  living,  namely:  Jedediah  D.,  a 
resident  of  Chicago;  Thomas  R.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Spencer  S.,  who  resides  at  the 
homestead,  as  above  mentioned;  and  J.  Antoi- 
nette, wife  of  William  H.  Hollinbcck,  of 
Hoffman's  Ferry.  The  others  were:  Phcebe 
Ann,  Harriet  X.,  and  Fannie  E.  The  father 
died  July  5,  iSgi,  surviving  the  mother,  who 
died  January  20,   1SS5. 

Thomas  R.  Potter  acquired  a  district-school 
education.  Like  his  ancestors  he  has  followed 
agriculture  with  success,  for  many  years  culti- 
vating a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
acres. 

Mr.  Potter  contracted  the  first  of  his  two 
marriages  January  6,  1S61,  with  Jane  Ann  \'an 
Wormer,  who  died  June  9,  1893,  leaving  two 
children  —  Frank  and  Eliza  J.  Frank,  who  is 
in  the  insurance  business,  married  Nellie  F. 
Bennett,  of  Lansingburg,  Rensselaer  County, 
and  has  four  children  —  Lelia  B.,  Jennie  E., 
Thomas  R.,  and  Henry  B.  Eliza  J.  is  the 
wife  (if  Elmer  W.  Keklerhouse,  of  Hoffmans, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Hazel  L.  On  January 
26,  189S,  Mr.  Potter  married  for  his  second 
wife  'Sirs.  Effie  C.  \'an  Wormer,  daughter  of 
Abram  S.  and  Bernetta  M.  (Dunham)  Lode- 
wick  and  widow  of  Oscar  \'an  Wormer.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Schodack,  Rensselaer 
County,  and  her  mother  of  Lexington,  N.Y. 
Mrs.  Potter  had  four  children  by  her  first 
marriage,  namely:  Nancy  B. ,  Bessie  R. ,  and 
Blanche  L.  \'an  "Wormer,  who  are  living;  and 
Jennie  Inez,  deceased. 

Politically,  Mr.  Potter   is   a   Democrat,    and 


served  with  ability  as  Supervisor  five  years. 
He  belongs  to  Touareuna  Lodge,  No.  35, 
L  0.  O.  F.,  and  he  and  >L's.  Potter  are  mem- 
bers of  Gold  Medal  Lodge,  No.  554,  Patrons 
of  Industr\'. 


/^[JTrANDISON  N.  FRISBHi,  of  Mid- 
V^X  tlleburg,  N.Y.,  president  of  the 
Middleburg  &  Schoharie  Railroad  and  an  ex- 
tensive dealer  in  real  estate,  is  a  native  of 
Roxbury,  Delaware  County,  this  State,  born 
on  May  24,  1S31,  son  of  William  and  Marilla 
(Norton)  Frisbie.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education,  and  at  seventeen  years  of 
age  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  harness- 
maker's  trade  of  his  brother  at  Fultonham. 
Three  years  later  he  became  equal  partner. 
Subsequently  he  bought  out  the  business  and 
conducted  it  alone  for  some  time.  In  1854  he 
began  the  manufacture  of  harnesses  in  Middle- 
burg. and,  being  the  only  person  engaged 
here  in  that  line  of  industry,  met  with  great 
success,  and  did  a  most  profitable  business. 
In  1S67  he  purchased  a  half-interest  in  the 
general  store  of  Charles  I-larles;  and  some 
years  later  he  bought  a  half-interest  in  the 
firm  of  W.  G.  Lounsbury  &  Co.,  in  the  hard- 
ware trade.  Subsequently  his  two  sons, 
Daniel  D.  and  George  D.,  were  taken  into 
partnership;  and  in  time  the  entire  manage- 
ment of  the  business  passed  into  their  hands, 
.Mr.  Frisbie  himself  giving  his  attention  to 
real  estate  and  insurance,  which  have  since 
been  his  principal  lines  of  activity.  He  has 
managed  large  real  estate  transactions,  and  has 


IJIOCRAI'IIICAL     KEVIKW 


built  a  number  of  fine  houses.  His  present 
residence,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  town, 
is  one  which  he  has  remodelletl. 

Since  March  25,  1878,  Mr.  Frisbie  has  been 
president  and  ^enerai  manager  of  the  Middle- 
burg  &  Schoharie  Railroad,  much  of  whose 
success  is  due  to  him.  This  road,  which  was 
constructed  under  the  authority  of  a  lei^^islative 
enactment  of  May  8,  1867,  is  six  miles  in 
length,  and  connects  Middlcburg  ;iiul  Scho- 
harie villages.  The  road  and  trains  are  con- 
tinued five  miles  farther  north  to  a  junction 
with  the  Delaware  &  Hudson,  but  the  Scho- 
harie valley  road  has  greatly  handicapped  the 
Middleburg  Company,  since  the  latter  de- 
pends upon  the  northern  .stretch  as  an  outlet. 
At  one  time  it  would  have  been  possible  to 
purchase  the  Schoharie  road,  antl  Mr.  I^'risbic 
strenuously  urged  that  this  mi,<;ht  be  done, 
offering  to  make  a  subscription  of  b\e  thousand 
dollars  for  the  purpose.  Since  then  it  has 
been  impossible  to  buy  it.  It  may  be  inter- 
esting to  review  here  in  brief  the  history  of 
the  inception  and  growth  ol  the  Middleburg 
branch.  When  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  bad 
been  built  as  far  as  Oneonla,  and  the  ]ieo|)le  of 
Sch(jharie  had  determined  to  connect  with  it 
there,  a  few  prominent  men  of  this  town  met 
at  a  hotel,  and,  after  carefull}-  considering  the 
matter,  decided  that  they  would  also  make  a 
junction  at  Schoharie  by  raising  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  half  of  which  wouUl  be  sub- 
scribed by  the  town  and  the  other  half  by  pri- 
vate individuals.  As  a  matter  (jf  fact,  the 
total  capitalization,  full)-  ])aid  in,  was  but 
ninety-twcj    thousand    dollars.      The   town    was 


bonded  but  comparatively  little  to  raise  the 
full  amount  of  its  subscri])tion.  The  bonds  ol 
the  company,  which  w'cre  placed  at  par  (seven 
percent,  interest),  were  retired  in  1S93,  prin- 
cipal and  interest,  by  James  Borst,  railroad 
commissioner.  The  individual  subscribers  to 
the  stock  numbered  about  seventy-five,  and  in- 
cluded many  small  holders  in  and  about  Mid- 
dleburg, about  seventeen  thousand  dollars 
being  in  Albany  b(ddings  and  the  Ijalance  in 
New  York.  No  indebtedness  was  incurred 
in  the  construction  and  equipment  of  the  road, 
as  one  of  the  first  resolutions  passed  by  the  di- 
rectors bad  been  that  work  was  to  stop  as  soon 
as  funds  were  wanting.  The  road  is  now  in 
paying  condition,  and  shows  clearly  that  it  has 
been  most  efficiently  managed.  Mr.  Frisbie 
is  one  of  the  first  and  largest  local  subscribers 
to  the  stock  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and 
from  the  time  of  its  organization  has  been  its 
vice-president. 

In  185S  Mr.  P'risbie  was  imited  in  marriage 
with  Kate  Dodge,  daughter  of  Daniel  D. 
Dodge,  late  of  this  town.  Mr.  Dodge  was  a 
prominent  merchant  and  for  one  year  member 
of  the  State  Assembly.  Mrs.  Frisbie  departed 
this  life  in  June,  i.SqS.  She  was  the  mother 
of  four  children,  namely:  Daniel  D.  and 
George  1).,  the  .sons  above  mentioned;  and 
two  daughters,  Laura  and  Fmma.  Laura  is 
now  the  wife  of  Dow  Beekman,  whose  biog- 
raphy may  be  found  on  another  jiagc  of  the 
Rkview.  All  these  chiklren  are  graduates  of 
Hartwick  .Seminary  in  Otsego  Coinit)-,  an  in- 
stitution of  which  Mr.  Frisbie  has  for  many 
years  been  treasurer  and   trustee.      Mr.   Frisbie 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ami  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  Mr.  Frisbie  is  an  Elder  in  the 
church.  He  was  for  several  )'cars  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school. 


"ENRY  T.  BOTSFORD,  a  leading 
farmer  of  Greenville,  Greene  County, 
N.Y. ,  was  born  in  this  town  on  De- 
cember 1 8,  1845,  son  of  Dr.  Gideon  and  Maria 
L.  (Tallmadge)  Botsford.  Dr.  Botsford's 
grandfather,  Gideon  Botsford,  Sr. ,  resided  in 
Newtown,  Conn.  He  was  possessed  of  liberal 
means,  had  large  influence  in  his  community, 
and  represented  his  town  in  the  councils  of  his 
State.  Amos,  one  of  his  thirteen  children 
and  the  grandfather  of  Henry  T.  Botsford, 
was  born    in    Newtown   on    February  13,   1780. 

Having  obtained  an  academic  education, 
Amos  Botsford  entered  upon  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  received 
his  diploma  at  twenty-one  years,  and  im- 
mediately afterward  came  to  the  new  town  of 
Greenville  and  settled  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  Dr.  Amos  Botsford  was  married 
on  September  20,  iSoi,  to  P^lizabeth  Clark, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Clark,  of  Connecticut;  and 
his  house-keeping  began  in  what  has  since  been 
known  as  the  Ell.  Knowles  place.  A  few 
years  after  he  purchased  a  lot  and  built  the 
house  in  which  Pierce  Stevens  now  resides. 
Later  he  purchased  of  Jonathan  Sherrill  the 
lot  and  dwelling  now  occujMed  by  his  son-in- 
law,  Dr.  B.  S.  McCabe,  and  there  resided 
until  his  death. 

"  For   many  years   Dr.    Amos   Botsford   was 


the  only  physician  of  standing  or  professional 
ability  in  this  section  of  the  country,  conse- 
quently his  services  were  much  sought  and  his 
labors  were  arduous.  His  custom  when  visit- 
ing his  patients  was  to  ride  on  horseback. 
Few  men  possessed  a  finer  physique  than  the 
Doctor.  Of  dignified  ajipearance,  he  com- 
manded the  respect  of  all,  even  at  first  sight. 
He  was  a  faithful,  intelligent,  and  successful 
practitioner  for  over  fifty  years.  He  repre- 
sented his  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 
the  years  1826,  1827,  1831,  1834,  and  1849. 
He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  Greenville 
Academy.  He  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Greenville,  and  for 
man}-  years  an  acting  Elder  in  it.  He  died 
on  August  16,  1S64.  His  wife  died  Decem- 
ber 3,   1855. 

"  There  were  born  to  them  two  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Eliza,  the  eldest,  born  June  5, 
1807,  was  married  to  Charles  Callender,  and 
died  April  4,  1871,  leaving  three  children  — 
John,  Charles,  and  David.  Of  these  John  is 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  Boston. 
Charles  (deceased)  was  a  manufacturer  of  paint 
in  Newark,  N.J.  David  is  now  deceased. 
Clark  Botsford,  the  second  child  of  Dr.  Amos, 
was  born  September  15,  1808.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  Union  College  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. He  then  studied  law,  and  subsequently 
practised  his  profession  in  the  western  part  of 
the  State.  Mary  L.,  the  youngest  child,  mar- 
ried Dr.  B.  S.  McCabe,  and  has  continued  to 
reside  in  the  house  where  she  was  born  and  in 
which  her  parents  died." 

Gideon    Botsford,  third   child   of   Dr.  Amos, 


Iil()(;RAl'IllC.\L    KKVIKW 


and  father  of  Henry  T.  Hotsfnrd,  was  born  on 
June  5,  1811.  He  obtained  a  good  education 
at  Greenville  Academy,  and  sulisequently,  in 
1832,  was  graduated  from  the  Fairfield  Medical 
College.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine 
with  his  father,  and  for  fifty  years  continued  to 
devote  his  entire  energies  to  the  work  of  tlic 
profession  he  so  much  loved.  Like  his  father 
he  was  a  man  of  commanding  appearance  and 
agreeable  addres.s,  and  like  him  he  wmi  and 
enjoyed  the  respect  and  cunfulcncc  of  the  im- 
munity. Mver  active,  and  lia\  ing  in  view  tlie 
improvement  of  his  nati\e  village,  lie  ne\er 
lost  an  opportunity  to  jiromote  the  ])u])lic  wel- 
fare. Me  was  for  man)-  years  an  ICKler  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  from  early  life  he 
wasa  faithful  member.  He  served  as  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Hoard  of  Trustees  of  Green- 
ville Academy.  Tiie  Doctor's  wife,  Maria 
L. ,  was  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Henry  'I'allmadge, 
and  a  si.ster  of  Mrs.  John  ("x.  Ilart.  (.See 
sketch  of  John  G.  Hart.)  Of  the  four  chil- 
dren born  to  her,  two  are  living — Henry  T. 
and  .Anna  M.  Dr.  Hotsford  was  a  Democrat 
in  polities,  and  served  the  town  as  Supervisor 
for  two  terms. 

Henry  T.  Hotsford  resided  with  his  father 
ui)  to  the  time  of  the  hitter's  death.  In  i.SjS 
he  purchased  of  Robert  Hawley  a  farm  that  he 
owned  for  eleven  years,  and  in  1  S90  he  bought 
the  farm  which  is  now  his  home.  His  house, 
which  is  the  hnest  in  the  village,  was  begun 
in  1.S91  and  cmipleted  in  1X92.  Mr.  ]5otsf<,r(l 
is  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in  the  t<iwn. 
He  now  carries  on  the  homestead  larm  of 
twenty   acres   ..pposite    his     own,    the    (.ideon 


Hickock  farm  of  one  lumdreil  acres,  and  the 
George  Conklin  farm  of  two  bundled  and 
twenty  acres.  He  is  a  man  of  wide  leading, 
and  especially  well  informed  on  tojjics  of  pub- 
lic interest. 

Mr.  l?otsford  married  in  iSSj  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Ivmily  I'lobbins,  and  a 
native  of  (ireenville.  Her  father  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  and  he  also  carried  on  a  farm. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  having 
been  twice  married.  His  wife,  Kmily,  who 
was  born  in  (ireenville,  died  in  i8gi.  Of  her 
two  children  Mrs.  15otsford  is  the  only  one 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ]?otsford  have  one 
child,  Frances  Helena  by  name.  In  politics 
Mr.  Hotsford  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  dealt  to 
quite  an  extent  in  real  estate.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  he  has  been  one  of  its  trustees  lor  many 
years. 


\RMON  BECKKR,  whose  death  oc- 
curred January  iS,  1S97,  at  the  hame- 
.tead  in  Coblcskill,  N.  V. ,  now 
occupied  by  Mrs.  Becker  and  her  daughters, 
was  during  his  long  life  an  esteemed  citizen  of 
this  town  aiul  one  of  its  successful  farmers. 
He  was  born  June  19,  1.^13,  at  Duanesburg, 
Schenectady  County,  and  was  a  .son  of  Nicho- 
las liecker.  He  came  from  patriotic  stock, 
both  his  jiaternal  grandfather.  Captain  John 
Becker,  and  his  maternal  grandfather,  John 
h'erguson,  having  fought  as  brave  soldiers  in 
the  Revolutimiary  War,  the  former  command- 
ing a  company  of  minute-men. 

Nicholas  Becker  lived   in    Duanesburg  some 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


years  after  his  marriage  to  Jean  Ferguson  of 
Edinburgh,  Scotland;  but  in  1S23  he  came 
with  his  family  to  Cobleskill,  and,  taking  up 
a  tract  of  forest-covered  land,  began  the 
laborious  task  of  clearing  a  farm  and  establish- 
ing a  home. 

Harmon  Becker  was  a  lad  of  ten  years  when 
he  came  here  with  his  parents.  He  assisted  in 
the  pioneer  labor  of  reclaiming  a  farm  from  the 
forest,  and,  having  subsequently  succeeded  to 
its  ownership,  was  here  industriously  and  pros- 
perously engaged  in  general  farming  and  saw- 
milling  to  the  close  of  his  life  of  eighty-three 
years.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  his  po- 
litical affiliations  for  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  and  served  as  Supervisor  two  terms  and  as 
School  Inspector  a  number  of  years.  In  his 
last  years  he  voted  with  the  Prohibition  party, 
believing  strongly  in  the  equal  suffrage  plank 
t)f  its  platform.  A  valued  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran church,  he  held  nearly  all  the  offices 
connected  with  that  organization,  and  for 
thirty-six  consecutive  years  was  superintendent 
of  its  Sunday-school. 

On  January  17,  1849,  Mr.  Becker  married 
Miss  Julia  A.  Myer,  who  was  born  in  Barner- 
ville,  N.  Y.  Her  father,  Stephen  Myer,  was 
of  Dutch  extraction.  The  emigrant  ancestor  of 
the  Myer  family  came  to  America  from  Hol- 
land in  old  Colonal  times,  and  was  one  of  the 
original  settlers  of  Ulster  Count)',  in  this 
State.  Mrs.  Becker's  paternal  grandfather, 
Peter  L.  Myer,  was  born  and  brought  up  in 
Saugerties,  Ulster  County.  Removing  thence 
to  Schoharie  County,  he  devoted  his  energies  to 
tilling   the  soil.      His   death   occurred    at    the 


venerable  age  of  ninety-one  years.  He,  too, 
served  with  honor  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Stephen  Myer  continued  during  his  life  in 
the  occupation  to  which  he  was  trained,  and  in 
addition  to  general  farming  carried  on  a  sub- 
stantial business  as  a  miller,  owning  and  op- 
erating both  a  saw-mill  and  a  grist-mill.  He 
lived  to  be  eight)'-one  years  of  age.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Mowers, 
was  born  in  Ulster  County,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Mowers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephen  Myer  had 
four  children,  two  of  whom  are  still  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Jkcker;  and  her  si.ster,  Sally 
C. ,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Ryder.  Mrs. 
M}'er  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
Both  she  and  her  husband  were  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  filled 
all  the  offices.  He  was  also  prominent  in 
local  affairs,  and  for  a  number  of  years  served 
as  Highway  Commissioner. 

Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Becker — Elizabeth  Jean  and  Mary  Isadore. 
Mrs.  Becker  and  her  daughters  live  on  the' 
home  farm,  which  they  have  managed  with 
success  since  Mr.  Becker's  death.  They  carry 
on  general  farming,  using  judgment  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  care  of  their  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  acres.  A  part  of  the  land  is 
devoted  to  grazing,  and  a  part  to  the  raising  of 
wheat,  corn,  and  hay.  They  also  continue 
the  saw-mill  business.  Mrs.  Becker  and  the 
Misses  Becker  are  faithful  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  also  of  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union. 

The  history  of  the  Harmon  Becker  home- 
stead is    unique    in    that  for  fifty-six  years   no 


[IICAL    RI'.VIKW 


death  occurrod  on  the  place,  either  of  its 
nwners  nr  f:imily,  or  of  the  men  i>r  maids 
emi)loye(i  by  them  durin.i;  that  time.  The 
carefully-kept  records  show  that  more  than 
ninety  souls  lived,  either  permanently  or  tem- 
jHirarily,  on  tlie  farm  during  those  years. 


'TICrilKN  A.  CURTIS,  an  account- 
iiit  in  tiie  Schenectady  frei^dit  office 
if  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal 
Company  Railway,  was  born  on  January  8, 
1850,  in  Hlenheim,  Schoharie  County,  N.Y. 
That  town  was  the  native  place  oi  his  parents, 
Stephen  i..  and  l-Lliza  (Maham)  Curtis.  His 
grandfather,  Benjamin  P.  Curtis,  who  did  gar- 
rison duty  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  N.Y.,  during 
the  War  of  1S12,  went  to  Blenheim  from 
Duanesburg,  .Schenectady  County,  N.Y.  Jo- 
seph Curtis,  the  father  of  Iknjamin  1'.,  came 
from  Litchfield,  Conn.,  to  New  York  State 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
and,  clearing  a  farm  in  the  wilderness,  suc- 
ceeded through  his  energy  and  ]ierseverancc  in 
establishing  a  comfortable  home.  Of  the  chil- 
dren of  Stephen  L.  and  Eliza  Curtis  there  are 
but  two  survi\(jrs :  Stephen  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  and  Stanlc)-  ]).,  who  is  now  sta- 
tion agent  for  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  River 
Railway  at  IMattsburg,  N.Y.  He  married 
Harriet  Cardner,  and  has  three  sons,  namely  : 
Stanley,  born  in  iS,S6;  Charles,  born  in  1889; 
and  (Jeorge  T.,  born  in  1892. 

Stephen  A.  Curtis  acquired  his  preliminary 
education  intbe  public  schools  of  Hlenheim  and 
Jeffer.son,  and  completi'd  his  studies  at  the  semi- 


nary in  Stamford,  N.  V.,  where  he  was  fitted  for 
educat  ional  work.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was 
a  successful  teacher  in  Schoharie  and  ]5roome 
Counties.  Coming  to  Schenectady  in  i88i,he 
entered  the  freight  office  of  the  Delaware  & 
Hudson  Canal  Company  Railwa)'  as  book- 
keeper, and  here  after  eighteen  years  of  faith- 
ful service  he  remains  at  this  da)-,  a  valuable 
meniber  of  their  clerical  force. 

Mr.  Curtis  married  Klla  M.  Danforth, 
daughter  of  Elijah  Danforth,  of  Jefferson,  N.Y. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Adeline.  She  is  the 
wife  of  Ira  Brownell,  of  Schenectady,  and  has 
one  child,  Eleanor,  born  in  1897. 

Mr.  Curtis  has  been  cpiite  actix'c  in  public 
affairs,  having  served  as  E.xcise  Commissioner 
and  upon  the  board  of  United  States  Supervi- 
sors. Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Democratic 
])arty.  He  is  Past  Dictatorof  Lodge  No.  3715, 
Knights  of  Honor;  is  a  charter  member  and 
by  dispensation  First  Prophet  of  Saugh-Naugh- 
ta-da  Tribe,  No.  123,  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men.  He  attends  the  Congregational  church, 
and  is  now  serving  as  a  trustee. 


ON.  SIMON  J.  SCHERMERHORN, 
an  ex-member  of  Congress,  one  of 
the  most  [jrominent  men  of  Rotter- 
dam, N.Y. ,  was  born  in  this  town,  September 
26,  1827,  son  of  Jacob  I.  and  Maria  (\'eddcr) 
.Schcrmerhorn.  His  father  was  born  in  Rot- 
terdam in  1789,  and  his  mother  was  born  here 
in  1788.  Mr.  Schernierhorn  is  a  descendant 
in  the  eighth  geneiation  of  Jacob  Janse  Schcr- 
merhorn, who  arrived  from    Holland   about   the 


J(_)Sl::rH     MALCOLM. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


25 


year  1650,  and  founded  the  family  which  since 
that  date  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
Rottertlam  and  vicinity.  The  majority  of  its 
representatives  have  been  extensive  farmers. 
Jacob  I.  Schermerhorn,  the  father  above  named, 
was  a  leading  spirit  in  local  public  affairs,  and 
served  with  ability  as  Supervisor. 

Simon  J.  Schermerhorn  accpiired  the  usual 
district-school  education  provided  for  the  chil- 
dren of  his  day,  and  he  certainly  made  good 
use  of  his  meagre  opportunities.  Reared  a 
farmer,  like  most  of  his  neighbors,  he  has  fol- 
lowed farming  with  unusual  success,  and  he 
still  has  large  agricultural  intere.sts.  He  has 
also  dealt  extensively  in  broom  corn,  and  for 
thirty  )'ears  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  brooms.  He  has  business  interests  in  other 
directions,  and  is  vice-president  of  the  Mohawk 
National  Bank  of  Schenectady. 

On  February  4,  1857,  Mr.  Schermerhorn  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Helen  Veeder,  who 
was  born  in  Woestina,  March  29,  1837,  daugh- 
ter of  Harman  and  Eleanor  (Truax)  Veeder. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Rotterdam,  and  her 
mother  was  a  native  of  Schenectady.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Schermerhorn  have  five  children  living; 
namely,  Mary  V.,  Sarah,  Alice  A.,  Andrew  T., 
and  Simon. 

Mr.  Schermerhorn 's  public  record,  which  is 
familiar  to  the  readers  of  the  Review,  deserves 
more  space  than  can  consistently  be  allotted 
to  a  brief  sketch.  His  efforts  in  behalf  of 
improvements  during  his  several  terms  as  Super- 
visor, as  well  as  the  advance  made  in  educa- 
tional facilities  while  he  was  Commissioner  of 
that  department  for  this   county,  fully  merited 


the  hearty  commendation  which  they  received. 
He  ably  represented  this  district  in  the  As.sem- 
bly  during  the  session  of  1S62,  was  a  I'residen- 
tial  Elector  on  the  Cleveland  ticket  in  1888, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  Fifty-third  Congress 
he  supported  such  measures  as  were  in  his  es- 
timation calculated  to  bestow  the  most  benefit 
on  the  nation  as  a  whole.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scher- 
merhorn are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church. 


fOSEPH  MALCOLM,  of  Catskill,  N.Y., 
head  of  the  firm  of  Malcolm  &  Co.,  and 
one  of  the  oldest  woollen  manufacturers 
in  the  State,  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Vt. ,  on 
August  24,  1838,  son  of  Joseph  and  Harriet 
(Hrundage)  Malcolm.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, James  Malcolm,  was  a  silk  weaver, 
who   lived  and  died    in   Paisley,    Scotland. 

Joseph  Malcolm  was  born  in  Scotland,  and 
lived  there  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  America  and  found  employment  as  a 
mill  operative  in  Middlebury,  \'t. ,  where  in 
time  he  worked  his  way  to  the  superintendency 
of  a  large  mill.  Later  he  had  a  mill  of  his 
own  in  Matteawan,  N.Y. ,  and  subsequently 
one  in  Pittsfiekl,  Mass.  He  retired  from  busi- 
ness in  Pittsfiekl,  and  died  there  at  fifty-two 
years  of  age.  In  religious  faith  he  and  his 
wife  were  Presbyterians.  Mrs.  Harriet  B. 
Malcolm  was  born  in  Cornwall,  Orange 
County,  this  State.  She  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy,  ha\-ing  been  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren. Of  these,  two  died  in  infancy.  Will- 
iam and  Abraham  are  now  deceased,  and 
James,  Joseph,  Samuel,  and  George  are  living. 


IJIOORArmCAL    REVIEW 


Samuel   Malcolm  resides  in   New  York  City, 
and  James  and  George  are   in   Pittsfield. 

Joseph  Malcolm  began  his  working  life  at 
twelve  years  of  age,  going  into  a  woollen-mill 
at  I'ittsfield,  Mass.,  as  a  wool  sorter.  He  had 
worked  his  way  ii]}  t<i  being  in  charge  of  the 
card  and  spinning  room,  when  he  enlisted,  in 
1.S57,  in  Company  D  of  the  Highth  United 
States  Infantry,  which  during  his  connection 
with  it  was  on  duty  at  Castle  Williams  and  at 
Fort  Columbus,  New  York  Harbor.  Dis- 
charged in  1859,  Mr.  Malcolm  returned  to  his 
position  in  the  I'ittsfield  mill,  and  he  subse- 
quently remained  there  until  some  time  after 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  For  one 
hundred  days  in  the  early  jiart  of  the  .struggle 
for  the  Union,  he  was  in  the  Allen  (iuard,  sta- 
tioned at  Worcester  and  in  Boston.  On  Sep- 
tember 18,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Forty-ninth  Regiment,  Mas.sachusetts  Volun- 
teers, which  left  the  State  in  November  under 
command  of  Colonel  William  V.  Bartlett, 
sailed  for  New  Orleans  in  January,  1863,  and 
a  few  months  later  took  part  in  the  memorable 
siege  of  Port  Hudson,  where  occurred  .some  of 
the  most  desperate  fighting  of  the  war.  Pri- 
vate Malcolm,  always  showing  his  .sturdy 
Scotch  determination  when  (lut\-  was  most  jjcr- 
ilous,  was  the  first  man  to  volunteer  for  the 
storming  party.  He  doubtless  inherited  mar- 
tial ardor,  as  his  mother's  father  was  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  her  grandfather  in  the 
Revolution.  His  five  brothers  also  enlisted, 
and  were  in  ser\ice  from  two  to  four  years. 
One  lost  his  life  in  the  war,  antl  one  was 
wounded. 


After  being  mustered  out  at  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  September  i,  1863,  Mr.  Malcolm  went 
to  Little  I'alls,  N.Y. ,  and  was  there  for  two 
years  as  sujierintendent  of  the  Mohawk  Wool- 
len Mills.  I-"()llowing  that  he  was  succes- 
sively suijerintendent  in  the  knitting-mill  at 
Amsterdam,  \.  Y. ,  in  Troy,  a_<;ain  at  Amster- 
dam, then  in  Cooperstown,  N.  Y. ,  where  he 
was  both  superintendent  and  a  jxirtner  in 
Groat  Van  Brocklin's  Mill.  Going  back  once 
more  to  Amsterdam,  he  started  a  woollen  in- 
dustry in  company  with  one  of  his  present 
partners,  Mr.  Pettingill.  In  1S86  he  came  to 
Catskill,  where  he  has  since  been  most  success- 
ful in  the  management  of  his  woollen-mill. 
In  this  plant  one  hundred  and  seventy  hands 
are  employed,  and  all  kinds  of  men'.s, 
women's,  and  children's  underwear  are  manu- 
factured. The  mill  is  the  second  largest  in 
this  section. 

Mr.  Malcolm's  first  wife  was  before  her 
marriage  Julia  Marsh.  She  died  leaving  one 
daughter,  Hattie  L.,  now  the  wife  of  Hamil- 
ton Jones,  a  plumber  of  Catskill,  of  the  firm 
of  H.  T.  Jones  &  Sons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones 
have  one  child,  Dorothy.  Mr.  Malcolm's  .sec- 
ond wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jennie 
Lewis,  is   the  mother  of  one   child,  James   L. 

In  politics  Mr.  Malcolm  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Catskill  Board  of 
Education,  and  he  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare.  He 
is  a  director  in  the  Catskill  National  Bank, 
and  was  formerly  a  director  in  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association.  He  is  a  Mason, 
having    membership    in     the     Blue     Lodge    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


North  Moosick  and  in  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter 
of  Catskill.  Of  the  last-named  body  he  is  a 
charter  member,  and  he  has  served  it  as  scribe. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of 
this  town:  of  J.  W.  Watson  Post,  G.  A.  R.  : 
of  the  A.  O.  U.  W".  ;  and  of  the  Rip  Van 
Winkle  Club.  He  has  been  delegate  from  the 
post  to  the  State  commander}-,  but  in  genera] 
has  refused  offices  in  the  various  fraternal  or- 
ganizations to  which  he  belongs,  as  the  de- 
mands of  his  business  leave  him  little  leisure. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Malcolm  are  members  of  the 
Reformed   church. 


/@Yo 


EORGE  HAXER,  M.D.,  an  able 
\f;^J_  phx'sician  and  prominent  citizen  of 
Tannersville,  Greene  County,  N.Y. ,  was  born 
in  Prattsville,  Greene  Count v,  on  the  6th  of 
August,  1847.  His  sole  heritage  was  that  of 
an  unsullied  name  and  a  constitution  which 
had  been  developed  through  generations  of  in- 
dustrious sons  of  the  soil.  For  three  genera- 
tions the  Haners  and  their  wives  have  been 
hard-working,  persevering,  and  in  some  degree 
successful  citizens  of  Greene  County. 

Martinus  Haner,  the  Doctor's  great-grand- 
father, was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  came  to 
Prattsville  from  the  more  settled  regions  of 
Columbia  Count}'.  He  immediately  engaged 
in  peeling  bark  for  the  tanneries,  which  at  that 
time  formed  the  chief  indu.stry  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. This  pursuit  he  followed  as  long  as 
his  health  permitted  him  to  work.  His  son 
Martin  continued  the  gathering  and  sale  of 
bark,  but  besides  this  he  cleared  a   larsre   farm 


and  won  by  his  diligent  apj^lication  a  degree  of 
prosperity  and  comfort. 

Martin  Haner  married  :\Iiss  Shoemaker,  a 
native  of  Columbia  County,  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children,  namely:  Isaac;  Henry;  Will- 
iam M.,  the  Doctor's  father;  Patty  M.  ;  Eliza- 
beth; Lavinia;  and  Mima  Ann.  Patty  M. 
married  Samuel  Chamberlain,  who  is  no  longer 
living;  Lavinia  became  Mrs.  Spencer;  Mima 
Ann  was  married  to  Henry  Palmer;  and 
Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of  Edward  Cronk. 
Martin  Haner  brought  up  his  children  in  such 
a  way  as  to  fit  them  for  the  battle  of  life;  and, 
if  he  did  not  leave  them  a  fortune,  he  at  least 
taught  theni  to  win  their  own  way  to  respect 
and  independence.  His  wife  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty,  but  for  a  few  years  more  he  remained 
with  his  family,  closing  an  honorable  life,  with 
the  love  and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him,  at 
the  age  of  si.xty-six. 

William  M.  Haner,  like  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  obtained  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  town.  In  the  course  of  time  he 
took  possession  of  a  part  of  the  old  homestead 
property,  which  he  farmed  with  some  success 
until  1 866,  when  he  removed  to  lewett. 
There  he  purchased  a  farm,  but  he  only  occu- 
pied it  one  year;  and  then  selling  it  he  re- 
moved to  the  town  of  Ro.xbury,  near  Grand 
Gorge,  Delaware  County.  Here  he  purchased  a 
large  dairy  farm,  which  he  continued  to  occupy 
until  1895.  He  is  now  (July,  1S99)  seventy- 
six  years  of  age,  and  is  living  with  his  children 
at  Tannersville.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  has  held  office  as  Road  Commissioner 
and  Overseer  of  the  Poor. 


28 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


His  wife,  Cornelia,  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
ami  Jennie  (Stanley)  Maginnes,  who  also  were 
among  the  first  settlers  in  Prattsville.  She  be- 
came the  mother  of  eiglit  children,  four  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  (icorge,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Jennie  I"..  ;  Homer  H.  ; 
and  Clark  R.  Jennie  K.  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Voss,  the  genial  I'cstmaster  of  Tan- 
nersville,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  the  Ri;vn:w.  Homer  has  been 
for  twenty  years  general  agent  for  the  Davis 
Sewing  Machine  Con)])any,  and  for  upward  of 
three  years  he  represented  their  interests  in 
Australia.  Clark  is  a  hook-keeper  and  clerk, 
and  resides  at  Tannersville.  Mrs.  Cornelia 
M.  Haner  died  on  May  15,  1899,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-three.  She  was  for  many  years  a 
useful  and  honmed  member  of  the  Methodist 
Kpiscopal  church. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  George  Haner 
started  in  life  with  no  great  advantages,  but 
such  as  he  had  he  turned  to  the  very  best  ac- 
count. All  that  the  common  schools  of  Pratts- 
ville had  to  gi\e  he  devoured  with  avidity, 
and  speedily  made  his  way  at  eighteen  years  of 
age  from  the  jnipils'  bench  to  the  teacher's 
ilesk.  (Juiet  and  reserN'ed  though  he  was,  his 
efficient  work  soon  called  the  attention  of  trus- 
tees and  school  commissioners,  and  he  suc- 
cessively and  successfull)'  taught  in  the  schools 
of  Red  FalKs,  Jewett  Centre,  Windham,  and 
Prattsville  in  Greene  County,  and  Gilb(ja,  Gal- 
lupviiie,  and  Mi(klleburg  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Schoharie.  With  the  ]iower  to 
teaci)  came  the  lox'c  of  and  craving  for  more 
knowledge  and   he  very  soon   proceeded  to  Fort 


I^dward  Institute,  where  he  took  an  advanced 
course  of  study.  A  period  was,  however,  put 
to  his  attendance  at  this  school  through  lack 
of  funds,  but,  nothing  dauntetl,  he  turned  to 
manual  labor  to  sup[)ly  his  needs  in  this  direc- 
tion. He  obtained  work  as  a  carpenter,  and 
it  was  while  thus  engaged  that  a  direction  was 
given  to  his  mind  which  determined  his  choice 
of  a  lifework.  He  was  assisting  to  build  a 
house  for  Dr.  D.  M.  Leonard  at  Broome 
Centre,  Schoharie  County,  and  in  discussing 
his  future  with  that  gentleman  he  was  advised 
by  him  to  adopt  the  profession  of  medicine. 
Taking  this  advice,  he  at  once  began  his  studies 
with  Dr.  Deonard,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of  the 
New  York  University,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1877.  Thus  equipped, 
Dr.  Haner  took  up  his  residence  in  the  town  of 
Conesville,  where  he  jiractised  with  success 
until   iSSo,  when  he  came  to  Tanners\-ille. 

In  1S80  Tannersville  was  only  a  small  vil- 
lage, and  the  arrival  of  a  young  doctor  with  a 
university  dijiloma  and  some  experience  was 
indeed  an  acquisition.  He  \-ery  speedily  im- 
pressed the  inhabitants  with  his  jirofessional 
knowledge  and  abilit)',  and  as  the  years  have 
rolled  along  his  practice  has  increased  and  his 
reinitation  as  a  skilful  physician  has  continued 
to  grow.  For  ten  years  he  practised  without 
opposition.  Besides  his  ordinary  practice  he 
has  a  large  clientele  among  the  many  city 
boarders  who  visit  Tannersx'ille  during  the 
summer  months,  and  among  whom  he  is  de- 
servedly po])ular,  both  from  a  professional  and 
social   point    of  view.      His    [Mcsent    residence 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


29 


was  erected  in  1881,  but  it  has  been  recently 
enlarged  and  beautified  and  made  complete  by 
a  most  convenient  suite  of  offices. 

In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  twice  represented  his  town  as  Supervisor, 
and  during  the  latter  term  was  chairman  of  the 
board.  The  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  has 
also  been  manifested  in  his  election  to  the 
office  of  Coroner  for  three  terms  of  three  years 
each. 

His  public  spirit  has  led  him  to  take  an 
active  interest  in  all  that  concerned  the  pros- 
perity and  development  of  the  village  in  which 
he  resides.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
and  its  first  president.  He  took  measures  for 
the  laying  out  of  its  sidewalks,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  which 
erected  the   first    public   school-building. 

In  1S77  Dr.  Haner  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Agnes  More,  of  Roxbury,  Delaware 
County,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Ann  E. 
(Hardenburgh)  More  and  a  third  cousin  of  the 
late  Jay  Gould.  She  had  two  sisters,  Cornelia 
and  Kate,  and  she  has  one  brother,  Samuel  P. 
Kate  was  married  to  Mr.  M.  L.  Benham. 
Samuel  P.  More  is  a  publisher  in  Great  Bend, 
Pa.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Haner  have  one  daughter, 
Helen. 

The  Doctor  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Mount  Tabor  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  be- 
longed formerly  to  the  Gilboa  Lodge.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  County  Medical  Society,  of 
which  he  has  been  secretary  for  three  years, 
and  also  of  the  New  York  Physicians'  Mutual 
Aid  Association. 

Dr.  Haner  is  also  a  prominent  and  enthusias- 


tic member  of  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church, 
and  actively  and  generously  participated  in  the 
movement  which  resulted  in  the  erection  of  the 
present  beautiful  edifice  in  Tannersvillc  be- 
longing to  that  body.  He  worked  indefatiga- 
bly  in  the  erection  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
parsonage,  and  to  these  objects  combined  has 
contributed  upward  of  five  hundred  dollars. 

His  interest  in  Sundax'-school  work  dates 
back  to  his  Conesville  days,  when  he  was  su- 
perintendent of  the  school;  and  ever  since  he 
came  to  Tannersx'ille  he  has  been  ready  with 
hand  and  brain,  sympathy  and  purse,  to  advance 
the  work  of  God  in  the  church'  of  his  choice. 
He  has  held  almost  every  office  that  a  layman 
can  hold,  representing  his  brethren  at  both  the 
district  and  annual  conferences,  and  is  at  the 
present  time  a  trustee. 

Dr.  Haner  is  yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  if 
spared  will  be  of  inestimable  service  to  the 
communitv  amid  which  he  resides. 


flMEON  LAPE.  a  thriving  general 
merchant  of  Charlotteville,  X.V., 
^  was  born  in  the  town  of  Summit, 
Schoharie  County,  X.Y.,  October  19,  1S27, 
son  of  Samuel  and  Lana  Lape.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Samuel  Lape,  who  was  the  grand- 
son of  a  German  immigrant  and  the  father  of 
several  children  that  grew  to  maturity,  was 
formerly  a  thriving  farmei  of  Sand  Lake,  N.  V. 
Somewhat  late  in  life  he  accompanied  his  son 
Samuel  to  Summit,  and  his  last  davs  were 
spent  in  this  town.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 


i;i()(;k.\1'I1I(;.\i.  ri;\jk\v 


Samuel  LajK-,  the  younger,  Simeon  Lapc's 
latlicr,  served  in  the  War  i.l  iSij.  lie  came 
to  Suniniil  when  a  ymini,'  man,  ami,  settlinj^ 
here  upon  a  farm  of  one  luiiuireil  ami  lilt\-  acres, 
which  he  afterward  enlar>;ed,  he  became  one  of 
the  most  extensive  farmers  in  this  section. 
Though  not  a  seeker  after  place,  he  consented 
to  iiold  some  of  the  miiinr  tnwii  nflices.  (Origi- 
nally a  Democrat  in  pidilics,  he  afterward  be- 
came a  Re|)ublican.  As  one  df  the  must  active 
ami  influential  membeis  of  the  Lutheran 
cluircii,  it  was  ,-enerally  his  hit  to  entertain 
the  preachers,  and  his  famil)'  was  taught  to 
believe  that  religious  devotion  was  just  as 
necessary  at  hume  as  in  a  place  of  []ub]ic  wor- 
ship. He  dietl  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  his 
wife  sin\iving  him  several  years.  They  were 
the  jiarents  of  si.xteen  children,  of  whom  ten 
died  in  infancy  and  six  liveil  to  maturity,  the 
latter  being;  Luther,  Simeon,  J(jhn,  (ieorge, 
Josiah.  and  I'llizabeth.  Luther  and  Josiah 
occupy  the  homestead.  John  is  a  resident  of 
I'last  Worcester,  X.  V.  ;  and  I'd  i/.abeth,  who 
is  the  eldest,  married  Abraham  Harrington,  of 
Worcester,  where  she  resides.  (icorge,  who  is 
living  in  15rookl\ii,  N.\'.,  was  for  a  time  en- 
gaged as  teacher  in  the  New  Wnk  Conference 
.Semiiiarv  and  in  ci\'il  engineering. 

.Simeon  Lape  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Summit.  lieginning  industrial  life 
as  a  farmer,  he  fiillowe<l  that  occupation  until 
thirty-eight  years  oUI,  when,  in  partnership 
with  a  Mr.  Decker,  he  purchase.l  the  general 
stock  of  goods  of  the  store  .4"  La  M.mte  &  Co., 
of  Charlotteville,  .\.  ^•.  This  lopLirtnership 
lasted   but    about    )i\'e    months,    at    the    end    of 


which  time  Mr.  Decker  withdrew,  leaving  his 
associate  soL-  proprietur  of  the  establishment, 
which  fur  the  jiast  tliirty-one  \ears  Mr.  Lape 
has  carried  on  alone.  As  his  trade  developed, 
he  enlarged  his  facilities  and  increased  his 
stock,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  has 
transacted  an  extensive  general  mercantile 
Inrsiiicss.  Like  his  father  he  adheres  to  Ke- 
liublican  principles;  and,  while  he  inx'ariabi)' 
has  refused  tu  becimie  a  candidate  for  local 
offices,  he  accepted  the  aiipointment  of  Post- 
master, which  he  heUI  in  all  for  about  twenty 
years. 

In  1.S48  Mr.  Lape  was  imited  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Lucy  La  Monte,  of  Charlotteville, 
daughter  of  Thomas  W.  and  I^lizabeth  Maria 
(Payne)  La  Monte.  Mrs.  Lape  was  a  descend- 
ant of  John  La  Monte,  of  Ctderaine,  County 
Antrim,  Ireland.  Her  first  American  ancestor 
was  Robert  La  Monte,  who  came  to  this  coim- 
try  with  his  mother,  the  widow  of  John,  and 
settled  in  Ccdimibia  County,  this  State. 

Her  great-grandfather,  William  La  Monte, 
son  of  Robert,  served  in  tlie  Revcdutionary 
War,  and  was  i)resent  at  the  siurender  of  Cen- 
eral  Purgo)'ne.  He  married  for  his  fust  wife 
Mrs.  Phcebe  Perkins,  born  (ioss,  and  settled 
upon  a  farm  in  North  Hinstlale,  N.V.  After 
her  death  he  moved  into  the  then  wilderness 
of  Schoharie  Comity,  locating  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  P'ldton,  where  he  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age.  .Mrs.  Lape's  grandfather,  also 
named  William,  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  Janu- 
ary 16,  17.S4.  When  a  young  man  he  settled 
in  Indton,  but  ajjout  the  year  i  S06  removed  to 
Charlotteville,   wliere  he  acquired  jjossession  of 


BIOGRA  PH ICAL    RFAH  KAV 


31 


some  seven  hundred  acres  of  land.  An  enter- 
prising business  man,  he  kept  a  country  store, 
and  operated  saw  and  grist  mills.  Being- 
familiar  with  common  law,  he  acted  as  legal 
adviser  to  his  neighbors,  pleaded  their  cases  in 
the  lower  courts,  and  was  several  times  elected 
a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  his  religious  belief 
he  was  a  Methodist.  He  died  September  5, 
1847.  His  wife,  Jane,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Stillwell,  died  August  25,  1S63,  aged  eighty 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  si.\  sons  and 
five  daughters,  all  of  whom  married  and  be- 
came the  heads  of  families. 

Thomas  W.  La  Monte,  Mrs.  Lape's  father, 
was  born  in  Fulton,  August  29,  1S03.  He 
was  a  prominent  business  man  of  Charlotte- 
ville  in  his  day,  and  proprietor  of  the  store 
which  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Lape.  He  was 
also  active  in  political  and  religious  affairs,  and 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  New  York  Con- 
ference Seminar)'.  I-le  died  June  3,  1853. 
His  wife  died  April  7,  1898,  aged  eighty- 
seven  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  thirteen 
children:  Jacob,  Lucy,  Elizabeth,  William 
and  David  (twins),  Thomas,  Jennie,  George, 
Kate,  Austin,  Hannah,  Maria,  and  Julia.  All 
the  children  received  a  good  education. 
Thomas  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  teaching  at 
the  Conference  Seminary,  but  later  became  a 
Methodist  minister.  George,  who  taught 
school  for  some  time  in  the  South,  became  a 
successful  paper  manufacturer  and  the  owner 
of  a  valuable  patent. 

In  1850  Mr.  Lape  joined  the  Methodist 
church,  which  he  has  since  served  as  steward, 
trustee,    and    superintendent    of    the     Sunday- 


school,  also  contributing  liberally  to  its  sup- 
port. Mrs.  Lape  died  October  I  S,  189^,  leav- 
ing no  children.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  and  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars. 


tNDKKW  J.  McMillan,  who  in  the 
fall  of  1898  was  elected  Assemblyman 
»« — -  from  Schenectady,  is  a  thriving 
farmer  of  Rotterdam,  N.  Y.  He  was  born 
upon  the  McMillan  farm,  a  part  of  which  he 
occupies,  on  February  9,  1S56,  being  the  only 
son  of  Andrew  and  Ellen  (Darrow)  Mci\lillan. 
His  father  was  born  here  on  January  12,  1832, 
and  his  mother  was  born  in  Schenectady  in 
1832.  This  farm  was  the  property  of  his  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  James  McMillan,  a  native 
of  New  Scotland,  who  settled  here  about 
seventy  years  ago,  and  who  lived  to  be  ninety- 
one  years  old.  The  maiden  name  of  James 
McMillan's  wife  was  Margaret  Wingate.  She 
died  at  sixty-five. 

Andrew  McMillan,  the  father,  succeeded  to 
the  homestead,  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in 
its  culti\-ation.  He  has  made  \-arious  imjjrove- 
ments  in  the  property,  and  is  widely  known  as 
a  practical  and  successful  agriculturist.  In 
politics  he  acts  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  Presbyterian. 
Ellen,  his  wife,  whom  he  married  in  1844,  has 
had  but  one  son,  Andrew  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Andrew  J.  McMillan  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools.  As  a  youth  he  assisted  his 
father,  from  whom  he   obtained   a   good   knowl- 


32 


BIOOKArilKAL    REVIEW 


edge  of  farming,  and  since  reaching  manhood 
he  has  tilled  the  soil  upon  his  own  account. 
He  has  at  his  disposal  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  acres,  which  he  devotes  to  generul  farm- 
in-;,  and  raises  excellent  crops. 

In  X.-vcmbcr.  i.SSj.  Mr.  McMillan  was 
united  in  niarriai;e  with  Anna  I..  l.iddK-,  who 
was  horn  in  1  )iKUK-slHn-i;-,  daughter  of  .\K'\an- 
cler  Liddlc.  A  sketch  of  her  family  will  he 
f(jund  on  another  pa,i;e  of  the  Ki;\ii  w.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McMillan  have  one  .son  —  Kverett, 
who  was  born  December  2;,    1SS4. 

Mr.  McMillan  is  now  in  his  third  year  as 
Supervisor,  and  is  renderini;  efficient  service  in 
that  capacity.  rolitically,  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  belongs  t.j  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  being  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  171, 
,,f  Mount  Pleasant. 


l.Ml'.R  K.  GOOD.SKLL,  of  Hunter,  sta- 
)n  agent,  telegraph  operator,  and 
agent  of  the  American  l-'-Xjiress  Company  on 
the  .Stony  Clove  ^  Catskill  Mountain  Rail- 
roail,  was  born  in  Jewett  on  April  17,  1865,  to 
Amos  anil  Harriet  (Egbertson)  Goodsell.  His 
great-grandfather  Goodsell  was  one  of  the  jmo- 
neer  settlers  of  Jewett,  coming  to  that  jdace 
from  the  .State  of  Connecticut.  His  grand- 
father, John  Goodsell,  who  tini.shed  clearing 
the  tract  of  land  taken  uji  liy  the  great-grand- 
father and  spent  his  life  engaged  in  farming, 
died  at  the  age  of  tifty-sevcn.  John  Goodsell' s 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  .Samantha  Peck, 
married  for  her  first  hu.sband  a  Mr,  Hogardus. 
She  died  at  the   age  of   fifty-four.      Hy  her  sec- 


ond marriage  she  had  ten  children,  as  f(dlows: 
Amos,  Amelia,  .Mansfield,  Amanda,  J.  I{mory, 
Lois,  Adela,  Anna,  l-".lbert,  and  Sarah. 

Amos  Goodsell  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
during  boyhood  he  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Jewett,  his  native  town.  For  over 
twenty  years  he  carried  (jii  his  farm  in  Jewett 
Centre.  He  then  sold  out,  and  since  that  time 
he  has  been  working  where  he  jdeased.  He  is 
a  Republican,  and  has  held  a  nimiber  of  town 
offices.  His  wife,  Harriet,  who  died  in  1SS4, 
at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  was  a  native  of  Jew- 
ett, and  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Fgbertson,  an 
early  settler  and  a  farmer  of  that  place.  Mr. 
Egbertson  and  his  wife  both  died  at  the  age  of 
eight}'-two.  The)- had  nine  children  ;  namely, 
John,  Justu.s,  Eliza,  .Sally,  Tully,  Caroline, 
Harriet,  Jane,  and  Maria.  Amos  and  Harriet 
Goodsell  reared  a  famil\'  of  three  children; 
namely,  lilla,  George,  and  Palmer  E.  The 
daughter,  Ella,  is  the  wife  of  D.  Clarence 
Gibbony,  attorney-at-law,  of  Philadelphia ;  and 
her  brother  George  is  employed  b\-  the  Mis- 
souri, Kansas  &  Te.Nas  Railroad  at  St.  Louis. 
The  parents  were  active  members  in  the  Meth- 
odist PLpiscopal  Church  of  Jewett. 

Elmer  E.  Goodsell  received  a  common-school 
education.  He  then  servetl  some  time  as  a 
teacher,  and  he  subsequently  attended  Green- 
ville Academy  and  luistman's  Business  Col- 
lege. He  was  graduated  at  the  last-named  in- 
stitution in  June,  1S8.S,  and  shortly  after  came 
to  the  Hunter  station  as  assistant  to  Mr.  Pur- 
hans,  who  was  the  agent  until  1894.  When 
Mr.  Purhans  left  the  |ilace,  Mr.  Goodsell  was 
ajipointed  to  succeetl  him,  and  in  the  few  years 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFAHEW 


he  has  held  the  position  he  has  made  himself 
exceedingly  popular  with  both  officials  and 
patrons  of  the  road.  He  is  furnished  one  as- 
sistant the  year  through,  and  sometimes  in  the 
summer  three.  Most  of  the  telegraphing  he 
does  himself.  The  Hunter  station  is  the  lar- 
gest on  the  line,  being  moreover  the  terminal 
station;  and  Mr.  Goodsell  is  the  oldest  station 
agent  on  the  line  as  to  time  of  service  for  this 
company. 

In  i8gi  Mr.  Goodsell  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Anna  Bell  Anderson,  daughter  of 
George  W.  Anderson,  coal  and  lumber  dealer, 
whose  biographical  sketch  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  Mrs.  Goodsell,  who  has 
one  sister,  Mabel  Anderson,  is  the  mother  of 
two  children  —  Marguerite  and  Anderson. 

Mr.  Goodsell  is  an  ardent  Republican,  but 
he  has  refused  all  public  offices.  He  is  a 
member  of  Mount  Tabor  Lodge,  No.  804, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Hunter,  and  both  he  and  Mrs. 
Goodsell  arc  members  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  workers  in  the  Sunday-school.  Mr.  Good- 
sell  was  formerly  secretar)-  and  librarian  of  the 
Sunday-school. 


SEYMOUR  BOUGHTON,  a  promi- 
nent resident  of  Charlotteville,  was 
born  in  Summit,  November  17, 
1834,  son  of  Seymour  and  Phcebe  (Mi.\) 
Houghton.  The  father  came  here  from  Con- 
necticut, settling  first  in  Charlotteville,  and 
later  moving  to  Summit  village,  where  he 
kept  a  hotel.  He  afterward  engaged  in  the 
cooper    business,    and    also   ran    a     distillery. 


Studying  law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1840,  and  thenceforward  carried  on  a  profitable 
general  law  business. 

Actively  interested  in  public  affairs,  Sam- 
uel Boughton,  the  elder,  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  on  the  Anti-rent  ticket  in  1845, 
was  t\i'ice  elected  Supervisor  as  a  Democrat, 
was  for  some  years  a  member  of  the  county 
committee,  served  with  ability  as  K.xcise 
Commissioner,  and  was  Postmaster  for  eight 
years.  He  was  very  pojjular  with  all  classes 
irrespective  of  party,  and  his  personal  charac- 
ter was  such  as  to  fully  merit  the  high  esti- 
mation in  which  he  was  held.  He  was  an 
active  member  of  the  I^aptist  church.  He  re- 
turned to  Charlotteville  in  1866,  and  died  here 
in  1871,  aged  eighty-one  years.  Nine  chil- 
dren were  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  Phoebe, 
namely:  Lucius,  who  died  December  11, 
1S26;  Harvey;  Mary;  .Squire,  who  died  De- 
cember 9,  1 819;  Phoebe;  Polly;  Louisa;  Har- 
mon K.,  who  died  in  1851,  aged  twenty-four 
}'ears;  and  Seymour,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
he  and  his  sister  Mary  being  the  only  sur- 
vivors. 

Seymour  I^oughton  after  finishing  his  educa- 
tion learned  the  carriage  painter's  trade  in 
Cobleskill,  mastering  it  without  much  diffi- 
culty, as  he  had  a  natural  genius  for  handling 
the  brush.  P2ngaging  in  business  for  himself, 
his  first  contract,  wdiich  amounteil  to  two  thou- 
sand three  hundred  dollars,  was  tendered  him 
by  parties  in  Gallupville;  and  he  subsequently 
enlarged  his  business.  For  many  years  he 
conducted  the  largest  carriage-making  estab- 
lishment   in   the  count}'.      He  also  did   most  of 


1;1()(;K.\1'HI(  AI.    KK\  IKW 


the  repairing  and  painting  in  this  and  tlic  ad- 

I^ENRY   C.    VAN    ZANDT,    M.D..    a 

jacent  towns,  and   at    one    time    he    eanied    on 

rp^         prominent   physician  of    Schenectad)', 

two   shops.      Of    hite   he     has     l)een    gradually 

^^    is   a   native   of    this    city.      lie   was 

withdrawing  fmni  hiisiness,  but  still   continues 

jjorn  on   January  11,    1844,  son    of   (iilbert  and 

to    f(dlow    his    trade    to     some     extent.        Mr. 

Myra     (llalliday)    Van     Zandt.       The     family 

Houghton's    connection      with      public      affairs 

of  which  he  is   a   representatixe  w;is  founded  in 

began  as   a    boy    in    the    .Assembly  at    .Alban)', 

.Ameiica    by    Johannes    \'an    Zandt,  who   came 

and  he  was  elected  Town  Clerk  the  year  he  be- 

from   .Anheim,    Ilollaiul,    in    1660,    and    wh(.)se 

came  a   voter.       lie    afterward    served    as    Con- 

grave   is   still    \isil)le    in    Trinity    Churchyard, 

stable  two  years,  held  some  minor  town  ofTices, 

New    York    City. 

was  elected    .Sui)ervis(ir  in    1S7S,  reelected    in 

Peter    P.    \'an    Zandt,  a  grandson   of  Johan- 

1S79, was   County  C"lerk    from    iSSi    [(,     1888, 

nes,  settled  in  Schenectady,  and  several  of  his 

was  I'ostmaster  under  Andrew  Johnson  antl  the 

descendants  have  won  distinction  in  this  local- 

second (Cleveland  administration,  and  has   been 

ity,       lie  was  elected  a  member  of   the  Assem- 

a  member  of  the    Democratic  Town  Connnittee 

bl)',  and   while    in    Albany  he   married   a    Miss 

for  many  years.       His  jiolitical  record  is  a  most 

.Munson,     of     Schoharie.       Dr.     \'an     Zandt's 

honorable   one,   and    it    is    worthy  of   note   that 

grandfather     was     Garrett     \'an      /'.andt,     who 

while    some    of    tlie    offices    to    which    he   was 

served   as  a   soldier   in   the  War   of    1812,  and 

elected  were  hotly  contested,  his   cantlitlacy  for 

was  stationed  at  Sackett's    Harbor.      The  Doc- 

a second  term  as  .Super\isor  was  without    oppo- 

tor's mother  was  a  daughter  of  Judge  Halliday, 

sition,    a    fact    which    demonsti-ates    the    confi- 

of Rochester,  N.  A^ 

dence  of  his  fellow-t<iwnsmen  in  his  ability  and 

Henry  C.    \'an    Zandt  pre[xued   for   his   col- 

integrity. 

legiate     course     at      the      Schenectady     High 

Mr.   l^oughton   contracted   his   first   marriage 

School,  and  was  graduated  from  Union  College 

with    Maggie    I-'erguson,    daughter   of    Thomas 

with  the  class  of  1865.       Ilis  ]iiel  iminaiy  med- 

i'erguson.        .She     bore     him      four      children, 

ical  studies  were   pursued    under   the   diiection 

iiamel)- :   Arthur   J.,     l-'rank,    and    Thomas    (i., 

of  Dr.   \'edder,  of  Schenectady;  and  after  grad- 

none of  wh.,m  are  living;   and  Charles  I-.,  wh<. 

uation    from    the    Albany    Medical    Sclicxd    he 

is   a    ]iainter    by  trade  and  a  musician    of    local 

began    the    practice    of    his   ]irofession    in   this 

repute.        l-"or     his     second     wife     he    married 

city,  where   he   has  gainetl    a   high    reinitation. 

I'innna    Xadle)-,  daughter  of    Christoplier   Nad- 

lie  is  also  engaged    in    the   drug    business,  and 

ley,  and  by  this  union   he    has   two   children  — 

has  one   of   the  best  equipped  apothecary  estab- 

Ivlith and  lb. ratio  S.   15oughl..u. 

lishments  in  this  x'icinity. 

Mr.    li.uighton    bel..n,i;s    to    Jefferson    L.idge, 

Dr.     \'an    Zandt     is   a    meml)er    of    the    sur- 

Xo.    554,    !••.    &    A.     M.,    and    John    L.    Lewis 

geons'  staff  of  P:ilis  Hospital,  of   Schenectady, 

Chapter,   No.   229,   K.   A,   M. 

also    a    membei'    of     the    Schenectad)'    County 

1336482 


H.    C.    \'AX    ZAXDT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


37 


Medicnl  Society  and  of  the  State  Medical 
Association.  He  belongs  to  St.  George  Lodge, 
No.  6,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  is  a  Trustee  of  Schau- 
Nangh-ta-da  Tribe,  No.  123,  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men;  and  is  a  member  of  the  Holland 
Society. 

He  married  Ilattie  Hilderbrand,  daughter  of 
Henry  Hilderbrand,  of  Schenectad)',  N.  Y.  In 
his  religious  belief  the  Doctor  is  an  Episco- 
palian, and  is  a  warden  of  Christ's  Church. 


HOMAS  UORMADY,  a  retired  locomo- 
tive   engineer    and    a    member    of    the 
Schenectady  Board   of  Aldermen,  was   born    in 
the  town   and   county  of   Carlow,   Ireland,   Sep 
tember  10,   1S27,  son    of   Andrew   and    Bridget 
(Rice)    Dormady.        Coming    to    Schenectady 
with   his  parents  when   two  }-ears  old,  Thomas 
Dormady  passed   through   the   common   schools 
of  this  city,  and  was  graduated   from   the   high  [ 
school.      After  learning   the   machinist's  trade  ' 
in  the  railway  shops  at  Alban}-,  he  followed  it 
as  a  journeyman   for  a  _\"ear,  and  then  became  a 
locomotive  engineer  on  the  Mohawk  &  Hudson 
River  Railroad,    which    is    now  a    part    of    the 
New  York  Central  s_\stem.      His    first  engine,    | 
which  was  imported  from  England  in  1S31,  was 
originally  called  the  "John  Bull,"  but  on  being 
enlarged  was  renamed  the  "Rochester.  "      For  I 
over  forty  years  he   ran  a  regular  day  train   be-  ! 
tween  Schenectady,  Alban_\-,  Utica,    and    Syra- 
cuse,  and   in    1894   he  practically   retired.      In 
1 87 1  he  was  elected  to  the   Board   of  Aldermen 
for    three    years,    and    he    was    afterward     re- 
elected for  the  two  succeeding  terms.      As   the  I 


Democratic  candidate  fur  Mayor  in  1S79,  he 
lacked  but  three  votes  of  being  elected.  In 
1890  he  was  again  a  memijcr  of  the  upjier 
branch  of  the  city  government,  and  in  1897  he 
began  his  fifth  term  in  that  bod}-.  The  ward 
he  represents  is  consideretl  a  Republican 
stronghold,  a  fact  which  ampl)-  attests  his 
ability  and  pcpularit_\". 

Mr.  Dormad)-  married  Mar_\-  Sheean,  a  native 
of  Troy,  N.Y. ,  a  daughter  of  Philip  Sheean 
(deceased).  His  children  are:  Thomas,  born 
in  1858,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  and 
now  a  telegraph  operator  in  Schenectad_\- ; 
Annie,  a  graduate  of  St.  John's  Convent 
School  ;  Libbie,  now  the  widow  of  J.  J.  Mur- 
phy ;  and  rhilip,  also  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  and  at  present  in  the  employ  of  the 
city. 

Mr.  Dormady  belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Engineers,  and  has  served  as  local 
chief  of  Division  83,  now  Di\'ision  172. 


§(^HN  T.  BENHAM,  M.D.,  of  Cones- 
ville,  N.Y. ,  one  of  the  best  known  phy- 
sicians in  this  part  of  the  country,  was 
born  in  Hudson,  N.  Y. ,  October  19,  1823,  son 
of  Dr.  John  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Benham. 
He  is  a  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation  of 
his  emigrant  ancestor,  who  was  an  Englishman, 
and  is  the  fourth  representative  of  the  family 
in  a  direct  line  to  practise  medicine.  The 
great-grandfather  was  Dr.  Cornevius  Benham, 
who  ]Dractised  in  Catskill,  N.Y. ,  for  many 
years;  and  his  widow,  who  was  of  Dutch  de- 
scent,   married    for    her    second    husband    Dr. 


38 


lilOC.RAl'IIK  AL    kK\lK\V 


Van  Hiiren,  a  relative  of  rrcsident  Martin  Van 
Hurcn.  Dr.  Tliomas  Benham,  the  gnindfatlicr, 
|)ractisL(l  in  Asiiland,  N.  V.,  where  he  died  at 
the  aj;e  of  eighty-nine  years;  and  two  of  his 
sons,  namely,  John  P.  and  Jacoli,  became  suc- 
cessful ])hysicians. 

Dr.  John  P.  Benham,  the  father,  resided  in 
Hudson  for  many  years,  and  then,  moving; 
from  that  town  to  Conesville,  [irnctised  there 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  favorably 
known  over  a  wide  circuit  as  a  capalde  ]ihysi- 
cian,  whose  powers  of  endurance  were  unusually 
vi<rornus;  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  he 
was  the  oldest  active  medical  practitioner  in 
this  count)'.  He  rearetl  twn  children  :  John  T. , 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Margaret  K., 
who  married  lulwin  11.  Marshall  and  resides  in 
Troy,  N.Y. 

John  T.  Benham  began  his  educaticjn  in  the 
district  sciinuls,  and  advanced  in  learning  b\' 
attending  the  Schoharie  ,\cademv.  After 
working  at  the  car])enter's  trade  some  twelve 
years,  he  took  u\>  tiie  study  of  meilicine  with 
his  lather,  who  carefulK"  directed  his  prepara- 
tions. He  also  attended  lectures  at  Woodstock 
and  Castleton,  \'t.,  and  at  the  Berkshire  Medi- 
cal College,  Pittsfield,  Mass.  He  subse- 
quently s])cnt  a  year  at  the  Hroadwa\-  Hospital, 
New  York  City,  where  he  obtained  much  valu- 
able experience,  anel  returning  to  Conesville 
he  entete  1  upon  the  practice  of  liis  profession 
in  com|)any  with  his  father.  l-"or  o\er  fifty 
years  he  has  labored  diligently  and  success- 
fully in  his  calling,  visiting  the  sick  in  all 
kinds   of    weather,   aniKirenllv  ohlivhuis   <if   his 


own  health  or  comfort;  and  he  is  still  remark- 
ably vigorous  and  active. 

Dr.  Benham  married  for  his  first  wife  Ro- 
sanna  Hoogland  and  for  his  second  Anna  M. 
Ladcr.  He  has  two  daughters  b\'  his  first 
union,  namely:  Donna  I.,  who  married  Oscar 
Mervin  ;  anti  .Margaret  K. ,  wife  of  Julian 
Myers. 

The  Doctor  has  always  been  a  great  reader 
and  an  independent  thinker,  accustomed  to  rea- 
son out  things,  as  he  says,  for  iiimself,  even 
the  deep  questions  of  life.  His  religious  opin- 
ions are  liberal.  Many  kindly  acts  in  the  way 
of  charity  can  be  traceil  directly  to  him,  and 
he  is  highly  respected  by  the  entire  community. 


§  EDWARD  YOUNG,  one  of  Middle- 
burg's  literary  men  and  the  editor  of 
the  Middleburg  Gnct/tr,  is  a  native  of 
Prattsville,  Greene  County.  He  was  born  on 
Januarv  6,  1S4S.  His  elementar)-  education 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools,  and  subse- 
quently he  attended  Ro.xbury  Seminar\',  from 
which  he  was  graduateil.  As  editor  of  the 
Gazette  he  exercises  a  strong  influence  in 
moulding  public  opinion  and  in  placing  before 
the  townspeojile  information  which  keejis  them 
in  touch  with  the  most  progressive  thought  of 
the  da)'.  The  editorial  columns  of  his  paper 
are  marked  by  vigorous  and  positive  e.xjjression 
of  opinion  on  all  questions  of  national  or  local 
moment,  as  well  as  by  cool  and  conser\at ivc 
criticism  ami  level-headed  judgment.  He  does 
considerable  writing  for  other  jniblications. 
Thoioughlv  interested  in  the  welfare   of   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


39 


town  and  believing  that  she  needs  the  services 
of  her  best  citizens  in  public  life,  he  has  freely 
given  time  and  effort  to  serve  her  in  many 
ways.  For  two  years  he  was  Town  Clerk,  and 
for  twelve  consecutive  years,  beginning  in 
1881,  he  was  village  Clerk.  In  1889  he  rep- 
resented Schoharie  County  in  the  Assembl}-. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  ardent  workers  in  se- 
curing the  incorporation  of  the  village,  and 
also  of  the  water  company.  Of  the  last  named 
he  is  now  one  of  the  directors.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank,  and  since 
1892  has  been  treasurer  of  Middleburg  Acad- 
emy. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education.  In  politics  Mr.  Young  is  a  most 
loyal  Democrat,  and  his  party  has  chosen  him 
as  delegate  to  State  and  county  conventions, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  county  committee. 

On  November  15,  1893,  Mr.  Voung  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Inez  Bouck,  of  Cones- 
ville,  a  daughter  of  James  A.  Bouck.  He  is 
a  prominent  Odd  Fellow,  and  is  at  the  present 
time  District  Deputy  Grand  Patriarch  for  the 
Schoharie  district.  Canton  Young,  of  Scho- 
harie, of  which  he  is  a  member,  is  named  for 
him. 


lYRUS  SHOWERS,  civil  engineer, 
contractor,  and  builder,  of  Tanners- 
lle,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  this  town, 
November  9,  1859,  son  of  Isaac  and  Merilla 
A.  (Loomis)  Showers.  He  is  of  the  si.xth 
generation  of  his  family  in  America,  the  line 
being  traced  back  through  Lsaac,  Japhet,  Mi- 
chael, Jfihn,  to  the  emigrant  progenitor,  who 
came  from   Holland  and  settled  in  New  Jersey, 


there  spending  the  re.st  of  his  life.  A  more 
extended  accoimt  of  his  ancestors  will  be  found 
in  a  sketch  of  Isaac  Showers,  which  appears 
elsewhere  in  the  Review. 

Isaac  Showers,  Cyrus  Showers' s  father,  was 
born  in  Hunter  in  1827,  and  spent  his  youth 
on  farms  in  this  locality.  He  later  engaged  in 
civil  engineering,  which  he  followed  quite  ex- 
tensively, and  became  one  of  the  largest  resi- 
dent land-owners  in  this  section.  He  is  now 
living  in  retirement.  His  wife,  Merilla,  was 
a  daughter  of  Alvin  J.  and  Harriet  (Palmer) 
Loomis,  of  Windham.  She  became  the  mother 
of  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  living; 
namely,  Cyrus,  PImma,  Henr)-  W. ,  and  George 
Harding  Showers.  Emma  married  Edward 
Osborn,  and  resides  in  California.  Plenry 
W.  is  attending  the  Albany  Law  School. 
George  Harding  Showers  is  studying  civil 
engineering  at  the  Troy  Polytechnic  Institute. 
The  others  were  :  Jennie,  who  married  Stephen 
\'ining,  of  Windham,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
fort}--one :  Elmer,  who  died  at  thirteen;  Isaac, 
who  died  young;  and  Irving,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years.  The  parents  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Cyrus  Showers  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Tannersville,  and  resided  on  the 
home  farm  of  three  hundred  acres,  of  which  he 
took  entire  charge  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  He 
kept  fifty  cows,  made  butter  for  the  local  mar- 
ket, and  supplied  Hotel  Kaaterskill  with  milk 
for  some  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he 
went  to  Onteora  Park  to  assist  in  building  the 
cottages,  and  was  made  its  superintendent. 
He  later  built  a  large   number  of   houses,  com- 


plctir)};  contracts  amounting  to  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  four  years.  He  nls<i  built 
his  present  dwelling,  and  continues  to  fdllow 
the  business  of  a  civil  engineer,  disjila)  ing  a 
marked  ability  for  that  profession.  He  at  one 
time  engaged  in  mercantile  business  for  a  short 
period.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  Ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff  in  i88S,  he  served 
until  1891  and  again  from  189410  189S.  He 
was  an  Assessor  two  terms  and  a  member  of 
the  county  committee  for  several  \ears.  He 
has  been  secretary  of  the  village  l^oard  of 
Trustees  ever  since  its  establishment,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Hoard  ui  Health. 

In  1883  Mr.  Showers  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Lillie  1^.  I-"ord,  who  was  born  in 
Lexington  in  186^,  daughter  of  Charles  L.  and 
Harriet  (Ihmiphrey)  h'onl.  Her  father  and 
grandfather  were  botli  natives  of  Jewctt  ;  antl 
Charles  1..  b'ord,  who  at  one  time  carried  on  a 
farm  and  kept  a  boarding-house  in  Lexington, 
moved  to  Tannersville,  where  he  was  similarh 
engaged,  and  still  sjiLiids  his  simimers  in  that 
village.  Mrs.  Showers's  mother  was  a  native 
of  Lexington,  daughter  of  tlie  Rev.  Eli  H.  and 
Kmil)-  (Cline)  Humphre\-,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  well-known  HajHist  minister,  and  died  at 
the  age  of  eight)'.  Her  grandjiarents  had  a 
family  of  twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  are 
living,  among  them  Hiram,  Horace,  Salirina, 
Lucina,  Susan,  Harriet,  Ophelia,  Ludocia. 
The  others  were:  Amasn,  Mary,  and  b'.li/a- 
beth.  Charles  L,  and  Harriet  Ford  are  the 
l)arents  of  two  chilchen  :  Lillie,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  Showers;  and  Jennie  L. ,  wlio  married 
Dr.   Robert  L.  Craliam,  of  l!roi,klyn,   X.  \'. 


Mr.  Showers  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a 
steward  and  trustee,  and  he  served  u])on  the 
building  connnittee  which  erected  the  new- 
church  edifice.  Mrs.  Showers  united  with  the 
church  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  choir,  and  was  organist  for  eight 
years. 


;chtmvi-:r    iiui!ni-;i.L,    m.d.,  an 

able  physician  and  prominent  citizen 
if  Jeffers,,n,  X.  V. ,  was  Ixirn  in  Gil - 
ban,  Schoharie  County,  X.Y. ,  l-'ebruary  2, 
1843,  son  of  Jacob  Richtmyer  and  Harriet 
(Pierce)  Hubbell.  The  name  llubbell,  which 
originated  in  Wales,  is  said  to  have  been  de- 
rived fr(jm  Ihiliba,  a  Danisli  chief  who  camped 
u];oi)  a  hill.  It  passed  through  several  changes, 
including  Hubbashill  and  Hubhill,  before  the 
present    form   of   spelling   was   adoptetl. 

Richard  Hubbell,  the  immigrant  ancestor, 
of  whom  the  Doctor  is  a  descendant  in  the 
eighth  generation,  was  born  in  Wales  in  1627. 
He  arri\cd  in  Xew  I-"nglantl  in  i'')45,  and  in 
1647  he  t(Jok  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Xew 
Haven  Colonial  government.  In  i6f>4  he 
moved  to  Fairfield  County,  Connecticut,  and 
in  1685  became  one  of  the  original  ]iroprietors 
of  Fairfield  township.  He  died  October  23, 
1699,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Strat- 
ford buryiiig-groiind,  now  ineludeil  witliin  the 
limits  of  the  city  of  Rridgejiort.  Richard 
Hubbell  was  tiiiee  times  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  fifteen  children.  l-"rom  liim  tlie  line 
(jf   descent   is   traced  direcll}',  through  Samuel, 


RICHTMVER    HUBBELL. 


bi(k;rai'Hical  rfa'ikw 


Nathan,  Peter  (first),  Peter  (second),  Matthias, 
and  Jacob  R.,  to  Dr.  Richtmyer  Hubbell,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Peter  Hubbell,  second,  the  Doctor's  great- 
grandfather, who  married  Sally  Hiirlburt,  re- 
moved with  his  family  from  Connecticut  to 
Schoharie  County  early  in  the  present  centurw 
His  brother-in-law,  Joseph  Hurlburt,  built  the 
first  store  in  the  village  of  Gilboa,  and  resided 
on  what  is  known  as  the  Dr.   Fanning  farm. 

Matthias  Hubbell,  Dr.  Hubbell's  grand- 
father, accompanied  his  parents  from  Connect- 
icut when  a  boy,  and  during  his  acti\-e  )-ears 
he  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  followed  gen- 
eral farming  in  the  towns  of  Gilboa  and  Blen- 
heim. He  married  for  his  first  wife  Sophia 
Richtm}-er,  who  was  of  German  ancestry. 
The  grandparents  were  buried  in  the  old  cem- 
etery in  Gilboa  village. 

Jacob  Richtmyer  Hubbell,  Dr.  Hubbell's 
father,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  this  county. 
He  died  in  Sharon  Springs,  N.Y. ,  November 
II,  1896,  aged  just  seventy-si.\  }'ears,  and  was 
buried  in  Jefferson.  His  wife,  Harriet,  was  a 
daughter  of  Benona  and  Betsey  (Davis)  Pierce, 
of  North  Blenheim.  Her  father  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Captain  Michael  Pierce,  who  came 
over  from  Iingland  about  1645,  settled  at  Scit- 
nate,  Mass.,  in  1647,  and  was  killed  in  a  fight 
with  Indians  in  King  Philip's  War  in  March, 
1676,  while  commanding  his  company.  This 
is  the  line  of  ancestry:  Captain  Michael,' 
Ephraim,-  Ephraim,^  Mial,-*  Job,^  Job,"  and 
Benona,'  father  of  Mrs.  Hubbell.  Benona 
Pierce  was  born  in  1781,  a  son  of  Job  Pierce, 
Jr.,    of    Rehoboth,    Mass.,    and   died    in    1855. 


His  wife,  Mrs.  Betsey  D.  Pierce,  born  in 
May,    1789,    died    in    September,    18S1. 

Jacob  R.  and  Harriet  (Pierce)  Hubbell  were 
the  parents  of  si.\  children,  namely:  Richt- 
myer, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Charles  B., 
a  furniture  dealer  and  undertaker  in  Jefferson; 
Hiram  P.,  a  physician  of  Stamford,  Delaware 
County;  I^lizabeth,  wife  of  J.  Perry  Charnplin, 
of  Ruth,  Schoharie  County ;  Sophia,  who  mar- 
ried J.  E.  Preston,  of  Sharon  Springs;  and 
P'red  E.  Hubbell,  who  died  September  23, 
1892,    aged   about   thirty  years. 

Richtmyer  Hubbell  acquired  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  and  at  the  acad- 
emy in  Roxbury,  Delaware  County,  which  he 
attended  one  term.  At  the  age  of  si.xteen  he 
began  teaching  during  the  winter  season,  his 
summers  being  devoted  to  agriculture;  and, 
having  taught  schools  in  Gilboa,  lilenheim, 
and  Eminence,  he  in  1S63  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  the  direction  of  the  late  Dr. 
A.  A.  Wood.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  ac- 
companied his  preceptor  to  Wisconsin,  where 
he  resumed  teaching  for  a  time  at  Almond, 
Wis.,  and  also  continued  his  studies  with  Dr. 
Wood  and  Dr.  Guernsey,  of  Almond,  Wis.  In 
1864  he  enlisted  as  a  Corporal  in  Comjiany  M, 
First  Wisconsin  Heavy  Artiller)-,  of  which  he 
was  shortly  afterward  appointed  clerk,  and  he 
served  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  Re- 
turning to  Schoharie  Countv  after  his  dis- 
charge, he  subsequentl}'  entered  the  Philadel- 
phia Universit)'  of  Medicine  and  Surgery, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  P'ebruary  21, 
1 866.  Borrowing  the  money  to  jnirchase  a 
team     and      medical      outfit,     he      began      the 


lilOCRAl'IIlCAI. 


practice  of  his  profession  in  Harpers  field, 
Delaware  County,  X.  Y.  For  the  succeed iiijj 
ele\en  )'ears  iiis  practice,  which  covered  a 
wide  circuit,  extending  into  two  adjninini;- 
ciiunties,  i<ept  liim  c<instantly  driviiij;  from 
jjlace  to  place  through  all  kinds  of  weather. 
While  residing  '"  Harpersfield  he  served  lour 
terms  as  Town  Clerk  and  three  terms  as  Su- 
pervisor. On  December  25,  1S76,  Dr.  Hub- 
hell  .sold  his  jiractice,  together  with  his  real 
estate  in  HariJersfield,  to  his  brother,  Hiram 
r. ,  and  removed  to  Jefferson,  where  lie  almost 
immediately  accpiired  prominence  as  a  skilful 
physician  and  surgeon.  Although  his  practice 
is  large  and  his  time  exceedingly  valuable,  be 
has  never  been  known  to  neglect  the  worthy 
jioor,  believing,  as  he  does,  that  life  and 
health  are  as  dear  to  them  as  to  those  who  are 
more  fortunate ;  and,  as  lie  himself  declares,  if 
they  are  unable  to  ]3ay  him  in  dollars  and 
cents,  the\-  have  nifjre  than  licpiidatetl  his 
claim  upon  them  b\-  their  genuine  gratitutle. 
He  has  frequently  held  the  offices  of  presi- 
dent and  secretary  of  the  Eclectic  Medical  So- 
ciet\- of  the  Suscjuehannah  District,  comi^rising 
the  comities  of  Schoharie,  Delaware,  and  Ot- 
sego, and  during  his  professional  career  he  has 
directed  the  i)re]iaratory  studies  of  five  stu- 
dents, four  of  them  becoming  skilful  medical 
practitioners  and  one  a  successful  druggist. 
Two  of  the  fi\e  are  now  deceased.  In  iS.So  he 
established  the  Jefferson  Banking  House,  which 
he  carried  on  for  two  years ;  and,  when  the 
jiresent  bank  at  Stamford,  N.Y. ,  was  founded, 
he  was  retpiested  to  become  its  president,  but 
his  professional  duties  prevented   him  from  ac- 


cepting the  office.  His  hearty  co-o]ieration  is 
alwa\-s  to  be  depended  upon  in  forwarding  all 
measures  calculated  to  be  of  benefit  to  the 
town.  He  was  active  in  securing  the  present 
water-w<irks  s\stem,  together  with  a  iniblic 
fountain,  the  Jefferson  Co-operative  Creamery, 
and  so  forth  ;  and  he  is  using  his  influence  for 
the  establishment  of  a  union  free  schocd,  with 
academic  advantages.  He  is  activeh'  en- 
gaged in  general  farming,  raises  Jersc}-  cattle, 
and  owns  about  two  thousanil  acres  of  agri- 
cultural   property. 

On  April  29,  1866,  Dr.  Hubbell  married 
for  his  first  wife  Amelia  S.  Decker,  of  Gilboa, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Decker  and  a  sister  of 
William  H.  Decker,  Supervisor  of  that  town. 
She  died  January  ig,  iSSg,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren —  Frank  J. ,  Hattie  A.,  ]5enona  R.,  and 
Grace  Greenwood.  b'rank  J.  is  a  prosjierous 
farmer  of  Jefferson,  and  Hattie  A.  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  E.  Nichols,  an  attorney  of  this 
town.  The  other  children  reside  at  home. 
On  August  27,  1890,  the  Doctor  married  for 
his  second  wife  Miss  Rose  E.  Decker,  his  first 
wife's  sister.  Of  this  union  there  is  one  son, 
P'red  D. ,  born  July  3,    1893. 

Politically,  Dr.  Hubbell  is  a  Republican,  a 
protectionist,  and  a  firm  belie\'er  in  gold  as  a 
monetary  standard.  He  belongs  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber since  he  was  si.xteen  )ears  old. 


FORGE      EASHER,       a     prosperous 
farmer  of  Duanesburg,   N.V. ,  and   an 
.'.x-member  of  the  State  Assembly,  was  born  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


45 


this  town,  September  20,  1S34,  son  of  James 
M.  and  Marion  (Kennedy)  Lasher.  The 
father's  birth  took  place  July  4,  iSii,  in  a 
log  house  on  the  Lasher  farm.  This  farm  was 
cleared  from  the  wilderness  by  the  paternal 
grandfather,  George  Lasher,  who  was  a  native 
of  Dutchess  County,  and  came  here  in  the  year 
1800.  A  sturdy,  persevering  man,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  overcoming  the  manv  difficulties  of 
a  pioneer's  life;  and  he  resided  here  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  August  15,  1S46.  He 
married  Helen  McMillan,  a  native  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  In  politics  he  voted  with  the  Whig 
party.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  church. 

James  M.  Lasher,  the  father,  succeeded  to 
the  ownership  of  the  farm,  which  he  still  holds; 
and  for  many  years  he  cultivated  it  energeti- 
ally.  Moving  to  Mariaville  in  1S62,  he  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  and  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber  here  in  compan\-  with  his 
son  George  until  his  retirement  in  iSSo,  since 
which  time  the  store  and  saw-mill  have  been 
leased.  Politically,  he  acts  with  the  Republi- 
can party.  For  many  years  he  has  been  an 
Elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Marion,  his 
wife,  who  was  born  in  Milton,  Saratoga 
County,  July  5,  1812,  died  on  July  20,  iSSS. 
She  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  namely: 
Anna  A.,  who  married  the  Rev.  James  W. 
Johnston,  and  died  in  North  Carolina  in  1S86; 
Mary  Helen;  George,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  John  Kennedy,  of  Yonkers ;  and  Will- 
iam M.   Lasher,  of  New  York  City. 

George  Lasher  began  his  education  in  the 
common     schools,    and   completed    his    studies 


with  a  commercial  course  at  Eastman's  Busi- 
ness College,  Poughkeepsie.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  became  associated  in  business 
with  his  father,  under  the  firm  name  of  Lasher 
&  Son,  and  since  the  retirement  of  the  elder 
Lasher  he  has  had  full  charge  of  the  property, 
including  the  management  of  the  farm,  which 
contains  two  hundred  acres.  :\Ir.  George 
Lasher  is  unmarried. 

Since  becoming  a  voter  he  has  manifested  a 
keen  interest  in  local  public  affairs,  and  his 
ability  displayed  in  various  official  capacities 
has  proved  beneficial  to  the  communitv.  He 
served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  several  years, 
was  Supervisor  three  years,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Assembly  in  1881.  He  is  particularly 
interested  in  educational  matters.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  and  his  father  occupy 
a  handsome  residence  located  upon  the  shores 
of  a  beautiful  lake.  They  are  highly  respected 
members  of  the  community.  Mr.  Lasher  is  an 
Elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


LBERT  OSBORX  BRUCE,  M.D.,  a 
well-known  practising  physician  of 
the  town  c^  Seward,  N.  Y. ,  has  been  located  in 
the  village  of  Hyndsville  for  nearly  twoscore 
years,  and  with  one  exception  is  the  olde.st- 
established  practitioner  in  Schoharie  County. 
He  was  born  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Sum- 
mit, December  6,  1S39,  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  and  Theodosia  (Harrington)  Bruce. 

Samuel  Bruce,  Sr.,  father  of  the  Rev.   Sam- 
uel, was  born  and    reared    in    Scotland,  and  he 


BIOCRAPHKWL    REVIEW 


lived  tlicrc  until  after  his  marriai^e.  Cominj; 
tiien  til  America  with  his  bride,  formerly  a 
Miss  .\riiistrun,L;,  he  became  a  [Huneer  settler 
(if  Oneida  County,  New  \'ork,  where  he  took 
u])  a  tract  of  wild  lantl.  clearetl  a  s]iace,  and 
erected  the  lo--  house  in  which  he  made  his 
home  during  his  remaining  clays.  With  untir- 
ing energy  anil  true  heroism  lie  kiboied  to  re- 
claim a  farm  from  the  piimeval  forest,  and  his 
elforls  were  well  rewarded.  He  ])assed  to  the 
life  be\ond  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-five  years  ;  hut 
his  wife-  sur\ived  him  man\'  years,  attaining 
the  age  of  ninet\-five. 

The  Rev,  Samuel  Bruce  was  one  of  a  family 
of  three  children.  1  le  was  brought  ui)  at  the 
old  homestead,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  pioneer  schools  of  his  district.  Pos- 
sessing great  mental  abilit\',  he  continued  to 
add  to  his  store  of  knowledge  by  judicious 
reading  and  studying,  and  for  several  }ears  was 
employed  as  a  teacher.  He  afterward  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Summit,  where  he  carried  on 
general  farming  for  some  time.  He  also 
preached  at  Schoharie  and  elsewhere  in  this 
county.  He  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  subsequently  followed 
his  vocation  in  Otsego  County,  settling  at 
South  Worcester,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Theodosia  Harrington,  was  a  daugh- 
ter (jf  William  Harrington.  She  survived  him, 
passing  away  at  the  \enerable  age  of  fourscoi'e 
and  ten  years.  Of  their  eight  children  seven 
are  now  living,  namely:  .Samuel  W.  ;  James; 
I'-.lbert  ().  ;  Richard;  l-'.li,  who  .iccupies  the 
old  homestead  ;    Lavinia,  wife   of   Oliver  AIuw- 


braiiy;   and    Martha,  wife  of    Sylvester  Smith, 

of  ()neonta.       I,uc\'  Jane  is  deceased. 

JClbert  ().  Jiruce  left  home  when  a  lad  of  ten 
years  to  become  a  pupil  in  the  New  \'ork  Con- 
ference Seminary,  which  he  attended  until  it 
was  burned,  four  }ears  later.  He  subsetfuently 
read  medicine  with  Dr.  George  H.  Leonard, 
antl  in  1S59  was  graduated  from  the  Castleton 
Medical  College  at  Castleton,  Vt.  Returning 
then  to  I-:ast  Worcester,  Otsego  County,  Dr. 
Hruce  assisted  his  former  instructor,  Dr.  Leon- 
ard, a  few  nKHiths,  and  then  came  to  H\nds- 
ville,  where  he  has  since  remained,  a  trusted 
physician  and  an  esteemeil  citizen.  During 
this  time  he  has  seen  H\ndsville  developed 
from  a  small  hamlet  of  three  or  four  houses  to 
a  flourishing  village,  and  in  its  advancement 
and  welfare  he  has  been  an  important  factor. 
He  has  built  up  an  extensive  practice,  his  ride 
extending  twenty  miles  in  either  direction  from 
the  village;  and  from  his  first  day  of  practice 
until  the  present  date  he  has  kept  abreast  with 
the  times  in  regard  to  the  progress  made  in  the 
science  of  medicine.  Through  the  leading 
medical  journals  he  keeps  informed  of  the  new 
tliseases  and  their  treatments,  and  of  the  newer 
methods  emjiloyed  in  curing  old-time  diseases 
of  ail  kinds. 

Dr.  Bruce  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Scho- 
harie County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he 
has  been  president  three  )ears  and  secretary 
five  yearfc,  also  having  held  all  the  other  offices. 
Beforet  his  body  of  his  professional  brethren 
the  Doctor  is  frequently  called  upon  to  read 
jiapers;  and  he  has  likewise  contributed  arti- 
cles un   different    topics,    including   diphtheria 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


47 


and  typhoid  fever,  to  the  Medical  World.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  New  York  State  Med- 
ical Society,  and  has  been  a  delegate  three  years. 
In  politics  he  is  a  sound  Democrat.  He  has 
served  as  Town  Clerk  six  years ;  was  Super- 
visor in  1869  and  1870;  has  been  a  member  of 
the  School  Committee  several  years;  and  from 
1885  until  i88g,  under  President  Cleveland's 
administration,  he  served  as  Postmaster.  Dur- 
ing that  time  he  was  nominated  as  candidate 
for  member  of  Assembly,  but  being  Postmaster 
he  was  obliged  to  withdraw  his  name.  He  is 
a  prominent  Mason,  belonging  to  Cobleskill 
Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  394,  and  to  Cobleskill 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  No.  229.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trus- 
tee, and  for  many  years  has  been  connected 
with  its  Sunday-school. 

Dr.  Bruce  was  married  June  21,  1S57,  to 
Miss  Cynthia  Brown,  the  only  child  of  Perley 
Brown,  who  was  for  many  years  a  prominent 
man  and  the  leading  merchant  of  Summit. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  ha\-e  an  adopted  son, 
Bertie,  now  a  pupil  in  the  Cobleskill  High 
School. 


tOBERT  SELDP:N,  M.D.,  a  leading 
physician  of  CatskiU,  N.Y.,  residing 
_•  at  271  Main  Street,  was  born  in 
Shancsville,  Ohio,  on  August  21,  1S47,  his 
parents  being  Dr.  Orrin  G.  and  Catherine 
(Hall)  Selden.  His  grandfather,  Robert  Sel- 
den,  was  a  Scotchman,  by  occupation  a  miller. 
He  came  to  this  country  when  his  son  Orrin  was 
seven  years  of  age,  and,  settling  in  Massachu- 
setts, worked  at  farming   there   during   the   re- 


mainder of  his  life.      The  maiden  name  of   his 
wife  was  Balfour. 

Orrin  Selden  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  until  he  became 
of  age.  His  education  was  received  in  the 
common  schools  and  in  the  academy  at  Haver- 
hill. While  still  a  young  man  he  went  to 
Ohio,  where  he  taught  school  for  some  time. 
He  subsequently  studied  medicine,  and  prac- 
tised in  Ohio  and  Wisconsin.  He  settled  in 
Catskill  in  1S77,  and  here  he  resided  until  his 
death  in  1894,  one  of  the  leading  practitioners 
of  this  vicinity.  His  wife,  Catherine,  was 
born  in  Win.sted,  Conn.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  Hall,  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  who 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  black  man  and  early 
allied  himself  with  the  anti-slavery  party.  He 
went  South,  and  started  a  school  and  Sunday- 
school  for  negroes  at  Fayetteville,  but  was 
burned  out,  losing  all  his  property.  He  then 
removed  to  Penn.sylvania  and  later  to  Ohio, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty.  Orrin 
G.  Selden  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
three  children,  of  whom  there  are  living  Rob- 
ert and  Mary.  Mrs.  Selden  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two.  She  was  brought  up  a  Methodist, 
but  after  her  marriage  she  joined  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  of  which  her  husband  was  a  mem- 
ber. 

Robert  Selden  spent  his  early  life  in  Ohio. 
He  read  medicine  with  his  father,  and  then 
took  a  course  at  the  Charity  Hospital  Medical 
College,  of  Cleveland,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1S70.  He  began  practice  at  Shanes- 
ville  with  his  father,  and  continued  there  after 
the    latter    removed    to     Wisconsin.        Subse- 


bi(k;r.\1'1iical  review 


c|iiciitly  the  father  and  son  were  associated  in 
])racticc  here  until  the  death  of  the  father. 
Dr.  Robert  Selden  has  been  here  since  18S2. 
He  has  a  very  large  practice  and  one  that  is 
constantly  increasing.  His  patients  are  to  be 
found  not  only  in  the  village,  but  in  all  the 
outlying  districts. 

Dr.  Selden  was  married  in  i.SSo  to  Charlotte 
E.  Gardiner,  daughter  of  William  H.  C.anlinLT. 
She  was  born  in  Whitcsboro.  X.  V. ,  where  her 
father  was  a  physician.  Later  lie  went  to 
Ohio.  While  there  he  received  an  aiJpoint- 
ment  as  ])Ost  surL^oon  for  the  arm)'  at  Nash- 
ville, and  while  enga-ed  in  the  discharge  of 
the  duties  of  that  jjosition  he  was  attacked 
with  cholera,  which  proved  fatal.  His  wife, 
Kmily  Hull,  bore  him  six  children,  of  whom 
the  living  are:  Mrs.  Huss,  of  Cleveland;  .Mr.s. 
.Selden;  and  Kmily  H.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  .Selden 
have  two  daughters — Catherine  E.  and  l^'an- 
nic,  both  of  whom  are  attending  school. 

The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  New  York 
Meilical  Association,  and  has  been  its  vice- 
president  ;  also  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Medical  .Societ)-,  of  which  he  has  been  presi- 
dent. He  has  read  numerous  valuable  jjajicrs 
on  medical  subjects  before  both  organizations. 
He  has  been  a  Ma.son  since  i.Sjo,  He  holds 
membership  in  Catskill  Lodge,  No.  468,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee  and  a  Past 
Ma.ster;  in  Catskill  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No. 
285,  of  which  he  is  a  charter  member  and 
]iresent  High  Priest;  in  Lafayette  Comman- 
dery,  K.  T.,  of  Hudson,  of  which  he  is 
Past  Commander;  in  .Mystic  Shrine,  Cypress 
Temple,  of  Albany;    in  the  iMaternal  Union  of 


Anointed  High  Priests,  which  includes  the  high- 
est officers  from  the  various  Royal  Arch  Chaji- 
ters  of  the  State;  and  in  the  Association  of 
Temidar  Knights  Commandeis.  He  is  medi- 
cal examiner  for  a  number  of  the  largest  insur- 
ance companies  and  for  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  of 
which  he  is  a  member  and  has  been  for  several 
years  financier.  In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a 
Democrat.  He  was  Town  .Suiierxisor  for  one 
year.  His  library,  of  which  he  is  ju.stly 
proud,  is  the  largest  and  finest  jirivate  library 
in  the  count)'.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  .Selden  are  mem- 
bers of  .St.  Luke  I'^piscopal  Church,  and  he  has 
been  f(jr  a  number  of  )-ears  a  vestryman. 


fOHN  A.  NKWKLL,  of  the  well-known 
mercantile  firm  of  Potter  &  Newell, 
Main  Street,  Windham,  Greene  County, 
N.\'.,  was  born  in  Durham,  N.Y. ,  on  Sep- 
tember 21,  1829,  son  of  Aiulrus  and  Julia 
(Bushnell)  Newell.  His  paternal  grandfatiier, 
John  Newell,  was  a  native  of  Southington, 
Conn.,  and  came  to  Durham  among  the  early 
pioneers   of   that   town. 

Captain  John  Newell,  as  he  was  widely 
known  from  his  rank  in  the  State  militia  in 
the  carl)-  training. days,  built  first  a  log  cabin 
and  then  a  frame  house,  which  he  kept  as  a 
tavern  for  many  )ears.  He  was  of  sturdy 
stock  that  could  endure  hardships  without 
flinching,  and  his  common  sense  equalled  his 
stalwart  frame.  He  was  a  militia  man  in  the 
War  of  I  Si  2.  He  li\ed  to  be  over  seventy 
years  of  age,  and  liis  wife  .ilso  lived  to  be  old. 
Thev  reared  a  familv  of  eight  children. 


JOHN    A.   NEWELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


.Andrus  Newell,  who  was  born  in  Durham, 
became  a  prosperous  farmer  on  his  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  Me  tore  down  the  building 
that  his  father  had  used  as  a  tavern,  and 
erected  in  its  place  the  large  and  handsome 
house  which  is  now  the  home  of  his  son 
Charles.  Like  his  father  he  was  a  man  of 
sound  judgment  and  of  sj^lendid  phj'sical 
strength,  being  hearty  and  hale  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  at  the  age  of  eight)'-si.\.  He  was 
originally  a  Whig  in  politics  and  later  a  Re- 
publican, and  he  held  numerous  offices  during 
his  long  and  active  life.  His  wife,  Julia,  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  She  was  a  native  of 
Westbrook,  Conn.  Both  were  devoted  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church.  Of  their 
ten  children  Louisa  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven,  Zina  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  and 
Edwin  at  the  age  of  five  years.  The  li\ing 
are:  John  A.,  Sylvia,  Abby,  Adelbert,  Eliza- 
beth, Charles,  and  Eliezur  D.  Sylvia  is  the 
wife  of  the  Rev.  S.  H.  F"ellows,  of  Wauregan, 
Conn.  Abby  is  the  wife  of  Professor  Gilbert, 
teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  high  school 
at  Albany,  N.  Y.  Adelbert  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Coxsackie,  N.Y.  Elizabeth  is  Mrs. 
Borland  A.  Peck.  Charles  is  a  farmer  on 
the  old  homestead,  and  Eliezur  resides  with 
him. 

John  Newell  lived  with  his  parents  until  he 
was  about  sixteen  and  a  half  years  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  Windham.  He  had  received  a 
common-school  education,  and  upon  coming 
here  he  began  learning  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade  with  Mr.  Potter,  his  present  partner. 
At   the  age  of  twenty-one,  having  finished  his 


apprenticeship,  he  went  to  New  Vork  City, 
where  he  worked  for  two  years.  During  this 
time  he  saved  a  small  amount  of  money,  and  at 
the  close  of  his  second  year  he  received  an 
offer  from  Mr.  Potter  to  return  to  Windham 
and  enter  into  partnership  with  him.  This 
offer  he  accepted,  and  in  1S52  was  formed  the 
partnership  that  is  now  the  oldest  in  existence 
in  this  county.  Since  that  time  Messrs.  Pot- 
ter &  Newell  have  built  up  a  very  large  trade 
in  Windham  and  the  surrounding  region. 
Both  gentlemen  are  skilled  workmen  in  every 
branch  of  furniture  manufacturing,  having 
made  all  kinds  of  furniture  by  hand.  The)' 
ha\-e  in  past  years  done  considerable  manufact- 
uring on  their  own  premises,  and  still  continue 
to  manufacture  coffins  and  caskets.  Their 
trade  in  furniture  is  extensive,  and  as  they  are 
the  only  undertakers  within  a  radius  of  ten 
miles  they  practically  do  all  the  business  in 
that  line  hereabouts.  No  firm  is  better  known 
in  all  the  surrounding  country  than  that  of 
Potter   &   Newell. 

Li  1856  Mr.  Newell  married  Eunice  Hunt, 
who  was  born  in  the  house  in  which  Mr.  New- 
ell now  resides.  Her  parents  were  Daniel 
and  ALary  (Rowley)  Hunt,  both  of  whom  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Of  their 
family  of  four  boys  and  five  girls  three  are 
living  and  reside  in  Windham.  Mr.  Hunt 
was  a  leading  man  in  the  town  and  [jrominent 
in  all  public  affairs.  By  occupation  he  was  a 
miller,  and  he  built  the  mill  now  standing 
here  and  the  mill-race.  Mrs.  Hunt,  who  was 
born  in  Lexington,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three.      Mrs,     Newell     died    on     October     10, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


189S,  dropping  suddenly  Iroin  heart  disease,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven.  Mr.  Newel!  has  lost 
his  two  children — Highland  and  Mary  K. 
Highland  Newell,  who  was  a  young  man  of 
unusual  promise,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Hami)den 
W'ateh  Company,  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  having 
learned  the  watchmaker's  trade  in  his  native 
place.  He  hatl  been  in  business  three  years 
when  cut  down  by  a  fatal  illness.  Mary  K. 
died  at  five  years  of  age. 

Politically,  Mr.  Newell  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  served  his  townspeople  in  the  office  of 
Ccdlector  of  Ta.xes  and  as  Auilitor  of  the  town 
accoinits,  and  has  been  a  candidate  for  Super- 
\-isor.  He  is  a  member  of  Mountain  Lodge  of 
Ma.sons,  No.  529,  having  joined  shortly  after 
the  lodge  was  organized.  His  interest  in 
Masonic  affairs  has  been  acti\e  antl  unremit- 
ting, and  he  has  held  nearly  every  office  in  the 
lodge.  He  was  Master  at  the  time  the  Ma- 
sonic Temple  in  New  York  was  detlicated. 
l-'or  nearly  fifty  years  Mr.  Newell  has  been  an 
active  W'orker  in  the  Presbyteiian  church  in 
this  place,  and  for  the  last  thirty  years  has 
Ijeen  the  leading  tencjr  in  the  church  choir, 
which  is  the  best  in  any  town  in  the  coiml)- 
outside  of  Catskill.  He  comes  of  a  musical 
family,  all  of  them  being  singers.  ]'"or  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  centur)-  he  has  been  an 
I-llder  in  the  church,  and  for  nine  years  he 
served  the  .Suntlay-school  as  its  superintend- 
ent. He  can  scarcely  remember  the  time 
when  he  was  not  connected  with  the  Sunday- 
school,  either  as  pupil,  teacher,  or  sui)erin- 
tendent. 


(^UHN  U.  CAMPBELL,  who  owns  and 
/"•J  I  occupies  the  (dd  Campbell  homestead  in 
^-'^  Rotterdam,  N.  \'. ,  was  born  in  Albany 
this  State,  May  14,  1.S44,  son  of  Daniel  D. 
and  Julia  A.  (Sitterly)  Campbell.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell's father,  who  was  adoptetl  by  an  aunt,  was 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  .Angelica  (]5radt)  .Schermer- 
horn.  Jacob  was  a  son  of  Simon  and  Sarah 
(Vrooman)  Schermerhorn.  Simon  was  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Margaret  (Teller)  Schermerhorn. 
Jacob  was  a  son  of  R)er  and  Ariantje  (Bradt) 
Schermerhorn  ;  and  Ryer  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
Janse  Schermerhorn,  the  emigrant  ancestor, 
who  was  born  in  W'aterland,  Hollanil,  in  1622, 
and  who  married  Jannettie  .Segers  \'an  \'oor- 
houdt. 

John  D.  Campbell  was  reared  in  Albany, 
and  acquired  his  education  in  the  schocds  of 
that  city.  Since  earl)-  manhootl  he  has  been 
extensively  engageil  in  agiicultmal  pursuits, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  the  Camiibell  home- 
stead of  three  hundred  acres  and  the  X'edder 
farm.  His  place,  with  its  Colonial  brick 
mansion,  is  one  of  the  most  iiretentious  and 
attractive  country  seats  in  this  section,  the 
spacious  grounds  being  shaded  by  grand  old 
trees,  thus  adding  to  the  comfort  as  well  as  the 
,  beauty  of  the  surroundings. 

On  August  23,  1 87 1,  Mr.  Campbell  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  P21izabeth  Clute,  who 
was  born  in  Schenectady,  N.\'. ,  October  30, 
1S48.  She  is  now  the  mother  of  four  children, 
namely:  Da\id,  bom  IJecember  3,  1873; 
Julia  A.,  born  June  22,  I S76 ;  John  D.,  Jr., 
born  March  25,  1878;  and  Bessie  B. ,  born  Au- 
gust 7,    18S0. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Mr.  Campbell  is  one  of  the  most  noted  agri- 
culturists of  Rotterdam,  and  he  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  thoroughbred  cattle  and 
horses.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  in  18S2. 


NDREVV  G.  BALDWIN,  proprietor  of 
one  of  the  best  dairy  farms  in  Gilboa, 
N.Y. ,  was  born  in  Greenville, 
Greene  County,  this  State,  December  11,  1827, 
son  of  Harvey  and  Eliza  (Boyd)  Baldwin.  His 
father  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Conn.,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1799,  and  his  mother  was  born  in 
Greenville,  March  17,  1800.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Andrew  Baldwin,  who  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  and  lived  there  a  num- 
ber of  years  after  marrying,  removed  with  his 
family  to  Greenville,  and  later  from  there  to 
Mount  Morri.s,  N.  Y. ,  where  he  died.  Pie  was 
an  industrious  farmer.  He  had  six  children, 
namely:  Deborah,  who  never  married ;  Nancy, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Judge  Reuben  Hine,  of 
New  York  City;  Harvey ;  Andrew,  who  died 
while  young;  Hannah,  who  married  James 
Conkey,  of  Mount  Morris;  and  Harriet,  who 
married    William  Barnes,  of  Monmouth,   111. 

Harvey  Baldwin,  father  of  Andrew  G.,  was 
fourteen  years  old  when  his  parents  settled  in 
Greenville.  He  remained  there  until  1837, 
when  he  removed  to  a  farm  in  ConesviUe, 
Schoharie  County,  where  his  death  occurred  on 
December  14,  1849.  He  was  the  father  of 
five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Andrew   G. ,    the    subject   of    this    sketch;    and 


William  L.  Baldwin,  a  lawyer  of  Breakabeen 
and  ex-district  attorney.  The  others  were: 
Ann  Jane,  wife  of  the  late  Dr.  E.  R.  Alackcy, 
of  Catskill,  N.Y.  ;  John  H.,  M.D.,  who  died 
in  Olive  City,  Ulster  County,  N.  Y. ,  in  1889; 
and  James  Harvey,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten 
years.      The   mother   died    September  7,    1857. 

Andrew  G.  Baldwin  acquired  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Greenville  and  ConesviUe. 
He  aided  in  carrying  on  the  honie  farm  until 
his  father's  death,  and  continued  to  reside  in 
ConesviUe  for  five  or  six  years  afterward. 
Coming  to  Gilboa  in  1S55,  he  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  until  1861,  when  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  on  which  he  lived  about  three 
years.  Eor  the  past  thirty-four  years  he  has 
occupied  a  residence  in  the  village,  but  still 
manages  his  agricultural  property,  which  con- 
sists of  two  farms,  one  containing  one  hundred 
and  ninety-seven  acres  and  the  other  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three  acres.  \\'ith  the  aid  of 
hired  assistants  he  carries  on  general  farming 
and  dairying.  He  has  dealt  somewhat  exten- 
sively in  cattle,  and  at  one  time  handled  Ca- 
nadian horses. 

For  more  than  thirty  years  Mr.  Baldwin  has 
served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  in  that 
capacity  he  transacts  most  of  the  minor  legal 
business  in  this  vicinity.  During  his  four 
years  upon  the  Board  of  Super\-isors  he  was 
chairman  of  the  legislation  and  printing  com- 
mittees, and  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  accounts  of  County  Treasurer.  He  has 
also  held  other  offices.  He  was  alwa3's 
strongly  opposed  to  slavery.  His  first  Presi- 
dential vote  was  cast  for  the  Whig  candidate  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1S52.  His  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party 
dates  from  its  formation,  when  he  assisted  in 
perfecting  the  local  organization.  He  has 
served  upon  varinus  Cdmniittccs,  and  lias 
missed  but  cine  town  cleclion  since  becoming 
a  voter. 

Mr.  15aldwin  married  Charlotte  K.  .Stryker, 
daughter  ol  I'eter  15.  .Stryker.  who  came  with 
his  parents  I'lom  New  Jersex-  in  17S5,  the 
Strxkcr  family  bein-  tiie  very  first  to  settle 
in  this  section.  Mr.-;.  15aUlwin's  grandfather 
came  from  Holland.  Her  father  was  quite 
active  in  public  affairs,  and  prominently 
identified  with  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baldwin  have  had  five  children, 
namely:  Carrie  E. ,  who  married  William  Ha- 
garton,  M.D. ,  for  twenty-four  years  a  well- 
known  physician  of  Cilboa;  Minnie  K. ,  who 
married  Henry  Car)iL-nter,  and  is  no  longer 
living;  George  .S.,  M.IJ.,  who  is  now  practis- 
ing in  New  York  City;  Lewis  C,  a  dentist, 
who  also  practises  in  the  metropolis;  and 
Grace  A.,  who  is  studying  music. 

Mr.  Baldwin  joined  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church  in  1S65,  and  during  his  period  of  mem- 
bership has  served  as  hllder,  Deacon,  treasurer, 
and  .sui)erintendent  oi  the  .Sunday-school. 


§()HN    11.   GRAY,  proprietor  ,,f 
N.\'.,     was     born      in       Oliv 
County,  this    .State,  Janiiar\-    13.     iS: 


1  general 
County, 
,     Ulster 

;,  son    of 


Morgan   and    Rachel     (l-'reileigh)    Gray.      His 
frrandfather,  Martin    lirav,  was  a  lifelong   resi- 


dent of  Columbia  County  and  a  prosperous 
farmer. 

Morgan  Gray,  father  of  John  H..  was  born 
in  Saratoga,  and  he  there  followed  farming 
some  years.  He  later  came  to  Greene  County, 
and  remained  a  short  time,  then  went  to  (Jlive 
in  I'lster  Countv,  and  in  i  S68  settled  u))on  a 
farm  in  .Saugerties,  where  he  is  still  residing. 
He  is  now  sevent_\-five  years  old,  but  possesses 
the  acti\-it_\-  of  a  much  \diniger  man.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 
His  wife,  Rachel,  was  born  in  .Saugerties, 
daughter  of  .Samuel  Freileigh,  a  ])rosi)erous 
farmer  of  that  locality.  She  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-six,  having  been  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  si.\  are  li\ing;  namely, 
Samuel  M.,  John  H.,  Carrie,  Mary,  Abbie, 
and  Charles.  Carrie  married  Daniel  York, 
Mar_\-  married  (.)rville  .Smith,  and  Abbie  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  .Smith. 

John  H.  Gray  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  thirty-one  years  old,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  general  store  conducted  up  to  that 
time  by  his  brother  Samuel  M.,  and,  adding 
other  goods,  carried  on  the  business  for  four 
years.  Selling  out  to  his  brother-in-law,  he 
came  in  1890  to  Tannersville,  and  [lurchasing 
land  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  the  west  side 
of  Hunter  Turnpike,  erected  his  iiresent  store, 
in  which  he  has  carried  on  a  jirofitable  business 
ever  since.  The  store  is  sixty  by  one  hundred 
feet,  and  two  stories  high,  the  ujiiier  tloor 
being  used  for  storage  purjwses.  He  carries 
a  large  and  varied  stock,  including  dr\-  and 
fancv  goods,   boots  and   shoes,    hav  and  grain. 


KIOGRAPHICAI.    REVIEW 


paints  and  oils,  groceries,  hardware,  house- 
furnishing  goods,  carpets,  crockery,  harnesses, 
robes,  all  kinds  of  patent  medicines,  wines, 
liquors,  cigars,  and  tobacco.  He  also  has  a 
millinery  department.  He  opens  in  April  and 
closes  January  i.  With  the  aid  of  twenty-one 
employees,  he  transacts  a  large  business,  sup- 
plying all  of  the  hotels  and  park  resorts  in  this 
locality.  He  buys  by  the  carload,  and  the 
character  of  his  trade  demands  the  handling 
of  the  finest  quality  of  foreign  and  domestic 
goods.  Ill  connection  with  his  store  he  carries 
on  a  well-equipped  liver}-  stable,  keeping  an 
average  of  thirty  horses. 

In  1882  j\Ir.  Gray  married  Jennie  Carnright, 
a  native  of  Ouarryville,  Ulster  County,  daugh- 
ter of  W'ynkoop  and  Abbie  (Freileigh)  Carn- 
right. Her  father  was  born  in  West  Hadley, 
Ulster  Count)-.  He  moved  from  there  to 
Ouarryville  and  later  to  Malden-on-the-Hud- 
son,  where  he  has  resided  for  the  past  twentv- 
five  years  and  is  general  overseer  on  the  stone 
dock.  Her  mother  also  was  born  in  Ouarry- 
ville. She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  P.  Frei- 
leigh, a  farmer  of  that  town,  who  was  of  Dutch 
descent.  Mrs.  Carnright,  who  is  no  longer  liv- 
ing, was  the  mother  of  two  children:  Jennie, 
who  is  now  ]\Irs.  Gra\-;  and  Carrie,  who  married 
James  Homnnil.  Having  a  good  common- 
school  education  and  possessing  excellent  busi- 
ness abilit}-,  Mrs.  Gray  is  a  valuable  assistant 
to  her  husband,  and  has  a  general  supervision 
of  the  store.  She  attends  to  most  of  the  buy- 
ing, and  gives  her  particular  attention  to  the 
millinery  department,  which  is  well  stocked 
with   seasonable   goods.      Mr.    and    Mrs.    Gray 


ha\-e  one  daughter,  Maud  .S. ,  aged  fourteen. 
She  is  attending  the  academy  in  King.ston,  and 
makes  a  specialt_\-  of  music. 

Mr.  Gra\-  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  is 
a  great  lo\'er  of  horses,  and  keeps  a  number  of 
speedy  animals,  and  Mrs.  Gray  is  also  fond  of 
driving. 


RCHIBALD  TINNING,  one  of  the 
eacling  farmers  of  Princetown,  N.Y., 
was  born  in  Glen,  Montgomery 
County,  this  State,  August  6,  1S24,  son  of 
James  and  Hannah  (Bradt)  Tinning.  The 
father  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1785,  and  in 
early  life  he  followed  the  useful  calling  of  a 
school  teacher.  He  later  kept  a  store  on  the 
Erie  Canal,  and  in  1840  he  settled  in  Patter- 
sonville,  where  he  ran  a  general  store  in  con- 
!  nection  with  fanning  for  eleven  years.  He 
tlien  moved  to  Florida,  N.Y.,  where  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died  in  1S6S. 
Politically,  he  acted  in  his  later  years  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  in  his  religious 
belief  he  w-as  a  Presbyterian.  Mrs.  Hannah 
Bradt  Tinning,  his  wife,  who  w-as  born 
in  Glen  in  1795,  and  died  in  1S38,  was  the 
mother  of  si.x  children,  three  of  w-hom  are 
living,  namely :  Archibald,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Susan,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Dougal, 
of  Glenville;  and  Jane,  who  resides  in  Monte- 
rey, Cal.  The  others  were:  Catharine,  who 
became  Mrs.  Dorman  ;  Margaret,  who  became 
Mrs.  Brownell;  and  Joseph  Tinning.  The 
mother  died  in  1S38. 

Archibald  Tinning  was  reared   and   educated 


IIIOCKAIMIICAI. 


in  Montgomery  County.  He  began  life  as  a 
clerk  in  his  father's  store,  and  later  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  on  his  own  account. 
He  became  a  property  holder  in  Schenectady 
County  in  1840,  purchased  his  present  farm  in 
Princetown  in  i  S49,  and  has  resided  here  since 
1850.  He  now  owns  about  tliree  huiulred 
acres,  which  he  uses  for  general  farming  and 
pasturage.  He  raises  large  and  superior  crops, 
and  realizes  good  financial  results.  He  keeps 
from  twenty  to  thirty  head  of  fine  cattle,  also 
raises  sheep,  and  his  stable  contains  some  ex- 
cellent horses. 

In  1.S48  Mr.  Tinninj;  married  Sarah  Mc- 
(jee,  who  was  born  in  New  York  City,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Maria  (Weast)  McCee, 
will)  came  to  reside  in  I'rincetown  several 
years  prior  to  her  niarriai^e.  She  is  the 
mother  of  five  chiltiren  ;  namely,  James,  Will- 
iam. l-"rances,  Maria,  and  Martha.  -Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tinning  have  eight  grandchildren. 

Having  acquired  a  competency,  Mr.  Tin- 
ning has  practically  retired  from  active  labor, 
and  will  henceforward  enjoy  a  well-earned  rest 
at  his  comfortable  home.  In  politics  he  acts 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  and  Mrs. 
Tinning  are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church. 

Of  late  years  Mr.  Tinning  has  found  the 
winters  too  severe,  and  he  anti  Mrs.  Tinning 
have  made  several  journeys  to  California  to 
enjoy  that  delightful  climate,  and  visit  friends 
and  relatives,  making  his  headquarters  with  his 
.son  William,  who  is  a  successful  lawyer.  Ik- 
has  visited  the  Vosemite  and  other  natural 
wonders  of  the  State,  also  taking  great  interest 


in  the  sugar  beet  factories  and  other  great  in- 
dustries and  improvements  that  are  being  car- 
ried on. 


RANK  \.  STRAU13,  the  founder  and 
iger  of  the  telegraph  line  and  bus- 
iness in  Middleburg,  X.  V.,  is  of  German  birth 
and  parentage.  He  was  born  in  Altlieim 
Oberamt  Horb,  Wiirtemberg,  on  June  i,  1S47, 
.son  of  Michael  and  Wallpurga  Noll  (\'on  Hurr- 
linger)  Straub.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
Wiirtemberg,  of  an  ancient  and  honored  familv, 
came  to  this  country  in  1851. 

In  the  Fatherland  Michael  Straub  had  been 
a  farmer  and  the  owner  of  a  large  \ineyard, 
where  he  mniuifactiired  wine  on  quite  an  exten- 
sive scale.  He  was  a  man  of  note  in  bis  na- 
tive place,  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 
After  coming  here,  he  settled  in  Williamsburg, 
on  the  outskirts  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  kept  a 
hotel  until  1S63.  His  wife,  who  was  one  of 
twins,  was  bcjrn  in  18  16,  and  died  on  June  28, 
1852,  not  long  after  her  arrival  in  America. 
Both  parents  were  members  of  the  German 
Catholic  church.  Of  their  fi\e  cliildren  one, 
Rosa,  is  deceased.  Those  living  are:  John; 
Carl  A.,  who  has  been  for  thirty-two  )ears  in 
the  regular  army;  Marie  .S.  ;  and  l-'rank  \.,  of 
Middleburg,  whose  ])ersonal  history  is  given 
below. 

l-'rank  Straub  received  his  education  in  a 
German  school  in  Brooklyn,  N.  \'.  He 
learned  the  machinist's  trade  in  that  city. 
Later  he  joined  the  I'nioii  army  and  was 
stationed     at     h'ort     Schuyler     under    (ieneral 


FRAN'K    X.  STRAUB    Ay:u   (.raxd-ijal(,hter,   MILUKEU    WELLS. 


RIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Schofield.  At  the  close  of  tlie  war  he  learned 
the  barber's  trade  in  New  York  City,  and 
there  worked  at  it  for  some  years.  Com  ins;  to 
Middlebiirg  in  iS6S,  he  opened  a  barber  shop 
here,  and  has  since  been  in  acti\-e  business  in 
this  town.  He  has  been  interested  in  every 
important  movement  which  has  touched  closely 
the  welfare  or  progress  of  the  town  during 
the  last  thirty  years. 

The  fire  department,  which  is  considered 
one  of  the  best  volunteer  organizations  in  the 
State,  owes  him  a  special  debt  of  gratitude. 
It  was  started  on  Decemljer  31,  1887,  by  a  vote 
of  the  village  trustees.  A  commodious  brick 
engine-house  was  built  at  a  cost  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  a  steamer  and  a  hook  and 
ladder  company  formed.  Mr.  Straub  raised 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  the  hook  and  ladder 
company,  and  made  a  personal  contribution  of 
one  hundred  dollars  toward  the  steamer.  He 
was  foreman  of  the  old  Eagle  engine,  and  was 
foreman  of  the  hook  and  ladder  company  under 
the  new  organization.  He  has  always  since 
been  connected  with  the  fire  department,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  connected 
with  it.  He  was  also  a  pioneer  mover  in  be- 
half of  the  water  compan_\',  and  together  with 
Mr.  James  C.  Borst  laid  the  first  line  of  pipe 
on  October  26,  1S94.  He  assisted  in  survey- 
ing and  in  making  maps  at  the  time  the  vil- 
lage was  incorporated.  For  twelve  years  he 
had  control  of  the  telephone  and  of  the  local 
office  of  the  United  States  Signal  Service. 
The  telegraph  line,  which  he  manages  and  op- 
erates, was  built  in  June,  1889.  This  is  pat- 
ronized  b}-  all    the    leading    business    men    in 


Middleburg,  and  is  now  regarded  as  an  indis- 
pensable element  in  the  transaction  of  daily 
business. 

Mr.  .Strnub  was  married  in  1S70  to  Emma- 
rette  E.  Gernsey,  daughter  of  Montre\ille 
Gernsey,  of  this  phice.  She  was  liorn  in  Mid- 
dleburg. Her  father  is  a  native  of  this 
count)',  ani.1  her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Alida  ]5ecker,  was  a  native  of  Breakabeen. 
Mrs.  Gernsey  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six, 
having  been  the  mother  of  nine  children.  Of 
these  the  following-named  six  are  living:  Mrs. 
Straub,  Julia,  Edith,  Rosa,  Roxy,  and  Lett. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Straub  are  the  parents  of  three 
children  —  Inez,  Charles  A.,  and  Arthur  F. 
The  first  of  these  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Wells, 
a  well-known  druggist  of  Middleburg,  and  is 
the  mother  of  one  child,  Mildred.  Charles 
A.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Union  College  of 
Pharmacy,  is  a  druggist  in  Troy.  Arthur  is  a 
baker  in  Albany. 

Mr.  Straub  is  a  communicant  of  the  Episco- 
pal church  and  a  vesti\man.  He  was  con- 
firmed in  St.  Luke's  Church,  Middleburg,  in 
1S69,  by  the  Right  Rev.  William  C.  Doane. 
All  the  members  of  his  family  were  baptized 
in  the  Episcopal  faith.  In  1S86  Mr.  Straub 
made  a  trip  to  Europe  and  visited  his  birth- 
place, where  he  was  accorded  a  most  generous 
reception. 

Mr.  Straub  is  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow,  and 
a  member  of  the  Columbian  Literary  Society 
and  of  other  fraternal  organizations.  The  fol- 
lowing record  is  of  interest  in  tliis  connection  : 

He  was  elected  Quartermaster  Sergeant  of 
Steuben  Zouaves,  Twenty-fifth  Regiment,  Com- 


lilOGRAI'HK  AI.     KK\  IIAV 


])any  I,  in  1865;  joined  Good  Temphirs, 
Albany,  in  i.S'67;  raised  to  the  sublime  degree 
of  Master  Mason  at  Middleburg  Lodge,  No. 
66^,  V.  &.  .\.  M.,  in  1877;  secretary  of  same 
lodge  from  i  KS  i  to  1886;  trustee  of  lodge  from 
1896  to  1901  ;  elected  to  membership  of  La 
Hastille  Lodge  in  18S3,  and  elected  secretary 
of  La  Hastille  Lodge  in  1885;  reorganized 
Lagle  Lnginc  Com])any  and  elected  foreman 
of  same  in  1884;  organized  Scribncr  Hook 
ami  Ladiler  Company  in  1888,  and  elected 
foreman  of  Scribner  Ilocjk  and  Ladder  Com- 
pany for  two  years;  elected  assistant  chief 
of  Middleburg  Fire  Department,  and  elected 
member  of  Oncongena  Tribe,  No.  242,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men,  1898;  elected  nieni- 
her  of  Middleburg  Kncampment.  No.  129, 
1S94;  ai)poiiUcd  under  Governor  Morton  No- 
tary ruhlic.  1S95  to  1901  ;  elected  Trustee 
and  Collector   of   village  of   Middleburg,    1.S97. 


H.ARLK.S    K.    NICHOI..S,  a  prominent 


la\v)er  and  ex-.Supervisor  of  Jefferson, 
.Schoharie  County,  was  born  in  this 
town.  May  2,  1862,  son  of  Hiram  ().  and  Kli/.- 
aheth  (Totten)  Nichols.  His  great-grand- 
father, Lzra  Nichols,  who  was  a  pioneer  in 
Delaware  County,  went  there  from  Danhurv, 
Coun.,  when  the  grandfather,  Daniel  Nichols, 
was  eight  years  (dd.  The  latter  became  a 
prosperous  farmer  in  Harpersfield.  He  had  a 
family  of  nine  children,  namely:  Laura; 
Fanny;  .Sally;  Daniel  S.  ;  Ivzra ;  Hetsey,  who 
became  Mrs.  Hecker  Clemen;  Whitman; 
Hannah;  and  Hiram  ().,  above  named. 


Hiram    ().    Nichols,    father    of   Charles  E. , 

I  formerly  carrictl  on  mercantile  business  iu  con- 
nection with  farming.  He  is  now  retired. 
His  wife,  Flizabeth,  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Amanda  (Davis)  'I'otten,  of  Harpersfield. 
They  have  had  three  children:  Charles  F.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Orson,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-six  years ;  and  Rollo,  who  is  a 
prosperous  dairy  farmer  in  Harpersfield,  is  an 
influential  member  of  the  Kepublica.i  jiarty, 
and  served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Charles  F.  Nichols  was  graduated  from  the 
Delaware  Literary  Institute,  I-"ranklin,  in 
1.SS2,  and  for  a  time  attended  Hamilton  Col- 
lege. His  law  studies  were  completed  in 
Schoharie,  and,  having  been  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  18.^5,  he  in  August  of  the  following 
year  opened  an  office  in  Jefferson.  The  skil- 
ful and  energetic  handling  of  some  of  his  first 
important  cases  was  the  means  of  gaining  a 
numerous  and  profitalile  clientage,  and  he  has 
become  a  well-known  ]iractitioner  before  the 
courts  of  Otsego,  Delaware,  Greene,  Ulster, 
-Mbanv,  and  .Schoharie  Counties.  He  has 
figured  prominently  in  several  hotly  contested 
suits,  one  of  whicli,  an  action  brought  by 
certain  parties  for  the  recover)'  of  ta.xes,  neces- 
sarily aroused  the  interest  of  the  general  pub- 
lic; and  his  able  management  of  another 
notable  case,  which  had  its  origin  in  a  [loliti- 
cal  dispute,  resulted  in  a  victory  for  the  local 
Republican  orgiuii/ation.  As  one  of  the  most 
able  and  active  sujij^jrlers  of  that  party  he  has 
rendered  valuable  cimunittee  service,  has  been 
a  delegate  to  \arious  convent  i(jns,  including 
the  one  which    nominated    (lovernor  IJlack,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RFA'IEW 


was  a  candidate  for  District  Attorney  in  1888. 
While  holding  the  office  of  Supervisor  in  1S92- 
93,  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  equaliza- 
tion committee  and  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee that  erected  the  new  almshouse,  was 
instrumental  in  securing  an  appropriation  for  the 
repair  of  the  fort,  and  rooms  of  the  Historical 
Society  at  Schoharie.  He  has  held  other  posi- 
tions of  trust. 

Mi:  Nichols  married  Hattie  A.  Hubbell, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Richtmeyer  Hubbell,  of  Jeffer- 
son. They  have  two  children —  Grace  A.  and 
Charles  E.,  Jr. 

Mr.  Nichols  is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  Fraternity  of  Hamilton  College,  and 
has  reached  an  advanced  degree  in  the  Masonic 
order,  being  a  Past  Master  of  the  Blue  Eodge, 
and  the  only  resident  of  this  town  who  belongs 
to  the  Commandery  and  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
His  lucrative  practice  has  enabled  him  to 
amass  a  competency ;  and  besides  holding  con- 
siderable stock  in  the  water  compan}',  of 
which  he  is  a  director,  he  owns  some  valuable 
real  estate,  including  agricultural  property  and 
village  lots.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nichols  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


"^^  nT.LlAM     A.    WAS 
V^V^      leading    physician 


.SSON,     M.D.,    a 
Greenville, 

N.  V. ,  was  born  in  1S52  in  Hamburg,  Erie 
County,  this  State.  He  is  the  only  son  of 
Horace  and  Susan  E.  (Oberholser)  Wasson. 
His  grandfather,  John  Wasson,  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of   Hamburg,    coming   to    that  place. 


which  lay  in  the  old  Holland  patent,  in  1800, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  There  he  worked  at 
farming  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
on  the  homestead  the  succeeding  generations 
of  the  family  have  been  born.  He  served  dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812  as  a  Captain  in  the  mili- 
tia. He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  His 
wife,  who  died  in  middle  life,  was  before  her 
marriage  a  Miss  Griffin,  Of  the  five  children 
born  to  her,  two  are  living — Horace  and 
Thomas,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Buffalo. 

Horace  Wasson  was  born  on  the  ^^'asson 
farm  in  Hamburg  in  1S23,  and  was  reared  to 
farm  life.  In  early  manhood  he  showed 
marked  administrative  ability,  and  this  secured 
his  appointment  to  the  responsible  position  of 
superintendent  of  the  Erie  County  Insane  Asy- 
lum in  Buffalo,  the  duties  of  which  he  dis- 
charged in  a  faithful  and  efficient  manner  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  The  institution  was  a 
large  one,  having  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
inmates.  Mr.  Wasson  is  one  of  the  well- 
known  citizens  of  Buffalo.  He  gave  up  his 
position  in  the  asylum  in  1873,  and  has  since 
given  his  attention  to  his  personal  business 
interests  in  that  city.  His  wife,  who  is  of 
German  stock,  was  born  in  Otsego  County. 
Her  father,  John  Oberholser,  who  reached  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-four  years,  was  a  car- 
penter, and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Lancaster 
County  when  a  \"oung  man.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Otsego  Count}',  and  finall}-  to  Am- 
herst, Erie  County,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  He  had  a  famil}'  of  nine  children. 
Mrs.  Wasson  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Disciples.      She  has  two  children  :   Dr.  Will- 


IJIOGRArniCAI.    RF.VIEW 


iam  A.  ;  and  Carrie,  wlio  is  the  wife  of  W.  S. 
Turbctt,  of  Buffalo. 

Dr.  W'a.s.son  bcj^an  cariiin;,'  his  own  living' 
in  his  thirteenth  \ear,  when  he  went  to  work  in 
a  broker's  oflfice  in  Huffalo,  lie  was  there  for 
a  year,  and  then  became  an  employee  in  the 
Kric  County  Savinf^s  Bank  for  another  year. 
Following  this  he  attended  St.  Luke's  .School 
for  a  year,  and  then  went  to  Rochester  as  j,'en- 
eral  agent  for  the  Knickerbocker  Life  Insnr- 
ace  Company,  this  being  in  1X67  and  1868. 
Subsequently  lie  was  for  a  year  in  colie,:;e  at 
Alliance,  Ohio,  and  he  then  returned  to 
lUiffalo  and  became  an  assistant  iiouse  ])liysi- 
cian  in  the  luie  County  Hospital,  This 
position  he  held  until  1S72,  when  he  was 
appointed  house  physician.  W'liilc  there  he 
attended  lectures  at  the  University  of  Ihiffalo, 
and  in  1.S72  received  his  det^ree  from  that  in- 
stitution. In  1873  he  jiave  up  iiis  jilace  at 
the  hospital,  and  opened  an  office  in  Huffalo  for 
the  practice  nf  medicine.  There  he  remained 
until  1880,  when  he  came  to  (ireenville.  lie 
has  here  a  large  general  jiractice,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  popular  i)h)sicians  of  the  town.  Iiis 
present  residence,  built  for  jiim  in  1885,  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  tlie  vilhige  and,  indeed,  one  of 
the  finest  to  be  found  in  anv  of  tiie  villages  in 
the  comity. 

The  Doctor  was  marrictl  in  1875  to  Carrie 
K.  Wooster,  a  native  of  Westerlo,  daughter  of 
Charles  K.  and  Mclis.sa  (Hitchcock)  Wooster. 
Her  parents  had  a  family  of  four  children. 
I'"or  many  years  they  resided  here,  Iier  father 
being  one  of  tile  well-known  farmers  of  the 
town.      Dr.    and    Mrs.     W'as.son    have    an    only 


daughter,  Alice  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John 
H.  .Sandford,  a  druggist  in  this  town,  and  has 
a  little  daughter.   Ruth. 

Dr.  Wasson  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  warmly 
interested  in  all  ])ublic  matters,  but  the  de- 
mands of  his  jjrofession  prevent  him  from  tak- 
ing a  very  act  i\e  part  in  political  alfairs.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  (ireene  County  .Medical 
Society,  and  while  in  Huffalo  was  a  member  of 
the  l':rie  County  Medical  Society,  and  also  of 
the  liuffalo  Medical  Club,  which  has  since 
developed  into  the  Buffalo  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine. The  Doctor  occasionally  takes  a  rest 
from  his  professional  labors  by  indulging  Iiis 
tastes  as  a  sportsman.  He  is  an  e.\celleiit 
shot,  and  is  the  owner  of  several  guns  and  of 
hunting  dogs.  He  has  been  actively  associ- 
ated with  the  Masonic  organisation  since  1877, 
when  lie  jiiineil  the  (Jueeii  City  Lodge  in 
Bulfalo.  Upon  coming  here  he  recei\ed  mem- 
hershiji  in  the  James  M.  Austin  Lodge,  and  of 
this  lie  lias  been  five  years  Master,  and  was 
two  years  District  Deputy  in  the  (dd  b'.leventh 
District  under  C.rand  Master  William  Sliever 
and  Crand  Master  liumham.  He  has  filled  all 
the  chairs  in  the  lodge.  It  was  at  his  instiga- 
tion that  the  C.reen\ille  Koy:d  yXrch  Chapter 
was  organized,  and  he  has  been  its  High  Priest 
from  the  start.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
Jefferson  Lodge,  A.  ().  V.  W. ,  of  HulTalo,  and 
while  ill  that  cit\'  was  i.'.\aniiiiing  plnsician  ot 
tlie  lodge.  He  has  held  the  office  of  trustee  of 
the  academy,  and  is  at  the  present  time  a 
member  ..f  the  Hoard  of  Lducation.  He  is 
also  one  of  the  three  lire  commissioners  of  the 
town  and  chief  ol  the  lire  department. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


63 


WILLIAM  T.  WADDELL,  Super- 
visor of  the  town  of  Duanesburg, 
N.  Y. ,  was  born  where  he  now  resides,  son  of 
William  and  Jane  (McMillan)  Waddell.  His 
father,  who  is  still  living,  was  born  near  lidin- 
burgh,  Scotland,  Ala}'  5,  1815,  and  his  mother 
was  born  in  Rotterdam,  N.Y. ,  about  the 
year  1820. 

William  \\'addell  emigrated  when  nineteen 
years  old,  first  locating  in  Rotterdam,  and  for 
a  time  he  followed  the  tailor's  trade.  Turning 
his  attention  to  agriculture,  he  came  to  Duanes- 
burg over  fifty  years  ago,  and,  purchasing  the 
farm  which  his  son  is  now  cultivating,  he 
tilled  the  soil  successfully  for  the  rest  of  his 
active  period.  Jane,  his  wife,  became  the 
mother  of  two  sons,  namely:  James  McMillan 
Waddell,  a  Civil  War  veteran,  who  is  now  a 
lumberman  in  the  West;  and  \\'illiani  T. ,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  Mrs.  Jane  M.  Wad 
dell  died  in  June,  1S91.  William  Waddell 
has  been  a  Republican  in  politics  since  the 
formation  of  the  part}-,  and  in  his  religious  be- 
lief he  is  a  Presbyterian. 

William  T.  Waddell  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools.  From  his  youth  upward  he 
has  made  general  farming  his  chief  occupation, 
having  assisted  his  father  until  taking  the 
entire  management  of  the  property.  Besides 
the  original  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  six- 
acres  he  owns  ninety-five  acres  of  adjoining 
land.  He  raises  large  and  superior  crops,  and 
makes  a  specialty  of  breeding  full-blooded 
Guernsey  cattle  and  Shropshire  sheep.  His 
industry  and  progressive  tendencies  are  dis- 
played to  excellent  advantage,    and   his   farm. 


which  is  desirably  located,  contains  good,  sub- 
stantial buildings. 

In  1S71  Mr.  Waddell  married  fur  his  first 
wife  Jennie  Wilkins.  She  died  in  1.S73,  leav- 
ing one  son,  Samuel  W. ,  w-ho  married  Eliza- 
beth Mead,  resides  in  this  town,  and  has  one 
son.  In  1875  Air.  Waddell  married  for  his 
second  wife  Louisa  Schrade,  a  native  of 
Duane.sburg.  By  this  union  there  is  one  son, 
Harry. 

Mr.  Waddell  has  long  been  prominently 
identified  with  local  public  affairs,  having 
served  as  Inspector  of  Elections  several  years, 
Overseer  of  the  Poor  two  years.  Justice  of  the 
Peace  six  years,  while  he  is  now  serving  his 
sixth  term  as  Supervisor,  being  indorsed  by 
both  parties.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  belongs  to  St.  George  Lodge,  No.  6,  F.  & 
A.  AI.,  of  Schenectady.  He  has  held  all  of 
the  important  chairs  of  Bethan}-  Lodge,  No. 
524,  I.  O.  O.  v.,  and  is  a  Past  Master  and 
now  .secretary  of  I^mpire  Grange,  No.  784, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  attends  the  PLpis- 
copal  church. 


SEWIS  SHELAIANDINE,  formerly  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  cattle  dealer  of 
^^^  Jefferson,  was  born  in  this  town,  July 
16,  181 1.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Lizzie 
(Washburn)  Shelmandine  and  grandson  of 
Richard  Shelmandine  an  Englishman,  who 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Jefferson. 
Richard  Shelmandine  married  a  Aliss  Kniskem, 
of  I^lenheim,  and  resided  upon  a  farm  in  this 
town  for  the  rest  of  his  life.      He  and  his  wife 


64 


;i()(;i<  Ai'iiKAl. 


reared  four  sons  and  one  daii{,rhter;  namely, 
Henry,  Borant,  Henjamin,  John,  and  Mary. 
Henry  was  a  lifelong  residL-nl  "f  Jefferson. 
Horant,  who  was  in  his  )inin;,^cr  days  a  hunter, 
later  went  to  Oil  Creek,  I'a.  Henjaniin 
settleil  in  I'enns)  Ivania.  Mar\-  married  Oba- 
diah  Ruland. 

John  Shelniandine,  father  of  Lewis,  was 
l)orn  in  Jefferson,  and  here  sjient  the  active 
l)eri<)(l  of  his  life  in  tilling  the  soil.  In  iSoi 
he  married  Lizzie  Washburn,  of  Danhury, 
Conn.  .She  became  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren, namely:  Kate,  who  is  no  longer  living ; 
Josei)h,  who  died  in  Jeffer.son  in  iSS.S;  Re- 
becca, who  died  in  Farmington,  I'a.  ;  Khcda, 
who  died  in  Illinois;  Lewis,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Daniel,  wlio  died  in  Blenheim; 
Reuben,  who  died  in  Jefferson  in  i  S94  ;  Sally, 
who  died  in  New  York;  and  Charles,  who  died 
in  Ohio.  John  Shelniandine  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-seven  years,  leaving  his  wife  with  a 
large  and  dependent  family.  She,  however, 
was  an  e.\ceedingly  capable  woman,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  up  her  children.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Lpiscopal  church 
and  a  devout  Christian. 

Lewis  .Shelmancline  was  Init  fourteen  years 
old  when  his  father's  death  made  it  necessary 
for  him  to  become  self-su]iporting,  and  he 
jjegan  industrial  life  as  a  farm  assistant. 
While  still  a  young  man  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account,  and  sbottl\- alter  his 
marriage  he  returned  to  the  li<imestead  farm. 
His  energy  and  thrift  soon  placed  him  among 
the  leading  dairy  farmers  and  cattle  dealers  of 
the  count)',  his  farm    in    the    meainvhije  ha\ing 


been  increased  from  about  one  hundred  to  four 
hundred  acre.s.  He  raised,  bought,  and  sold 
live  stock,  took  many  prizes  at  fairs,  ])urchased 
premium  cattle,  which  he  sold  at  a  jjrofit,  and 
became  witlely  known  as  an  excellent  authority 
in  all  matters  relating  to  the  live-stock  inisi- 
ness.  He  was  a  jirogressive  as  well  as  an 
industrious  man,  and  cjuick  to  apjireciate  every 
improvement  in  agricultural  machinery,  being 
the  first  farmer  in  Schoharie  County  to  |)ur- 
cbase  a  mowing  machine.  In  1856  he  liuilt  a 
new  farm  residence,  and  in  1871  he  erected  a 
handsome  house  in  the  villa;;e,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent. 

On  March  r,,  1S34,  Mr.  Shelmandine  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Harriet  Pitcher,  wiio 
was  born  in  the  town  ot  Sunmiit,  l'ehniai\-  5, 
I  Si  3,  a  daughter  of  Horace  I'itclier.  l^ight 
children  were  the  fruit  of  their  union;  namel\-, 
Charles,  Elizabeth,  Phcebe  A.,  Catharine, 
Sarah  M.,  Mary,  Lmeline,  and  Roniinda. 
Charles  married  Lydia  I!idckwa\-,  and  resides 
in  I'jninence,  N.Y.  Llizabeth  is  the  wife  of 
l'"rank  Hannay,  of  Lminence.  Sarah  M.,  who 
married  David  (',.  Vrn\,Qv.  of  Summit,  died 
February  2S,  1S70.  Marv  first  marrietl  Will- 
iam L.  I'ro])er,  who  died  leaving  one  s(jn, 
Lewis.  She  afterward  married  David  S. 
Palmer,  a  resident  of  Jetferson.  Lmeline  m:ir- 
ried  T.  ().  Hurnett,  and  resides  in  Summit; 
and  Romiiida  married  Hynm  linrnett,  and 
resides  in  Cobleskill.  Charles  and  Pdi/abeth 
were  formerly  scho.d  teachers.  All  the  chil- 
dren united  with  the  Methodist  I'.piscopal 
church. 

In   politics   Mr.   .Shelniandine  went    from   tlie 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


GS 


Whig  party  to  the  Democratic  party,  became 
a  Republican  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  in  his  last  days  joined  the  party  of 
Prohibition.  He  assisted  in  building  the 
Methodist  church  at  East  Jefferson,  of  which 
he  was  for  some  years  a  steward  and  trustee. 
Benevolence  was  one  of  his  leading  traits,  and 
he  relieved  the  suffering  of  the  poor  with  a 
willingness  free  frum  ostentation.  He  died 
]\Iarch  5,  1SS9,  surviving  his  wife  some  nine- 
teen years,  her  death  having  occurred  Februarv 
23,  1870.  Mrs.  Shelmandine,  like  her  hus- 
band, was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  both  were  mourned  as  a 
severe  loss  to  the  communitv. 


"EXRY  F.  OL?*ISTEAD,  Cat.skill 
agent  of  the  Greene  County  Bible 
Depository  and  a  retired  agent  of 
the  American  Express  Company,  was  born  in 
Ridgefield,  Fairfield  County,  Conn.,  Novem- 
ber 22,  I  Si  3,  son  of  Nathan  and  Martha 
(Watrous)  Olmstead.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  that  town,  and  his  paternal  grand- 
father, Jared  Olmstead,  followed  fanning  there 
as  long  as  he  lived.  Nathan  Olmstead  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and  besides  following  this 
mechanical  calling  he  taught  school  many 
years.  His  death  occurred  in  Ridgefield  at  the 
age  of  fifty-seven.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  His  wife,  ]\Iartha, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  John  Watrous,  a  farmer, 
was  a  member  of  the  I\Iethodist  Episcopal 
church.  She  died  at  thirty-four  years  of  age, 
having  been  the  mother  of  seven  children. 


Henry  F.  Olmstead  is  now  the  only  survivor 
of  his  father's  family.  In  his  boyhood  he  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  Ridgefield,  and 
subsequently,  both  prior  to  and  after  complet- 
ing a  course  at  Hilton  Academy,  he  taught 
school  in  Norwalk.  Relinquishing  educational 
work,  he  went  to  Hudson,  N.V, ,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  hatter,  and  worked  as  a  journeyman 
there  two  years.  In  1S42  he  came  to  Catskill, 
where  he  continued  his  trade  on  his  own  ac- 
count for  two  years,  and  opening  a  retail  hat 
store  continued  it  for  a  period  of  nearly 
twenty-five  years,  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
time  occupying  the  building  in  which  he  now 
has  an  ofifice.  For  fifteen  years,  beginning  in 
1 85  I,  he  conducted  in  addition  to  the  other  the 
business  of  the  local  agency  for  the  American 
Express  Company.  In  1SS6  the  express  busi- 
ness had  become  so  developed  in  importance 
that  he  disposed  of  his  hat  business.  He  con- 
tinued to  represent  the  company  until  Decem- 
ber, 18S0,  when  failing  health  compelled  him 
to  relinquish  the  arduous  duties  of  his  posi- 
tion. As  a  reward  for  his  long  and  faithful 
service  the  company  placed  him  on  their  emer- 
itus list,  retiring  him  upon  half-pay.  Since 
1 88 1  he  has  transacted  a  real  estate  business, 
has  been  the  local  agent  for  foreign  steamship 
lines,  has  looked  after  the  Clark  estate,  and 
for  the  past  five  years  has  been  the  Catskill 
agent  for  the  Greene  County  Bible  Depository. 
In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig,  and,  fa- 
voring the  principles  of  the  Republican  move- 
ment, he  was  instrumental  in  organizing  that 
party  in  this  locality.  He  was  Civil  Justice 
for  sixteen  years,  and  three  years  Police  Justice, 


lilOCRAPHICAL    KEVIKW 


and  was  rn)tecl  for  the  imjiartial  manner  in 
which  lie  clisiiused  of  all  cases  coniinj;  under 
his  jurisdiction. 

In  1S44  Mr.  (Jlmstead  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  I.ydia  H.  Utley,  daughter  of  Ralph 
and  Sarah  (Huntington)  Utley.  He  has  had 
two  children,  namely:  a  daughter,  Mary  How- 
ard Olmstead,  who  is  organist  of  the  I'resbyte- 
rian  church,  and  who  teaches  music;  and  a 
son,  Henr)-  F. ,  who  died  aged  four  )ears. 

Mr.  Olmstead  was  formerly  a  member  of 
the  .Sons  of  Temperance.  For  many  )'ears  he 
has  been  an  Elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  a  permanent  Deacon,  and  was  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  He  has  outlived  the  majority  of  his 
business  contemporaries,  having  participated 
in  the  development  of  Catskill  from  a  small 
hamlet  to  its  present  size.  He  still  has  in  his 
possession  the  old  hand  sled,  built  by  him  forty- 
five  years  ago,  upon  which  he  transported  the 
American  E.xpress  packages  during  the  early 
days  of  that  company's  existence. 


\ETER  V.  VAN  EPS,  a  well-to-do 
farmer  of  Glenville,  N.Y. ,  was  born 
in  this  town,  November  13,  1825,  son 
of  Albert  and  Anna  (Swart)  Van  lips.  The 
family  is  of  Dutch  origin,  as  the  name  im- 
plies. Its  immigrant  progenitor  was  Dirk 
Van  Ei)S,  who  settled  in  Schenectady  County 
as  early  as  1662  fir  1663.  Johannes  Dirksie 
Van  l'"|)s,  son  of  Dirk,  and  the  iie.xt  in  line, 
was  killed  in  the  Indian  massacre  of  1690. 
He    had    four    sons    and    four    daughters;    and 


Invert  Van  Eps,  one  of  his  sons,  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  twice 
married,  and  had  five  sons  and  five  daughters. 
J(jhannes  liaphst  \'an  Pips,  the  grandfather, 
was  born  in  (ilenville.  May  13,  1731.  When 
a  young  man  he  locatetl  upon  a  tract  of  wild 
land,  which  he  cleared  into  a  gootl  farm,  and 
the  rest  of  his  active  years  were  devoted  to 
its  cultivation.  He  married  y\nna  X'edder  on 
May  2,  1761,  and  had  a  family  of  thirteen 
children.       He  died  January   11,    1.S13. 

Albert  Van  Eps,  the  father,  was  born  in 
Glenville,  May  16,  1785.  A  sturdy  and  a 
thrifty  farmer,  he  made  excellent  use  of  the 
resources  at  his  command;  and  he  resided  here 
until  his  death,  which  occurretl  March  17, 
1.S31.  Politically,  he  acted  with  the  Whig 
party.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church.  Mrs.  Anna  Swart  \'an  Eps,  his  wife, 
was  born  in  this  town,  Januar\-  16,  1790,  and 
died  July  22,  1841.  They  had  nine  children, 
four  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Ann  Eliza, 
born  September  16,  1819;  Sarah,  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  1823;  Peter  v.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Josiah,  born  February  11,  182S. 
The  others  were:  John  A.,  born  December  14, 
1 81 3;  Jacobus  S.,  born  December  24,  1815; 
Harmanus  S. ,  born  August  13,  1817;  Josias, 
born  December  11,  1821,  died  in  infanc}';  ami 
Susanna,  born  June  18,    1830. 

Peter  V.  Van  PIjjs  was  educated  in  the 
.schools  of  his  native  town.  While  still  a 
youth  he  began  to  assist  in  the  work  of  the 
farm  ;  and,  having  succeeded  to  the  ownership 
of  a  p(jrtion  of  the  homestead  pro])erty  on  com- 
ing  of  age,  he   has   tilled    the   soil    with   ener- 


PETER    V.    VAN    EPS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


69 


getic  diligence  and  resulting  prosperity  for  the 
past  fifty  years.  His  farm  is  situated  in  the 
fertile  valle)-  of  the  Mohawk,  not  far  from 
Hoffman's  Ferry,  and  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  the  spot  where  his  ancestor  erected  a 
primitive  abode  in  the  pioneer  days.  The 
region  abounds  in  charming  natural  scenery, 
including  Wolf  Hollow;  and  the  traveller  who 
goes  out  of  his  way  to  ride  through  this  pictur- 
esque ravine  is  amply  paid  for  his  pains.  The 
cries  of  the  wild  beasts  heard  by  the  early  set- 
tlers have  given  way  to  the  more  welcome 
sounds  of  implements  of  industry,  and  the 
valley  is  now  dotted  on  either  side  with  well- 
kept  farm-houses. 

On  June  3,  1S51,  Mr.  \'an  Eps  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  Ann  Davenport,  who 
was  born  in  Troy,  X.Y. ,  March  23,  1828, 
daughter  of  David  Davenport.  Mrs.  \'an  Eps 
is  the  mother  of  three  sons,  of  whom  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  brief  record:  Jewett  Edwin,  born 
December  25,  1S52,  married  Mary  Conda,  and 
is  now  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
Schenectady;  Da\-id  Augustus,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Glenville,  born  September  15,  1S54, 
married  Annie  R.  \'an  Loan,  and  has  two 
children — Jewett  E.  and  Helen  M.  ;  and 
Frank  Stanley  \'an  Eps,  born  July  4,  1859, 
married  Marion  Bosworth,  and  is  now  a  Chris- 
tian Science  healer  in  Chicago. 

Owning  one  of  the  oldest  farms  in  Glen- 
ville, Mr.  Van  Eps  keeps  up  with  the  times  in 
the  way  of  improvements,  and  occupies  a  hand- 
some modern  residence.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  esteemed  both  for  his 
manly  characteristics  and   as  a  representative 


of  one  of  the  most  highly  reputalile  families 
in  this  section  of  the  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Van  Eps  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church, 
and  are  socially  prominent. 


ICHOLAS  BRADT,  a  prominent  resi- 
dent and  representative  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  of  Woestina  (Rotter- 
dam Junction),  N.Y.,  was  born  in  this  town, 
September  14,  1824,  son  of  Abram  N.  and 
Maria  (Vedder)  Bradt.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
Arent  Andriese  Bratt,  or  Brat,  the  first  of  the 
family  to  settle  in  Schenectady  County,  who 
died  soon  after  his  arrival  here  in  1662. 
He  married  Catalyntie  De  Vos,  daughter  of 
Andries  De  Vos,  who  was  Deputy  Director  of 
Rensselaerwych.  The  first  ancestor  to  locate 
in  Rotterdam  was  Abram  A.  Bradt,  who  was 
an  industrious  farmer,  and  who  died  at  Woes- 
tina. The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah 
Van  Patten.  Nicholas  A.  Bradt,  the  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was 
born  in  Rotterdam,  N.Y.,  August  15,  1773. 
He  was  in  his  younger  days  a  blacksmith,  but 
later  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  which 
he  followed  energetically  for  the  rest  of  his 
active  years.  He  was  at  one  time  Alderman 
from  the  Third  Ward  of  Schenectady,  Albany 
County,  and  also  held  minor  offices.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat.  He  died 
July  9,  1850.  He  married  Margaret  Mabee, 
who  was  born  in  Rotterdam  in  1776,  and  died 
December  13,  1S50.  The_\-  were  members  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church,  and  the  grand- 
father was  an  Elder  for  more  than  twenty  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Abram  N.  15radt,  the  father  abuvo  nanicil. 
was  burn  in  W'ocstina,  Aiij^ust  22,  1793.  He 
was  an  able  farmer  and  a  leading  citizen,  serv- 
ing as  Supervisor  in  1846  and  filling  other 
town  offices.  In  jxilitics  he  voted  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  was  an  active  member 
and  an  Klder  of  the  Keformcd  chureh.  Maria, 
his  wife,  whom  he  married  May  2,  1818,  was 
born  December  5,  1801.  .She  became  the 
mother  of  .seven  children,  three  uf  whom  are 
living,  namely:  Jemima,  who  married  Jolin  \'. 
Van  Patten,  <>f  Glenvilie;  Nicholas,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  and  llarman  Hradt,  who 
resides  in  I'etersburg,  \'a.  The  cithers  were  : 
Margaret,  Simon,  Sarah,  and  a  child  that  died 
in  infancy.  The  mother  died  May  12,  1833; 
and  the  father,  who  survived  her  many  years, 
died  November  5,    i.S-S. 

Nicholas  Hradt  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  Woestiua,  and  unrkiiij;  with  his 
father  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  general 
farming.  He  has  made  agriculture  a  profitable 
eiiiploviiient,  and  since  1.S60  lias  resided  on  the 
farm  (jf  one  lunuired  acres  which  he  is  still 
carrying  on  witli  energy.  He  also  owns  the 
homestead  farm,  which  contains  the  same 
number  of  acres,  anil  he  ranks  among  tlie  well- 
to-do  residents  of  this  section. 

On  September  29,  1857,  Mr.  Hradt  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Hester  Hradt,  who  was 
born  in  Rotterdam,  November  13,  1834.  Mrs. 
Hradt  became  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Helen  K,,  born  I'ebruary  15,  1862; 
Aaron  I-'rank,  born  June  2'j,  1865;  Margaret, 
born  October  13,  1869;  ]':iizabeth,  horn  June 
17,    1872,    now  the  wife  of    Martin    H.   Scher- 


merhorn ;  .Simon  \'.,  born  January  29,  1873; 
Maria,  who  married  .Simon  \'.  X'eeder,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years;  ar.d 
Abr:mi,  who  dieil  at  the  age  of  twent\-four. 
Mrs.   Hradt  died  May  i,   1889. 

Mr.  Hradt  has  been  a  Trustee  of  tlie  town, 
was  an  Assessor  for  some  time,  and  has  ren- 
dered efficient  services  in  other  town  offices. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  attends  the 
Reformed  church,  and  his  children  are  mem- 
bers. 


I'LLSON  O.  (;Ri:i:X,  contractor  and 
builder,  of  Tannersville,  (ireenc 
County,  N.Y.,  and  a  Civil  War 
veteran,  was  born  in  Hunter,  this  county,  May 
25,  1844,  son  of  Giles  and  Sarah  (Warner) 
Green.  His  father  was  born  in  Hunter,  May 
23,  1800,  and  his  mother,  who  was  of  Dutch 
descent,  was  a  native  of  Conesville,  Schoharie 
County.  His  iiaternal  grandfather,  Seth 
(rreen,  who  came  from  Connecticut,  found  his 
way  here  b)-  the  aitl  of  marked  trees,  and  was 
the  third  to  settle  where  the  village  of  Hunter 
is  now  located.  Taking  up  a  tract  of  land,  he 
erected  a  log  house  and  followed  farming.  He 
was  quite  prominent  here  in  liis  day,  and  served 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-seven.  He  had  a  large  family  of 
children,  si.x  of  whom  li\ed  to  be  o\er  eighty 
years  old. 

Giles  Green,  father  of  Nelson  (). ,  obtained 
his  education  in  the  common  schools,  and  in 
his  \-outh  woiked  ui)on  the  home  farm.  Later 
he  had  one  hundred  and  twenty-tive  acres  of 
the  homestead  propert)-,  upon  which  he  erected 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


71 


a  dwelling  and  engaged  in  farming,  becoming 
well-to  do.  Besides  this  property  he  owned  a 
number  of  houses  in  Hunter.  In  jjolitics  he 
was  a  Democrat.  He  died  at  eighty-nine  years 
of  age.  His  wife,  Sarah,  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four.  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living;  namely. 
Nelson  O.,  Emma  E.,  and  Gilbert.  Emma 
E.  Green  is  the  widow  of  George  Pollock,  and 
Gilbert  is  a  resident  of  this  town.  The  [jar- 
ents  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Nelson  O.  Green  began  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Hunter.  He  resided  at  the 
parental  home  until  he  was  thirteen  years  old, 
when  he  went  to  Romeo,  ^lich.,  twentv-eight 
miles  from  Detroit,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  attending  school  and  following  various 
kinds  of  employment.  Returning  East,  he  en- 
listed in  1S62  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twen- 
tieth New  York  Regiment,  with  which  he 
served  three  years  in  the  Civil  War.  He  saw 
a  great  deal  of  active  service,  and  was  slightlv 
wounded.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  and  Gettys- 
burg—  at  the  last-named  place  the  regiment 
losing  one  thousand  out  of  fifteen  hundred  men 
in  a  short  time  —  the  battles  of  'SWnc  Run, 
Spottsylvania,  Tolapotamie,  Chickahominv, 
Cold  Harbor,  and  the  siege  of  Petersburg, 
where  on  March  25,  1S63,  he  was  taken 
prisoner.  He  was  confined  in  Libby  Prison 
until  paroled,  when  he  rejoined  his  regiment 
in  Washington.  He  was  made  Second  Ser- 
geant, but  declined  further  promotion,  and 
was    mustered    out    at     the   close  of    the   war. 


Upon  his  return  he  went  tn  Saugerties, 
N.Y.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for 
two  years.  Later  he  worked  in  the  chair 
factory  at  Susquehanna,  and  followed  this 
occupation  for  twelve  years  in  different  towns. 
Coming  to  Hunter  in  1S74,  he  was  employed  in 
the  chair  factory  for  four  years,  and  then  turned 
his  attention  to  carpentering,  doing  a  consider- 
able business  in  this  line  in  towns  along  the 
Hudson  for  si.\-  years.  When  Onteora,  Elka, 
and  Twilight  Parks  were  opened,  he  engaged  in 
contracting  for  the  building  of  cottages:  and  be 
has  erected  a  number  at  each  place,  employing 
a  large  force  of  men. 

In  1874  Mr.  Green  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Alice  M.  Lester,  of  Hunter.  Thev  have 
had  four  children — Jeanette,  William,  Robert, 
and  Jasper.  Jeanette,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
State  Normal  School,  is  now  engaged  in  teach- 
ing.     Jasper  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 

Mr.  Green  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but 
has  declined  public  office.  He  is  a  comrade  of 
A.  N.  Baldwin  Post,  No.  263,  G.  A.  R. ,  of 
Hunter,  and  has  served  as  color-bearer  for  seven 
years. 

EORGE     LINTNER     DANEORTH, 

one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Scho- 
harie County  and  a  resident  of  JMiddleburg, 
was  born  here  on  July  19,  1S44,  son  of  Judge 
Peter  and  Aurelia  (Lintner)  Danforth.  All 
the  traditions  of  his  family  and  the  surround- 
ings of  his  youth  lent  their  influence  in 
preparing  him  for  the  legjl  profession.  His 
grandfather,  George  Danforth,  who  died  in  the 
South,    was   a    lawyer  of    pre-eminent    ability, 


7z 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  his  father  was  perhaps  the  most  eminent 
praetitioner  of  law  tliat  the  county  lias  pro- 
(hieed.  His  grandmother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Cornelia  Swart,  was  born  in  Schoharie 
C"iuinty  of  Dutch  parentage.  One  of  his 
uncles,  (jeneral  (ieorge  K.  Danfortli,  acc|uire(l 
a  hi^h  reputation  in  public  affairs,  .uid  dislin- 
guished  himself  as  a  brij^ade  commander  in  the 
Civil  War. 

Mr.  iJanforths  fatiier,  Judge  I'eter  S.  ])an- 
forth,  lived  to  the  age  of  more  tiian  threescore 
and  fifteen  )ears,  and  in  his  lung  and  honor- 
able career  filled  many  ]uil)lic  positions.  In 
1S72  he  was  made  Justice  of  the  .Su))reme 
Court.  lie  was  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed cluucli.  His  wife  was  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church  until  her  man  iage,  when 
she  united  with  the  Reformed  church.  .Mrs. 
Danforth  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Ceorge  A.  Lintner, 
D.  D.,  who  was  for  many  years  jjresident  of  the 
Lutheran  .SvikkI  and  for  twent_\--five  years  pas- 
tor nl  St.  Paul's  I.utheriui  Church  at  Schoharie, 
X.  V.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  leav- 
ing two  children-  Mrs.  Danforth  and  Joseph 
.Albert  Lintner.  The  latter  has  been  for  many 
years  entonndogist  for  the  State  cjf  New  \'ork. 
Judge  and  Mrs,  D.uforth  had  three  children; 
nnmely,  (ieorge  I..,  Cornelia,  and  the  Hon. 
I'lliot  Danforth.  Cornelia  married  Isaac  \V. 
Ferris,  a  s.,n  of  Chancellor  Isa:ic  Ferris,  of 
New  Vovk  L'ni\eisity. 

(ieorge  L.  Danforth,  the  subject  of  the 
present  sketch,  in  his  boyhood  attended  the 
connnon  scbo.ds  <.|  Middleburg,  a  select 
.sch.M.l,    and    .Schoharie    Academy;    and    Liter, 


after  continuing  his  studies  for  a  uhile  under 
a  [irivate  tutor,  he  entered  Rutgers  College, 
from  which  he  was  gradated  in  1S63.  F'rom 
his  early  years  he  had  spent  much  time  in  his 
father's  olfice,  and  in  realilv  he  was  in  practice 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  been  in  activ'c  practice.  His 
clients  come  from  all  pints  of  the  Stale,  and 
he  has  practised  in  all  the  .State  courts,  in- 
cluding the  United  States  Circuit  Court  of  this 
district.  He  is  at  the  ])resent  time,  with  few 
exceptions,  the  oldest  member  of  the  bar  in  the 
county.  He  has  been  referee  in  many  imi)oi-- 
tant  cases,  and  counsel  in  a  large  nund)er  of 
cases  involving  intricate  points  (jf  law  and  title 
to  real  estate,  and  trustee  of  estates  in  this  and 
adj<iining  counties.  l-"or  s(jme  time  p:ist  he  has 
been  counsel  in  the  celebrated  case  in  the  h'irst 
D(.'|)artment  known  as  the  Coal  Oil  Johnny 
•Soaj)  Case,  a  suit  invcilving  hmidreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars.  Whether  as  counsel  b.r 
prosecution  or  defence,  he  has  met  with  remark- 
able success  in  winning  legal  contests  for  his 
clients. 

On  December  15,  I S69,  Mr.  Danforth  was 
iniited  in  marriage  with  Anita  W'hitaker,  a 
native  of  Xew  York  and  (kiughter  of  (ieorge 
and  Hannah  (Daggett)  Whitaker.  Her  jniter- 
nal  grandfather,  the  Rev.  J.inathan  Whitaker, 
was  a  Unitarian  clergyman,  and  |)ieached 
mainly  in  Massachusetts,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty.  .Among  his  sons  were  several 
clerg\-nien,  a  judge  who  resided  in  New  Or- 
leans, and  a  well-kn..wn  government  ..fficial. 
Mrs.    Danliaths  father  was  en-ajied  in  mercan- 


F.    r.    IIKAKD. 


B I OG  R  A  P  H I C  A  L    R  E\'  I EW 


75 


tile  business,  shipping  and  importing  South 
American  products.  He  spent  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  in  New  York,  Init  died  in  Massachu- 
setts at  the  age  of  fifty-four,  at  tlie  home  of  a 
brother.  His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  a 
wealthy  ship  captain  and  philanthropist  of 
Edgartown,  Mass.  She  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Danforth 
have  lost  two  children.  They  have  one  son 
living  —  Pierre  W.  Danforth,  who  is  now 
studying  law  with  his  father,  and  has  for  some 
time  been  engaged  in  newspaper  work.  He  is 
the  youngest  editor  in  the  county,  and  now 
edits  and  publishes  the  Middleburg  Pnss,  a 
si.x-column  quarto,  which  is  an  enterprising 
weekly  paper. 

Mr.  Danforth  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church,  and  Mr.  Dan- 
forth has  been  an  Elder  in  the  church  for  some 
thirty  years.  He  is  warmly  interested  in 
Sunday-school  work,  and  teaches  the  Bible 
class  ;  while  his  wife  has  a  class  of  boys.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  sent  as  a  delegate  to 
the  General  Synod.  He  devotes  much  time  to 
literary  work,  frequently  delivering  addresses 
and  lectures  and  contributing  articles  to  news- 
papers and  periodicals.  Of  fine  executive 
ability,  he  readily  manages  the  many  interests 
which  press  upon  his  personal  attention,  and 
which  would  puzzle  the  average  man  to  manage 
at  all.  He  is  a  trustee  of  Rutgers  College, 
and  president  of  its  alumni  association,  and  is 
also  president  of  the  Schoharie  County  Histoii- 
cal  Society,  trustee  of  the  Union  Free  School 
and  Academy  of  Middleburg,  director  of  the 
First    National    Bank,    and    treasurer    of     the 


Middleburg  &  Schoharie  Railroad  Company. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  fire  de])artnieiit, 
ten  years  ago,  he  has  been  its  chief.  He  has 
given  considerable  attentinn  to  fraternal  soci- 
eties, and  is  an  acti\-e  worker  in  both  tlie 
Masonic  and  Odd  1^'ellows  fraternities. 

Mr.  Danforth's  home  is  the  spacious  man- 
sion in  the  prettiest  portion  of  the  valley, 
where  the  Danforth  family  has  lived  and  exer- 
cised hospitality  for  many  \-ears. 


RANKLIN    PHIRCE    BFARD,    M.D., 

of  Cobleskill,  Schoharie  County,  well 
known  as  a  skilful  physician  and  surgeon  and 
a  large  real  estate  owner,  was  born  November 
29,  1852,  in  Jefferson,  N.Y. ,  a  son  of  Jacob 
L.  and  Polly  (Wilsey)  Beard.  He  comes  of 
pioneer  ancestry,  his  great-grandfather  Beard 
having  been  an  original  settler  of  that  part  of 
Schoharie  County  that  was  named,  in  his 
honor.  Beard's  Hollow.  There  the  Doctor's 
paternal  grandfather,  John  Beard,  a  prosperous 
farmer,  spent  his  long  life. 

Jacob  L.  Beard  was  born  and  educated  at 
Beard's  Hollow;  but  when  eighteen  years  old 
he  left  the  ancestral  farm  and  came  to  VVarner- 
ville,  this  county,  where  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  wagon-maker's  trade.  After 
following  this  calling  as  a  journeyman  and 
also  in  business  for  himself  for  several  years 
in  that  town,  he  removed  to  Jefferson,  and  in 
1863  transferred  his  business  and  his  residence 
to  the  neighboring  \illage  of  Summit,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century.      In  1SS9  he  came  to  Cobleskill;  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


fmrii  tliat  time  until  his  dcitli,  in  I  S<j3,  be 
resided  with  his  .s.m,  Dr.  licird  lie  was  a 
steadfast  Democrat,  anti  for  a  score  of  years 
served  as  Justice  nf  the  Peace.  His  wife, 
Polly  W'ilsey,  who  was  horn  in  Wainerville, 
was  a  daughter  of  Colonel  \\'il>c\,  an  ofTicer  in 
the  Revolutionary  ainiy.  She  hore  her  hus- 
band seven  children;  namely,  David,  Samuel, 
Rose,  Franklin  Pierce,  Marion,  Adelle,  and 
John.  The  mother  died  at  the  a-e  of  si,\ty- 
ei^dit  years,  in  1.SS9.  Holh  [uirents  were 
members  ot  the  Metliodist  h:]>iscoi)al  clunch. 

Franklin  P.  Heard  received  a  practical  com- 
mon-school education,  and  in  his  early  man- 
hood taught  in  a  district  scIkjoI  fi\-e  terms. 
Leaving  home  then,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  study  of  medicine,  ha\ing  for  his  instruc- 
tors successivelv  Dr.  ("oincll,  of  Richmond- 
ville;  Dr.  Spauhlin-.  of  Summit;  and  Dr. 
Wo.kI.  of  Jefferson.  lie  subse<inent ly  entered 
the  Albany  Medical  Colle-e,  from  which  he 
was  .L;raduated  as  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1S75.  PcLjinnini;  the  ]>ractice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Fminence,  he  continued  there  about 
two  years.  He  then  located  in  Summit,  and 
for  ten  years  ranked  as  the  leadin,<;  practitioner 
of  that  vicinity.  Dr.  Heard  came  to  Cobles- 
kill  in  iS.sri;  and  here,  also,  his  eminent  skill 
and  his  close  attention  to  his  professional 
duties  has  ranked  him  the  leadin-  physician  of 
the  county,  liis  opinions  beini;  lari^cly  sought 
after  in  consultations  extending  to  adjoining 
counties. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  .Schoharie  County 
Medical  Society  and  of  the  ('ohleskill  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.   M.      He  was  a  .Supervisoi'   in  Summit 


in  1S.S2,  a  Coroner  in  .Schoharie  County  nine 
years;  and  from  (_)ct(jber,  1895,  until  October, 
1S97,  he  was  examining  surgeon  of  the  Pen- 
sion Department. 

Dr.  Heard  is  the  proprietor  of  two  fine  farms 
in  Richmondville,  this  county,  one  in  Hlen- 
heim,  and  om-  in  .Summit  of  trto  hundred 
acres,  and  ninety  acres  of  land  in  Cobleskill. 
The  latter  has  been  platted  and  divided  into 
building  lots,  a  street  being  laid  out  through 
oneixirtion.  He  has  1  ikewise  valuable  huilding 
])roperty  in  the  village,  including  lots  on  VAm 
Street,  west  of  the  Catholic  church;  and  he 
owns  a  fine  business  block  in  Summit. 

In  April,  1873,  Dr.  Heard  married  M  iss  Alice 
D.,  daughter  of  John  Chickering,  of  Summit. 
a  well-known  mechanic.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Heard 
ha\-e  five  children;  namely,  C.  Clautle,  John 
J.,  Leona,  Mildred,  and  David.  G.  Claude, 
who  m.irried  Lulie  Kilts,  is  a  succes.sful  agri- 
culturist in  Richmondville.  John  J.,  who  was 
graduated  fn.ni  the  Albany  Medical  School  in 
1897,   is  a  [physician   in  Sharon   Springs,  N.  \'. 


IRHY  WTLHKR,  an  enterprising  mer- 
bant  of  (Juaker  Street,  Duanes- 
burg,  -Schenectady  County,  N.Y.,  was  born 
in  this  town,  September  25,  1820,  son  of 
Kirby  and  Mercy  (Allen)  Wilber.  He  at- 
tended scho(d  until  fourteen  years  old,  wiien 
he  entered  the  emi)loy  of  Job  Cleveland  as  a 
store  clerk,  ;ind  remained  with  him  two  years. 
After  a  short  time  spent  in  a  store  at  Sche- 
nectady he  returned,  and  for  the  next  three 
years  worked   for  James    L.  O  Neil.      In    1840 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


he  went  to  Braiiiard  ]?ridge,  Rensselaer 
County,  where  he  clerked  in  a  general  store 
conducted  by  Hastings  &  Smith,  cloth  manu- 
facturers, for  eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  purchased  the  stock,  and  for  the  suc- 
ceeding five  years  carried  on  business  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  E.  G.  Wilber.  Selling 
out  his  interest  in  1S53,  he  returned  once  more 
to  Duanesburg;  and,  associating  himself  with 
his  brothers  in  a  shoe  manufactory  in  the  lo- 
cality known  as  Quaker  Street,  he  was  for  the 
next  few  }'ears  engaged  in  selling  their  prod- 
ucts on  the  road.  This  business  was  started 
in  1S45  by  R.  P.  U.  Wilber,  who  began  mak- 
ing shoes  for  the  retail  trade;  but  five  years 
later  he  established  a  manufactory  to  supply 
the  wholesale  dealers  only,  and  continued  in 
business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1S54.  The  present  store  of  Wilber  &  Co. 
was  opened  in  i860,  and  carried  on  in  connec- 
tion with  the  factory  until  1867,  when  the 
firm  was  dissolved.  The  business  was  con- 
ducted by  Kirby,  E.  G.,  and  Charles  C.  Wilber 
until  1874,  since  which  time  Kirby  and  his  son 
Charles  C.  have  been  sole  proprietors  of  the 
mercantile  establishment,  consisting  of  a 
well-stocked  general  store  having  a  large  pat- 
ronage. The  senior  partner  is  one  of  the  old- 
est business  men  of  this  section  in  point  of 
experience,  and  through  his  ability,  integrit}', 
and  other  commendable  characteristics  he  has 
acquired  success.  Aside  from  his  mercantile 
business  he  deals  quite  extensively  in  real 
estate.  His  own  residence  is  one  of  the  hand- 
somest in  town. 

Mr.  Wilber   contracted    the   first  of  his   two 


marriages  in  1843,  with  Lucy  Ann  Crego,  of 
Chatham,  Columbia  County.  She  died  in 
1877,  and  in  1880  he  married  .Mrs.  Pha-be  J. 
Auchanipaugh,  born  Stevens,  a  native  of 
Wright,  Schoharie  County.  He  is  the  father 
of  five  children,  all  by  his  first  wife,  namely: 
Elllen  M.,  who  married  the  Rev.  Milton  Tator, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years;  Emily 
W.,  wife  of  Arthur  D.  Meail,  of  Schoharie; 
Augusta  A.,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Hoag,  of 
Quaker  Street;  Adeline  C,  wife  of  Walter 
Briggs,  of  Schenectady;  and  Charles  C.  Wil- 
ber, who  is  in  business  with  his  father.  Mr. 
Wilber  has  ten  grandchildren.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 

Charles  C.  Wilber  was  born  at  Brainard's 
Bridge,  May  30,  1847,  and  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Duanesburg.  Like  his  father 
he  entered  mercantile  pursuits  when  fourteen 
years  old,  and  is  an  excellent  business  man. 
He  acts  with  the  Democratic  party  in  politics, 
and  served  with  ability  as  Postmaster  for  three 
years.  On  December  2i,  1870,  he  married 
Emily  Moon,  who  was  born  in  this  town  in 
September,  1847,  daughter  of  John  and  Emily 
Moon.  She  is  the  mother  of  one  son,  Aichie 
M.  Wilber,  who  was  born  March  13,   1880. 


WALTON    VAN    LOAN,   of   Cat 
N.Y.,    publisher    of     the     Ca 


:atskill, 
;atskill 

Mountain  duidc,  was  born  in  New  York  City 
on  January  8,  1834,  son  of  Matthew  D.  and 
Julia  A.  (Thompson)  Van  Loan.  His  grand- 
father,  Isaac  Van  Loan,  a  resident  of  Catskill, 


78 


RE\"IKW 


was  a  mason  by  trade,  but  was  engaged  for  a 
long  period  as  captain  of  a  passenger  sloop 
plying  between  Catskill  and  New  York.  Cap- 
tain Van  Loan  died  at  tlie  age  of  seventy-two. 
His  wile,  Jane  Dies,  who  was  born  in  Gilboa, 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 

Matthew  D.  Van  Loan  was  one  of  a  family 
of  four  children.  He  was  reared  in  this  tnwn 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  In  1S41 
he  went  to  .\ew  ^'ork  City  and  opened  a  da- 
giierrenty])e  studio,  being  the  first  man  in  the 
United  States  to  make  a  business  of  producing 
poitraits  by  the  new  jhoicss.  He  continued 
taking  pictures  for  ten  years  in  New  \'ork,  and 
from  there  went  to  rhihi(icl])hia  and  later  to 
Washington,  engaging  in  tlie  same  business. 
Subsequently  and  up  to  tlie  time  of  his  de.ith, 
in  i.S5^>,  lie  was  en-.phiyed  in  the  custon:- 
liouse  in  .San  l-'rancisco.  Widely  known  as 
a  dagucrrent\pe  artist  both  in  this  country  and 
abroad,  he  took  many  ]iri/.es  in  American 
cities  and  was  given  special  iionors  in  Lng- 
lan;l.  While  in  New  York  he  had  a  revolving 
gallery  in  the  Delnvuiico  Building,  the  only 
one  ever  known.  His  wife,  Julia,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  iiore  him  three 
ciiildren,  two  of  whom  are  living.  These  are 
Walton  and  Spencer.  The  latter,  who  was  a 
scd.lier  in  the  Civil  War,  resides  in  this  vil- 
lage. H.)th  iKirents  were  communicants  of  the 
l-lpiscopaj  church,  the  father  being  one  of  the 
vestryuKii. 

Walton  Van  Loan  resi.jed  in  Catskill  until 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  and  then  went 
with  his  father  to  different  cities.  |-"or  a  time 
he    attended    the   luiblic    scho(  Is    in    Philadel- 


phia. When  about  thirteen  years  of  age  he  se- 
cured an  appointment  as  page  in  the  national 
House  of  Representatives.  This  position  he 
held  from  1K46  to  1S50,  receiving  in  ])ayment 
sixty  dollars  per  month  in  gohl.  In  1.S52  he 
went  to  Californa  via  Nicaragua  to  join  his 
father,  and  ])aid  his  own  fare.  He  carrieil  a 
letter  of  introduction  from  Daniel  Webster  to 
the  custom-house  officials  in  .San  i'Vancisco, 
and  shortly  alter  his  arrival  was  given  a  ])osi- 
tion  in  the  custom  diouse.  Hut  he  remained 
in  it  only  a  short  lime,  leaving  to  go  as  clerk 
in  a  large  book  store.  After  four  years  in 
that  business  he  returned  to  Catskill  and 
bought  out  a  store,  which  he  conducted  for  the 
next  twenty  years,  up  to  iSjS.  In  that  year 
he'  started  his  ])resent  business,  which  has 
provetl  to  be  most  successful.  He  has  issued 
about  thirty-six  thousand  guide  books  and 
about  fifty  thousand  maps  of  the  Catskills, 
taking  in  the  entire  chain.  He  is  conceded 
to  be  the  most  reliable  authority  on  points 
concerning  the  geography  and  topography  of 
the  Catskills,  and  no  man  in  the  country  can 
approach  him  in  extent  of  information  con- 
cerning this  beautiful  region.  He  has  been 
to  th.e  top  of  nearly  every  peak  in  the  entire 
range. 

iVIr.  Van  Loan  was  married  in  1874  to  Lucy 
Beach,  a  native  of  Michigan.  He  has  now 
lived  in  Catskill  for  forty-three  years,  and  in 
his  present  residence  ever  since  iSfij,  when  il 
was  built.  He  is  a  member  of  .St.  Luke's 
Church,  and  has  the  unparalleled  record  of 
having  been  its  treasurer  for  thirty  years. 
His  wife  is  also  a  member  of  the  same  church. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  both  are  active  religious  workers.  The 
society  has  just  completed  a  stone  edifice, 
which  was  opened  on  June  6,  iSgg.  This  is 
saitl  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  buildings 
to  be  found  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson. 


^Frederick  leross  frazee,  the 

I  Is  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Jefferson 
Courier,  Jefferson,  N.Y.,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Gilboa,  N.Y.,  June  24,  1S72.  His  father, 
Charles  Osborn  Frazee,  is  a  much  respected 
and  well-to-do  farmer. 

Mr.  Frazee  traces  his  paternal  ancestry  back 
to  Benoni  Frazee,  his  great -great-grandfather, 
who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  who  during 
the  Revolutionary  War  was  a  resident  of  New 
Jersey  and  aided  the  patriot  cause  by  hauling 
supplies  for  the  American  army.  l^enoni 
Frazee  lost  his  little  property  through  the 
worthlessness  of  Continental  money.  With 
his  wife  and  eight  children,  he  migrated,  about 
the  year  17S3.  to  Schoharie  County,  then 
almost  an  unbroken  wilderness,  and  settled  on 
a  farm  one  mile  from  the  present  village  of 
Gilboa.  Very  soon  thereafter  he  died,  leaving 
his  widow  and  children  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves. 

Benjamin,  the  second  son,  who  was  born 
March  8,  1774,  remained  on  the  farm  with  his 
mother  until  he  became  a  man.  About  the 
year  1797  he  married  Margaret  Monfort,  of 
Dutch  lineage.  Two  years  later  he  settled  on 
the  farm  now  known  as  the  I'razee  home- 
stead,   at    South    Gilboa.      He    had    five    chil- 


dren, two  sons  and  three  daughters.  He  died 
August  II,    icS62,  aged  eighty-eight  years. 

Hiram,  the  second  son  of  Benjamin  1'" razee, 
was  born  November  19,  1804,  and  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  2,  1850,  he  lived 
on  the  farm  with  his  father.  On  I^'ebruary 
13,  1S33,  Hiram  Frazee  married  Phicbe  H. 
Osborn,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  only 
two  of  whom  survived  him. 

Charles  Osborn,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  and  the  eldest  son  of  Hiram  Fra- 
zee, was  born  on  the  ancestral  farm,  April  27, 
1836.  After  the  death  of  his  grandfather  he 
bought  the  place  which  is  still  his  home. 
January  28,  1864,  he  married  Phoebe  A. 
Clark,  a  descendant  of  the  Clark  family  of 
Blenheim.  Five  chiliiren  were  born  of  this 
union,  but  only  two  are  now  living,  namely: 
Harriet  Estelle,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  John 
T.  Shew,  and  lives  at  Harpersfield,  where  Mr. 
Shew  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business; 
and  P'rcflerick  Leross.  who  is  now,  as  above 
noted,   in  the  newspaper  business  at  Jefferson. 

I'rederick  Leross  P'razee  in  his  early  years 
received  a  good  common-school  education,  and, 
entering  Stamford  Seminary  in  the  fall  of 
1888,  finished  a  college  preparatory  course  of 
study  there  in  1891,  receiving  a  regent's  cer- 
tificate and  a  diploma,  which  graduated  him 
from  that  school.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  entered  Union  College  at  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.  Here  he  pursued  his  studies  for  two 
years. 

In  college  Mr.  Frazee  was  popular  both  in 
society  and  athletics,  and  stood  high  in  his 
class.      He  was  a  member  of  his  class  foot-ball 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


team,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Greek  letter  soci- 
ety, which  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  pros- 
perous college  fraternities  in  the  world.  On 
leaving  college  he  returne;!  to  his  home  at 
South  Gilboa  and  soon  after  went  to  the  State 
of  Illinois.  In  1893  he  returned  to  his  former 
home,  where  he  remained  until  February, 
1S94,  when  he  came  to  Jefferson  and  embarked 
in  the  newspaper  business. 

The  place  then  supported  two  newspapers, 
the  Co/in'tr  and  the  Schoharie  County  C//roii- 
iclc.  The  former,  which  was  an  old  estab- 
lished journal,  was  then  edited  by  George  M. 
Proper,  and  the  latter,  founiled  in  1891  by 
Albert  C.  Mayham  and  Charles  H.  Sluitts, 
was  the  property  of  Mr.  Shutts,  who  has  ]nir- 
chased  Mr.  Mayham's  interest  in  the  estab- 
lishment. M."-.  Frazec  purchased  both  of  tlicse 
newspai'.er  ])lants,  and,  merging  the  Cliroiiich 
into  the  Coinin;  enlarged  the  same.  His  ca- 
reer as  a  new.spaper  editor  has  been  a  success- 
ful one.  He  receives  the  hearty  support  of 
t!ie  business  men  of  Jefferson,  and  a  good  pat- 
ronage from  the  i)coi)le  at  large.  He  is 
not  only  a  pleasii-.g  writer,  but  a  practical 
jirinter  as  well,  having  learned  the  mechani- 
cal as  well  as  the  editorial  part  of  newsjiaper 
work,  so  that  he  is  familiar  with  all  the  de- 
tails of  the  i)usinLS.s.  He  owns  one  of  the 
best  equipped  country  offices  in  the  State. 

On  July  16,  1.S95,  Mr.  l-^ razee  assu.ned 
matrimonial  responsibilities,  being  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Nellie  Hubbell,  a  highly 
esteemed  young  lady  of  Jefferson,  daughter  of 
C.  H.  Hubbell. 

Mr.   Frazee  is   a   member  and    an    (ifiicer   of 


Working  Lodge,  No.  554,  I".  &  A.  M..  and 
also  a  church  memiber,  belonging  to  the  Dutch 
Reformed  church  at  his  former  home.  South 
Gilboa.  In  the  spring  of  1899  Mr.  I-" razee 
was  elected  Town  Ckrk  of  Jefferson  for  two 
years  by  a  handsome  majority.  He  is  much 
interested  in  the  welfare  and  development  of 
his  town,  is  a  loyal  Kejiublican  in  politics, 
and  an  ardent  worker  for  iiis  party.  He  pos- 
sesses a  genial  disposition,  is  wide-awaki.-  and 
enterprising,  and  never  can  do  too  much  for  a 
friend. 


§ACOH  L.  KILTS,  an  energetic  farmer 
of  Carlisle,  N.V.,  was  born  in  this 
town,  September  2,  1S46,  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Julia  A.  (Kmiiie)  Kilts.  He  repre- 
sents the  fourth  generation  of  his  family  in 
America,  being  a  great-grandson  of  Peter 
Kilts,  who  came  from  Germany,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Stone  Arabia,  now  the  town  of 
Palatine,   Montgomery  County,  \.V. 

Four  of  the  sons  of  Peter  Kilts  located  in 
Sharon,  one  of  the  number  being  John,  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
John  Kilts  spent  the  active  period  of  his  life 
in  Sharon,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years.  He  married  a  Miss  Smith,  anil  his 
children  were:  William;  Benjamin;  Conrad; 
George;  Kate,  who  married  Solon'ion  Fmpie; 
Margaret,  who  married  Daviij  Fmpie;  .Susan, 
who  married  Gideon  lCm])ie;  .Sophia,  who 
married  Daniel  Shafer;  and  Magdalene,  who 
married  Fd  Pointer.  Of  these  the  survivors 
are:    .Margaret,    Susan,    and     Sojjhia.      All    of 


CHARLES    DICKINSON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


«3 


the  grandfather's  sons  reared  families.      They 
were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

William  Kilts,  the  father  above  named, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Sharon,  his  native 
town.  He  assisted  in  carrying  on  the  home 
farm  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  moved 
to  Carlisle  and  settled  upon  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres,  known  as  the  Hilsinger  place, 
which  is  now  owned  by  his  son,  Jacob  L.  He 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
made  a  specialty  of  hay  and  grain,  and  realized 
good  financial  returns  as  the  result  of  his  in- 
dustry. Politically,  he  acted  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  For  years  he  was  one  of  the 
main  pillars  of  the  Lutheran  church,  serving 
as  Deacon  and  Elder,  and  frequently  as  a  del- 
egate to  the  Synod.  He  was  well  informed, 
especially  upon  subjects  relating  to  religion. 
William  Kilts  died  November  20,  1890,  aged 
seventy-five  years.  Julia  A.  P'mpie  Kilts,  his 
wife,  was  a  daughter  of  Adam  Empie.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Jacob  L.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Wesley  H.  ;  and  Cynthia 
A.,  wife  of  Charles  J.  Warner.  The  mother 
died  in  i88j. 

Jacob  L.  Kilts  passed  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  attending  the  district  school  and 
assisting  upon  the  home  farm.  When  a 
young  man  he  managed  the  property  jointly 
with  his  brother  Wesley,  but  later  succeeded 
to  its  ownership.  He  has  seventy  acres  under 
cultivation.  Aside  from  producing  hay  and 
grain,  he  raises  cattle  and  sheep,  and  has  ac- 
quired a  wide  reputation  as  a  stock  dealer. 
He  also  deals    largely  in  clover  seeds,  produc- 


ing an  original  variety  which  is  cleansed  by 
machinery,  and  whose  superiority  makes  it 
eagerly  sought  for  by  the  neighboring  farmers. 

Mr.  Kilts  married  Melvina  Shafer,  daugh- 
ter of  Sylvester  Shafer,  and  has  four  children; 
namely,  Beardsley  W.,  Bertha  E. ,  Avis  M., 
and  Aurie  J. 

In  politics  Mr.  Kilts  is  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  fre- 
quently been  solicited  to  accept  nominations 
to  town  offices  and  to  serve  upon  committees, 
but  has  always  declined.  He  is  a  Deacon  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  is  also  a  class  leader, 
and  prominenty  identified  with  the  Sunday- 
school. 


HAKLES     DICKINSON,    M.D.,    who 

was  for  many  years  the  leading 
physician  in  Seward  valley,  Scho- 
harie County,  was  born  in  Plenrietta,  Monroe 
County,  N.V. ,  on  May  31,  1833,  son  of 
Lyman  and  Harriet  A.  (Webster)  Dickinson. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  early  colonists  of  New 
England. 

The  first  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the 
Dickinson  family  in  America  came  from 
England,  about  1640,  and  settled  in  the 
Connecticut  valley.  Dr.  Dickinson's  grand- 
father, James  Dickinson,  was  born  in  Connect- 
icut. He  came  to  this  State  shortly  after  the 
Revolution  and  settled  in  Canaan,  Columbia 
County.  Several  years  later  he  removed  to  a 
farm  in  Roscboom,  Otsego  County,  and  there 
remained  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven. 


BIOGRArmCAL    REVIEW 


Lyman  Dickinson,  son  of  James,  was  born 
in  Canaan  and  one  of  a  family  of  seven  ciiil- 
ilrei).  He  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  went  tn 
Henrietta,  where  he  enga^^ed  in  mcclKinica] 
work  for  a  number  of  years,  at  tlie  same 
time  doing  some  farming.  He  then  rcmoNcd 
tu  Nurtliern  Indiana,  Init  ten  years  hUer  re- 
turned to  Riiseboiim.  Some  )ears  afterward 
he  moved  t(j  Tioga  valley,  and,  purchasing  a 
farm,  continued  to  reside  there  until  his  death, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  He  attended  tiie 
Presbyterian  church.  His  wife  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Aaron  Webster,  and  was  born  in  Canaan, 
N.  \'.  .She  was  of  the  seventh  generation  from 
the  first  representative  of  this  branch  of  the 
Webster  fami]\-  in  America.  One  of  her  an- 
cestors, John  Webster,  who  settled  in  Hart- 
ford abcnit  1636,  was  the  fifth  (i(ivcrnor  of 
Connecticut,  holding  the  office  one  year, 
1656-57.  He  afterward  remo\ed  to  Hadley, 
Mass.  Her  grandfather  was  one  ot  the  ia- 
vorite  scouts  of  Ceneral  Putnam  during  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  Her  father,  who  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  removed  to  Canaan  and 
later  to  Koseboom.  His  first  wife  died  at  the 
age  of  twentysi.v,  leaving  only  one  child, 
Charles,  now  Dr.  Dickinson.  She  was  a 
birthright  (Juaker.  His  second  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  .Sut]ihci),  had  f]\e 
children,  two  of  whom  ate  lixiiig,  by  name 
Orville  and  I.yman  D.  She  lived  to  the  age 
of  eighty. 

Charles  Dickinson  in  his  early  years  at- 
tended the  common  scIkjoIs  and  later  the 
academy    at    Cherry    Valley.        He    began    the 


study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  James  E.  Sutphen, 
of  Seward,  and  subsequently  took  three  courses 
of  lectures  at  the  Albany  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  i860.  Return- 
ing then  to  Seward,  he  began  the  practice  of 
iiis  ];r(jfession,  and  lemained  until  1 869,  when 
he  removed  to  J5inghamton.  At  the  <:nd  of  a 
year  and  a  half  he  came  back  to  Seward,  and  has 
since  made  this  the  scene  of  his  ]jrofessional 
labors.  He  has  now  been  longer  in  practice 
than  any  other  physician  in  this  section  of  the 
county.  Dr.  Dickins(]n  is  energetic  and  per- 
severing in  whatever  he  undertakes,  and  is 
able  as  a  business  man  as  well  as  skilful  in 
his  profession.  During  early  anil  middle  life 
he  hatl  a  large  practice,  ami  ccjvered  a  wide 
circle  in  his  ministrations;  but  in  later  years 
he  has  retired  to  a  more  limited  field.  An  un- 
tiring student  through  all  his  career,  he  has 
given  attention,  not  simply  to  medical  subjects, 
but  to  science  and  literature  in  general.  He 
has  now  and  then  lectured  im  some  scientific 
or  literary  subject;  and  during  the  summer  of 
1896,  while  he  was  making  the  tour  of  lun'ope 
for  [deasure  and  study,  he  wrote,  by  recpiest,  a 
number  of  letters  on  his  travels  for  the  Cobles- 
kill  />/,/,:v. 

'I'he  Doctor  has  lived  f(jr  twenty-seven  years 
in  his  present  house.  He  was  married  in 
i859toCelia  M.  France,  daughter  <if  Gilbert 
G.  ]''rance  and  one  of  a  household  group  of 
seven  children.  Her  father  was  a  wel  1-known 
farmer  of  this  region,  where  the  family  has 
been  settled  ever  since  the  Revolution.  .Mrs. 
Dickinson  was  a  member  of  tlu'  Methodist 
church.      She  died  at    the   age   of   thirty-eight, 


BIOGRAPHICAT.    REVIEW 


leaving  three  children;  namely,  Everett  M. , 
Melville  D.,  and  Hattie  A.  All  of  these  are 
graduates  of  Cobleskill  Academy.  ]V)th  sons 
are  Knights  Templar.  Everett  M.  Dickinson 
has  been  for  the  last  seven  years  a  jeweller  in 
North  Adams,  Mass. ,  where  he  conducts  a  large 
business.  He  married  Lam-a  Mann,  who  died 
in  1894,  and  by  whom  he  had  two  children  — 
Angle  and  Everett.  In  1895  he  married 
Louise  Tower  Wallace.  She  had  one  child  — 
Gertrude  Wallace.  Melville  D.  Dickinson 
studied  medicine  with  his  fatiier,  and  was 
graduated  at  Albany  in  1890.  He  was  also 
for  two  years  a  student  at  Cornell  Univer- 
sity. He  is  now  assistant  surgeon  of  the  Troy 
Hospital,  and  is  physician  to  St.  Vincent 
Orphan  Asylum.  He  married  Emma  Cole, 
and  has  one  child,  Cclia.  Hattie  Dickinson 
is  the  wife  of  Clarence  H.  Shafer,  of  Cobles- 
kill.  Mr.  Shafer  is  engaged  in  the  jewelry 
business. 

Dr.  Dickinson  is  a  member  of  the  Schoharie 
County  Medical  Society,  has  been  its  presi- 
dent, and  has  served  as  delegate  to  the  State 
society.  He  has  written  and  read  before  the 
society  papers  on  a  variety  of  medical  subjects. 
Politically,  the  Doctor  is  a  Democrat,  and  he 
has  held  a  number  of  important  offices  in  the 
town.  As  Justice  of  the  Peace  he  has 
done  a  large  amount  of  important  business, 
and  as  railroad  commissioner  he  has  rendered 
valuable  service.  He  was  formerly  a  Free 
Mason  at  Cobleskill.  P^or  many  years  he  has 
been  a  leading  member  of  the  Methodist 
church  and  for  over  thirty-five  years  a  Sunday- 
school  teacher. 


SAAC  SHOWl'IRS,  a  retired  civil  engi- 
neer, was  born  in  Hunter,  August  27, 
1S27,  .son  of  Japhet  and  Sylvia  (Putts) 
Showers.  His  first  American  ancestor  'Vvas 
an  emigrant  from  Holland,  who  settled  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  and 
was  a  farmer.  The  next  in  line,  John 
Showers,  probabl)'  came  to  America  with  his 
father.  After  residing  in  New  Jersey  for  a 
time  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Albany,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  Michael 
Showers,  son  of  John  and  grandfather  of  Psaac, 
was  a  native  of  Albany.  He  worked  on  a  farm 
there  until  reaching  his  majority,  when  he 
came  to  Great  I'lats  (now  Lexington)  and 
built  a  grist-mill,  which  he  conducted  a  few 
years.  He  then  took  up  a  large  tract  of  moun- 
tain land  in  what  is  now  Jewett,  and  resided 
there  with  his  family.  He  died  in  1819,  aged 
forty-nine  years,  lea\'ing  a  widow  and  ten  chil- 
dren. His  widow,  who  again  married,  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-three  years. 

Japhet  Showers,  above  named,  was  born  in 
a  log  house  on  the  home  farm  in  Jewett,  seven 
miles  below  where  his  son  Isaac  now  lives,  and 
always  resided  in  that  locality.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  fairly  successful.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  held  some  of  the  town 
offices.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sevent}-.  His 
wife,  Sylvia,  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Putts,  a 
well-to-do  farmer  of  Lexington.  Her  father 
was  twice  married.  I^}'  his  first  wife  he  had 
fourteen  children;  and  by  his  second  wife,  for- 
merly Mrs.  Ruby  Pel  lows,  of  Dover,  N.J., 
widow  with  four  children,  he  was  the  father  of 
seven    children.       Isaac   Putts   and   his   second 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


wife  l)oth   livetl    to   be  about  ninety-two  years 

Cruz,   Twilight,    Sunset,  and   li^lka  —  compris- 

old.     Japhet   and   Sylvia  (Hiitts)    Showers  had 

ing  in  all   twelve   hundreil 

acres.       In    1857  he 

a  family  of  eleven  children,  of  whom   four  are 

ailo])ted    the    profession    0 

civil    engineering. 

living — Michael,  Isaac,  Louisa,  and  Caroline. 

and  lor  the    i)ast    forty  ye 

rs    he    has    surveyed 

Michael  is  married,  antl  resides  on  an  adjoin- 

not  only  all    the    1  lardin- 

jiugli    |)atent,    but    a 

ing    farm,     Louisa    married     Hcasle)'    Teasler, 

great  many  farms  througln 

ut  this    region.       He 

and  Caroline  is  the  wife  of  (icorge  15enn.      The 

has  surveyed  also  land   ne 

ir  the    Hudson  Kiver 

mother    died    at  the  age  of  seventy-one.      .Siie 

in   I'lster    County,    .and    1 

as    i(ini|ileted    much 

was  a  Methodist  in  her  religious  belief. 

work    f(ir    the    great    qnair 

les    in    that    locality. 

Isaac  -Showers  at  the  age  of  eight  )ears  went 

He   has   .also   been  called 

upon    in   many   law- 

to  live  at   the   home  of  a  neighbor,  with  wliom 

suits   as  an   expert;   and, 

ilthon,-h   in    1895  he 

he  remained    fi\e   )cars,  and   he   spent   another 

was  compelled  on  account 

if  ill  health  to  ivlin- 

year   upon  a  farm    in   tlie  \icinily.      At  the  age 

quish  active  work    of   this 

kind,    his   advice    is 

of  si.xteen  he  went  to  Jewett.  and    secured   em- 

still sought  upon  man)'  in 

porlanl  matters.      In 

ployment   for  si.\   niontlis  at    seven  ilollars    per 

1890    he    sold    the    farm 

if    two    hundred    and 

month.      He  ne.xt  worked    in  a  saw-niill,  where 

si.xty-si.x   acres    adjoining 

his    home    ]iropert\-. 

he  received  one   hundred  and  twent\-  dcijiars  a 

He    erected    a    new    dwell 

ing  hcnise    and    other 

year  for   ten    years,   and    saved    seven    hunched 

buildings   ui)ijn    his   pre.se 

it    faini,    which    con- 

dollars  of  iiis  earnings.      After  his  marriage  he 

tains   se\cnt_\-  acres,   used 

lirincijially  for  dairy 

located  nil  a  farm  adjoining   his   jjresent   home, 

purposes.       He  also  owns  three  other  farms  and 

which  is  about  one   anil  a  half    miles    from    the 

outl)-ing   land,  amounting 

in    all    to   one   lliou- 

village  of  'raimersvijle,  on   the    road  to  Jcwetl, 

sand  acres,  and  is  one   of 

the    largest    resident 

first  purchasing  one  luindied  and  twelve   acres 

land-owners  in  the  town. 

and    later    buying    more    land.      lie    remained 

In   1854  Mr  Showers  wa 

s   united  in  marriage 

there  until   1 89 1,  and  from    1X46  to    1879  held 

with    Merilla   Loomis,     d 

ughter     of   Alvin   J. 

the  agency  for  the  I  lardingburgh    Land   Grant, 

and    Harriet     (Palmer)    L 

lomis,    of    Windham. 

Lot    25,    consisting    of    twent)'-ei-ht    thousand 

Her  father,   who   was   a    b 

utcher  in    that    town. 

acres,  surveying  and  selling   about   twenty-one 

died  at  an  advanced   a-e ; 

md    her  mother,  who 

thousand  acres  during  that    time.      In  1879   he 

was   a    native   of   Ashland 

(lied    at    the   age    of 

purchased  seven  thousand  acres  l)ing  in  Ulster 

fort\-nine.       I\Ir.  and    .Mrs 

.    Loomis    had    eight 

and  Greene  Counties,  which    he    smvcyetl  and 

children,    of    whom    five 

re     living;    namely. 

laid   out   in   farms.       It  was  in  a  poor  contlition 

Addison,    Merilla,    Chloc, 

I.ovisa,    and    Julia. 

at  the  time  he  ttiok  possession,  but  he  improved 

Merilla    is   now  .Mrs.   Sh( 

wcrs,    Chloe   married 

it  to  such  ,in  extent  as   to    make  it  more   desir- 

Jonathan   Tiaphagen,     \  .1 

visa     is    the    wife    of 

able,     an.l     now    besi.lcs     a    large     number    of 

William    Young,     and    Ji 

lia    married     Geiuge 

farms  the   district    contains  four  ])arks  —  .Santa 

Goodrich.      Mr.  and   Mrs. 

Isaac    .Showers   have 

BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


had  eii;ht  children.  The  four  now  livint;-  are  ; 
Cyrus,  Knima,  Henry  W. ,  and  Georye  H. 
Showers.  Cyrus  is  a  civil  engineer,  A 
sketch  of  him  appears  elsewhere  in  the  Re- 
view, hjiinia  married  lulward  Osborn,  a 
blacksmith  in  California,  and  has  five  chil- 
dren. Henry  W.  is  attending  the  Alban}- 
Law  School,  and  George  Harding  Showers  is 
a  student  at  the  Pol)-technic  Institute,  Troy. 
The  others  were :  Jennie,  who  married  Ste- 
phen Yining,  and  died  in  California,  leaving 
two  daughters — Bertha  and  Mingie;  Elmer, 
who  died  at  fourteen;  Isaac,  Jr.,  who  died 
young;  and  Irving,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
years. 

Mr.  ShoAvers  is  a  Republican  in  jiolitics,  but 
has  declined  to  serve  in  office.  He  was  in 
1S48  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  for  fifty-five  years, 
a  class  leader  forty-three  years,  and  has  also 
been  connected  with  the  Sunday-school  as 
teacher  and  superintendent.  He  assisted  in 
building  the  churches  at  Tanner.sville  and  Jew- 
ett,  and  contributes  liberally  toward  the  sup- 
port of  both. 


ILLIAM  KOHRIXG,  of  Glenville, 
e.\-chairman  of  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors, was  born  upon  the  farm  where  he  now 
resides,  September  3,  1862,  son  of  August  and 
Elizabeth  (Martin)  Kohring.  The  parents, 
who  were  natives  of  Germany,  came  to  Glen- 
ville about  the  year  185S,  and  settled  upon  a 
farm.      August    Kohring   was   a  sturd}'  and  in- 


dustrious man,  possessing  the  keen  intelli- 
gence and  ambition  to  advance  which  is  charac- 
teristic of  his  race;  and  he  was  respected  as 
a  worthy,  u])right,  and  progressive  citizen. 
When  naturalized  he  embraced  the  principles 
of  the  Democratic  party,  but  withdrew  his 
allegiance  on  account  of  the  slavery  question, 
and  thenceforward  acted  with  the  Republicans. 
In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a  Methodist. 
August  Kohring  died  July  7,  1897.  His  wife 
is  still  living.  They  reared  two  sons,  namely: 
William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
George,  who  died  in  February,  18S9,  aged 
twenty-seven  years. 

William  Kohring  began  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  completed  his  studies  with 
a  two  years'  course  at  a  commercial  college  in 
Schenectady.  He  has  made  agriculture  his 
chief  occupation,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  the 
home  farm  of  about  fifty  acres.  He  carries  on 
general  farming  in  an  able  and  progressive 
manner,  keeps  .some  fine  Jer.sey  cattle,  and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  in  this 
locality.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
since  reaching  his  majority  he  has  taken  a 
lively  interest  in  local  public  affairs.  He  has 
served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  four  years,  and 
was  Supervisor  for  the  years  1896-97,  being 
chairman  of  the  board  the  last  )-ear. 

On  March  18,  1891,  Mr.  Kohring  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Lillie  Muller,  who 
was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  V. ,  daughter  of  Ded- 
rich  and  Sophia  Muller.  I\Irs.  Kohring  is 
the  mother  of  one  daughter,  Lillie  E. ,  who 
was  born  December  5,    1892. 

Mr.  Kohring  is  well    informed   upon  all   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


important  topics  of  the  clay,  and  his  public 
services  were  characterized  by  an  intellij^ent 
appreciation  of  the  people's  needs.  Ho  is  a 
Master  Mason,  and  belongs  to  St.  (ieorge 
Lod-e,  \o.  6,  V.  &.  A.  M.,  of  Schenectady. 
He  is  a  nieinhL-r  of  the  Methodist  Episco|)al 
church. 


URYEA  HEEKMAN,  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Middle- 
bur-,  Schoharie  County,  N'.Y.,  was 
born  at  Seward,  this  county,  August  9,  1840, 
son  of  Nicholas  and  Alida  (Becker)  Beekman. 
Of  Dutch  ancestry  on  tiie  ])aternal  side  and 
German  on  his  mother's,  he  is  a  rejjresentative 
of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  notable  families 
in  the  county. 

The  first  pro-enitor  cjf  the  Beekman  family 
in  this  country  was  John  Beekman,  aii  early 
settler  in  Albany,  N.'S'. ,  who  later  removed  to 
a  farm  in  the  Mohawk  valley.  William,  the 
ne.Nt  in  line  of  descent,  born  in  1767,  was  the 
first  Judj^eof  Schoharie  County,  which  ])osition 
he  held  for  thirty  years.  When  a  boy  he  was 
clerk  to  Colonel  Marius  Willet.  Ife  was  ap- 
pointed County  Jud.:,'e  by  Governor  Geort,'e 
Clinton,  and  held  that  office  until  i<S33.  In 
the  years  1798,  1  <Soo,  iSoi,  and  i,So2he  rcjire- 
sented  his  district  in  the  State  Senate.  He 
was  married  July  I S,  1788,  to  Joanna  Low, 
(lau;;hter  of  Nicholas  Low,  and  he  afterward  re- 
moved to  Sharon,  this  comity.  His  death  took 
|)lace  at  Sharon  on  N(jvember  26,  1845,  in  the 
house  which  he  had  built  in  1802-4,  and 
which    is  still  standin},^ 

Nicholas   ]5eekman,    son   of  Juilge    Beekman 


and  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  at  .Sharon,  N.  \'. ,  November  27,  1790. 
He  became  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town  of 
Middebur<^,  where  for  a  Iimil;  period  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  hop-growing,  being 
one  of  the  first  ho])growers  in  the  .Schoharie 
valley.  He  served  as  .Super\isor  and  in  other 
offices,  and  represented  the  count)  in  the  State 
legislature  of  1841.  His  marriage,  which  oc- 
curred June  if).  1811,  united  him  with  Alida, 
daughter  of  David  Becker,  antl  their  wedded 
life  extended  through  a  ])eriotl  of  over  si.xty 
years.  He  survived  his  wife  b\'  two  years  and 
four  days,  dying  Januar\-  13,  1S74.  Of  their 
twelve  children,  si.\  survi\e(l  them. 

Duryea  Beekman  came  to  .M  iddlebiirg  with 
his  parents  when  a  boy.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  schools  of  this  town.  Since 
earl\-  manhood  his  cajnicity  has  been  demon- 
.strated  in  \arious  lousiness  enterprises,  and  he 
now  IkjIcIs  a  high  position  in  the  business  com- 
munit)'.  lilected  president  of  the  Bjrst  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Middleburg  at  the  time  of  its 
organization  in  1880,  he  still  remains  in  office. 
The  bank  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  in  this 
part  of  the  State,  and  its  reputation  is  due  in 
chief  measure  to  its  e.Ncellent  management. 
I\fr.  Beekman  was  for  man)'  years  secretary  and 
is  now  vice-president  of  the  Middleburg  & 
Schoharie  Railroad.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Davenport,  Middleburg  &  Durham  Railroad 
Comjiany  anil  a  director  of  the  MerchaiUs'  and 
Farmers'  Mutual  hire  Insurance  Company.  In 
[loliticsa  Democrat,  he  served  in  the  legisla- 
ture of  1879,  having  been  elected  by  a  majority 
of   one   thousand    \]\c    lunulred   and    six    votes; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  he  lias  frequently  represented  his  party  in 
State  and  other  conventions.  He  is  a  member 
of  Middleburg  Lodge,  No.  663,  F.  &  A.  M. 

On  October  19,  1S59,  Mr.  Heekman  married 
Llizabeth  Richtm_\-er,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and 
I'^lizabeth  Richtmyer.  l\h-s.  Beekman's  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Captain  George  Richtmyer,  a 
native  of  Germany,  came  to  America  in  1745, 
and  settled  at  Hartman's  Dorf,  in  the  town  of 
Middleburg.  Captain  Richtm}'er  was  subse- 
quently an  oiificer  in  the  American  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  fought  at  Bemis 
Heights,  and  served  with  distinction  in  every 
engagement  that  occurred  in  the  Schoharie 
valley.  "Slv.  and  Mrs.  Beekman  have  been  the 
parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Charles, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Dow,  of  whom  a  separate 
sketch  appears  in  this  volume  ;  and  William  G. 


OW  BEEK:\L'\N,  of  Middleburg, 
one  of  the  leading  lawyers  and  busi- 
ness men  of  Schoharie  County,  was 
born  in  this  town,  February  8,  1S62,  son  of 
Duryea  and  Elizabeth  (Richtmyer)  Beeknian. 
He  comes  of  an  old  Schoharie  County  family, 
and  a  fuller  account  of  his  ancestors  may  be 
found  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  his 
father,  Duryea  Ikekman,  on  the  preceding 
page  of  this  volume. 

After  the  usual  common-school  course  Dow 
Beekman  prepared  for  college  at  Hartwick 
Seminary,  Otsego  County.  He  then  entered 
Union  College,  at  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1S84,  having  taken  four  of  the  most  important 
prizes  in  the  course.      From    September,    18S4, 


until  June,  1886,  he  was  professor  of  mathe- 
matics at  L'nion  Classical  Institute,  Schenec- 
tady, N.Y. ,  and  during  the  same  period  he  de- 
voted his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Judge  Samuel  W.  Jackson,  of  that  cit)-. 
In  September,  1886,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Saratoga,  and  immediately  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Middleburg. 
Since  then  he  has  built  up  what  is  probably 
the  largest  law  business  in  this  part  of  the 
county.  In  1889  he  was  elected  District  At- 
torney of  Schoharie  County,  receiving  a  major- 
ity of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  votes,  and 
during  his  term  of  office  he  never  presented  an 
indictment  that  was  set  aside  or  quashed.  He 
has  been  attornc}'  and  counsel  in  many  impor- 
tant cases,  is  attorney  for  the  ^Middleburg  & 
Schoharie  Railroad  Company,  for  the  Daven- 
port, Middleburg  &  Durham  Railroad,  and 
also  for  the  corporation  of  the  village  of 
Middleburg.  He  is  the  possessor  of  an  un- 
usually extensive  library. 

"Sir.  Beekman  is  also  a  man  of  practical  busi- 
ness abilit}-.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Middle- 
burg &  Schoharie  Railroad  Company,  attorney 
and  treasurer  of  the  Merchants'  and  Farmers' 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Compan}-,  and  a  director 
and  secretar}'  of  the  Middleburg  Telephone 
Exchange  Company.  A  Democrat  in  politics, 
he  is  secretary  of  the  Democratic  County  Com- 
mittee, and  has  delivered  many  addresses  in 
different  parts  of  the  State  in  ever)-  Presiden- 
tial campaign  since  he  became  a  voter,  having 
on  several  occasions  been  sent  out  by  the 
Democratic  State  Committee.  He  has  also 
delivered  addresses  on  subjects  foreign  to  poll- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


tics,  and  his  aljility  as  a  speaker  has  liccn  fre- 
quently recoj;ni/.e(l  by  the  jiress. 

Mr.  Bcekman  has  been  Master  of  Middle- 
burt,'  Lodge,  No.  663,  V.  &  A.  M.,  for  four 
years.  In  1 896  he  served  as  District  Deputy 
(Irand  Master  of  the  Eleventh  Ma.sonic  Dis- 
trict, which  comprises  Delaware,  Schoharie, 
and  (ireene  Counties.  He  is  now  District  Dep- 
uty Grand  Master  of  the  ]-li.i;hteenth  District, 
comprisin}^  Schoharie  and  ()tse,i;o  Counties, 
lie  is  a  ineniber  of  John  L.  Lewis  Chaj)ter, 
k.  A.  M.  He  has  also  been  District  Deputy 
Grand  Sachem  of  the  Im|)n>ved  Order  of  Keel 
Men,  and  belongs  to  the  Iiidcijcndent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

On  June  9,  1891,  Mr.  Heekman  married 
Miss  Laura  Frisbie,  daughter  of  Grandison  N. 
Frisbie,  of  Middleburg.  Two  children  have 
blessed  their  union —  Marjorie  Elizabeth  and 
Douw  Frisbie. 


IIO.MA.S  W.  JERALDS,  a  retired  busi- 
e;_|_  ncss  man  and  wealth)'  resident  of  Ash- 
land, was  born  in  \\'aterbur\-,  Conn.,  August 
2.S,  1S39,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Brown) 
Jeralds.  ]5oth  his  father  and  his  paternal 
grandfLither,  whose  gi\'en  name  was  Ransom, 
were  natives  of  Bethany,  C(jnn.  Ransom 
Jeralds,  howe\er,  remo\-e(l  from  that  town  to 
W'allingford,  same  .State,  where  he  carried  on 
a  farm  for  the  rest  of  his  active  jieriod,  his 
death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years. 

When   a   young  man  Tiiomas  Jeralds  became 
a  .Methodist  minister,  and   was  attached    to   the 


New  York  Fast  Conference  for  about  twentv 
years.  He  was  subsecpienth'  engaged  in  the 
silverware  business  at  Meritlen,  Conn.,  until 
his  retirement.  He  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
.seven  years.  His  first  wile,  .Mary,  who  was 
a  nali\-e  of  Burlington,  Conn.,  died  in  earl_\- 
womanhood,  leaving  two  children,  namely: 
ICllen  M.,  who  married  Henry  Wooding,  and  is 
no  longer  living;  and  Thomas  W. ,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  l-'or  his  second  wife  he  mar- 
ried Betsey  Parker,  a  sister  of  Charles  Parker, 
a  ])rominent  manufacturer  of  Meriden  and 
the  first  .Mayor  of  that  citv.  Of  this  union 
there  were  three  chiklren,  two  of  whom 
are  li\ing,  namely:  Sarah  R..  who  married 
John  Ten  I-^xck  ;  and  Mary  A.,  who  m:u'ried  a 
Mr.  Morgan,  of  Meriden,  Conn.  Mrs.  Betsey 
P.  Jeralds  is  still  living,  and  is  now  ninety-two 
)ears  old. 

Thomas  W.  Jeralds  went  from  the  \\'alling- 
ford  High  School  to  the  academy  in  Meriden, 
and  his  studies  were  completed  at  the  Ashland 
Collegiate  Institute.  loitering  mercantile 
business  in  this  town,  he  continuetl  it  in  Chesh- 
ire and  still  later  in  Wallin-tunI,  where  he 
kept  a  general  store  for  simic  time.  From 
Wallingford  he  removed  to  .\shland,  \.V., 
where  he  engaged  in  active  business  until  his 
retirement  in  1890,  and  where  lie  still  makes 
his  home.  He  has  business  interests  in  \-:iri- 
ous  places,  and  his  time  is  now  devoted  to  the 
care  of  his  in\estments  ami  to  the  management 
of  his  fine  estate  in  this  town.  This  valuable 
[property,  which  is  known  as  Crescent  Lawn, 
consists  of  one  himdrecl  and  fift\-five  acres  of 
desirabl}'    locatetl    land,  useil   chiefly    for   dairy 


W.  JKRALIJS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


purposes  aiul  the  cultivation  of  small  fruits, 
and  containing  two  substantial  residences  ad- 
joiniui;-  each  other. 

In  iS6oMr.  Jeralds  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Frances  A.  Tuttle,  a  native  of  Ashland, 
daughter  of  Albert  and  Aurelia  Tuttle.  Al- 
bert Tuttle  was  a  well-to-do  merchant  and 
speculator.  He  figured  conspicuously  in  the 
public  affairs  of  this  town,  and  held  all  of  the 
important  local  offices.  He  also  served  as 
Postmaster,  and  while  a  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly he  introduced  the  act  incorporating  the 
town  of  Ashland.  He  was  the  father  of  five 
children  by  his  first  union,  and  by  a  second 
marriage  he  had  two  children,  one  of  whom 
became  Mrs.  Jeralds.  Mrs.  Jeralds  died  Jan- 
uary g,  1898,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Iipiscopal  church 
and  a  lo\-ely  Christian  lad)-.  She  left  three 
children;  namely,  Carolines.,  Hattie  A., 
and  John  T.  Caroline  married  Lorenzo  R. 
Cook,  of  the  White  Sewing  Machine  Com- 
pany, and  proprietor  of  a  large  dry-goods  store 
at  Wallingford,  Conn.  Hattie  A.  married 
Charles  C.  Carroll,  a  jeweller  of  Wallingford, 
and  her  children  are:  Barbara  J.,  P'rances  W., 
and  Doris  J.  John  T.,  who  is  residing  in 
East  Haven,  Conn.,  married  Berta  L.  \\'hit- 
lesey,  of  East  Haven. 

In  politics  Mr.  Jeralds  is  a  Republican. 
He  held  the  appointment  of  I^ostmaster  both  in 
Cheshire  and  Yales\ille,  and  ser\-ed  with  abil- 
ity as  Supervisor  in  Ashland  for  the  years 
1S91-92.  PI  is  interest  in  the  welfare  of  Ash- 
land began  some  forty  years  ago,  when  he  first 
engaged  in  business;  and  during  the  period   of 


his  residence  elsewhere  his  attachment  to  the 
place  was  unabated.  Pie  is  a  member  of  and 
a  trustee  of  the  Methodist  P^piscopal  church, 
but  has  contributed  liberally  to  the  different 
churches.  He  takes  a  li\-el\'  interest  in  Sun- 
day-school work,  and  rendered  valuable  aid  in 
securing  and  furnishing  the  rooms  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association.  Mr.  Jeralds  is 
an  Odd  P'ellow,  and  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Meriden  Centre  Lodge,    Meriden,  Conn. 


ISS  JANE  VAN  LOAN,  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  highly  re- 
spected ladies  of  Catskill,  was 
born  in  this  place,  her  parents  being  William 
W.  and  Sally  (Du  Bois)  Wan  Loan. 

Her  grandfather.  Captain  Isaac  \'an  Loan, 
was  in  his  time  the  leading  man  of  the  town, 
and  widely  known  throughout  all  this  section  of 
the  county.  He  had  large  shipping  interests, 
and  was  the  owner  of  several  sloops  which  ran 
on  the  river.  When  young  he  had  learned  the 
mason's  trade,  and  always  as  long  as  he  lived 
he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  me- 
chanics, and  aided  them  in  e\ery  possible  way. 
Nor  was  his  helpfulness  extended  to  this  class 
alone.  E\er)-  person  deserving  of  sympathy 
was  sure  to  find  in  Captain  Van  Loan's  warm 
heart,  which  ox'erflowed  witli  kindness  to  all 
mankind,  a  fountain  of  consolation,  and  every 
worthy  cause  found  in  him  an  unfailing  cham- 
pion. A  man  of  fervid  religious  aspirations, 
in  the  church  he  was  a  pillar  of  strength.  He 
was  a  member  of  St.  Luke's  Episcopal  Church, 
and  man}-  )-ears    one    of     its    vestrymen.      He 


lUOCRArilUAl,    RF.VIEW 


took  a  prominent  jxirt  in  seciirinj^  in  iSoi  the 
erection  of  tlie  cliun.h  edifice,  which  was  the 
f^rst  in  Catskill.  Not  only  did  he  aid  with 
•(enerdus  coiUriinitions  of  nione\ ,  hut  lie  j,'ave 
much  time  and  ])ersonal  effort  diirin<;  his  ser- 
vice as  a  meniher  of  the  hiiildinj;  committee. 
He  was  one  of  those  i^'cnial  antl  whole-hearted 
men  wjio  are  sure  to  make  friends  wherever 
they  ii't,  and  his  death  caused  deep  and  wide- 
spread grief.  lie  never  ne,t;lected  the  duties 
of  ffood  citizenship.  I'or  many  years  lie  served 
the  town  as  Kn.id  ^hlster,  and  for  a  time  was 
Sheri If  of  the  county.  His  death  occurred  in 
1S40,  at  .seventy-two  yens  of  a.t;e.  1 1  is  wife, 
who  also  died  at  seventy-two,  was  horn  in 
.Schoharie.  Her  maiden  name  was  Jane  Dies. 
.She  was  a  daui^hter  of  Madame  Dies,  who  was 
Ion-  the  hrst  lady  in  Catskill.  Aladame  Dies 
lived  in  the  beautiful,  old-fashioned  hmi.se  that 
formerly  stood  where  the  Shale  brick  works 
now  are.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Goelet, 
of  the  famous  New  York  family  of  that  name. 
Captain  Isaac  and  Jane  (Dies)  \'an  Loan  had 
five  children. 

William  \V.  Van  Loan,  father  of  Miss  Jane, 
received  his  education  in  the  iniblic  schools  of 
Catskill.  He  began  his  business  career  in  the 
village,  conducting  a  groceiy  store  until  1S2.S, 
when  he  solil  it  antl  went  to  New  York  City. 
'I'here  he  opened  a  general  merchandise  store 
where  the  South  h'erry  .Station  now  stands. 
In  tlio.se  da)s  New  ^'ork  had  not  outgrown  her 
early  boundaries,  and  Canal  Street  was  still 
the  end  of  the  city.  Miss  \'an  Loan  remem- 
bers the  old  city  well.  In  the  summer  of  1S32 
the  cholera    epidemic    in    New   York  drove    Mr. 


Van  Loan  and  his  family  back  to  Cat.skill,  and 

the  store  and  the  town  residence  were  closed. 
Hut  in  the  fall  the  family  returned  to  the  city, 
where  they  remained  until  1834.  Mr.  Van 
Loan  then  came  back  to  his  native  place  and 
went  into  mercantile  business  here  in  the  store 
where  Mr.  Fo.\  now  is.  He  owned  consider- 
able land,  which  had  been  jxirt  of  his  father's 
estate.  He  sei\'ed  the  town  as  I'ostmaster  for 
some  years,  having  the  post-office  where  Mr. 
Hourke  is  now  located.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
sevent_\'-two.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
<,f  .St.  Luke's  Church.  Mrs.  Van  Loan  was 
born  in  this  village,  and  died  here  at  the  ripe 
age  of  eighty-four.  .She  was  a  ilaughter  of 
Captain  15arent  Du  Hois,  who  was  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Catskill  with  the  exception  of  the 
time  he  ser\'ed  in  the  Continental  arm_\'  during 
the  Revolution.  Of  the  children  born  to  Will- 
iam and  Sally  (Du  l^oisj  \'an  Loan,  only  two 
grew  to  adult  _\ears.  These  were  Jane  and 
Rachel.  Rachel,  who  died  in  1X91,  at  the 
age  of  sevent)-two,  was  the  wife  of  John 
lireasted,  who  was  |irominently  identified  with 
the  Alair  L.in  Works  and  with  the  IMorgan 
h-on  Works.  He  was  born  here,  son  of  Peter 
Breasted,  a  painter,  who  wns  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent in  this  town.  John  Breasted  had  an 
office  in  New  York  for  some  \eirs,  but  later 
returned  to  Catskill,  and  in  conipan\-  with 
others  built  the  Prospect  Park  Hotel.  He  was 
the  manager  of  this  until  failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  give  up  business.  He  died  in 
1884.  He  gave  a  bell  lor  St.  Luke's  Church. 
The  \'an  Lo:m  family  has  been  identified 
with  St.    Luke's  Chinch    longer  than   anv  other 


mOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


faniil)'  now  livint;-,  and  Miss  Van  Loan  has  re- 
cently slK)\vn  her  appreciation  of  the  signifi- 
cance of  this  fact,  as  well  as  her  affectionate 
veneration  for  her  grandfather  and  sister,  by 
the  gift  of  a  beautifid  spire  and  a  costl_\-  altar 
rail  for  the  new  church.  This  building  is  said 
to  be  the  handsomest  on  the  Hudson,  and  the 
spire,  which  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  fif- 
teen hundred  dollars,  is  a  masterpiece  of  design 
and  construction,  and  greatl}'  admired.  It  can 
be  seen  twenty  miles  down  the  Hudson, 
towering  up  into  the  blue.  In  it  is  hung  the 
bell  given  by  Mr.  Breasted.  The  altar  rail, 
which  is  of  solid  brass,  is  exquisitely  en- 
graved, and  will  be  inscribed  through  its  en- 
tire length  on  the  front  and  back.  On  one 
side  the  inscription  will  be  in  memory  of  Mrs. 
Breasted,  and  on  the  other  in  memory  of  Cap- 
tain Isaac  Van  Loan.  It  is  to  be  made  and  jnit 
in  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 


ILLIAM  S.  HAMLIN,  Postma.ster, 
and  general  merchant,  Glenville, 
Schenectady  County,  N.Y.,  was  born  in  this 
town,  February  28,  1855,  son  of  Anson  B.  and 
Abigail  (O.strom)  Hamlin.  The  father  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  September  7,  1807,  and 
the  mother  was  born  in  Glen\"ille,  April  i, 
iSii. 

Anson  B.  Hamlin  followed  the  cooper's 
trade  in  his  early  days;  and,  coming  to  Glen- 
ville when  still  a  young  mm,  he  kept  a  hotel 
here  for  some  time.  He  subsequently  carried 
on  a  farm  for  a  number  of  years,  and,  returning 


here  in  1867,  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  until  selling  out  to  his  son  in  1SS2. 
His  last  years  were  spent  in  retirement,  and  he 
died  May  19,  1895.  He  was  a  man  of  good 
business  ability  and  upright  character,  and  he 
gained  the  good  will  of  all  with  whom  he  had 
dealings.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Abigail  Os- 
trom,  became  the  mother  of  ten  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living,  namely:  David  H.  ;  Jew- 
ett  C.  ;  Christopher;  William  S. ,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  and  Clarissa.  The  others 
were:  Lyman  G.,  Oliver,  Heman,  Rachel  A., 
and  Bet,sey.  Mrs.  Abigail  O.  Hamlin  died  in 
I  8 89. 

William  S.  Hamlin  after  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Glenville  completed  his  studies 
with  a  commercial  course  at  a  business  college 
in  Tro)-.  Beginning  when  twelve  )ears  old  to 
make  himself  useful  as  an  assistant  to  his 
father,  he  later  ga\'e  his  whole  time  to  the 
business  in  the  capacit}-  of  a  clerk,  and  con- 
tinued as  such  until  becoming  its  proprietor. 
He  conducts  the  oldest-established  general 
store  in  this  part  of  the  town,  keeps  a  large 
and  varied  stock,  including  agricultiu'al  imple- 
ments, feed,  fertilizers,  and  so  forth,  and  has  a 
numerous  patronage. 

On  November  23,  18S2,  Mr.  Hamlin  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Bell,  a  native  of 
W'est  Charlton,  Saratoga  Count}-,  daughter  of 
George  Bell. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hamlin  is  a  Republican. 
He  served  with  ability  as  Town  Clerk  one  year, 
and  is  gi\-ing  excellent  satisfaction  as  Post- 
master.     He  has  a  wide   circle  of   friends  and 


lilOCRArmCAI,     REX'IKW 


acquaintances  who  appreciate  his  many  sterling 
qualities,  and  he  is  a  member  of  Touareuna 
Lodge,  No.  35,  1.  C).  ().  V. 


"I:NRV  van  1JKI:S1-:R,  a  prominent 
11— •■  (lairyiiian  and  ])nultr)  raiser  of  Coble- 
skill,  X.V..  pniprietor  of  luireka 
Stock  anil  roultry  Farm,  was  born  September 
4,  KS39,  in  Sclioharie,  Schoharie  Count)-,  a 
son  of  John  I.  and  Anna  (Warner)  Van 
Dreser.  On  the  paternal  side  he  conies  of 
substantial  Dutch  ancestry.  1 1  is  i^randfather, 
the  Rev.  Henry  \'an  Drcscr,  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  emigrated  from  Holland  to  New 
\'ork,  and  for  sexeiitccn  _\  ears  thereafter 
preached  in  .Schenectatl) .  lie  married  Anna 
l-"er.LCueson,  a  fair  .Scotch  maiden,  who  bure 
him    thirteen   children. 

Jolin  1.  \'an  Dreser  siient  a  lar,i;e  jjart  of  his 
early  life  in  .Schoharie,  where  for  seven  years 
he  kept  a  livery  stable.  In  1X46  he  removed 
to  Cohleskill,  and,  huyin-  a  lar-e  farm,  was 
here  en.L^a.i^ed  in  agricultural  ])ursuits  for  a 
number  of  years.  When  well  advanced  in  a,i;c 
and  unable  lon;;er  to  care  for  liis  ])ro>iL'rty,  he 
sold  his  estate,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death,  at  the  venerable  a,L;e  of  eighty -seven 
years,  made  his  home  with  his  sons,  J.  W.  and 
Henry.  He  was  \  cry  successful  as  a  farmer, 
and  tpiite  acti\e  in  jiublic  life.  He  was  a  rCLC- 
ular  attenikuit  at  the  Lutheran  church,  which 
his  wife  joined  when  a  ii'w]  of  sixteen.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Anna  W'aiiier.  .She  was 
liorn  in  Warnersville,  a  dauj^hter  (jf  Jacob 
Warner,    a    well-known    farmei-    and    the    fust 


dairyman  in  Schoharie  County.  The  first 
summer  that  Mr.  Warner  made  a  specialty  of 
this  particular  branch   of   industry  his  herd  of 

twent)'  cows  produced  a  ton  of  butter,  which 
he  sold  in  the  city  of  New  ^'ork,  whither  he 
drove  with  a  team.  'Ihis  transaction  attracted 
such  attention  that  for  many  years  after  he  was 
known  far  and  wide  as  ••lUitter  Jake."  Of 
the  seven  children  born  to  John  I.  and  Anna 
(Warner)  \'an  Dreser,  si.\  <;rew  to  maturity, 
namely:  Sarah,  the  widow  of  the  late  Peter 
Shaffer;  Catherinj^,  deceased;  Jacob  W.  ; 
Henry,  the  sjiecial  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Mary  J.,  wife  of  Clinton  Tillepaui;h;  I'mma, 
wife  of  John  F.  Face;  and  Almira,  wile  of 
Adam  \'.  Karkar.  The  mother  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced a.i;e  of  fourscore  anil  four  \ears. 

llenr\-  \'an  Dreser  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  educated  in  the  district  schools. 
Farl\'  becoming;-  interested  in  the  art  anil  sci- 
ence of  agriculture,  he  decided  to  make  farm- 
ing  his  life  occui)ation.  In  e.irly  manhood  he 
bought  in  iiartnershi])  with  his  brother  Jacol) 
the  farm  on  which  he  now  I'esides,  an.l  for  sev- 
eral yeais  they  worked  it  together.  In  1895 
Mr.  \'an  Dreser  ])urchased  his  brother's  in- 
terest in  the  estate,  whii.h  he  has  since  man- 
aged alone.  He  has  addeil  substantial  improve- 
ments, including  the  erection  of  the  present 
convenient!)-  arranged  hen-liouse,  it  being  the 
largest  in  Schoharie  County,  and  in  every  de- 
partment has  met  with  eminent  success  in  his 
undertakings. 

He  served  as  [iresident  of  the  Cheviot  Sheej) 
]?reeders'  As.sociation  of  the  I'nited  .St;ites  and 
CaiK-.da   for   three    vears.       He    is   authoritv    on 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


breeds  ami  breeding  of  thoroughbred  cattle, 
and  has  ser\-ed  in  the  capacity  of  judge  at  the 
different  fairs  in  this  and  other  States  for 
many  years.  He  has  been  emi)loyed  for  the 
last  four  years  by  the  New  York  State  Farmers' 
Institute  as  instructor  in  his  special  lines  of 
agriculture.  He  carries  on  general  farming, 
but  makes  somewhat  of  a  specialty  of  the  rais- 
ing of  stock  and  poultry,  and  dairy  products. 
He  has  served  ably  as  president  of  the  New 
York  State  Breeders'  Association,  which  is 
devoted  to  the  improvement  of  the  breeding  of 
cattle,  sheep,  swine,  and  poultry,  and  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  Barnerville  Grange,  be- 
fore which  he  often  lectures  or  reads  papers  of 
interest. 

Mr.  Van  Dreser  was  married  October  i6, 
1873,  to  Aliss  Emma  J.  Becker,  daughter  of 
the  late  James  Becker,  who  died  on  his  farm 
in  Cobleskill,  February  16,  1895,  leaving  a 
widow  and  four  children.  Mrs.  \^an  Dreser  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Normal  College,  a  woman  of 
culture  and  refinement.  She  holds  a  State 
certificate,  and  prior  to  her  marriage  she 
taught  most  successfully  both  in  Cobleskill 
and   Albany. 


§AMES  STEVENS,  of  Greenville,  N.Y., 
a  leading  insurance  agent  of  this  sec- 
tion of  Greene  County,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  lives,  in  a  house  near  his 
present  dwelling-place.  His  family  is  an  old 
one  in  the  town,  having  been  first  represented 
here  by  his  great-grandfather,  Reuben  Stevens, 
who  came  from    Stamford,    Conn.,    took    up    a 


tract  of  land,  and  became  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  this  region. 

Reuben's  son  Samuel,  grandfather  of  James 
Stevens,  was  born  in  Stamford.  After  coming 
here  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  of  typhus 
fever  when  f)nly  thirty-two  years  of  age,  this 
being  in  1813,  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Sally  Jones,  was  a  native  of  Stamford. 
She  bore  him  three  children,  all  of  whom  are 
deceased.  Left  a  widow  while  yet  a  young 
woman,  she  married  a  second  time,  and  lived 
to  be  eighty-four  years  of  age.  In  religion 
she  was  a  zealous  Baptist. 

Mr.  Stevens's  parents  were  Orrin  C.  and 
Mary  A.  (Smith)  Stevens,  the  father  a  native 
of  Greenville.  Orrin  C.  Stevens  worked  at 
carpentering  while  a  young  man,  but  subse- 
quently he  carried  on  the  farm  where  his  son 
now  lives.  He  owned  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  and  vas  a  successful  farmer.  He  was 
warmly  interested  in  all  public  affairs,  and 
held  various  town  offices,  including  among 
others  that  of  Supervisor.  For  some  time  he 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  politics  he  was 
an  old-time  Democrat.  For  years  he  was  a 
trustee  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  one  of 
its  most  active  and  influential  members.  Val- 
uable service  was  rendered  by  him  as  one  of 
the  Sons  of  Temperance.  He  lived  to  the  age 
of  eighty-three  years.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Stevens,  who  died  in  1884,  after  a  useful 
life  covering  three-quarters  of  a  century,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  West  Springfield,  being  one 
of  a  family  of  si.x  children.  Her  parents  were 
Daniel  and  Sarah  (Day)  Smith.  Of  her  seven 
children,    three   are   deceased.      One   of    them, 


l!IO(;KArHK'.\I.    KKVIKW 


a  son  Sannicl,  was  Captain  of  Company  A  of 
the  Thirty-seventh  Wiscoiisiii  Voluiitccis  in 
the  Civil  War.  and  lost  his  life  in  1864,  diir- 
in.i,'  the  attack  on  I'etersburj,'.  The  living 
chiUlreii  are:  James,  the  sujjject  of  this 
sketch;  Daniel,  wiio  is  a  physician  ami  ilrug- 
f^ist  in  Nebraska;  Anna,  who  is  the  wife  of 
1).  II.  Smith,  a  dentist  of  llolyoke,  Mass.; 
and  Orrin  C,  .second,  who  is  retired  from 
business  and   resides    in    M  illl]]el)uri,^ 

James  Stevens  grew  up  on  llie  larm  where 
he  now  resides.  His  education  was  received 
in  the  common  schools,  and  at  (ireenville 
Academy.  Throughout  his  active  life  he  has 
devoted  more  or  less  lime  to  agricultural  ]nir- 
suits,  and  fur  forty  years  he  also  did  a  large 
amount  of  land  surveying.  lie  has  lived  in 
the  house  which  is  now  his  home  since  1S83. 
when  he  removed  here  and  took  charge  of  his 
l)resent  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
acres.  He  carries  on  general  farming.  In 
iS.So  he  began  the  insurance  business,  lieing 
elected  that  year  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
village  fire  insurance  cunipany.  This  office  he 
has  since  held,  and  in  the  intervening  years  he 
has  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  comiiaiiy 
constantly  increase  until  now  it  carries  (jver 
two  milliiin  dcdiars  insurance.  In  the  same 
year  Mr.  .Stevens  received  his  appointment  as 
general  agent  of  four  other  fire  insurance  com- 
])anies,  and  in  1.S93  he  organized  the  (jreene 
County  Mutual  I-"ire  Insurance  Com|)any,  of 
which  he  has  since  been  secretary,  treasurer, 
and  general  agent.  This  companv.  which 
does  a  general  insurance  business  at  si.xty  per 
cent,     of    stock    rates,    now    has    out   over    two 


thou.sand,  one  hundred  and  fifty  policies  in 
fire,  representing  two  million,  two  hundred 
and  ninety-two  tliousand,  si.\  hundred  and 
seventy  dollars.  Its  total  receiiits  for  the  year 
1898  were  twelve  thousand,  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  the  amount  of  money  in  the  treasury 
on  iJecember  11,  iS(jS,  was  thirteen  thousand, 
four  hundred  and  forty-two  dollars,  and  twcnty- 
si.\  cents.  The  agents  of  the  comjjany  operate 
in  Greene,  Albany,  Cidumbia,  Delaware,  and 
Schoharie  Counties. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  married  in  1S66  to  Kliza- 
beth  Sherrill,  who  was  born  in  (ireenville, 
daughter  of  Mzra  Sherrill,  a  well-known  farmer 
of  this  place.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren—  I.ucena  and  ()rrin  C,  tiiird.  I.ucena 
married  Theodore  Corniley,  u  farmer  of  this 
place.  Orrin  C,  third,  who  is  engaged  in 
insurance  in  (]reen\ille,  married  Arcia  Cook, 
and  has  one  child,  James  C. 

Politically,  Mr.  Stevens  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  SujiervLsor,  and  from 
January,  1SS9,  to  April,  1S93,  lie  was  Deputy 
County  Clerk.  For  five  years  he  was  clerk  ui 
the  Hoard  of  Supervisors.  Shortly  after  being 
fir.st  elected  to  the  office  of  Town  Clerk,  he 
was  chosen  Second  Lieutenant  in  Company  A 
of  the  Twentieth  Regiment  of  State  militia, 
and  went  South,  serving  for  a  time  in  the  L'nion 
army.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of 
John  W.  Watson  Tost,  C,.  A.  R. ,  of  Catskill, 
and  held  the  office  of  Adjutant  in  the  post; 
but  he  subsequently  joined  the  C.  Swaine 
Ivvans  Tost,   No.   5S0,  of  South  Westerlo. 

Mr.  Stevens  is  a  Mason,  having  joined  the 
orLTAnization     in     March,      iSvS,      in      Cascade 


jliH^ 


^^ 


''( 


^ 


SOLOAIUN    SIAS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Oak  Hill.  In  1S64 
he  was  a  charter  member  of  James  AI.  Austin 
Lodge,  No.  557,  of  Greenville.  Of  this  he 
was  first  Senior  Deacon,  for  fi\-e  \ears  he  was 
Junior  Warden  and  Secretary,  and  for  two 
years  Master.  He  was  formerly  connected 
with  the  Co.xsackie  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  No. 
85  ;  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Green- 
ville Chapter,  No.  283,  he  became  a  charter 
member  of  that  bod_\'.  He  has  held  the  offices 
of  Scribe  and  King.  He  is  also  a  charter 
member  of  Zeus  Lodge,  No.  360,  of  the 
Greenville  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  formerly 
Chancellor,  and  is  at  the  jjresent  time  Master 
of  Exchequer.  Mr.  Stevens  is  a  liberal  sup- 
porter of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which 
his   famil)-   are   members. 


^OLOMON  SIAS,  principal  of  the 
public  schools  of  Schoharie,  N.Y. , 
and  one  of  the  leading  educators  in 
the  county,  is  a  native  of  Dan\-ille,  Caledonia 
County,  Vt.  He  was  born  June  13,  1S29. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  Solomon  Sias,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Abigail  Sias,  was  born  in  Lt)n- 
don,  Merrimack  County,  N.  H.  Grandfather 
Sias  removed  with  his  family  from  London  to 
Danville,  being  among  the  pioneer  farmers  in 
that  town,  where  he  and  his  wife  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.      They  had  eight  children. 

Solomon  Sias,  Sr. ,  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
paternal  farm,  attending  school  as  opportunity 
offered.  Feeling  himself  called  to  preach  the 
gospel,  and  giving  such  proof  of  his  calling 
that  people  heard  him  gladly,  he   became  a  cir- 


cuit taking  in  at  dilferciit  peri<ids  Western 
Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and  hlasteni  X'ermont. 
Py  himself  he  acquired  a  kniiwled,L;e  of  Latin, 
Greek,  and  Hebrew.  He  was  a  Hiiei.t  and 
forcible  speaker,  tlioroughly  familiar  with  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  a  man  of  great  resource  of 
thought  and  expressidu.  He  was  accustomed 
to  ride  on  horseback  from  jilace  to  place  to 
preach  every  day  and  evening,  wherever  he 
could  get  an  audience.  Li  L)'nn,  Mass., 
where  he  was  pastor  of  the  L^nion  Street  Meth- 
odist Church,  1815-16,  he  started  the  first 
Methodist  Sunda\'-school  in  New  F^ngland. 
He  was  sent  several  times  as  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  to  which  he  belonged.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two,  a  well-preserved  man  to 
the  last,  after  thirty  years  of  service  in  his 
Master's  vineyard.  He  married  a  widow,  Mrs. 
Amelia  Rogers  Hewes,  the  ninth  lineal  tle- 
scendant  of  John  Rogers,  the  Smithfield 
martyr.  Mrs.  Sias  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven,  having  reared  five  children,  three  by 
her  first  husband,  Mr.  Hewes,  and  two  by  her 
second,  namely:  Solomon,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Amelia,  who  married  Azro 
Mathewson. 

Mr.  Sias,  of  Schoharie,  was  educated  at 
Newbury  Seminary,  Newbury,  Vt.  ;  at  Middle- 
bury  College  in  that  State  and  at  Wesleyan 
L^niversity,  Middletown,  Conn.,  where  he  be- 
longed to  the  class  of  1852.  He  was  an  assist- 
ant teacher  at  Newbury  Seminary  as  early  as 
1S50.  He  received  the  degree  A.M.  from 
Middleburv    College,    Vt.,    and    of    Doctor    of 


]!Hk;rai'HICai,  review 


Mfdicine  from  the  University  of  X'crmont  at 
liiirlington.  From  1854  to  1S59  he  taught  at 
Fort  Etlwarci  Institute,  New  \'ork,  holding 
tile  cliair  of  professor  of  natur:i]  scieiiee  under 
Jose])h  K.  King  president  of  the  Institute. 
Leaving  Fort  Edward,  he  accej^ted  :i  call  In 
take  charge  of  a  college  for  women  at  Hnnhani, 
Tex.,  where  he  remained  conducting;  the  affairs 
of  the  college  for  eight  years.  lie  then  came 
to  New  York  State  and  accepted  a  call  to  take 
charge  of  the  seminary  at  Charlotteville.  In 
1S74  he  came  to  Schoharie  and  took  the  posi- 
tion he  now  holds,  which,  with  the  exception 
of  a  hrief  ])eriod —  1S77  to  1S7S  —  s|)ent  in 
Texas  as  president  of  the  Soulc  University  at 
Chapel  Hill,  he  has  held  continuously  from 
that   date. 

The  Schoharie  school  has  greatly  improved 
under  his  management,  and  is  now  a  first-class 
high  scho(d  in  every  respect  and  very  flourish- 
ing. About  two  hundred  students  are  enndled 
and  five  subordinate  teachers  are  emidoyed. 
Mr.  Sias  is  the  (ddest  principal  in  active  ser- 
vice in  the  county,  and  is  among  the  (ddest  in 
the  State  as  principal  and  teacher.  lie  has 
arranged  for  the  Schoharie  school  the  most  ad- 
vanced course  of  any  school  in  the  county,  and 
be  always  keeps  up  to  the  times  in  means  and 
metliods  of  educational  work,  using  the  latest 
approved  text-books  and  reference  bonks.  His 
efforts  are  unibirmly  indorsed  by  the  State 
regents,  at  whiise  request  he  has  spoken 
upon  numerous  educational  to])ics  in  the 
conventions  held  at  the  State  capital.  He 
has  attended  all  of  the  meetings  since  \Sr,6  and 
everv  countv    institute   fnr   tbirtv   X'ears,  s[)eak- 


ing  at  many  of  them.  He  has  been  secretary 
of  the  county  institute  for  nearly  fifteen  years, 
has  been  assistant  conductor  one  \ear,  besides 
often  serving  briefly  as  assistant  conductor  of 
other  institutes. 

He  was  married  July  2,  1S57,  to  Lina 
Haker,  daughter  of  IJaniel  Haker,  of  Youngs- 
town,  New  York.  One  child  was  born  of  this 
union,  a  son  named  I*"re.lerick.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Schoharie  schoids,  then  learned 
telegraphy  at  lirooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  and  became 
manager  of  a  telegraph  office.  Taken  sudilenly 
ill  with  typhoid  pneumonia,  he  ilied  at  the  age 
of  nineteen. 

Professor  Sias  is  a  fellow  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Ads'ancement  of  Science, 
tr)  which  he  has  belongeil  since  1866,  and  for 
sex'eral  years  he  was  an  iibser\-er  for  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution.  He  has  had  charge  of  an 
educational  department  in  the  Schoharie  A'c- 
pnblican.  to  which  he  has  contributed  articles 
that  ha\e  been  copied  by  the  leading  educational 
papers  of  the  State,  and  he  has  been  a  frequent 
correspondent  of  several  other  jomaials.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Schoharie  Count)- 
Historical  Society,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
three  original  organizers.  He  was  instrumen- 
tal in  securing  the  "Old  Stone  l-'ort  "  for  the 
purposes, .f  the  scciety.  He  is  likewise  c.m- 
nected  with  the  medical  society  of  this  county, 
I  having  served  as  brigade  surgeon  during  the 
Civil  War.  Mr.  Sias  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Connecticut,  was  afterward  connected  with  the 
'  order  in  \'erminit  and  later  in  Texas,  where  be 
I  was  Ma.stei  of  a  lodge.  He  is  now  a  twenty- 
'  seventh  degree  Mas..n,  a  member  of   Schoharie 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Lodge,  No.  491,  and  of  the  chapter  and  coun- 
cil. As  an  Odd  Fellow  he  belongs  to  To- 
wos-scho-ho  Lodge  of  Schoharie,  has  twice 
been  Noble  Grand,  is  now  a  niember  of  Mid- 
dleburg  Encampment,  and  Past  Captain  of 
Canton  Young,  No.  45,  of  Schoharie.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Democrat. 

Mrs.  Sias  is  a  graduate  of  the  collegiate 
department  of  Fort  Edward  Institute,  and  has 
taught  school.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sias  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  he  has  preached  a  great  number  of  sermons 
in  pulpits  of  Schoharie  and  the  neighboring 
towns. 


(^Yt-NDREW  G.  LIUDLE,  a  stirring  farmer 
^^  of  Princetown,  was  born  in  this  town, 
V. —  Februar}-  23,  1S59.  Son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Barbara  (Gregg)  Liddle,  he  comes 
of  highly  reputable  Scotch  ancestry,  being  of 
the  fourth  generation  in  descent  from  Alexan- 
der Liddle,  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  emi- 
grated with  his  parents  when  a  young  man,  and 
was  an  early  settler  in  Duanesburg.  This  is 
the  line:  Alexander,  Robert,  Alexander,  sec- 
ond, Andrew  G. 

Alexander  Liddle,  first,  became  a  large  land 
owner.  The  farm  now  owned  b}-  his  grandson, 
Alexander,  second,  was  a  part  of  his  estate, 
and  he  resided  here  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  his  ninety-third  year.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church, 
and  a  strong  Abolitionist.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Mary  Gifford. 

Robert  Liddle,  the  grandfather,  was  born  in 


Duanesburg,  January  12,  NS03.  He  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  during  his  active  years,  and 
he  died  in  Duanesburg  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight.  Politically,  he  was  originally  a  Whig, 
and  later  a  Republican.  In  his  younger  days 
he  took  an  active  part  in  military  affairs,  and 
was  Captain  of  a  local  rifle  company.  He  was 
an  Elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Robert 
Liddle  was  three  times  married;  and  his  first 
wife,  Sarah  Smith,  a  native  of  Princetown,  be- 
came the  mother  of  eight  children,  namely: 
Alexander;  Abigail,  born  October  6,  1S2S; 
.Mary,  born  August  31,  1830;  Ann  E.,  born 
:\Iarch  3,  1S34;  Charles,  born  March  7,  1836; 
Thomas  G.,  born  July  iS,  183S;  Abram  S. , 
born  June  9,  1840;  and  Robert  W'.,  born 
April  2iO<  1S42.  By  his  union  with  Sarah 
Robinson,  his  second  wife,  there  were  five 
children:  Angus  M.,  born  January  29,  1846; 
Duncan  N.,  born  March  26,  1S4S;  Jenette, 
born  August  12,  1850;  and  Sarah  C.  and  John 
E. ,  twins,  who  are  no  longer  living. 

Alexander  Liddle,  second,  the  father,  was 
born  April  17,  1827,  upon  a  farm  adjoining 
the  one  which  he  now  occupies.  He  was 
reared  to  farm  life,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
nine  years  he  bought  a  farm  in  Princetown  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  acres,  upon 
which  he  resided  for  sixteen  years,  and  which 
he  still  owns.  He  has  occupied  his  present 
farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Duanesburg  since 
1S85,  and  this  property  is  provided  with  good 
buildings  and  is  otherwise  well  improved. 
His  energy  and  industry  continue  unabated, 
and  he  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow-towns- 
men.     He   supports  .the    Republican    party  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


national  clccticms,  but  has  never  cared   t<>  hold 

TT^H.XRLLS    \'()SS,     merciianl    and    Post- 
l   Jj         master       at         TaiuiersviUe,        Cireene 
^■^ "   County,     \.\'.,     was     b<jrn     in    Hol- 

office.      Like   his  ancestors  he   is  a   Retormeil 

Presbyterian  in  relij,Mon,  and  acts  as  an   bllder 

of   that   church.      Mrs.   Harbara  Gre-t;    Liddle, 

stein,    Germany,     1-ebruary    14,    1849,    son    of 

his  first  wile,  who  was  a  native   of   Rotterdam, 

P'rederick     and    Maria     (Retting)     \'oss.       His 

\.\'.,  dieil    .\|)ril    14,    1.S74,   leavinj,'   two   .sons 

great-grandfather,   Hans    \'an    \'oss,  who  was  a 

—  Robert     A.    and     Andrew    G.      Robert    A. 

native   of    Hidland,    removed    to    Holstein,  anil 

Liddle,  born   December  4,    1856,  niarrietl    Re- 

after   living  there   a   short    time  had    the    name 

becca  Wemplc,  resides  in  Duanesburg,  and  has 

changed     to     \'oss.       He     was     a     farmer     and 

three    children  —  James,    Barbara,    and    Anna. 

droxer.    and    follnwed    these   occupations    until 

On  February  9,   1876,  Alexander   Liddle   mar- 

his death,  which    occurred    when    he    was   si.xtv 

ried  for  his  second  wife   .Margaret  C'owell,  wlio 

vears  old. 

was  born   in   England,  January  30,    1839.      hy 

John  \'oss,  grandfather  of  Charles,  wms  born 

this  union   he  has  one  daughter,  Jeannette  S. , 

in    Holland.      He  also   followed   farming,    and 

who  was  born  March  17,   1.S7S. 

was  one   of    the    largest  drovers  in  his  vicinity. 

Andrew   G.    Liddle,    the   s])ecial    subject    of 

He    had    a    large    family    of    children,    among 

tills     sketch,     was     educated     in     the     ilistrict 

them    being    Frederick.     Henry,    H.n-ace,    An- 

schools  of  I'rincetown.       He  has  alwa_\s  resided 

diew,    and    Louisa.      He    died    at   about    si.xty 

upon   the   farm    he   now   cultivates,    which    was 

years     of      age.       I-'rederick     \'uss,     father     of 

]>urchased    by   his    father    in    ICS56,    and    since 

Charles,  was   also   a   farmer  and    cattle  dealer. 

reaching  manh(jod  he  lias  successfully  managed 

He  shipped   cattle   from    Denmark   Co  luigland. 

the   property.       He   raises   oats,    rye,    corn,  and 

doing  an  extensive  business    in    tiiat    line;   and 

hay,  keeps  about    ten  head   of   stock,  and  ranks 

he  tilled  the  soil    of   a    large   farm  successfully 

among   the    leading  farmers   of   this   section    of 

until  he  was  about  sixty  \-ears  old,   when  he  re- 

Schenectady County. 

tired.       He   then  removed    to    Altona,   near   the 

Mr.   Liddle  married    I.illie    H.    DeLure.st,  of 

cit)-    (jf    Hamburg,    wheie    lie   died    at    sexentN'- 

Alban)-,     anil     has     three     children,     namcl\' : 

eight.        He    made     three    visits     to     his     son 

Alexander,     born    July    7,     i,S83;Kdith,     b.irn 

Charles    in    America.       His  wife,   Maria,  was  a 

January  26,   1SS6;  and  Laura  M.,  born  May  6, 

nati\e   of    llolstein,  where    her   father,   Adolpli 

1S90. 

Retting,  followed  fanning,  and   where   lie   died 

In  iiolitics    Mr.    Liddle  is  a  Republican,  and 

at    over    seventy  years    of    age.      She   was  the 

has  served  with  ability  as  .Su])ervisor  for   three 

mother    of    eleven    children,  nine   of    whom  — 

years.       He   belongs    to    b'arniers'   Cirange,   Xo. 

namely,  William.   luKvanl,  Charles,   .Mary,  Ida, 

709,  Patrons   of    Husbandry,  and   has  served  as 

Andrew,     Otto,     luaiest.     and     Theadore  —  are 

Master  for    three  years.       He   is  a   member   of 

still    li\'iiig,  four  resiiling    in  America.      Mary 

the  South  Reformed  Presbyterian  church. 

tlie    eldest     sister,     married     bred     Kocii  ;   Ida 

BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


married  a  Lieutenant  in  the  German  army; 
Otto  resides  in  Florida;  and  Ernest  is  in 
Philadelphia.  Thei)dore  is  a  carpenter  and 
builder  in  Phoanicia,  N.Y.  The  others  were 
Frederick  and  Dora.  The  mother  died  in 
1S96,  being  over  eighty  )"ears  old.  The  par- 
ents were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
Charles  \'oss  spent  his  early  years  in  his 
native  town,  and  acquired  his  education  in  pri- 
vate schools.  After  finishing  his  studies  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  miller  and  a  cabinet- 
maker. He  began  his  three  years'  apprentice- 
ship at  the  latter  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and 
worked  as  a  j^iurneyman  one  year.  In  i  S69  he 
came  to  America,  sailing  from  Hamburg  and 
landing  in  New  York,  where  he  at  once  se- 
cured employment  in  a  bakery.  He  next  went 
to  Phoenicia,  X.  Y. ,  and  he  was  employed  in 
the  Chichester  Chair  Factory  for  one  year. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  went  to  Sul- 
livan County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  engaged 
for  two  seasons  in  peeling  hemlock  bark.  Re- 
turning to  Phcenicia,  he  spent  another  year  in 
the  chair  factory,  and  passed  the  next  in  Ger- 
many. Upon  his  return  to  the  L'nited  States 
in  1876,  he  attended  the  Centennial  Exhibi- 
tirjn  in  Philadelphia,  and,  remaining  in  that 
city  the  entire  summer,  he  was  employed  as 
conductor  on  the  Chestnut  Street  line  of  cars. 
Going  to  Delaware  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
the  fall  of  that  year,  he  worked  on  a  farm,  and 
also  ran  a  milk  route  to  Philadelphia,  follow- 
ing this  occupation  for  two  years,  when  he  j 
sold  out  and  returned  to  Phcenicia.  He  later  \ 
became  manager  of  the  store  owned  by  the 
Chichester  Chair   Company,  which  position  he  ; 


occupied  for  nine  years.  Removing  to  Hun- 
ter, he  erected  the  hotel  known  as  "The  Ik-1- 
videre, "  which  has  accommodations  for  (;nc 
hundred  and  twenty-five  guests.  After  con- 
ducting this  hotel  for  eight  years,  he  sold  the 
property.  Later  he  repurchased  it,  and  still 
owns  and  rents  it.  He  owns  two  dwelling- 
houses,  one  of  which  adjoins  the  hotel,  and  is 
used  by  him  as  a  residence.  In  1S92  he 
rented  the  store  formerly  occupied  by  Jacob 
Fromer.  This  he  conducted  for  five  years, 
when  he  was  obliged  to  make  an  assignment; 
but  he  soon  settled  with  his  creditors,  and 
again  started  in  business.  The  building  he 
now  occupies  he  erected  in  1S94  as  an  annex 
to  his  large  establishment,  and  it  was  used  for 
the  hardware  and  plumbing  departments. 
L'pon  the  expiration  of  his  lease  of  Mr.  Fro- 
mer's  property,  he  removed  the  annex  to  its 
present  location,  where  he  now  carries  grocer- 
ies and  notions.  The  post-office  is  located  in 
his  store;  and  on  July  i,  189S,  he  received  the 
appointment  of  Postmaster  for  four  years. 

In  iSSo  Mr.  \'oss  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Jennie  E.  Haner,  daughter  of  William 
M.  Haner,  of  Prattsville.  Her  great-grand- 
father, ]\Iartin  Haner,  who  was  a  native  of 
Dutchess  Count}-,  moved  from  there  to  Pratts- 
ville, and  was  a  pioneer  farmer.  Her  grand- 
father, also  named  IMartin,  went  from  Dutch- 
ess County  to  Pratts\-ille,  and  settled  upon  a 
farm  two  miles  from  the  village  on  the  road  to 
West  Kill.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five.  He  married  for  his  first  wife  Elizabeth 
Shumaker.  They  had  seven  children,  three  of 
whom     are     living,    namel}- :    Lawrence,     who 


DIOGRAl'HICAL    REVIKW 


married  Jinlith  Speiucr;  William  M.  Hancr, 
Mrs.  \'i)ss's  father;  and  Jemima  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Henry  Palmer,  of  Gilboa.  Mrs.  Miiza- 
heth    S.    Ilaner  died  at   the  a'je  of  fifty. 

William  M.  Ilaner,  after  cultivating  a  farm 
in  I'rattsville  some  time,  moved  to  the  town 
of  Koxbury,  where  he  continued  to  till  the  soil 
until  his  retirement.  He  is  still  liviii--,  and 
is  now  seventy-six  years  old.  His  wife,  Cor- 
nelia Maginnis,  a  native  of  rrattsville,  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Jennie  (.Stanle\\)  Ma- 
ginnis. His  family  consisted  of  eight  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  living,  naniel)': 
(ieorge  Haner,  I\I.D.,  who  resides  in  Tanners- 
ville;  Jennie  l-"..,  who  is  now  'Sirs.  Charles 
\'oss ;  Homer,  who  resides  in  Omaha;  and 
Clark  R.,  a  book-keeper  in  Tanncrs\ille. 
The  mother  attends  the  Methodist  Ki>iscopal 
church.  Mrs.  \'oss  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  I'rattsville  and  at  Jewett  Acad- 
emy. She  is  the  mother  of  three  children  — 
Ralph,  Kthel  Ann,  and  Mollie  ]\r.  Ralph  is 
attending  the  high  school  in  Hunter,  and 
label  Ann  has  attained  the  highest  rank  in  her 
class  at  school  the  present  year.  Mollie  M. 
Voss,  now  a  student  in  the  Hunter  High 
School,  is  considered  the  champion  girl  trick 
bicycle  rider  in  the  State. 

Mr.  Voss  is  a  Rei)ublican  in  politics,  and 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs.  He 
was  .Super\isor  in  1892  and  1 893.  He  was 
greatly  interested  in  the  incoporation  of  the 
village,  and  was  Trustee  in  1 S97  and  Presi- 
dent in  1S9S.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
Kingston  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  for  over  twenty- 
five   \ears ;    is    a    charter    member    of    Cjtskill 


Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Royal  Arcanum.  The  famil\  attend 
the  Congregational  church  as  well  as  the  Sun- 
day-sch..ol,   in  which  Mrs.  Voss  is  a  teacher. 


IR.\  M.  Tl-.kri-MN'G,  a  skilful  and  jmo- 
gressive  agriculturist  of  b'ulton,  N.Y., 
was  born  Julv  ;,  1 ,  1857,  in  tlie  town  of 
Kno.x,  Albany  County,  a  son  of  Henry  H.  Ter- 
jiening.  His  i)aternal  grandfather,  Moses  Ter- 
pening,  was  born  and  brought  up  in  ]'!soinis, 
Ulster  County,  \.\'.,  whence  he  removed  to 
AlbLUi)'  County,  where  he  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Knox,  being  one  of  its  earlier  ])ioneers.  Sub- 
secpiently,  coming  to  Summit  in  Schoharie 
Count)-,  Moses  Terjiening  was  there  engaged 
in  general  farming  until  his  decease,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eight)-eight  \ears.  He  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Snyder,  and  they  reared  ten 
children. 

Henr\'  H.  Terpening  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools,  and,  becoming  a  farmer  from 
choice,  he  purchased  land,  when  a  _\-<iung  man, 
in  Cortland  Count)',  where  he  pursuetl  his  in- 
dependent calling  a  few  years.  Not  being 
very  well  satisfied  with  his  prospects  there,  he 
S(dcl  out  and  removetl  to  Knox,  in  Albany 
Count)-.  Several  years  later  he  purcha.sed 
the  farm  in  Fulton  that  is  now  owned  and 
t)ccupied  b)- his  son,  Ira  M.,  and  here  |)assetl 
his  remaii-iing  cla)-s,  dying  August  10,  i  S97, 
at  the  venerable  age  of  ninet)--one  xears.  A 
man  of  integrit)-,  he  was  highl)-  respected  by 
all.  In  [xilitics  he  was  an  adherent  of  the  Re- 
publican    party.       He     married     Cornelia     L., 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


daughter  of  Jeremiah  Havens,  a  lifelong 
farmer  of  Jefferson,  N.V.  They  reared  four 
children,  namel}' :  IraM.,  of  Fulton;  Eunice, 
wife  of  John  Feeck ;  Bertha,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Mann,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume;  and  Ilenr)- J.  Both 
parents  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church, 
in  which  the  father  was  an  Elder. 

Ira  M.  Terpening  obtained  a  practical  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  from  his  earliest  youth,  when  not  in 
school,  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  home 
farm.  On  the  death  of  his  father  he  succeeded 
to  the  ownership  of  the  homestead  estate  of 
one  hundred  and  fift}-  acres,  and  he  has  since 
managed  it  with  signal  success.  He  carries 
on  general  farming,  including  stock-raising  to 
some  extent  and  dairying.  In  politics  he  is 
a  sound  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church  of  Middleburg,  and 
he  and  his  family  attend  also  the  Sunday- 
school   connected   with   that   church. 

On  January  14,  1S76,  Mr.  Terpening  mar- 
ried Angeline  Murphy,  daughter  of  Peter  Mur- 
phy, of  F'ulton,  and  grand-daughter  of  Timothy 
Murphy,  the  renowned  Indian  scout.  Tim- 
othy Murphy,  born  in  America,  of  Irish  par- 
ents, was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this 
section  of  Schoharie  Count)-,  and  one  of  the 
largest  landholders  of  P'ulton,  owning  also 
large  tracts  of  real  estate  in  South  Worcester 
and  in  other  places  along  the  Suscpiehanna. 
During  the  Revolutionary  War  he  rendered  in- 
estimable assistance  as  one  of  the  most  brave 
and  daring  scouts.  His  e.xplnits,  which  are 
well-known  to  all  students   of  history,  won  for 


him  the  name  (if  "IMurphy,  the  Indian 
Killer."  At  Bemis  Heights  his  galhuit  con- 
duct turned  the  tide  of  affairs  and  gave  to 
General  Gates  the  victory.  At  the  "Middle 
Fort,"  by  his  cool  and  decisive  actions,  and 
more  especially  by  his  refusal  to  obey  the 
orders  of  a  superior  officer,  he  saved  the  Scho- 
harie garrison  from  falling  a  prey  to  the  Red- 
skins. After  the  war  he  resumed  the  pinsuit 
of  agriculture,  and  remained  on  his  farm  until 
his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
His  first  wife,  IMargaret  Feeck,  was  born  in 
F'ulton,  on  Mr.  Terpening's  farm,  and  died  in 
this  town  at  the  early  age  of  forty  year.s.  She 
left  five  children,  of  whom  Peter  was  the 
youngest. 

Peter  ]\Iurphy  inherited  the  ancestral  home- 
stead in  F'ulton  and  two  other  farms  in  this 
vicinity.  These  three  he  carried  on  simulta- 
neously, and  for  years  was  one  of  the  largest 
and  best-known  agi  iculturists  of  F'ulton,  where 
he  spent  his  long  and  useful  life  of  fourscore 
and  four  years.  He  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  welfare  of  his  native  town,  which  he 
served  as  Supervisor  two  terms,  and  as  Collec- 
tor a  number  of  )ears.  His  wife,  Catherine 
Borst,  was  born  on  the  old  Borst  farm  in  Scho- 
harie, one  of  the  nine  children  of  Peter  Borst, 
a  prosperous  farmer.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Murphy 
reared  se\'en  children,  as  follows:  Marian,  de- 
ceased; Helen,  wife  of  John  F'ollick;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  William  Wearman ;  Bet- 
sey, wife  of  Thomas  I'ollick;  Ann;  Kate; 
and    Angeline,    now    Mrs.    Terpening. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Terpening  have  one  son,  C. 
F'rederick    Terpening,    M.  D.      He     completed 


lOCRAl'HICAL    RKVIKW 


his  e:ui\-  oducntion  in  the  graded  schools  of 
Middlebiir.i;',  studied  medicine  fur  a  year  with 
Dr.  Rifenbero,  :,nd  then  entered  the  Univer- 
sily  Medical  C(dle-e,  \ew  V.irk  City,  class  of 
1S9S.  After  receiviii--  his  diploma,  he  en- 
tered the  I^lackwells  Isle  Hospital,  where  he 
will  i^radiiate  in   igoo. 


ri))-^" 


AKKl-     C.     LKil.MAX,  .if   the  firm  of 


Lehman  lircithers,  tlealers  in  .general 
merchandise  and  farmini;'  implements 
at  Ar-iisville,  in  the  town  of  Carlisle  (for- 
merly a  jiart  of  Sharon),  Schoharie  Count)-, 
NA'.,  was  born  in  this  ]dace  on  April  3, 
1869,  son  of  Sylvester  and  Mary  Ann  (Lane) 
Lehman. 

His  .L;rcat-,t;randfather  J.ehman  came  to 
.America  with  lim-j^o^'nc's  army,  having;  crossed 
the  l'jif;lish  channel  with  other  Germans,  and 
joined  the  l^ritish  stddiery  before  leavin-  Ln-- 
land.  After  arriving  in  this  country  he  de- 
serted from  the  army,  and  settletl  in  Sharon, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  first  white  inhabi- 
tants. It  is  related  that  he  wore  a  metal 
breastplate  which  he  broiit,dit  over  with  him, 
and  that  this  at  (jne  time  saved  his  life  by  pro- 
tecting him  frrjni  a  bullet.  He  remained  in 
Shai-on  as  lon^  as  he  li\ed,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing.      He  spoke  onl_\'  the  Cerman  tongue. 

His  son  L.enjamin,  grandfather  of  I'arke  C. 
Lehman,  was  bom  here,  and  always  lesided 
here  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  eight}'  years. 
Like  his  father  he  was  closely  identified  with 
the  Lutheran  church.  He  worked  at  his  trade 
of   carpenter,  and    he   also    farmed    to   some  ex- 


tent. He  settled  at  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Lehman  homestead,  on  which  his  grand.son 
Charles  now  lesides.  This  property  contained 
originally  three  hundred  and  fifteen  acres. 
Henjamin  Lehman  built  most  of  the  barns  and 
houses  in  this  vicinitw  He  underwent  many 
hardships.  While  working  at  Stone  Arabia, 
some  thirteen  miles  distant,  he  would  rise 
early  in  the  morning  on  Monda\-,  travel  the 
whole  tlistance  on  foot,  and  be  on  hand  in  time 
for  his  day's  work.  On  Saturday  night  he 
walked  home  again.  During  his  absences  the 
farm  was  cared  for  by  his  sons,  of  whom  there 
were  four.  lOach  of  these  u]ion  being  married 
was  given  a  jilot  of  land  and  a  fair  start  in 
life.  Henjamin  Lehman  had  four  wives.  His 
s(niswere:  Stephen,  who  is  the  only  one  now 
living,  Charles,  Peter,  and  Sylvester.  I^oth 
Charles  and  Peter  were  married,  and  the  latter 
had  a  family  of  children.  Peter  died  in 
Hrooklyn,  N.  A'.  Benjamin  Lehman  spoke  the 
Cerman  language  ami  broken  Pjiglish. 

Sylvester  Lehman,  father  of  Parke  C. ,  was 
a  lifelong  farmer  on  his  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  acres,  raising  mi.xetl  crops.  He  was  also 
engaged  to  a  consideralile  extent  in  stock- 
raising,  breeding  short-h.irned  cattle,  which 
farmers  from  all  the  neighboring  towns  came 
to  purchase.  He  was  an  ardent  worker  in  the 
church,  and  held  at  one  time  and  another 
nearly  all  the  church  offices.  Of  his  family  of 
nine  children,  the  eldest.  Jay,  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  were  as  f.dlows:  Mary,  who  is  the 
wife  of  William  Crosby,  M.D.,  n[  Rochester, 
Ind.  ;  Charles,  above  named,  who  resides  on 
the    Lehman    homestead;  Jessie,    who    died    at 


>.M.\S    K.    FKKR 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  age  of  twenty-six;  Romaine,  who  is  a 
farmer  of  Sharon,  N.  Y.  ;  Sylvester,  Jr.,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Lehman  Brothers ; 
Parke,  the  subject  of  this  article;  P\ird,  who 
is  a  student  in  the  classical  course  at  Penn 
College,  Gettysburg;  and  Bessie  G.  Sylves- 
ter Lehman,  Jr.,  married  Kate  Allen,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Allen,  of  Root,  N.  Y.  Bessie  G. 
Lehman  was  married  in  December,  1S97,  to 
Lewis  C.  Berger,  of  Seward,  N.  Y. 

Parke  C.  Lehman  in  his  boyhood  attended 
the  district  schools  in  company  with  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  subsequently  worked 
out  at  farming.  After  sa^•ing  a  small  amount 
of  money  he  went  to  Albany,  where  he  took 
a  course  in  the  business  college.  Subsecjuent 
to  that  he  was  clerk  for  four  years  for  J.  P. 
Milligan;  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time, 
or  in  September,  1893,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Sylvester,  and  bought 
out  the  business  of  Mr.  Milligan.  This  firm 
has  done  a  most  prosperous  business.  Their' s 
being  the  only  general  merchandise  store  in 
Argusville,  the}'  have  a  large  trade,  and,  as 
their  business  methods  are  prompt  and  thor- 
oughly honorable,  they  are  popular,  and  have 
the  fullest  confidence  of  their  patrons.  Many 
changes  have  been  made  in  the  store  since 
Lehman    Brothers   took   possession   of    it. 

Parke  C.  Lehman  was  appointed  Postmaster 
on  May  6,  189S.  He  had  previously  served  as 
Deputy  Postmaster.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. Both  brothers  are  Masons  and 
members  of  Sharon  Springs  Lodge,  No.  624. 
Both  are  acti\'e  in  jjolitics,  and  prominent  in 
church  work.      Parke   C.    Lehman    is   secretary  | 


of     the     Sunday  school     and      of     the     clunch 
council. 

Parke  C.  Lehman  marriccl  on  June  16,  1898, 
Miss  Lilah  Wcmple,  uf  L„nda,  N.Y.,  .she 
being  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  first  families  of 
Montgomery  County. 


(blTHOP 


HOMAS  E.  FP:RRIER,  one  of  the  rep- 
gj|  resentative  business  men  of  Catskill, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Warwick,  Orange 
County,  N.Y.,  on  April  15,  1S21,  .son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Hannah  W.  (Pxlsall)  P^errier.  Ac- 
cording to  the  best  information  obtainable  his 
first  progenitors  in  this  country  were  French 
Huguenots,  who  during  revolutionary  or  relig- 
ious disturbances  in  P"rance  emigrated  to  Ire- 
land and  thence  to  America. 

His  great-grandfather  was  Thomas  P\'rrier, 
who  was  born  in  1705,  and  died  in  1792. 
This  Thomas  removed  from  Connecticut  to 
Orange  County,  New  York,  settling  near 
Amity.  His  wife,  whose  name  in  maidenhood 
was  Hester  Lucky,  died  in  1796.  Their  fam- 
ily consisted  of  three  daughters  and  one  son  — 
Sarah,  Hester,  Jane,  and  Robert.  Sarah  mar- 
ried David  Perkins,  Hester  married  Benja- 
min Carpenter,  and  Jane  became  the  wife  of 
William  Owens. 

Robert  P\'rrier,  who  was  the  grandfather  of 
Thomas  E.,  and  who  succeeded  tn  the  posses- 
sion of  the  homestead  farm,  was  born  in  1762, 
and  died  in  1822.  He  married  Mary  Wilcox, 
said  to  have  been  of  German  ancestry,  who  was 
born  in  1764,  and  died  in  1S36.  They  had  a 
family  of  ten  children,  namely:   William,  born 


i(>(;r.\1'111(AI.  rkxiew 


in  1786,  who  died  in  1873;  Anna,  born  in 
17S8,  who  died  in  1.S5S;  J(.s<.].h  (lathLi- ..f  the 
subject  of  tills  sketch),  b.irn  in  1791,  who  died 
in  1S71;  'riioniiis,  born  in  1793,  who  died  in 
1839;  David,  wlio  was  born  in  1795;  Hester, 
i)orn  in  179S,  wlio  died  in  1S.S9;  lilizabeth, 
wild  was  born  in  i  Soo ;  Roliert,  born  in  iSoJ, 
whodied  in  1872;  Miehael  }.,  who  was  liorn  in 
1805;  and  Sarah  M.,  idirn  in  1807,  who  died 
in  iSji,  at  the  a-e  of  fourteen  years,  Will- 
iam marriet!  Hannah  Sanions,  and  settled  at 
Ypsilanti.      Mich.  Anna      married      Daniel 

Nanny,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Warwick, 
N.Y.  Joseph  married  Hannah  W.  lidsali,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Warwick,  N.  V.  Thomas 
married  Sarah  Dennison,  and  settled  on  the 
Ferrier  homestead.  David  married  Eliza  Cain, 
and  settled  first  in  Yates  County,  New  York, 
whence  lie  remo\-ed  subsecjuently  to  .Smibury, 
Delaware  County,  Ohio.  Hester  became  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Conkliii,  and  settled  in  \'ates 
County,  New  York.  I-:iizabeth  married  David 
Carr,  and  settled  at  Wantage,  Sussex  County, 
N.J.  Robert  ni  irrie.!  blmily  Tobey,  and  set- 
tled at  Dundee,  ^'ates  County,  N.Y.  Michael 
J.  married  Mary  Ann  Neighbor,  and  went  to 
reside  at  Swartswood,  Sussex  County,   N.J. 

Joseph  h'errier,  who  was  bmught  up  to 
agricultural  life,  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  the 
homestead.  His  wife,  in  maidenhood  Hannah 
W.  Kdsall,  was  of  luigli.sh  ancestry.  They 
reared  the  bdlowing  children  :  J.ihn  M.,  born 
in  1 816.  marrieil  I'rances  Cideman  in  1 84 1, 
and  died  in  1.S4:;  as  the  residt  (if  an  ac- 
cidi'ut.  Sarah  M.,  born  in  iSiS,  who  married 
Matthew    liailey   in    1 S40,  after    liis    death    i)e- 


canie  the  wife  of  James  Thompson  in  1S62,  died 

August  10,  I S99.  Tliomas  1{. ,  born  in  iSji, 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Louisa,  iiorn 
in  1824,  married  Cornelius  J.  Jones  in  1845, 
and  after  his  death  married  for  her  sec- 
cmd  husband  William  Walling.  She  died  in 
185S.  Almira,  born  in  1827,  married  t^n'- 
nelius  J.  I.aziar  in  1.S44,  and  is  still  living. 
Kdsall,  i)orn  in  1831,  married  Anna  M.  Hum- 
mel ill  1859,  and  is  now  one  of  the  faculty 
of  Lafayette  Cdlege  at  Kaston,  I'a.  Robert, 
born  in  1835,  mariietl  Cecelia  D.  Jones,  and 
died  in   1877. 

Thomas  !■:.  I'errier  when  in  his  fifteenth 
year  left  home  and  went  to  lulenville,  where 
he  remained  two  and  a  half  }ears,  working  in  a 
country  store.  He  then  attended  the  district 
school  for  a  year,  after  which  he  taught  school 
for  a  year  at  Bellvale  in  the  town  n\  Warwick. 
Then,  returning  home,  he  was  emplo\ed  tlur- 
ing  the  summer  of  1840  on  his  father's  farm. 
fn  the  fall  of  that  year  he  left  home  for  a  trij) 
through  the  West  with  the  view  of  gaining  a 
knowledge  of  the  countr}-  and  of  possibly  find- 
ing a  desirable  place  in  which  to  settle.  Rail- 
roails  weie  few  in  those  da\s  ;  and  much  or 
most  of  liis  jouiiie}'  was  made  b\'  steamboat, 
c.inal,  or  stage.  Going  to  Newbing,  he  trav- 
elled by  steamboat  to  Albany,  ami  thence  to 
Jiuffalo  by  way  of  the  luie  Canal.  After 
spending  a  da_\-  or  two  at  ISuffalo  and  Niagara 
Falls,  he  went  by  steamboat  on  Lake  I'jie  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  thence  by  canal  toColum- 
bus,  ( )hio.  Then,  after  staying  a  few  days  with 
an  uncle  at  Sunbury,  he  took  the  stage  from 
Columbus  to  Da)ton,  anil  from   there   travelled 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


by  canal  to  Cincinnati.  From  that  place  he 
went  by  steamboat  on  the  Ohio  River  to  Louis- 
ville, Ky. ,  where  he  stojiped  for  a  few  days, 
and  then  went  by  boat  clown  the  Ohio  to  the 
Mississijjpi  and  u]3  that  river  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  in  which  city  he  remained  for  two  weeks. 
From  St.  Louis  he  went  on  up  the  river  to 
Ouincy,  111.,  and  after  looking  about  in  that 
neighborhood  for  a  week  or  two  he  took  a 
school  in  Pike  Count}-,  which  he  taught  until 
the  following  spring.  He  then  returned  home 
by  way  of  the  Alississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers  to 
Pittsburg,  and  through  Pennsylvania  and  New 
Jersey,  partly  by  canal  and  partly  by  rail,  to 
New  York  Cit}-,  and  thence  to  Newburg  by 
boat,  arriving  home  in  April,  1S41.  He  then 
resumed  work  on  his  father's  farm,  following 
that  occupation  during  the  summer  and  teach- 
ing school  in  the  winter  in  the  neighboring 
school  districts.  In  1S45,  when  in  his  twenty- 
fifth  year,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  John  W.  and  Dorothy  Wheeler  (Rogers) 
Vandererf,  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  ninety 
acres,  adjoining  his  father's,  which  had  for- 
merly formed  a  part  of  his  grandfather's  home 
stead.  Here  he  followed  an  agricultural  life 
for  twenty  }ears.  Then,  selling  out,  he  re- 
moved to  Catskill,  N.  Y. ,  where,  in  company 
with  his  brother  Robert,  who  had  preceded 
him  to  that  place  by  about  five  years,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  brick.  Shortly 
afterward  they  enlarged  their  sphere  of  opera- 
tions by  engaging  in  building  in  Brooklyn, 
N.Y.,  Robert  removing  to  New  York  to  look 
after  their  interests  there,  while  Thomas  re- 
mained at  Catskill    to    superintend   the   manu- 


thc 


facture  and  shipping  of  the  bricks.  At 
great  financial  panic  of  1873,  which  proved 
very  disastrous  to  their  building  operations, 
Robert  returned  to  Catskill  in  very  poor 
health,  and  soon  afterward  died.  Thomas,  hav- 
ing previously  purchased  his  brother's  interest 
in  the  brickyard  and  other  projierty,  continued 
to  carry  on  business  alone  until  1SS2,  when  he 
took  his  son-in-law,  Percival  Golden,  into  part- 
nership; and  the  firm  has  since  been  conducted 
under  the  name  of  Ferrier  &  Golden.  Mr. 
Ferrier  has  been  a  director  of  the  Catskill 
National  Bank  for  the  last  twenty  years  or  more, 
and  is  now  vice-president  of  that  institution. 
He  is  president  of  the  Catskill  Building  and 
Loan  Association  and  treasurer  of  the  Catskill 
Rural  Cemetery  Association.  He  is  also 
largely  interested  in  the  Catskill  Knitting- 
Mill,  owning  a  three-eighths  interest,  which 
concern,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important 
in  the  town,  gives  employment  to  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
hands. 

Mr.  Ferrier  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  In 
1 885  he  was  elected  Supervisor  of  the  tow-n, 
and,  being  subsecjuently  re-elected  to  the  same 
office,  served  therein  for  five  years.  He  also 
was  elected  County  Treasurer,  in  which  office 
he  served  three  )-ears,  declining  a  renomination 
on  account  of  advancing  age,  he  being  then  in 
his  seventy-fifth  )-ear.  In  religion  a  Presbyte- 
rian, he  has  been  for  a  number  of  3-ears  a  trus- 
tee and  Elder  of  the  church  of  that  denomina- 
tion in  Catskill.  His  reputation  is  that  of  a 
business  man  of  more  than  average  ability  and 
of  the  strictest  integrity,  and  also  that  of  a  cit- 


IJlOOKArilK  Al,    Ki:\  IKW 


i/A-n  who   has  rcndcrccl    useful    service    to    the 

ten  year.s    in   Gilboa,  where  he  was  one   of  the 

town  and  wiiose   aitl    and    influence   can  always 

leading    farmers    and    a    citizen    of    influence. 

bo  counted  upon  in  favor  of  any  practical  meas- 

Possessing   considerable    legal    knowledge,    he 

ures  tor  the  moral  or  ])h\sical  betterment  of  the 

transacted  law  business   to   some  extent  for  his 

community- 

neighbors,  h\-    whom    he   was   highl\-  esteemed. 

Mr.  anil  Mrs.    l-"eriier  have  been    tlie    |)arents 

At  his  death    he    left  his  widow,   whose  maiden 

of   three  children,   namely:    Hannah  j-lizabeth, 

name    was    Rachel  Ward,  with  four  children  — 

born    in    May.     1S41;,     who    married     in     1S72 

Orman  West,  Julia  Ann,   David,  and  William. 

Hiram    W.    Lane,  and    has   one   child.    Herbert 

She   subsequently    married    again,    and    b\-    her 

A.    i.ane.  horn    in     1.S70:     Willis    Wentworth, 

second    husbaiul,    George    Hughson,    had    four 

born    in    October,    1.S50,   who   died    in    iSji,  as 

sons  —  John    C. ,  (jcorge,  Cephas,   and    Robert. 

the  result    of   an   accident;   and  Mary  Wheeler, 

John  C.   Hughson  left   home  at  the  early  age  of 

born  in   ICS54,  who  marrietl    I'ercival    (iolden  in 

sixteen  years,  and    after  woi'king   <iut    for  a  few 

1S75,    ami  has    had    tour   children  —  Lizzie    F. 

years  he  became  interested  in  the   liuuber  busi- 

(lolden, born  in   iS-6.   wh.idied  in   iSS's,    Wil- 

ness.      He  died  a  millionaire. 

lis  1'.   Golden,  born  in   1SS2,  May  ^hirshall  and 

David    West,    Jr.,    was   born    September  2-], 

Mabel  French  (".olden,  twins,  born  in  18X7. 

1S13,  and  died  June  12,    1SS3.       He  was  reared 

on   a   farm,    and    was   engaged    in    agiicidtural 

]nnsuits   to   a   greater  or  less  extent   during  his 

I^UAII    Hi]5HLl-:    WI'ST,    a   welLknown 

entire    life.       Having    a    natural     a])titude    for 

|=?      apiarist    ol    Middleburg,   N.V.,    is   one 

mechanics,  he   also   worked   at    the   carpenter's 

^*— '  ot    the    l.u-i^est   honey   producers   of 

trade    in    his    early    manhootl.       riu'chasing    a 

Schoharie    County    and    with    but    two    excep- 

tract of  woodland,  he  cleared  a  space,  on  which 

tions  the  largest    in    the    entire   .State,   if  not  in 

he  biult    his    fii'st   tlwelling,  and  in  a  few  years 

the  Union.       He    was   burn    i\Lirch    5.    1.S45.   in 

he  erectetl  a  fine  set    of   other  fi'ame   buililings. 

the    neighboring   town    of    (iilboa,     the    birth- 

Thereafter he  attended  to  the  cidtivation  of  his 

place    ol    his    father,     David    West,     Jr.       His 

lanil  imtil  liis  death,  at  the  age  of  si.xt\-nine. 

great-grandfather   West,    who    came,    it    is    be- 

He   married    -March   20,    1.S40,   Celinda    Dib- 

lie\-ed from    Lngland,  was   one  of   the  original 

ble,  daughter   of    Noah   and    Abigail   (Cri])])en) 

.settlers   of    C.ilboa,    whither    he    reniowd    fioni 

Dibble.       Her  paternal  grand|)arents  were  Dan- 

Connecticut   in     Colonial    times,    coming   here 

iel    and    Lois    (I'omeru)-)    Dibble,    the    grand- 

when the  country  was  a  wooded  wilderness  and 

mother    the    daughter    of    D.uiiel    I'.ir.-.eroy,    a 

rearing   the   small    log    cabin    in  which    he  ami 

Re\-olutionar\'    soldier.      The    parents    of     Ce- 

his family  first  found  shelter. 

linda    Dibble  had  ten  children,  three   of   whom 

David    West,    Sr..   the   grandf.ither   of    Noah 

sinvi\e,     namel\-:   Jane,     born     in     1S20;   Abi- 

D., spent  the  larger  jiart   of    his  threescore  and 

gail,     Ixnn     111     1S22;    and    Amanda,     burn    in 

BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1826.      Noah  Dibble,  who  served  as  a  soldier 

home  farm  in  Gilboa.      At  the  ago  of  twenty 

of  the  War  of   1812,  was  a  carpenter  in  Mid- 

he    commenced    teaching    school,   and    he  was 

dleburg,  and   well   known   throughout  this  sec- 

thus   employed     in     his    native    town    for    ten 

tion  as  a  builder  of  saw-mills,  which  he  made 

terms.      He  also  assisted  in  the  management  of 

a  specialty.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-si.x 
years.  Mrs.  Abigail  Dibble  died  on  Septem- 
ber 12,  1869,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  six 
months,  and  nine  days.  In  religion  she  was 
a  Baptist.  David  West,  Jr.,  and  his  wife, 
Celinda,  were  also  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  Of  their  union  but  one  child  was 
born,  Noah  D. ,  the  special  subject  of  this 
biograph)'.  The  mother  was  born  on  February 
23,  1 81 7,  and  died  May  17,  1893,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years. 

As  mentioned  above,  Daniel  Pomeroy,  her 
grandmother  Dibble's  father,  great-great- 
grandfather of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
a  soldier  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
was  under  Washington,  and  it  is  related  that 
the  General  on  parting  gave  him  his  cane  as 
a  keepsake.  This  cane  Daniel  Pomeroj'  gave 
to  his  daughter  Lois  (Mrs.  Daniel  Dibble), 
with  the  request  that  she  should  hand  it  down 
to  her  eldest  son,  Noah  Dibble,  to  be  always 
kept  in  the  Dibble  family,  held  by  the  eldest 
son  of  each  succeeding  generation.  From 
Noah  Dibble  the  Washington  cane  passed  to  his 
eldest  son,  Ichabod  Dibble,  brother  of  Ce- 
linda; from  Ichabod  to  his  eldest  son,  Sylves- 
ter; and  at  the  death  of  Sylvester,  leaving  no 
son,  it  came  into  the  possession  of  his  brother, 
Jesse  Dibble,  its  present  owner,  who  is  a  cou- 
sin of  Noah  Dibble  West,  the  special  subject 
of  the  present  biography. 

Noah    D.     West    grew    to   manhood    on    the 


the  home  farm  until  attaining  his  majority, 
when  he  took  possession  of  a  few  of  its  acres, 
and  turned  his  attention  to  the  culture  of  bees, 
an  industry  in  which  he  had  been  interested 
from  boyhood.  Ten  years  later  he  bought  his 
present  farm  of  ten  acres,  located  two  miles 
from  the  village  of  Middleburg,  on  the  road  to 
Catskill.  Here  he  has  continued  his  chosen 
work,  from  year  to  year  enlarging  his  opera- 
tions. 

After  his  parents"  death  he  came  into  full 
possession  of  the  old  farm  of  one  hundred 
twenty  acres,  formerly  owned  by  himself  and 
father  together;  and  since  the  death  of  his 
father  he  hss  bought  and  now  owns  three  ad- 
joining farms,  including  in  all  four  hundred 
acres.  All  this  land,  then  covered  by  a  dense 
forest,  was  once  the  property  of  his  grand- 
father, David  West. 

In  his  five  bee  yards  Mr.  \\'est  has  five  hun- 
dred swarms  of  bees,  which  produce  annually 
from  eight  to  ten  tons  of  honey.  This  he  sells 
in  the  leading  cities  of  New  York  and  New 
England  at  the  highest  market  price.  He  has 
made  a  special  study  throughout  his  life  of  bees 
and  their  habits,  and  in  his  efforts  to  obtain  the 
best  results  from  bee-keeping  at  the  least  possi- 
ble cost  he  has  invented  and  patented  a  spiral 
wire  queen-cell  protector  and  a  spiral  wire 
queen-cage,  which  have  proved  of  great  value. 
Although  these  inventions  have  been  before  the 
public  but  a  little  more  than  seven  years,  they 


iii()(;rai'I1Ic.\l    kkvikw 


are  in  ilcniand  ihroiij^hoiit  the  LJnitctI  States,  in 
Canada,  in  Kngland  — ■  in  fact,  in  all  ])arts  of 
tlie  wf)rld  ;  and  lie  is  ciirryin,^'  i)n  a  \er\  snbstan- 
ti;il  business  as  the  sule  in:nuitactLirer  ut  these 
articles.  ]-"iir  tliree  successive  )ears  he  was 
chosen,  and  i)aid,  In  act  as  jiulj^e  on  the  differ- 
ent races  of  bees  anil  of  honey,  bee  ajjpliances 
and  bee  literature,  at  the  New  bjiKhiiul  fairs 
held  at  Albany,  on  which  occasions  a  large  va- 
riety of  apiarian  .i^noils  was  disphued  and  lar.ge 
])4eniiunis  awarded.  On  jidv  ii,  1 1S99,  lie 
leceived  the  appointment  of  bee  inspector  for 
the  State  of  New  \'ork. 

He  is  a  Republican  and  a  I'robibit  ionist  in 
politics  and  an  active  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has  been 
class  lender,  a  teacher,  and  tiie  su|)erintendent 
of  its  Sunday-scho,,l. 

Mr.  West  m;irried  June  23,  1867,  Sarah  A. 
liaskin.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Joshua  Maskin 
and  a  grand-dauj;hter  of  Moses  and  Hanah 
(Halt)  Haskin.  natives  of  Dutchess  County. 
Her  grandparents  were  pioneer  settlers  of 
]5roome,  N.  \'.  The)'  reared  fifteen  children, 
one  (jf  whom  is  yet  living,  Joshua.  The 
grantlmother  was  a  Ouaker  in  her  religious  be- 
lief. J..sluia  Haskin  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  Hroome  until  1S71,  when  he  rem(j\-ed  to  the 
town  of  .Maine,  Hro.ime  Cumty,  where  he  has 
a  fine  farm  of  one  hinulred  acres.  b'ormerly 
a  Democrat  in  iiolitics,  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  since  the  Rebell- 
ir,n.  He  has  served  as  Assessor  and  as  Over- 
seer of  the  I'oor.  He  married  Deborah  A. 
Hugbson,  daughter  of  Nich.das  and  Charlotte 
(Duncan)    Huglison,    formerly    of    lirounie,  but 


later  of  Norwich,  Chenango  County.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hiighson  had  ten  children,  of  whom  four 
are  living,  namely:  Deborah  A.,  now  Mrs. 
Haskin;  Hiram  Hugbson;  Jane,  wife  of  John 
DeMoney;  and  Charlotte,  wife  .>f  Charles  M. 
Markel.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to  Joshua 
Haskin  and  his  wife  these  five  are  li\'ing: 
Sarah  A.,  now  Mrs.  West;  I-idwin  S.  ;  (iros- 
venor;  Alice  M.,  wife  of  Dr.  Dudley;  and 
Hiram  A.  All  except  .Mrs.  West  reside  in 
Rroome  C'ountv,  and  all,  with  their  jiarents, 
are  mendjers  of  the  Methodist  ]-:piscopal 
church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  West  have  eight  children; 
namelv,  (  )rman,  Ruth  .\.,  lulwin  IL,  Mima 
A.,  David  J.,  Alice  C,  Charles  D.,  and  Hat- 
tie  D.  The  four  younger  are  still  in  schtud. 
Orman  M.,  a  graduate  of  Middleburgh  Acad- 
em_\-  and  Union  College,  was  formerly  a  schoid 
teacher,  was  graduated  at  the  Drew  Theologi- 
cal .Seminar)-,  and  is  now  preaching  in  I'ort 
Coldeii,  N.J.  He  married  Dora  Dorman,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Dorman.  Ruth  married 
Delos  H.  C.ridley,  formerly  a  teacher,  farmer, 
and  bee-keeiier,  later  a  student  at  Drew  'J  heo- 
logical  Seminar)-,  now  preaching  at  Speeds- 
ville,  N.  ^'.  The)'  have  one  son,  X'ernon 
J.  :\Irs.  C;ridley  was  vice-president  of  the 
Women's  Christian  'femjierance  L'nion  at 
Madison,  N.J.  Kdwin  H.  West  married 
Sophia  .M.  Shafer.  He  was  in  his  earlier 
years  a  farmer,  interested  in  bee  culture,  also 
a  teacher;  and  after  his  graduation  from  the 
Middleburg  High  School  he  was  f,,r  a  time  a 
clerk  in  .Schenectady,  a  position  which  he 
resigned    to    become    a    member    of    the   police 


RIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


force  in  New  V,.:k  City.  I'lma  A.,  forniciiy 
a  tcaclicr  in  tiic  pulilic  scluxils,  is  tiic  wife  of 
]-'lnicr  ]?.  Wood,  of  Hroomc,  ami  has  one  son, 
Howard  C.  Mrs.  West  is  a  mcmlier  of  tlie 
W.  C.  T.  U.  ;  and  she  and  all  of  her  children 
are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  of  the  Sunday-school,  in  which  all 
the  ekler  children  have  been  teachers. 


§0H\  M.  CONOVER,  a  descendant  of 
an  old  Dutch  famil)'  of  repute  and  a 
representative  farmer  of  Duanesburg, 
Schenectady  County,  N.Y. ,  was  born  in  Glen, 
Montgomery  County,  this  State,  December  26, 
1839,  son  of  George  \V.  and  Sarah  M.  (Rad- 
ley)  Conover.  The  father  was  born  in  Elor- 
ida,  N.  Y. ,  in  1S12,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  the  same  town  in  iSiS.  The  name  was 
originally  \'an  Couwenhoven,  and  was  short- 
ened to  its  present  form  prior  to  the  birth  of 
the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  Its  bearers  were  prominent  among  the 
early  Dutch  families,  and  contemporaneous 
with  the  \'an  Rensselaers,  Van  Beekmans,  and 
other  Knickerbockers.  The  immigrant  pro- 
genitor was  one  Wolfret  Garretson  Wan  Cou- 
wenhoven, who  came  from  Amersfoort,  in  the 
province  of  Utrecht,  in  1630,  and  settled  in 
Rensselaerwyck.  He  was  employed  b)-  the 
Van  Rensselaers  as  superintendent  of  farms  for 
six  years;  and  in  June,  1636,  he  with  others 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  at  the  western 
end  of  Long  Island.  His  sons  were:  Gerrit, 
Jacob,  Derrick,   Peter,  and  John. 

Cornelius  V.  Couwenhoven,  the  great-great- 


grandfather of  Mr.  Conover  of  Duanesburg, 
was  born  in  1 7 1  o,  and  died  in  1S04.  He 
hail  seven  children;  namely,  John,  William, 
Peter,  Jacob,  Jane,  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  the 
great-grandfather.  Isaac  Conover  was  born 
I'Y^bruary  i  i,  1759.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Continental  arm}'  during  the  Rexdlution- 
ary  War,  antl  died  September  21,  1S45,  leav- 
ing several  children,  among  others  Marcus,  the 
grandfather,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  Oc- 
tober II,  1786.  Marcus  Conover  was  an  early 
settler  in  PTorida,  N.Y. ,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming,  and  was  a  leading  resident  of  that 
town.  His  last  days  were  spent  in  Illinois, 
and  he  died  in  June,  1844.  ^^^  married  Sarah 
L.  Schu\ier,  who  was  born  February  19,  1794, 
and  died  in  June,   1S45. 

George  W.  Conover,  son  of  Marcus,  was 
reared  in  P"lorida,  N.  Y. ,  and  received  his 
business  training  as  clerk  for  his  uncle,  John 
J.  Schulyer.  Later  he  was  admitted  to  part- 
nership, and  for  several  )'ears  the  firm  carried 
on  a  general  store  in  Amsterdam,  N.Y.  Re- 
linquishing business  on  account  of  failing 
health,  he  took  a  protracted  journey  by  team 
with  P'unis  I.  \'an  Derveer,  through  Pennsyl- 
vania, Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  passing 
through  Chicago  when  it  was  but  a  village, 
and  driving  as  far  West  as  the  Mississippi 
River.  He  returned  to  his  nati\'e  State  in  the 
same  manner,  much  benefitted  in  health,  and, 
resuming  mercantile  business  in  Auriesville, 
Montgomery  County,  he  remained  there  until 
1850.  Selling  his  store,  he  invested  in  real 
estate  both  in  this  State  and  the  West,  and, 
purchasing   in   1859   the  farm    in    Duanesburg, 


Ii8 


lilOGRAl'IIICAI.    RKVIEW 


which  his  son  now  owns,  he  ilevotcil  the  rest 
<jf  his  active  period  to  ai;ricultunii  iniisuits. 
In  politics  lie  originally  acte.l  with  the  \Vhij,'s, 
anil  with  the  niajoritx'  of  that  element  he  went 
into  the  ranks  of  the  Re|iLil)lican  part)  at  its 
Inrniation.  (ieor-e  W.  Cnnover  died  in  1S94. 
On  March  13,  1S39,  he  married  Saraii  I\I. 
Ka.lley.  .laughter  nf  J  dm  1'.  and  Anna  (Clay- 
ton) Kadley,  <.f  Florida,  N.V.  Her  grand- 
father, l'hili|]  Radlc}-,  was  an  earl)-  settler  in 
that  town,  and  he  lived  to  reach  a  good  old 
age.  'I'he  Radle\-  farm  was  inherited  by  John 
1'.  Raclley,  who  occupied  it  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  November  2-j,  1S62,  his  wife 
having  died  March  22,  1S55.  Mrs.  Sarah 
ConoNcr  is  still  living,  antl  resides  at  the 
homestead  near  the  Scotch  church.  She 
reared  but  one  son,  John  M.,  the  subject  of 
this   sketch. 

John  M.  ConoN'er  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Glen.  At  the  age  nf  twent}--onc  he  became 
associated  with  his  father  in  carr)ing  on  the 
home  farm,  and  after  his  father's  tleath  the 
farm  fell  to  his  ])ossession.  It  is  one  nf  the 
best  pieces  of  agricultural  property  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  grows  all  kinds  of  grain, 
cuts  a  large  quantity  of  hay  annually,  raises 
some  excellent  cattle  and  horses,  and  displays 
good  judgment  in  all  his  undertakings.  His 
residence  and  outbuildings  are  exceedingly 
desirable. 

On  October  5,  1864,  Mr.  Conover  marrieil 
for  his  first  wife  Anna  1!.  Van  Vechten,  who 
was  b.un  in  b'loiida,  \.V.,  IJecember  6, 
1S45.  She  died  March  12,  1884,  leaving 
three  children,  namelv  :   Archie    R.,   born   Sep- 


tember 23,  1866;  Mabel,  born  May  13,  1S74; 
and  Kdna,  born  May  20,  1877.  Archie  R. 
C"ono\ei',  who  was  graduatetl  from  L'nion  Cid- 
lege  in  1 889,  is  now  a  lawyer  in  .Amstertlani. 
He  married  Jessie  Dougall,  and  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Marion.  Mabel  is  the  wife  <if  the  Rev. 
F.  W.  McKee,  pastor  of  the  historic  Scotch  (or 
Unitetl  Presbyterian)  Church,  Florida,  N.V.  ; 
1  anil  Fdna  is  umiiarried.  (  )n  March  25,  1890, 
I  Mr.  C.nover  married  for  his  second  wife  Mary 
\\.  Smeallie,  who  was  born  in  I'riiicetnwn, 
N.V.,  February  ig,  1846,  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  (Milmine)  Smeallie,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  that  place.  ]5uth  par- 
ents were  born  in   1816. 

Politically,  Mr.  Conover  is  a  Re|)ublican. 
He  has  inherited  man\'  of  the  sterling  charac- 
teristics of  his  race,  whose  thrift}-  and  indus- 
trious habits  made  possible  the  development  of 
the  vast  resources  and  wealth  for  which  the 
lunpire  State  has  long  been  noted,  and  he  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud  <if  his  origin.  He  is 
a  meniber  of  the  United  rresbxterian  Church 
of  Fl.irida,  N.Y. 


HOMAS  J.  K1LMI-:R,  M.U.,  the  well- 
known  physician  of  Schoharie,  X.\'., 
was  born  in  Cobleskill,  this  county,  November 
22,  1833,  son  of  Daniel  and  Maria  (Shaffer) 
Kilmer.  He  is  of  Cierman  extraction,  and  a 
representative  ot  the  third  generation  of  his 
family  in  this  country,  being  the  grandson  of 
John  I.  Kilmer,  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
settled  in  Cble.skill  as  a  pioneer. 

John  1.   Kilmer   acquired  a  tract  of  land  con- 


T.    J.    KILM 


BIOGRAPHTCAL    REVIEW 


taining  five  hundred  acres,  a  considerable  [lor- 
tion  of  which  he  cleared  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses. Commencing  bis  farm  life  in  a  log- 
house,  he  later  built  a  frame  dwelling  near  the 
village  of  Rarnerville;  and  through  energ\- 
and  perseverance  he  became  one  of  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  of  Schoharie  County  in  his 
day.  Possessing  intellectual  powers  of  a  high 
order,  which  had  been  developed  by  a  good 
education,  he  became  the  owner  of  a  large 
library,  and  fostered  his  desire  for  knowledge 
by  continued  reading.  Being  of  a  religious 
turn  of  mind,  he  united  with  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  for  years  was  one  of  its  most  ac- 
tive members.  He  lived  to  be  ninety  years 
old.      He  had  a  family  of  six  children. 

Daniel  Kilmer,  the  Doctor's  father,  was  a 
lifelong  resident  of  Cobleskill  ;  and,  succeed- 
ing to  the  ownership  of  some  three  hundred 
acres  of  the  homestead  property,  he  became 
successful  as  a  general  farmer.  He  was  pro- 
gressive as  well  as  energetic,  and  not  only  kept 
up  with  the  times  in  the  way  of  agricultural 
improvements,  but  aided  in  developing  his 
neighborhood  b}-  the  erection  of  buildings. 
His  ability  and  sound  judgment  necessarily 
made  him  an  influential  factor  in  public 
affairs,  and  he  rendered  efficient  service  to  the 
town  as  Supervisor  for  some  time.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  His  wife,  Maria, 
was  a  daughter  of  John  I.  Shaffer,  who  at  one 
time  owned  the  land  which  is  now  occupied  by 
the  village  of  Cobleskill.  She  became  the 
mother  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  eleven 
are  living,  namely:  Augustus;  Josiah ;  Mar- 
garet,   wife    of     lilijah    Griffin;     Daniel    A.; 


Thomas  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  An- 
drew G.  ;  Syhcster  A.  ;  Chavmce\'  C.  ;  Jonas 
M.  ;  Aurelia,  who  married  XapoU-on  Pal- 
matier;  and  Delia,  wife  of  David  I.  Hoock  ^ 
all  of  whom  reside  in  this  State.  Mrs.  Maria 
S.  Kilmer  lived  to  be  eighty-three  years  old. 
The  parents  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 

Thomas  J.  Kilmer  acc|uired  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  town,  and  subset|Liently 
taught  two  terms  of  school  in  Cobleskill.  He 
assisted  in  carrying  on  the  home  farm  for  a 
time  prior  to  entering  upon  his  medical 
studies,  which  were  begun  at  Port  Crane  under 
his  brother's  direction.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  Eclectic  Medical  College,  New  York 
Cit}-,  in  1874,  and  was  afterward  associated 
with  his  brother  some  seven  years,  at  the  expi- 
ration of  which  he  came  to  Schoharie,  where 
he  practised  successful!}'  until  1888.  Estab- 
lishing the  Kilmer  Sanitarium,  he  continued 
in  charge  of  that  institution  until  failing 
health  caused  him  to  withdraw  from  its  man- 
agement in  1893.  His  success  at  the  sanita- 
rium, where  patients  are  received  from  every 
part  of  the  State,  has  given  him  a  wide  repu- 
tation as  a  skilful  physician.  Besides  attend- 
ing to  his  private  practice,  which  is  the  larg- 
est in  town,  he  prepares  several  effective 
remedies  which  ha\e  a  large  sale. 

In  1S54  Dr.  Kilmer  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Elmina  Palmitier,  a  native  of  this  town, 
daughter  of  John  H.  Palmitier.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Kilmer  have  had  four  children — Josiah,  Ira 
P.,  Julia  S  ,  and  Herbert.  The  last-named  is 
no  longer   living.      Josiah   and  Julia   S.  reside 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


;it  liniiie  witli  tliL'ir  pniciits.  Ira  P.  mnriied 
JiKiii  Xcthaway,  aiul  has  two  children  —  Strat- 
tnn  and  Miiia.  llerl)crt,  who  was  a  railroad 
man,  Iclt  a  widinv  and  hmr  children  —  Ardah, 
X.iah,  josiah,  and  Ilcihert. 

Dr.  Kilmer  is  a  nieniher  of  the  Schnharie 
and  Delaware  County  Pklectic  Medical  So- 
cietw  ol  which  tor  thiee  years  he  has  been  a 
censor.  lie  likewise  helongs  to  the  Masonic 
order.  lie  was  lornicrly  a  Deacon  and  a  class 
loader  of  the  Methodist  Kpiscopal  church  at 
Port  Crane,  and  the  faniilv  are  members  of  the 
same  relisiious  denomination  in  Schoharie. 


.\M.\\  r.  PKTTIXGII.L,  of  the  f^rm 
f  Malcolm  &  Co..  woollen  manufac- 
turers, Catskill.  X.Y. ,  was  born  in 
Florida,  Montgomery  County,  this  State,  on 
September  25,  1S47,  hi*  parents  being  David 
and  Jeannette  (McNee)  Pettingill.  His 
father's  family  is  of  English  descent. 

David  Pettingill,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  was  one  of  the  original 
promoters  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  rode  on  the 
first  boat  that  passed  over  the  waters  of  the 
canal  after  its  completion.  He  carried  on 
farming  to  some  extent,  and  also  was  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  in  .Amsterdam.  He 
spent  his  last  years  in  Amsterdam,  his  death 
occurring  there  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
His  wife,  Jeannette,  was  one  of  a  family  of 
ten  children.  She  was  born  in  Schenectady 
County,  this  State.  Her  father,  James  Mc- 
Nee, was  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland.  Im- 
migrating to  this  country,  he  lived  tor  a   time 


in  Schenectadv  County,  and  later  in  Montgom- 
ery Count}-.      He  died    in    ]\Iontgomery  County 
at  eighty-eir;ht  years  of  age.      His  wife,  wbo.se 
maiden    name  was    Ma.xwell,    was    of    Scottish 
descent.      David   and   Jeannette  (McNee)    Pet- 
tingill   had    eight    children,    namely:   Agnes; 
Mary  A.,    who    is   now   Mrs.    Millmine;   Will- 
iam;  Peter:   Klb,    who   is    now    Mrs.    Hager- 
man ;  Haman ;    Louisa,    now    Mrs.    Millmine; 
and  Anna.      The  mother  of  these  children  died 
j  at   the  age   of  si.xty-three.      Both   she   and   her 
I  husband    were    members    of    the    Presbvterian 
J  church. 

Haman  Pettingill  attended  the  public 
schools  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  began  learning  the  machinist's  trade. 
He  subsequently  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  jour- 
neyman in  Amsterdam,  and  later  in  West  Al- 
bany at  the  locomotive  works,  and  after  that 
was  seven  years  a  knitter  in  the  knitting-mill 
at  Amsterdam.  In  1SS2  he  became  a  partner 
of  Joseph  Malcolm,  a  sketch  of  whom  may  be 
found  in  this  work.  The  two  men  carried  on 
a  woollen-mill  in  Amsterdam  for  a  time,  and 
then  removed  to  Catskill,  the  present  company 
being  formed.  Mr.  Pettingill  has  charge  of 
the  machinery,  which  has  all  the  latest  im- 
provements. The  firm  manufacture  men's, 
women's,  and  children's  underwear,  every 
piece  produced  bearing  their  special  trade- 
mark. This  mark  is  known  to  all  experienced 
buyers  as  belonging  only  to  a  good  class  of 
garments.  About  a  hundred  and  seventy 
hands  are  employed. 

Mr.  Pettingill  has  been  twice  married. 
The  maiden  name  of    his   first  wife,  who  was 


STEI'IIKN     L.    MAIIA.M. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


born  in  New  Yurk,  was  Margaret  Morehead. 
The\'  were  marrietl  in  1877,  and  she  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-one.  His  present  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Isabel  Lusk,  was  born 
in  Coxsackie,  being  the  daughter  of  Gilbert 
and  Elizabeth  Lusk.  Mr.  Lusk  was  for  man}' 
years  one  of  the  well-known  merchants  of  Co.\- 
sackie,  and  later  of  Catskill.  Of  the  second 
union  one  child  has  been  born,  Charlotte. 

Mr.  Pettingill  is  a  member  of  Catskill 
Lodge  of  Masons,  No.  46S.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  Mrs.  Pettingill 
is  a  communicant  of  the  Episcopal  church. 


ON.  STEPHEN  L.  MAYHAM,  of 
Schoharie,  former  Presiding  Justice 
)f  the  Supreme  Court,  General 
Term,  Third  Department,  and  an  e.x-member 
of  Congress,  was  born  in  Blenheim,  N.  Y. ,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1826,  son  of  Jt>hn  and  Ik'tsey  (P'ergu- 
son)  Mayham.  He  represents  the  third  gener- 
ation of  the  family  founded  by  his  grandfather, 
Henry  Mayham,  who  emigrated  from  Ireland 
in  1790. 

Acquiring  a  tract  of  ft)ur  hundred  acres  of 
wild  land,  which  embraced  the  site  now  occu_ 
pied  by  West  Troy,  N.Y. ,  and  the  Watervliet 
Arsenal,  Henry  Mayham  cleared  a  portion  for 
agricultural  purposes  and  sold  the  remainder. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three.  His 
wife's  family  name  was  Welch. 

John  Mayham,  son  of  Henr)',  was  a  native 
of  West  Troy.  Locating  in  Plenheim  when  a 
young  man,  he  spent  the  rest   of   his    life  as   a 


prosperous  farmer,  his  death  occurring  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years.  He  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  political  and  religious  matters,  with- 
out aspiring  to  office,  although  he  ccmsentetl  to 
serve  as  Supervisor,  and  faithfully  performed 
the  duties  of  that  ofifice  for  several  terms.  He 
was  highly  respected  by  the  entire  conmiunity. 
His  intellectual  attainments  enabled  him  as  a 
public  speaker  forcibly  to  discuss  the  impor- 
tant issues  of  the  day.  He  married  Betsey 
Ferguson,  daughter  of  John  Ferguson.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  Coming  to 
this  country,  he  settled  at  Pine  Plains  and 
later  removed  to  Delaware  County,  where  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age.  John  Mayham  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
eleven  of  whom,  seven  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, grew  to  maturity.  Five  .sons  became 
professional  men.  Thomas  Mayham,  M.  D.,  is 
now  Mayor  of  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.  ;  another  son, 
who  was  a  physician,  died  in  that  State;  a 
third  was  County  Judge  of  P""ond  du  Lac,  and  is 
no  longer  living;  Stephen  L.  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  and  the  youngest  son,  Banks, 
who  became  a  noted  lawyer  in  Southern  Illi- 
nois, died  suddenly  at  Murphysboro,  111.  The 
mother  lived  to  be  sixty  years  old. 

Stephen  L.  Mayham  grew  to  manhood  in 
Blenheim.  As  a  youth  he  assisted  in  cultivat- 
ing the  home  farm  when  not  pursuing  his 
studies,  and  a  local  biographer  has  fittingly 
said  that  his  education  was  acquired  with  a 
book  in  one  hand  and  a  plough-handle  in  the 
other.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  started  in 
life  as  a  district  school  teacher.  Two  jears 
later  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Samuel  Jack- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


son,  who  at  tliat  time  was  located  in  Gilboa, 
and  afterward  became  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  for  the  l-"ourth  Judicial  District.  His 
legal  preparations  were  com])!ctc(l  in  the  office 
of  Love  &  Freer,  Ithaca,  \.  V.  ;  and  after  his 
admission  to  the  bar,  in  i.S4,S,  he  bc^'an  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Hlenheim.  His 
ability  as  counsellor  and  attorney  rapidly  as- 
serted itself,  with  the  result  that  he  soon  found 
himself  in  control  of  a  Jar.ije  ,L;eiier:>l  law  busi- 
ness. His  many  (lual  ilicat  ions,  not  the  least 
anion-  wliich  was  bis  personal  poini]arit\, 
made  him  esjiecially  eli-ihle  to  public  office; 
and  he  was  not  Ion--  |)erniittcd  by  his  felhiw- 
townsmen  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  his  pri- 
vate affairs. 

He  served  as  Superintendent  of  Schools  two 
years  and  as  Supervisor  three  \enrs;  was 
elected  District  Attorney  in  1S59  by  a  lar,L;e 
majority,  and  held  office  two  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1S62  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly. 
In  1866  he  accepted  as  a  forlorn  hope  the 
Democratic  nomination  for  Slate  Senator  from 
the  Fifteenth  District,  coniprisin--  the  counties 
of  Schenectady,  Schoharie,  and  Delaware; 
and,  although  realizing  his  expected  defeat,  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  reducing  the  Republican 
majority.  In  i,S'6,S  he  was  elected  to  liie 
Forty-first  Congress  in  tlie  Congressional  dis- 
trict comprising  Aliiany  and  Schoharie 
Counties,  and  in  iSj.S  was  elected  Representa- 
tive lo  the  I'orty-firth  Congress  from  the 
Thirteentii  District,  including  the  counties  of 
Schoharie,  Creene,  and  LMsler.  During  his 
first  term  lie  served  upon  the  Connniltees  on 
Private  Land  Claims  and    the    bi.xpeiiditures   of 


the  State  and  Post-office  Departments.  In  the 
Forty-fifth  Congress  he  was  assigned  to  the 
Committees  on  the  District  of  Columbia  and 
State  Department  Fxpenditures,  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  .Subconnuittee  on  \\'a\s  and 
Means.  His  conunittce  work  in  both  sessions 
was  laborious  and  efficient,  and  his  record  in 
the  national  House  of  Representatives  was 
irreproachaiile.  In  18X3  he  was  elected 
County  Judge  and  Surrogate  ..f  Schoharie 
County,  a  jiosition  which  he  held  until  ap- 
pointed by  (iovcrnnr  Hill  to  a  seal  upon  the 
Supreme  Hcnch ;  and  in  November,  iS.Sj,  the 
people  ratified  the  (iovernor's  choice  by  elect- 
ing him  for  ;i  full  term.  His  decisions,  which 
are  carefull\-  conceived,  have  been  in  perfect 
accoi'd  with  legal  icquircmenls  anil  generall)' 
sustained  Ijy  the  Court  of  Ajjpeals. 

Since  i,sr,2  the  Judge  has  resided  in 
Schoharie.  He  was  president  <if  the  Hoard  of 
Public  Education  for  eight  \ears,  and  was  the 
first  president  ol  the  Schoharie  X'alley  Rail- 
road Company.  Judge  Mayham's  scholaily 
attainments  and  ability  as  a  public  speaker 
have  adde<l  much  to  his  popularity,  which  ex- 
tends far  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  county. 
Since  his  retirement  from  the  bench  he  has 
been  associated  with  his  son  Claude  at  Scho- 
harie in  the  active  jiractice  of  his  ])rofession, 
and  is  often    called    ujion    to   act    as    referee    in 

eminently  tpialificd  him  tor  such  ]»isition. 

Judge  Mayham  married  Julia  Martin,  a 
gr,ind-dau,i;htcr  of  Cicneral  I-'recgift  Palihin, 
who  served  in  the  Continental  Army  dining 
the    Revolutionary    War.      Mrs.    Mayham    died 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


"7 


in  1S95,  aged  sixty-four  \enrs.  She  was  tiie 
mother  of  three  sons,  F.  :Matt,  Don  S., 
Claude  B. ,  and  one  daughter,  Ida  L. ,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  George  Manschaffer,  of  this 
town.  F.  I\Iatt  Mayham  was  a  prominent 
lawyer.  He  died  in  Schoharie  in  1889,  aged 
thirty-nine  years.  Don  S.  Mayham  studied 
law  with  his  father:  and,  after  serving  for  a 
time  as  clerk  of  the  Surrogate  Court,  he  en- 
tered the  Albany  Law  School,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  188S.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  the  same  year,  and  practised  with  his 
elder  brother  until  the  latter's  decease,  when 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  younger 
brother.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
served  as  clerk  of  the  State  Senate  in  1S92. 
He  married  IMary  B.  Borst,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Borst  and  grand-daughter  of  Ralph 
Brewster,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  this  locality 
in  his  day.  Dying  in  June,  1896,  at  the  age 
of  thirty-three  years,  Don  S.  ^Mayham  left  one 
son,  Stephen  L.  Mayham,  second.  Claude  B. 
Mayham  was  born  in  Schoharie  in  1868.  His 
early  education  was  completed  at  the  Schoharie 
Academy,  where  he  taught  for  two  years,  and 
began  the  study  of  law  with  his  brother.  He 
was  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in  the 
class  of  1 89 1,  with  the  degrees  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws  and  Bachelor  of  Philosophy,  and 
was  associated  with  Don  S.  ;\Layham  until 
1896.  For  a  short  time  he  was  in  partner- 
ship with  Lyman  S.  Holmes,  of  Cobleskill, 
in  Schoharie.  While  in  college  he  was  an 
all-round  athlete  and  captain  of  the  base- 
ball team.  He  was  also  president  of  the  lead- 
ing literary  society  and  a  member  of  the  Delta  | 


Upsilon  fraternity,  and  he  sang  in  the  Glee 
Club.  He  takes  a  leading  part  in  the  literary 
and  musical  matters  in  Schoharie,  and  is  i.nc 
of  the  most  popular  young  men  in  town. 


SRAEL  P.  UTTER,  a  leading  farmer 
and  representative  citizen  of  Oak  Hill, 
Greene  County,  was  born  in  this  town, 
on  a  farm  near  his  present  residence,  on  the 
second  da\-  of  December,  1829.  He  is  a  son 
of  Bani  Utter,  and  grandson  of  James,  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Utter  family  of  this  county. 

James  L'tter  was  born  in  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut. He  came  among  the  earlv  settlers 
to  this  section  of  New  York,  took  up  land,  and 
built  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  lived  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Shortly  before  his  removal  from 
Connecticut,  he  had  served  in  the  Continental 
army  in  the  Revolution.  His  wife,  whose 
name  was  Hannah,  was  born  in  Spencer,  Conn. 
She  came  on  horseback  through  the  wilds,  he 
walking  beside  her.  Of  the  eight  children 
born  to  her,  none  are  living.  She  died  at  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-five,  and  her  husband 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three.  Both  were 
lifelong  Presbyterians. 

Bani  Utter,  above  named,  was  born  in  Oak 
Hill,  not  far  from  where  his  son  now  lives, 
and  spent  his  whole  life  here.  He  helped  his 
father  build  a  saa-mill.  This  mill  was  car- 
ried away  by  rising  waters,  and  he  subse- 
quently built  another,  which  he  operated  for 
many  years.  He  engaged  in  farming  on  the 
farm  where  he  was  born,  and  he  helped  to 
build    the   old   Utter  house,  which,  previous  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


its  destruction  by  fire  in  US94,  was  one  of  tiio 
landmarks  of  the  place.  Hani  Utter  died  in 
the  old  house  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Cynthia  Stan- 
nard,  was  the  dauj^diter  of  Mliakim  Stannard, 
wild  was  a  ]>i(ineer  settler  in  Durham,  X.\'., 
Cuming  from  Connecticut.  She  died  at 
sevent)-eii,dit  years  of  age.  Of  her  ten  chil- 
dren, Allied.  Kuth,  and  I.\nian  are  deceased. 
Alfred  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  and 
lost  his  life  while  in  service.  'I'he  living 
children  are:  Julia,  now  Mrs.  Whilmore;  Is- 
rael; I.<.uisa,  now  Mrs.  Taylor;  Almeran; 
Kliakim;  Adelaide;  and  Addison.  Both  par- 
ents were  Methodists. 

Israel  Utter  in  his  boyhnod  attended  the 
common  schools  of  liis  native  town,  ami  when 
not  occupied  wilii  his  lessons  helped  his  father 
on  the  farm.  Later  lie  worked  on  tlie  farm  on 
shares  for  a  time,  Init  eventually  he  inuchased 
the  farm  adjoining  the  one  where  he  now  li\'cs. 
After  having  operated  that  successfully  for  a 
number  of  years,  he  bought  his  present  place 
and  iiuilt  his  handsome  residence  and  the  other 
buildings.  All  these  are  thoroughly  well 
built,  and  the  barns  and  outbuildings  arc 
thoroughly  equijijied  for  carrxiug  on  farming 
in  accordance  with  the  latest  and  most  a|)- 
proved  methods.  Mr.  I'lter  now  owns  the  two 
farms,  embracing  about  two  hundred  and  si.xtv 
acres.  He  devotes  his  time  chietlyto  dairy- 
ing, making  butler  for  the  Xew  Vuik  markets. 

.Mr.  Utler's  marriage  took  i)lace  in  1.S55, 
his  wife  l)eing  Caroline,  the  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Hannah  (Xilcs)  Tompkins.  Mr.  Tom], 
kins  spent    his   life  on  a  faim  in  this  town,  and 


died  here  at  the  age  of  si.vty-four.  He  and  his 
wife  weie  (jroni incut  mendjcrs  of  the  Meth- 
odist church,  anil  he  held  nimierous  official 
positions  in  the  cluircii.  Mrs.  Tompkins,  who 
was  born  in  Coe\nians,  X.'S'. ,  lived  to  l)e 
ninety-three  years  of  age.  Of  the  children 
born  to  her,  the  foil,, wing-named  are  living: 
Mary,  who  nuirried  Kufus  (iifford;  Ann,  who 
married  James  Gifford;  William,  who  is  in 
California;  Sarah,  wlio  married  Alexander 
Lounsbur\-;  Mrs  Utter,  who  was  born  on 
June  12,  i,S34;  I.ibby,  the  wife  of  i'hih, 
Wicks;  and  Xiles  Tompkins,  who  resides  on 
the  Tomjikins  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Utter  have  had  two  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infanc)'.  Their  d:uighter 
.Alice  married  ]{lwin  llaskins,  only  son  of 
farmer  Henry  llaskins  of  this  town.  She  has 
five  children —  Dora,  Utter,  Henry,  Kdison, 
and  Paul — all    of   them    being  now    in    school. 

In  ]iolitics  Mr.  Utter  is  a  Republicim,  as 
was  his  father  before  him.  He  takes  not  only 
a  warm  interest,  but  an  active  jiart  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  town. 
I-"or  nine  years  he  was  an  Assessor,  being  three 
times  re-elected,  and  for  one  year  he  w:is 
chairman  of  the  Hoard.  In  iSS'i  and  i.S,S2  he 
was  Sujiervisor  of  the  town.  b'or  thirty-five 
years  he  has  been  a  mendicr  of  the  Methodist 
church,  and  for  the  i)ast  tliirty  ye:us  he  has 
been  one  of  its  trustees,  a  steward,  and  ciass 
leader.  The  Sunday-school  has  always  had 
his  warm  and  e:u'nest  su])port,  and  he  luis  been 
both  teacher  and  superintendent.  His  wife 
and  daughter  h:ive  ;ilso  been  workers  in  botli 
church    and    Sunday-school,  and    the    latter  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


129 


sung  in  the  choir  nnd  pjnyed  the  organ.  Mr. 
letter  is  one  of  tlie  most  ostcenied  citizens  of 
liis  town. 


§AME;S  S.  ST  a  ley,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Sharon  Springs,  was  born  in  Flor- 
ida, N.  V. ,  March  20,  1825,  son  of 
Henry  I.  and  Sarah  B.  (IMcDonald)  Staley. 
His  maternal  ancestors  were  Irish  Protestants, 
and  his  mother  came  to  America  when  she  was 
four  \-ears  old.  The  Staleys  are  of  Dutch 
origin,  and  the  name  was  originally  spelled 
Stael.  The  first  Stael,  or  Staley,  in  America, 
settled  in  Florida,  when  that  section  of  the 
State  was  mostly  a  wilderness,  and  he  resided 
there  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  wife's  peo- 
ple, who  came  from  Germany  to  New  Jersey, 
sold  her  for  a  sum  sufficient  to  pay  for  their 
passage  over,  and  he  worked  to  purchase  her 
freedom. 

Jacob  Staley,  James  S.  Staley's  grandfather, 
was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Florida,  and  fol- 
lowed general  farming  during  his  acti\e  years. 
He  had  a  family  of  si.\  children,  including 
Henry,  Valentine,  Oliver,  Betsey,  and  two 
other  daughters.  Betsey  became  Mrs.  Blood. 
Valentine  and  Henry  succeeded  to  the  owner- 
ship of  the  homestead,  which  contained  about 
two  hundred  acres.  Valentine  afterward  moved 
to  Genesee,  N.  Y.  Both  the  grandparents  and 
great-grandparents  were  members  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  church. 

Henry  I.  Staley,  James  S.  Staley's  father, 
was  reared  at  the  homestead  in  Florida.  Pur- 
chasing his  brother's  interest,  he  cultivated 
the  property  for  a   number  of  years.      Selling 


to  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  lilnod,  and  coming 
to  Sharon  Springs  in  1S33,  lie  bought  the  J. 
Cady  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres, 
which  he  occu]3ied  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
well-known  .stock-raiser,  owned  good  horses, 
and  was  noted  as  an  excellent  judge  of  these 
animals.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
Henry  I.  Staley  died  in  1S70.  He  was  the 
father  of  ten  children;  namel)-,  Jacob,  Valen- 
tine, F'anny,  Ann  Plliza,  William  H.,  John, 
James  S. ,  Robert,  Sarah,  and  Alexander. 
Fanny,  William  H.,  John,  Robert,  and  Sarah 
are  no  longer  living.  Valentine  resides  at 
Sharon  Springs;  Alexander  occupies  the  home- 
stead; Ann  Eliza  is  the  widow  of  William 
Othman,  late  of  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.  ;  and  Sarah 
was  the  wife  of  Peter  Spraker. 

James  S.  Staley  was  fitted  for  college  at  the 
Ames  Academy,  but  was  prevented  from  pur- 
suing a  classical  course  by  an  accident  which 
seriously  affected  his  eyesight.  He  was  how- 
ever, enabled  to  turn  his  attention  to  educa- 
tional pursuits,  and  after  teaching  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  this  locality  for  twelve  years 
he  went  to  New  York  City,  where  for  four 
years  he  had  full  charge  of  Leake  and  Watts 
Orphans'  School,  having  the  aid  of  three  assis- 
tants. That  position  he  was  forced  to  resign 
in  order  to  undergo  treatment  for  his  eyes. 
Having  spent  nine  months  under  the  care  of 
a  .skilful  specialist,  he  returned  to  Sharon 
Springs.  He  continued  to  teach  school  until 
1S58,  when  he  purchased  the  Hunt  farm, 
which  contains  about  ninety  acres  and  was  for- 
merly a  part  of  his  brother  \'alentine's  prop- 
erty.     He   was  at   one    time  quite  extensively 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


cngaj^cd  in  raisiiij;  Imjis,  luil  iinw  dcvntcs  liis 
atteutiun  tn  ,:;ci)cral  and  dair\-  farming  and 
fniit  •  j^iuwing.  lie  act|uirc'd  considerable 
Ijroniincncc  in  public  affairs  during  bis 
younger  days,  serving  as  Su])erinlendenl  of 
Schools  three  years,  Ciminiissioner  of  High- 
ways two  terms,  Railroatl  Commissioner  three 
years,  and  Supervisor  one  )ear. 

Mr.  Staley  married  Ann  K.  Hodge,  of  the 
town  of  Canajoharie,  daughter  of  Isaac  G. 
Hodge.  Her  father  was  formerly  a  well- 
kiKnvn  figure  in  public  affairs,  and  a  leading 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  which  he 
bellied  to  organize.  His  family  consisted  of 
four  sons  anil  se\-en  daughters.  The  daughters 
were  all  graduated  from  the  Ames  Academy 
ami  iiualified  to  teach.  .Mrs.  Staley  taught 
school  foi-  some  }'ears  before  marriage.  Afr. 
and  Mrs.  Staley  have  one  son,  George  K.  He 
married  Minnie  Snyder,  daughter  of  Nathan 
Snyder,  and  has  two  children  —  Karl  and  .May. 

Mr.  Staley  belonged  to  a  lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows that  disbanded  many  years  ago,  and  he 
has  ne\er  joined  anothei'.  He  is  a  mendier  of 
the  .Methodist  Kpiscopal  clnucb,  in  which  he 
has  served  as  steward,  class  leader,  and  in 
other  cajiacities.  He  is  n<iw  a  trustee,  and 
superintendent  of  the  .Sunday-school,  and  a 
well-known  worker  in  the  cause  of  religion, 
temperance,  and  morality. 


V'^X)/  \IAA.\-S\    SAI.SHI'KGH,    a    prosper- 

\^^      <.us   agriculturist    of    liyndsville,    in 

the   town    of    Seward,    Schcibarie    County,    was 

born    in    Wright,   N.Y. ,  Uclober   22,     1835,    in 


the  same  house  in  which  his  father,  the  late 
I'hili]!  .Salsbergh,  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the 
light  of  this  world.  He  is  of  German  ances- 
try, being  a  great-giandson  of  Jacob  .Sals- 
l)ergh,  who  emigrated  from  (]eiinany  to  this 
coimtrv  when  a  \(iung  man. 

Jacob  .Salsbergh  located  in  llu'  town  of 
Wright  as  one  of  its  original  settlers,  and  took 
u]>  a  homestead  of  three  hundred  acres.  At 
the  time  he  reared  his  log  cabin  in  tlie  little 
o])ening  which  he  first  made  in  the  forest, 
there  were  no  ])aths  e.\ce|jting  the  Indian 
trails,  and  the  redskins  and  the  wild  beasts 
were  his  only  companions.  His  wife,  Win- 
ney,  who  lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of  one 
hmidred  and  one  years,  was  born  in  (Germany, 
where  she  spent  the  first  si.xteen  years  of  her 
life.  .She  came  to  .\merica  then,  poor  in 
|)ocket,  and  for  six  \eai-s  after  iier  arrival  in 
iMshkiU,  X.V.,  worked  to  pay  for  her  passage 
across  the  ocean. 

John  .Salsbergh,  the  grandfather  of  William, 
was  born  in  the  little  log  house  in  the  town  of 
Wright  in  which  his  |)arents  made  their  home, 
and  on  attaining  his  majority  was  given  pos- 
session   of   a   [lortion   of   the  original  farm.    He 

Seward,  where  he  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-four.  His  wile,  .Margaret  Sternbergh, 
died  at  the  age  of  fourscore  years.  H(ith  were 
members  of  the  Kifoinicd  chuich. 

Their  .son,  Thilip  Salsbergh,  was  one  of  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  were 
brought  Uj)  on  the  home  farm,  and  I'duiated  in 
the  district  school.       He  inherited  a  portion  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  estate,  and  was  eni;agecl  in  tillinj;-  the  soil 
until  1S40,  when  he  removed  to  Seward,  and, 
buying  a  farm,  continued  his  chosen  vocation 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
He  was  held  in  high  resi)ect  as  a  man  and  a 
citizen,  and  was  jjarticularl)-  active  in  manage- 
ment of  the  affairs  of  the  Reformed  church,  in 
which  he  held  all  the  offices.  He  married 
Catherine  W'oolford.  Of  the  ten  children 
born  into  their  household,  eight  are  now  liv- 
ing, as  follows:  Margaret,  widow  of  Gilbert 
Shank;  Rebecca  W. ,  wife  of  Ira  Frazier; 
John  T.  ;  Catherine  M.,  widow  of  Christian 
Markley;  William,  the  subject  of  this  brief 
sketch;  Allen;  Jemima,  wife  of  Harlem 
Southworth  ;  and  Amanda,  wife  of  John  Mark- 
ley.  The  mother  passed  to  the  life  immortal 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

William  Salsbergh  received  a  common- 
school  education,  and  until  his  marriage 
worked  on  his  father's  farm.  He  then  bought 
his  present  farm  of  eighty-se\-en  acres.  By 
dint  of  persevering  labor  and  the  e.xercise  of 
good  judgment  he  has  made  of  it  one  of  the 
finest-improved  estates  in  this  locality.  The 
farm  buildings  are  substantial  and  well 
adapted  to  the  purposes  for  which  the)-  were 
erected.  He  carries  on  general  farming  with 
profitable  results,  each  season  raising  good 
crops  of  hay  and  hops.  At  the  Schoharie 
County  Fair  he  has  taken  premiums  for  his  ex- 
hibits. In  politics  he  is  a  steadfast  Republi- 
can. He  is  interested  in  all  enterprises  tend- 
ing to  benefit  the  town  or  count}-,  but  has 
never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office.  He 
is  a  liberal  supporter  of   the  Methodist  Episco- 


pal church,  (if  which  he  lias  bcrn  an  active 
member  for  years,  and  has  seivetl  faitiifully  as 
trustee  and  class  Icatler.  lie  has  also  been 
identified  with  its  Sunday-school,  of  which  he 
has  been  superintendent  a  number  of  terms. 

On  July  2,  1856,  Mr.  Salsbergh  married 
Emeline  Van  Tyle,  who  was  born  in  Seward, 
one  of  the  five  children  of  Daniel  R.  and  Han- 
nah (Guernsey)  Van  Tyle,  her  father  a  promi- 
nent farmer,  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 
citizens  of  Richmondville.  Mr.  and  r^Irs. 
Salsbergh  have  one  child,  a  daughter  Elva. 
She  is  married  t(j  Luther  Brumaguem,  and  has 
four  children —  Stewart,  Arthur,  Ernest,  and 
Floyd.  13y  a  former  marriage  to  Lawyer  O. 
Strander,  Mrs.  Elva  Ikumaguem  has  a  .son 
William.  He  has  been  adopted  by  his  grand- 
father Salsbergh,  and  is  now  known  as  Will- 
iam Salsbergh,  Jr. 


ICHAEL  O'HARA,  farmer  and 
boarding-house  keeper  at  Tanners- 
lle,  N.Y. ,  was  born  at  Croton 
Landing,  town  of  White  Plains,  Westchester 
County,  N.Y.,  February  7,  1850.  His  par- 
ents were  John  and  Julia  (Traver.s)  O'Hara, 
his  father  a  native  of  West  Meath  County,  Ire- 
land, and  his  mother  of  Queen's  County.  His 
grandfather,  Henry  O'Hara,  who  was  a  farmer, 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Ireland. 

John  O'Hara  came  to  America  when  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  arriving  here  during  the 
construction  of  the  Hudson  River  Railroad. 
He  located  at  Croton  Landing,  and  followed 
the    trade    of     a    brick-maker,    which    he    had 


DIOGRArmCAL    REVIEW 


IcMincil  in  Kiiglanil.  At  tlic  ciul  of  twenty- 
five  years  he  removeil  limn  Crotuii  Landing  U> 
Haines  Falls,  settling  on  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
ilrcd  and  fifty  acres.  During  his  latter  years 
he  conducted  a  boarding-house.  Politically,  he 
was  a  Democrat.  He  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty- 
nine.  Ills  wile,  Julia,  ami  four  of  their  si.\ 
children;  namely,  Henry,  .Michael,  William, 
and  Rosa,  are  still  living,  all  residents  of  this 
town.  The  other  two  children  were  Julia  antl 
Mary. 

Michael  O'Hara  came  to  Haines  Falls  with 
his  parents  when  si.\  years  of  a,i;e,  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  went  to  work  on  a  farm,  continu- 
ing there  until  his  marriage  in  1S7.S,  when  he 
inirchased  a  small  farm  of  two  acres,  on  which 
he  now  lives.  He  erected  all  of  the  buildings 
here,  and  soon  began  to  take  summer  boarders. 
The  house  is  located  one  mile  from  Tanners- 
ville,  on  the  road  to  Haines  Falls,  and  is 
about  the  same  distance  from  tjie  latter  place. 
It  is  called  Tannersville  Cottage,  is  situated 
on  an  elevation  twenty-two  hundred  feet  above 
sea  level,  and  commands  a  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  There  are  accommodations 
lor  thirty  people,  the  rooms  being  usually  oc- 
cuijied  during  the  entire  season. 

In  1S78  Mr.  UTlara  married  Miss  l':ila  T. 
Haskins,  a  native  of  Hunter,  thiughcr  of  John 
and  Mary  (McGinley)  Haskins.  Her  father, 
who  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  America 
when  a  young  man,  and  locating  at  Jewett  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  connection  with  the  tan- 
ner's trade.  He  died  there  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two.      Mr.     and    Mrs.     Haskins     had    a 


family  of  twelve  chiUlren,  si.\  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing; namely,  Rosa,  Mary,  Klizabeth,  Cather- 
ine. Jane,  and  Klla  T.  (Mrs.  O'Hara).  The 
mother  died  at  fifty  years  of  age.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  O'Hara  have  three  children  —  Herbert, 
Mary   Amelia,    and   John. 

Mr.  Ollara  is  a  Democr.it  in  politics.  He 
has  been  on  the  Town  Committee  several 
\ears,  serving  as  chairman  part  of  the  time, 
was  a  member  of  the  County  Committee  a 
number  of  years,  and  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
gressional Convention  in  iSyS.  He  was  Com- 
missioner of  Ilighwavs  six  years,  being  first 
elected  in  KS93,  re-elected  in  1894  for  two 
vears,  again  in  1 S96,  and  serving  until  1898. 
The  family  attend  the  Catholic  church,  in 
wiiich  they  are  activel}-  interested.  Mr. 
O'Hara  has  serveil  as  a  trustee,  was  a  member 
of  the  buikling  conmiittee,  and  contributes 
liberally  toward  its  support.  He  belie\-es  that 
one  of  the  best  methods  of  educating  his  chil- 
dren is  by  providing  them  with  good  books, 
and  his  ht)me  contains  a  well-selected  library. 
Mr.  O'Hara  at  one  time  owned  the  Hunter 
Turn|iike,  which  was  later  sold  to  the  town  of 
Hunter  and  is  new  a  free  road. 


§OIlX  -A.  CORDON,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  business  man  residing  in  Carlisle, 
.Schoharie  Comity,  was  born  in  Root, 
\.\'. ,  l'"ebruar\-  20,  1840,  son  of  Charles  and 
Mary  (Lyker)  (iordon.  The  family  is  of 
.Scotch  origin. 

Mr.   Gordon's  grandfather,  William  Cordon, 
came  to   New  Vurk   from    New  Jersex'  in    1802. 


JOHN    A.  GORDON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


■35 


Settling  upon  a  tract  of  wild  land  in  the  town 
of  Root,  containing  ninet\"-six  acres,  he  cleared 
a  good  farm,  upon  which  he  resided  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812,  and  for  many  years  afterward  he  took 
an  active  part  in  military  affairs.  His  chil- 
dren were:  David;  James;  Peter;  John; 
Charles;  Gilbert;  William,  who  died  young; 
Lydia;  Margaret.  Si.x  of  his  sons  became 
prosperous  farmers  in  this  State  and  reared 
families.  Gilbert  Gordon  was  a  physician, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  practised  his  profes- 
sion in  Newark. 

Charles  Gordon,  the  father  of  John  A.,  was 
a  native  of  New  Jersey.  Removing  to  Root 
with  his  father  and  the  other  members  of  the 
family  at  about  the  age  of  thirteen  )'ears,  he 
assisted  in  improving  the  homestead,  which 
eventuall)'  came  into  his  possession.  He  dealt 
quite  extensively  in  cattle  and  sheep,  sent 
large  quantities  of  wheat  to  the  Albany 
market,  and  was  known  as  one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising and  successful  farmers  of  his  day. 
At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  June 
22,  1S80,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years,  he 
was  one  of  the  largest  land-owners  in  town, 
his  estate  comprising  six  hundred  acres.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  took  no  part 
in  public  affairs  beyond  casting  his  vote.  He 
was  an  active  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church.  His  wife,  Mary,  became  the  mother 
of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  lived  to  ma- 
turity, namely:  Margaret;  Gertrude;  James 
H.  ;  Louisa;  Elizabeth;  John  A.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  ;  and  Jane.  Margaret  married 
Charles    Grantier,    and    is    no    longer    living; 


Gertrude  is  the  widow  of  Henjamin  Albaiigli, 
and  resides  in  Carlisle;  Louisa  married  Will- 
iam Colyer,  and  lives  in  Root;  and  Jane  is  the 
wife  of  Lorenzo  Gardinier,  of  Root.  Mrs. 
Mary  L.   Gordon  died  September  16,    1868. 

John  A.  Gordon  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  native  town.  He  resided 
at  the  parental  home  until  his  marriage,  when 
he  settled  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
acres  in  Carlisle  given  him  b}-  his  father.  He 
has  since  occupied  a  prominent  place  among 
the  leading  agriculturists  of  this  town.  He 
has  increased  his  estate  by  purchasing  more 
land  from  time  to  time,  being  now  the  owner 
of  about  three  hundred  acres,  which  he  devotes 
to  general  farming.  Although  hop  culture  is 
largely  carried  on  by  the  farmers  of  this  local- 
ity, he  has  never  engaged  in  it,  as  he  considers 
the  dairy  business  far  more  stable;  and  he 
realizes  excellent  results  in  that  branch  of 
agriculture.  He  owns  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
hardware  store,  was  originally  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal stockholders  in  the  cheese  factor}',  and  is 
now  the  sole  owner.  He  also  owns  some  valu- 
able real  estate  in  Argusville.  As  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  he  takes  a  lively  interest  in 
all  movements  calculated  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral prosperit)'  of  the  town. 

Mr.  Gordon  married  for  his  first  wife  Annah 
E.,  daughter  of  Martin  Gardinier.  She  bore 
him  three  children,  namel\- :  Minnie,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Clintiin  Liberal  Institute,  now 
organist  at  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church; 
Ostrom,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  and 
another  child,  who  died  in  infanc\-.  Minnie 
Gordon   was  married  on   October  26,  1S9S,  to 


•36 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


Henry  K.  Tcrbusli,  a  \v:i;;i)n  ni:iki.i'  of   Carlisle 

musician.      He  was  tlie   organizer  and  for  fift\- 

vill.i;,'c.        l-'or    his    sccoinl    wile    Mr.     (lonlon 

years   the   leader    of    Ford's   String   ]5and,    anil 

marrial   Sarah    l'.    Hill,  ilau-htcr   of    Hradtonl 

was  familiarly  known   as   "Uncle   Dave."      In 

Hill,  a  ])niminL-nt   man    of   this    SL-ctiun    of   the 

politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and    served  as  Tax 

cnnnty.       1-lnyd     H.,     the    (Hily    ehiUl     hnni    of 

Ccdlector   and    Cmstable.       He  resided    on    the 

this    imiim,    was    dniwned    at    the    a-e    (if    nine 

farm  now  occupietl  by  his  son,  and  dieil    at   the 

years. 

age    of     eight)'.        His    wile,     Abigail,     was    a 

A    DeniDcrat,    l)nt    nut   an   active   politician. 

daughter    of    William    b'aulkner,    an    Hnglish- 

Mr.   (;or(lnn  has   rendered    -ood    .service   to   the 

man.       Her  father  was  a  shoemaker  and  farmer. 

tovvn    in   a   piihlic   capacity,    ha\ing    filled    the 

and    was   prominently  identified    witli    pcditical 

olTices  of   Assessor  and    Trustee   of    the    School 

affairs,     having      been     elected     to     Congress. 

District,  and  havini,'  actetl  as   a    Justice   of   the 

:Mrs.   Abigail  Ford  died   at    the   age   of   thirty- 

Peace  for  the  past  ten  years.       He    is   president 

seven.       She  was  the  mother  of   three  children, 

of    the    Cemetery    Association,     was    the     first 

two   of   whom    are    living,   namely:   ICdwin    L. , 

Master   aiul    is    now    a    Trustee    of    .Ai-Liiisville 

the  subject   of   this   sketch;   and  Jeanette,  who 

Gran.i^e,   No.   297,  Patrons  of    Hushandry.      Ik- 

married   John    P.   Miller,  of  Jewett.      The  par- 

is   officially     connected    with     the     Methodi.st 

ents  were  members  of  the  Paiitist  church. 

I'lpiscopal     cluuch,     of     which     his     wife    and 

luhvin  L.   Ford  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth 

daughter  are  meniher.s. 

in   assisting  his  father,  and  also  in  woiking  by 

the  month    nu    farms  near   his   home.       In  1862 

he   enlisted   as  a   private    in   Company  F",   One 

^^^^umi  ^ 

Hundred  and   Twentieth  Regiment,  New  York 

yiuWlN    L.     1-()R1),     M.D.,    a    ])rominent 

\'olunteers,    for    service    in    the     Civil     War. 

JCL        ^  ])hysician   of    I,e.\iiii;-t-)n,    N.V.,   and 

Among  the  engagements  in  which  he  took  part 

a  veteran    of   the    Civil    War,   was  horn    on   the 

were   the   battles   of   Chancellorsvi  lie,    F'reder- 

farm  where   he   now    resides  Octoher  it,,    1S42, 

icksburg,     Gett)'sburg,     and     Culpepper.      He 

son   of    David   and    Abigail    (I-'aulkner)     Vn\\\. 

was   severely   wounded   at    (ietts\'lnirg,  anil  was 

His  paternal    grandfather,    Joel    I'or.l,  who  was 

in  the  hospital  three  months.      When  convales- 

a   nati\-e   of    Connecticut,    came   to    Lexington 

cent   he   was    detailed    as    hospital     nurse,    and 

with    an    o.x-team,  bringing   iiis    wife  and  three 

upon   his   reciAcry    he    rejoined    his    regiment. 

children,    and    making    his   way   by   the  aid   of 

He  was  taken  ]irisoner   at    Mine   Kim,  and  dur- 

marked   trees.       He    began    life   here    in   a   log 

ing  his  captivit)- was  confined  in  l.ibhy  Prison, 

cabin,  and  after  clearing   a    tract    of    land  built 

Helle    Isle,   Anders.mville.   Savannah,  and  Mil- 

a frame  house.       He  was  the  f  ither   of   thirteen 

ler,  da.,  where  he  was  exchanged.       Resuming 

children,   none  of  whom  are  living. 

active   duty,    he    ])art  icipated    in   the   battle   of 

David     l'"ord,     the     D(JCtoi's    father,     was    a 

Hatcher's  Run  and  the  siege  of  Petersburg,  was 

niOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


present  at  Lee's  surrender,  and  was  mustered 
(Hit  in  June,  1S65.  Deciding  to  enter  jirofes- 
sional  life,  be  began  the  study  of  medicine 
with  Dr.  S.  L.  Ford,  of  West  Kill,  and  later 
attended  lectures  at  the  Alban\-  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1868. 
Locating  in  Lexington,  where  he  had  already 
practised  to  some  extent,  he  acquired  a  large 
and  lucratixe  practice,  and  has  faithfully  dis- 
charged his  duties  as  a  physician  for  the  past 
thirty  years.  Being  the  only  physician  in 
town,  he  has  a  large  local  field  of  opera- 
tion, and  his  outside  practice  co\ers  a  wide 
circuit. 

In  1S72  Dr.  Ford  married  for  his  first  wife 
F' ranees  A.  Cox,  of  Cambridgeport,  Mass., 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Leonard  Cox,  who  was 
a  graduate  of  Harvard  University  and  a  Baptist 
minister.  Mr.  Cox  at  one  time  preached  in 
Lexington,  but  is  now  a  ;'esident  of  \'irginia. 
Of  this  union  there  were  two  children,  neither 
of  whom  is  living.  Dr.  Ford's  first  wife  died 
at  the  age  of  forty,  and  in  1SS7  he  married  for 
his  second  wife  Annie  L.  Dunham,  of  Lexing- 
ton, daughter  of  the  late  Aaron  B.  and  ^Lary 
(Bonestell)  Dunham.  Of  this  union  there  are 
two  children  —  Edwin  and  Fthel. 

Dr.  Ford  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Medical  Society,  and  is  Medical  Mxaminer  for 
the  Phojnix,  Mutual,  Equitable,  and  other  in- 
surance companies.  He  belongs  to  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
was  Town  Physician  and  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Health  several  years.  He  and  his 
family  attend  the  Bapti.st  church. 


Wn.LIAM  GRAXnV,  a  carpenter  and 
builder  of  Blenheim,  and  at  the 
present  time  a  member  of  the  Board  of  .Sui)er- 
visors  from  this  town,  was  born  here  im  No- 
vember I,  1S6S,  son  of  Alexander  and  Julia 
(Kellogg)   Granby. 

Richard  Granby,  his  great-grandfather,  who 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  this  country 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  joined 
the  Colonial  army,  in  which  he  subsequently 
rendered  valiant  ser\ice.  After  peace  was  de- 
clared, he  came  to  Blenheim  and  settled  on  the 
farm  about  a  mile  from  the  present  village, 
which  is  now  owned  by  William  Granby,  his 
mother,  brother,  and  his  sister.  Here  he  died 
in  old  age. 

Richard's  son  William,  first,  grandfather  of 
the  present  William  Granby,  was  a  native  of 
Blenheim.  He  engaged  in  farming  and  in  the 
lumber  business,  and  also  worked  as  a  cooper. 
He  was  a  very  prominent  citizen  in  the  town, 
and  served  as  School  Overseer  and  in  other 
public  capacities.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  movement  to  build  the  Methodist 
church,  and  held  the  offices  of  class  leader  and 
steward  in  that  body.  His  death  occurred  at 
the  age  of  eighty-eight.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Susan  Badgely,  was  a  native 
of  Coeymans.  Their  children  were:  Alexan- 
der, William,  George,  Jane,  Ellen,  and  three 
others  that  died  young.  The  mother  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-eight,  after  sixty-five  years 
of  happ}  married  life. 

Alexander  Granbv,  father  of  the  third  U'ill- 
iam,  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  early 
life,    but    later   learned   the   cooper's   business, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  worked  at  that  with  farming  during  tiic 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  well  known 
and  highly  respected  in  these  parts,  and  was 
\ery  suecessfid  in  all  his  husiness  ventures. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Re])uh]iean,  and  was 
Town  Clerk  and  Assessor  f<ir  some  years.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-five.  He  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  Julia,  and  their  three  children, 
namely:  Arthur,  who  resides  on  the  (iranby 
homestead;  Susie,  who  married  John  R.  Herg, 
of  New  York;  and  William.  Mvs.  Granby  is 
living  in  New  York  with  her  daughter.  .She 
was  born  in  Carthage,  Jefferson  Comit)-, 
daugliter  <if  John  Kellogg,  a  shoemaker  and 
dealer  of  that  place.  Her  parents  had  a  large 
family  of  children. 

William  (Iranby,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
grandson  of  the  first  William,  attended  the 
public  schools  of  the  town  until  about  thirteen 
years  of  age,  and  during  the  ne.xt  ten  years 
gave  his  attention  to  farming.  Then  for  some 
f:\-e  years  he  worked  at  carijentering,  though 
he  still  resided  on  the  homestead  farm.  The 
estate  originally  comprised  a  huntlred  and  forty 
acres,  and  of  this  he  inherited  a  third.  He 
was  especially  interested  in  tlair)ing,  finding 
his  markets  in  Albany  and  in  New  York. 

Mr.  Cranby  has  shown  his  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  community  by  liis  attendance  on 
the  county  con\'entions  every  )ear,  excepting 
one,  since  he  became  a  voter.  In  1893,  having 
been  elected  Town  Clerk,  he  moved  into  the 
village,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  de- 
clined the  nomination  for  the  clerk's  office  for 
a  second  term,  but  became  candidate  for 
Sheriff  in  the  county  on  the  Republican  ticket. 


Although  defeated,  he  ran  far  ahead  of  the 
ticket,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  carrying  his 
own  town,  usually  Democratic,  h_v  eighty-si.x 
votes.  He  made  the  greatest  lun  e\-er  made 
for  the  office  by  a  Keiiublican  candidate.  Ik- 
has  twice  declined  the  nomination  for  the 
office  of  Sujjervisor,  but  in  1  .S9S  was  elected  to 
that  office  for  a  term  of  two  years.  No  better 
representative  could  have  been  sent,  and  he 
has  the  hearty  suiijiort  of  his  townspeople. 
Mr.  Granby  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  I'elhnvs 
Ortler,  and  at  present  Noble  (irand.  Shortly 
after  he  joined  the  organization,  two  years  ago, 
he  was  chosen  permanent  secretary.  As  a 
musician,  Mr.  Granby  has  actpiired  considera- 
ble local  reinitation.  l'"or  many  )ears  he  has 
been  leader  of  the  choir  at  the  Methodist 
church,  and  for  the  last  five  years  he  has  been 
the  chiu'ch  organist. 


KNRY  VAN  HKRG1-:N,  the  well- 
f=^  known  miller  of  Co.vsackie,  N.Y., 
IS  born  in  Athens,  Greene  County, 
on  December  30,  1S50,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary 
(De  Griff)  Van  Bergen.  The  founder  of  the 
\'an  Bergen  famil)-  in  this  countr)-  came  from 
Holland  t.)  Albany,  N.Y.,  in  early  Colonial 
times,  and  later,  in  iC>j^,  with  his  three 
sturdy  sons,  settled  in  Leeds,  now  the  town  of 
Catskill.  One  of  the  immigrant's  sons,  Peter 
by  name,  was  born  in  Albany.  I-'rom  him  the 
line  is  through  his  son  Henry,  fcdlowed  by 
thi'ce  in  successiv'e  generations  bearing  the 
name  Peter,  the  biurth  Peter  being  the  father 
of   the   subject    of    this    sketch.       Henry,    first, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  his  descendants  above  named,  were  all 
born  in  Coxsackie.  The  family  is  among  the 
very  oldest  in  Coxsackie,  and  all  the  land  em- 
braced within  the  town  limits  was  at  one  time 
owned  by  the  Van  Bergens.  The  first  Re- 
formed church,  which  was  built  in  1740,  stood 
on  land  which  was  the  gift  of  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  this  family. 

Peter  Van  Bergen,  the  great-grandfather, 
resided  about  a  half  mile  from  the  present  vil- 
lage. He  died  in  1854,  at  the  age  of  ninety. 
His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Woodbeck. 
They  had  a  large  family  of  children.  Grand- 
father Peter  had  a  brickyard  near  the  present 
town  of  West  Coxsackie,  or  at  Lower  Landing, 
which  he  carried  on  with  great  success.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  town,  and  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  in  1846.  He  was 
a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
His  first  wife,  the  grandmother  of  Henry  \"an 
Bergen,  was  an  Egbertson.  She  bore  him  two 
children.  His  second  wife  was  before  mar- 
riage Christina  Van  Wormer.  She  was  born  in 
Glenville,  Montgomery  County.  Of  her  six 
children,  two  are  living,  namely:  Isaac,  who 
resides  in  New  York;  and  Christina,  who  is 
the  wife  of  W.   R.  Adams,  at  Four  Mile  Point. 

Peter  Van  Bergen,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  purchased  a  farm  of  his  own  in 
early  manhood,  and  later  had  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm.  He  lived  just  across  the  line  in 
New  Baltimore,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six.  Like  his  ancestors  he  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church,  and 
one  of  its  leading  officials.  His  wife,  Mary, 
who   survives    him,    was    born    in   Amsterdam, 


N.Y. ,  a  daughter  of  Diedrich  De  Graff,  a 
farmer,  who  married  a  Aliss  Van  Wdnner,  and 
had  a  large  family.  She  is  the  only  survivor  of 
her  father's  family.  Her  father  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty,  and  her  mother  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five.  Three  children  were  born  to  Peter  and 
Mar)'  Van  Bergen ;  and  two.  Nelson  and 
Henry,  are  living,  both  millers  in  this  town. 

Henr}-  Van  Bergen,  the  special  subject  of 
this  sketch,  obtained  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  subseciuently  assisted  his 
father  on  the  home  farm  until  the  latter' s 
death.  He  then  came  to  the  \-illage  and  built 
the  grist-mill,  which  he  has  since  so  success- 
fully operated.  It  is  a  steam-mill,  and  has 
three  runs  of  stone  and  a  set  of  rollers.  A 
very  large  custom  business  is  here  done  in 
grinding  grain,  and  from  this  mill  large  quan- 
tities of  buckwheat  flour  are  put  into  the 
market. 

;\Ir.  \'an  Bergen's  marriage  occurred  in 
I  886,  his  wife  being  Pha;be  J.,  only  child  of 
the  late  Captain  James  Delamater,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  best-known  pilots  on  the  Hud- 
son River.  She  has  borne  him  two  ciiildren 
—  Mamie  and  Lawrence. 

Mr.  \'an  Bergen  upholds  the  time-honored 
principles  of  his  family  in  his  adherence  to  the 
Democratic  party ;  but  he  believes  in  putting 
in  office  the  best  man,  regardless  of  party  affil- 
iations. In  18S7  and  18S8  he  was  Supervisor 
in  the  town  of  New  Baltimore.  In  1888  he 
was  a  candidate  for  County  Clerk,  and  was 
elected  by  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  votes, 
all  the  other  members  of  the  ticket  being  de- 
feated by  three  hundred   votes.      After   serving 


BIOGRAl'HICAL    KF.VIKVV 


three  years  he  was  attain  iiominatecl  in  1.S91, 
and  was  re-elected  liy  a  thousand  majority, 
running  six  iunulrtd  aliead  of  his  ticket. 
Three  years  later,  in  1S94,  he  was  again  nomi- 
nated, hut  failed  of  election,  t,'oing  down  in 
the  Democratic  "land  slide."  In  1  Sg^  he 
was  Tresidential  l-llectnr  from  this  district. 
lie  was  on  the  County  Committee,  being  its 
chairman  in  I.S'92,  and  was  re-elected  in  the 
f.dlowing  year,  iiiit  rcsigne.l.  lie  has  at  dif- 
ferent times  refused  tiie  nomination  both  to 
the  .State  legislature  and  to  Congress.  lie  is 
one  of  the  Town  Water  Commissioners,  and 
has  served  on  tlie  Hoard  of  lulucat ion  for  tlie 
last  three  years,  liaving  under  his  charge  the 
school  at  WYv-t  Coxsackic'.  lie  is  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  I'ythias,  and  he  and  his  fam 
ily  are  adherents  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church. 


\Rl.i:S  .S,  HURXl'.TT,  M.lX,  of 
.Summit,  Schoharie  County,  X.V., 
was  born  in  I'Jninence,  X.V.,  Sep- 
tcml)er  I;,,  1.S50,  son  of  1-rancis  and  J^lelissa 
((iermond)  Hurnett.  Hoth  the  father's  family 
and  the  mother's  are  of  l-jiglish  origin.  The 
Burnetts  came  hen-  from  Connecticut.  Mat- 
thias lim-nelt,  Dr.  Ihunett's  grandfatlicr,  wh.. 
was  born  March  ,S,  177.S,  and  died  April 
19,  1,S4S,  was  an  early  settler  in  Jefferscin. 
After  locating  here  he  was  married  to  Susan 
(iuerin.  She  was  born  March  25,  1780,  and 
she  die.)  I'ebruary  27,  1 S44.  They  were  the 
])irents  of  nine  sons  and  four  daughters.  All 
uf  the  sons  became  prosperous  farmers. 


l-'rancis  lUunelt,  Dr.  Hurnett's  father,  was 
born  in  Jefferson,  September  25.  1S21. 
l-larly  in  life  he  engaged  in  general  farming  in 
I'.mineuce,  where  he  tilled  the  soil  energeti- 
cally for  the  rest  of  his  active  period,  and  he 
died  July  7,  1.S90.  lie  was  the  father  of  four 
chiUhen,  namely:  Lucetta  F.,  who  married 
Charles  llul)bell,  of  Jefferson;  James,  who  is 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  .Summit; 
Hyron,  a  resident  of  C.ibleskill;  and  Charles 
S.,   .M.D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Cliiirles  S.  Hm-nett  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  tlie  schools  of  Imminence,  N.V.  On 
leaving  school  he  was  employed  for  a  time  as 
a  clerk  in  his  brother's  store,  and  then  going 
to  Newark,  N.J.,  he  worked  at  the  car]>enter's 
trade.  His  medical  studies  were  begun  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  1-.  H.  Heard,  were  contin- 
ued with  Dr.  Bigelow,  of  Albany,  and  later  at 
the  Albany  Medical  School,  which  he  entered 
in  1876.  His  expenses  there  he  defrayed  with 
funds  saveil  from  his  earnings.  He  dis|ilayed 
such  market!  proficiency  in  his  studies  that 
when  he  was  graduated,  in  1S79,  he  was 
chosen  (nator  of  liis  class,  the  majority  of 
whose  mendjers  had  pursued  a  classical  course 
prior  to  entering  a  professional  school.  I're- 
ferring  a  cmmtry  practice,  he  first  settled  at 
North  Hlenheim,  where  he  resided  seven  years, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  came  to 
Summit,  succeeding  to  the  practice  of  Dr. 
Heard.  He  has  gained  a  high  standing  among 
the  leading  physicians  in  this  section. 

In  iiolitics  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  1  .S97  he 
was  elected  Coo.ner  for  a  term  of  three  years. 
He    belongs   to   the   County    Medical    Society, 


J.\.Mi;s    W.   WAUDELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  advancement  of 
science,  and  as  a  progressive,  public-spirited 
citizen  he  is  actix'ely  concerned  in  all  matters 
relative  to  the  improvement  of  this  town.  The 
residence  he  now  occupies  was  erected  by  him 
in  1893. 

Dr.  Burnett  married  Nannie  Huckin;;ham, 
daughter  of  Merritt  Huckini;ham,  of  Gilboa. 
Mrs.  Iiurnett  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Kpiscopal    church. 


§AMES  W.  WADUELI.,  former  Super- 
visor of  Duanesburg",  N.  V.,  was  born 
where  he  now  resides,  Jmie  i,  1S26, 
being  the  only  son  of  David  and  Mar)-  (Coie^ 
Waddell.  His  father  was  born  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  August  14,  1794;  and  his  mother  was 
born  there,  February  15,   1792. 

Shortly  after  their  marriage,  which  took 
place  May  23,  1S16,  David  Waddell  and  his 
wife  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Duanesburg;  and  about  the  year  1S25  he 
bought  the  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  his 
son.  A  sturdy,  industrious,  and  progressive 
farmer,  he  labored  diligently  to  maintain  a 
comfortable  home  for  his  family;  and,  being  a 
worthy,  upright  man,  he  gained  the  sincere 
esteem  of  his  fellow-townspeople.  In  politics 
he  supported  the  Democratic  part)',  and  in  his 
religious  belief  he  was  a  Presbyterian.  David 
Waddell  died  May  7,  1S62,  and  his  wife  died 
May  7,  1 87 1.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  namely:  Ruth,  born  November  22, 
1817;  Rose  Anna,  born  May  24,  1820;  Fi- 
delia,   born    July     11,    1822;    Mary  Jane,    born 


February  28,  1824;  James  W. ,  born,  as  above 
mentioned,  June  1,  1.S26;  Margaret,  born 
April  3,  i82i);  Hannah,  b.irn  March  25,  1831  ; 
and  Sarah  M.,  boiii  September  i,  1833,  Of 
these,  four  are  now  living,  namely:  l"'idelia, 
who  resides  at  the  (jld  homestead;  Mary  Jane, 
the  wife  of  Thomas  II.  Tiunbull,  of  Rotterdam 
Junction,  N.V.  ;  James  W. ,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  and  Margaret,  now  the  widow  of  S. 
Putnam,  and  living  in  South  Schenectady, 
N.Y.  Ruth,  the  eldest,  was  the  wife  of 
Elijah  Rockwell;  and  Hannah,  the  seventh 
child,  was  the  wife  of  Dr.   D.   S.   Kellogg. 

James  W.  Waddell  spent  his  earl)-  bo)-hood 
years  in  attending  the  district  school  and  as- 
sisting his  father  upon  the  farm,  and  later 
during  the  winter  months  attended  school  at 
Charlotteville  and  Fort  Plain  Seminaries. 
Succeeding  to  the  ownership  of  the  prop- 
erty, which  contains  two  hundred  and  thirty 
acres,  he  has  improved  it  by  erecting  new 
buildings,  carries  on  general  farming  ener- 
geticall)-,  and  keeps  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  head  of  stock. 

On  September  3,  1873,  Mr.  Waddell  was 
united  in  marriage  with  S.  I^lecta  Howard, 
who  was  born  in  Duanesburg,  January  27, 
1S43.  Four  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
and  two  of  theni  aie  lixing,  namel)- :  George 
W.  H.,  born  August  8,  1879;  an'l  William 
D.,  born  Ma)-  13,  iSSi,  both  of  whom  are  at- 
tending a  business  college.  The  others  were: 
Mary;  and  another  daughter,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy.     Mrs.   Waddell   died   January  26,   1S99. 

Politically,  Mr.  Waddell  acts  with  the 
Democratic    party  at   national    elections.      He 


lilOGkAPHICAL    REVIEW 


has  been  Supervisor  and  Road  Commissioner, 
holding  each  of  these  offices  three  terms  and 
rendcrinjj  capable  service  to  the  town,  lie 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  ])iiblic  institu- 
tions of  the  town,  and  is  ever  ready  In  aid  in 
improving  the  general  welfare  of  the  eomnni- 
nity.  Mr.  Waddell  attends  the  I'reslnterian 
church. 

j:()R("i1':  I..  lOX,  editor  of  tlie  Mid 
dleburg  X.zcs,  is  a  native  ..f  Middle 
burg,  \.\'.  lie  was  born  on  April  3,  1S71, 
son  of  Lewis  and  IClizaheth  (Wilbur)  h'ox. 
His  father,  who  is  nnw  living  retired,  was  for- 
merly engaged  in  the  \yd\)cr  manufacturing 
business  in  Pen  Van,  and  later  in  IJaldwins- 
ville  and  Middleburg.  Ilismnther  was  i)orn 
in  Schoharie.  His  parents  had  a  family  of 
five   children. 

Mr.  l-'ci.\  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon and  high  schools  of  Middleburg;  and  in 
iSSS,  shortly  after  leaving  the  high  school,  he 
began  the  publication  of  T/n-  Jimrir<i>/  Voutli, 
a  monthly  story  paper.  This  was  issued  from 
Middleburg,  and  had  a  circulation  in  every 
State  in  the  Union.  The  following  year  it  was 
.sold  to  a  pidjlisiiing  house  in  Boston,  and  sub- 
sequently Mr.  l-'o.x  lunchased  the  South 
Orange,  'A.].,  Journal,  and  moved  it  to  Mid- 
dleburg. Associating  himself  with  Welling- 
ton E.  Hassler,  a  prominent  business  man  and 
a  Republican,  he  began  the  publication  of  the 
Middleburg  AVtw,  a  weekly  paper.  At  first 
the  venture  seemed  most  tmpromising,  and  the 
field  was  a  limited  one,  but  the  energy  and 
perseverance  with    which    the   projjrietors   have 


worked,  the  fortunate  melhotls  employed  by 
the  business  management,  and  the  enterprise 
shown  in  the  news  cohnnns  ha\e  together 
united  to  push  tiie  jiaper  into  the  front  rank 
of  Reimblican  weeklies.  It  is  now  one  of  the 
leading  news  organs  of  the  count)-,  and  has  a 
large  circulation.  While  its  columns  give 
ample  space  to  events  of  national  importance. 
it  does  not  forget  to  emi)hasi/.e  matters  of  local 
interest,  and  is  always  foremost  in  agitating 
local  improvements.  At  \arious  times  it  has 
been  ilesignated  by  the  Rejjublican  leaders  as 
the  organ  in  which  tlie  State  laws  should  be 
jirinted. 

Mr.  Fo.x  was  married  on  October  28,  1897, 
to  Mabel  Almy.  She  was  born  in  Franklin- 
ton,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Iv  C.  Alm\-,  whcj  was 
formerly  a  farmer  of  that  town,  and  is  now  re- 
tired and  living  in  Middleburg.  Mr.  Fo.x  is  a 
mcmlK-r  of  Middleburg  Lodge,  No.  663,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  has  held  the  office  of  Junior  r:)ca- 
con  of  the  lodge.  lie  is  a  member  of  La  liis- 
tile  Lodge,  No.  494,  I.  ().  O.  v.,  and  has 
filled  nearly  all  the  offices  in  the  lodge,  being 
now  Past  Noble  Grand.  lie  is  also  a  member 
of  Oncongena  Tribe  of  Red  Men.  Profession- 
ally, he  is  a  member  of  tlie  New  York  lulito- 
rial  As.sociati..n  and  the  New  York  Press  As.so- 
ciation.  lie  and  his  wife  attend  the  Methodist 
church. 


UGH  B.  GARA,  proprietor  of  the 
West  Knd  Hotel,  Hunter,  N.V., 
IS  born  in  Manch  Chunk,  Pa., 
Ajiril  IS,  1855,  son  of  John  an<l  Mary  (Mc- 
Intire)    Gara.       His    father   was    born    in    Ire- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


>4S 


land,  anil  here  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoe- 
maker, which  he  followed  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Emigrating  to  America  in  1S48,  John  Gara 
settled  in  Mauch  Chunk,  and  in  1855  he  re- 
moved to  Hunter,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1859,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years.  In  pol- 
itics he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife,  Mary, 
also  a  native  of  Ireland,  is  now  seventy  years 
old.  Her  father,  Hugh  Mclntirc,  was  a  shoe- 
maker and  tavern-keeper.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica on  a  visit,  and  after  his  return  to  Ireland 
he  continued  in  business  until  his  retirement, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  brother.  Hugh 
Mclntire  had  a  family  of  seven  childen.  Of 
these  the  four  now  living  are:  Mrs.  Gara; 
Joseph,  who  is  in  a  post-office  in  Ireland; 
Katy,  widow  of  Thomas  Haggerty,  who  died 
in  Mauch  Chunk,  Pa.  ;  and  Patrick,  who  is  a 
hotel  proprietor  in  Ireland.  John  and  Mary 
(Mclntire)  Gara  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  two  are  living;  namely, 
Mary  and  her  brother,  Hugh  B.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  with  whom  she  resides.  The 
others  were:  Patrick,  who  died  March  7, 
18S9,  aged  thirty-nine;  John  I".,  who  died 
November  4,  18S8,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine; 
Hugh,  first,  who  died  in  Ireland,  at  seven 
years  of  age;  and  three  children  who  died 
young. 

Hugh  B.  Gara  was  brought  by  his  parents 
to  Hunter  when  six  months  old.  He  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools,  and  at  the  age 
of  twelve  entered  the  chair  factory,  where  he 
was  employed  until  eighteen.  He  continued 
to  follow  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  one  year 
in    a   chair  factory    in    Newburg,    from    which 


place  he  went  to  New  York  City,  and  a  year 
later  became  a  travelling  salesman  in  the  cli-y- 
goods  business.  Prior  to  this  his  brother, 
John  F.,  had  erected  the  present  West  End 
Hotel  in  Hunter,  which  was  opened  in  1887; 
and  Mr.  Gara  left  the  road  to  assist  him  in 
this  enterprise,  in  a  general  way.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  brother,  Hugh  took  control  of  the 
house,  and  has  since  conducted  it. 

The  West  End  is  pleasantly  located  near 
the  terminus  of  the  Stony  Clove  and  Catskiil 
Mountain  Railroad.  It  is  si.xty  by  thirty 
feet,  with  a  wing  twenty-eight  by  seventy, 
four  stories  high,  and  has  accommodations  for 
one  hundred  and  thirty  guests.  The  rooms 
are  large,  well  ventilated,  well  furnished,  and 
lighted  with  gas.  The  bath  accommodations 
are  ample,  and  the  sanitary  arrangements  are 
unexcelled.  The  house  is  within  easy  reach 
of  Hotel  Kaaterskill  and  Laurel  House,  and 
of  Onteora,  Elka,  and  Twilight  Parks. 
There  is  a  good  livery  stable  in  connection. 

On  October  12,  1898,  Mr.  Gara  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  E.  O'Carroll,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Kate  (O'Neil)  O'Carroll,  of 
Dungarvan,  County  Waterford,  Ireland.  Her 
paternal  grandfather,  Michael  OXarroll,  a  sea 
captain,  was  also  a  native  of  that  town.  Her 
father,  who  was  reared  to  sea  life,  became 
master  of  a  vessel  plying  between  Ireland  and 
P"rance,  and  was  also  engaged  in  trade  be- 
tween Cork  and  Liverpool.  Abandoning  the 
sea,  he  opened  a  ship-broker's  office  in  Cardiff, 
Wales,  and  conducted  that  business  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1S84,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-seven.      His   wife,    Kate,  was   a   sister  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


the  Rev.  Hugh  O'Ncil,  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  the  Kk\ik\\.  She  ilicil  in 
1S77,  at  the  af,'c  of  forty-one.  She  was  the 
mother  of  three  children.  The  only  survivor 
of  these  is  Mary  K.,  who  was  educated  in  the 
Mercy  Convent,  Dungarvan,  and  is  now  Mrs. 
Hugh  H.  Gara.  She  is  a  fine  pianist,  and 
also  received  sjiccial  instruction  in  painting 
and  the  I-'rench  language.  She  kept  house  for 
her  father  until  his  death,  and  with  the  aid  of 
two  assistants  continued  his  business  until 
coming  to  the  United  States  in  1S86.  IVe- 
vious  to  her  marriage  she  resitlcd  with  her 
uncle,  the  Rev.  l-"ather  0"Neil.  Mrs.  Gara 
is  a  valuable  assistant  to  her  husband,  being 
a  woman  of  much  executive  ability. 


"KRHKRT  L.  ODKLI..  :\I.D.,  an  able 
II — I  ph)sician  and  specialist  of  Sharon 
Springs,  N.Y. ,  was  born  in  Sum- 
mit, this  county,  July  i  S,  1S59,  son  of  Isaac 
I.,  and  Harriet  L.  (Haldwin)  Odell.  The 
family  was  founded  in  America,  late  in  the 
seventeenth  or  early  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
by  the  great-great -great-grandfather,  who  emi- 
grated from  I'jigland  and  settleil  on  Long 
Island. 

I.saac  L.  Odell,  the  father,  who  was  burn  in 
Jefferson,  N.  \'. ,  in  1.S15,  mo\ed  to  Summit 
when  a  young  man,  and  carried  on  tpute  an  ex- 
tensive Inisiness  as  a  coojicr.  He  took  consid- 
eral)le  interest  in  i)uhlic  affairs,  serving  as 
Town  Clerk  and  in  oilier  offices.  In  pcditics 
he  supi)orted  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  his 
religion.',  belief  he  was  a  Methodist.      His  wife, 


whose  maiden  name  was  Harriet  L.  Ikddwin, 
was  born  in  iSiS.  The)'  were  the  ])arents  (jf 
live  ehildien,  namely:  Daniel  ;  George  \V.  ; 
I'eter  L.  ;  Julia  I-:.,  who  married  H.  A. 
Wright,  of  Worcester,  \.Y.  ;  and  Herbert  L., 
tlie  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  father  died  in 
1893,  the  mother's  death  having  oceurreil  a  few 
months  ])revious.  Daniel,  (jcorge  W.,  and 
I'eter  L.   Odell  reside  in  Sunmiit. 

Herbert  L.  Odell  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  and  select  schools.  His 
medical  studies  were  begun  under  the  direction 
of  Dr.  F.  r.  Beard,  then  of  Summit  and  now 
of  Cobleskill,  with  whom  he  remaineil  four 
years.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Albany 
Medical  College  in  18S3;  and,  while  pursuing 
his  course  in  that  city,  he  studied  with  Dr. 
Jacob  S.  Mosher.  Locating  for  practice  in 
Hobart,  N.Y.,  he  remained  tliere  until  March, 
1892,  when  he  came  to  Sharon  .Springs.  Dur- 
ing the  last  six  )ears  of  the  time  spent  at  Ho- 
bart he  was  associated  in  practice  with  Dr. 
J.  S.  McNaught.  While  preparing  for  his 
profession.  Dr.  Odell  made  a  special  study  of 
dermatolog)- ;  and,  since  entering  into  jirac- 
tice,  he  has  given  much  attention  to  the  treat- 
ment of  rheumatism,  in  which  he  is  remarka- 
bly successful.  Dining  the  summer  a  large 
number  of  jiatients  come  to  .Sharon  -Springs,  in 
order  to  a\ail  themselves  of  his  treatment  and 
at  the  same  time  to  receive  the  benefits  of  the 
sulphur  baths.  Di'.  Odell  attends,  also,  to 
most  of  the  obstetric  [iractice  in  this  locality. 
He  was  f..rmerly  ]iresidcnt  of  the  Delaware 
County  Medical  Society,  is  president  of  the 
.Schoharie  ami  a  member  of  the  Albaii)   County 


liARKKT    \V.    MATTICE. 


r.IOGRArillCAL    REVIFAV 


Medical  Societies.  Progressive  as  well  as 
energetic,  he  keeps  in  touch  with  advanced 
ideas  by  making  frequent  xisitsto  the  hospitals 
of  the  metropolis. 

Dr.  Odell  and  Eva  L.  Moose,  only  daughter 
of  Robert  J.  Moose,  of  Mobart,  N.Y. ,  were 
iniited  in  marriage  on  May  13,  1885.  Tiicy 
have  three  daughters  —  Grace,  Eloise,  and 
Beatrice. 

Politically,  Dr.  Odell  acts  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  Me  is  a  Master  Mason,  belong- 
ing to  the  Blue  Lodge  in  Sharon  Springs,  and 
is  also  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he 
is  now  serving  as  steward. 


EORGE  M.  FAULKNER,  Supervisor 
and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Lexington, 
Greene  County,  N.Y.,  was  born  in  this  town 
September  6,  1842,  son  of  Alfred  and  Sarah 
(Cross)  Faulkner.  Mis  paternal  grandfather, 
William  P\aulkner,  was  a  native  of  Liverpool, 
England.  Me  came  to  Lexington  before  mar- 
riage, and,  settling  on  a  farm,  engaged  in  its 
cultivation,  and  also  followed  the  trade  of  a 
shoemaker.  A  man  of  considerable  natural 
ability,  in  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
represented  his  district  in  the  Assembly.  Me 
married  Abigail  Drake.  They  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age,  and  had  a  large  family  of  children. 
Alfred  Faulkner  grew  to  manhood  upon  the 
home  farm.  Later  he  cultivated  a  farm  of  his 
own  in  Malcott,  where  he  resided  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  and  was  quite  active  in  public 
affairs.      His  first  wife,  Sarah,  died   about   the 


year  1S45.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George 
Cross,  a  farmer  and  lifelong  resident  of  Lex- 
ington. She  had  three  children:  Mary,  who 
married  Frank  Moore,  of  this  town;  Victor, 
who  is  in  I-'lcischmauns,  Delaware  County; 
and  George  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Ann  P^aulkncr, 
who  at  her  death  left  two  children  — James  and 
Sarah.  Alfred  F^aulkner  died  at  se\'enty-three 
years  of  age. 

George  H.  p-aulkner  spent  his  early  years 
with  an  uncle  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  below  the 
village,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  followed  agriculture  until  1886, 
when  he  came  to  the  village,  and  engaged  in 
selling  farming  implements.  He  also  trans- 
acts a  great  deal  of  legal  business  and  has  con- 
siderable practice  in  the  minor  courts. 

In  1890  Mr.  F'"aulkner  married  Miss  Mary 
M.  Banks,  daughter  of  Joseph  Banks,  a  farmer 
of  Hardenburg,  N.  Y.  One  son,  Leon,  has 
been  born  of  this  union. 

Politically,  Mr.  F\aulkncr  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  since  1882. 
He  was  Justice  of  Special  Sessions  one  term, 
is  now  serving  as  Supervisor,  and  has  been 
Tax  Collector  two  years.  Me  is  a  trustee  of 
the  Baptist  and  Methodist  churches,  and  Mrs. 
Faulkner  attends  the  Baptist  church  of  Lexing- 
ton. 


ARRET  W.  MATTICE,  a  well- 
known  and  highly  respected  agricult- 
urist of  Schoharie  County,  owns  and  occupies 
a  farm  on  the  Middleburg  road  in  the  town  of 
Fulton,  about  two  miles  from  Fultonham.      He 


'SO 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


was  born  June  2,  1830,  a  son  of  Adam  L. 
Matticc,  and  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Niciiolas 
Mattice,  who  emigrated  from  Germany  in  the 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  took 
up  a  tract  of  wild  land  in  the  vicinity  nf  tiie 
U])per  Fort,  Schoharie  County. 

Conrad  Matticc,  son  of  Nicholas  and  the 
next  in  lino  of  descent,  was  a  lifclDiig  resi- 
dent of  this  jiait  of  the  State.  In  his  caily 
nianhund  he  located  on  land  in  iMiddlehnr- 
where  his  son  Lawrence,  the  ,i;randfathcr  of 
(iarret  W. ,  was  liorn. 

At  the  time  nf  the  Revolution,  Lawrence 
Mattice,  though  but  a  boy  of  si.xteen,  was  em- 
ployed at  the  Middle  ImhI,  and  with  Muri.li\ 
and  other  brave  soldiers  marched  out  to  meet 
tlie  enemy.  On  one  of  his  hasty  expeditions 
he  and  a  companion  succeeded  in  taking  pris- 
oner a  man  by  tiic  name  of  Adam  Chrysler, 
whom  they  carried  to  the  fort.  He  continued 
in  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
settled  on  a  farm,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eight)-six  \ears, 
was  engaged  in  cultivating  the  land.  lie  was 
quite  jirominent  in  the  management  of  town 
matters,  and  at  one  time  was  nominated  to  the 
.State  Assembly.  llis  wife,  Maria  lirown,  a 
native  of  this  part  of  the  county,  Ixne  him 
se\en  children,  none  of  whom  sur\-ive.  She 
lived  to  be  ujjward  of  eighty  years  of  age,  and 
died  at  the  old  homestead.  Both  she  and  her 
husband     were      members      of      the      Lutheran 

Adam  L.  Mattice  was  born  September  15, 
1S03,  in  Middleburg.  I'ollowing  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  ancestor.s,  he  became  a  tiller  of 


the  soil.  On  coming  of  age  he  jiureliased  a 
farm  not  far  from  the  old  home,  and  in  the 
log  house  that  stood  in  the  clearing  began 
life  for  himself,  jioor  in  pocket,  but  rich  in 
energy,  courage,  anil  ambition.  By  dint  of 
in(Uistr\'  and  economv  he  sLicceetled  in  |)a\- 
ing  lor  his  lan<l,  besiiles  which  he  laid  up  a 
small  suiu.  On  Ai)ril  5,  1S49,  having  .sold 
his  lirst  estate,  he  took  jiossession  of  the 
farm  now  occupied  b)'  his  S(}n,  Garret  W. , 
and  here  resided  until  his  death,  July  5, 
iSSS.  A  man  of  sound  judgment  and  good 
linancial  ability,  he  became  prominent  in  the 
town,  and  served  as  Highway  Commissioner 
and  Assessor  for  a  number  of  )-cars.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  active  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.  He  married  Dinah  Mattice, 
who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Blenheim,  a 
daughter  of  David  Matticc,  a  prosjjerons 
farmer.  They  had  a  family  of  f^vc  children, 
three  of  whom  survive,  naiuely  :  Garret  W.  ; 
Dinah,  wife  of  Josiah  Mann;  and  Kli/.al)eth, 
wife   of   I'etcr   Shaffer. 

Garret  W.  Mattice  was  born  in  the  log  cabin 
in  which  his  parents  settled  soon  after  mar- 
riage, and  (luiing  his  earlier  years  he  assisted 
in  the  pioneer  laboi'  of  retleeming  a  farm  from 
the  wilderness.  In  1849  he  came  with  them 
to  his  present  faini,  which  he  and  a  brother 
who  died  in  1877  lielped  to  iiuprove.  l''rom 
that  time  until  the  death  of  his  father,  in 
iSSS,  Mr.  Mattice  had  the  general  oversight 
of  the  property,  which  is  now  in  his  posses- 
siiiii.  This  farm  coiUains  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  land,  and  lie  also  owns  a  farm 
of  (jne  hundred  acres  on  the  road  to  Cohleskill. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Skilful  and  progressive,  he  hns  met  with 
success  as  a  general  farmer.  He  raises  ha_\', 
grain,  and  hops,  is  an  extensive  dealer  in 
cattle,  and  from  his  small  herd  of  cows  makes 
a  choice  grade  of  butter,  which  he  ships  to  Al- 
ban}'.  He  has  made  many  of  the  most  impor- 
tant improx'ements  on  the  place,  including  the 
erection  of  the  present  commodious  dwelling- 
house  and  the  substantial  barns  and  farm 
buildings. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mattice  atifiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party,  and  besides  serving  as  Com- 
missioner of  Highways  he  was  Supervisor  from 
1S96  until  iSgS.  He  is  a  regular  attendant  of 
the  Baptist  church,  and  in  the  building  of  the 
new  edifice  of  that  denomination  gave  material 
financial  assistance. 

On  March  24,  1866,  Mr.  Mattice  married 
Rachel  Cowan,  a  daughter  of  James  Cowan, 
well  known  in  Fulton  as  an  able  farmer  and 
lawyer.  Mr.  Cowan  married  Emeline  Cary, 
of  Schoharie,  who  passed  to  the  life  immortal 
at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  while  he  at- 
tained the  age  of  fourscore  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mattice  have  one  child  living,  a  son, 
Paul  B. ,  and  they  have  been  bereft  of  two, 
namely:  Eli  G. ,  who  died  aged  three  j-ears, 
six  months;  and  Ira  C,  who  died  aged  four 
years  and  sexen  months.  Paul  B.  Mattice 
after  his  graduation  at  the  ]\Iiddleburg  High 
School  entered  Cornell  University,  class  of 
igoi,  intending  there  to  fit  himself  for  the 
bar.  During  the  Spanish  War  he  enlisted, 
July  17,  189S,  in  Company  K,  Two  Hundred 
and  Third  New  York  Volunteers,  and  served 
until   March  25,   1899,  when    he   was   mustered 


out  as  Corp( 
up  his  studi 


.      On 
It  CoriK 


HARLES  E.  NICHOLS,  counselh.r- 
at-law,  and  District  Attorney  of  Greene 
County,  and  one  of  the  best-known 
and  most  respected  residents  of  Catskill,  was 
born  in  Athens,  Greene  County,  March  20, 
1S54.  His  father  is  General  George  Sylvester 
Nichols,  and  his  mother  in  maidenhood  was 
Ann  Netterville  Foster. 

His  paternal  grandfather  was  Judge  Sylves- 
ter Nichols,  a  native  and  prominent  citizen  of 
Athens.  Besides  carrying  on  a  farm,  the 
grandfather  was  a  manufacturer  of  brick  and 
lime,  was  also  engaged  in  freighting  on  a  large 
scale,  being  the  owner  of  several  vessels.  He 
was  also  County  Judge  of  Greene  County  for 
several  years.  He  married  Lucy  E.  Hamilton, 
who  also  was  a  native  of  Athens.  She  died  in 
1S91,  at  the  age  of  ninety.  Seven  of  their 
children  grew  to  maturity;  namely,  George 
Sylvester,  Samuel  Hamilton,  William  T.,  El- 
bridge,  Charles  P.,  Henry  O. ,  and  Sarah. 

George  Sylvester  Nichols,  the  first-named 
son,  was  born  in  Athens,  N.  Y. ,  January  12, 
1S20.  He  attended  private  schools  in  Athens 
until  twelve  years  old;  and  in  1832  he  entered 
Lenox  Academy,  Mass.,  where  he  remained 
one  year.  In  1S34  he  went  to  Fairfield  Acad- 
em)-,  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  for  a  year ;  and 
during  the  year  1S37  he  .studied  at  the  acad- 
emy in  Kinderhook,  N.  Y. ,  which  was  estab- 
lished by  his  grandfather.  From  1838  to 
1S46  he  was  captain  of  the  sloop  "Science, " 


lUOGRAI'HICAL    REVIEW 


luviicd  by  liis  father,  carrying  brick,  lime, 
hay,  aiul  pniducc  from  .Athens  t(j  Xcw  \'ork. 
He  was  appointed  Hrigade  Quartermaster  of 
the  Thirty-seventh  lirigade  of  New  York  State 
Militia,  and  commissioned  by  Govenmr  Will- 
iam C.  Bouck  on  Sejitember  14,  1S43;  and  he 
was  appointed  Brigadier-general  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Ikigade  by  Governor  Silas  Wright 
,,„  March  3,  1S45.  In  1847  antl  iS4.She  was 
employed  in  Troy,  N.Y.,  as  suiicrintcndcnt  of 
Colonel  J.  Hooker's  docks,  barges  and  canal 
boats,  and  general  manager  of  his  transporta- 
tion line  to  New  York.  He  started  for  Cali- 
fornia in  1849,  sailing  from  New  ^'ork  on 
l-"ebruar)-  5  in  the  steamer  "Crescent  Cit)'  "  for 
San  Francisco.  .After  staging  a  month  on  the 
isthmus,  in  (lorgona  and  Panama,  he  left  the 
last-named  place  on  the  steamer  "Oregon  "  on 
her  first  trip  up  the  coast,  and,  arriving  at  San 
Francisco  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1S49,  went 
directly  to  Slitter's  .Mill,  Colcjma,  where  he 
was  engaged  neail)'  two  years  in  packing  and 
trading.  He  left  San  Francisco  for  home 
aijout  December  1,  1850,  b_\-  steamer,  going  to 
Panama,  from  there  crossing  the  isthmus  to 
Chagres  by  mule  and  bungo,  as  on  the  trip 
out,  ami  tlience  reaching  New  Y(jrk  by  steamer 
about  the  first  of  January,  1.S51.  In  the 
spring  of  1.S51  he  was  elected  Supervisor  of 
the  town  of  Athens,  and  twf)  years  later  was 
nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  for  .State 
•Senator  for  the  Tenth  District,  which  includes 
(keene  and  Ulster  Counties,  but  was  defeated 
liy  the  Prohibition  candidate.  In  1855  he  was 
again  nominated  for  State  Senator,  this  time 
by     the     American     part)-,     was     elecleil,    and 


■served  one  term.  On  June  8,  i860,  he  was 
ap[)oinled  one  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
of  I"..\cise  for  Greene  County  for  three  years. 

When  hostilities  began  between  the  South 
and  the  North,  he  felt  that  his  former  military 
training  would  be  of  value  to  hij  countr\-,  antl 
decided  to  offer  himself  as  a  \obniteer.  On 
November  23,  1861,  having  rece'ived  an  aji- 
pointment  as  Major  in  the  Ninth  New  \'ork 
Cavalry,  and  having  been  given  his  commis- 
sion by  Governor  Morgan,  he  left  Albany  on 
the  same  day  for  the  national  capital.  Upon 
going  into  active  ser\ice,  his  bravery  and  abil- 
ity at  once  became  conspicuous,  antl  his  jiro- 
motion  was  rapid.  On  May  30,  1863,  he  was 
made  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  his  regiment,  and 
on  June  14,  1864,  was  commissioned  Colonel 
bv  Governor  .Seymour.  He  was  mustered  out 
with  the  regiment  at  Buffalo,  N.Y. ,  on  July 
17,  1865.  (Jn  March  13,  1S65,  "for  gallant 
and  meritorious  services  in  all  the  cavali)-  en- 
gagements under  General  .Slieridan,"  he  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-general  of  United  States 
V.ilunteer.s. 

On  June  25,  i8r,7,  he  was  appuinted  by 
C<. Hector  H.  A.  Smythe  Inspector  of  Customs 
in  the  New  York  Custom  House,  and  on  No- 
vemlKM-  8,  1875,  he  was  apjiointed,  by  Collec- 
tor Chester  A.  Arthur,  Deputy  Collector  of 
Customs.  In  1S79  he  was  nominated  for 
member  of  Congress  by  the  Republican  ])arty 
in  the  Fifteenth  Congressional  District  (Ul- 
ster, Greene,  and  Schoharie  Counties),  but 
was  defeated.  In  i88j  he  was  aiijiointed  by 
Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  Hon.  H.  .M. 
Teller,  Special  Ivx.uuiner  in  the  pension  office; 


15 1 0(^.  I-l  A  P  H I C  A  L    R  I'.V  I  E\V 


and  in  this  capacity  he  served  tliree  )ears. 
For  three  years  also  subsequent  to  1885  he  held 
the  office  of  County  Clerk  of  Greene  County, 
having  been  elected  by  the  Republican  party. 
Since  1889  General  Niciiols  has  retired  from 
active  life. 

On  October  7,  1845,  he  married  Ann  Net- 
terville  Foster,  daughter  of  Captain  James  G. 
and  Ann  K.  Foster.  Mrs.  Nichols  was  born 
in  Athens,  N.Y.,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of 
eighty.  Her  father  was  a  sea  cai^tain,  and 
commanded  a  ship  that  ran  from  New  Vork 
to  Liverpool,  England.  During  the  embargo 
placed  upon  American  vessels  by  the  French, 
he  anchored  his  vessel  in  the  river,  a  few  miles 
below  Athens,  to  get  it  in  fresh  water,  and 
while  there  met  Ann  Colson,  with  whom  he 
fell  in  love  at  sight.  He  made  only  one  more 
voyage,  and  then  married  and  settled  in  Athens, 
where  he  went  into  the  brick-making  business. 
This  he  gave  up  after  a  time,  and  subsequently 
carried  on  a  store  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
seven ty-si.\.  He  owned  a  fine  farm.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  having 
been  the  mother  of  six  children.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  to  General  George  S.  and  Ann 
N.  Nichols,  and  four  of  them  are  living; 
namely,  Mary,  Foster,  Charles  E.,  and  Ar- 
thur. Mary  married  Frank  N.  Howland,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Candee, 
the  oldest  and  leading  firm  of  dealers  in  lime, 
brick,  and  builders'  supplies  in  New  York 
City.  Foster  Nichols  is  purchasing  agent  for 
M.  Guggenheim's  Sons,  who  are  among  the 
largest  smelters  and  refiners  in  the  United 
States.      Arthur  Nichols    is  a   mining  operator 


in  Leatlville,  Col. 
Episco|)alian,  as 
was  formerly  a  nu 
tion.      He    reside: 


Mrs.  Nichols  was  a  devout 
also  the  general;  and  he 
her  of  a  Masonic  organiza- 
in  "The  Old  Nest"  in 
)me   for   half  a 


Athens,  which    has   been    his 
century. 

Charles  E.  Nichols  spent  his  early  years  in 
his  native  town  of  Athens,  and  receivetl  his 
early  education  in  the  district  schools.  Sub- 
sequently he  attended  the  high  school  at 
Englewood,  N.J.,  the  l-'airfield  .Seminary  at 
Fairfield,  N.Y.,  and  the  Fort  Edward  Collegi- 
ate Institute.  Then,  following  the  memorable 
advice  of  Horace  Greeley,  he  went  West,  and 
was  employed  in  the  general  office  of  the  Colo- 
rado Central  Railroad  at  Golden,  Col.,  for 
about  four  3-ears.  Having  decided  to  enter  the 
legal  profession,  he  gave  his  mind  with  ardor 
to  the  necessary  studies,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Colorado  in  1880.  He  practised 
his  profession  in  that  State  for  about  two 
\-ears,  during  which  time  he  also  engaged  to 
some  extent  in  mining.  Then,  returning  East, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  State  of  New 
\'ork  in  1S82,  after  which  he  practised  law  in 
Athens  for  some  three  years.  In  18S5  he  was 
appointed  Deputy  County  Clerk  under  his 
father,  which  )30sition  he  held  until  iS8g. 
He  was  then  appointed  Clerk  to  the  Surro- 
gate's Court  by  the  present  surrogate,  and 
served  until  December,  189S,  a  period  of  ten 
}ears  in  all,  when  he  resigned,  having  been 
elected  District  Attorney  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  He  still  has  three  years  to  serve  in  this 
office. 

Mr.   Nichols   was   married    in    i  Sgo   to    Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Mary  li.  Willis,  who  was  Ijorn  in  roiiiiecticut, 
the  daujjhter  of  the  Rev.  H.  11.  Hate.s,  an 
Episcopalian  clerf^yman.  I  ler  inotiicr's  maiden 
name  was  E.  Samanthe  HascDm.  Both  parents 
were  natives  of  Vermont.  They  had  three 
children.  Mr.  15ates  was  rector  (if  a  church  in 
Glens  Falls,  N.^'.,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  War;  and,  when  one  of  his  wardens  iiad 
enlisted  as  a  Colonel  and  another  as  a  Major, 
he  resigned  his  charge  at  their  request,  and 
went  to  the  front  as  chaplain  of  their  regiment. 
lie  remained  with  his  regiment  throughout  the 
war,  and  sid)se(|uent]y,  his  health  jjcing  im- 
paired, took  a  small  charge  in  Oak  Hill,  this 
county.  There  he  died  in  1,S68.  lie  was  an 
active  .Mason,  and  was  buried  with  Masonic 
rites.  The  lodge  of  which  he  was  a  mend)er 
erected  a  monument  to  his  memory  at  Oak 
Hill,  X.  v.,  where  he  was  buried. 

Mr.  Nichols  is  Vice-Chancellor  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  I.odge  in  Catskill,  and 
Junior  .Sagamore  of  the  Red  Men.  In  i<S82 
he  was  a  memljer  of  the  Lodge  of  Knights  of 
I'ylhias  in  Athens,  He  has  resided  in  Catskill 
since  i.S'<jo,  when  he  removed  here  fnmi  Athens. 
He  and  his  wife  aie  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  which  has  recently  erected  a  beautiful 
new  church  edifice.  While  in  Athens  Mr. 
Nichols  was  a  lay-reader  in  the  church  there, 
and  for  three  N'ears  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. 


JCllARH    WIXI':C,ARD.  a  well-kn.iwn 
niller      .if      Ilyndsville,       Schoharie 
Coimty,  was    boin    near    this   village 
September    19,     1S45,    a    son    of    George   and 


Eliza  A.  (Isham)  VV'inegard.  He  is  of  Ger- 
man ancestry,  and  a  grandson  of  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  this  section  of  .Sclioliarie 
County — Richard  W'inegard,  first,  who  came 
here  from  Schodack,  Rensselaer  County. 

There  being  no  roads  across  the  ciumtr)-  in 
tliose  early  days,  Grandfather  W'inegard  made 
the  jc)urne_\-  liither  tlinuigh  the  uidnnken  woods 
on  hniseback  ;  ant),  luning  secured  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  heart  of  tlie  forest,  he  felled  trees, 
and  thus  made  an  opening  in  which  he  [lut  uj) 
a  small  log  cabin  of  rude  construction,  with  no 
windows,  and  c.nly  a  l,lankct  fur  a  do<,r.  Ik- 
was  a  tailor;  aiul,  in  connectinn  with  clearing 
a  farm,  he  worked  at  his  trade  whene\ei-  he  had 
an  opportunit}-.  He  succeetled  finel\-  at  both 
occupations,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  )-ears 
had  cleared  and  placed  under  cultivation  a 
number  of  acres  of  land.  Prudent,  thriftful, 
anil  a  good  manager,  he  at  length  found  that  he 
was  warranted  in  replacing  the  log-cabin  with  a 
substantial  frame  house,  and  in  building  a  com- 
fortable barn  and  a  shed  for  his  new  wagon  and 
farming  imi)lements.  A  man  of  intelligence 
and  sound  judgment,  he  became  intluential 
in  the  commimity  and  a  leader  in  religious 
circles.  He  was  a  devout  Methodist,  and  a 
regular  attendant  at  the  prayer-meetings  held 
seven  miles  awa_\',  a  journe)'  that  he  took  on 
horseback.  1  le  far  outlived  the  allotted  .sjian 
of  human  life,  his  pilgrimage  on  eaitli  extend- 
ing over  a  period  >A  one  huiuhed  and  two 
years.  His  wife.  Charity  Rickart,  was  also  of 
(icrman  descent.  .She  proved  herself  a  true 
heljimeet,  assisting  him  in  their  early  days  of 
labor  while  li\ing  in  the    log-cabin,  anil   train- 


]!IOGR.\riIICAL    REVIEW 


ing  their  seven  children  to  hahits  of  industry 
anil  usefulness.  She  preceded  iiim  to  the 
better  world,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years. 

George  Winegard  assisted  his  father  in  his 
pioneer  labors,  and  after  I'eaching  man's  estate 
purchased  the  old  Peter  Markle  farm  near  b_\-, 
in  the  town  of  Seward,  and  sjient  many  years 
in  improving  it.  lie  built  a  new  dwelling,  a 
barn,  and  other  farm  buildings,  and  was  there 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  several  )-ears. 
Subsequently  coming  to  H)-ndsville,  he  bought 
land,  rebuilt  the  .saw-mill  and  built  a  grist- 
mill, and  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  highest  and 
best  interests  of  this  little  village,  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  its  development.  In 
politics  he  was,  in  early  manhood,  a  stanch 
Whig,  and  later  a  Republican.  A  man  of 
eminent  piety,  deeply  interested  in  advancing 
the  cause  of  religion,  he  was  very  active  in  the 
Methodist  church,  with  which  he  united  when 
young,  and  was  for  many  years  a  class  leader 
and  one  of  the  trustees.  When  its  present 
house  of  worship  was  erected  he  was  one  of  the 
foremost  in  hastening  the  work,  and  contrib- 
uted fourteen  hundred  dollars  toward  the 
building  fund.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years,  leaving  a  host  of  friends  who  sym- 
pathized with  the  family  in  their  great  loss. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Eliza  A. 
Isham,  was  born  in  this  town.  Her  father, 
Benjamin  Isham,  was  a  prominent  citizen  and 
a  pioneer  merchant  of  Hyndsville.  She  was  a 
woman  of  culture,  having  been  educated  at  a 
New   York   City-boarding-school.      She   was   a 


distant  relation  of  John  Ouincy  Adams.  Mrs. 
Winegard  survived  hei-  husband,  ilying  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  They  reared  live 
children,  namely:  Emily,  wife  of  Rector  h'os- 
ter;  Phebe,  deceased;  (ienrge,  deceased;  Rici)- 
ard  ;  and  Albert. 

Richard  Winegard  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools,  and  until  lie  was  thirt)-five  }ears 
old  he  worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  and 
in  the  mill.  Since  the  death  of  the  father 
he  and  his  brother  Albert  ha\e  devoted  their 
attention  to  the  grist-mill,  and,  in  addition  to 
dealing  somewhat  in  grain  and  feed,  have  car- 
ried on  a  very  extensive  business  in  custom 
grinding  of  corn,  flour,  and  feed.  The  nine 
acres  of  land  included  in  the  original  property 
they  utilize  by  raising  on  it  ha\',  grain,  and 
potatoes. 

Politically,  Mr.  Winegard  is  a  steadfast  Re- 
publican, and  takes  an  active  interest  in  local 
and  county  affairs.  P"raternally,  he  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  belonging  to  Richmondville  Lodge. 
True  to  the  religious  faith  in  which  he  was 
reared,  he  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  which  he  has  served 
for  many  years  as  trustee,  steward,  class 
leader,  and  church  recorder,  having  taken  up 
the  work  laid  down  by  his  father  and  success- 
fully carried  it  on. 

On  December  23,  1S74,  Mr.  Winegard  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Maggie  J.  Weid- 
man,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Ann  (Starkins) 
Weidman,     of     Schoharie     County.      Mr.     and 


Mrs.  Winegard  have  one  child,  a  daughter, 
I  Lottie  E.,  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Empie,  a  mer- 
'  chant     of     Hyndsville     and     Town     Clerk     of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Seward.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  l-nipic  arc  the  im.ud 
pareiit.s  of  a  briglit  baby  j^irl,  HcriiiLc  L. ,  born 
on  February  2,   1S99. 


.\i<Tii()i.().Mi:\v    II.   ci.rTi';,  cne 

CleiiviUe,  N.V.,  wa.s  born  in  Sche- 
nectady, June  21,  1S31,  .son  of  IIenr\'  and 
Cathaline  T.  (Ilaverley)  Clute.  His  .tjrand- 
father,  Hartli<donie\v  Clute,  served  as  a  .soldier 
in  the  Ke\idutionar_\-  War.  He  was  for  scjnie 
time  a  boatman  mi  the  Mohawk  River;  and  on 
one  occasion  he  had  for  a  passenger  the  Hritish 
commander,  Sir  Henr)-  Clinton.  The  maiden 
name  of  Grandfather  Chile's  wife  was  Margaret 
Peters. 

'I'heir  son,  Henry  Clute,  above  named,  was 
a  native  of  Schenectad)'.  When  a  \-nung  man, 
he  engaged  in  the  grocer)-  business,  which  he 
foll.nved  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died 
about  1.S35.  JJ'^  wife,  Cathaline,  was  a  na- 
tive of  GKnville.  Her  paternal  grandfather 
was  John  Haverley,  a  large  land-owner  of  this 
town  in  his  day.  His  death  occurred  the  same 
night  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  horn. 
John  Haverley  married  Anna  Adams,  a  repre- 
sentative, it  is  thought,  of  the  noted  IMassachu- 
setts  famil\-  which  has  given  two  Presidents  — 
John  an.l  John  Cjuincy  Adams  — to  the  United 
States.  Henry  and  Cathaline  T.  Clute  reared 
four  children;  namely,  Susan  H.,  Christian 
]].,  P.artholomew  H.,  and  J<,hn  H.  ]l  Clute, 
all  of  whom,  c.\cepl  liartholomew  H.,  are  re- 
siding in  Rotterdam.      The  mother   died    May, 


I.S.S2.  The  parents  were  members  of  the  Re- 
formed chinch. 

Partholomew  H.  Clute  pas.sed  his  boyhood 
and  y(nith  in  Schenectady  and  Glenville,  and 
attended  school  in  these  places.  His  father's 
death  threw  him  upon  his  own  resources  at  an 
early  age,  and  he  began  life  as  a  workman  in 
the  broom  factcjries  of  Schenectady  at  eleven 
dcdlars  i>er  month.  In  iS5ohe\vent  to  Illi- 
nois, wliere  he  engaged  in  raising  broom-corn 
on  leased  land.  He  also  established  a  factory, 
and  manufactured  the  first  lot  of  Western-made 
brooms  ever  sold  in  Chicago.  Although  this 
enteriuise  pr<ivcd  tpiite  successful,  the  gold 
fever  soon  caused  him  to  sell  out,  in  order  to 
tr)-  his  fortune  in  Calif(jrnia.  Going  there  by 
the  overland  route,  he  followed  various  occupa- 
tions on  the  Pacific  Coast  for  four  years.  Re- 
turning then  to  Schenectady  Count}',  he  leaseil 
land  in  Glenville  until  1S63,  since  which  year 
he  has  resided  upon  his  ]3resent  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  ten  acres.  He  has  a  valuable 
piece  of  agricultural  propert}-,  with  good  build- 
ings and  modern  improvements.  He  keeps 
from  twenty  to  twenty-fi\-e  cows,  and  derives 
considerable  profit  from  the  sale  of  milk. 

On  October  20,  iHs.S,  Mr.  Clute  was  joined 
in  marriage  with  Agnes  Swart,  who  was  born 
in  Glenville,  April  13,  iS'32,  daughter  of 
Josias  and  Catharine  (X'edder)  Swart.  Her 
])arenls  belonged  to  highly  reputable  families 
of  this  county.  Mrs.  Clute  is  the  mother  of 
three  children,  namely:  Kitte\'.,  who  is  now 
I\Irs.  McCullum;  Klma,  who  is  now  Mrs. 
Dick;  and    Clarence    Clute. 

In    politics   Mr.   Clute   is   a   Democrat.      To 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


the  energy  and  perseverance  which  served  him 
so  well  in  his  boyhood  days  is  due  in  a  great 
measure  the  prosperity  he  now  enjo}-s,  his 
activit)'  continuing  unabated.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clute  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 


§OHN  S,  GARY,  a  well-known  resident 
of  Braman,  in  the  town  of  Cobleskill, 
and  proprietor  of  one  of  the  oldest 
mills  in  this  section  of  the  county,  was  born 
in  Schoharie,  in  a  house  on  the  road  to 
Howes  Cave,  on  July  19,  1827,  son  of  Sam- 
uel and  Mercy  (Swan)  Gary. 

His  father,  who  was  born  in  Stonington, 
Conn.,  was  brought  up  in  Sprakers  Basin, 
Montgomery  County,  N.Y. ,  on  a  farm.  He 
also  worked  somewhat  during  boyhood  at  raft- 
ing on  the  Mohawk  River,  but  eventually 
came  to  the  farm  of  George  Lawyer  in 
Schoharie  Court  House,  and  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  engaged  in  farm  labor, 
either  there  or  on  other  farms  in  this  county, 
working  on  shares.  His  wife,  Mercy,  was  the 
daughter  of  a  pioneer  of  Kno.x,  Albany 
Gounty,  who  built  the  first  mill  in  that 
region.  He  was  a  stanch  patriot  in  Revolu- 
tionary times,  and  was  in  active  service  in  the 
army  throughout  the  war,  being  ele\'en  times 
wounded.  His  wife  lived  to  the  surprising 
age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years.  On  her 
one  hundred  and  third  birthday  she  rode 
twenty  miles  on  horseback,  but  the  exertion 
was  too  much  for  her,  and  she  ilied  from  its 
effects.  Mrs.  Mercy  Gary  was  the  youngest 
of  quite  a   large   family  of   children.      Of   her 


own   children,  seven    in    number,  John    S.  was 
the  youngest,  and  is  now  the  only  one  living. 

Mr.  John  S.  Gary  spent  his  early  years  at 
Barnerville,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  After  leaving  school  he  was  en- 
gaged for  a  time  in  selling  dry  goods  and 
small  wares  along  the  canal,  but  later  settled 
in  Orleans  Gounty,  where  he  worked  for  six 
months  in  a  wagon-building  shop.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Barneiville,  and 
opened  a  wagon-maker"s  shop  in  company 
with  Henderson  Pollock.  After  working 
there  for  some  time  he  hired  a  shop  near  by, 
and  carried  on  wagon-making  and  painting 
and  some  cabinet  work.  Going  then  to 
Schoharie,  he  worked  at  carriage-building  in 
the  winter  and  at  painting  in  the  summer  for 
a  few  years,  and  then  began  working  as  a 
millwright  along  Cobleskill  Greek  and  the 
Schoharie  River  Valley.  He  built  a  large 
number  of  grist  and  saw  mills,  and  invented  a 
water-wheel  of  which  he  afterward  constructed 
and  put  in  place  about  two  hundred  in  this 
and  adjoining  counties.  In  1S75  he  came  to 
his  present  mill.  This  he  had  repaired  dur- 
ing his  early  millwright  work,  it  having  been 
built  by  his  wife's  grandfather,  Peter  Low- 
meyers  in  1790.  A  part  of  the  original 
structure  is  in  use  \-et,  and  is  in  well-pre- 
served condition.  The  mill  has  two  stories 
and  a  half.  The  lower  floor  is  devoted  to  cus- 
tom and  merchant  work,  principally  to  the 
manufacture  of  rye  and  buckwheat  flour,  which 
is  marketed  in  New  York  and  in  other  States. 
There  are  three  mill-runs,  besides  a  "pony 
stone."      The  second  floor  is  devoted   to   puri- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


fyin^^  ;iml  storini;  the  L;raiii,  wliilc  the  top  floor 
is  uscil  for  scoiirinj^  ami  cleaning  j;rain  ami 
for  storage.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  mills 
in  the  section,  as  well  as  one  of  the  largest 
run  by  water  power.  Mr.  Gary  has  now  been 
connectetl  with  milling  interests  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  probably  longer  than  any  other 
man  now  living  in  this  region. 

On  the  last  day  of  January,  1S49,  Mr.  Gary 
was  united  in  marriage  with  I'hfebe  Gicjrdon, 
a  native  of  Carlisle  and  daughter  of  John  Gor- 
don, a  farmer  of  that  town,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  Mrs.  Gary  was  one  of  a 
family  of  ten  children,  and  has  herself  been 
tiie  mother  of  eight,  of  whom  five  are  living. 
These  are:  Alice,  Andrew,  Laura,  Rosalie, 
and  Walter.  The  three  deceased  are:  Har- 
riet, who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years  of 
diphtheria:  Retta,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  months;  and  Lyman  IL,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  si.x  months.  Alice,  who  married 
Henry  Holmes  McDonald,  a  carpenter  and 
contractor  of  bridges,  has  three  children  — 
h'rank,  John  P.,  and  Rhoda.  Andrew  mar- 
ried Gynderilla  Severson,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren—  Hattie,  Foster,  Daisy,  and  Florence. 
The  son,  l-"oster,  is  a  painter  and  decorator 
in  Gobleskill.  Laura  married  Thomas  Ghick- 
ering,  a  merchant  of  Lawyersville.  Rosalie, 
who  married  Judd  Hassett,  a  farmer,  has  one 
child,  Ralith  G.  Walter  Gary,  an  engineer, 
married  Jennie  Merchant,  and  has  two  sons 
—  01  in  and  lunery  P. 

Mr  Gary  is  Republican  in  ])olitics.  He 
takes  a  warm  interest  in  all  ]uiblic  matters, 
but  has  never  cared  to  hold  public  office.      He 


is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Coble- 
skill,  of  De  Witt  Council  at  Albany,  and  of 
John  L.  Lewis  Chapter  at  Gobleskill.  He 
built  the  house  in  which  he  now  resides,  and 
two  others  near  by  which  are  rented  to  ten- 
ants; also  one  with  a  store  adjoining,  and 
owns  more  houses  than  any  other  man  in 
town.  Li  religious  views  Mr.  Gary  is  a 
Methodist.  He  is  connectetl  with  the  Meth- 
odist church  here,  has  been  steward  in  the  so- 
ciety for  many  years,  and  an  active  worker  in 
the  Sunday-school.  Mrs.  Gary  likewise  has 
been  a  member  of  the  church  since  her  early 
girlhood.  Mr.  Gary  is  a  progressive  man. 
He  has  been  keenly  alive  to  every  plan  pro- 
mulgated for  the  iir.provement  of  the  town,  and 
has  kept  his  own  jiroperty  in  unexcelled  con- 
dition. Down  at  the  mill  he  has  built  a  large 
wall  eleven  feet  high,  containing  boulders 
weighing  a  ton,  to  keep  the  water  from  over- 
flowing. His  other  real  estate  property  also 
shows  that  it  is  constantly  looked  out  for  and 
never  allowed  to  lack  repairs. 


OULS  A.  HOKN.S,  proprietor  of  La 
Touraine.  Tannersville,  was  born  in 
the  north  of  b'rance,  February  8, 
1855,  son  of  Augustus  and  Josephine  (de 
.Sainte  Roch)  Hoens.  His  i)arents  were  na- 
tives of  Iklgium,  and  his  father,  who  was  a 
farmer,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight.  His 
mother  was  twice  married,  and  had  si.x  chil- 
dren, Louis  being  the  eldest  by  her  .second 
husband.  Mrs.  ]!oens  came  to  America  with 
five   of   her  children.      She  spent  her  last  days 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


with  her  son  Louis,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight. 

Louis  A.  Boens  accompanied  the  family  to 
the  United  States,  first  settling  in  Helport, 
Long  Island,  and  a  year  later  removing  to 
Hunter.  His  training  in  the  business  of  hotel- 
keeping  was  begun  at  the  Laurel  House,  with 
which  he  was  connected  in  different  capacities 
for  several  years.  In  1889  he  completed  and 
opened  La  Touraine,  which  was  built  and  fur- 
nished under  his  personal  supervision,  and  has 
accommodations  for  fifty  guests.  It  is  a  favor- 
ite resort  for  New  York  people,  and  has  a  large 
patronage.  The  table  is  a  special  feature,  and 
is  provided  with  poultry  raised  upon  the 
premises. 

In  1886  Mr.  Boens  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Kate  Askin.  Her  parents,  John  and 
Mary  Askin,  who  are  no  longer  living,  had  a 
family  of  si.xteen  children.  Mr.  Askin  was  a 
native  of  Ireland.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  The  Boens  family  attend  the 
Roman  Catholic  church.  In  politics  Mr. 
Boens   acts   with   the   Democratic  party. 


(S)|  ON.  HENRY  S.  DE  FOREST,  ex- 
Mayor  of  Schenectady  and  an  e.xten- 
ive  real  estate  dealer,  was  born  in 
this  city,  February  16,  1847,  son  of  O.  L. 
and  Sarah  (Vedder)  De  Forest. 

His  great-grandfather  De  F^orest  and  his 
grandfather  De  F^orest,  both  of  whom  were 
named  Jacob,  were  lifelong  residents  of  Sche- 
nectady   County.      Jacob    De    F'orest,    second. 


was  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  the  father  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  one  of  them  a  son 
Jacob,  who  became  a  iirospemus  farmer,  and 
another  Martin,  who  acquired  wealth  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits,  and  was  a  man  of  prominence 
in  this  section  of  the  State. 

O.  L.  De  F~orest,  born  in  this  county  in 
1S06,  son  of  the  second  Jacob,  was  a  coojier 
by  trade,  and  followed  that  business  in  this 
city  successfully  for  a  number  of  years,  or  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1859.  He  served 
as  Sheriff  of  Schenectady  County  and  also  as  a 
Deputy. 

His  wife,  Sarah,  was  a  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Vedder,  of  Schenectady  Count)-,  whose  ances- 
tors were  among  the  early  Dutch  settlers  in 
the  Mohawk  valley.  Seven  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  namely:  Anna,  who  died 
young;  Rebecca,  wife  of  Stephen  D.  Gates,  of 
this  city;  Jacob,  a  furniture  dealer,  who 
served  as  Sheriff  one  term,  and  died  in  1894, 
aged  about  si.\ty-two  years,  leaving  a  widow  and 
five  children;  Ella,  who  married  Christopher 
\'an  Slyck,  and  died  in  1S94,  leaving  two 
children;  F^ank  V.,  Assistant  Chief  of  Police; 
Henry  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Lansing,  a  farmer  in  the  town  of  Glenville, 
this  county.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Sarah  \'edder 
De  F^orest,  died  in  1867,  aged  fifty-nine  years. 
Henry  S.  De  Forest  attended  the  Union 
School,  and  completed  his  studies  with  a  com- 
mercial course  at  Eastman's  Business  College, 
Poughkeepsie.  Entering  the  employ  of  his 
brother-in-law,  Christopher  Van  Sl)ck,  a 
broom  manufacturer,  as  clerk  and  book-keeper, 
he    was    later    admitted     to     partnership;    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


after  the  dissolution  of  that  firm,  in  1878,  he 
became  extensively  engaged  in  the  cultivation 
of  broom  corn,  which  he  carried  on  success- 
fully for  eight  years.  When  a  young  man  he 
displayed  a  decided  preference  fur  tlie  real  es- 
tate business,  and  his  first  lainl  piirxhase  cun- 
sisted  of  two  lots  for  which  he  paid  mie  liun- 
dred  dollars  each.  .MjoiU  tiie  \ear  iSSfi  he 
turned  his  attention  exLJiisively  to  city  piup- 
erty,  his  transactions  in  which  diiiinj;  tlie  last 
twelve  years  have  amounted  tn  twu  niiUiuii 
dollars.  He  organized  tlie  s\iuiicates  whicii 
erected  the  Edison  Hotel,  at  a  cost  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  tliousand  dollars,  and  the 
Van  Curler  Ojiera  House,  completed  in  1  ,Sc;3 
at  a  cost  of  one  iunuJred  and  two  thousand 
d.dJars,  of  wliich  he  is  the  huyest  individual 
owner.  rre\ious  to  the  business  depression 
of  1893,  and  since  1897,  he  has  erected  many 
hundreds  of  buildings  for  residence  aiuj  business 
purposes.  He  has  laid  out  sc\eral  tliorough- 
fares,  including  Foster  Avenue,  named  in  honor 
of  Professor  John  Foster,  of  L'nioii  College; 
Summit  and  Fast  Avenues;  and  Terrace  Place. 
The.se  localities  have  been  protected  ai^ainst 
the  encroachments  of  the  liquor  traffic  l,ir;;el\- 
through  his  in.strumentality,  and  his  excellent 
judgment  in  regard  to  the  real  estate  inteiests 
of  the  city  has  jiroved  excecdiiigl)'  beneficial 
to  iirojjerty  h(j|ders.  He  is  one  of  the  largest 
owners  of  the  Metropolitan  Asphalt  Pavement 
Company,  which  was  organized  in  1^95,  and 
which  has  paved  the  principal  streets  of  this 
city  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner.  He  is  con- 
sidered to-day  the  most  extensive  real  estate 
dealer  and  owner  in  Scheneetadv.      He  is  also 


the  largest  owner  in  the  Schenectady  Daily 
Gazette,  the  leading  newspaper  in  the  city. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  served 
as  City  Recorder  four  years  and  as  IMayor  for 
the  same  length  of  time,  and  deserves  much 
credit  foi-  giving  the  city  a  sound  and   jiidgres- 

ing  the  election  (j[  the  new  brick  railway  sta- 
tion, and  an  entirely  new  sewer  system  was 
among  the  number  of  public  improvements 
completeii  timing  his  term  of  office. 

On  September  6,  1.S76,  Mr.  IJe  l-'orest  mar- 
ried Lucy  ]-:.  Van  Fpps,  of  this  city,  daughter 
of  the  late  Harmon  Van  ]-:pi)s.  They  have 
two  daughters,  namely:  Peulah,  a  recent  grad- 
uate of  Lasell  Seminary;  and  Pearl,  aged 
ele\'en  years. 

Mr.  De  Forest  is  a  director  of  the  Schenec- 
tady State  Hank.  He  is  a  Master  Mason  and 
a  trustee  of  the  Voung  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. His  business  office  is  located  at 
420  and  liis  residence  at  436  State  Street. 
As  noted  above,  his  influence  and  judgment 
have  long  been  prominent  factors  in  siia|iing 
the  course  of  |niblic  improvements  in  this  citv. 
The  fact  that  he  began  business  without  cai)i- 
tal  will  enable  those  readers  of  the  Ki.Mi.w 
who  have  hitherto  been  unfamiliar  with  his 
early  business  life  to  better  appreciate  liis  un- 
tiring energy  and  iierseverance. 


ll.\UNCI':V     SMITH,     of    West     Cat- 
,kill,      \.  v.,      dealer     in     coal,     hay, 
straw,  and   grain,  was   born    in    Ko\- 
bury,    Delaware    County,    this    State,    on   July 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


25,  1847.  His  parents  were  Jonas  M.  and 
Deborah  (Kater)  Smith,  both  natives  of  Rox- 
bury.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  David 
Smith,  a  native  of  Scotland.  Immigrating  to 
this  country,  Da\'id  Smith  settled  in  Roxbur}-, 
and  there  made  his  home  many  )ears,  his 
death  occurring  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
one.  His  wife,  Jane  More,  also  born  in  Scot- 
land, died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine.  She  was 
the  mother  of  a  large  family  of  children,  of 
whom  the  only  survivor  is  R.  B.  Smith,  of 
Cortland,    N.Y. 

Jonas  M.  Smith  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Roxbury.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  he  subsequently  taught  school  for 
a  while.  Going  west  as  far  as  Illinois,  he 
lived  for  a  time  in  that  State,  and  then  re- 
turned to  his  native  town  and  started  a  variety 
store,  which  he  carried  on  until  1863.  Re- 
moving in  that  year  to  Ashland,  Greene 
County,  he  engaged  in  farming,  also  devoting 
his  energies  to  some  extent  to  mercantile 
affairs.  Subsequently  he  came  to  Catskill, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  sevent}'-fi\e.  He 
was  a  man  of  influence,  and  served  as  Town 
Supervisor  for  four  terms,  as  well  as  in  other 
positions  of  trust.  His  wife  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-nine.  All  her  four  children  are  living. 
They  are:  Chauncey,  Mary,  Nettie,  and 
Addie.  Mary  married  William  H.  Tompkins, 
of  Ashland.  Nettie  is  now  Mrs.  Lewis,  and 
Addie  is  Mrs.   Wiers. 

Chauncey  Smith  remained  in  his  native 
town  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age. 
(joing  then  to  Ashland,  he  remained  there 
thirteen  years,  and  at  the  end   of  that   time  he 


came  to  Cats]<ill.  In  1S77  he  was  engaged  in 
tiie  steamboat  business  at  the  I'oint,  and  I'loni 
1878  until  iSy:!  he  was  in  tiie  Hour  and  grain 
business.  For  a  part  nf  this  tiiue,  some  nine 
years,  he  also  carried  on  a  mill.  He  met  with 
excellent  success,  but  finall\-  ga\e  up  all  other 
business  interests,  and  has  since  devoted  him- 
self to  his  coal  and  grain  business,  which  is 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  enterprises  in  the 
town.  In  1898  he  erected  the  building  which 
he  now  uses.  He  has  both  wholesale  and  re- 
tail trade,  and  is  known  as  a  man  thoroughly 
estimable  and  upright. 

In  1870  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Aravesta  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  Dur- 
ham. Eight  children  have  blessed  this  union; 
namely,  Vernon  M.,  Howard  C. ,  Raymond  E. , 
William  IL,  Lizzie,  Robert  C. ,  Arthur,  and 
Clifford  H.  Vernon  M.  Smith  is  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  in  Iowa  and 
Minnesota.  He  married  Maud  Jennings,  and 
has  one  son,  Chauncey  Joseph.  Howard  C.  is 
a  dealer  in  horses,  and  resides  in  this  town. 
He  married  Carrie  Crawford.  Raymond  and 
William  are  in  school. 

Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Water  Board  and  of  the  School 
Board,  and  a  trustee  in  the  Savings  Bank. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Catskill 
Rural  Cemetery,  and  is  one  of  its  trustees. 
He  and  his  wife  and  three  of  their  sons  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  'Sir.  Smith 
is  a  trustee  of  the  church,  and  ;\Ir.s.  Smith  has 
been  a  teacher  in  the  Sunda\--school.  Both  are 
earnestl)'  interested  in  all  efforts  to  promote 
the  moral  and  spiritual  growth  of  mankind. 


i64 


IJIOGRArillCAL    kE\IK\V 


fUIIN  II.  STKRXHKRG,  vice-president 
:mcl  director  uf  the  Siianm,  Seward,  and 
Carlisle  Insurance  C(mi])any,  and  a 
leading  liopgrdwer  of  Seward,  resitles  on  tlie 
Lunenburg  turnpike  al;out  three  miles  from 
Seward  village.  He  was  born  on  the  Sternberg 
homestead  in  this  town  on  April  17,  1832,  son 
of  Abraliam  and  Anna  M.  (W'orniuth)  Stern- 
berg, and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old- 
est families  in  .Schoharie  County.  His  great- 
grandfather, Nicholas  Sternberg,  who  was 
born  in  .Schoharie,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Lambert  .Sternberg,  who  came  to  America  from 
Germany. 

Nicholas  Sternbei'g  was  one  of  the  jiioneer 
.settlers  of  the  town  of  Sharon,  now  Seward. 
lie  cleared  land  and  built  a  log  cabin  near  the 
site  where  John  H.  .Sternberg  now  li\es.  He 
became  very  prosperous,  and  a  prominent  man 
in  this  section,  and  owned  a  flour-mill  and 
some   three   hundred   acres   of    land. 

John  Sternberg,  son  of  Nicholas,  and  grand- 
father of  John  II.  Sternberg,  was  born  on  the 
homestead  and  reared  there.  The  pro|)crty 
eventually  reverted  to  him,  and  he  spent  his 
life  in  improving  it.  He  built  the  jjresent 
house.  A  man  of  intel  ligence  and  .sound  judg- 
ment, he  was  highly  respected  by  all  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  he  was  an  espe- 
cially valued  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  he  held  at  different  times  all  the 
offices.  His  wife,  whose  maiilen  name  was 
Anna  Shafer,  was  a  native  of  this  region. 
She  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  year.s. 
All  of  the  eleven  children  born  to  this  worthy 
jKiir    grew    to    maturity.       One     ol      the     sons, 


named  Levi,  was  educated  f(jr  the  ministry  in 
the  Lutheran  church.  John  Sternberg  served 
for  a  time  as  Coroner. 

Abraham  Sternberg  was  b(jrn  in  the  house 
built  b\-  his  father,  and  was  etiucated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  district.  He  assisted 
his  father  on  the  farm  for  some  time,  and 
eventually  assumed  full  management,  carrying 
on  general  farming.  He  cultivated  ;il)out  two 
hundred  acres  of  land.  As  a  citizen  he  was 
active  and  well-informed,  and  for  many  years 
served  as  Supervisor,  holding  the  office  during 
the  trying  days  of  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
also  Town  Clerk  for  some  years.  I'"or  many 
years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  was  particularly  active  at  the  time  the  new 
building  was  erected.  He  also  held  other 
offices  of  public  trust,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  to  introduce  hop-growing  into  Schoharie 
County.  He  wa.s  also  one  of  the  original  in- 
corporators of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Cobleskill.  His  wife,  Anna,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  was  one  of  a  large 
famil)'  of  children  born  to  Henry  Wormuth,  of 
Sharon,  an  early  settler  here,  and  by  occupa- 
tion a  tanner  and  currier.  As  was  her  hus- 
band, she  has  been  a  lifelong  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  She  has  been  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  there  are  still  liv- 
ing—  John  H.  ;  James  II.,  who  is  a  physi- 
cian at  Waterloo,  N.  V.  ;  Irving,  a  ph^'sician 
of  (iouverneur,  N.Y.  ;  Henrietta,  who  marrietl 
Barnabas  I^ldred;  and  Jerome,  who  is  a  lianker 
in  Lrie,  I'a.  Jerome  Sternberg  has  two  sons, 
wh(}  are  in  the  same  bank  with  him. 

John  H.   Sternberg  obtained  a  good  practical 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


•cs 


education  in  the  public  schools  near  his  home 
and  at  Hart  wick  Seminary.  After  completing 
his  studies  he  was  for  some  years  engaged  in 
farming  on  different  farms  away  from  Seward; 
but  in  1S92  he  came  back  to  his  native  place 
and  settled  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  has 
since  been  largely  engaged  in  hop  culture. 
He  has  about  fifty-two  acres  devoted  to  raising 
this  important  crop.  'Sir.  Sternberg  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  Sharon,  Seward, 
and  Carlisle  Insurance  Company,  of  which  he 
has  ever  since  been  a  director  and  agent,  and 
for  the  last  six  years  vice-president.  The 
company  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  and 
has  a  capital  of  a  million  and  a  quarter  of 
dollars. 

In  politics  Mr.  Sternberg  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  been  Collector  of  the  town  for  some 
time,  and  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  begin- 
ning in  1890,  he  filled  the  office  of  Supervisor. 
He  is  the  only  man  in  the  town  who  has  held 
this  important  office  for  so  long  a  time.  J\Ir. 
Sternberg  has  been  a  lifelong  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  has  officiated  in  all  the 
different  church  offices.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  serving  as  a  trustee  of  the  society.  He 
has  also  been  warmly  interested  in  the  work  of 
the  Sunday-school,  and  was  formerly  a  teacher 
therein.  His  wife  is  connected  with  the 
church,  and  has  also  been  a  worker  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. A  number  of  their  children  are 
church  members. 

Mr.  Sternberg  was  united  in  marriage  on 
January  30,  1S65,  with  M.  Ellen  Eldredge. 
She  was  born  in  Sharon,  near  Sharon  Springs, 
daughter    of    Robert     Eldredge,    a    native    of 


Sharon  Springs.  Her  grandfather,  liarnahas 
Eldredge.  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  that 
place,  and  owned  nearly  all  of  the  land  where 
the  present  village  nou-  stands.  He  kept  a 
tavern,  and  was  interested  in  the  manufacture 
of  saleratus.  His  seven  sons,  to  each  of  whom 
he  gave  a  fine  farm,  became  prominent  men  in 
their  section  of  the  State,  and  some  of  them 
were  well-known  hotel-keepers.  They  were 
active  in  public  affairs,  and  creditably  perpet- 
uated the  memory  of  their  father.  Barnabas 
Eldredge  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  He 
was  widely  acquainted,  and  commanded  the  re- 
spect of  all  who  knew  him. 

Robert  Eldredge  was  reared  in  his  nati\e 
town.  He  sold  the  farm  given  him  by  his 
father,  and  bought  another  near  the  church  in 
Sharon,  comprising  about  two  hundred  acres, 
and  located  thereon  a  house  and  store.  Eor 
twelve  years  he  was  in  business  there,  a  well- 
known  merchant  and  a  successful  one.  He 
was  at  one  time  judge  of  the  county,  and 
usually  went  by  the  name  of  Judge  Eldredge. 
He  was  also  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  his 
opinion  and  advice  were  eagerly  sought  on  im- 
portant occasions.  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
three.  Although  not  connected  oflicially  with 
any  church  organization,  he  was  a  man  of 
straightforward  Christian  principle,  and  a  be- 
liever in  the  doctrines  of  the  Universalist 
church.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Margaret  Adams,  is  still  living  at  Cobleskill, 
in  the  full  possession  of  all  her  faculties  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years.  She 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon.  Six  of  her 
seven  children    grew   to  maturitv,  and   four  of 


UIOGRAI'HICAI.    REVIEW 


them  are  living,  namely:  John  A.  ;  M.  Ellen; 
Spencer,  who  resides  at  Dwiglit,  111.  ;  and 
James,  who  is  a  merchant  and  Postmaster  in 
California.  Horatio  Olcott  and  Elizabeth  are 
deceased. 

Mrs.  Sternberg  resided  with  her  parents 
until  her  marriage.  She  was  educated  in  the 
ciimniDn  schouls  and  in  Cherry  \'alley  .\cad- 
univ.  She  has  three  chilcheii ;  namely,  How- 
ard J.,  Charles  A.,  and  R..l)crt  I!.  The  first 
of  these,  who  married  Anna  \'orhees,  is  pro- 
prietor of  a  hotel  at  Seward.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  him,  of  whom  four  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  (irace  A.,  who  is  with  Mrs. 
Sternberg,  and  is  atteiidiiig  school;  Julia  A.  ; 
(ieorge  V.  ;  and  I.e  Ray.  Charles  A.  Stern- 
berg married  for  liis  first  wife  I.i^/.ie  Clark, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  He  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Mamie  Clark.  He  is 
a  graduate  of  Hellevue  Hospital  Medical  Col- 
lege in  New  \'nrk  Cit)',  and  is  now  in  pr;ictice 
at  Gloversv  ilie,  having  gone  to  that  place  from 
Howes  Cave.  Robert  Sternl)erg  married 
Louise  Snedecor.  'I'hey  have  one  child,  b'lor- 
enee  Louise,  born  June  17,  1 8r)S.  Robert 
.Sternberg  was  liorn  in  Seward  imd  worked 
on  the  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  (dd. 
lie  then  :ittenileil  Ilartwick  Seminary  for 
tliree  years,  and  subsequently  took  a  four 
ye;irs'  course  at  Curnell  University,  gradu- 
ating in  1H90  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  He  then  taught  .school  in  Blue 
Point,  Long  Island,  for  a  time,  and  has  since 
l>een  ajipointed  Schocd  Commissioner  of  the 
second  district  of  Schoharie  County,  sncceed- 
injf    Thomas    \i.    I'inegan.       He    has    iield   the 


office  since  January  i,  1893,  and  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  efficient  officers  in  educa- 
tional w<irk  in  this  section  of  the  State.  He 
h;is  tilled  in  his  leisure  moments  studying  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  3\Larch,   1899. 


§()SI-;ril  I'CTM.XN,  who  cultivates  a 
l)ro<kiclive  farm  in  Rottei(l;nn.  .Sche- 
nectady Coinit)-,  N.W,  was  l)orn  in  tiiis 
town  M;i\'  ,^,  1M33,  son  of  A;iron  and  Nancy 
(Hagermau)  Piitman.  His  f:ither  was  born 
here  in  1 805,  and  his  grandfather,  John  Put- 
man,  was  among  the  early  residents.  His 
great-grandfather,  Aaion  Putman,  first,  who 
came  from  Holland,  settled  in  Rotterdam  as  a 
jiioneer.  All  of  the  ab(jve-named  ancestors 
were    industrious   farmers. 

Aaron  Putmiui,  second,  son  of  Joim,  im- 
proved tlie  farm  whicli  his  son  Joscjih  now 
owns,  and  was  one  of  the  able  faiiners  of  his 
day.  In  politics  he  acted  with  the  Re|)ublican 
party,  and  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  cluircii,  and  an  earnest  advocate  of 
temperance.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sevent)- 
si,\  years.  Nancy  Hagerman  Putman,  his 
wife,  was  a  natis'c  of  Amsterdam,  N.  \',  and 
the  locality  in  that  town  known  as  Ihigerman's 
Mills  was  named  for  her  f:ither.  Of  her  chil- 
dren two  :ne  li\ing,  nanul_\  :  John  A.  Putman, 
a  real  estate  dealer  in  Hro(jklyn;  and  Josejih, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  others  were  : 
Dr.  b'rancis  D.  i'utman,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three;  M;iggie  \'.  Hagerman,  who 
died    No\endjer    19,    1875;   PTizabeth,  who   be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


■  67 


came  Mrs.  Sauter,  and  died  in  1897;  Ernes- 
tus  H.,  who  died  at  tiie  age  of  ten  years;  and 
two  children  who  died  in  infanc)-.  The 
mother  lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  old. 

Joseph  Putman  acquired  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Rotterdam  and  Syracuse.  When 
thirteen  years  old  he  made  himself  useful 
about  the  farm,  and  after  completing  his  stud- 
ies he  gave  his  entire  attention  to  farming  at 
the  homestead.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage 
he  began  to  work  the  farm  on  shares,  and  he 
continued  to  do  so  until  his  father's  death, 
when  he  purchased  the  interest  of  the  other 
heirs.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  desirably  located  land,  which  afford 
excellent  opportunities  for  both  tillage  and 
pasturage,  and,  aside  from  raising  the  usual 
crops,  he  disposes  of  the  milk  of  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  cows. 

On  September  10,  1S62,  'Sir.  Putman  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Martha  E.  Shufelt, 
who  was  born  in  Rotterdam,  September  6, 
1S40.  Her  parents,  George  and  Pauline 
(Britton)  Shufelt,  are  not  living.  Her  father 
was  a  prosperous  farmer.  Mrs.  Putman  is  the 
mother  of  two  daughters  —  Purlie  and  Minnie, 
both  of  whom  reside  with  their  parents.  Pur- 
lie married  Van  D.  Sager,  a  building  contrac- 
tor, and  has  one  son,  Clinton  Sager,  who  was 
born  June  22,  1S92.  ]\Iinnie  is  the  wife  of 
George  H.  Putman,  an  employee  at  the  Edison 
Electric  Works,  Schenectady,  and  has  one  son, 
Joseph  W. ,  who  was  born  January  9,    1S9S. 

Although  taking-  a  lively  interest  in  town 
affairs,  and  supporting  at  the  polls  the  candi- 
dates   for    local    positions  whom    he  considers 


most  desirable,  Mr.  Putman  has  never  cared  to 
hold  public  office  himself.  In  national  elec- 
tions he  acts  with  the  ReiHiblican  ])arty.  He 
is  sincerely  respected  for  his  sterling  integrity 
and  high  moral  character.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  church. 


§OHN  B.  KNIEFEX,  late  a  leading  hop- 
grower  of  Middleburg,  X.  Y. ,  and,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  on  January  25, 
1S99,  the  only  hop-buyer  with  an  oflfice  in  the 
town,  was  born  at  New  Baltimore,  Greene 
County,  on  July  5,  1S35.  He  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Sophia  (Crook)  Kniffen,  and  de- 
scended from  a  line  of  agriculturists  sprung 
from  English  stock.  His  first  ancestor  in  this 
country  came  from  England  to  a  farm  in  New 
Jersey.  His  grandfather  Kniffen  removed 
from  New  Jersey  to  this  State  in  early  man- 
hood, and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
New  Baltimore,  where  he  died  in  extreme  old 
age,  lacking  only  three  years  of  having  reached 
a  full  century. 

John  Kniffen,  father  of  John  B.,  was  born 
in  New  Baltimore,  and  was  there  educated  in 
the  public  schools.  He  was  reared  to  a 
farmer's  life,  but  also  did  some  work  at  the 
stone  cutter's  trade.  Although  strong  and 
healthy,  with  every  prospect  of  a  long  life,  he 
was  stricken  down  in  the  fulness  of  manhood, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  from  typhoid 
fever.  He  was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  society,  and  for  many  years  a  class  leader. 
He  was   a   noted  exhorter  and  a  iDOwerful  man 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


in  prayer.  His  wife,  Sophia,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-six,  was  also  a  lifelong  and  ac- 
tive Methodist.  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
sons  and  five  daugliters,  and  of  these  nine  chil- 
dren the  sui)ject  of  this  sketch  was  the  latest 
survivor. 

Jnlin  H.  Kniffen  received  a  practical  educa- 
tiiKi  in  tiie  ])ublic  schools,  and  durinLC  \:icalion 
time  worked  on  his  fntlicr's  farm,  wlicrc  he 
learned  the  art  of  successfid  tannin,^.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  .Middleburg, 
where  until  he  reached  his  majority  he  worked 
by  the  month  on  farms,  and  at  the  same  time 
made  arrangements  so  that  he  was  enableil  to 
attend  scliool  during  the  winter.  At  tlie  age 
of  twenty-one  he  [)urchased  a  farm  of  some 
forty  acres,  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  Ills 
later  splendid  projierty  of  o\cr  three  hundred 
acres.  As  a  farmer  he  was  \-ery  successful  ; 
and  he  and  iiis  son,  who  was  in  business  with 
him  for  a  number  of  years,  were  looked  upon 
as  two  (jf  the  most  progressive  agricultLU'ists  in 
this  regioii.  The  Kniffen  estate  embraces 
practically  two  farms,  botli  of  wJiich  are  in  a 
high  state  of  cu]li\ation.  All  the  buildin-s 
on  the  farm  upon  wliicli  he  lived,  and  also  the 
house  where  his  son  lives,  were  built  by  Mr. 
Kniffen.  In  i  .S6o  he  began  the  tullure  of 
hops  in  a  small  way,  being  among  the  first 
here  to  engage  in  that  enterprise.  He  con- 
stantly increased  the  scale  of  liis  operations, 
and  in  his  later  years  had  some  fifty  acres  de- 
voted to  ho]i-growing,  ])roducing  annually  some 
one  hundrcil  and  twenty  five  bales  of  hops.  In 
iS.So  be  began  buying  hops,  and  from  that 
time    on    be   wa.s    interested    witli    Cbailes    .S. 


May,  who   is  proprietor  of  one  of  the   largest 
hop  markets  in  Albany.      Mr.  Kniffen  was  the 

first  man  in  iMidd!el)urg  to  become  a  buyer, 
and  lie  was  latterly,  as  before  mentioned,  the 
only  one  in  town  who  had  an  office.  He 
raised  grain  of  different  kintls  on  his  farm. 
Mr.  Kniffen  was  married  in  1S55  to  Tabitha 
W'ormer,  a  native  of  Middleburg,  and  daughter 
(if  John  W'ormer,  a  successful  and  prominent 
farmer  of  this  place.  Of  the  four  sons  and 
four  daughters  born  of  tliis  union,  seven  chil- 
dren are  living,  namely:  baner}-  W. ,  who  was 
in  business  with  his  father;  luskine;  l-;stella; 
Amoretta;  ]'2velyn  ;  I' rank  ;  and  l^llicjt.  ]*"r- 
skine,  who  married  Molly  Howman,  is  in  tlie 
insurance  business  connected  with  the  Mutual 
Reserve  I-'riend  As.sociation.  Estella  is  the 
wife  of  I.uther  Jackson,  overseer  of  the  North 
Shore  Road  at  -South  Schenectady,  and  is  the 
mother  of  seven  children — John,  b'lora, 
b'rank,  Harry,  Clauile,  Clarence,  and  b'ord, 
who  is  (leceasetl.  Amoretta  marrieil  Charles 
D.  Mitchell,  will)  is  in  a  shoe  factory  at  Hing- 
hamton.  They  have  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren—by name.  Belle,  Clifford,  and  I'orrest. 
I-:velyn  is  the  wife  of  Clarence  McBain,  a 
member  ol  the  firm  of  Bassler  &  Co.,  of  Mid- 
dlel)urg,  and  she  is  the  mother  of  four  children 
—  Xellie,  John.  Loui.sa,  and  Alice  Leona. 
b'rank,  who  also  is  a  farmer  and  was  interested 
in  Ijusiness  wit!)  his  father,  married  Dora 
Crosljy,  and  has  one  daugliter,  Delia.  IvUiot 
Kniffen  resides  near  the  (dd  home,  and  is  in- 
terested ill  bee  culture,  in  jioultry  raising,  and 
in  general  fnrming.  He  married  bllla  \an 
\-,.ras. 


40^i 


(lEOKC.t:  \v.  i'.i:i.i-iN<. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


169 


In  politics  Mr.  Kniffcn  was  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat. He  was  a  member  of  Micldlcburg 
Lodge,  No.  663,  F.  &  A.  SI,  with  which  he 
had  been  connected  for  twenty  years,  and  he 
was  buried  with  Masonic  lienors.  He  fol- 
lowed the  religious  faith  of  which  his  father 
was  so  devoted  a  disciple,  and  was  one  of  the 
strong  men  in  the  Methodist  church  at  IMiddle- 
burg.  He  was  a  member  of  it  for  forty  years, 
and  his  wife  and  nearly  all  of  his  children  are 
members.  At  the  time  the  new  church  edifice 
was  erected,  Mr.  Kniffen  contributed  a  thou- 
sand dollars  toward  its  construction. 


/^pTEQRGE  W.  BELLINGER,  editor  and 
V^X  publisher  of  the  Cobleskill  hidi-.r  at 
Cobleskill,  N.Y.,  was  born  in  this  town,  De- 
cember 18,  1S43.  His  father,  George  Bel- 
linger, was  born,  bred,  and  educated  in 
Seward,  Schoharie  County,  where  he  worked 
at  farming  until  sixteen  years  old,  and  then 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  When  ready 
to  establish  himself  permanently,  George  Bel- 
linger came  to  Cobleskill,  and  was  here  indus- 
triously employed  at  his  trade  until  his  death, 
June  26,  1867.  He  married  Miss  Caroline 
Shafer,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Shafer,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  of  this  town,  and  a  descendant  of 
one  of  its  earlier  pioneers.  Two  children 
were  born  of  their  union;  namely,  George  VV., 
and  a  child  that  died  when  \'oung.  The 
mother   is   still    living   in   Cobleskill. 

George  W.  Bellinger  received  a  practical 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  district. 
Having   become  interested   in  the    subject    of 


photography  wiien  a  ynung  man,  he  iuid  an 
opportunity  to  learn  the  art  in  1X65,  when  Mr. 
Oswald  J5urnett  o])ened  tiie  tirst  re.nular  studio 
in  the  town  on  the  third  Moor  of  the  liuilding 
now  occupied  by  Charles  H.  Sehaffer.  .Mr. 
Bellinger  proved  an  apt  pupil,  and  in  a  short 
time  bought  out  his  employer.  lieing  a  man 
of  enterprise  and  good  business  abilit\-,  well 
endowed  with  artistic  talent,  he  met  with  ex- 
cellent success,  and,  having  gained  a  wide 
reputation  for  superior  skill,  he  won  an  exten- 
sive and  lucrative  patronage  in  this  and  sur- 
rounding towns.  Removing  to  the  present 
site  of  the  dental  parlors  of  Dr.  L.  T.  Browne, 
he  there  carried  on  his  work  until  the  fire  of 
1873,  which  destroyed  all  of  his  equipments. 

The  following  month  Mr.  Bellinger  em- 
barked in  a  new  career.  He  bought  the 
Cobleskill  Index,  which  was  established  in 
1S65  by  William  H.  Week  and  the  Hon. 
Henry  E.  Abel,  and  during  the  twenty-six 
years  that  this  paper  has  since  been  under  his 
management  he  has  kept  it  in  a  leading  posi- 
tion among  the  local  journals  of  Schoharie 
County.  It  has  been  greatly  enlarged,  its  cir- 
culation increased  fourfold,  and  its  subscrip- 
tion rate  reduced  from  a  dollar  and  a  half  to 
one  dollar  per  year.  Through  its  columns  he 
has  been  a  strong  advocate  of  all  movements 
tending  to  benefit  the  community,  and  has  ren- 
dered valuable  aid  to  the  Democratic  party  by 
his  sound  and  stirring  editorials.  He  has  al.so 
been  influential  in  establishing  different  organ- 
izations in  the  locality,  among  them  being  the 
Cobleskill  Agricultural  Society,  formed  in 
1876,  largely  by   his  personal   efforts  and  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


"talks"  on  the  subject  in  the  Index.  Mr. 
Hel linger  was  a  member  of  this  association's 
board  of  management  from  its  inception  to  the 
year  189S,  and  during  a  like  period  he  served 
without  salary  as  its  secretary. 

He  has  also  been  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Cobleskill  Rural  Cemetery  Association  si.\ 
years,  and  has  served  two  terms  as  one  of  the 
village  tru.stces.  He  is  pniminL-ntl}-  connected 
with  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants'  Bank,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  projectors,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  finance  committee,  and  is  jircsident 
of  the  Schoharie  and  Otsego  Mutual  l-"ire  In- 
surance Company.  In  politics  he  has  always 
been  a  loyal  Democrat. 

In  the  year  1871  Mr.  I5ellinj;er  married 
Miss  Minnie  Moulton,  tlie  only  daughter  of 
the  Hon.  F.  P.  Moulton,  an  aljje  anil  influen- 
tial citizen  of  Montgomery  CuLinty.  IMr.  and 
Mrs.  Uellinger  ha\e  two  children,  namely: 
Vernon  M.,  teller  in  the  Farmers'  and  Mer- 
chants' Hank  ;  and  Maud  S. 


'KRHFRT  KIPr,  general  merchant  and 
[)roi)riet'jr  (jf  the  Kipp  House,  Lex- 
ington, ("iieene  County,  N.  V. ,  was 
born  in  this  town  Marcii  6,  1S52,  son  (if  Isaac 
and  Nancy  (\'an  Hcusen)  Kiiip.  He  is  dI 
Dutch  descent.  I.saac  Kipp,  lirst,  his  great- 
grandfather, was  a  ]3ioneer  settler  of  Dutche.ss 
County,  New  York.  Benjamin  Kipp,  son  of 
Isaac,  first,  resided  in  Dutchess  County  until 
twenty-one  years  old,  when  he  came  to  (ireenc 
County.  The  trades  of  a  carjienter  and  mill- 
wright, which    he    had    previously    learned,  he 


followeil  in  this  locality  for  twenty  years,  or 
until  1802,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Lex- 
ington. Here  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1837,  at  the  age  of  si.xty 
years.  He  married  Sally  Noyes,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  antl  became  the  father  of  eleven 
children.  The  sur\iviirs  of  this  family  are: 
Isaac,  second;  and  Harriet,  who  married  a  Mr. 
Jones,  of  Hartford,  Conn.  Mrs.  Sally  N. 
Kipp  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 

Isaac  Kipp,  second,  father  of  Herbert,  was 
born  in  this  town,  April  12,  181 8.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  on  the  homestead  until  1850, 
when  he  went  to  California,  and  was  fairly 
successful  in  the  gold  mines  on  the  middle 
fork  of  the  American  River.  After  spending 
a  year  there,  he  returned  to  Lexington,  and  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  until  1858,  when  he 
made  a  trip  to  Tike's  Peak.  In  1S77  he  opened 
the  general  store  now  carried  on  by  his  son, 
and  under  the  firm  name  of  1.  Kipp  &  -Son 
conducted  a  jirofitable  enterprise  until  1887, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  interest  and  went  to 
Nebraska.  The  ne.xt  five  years  he  s]ient  upon 
a  farm  in  that  .State,  and  then  he  once  more 
returnetl  to  his  nati\'e  town,  where  he  is  now 
residing  with  his  son.  In  jiolitics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  He  was  Supervisor  two  terms,  and 
he  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  forty  years. 
He  is  a  member  and  a  trustee  of  the  Bajitist 
church.  His  wife,  Nancy,  was  a  native  of 
Lexington,  daughter  of  Cornelius  \'an  Heu- 
sen,  a  farmer.  -She  died  at  the  age  of  sixty 
\ears,  having  been  the  mother  of  six  children. 
Tlie  fi\e  now  living  are:  Mary,  who  married 
William  H.  Mosher,  of  South   Dakota;  C.  L. 


BIOGRAPHICAT.    RF.VIEW 


Kipp,  who  is  Postmaster  at  Lexington;  Her- 
bert, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Jennie,  who 
married  R.  L.  Ilogaboom ;  and  Edwin  L. 
Kipp. 

Herbert  Kipp  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Lexington  and  at  Eastman's  Business  Col- 
lege, Poughkeepsie.  He  worked  on  the  home 
farm  and  also  had  charge  of  a  stage  route  until 
1 8/6,  when  he  went  to  Illinois  and  spent  one 
year.  In  1877  he,  in  company  with  his 
father,  engaged  in  general  mercantile  business 
in  Lexington,  and  the  partnership  continued 
until  1887,  when  he  bought  the  elder  Kipp's 
interest.  P'or  the  next  two  years  he  was  a.sso- 
ciated  with  his  brother,  C.  L.  Kipp,  and  since 
1889  he  has  conducted  the  establishment 
alone.  He  occupies  two  floors,  the  main  store 
being  thirty  by  forty  feet,  with  an  annex  forty 
by  twelve  feet,  and  carries  a  full  line  of  gro- 
ceries, boots,  shoes,  hats,  caps,  hardware,  flour, 
grain,  drugs,  carpets,  oil  cloths,  dry  goods, 
notions,  and  other  articles  of  general  merchan- 
dise. In  connection  with  his  mercantile  busi- 
ness he  conducts  the  Kipp  House,  a  favorite 
summer  resort,  accommodating  fifty  guests. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Kipp  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  ¥.  Jones,  of  Jewett,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Jones,  a  farmer,  who  resides  with 
a  son,  and  is  now  ninety  years  old.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kipp  are  the  parents  of  three  children  — 
Pearl,  Clara  May,  and  Ralph. 

Politically,  Mr.  Kipp  acts  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  was  Postmaster  under  Cleve- 
land's first  administration  four  years,  held  the 
same  office  three  years  during  President  Harri- 
son's administration,  and    was    Supervisor   one 


term.       He    is    a    member    of    the    Knights   of 
Pythias.      Mr.  and  Mrs.   Kipji  attend    the    I'.ap- 


fOIIN  H.  PRANCE,  the  representative 
of  a  pioneer  family  of  Seward,  Scho- 
harie County,  has  a  well-improved  farm 
located  on  the  road  to  the  Seward  Depot,  abmit 
six  miles  from  Cobleskill  and  two  miles  from 
the  village  of  Hyndsville.  He  was  born  in 
Seward,  March  30,  1834,  and  this  town  was 
also  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Peter  I-" ranee 
—  or  LTncle  Peter,  as  he  was  familiarly  known. 

Tracing  the  line  back  to  the  great-grand- 
father, we  find  a  Revolutionary  patriot,  of 
whom  and  his  family  this  story  is  told: 
W'hile  he  was  off  at  Schoharie  defending  the 
fort,  his  sons,  Henry  and  John,  who  had  re- 
mained at  home,  were  taken  prisoners.  John 
was  killed;  but  Plenry,  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  fortunately  escaped  from 
his  captors,  and  after  lying  in  the  woods  for  a 
day  or  two  made  his  way  home. 

Henry  France  came  to  Seward  in  Colonial 
days,  while  yet  a  young  man,  and  took  up  a 
tract  of  unbroken  land  in  the  depths  of  the  for- 
est. A  few  years  later  he  removed  to  an  ad- 
joining farm,  and  was  there  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
fourscore  and  eight  years.  He  united  with 
the  Lutheran  church  in  early  manhood,  but 
was  afterward  an  active  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church.  Pie  was  interested  in  the  cause 
of  temperance,  and  through  his  influence  the 
use  of  licjuor  in  the  harvest  field  was  abolished. 


HIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


His  wife  bore  him  fourteen  ciiildrcn,  one  of 
whom  is  now  living  —  Gilbert,  a  farmer  in 
Seward. 

Peter  France  spent  his  life  of  seventy-four 
years  in  Sewaril,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
district  school,  and  on  the  home  farm  acquir- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  of  agriculture.  On 
leaving  the  parental  roof  he  purchased  land  at 
Seward  Valley,  then  known  as  Neeley  Hollow, 
where  he  spent  some  years.  Selling  that  he 
bought  the  estate  on  which  his  son,  John  II., 
now  resides,  and  from  that  time  until  bis  death 
was  prominently  identified  witli  the  agricult- 
ural interests  of  this  part  of  the  tuwn.  Po.s- 
sessing  a  good  fund  of  general  information, 
and  being  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  he  was 
often  called  upon  for  counsel  and  advice,  and 
his  opinions  were  a]\va\s  respected.  In  poli- 
tics he  affiliated  with  the  Democrats  prior  to 
the  Rebellion,  but  after  that  time  was  a  .stanch 
Republican.  Influential  in  local  affairs,  he 
served  as  Overseer  of  the  I'onr  and  as  High- 
way Commissioner  for  several  \ears.  His 
wife,  Elizabeth  Diefendorf,  was  born  at  Frey's 
Hush,  Montgomery  County,  X. '\'. ,  one  of  the 
twelve  children  of  a  pioneer  farmer,  John  Die- 
fendorf. Both  jiarents  united  with  the  Meth- 
odist church  when  \'iung,  and  as  true  Cliris- 
tians  exemplified  its  teachini;s  in  their  daily 
lives.  Hoth  were  active  in  church  work,  tlie 
father  being  class  leader  of  tiie  Seward  Valley 
church  society  for  many  years,  and  tlieir  hospi- 
table home  was  ever  open  to  the  ministers  of 
the  circuit.  The)'  reared  three  children,  as 
follows:  John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Fmeline,  wife  of   Sylvester  Rewlanil,  of   Mor- 


risville,  N.Y.  ;  and  Louisa.  The  latter,  who 
died  October  17,  1892,  after  many  years  of 
illncs.s,  was  wife  of  the  late  Norman  Ottman, 
a  graduate  of  the  Normal  School.  Mr.  Ott- 
man was  for  some  years  a  teacher  in  Seward, 
and  afterward  was  here  engaged  as  a  merchant 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  I-"n- 
listing  then  as  a  private  in  Colonel  Ellsworth's 
regiment,  the  One  Hundred  and  l^'orty-fourth 
New  York  \'olunteer  Inf;nUr\-,  he  went  bravely 
forth  to  serve  his  country,  and  was  killed  in 
battle. 

John  H.  France  received  a  good  common 
school  education,  anil  till  he  was  twenty-five 
\ears  of  age  assisted  his  father  in  farming. 
Then  taking  the  farm  on  shares,  he  carried  it 
on  successfully  until  the  death  of  his  father, 
when  the  whole  estate  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  came  into  his  ]iossession.  He 
iias  since  continued  in  his  chosen  vocation, 
and  besides  harvesting  excellent  crops  of  hay 
and  grain  each  season  he  has  raised  large  quan- 
tities of  hops,  a  stajile  product  of  this  region. 
He  keeps  about  fifteen  Jersc}-  and  Durham 
cows,  and  makes  a  fine  quality  of  butter,  with 
which  he  sup|)lies  private  customers  in  Troy 
and  Albany.  His  farm  is  well  equipped  with 
nifxlern  machinery  and  ini])leinents  for  carrying 
on  his  work;  and  the  buildings,  which  were 
nearly  all  erected  b\-  his  father,  are  kept  in 
fine  rejiair. 

Mr.  h'rance  is  a  Republican  in  jiolitics,  and 
has  served  as  Inspector  of  hllections  in  his 
town.  He  is  a  charter  mendier  of  the  local 
organization  of  Good  Tem])lars,  and  also  of 
the  Sewartl  Grange,   1'.  of   IL,   in  which  he  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


held  all  the  offices  up  to  Master.  In  the 
former  society  he  was  for  several  years  the 
Chaplain.  One  of  the  most  active  and  influ- 
ential members  of  the  Methodist  church,  he 
materially  assisted  in  building  the  new  house 
of  worship  of  this  dencmination,  and  in  remod- 
elling the  old  one  at  Seward  Valley.  He  was 
the  first  child  christened  in  the  first  frame 
church  edifice  erected  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  having  joined  the  church  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  he  is  now,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
the  oldest  member  of  this  locality.  He  has 
been  trustee  and  class  leader,  and  was  for  a 
number  of  years  chorister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  choir,  in  which  he  and  his  children 
sang.  Since  a  boy  of  fourteen  he  has  been 
connected  with  the  Sunday-school  as  pupil, 
teacher,  or  superintendent,  having  held  the 
latter  position  three  terms,  and  during  the 
past  five  years  has  had  charge  of  the  ladies' 
Bible  class. 

;\Ir.  France  has  been  twice  married.  On 
June  12,  1855,  was  solemnized  his  union  with 
Orpha  Diefendorf.  She  was  born  in  Seward, 
a  daughter  of  George  Diefendorf,  and  was  one 
of  fourteen  children;  namely,  Susan,  Sylvester, 
Jacob,  Henrietta,  Salina,  Jane,  Judson,  Orpha, 
Sophronia,  Peter,  Abraham,  Wealthy,  Rensse- 
laer, and  Nancy.  She  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-four  years,  leaving  five  children,  of 
whom  the  following  is  a  brief  record  :  Clarence 
L. ,  a  skilful  farmer  and  able  business  man  of 
Cobleskill,  married  AUie  Rose,  and  has  three 
children  —  Anson,  Grace,  and  Harry:  Emory 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years  ;  \\'elton,  a  farmer 
in    Seward,    married    Clara    Hevener,    and   has 


four  children  —  Ezra,  Sadie,  Norman,  and 
llattie;  Allie  :\Iay,  wife  of  Charles  Sutphen, 
a  farmer  near  Richniondville,  has  three  chil- 
dren—  John,  Emma,  and  Orjilia;  Lizzie  mar- 
ried Jacob  Van  Woert,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Jacol> 
Wan  Woert,  formerly  pastor  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed church.  Her  husband,  who  for  several 
years  was  an  instructor  in  the  Cobleskill  Higli 
School,  died  at  the  age  of  twentv-five  )ears, 
leaving  her  with  two  children  —  Dora  D.  and 
Jacob  H.      She  now  lives  with  her  father. 

On  June  27,  1S69,  'Sir.  France  married  Mrs. 
Sarah  Wigley,  who  was  born  at  Fonda,  Mont- 
gomery County,  N.  Y. ,  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
Dockstaden,  a  farmer.  By  her  first  husband, 
Gilbert  Wigley,  she  has  one  child,  William 
Wigley,  who  is  a  fireman  on  the  New  York 
Central  Railway.  He  married  Ella  Card,  and 
has  had  three  children  —  Willie,  Bernice,  and 
Bvron,  the  last  two  being;  deceased. 


LEXANDER  M.acMILLEX,  one  of  the 
most  influential  citizens  of  Carlisle, 
Schoharie  County,  was  born  in 
Bethlehem,  Albany  County,  X.Y.,  on  October 
4,  1S42,  son  of  James  and  Ellen  X.  (Waldron) 
MacMillen.  His  great-grandfather  ^lacMillen 
was  a  Scotch  emigrant  who  settled  in  Albany. 
His  grandfather,  who  resided  in  Xew  Scot- 
land, X.  Y.,  died  there  at  eighty-si.\  years  of 
age.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  leading  politi- 
cian among  the  old-time  Whigs.  He  occupied 
prominent  civil  ofl^ces,  such  as  those  of  Super- 
visor and  Collector,  and  was  one  of  the  active 
and    influential    members    of    the    Presbvterian 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


church.      He  had   a  family  nf   eleven  children, 

pervisor  of   Carlisle,  being  the  second    Repub- 

seven sons  and  four  daughters,  all  nf  whom  are 

lican  in  this  strongly  Democratic  town  to  hold 

now    deceased.      They    were:    Ji.lm,    Andrew, 

that     office,     the     other      Rei)ui)lican     bidding 

James,    Henry,    Alexander,    \\  illiani,    .\;n()n, 

it    for   only   (jne   term.      Though   a    member   of 

Mary,  Nancy,  Catherine,  and   one   whose  name 

the   minority   Jiart)',    he   met    with   defeat   only 

is   not   remembered.      Of   these,    James,   father 

once   or   twice,  and  then  by  no   larger  majority 

of  Ale.xander  MacMillen,  w;is  the  only  one  that 

than    tweiitw       He   has   served    for   many  years 

settled  in  this  county.      Most  of  these  brothers 

on    the    Re|iublican    county    conniiittee.       .Mr'. 

were    Reiuiblicans   politically,    and    were  asso- 

MacMillen    is   the  largest  land-owner  in  town. 

ciateil   with   the   Presbyterian  (.1uim.1i.      James, 

and    the    wealthiest    citizen    of    Carlisle.       l''or 

however,  was   a    Methodist.       He   was   a   quiet, 

the  last  twenty-eight  years   he   has   been  a  suc- 

conservati\e man,  thoroujj;hl_\-  well-informed  on 

cessful  hop-grower,  [irobably  making  a  greater 

the  topics  of  the  day.       He  left  his  childhood's 

success  of  that  iiulustiy  than  any  other  farmer 

home    at    about   fourteen   years    of    a-e,    and   a 

in  the  localit\'.      About  a  hundred  acres  of  his 

number  of  years  after  his  niarria,i;e  he  came   to 

farm   arc  cleared  lantl,  and    in   adtlition   to   his 

Carlisle  and   bouj,dit    the   farm    where    his    son 

hop  cr'ops   he   has   raised  general  produce.       He 

Alexander,    then    eij;lit    years  old,    now    li\-es. 

formerl)-  owned    three   other   farms,   which    had 

It   was   then   known   as   the    Henry   Hest   farm. 

come  to  him  through  the  foreclosures   of  mort- 

It  contained,   originally,  a   hundred   acres,  but 

gages,  but  these   he   has  now  disjiosed  of.      He 

since    it    came    into    [possession   of   its  [iresent 

is  the  largest  tax-payer  in  Carlisle.       Mr.  Mac- 

owner  it    has   been  enlargetl  b\'  the  addition  of 

Millen    was   a   stockholder    in    the   old    bank  at 

twenty  acres.      James    MacMillen   was   married 

Cohleskill,    and    is    a    charter   member,    stock- 

three times,  and  had  two  children—    Ale.xander 

holder,    and    director    in    the    new   bank.       He 

and     William.      The    latter     enlisted     in     the 

owns  fifty  shares,  the  largest  number  owned  by 

northern  army  when  under  the  age  of  the  draft- 

one   man.      Mr.    IMacMillen    and    his    wife  are 

mark,    saw    gallant    service  at     b'airfax    Court- 

among the   strongest    supjiorters   of    the    Meth- 

house, and  subse(|uently  died  of   typhoid  fever. 

odist    church    in    this   i)lace,   and    both    sing    in 

He    had    previously  worked   with    his    father  on 

the   choir.      l\Iis.    MacMillen    is  a   member   of 

the  farm;   and   his  death,  while  a  severe   shock 

the  church,  and   an   active  worker   in    the  .Sun- 

to  all    his   family,   was   especially   affecting   to 

day-school,    in    which    she   has    been    a    teacher 

his  father. 

for    man)-    years.      When    the     Christian     I'ji- 

Alexander  MacMillen  is  the  leading   Repub- 

tleavor   Society    was   started    heie,    she    becaiiie 

lican  in  Carlisle,  and    one   of    the    most  |ironii- 

its    i)resident. 

nent  in  the  count)-.       .Somewhat  singular  is  the 

The  maiden  name   of    Mrs.    MacMillen,  who 

fact  that  he  has  attended  only  two   caucuses    in 

was  married    in    18(14,  was    l''.veline   Hradt,  and 

his  whole  life.      'I'hree  times   he   has   been  Su- 

she is  a  daughter   of   William  15i"ailt,  deceased. 

inOCRAl'HICAL    KF.VIKW 


formerly  a  farmer  of  Cobleskill.  Her  paternal 
graiulfather,  who  came  hitlier  fioiii  Albany 
County,  clcareil  the  farm  ami  built  the  house 
now  staiuiiiii;'  on  it.  Her  grandfather,  James 
Boughton,  who  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety  )-ears,  was  the  leading  man  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Carlisle,  and  in  his  last 
_\ears  he  sat  in  one  of  the  chairs  inside  the 
altar  rail.  Mrs.  AlacMillen's  father  was  a 
member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  He 
had  a  family  of  four  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
:MacMillen  have  one  child,  William  A.,  who 
since  attending  the  Alban_\"  fiusiness  College 
has  been  in  business  with  his  father.  He 
married  Ada  Dockstader,  and  has  one  son, 
Irvin   A. 


RANK  AKELEY,  dealer  in  general 
b  merchandise  at  West  Fulton,  was  born 
here  on  October  20,  1S51,  his  parents  being 
James  and  Sally  J.    (Shutts)  Akeley. 

James  Akeley,  who  was  born  in  January, 
1S12,  came  to  this  town  in  1840,  and  settled 
on  a  fine  farm  of  about  two  hundred  acres,  near 
what  is  now  his  son's  store,  and  here  he  re- 
mained engaged  in  agriculture  until  his  death 
in  1S61,  at  about  the  age  of  fifty.  His  wife, 
Sally,  survived  him  many  }ears,  and  died  in 
February,  i8g8.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
John  Shutts,  of  Greenville,  Greene  County, 
a  lifelong  and  prominent  farmer,  and  also  a 
veterinary  surgeon.  Her  mother  was  of  Con- 
necticut birth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shutts  had  a 
family  of  four  children.  Of  these  the  only 
survivor    is    Mrs.     Salome    Hart,    who    resides 


near  Greenville.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Akeley,  and  all  are  liv- 
ing. They  are:  I'ltlgar,  who  resiiles  at  Ci.bl.:- 
.skill;  Emily,  who  is  the  wife  .,f  William 
Richards;  Ur.  John  S. ,  who  is  a  physician  in 
Ravena,  .\lbany  Count}-;  Martin  A.,  wlm  is 
County  Clerk  of  Schoharie  County;  Lorenzo, 
farmer  and  Supervisor  (1899)  ;  Frank,  the  sid)- 
ject  of  this  sketch;  and  Mary  J.,  who  married 
John  Hinds,  of  Greenville.  Hoth  parents  at- 
tended the  Methodist  church. 

Mr.  Frank  Akeley,  after  obtaining  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  vil- 
lage and  at  the  Normal  School  at  .Albany, 
taught  school  for  a  while.  In  1871  he  went  to 
work  in  the  store  of  M.  B.  I'elhjws,  situated 
opposite  his  present  place  of  business,  and 
there  remained  until  1S75,  when  he  went  to 
Xew  York  for  a  short  time.  Later  in  the 
same  year  he  returned,  and  began  teaching  the 
school  at  West  Fulton.  During  the  farming 
season  of  that  year,  1876,  he  worked  for  si.\ 
months  on  a  farm,  but  in  the  fall  taught  school 
at  Fulton.  Not  long  after  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent building,  and  since  that  time  he  has  had 
a  prosperous  career  as  a  merchant.  He  carries 
a  large  stock  of  goods,  including  groceries, 
boots  and  shoes,  dry  goods,  read\--made  cloth- 
ing, underwear,  glassware  and  hardware,  patent 
medicines,  and,  to  some  extent,  farming  im- 
plements. A  gradual  increase  of  stock  has 
made  it  neces.sary  for  him  to  have  enlarged 
quarters;  and,  since  starting,  he  has  opened  a 
second  floor,  so  that  he  has  now  an  exceedingly 
well -equipped  business. 

In    politics    ;\Ir.     Akeley    is    a    Republican. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


For  a  time  he  served  as  Assistant  Postmaster. 
He  was  married  in  1881  to  Elniina  Zeli,  a  na- 
tive of  Breakabcen,  ant!  tlaugliter  of  Adam  and 
Nancy  (Shafer)  Zeli.  Mr.  Zeh  was  a  lifelong 
farmer.  He  had  four  children.  After  his 
ileath  his  widow  married  a  second  time.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Akeley  have  one  chikl,  Hazel,  who 
is  at  school.  Mr.  .Vkcky  has  served  on  the 
county  committee.  He  is  liberal  in  reli.nious 
views,  and  believes  in  de.iling  with  unques- 
tionable  honesty    in   all    his   business   transac- 


,i;\-.  CHARLIES  WADS  WORTH 
1'1TC1H:R,  pastor  ..f  the  Reformed 
Dutch  church  at  .Micicllelniri;-, 
Schoharie  County,  is  one  of  the  most  able, 
progressive,  and  popular  clergymen  of  his  de- 
nomination and  a  highly  esteemed  citizen. 
He  was  born  March  2,  1849,  near  Cohoes, 
Albany  County,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  William 
Pitcher,  whose  birthjjlace  was  Red  Hook, 
Dutchess  County,  N.Y.  His  ])aternal  -rand- 
father,  who  was  an  officer  in  the  War  of  1812, 
was  a  i)rosperous  farmer  and  an  extensive  land- 
holder at  Upi>er  Red  Hook,  where  he  died  at 
the  advanced  a.L;e  of  fourscore  years.  His 
wife,  Catherine  Kip]),  also  attained  a  ripe  old 
age.  Hoth  were  members  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  of  Upper  Red  Hook.  They 
had  five  children,  none  of  whom  are  now 
living. 

The  Rev.  William  Pitcher  was  reared  <in  the 
home  farm,  and  obtained  his  elementary  etluca- 
tion  in  the  district  schools.  He  subsequently 
studied    at    Williams    College    and    Princeton 


Seminary.  He  began  his  professional  life  as 
pa.stor  of  a  Dutch  Reformed  church  at  Jackson, 
N.Y.  ;  and  three  \ ears  later  he  assumed  charge 
of  the  "  lk)ght  "  church  at  Watervliet,  three 
miles  from  the  village  of  Cohoes.  After  a 
faithful  service  of  thirteen  years  in  that  place 
he  accei}ted  a  call  to  South  15ranch,  Somerset 
County,  N.J.,  where  a  church,  small  in  num- 
bers, had  been  but  a  short  time  organized.  He 
labored  there  twenl\-seven  \ears,  a  long  and 
successful  [lastoiiite,  in  which  he  built  up  a 
flourishing  society.  Going  then  Icj  (Greenwich, 
Washington  County,  X.V.,  he  there  lived  in 
retirement  until  his  demise,  at  the  age  of 
seventN-three  years.  He  was  a  gifted  speaker, 
a  sermonizer  of  especial  note;  and  many  of  his 
|iulpit  discourses,  ]Hiblishe(l  in  book  form, 
were  forcible  exponents  of  his  theological  be- 
lief. A  man  of  strong  personality  and  lunisual 
sweetness  of  character,  he  letl  a  pure.  Chris- 
tian life,  and  in  a  rare  ilegree  won  the  lo\-e 
and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  con- 
tact. He  was  three  times  married.  His  first 
wife,  Mary  Aim  A\'adsworth,  died  in  young 
womanhood,  leaving  one  son,  De  Witt  Pitcher, 
now  a  bo(jk-keeper  in  Hudson,  X.\'.  His 
second  wife,  Jane  K.  Wadsworth,  sister  to  his 
first  wife,  was  born  at  Hantam  Falls,  Litch- 
field Count}-,  Conn.,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Wads.vorth,  a  jjrosjierous  merchant.  She  was 
a  sister  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Wad.sworth,  D.  D. , 
of  Philadelphia,  and  James  L.  Wadsworth, 
who  is  now  li\ing  retired  from  active  pursuits 
in  Darien,  Conn.  Of  the  children  horn  of 
this  union  two  are  now  living,  namely: 
Charles  W.,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch; 


CHARLES    W.    PITCHER. 


and  Jane  E. ,  wife  of  VV.  B.  Warner,  a  photog- 
rapher at  N(uthpi)rt,  I.oiii;-  Island.  Tlic  mother 
(lied  at  the  a-e  of  thirty-six  years,  and  the 
father  siihsctpiently  married  Alary  Ann  Mel.ean. 
The  Rev.  Charles  W.  Pitcher  received  his 
elementary  education  in  the  public  sch(i(ds  of 
South  Branch,  N.J.,  which  he  left  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  }'ears  to  go  to  New  York  Cit\-, 
where  he  was  clerk  in  a  jewelry  store  and  in  a 
dry-goods  store  for  four  )'ears.  He  then  con- 
tinued his  studies  at  a  select  school  in  Ne- 
shanic,  N.J. ,  and  at  Rutgers  Grammar  School 
in  New  Ikunswick,  which  he  attended  two 
years,  and  after  that  at  Rutgers  College  four 
years  and  at  the  theological  seminary  two 
years.  On  January  26,  1876,  having  pre- 
viously been  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Newark 
Congregational  Association,  he  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  at  Randolph,  N.Y. ,  and  at 
once  took  charge  of  the  weak  and  struggling 
society,  which  in  18S3  he  left  in  a  most  flour- 
ishing condition,  it  having  doubled  numeri- 
cally and  financially  under  his  efficient  labors. 
The  ensuing  four  years  he  was  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Stanton,  N.J.,  which  under  his 
guidance  was  wonderfully  revived,  large  num- 
bers being  added  to  the  organization,  which 
increased  in  usefulness  each  year,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  stated  clerk  of  the  classis  to  which 
it  belongs,  reached  the  highest  degree  of  pros- 
perity in  its  history.  From  1SS7  until  1S91 
Mr.  Pitcher  had  charge  of  the  Kirkpatrick  Me- 
morial Church  at  Ringoes,  N.J.,  where  his 
efforts  were  again  blessed  with  success.  Under 
his  fer\ent  and  elocpient  preaching  of  the 
gospel,  great  interest  was  awakened  ;  and,  dur- 


ing a  great   revival   that   followed,  sixty  mcm- 

lu'is  were  added  to  the  cliurch  in  one  Sunday, 
forty  of  the  converts  being  ba])tized  that  day. 
Coming  rr,.m  there  to  ]\I  iddleburg,  he  has 
here  been  exceedingl)-  prospered  in  his  relig- 
ious work,  the  church  liaxiug  grown  as  regards 
both  its  memhershi[i  anil  its  intlnence.  A 
faithful  and  conscientious  worker  in  the  Mas- 
ter's vineyard,  he  has  not  only  endeared  him- 
self to  his  immediate  parishicjners,  but  has  won 
the  respect  of  the  entire  community. 

On  July  14,  1875,  Mr.  Pitcher  was  married 
to  Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Ann  K. 
(Naylor)  Amerman.  Her  parents  were  natives 
and  lifelong  residents  of  Somerset  County, 
New  Jersey,  where  the  mother  died  when 
sixty  years  old,  and  the  father,  who  was  a 
prominent  citizen  of  South  Branch,  a  miller 
and  merchant,  died  at  the  age  of  threescore 
and  ten  years.  Mrs.  Pitcher  is  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  four  children,  all  of  whom  are  living, 
the  other  three  being:  Theodore;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Abraham  S.  Ikekman ;  and  Louisa, 
wife  of  H.  W  D.  \'an  Liew.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pitcher  ha\'e  had  two  children,  namely:  Le 
Roy,  who  lived  but  nine  months;  and  Anna 
Lee.  Mrs.  Pitcher,  a  woman  of  culture,  is  a 
thorough  musician,  being  a  talented  singer  and 
a  fine  pianist.  While  at  Ringoes  she  was 
leader  of  the  church  choir,  the  organist  in  the 
Sunda3'-school,  and  one  of  its  corps  of  teachers. 
She  is  a  very  active  member  of  the  church  and 
of  its  various  societies,  belonging  to  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor,  the  Ladies'  Missionary  Society, 
the  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  and  the  Woman's 
Christian    Temperance   Union.      She   is   presi- 


mOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


dent  of  tlic  Woman's  Classical    Uniun  of  Scho- 
harie County. 

The  Dutch  Kcf..rnu(l  Chunh  ..f  Middlc- 
hing  is,  with  possibly  an  exception  in  Al- 
bany anil  Schenectady,  the  oldest  society  and 
worshipping  in  the  oldest  building  in  this  part 
of  the  State.  This  house  of  worship  was 
built  in  17S6.  and  has  since  been  kei)t  in  ex- 
cellent repair.  The  funds  for  its  erection  were 
collected  by  committees  sent  throu<;h  the  colo- 
nies for  the  purjiose,  tiie  strur;i;ling  little  so- 
ciety here,  organized  about  1730,  being  too 
poor  to  give  much  toward  it.  The  meetings 
were  probably  held  in  privite  houses  or  barns 
until  a  small  frame  building  was  put  u\t  for  its 
accommodation  in  1732.  That  building,  ac- 
cording to  Roscoe,  was  dedicated  in  1737.  It 
was  burned  with  the  village  on  October  17, 
1780,  and  six  years  later  replaced  Ijy  the  pres- 
ent edifice,  in  which  the  first  sermmi  was 
preached  November  iS,  1787,  the  Rev.  George 
W.  Schneider  being  the  minister.  l-'roni  tlie 
time  of  the  first  regularly  f)rdained  minister  of 
the  church,  llendrick  1  lager,  who  was  settled 
in  1713,  the  fcdlowing  have  held  pastorates: 
h"red  I  lager,  17JO;  John  Jacob  IChle,  1 730: 
Reinhardt  luiekson,  1732;  Michael  \Vei.s.s, 
^7i^''  Johannes  Schuyler,  1736-55;  John 
Mauritius  Goetschius,  1757-60;  Abram  Rose- 
krantz,  1760-65;  Johannes  Schuyler,  1766-79; 
Rynicr  Van  Nest,  17.S0-85;  George  W. 
Schneider,  1785-88;  J.  C.  Roeffel,  17.SS-97; 
Ryiiier  \'an  Nest,  1797-1804;  I)a\id  De\oe, 
1812-15;  John  T.  Schermeriiorn,  1816-27; 
John  Garretson,  1827-33;  J.  15.  Steele,  1834- 
38;    Joshua    Hoyd,     1840-42;     L.     iMessereau, 


1842-45;  Jacob  West,  1846-52;  I.  M.  See, 
1852-54;  !•:.  Vedder,  1855-63;  W.  IC. 
Hogardus;  J.  S.  Scott,  D.  D..  1865-70; 
S.  W.  Roe,  1).  D.,  1871-76;  J.  I).  Gardner, 
1876-So;  I-:.  N.  Sebring,  1880-85;  D.  K. 
\'an  Doren,  1885-go;  and  the  Rev.  Charles 
W.  Pitcher,   1S91. 


§()I1.\  .\.  l-i;kGUSOX,  one  of  the  be.st- 
known  farmers  in  Duanesburg,  N.\'., 
was  born  in  Princetown,  in  the  same 
county,  Schenectady,  January  24,  1S22,  son  of 
Duncan  and  Hannah  Ferguson.  The  jiareiits 
were  nati\es  of  Princetown,  and  the  paternal 
grandparents,  John  and  Janet  I-'erguson,  were 
natives  of  Scotland.  John  Ferguson  emi- 
grated prior  to  tlie  Revolution,  and  lie  serx'ed 
as  a  soldier  in  that  struggle.  He  was  an 
early  settler  in  Princetown,  where  be  tilled  the 
soil  industriously  for  the  rest  of  his  active 
period,  being  one  of  the  progressive  farmers 
of  his  day.  He  ami  his  wife  lived  to  a  good 
old  age. 

Duncan  P'erguson,  the  father,  was  a  lifelong 
resider,t  (jf  Princetown,  and  for  many  years  he 
carried  on  general  farming  with  pros]ierous 
results.  In  |)olitics  he  was  at  one  time  a 
Whig,  and  later  a  Republican.  His  family 
consisted  of  eight  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living,  namely:  John  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  ami  Duncan  Ferguson,  who  resides  at 
the  lioiiK'stead  in  Princetown.  The  others 
were:  Thomas,  Robert,  Daniel,  Jeanelte,  Ann, 
and  Mary.  The  father  lived  to  be  eighty-two 
vears     old,     and     the    mother     died     at     about 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


scvcnt_\'ciglit  years  ulcl.  They  wore  nienihei-s 
of  tlie  rrcsbyterian  church. 

John  A.  l'"cri;iis()ii  was  ctUicatcd  in  the  liis- 
tiict  schools  of  Princetown.  In  1S43,  when 
twenty-one  years  old,  he  boii_;:;ht  his  first  real 
estate,  consisting  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-five  acres  in  Duanesburg,  where  he 
has  since  resided,  and  he  is  now  the  owner  of 
other  valuable  lands.  For  a  few  years  he  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Esperance, 
Schoharie  County;  but  general  farming  has 
been  his  chief  occupation,  and  aside  from 
growing  the  usual  field  and  garden  [products  of 
this  locality,  he  raises  cattle  and  sheep. 

In  1S44  Mr.  Ferguson  was  joined  in  mar- 
riage with  Elizabeth  Humphrey,  who  was  born 
in  Charlestown,  Montgomery  County,  in  1S23, 
daughter  of  William  Humphrey.  Two  daugh- 
ters, Almira  and  Delia  A.,  were  born  of  this 
union,  which  lasted  a  little  more  than  fifty 
years.      Mrs.  Ferguson  died  February  i,   1895. 

^Ir.  Ferguson's  farm  contains  substantial 
buildings.  He  is  still  cultivating  it,  and 
under  his  careful  treatment  it  is  made  to  yield 
large  crops.  His  easy  circumstances  are  the 
result  of  patient  industry,  and  he  possesses 
other  excellent  qualities  which  command  the 
respect  of  all  who  know  him.  Politically,  he 
acts  with  the  Republican  party.  In  his  relig- 
ious belief  he  is  a  Presbyterian. 


^AVID    EXDERS,    a    prominent    and 
well-to-do     resident     of      Esperance 
township,  N.Y. ,  was  born   at  Scho- 
harie   Junction,    September    10,    1S33,    son    of 


Jacob  P.  and  ICva  (Kniskcrn)  Hndcr.s.  He  is 
of  the  fifth  generation  in  descent  from  Har- 
drum  lenders,  who  emigrated  from  Holland, 
and,  settling  as  a  i)ioneer  in  this  county,  became 
a  large  land-owner.  A  deed  for  twelve  hundred 
and  seventy  acres,  now  in  the  jiosscssion  of  Mr. 
David  linders,  was  originally  conveyed  from 
King  (}eorge  in  1729  to  Augustus  \'an  Cort- 
land, who  in  turn  transferred  it  to  a  person  by 
the  name  of  Holland.  The  latter  transferred 
it  to  Mr.  Dow,  from  whom  it  went  to  Hardrum 
Enders  and  his  descendants.  John  lenders, 
son  of  Bardrum,  reared  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, one  being  a  son  Peter,  who  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Peter  En- 
ders became  the  owner  of  all  but  one-seventh 
of  his  grandfather  Eardrum's  property,  and  was 
an  extensive  farmer.  He  had  a  family  of  two 
sons  and  six  daughters,  and  among  the  latter 
were:  ^laria,  who  married  John  Enders; 
Christina,  who  married  Josejih  I.  Borst ; 
Xancy,  who  married  Philip  Deitz;  and  an- 
other, who  married  Harmon  Beecher.  The 
sons  were:  Peter  I.,  and  Jacob  P.,  the  father 
of  David. 

Jacob  P.  Enders  followed  general  farming 
throughout  the  active  period  of  his  life,  and 
like  his  predeces.sors  was  noted  for  his  energy 
and  abilit}-.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  church,  was  kind-hearted  and  char- 
itable, and  his  high  character  gave  him  consid- 
erable influence  with  his  fellow-townsmen.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  the 
father  of  nine  children;  namely,  Peter,  John, 
David,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Maria, 
Elizabeth,  Christina,  Eva,  Katharine,  and  Ma- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


tilila.  Of  the  daughters  four  married.  Peter 
resides  in  Ksperance ;  Jnhn,  who  liveil  on  tlie 
old  homesteatl,  was  accidentally  killed  by  a 
runaway  horse. 

David  luulers  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools,  at  the  RicliniondviUe  Acad- 
emy, wliich  was  destroyed  by  lire  some  nine 
weeks  after  its  opening,  and  at  the  Sciioharie 
Academy,  where  his  studies  were  completed 
under  Trofessor  Hri^^^^s.  lie  resided  at  home 
until  after  his  marriaye,  when  he  purcliascd  a 
piece  of  prn])erty  known  as  Slini^erland  farm, 
upon  which  he  remained  nine  \ears,  and  then 
removed  U>  the  farm  where  he  now  resitles. 
Ilis  homestead  is  considered  one  of  the  hand- 
somest in  Sloansville.  He  takes  a  keen  inter- 
est in  the  advancement  of  the  town,  and  as  one 
of  its  wealthiest  and  most  public-spirited  resi- 
dents his  ait)  and  influence  are  visible  in  all 
measures  instigated  therefor.  He  sei'ved  as 
Railroad  Commissioner  for  fifteen  consecutive 
years,  or  until  the  b(jard  was  abolished.  He 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  iSyi'),  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and  serxetl  with  abilit\ 
upon  the  Committees  on  Intel  ior  .AffLiirs,  \'il- 
lafjes,  and  Agricultuie.  His  interest  in  jiub- 
lic  affairs  has  in  various  WL13S  proved  beneficial 
to  the  community,  and  his  well-known  ])ersis- 
tenc\'  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  that  whate\er  he 
undertakes  will  be  successfully  accomplished. 
This  was  recently  demonstrated  by  the  comijle- 
tion  of  a  fine  new  bridge  over  the  Schoharie 
River  at  Sloansville,  an  im|irovement  which 
was  strenuously  op|)osetl  by  inanw  but  through 
his  instrumentality  was  finally  built. 

Mr.   Kndcrs  married    for    his   first    wife  Mary 


E.  Larkin,  daughter  of  Daniel  Larkin.  Two 
children  were  the  fruit  of  this  marriage, 
namely:  Jacob,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
years;  and  Nancy.  l-'or  his  second  wife  he 
married  lunula  Williams,  daughter  of  Olaff 
11.    Williams. 

Mr.  lenders  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  belongs 
to  Schoharie  Lodge,  No.  492.  In  his  relig- 
ious belief  he  favors  the  Haptists.  but  contrib- 
utes toward  the  support  of  other  churches. 
Mrs.   luiders  is  a  Lutheran. 


LM1:R  1:.  KR1;I(;1-:R,  proprietor  of  a 
well-known  restaurant  in  Prattsville, 
ami  a  citizen  i)r(iminently  identified  with  the 
public  affairs  of  this  town,  was  born  in  Ash- 
laiiJ,  N.V.,  March  7,  1861,  son  of  luhvard  and 
Mahaln  (Benjamin)  Kreiger. 

His  father,  who  is  a  nati\'e  of  German)-,  was 
engaged  in  a  rex'ohitionary  movement  there 
which  resulted  in  his  being  obliged  in  1S47  to 
seek  refuge  in  the  L'nited  Slates.  Locating 
in  Prattsville,  he  was  in  the  em[doy  of  Smith 
&  Ofler  for  five  years,  at  the  enil  of  which  time 
he  mo\ed  to  Ashland,  where  for  the  succeeding 
nine\earshe  was  engaged  in  farming.  Ne.\t 
corning  to  Hunteislield,  he  continued  to  cany 
on  general  farming  until  iSSS,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  labor.  He  is  now  seventy- 
five  \ears  old,  and  is  residing  in  the  \illage  of 
Prattsville.  Ilis  first  wife,  Mahala,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Heujamin,  of  Prattsville, 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  matuiitN'.  ()iie  son  was  acci- 
dentally ki  1  led    while  gunning    in    1.S93,  atthc 


RIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


•83 


nge  of  tliiil_\-four  years.  The  li\'iiii;-  aie : 
I'Vank,  who  is  resitliny  011  the  farm  in  Ilun- 
tersliehl;  Kate,  who  married  ^[erritt  Allierti; 
aiui  I'llmer  ]•.,  the  speeial  siihjeet  of  this 
sketeh.  Mrs.  Mahala  Kreiger  died  in  186.:;, 
aged  thirty-si.\  x'ear.s.  lulward  Kreiger  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  IMary  Ham,  by  wiiom 
he  has  one  child,  a  son,  wlio  is  residing  in  this 
town. 

Elmer  E.  Kreiger  was  educated  in  the  inib- 
lic  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until 
twenty-two  years  old,  when  he  became  an  as- 
sistant on  the  Stanle}"  Hall  farm,  and  at  the 
end  of  one  year  was  given  the  entire  charge  of 
that  ]iroperty,  which  contains  five  hundred 
acres.  During  his  fourteen  years  as  manager 
of  this  establishment  he  met  with  good 
financial  results.  After  leaving  Stanley  Hall 
he  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the 
town  of  Gilboa,  which  he  sold  to  good  advan- 
tage a  year  later,  and,  coming  to  Prattsville  in 
1894,  he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business. 
He  was  also  quite  an  extensive  speculator  in 
cattle  prior  to  relinquishing  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  in  that  business  he  became  widely 
known  throughout  this  section  of  the  State. 
As  a  prominent  Democrat  he  takes  a  lively  in- 
terest in  political  affairs,  and  is  very  popular 
with  his  fellow-townsmen.  He  was  elected  to 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  the  years  1893, 
1894,  1895,  1896,  and  1S97  by  a  large  major- 
ity, and  during  those  years  he  frequently  acted 
as  temporary  chairman  of  that  body. 

]\Ir.  Kreiger  is  unmarried.  He  was  made  a 
Mason  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  and  is  now 
Junior    Warden    and    a    trustee    of    the     Blue 


Lodge  in  this  town.  lie  i.  a  director,  and 
snperinteiideul  of  grounds,  of  the  Trattsville 
Agricultural  and  llorticullural  As.sociation, 
and  is  alwa_\s  read}'  to  assist  in  forwarding 
public  improvements.  While  not  a  rhurch 
member,  he  contributes  toward  the  support  of 
the  various  denominations,  and  is  in  close 
sympathy  with  the  different  moral  and  relig- 
ious societies  of  the  villaue. 


OLONEL  ALONZO  FERGUSON, 
r  of  Cobleskill,  N.Y. ,  secretary  of  the 
Schoharie  and  Otsego  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Ci\-il 
War,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Nassau,  Rensse- 
laer County,  this  State,  on  March  ig,  1820, 
son  of  German  and  Elizabeth  (SI iter)  I'"ergu- 
son.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Nas- 
sau. One  of  his  great-grandfathers,  a  German 
of  the  name  of  Sornberger,  was  a  pioneer  set- 
tler of  Dutchess  Count}-.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  Jeremiah  I-"erguson,  and  his  mater- 
nal grandfather,  John  Si  iter,  both  of  Nassau, 
and  the  latter  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and 
pensioner. 

In  1S26,  about  three  years  after  the  death 
of  his  wife  Elizabeth,  which  occurred  when 
their  son  Alonzo  was  only  three  and  a  half 
years  old,  he  came  to  Cobleskill.  Here  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-si.\.  In  religion  he  was  a  Meth- 
odist. 

Ccdonel  Ferguson  was  only  six  years  old 
when  his  father  came  to  Cobleskill.  Here,  up 
to   his   fifteenth  3ear,    he   received   what    little 


.84 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


education  the  common  schools  of  that  clay 
afforded  in  winter,  and  in  summer  he  was  em- 
ployed on  farm  work.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  was  ajjprenticed  to  learn  wa^on-making,  and 
for  the  succeeding  nine  years  he  worked  at  tlKit 
trade.  At  twenty-si.\  he  entered  a  villrige 
store  at  Carlisle  as  clerk,  and  there  remained 
fur  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1S47  he  became 
a  partner  .if  the  late  Charles  Coiiitcr  at  Cnl)K- 
skill,  ciintinuing  the  conneclinii  until  1S51, 
when  he  engaged  in  tiie  hardware  Inislness  at 
Cohleskill  on  his  own  account.  This  he  car- 
ried on  for  torn-  _\ears,  and  at  the  ind  of  that 
time  .sold  out  to  the  late  Charles  11.  .Shaver. 
In  1S50  and  1.S51  he  was  Clerk  of  the  town  of 
Cohleskill.  In  1855  he  remove.]  to  the  city 
of  iUiffalo,  and  in  1.S62  entered  the  government 
service  in  the  commissary  department  of  the 
arm)-. 

He  was  ordered  to  duty  in  Kentucky,  and 
followed  the  army  to  rittsl)urg  Landing. 
Having  contracted  a  fever,  he  was  obliged  to 
return  nmtb  about  tlie  fust  of  June,  but  shortly 
after  was  commissioned  .Adjutant  by  (iovernoi- 
Morgan  to  organize  the  (|uota  of  the  Twentieth 
Senatorial  District  of  New  N'ork  under  the  call 
of  President  Lincoln  for  three  huiHJied  thou- 
.sand  volunteers,  and  he  immediately  repoited 
to  (-(dnnel  Richard  h'ranchot  at  Mohawk, 
Herkimer  Count}',  where  camp  was  estab- 
lished. This  was  early  in  July,  i.sr,:;,  and 
on  the  twenty  third  (.f  the  fcdlowing  month  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-hrst  Regiment 
went  til  the  front  with  one  thuusand  and  ten 
men.  A  second  regiment  being  needed  to 
comidete   the  quota,  at    the   earnest    request   of 


the  war  connnittee,  he  was  again  assigned  by 
the  governoi  to  the  task,  and  on  October  15, 
1862,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  Reg- 
iment was  mustered  into  service,  thus  complet- 
ing the  enlistment  of  more  than  two  thousand 
men  within  the  space  of  three  months.  (iov- 
erniir  Morgan  commissioned  him  Lieutenant 
Ctdonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second 
Re,;inient,  and  on  Oclnber  2  1  he  left  with  his 
commaiul  for  the  fmnt.  In  January  of  the  fol- 
lowing \ear  he  was  i)romoted  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel.  He  was  with  liis  regiment  at  the 
siege  of  .Suffolk,  Va. ,  under  General  I'eck,  in 
April  and  May,  1.S63,  and  from  there  was  or- 
dered to  the  Peninsula,  thence  to  Washington, 
and  thence,  in  July,  on  to  New  Ynrk  to  sup- 
press the  draft  ridts.  His  was  the  first  volun- 
teer regiment  to  arrive  in  that  citv.  Order 
being  restoied,  be  was  directed  by  General 
Caid))-,  who  was  in  commajid  at  New  "\'ork,  to 
pi-oceed  to  Schenectady  and  be  present  there 
during  the  enforcement  of  the  draft.  He  was 
then  ordered  back  to  New  York,  where  his 
command  remained  on  detached  dut\-  until  Oc- 
tober, when  be  was  ordered  to  join  the  second 
corps  of  the  Army  of  the  I'.itnmac.  About  the 
first  of  December  the  C.lnnel  was  obliged  to 
resign  on  accmmt  of  inip.iired  health,  not  being 
willing  to  remain  in  tlie  service  unk-ss  be 
could    perfoini    active   duty. 

Retm'ning  Noitb  he  engaged  in  business  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  subseqently  in  the 
State  of  Florida.  In  1876  he  .served  as  a 
mendjcr  of  the  State  Senate  of  h'lorida.  being 
sent  from  the  first  district  <if  that  State.  Ik- 
was   at    the   cajiital    when  the  arguments  on  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    KEVIEW 


Tildon  and  Hayes  rcturny  wcil^  made,  knew  the 
otTu-ials  who  canvassed  Ihe  returns,  ami  learned 
from  the  lips  of  tlie  seeretar_\-  of  Stale  all  that 
related  to  the  question.  Returning  in  1.S79  to 
his  olil  lumie,  he  here  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business,  but  later  sold  out  ami  started  an  in- 
surance business.  In  this  line  lie  has  been 
very  successfid,  having  been  agent  for  most  of 
the  standard  companies.  In  October,  1S95, 
he  organized  the  fire  insurance  company  of 
which  he  is  now  secretary.  During  his  recent 
residence  here  he  has  been  chairman  of  the 
Republican  county  conmiittee  for  four  years, 
and  for  two  3'ears  he  was  a  member  of  the  state 
committee. 

Colonel  Ferguson  was  married  in  March, 
1S47,  to  ]\Iary  Courter,  of  this  town.  She  was 
born  in  Schoharie,  and  died  in  1859,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-two,  leaving  two  children: 
Charles,  who  is  now  a  travelling  agent  in  the 
\\'est ;  and  Sarah,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three.  The  latter  was  the  wife  of 
Frank  M.  Goodrich,  and  the  mother  of  two 
children,  one  of  whom  is  living.  The  Colonel 
was  married  in  April,  1S65,  to  Libbie  M. 
Pegg,  a  native  of  Springfield,  Otsego  County, 
and  daughter  of  George  A.  Pegg,  a  well-known 
hotel-keeper  of  that  town.  By  this  marriage 
there  is  one  son,  Howard  P.,  who  is  now  in 
business  with  his  father.  He  was  for  si.\ 
years   in    New    Vork  as   a  hotel   clerk. 

The  Colonel  is  a  member  of  Cobleskill 
Lodge,  Xo.  394,  F.  &  A.  M.,  having  joined 
in  1865.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  town 
affairs.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Ferguson  are  mem- 
bers  of  the    Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  has 


ui  !•; 


.f  years,    being 


APTAIN  ANDRI-W  J.  \'.\X1)1';r 
POLL,  dealer  in  ire,  a  highly  re- 
elected litizen  of  New  Paltimore, 
N.Y. ,  was  born  in  this  town  on  May  7,  1838, 
his  parents  being  Andrew  and  Jane  (Van 
Slyke)  Vanderpoel.  His  grandfather,  also 
named  Andrew,  was  a  nati\e  of  Colinnbia 
County.  He  spent  his  life  there  engaged  in 
farming,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Elizabeth  Smith,  was  born  in  Connecticut. 
None  of  their  seven  children  are  li\'ing.  Her 
death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  had  a  brother  who  was  an  Pokier  in 
that  church. 

Andrew  \'anderpoel,  the  second,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  came  to  New  Balti- 
more when  a  young  man,  purchased  a  farm 
here,  and  subsequent!)-  engaged  in  farming 
until  about  the  age  of  sixty  years  when  he 
retired  and  moved  to  New  Baltimore  vil- 
lage, and  at  the  age  of  sevent\-nine  he  died. 
He  was  a  Deacon  in  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church  and  for  man)-  years  an  Elder.  In  pol- 
itics he  w-as  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republi- 
can. He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  and 
his  advice  and  counsel  were  sought  by  many. 
His  wife,  Jane,  was  born  in  this  place;  and 
was  a  daughter  of  Tunis  \'an  Slyke,  a  farmer 
and  large  land-owner.  She  w-as  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children.      Of  the  six  born  to  her. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


four  are  living,  namely:  Tunis,  who  resides  in 
New  Baltimore ;  Andrew  J.  ;  I'ctcr,  who  is 
in  Massachusetts  ;  and  Mrs.  Alida  Mead  of 
this  town.  Tlie  mother  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years. 

Captain  Vandcr|)()el  in  his  boyhood  attended 
the  district  school,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
studied  for  a  time  in  Ciaverick  Institute.  He 
began  his  working  life  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  subsequently  went  into  business,  forming 
a  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Smith  under  tlic  linn 
name  of  Smith  &  Vanderpoel,  and  f(ir  six  \  ears 
carrying  on  a  general  merchandise  stnre.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  disposed  of  his  inter- 
est in  the  business  to  .Mr.  Holmes.  .A  little 
later  he  started  a  coal  yard  in  New  liiltimore, 
also  entered  the  ice  business,  also  ran  boats  to 
New  York.  He  then  bought  back  bis  interest 
in  the  store  from  Mr.  Ibdmes,  retaining  it  until 
iSSo,  when  be  .sold  it  to  Mr.  Xebson.  Dinin-- 
the  next  six  years  be  was  captain  of  the  "  City 
of  Hudson,"  the  day  boat  which  ran  from 
Calskill  to  Albany.  While  occupying  this  j 
position  he  removed  bis  family  to  Catskill, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  iSS;,  when 
be  returned  to  this  town.  .After  be  left  off 
riuming  the  "Cit\-  of  Hudson,"  be  was  eii- 
;;aj;ed  in  the  transportation  of  frei-lit  to  .\ew 
■S'ork,  l)ut  in  1897  bis  dock  buildings  burned, 
and  he  discontinued  the  freiybt  trade.  Since 
then  he  has  carried  on  an  ice  business,  bousing 
twenty-si.x  thousand  tons  of  ice  a  year  and  dis- 
bursing it  in  large  quantities  in  New  York  at 
wholesale.  In  1.S90  the  Captain  bought  his 
present  beautiful  estate,  which  is  a  fine  farm 
devoted    principally    to    fruit    orchards.      It    is 


known  as  the  Dr.  Cornell  homestead,  and  over- 
looks the  gliding  Hudson. 

Captain  Vanderpoel  has  been  twice  married, 
the  first  time,  in  1869,  to  Klizabeth  Randall, 
and  the  second  time  in  1882  to  Ella  Jennings. 
The  first  IMrs.  X'anderpoel  was  a  Nova  Scotian 
by  birth.  She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine, 
having  been  the  mother  of  five  children,  namely  : 
\\'est(ui  K.  and  I'rank,  who  are  in  California; 
Martha  and  Margaret  who  are  in  New  Jersey, 
and  Andrew,  also  in  California.  The  .sec.n.l 
Mrs.  Van.lerpoel  was  b..rn  near  Durham.  Her 
father,  Daniel  D.  Jennings,  was  a  well-known 
hotel-keeper  in  bis  native  town  of  Cairo.  He 
died  when  his  daughter  Ella  was  a  young  girl. 
His  second  wife,  Eleanor  Souser,  a  descendant 
(jf  the  noted  .Salisbur_\'  family  which  came  from 
England,  was  born  in  Jefferson  in  the  town  of 
Catskill.  She  bore  him  four  children,  of 
whom  there  are  living:  I'eter,  of  New  York; 
Irving,  a  Catskill  lawyer  and  bank  jiresident  ; 
and  I\Irs.  X'anderpoel.  Caiitain  and  Mrs. 
\'anderpoel  have  one  child,  Peter  Jennings, 
now  eleven  years  of  age.  They  lost  two  little 
sons  — John  Iienb:nn,  at  two  years  of  age;  and 
Worthington,  who  died  an  infant. 

The  Cai)tain  is  a  Republican;  Init  be  refuses 
to  accept  nomination  for  pulilic  office,  though 
frequently  :isl<cd  to  dcj  so.  He  is  a  Mason, 
being  fornieily  associated  with  Ark  Lodge  of 
Co.xsackie  and  at  present  a  member  of  Social 
Ericndship  Lodge  of  New  ]?altim(nc.  Of  the 
latter  be  is  a  clKU'ter  mendjcr,  one  of  three, 
and  since  its  organi/.at ion  has  lieen  treasurer  of 
the  lodge.  Mrs.  X'anderpoel  is  a  member  (.f 
the  Dutch  Reb.rmed  Church  of  Cat.sk ill. 


BIOCRAl'llICAL 


w. 


ILLIAM  IIENRV  DECKER,  Su- 
pervisor of  the  town  of  Gilboa, 
Sclioliaric  County,  X.\'. ,  ;uul  li_\-  occuixUion  a 
dairviiian  and  fruit-i;ro\vcr,  was  born  in  Gilboa 
on  Xoxcmbcr  12,  1 S46.  Mis  parents  were 
Jacob  and  i?etsy  Ann  (Sbew)  Decker,  and  his 
paternal  grandfather  was  Tunis  Decker,  whose 
iniini^rant  progenitor  was  one  of  a  colon}-  of 
Dutch  emigrants  who  settletl  in  Deckertown, 
N.J.,  and  Columbia  County,  New  York. 

Tunis  Decker  was  born  in  1765  in  Columbia 
County,  and  lived  there  for  some  time.  He 
came  eventually  to  Gilboa,  and  purchased  a 
tract  of  three  hundred  acres,  part  of  which  es- 
tate is  where  his  grandson  William  now  re- 
sides. Although  ostensibly  a  farmer,  he  was 
a  man  of  varied  talents,  and  could  turn  his 
hand  to  almost  any  kind  of  work.  He  came 
here  in  1833,  and  died  some  twenty  }ears 
later,  in  his  eighty-ninth  year.  His  remains 
were  the  first  to  be  carried  into  the  Shew  Hol- 
low [Methodist  church  for  funeral  services. 
No  other  place  seemed  so  fitting  as  the  church 
for  which  he  had  worked  and  sacrificed,  and  to 
whose  interests  he  was  so  thoroughly  devoted. 
His  wife,  whom  he  had  married  shortly  after 
the  Revolution,  survived  him  some  years,  dy- 
ing at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  Of  their  fam- 
ily of  twelve  children  three  died  in  infancy. 
The  nine  that  continued  life's  journey  were  : 
Cornelia,  Jacob  and  Sophia  (twins,)  Polly, 
Catherine,  Susan,  Eliza,  Cornelius,  and 
George.  Eliza  Decker  died  on  Long  Island  of 
yellow  fever.  Tall  stature  was  a  family  char- 
acteristic. The  three  sons  became  farmers, 
and   each   upon  settling  in  life  for  himself   was 


given  a  hundred  acres  of  land  from  the  paternal 

estate.  Cornelius  died  in  New  I.cmdon,  Wi.s. 
He  hail  three  sdiis,  only  ime  ni  whom  is  living. 
This  one  and  William  Henry  Decker  are  the 
only  livin-  male  descendants  (if  Tunis  Decker 
bearing  his  name.  (jeoige  had  two  sons,  but 
both  are  deceased. 

Jacob  Decker,  who  was  born  June  30,  i.Si  i, 
at  Conesville,  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y. ,  and 
died  in  Gilboa,  N.Y.,  on  Christmas  Day, 
1S79,  was  a  carpenter,  and  followed  his  trade 
for  twenty-twti  years,  being  considered  one  of 
the  most  skilled  workmen  in  these  parts.  He 
lived  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage,  and 
then  settled  on  the  lot  his  father  gave  him, 
living  first  in  the  log  house  on  the  premises 
which  became  the  birthplace  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  and  most  of  his  brothers  and  sis- 
ters. Later  Jacob  Decker  built  a  large  house. 
He  was  a  Republican  from  the  formation  of 
the  party,  and  a  leader  in  all  local  affairs. 
He  was  deeply  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
church,  and  was  one  of  those  who  helped  build 
the  Methodist  church  edifice  at  Shew  Hollow. 
He  was  class  leader  for  fourteen  years.  In- 
deed, this  family  has  been  and  still  is  noted 
for  its  liberal  support  of  all  religious  organ- 
izations both  in  a  moral  and  a  financial  way. 
Jacob  Decker's  wife,  Betsy  Ann,  was  a  grand- 
daughter, on  her  mother's  side,  of  Captain 
Hagar,  who  won  renown  during  the  days  of  the 
Revolution  by  his  valiant  service  in  behalf  of 
the  colonists.  His  brother  Joseph  was  shot 
during  the  war,  and  his  father  was  carried  a 
prisoner  to  Canada,  and  detained  there  until 
the  end  of  the  struggle.      One  of  three  pewter 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


plates,  the  history  of  which  is  connected  with 
the  Revolution,  is  still  preserved  in  Mr. 
Decker's  family.  They  were  thrown  into  a  well 
by  the  wife  of  Captain  Haj^ar  just  before  the 
house  was  burned  by  Grant's  Indians  and  Tor- 
ies, and  they  were  taken  from  the  well  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  Mrs.  Betsy  Ann  Decker 
died  at  ei^^hty  years  of  ai^e,  on  March  12, 
1894.  She  was  the  mother  of  the  following- 
named  children:  Marietta;  S.  Amelia;  Martha 
A.;  Francclia;  Rozella;  Alniira,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years;  Helen,  who  died  young ; 
William  II.;  and  two  ehler  sons,  who  died 
young.  Marietta  married  David  .Simonson, 
and  resides  in  Ilobart,  N.  V.  Amelia  married 
Dr.  R.  Hubbcll,  of  Jefferson,  N.\'.,  and  died 
in  1889.  Francelia  is  the  wife  of  William  R. 
Ladd,  of  Bangor,  Me.  Rozella  is  the  sec(jnd 
wife  of  Dr.   R.   llubbell,  of  Jefferson,   N.  Y. 

William  Henry  Decker  is  a  man  of  fine  phy- 
sique, and  in  iiis  jnime  was  known  as  the 
strongest  and  nKjst  actix'e  man  in  this  .section. 
He  has  been  known  to  lift  twelve  hundred 
pounds  dead  weight.  He  earl\-  engaged  in 
blacksmithing,  for  which  he  seemed  so  well 
adapted  by  nature,  and  in  wood  working  and 
repairing.  His  motto  was,  "Do  it  right  and 
you  won't  have  to  do  it  o\er  again";  and,  as 
this  sentiment  found  constant  expression  in  all 
work  that  he  did,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  secur- 
ing the  best  trade  in  his  line  in  this  vicinity. 
But  after  twenty  years  of  mechanical  labor  he 
was  attacked  by  rheumatism,  and  it  became 
necessary  for  iiim  to  make  a  change  in  this 
business.  Ik  therefore  confined  himself  to 
farming  on    bis   two  hundred   ami   ihirtyeigiu 


acres,  devoting  his  attention  chiefly  to  dairying 
and  fruit-growing.  His  dairy  of  si.\ty  milch 
cows  is  one  of  the  largest  in  town,  and  is  com- 
posed of  e.xcellcnt  stock.  He  has  about  s\x 
hundred  apple-trees.  He  is  one  of  the  five 
directors  in  the  creamery  company  at  South 
Gilboa,  and  ]irevii)us  to  its  incdr])orat ion  was 
one  of  the  committee  that  built  the  creamery 
and  carried  on  the  business.  This  creamery, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  e.xjK-nsixe  in  this 
vicinity,  cost,  with  buildings  ami  et|uij)ment, 
seven   thousand   thdlais. 

rolitically,  Mr.  Decker  is  a  strong  Repub- 
lican. He  has  attended  many  conventions, 
and  e\-ery  year  since  he  became  a  \(.iter  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  election  and  ncjinina- 
tion  of  officials.  With  the  exception  of  one 
year,  when  he  was  sick,  he  has  always  been 
l)resent  at  town  elections.  He  has  held  the 
offices  of  Collector,  Road  Commissioner,  I'oor- 
master.  Assessor,  Constable,  and,  intleetl, 
e\ery  office  in  the  town  exce|)t  those  of  Town 
Clerk  and  Justice  of  the  Peace.  If  he  lives 
till  the  end  of  his  present  term  he  will  have 
been  Super\isor  of  his  town  five  }ears.  ICvery 
nomination  has  come  to  him  unsolicited. 
While  he  was  serving  as  Road  Conmiissioner 
thirty  britlges  were  re])aired  in  one  season,  but 
expenses  were  ke[it  at  a  minimum.  In  I  .S96 
he  was  elected  .Sujiervisor  for  two  years;  in 
1898  he  was  re-elected,  for  one  year,  as  the 
unanimous  choice  of  both  parlies;  and  in  the 
early  i<art  of  the  present  year,  1899,  he  was  re- 
elected for  two  years.  His  o|)pnnent  at  his 
first  election  was  Stephen  W'ildsey.  who  had 
been  on  the  board  twice  before. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Mr.  Decker  has  been  twice  mnrried,  his 
wives  being  sisters,  daughters  nf  Hiram 
linnvn,  of  Dutch  descent.  Mr.  IJrown  is  liv- 
ing, but  his  wife  died  in  April,  1S96.  They 
were  the  jsarents  of  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, namely:  Eliza;  Reuben;  Jacob,  who  re- 
sides in  Gilboa;  Addie;  and  Angle.  Addle 
Brown,  to  whom  Mr.  Decker  was  married  first, 
died  in  her  thirty-fourth  year,  on  November 
21,  iSSg.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, and  is  survi\'ed  by  three;  namely,  Lizzie 
E.,  Zanah,  and  Arthur  B.  Willie  J.  died  at 
two  years  of  age,  on  November  2,  1880;  and 
Inza  died  at  four  years  of  age,  on  October  22, 
1884.  Mr.  Decker's  present  wife  was  before 
marriage  Angle  Brown.  Mr.  Decker  is  a 
member  of  the  Shew  Hollow  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  has  always  been  a  temper- 
ate man  in  every  way,  using  neither  tobacco 
nor  into.xicants  of  an}'  kind.  His  genial  tem- 
per and  hearty  good  humor  make  him  a  gen- 
eral favorite,  and  his  jovial  laugh  is  a  pleasant 
sound  to  hear. 


"'CS)/lLLIAM  D.  SHAKER,  M.D.,  a 
Y^V^  rising  young  physician  of  Oak  Hill, 
town  of  Durham,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  Coble- 
skill,  Schoharie  County,  March  16,  1870,  son 
of  Daniel  G.  and  Mary  J.  (Van  Volkenberg) 
Shafer.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Daniel 
Shafer,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Cobleskill, 
where  he  cultivated  a  farm  during  his  active 
period,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 

Daniel   G.    Shafer,   Dr.    Shafer' s  father,  ac- 
quired a  good  education  in  the  common  schools 


my    y. 


lit 


and  at  Charlotte  Academy.  I'n 
he  was  associated  with  his  brdthei 
finally  [lurchased  a  piece  of  agricultural  ]irop- 
erty  of  one  hundred  and  thirt)-  acres,  situated 
near  Mineral  Springs,  upon  which  he  sjient  his 
last  years,  and  wdiere  his  widow,  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Shafer,  still  resides.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  Mrs.  .Shafer's  father,  Hiram  \'an 
Volkenberg,  was  a  farmer  of  Schoharie  Count)-. 
She  is  the  mother  of  two  children:  William 
D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Mary,  wife 
of  Jesse  Shafer  of  Mineral  Springs. 

After  attending  the  common  schools  and  the 
high  school  of  Cobleskill,  William  D.  Shafer 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Allen  of 
that  town,  and  latei  attended  the  New  York 
Eclectic  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1892.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  New  York  City,  and  went  from  there 
to  Livingstonville.  Since  July,  1896,  he  has 
been  the  only  physician  at  Oak  Hill,  and  his 
practice,  which  has  already  assumed  large 
proportions,  extends  into  Schoharie  and  Al- 
bany Counties,  necessitating  long  tedious  rides 
in  all  kinds  of  weather. 

In  1892  Dr.  Shafer  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Jessie  Dillenbeck,  daughter  of  Jonas  Dil- 
lenbeck,  a  druggist  of  Cobleskill.  They  have 
one  son,  Rudolph. 

Politically,  Dr.  Shafer  acts  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  served  as  Coroner  in  Scho- 
harie County,  resigning  that  office  when  he  re- 
moved from  Livingstonville.  He  is  treasurer 
of  the  Lyman  Tremaine  Lodge,  No.  265, 
I.  O.  C^.  F.,  Oak  Hill,  and  a  member  of  the 
Middleburg  Encampment.      He   is  medical  e.\- 


15IOORAPHRAL    REVIEW 


amincr  for  the  New  \'uik  Life  and  I'luilciitial 
Insurance  Companies;  also  fur  the  Masonic 
Life  Association  of  Western  New  ^'ork,  ant! 
formerly  belonged  to  the  New  York  Eclectic 
Society.  He  attends  the  LpiscoiJal  church,  of 
which  Mrs.  Shafer  is  a  member. 


i;\'.  iircii    ()Ni:ii.,   |iast.,r  «i  .si. 

Mary's  Chiuxh,  Hunter,  N.V.,  and  (if 
.St.  I'rancis  de  Sales  C.'inuch,  I'later- 
kill,  was  bdin  iu  Dun^arvan,  Count)-  Water- 
ford,  Ireland,  May  l8,  1S38,  son  of  Patrick 
and  Kllen  (McSweency)  O'Neil. 

The  first  of  the  family  to  settle  in  Waterford 
was  his  great-grandfather,  Hugh  (VXeil,  who 
went  there  from  Shaw's  Castle,  County  Ty- 
rone, lulward  O'Neil,  his  grandfather,  was 
born  in  Kilkenny,  and  was  a  farmer.  Patrick 
O'Neil,  his  father,  who  was  born  in  Water- 
ford  and  was  a  farmer  in  early  life,  later 
engaged  in  the  bakery  business  in  IJungar- 
van.  lie  was  also  a  s]jirits  merchant,  antl 
before  the  advent  of  railroads  he  ran  a  line 
of  carriages  known  as  post  coaches.  lie  was 
a  great  admirer  of  Daniel  O'Connell,  and 
while  taking  an  active  part  in  electing  a  mem- 
ber of  ])arliamenl  he  contracted  an  illness 
whicii  causeil  his  death  at  the  age  (jf  tift}-two 
years. 

Patrick  O'Neil  was  a  highly  resjiected  citi- 
zen and  an  able  supjiorler  of  the  church.  His 
wife,  l'".llen,  was  born  in  Tijiperary  in  1796, 
ilaughter  of  Thomas  McSweency.  Dining  the 
Rebellion  of  179.S  her  parents  took  refuge  in 
a  town   in  the   county  of    Walerfonl.      She  was 


the  mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  and  his  sister  Margaret  are 
the  only  survivors.  Margaret,  now  Mrs. 
O'Callahan,  resides  with  her  brother  in  Hun- 
ter .She  has  a  daughter  who  is  the  Assistant 
Reverend  Mother  in  the  convent  at  West  Troy. 
One  of  Father  O' Neil's  brothers,  Edward,  was 
educated  in  St.  John's  College,  Waterford, 
from  which  he  was  gratluated  in  1S52.  Ik- 
was  ordained  to  the  priesthood,  and  .sent  to 
Manchester,  luigland,  where  lie  became  a 
Canon,  and  served  in  th.it  cajiacity  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  iSyj,  at  the  age  of 
si.\l)'-sevcn. 

Hugh  O'Neil  began  his  education  in  a 
classical  school,  pre])ared  for  college  imder 
private  tutors,  and  in  1858  went  to  .Vllhallows 
College,  where  lie  was  graduatctl  in  1  .S60. 
His  theological  studies  were  pursued  at  Water- 
ford and  at  .St.  Mary's  College,  Oscott,  luig- 
land,  where  he  w.is  a  fellow-student  with  the 
late  King  Alplionso  of  Spain  antl  with  tlie 
father  of  the  late  General  Garcia,  the  Cuban 
leader.  He  was  orilained  a  priest  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  Februaiy  9,  1867, 
and  his  first  appointment  was  to  .St.  liarnabas 
Cathedral,  Nottingham,  P.'ngland,  where  he  re- 
mained nine  months.  His  next  charge  was  at 
the  village  of  Ilkeston,  now  a  city,  where  his 
duties  reipiired  him  to  co\'er  a  circuit  of  lortv- 
five  miles;  and  during  his  labors  there,  which 
e.xlentled  through  a  period  tif  ele\en  _\ears,  he 
erected  a  church  and  a  school  building  and  de- 
veloped the  parish  into  a  highly  ])rospcrous 
condition.  The  loutine  work  which  he  acconi- 
plishetl    imaided     is    now    performed    by   eight 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


'93 


priests.  At  his  own  request  he  wns  trans- 
ferred to  the  village  of  Ilathersage,  Peak  of 
Derbyshire,  famous  as  the  home  of  Robin  Hood, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk 
he  repaired  and  opened  an  ancient  church  built 
previous  to  the  Reformation. 

At  the  expiration  of  four  and  one-half  years 
he  came  to  the  United  States  on  a  leave  of  ab- 
sence, arriving  in  New  York  in  1SS2,  and, 
subsequently  deciding  to  remain  this  countr)', 
he  severed  his  connection  with  his  Engli.sh 
parish  and  accepted  an  assignment  to  a  mission 
church  in  Philadelphia.  At  the  request  of  the 
bishop  of  Indianapolis  he  went  to  St.  Patrick's 
Church  in  that  city.  After  that  he  was  again 
stationed  in  Philadelphia  for  a  short  time,  and 
then  became  attached  to  the  diocese  of  Albany, 
and  was  assigned  to  St.  ]\Iar)"'s  Church  in 
Troy.  In  18S7  became  to  Hunter  as  pastor 
of  St.  Mary's  Church. 

The  arduous  duties  of  a  widely  distributed 
district,  which  included  villages  and  settle- 
ments within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles,  were  zeal- 
ously and  energetically  performed  by  him  for 
five  years,  or  until  his  circuit  was  di\'ided, 
since  which  time  the  concentration  of  his 
labors  has  enabled  him  to  accomplish  results 
far  more  visible  in  their  effects.  Beside  effect- 
ing the  enlargement  and  improvement  of  St. 
Mary's  Church,  he  erected  St.  P'rancis  de 
Sales  Church  in  Platerkill  in  1891.  At  both 
of  these  churches  he  officiates  the  year  round, 
celebrating  two  masses  each  Sunday  during  the 
summer  season,  besides  holding  week-day  ser- 
vices whenever  occasion  demands.  He  for- 
merly conducted  service  regularly  at   the   hotel 


Kaaterskill  during  the  season,  l)ut  these  he 
was  obliged  to  relintpiish  on  account  of  his  in- 
creasing labors  elsewhere.  lie  has  earnestly 
endeavored  to  promote  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
his  widely-scattered  Hock,  and  the  zeal  he  dis- 
plays in  conducting  the  affairs  of  his  pastorate 
has  gained  for  him  the  good  will  of  the  entire 
community.  He  organized  the  Sacred  Heart 
and  Rosary  societies,  and  he  takes  a  lively  in- 
terest in  the  work  of  the  town  improvement  so- 
ciety, of  which  he  is  a  member.  At  the  ear- 
nest request  of  the  people  of  Lexington  he 
aided  in  securing  the  erection  of  a  church  in 
that  village;  and  he  has  also  repaired  St. 
Henry's  Church,  located  between  Ashland  and 
Prattsville. 

Father  O'Neil  began  to  interest  himself 
in  political  affairs  shortly  after  his  arrival  in 
this  country,  and  in  18S4  he  headed  a  commit- 
tee who,  at  the  P^ifth  Avenue  Hotel,  New- 
York  City,  presented  the  late  Hon.  James  G. 
Blaine  with  a  gold-headed  cane.  He  is  a  nat- 
uralized citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  party. 


§OHN  G.  EMPIE,  who  has  been  actively 
identified  with  the  agricultural  interests 
of  the  town  of  Seward,  Schoharie 
County,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  is  the 
owner  of  a  well-improved  farm  lying  about  one 
mile  from  the  village  of  H}-ndsville.  He  was 
born  in  Sharon,  N.Y. ,  January  5,  1S36,  a  son 
of  Peter  Empie,  Jr.  He  is  of  French  and 
German  anccstr\-,  and  the  descendant  of  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Schoharie  Countv  —  his 


•94 


BIOGRAPHICAL   RE\'^1EW 


great-graiulfathcr,  John  Juiipic,  liavin;,'  re- 
moved in  early  manhood  from  Stone  Arabia,  | 
Montgomery  County,  to  tlic  town  of  Sharon.  | 
A  hard-working  pioneer,  John  l-;ni|)ie  cleared  i 
a  farm  from  the  wilderness,  and  tliere  passed  ' 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  | 

Peter   Kmpic,    Sr.,  grandfather  of  John    C. 
.sjjent  his  seventy-seven  years  of  life  on  the  oUl 
homestead  in  Sharon,  Schoharie  Comity,  work- 
ing as  a   farmer   through   boyhood,  early  man-   , 
hood,  and   old   age.      He  cle.ired  off  wood,  ciil-   | 
tivatcd  the  soil,  and  in  coiusc  ol    time  erected 
sub.stantial    frame    buildings    in    place    of    the 
original  log  house  and   barn.      His  wife,  Katie  : 
Lehman,    was    born    in    Sharon.      Slie    was    a 
daughter  of  Jolm    Lehman,    whose   father    was 
one   of   the  original  settlers  of  tliat  place.      Of 
their  eight  children,  none  survive. 

Peter  Liii]iic,  Jr.,  son  of  Peter,  Sr. ,  was 
born  and  i)niught  up  on  the  old  farm  in 
Sharon,  and  received  his  education  in  the  jmo- 
neer  schools  of  his  day  and  generation.  P'ol- 
lowing  in  the  footsteps  of  his  ancestors,  he 
chose  farming  as  his  life  occupation,  and  on 
reaching  manhood  purchased  land  near  the 
parental  estate,  and  was  there  successful  1)'  en- 
gaged in  his  independent  calling  until  his  de- 
cease, at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  greatly 
interested  in  public  affairs,  and  served  his  fel- 
low-townsmen as  Assessor  for  a  number  of 
years.  Hoth  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Kclormed  church.  He  married  Maria 
Lmjiie,  who  was  born  in  .Sharon,  a  daughter  of 
a  later  John  pjnpie  than  the  pioneer.  Peter 
and  Maria  P^mpie  had  .^even  children;   namely. 


Norman    I).,    Jane    K. ,    John    C,     I'eter    IL, 
Aim.i    S.,    Harvey    L. ,    and    Hewitt    C. 

lohn  (j.  ICmpie  acijuired  a  ])ractical  educa- 
tion in  the  conmion  schools  of  Sharon  and  at 
the  Carlisle  .Seminary.  He  subsequently 
taught  school  several  terms,  both  in  Sharon 
ami  Seward,  but  in  iSfi/gavc  up  his  position 
at  the  teacher's  tlesk  to  take  possession  of  his 
present  line  estate  of  one  hundred  acres,  which 
was  formerly  known  as  the  l-'alk  farm.  From 
vear  to  year  he  has  matle  marked  improvements 
on  the  place,  having  erected  within  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century  all  the  buildings  that  are 
now  on  it  and  cleared  off  much  of  the  wood. 
He  has  a  large  part  of  the  land  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  carries  on  general  farming  in  all  its 
branches,  and  in  past  times  he  raised  vast 
quantities  of  hops,  which  proved  a  valuable 
crop. 

In  iiolitics  :\Ir.  lunpie  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  served  accejitably 
in  various  local  offices,  including  those  of  Su- 
pervisor, Commissioner  of  Highwa\s,  and 
trustee  of  his  school  district.  He  has  also 
been  secretary  and  trustee  of  the  People's 
Cemetery  .Association  of  Sharon  ever  since  its 
organization  in  I  ^6y. 

(Jn  June  ;,o,  1.S58,  Mr.  luiipie  married  Miss 
Nancy  C.  Horst.  who  was  also  born  in  Sharon, 
as  was  her  father,  Peter  G.  Borst,  a  lifelong 
farmer  of  that  place.  .Mr.  and  .Mrs.  V.m\w 
have  two  children-  the  Rev.  .\lfred  R.  and 
lulward  J.  The  Rev.  Alfred  R.  l-jiipie  was 
'  graduated  from  Hart  wick  Seminary,  and  is  now 
preaching  in  Maryland,  Otsego  County,  X.V. 
I  He  married  Mi.->>  .\nna  Skinner,  and  they  have 


ALONZn    WAKKMAX. 


Al'lllCAl,     KI'A' 


'97 


one  child,  Lillian.  Mdward  J.  ICmpic  married 
Miss  Anna  Ncllis,  and  is  the  father  of  two 
ehiUhen-^l'A-erett  and  Nancy  l>;ila.  Mr.  and 
I\Irs.  John  Ti.  l-inpie  are  members  of  the  Ln- 
theian  cluneh,  in  wliieh  he  has  been  Deacon, 
I'lder,  and  secretary. 


(^JyrLONZO  WAKEMAN,  for  many  years 
fc*  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  I.awyers- 
^>> — '  ville,  Schoharie  Count)-,  was  born 
October  2j,  iSio,  in  this  town,  and  here  spent 
his  entire  life  of  nearl_\-  seventy-eight  years, 
his  death  occurring  on  August  31,  iSSS.  He 
was  of  patriotic  Revolutionary  stock,  his  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Gershom  W'akeman,  a  na- 
tive of  Fairfield,  Conn.,  ha\'ing  served  as  an 
ofificer  in  the  war  for  American  independence. 

Gershom  Wakeman  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, lie  was  among  the  very  first  to  enlist  in 
the  Colonial  forces,  and  was  killed  in  one  of 
the  early  battles  of  the  war.  His  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Downs,  was  born  in  Fairfield  County, 
Connecticut,  daughter  of  David  Downs  and  the 
descendant  of  one  of  the  earliest  settled  families 
of  that  county.  She  died  not  very  long  after 
her  husband's  death,  lea\ing  seven  children  : 
namely,  Abigail,  Abel,  Gershom,  Dolly, 
Amelia,  I.saac,  and  Seth  B. ,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  the  father  of  Alonzo  Wakeman. 

Seth  B.  Wakeman  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm.  In  early  manhood  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  which  he  subsequently  followed 
many  years  in  Lawyersville,  where  he  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers.  He  erected  the  house  now 
occupied  by  his  son   Alonzo's  widow,  the  resi- 


dence of  Stanton  Courier,    of  Cohlcskill,  and 

several  business  houses  of  this  hu-alily.  IK' 
bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  near  the 
sdllageand  also  other  land  in  town;  and  for 
some  years  prior  to  his  death,  at  the  age  (jf 
eighty-two  years,  was  successfidly  engaged  in 
general  farming.  He  likewise  carried  on  an 
extensive  business  as  a  manufacturer  of  lum- 
ber, being  the  owner  of  a  saw-mill.  His  first 
wife,  Clara  Nichols,  a  nati\-e  of  l<"airfield 
County,  Connecticut,  died  in  early  womanhood, 
leaving  him  five  children,  namely:  Horace; 
Alonzo,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Horatio;  Maria;  and  Charles.  In  religion, 
both  parents  were  of  the  Universalist  faith. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Seth  B. 
Wakeman  married  Sarah  Wheeler,  also  of 
Fairfield  County,  Connecticut. 

Alonzo  Wakeman  in  1878  bought  the  \-alu- 
able  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  on  which  his 
daughter  Emma  now  resides,  and  until  his 
death,  as  above  mentioned,  was  recognized  in 
the  community  as  one  of  its  foremost  agricult- 
urists. Strictly  honest  and  upright,  he  was 
influential  in  the  neighborhood,  and,  as  a 
Notary  Public,  for  many  )-ears  transacted  a 
good  deal  of  business.  In  politics,  he  was  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  persistently  refused  to  ac- 
cept all  offices,  even  that  of  president  of  the 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  for  many  years  a  director. 

Mr.  Alonzo  Wakeman's  first  wife  was  Miss 
Catharine  Stall,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peter  Stall,  of  Sharon,  Schoharie  County, 
N.Y.  ;    she   li\-ed   ten   months   after  their  mar- 


198 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


riajje,  her  death  occiirrinj;  in  icS^4  at  the 
age  (jf  nineteen  years  and  eleven  mnnths. 
In  June,  1838,  Mr.  VVakeman  married  Mary 
O'Dell,  who  was  born  September  26,  1S15,  in 
Keddin'i,  Conn.,  daii^diter  of  Dr.  Joseph 
O'Dell.  Mrs.  Wakeman  is  of  French  ances- 
try, her  great-grandfather  O'Dell,  mie  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Norwalk,  Cnnn.,  havin^^  emi- 
grated to  that  town  from  l-'rance  in  Colonial 
days.  Nathan  O'Dell,  her  grandfather,  was  a 
prosperous  farmer  and  a  lifelong'  resident  of 
Norwalk,  Conn.  His  wife,  .Mary  Hurritt, 
bore  him  fourteen  children,  all  of  whnm  grew 
to  maturity  and  married.  Josei)h  O'Dell, 
having  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schixds,  jiursued  the  stud\-  of  medi- 
cine, at  first  with  erne  (;f  the  local  physicians, 
Dr.  Jesse  Shepard,  and  afterward  in  New 
York  City.  On  graduating,  he  located  first  as 
a  practitioner  in  Dover,  Ccmn.,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  Redding,  Conn.,  where  he  continued 
actively  engaged  in  the  jiractice  of  his  jiroies- 
sion.  -At  the  age  of  thirty  one  years  he  died 
in  Charleston,  .S.  C. ,  while  there  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  health.  His  wife,  Lucy  Wakeman, 
was  born  in  I-'airfield,  Conn.,  a  daughter  of 
Cershom  Wakeman,  second,  who  was  an  uncle 
of  .\lonz(i  Wakeman.  Cicrshom  Wakeman, 
second,  married  .Sibbell  ]5radley,  of  Fairfield, 
Conn.,  and  Luc)-  was  their  onlv  daughter. 
They  were  \ery  prominent  members  (jf  the 
Congregational  church. 

Mr.  Alonzo  Wakeman  is  survived  by  his 
wife  and  four  children  ;  namely,  ICmma,  Clara 
A.,  FUa,  and  .Sarah  W.  l-lmma  J.  married 
Solomon  Lark  in,  a  farmer,   who  died    in    1X97, 


leaving  lier  with  one  child,  Charles  W. 
Larkin;  Clara  A.  is  the  wife  of  Romeyn 
Hrown,  a  hardware  merchant  of  Oneonta,  and 
the  mother  of  three  children  —  Wakeman, 
Floyd,  and  an  infant  (deceased)  ;  billa  is  the 
wife  of  George  .Stor)-,  acarjienter;  and  .Sarali 
W.  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  J.  Gannon,  who  is 
her  third  husband.  .Mrs.  Wakeman  and  all 
her  family  except  one  are  valued  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church. 


(9>r  NDRKW  J.  KLINF,  proprietor  of  a 
h\  well-stocked  general  st<ire  in  Patter- 
^^-'  sonville,  Schenectady  County,  N.V., 
was  born  in  this  place,  November  i,  1850,  son 
of  Joseph  and  Janet  (Staley)  Kline.  His 
father  was  born  in  Aiken,  Montgomery 
County,  in  i.SiS,  and  his  mother  was  born  in 
I'rincetown,  this  county,  in  1823.  Grand- 
father Kline  was  an  early  settler  in  .Montgom- 
ery County,  and  there  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing for  the  rest  of  his  active  period. 

Josejih  Kline  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  came  to  I'at- 
tersonville,  then  called  Hoffman's  Ferry,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  he  kept  a  grocery  store. 
Removing  to  Swartztown,  N.^'.,  he  carried  on 
the  same  business  in  connection  with  a  hotel, 
and  also  cultivated  a  farm.  H  is  acti\ity  con- 
tinued until  a  few-  _\ears  jirior  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  His  wife  died  at  seventy.  She  was 
the  mother  of  si.\  childien,  naniel)' :  (ieroe  G., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  forty-si.v  yeais  ;  .Andrew 
J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;   Oliver  S.  ;  Jen- 


'99 


nie    M.,   who   is  now    Mrs.    Hcrrick ;   Harriet 

A.  :  Mini  l-:il.i,  who  is  n.nv  I\Irs.  (iix--  Mrs. 
Janet  KliiK-  was  a  iiK'nihci-  of  tiio  Rclunncd 
cluuLh. 

Aiulicw  J.  Kline  was  reared  and  eilueated  in 
Swartztown.  ^\■llen  a  }iiunt;'  man  lie  hei;an 
business  as  a  dealer  in  t'arni  produce  along  the 
Mrie  Canal,  ami  was  thus  engagetl  for  twelve 
years.  Since  iSSf)  he  has  heen  located  at  his 
present  place  of  husiness  in  Pattersonville. 
His  store,  which  is  one  of  the  leading  sources 
of  supply  in  this  section,  is  well  stocked  with 
agricultural  implements,  fertilizers,  and  gen- 
eral merchandise. 

In  1S77  Mr.  Kline  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Henrietta  Sterling,  of  Florida,  N.  Y., 
daughter  of  W'inslow  Sterling.  Mrs.  Kline  is 
the  mother  of  three  children;  nameh',  Jessie 
R.,  Bertha  H.,  and  Boyd  J. 

Politically,  ]\Ir.  Kline  is  a  Democrat. 
Able,  energetic,  and  conscientious,  he  has  se- 
cured a  firm  foothold  in  business  through  his 
own  exertions,  and  he  full)-  merits  the  high 
esteem  accorded  him  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 


§OHX  ROE,  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of 
J.  &  E.  Roe,  general  merchants  of 
Greenville,  N.Y. ,  was  born  in  Wiscon- 
sin on  October  16,  1849,  son  of  William  P. 
and  Marietta  (Newman)  Roe.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  William  Roe,  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  He  liked  to  go  from  place  to 
place,  and  lived  successively  in  Athens, 
Greenville,  and  Cairo,  owning  farms  at  differ- 
ent times   in   each   of  these  places   in    Greene 


County.  He  died  at  Cairo  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four.  His  wife  Jane,  who  was  before 
her  marriage  a  P.uker,  was  born  in  Greenville. 
and  belonged  to  one  of  the  old  pioneer  families. 

William  P.  Roe,  s,,n  of  William  and  Jane, 
was  born  in  .Athens,  N.\', ,  and  reared  to  farn) 
life.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  Wisconsin, 
where  he  was  interested  in  speculating  and  in 
farming,  and  held  the  office  of  Town  Supervi- 
sor. Later  he  returned  to  \ew  York  State, 
settled  in  Greenville,  and  died  here  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight.  He  was  County  .Superinten- 
dent of  the  Poor  for  three  years.  In  ])olitics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife,  Marietta,  was 
a  native  of  this  place,  and  died  here  at  the  age 
of  fifty-two.  She  was  tlie  daughter  of  Alva 
Newman,  and  one  of  a  family  of  si.x  children. 
Her  father  was  a  Greenville  farHier,  but  he  re- 
moved from  Greenville  to  Wisconsin,  and  died 
there  at  the  age  of  seventy.  IMrs.  Marietta  N. 
Roe  was  the  mother  of  si.x  children.  Of  these 
five  are  living,  namely:  John,  the  subject  of 
this  .sketch;  Jasper,  a  farmer;  Annis,  who 
married  Charles  Roe;  I-:ila,  who  married 
Charles  Coonley;  and  Edgar,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Roe  Brothers.  Both  parents 
were   Baptists. 

John  Roe  came  with  his  father  and  mother 
to  this  town  when  eight  years  old,  and  worked 
with  his  father  until  twenty-si.x  years  of  age. 
In  the  winters  of  1S71,  1S72,  and  1S73  he 
taught  school  in  Greenville,  and  one  winter  he 
attended  the  Poughkeepsie  Business  College. 
Then,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  M.  P.  Blenis,  which  con- 
tinued  for  twelve  years,  or   until    the   time  of 


HIOr.RAI'IIICAL    REVIEW 


Mr.  lilcnis's  death.  For  the  first  year  they 
operated  a  {general  store  located  opposite  Mr. 
Roe's  |)resL-nt  stand,  m<)\  inj;  across  the  street 
at  the  end  nf  that  time.  Upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  Ulenis,  Mr.  Kdgar  Roe  bouj;,'ht  out  his  in- 
terests, and  the  firm  assumed  its  present  name. 
There  is  only  one  store  in  town  larger  than 
this.  A  full  line  of  general  merchandise  is 
carried,  including  dry  goods,  groceries,  boots 
and  shoes,  crockery  and  glass  ware,  carpets 
and  oil -cliiths,  hats  and  caps.  One  clerk  is 
emplnyed.  Mr.  Roc  has  now  been  in  business 
over  twenty-three  years,  and  is  one  nf  the  old- 
est merchants  here.  He  is  knnwn  thri)u,i;h  all 
the  country  side,  and  eiijii\s  the  esteem  of 
every   one. 

In  1878  Mr.  Roc  married  Arvillia  Deyo,  a 
native  of  Durham,  and  daughter  nf  .Miln  De\ci, 
now  the  popular  blacksmith  of  (ireenville. 
Of  this  union  four  children  have  i)een  born,  b)' 
name  Milo  H. ,  ImikI,  Mary,  and  John. 

In  politics  Mr.  Koc  is  a  Demmrat.  lie  lias 
given  valuable  service  to  the  town  in  lumiernus 
public  positions.  In  1890,  and  the  four  suc- 
ceeding years,  he  was  Sujiervisor,  and  in  1.S94 
and  1895  he  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Hoard  of  ICducation 
ever  since  it  was  organized.  W'liile  chairman 
of  their  board  in  his  last  term  the  .Su|)er\  isors 
presented  him  with  a  very  fine  eas)-  chair,  this 
being  an  expression  of  their  appreciation  of  his 
services  while  a  niemJJer  of  the  IkkI}-.  In 
1897  he  was  elected  .Superintendent  of  the 
I'oor,  tf)  ser\e  until  1900.  Mr.  Roe  makes  a 
most  efficient  manager  for  tlie  almshouse. 
Under  his  caie  the  place  is  kept  in  tiie  i)e^t    of 


repair,  and  everything  about  it  is  neat  and  or- 
derly, while  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
seventy  inmates  is  carefully  looked  after. 

Mr.  Roc  is  a  prominent  Mason,  being  con- 
nected with  James  M.  .\ustin  Lodge,  V.  & 
A.  M.,  and  Greenville  Royal  Arch  Chapter, 
No.  283.  He  has  held  all  the  offices  in  the 
lodge,  having  been  warden,  deacon,  master 
for  two  years,  and  secretary  si.\  years.  His 
membership  in  the  lodge  dates  back  twenty- 
five  years.  He  is  a  charier  member  (jf  the 
chapter,  and  has  always  been  its  treasurer. 
He  is  frequently  sent  b)-  his  fellow-townsmen 
as  delegate  to  county  con\entions,  and  is  a 
meniiier  of  the  Town  and  County  Committee. 
No  worthy  object  fails  to  receive  his  warm  and 
acti\e  su|>port,  and  he  is  often  the  originator 
of  ])lans,  the  carr)ing  out  of  which  ])roves  to 
be  a  benefit  to  the  town  aiul  the  communilv. 


KRANK  U.  CASPHR,  manufacturer  of 
extension  tables  and  the  patentee  of 
tajjle  supports  for  drop-leaf  tables,  in  the 
town  of  Cobleskill,  Schoharie  County,  has  a 
large  and  finely  ecpiipped  plant  at  Howe's 
Cave,  not  far  from  the  railway  station  of  that 
village.  He  was  born  October  10,  KS57,  in 
the  town  of  Cobleskill,  and  is  the  only  sur- 
viving son  of  George  Casper,  a  well-known 
business  man  of  this  section  of  the  county. 
He  is  of  German  and  Scotch  descent,  and  the 
representative  of  a  pioneer  family  of  Scho- 
harie County,  his  paternal  grandfather,  whose 
nan-.e  was  I'eter,   having   been   an   early  settler 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


of  this  town.  I'ctcr  Casper  was  a  tanner  ami 
the  Dwner  of  a  giioil  hcniestead,  wliich  he 
managed  successfully  until  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  threescore  )'ears.  lie  antl  his  wife, 
whoso  maiden  name  was  Margaret  Herron, 
were  among  the  leading  members  of  the  Re- 
formed church.  They  reared  a  large  family 
of  children. 

George  Casper  left  the  home  farm  on  be- 
coming of  age,  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self as  a  miller,  purchasing  a  clover-mill  and 
a  saw-mill,  and  afterward  a  planing-mill  antl 
a  cider-mill,  all  of  which,  with  the  exception 
of  the  first  named,  he  is  still  operating  with 
success.  With  true  German  thrift  he  saved 
each  year  a  portion  of  his  earnings,  and  soon 
erected  the  house  in  which  he  is  now  living. 
He  has  also  accumulated  some  other  property. 
A  strong  Democrat  in  politics,  he  takes  an 
intelligent  interest  in  local  matters,  and  has 
served  his  fellow-townsmen  in  various  ways. 
He  has  held  different  offices  in  the  Reformed 
church,  of  which  he  and  his  wife  are  active 
members,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been 
Elder  of  the  church.  He  married  Emeline 
Berner,  who  was  born  in  Barnerville,  this 
county,  a  daughter  of  John  J.  Berner.  Of 
their  five  children  three  are  now  living,  as 
follows:  Ella,  wife  of  Sylvester  Mann,  of 
Howes  Cave;  Alice,  wife  of  Harvey  Boorn ; 
and  Frank  L.  John  P.  Casper,  who  was  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry  at  Rutgers  College, 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  and  a 
daughter,  Ida,  wife  of  Ira  Rickard,  died  on 
March  13,   1899. 

Frank  L.  Cas|)er  in  his   boyhood   and   youth 


acciuired  a  practical  common-school  education, 
and  until  attaining  his  majority  assisted  his 
father  in  the  care  of  his  different  mills.  De- 
sirous, then,  of  turning  his  natural  mechani- 
cal ability  to  some  good  account,  he  began 
the  manufacture  of  furniture  on  a  small  scale, 
and  succeeded  so  well  that  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years  he  was  forceil  to  build  an  addition 
to  the  shop  in  which  he  had  started  his  cpera- 
tions.  He  subsequently  leased  the  main 
building  of  the  old  Braman  woollen  factory, 
and,  erecting  near  by  a  drying  kiln,  a  finish- 
ing-room, and  a  wareroom,  has  here  since 
18S2  devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  making  of 
extension  tables.  His  plant  is  furnished  with 
the  latest  improved  and  approved  machiner)-, 
much  of  which  he  designed  and  made  in  his 
own  factory,  this  being,  with  a  single  excep- 
tion, the  only  one  of  the  kind  between  Bingham- 
ton  and  Albany.  He  employs  a  large  force  of 
men  all  the  time  in  order  to  meet  the  demands 
of  his  customers  in  the  six  New  lingland 
States,  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania,  his 
tables  being  sold  on  their  merits  His  trade, 
already  large,  is  constantly  increasing,  orders 
being  daily  received  from  firms  in  different 
parts  of  the  Union.  His  factory  anil  resi- 
dence are  both  warmed  by  steam  heat  and 
lighted  throughout  by  electricity. 

Mr.  Casper  is  a  steadfast  Prohibitionist  in 
politics,  and  labors  hard  to  advance  the  tem- 
perance cause.  He  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Reformed  church,  in  wliich  he  has  served 
as  Elder  and  treasurer,  and  has  also  held 
other  offices.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the    Sun:lay-school   for  many  years,    much   of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


the    time     being     its    superintendent    or    the 

now   resides   in   McHenry,   111.,   is   the   wife  of 

te.icher  of  the  Bible  class. 

Isaac   Wentworth,  formerl)  of    .\tbens,  Greene 

On    March    5,    1879,     Mr.    Casper    marrieil 

County.   N.V. 

Miss     Hello     Ik'cker,     daughter     of      I'rancis 

William  H.   .Stewart's  early  \ears  were  spent 

Heckcr,    a   prominent    manufacturer  of    Scho- 

in  Jackson\ille  in  the  town   of   Coxsackie,  and 

harie  County,  owning  and  operating  mills  at 

he  atleniled   the    public    scho(ds   thereuntil    he 

Central    Hridge,  Galupville,  and    Heme.      Mr. 

was   fifteen   years    of    age.      He    then    went    to 

and  Mrs.  Casper  have  two  children  —  I.e    Roy 

woik    as    errand    iioy    in    the   store    of    Daniel 

and  Lc  Grand,  the  eldest  a  i)'.i|)ii  in  tiie  Coble- 

Whiting,    who  dealt     in    general    merchandise, 

skill     High     -School,     cl.iss    of     1899.       The 

and   also   cairied    on    a    brick    manufactor)'   and 

younger    son     will     enter     Col)leskill      lli.i;h 

a    wood   yard.       \'oung   .Stewart    rose   from    the 

School  the  con-.ing  fall. 

bumble   position  of  errant!  boy  to  that  of  clerk. 

and    in    this   capacity  worked  for   Mr.  Whiting 

,^.»— >.    ^-> 

some  ten  or  twelve  years.      Subsequently  to  that 

Y^)m1.LIAM     11.    STi:\V.\RT,  iiropiietor 

he  was  clerk   for  a   year  in  the  Wormer  House, 

)^Y,      "'     t'l^'    -"^l^'^^^'i^    li"i'^^-    ill    Athens, 

now    the    Arlington    Ib.use,  of    Athens,  and   at 

N.\'.,    and    a    rc])rescntativc    citizen     of     this 

the  end  of  that  time,  in  1S73,  be  purchased  bis 

pi.ice,  was  boin    in   Jacks(jnville,  now  Iviilton, 

]iresent  propert}-.      The  small  bouse  then  stand- 

in   the   town   of   Co.x.sackie,  Greene  County,  on 

ing   oil    the    lot    was   toin   down,  and  the  finel_\- 

December    .S,    iS4r),    son    of    William    (".    and 

appointed    .Stewart    bouse   of   to-dav  erected    in 

Margaret     (Hardick)     Stewart.       William     C. 

its  place.      The   building  is  three  stories  high, 

Stewart,    who    was   boin    in    Coxsackie,    was    a 

and    is   tiltetl    with   all    modern    imiirovements. 

lawyer  i)y  pnifession,  and   practisetl    in   his   nn- 

such  as  stcamdieating  ajjpai-atus,  electricity  for 

ti\e  town  for  over  a  quarter   of   a  century.       He 

call  bells  and    for   lighting,  hot  and  cold  water 

was  a  leadin;;  man  there,  and    for   a   nundjcr  of 

and     sanitary    bath     tubs.       Besides    the    main 

years  was  justice.       In    bis    later   life    lie    made 

bouse,   Mr.    Stewait    owns   the   three   adjoining 

bis   home   with    bis   son    William.       His   death 

houses  and  the  dock  where    the  ferry  boat  fiom 

occurred    in    i,SS4,    at    the   a-e    of    si.\ty-ei<;bt. 

Hudson    lands.       He    has    accommodations   for 

He   was   a    Republican    in    politics.       His  wife 

about  fifty  guests,  and  as  a  landlord    is   descrv- 

was  born   in  the  town    of    .Athens,  and    died    in 

e<lly  popular.      He   has   always  taken  an  active 

Ivirlloii   at    the   aj^e    of    si,\ty-lhree.       She    was 

])art    in    p(ditics,  and    has   been    trustee   of   the 

the  dau-hter  of   Jacob  Hardick,  who  carried  on 

village    a    number    of    )ears    and     also    scho(d 

farming;   on    what    was    known    as   the    Hardick 

trustee. 

farm.      .Siie     iiore    her    husband    six    children, 

Mr.    .Stewart    was   married    in    1H77    to    Ida 

only  two  ,.f  whom  are  livin-;   namely,  William 

Ibdlcnbeck,     wiio     was     b.irn    at     (aiilderland 

H.  and    bis   sister,    I.ncy   J.       Ibe    latter,    ubo 

Centre,   in  All)any  County,  daughter  of   Garret 

RC.K    VV.    ANDKKSOX. 


IUOGRAl'HIt:AL    REV 


and  Harriot  (\'an  Valkenbcrg)  Mollenbcck. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  died  when  onl_v 
forty  years  of  age.  Her  mother,  who  was  burn 
in  Albany,  is  still  living,  being  now  sixty- 
nine  years  of  age.  Of  Mrs.  Hollenbeck's 
three  ohildren,  ]\Irs.  Stewart  is  the  only  one 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  have  one  child, 
Hattie  W.,  who  lives  with  them.  They  lost 
a  son,  Wilfred  D.,  at  the  age  of  ten  years. 

Mr.  Stewart  is  a  member  of  Custer  Lodge  of 
Odd  Fellows,  No.  50S,  and  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  No.  129,  of  Athens.  He  has  served 
several  years  as  a  member  of  Mackawack  Hand 
Engine  Company,  but  is  now  e.xempt  from 
duty  with  that  company,  though  he  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Hook  and  Ladder  Compan)-, 
which  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
State.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Horse 
Thief  Detective  Association,  and  one  of  its 
riders.  He  is  the  oldest  hotel  man  in  this 
town,  and  with  one  exception  the  oldest  in  the 
county.  His  wife  and  daughter  attend  the  Re- 
formed church.  In  connection  with  his  hotel 
Mr.  Stewart  carries  on  a  livery,  which  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  town. 


KORGE  W.  ANDERSON,  the  lead- 
ing business  man  of  Hunter,  Greene 
County,  N.  Y.,  dealer  in  wood  and  coal  and 
building  supplies,  and  proprietor  of  the  Cen- 
tral House,  was  born  in  New  Sharon,  Mon- 
mouth County,  N.J.,  May  12,  1S50,  his 
jiarents  being  Jacob  and  Matilda  (Brown)  An- 
derson. His  grandfather  Anderson  resided  in 
Perrineville,    N.J.,    in    which    town   Jacob  was 


born  in  1814.  His  grandmother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  ]?aldwin,  was  tiie 
daughter  c.f  Thnmas  Ibldwin.  Her  father 
lived  t(i  the  ach'anced  age  of  niiiet) -three. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  fifty,  having  been  the 
mother  of  five  children. 

Jacob  Anderson  was  a  carpenter  and  builder 
by  trade,  and  for  thirty-five  years  carried  on 
business  in  Hightstown,  Mercer  County,  N.J., 
where  he  was  a  prominent  citizen.  The  last 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  a  farm.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  was  an  ac- 
tive member  of  an  Odd  Fellows  organization. 
His  death  occurred  in  1890,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six.  His  wife,  Matilda,  who  was  born 
in  Hightstown  in  1824,  and  died  in  1896,  was 
the  daughter  of  Captain  George  \V.  Ikown, 
who  commanded  a  company  of  militia  stationed 
at  Sandy  Hook  in  the  War  of  181 2.  Both 
Jacob  Anderson  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  Of  their  family  of  five 
sons  and  two  daughters,  only  one,  a  son  Jacob, 
is  deceased.  The  living  are:  Abijah  A., 
William  W.,  George  W.,  Carrie  M.,  Thomas 
B.,  and  Lilly  B.  Carrie  married  John  W. 
Brown,  and  Lilly  is   the  wife   of  Bills   Flock. 

George  \\'.  Anderson  lived  with  his  parents 
and  attended  the  common  schools  until  he  was 
about  sixteen  }ears  old,  when  he  began  life  for 
himself.  At  first  he  worked  on  a  farm,  and 
then  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  His 
brothers,  it  may  be  mentioned,  are  also  en- 
gaged as  carpenters  and  builders.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  in  Hightstown,  Freehold,  New 
Brunswick,  and  Newark,  N.J.,  and  at  College 
Point,    Long   Island.       Coming   to    Hunter    in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    KF.VIEW 


1876,  Mr.  Anderson  worked  f(ir  fmir  \ears  as  a 
wheelwright,  but  at  tlic  end  of  that  time  en- 
gaged in  the  building  business.  His  success 
has  been  remarkable.  He  has  seen  the  town 
double  in  size  since  he  came  hero,  and  has  liini- 
sclf  put  up  the  more  important  of  the  new 
buildings.  He  built  the  Methodist  thurch  and 
the  Kaatsberg  Hotel,  remodelled  the  Hunter 
House,  built  the  chinch  and  the  chair  factory 
at  Kdgewood,  and  nian\-  houses  in  Iliuiter, 
Edgewood,  and  Tannersville.  During  busy 
seasons  he  employed  thirty  hands,  carrying; 
on  the  largest  contracting  business  anywhere 
in  this  section.  During  a  number  of  years 
he  has  supplied  large  quantities  (jf  luml^er  to 
other  builders,  and  for  some  time  he  was  the 
only  lumber  dealer  in  five  towns  <if  this  sec- 
tion. He  is  consequently  widely  known. 
Mr.  Antlerson's  house,  which  is  one  of  the  fin- 
est in  the  village,  was  built  by  him,  as  was 
also  the  building  in  wliich  his  office  is  now 
located,  and  which  was  from  iSSo  to  1S.S7  used 
as  a  .sash  and  Mind  shop.  Since  1S.S4  Mr. 
Anderson  has  done  little  or  no  building,  but 
has  given  his  time  and  attention  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  large  lumlier  \ard  and  carriage 
repository.  In  connection  wiih  this  he  does 
a  large  business  in  coal,  wood,  and  grain,  ami 
carries  a  line  of  paints,  oils,  and  hardware  sup- 
plies, and  all  kinds  of  building  material  used 
by  both  cari)enters  and  masons.  He  is  the 
only  coal  dealer  in  Hunter,  Windham,  Ash- 
land, or  Jewett. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in  IS'JJ  to  Julia 
!•:.  Lake,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  15atli.sl,el)a 
(Lounsberrv)    Lake.      She    was   l)orn    in    I'"iee- 


hold,  N.  \'.  Her  father,  who  was  a  farmer, 
died  at  the  age  of  si.xty,  and  her  mother  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty-three.  Of  their  two  chil- 
dren, Hiram  and  Julia  K.,  Mrs.  Anderson  is 
the  only  one  living.  Mr.  Lake  was  twice 
married.  l!)'  his  first  wife,  formerly  Julia 
Rockwell,  of  East  Durham,  X.V.,  he  had 
two  sons  —  James  M.  and  Charles  K.,  the 
latter  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson 
have  two  daughters,  namelv :  Mabel,  who  is 
yet  in  school  ;  and  Anna  Bell,  who  is  the 
wife  of  KImer  ]'..  Goodsell,  telegra]ih  ojjcrator 
and  agent  on  the  Stony  Clove  &  Catskill 
Mountain  Railroad.  (See  biogra])hy  on  an- 
other [)age. )  There  are  three  grandchildren  — 
Marguerite,  Anderson,  and  \'era. 

Mr.  AntJerson  has  always  shown  a  vital  in- 
terest in  all  ]niblic  affairs  since  first  he  came 
to  Hunter.  He  has  served  the  town  in  the 
office  of  Assessor  for  three  \ears,  as  Commis- 
sioner of  Streets,  as  trustee  and  clerk  of  the 
School  Board,  as  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  \il- 
lage,  and  is  at  tiie  ])resent  time  a  memi)er  of 
the  Town  Committee.  His  political  affilia- 
tions arc  with  the  Repulilican  jiarty.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church, 
hut  they  attend  the  Methodist  cliurch  in 
Hunter,  Mr.  Anderson  being  a  trustee  of  liie 
church  and  treasurer  of  the  jjoard.  He  can 
alwa_\s  be  depended  ujion  to  work  for  an_\'  good 
cause  in  the  churcii  as  well  as  outside.  He 
was  one  of  the  jirojectors  of  the  Maplewood 
Cemeter)'  Association,  and  for  man\'  xears  has 
been  its  president.  l*"raternall\',  he  is  a  mem- 
ber and  treasurer  of  .Mount  Tabor  Lodge,  No. 
So;,  V.    &   A.    M.,  anil  of   Mountain    c;hai)ter, 


BIOCR.M'IIICAI. 


R.  A.  M.      He  was  one  of  the  charter  mcmben 
of  Catskill  Chapter  at  CatskiU. 


§AREU  VAN  WAGENEN,  a  well- 
knuwn  and  prosperous  agriculturist  of 
I.awycrsxillo,  Schoharie  Count}-,  own- 
inj;-  and  occup\'ing  the  valuable  estate  known 
as  Hillside  farm,  was  born  January  13,  1835, 
near  Sharon  Hill,  in  the  neighboring  town  of 
Seward.  Son  oi  Rynear  Van  \\'agenen,  he  is 
of  Dutch  ancestry,  being  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Aart  Jacobsen  Van  Wagenen,  who  emigrated 
from  W'ageningen,  Holland,  a  town  not  far 
from  the  Rhine,  to  Bergen,  N.J.,  in  1650,  and 
whose  name,  with  that  of  his  wife,  Annetji 
Gerrits,  was  recorded  as  a  member  of  the 
Dutch  church  of  Kingston,  Bergen  County, 
June  24,   1 66 1. 

Conrad  \'an  Wagenen,  grandfather  of  Jared, 
was  born  January  15,  1752,  in  Somerset 
County,  New  Jersey,  whence  in  early  manhood 
he  removed  to  Charleston,  Montgomery 
County,  N.Y. ,  as  one  of  its  earliest  settlers. 
He  took  up  unimproved  land,  and,  having 
cleared  a  portion  of  it,  devoted  himself  to  gen- 
eral farming,  in  conjunction  with  which  he 
operated  a  small  tannery.  He  subsequently 
came  to  Schoharie  County,  and,  buying  a  farm 
near  Sharon  Hill,  resided  there  until  his 
death,  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety  j-ears. 
Tradition  says  that  he  was  present  as  a  guard 
at  the  execution  of  Major  Andre  on  October  2, 
17S0,  at  Tappan. 

Rynear  \'an  Wagenen  with  his  numerous 
brothers  and   sisters  was  brought  up  on  a  farm. 


spending    his    earliest     years    in    Charleston, 

N.  Y. ,  and  completing  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Sharon,  whither  he  accompa- 
nied his  jiarents  when  a  boy.  On  reaching 
man's  estate  he  bought  land  in  Cobleskill, 
where  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  engaged  in 
farming.  His  death  occurred  at  the  home  of 
his  son  Jared,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  c|uite  acti\c  in  local  matters, 
ser\ing  his  fellow-townsmen  in  various  offices 
besides  that  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  he 
held  several  terms.  In  politics  he  was  a 
strong  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party.  His 
wife,  Emily  Good)'ear,  was  born  on  ffillside 
farm,  then  owned  by  her  father,  Jared  Good- 
year, who  was  born  and  reared  in  Hampden, 
Conn.  Mr.  Goodyear  on  removing  to  New 
York  became  a  pioneer  settler  in  a  small  town 
near  Ithaca,  which  was  named  Goodycars. 
On  account  of  malaria  he  left  that  place,  and 
coming  to  Schoharie  County  bought  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  woodland  in  Cobleskill,  and  here 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  erected 
a  log  house  for  his  first  dwelling,  and  then 
began  the  improvement  of  his  propert)-.  He 
cleared  a  considerable  tract  of  his  land,  and, 
being  an  energetic,  progressive  man,  he  was 
very  successful  not  onl}-  as  a  farmer,  but  as  one 
of  the  most  popular  tavern-keepers  of  this 
vicinity.  Four  sons  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rynear  Van  Wagenen,  and  three  of  them 
survive,  as  follows:  Jared,  of  Lawyersville ; 
Albert,  of  Boston,  Mass.  ;  and  James,  who  re- 
sides with  his  brother  Jared.  Both  parents 
were  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 

Jared    \'an    Wagenen    li\'ed    at    home    until 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


nine  years  old,  when  he  became  an  inmate  of 
the  houseliolcl  of  his  uncles,  Willis  and  Gcorj^c 
Goodyc.ir,  uhn  i)iiiii;;lu  him  uj),  their  home 
being  the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  lie 
attended  the  district  school  and  assisted  in  the 
farm  labors  until  the  death  of  his  uncles,  and 
since  that  time  has  had  entire  eiiarj^^e  of  this 
magnificent  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres,  one  of  the  finest  in  its  im|)rnvenients  (jf 
any  in  this  section  of  Schoharie  County.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  dairyinj,',  keeping  a  herd 
of  thirty  or  forty  cows,  and  manufactures  a  fine 
grade  of  butter,  which  he  sells  to  special  cus- 
tomers in  this  vieinit)-.  A  few  )ears  ago  Mr. 
Van  Wageneu  l)uilt  his  lar-e  barn,  three 
stories  ill  height,  nne  hunched  aiui  thirty  In' 
eighty  -  seven  feet,  with  all  imideiii  equiii- 
ments,  including  an  engine  and  two  silos  of 
two  hundred  tons  capacit)-. 

He  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Coble- 
skill  Agricultural  Society;  al.'^o  of  the  New 
York  State  Agricultural  As.sociatioii ;  nnd  is 
vice-president  of  the  b'armers'  and  Merchants' 
Rank.       In  jKdilics  he  is  a  loyal  Democrat,  and 


l)eeii     Supi 


-f    the   town 


He  contributes  liberally  toward  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  Hutch  Reformed  church,  of  which 
he  .'ind  his  famil}'  are  members,  and  in  which 
he  has  held  many  of  the  offices. 

On  November  iS,  1S5S,  I\Ir.  \'an  Wagenen 
married  I.oraine  McNeill,  the  only  child  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs,  l^razillia  McNeill.  Ilcrni..ther 
is  still  living,  a  capal)le  Wdinan  of  eighty-si.\ 
year.s.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vau  Wagenen  have  one 
son  living;  namely,  Jaretl,  Jr.,  born  May  14, 
1S71;    and    have   been    bereft    of    one,    Albert, 


who  dieil  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  Jared 
\'an  Wagenen,  Jr.,  obtained  his  elementar\' 
education  in  Lawyersville,  and  after  his  grad- 
uation at  the  Cobleskill  High  School  took  the 
bachelor's  degree  in  1S91,  and  the  Master's  de- 
gree in  1896  at  Cornell  University,  where  he 
has  since  taught  in  the  Dairy  Department. 
He  is  now  assisting  his  father  on  the  home 
farm.  He  married  Magdalena  Lamont,  the 
<inly  child  of  ]■:.  W.  Lamont,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  this  town.  Two  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union;  namely,  .Sarah  Lamont  and 
Loraine  McNeill. 


UDOLl'H  HlCSTLl-:.  M.D.,  a  leading 
l)h)'sician  antl  sui'geon  of  Ihuiter, 
N.V.,  was  born  in  Troy,  this  State, 
on  August  20,  1 866,  his  ])arents  being  John 
and  Wilhelmina  (Shutheis)  J5estle.  His 
father,  who  was  of  (lerman  birth,  came  to 
Troy,  N.Y. ,  before  marriage,  and  engaged  in 
the  restaurant  business.  He  died  when  onl)- 
thirty-four  \ears  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  rresb\terian  church.  Mrs. 
IJestle  also  was  born  in  Geinianw  being  one  of 
a  family  of  several  children.  She  is  still  liv- 
ing at  Kingston,  this  State.  Her  father,  who 
was  a  druggist  and  medical  practitioner,  lived 
to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-eight  years.  Of 
her  eight  children,  four  aie  living,  namel)- : 
George,  who  resides  in  New  York;  Henrietta, 
who  marrie.l  William  Weston,  of  Rondout  ; 
August;  an. I  Rudolph,  the  sjiecial  subject  of 
this  biography. 

Rudolph  ]5estle  received  his  elementary  edu- 


lUOC.KAPIlICAL    KKN'IKW 


cation  in  tiie  common   schools,  and  at  the  age 

cif  oii,'hteen  began  the  stiuly  of  medicine  with 
Dr.  McLane,  a  leading  physician  of  Troy,  and 
Dr.  O'Conner  of  the  Troy  Hospital.  He  sub- 
sequently entered  the  Albany  Medical  College, 
and  was  graduated  at  that  institution  in  iSSS, 
at  twenty-one  years  of  age,  standing  high  in 
his  class.  He  immediately  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Tro}-,  but  eighteen  months 
later  removed  to  Burke,  in  Franklyn  County, 
X.  Y.,  where  he  remained  for  the  next  si.\ 
years.  He  then  came  to  Hunter,  where  he  has 
since  been  in  practice.  He  is  a  general  prac- 
titioner, and  also  a  surgeon  of  unusual  skill, 
having  performed  many  difficult  operations. 
During  his  two  years  in  the  Troy  Hospital,  and 
for  several  months  while  he  was  in  the  New 
York  Polyclinic,  he  had  a  large  amount  of  val- 
uable experience  in  attending  cases  of  appendi- 
citis, and  in  his  subsequent  practice  he  has  had 
remarkable  success  with  the  many  cases  of  that 
nature  brought  to  him  for  treatment. 

Dr.  Bestle  is  a  member  both  of  the  Greene 
County  ^Medical  Society  and  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  Northern  Xew  York.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Sixth  Separate  Company  of 
militia  of  Tro_\',  and  of  the  Arba  Reed  Steamer 
Company  of  that  city.  Fraternally,  he  holds 
membership  in  F'rontier  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Chateaugay.  In  politics  the  Doctor  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  religious  faith  an  Episcopa- 
lian, being  connected  with  St.  Paul's  Episco- 
pal Church  of  Troy.  Although  he  has  been  in 
Hunter  a  comparatively  short  time,  he  has  al- 
ready built  up  a  large  practice,  and  is  very 
popular  both  socially  and  professionally. 


ELLINGTON   E.   HASSLER,  one  of 

he  leading  business  men  of  Middle- 
burg,  X.  Y. ,  was  born  on  August  19,  1848,  .son 
of  David  and  Augusta  (Tibbit.s)  Hassler.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  Henry  Bassler.  He 
was  born  in  Knox,  Alinny  County,  and  spent 
his  early  years  in  that  place.  After  his  mar- 
riage^he  came  to  Huntersland,  this  town,  and 
settled  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Bassler 
homestead,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  and  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
four.  His  wdfe,  whose  maiden  name  was  .Mary 
Saddlemyer,  was  also  a  native  of  Albany 
County.  She  lived  to  reach  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine.  Of  the  ten  children  born  to  her,  five 
are  living,  namely:  Amanda,  who  married  Re- 
solved Macomber;  Amaziah  ;  I-:iiza  Ann,  who 
married  Peleg  Cook;  Sylvester,  who  occupies 
the  old  homestead;  and  Lucy,  who  married 
Salem  Smith,  and  resides  near  Rensselaerville, 
Albany  Count}-. 

David  Bassler,  who  was  born  in  Hunters- 
land,  March  22,  1822,  and  died  September  13, 
1893,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  and  up  to 
1859,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  was  en- 
gaged exclusively  in  agricultural  work.  In 
i860  he  went  into  mercantile  life  in  Hunters- 
land;  and  in  1S69  he  bought  the  Luther 
Vroman  store  in  Middleburg,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  Street  and  Railroad  .Avenue,  and  thus 
became  the  proprietor  of  what  to-day,  under  the 
efficient  management  of  his  successors,  is  one 
of  the  leading  stores  in  town.  David  Bassler's 
wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  October, 
1S47,  was  the  daughter  of  Harry  and  Betsy 
(Styles)    Tibbits,    of   Huntersland,    early   resi- 


RIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


tlcnts  of  the-  town.  Mr.  Tibbits  lived  to  be 
ci^hty-fivc  years  of  age,  and  Mrs.  Tibbits  lived 
to  be  sixty.  Mrs.  Augusta  T.  Hassler,  who 
(lied  on  September  7,  1S80,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two,  was  one  of  four  daughters  born  to  her 
parents.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church  at  Iluntersland.  Her  chiUlren  were. 
Wellington  K.  liassler;  Ida,  who  married  Peter 
W'ormer;  and  Mlla.  who  married  (leorge  H. 
Hyde,  of  Middleburg. 

Wellington  K.  Hassler  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  at  .Starkey  Seminary,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1869.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  was  clerk  in  his  father's  store 
for  two  years,  and  tlien  in  1.S71  he  w;is  admitted 
to  a  half-interest  in  the  business,  which  as- 
sumed the  name  of  D.  Hassler  &  Son.  In 
April,  1S75,  John  II.  Cornell  bought  the  elder 
Mr.  Bassler's  interest,  and  the  firm  name  was 
changed  to  Hassler  &  Cornell.  On  January  i, 
1880,  Mr.  Cornell  retired.  In  1887  Mr.  Hass- 
ler took  into  partnership  two  of  iiis  clerks, 
C.  L.  McHain  and  George  H.  Wheeler,  and 
the  firm  name  has  since  been  W.  K.  Hassler 
&  Co. 

Mr.  Hassler  is  a  wiile-awake  man,  and  is  in- 
terested in  varied  enterprises  of  a  jirogressive 
character.  He  is  a  warm-hearted  Republican, 
and  has  been  connected  with  the  Reiniblican 
County  Committee  for  some  time,  six  years  as 
its  chairman,  and  a  number  of  years  as  secre- 
tary of  the  committee.  On  April  i,  1889,  he 
assumed  the  duties  of  Postmaster  of  Middle- 
burg. He  held  this  position  five  years,  and  in 
that  time  he  greatly  improved  the  postal  ser- 
vice of  this  town,  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 


the  ofTice  raised  from  the  fourth  class  to  the 
third  class  list,  and  the  position  of  Postmaster 
made  a  salaried  one.  Since  then  the  salary 
has  been  increased  by  five  huntlred  dollars. 
Mr.  Hassler  was  nominated  for  the  Assembly 
in  1S94,  and  again  in  1S96,  and  in  both  in- 
stances ran  ahead  of  his  ticket  by  hundreds  of 
votes.  Since  1894  he  has  been  president  of  the 
Mutual  P'ire  Insurance  Association,  which  was 
formed  that  year  by  the  business  men  of  Mid- 
dleburg, to  embrace  Schoharie,  Otsego,  and 
.Albany  Counties,  Chenango  and  Montgomery 
Counties  having  been  added  since.  This  as- 
sociation has  met  with  remarkable  success,  and 
does  a  very  large  amount  of  business.  Mr. 
Hassler  is  also  a  director  in  the  Oak  Hill  and 
Mid:lleburg  Local  Exchange  Tele])honc  Coni- 
panies;  a  director  of  the  I'irst  National  Hank 
of  Middleburg;  director  of  the  Middleburg  and 
-Schoharie  Railroad;  and  president  of  the  hoard 
of  trustees  of  Starkey  Seminary,  which  position 
he  has  held  since  1881.  He  was  a  trustee  of 
Middleburg  Academy  lor  six  _\ears,'  and  for 
four  years  of  the  time  president  of  the  board. 
Ten  \ears  ago  he  founded  the  .Starkey  Semi- 
nary Monthly,  of  which  he  was  the  editor  until 
1S97.  Mr.  l^assler  is  an  active  worker  in  the 
Reformed  church,  and  since  18S4  has  been 
su])erintendent  of  its  Sunday-schoid.  From 
1882  to  1888  he  was  secretary  of  the  County 
Association  of  Sunday-schools,  and  subse- 
quently for  five  years  he  was  president  of  the 
association.  .Since  1893  he  has  been  president 
of  the  Schoharie  County  Hible  Society. 

Mr.   Hassler's  store  is   in  a  most   prosperous 
condition.      Four  assistants  are  employed  in  its 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


nKiiia;;cnicnt ;  aiul  since  it  is  one  of  the  oki- 
established  business  enterprises  in  this  region, 
and  has  always  maintained  its  early  reputation 
for  honest  dealing  and  high  grade  goods,  it  has 
the  confidence  and  the  patronage  of  the  public. 

Mr.  Bassler  has  seen  many  and  important 
changes  in  Midclleburg  since  he  first  began 
business  here.  The  handsome  school-house 
has  been  built,  man_\'  of  the  big  b\isiness  blocks 
have  been  erected,  and  a  water  supply  system 
has  been  introduced  into  the  town.  He  him- 
self has  aided  in  many  of  the  more  noteworthy 
improvements.  On  January  i,  1890,  he  asso- 
ciated himself  with  ]\Ir.  G.  L.  Fo.\  in  founding 
the  Middleburg  Xcios,  a  paper  advanced  in  rank 
and  one  now  growing  steadily  in  favor,  as  well 
as  one  which  bears  the  distinction  of  being  the 
first  Republican  paper  in  this  end  of  the 
county. 

In  1S74  Mr.  rSassler  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Alida,  only  child  of  Hezekiah  Manning, 
and  a  native  of  this  place.  Mr.  Manning  was 
born  here,  and  spent  his  entire  life  engaged  in 
farming.  He  died  in  1S89.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Maria  Beekman,  was  born  in 
Sharon.  She  resides  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bass- 
ler. Since  his  marriage  Mr.  Bassler  has  made 
his  home  at  the  old  Manning  homestead,  which 
is  a  very  attractive  place  just  outside  the  vil- 
lage, the  house  being  sheltered  by  tall  elms 
and  stately  pines,  surrounded  by  extensive 
grounds,  and  guarded  by  the  dark-browed,  lofty 
cliffs  which  stand  as  venerable  sentinels  at  the 
eastern  portals  of  the  Schoharie  Valley.  Mr. 
Bassler  is  a  great  fancier  of  poultry,  and  has 
model    poultry    yards,    where    he    raises   many 


fancy    1 

reeds 

such 

.J 

s     I 

-egh.i 

ns. 

1'1\ 

niDUlh 

Rocks, 

and 

Light 

B 

am 

ihs. 

He 

ma 

kes    a 

feature 

of    egg-pro 

luc 

ng 

poult 

r\', 

and 

.ships 

eggs  West  as 

far  as 

Co 

ora 

lo,  ai 

d  S 

Kith 

as  far 

as  Mar) 

land. 

He 

s  a 

so  a  fane 

er  1 

,i  ]], 

dstein 

cattle. 

§OHX  A.  MYERS,  a  veteran  agricult- 
urist of  Seward,  N.Y.,  living  about  two 
miles  from  the  village  of  Ilyndsville, 
was  born  in  this  town,  March  27,  1819,  a  son 
of  Philip  P.  and  Catherine  (Strobeck)  Myers. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Myers,  came 
from  Dutchess  County  to  Schoharie  County  at 
an  early  period  of  its  history,  and  for  a  short 
time  lived  in  Seward.  He  removed  from  here 
to  Otsego  County,  and,  purchasing  land  near 
the  town  of  South  Valley,  improved  a  farm,  on 
which  he  resided  many  years.  He  finally  re- 
turned to  Seward,  and  died  at  the  home  of 
his  son,  Philip  P.  He  was  twice  married,  and 
by  his  second  wife,  who  was  the  grandmother 
of  John  A.,  had  five  children. 

Philip  P.  Myers,  son  of  Peter,  was  reared  to 
farming  pursuits,  and  soon  after  his  marriage 
settled  on  the  I\Iyers  homestead,  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  his  son,  John  A.  Here  he 
toiled  with  persistent  energy  to  clear  and  im- 
prove a  farm,  and  was  numbered  among  the  re- 
spected and  successful  farmers  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  three- 
score years  and  ten.  He  was  a  strong  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  but  never  aspired  to  political  office. 
His  wife,  Catherine,  was  born  in  Seward, 
being    one    of    the    si.\    children    of    John    A. 


I5IOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Stn)bcck,  a  ])romiiient  pioneer  fnrnier  nf  tlie 
town,  and  one  of  its  most  esteemed  cili/ens. 
Mr.  Strobeck  as  a  young  man  served  in  tlie  war 
of  the  Revolution,  and  in  one  of  its  l)attles  was 
severely  wounded.  He  attained  the  atlvanced 
age  of  eighty  years.  Philip  1*.  and  Catherine  S. 
Myers  reared  six  children,  two  cjf  wiiom  are 
living,  namely:  John  A.,  tlie  first-born;  and 
Catherine,  residing  in  East  Worccslcr,  l)cing 
the  wife  of  Abraham  Smith,  who  is  her  second 
husband. 

John  A.  Myers  was  educated  in  the  disliict 
school.  For  three  and  one-half  years  after  his 
marriage  he  li\ed  on  the  old  home  farm  with 
his  parents,  subsequcntl\-  lived  for  a  \ear  with 
his  father-in-law,  and  then  rented  a  farm  on 
shares  for  four  years.  Ihuing  accumulated 
some  mone\',  he  next  boui;ht  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  anti  nine  acies  on  Wine^ard  Hill, 
wiiere  he  lived  for  eii,diteen  years,  when  he 
sold  that  and  purchased  a  larger  farm,  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  he  carried  on 
two  years.  Returning  then  to  the  old  home- 
stead, he  took  charge  of  it  until  the  death  of 
his  father,  and  after  that  event  lie  bought  out 
the  (jther  heirs,  and  has  since  been  its  side 
possessor.  'I'liis  ])lace  contains  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  most  of  which  is 
under  cultivation ;  and  he  has  also  another  es- 
tate near  by  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-two 
acres,  whicli  he  rents  by  the  }ear.  lie  has 
practically  given  up  the  management  of  his 
property  to  his  son  Peter,  who  lives  with  him, 
and  they  are  carrying  oil  general  farming  and 
dairying  with  signal  success,  and  are  also  en- 
gaged to  some  extent  in  manufacturing  lumber. 


In  politics  .Mr.  .Myers  is  identifieil  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  has  persistently  refused 
to  accept  all  offices  excepting  those  of  High- 
way Commissioner  and  Collector  of  Taxes, 
both  of  which  he  filled  a  short  time.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  ]-:|)iseo|)al 
church,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee  and 
stcivard,  and  has  been  connected  with  the 
Sunday-school. 

On  May  2,S,  1.S39,  Mr.  Myers  married  I'mily 
li.  Youngs,  who  was  born  in  .Seward,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  Youngs,  formerly  a  well-to-ilo 
farmer  and  lumber  manufacturer,  he  having 
been  owner  of  the  saw-miil  now  ojierated  by 
.Mr.  Myers  and  his  son.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Myers 
have  had  nine  children,  six  of  whom  grew  to 
mature  }ears,  namel}- :  Adam,  a  i)liysician  in 
Puskirk,  Rensselaer  County,  who  marrieil  Mary 
Diefemlorf,  ami  has  tw.,  children  —  Victor  and 
Ralph;  Millard,  deceased,  who  married  Han- 
nah Shear,  and  had  mie  child,  Emily;  b'.lmira, 
the  wife  of  Harvey  Oliver,  a  farmer;  Peter, 
who  lives  on  the  home  farm,  married  Mary 
Marks,  and  has  three  children-  J.ihn  D., 
Howard  C,  and  Dewey  Willard;  I..ircnzo,  the 
oldest  child,  who  died  leaving  a  widow,  wIk.sc 
maiden  name  was  Lottie  M.  Simmonds,  and 
one  child,  Lewis;  and  Julia,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years. 


ri:iji;rick   i:isi-;xMb:\(;i':R,   Police 

lustice,  Schenectady,  \.Y.,  was  born 
in  this  city,  March  21,  1X49,  son  of  I"'erdinaiid 
and    Wilhelmina  (Laman)   Eiscnmenger.       I'he 


FREDERICK    EISEX.MLXc;KR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


parents  were  born  in  Germany,  tlie  father 
about   the  year    1827. 

In  1S46,  having  acquired  a  good  education 
and  mastered  the  machinist's  trade,  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  intending  to  engage  in 
business.  Instead  of  adhering  to  his  original 
plan,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Schenec- 
tady &  Utica  Railway  Company,  with  whom 
he  remained  about  sixteen  \ears.  In  1S62 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  K, 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Regiment, 
New  York  Volunteers,  with  which  he  served 
in  the  Civil  War  until  fatally  wounded  in 
May,  1S64,  his  death  occurring  on  June  16  of 
the  same  year.  I\Irs.  Wiliielmina  Eisen- 
menger,  his  wife,  was  left  with  two  children  : 
Pauline,  who  died  in  1S65,  aged  five  years; 
and  Frederick,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  mother  died  in  1S86,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight. 

On  August  II,  1S62,  Frederick  Eisen- 
menger,  when  but  thirteen  years  old,  joined 
the  same  regiment  in  which  his  father  en- 
listed, and  was  enrolled  in  the  ranks  of  Com- 
pany B,  being  one  of  the  youngest  volunteers 
to  enter  the  service.  He  was  detailed  to  serve 
at  division  headquarters  under  Alajor-general 
John  W.  Geary,  commander  of  the  Second 
Division,  Twentieth  Ami}-  Cori)s,  and  after- 
ward Governor  of  Penns}lvania.  While  in  front 
of  Atlanta  he  received  a  severe  wound  in 
the  jaw,  and  he  was  mustered  out  with  his 
regiment  in  June,  1S65.  In  1S68  he  began  a 
four  years'  apprenticeship  at  the  machinist's 
trade  in  the  Schenectady  Locomotive  Works, 
and  he  completed  the  term.      Feeling  the  need 


of  a  better  education,  he  studied  nigl)t>,  and 
while  still  emiiloyed  at  the  works  he  began  tu 
read  law  under  the  directicn  of  Judge  Yate.s. 
He  practised  his  profession  until  May  2,  1SS2, 
when  he  was  appointed  Police  Justice,  'i'he 
duties  of  this  position  he  has  performetl  with 
marked  ability  for  over  sixteen  years.  His 
present   term   will   expire   in    1900. 

In  September,  1874,  Judge  Eisenmenger 
married  Louisa,  daughter  of  the  late  Louis 
Pepper,  of  this  city.  They  have  two  children, 
namely:  Frederick,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  high  school  in  1S95,  and  is  now  in  the  ex- 
perimental department  of  the  General  Electri- 
cal Works;  and  Clara,  now  a  student  at  the 
high    school. 

Judge  Eisenmenger  belongs  to  St.  George 
Lodge,  No.  6,  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  is  Past  Com- 
mander of  Horsfall  Post,  No.  go,  G.  A.  R.  ; 
and  president  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
fourth  Regimental  Association.  He  is  a 
member  and  has  been  an  official  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  His  residence  at  105 
Union  Avenue  was  built  by  him  in  1SS7,  and 
he  purchased  for  his  mother  the  house  in  which 
she  spent  her  last  years. 


''CrV)/lLLIAM    W.    BURGE 
^Y^     the    village    of    Fultc 


:RGETT,  M.D.,  of 
:onham,  one  of 
the  foremost  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Scho- 
harie County,  was  born  in  F"ultonham,  May  14, 
i860.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  S.  and  Julia 
A.  (Teller)  Burgett,  and  is  a  lineal  descendant 
in  the  sixth  generation  of  one  of  two  brothers 
who  came  from    Holland    to  America    in    the 


mOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  set- 
tlcil  (in  .Manhattan  Island.  They  bought  land, 
and  afterward  leased  one  hundred  acres  near 
the  present  site  of  Trinity  Church  in  New 
York  City,  for  a  term  of  ninety-nine  years. 
l?oth  married,  and  both  had  suns  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary army.  "Hurghardt,"  the  original 
spelling  of  their  .surname,  was  retained  until 
within  a  comparatively  few  years. 

Millbury  Hurghardt,  or  lUugctt,  the  ncxl  in 
line  of  descent,  was  a  ])ionecr  of  Schoharie 
County,  and  the  fouiuler  of  the  taniily  in  h"ul- 
ton,  where  he  reared  his  eight  children,  one  of 
whom,  Millbury,  was  the  succeeding  ancestor. 
.Storm  liurgett,  son  of  Conrad  Huigelt,  was  the 
Doctor's  grandfather.  He  w.)s  born  in  ImiI- 
ton,  and  there  he  liveil  and  died.  He  owned 
the  farm  now  in  tiie  possession  of  Mr.  C.  I'.. 
Markhani,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be 
found  <in  anotiier  page  of  lliis  x'ohime.  He 
was  a  wagon-maker  and  carpenter  b)'  trade,  oc- 
cupations at  which  he  worked  in  conjunction 
w.ith  farming,  and  was  well  known  as  one  ot 
the  most  industrious  and  thrifty  men  of  the 
connnunit)-.  ']"o  .Storm  Hurgett  ami  his  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sally  I^aniier,  si.\ 
children  were  born,  three  of  whom  are  livin-; 
namely,  Charles  S. ,  I.ydia,  wife  of  Timothy 
Hecker,  and  I'eter. 

Charles  S.  Hurgell  was  born  in  l-'ulton,  .\u- 
gust  30,  I  S3 1,  nnd  spent  his  earlier  years  on 
the  home  f.irm.  He  siibsec|uentl\'  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  at  which  he  continued  to 
work  until  1  Sr.r,,  when  he  bought  the  hotel 
which  he  has  since  managed  successtully.  He 
is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  hut  has  never 


been  an  aspirant  for  official  honors.  ]5oth  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  In  1851  he  married  Julia  .A.  Teller, 
who  was  born  .August  4,    1S3J,   in  l'"ulton. 

Her  father,  Cornelius  Teller,  spent  the  en- 
tire si.\t)-one  years  of  his  life  in  this  town, 
being  engaged  during  his  active  jieriotl  in 
agricultural  pursuits  on  a  small  farm  that  he 
hatl  bought  near  his  boyhood's  home.  He  was 
one  of  the  leading  Democrats  (jf  tliis  vicinit)-, 
and  served  as  a  Ta.\'  C.dlector  two  terms  in  the 
earlier  ])art  of  this  century,  when  the  entire 
receipts  for  the  )ear  were  but  one  thousand 
one  hundreil  dollars,  against  the  eight  thou- 
sand dollars  collected  in  iSyS.  His  wife, 
I.avinia  Woman,  was  a  daughter  of  Martin 
\'roman,  a  lifelong  farmer  of  what  is  now  the 
town  of  .Middlebuig;  and  Lavinia  N'roman's 
mother,  the  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Charles  S. 
liurgett,  was  before  marriage  a  Miss  Zeie, 
who  was  born  in  Middleburg  in  Colonial  days, 
and  from  the  age  of  seven  to  fourteen  years, 
during  the  entire  period  of  the  Revolution, 
lived  in  the  Upper  I'ort.  Cornelius  Teller's 
father,  William  Teller,  was  born  in  Schenec- 
tady, N.\',,  whence  he  came  when  a  young 
man  to  this  county,  and  in  I  Soo  settled  in  the 
town  of  Middleburg,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  was 
a  shoemaker  by  trade.  After  coming  here  he 
married  .Maggie  Feeck,  the  descendant  of  one 
of  the  original  settlers  of  this  part  of  the 
county.  She  survived  him,  living  to  the  age 
of  fifty-si.x  years.  l^oth  were  active  members 
(;f  the  Reforme.l  church.  They  reared  eight 
children. 


Of  the  five  chiklren  born  of  the  union  of 
Charles  S.  and  Julia  A.  (Teller)  lUirLjett,  three 
are  still  living;  namely,  Marion,  the  Doctor, 
and  Laura.  Marion,  after  the  death  of  her  first 
husband,  Krank  1'.  Ilaynes,  married  Warren 
P.  Hollenbeck,  a  prominent  farmer  in  the  town 
of  Broome,  N.  Y.  Laura  marrieil  first  Plarland 
Hayncs,  of  Fulton,  who  died  leaving  her  with 
one  child,  Marion  ILirland.  She  is  new  the 
wife  of  F.  J.  Graham,  a  shoe  dealer  of  New 
York  City,  and  has  one  child  by  this  marriage, 
Mildred.  Both  parents  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 

William  W.  Burgett  obtained  the  rudiments 
of  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ful- 
tonham,  and  was  further  advanced  in  learning 
by  a  course  of  study  at  the  high  school  under 
Professor  Sias,  of  whom  a  biographical  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  Review.  A  short 
time  he  spent  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  H.  T. 
Kingsley,  and  he  taught  school  one  term  in 
Fulton.  Going  then  to  Schoharie,  he  read 
medicine  two  years  with  Dr.  Layman,  after 
which  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  L'niversity  of  New  York  City,  from  which 
he  received  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
in  March,  1S82,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  In  addition  to  the  regular  curriculum 
of  the  university,  he  took  special  clinical  ex- 
aminations at  Bellevue  Hospital  under  Profes- 
sor William  H.  Thompson,  while  at  the  same 
hospital  he  received  private  instruction  in 
physical  diagnosis  from  Professor  Alfred  L. 
Loomis,  in  operative  surgery  from  Professor  J. 
W.  Wright,  and  in  urinary-  analyses  under  Pro- 
fessor John  C.  Draper.      Returning  to  Fulton- 


ham    immediately    after   his    gracUiation,    Dr. 

Burgett  here  began  the  duties  of  his  profe-ssion, 
and  has  since  built  up  a  large  and  successful 
patronage  as  a  general  medical  practitioner. 
In  iS,S4  he  erecteil  his  present  residence  in  the 
village,  and  also  a  substantial  barn  on  the  same 
lot.  He  has  served  a  number  of  terms  on  the 
local  Hoard  of  Health,  and  for  si.x  years  has  been 
County  Coroner.  Politically,  he  is  a  sound 
Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Schoharie 
County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  has  been 
vice-president  and  president.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  .Middleburg  Lodge,  Xo.  663,  F.  & 
A.  M. ,  and  is  at  present  Master  of  Fultonham 
Grange,  Xo.  S09. 

On  September  25,  18S3,  Dr.  Burgett  mar- 
ried Miss  Maggie  E.  Schaeffer,  who  was  born 
in  P'ulton,  daughter  of  Hendrick  Schaeffer,  a 
retired  farmer  of  Fulton.  Among  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  the  town  of  Schoharie  was  Christian 
Schaeffer,  one  of  the  largest  landholders  of  that 
locality,  whose  son,  Jacob  Henry,  born  in 
Schoharie  in  iSoS,  was  the  grandfather  of  :\Irs. 
Burgett.  Grandfather  Schaeffer  was  a  lifelong 
agriculturist  of  Schoharie,  where  he  spent  his 
eighty-eight  years  of  earthly  existence,  and 
was  one  of  its  most  esteemed  citizens.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  served  as  an 
Overseer  of  the  Poor.  He  contributed  liber- 
ally toward  the  support  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  in- 
fluential members.  His  wife,  Ann  Alida 
Groesbeck,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years,  bore  him  ten  children.  Hendrick 
Schaeffer  married  Helen  Borst,  a  native  of 
Middleburg,  and  a  daughter  of  Peter  H.  Bcrst, 


2l8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  representative  of  an  early  family  of  Seho- 
liarie  County,  and  himself  one  of  the  most 
wealthy  and  prominent  of  its  farmers.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  ehureh,  and  his 
death,  at  the  ai;-e  of  sixty-five  years,  removed 
from  that  organization  one  of  its  substantial 
supporters.  His  wife,  Nancy  PZffner,  a  life- 
long resilient  of  Middleburg,  died  in  1861. 
Mr.  and  ^h-s.  Hendrick  Schaeffer  reared  four 
children,  of  whom  three  are  living,  as  follows: 
Charles,  a  farmer  in  Schoharie;  Alida,  wife  of 
Seneca  Haynes;  and  Maggie  K.,  now  Mrs. 
Burgett.  Peter,  a  carpenter,  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-five  years. 

]3r.  and  Mrs.  Burgett  have  two  children, 
namely:  William  Layman,  who  was  named  for 
one  of  the  Doctor's  early  preceptors;  and 
Charles  Leiand.  Dr.  Burgett  is  an  elder  and 
one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  Mrs.  Burgett  also  is  an  active  church 
member,  and  for  many  years  has  been  a  teacher 
in  the  Sunday-school. 


WILLIAM  H.  MEAD,  M.D.,  the  vet- 
eran physician  and  surgeon  of  Wind- 
ham, Greene  County,  N.Y. ,  was  born  in 
Jewett,  this  county,  on  April  6,  1833,  to 
Stephen  and  Caroline  (Hosford)  Mead.  His 
great-grandfather  Hosford,  whose  Christian 
name  was  Gideon,  was  a  prominent  farmer  and 
land-owner  in  Farmington,  Conn.,  and  Dr. 
Mead  has  in  his  possession  some  of  the  ances- 
tral deetls  bearing  the  seal  of  King  George. 

riiilip   Mead,    the   Doctor's   paternal   grand- 
father,   was    born    in    Dutchess   County,    New 


York,  and  grew  up  on  a  farm.  He  remo\  1  to 
Jewett  when  his  son  Stephen  was  five  ears 
old,  finding  his  way  hither  by  folh  ing 
marked  trees.  He  lived  first  in  most  1  nii- 
tive  fashion  in  a  log  hut,  but  in  time  cl  ired 
a  goodly  tract  of  land  and  erected  a  com  odi- 
ous frame  house.  He  was  a  lifelong  f;  iier. 
After  spending  some  years  in  Jewett,  hi  vent 
to  Cayuga,  near  W^eedsport,  where  he  r^  ided 
until  his  death,  at  sixty  years  of  age.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Hannah  '  )wn- 
send.      They  had  a  large  family  of  childri. 

The  Doctor's  father,  Stephen  Mead  was 
born  in  Dutchess  County,  and  reared  ti  farm 
life.  When  he  became  of  age  he  pur-  a.sed 
a  farm  in  Jewett,  where  he  spent  the  rem  nder 
of  his  life,  and  where  he  died  at  the  ,e  of 
eighty-six.  He  followed  agriculture  anc  lum- 
bering, and  did  a  large  business  in  ;lling 
bark  to  tanners.  He  and  his  wife,  Ca  line, 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Epicopal 
church.  Mrs.  Mead  died  at  the  age  ofiixty- 
nine.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Joel  andvlaria 
Hosford,  farmer  folk  of  Jewett.  Her  ather 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  and  her  mther, 
who  was  of  Dutch  descent,  died  while  lite  a 
young  woman,  although  she  lived  to  be  four 
children.  Stephen  and  Caroline  Mea  were 
also  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  o  .vhom 
are  living,  namely:  Dr.  William  H.,  ofVind- 
ham;  Dr.  J.  H.  Mead,  of  Hunter,  a  sk.ch  of 
whose  life  is  to  be  found  on  another  pa^  ;  and 
Adeline,  who  married  Alanson  Woodvvith,  of 
Hunter,  whose  biography  also  appears  1  this 
volume. 

William  H.  Mead's  early  life  was  s]  nt  on 


lUCX-.RAI'HICAI,    RKVIF.W 


his  father's  farm  in  Jewett.  He  attended  the 
common  schools  of  th>.'  town,  and  later  hecanu' 
a  teacher  in  thctn  and  in  t lie  schools  i if  Ilunlcr. 
After  teaching  for  several  years  he  to.ik  up  the 
study  of  medicine  with  his  brother  Joel,  then 
settled  in  Hunter,  and  he  subsequent  1\'  attended 
the  Albany  Medical  College.  After  his  grad- 
u;Uion  in  iS6S  he  began  jiractice  in  .Ashland, 
where  he  remained  until  1S79,  when  he  came 
to  Windham.  He  has  now  been  in  continuous 
practice  here  for  thirty  years,  and,  barring  one 
or  two  exceptions,  is  the  oldest  medical  practi- 
tioner in  service  in  the  county.  He  has  given 
much  attention  to  surgery,  and  has  performed 
some  remarkable  operations,  his  skill  being 
known  throughout  the  county.  His  career  as 
a  general  practitioner  has  also  been  a  distin- 
guished one. 

In  1856  Dr.  William  H.  :\Iead  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Matilda  Winter,  daughter, 
and  one  of  a  number  of  children,  of  Moses 
Winter,  a  farmer  of  Jewett.  Mrs.  Mead  died 
November  26,  1S96.  Of  the  three  children 
born  to  her,  one  died  at  the  age  of  ten  months, 
anil  another  at  the  age  of  five  years.  A  daugh- 
ter, Eugenie,  is  living.  She  is  the  wife  of 
Emery  A.  Hill,  a  well-known  Windham 
farmer,  and  has  two  children  —  Blanche  and 
William  Henry. 

Dr.  Mead  is  a  stanch  Republican.  His  first 
Presidential  vote  was  cast  in  1856,  and  he  has 
voted  every  election  since  with  the  exception 
of  one.  He  has  held  a  few  minor  offices  in 
the  village,  but  in  the  main  has  refused  public 
office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity  in   this   town,  and    was  elected    Junior 


Warden  within  two  weeks  after  joining  the 
organization.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Cireene  County  Medical  .Society  ever  since  it 
was  started,  twciity-fivc  years  ago.  His  church 
connections  are  with  the  Methodist  society  of 
this  place,  of  wliich  also  his  wife  was  a  mem- 
ber. For  many  years  he  was  steward  in  the 
church,  but  within  a  slmrt  time  he  has  tendered 
his  resignation  of  that  office.  For  many  years, 
too,  he  was  a  teacher  in  the  .Similay-school  nnd 
chori.ster  of  the  church.  During  their  resi- 
dence in  Ashland  Mrs.  Meatl  also  was  a 
teacher.  Throughout  his  long  and  useful  life 
the  Doctor  has  been  a  promoter  of  every  good 
and  philanthropic  cause,  and  has  been  actixel)- 
interested  in  ever)-  effort  to  jiromote  the  well- 
being  of  his  fellows. 


§0H\  ROSSMAX,  M.D.,  a  prominent 
physician  of  Schoharie  County  and  a 
resident  of  Middleburg,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Fulton  on  ]\Iarch  S,  1847,  his 
parents  being  George  and  Marietta  (Beard) 
Rossman.  His  fir.st  ancestors  in  this  country 
came  from  Germany,  and  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Columbia  County,  Yew  York.  His 
grandfather,  whose  name  was  Christopher,  was 
born  in  that  county,  and  lived  there  during 
early  life.  Before  the  birth  of  his  son  George, 
Christopher  Rossman  removed  to  Schoharie 
County  and  settled  in  Summit,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Rejiublican,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mrs. 
Rossman,    whose     maiden      name     was      Lana 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Mickcl,  was  born  in  Schoharie  of  an  old  fam- 
ily. She  was  the  mother  of  fourteen  children, 
all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity.  TIk-n'  were 
named  as  follows:  George,  Mary,  John,  Iktsy, 
William,  Christina,  Nathaniel,  Thoebc,  David, 
Lucy,  Charles,  Huldah,  Jane,  and  Cassie. 

Dr.  RiisMnan's  fatlier  was  born  in  Summit, 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
there,  and  subsequently  removed  to  l-'ulton, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  and  resided  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven,  rolilically, 
George  Rossman  was  at  first  a  Reinililican  and 
later  a  Democrat.  I''or  twenty-two  years  lie 
served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Maiietta,  who 
died  when  their  .son  Jolm  was  four  years  of  age, 
was  born  in  R icliniondvilje.  She  was  a  tiaugh- 
ter  of  Jacob  Heard,  and  one  of  a  faniil)'  of  four 
children.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  of  that 
town,  and  subseciuently  of  Fulton.  Late  in 
life  he  removed  to  Ceneseo  County,  where  he 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety.  Mrs. 
Marietta  H.  Rossman  was  the  mother  of  two 
children.  Her  daughter,  Louise,  is  deceased. 
The  second  wife  of  (ieorge  Rossman  was  before 
her  marriage  Marcia  Holmes.  She  also  was 
born  in  l-'ulton,  of  one  of  the  old  families. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  forty. 

John  Rossman  in  his  bri\liood  and  youtli  se- 
cured a  good  rommon-sciiool  education  in  the 
juiblic  sch.i.ds,  which  he  attended  both  snnmier 
and  winter.  In  I  sr,3  lie  began  to  read  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  J.  D.  Wheeler,  of  Middleburg, 
and  in  i  sr).S'  liu  was  graduated  at  the  Philadel- 
phia Cniversity  of  Mediiiiu-and  Surgery.  He 
began  practising  with    Dr.   Wheeler,  i)ut  at  the 


end  of  a  year  went  to  West  Fulton  and  .started 
an  indc])cndent  practice.  Three  years  later  he 
returned  and  again  engaged  with  his  former 
partner,  but  after  a  year  of  joint  work  the  two 
doctors  severed  their  connection,  and  since 
then  Dr.  Rossman  has  worked  alone.  He  has 
built  u|>  a  large  general  ])ractice,  and  is  now 
tlie  oldest  |)hysician  in  town  in  point  of 
service. 

The  Doctor  married  his  first  wife,  Mary, 
the  daughter  of  Cornelius  li.>uck,  in  1869. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  eight,  leaving 
three  children  ^  Marietta,  Anna  A.,  and 
Charles  H.  Marietta  married  M.  J.  Woman, 
and  is  the  motlier  of  tliree  chililren  —  Cecil, 
Lena,  and  Marguerite.  .Anna  is  the  wife  of 
Dr.  Simpkins  of  this  town.  Charles  married 
Agnes  McLean,  and  lias  one  child,  Marion,  by 
name.  The  Doctor's  second  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Lizzie  15.  .Smith,  is  a  native 
of  Middleburg,  and  the  daughter  of  Silas 
Smith.  She  is  a  member  of  the  P^piscopal 
churcli,  but  an  attendant  of  the  Reformed 
cliurch. 

For  the  past  fifteen  years  Dr.  Rossman  has 
been  Health  Officer  of  the  town,  holding  his 
office  by  annual  re-elections.  He  is  an  active 
and  inlluential  mendier  of  tlie  Schoharie  Medi- 
cal .Society,  and  was  secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Pension  I'^.xaminers  for  the  county.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  but  iie\er  an  office-seeker;  in  fact, 
he  lias  never  been  willing  to  accept  public 
office,  cNcejit  in  cases  where  it  has  seemed 
]dainly  his  duty  to  do  so.  He  is  a  member  of 
Middlelnug  L<.dge,  \o.  C,G:„  F.  &  A.  M.  ;  of 
John     L.     Lewis    Chapter,    No.     229;    of    St. 


George's  Commandery,  No.  ^■j ;  La  Hastile 
Lodjje,  No.  494,  I.  O.  O.  V.  ;  .tikI  Midilloburg 
Mncampmcnt,  No.  i  J9.  In  the  Blue  Loilge  ho 
has  held  all  the  offices,  having  been  Master  for 
two  years,  and  secretary  and  Junior  Warden  for 
the  same  length  of  time  each.  He  is  Past 
Noble  Grand  of  the  Subordinate  Lodge  of  this 
district,  and  Past  Chief  Patriarch  of  the  Kn- 
campment,  and  was  District  Deput\  fur  two 
years.  I-'or  seven  years  he  has  been  president 
of  the  Midilleburg  Cemetery  Organization. 


'VLVESTLR    K    SACK,  of    Cntskill, 

^/^  dealer  in  carriages  and  harnesses, 
and  present  member  of  the  New 
York  Assembly  from  Greene  County,  was 
born  in  Prattsville  on  September  8,  1S36,  son 
of  Hart  C.  and  Clarissa  H.  (Van  Luven)  Sage. 

The  founder  of  the  Sage  family  in  America 
is  said  to  have  been  David  Sage,  who  came  to 
New  England  in  1652,  and  settled  at  ^liddle- 
town,  Conn.,  where  he  died  in  1703,  aged 
si.Nty-four  years. 

David  Sage  of  a  later  generation,  grand- 
father of  Mr.  Sage,  of  Catskill,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Broome,  Schoharie  County, 
N.  Y. ,  and  resided  on  a  farm  there  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  his  life. 

Hart  C.  Sage,  son  of  the  second  David  here 
mentioned,  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  in 
Uroome,  but  after  his  marriage  came  to  Cat- 
skill.  Here  he  remained  two  years  engaged 
in  mercantile  business,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  went  to  Prattsville,  where  he  carried  on 
a  store.      He  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-si.v.      In 


early  life  he  \:\\y^\\\  m  hunl  |..r  -r.,,,.,!  irmis. 
He  was  prominent  among  the  Odd  I-'ellows, 
and  after  he  went  to  Prattsville  he  built  a  hall 
there  for  the  organization.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  conformed  his 
daily  life  and  walk  to  his  professed  beliefs. 
His  wife,  Clarissa,  who  siiared  his  religious 
faith,  was  born  in  Broome.  She  was  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  early  settlers  there,  and 
one  of  a  large  family  of  children.  She  died  at 
.seventy,  having  been  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely  :  Osmar  C. ,  who  is  now  deceased  ; 
Omar  V.;  Sylvester  15.;  II.  Clarence;  and 
Hart  C,  Jr.,  also  deceased.  Omar  \'.  Sage 
is  a  well-known  jniblic  man.  He  was  Clerk 
of  Greene  County  for  two  terms,  and  member 
of  the  New  Xoxk  Assembly  two  term.s,  and  for 
the  past  five  years  he  has  held  the  im]OTrtant 
position  of  Warden  of  Sing  Sing  Prison.  H. 
Clarence  Sage  is  a  profes.sor  of  music,  residing 
in  New  York  City. 

Sylvester  B.  Sage  when  a  lad  of  eleven  years 
lost  his  father,  and  at  a  very  early  age  he  was 
obliged  to  shift  for  himself.  After  working  in 
Prattsville  for  a  time  as  clerk  in  a  store,  he 
was  in  business  there  down  to  1869.  He  then 
sold  out  his  trade  and  stock  and  came  to  Cat- 
skill,  and  for  eleven  years,  from  1869  to  1S80, 
conducted  a  grocery  here.  In  1880  he  received 
an  appointment  as  under  sheriff,  and  this  office 
he  filled  in  an  entirely  acceptable  manner  for 
three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
opened  his  present  business,  which  has  since 
proved  to  be  such  a  success.  In  his  extensive 
warerooms  on  Main  Street  are  to  be  found 
vehicles  of    all    kinds,    harnesses,    whips,    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIFAV 


general  horse  and  carriage  furnishings.  He 
does  a  larger  business  in  this  line  than  any 
other  firm  l)etwecn  Alliany  and  New  \ink. 
He  makes  many  of  the  harnesses  lie  carries  in 
Stock,  and  sells  many  at  wholesale,  keeping 
five  harness-makers  employed  the  entire  year. 
All  wagons  and  carriages  to  be  found  in  his 
repository  are  built  by  the  best  manufacturers. 
He  employs  fourteen  men  in  the  store,  and 
sells  at  both  whidesale  and  retail.  lie  is 
among  tiie  oldest  busine.ss  men  on  the  street, 
and,  with  two  or  three  exceiitions,  the  oldest 
in  the  town. 

In  i>olitics  Mr.  -Sage  is  a  Democrat.  He 
held  the  ofnee  of  Town  Collector  for  a  year, 
and  that  of  Police  Justice  for  six  years,  and 
was  then  ai>poinled  Under  .Sheriff.  He  has 
also  been  on  the  Hoard  of  lulucation  several 
years,  and  was  clerk  of  the  board  during  the 
greater  part  of  his  period  of  membership.  In 
l.Sfj7  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembl)',  receiv- 
ing three  thousand,  eight  liundred  and  sixteen 
votes,  against  three  th(nisand,  four  hnndied  and 
fifty-three  Ifor  John  R  Logendyke.  During 
tliat  vear  he  was  a  member  of  the  Committees 
on  Internal  Affairs  and  Villages.  In  iS.jS  he 
was  again  elected  to  the  Assembly,  agaiii.st 
D.  (i.  fireen,  of  Coxsackie,  and  is  now  serving 
on  the  Committees  on  (ieneral  Laws  and  Re- 
vision,  the  two  best  in  the  House. 

.Mr.  .Sage  married,  in  iS6i,  Alice,  daughter 
of  Darius  \V.  Smith,  proprietor  of  a  .sale  stable 
in  24lh  Street,  New  York.  Of  this  imion  two 
children  have  been  born  -  Francis  \'.  and 
Clarence  H.  The  latter  is  in  business  with 
liis  father.       .Mr.   .Sage's  business  is    located    in 


one  of  the  handsomest  blocks  in  Catskill,  and 
his  residence,  purchased  in  1S72,  occupies  one 
of  the  most  si.i^btly  sjiots  in   the  town. 

Mr.  Sage  is  a  member  of  Catskill  Lodge, 
\o.  46S,  ha\ing  Joined  many  _\ears  ago.  He 
held  the  office  of  Clerk  for  a  long  time,  but  has 
declined  all  other  offices.  He  is  at  the  jiresent 
time  vice-jiresident  of  the  Catskill  Driving 
I'ark  Association,  and  ].resident  of  the  Moun- 
tain Dew  Hrewery,  and  a  director  in  both  or- 
ganizations; also  a  member  of  the  Ivxecutive 
Committee  of  the  Retail  Carriage  Dealers' 
Protective  Association,  which  is  a  national  or- 
ganization. In  i8(j5  he  was  jiresident  of  the 
association.  Mr.  Sage  and  his  family  are  all 
members  of  the  Tresbyterian  church.  He  is 
one  of  Catskill's  most  progressive  and  most 
liiglily  respected  citizens. 


HARLKS  ]•:.  WbHDMAN,  M.D., 
the  well-known  medical  ])iact it ioner  of 
(iallupville,  in  the  town  of  Wright, 
his  native  jjlace,  was  born  on  November  S, 
1S70,  his  jiarents  being  Daniel  and  Louisa 
(Vroman)  Weidman.  His  grandfatlier,  Peter 
I.  Weidman,  who  was  born  in  Middleburg, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  there  spent 
the  early  part  of  his  active  life.  Later  he 
lived  in  the  town  of  New  Scotland  for  ten 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  came  to 
Wright,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
live.  Peter  I.  Weidman's  wife,  the  Doctor's 
grandmother,  P'.dith  I  loughtaling,  a  native  of 
New  Scotland,  Albany  County,  is  still  living 
on    the   old    farm.      All    her   life   she   has  been 


CHARLES    E.  WEI  U.MAX. 


mOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Of 
the  five  children  born  to  her,  onl}-  one  is  living. 

Daniel  W'eidman,  son  of  Peter  I.,  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  He  spent  the  later  years  of 
his  life  on  the  old  homestead,  his  death  occur- 
ring at  the  age  of  fift}'-t\vo.  In  politics  he 
was  a  stanch  Republican,  as  his  father  before 
him  had  been.  He  was  a  leading  agriculturist 
of  his  town  and  an  acti\"e  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 

Dr.  Weidman's  mother,  who  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Albert  \'roman  and  one  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  was  born  in  1S46,  in  the  town 
of  Gviilderland,  in  Albany  Count}-,  this  State. 
Her  father  was  a  speculator  in  farm  produce. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Van 
Aurnum,  is  still  living.  Besides  the  Doctor, 
Mrs.  Weidman  had  two  children,  namely:  Aus- 
tin J.  ;  and  Edith,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
S.  Young.  Mrs.  W'eidman  died  in  iS8g  at 
the  age  of  forty-three.  Both  parents  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  the 
father  had  held  the  office  of  Deacon  as  well 
as  others  of  less  importance. 

The  boyhood  of  Dr.  W'eidman  was  spent  on 
the  home  farm.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  and  Hartwick  Seminary,  graduating 
from  the  last-named  institution  in  1891. 
Subsequent  to  this  he  taught  school  in  Gal- 
lupville  for  two  years.  He  pursued  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  Albany  Medical  College, 
was  graduated  in  1895,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  located  here.  He  has  demonstrated 
his  fitness  for  the  profession  in  which  he  has 
engaged,  and  has   built   up   a   flourishing   prac- 


tice,   his  ability   being  recognized   by  all  who 

have  had  occasion  to  call  upon  liim.  Al- 
though he  has  been  here  but  a  cumpriralively 
short  time,  he  has  won  many  friends  profes- 
sionally; and  his  services  are  in  rei|uisition, 
not  only  in  the  village,  but  also  in  the  outly- 
ing districts. 

Dr.  W'eidman  was  married  in  the  fall  of 
1896  to  Minnetta  C.  Barringer,  who  was  bcirn 
in  Germantown,  Columbia  County.  .She  is  the 
daughter  of  John  I.  Barringer,  a  druggist  of 
Hudson,  former]}'  of  Germantown,  and  one 
of  a  family  of  three  children.  Li  politics,  the 
Doctor  is  a  Republican.  He  has  served  on 
the  town  Republican  committee,  and  has  been 
candidate  for  Coroner.  He  has  held  a  number 
of  offices  on  the  election  board,  among  these 
being  that  of  ballot  clerk.  In  1S9S  he  was 
elected  Supervisor  of  the  town  of  U'right,  and 
in  1S99  ^^'^s  re-elected  for  two  \ears.  Profes- 
sionally, he  is  a  member  of  the  Schoharie 
County  Medical  Society.  He  is  a  member  of 
Orion  Lodge,  No.  624,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows;  is  Past  Grand,  and  has  been 
through  all  the  other  chairs.  Mrs.  W'eidman 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
W'aterford. 


,OBHRT  ELLIOTT,  whose  death  oc- 
urred  on  January  6,  1899,  was  for 
man\'  years  a  representative  citizen 
of  Hunter,  X.Y.,  being  well  known  in  the 
third  quarter  of  the  century  as  a  general  mer- 
chant, and  later  as  the  builder  and  proprietor 
of  the  Kaatsberg.  He  was  of  Scotch-Iri.sh 
parentage,  and   was   born   on  June  24,  1822,  in 


BIOORAPHICAT-    REVIFAV 


Ireland,  where  liis  father,  whose  name  was 
Thomas.  s|)ent  his  entire  life  engaj;eil  in  agri- 
eiiltiue. 

Thomas  Mlliott  and  his  family  were  stanch 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  he 
was  an  KUIcr  for  many  years.  lie  lived  to  be 
eijjhty  years  old.  1 1  is  aife,  Jane  McLane 
Klliott,  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  one  of  a 
large  family.  She  was  the  mother  of  the  fol- 
lowing'-  named  children:  Robert;  John,  who 
lives  in  Kansas;  Thomas,  Jr.,  also  in  Kansas; 
Samuel,  Harriet,  and  James,  all  three  de- 
ceased; Helena  and  Jane,  who  are  living  in 
Ireland;  and  Adam,  who  went  to  Australia. 
James  Klliott  was  educated  for  the  Presbyte- 
rian ministry  at  Hclfast.  He  subsequently 
taught  in  Canada. 

Robert  I-:iliott  inherited  from  his  parents 
those  sterling  qualities  which  ever  character- 
ized his  dealings,  and  which  were  such  potent 
factors  in  shaping  his  successful  business 
career.  He  was  educated  in  the  national 
schools  of  Ireland.  At  the  early  age  of  cight- 
teen  years  he  took  the  place  of  a  jMofessor  in 
one  of  those  schools,  and  performed  the  duties 
of  the  [losition  for  si.\  months  in  a  highly  cred- 
itable manner.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  set 
sail  for  America.  He  soon  obtained  a  posi- 
tion in  a  tannery,  and  after  a  short  time  he 
entered  the  cmjiloy  of  Mr.  Kilwards,  who  be- 
longed to  the  prominent  Hunter  family  of  that 
name,  and  who  was  descended  from  the  Jona- 
than I'.dwards  family  of  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
I'Mii.itt  kept  books  for  Mr.  lulwards  until  that 
gentleman  died,  and  he  then  entered  tlie  em- 
ploy   of     his     brother.    Colonel     William    W. 


lulwards,  with  whom  he  came  to  this  town  in 
1848.  Colonel  Edwards  carried  on  a  large 
tannery  here,  and  Mr.  Klliott  had  charge  of 
the  accounts  of  the  concern  until  his  employer 
went  out  of  business. 

In  1853  Mr.  Klliott  opened  a  general  store, 
and  for  the  next  twenty-five  years  he  conducted 
a  large  and  successful  business.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  sold  out,  and  later  bought  the  lot 
upon  which  be  erected  the  beautiful  Kaatsberg. 
This  fine  house  be  built  in  18S3— the  finest 
house  in  Hunter  village.  He  ran  this  as  a 
summer  boarding-house  up  to  1897,  when  he 
gave  u])  the  management  to  his  son,  Robert  d. 
Klliott.  All  built  under  Mr.  Klliott's  super- 
vision, it  is  a  monument  to  his  thoroughness 
and  is  admired  by  e\cry  one. 

In  1855  Mr.  Klliott  married  Mary  A.  Cald- 
well, a  lady  of  Canadian  birth.  Of  the  six 
children  born  of  this  union,  four  are  living; 
namely,  Helena,  I':imore  I-;.,  Clara,  and  Ro- 
bert (j.  b"Jmi}re  V.. ,  who  is  a  prominent  ])h\-- 
sician  in  Catskill,  married  Mabel  Sanderson, 
a  daughter  of  Judge  Sanderson,  of  Catskill, 
and  has  two  sons  —  John  Sanderson  and  Robert 
Caldwell.  Clara  resides  with  her  mother. 
Helena  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  C.  P.  McCabe,  of 
Greenville.  Of  her  three  children  one  is  liv- 
ing, a  daughter  Dorothy. 


^;I•:M1A1I  DCXCKIT.,  who  resides  on 
/^l  his  farm  in  the  town  of  Seward,  about 
^  lile  from  the   village   of   Hyndsville 

in    .Schoharie   Count)-,    is    living    retired    from 
active  pursuits,  enjoying  the  fruits  of   his   ear- 


licr  years  of  toil.  He  was  born  April  7, 
iSji,  in  C";inaiiiiiaric,  N.\'.,  a  son  of  George 
C.  l)inK'i<el,  and  tiie  ilesccnilaiU  of  a  jiionccr 
settler  of  that  town. 

His  great-.^nuuHatlier,  Dunckcl,  wliosc  name 
was  Peter,  enii-rateel  from  Gcrnianv  in  Colo- 
nial limes.  IV'ter  Dunckcl  took  up  a  large 
tract  of  unbroken  land  in  Canajoharic,  and, 
erecting  a  small  log  cabin  in  the  wodds,  settled 
there  with  his  wife  and  children.  He  was  an 
industrious,  hard-working  man,  and  while 
clearing  a  farm  for  himself  he  assisted  in  the 
upbuilding  of  the  town.  His  son  George,  who 
was  the  grandfather  of  Jeremiah  Dunckel,  the 
subject  of  this  brief  sketch,  enlisted  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Swamp  was  unfortunate  enough 
to  lose  an  eye. 

George  Dunckel  was  born  in  Germany,  and 
spent  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life  in  the 
Fatherlanil.  Coming  then  to  New  York  with 
his  parents,  he  performed  his  full  share  of  the 
pioneer  labor  of  redeeming  a  homestead  from 
the  forest.  When,  on  the  death  of  his  father, 
the  farm  came  into  his  possession,  he  continued 
the  improvements  already  begun;  and  prior  to 
his  death,  which  occurred  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years,  he  had  a  fine  set  of  frame  buildings 
on  the  place,  which  was  one  of  the  best  in  its 
appointments  of  any  in  the  neighborhood. 
Si.x  children  were  born  to  him  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Countryman.  She,  too,  lived  to  an 
advanced  age.  Both  were  active  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church. 

George  G.  Dunckel,  son  of  George,  grew  to 
manhood  on  the  ancestral  farm  in  Canajoharie, 


where  from  his  youth  up  he  was  familiar  with 
its  daily  labors.  He  subsequently  became  .sole 
owner  of  the  hmnestead  pro])crty,  and  was  there 
prosperously  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  iS4,S.  Selling  out  at  that  time,  he  came 
to  Seward,  and,  having  purchased  the  farm  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  son  Jeremiah,  he 
carried  it  on  until  his  decea.se,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  A  man  of  energy  and  in- 
telligence, he  was  a  valued  member  <i\  the 
Democratic  party,  and  for  a  number  of  terms 
served  wisely  as  Assessor  and  Highwa_\-  Com- 
missioner. He  was  a  Methodist  in  his  relig- 
ious belief,  and  an  active  member  of  the 
church  of  that  denomination.  He  married 
Maria  Cook,  daughter  of  John  R.  Cook,  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith  of  Canajoharie.  They 
had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  now  living,  namely:  Jeremiah,  the  fifth- 
born;  Levi,  who  lives  at  Central  Bridge;  and 
Sophronia,  widow  of  Austin  Lorv,  late  of 
Hyndsville. 

Jeremiah  Dunckel  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  and  under  the  in- 
struction of  his  father  became  well  versed  in 
farming  pursuits.  When  the  family  came  to 
Seward  he  accompanied  them,  and,  remaining 
an  inmate  of  the  household,  assisted  in  the 
management  of  the  new  farm.  This  valuable 
estate  of  two  hundred  acres  he  now  holds  in 
his  own  name,  having  purchased  the  interest 
of  the  remaining  heirs.  In  its  care  he  has 
shown  excellent  judgment  and  skill.  He  has 
carried  on  general  farming  to  advantage,  devot- 
ing a  part  of  the  land  to  raising  hops,  a  profita- 
ble crop  in  this   section   of  the   State,  and   has 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


also  niL-t  with  success  as  a  dair_\iiian.  He  has 
sdmetimes  had  as  many  as  fuity  cows  in  his 
herd,  and  his  l)utter  has  always  met  with  a 
ready  sale.  Oi  recent  )ears  he  has  relegated 
the  management  of  the  estate  to  his  eldest  son, 
Lucius  Dunckel. 

On  October  5,  1S43,  Mr.  i:)unckel  married 
Lana  A.,  daughter  of  .Sylvanus  Nestle,  a  well- 
known  tailor  of  .Sprout  15rook,  N.  V.  She  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-one  \ears,  iiaving  boine  him 
four  children.  Of  these  two  are  dead,  namely  : 
listher,  who  married  Anson  ll\iuls;  and  Helen 
M.,  who  married  Irving  .Schoolcraft.  The  two 
now  living  are  Lucius  and  George.  Lucius, 
born  April  6,  1X46,  has  spent  iiis  life  on  the 
home  farm,  of  which  he  has  had  full  charge 
since  1S82.  He  is  a  DciiKjcrat  in  politics 
and  lias  served  as  school  trustee.  In  i86g  he 
married  Adelaide  Lory,  daughter  of  John 
Lory,  of  Seward.  'I'hey  have  one  child,  Lottie 
Ann,  who  married  Clark  Houton,  Postmaster 
and  merchant  at  Hyndsville,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren —  lulna  ]?elle  and  J.  Leroy.  George,  a 
resident  of  G.bleskill,  married  Angerilla  I'alk. 
They  had  five  children:  Jerry;  Ann;  Una  and 
Ula,  twins;  and  Oscar,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  Mr.  Dunckel  married  Henrietta  Young, 
who  was  born  in  Seward  township,  where  hei- 
father,  Jeremiah  \'oung,  a  farmer  of  Seward 
township,  but  a  native  of  Onondaga  County, 
died  aged  .seventy  years.  Her  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Caroline  ]'..  W'eatherwax, 
was  born  in  Rensselaer  County.  She  died  in 
1S92,  aged  eighty-one  years,  leaving  seven 
children  out  of  a  family  of   ten  born  to  her  and 


her     husband.        .Mr.     and     Mrs.     ^'oung    were 
members  of  the  Lutiieran  church. 

Mr.  Lunckel  is  a  standi  Jeffersonian  Demo- 
crat, dyed  in  the  wool.  He  has  taken  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  advancing  the  welfare  of  the 
town  and  count)',  but  has  invariabl)-  refused 
public  office,  although  he  has  served  as  trustee 
of  the  School  lioard.  He  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inators of  the  Cohleskill  Agricultural  Society, 
and  has  been  among  its  most  active  and  valued 
members.  Mrs.  Diuickel  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church. 


§AMKS  ]?.  DALEY,  of  I'rattsville,  at- 
torney-at-law  and  a  Civil  War  vet- 
eran, was  born  in  Ohio,  township  of 
Richfield,  INIarch  7,  1S45,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  Ann  (Champlin)  Daley.  His  jjaternal 
grandfather,  Joseph  Daley,  and  his  great- 
grandfather, Obadiah  Daley,  were  lifelong 
residents  of  Columbia  County,  New  York, 
and  the  latter  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Daley, 
first,  who  came  from  New  luigland  to  Chat- 
ham, N.Y.,  where  he  cleared  a  farm.  Joseph 
Daley,  second,  Mr.  Daley's  grandfather,  was 
a  prosjierous  farmer,  and  noted  tor  his  pliysi- 
cal  strength  and  jiower  of  endurance.  He 
married  Hannah  Son.  Her  fatiier  was  an 
early  settler  in  Columbia  County,  antl  she  in- 
herited a  (lart  of  the  Son  farm.  The  Krnnd- 
parents  died  at  tiie  age  of  eighty  years.  They 
reared  a  large  family  of  children,  and  none 
are  now  living 

Daniel  Daley,  James  15.  Daley's  father,  fol- 
lowed the  blacksmith's  trade   in    Chatham   for 


ISIOC.RAl'inCAf. 


a  time,  and  moving  from  there  to  Lebanon 
Springs,  N.  Y.,  he  earrict!  on  the  wagon-mak- 
ing business  lor  sonic  \c;us,  finally  retiring 
to  a  farm  in  Cliatliani,  where  lie  tlieil  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven.  He  was  widely  known 
among  (Md  I'ellows,  having  been  a  member  of 
that  onler  for  many  years;  and  he  also  had  a 
large  number  of  friends  and  acquaintances 
outside  of  that  fraternity.  His  wife,  Mary 
Ann,  was  born  in  Chatham,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  (Kenyon)  Champlin.  Her 
father,  who  came  to  this  State  from  Rhode 
Island,  taught  school  in  New  York  Cit\'  prior 
to  settling  upon  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Chat- 
ham. He  had  a  family  of  six  children. 
Daniel  and  Mary  Ann  Daley  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  si.\  of  whom  are  living; 
namely,  William  C. ,  George,  James  I?., 
Henry,  Sarah,  and  Charles.  William  C.  and 
George  Daley  are  practising  law  in  Chatham, 
and  a  sketch  of  each  will  be  found  in  the  Bio- 
c.K.M'iiiCAL  Review  of  Columbia  County. 
James  li.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Henry 
is  a  lawyer  residing  in  Co.xsackie,  N.Y.  ; 
Sarah  is  the  widow  of  Nathan  C.  Hagerborn, 
late  of  Stillbrook,  N.Y.  ;  and  Charles  is 
residing  at  the  homestead  in  Chatham. 
The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.  The  jjarents  were  Baptists. 
They,  were  highly  esteemed  for  their  many 
excellent  qualities,  and  obituary  notices 
of  each  were  published  in  the  county  news- 
papers. 

Having  supplemented  his  common-school 
studies  with  a  course  at  the  Lebanon  Springs 
Academy,  James   B.    Daley   turned   his   atten- 


tion to  educational  pursuits,  teaching  schools 
in  Columbia  and  Renssehier  Counties,  New 
\'ork,  and  in  Berkshire  County,  Massachu- 
setts. His  law  studies  were  jjursuod  in  the 
office  of  his  brother  (leorge,  an.l  after  his  a<l- 
mission  to  the  bar  in  1 872,  he  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  in  lYattsville.  In  the 
spring  of  1S73  he  returned  to  Chatham,  where 
he  was  in  business  one  year,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  removed  to  Windham,  Greene 
County,  and  for  the  succeeding  eight  years 
was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Daley  &  Tal- 
madge,  who  transacted  an  extensive  general 
law  and  real  estate  business.  After  the  di.s- 
solution  of  that  partnership  he  once  more  re- 
turned to  Prattsville,  where  he  has  practised 
continuously  to  the  present  time.  His  Civil 
War  services  were  performed  in  Company  B, 
Ninety-first  Regiment,  New  York  Volunteers, 
with  which  he  participated  in  a  number  of  en- 
gagements, including  the  battle  of  Five 
Forks;  and  he  witnessed  the  surrender  of 
General  Lee  at  Appomattox  Court  House. 

In  June,  1878,  Mr.  Daley  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lucy  Tyler,  who  was  born  in 
Roxbury,  Delaware  County,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Deborah  (Hull)  Tyler.  Her  father  was 
a  wealthy  farmer.  He  eventually  removed 
from  Roxbury,  his  native  town,  to  Pratts- 
ville, where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Henry  Tyler  died  at  seventy-three,  and  his 
wife  died  at  seventy.  They  reared  three  chil- 
dren: Lorinda,  who  married  John  Erkson,  a 
leading  merchant  of  Prattsville:  Lncv,  who 
married  Mr.  Daley;  and  Annie,  who  married 
Homer  B.  Van  Cott,  of  Norwich,  N.Y.     .Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Daley  was  a  graduate  of  the  l-"urt  Edwards 
Institute,  and  prior  to  iier  marriage  she  taught 
music  at  the  institute  in  Ellenville.  Siie 
dieil  in  iSy6,  aged  forty-six  years.  As  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
she  took  an  active  interest  in  religious  work, 
and  was  sincerely  respected  for  her  estimable 
character  and  rare  intellectual  qualities.  She 
left  four  children;  namely,  M.uuie,  I'Jiima, 
I'-thel,  anil  James,  aged  res[)cctivcly  sixteen, 
fourteen,  twelve,  and  ten  years. 

Politically,  Mr.  Daley  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  served  with  ability  as  a  trustee  of  the 
village  and  of  the  Cemetery  Association  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  acts  as  a  notary  public. 
His  literary  talents  arc  highly  appreciated  in 
l'ratts\'ille  and  vicinity,  ami  his  frequent  con- 
tributions to  the  various  county  papers  upon 
different  subjects  are  widely  read.  His  more 
notable  writings  are:  a  series  of  articles  de- 
scribing his  war  experience,  published  in  the 
Catskill  I-.xamiiur ;  another  series  devoted  to 
Western  life,  printed  in  the  Hunter /V/«7//.r, 
and  a  number  of  articles  upon  legal  subjects, 
which  have  been  bmuul  with  the  law  journal 
for  preservation.  Mr.  Daley  attends  the 
Methodist  lipiscopal  church. 


'ON.  JOHN  A.  'IRISWtJLD,  of  Cats- 
kill,  \.\'.,  cx-Congressman  and 
liner  Judge  and  Surrogate  of 
Greene  County,  was  born  in  C'airo,  this 
C(umt_\-,  Nnvemi)er  iS,  \%22,  .son  of  Ste])hcn 
H.  and  Phiebe  (.\shley)  C.riswold.  He  is  a 
reineseiitalive   of   the   (iriswuld  family  ot  Con- 


necticut, an  account  of  whom  appeared  in  the 
I  Mixgazinc  of  American  Histor}'  in  1S84.  Mis 
father  was  born  in  Greene  County,  New 
York,  I-"ebruary  26,  1793;  and  his  grandfather, 
Jeremiah  (iriswold,  came  to  Catskill  from 
C(Hinecticut  about  liie\ear  i  Soo,  accompanied 
by  his  family. 
!  Jeremiah  Griswold,  who  was  a  prosperous 
farmer,  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  He  married 
.Mary  Hill,  whose  birth  took  place  either  in 
Massachusetts  (jr  Connecticut  in  December, 
1753.  She  served  the  patriot  cau.se  during  the 
Revolutionary  War  by  making  cartridges  for 
her  brothers.  Siie  died  December  8,  1841. 
Stephen  11.  (iriswold,  Judge  Griswold's 
father,  studied  law,  but  did  not  enter  into 
practice,  preferring  instead  to  engage  in  agri- 
cultural pursuit.s.  He  owned  a  good  farm  in 
Cairo,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  June  14,  1S44.  As  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  Democratic  party  he  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  tlie  jjolitical  affairs  of  his  day,  and 
was  universally  esteemed  for  his  upright  char- 
acter. He  was  a  Free  I\Iason,  antl  in  his 
)iiunger  days  was  identified  with  the  local 
151ue  Lodge.  He  and  his  wife,  rhcebe,  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  ]-:piscopal  cluircb. 
Mrs.  Griswold  was  a  native  of  Catskill,  where 
her  father,  John  Ashley,  was  an  industrious 
farmer.  She  became  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren, live  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  John 
A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Miles,  who  re- 
sides in  one  of  the  Western  States;  Atitli.son, 
a  well-known  lawyer  <if  Catskill;  .\lonzo,  who 
is  residing  on  a  farm  in  Jesup,  la.  ;  and  Mar- 
ion,   wlu)    is   a    banker    in    Ohio.      Tlie    others 


JOHN    A.    t;RIS\VOLU. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


'i3 


were:  Mar\-,  Stci>hen,  luiiily,  Jcidnie,  ;uul 
MalKila.  Stephen,  who  entered  the  I'ni.ni 
army  as  a  surgeon  early  in  the  Civil  War,  was 
eaiUiiretl  by  the  enemy  at  the  first  battle  of 
Hull  Run,  anil  ilied  in  [irison.  Jerome,  who 
was  a  ilrii;;i;ist  in  Kansas,  was  killed  by  Con- 
t'eilerate  raiders  iimler  (Juantrell.  Judge  (iris- 
wokl's  mother  died  June  13,  1S77,  aged 
se\ent\-two   \ears. 

IIa\ing  pursued  his  preliminary  studies  in 
the  public  schools,  John  A.  Griswold  became 
a  pupil  at  the  academies  in  Prattsville  and 
Catskill,  concluding  his  attendance  at  the  lat- 
ter at  the  age  of  sixteen.  After  teaching  for 
a  time,  he  applied  himself  to  the  stud\'  of  law 
with  his  uncle,  Addison  C.  Griswold,  and 
Richard  Corning,  the  latter  a  brother  of  Eras- 
tus  Corning,  of  Albany.  Subsequently  he 
continued  his  preparations  in  Syracuse,  N.Y. , 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  an  attorne\-  and 
counsellor  of  the  State  in  1S4S.  Commencing 
the  practice  of  his  profession  alone,  he  was 
later  associated  with  Addison  Griswold  until 
elected  District  Attorney  in  1S57,  and  afterward 
he  was  for  some  time  in  company  with  Rufus 
W.  Watson.  He  ably  performed  the  duties  of 
District  Attorney  for  three  years,  winning  in 
that  capacity  a  high  reputation;  and  his  able 
handling  of  several  important  cases,  both  as  a 
public  and  private  practitioner,  caused  his  ele- 
vation in  1S64  to  the  position  of  Judge  and 
Surrogate  of  Greene  County.  His  four  years' 
service  upon  the  bench  was  extremely  credita- 
ble to  himself  as  well  as  beneficial  to  the  com- 
munity; and  in  i868  he  was  elected  to  a  seat 
in  Congress  by  the  Democratic  party,  defeat- 


ing Thonias  Cornell,  of  Rondout,  by  a  major 
ity  of  live  hundred  votes.  His  work  in  the 
national  House  of  Representatives  was  charac- 
terized by  a  thorough  understanding  of  the 
principles  of  federal  government  and  a  clear 
conception  of  the  many  imjiortanl  ijuestions 
submitted  lor  legislation;  and,  when  a  conven- 
tion was  deciiled  upon  for  the  purpose  of  revis- 
ing the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  New  ^■()rk, 
he  was  again  called  into  service  as  a  delegate 
from  his  district.  In  iSjdhewas  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Convention  which  nominated 
Samuel  J.  Tilden  for  President.  He  has  also 
rendered  his  share  of  service  in  town  affairs, 
serving  as  a  Supervisor  in  1S72;  and  his  inter- 
est in  the  w^elfare  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives  was  not  eclipsed  by  the  higher 
public  duties  to  which  he  has  been  called. 

In  1S57  Judge  Griswold  married  :\liss  Eliza- 
beth M.  Roberts,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Will- 
iam Roberts,  who  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Cliftondale,  Ulster  County,  this  State.  Mrs. 
Griswold  died  Novembers,  1 S96,  aged  si.xty- 
six  years.  Judge  Griswold  resides  in  what  is 
known  as  the  Cornwall  house,  situated  on  an 
estate  commanding  a  view  for  twenty  miles 
around  of  the  varied  and  picturesque  scenery 
for  which  the  Catskill  region  is  noted.  He 
has  survived  all  of  his  former  legal  contempo- 
raries in  this  section,  but  is  still  upon  the 
active  list;  and,  if  not  as  young  in  years  as  his 
personal  appearance  would  indicate,  his  mental 
capacity  retains  its  accustomed  vigor,  and  his 
strong,  manly  character  is  as  much  appreciated 
to-day  as  it  was  during  the  period  of  his  public 
services.      He  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  was  for- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


nicrly  a   member  of    the  Catskill    I.ndge,    N'( 
46.S.       In    his   relii;i(His    belief    he    is   an    lCpi^ 


ILLARD  T.  RIVKNUURG,  M.U., 
a  well-known  medical  practitioner 
of  Middlebiir^,  \.  V.,  was  born  in  the  village 
of  Chatham  in  (ihent,  Columbia  County,  this 
State,  on  November  25,  1S63,  son  of  J.  Mor- 
gan and  Charlotte  (Tipple)  Rivenburi;.  As 
his  name  indicates,  he  is  of  Dutch  ancestry, 
although  his  family  has  been  settled  in  New 
York  for  many  years. 

His  grandfather,  Henry  Rivenburg,  was 
born  in  Columbia  County,  and  there  spent  his 
entire  life.  He  helped  in  clearing  a  part  of 
the  farm  which  he  occupied  and  carried  on. 
The  Doctor's  father  was  an  agriculturist,  and 
was  a  man  highly  respected  in  his  town.  He 
was  killed  by  the  cars  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Otsego 
County,  was  descended  from  Revolutionary 
stock.  S!ie  was  also  related  to  Walter  Gunn, 
who  with  his  wife  was  in  the  mission  field  in 
India,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  Hoth  parents  were  members  of  the 
Reformed  church  at  Ghent.  Of  their  three 
children,  two  grew  to  maturit)'.  These  are 
the  Doctor  and  John  Rivenburg,  .Superintend- 
ent of  Poor  for  Cidumljia  County  and  a  coal 
dealer  at  Ghent. 

Dr.  Rivenburg  was  educated  at  the  Hoys' 
Academy,  Troy,  the  South  15erkshire  Insti- 
tute, Mass.,  and  the  University  of  Buffalo, 
from  the  last  named  of  which  he  received  the 
degree     of     Doctor     of      Meilicine      in      1SS5. 


While  in  college  he  was  president  of  the 
Alpha  Omega  Delta  Society,  and  his  society 
sheepskin  bears  his  own  official  signature  as 
such.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  college  so- 
ciety known  as  the  "Secret  Seven."  Dr. 
Rivenburg  first  settled  for  practice  at  Blen- 
heim, but  after  a  short  stay  there  he  came,  in 
1887,  to  Middleburg,  where  he  has  won  a  po- 
sition of  influence.  He  covers  a  wide  area  in 
his  professional  visits,  and  receives  calls  for 
consultation  from  physicians  resiiling  twenty- 
five  miles  distant. 

The  Doctor  was  married  on  October  14, 
I  89 1,  to  Helle  Stanton,  a  graduate  of  the  Al- 
bany Female  Academy  and  a  daughter  of  John 
Stanton,  who  was  a  merchant,  and  later  rail- 
road station  agent  of  this  town.  She  was 
born  on  the  homstead  of  her  grandmother,  not 
far  from  here,  and  is  descended  from  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  honored  families  in  this 
region.  Among  her  ancestors  was  brave  Gen- 
eral James  Dana,  who  was  immortalized  by 
Washington  in  his  first  general  order  immedi- 
ately following  the  battle  of  Banker  Hill, 
where  Dana,  then  Ca])tain,  comnKuuled  a 
comjiany  of  the  Connecticut  line  of  Conti- 
nental troojis. 

Dr.  Rivenburg  is  a  physician  of  the  county 
almshouse.  He  has  served  as  [iresident  and 
vice-president  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Scho- 
harie County,  and  is  now  medical  e.xaminer 
for  several  well-known  insurance  companies, 
chief  of  which  aie  the  Mutual  Life  of  New 
York,  tiie  North-western,  the  I'enn,  the  Brook- 
lyn, the  Nederland,  the  Manhattan,  the 
Bankers',    and    the    United    States    Acciiient. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


iS 


In  iSS6  1)0  took  ;i  i)ost-L;r:ulii:itc  course  at 
tlic  Collcj^c  of  Physicians  ami  Surgeons  in 
New  York.  Mo  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
John  M.  Scribner  Hook  and  Ladder  Company, 
and  for  five  years  was  in  active  service,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  on  the  reserve  list. 
Fraternally,  he  is  Master  of  Middleburg  Lodge, 
No.  663,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  Past  Sachem  of 
Oiicongena  Tribe,  No.  240,  I.  O.  R.  M.  He  is 
treasurer  of  the  Village  Corporation;  also  a 
trustee  of  St.  Mark's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  and  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Sunilay-school. 


AXIEL  \V.  J1:NKINS,  agent  of  the 
D.  &  H.  Railroad  at  Central 
Bridge,  Schoharie  County,  N.Y., 
was  born  in  Glen,  Montgomery  County,  on 
September  27,  1846,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Eleanor  (Shannon)  Jenkins.  His  great- 
grandfather Jenkins,  who  was  a  Welshman  by 
birth,  came  to  this  country  and  settled  on 
Long  Island,  where  he  died.  At  the  time  the 
British  invaded  the  island  he  was  made  a  pris- 
oner of  war.  After  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion the  family  removed  to  Duanesburg,  Sche- 
nectady County,  this  State.  William,  one  of 
the  sons  and  grandfather  of  Daniel  W.  Jen- 
kins, was  born  on  Long  Island,  but  spent  the 
last  years  of  his  life  in  Montgomery  County, 
where  he  died  in  old  age. 

Nathaniel  Jenkins,  son  of  William  by  his 
second  wife,  was  born  in  Montgomery.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools.      He  was  one  of  a 


large  family  ol  children,  only  two  ..f  whom 
are  now  living,  both  physicians  and  promi- 
nent in  their  professions  —  namely,  Thomas, 
resiiling  at  Vandalia,  and  George,  at  Kiibourn 
City,  Wis.  Nathaniel  was  very  successful  in 
his  farming,  and  was  highly  respected  by  all 
who  know  him.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two.  His  wife,  I'.leanor,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty,  was  born  in  Prattsville.  Both  were 
members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

Daniel  W.  J-enkins  received  a  practical 
common-school  education,  and  on  September 
I  5,  1863,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna 
Railroad  Company.  This  road  has  since  be- 
come a  part  of  the  D.  &  H.  C.  Company  sys- 
tem. Mr.  Jenkins's  father  was  agent  at 
Quaker  Street  (now  Delanson),  and  at  that 
time  the  equipments  of  the  ticket  ofifice  were 
carried  in  a  tin  box,  and  the  way  bills  were 
made  out  on  a  board  that  was  set  up  in 
the  embankment.  The  road  then  ended  at  the 
Schoharie  Creek,  near  the  present  Schoharie 
Junction.  Mr.  Jenkins  has  since  seen  it  ad- 
vanced all  the  distance  to  Binghamton.  There 
was  only  one  train  per  day,  as  against  fifty 
per  day  at  the  present  time,  and  most  of  the 
modern  improvements  have  been  added  since 
then.  Mr.  Jenkins  succeeded  his  father  as 
agent  at  Quaker  Street,  and  in  1868  became 
the  agent  at  Central  Bridge,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  He  has  now  two  assistants. 
He  is  the  youngest  of  seven  children,  the 
others  being:  De  Witt  C,  at  .Syracuse;  Zerah 
and  William  A.,  at  Delanson;  Mrs.  Lottie 
Christman,    of    Iowa;    Mrs.   Colonel   Coryell, 


236 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


whose  husband  is  an  cx-paymastc-r  of  the 
D.  &  H.  Road;  and  Mrs.  M.  S.  lloa-,  ..1  Al- 
bany. In  adtlition  to  his  duties  as  station 
agent,  Mr.  Jenkins  docs  a  large  business  in 
handling  coal,  lumber,  hay,  and  straw. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Jenkins  is  known  as 
a  -MuLstler."  Whatever  he  tmds  to  do  he 
does  with  all  his  might,  and,  as  a  rule,  suc- 
cessfully. Recognizing  his  superior  business 
cjualifications,  the  15oard  of  Trustees  of  the 
Schoharie  County  Agricultural  Society  elected 
him  president  of  the  society,  which  position 
he  has  held  for  the  jiast  eight  or  ten  years. 
As  a  representative  of  this  organization  he 
has  been  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  the 
State  organization  of  county  societies,  serving 
on  the  li.xecutive  Committee;  and  for  the  past 
few  years  he  has  been  vice-president  of  the  so- 
ciety, frequently  visiting  Albany  during  the 
legislative  sessions  in  the  interests  of  agri- 
cultural societies  generally. 

In  politics  Mr.  Jenkins  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  has  frequently  attended  county  ami 
State  conventions  as  a  representative  of  his 
party.  In  the  winter  of  18S9  he  accepted  the 
nomination  for  Supervisor  of  the  town  of 
Schoharie.  At  the  succeeding  town  meeting 
he  was  elected,  and  he  has  served  the  town 
continuously  since  then  as  Supervisor,  having 
been  elected  three  times  without  opposition. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  board  for  the  years 
1893,  1896,  and  I'^Q/,  and  at  the  spring  meet- 
ing held  May  2,  1899,  was  again  honored  by 
being  unanimously  elected  chairman  for  the 
ensuing  two  years.  As  Supervisor  he  has 
e.Ncrted  a  i)owcrful  influence.      He  was  largely 


instrumental  in  effecting  a  settlement  of  the 
suits  brought  against  the  county  by  several 
towns  of  the  county  (including  the  town  of 
Schoharie),  when  the  law  went  into  effect  re- 
quiring the  amount  raised  by  ta.vation  of  the 
railroads  in  tcnvns  having  a  bonded  railroad 
debt  to  be  deposited  with  the  county  treas- 
urer as  a  sinking  fund  with  which  to  meet  the 
bonds  when  due.  In  this  settlement  the  town 
of  Schoharie  receivetl  its  full  share —  in  fact, 
more  than  she  hail  reason  to  e.xpect.  As  a 
member  of  the  county  board  he  has  looked 
carefully  after  the  interests  of  the  county,  be- 
lieving liberality  without  extravagance  in  the 
care  of  county  jiroperty  to  be  a  benefit  in  the 
long  run,  and  firmly  advocating  the  policy  of 
the  county  paying  its  debts  instead  of  paying 
interest  on  old  claims.  He  is  always  fore- 
most in  any  movement  which  contemplates 
the  interests  of  his  town,  and  more  than  once 
has  contributed  of  his  means  for  such  a  pur- 
pose. 

On  September  9,  1869,  Mr.  Jenkins  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Harriet  L.  Rosekrans, 
daughter  of  Charles  Rosekrans,  of  Jonesville, 
Saratoga  County. 

Mr.  Jenkins  is  identified  with  the  order  of 
Masonry,  being  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason; 
and  he  has  many  social  ties  in  Schoharie 
County.  He  belongs  to  Schoharie  Valley 
Lodge,  No.  491;  John  L.  Lewis  Chapter  of 
Cobleskill;  Temple  Commandery  of  Albany, 
a  noted  commandery  in  the  .State;  to  Ue  Witt 
Clinton  Council  of  Albany:  and  to  Cypress 
Temple  f)f  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  the  same 
city.      He    is    also    a    member  of    Wellington 


ItlOCKArillCAI. 


»37 


Lodge,  No.  731.  I.  O.  O.  F..  of  Central 
Hriilge.  He  is  an  attendant  and  liberal  sup- 
porter of  the  Lutheran  church. 


7^iI.\RLi:S  FOWLICR,  proprietor  of 
I  Jj         the    I'uwlcr    House,     I'rattsville,    was 

^*^ '  born  in   Lexington,   Greene  County, 

N.  Y.,  September  15,  1845,  son  of  David  S. 
and  Agnes  (Muir)  Fowler. 

The  Fowler  family  is  of  English  origin. 
There  were  several  immigrants  of  this  name 
in  New  England  in  early  Colonial  times.  It 
is  said  that  William  Fowler,  who  arrived  in 
Boston  in  June,  1637,  and  tlie  next  year  went 
to  New  Haven,  was  the  ancestor  of  n-.ost,  if 
not  all,  of  the  P'owlors,  of  Connecticut. 

Silas  Fowler,  great-grandfather  of  Charles 
I-'owler,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  After 
his  marriage  he  came  to  New  York  State,  and 
settling  in  Le.xington.  now  Jewctt,  resided 
there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four  years.  He  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier  from  this  State,  and  a  memento 
of  his  services  in  the  shape  of  a  flint-lock  gun 
taken  by  him  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  is 
now  owned  by  his  grandson,  Addison  Fovvier, 
of  Le.xington,  N.Y.  He  reared  a  family  of 
eight  children. 

Silas  Fowler,  second,  Charles  Fowler's 
grandfather,  was  three  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Lexington.  He  remained  at  the 
homestead  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he 
purchased  a  farm  near  by,  and  tilled  the  soil 
industriously  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  His 
wife,   wnose    maiden  name  was   Hannah   Mc- 


Lane,  is  a  native  of  Livingston,  N.Y.,  a 
daughter  of  George  Mcl.ane.  Her  father  fol- 
lowed the  shoemaker's  trade  in  connection 
with  farming.  She  became  the  mother  of 
nine  children;  namely,  Charles,  Rachel, 
David  S.,  Louise,  Elizabeth,  Minerva,  Silas, 
Addison,  anil  Julia.  Charles,  Rachel,  and 
Silas  are  no  loni;er  living.  Elizabctii  mar- 
ried Addison  De  Yoe.  .Minerva  married 
Henry  Moore,  of  Yilford,  Michigan.  Silas 
Fowler,  second,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years,  and  his  wife  lived  to  be  ninety-six 
years  old.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church. 

David  S.  Fowler,  Charles  I'-owler's  father, 
was  born  in  Lexington,  February  24,  181 8. 
Beginning  life  for  himself  upon  a  leased  farm, 
which  he  afterward  purchased,  he  resided  in 
his  native  town  until  1875.  He  then  removed 
to  Prattsville,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and 
carried  it  on  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  retired  and  purchased  a  resi- 
dence in  the  village  where  he  is  still  living. 
Mr.  F'owler,  who  is  unusually  active,  both 
physically  and  mentally,  for  one  of  his  years, 
remembers  when  deer  roamed  fearlessly  over 
the  town  of  Lexington.  He  has  witnessed 
the  growth  of  Prattsville  from  a  struggling 
little  settlement,  and  saw  its  founder,  Colo- 
nel Pratt,  set  out  many  of  the  shade  trees  that 
now  adorn  its  main  thoroughfare.  He  was  in 
his  younger  days  interested  in  military  affairs, 
serving  as  an  officer  in  a  local  artillery  com- 
pany. He  has  a  distinct  recollection  of  the 
days  when  slavery  was  permitted  in  this  sec- 
tion.      Later    he    belonged    to    tiie    famous 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Know-Nothing  party.  Ho  has  voted  the 
straight  Democratic  ticket  tor  sixty  years. 
David  S.  I'owier  contracteil  tlie  first  of  his 
two  marriages  in  1S41  with  Agnes  Miiir,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  died  in  1873;  and  for 
his  second  wife  he  married  Laura  Goodsell, 
whose  ancestors  came  from  ConnLcticut.  He 
is  the  father  of  three  chiltlren,  all  by  his  first 
iinii)ii;  namely,  M.try,  Charles,  and  Agnes. 
Mary  marrietl  A.  15jckwith,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Lexington.  They  have  one  tlaugh- 
ter,  Ada,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  Kaeder, 
antl  has  one  son,  Charles.  Agnes  married 
Alon/.o  Johnson,  of  Lexington,  and  her  chil- 
dren are:  Charles,  May,  and  Willie. 

Charles  Fowler  acquired  a  common-school 
education  in  his  native  town.  He  was  reared 
to  agricultural  [nirsuits,  and  assisted  his 
father  in  carrying  on  the  homesteatl  farm  until 
the  latter's  removal  to  I'rattsville,  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  ])ro|)erty  which  he  managed 
for  five  years,  or  until  it  was  sold.  Coming 
to  Prattsville  in  1880,  he  in  ^Llrch  of  that 
year  bought  a  half-interest  in  the  Prattsville 
House,  in  the  management  of  which  he  was 
associated  until  July,  18X2,  when  he  sold  out. 
He  immeiliately  jnirchased  his  present  prop- 
erty, which,  alter  repairing  and  refurnishing, 
he  opened  as  the  l''owlcr  House.  Here  he  has 
ever  since  entertained  the  travelling  public  in 
a  most  hospitable  manner.  The  Fowler 
House  i)roviiles  am])le  accommodations  for 
fifty  guests.  It  occupies  a  sightly  location 
on  the  banks  of  Schoharie  Creek,  in  a  region 
noted  for  its  beautiful  and  varied  scenery. 
Its    sanitary   and    other   conveniences   for  the 


health  and  comfort  of  its  patrons  are  unsur- 
passetl,  and  a  first-class  livery  stable  con- 
nected with  the  house  affords  excellent  facili- 
ties for  driving  over  the  surrounding  country. 

In  1 87 1  Mr.  Fowler  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Mary  Coggshall,  of  this  town.  She  was 
born  in  Rensselaerville,  daughter  of  Asa  and 
.Mary  (Joyce)  Coggshall,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  Gilderlantl  and  a  scho(dmaster 
by  occuj^ation.  Asa  and  Mary  Coggshall  had 
a  famil)'  of  ten  chikiren,  nine  of  whom  are 
living;  namely,  Harvey,  George,  Origen, 
Sarah,  Samuel,  Asa,  Mary,  Julia,  and  Aletta. 
Sarah  married  E.  P.  Churchill,  of  Prattsville, 
and  Aletta  married  Dwight  Miller.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fowler  have  one  daughter,  Edith,  who 
completed  her  education  at  the  .Stamford 
Seminary. 

In  politics  Mr.  l<"owler  is  a  Democrat. 
Though  frequently  solicitetl  to  become  a  can- 
didate for  public  office,  he  invariably  de- 
clines. Mrs.  I'owler  and  her  daughter  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


liS.  JULIA  A.  WILSON,  one  of 
he  best  known  temperance  workers 
in  Jelferson,  Schoharie  County, 
N.V.,  was  born  in  this  town  in  January, 
1828,  daughter  of  John  and  Laura  (Hamilton) 
Nichols.  .She  is  of  New  England  ancestry  on 
both  sides.  Her  great-grandfather  Nichols, 
whose  name  was  Daniel,  was  a  resident  of 
Western  Massachusetts.  Her  grandfather, 
Ezra  Nichols,  came  to  New  York  from  Will- 
iamstown,  Mass.,  settled  as  a  pioneer  at  North 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


HaipcrsML'ld,  Delaware  County,  N.  V.,  and 
tlirouj;]!  energy  and  ]ierse\-eranee  became  the 
owner  of  a  jjood  farm  containinj;  about  two 
lunulrod  acres.  He  resitled  in  that  town  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  ]'>/ra  Nichols  married 
I'^lizabeth  Knapp,  of  Danbury,  Conn.,  antl  his 
children  were:  Daniel.  John,  Clemon,  L'li, 
Sarah,  anil  Chloe.  Daniel  died  in  Harpers- 
field;  Clemon  died  in  Jefferson,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-four  years:  Eli  died  in  Madison,  Ohio; 
Sarah  became  Mrs.  Knapp;  and  Chloe  became 
Mrs.  Dixon. 

John  Nichols,  Mrs.  Wilson's  father,  was 
born  on  April  i8,  1787,  and  was  five  years  old 
when  his  parents  removed  to  Delaware 
County.  During  his  early  years  he  resided 
for  a  while  in  Dutchess  County.  He  settled 
in  Jefferson  in  1S18,  having  resided  with  his 
father  for  some  time  previous  to  coming  here. 
When  his  farm  was  ready  for  permanent  occu- 
pancy he  went  to  Connecticut  for  his  bride, 
with  whom  he  began  life  in  a  new  house  and 
on  a  new  farm.  His  industry  and  thrift 
enabled  him  to  accumulate  a  large  amount  of 
property,  and  this  he  divided  among  his  chil- 
dren, his  real  estate  alone  amounting  to  twelve 
hundred  acres.  John  Nichols  lived  to  be 
ninety-five  years  old.  He  was  fond  of  read- 
ing, and  was  a  good  mathematician.  He  also 
possessed  considerable  musical  ability,  and 
taught  a  singing-school  in  his  neighborhood 
for  a  number  of  years.  Charitable  and  affec- 
tionate in  his  disposition,  he  was  considerate 
of  the  feelings  of  others.  His  firm  belief  in 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  was  the  result  of 
long  and  patient  study  of  the  Bible.      In  poli- 


tics he  was  :i  Republican.  His  wife,  [.aura, 
who  w:is  a  native  of  Danbnry,  ("f)nn.,  became 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  namely:  .Susan, 
born  in  1822:  I'ranUlin,  born  iti  1824: 
Wesley,  born  in  i82r);  Julia  A.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  horn  in  January,  1828;  Clara 
1^.,  born  in  1832;  Cynthia  L.,  born  in  1834; 
and  George  H.,  born  in  1836.  .Susan,  who 
died  in  1845,  was  the  wife  of  Joseph  Hallen- 
beck,  a  farmer.  Franklin,  who  settled  as  a 
farmer  in  Altona,  Knox  County,  111.,  married 
Margaret  Multcr.  Their  children  are:  Wal- 
ter, now  residing  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Altona,  111.;  George,  a  farmer  of  Summit, 
N.Y. ;  Nathan  and  Irving,  who  live  in  Illi- 
nois. Wesley  died  in  1834.  Clara  K.,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  Musicdale  Seminary,  Salem, 
Conn.,  and  was  for  some  time  engaged  as  a 
teacher  of  music  at  Level  Green  Institute, 
near  Suffolk,  Va.,  and  at  Goldsboro  College, 
N.C.,  was  married  in  1857  to  the  Rev.  John 
O.  Evans,  of  Harpersfield,  N.Y.  Mrs.  Evans 
has  two  children,  Thomas  D.  and  I'lorine, 
both  of  whom  possess  remarkable  musical 
talent.  Mr.  Evans  died  in  1895  at  Earned, 
Kan.  Cynthia  L.  Nichols,  who  is  unmarried, 
resides  in  Jefferson.  George  H.  married 
Maria  Titus,  and  has  three  children — John, 
Clara  E.,  and  Fred,  all  of  whom  are  married. 

Julia  A.,  now  Mrs.  Wilson,  was  graduated 
from  the  New  York  Conference  Seminary, 
Charlotteville,  in  1852.  She  studied  paint- 
ing in  Cobleskill,  N.  Y.,  and,  having  com- 
pleted her  preparations  for  educational  work, 
she  went  to  Suffolk,  Va.,  where  she  taught 
painting  at  a  young   ladies'  seminary,  and  was 


lilOGRAPHKAL    KKVIEW 


at  one  time  its  principul.  She  afterward 
taught  French  and  mathematics  at  the  GdMs- 
boro  (N.C.)  Coile<(e,  remain iiii^  there  until 
compelleil  by  failing  health  to  return  North, 
when  she  relinquished  her  work  witli  reluc- 
tance. She  married  Henry  Wilson  in  1.S55, 
and  has  resided  in  Jefferson  continuously  to 
the  present  time.  She  has  had  two  children, 
neither  of  whom  is  livin^c.  Mrs.  Wilson  is 
one  of  the  most  active  n-.embers  of  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  in  Jef- 
ferson, having  served  as  recording  secretary 
and  as  corresponding  secretary,  also  as  a  dele- 
gate to  several  State  and  county  conventions. 
She  is  a  charter  member  of  the  local  lod-e, 
Indeiiendent  Order  of  (lood  Templars,  in 
which  she  is  a  I'ast  Vice-Temjilar,  and  is  its 
treasurer  at  the  present  time.  She  belongs 
to  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  is  Chaplain 
of  the  local  grange.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  for 
years  has  devoted  a  great  deal  of  her  time  to 
Sunday-school  and  other  religious  work. 


ILl.IAM  LAI-D1:R  C.\MP15i:i.l., 
Chief  of  Police,  Schenectady,  X.  "S'., 
was  boin  near  (-ateliouse,  Kirkcudbrightshire, 
Scotland,  February  2,  1.S44,  son  of  William 
and  Susan  (Lauder)  Cani|ibell.  The  family  for 
many  preceding  generations  consisted  of  indus- 
trious farming  people,  and  some  of  its  repre- 
sentatives were  overseers  on  large  estates.  The 
grandfather,  also  named  William  Caniiibell, 
was  a  native  of  Perthshire,  and  s]ient  the 
greater  part   of   his   life  as  a    farm  overseer  in 


Kirkcudbrightshire,  in  the  south  of  Scotland. 
He  married  a  Miss  Campbell,  who,  though  not 
a  near  relative,  belonged  to  Clan  Campbell, 
and    in   all   probability  w^as  a  descendant  of  the 

same  stock.  The  grand])arents  reared  four 
sons  and  four  daughters.  Two  f]f  the  latter 
married  well-to-do  husbands,  and  were  left 
widciws  with  TUeaiis.  Coming  to  y\merica  with 
tlieir  children  in  1S55,  they  purchased  fine 
farms  in  Prescott,  Canada,  o])positc  Ogdens- 
burg,  X.Y. ,  and  became  afiluent.  One  was 
tlie  widow  of  William  lilack,  and  the  other  of 
David  McKiimon. 

In  i,S5-  William  Campbell,  the  father  of 
William  Lauder,  sailed  fr.im  Wigton  with  his 
wile  and  six  of  his  children,  for  Liverpool, 
where  he  embarked  for  the  L'nited  States  on 
board  the  ship  '■William  Tapscott, "  Captain 
William  Bell.  Arriving  at  New  York,  August 
17,  1S5.S,  after  an  eight  weeks'  passage,  they 
were  met  at  Castle  Garden  b)-  two  other  mem- 
bers of  their  family,  James  and  Mary,  who  had 
preceded  them  a  year  before.  The  parents  .set- 
tled first  at  15ay  Side,  Long  Island.  They  had 
ten  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  Scotland; 
and  Charles,  aged  nine,  and  Robert,  aged  one 
year  and  si.\  UKJUths,  died  of  scarlet  fever  while 
on  the  [lassage  over,  and  weie  buried  at  sea. 
The  li\ing  are:  James,  a  farmer  and  landseai)e 
gardener,  who  married  a  Miss  Palmer,  and  re- 
sides at  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  Mar_\-,  who  married 
John  Dillen,  a  farmer,  and  resides  at  Chop- 
tauk,  Candine  County,  Md.  ;  William  I..,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  -Susan,  who  married 
Robert  llemmens,  an  Lnglishman,  and  a 
mouKler    by   trade,    residing    in    Schenectady; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Jessie,  wife  of  James  Myers,  a  contractor 
and  Iniililcr  at  Sclicncctatly,  \.V.  ;  ami  Mar- 
<;arct.  wlio  is  tlic  widow  of  janics  Mac- 
gregor,  late  l'a\ master's  C'lcik  in  the  Tnilcd 
States  navy,  is  now  livini;-  in  Haltimnre,  Md., 
and  has  one  dan-htLM'.  James  C-aniphell,  who 
is  now  residing  at  llartforil,  Conn.,  was  super- 
vising agent  and  lantlscape  gardener  for  tlie 
Morgans  of  New  York  for  seventeen  years,  and 
was  employed  in  the  same  ca|)acit_\-  b\-  the 
(iarretts  of  J^alliniore,  Md.,  having  charge  of 
their  entire  estate,  amounting  to  three  thou- 
sand acres,  with  several  assistant  snperintentl- 
ents  umler  hin).  The  father  died  in  1894, 
agetl  nearly  eighty-three  \ears,  surviving  the 
mother,  who  died  in  1.S90,  aged  seventy-seven. 
William  L.  Campbell  obtained  his  elemen- 
tary education  in  Scotland,  where  (as  well  as 
in  the  United  States,  after  his  arrival  here)  he 
attended  both  the  day  and  night  schools.  Hav- 
ing acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  landscape 
gardening  from  his  father,  and  receiving  from 
the  latter  his  full  Iibert_\-  some  years  jirevious  to 
his  majority,  he  entered  the  employ  of  i\ndrew 
Boardman,  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  V.,  where  he  re- 
mained seven  years,  supervising  the  laying  out 
of  that  gentleman's  gardens,  roads,  lawns,  and 
pleasure-grounds,  having  previously  attended 
school  and  worked  with  his  father,  at  Flushing, 
Long  Island.  lie  followed  landscape  garden- 
ing until  joining  the  Schenectady  police  force 
in  1869,  and  during  his  residence  in  Poughkeep- 
sie he  drove  the  first  stake  in  laying  out  the 
grounds  of  Vassar  College.  From  his  boy- 
hood he  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  out-door 
games,  and  he   was  known   in   his  youth   as  a 


good  all  around  athlete.  Coming  to  Schenec- 
tady in  i,sr.,S  Mdely  foi'  the  pnrp.ise  of  attend- 
ing a  Slipper  given  by  the  St.  Andrew's  Soci- 
ety, he  was  indueed  to  loe.ite  here,  and  on  Au- 

the  eapilnl  p,diee  force  in  this  city.  That 
botly  was  .lisbanded  eleven  montlis  afterward, 
and  going  to  Saratoga  he  was  for  the  succeed- 
ing tliree  months  in  charge  of  a  force  whose 
duty  it  was  to  jiatrol  the  streets  and  watch 
private  property,  he  ha\ing  been  the  first  uni- 
formed police  officer  to  do  tlut\-  in  that  village. 
Returning  to  this  city  after  S])ending  the  sum- 
mer months  in  .Saratoga,  he  again  in  Sejitem- 
ber,  1870,  joined  the  regular  Schenectady 
police  force  as  a  |iatrolnian  ;  was  acK'anced  on 
June  I,  1872,  to  the  position  of  assistant  to 
Charles  II.  W'illard,  whom  he  succeeded  as 
chief  on  July  6  of  the  same  year.  He  has 
held  that  ofifice  ever  since,  a  period  of  twenty- 
seven  years,  having  acted  chief  from  July  6 
to  December  3,  1872,  when  he  received  reg- 
ular appointment — longer  than  that  of  any 
other  chief  or  superintendent  of  police  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  and,  as  far  as  known,  in 
the  United  States. 

On  Januarv  10,  1872,  Mr.  Camiibell  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Harriet  S.  Orr,  of 
Saratoga,  N.  Y.  They  have  had  two  sons,  one 
of  them,  Bertie,  died  at  the  age  of  one  year. 
William  Alexander  Campbell,  who  was  grad- 
uated from  Union  University  in  1S97,  and  after 
studying  law  at  the  law  school  of  the  same 
university,  where  he  graduated  June  26,  1899, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  July  13,  1899, 
is,  like  his   father  and   grandfather,   unusually 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


well-developed  physically.  lie  is  j)roficient 
in  athletic  sports,  and  a  chanipior,  bicycle  rider 
and  lawn  tennis  player. 

Mr.  Cami)bell  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order, 
the  Mlks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Tor- 
esters. 

In  his  report  as  chief  of  police  of  the  city  of 
Schenectady  for  the  year  ending  November  30, 
1898  —  an  interesting  and  valuable  document, 
betokening  a  clear  head  antl  an  earnest  pur- 
pose—  Mr.  Campbell  reconimeiuls  tiuit  tlie 
penal  ordinances,  so  far  as  the\-  relate  to  peace 
and  good  order,  together  with  the  sanitary  rules 
and  regulations  of  tiie  cit\,  be  printed  in 
pamphlet  form  the  size  of  a  pocket  diary  and 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  newsdealers  for 
sale;  that  police  officers  and  city  officials  be 
provideti  with  copies;  and  tiiat  pu])ils  in  the 
schools  should  be  instructed  as  to  their  duties 
in  observing  ordinances.  He  would  have  even 
the  smallest  cliild  thus  led  to  see  that  a 
policeman  is  his  servant  and  not  his  master. 
l''ollowing  the  adoption  of  this  plan,  he  sagely 
thinks  that  "another  generation  would  see  the 
number  of  policemen  in  cities  reduced  to  one- 
half  the  raticj  ]ier  thousand  inhabitant  now 
employed,  and  in  this  way  our  citizens  would 
become  more  nearly  self-governing." 


.l.I.XM  II.  AI.l'.RO,  of  Middle- 
g,  Schoharie  County,  X.V.,  is 
of  I'jiglish,  Welsh,  and  Ibdjand  ancestry.  On 
the  jiaternal  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  John 
Albro,  who  was  born    in    Alilijon),   lu)gland,   in 


1617,  and  who  married  in  1647  Doratha  I'otter, 
widow  of  Nathaniel  Potter. 

In  1634,  at  the  age  of  se\enteen  years,  John 
Albro  embarked  in  the  ship  "Francis"  from 
Ipswich,  ICngland,  for  Boston.  In  1638  he 
went  with  William  h'reeborn  to  Portsmouth, 
R.I.  In  1639  certain  lands  at  Portsmouth, 
R.I.,  were  granted  to  said  John  Albro  and 
olliers,  by  the  king  of  England,  on  condition 
that  they  build  upon  those  lands  within 
one  )-ear  —  which  the\'  diii.  And  upon  the 
lands  thus  acquired  John  ,\lbro  and  his 
ilescendants  lived  for  nearly  two  hundred 
years.  In  1644  this  John  .Albro  was  a  Cor- 
poral in  the  Cidonial  militia,  rising  succes- 
sivel)'  in  after  years  to  be  Lieutenant,  Cap- 
tain, and  Major.  In  1649  he  was  chosen  to 
view  cattle,  to  be  clerk  of  weights  and  meas- 
ures, and  member  of  Town  Council.  In  1660 
and  1661  he  was  a  commissioner,  and  member 
of  a  committee  to  receive  contributions  for 
agents  in  Mngland.  In  1666  he  was  appointed 
with  two  other  persons  to  take  areas  of  high- 
ways and  driftways  not  set  off.  In  1670,  with 
three  other  [lersons,  he  loaned  the  colony  of 
Rhode  Island  seven  pounds  on  account  of  the 
town  of  Portsmouth.  I'rom  1671  to  16.S6, 
with  the  excejition  of  a  few  years  in  the  seven- 
ties, he  was  an  Assistant,  a  town  ofTicei-.  In 
1676  he  with  three  other  persons  was  ap- 
pointetl  a  committee  for  the  care  and  disposal 
of  powder  for  the  supply  of  Portsmouth.  He 
was  also  a  commissioner  to  order  watch  and 
ward  of  the  island.  Tliis  was  during  King 
Philiji's  War.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
court-martial   at    Newport    to   tr)-   certain    Ind- 


WILLIAM    HENKV    ALUKU. 


niOr.RAlMIKAL   RF.viiav 


ians.  In  1677  he  was  a  member  of  a  commit- 
tee in  the  matter  of  injurious  and  illegal  acts 
of  Connecticut.  In  1679  he  was  one  of  the 
members  of  a  committee  to  draw  uji  a  letter  to 
the  king  of  Knglantl,  giving  an  account  of  the 
territory  of  Mount  Hope  ami  of  their  late  war 
with  the  Indians.  He  was  also  appointed  with 
one  other  person  a  committee  to  lay  out  the 
western  boundary  line  of  the  colony.  In  1685 
he,  Major  John  Alhro,  Assistant  and  Coroner, 
summoned  a  jury  in  the  case  of  an  Indian 
found  dead  on  clay-i>it  lands.  The  verdict  of 
the  jury  was  "That  the  saiil  Indian  being 
much  distempered  with  drink,  was  bewildered, 
and  by  the  extremity  of  the  cold  he  lost  his 
life."  In  1686  he  was  a  member  of  Sir  lul- 
mund  Andros's  Council,  and  was  [)resent  at 
their  first  meeting  at  Boston,  December  30, 
1686.  In  1697  he  was  allowed  twenty  shill- 
ings for  his  expenses  for  going  to  Boston.  He 
died  December  14,  1712.  His  will,  dated 
December  28,  1710,  was  proved  in  1713.  By 
it  he  divided  a  considerable  amount  of  real  and 
personal  property  among  his  sons  and  daugh- 
ters and  their  children.  He  was  buried  in  his 
own  orchard.  His  children  were:  Samuel, 
Elizabeth,  Mary,  John,  and  Su.sannah. 

John  Albro,  second,  who  is  in  the  direct 
line  of  descent  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
married  Mary  Stokes,  April  27,  1693.  In 
1677  he  and  others  granted  five  thousand 
acres  of  land  to  be  called  East  Greenwich, 
upon  which  land  so  granted  stands  the  present 
town  of  East  Greenwich,  R.I.  He  died  De- 
cember 4,  1724.  His  son,  John  Albro,  third, 
who  was  horn   August  23,   1694,  married  Ruth 


Lawton,  November  j;,  17J5.  II.  had  a  son 
John,  fourth,  stmietimes  called  Jonathan,  who 
was  born  January  2,  1734,  and  married  Sarah 
Taber,  October  21,  1759.  This  fourth  John 
Alhro  was  a  private  in  Cai)tain  Benjamin 
West's  company,  Colonel  John  Topham's  regi- 
ment of  Rhode  Island  troops,  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  from  March  16,  1 77S,  to  h'eb- 
ruary  20,  1779.  John,  fourth  (or,  as  he  was 
more  commonly  called,  Jonathan)  Albrf),  had  a 
son  Isaac,  who  was  born  at  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
September  3,  17C5.  Isaac  Albro  married 
Sarah  Bliss,  whose  ancestors  were  English  and 
Welsh.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  Bliss, 
whose  father,  Josiah  Bliss,  was  the  son  of 
John  and  Damaris  (Arnold)  Bliss,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  Benedict  Arnold,  who  was  one  of 
Rhode  Island's  earliest  and  best  governors. 
John  Bliss  was  an  Ensign  in  the  Continental 
Army  in  1667,  also  a  Deputy.  In  1696  he  was 
a  Major  for  Rhode  Island.  Governor  Arnold, 
his  wife's  father,  built  as  a  wind-mill  for 
grinding  grain,  it  is  now  said,  the  Old  Stone 
Tower,  which  for  a  great  many  years  has  been 
one  of  Newport's  greatest  curiosities  to  visi- 
tors, and  which  for  a  long  time  was  supposed 
to  have  been  built  by  the  Northmen,  or  Norse- 
men, who  landed  on  the  coast  of  New  England 
before  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus. 
About  the  year  1800  Isaac  Albro  and  family 
moved  from  Portsmouth,  R.  I. ,  where  for 
nearly  two  centuries  his  ancestors  had  lived,  to 
the  town  of  Berne,  Albany  County,  N.  V. 
About  the  year  1785  John  Bliss,  who  was  a 
brother  of  Sarah  Bliss,  wife  of  Isaac  Albro, 
removed  from  Portsmouth   to  Greenfield,  Sara- 


246 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


toga  Coiintv,  N.  V. ,  seven  miles  from  Saratoga 
Springs.  In  the  month  of  February,  1801, 
Joiin  HI iss  walked  all  the  way  from  liis  iKmic 
in  Greenfield,  Saratoga  County,  N.  V. ,  to 
Newport,  R.  I.,  to  sul^mit  to  the  ordinance  of 
baptism.  John  Bliss  had  twelve  sons  and  four 
daughters.  One  of  the  sons,  Isaac  Bliss,  was 
the  father  of  P.  1".  Bliss,  the  author  <if  the 
Gospel  Ilymn.s,  and  a  singer  and  musical  com- 
poser of  world-wide  reputation,  who  met  a  vio- 
lent death  December  29,  1S76,  by  a  railroad 
accident  at  Ashtabula,  Ohio.  Isaac  Albro  was 
a  prosperous  farmer.  He  died  November  12, 
1838,  having  survived  his  wife  Sarah  about 
thirty-three  years. 

Their  son,  Benjamin  Albro,  who  was  born 
December  25,  1S02,  married  Mary  K.  Bassler, 
of  Middleburg,  Scholiarie  County,  N.Y., 
January  i",  183S.  She  was  born  July  25, 
1818,  and  died  February  7,  1884.  Her  ances- 
tors originally  came  from  Holland,  and  previ- 
ous to  the  Revolutionary  War  settled  in  the 
towns  of  Berne  and  Knox,  Ali)any  County, 
N.V.  In  early  life  Benjamin  Albro  taught 
school  in  Albany  and  Sciioharie  Counties,  and 
afterwards  in  Wayne  and  Cayuga  Counties, 
New  York.  Me  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  for  some  years,  was  Town  Superin- 
tendent of  common  schools  of  the  town  of  Mid- 
dlel)urg,  and  for  the  last  forty-live  years  of  his 
life  lie  lived  upon  a  farm  near  the  village  of 
Middlelnng.  He  was  an  honored  niendjer  of 
the  Middlcburg  Methodist  I'.piscopal  church 
for  seventy-three  years,  and  was  noted  for  his 
integrity  and  character.  He  died  l'"el)ruary 
10,   189s,  aged  ninety -two  years. 


Benjamin  Albro  and  Mary  K.  Albro,  his 
wife,  had  a  s.mi,  William  Henry  Albro,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Middlcburg,  Schoharie  County,  N.V., 

on  September  8,  1840.  He  obtained  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  tiie  district  and  select 
schools  of  the  town,  was  fitted  for  college  at 
Charlotteville  Seminary  and  Fort  F.dward  In- 
stitute, and  he  attended  and  was  graduated 
from  Union  College  at  Schenectady,  N.V. 
He  taught  .several  terms  in  the  district  schools 
of  the  town.  Afterward  he  read  law  in  the 
office  of  W.  H.  luigle,  Fsq,,  of  Middlcburg, 
during  the  vears  1864  and  1865,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  jiract ice  as  an  attorney  and  counsel- 
lor-at-law  of  this  State  at  a  general  term  of  the 
Supreme  Court  held  at  the  capitol  in  the  city 
of  Albany,  N.Y.,  on  Decembers,  1S65.  On 
January  i,  1866,  he  foinied  a  partnership  for 
the  practice  of  law  with  the  said  W.  H. 
Kngle,  which  continued  until  l-'ebruary,  1S74, 
when  it  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent.  He 
then  opened  an  office  in  the  village  of  Middle- 
burg,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  law  up  to  the  present  time. 

On  October  31,  1867,  William  Henry  Albro 
married  Elizabeth  Dodge,  daughter  of  the  late 
Daniel  D.  Dodge,  of  Middlcburg,  N.  Y.,  now 
deceased.  Three  children  were  the  fruit  of 
this  union,  namely:  Willie  I).  Albro,  who 
was  linrn  Januai'}'  29,  1870,  and  who  died  ot 
scarlet  fever  April  14,  1872;  Arthur  D. 
Alin-o,  who  was  born  October  29,  1871,  and 
who  died  November  28,  i  S93  ;  and  Grace  I). 
Albro,  who  was  born  May  5,    1874. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dodge  Albro  was  born  in  the 


HIOr.KAl'HICAI,    KKVIKW 


town  of  Micldlcbiirg,  Schoharie  County,  N.Y. , 
on  September  7,  1S37,  anil  ilicci  I-'cbriiaty  S, 
1S92.  She  was  a  most  excellent  wife  and 
mother,  ami  was  liclil  in  high  esteem  by  all 
who  knew  her.  Her  denth  caused  as  nuK  h 
genuine  sorrow  as  that  of  any  other  person  ever 
did  in  the  community  in  which  she  was  known 
anil  had  lived.  In  every  true  sense  of  the  term 
she  was  of  the  iidhlest  and  best  t\  pi.'  «i  women. 
Her  husband,  the  subject  of  tiiis  sketch,  and 
their  daughter,  Grace  D. ,  are  all  of  the  family 
who  now  survive  her.  The  son,  Arthur  Dodge 
Alhro,  a  bright  anil  promising  young  man, 
who  had  just  entered  upon  business  life,  sur- 
vived his  mother  only  about  two  years.  Since 
the  death  of  mother  and  sun,  the  father  and 
daughter  live  together  in  the  old  home  and 
constitute  the  remnant  of  what  was  once  a 
prosperous  and  happy  family. 

Upon  Arthur's  death  his  business  came  into 
the  hands  of  his  father;  and  since  then,  in  ail- 
ditiim  to  his  general  law  practice,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  has  been  conducting  a  large  and 
successful  mercantile  business.  His  store  is 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  county,  carrying  a 
large  stock  of  drugs,  groceries,  and  miscellane- 
ous goods.  His  law  office  contains  one  of  the 
largest  and  best-selected  law  libraries  in  the 
county.  He  has  been  fairly  successful  as  a 
lawyer,  and  also  as  a  business  man.  He  has 
held  some  official  positions,  among  them  that 
of  School  Commissioner  of  First  Commissioner 
District  of  Schoharie  County,  during  the  years 
1879,  18S0,  and  1 88 1.  He  was  elected  to 
that  office  by  a  majority  of  two  hundred  and 
eighteen  votes  at  a  time  when  there  was  a  natu- 


ral political  majority  of  about  five  hundred 
against  him.  He  points  with  pride  to  the 
record  which  he  made  while  holding  that  ofTice. 
No  paper  sent  by  him  to  the  office  of  the  State 
Superintendent  of  I'lihlic  Instruction  was  re- 
jected or  sent  back  to  him  for  correction,  and 
no  request  was  ever  made  by  him  to  the  super- 
intendent that  was  not  cheerfully  and  |)rom])tly 
granted. 

The  subject   of  this   sketch    is  a   member  of 
'  the   Masonic  fraternity  ;  also  of   the  Methodist 
I  Mpiscoi);il  church,  nf  which  he  has  been  a  trus- 
tee for  many  years,  and   in  which   he   has   held 
i  other  positions  of  trust.      He  was  virtually  the 
j  founder   of  the    Union  I'ree  School  and  Acad- 
emy at    Middleburg,    N.Y.,    and   was  the   first 
president  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  that  in- 
stitution.     His  daughter  Grace  was  one  of  the 
first  graduates  of  this  institution. 

The  Alhro  family,  of  Aldhoro,  hjigland,  of 
which  the  original  John  Alhro  was  a  member, 
had  a  coat-of-arms,  a  record  of  which  may  he 
found  in  the  public  offices  of  London  at  the 
present  day.  From  the  facts  aforesaid,  it 
clearly  appears  that  Mr.  Albro  is  a  lineal  de- 
■scendant  in  the  .seventh  degree  of  John  Albro, 
of  Aldboro,  England,  born  1617;  that  he  is 
also  a  lineal  descendant  in  the  si.\th  degree  of 
Benedict  Arnold,  Governor  of  Rhode  Island  for 
three  terms,  beginning  in  1663,  and  who  built 
Newport's  Old  Stone  Tower;  and  that  he  is  re- 
lated in  the  sixth  degree  to  P.  P.  Bliss,  author 
of  Gospel  Hymns  and  a  celebrated  musical 
compo.ser.  He  takes  pride  in  tracing  his  an- 
cestry back  through  the  centuries  and  tf>  and 
through  families  in  whose  veins  flowed  some  of 


248 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


the    piiresl   ami   best   of   Kiij^lisli,    Welsh,    ami 
Ilollaml  blood. 


1)\V1\  1).  1I.\(;1-:R,  a  -cncral  nuichaiit 
151ciilK-iiii.  Schoharie  County,  is 
prominently  identified  with  the  leading  inter- 
ests of  this  section  of  the  State.  He  was  born 
May  31,  1847,  in  Middlcburj;.  N.V.,  a  son  of 
Daniel  J.  Ilager,  ami  tlie  lineal  descendant, 
we  are  told,  of  one  of  four  hnjthers  who  came 
from  Holland  to  America  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  assisted  the  settlement  of  eastern 
New  York. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Jacob  Hager,  was 
for  many  years  an  extensive  farmer  in  Fulton, 
whence  he  and  his  wife,  Catliern  Fech,  re- 
moved with  their  twelve  children  t(j  Oeland, 
Orleans  County,  X.\'. ,  where  both  died  when 
well  advanced  in  years.  The  grandfather  was 
active  in  local  affairs  in  both  counties  in  which 
he  resided,  and  in  both  he  owned  and  cleared 
large  tracts  of  land.  Six  of  his  children  sub- 
sequently returned  to  .Schoharie  County,  and 
for  a  time  li\ed  in  ]5reakabeen.  They  were: 
Tunis,  Jacob,  John,  Daniel  J.,  Jane,  and  .Mar- 
garet, none  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Tunis  Hager  married  Rebecca  15ecker,  and 
settled  in  Sharon  .Springs.  Jacob  married, 
and  removed  to  Albany,  and  in  iS49hewcnt 
with  the  gold-seekers  to  California.  Return- 
ing from  the  Pacific  Coast  to  .Schoharie,  he 
kept  the  public  house  known  as  the  Wood 
House  a  few  )ears,  after  which  he  conducted  a 
hotel  that  occu|5ied  the  site  of  the  jiresent  ca]ii- 
tt)l  building  in  Albany,  and  then  coming  back  to 


this  county  he  farmed  it  in  the  town  of  ]^si)cr- 
ance  until  his  decease.  John  went  with  his 
brother  Jacob  to  California,  came  back  with 
him  to  Schoharie,  and  after  his  marriage  made 
a  second  trip  to  the  (iolden  Gate.  Returning 
Fast,  he  went  into  the  livery  business  with 
Jcs.se  Mills  in  New  V,,rk  City.  In  a  short 
time  he  sold  out  to  his  ])artner,  and  opened  a 
li\er\-  on  his  own  account  at  S96  Broadway, 
and  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel,  where  he  car- 
ried <in  a  thriving  business  some  years.  Re- 
tiring then  from  the  livery,  he  bought  a  beau- 
1  tiful  farm  in  Rhineheck.  whither  he  removed 
!  with  his  wife  and  tliree  sons,  and  there  lived 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  threescore  and 
ten  years. 

Daniel  J.  Ilager  was  horn  in  Fulton,  Sep- 
■  tember  5,  iSii.  He  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade  in  his  native  place,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage, at  the  age  of  twenty  one,  he  continued 
to  work  at  it  first  at  Middleburg,  then  at 
Breakabeen,  and  finally  in  Blenheim,  where  he 
[lassed  his  last  years,  d\ing  Seiitember  iS, 
1871.  He  was  a  loyal  Republican  in  politics, 
and  as  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  he  jiartici- 
pated  in  several  of  the  battles  of  the  Civil 
War.  He  married  I-:ii/.a  C.  Zelie,  who  was 
a  native  of  Fulton,  being  the  eldest  of  a  fam 
ily  of  nine  ch ildren  —  b:iiza  C,  Lias,  Chris- 
tina, David,  Jane,  I^phraim,  Harriet,  Andrew, 
and  :\Iargaret  —  born  to  Peter  Zelie,  whose 
wife  was  before  marriage  a  Miss  Vroman. 
(l-'urther  ancestral  history  may  be  foimd  on  an- 
other jxige  of  this  work,  in  connection  with  the 
sketch  of  Luther  Zelie.)  Mrs.  Fliza  C.  Zelie 
linger  was   born  November  10,   1816,  and  died 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


October  lo,  1S74.  She  had  five  children, 
naiiiel}- :  Mary  C. ,  wile  of  George  Becker,  the 
repieseiuative  of  an  old  family  of  Schoharie 
County;  William  S.,  a  farmer  in  l?len- 
heini;  I'eterZ.,  a  farmer  in  Oswego  County; 
Kdwin  D.  ;  and  Harriet  A.,  wife  of  Peter 
Bur-ett,  of  Schoharie  County.  Ixith  jxirents 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcojjal 
church  of  ;\Iiddleburi;-,  in  which  the  father 
held   various   offices. 

Kdwin  D.  Hager  attended  the  district 
schools  in  his  youthful  days,  and  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  old  he  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents.  He  subsequently  worked  out  by  the 
day,  sometimes  as  a  farm  laborer,  for  two 
years,  after  which  he  was  employed  by  his 
brother-in-law  as  a  clerk  in  Breakabeen  for 
three  years.  The  ensuing  year  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  for  himself 
in  Blenheim.  He  then  sold  out,  and  for  two 
years  was  employed  as  a  clerk  or  a  teacher. 
In  1 868  he  went  to  Catskill,  where  he  re- 
mained a  year,  when  he  returned  to  Blenheim, 
and  for  a  year  was  here  a  clerk  in  a  general 
store.  Going  then  to  Middleburg,  Mr.  Hager 
was  with  J.  Xevill  three  years,  and  then,  in 
partnership  with  the  late  Silas  Sweet,  he 
bought  out  the  store  of  John  Hager,  in  Blen- 
heim, and  carried  on  a  successful  business 
until  the  death  of  ]\Ir.  Sweet,  three  years 
later.  The  following  spring  he  sold  out  the 
business,  and  the  ne.xt  year  purchased  a  half- 
interest  with  Seneca  We.st,  and  later  formed 
a  copartnership  with  Ira  Haverly,  to  whom,  at 
the  end  of  four  years,  he  sold  out.  Two  years 
later  Mr.  Hager  purchased  the  building  which  I 


he   is   now  occupying,   and   put    in   a   new  and 

complete  stock  of  merchandise.  lie  has  now 
one  of  the  largest  stores  in  this  section  of  the 
county,  and  carries  the  finest  stock  of  goods  in 
his  line.  Iking  one  of  the  oldest  merchants 
in  this  locality,  and  with  two  exceptions  the 
oldest  in  the  county,  he  is  well  known,  and  it 
is  safe  to  say  no  man  has  a  better  reputation, 
or  is  more  highly  esteemed  in  business  and 
social  circles. 

Mr.  Hager  is  a  strong  sih'er  man  in  poli- 
tics, and  takes  a  prominent  jwrt  in  local 
affairs.  For  eighteen  consecutive  j-ears  he 
was  a  member  of  the  county  committee,  and 
was  a  regular  attendant  at  all  conventions.  In 
1882  he  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  State  con- 
vention held  in  Syracuse,  and  in  1883  as  a 
delegate  to  the  Congressional  convention.  He 
has  served  as  Supervisor  of  the  town  four 
terms,  in  1S78,  1S79,  18S2,  and  1SS3;  and  in 
1 884  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  by  Pres- 
ident Cleveland,  a  position  to  which  he  was 
again  appointed  in  1892.  He  is  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  school  district,  and  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Blenheim  Creamery  Company,  of 
which  he  has  been  president  since  its  incorpo- 
ration. Fraternally,  he  united  with  the  Mid- 
dleburg Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  1S70,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  IMiddleburg  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F. 

On  November  16,  1876,  :\Ir.  Hager  married 
Nellie  E.  Beckwith.  of  Springfield,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Calvin  and  Lucy  B.  Balton  Beck- 
with. Mr.  and  :\Irs.  Hager  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  namely:  Clyde  L. ,  who  died  at 
the    age    of    twenty-two    months;   Eugene    B., 


25« 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


born  August  28,  1877;  and  Florence  A.,  born 
July  20,  1882.  Kugene  15.  Hagcr,  who  was 
educated  in  the  graded  schools,  was  formerly 
employed  as  clerk  in  Brooklyn  and  New  York 
City,  but  is  now  in  business  with  his  father, 
lie  married,  December  15,  1897,  Margie  Dib- 
ble, who  was  born  March  8,  1878,  in  Middle-. 
burg,  a  daughter  of  and  Eliza- 
beth (Dexter)  Dibble.  Mr.  Hagcr  and  all  his 
family  attend  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  church. 


MHRO.SE  R.  HUNTING,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Schoharie,  N.Y.,  re- 
siding on  the  Hunting  homestead, 
was  born  in  this  town  on  September  14,  1S33. 
son  of  Joseph  and  .Mary  A.  (Chesebro) 
Hunting. 

The  first  of  his  family  in  this  country  was 
John  Hunting,  who  came  from  ICngland  in 
August,  1638,  and  settled  in  Dedham,  Mass. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  that  town,  and 
an  Elder  in  the  church  there  for  many  years. 
He  had  a  son  named  John,  of  whom  little  is 
known,  and  a  grandson,  Nathaniel,  who  was 
graduated  at  Harvard  College,  and  subse- 
quently preached  to  the  church  in  East  Hamp- 
ton, N.Y.,  for  fifty-seven  years. 

The  fourth  in  line,  Nathaniel  Hunting,  sec- 
ond, was  educated  for  the  ministry,  but  poor 
health  compelled  him  to  give  up  his  beloved 
profession,  and  devote  himself  to  agriculture. 
His  son,  Joseph  Hunting,  was  a  sea  captain. 
After  this  Joseph  came  two  others  of  the  same 
name.  The  first  of  these,  who  was  the  grand- 
father of  Ambrose  R.  Hunting,  was  the  first 


Hunting  to  come  to  Schoharie.  He  came 
hither  from  Long  Island  in  1791,  accompanied 
by  his  mother,  and  settled  on  the  farni  which 
has  since  been  in  the  possession  of  his  de- 
scendants. He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
but  was  engaged  more  or  less  in  farming  and 
in  mercantile  affairs. 

The  third  Joseph  Hunting,  father  of  Am- 
brose R.,  was  born  in  Schoharie  in  1S05,  and 
resided  in  the  town  throughout  his  life.  He 
was  known  as  a  man  who  attended  strictly  to 
his  own  affairs  and  caused  no  annoyance  to 
other  persons  by  interference.  He  never 
brought  suit  against  any  one,  was  never  sued, 
and  never  called  upon  to  serve  as  a  witness. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and 
for  more  than  forty  years  a  class  leader.  His 
wife,  Mary,  was  born  in  Knox,  Albany 
County,  the  daughter  (.f  I'clcg  Chesebro,  a 
cooper  and  farmer.  Her  graiidfatlier,  Chris- 
topher Chesebro,  who  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  fought  in  the  Revolution.  He  lived 
originally  in  Stonington,  Conn.,  but  removed 
thence  to  Knox  in  1791. 

Ambrose  R.  Hunting  was  reared  on  the  pa- 
ternal homestead,  and  attended  the  public 
schools  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age. 
He  then  was  sent  to  Schoharie  Academy  for 
two  terms,  and  afterward  to  the  New  York 
Conference  Seminary  at  Charlotteville.  After 
studying  there  for  two  years,  he  was  prepared 
to  enter  the  Junior  class  at  Union  College, 
Schenectady;  but,  his  family  being  opposed  to 
the  profession  he  had  chosen,  he  yielded  to 
tlieir  wish33  and  withdrew  from  school.      After 


)«iti  <•»-  V- 


AM     klKKNliAKK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


teaching  for  several  terms  he  returned  to  the 
farm  antl  began  devoting  himself  to  agri- 
culture. 

Mr.  Hunting  has  been  a  loyal  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  for  fifty  years,  and  has 
held  every  position  in  the  church  to  which  a 
layman  is  entitled,  except  that  of  lay  delegate 
to  the  general  conference.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Super- 
visor for  four  years,  that  of  School  Commis- 
sioner for  two  terms,  and  for  a  year  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Assembly.  Fraternally,  he  is 
connected  with  Schoharie  Valley  Lodge,  No. 
491,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  John  L.  Lewis  Chap- 
ter, No.  229,  R.  A.  M. 

Mr.  Hunting  was  first  married  on  April  14, 
1S59,  to  Amanda  Severson.  Two  sons  were 
born  of  this  union:  William  J.,  who  died  in 
1S75;  and  Edwin  F.,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Albany  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  is  now  a 
successful  druggist  in  that  city.  On  June  5, 
1869,  Mr.  Hunting  was  married  to  Mary  M. 
Northrop,  who  was  born  in  Berne,  Albany 
County,  the  daughter  of  Asa  T.  and  Ann  E. 
Northrop.  By  this  second  marriage  there  is 
one  child,  Florence  A.  She  has  received  a 
musical  education  at  Claverack  Listitute. 


"IRAM  RIFENBARK,  a  representa- 
tive citizen  of  the  town  of  Summit, 
residing  in  the  village  of  Charlotte- 
ville,  was  born  in  Summit  on  April  30,  1839, 
his  parents  being  Aaron  and  Mar}'  (Banks) 
Rifenbark. 

The   family   is  of   German    origin,    and   Mr. 


Rifenbark's  great-grandfather  spelled  his  name 
Rifenbarek.  The  grandfather,  Henry  Rifen- 
bark, came  from  Cnlumbia  Coimty  in  1 S02  or 
near  that  date,  and  settled  about  two  miles  east 
of  Summit  village.  There  he  owned  a  whiskey 
still,  a  store,  and  an  inn  or  tavern.  He  was  a 
man  of  influence  and  of  considerable  projjerty, 
and  his  tavern  was  often  the  gathering  place 
of  important  assemblies.  Town  meetings  were 
sometimes  held  there.  His  brother  Peter  was 
a  clergyman  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 
Henry  Rifenbark's  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Caleb  Clark,  who  was  captured  by  the  British 
and  Indians  during  the  Revolution,  and  carried 
to  Canada.  There  Mr.  Clark  was  kept  at  P^ort 
Niagara  under  guard,  but  was  sent  out  every 
day  with  other  captives  under  a  guard  of 
Indians  to  chop  wood  in  the  forest.  The  Ind- 
ians, believing  that  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  escape,  often  left  them  alone  during 
the  day,  returning  for  them  at  night.  Mr. 
Clark  and  his  fellow-prisoners,  however,  with 
sturdy  pioneer  determination,  resolved  to  make 
an  effort  to  regain  their  freedom.  Accord- 
ingly, one  morning  after  their  captors  had  left 
them,  they  started  on  snow-shoes  for  the  Mo- 
hawk River,  carrying  the  food  that  had  been 
measured  out  to  them  for  their  mid-day  meal. 
For  many  days  this  was  all  the  food  they  had. 
At  length,  at  the  end  of  a  week,  he  and  his 
companions  came  to  a  deserted  and  tumble- 
down hut  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  where  they 
found  some  mice.  These  they  were  forced  to 
eat  to  keep  themselves  from  starving.  They 
finally  reached  home  in  safety,  but  Mr.  Clark 
always  felt  exceedingly  bitter  toward  the  Brit- 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ish.  Henry  Rifcnbark  and  his  wife  had  seven 
diililicn,  three  sons — Harry  C,  Aaron,  and 
libenezer  —  and  four  daui^diters  —  Julia  .Ami, 
Hattie,  Harriet,  ant!  Caroline.  All  of  the 
boys  became  farmers. 

Aaron  Kifenbari<,  who  was  born  in  Summit 
in  1804,  and  died  in  1SS3,  was  a  leatling  citi- 
zen here  and  a  i)r(iminent  man  in  the  Demo- 
cratic parly.  He  was  twiee  married,  the  tirst 
time  to  Mary  Bani^s  and  the  .second  time  to 
her  sister  Catliarine.  The  tirst  wife  died  in 
I S4S  and  the  second  in  1S95.  The  si.\  chil- 
dren—  William  H.,  John,  who  is  deceased, 
Hiram,  Ebenezer,  I'ernielia,  and  Hettie — were 
the  fruit  of  the  first  marriaye.  The  first- 
named  of  these,  who  resides  in  Hobart,  Ind., 
is  a  leading  Republican  there,  and  in  iKyj  and 
1899  was  a  member  of  the  Indiana  legislature. 
He  is  prominent  in  business  circles  and  as  a 
Grand  Army  man.  In  the  year  1S98  he  was 
engaged  in  building  county  roads.  In  1893  he 
exhibited  at  tlie  World's  Fair  steel  neck  yokes 
and  whiffletrees  manufactured  by  the  com]»ny 
of  which  he  was  president.  Ebenezer  Rifen- 
bark  resides  at  Summit.  He  fought  for  the 
Union  in  the  Ci\il  War,  and  was  wounded  at 
Getty.sburg.  Permelia  is  the  wife  of  Winthroij 
D.  Gallup.  Hettie  married  P.  P.  (iordon, 
M.D.,  of  Hobart,  Ind.,  and  died  in    1X92. 

Iliram  Rifenbark  recei\ed  his  education  in 
the  public  schocds  of  .Summit  and  at  Char- 
lotteville  Seminary.  At  the  age  of  se\en- 
teen  he  engaged  to  work  mi  a  farm  se\en 
months  f(jr  si.\ty-five  dollars,  Mr.  11.  Master.s, 
his  em]ilo)er,  who  was  away  trom  home  miKh 
of   the   time,  told    him    one   day  to  sow  a   jiiece 


of  land  to  buckwheat,  putting  in  two  bushels 
of  seed.  This  was  new  work  to  Rifenbark. 
He  began  sowing  broadcast,  and  soon  found 
that  he  had  put  half  the  seed  on  a  quarter 
of  the  land.  He  then  .sowed  the  remainder 
of  the  seed  more  sparingly,  making  it  cover 
the  other  three-fourths  of  the  land.  He 
watched  the  growth  with  interest,  but  before 
har\est  time  the  cows  g(jt  into  the  field  and 
ate  up  the  grain,  thick  and  thin.  He  lost  not 
a  day  in  that  se\en  months.  In  the  winter  he 
attended  schoid,  and  the  ne.\t  se\en  months 
he  worked  for  a  farmer  in  l-'ulton,  his  only 
h.iliday  being  the  iM.urth  of  July,  which  he 
insisted  on  keeping.  The  next  winter  he 
taught  school  four  months  at  ten  dcdlars  a 
month.  April  i  of  his  nineteenth  year  found 
him  engaged  to  a  farmer  in  Summit  se\en 
months  at  eleven  dollars  a  month.  This  sum- 
mer there  was  not  a  day  of  lost  time,  the  man 
for  whom  he  worked  gi\ing  him  the  P'ourth  of 
July.  The  following  winter  he  again  taught 
in  the  same  district  where  he  taught  the  first 
term,  but  witli  an  increase  of  two  dollars  a 
month  in  his  wages.  He  continued  to  teach 
school  winters  after  this  until  he  was  married 
and  settled  on  the  farm,  teaching  one  term  in 
the  winter,  while  on  the  farm,  at  two  dollars  a 
d.i)-.  When  tweiu\-  \eai-s  old  he  workeil  se\-en 
months  at  RichinoiuK  ille,  driving  team  for  the 
iron  foundry  at  twelve  dollars  a  month.  The 
next  sjiring  he  began  working  at  carjientry, 
continuing  for  three  summers  under  a  boss, 
and  after  that  time  he  took  jobs  for  himself 
till  he  purchased  his  father's  farm  of  ninety-six 
acres  in    1868.      h'our  vears   later   he   sold   the 


BIOCIRAPHICAL    RKA'IEW 


25s 


farm,  and  bought  the  property,  including  the 
store  now  bclongini;-  to  Levi  J.  Lincoln  in 
Charlotteville,  N.  V.  After  condncting  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  business  there  for  ten  years, 
he  sold  the  property,  and,  buying  a  vacant  lot, 
built  the  residence  he  now  occupies  and  the 
store  across  the  street,  where  lie  conducted 
business  for  twelve  years.  He  then  sold  the 
goods  to  Kingsley&  Griffin,  to  whom  he  rented 
the  store.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  selling 
agricultural  implements  and  fertilizers,  and 
looking  after  business  for  himself  and  others. 
Mr.  Rifenbark  is  a  strong  Democrat.  He  has 
shown  a  warm  interest  in  political  matters 
ever  since  he  became  a  voter.  He  has  been 
on  the  Town  Committee  a  number  of  times, 
on  the  School  Board  several  terms,  in  1S65 
Town  Clerk,  and  much  of  the  time  since 
1870  Notary  Public.  He  has  also  served  two 
terms  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  has  done 
a  large  amount  of  business  settling  estates 
and  drawing  contracts.  He  has  served  as  ex- 
ecutor of  a  number  of  the  wills  filed  in  this 
town,  as  he  is  known  to  have  an  excellent 
knowledge  of  technical  law  points.  From 
1888  to  1890,  inclusive,  he  was  Supervisor  of 
Summit.  His  record  as  Supervisor  is  marked 
primarily  by  a  strong  effort  to  secure  an  honest 
and  economical  expenditure  of  the  public 
funds.  Fearless  and  daring  in  his  personal 
expression  and  effort  when  he  believed  himself 
laboring  in  a  worthy  cause,  he  met  with  some 
opposition,  but  in  the  main  won  a  loyal  recog-  | 
nition  from  his  constituents.  He  broke  up 
abuses  in  the  county  relating  to  the  housing 
and  feeding  of  vagrants,  secured  action   bv  the  , 


governing  board  that  caused  the  removal  of  all 
luxuries  from  the  county  prison,  and  worked 
hard  for  a  rethiction  of  expenses  in  e\-ery  way. 
He  served  on  the  Committee  on  Sheriffs'  Ac- 
counts, on  public  and  other  buildings,  and  on 
the  Committee  on  Legislation. 

Mr.  Rifenbark  married  Amelia  Burnett, 
daughter  of  Colonel  George  O.  Burnett,  who 
was  prominent  in  the  militia.  Mrs.  Rifen- 
bark attended  Charlotteville  Seminary,  and 
subsequently  taught  school  for  ten  terms  be- 
fore her  marriage.  She  is  active  in  church 
work,  and  when  the  Good  Templars  and  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  were  in 
existence  here  was  one  of  their  earnest  sup- 
porters. ]\rr.  Rifenbark  was  also  connected 
with  the  Good  Templars,  being  Chief  Tem- 
plar. He  has  been  clerk  of  the  Baptist  church 
at  Summit,  a  member  of  the  ministerial  com- 
mittee, trustee,  and  for  years  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday-school.  He  is  the  teacher  of 
the  Bible  clas.s.  He  is  strictly  temperate  in 
all  things.  His  early  life  taught  him  the 
value  of  money,  and  he  then  acquired  the  hab- 
its of  industry  and  economy  which  are  still 
characteristic  of  him.  He  is  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  every  good  cause,  but  never  up- 
holds extravagance  or  waste. 


ICHAEL  LACKEY,  Jr.,  real  es- 
tate and  insurance  broker,  a  well- 
known  business  man  of  Greene 
County,  is  a  resident  of  Tannersville,  where 
he  was  born  on  November  24,  i860,  son  of 
Michael  and   Catherine  (Burke)  Lackey.      His 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


parents  arc  still  livinj^,  and   make   their   home 
with  him. 

His  paternal  ^grandfather,  'I'homas  Lackey, 
who  was  born  in  Irelanil,  went  to  Mn^land  in 
1821,  and  resided  there  until  1.S29,  when  he 
emigrated  to  America,  and,  settling  in  New 
York  City,  followed  the  trade  of  a  cabinet- 
maker. In  1S35  Thomas  Lackey  retired  from 
active  business  pursuits  and  came  to  Tanners- 
ville,  where  he  resiiled  with  his  son,  the  elder 
Michael,    until    his   death,    which    occurred    in 

iS53- 

Michael  Lackey,  Sr.,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Ireland,  May  18, 
1S15.  I  le  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
when  fourteen  years  old,  and  was  educated  in 
the  night  schools  of  New  York  City.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  a  house  painter,  which  he 
followed  there  for  a  time  and  then  removed  to 
Tannersville,  where  he  continued  in  the  same 
occupation.  He  also  kept  a  country  tavern  in 
the  old  stage  times  when  Tannersville  was  a 
hamlet  called  Greenland.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  has  held  offices.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Burke,  is 
a  native  of  Ireland.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, two  of  whoin  are  now  living;  namely, 
Michael,  Jr.,  and  his  sister,  Lizzie  P.  The 
latter  is  the  wife  of  Michael  H.   Dolan. 

Michael  Lackey,  Jr.,  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Tannersville. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  went  to  New  York 
City,  and  entered  Lhrich's  dry-goods  store  on 
Eighth  Avenue,  where  he  kept  the  country 
order  books  for  one  year.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  ice  cream  and  confectionery  business  at 


the  corner  of  I'.ighth  Avenue  and  Fifty-ninth 
Street.  Returning  to  Tannersville  later,  he 
taught  school  until  1.S83,  at  the  same  time 
studying  law  and  becoming  a  practitioner. 
In  1.S75  he  jiurchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres  in  Hunter  known  as  Onteora  Glen, 
which  he  conducted  with  his  other  business 
until  1892.  I'roni  May  10,  1 891,  to  October 
20  of  that  )ear,  he  was  proprietor  of  a  laundry, 
having  an  exclusive  contract  for  Onteora  Park, 
including  thirty  cottages  and  a  large  inn;  and 
he  was  ably  assisted  in  this  work  by  his  wife. 
He  moved  from  his  farm  in  1892,  renting  it 
until  1896  when  he  exchanged  that  property 
for  the  half-way  house  on  the  roatl  to  Hunter, 
and  removed  to  the  village  of  Tannersville. 
Soon  after  his  return  he  erected  a  dwelling- 
house,  office,  and  store,  the  latter  of  which  is 
well  stocked  with  stationery,  school  supplies, 
sjiorting  goods,  and  other  merchandise,  and  is 
carried  on  by  his  wife.  He  does  quite  a  busi- 
ness in  the  buying  of  Christmas-trees  for  the 
New  York  market,  shipping  from  six  to  ten 
carloads  annually.  In  1893  he  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business.  He  erected  a  large 
building  which  he  rents.  He  makes  collections 
for  many  concerns  through  the  coiuity,  and 
was  appointed  assignee  for  \Villsey&  Fromer, 
one  of  the  largest  firms  in  this  vicinity.  As 
local  representative  of  several  large  insurance 
companies,  he  has  securetl  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal risks  in  the  town.  He  has  a  great  deal 
of  law  practice  in  the  minor  courts. 

In  1883  Mr.  Lackey  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Julia  Weller,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Weller,    formerly   an    inn-keeper   in    Hirming- 


r.lOGRAl'IIJCAL 


257 


ham,  England.  They  have  five  children  — 
Robert  !•:.,  Charles  H.,  luhvard  \V.,  Mary  L., 
ami  Clara  I'". 

I'lditically,  Mr.  Lackey  is  a  Democrat.  In 
1SS9  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff,  hold- 
ing that  office  three  years;  and  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  Supervisor  in  i8gi.  He  was  ap- 
pointetl  Postmaster  in  1893,  and  held  that 
position  until  1S9S,  giving  general  satisfac- 
tion. He  has  been  Counsel  for  the  village 
corporation  ever  since  its  organization,  has 
acted  as  notary  public  for  the  past  fourteen 
years,  and  is  frequently  called  upon  to  address 
political  meetings.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  Past  Chancellor  of 
the  local  lodge. 


'TEPHEN  LOUDON,  a  retired 
//^  farmer  of  Fulton,  Schoharie  County, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Blenheim, 
N.Y.,  February  16,  1821,  son  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Tinkelpaugh)   Loudon. 

John  Loudon  was  born  in  Delaware,  where 
he  grew  to  man's  estate  on  the  parental  home- 
stead. Choosing  farming  as  his  life  occupa- 
tion, he  moved  to  Schoharie  County,  which 
was  then  in  its  primitive  wildness.  He  took 
up  a  tract  of  land  in  Blenheim,  at  a  time 
when  there  were  very  few  clearings  in  that 
locality  or  in  the  county,  and  there  partly  im- 
proved a  farm.  Disposing,  however,  of  his 
newly  acquired  land  in  Blenheim,  he  bought 
land  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Gilboa,  and 
was  there  engaged  in  his  independent  calling 
until  his  death,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty- 


three  years.      His  wife,  whose  maiden   name 

was  Sarah  Tinkelpaugli,  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-nine  years,  having  borne  him  ten  chil- 
dren. Four  of  the  nine  are  still  living, 
namely:  I\Lary,  wife  of  John  Mattice; 
Stephen:  Libby,  wife  of  Jacob  I.  Coons;  and 
Nancy.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
15aptist  church. 

Stephen  Loudon,  by  persevering  industry 
and  wise  economy,  accumulated  considerable 
property,  and  while  yet  a  young  man  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Breakabeen,  which  he  after- 
ward sold,  and  bought  a  large  farm  on  Bouck's 
Island,  adjoining  the  Governor  Bouck  home- 
stead. Upon  that  farm  he  resided  until  1S94, 
when  he  bought  his  present  home  property, 
which  is  managed  by  his  son-in-law,  C.  E. 
Markham,  in  connection  with  his  own  farm. 
Mr.  Loudon  has  always  been  deeply  interested 
in  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  town  of 
his  adoption.  In  politics  he  is  a  firm  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party. 

On  August  31,  1846,  Mr.  Loudon  married 
Lavinia  Whaley,  who  is  a  native  of  Dutchess 
County,  New  York,  and  is  the  only  living 
child  born  to  the  late  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Car- 
penter) Whaley. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loudon  have  three  daughters, 
namely:  Caroline,  wife  of  Prof.  C.  E.  Mark- 
ham,  teacher  and  farmer  of  Fulton;  Emma, 
wife  of  George  Coykendall ;  and  Mary,  wife  of 
Peter  E.  Schoonmaker,  both  of  whom  are  suc- 
cessful business  men  in  Kingston,  N.  Y. 
These  daughters  are  all  graduates  of  the  State 
Normal  School,  and  were  all  of  them  teachers 


2S8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in  their  younger  days.  Mr.  Loudon  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  Mrs. 
London  belon<:s  to  the  Reformed  church. 


§AC015  l'R()MI-:k,  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful business  men  in  Tannersviiie, 
N.Y.,  was  born  in  Wittenberi,',  Ger- 
many, October  14,  I.S49,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  (Liepold)  Fromer.  Ills  father,  who 
also  was  a  nativ-e  of  Wittenberi;,  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  in  1853.  After  his  arrival 
in  this  countr)'  Daniel  I'ronier  followed  the 
trade  of  a  chair-maker  for  a  time,  and  then 
turned  his  attention  to  farming,  first  in  Jewett 
and  later  in  Tannersviiie,  where  he  died  at 
seventy-two.  His  wife,  ALary,  who  was  a 
native  of  Germany,  was  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mary;  Rosa;  John,  first  (de- 
ceased); Daniel,  Jr.;  Jacob;  and  John.  Mary 
married  Leonard  I..  Woodard.  Rosa  became 
the  wife  of  Clarence  Willsey.  John  keeps  a 
boarding-house.  Daniel,  Jr.,  is  proprietor  of 
a  hotel.  Mrs.  Mary  L.  l<"romer  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one.  The  parents  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Jacob  Fromer  acquired  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Jewett,  and  worked  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  when  he 
went  to  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  going 
thence  to  West  Virginia,  and  later  entering 
mercantile  business  in  I'arkersburg,  Va. 
Disposing  of  his  establishment  there  at  the 
end  of  eighteen  months,  he  came  to  Hunter, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  e.\|)ress  business  and 
also   ran   a   stage   to   the   Catskill.      lie   aban- 


doned this  enterprise  at  the  expiration  of  a 
year  and  a  half,  and  again  entered  mercantile 
business,  carrying  on  a  general  store  under 
the  Cascade  House  for  the  same  length  of 
time.  He  ne.xt  erected  a  building  sixty  by 
sixty  feet,  and  three  stories  high,  adjoining 
his  present  office,  and,  putting  in  a  stock  of 
general  merchandise,  carried  on  business  until 
1S92,  when  he  sold  out.  He  started  in  a 
small  way,  but  as  his  trade  increased  he  was 
forced  to  enlarge  both  his  stock  and  floor 
space  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  his  pa- 
trons. He  transacted  a  business  amounting 
to  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars  annually,  and  employed  twelve  assist- 
ants. In  1893  he  maile  a  trip  to  Florida, 
and  upon  his  return  in  1894  opened  a  sale  and 
livery  stable  here  and  another  at  Elka  Park, 
Hunter,  both  of  which  he  has  since  conducted 
successfully,  also  doing  quite  an  extensive 
business  in  the  selling  of  carriages,  sleighs, 
robes,  and  harnesses.  He  keeps  twenty 
horses,  and  at  times  has  as  many  as  thirty  for 
livery  purposes.  In  connection  with  this  he 
is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business,  and  besides  his  stable  and  office  he 
has  erected  several  dwelling-houses. 

In  1S75  ^Ir.  Fromer  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Susan  Showers,  a  native  of  Hunter, 
daughter  of  Michael  Showers,  a  farmer  of  that 
town.  Her  parents  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  four  daughters  and  two  sons.  ]\Irs. 
I-"romer's  sisters  are  all  married. 

Mr.  I-"romer  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  was  Supervisor  continuously  from  1S93  to 
1899,    having    with   a   few    exceptions   served 


BIOGRArHICAL    REVIEW 


longer  than  any -other  member  of  the  board; 
and  during  his  term  of  office  he  siicceeiled  in 
reducing  tiie  taxes.  He  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  incorporation  of  the 
village,  and  was  trustee  a  number  of  years. 
He  and  Mrs.  I'ronier  are  attendants  of  the 
^[ethodist  Episco[Kil  church,  and  contribute 
to  the  support  of  other  denominations. 


'OLOMON  KELLEY  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1823,  on  the  farm  in 
Princetown,  N.Y.,  on  which  he  now 
resides,  he  being  the  owner  thereof  and  de- 
voting his  energies  to  its  improvement  and 
cultivation.  His  parents  were  Solomon  and 
Grace  (Wingate)  Kelley.  His  father  was 
born  in  Rotterdam,  N.Y.,  and  his  mother  in 
Princetown.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
William  Kelley,  a  Scotchman,  whose  occupa- 
tion was  that  of  a  miller  and  a  farmer.  He 
was  an  early  settler  in  Rotterdam,  but  after- 
ward resided  in  Princetown  and  in  Duanes- 
burg,  and  died  in  Mariaville. 

Solomon  Kelley,  the  elder,  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  which  he  followed  for  several 
years.  Settling  upon  new  land  in  Princetown 
when  a  young  man,  he  cleared  the  farm  which 
is  now  owned  by  his  son,  and  erected  the 
buildings.  An  industrious  farmer  and  a  citi- 
zen of  worth,  he  gained  the  good  will  of  his 
neighbors  by  his  many  sterling  qualities.  In 
politics  he  voted  with  the  Whig  party,  and  in 
his  religious  belief  he  was  a  Presbyterian. 
He  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom   are   living,  namely:   Solomon,  the  sub- 


ject of  this  sketch;  Robert;  John;  Samuel; 
and  Grace.  The  others  were:  William,  An- 
drew, Sally,  Jane,  and  .\[ar)-  A. 

Solomon  Kelley  was  reared  at  the  home- 
steatl  and  educated  in  the  district  schools. 
He  has  always  resided  at  his  birthplace,  and 
succeeding  to  its  ownership  he  has  made  gen- 
eral farming  a  profitable  employment  up  to 
the  present  time.  He  is  still  smart  and  ac- 
tive, with  the  ability  to  perform  a  day's  work 
which  would  tire  many  younger  men,  his  early 
vigor  giving  no  sign  of  decay.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  attends  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

When  twenty-seven  years  old  Mr.  Kelley 
married  for  his  first  wife  P^velyn  Love.  His 
present  wife  was  before  marriage  Nancy 
Gregg.  By  his  first  marriage  he  has  one  son, 
William,  who  is  living  at  home. 


fAMES  H.  FLANAGAN,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Tannersville,  N.Y.,  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  February  14,  1842,  son  of 
Matthew  and  Margaret  (Olwell)  Flanagan. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  the  O' Flanagans  of  Ire- 
land. His  great-grandfather  Flanagan  was 
named  Thomas,  and  his  grandfather  was  Pat- 
rick O' Flanagan. 

Matthew  P'lanagan,  son  of  Patrick,  emi- 
grated to  America  when  a  young  man,  first 
settling  in  New  York  City.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  came  to  this  locality,  where  he 
worked  in  a  tannery  for  some  time,  and  then 
purchased    a    farm.        Politically,    he     was     a 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIF.W 


Democrat.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 
His  wife,  Margaret,  was  a  native  of  Ireland. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Olwell,  a  farmer, 
who  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  spent 
his  last  years  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Tannersville.  Matthew  and  Margaret  I-'hina- 
gan  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  tivc  arc  now  liv- 
ing; namely,  James  H..  I'atrick,  Alice,  Kate, 
and  Rose.  I'atrick  lives  in  Newark,  N.J. 
Alice  married  John  Honlahaii,  and  resides  in 
Brooklyn.  Rose  married  Patrick  (iillooly, 
and  is  also  residing;  in  Brooklyn.  The 
mother  died  at  the  aLje  of  fifty-six  \-ears. 

James  H.  Flanagan  came  to  Tannersville 
with  his  parents  when  very  yonni;,  and  at- 
tended the  commcm  schoids.  At  the  aj^e  of 
twenty,  in  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  ("i, 
Fourteenth  United  States  Infantry.  In  the 
second  battle  of  Hull  Run  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  leg,  anil  he  lay  u|)on  the  field 
for  ten  days  unattended.  He  was  then  taken 
to  Washington,  and  after  being  in  various 
hospitals  was  discharged  in  1863.  Upon  re- 
covering from  the  effects  of  his  wound  he  re- 
enlisted  in  the  Cavalry,  Indejiendent  Corps, 
and  was  stationed  on  the  frontier,  where  he 
served  three  years.  He  was  tnustered  out  as 
a  Corporal.  Returning  to  Tannersville,  he 
worketl  on  his  father's  farm  for  two  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Wisconsin, 
and  from  there  to  .St.  Clair  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  one  and  a  half  years.  He 
then  returneil  Fast,  and,  again  settling  in 
Tannersville,  has  followed  farming  with  good 
results    ever    since.       His    proi)iTty   originally 


consisted  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  but 
he  disposed  of  one  hundred  acres  to  good  ad- 
vantage. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
served  as  lixcise  Commissioner  some  time. 

In  1S76  Mr.  Flanagan  married  Miss  Mary 
!•;.  Smith,  of  Brooklyn,  daughter  of  Patrick 
Smith,  a  member  of  the  police  force  of  that 
city.  They  have  four  children- — ICileen, 
h'airie,  Una  Fideen  Desmond,  and  Oscar. 
luleen  anil  l-"airie  are  now  preparing  them- 
selves for  educational  work. 

.Mr.  Flanagan  is  a  comrade  of  A.  N.  Bald- 
win Post,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  temperance,  and  has  rendered  valuable 
service  to  the  community  in  that  direction. 
The  family  attend  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  Mr.  I-'lanagan  from  childhood  has 
shown  a  marked  liking  for  literature,  and  he 
has  a  fine  library  containing  books  by  some  of 
the  very  best  authors.  He  is  also  very  fond 
of  music,  and  has  a  choice  collection  of  in- 
strumental and  classical  musical  works. 


§()1IX  BKAUT,  a  retired  farmer  of  Rot- 
terdam, was  born  in  this  town,  Octo- 
ber 6,  KS39,  son  of  Aaron  I.  and  V.Vva 
C.  (Veililer)  Brailt.  The  jiarents  were  natives 
of  Schenectady;  and  the  father  was  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  of  Rotterdam,  where  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years,  and  his  wife  lived  to  he 
ninety-one.  They  were  the  jiarents  of  five 
cliildren,  two  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
John,    the   subject    of   this   sketch;   and    Aaron 


Jull-X    l;KAiii. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


263 


B. ,  who  resides  in  Schenectady.  The  others 
were:   Francis,  Hester,  and  Ilelen. 

John  Bradt  acquired  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  nati\-e  town.  After  the 
completion  of  his  studies  he  assisted  his  father 
in  carrying  on  the  home  farm,  thereby  obtain- 
ing a  good  knowledge  of  agriculture;  and  in 
early  manhood  he  and  his  brothers,  Aaron  B. 
and  Francis,  purchased  their  sister's  interest 
in  the  old  homestead  farm,  which  contained 
about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  located 
along  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk  River.  This 
they  carried  on  successfully  together  till 
Aaron  sold  his  interest.  After  that  the  farm 
was  managed  by  John  and  Francis  until  1889. 
In  that  year  Mr.  John  Bradt  retired,  and  built 
a  handsome  residence  in  the  village,  which  he 
has  since  occupied,  the  industry  displayed  dur- 
ing his  long  period  of  activity  having  placed 
him  in  easy  circumstances.  It  is  interesting 
here  to  note  that  the  ancestral  farm  has  been 
handed  down  from  his  grandfather  to  the  fourth 
generation,  being  now  owned  b)'  Mr.  Bradt's 
nephew,  Aaron  J.  Bradt,  son  of  Francis  above 
named. 

On  December  28,  1871,  Mr.  Bradt  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Eleanor  Dorn,  who 
was  born  in  Princetown,  August  3,  1847, 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Harriet  Dorn. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  stirring  farmer  of 
Duanesburg,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one 
years.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church  and  for  more  than 
forty  years  an  Elder.  Mrs.  Dorn  is  still  liv- 
ing, and  resides  in  Duanesburg. 

In   politics  Mr.   Bradt   is   a   Republican,  but 


takes  no  [xirt  in  public  affairs  beyond  casting 
his  vote.  He  has  l)een  a  Deacon  of  the  Re- 
formed church  for  the  past  eight  years,  and 
Mrs.    Bradt    is  a  member  of  the  church. 


KXJAMIX  I.  TALLMADGE,  the 
well-known  attorne)-  and  counsellor- 
at-law  of  Windham,  X.Y. ,  is  a  na- 
tive of  New  Baltimore,  Greene  Count}-,  and 
was  born  on  November  i,  1869,  his  parents 
being  Thomas  D.  and  Helen  (Raymond)  Tall- 
madge.  Thomas  D.  Tallmadge's  paternal 
grandfather,  who  was  a  leading  farmer  of 
Greene  County,  died  before  Benjamin  I.  was 
born. 

Thomas  D.  Tallmadge  spent  his  life  on  a 
farm  until  he  was  a  middle-aged  man,  when  he 
opened  a  general  merchandise  store.  After 
carrying  that  on  for  several  years,  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Albany,  his  son  Benjamin 
being  then  about  fourteen  years  old.  Later 
Thomas  D.  Tallmadge  removed  to  Oneonta, 
where  he  for  a  time  conducted  an  ice  business 
and  afterward  a  market.  He  retired  from  busi- 
ness in  Oneonta,  and  subsecpienth"  resided 
there  until  his  death,  in  June,  1893,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three.  He  was  stanchly  a  Demo- 
crat, but  never  took  an  active  interest  in  local 
politics.  His  wife,  Helen,  was  the  daughter  of 
John  G.  and  Elizabeth  Hinman  Raymond,  of 
Coxsackie.  Mr.  Raymond,  who  had  resided  in 
New  Baltimore  previous  lo  coming  to  Cox- 
sackie, was  a  large  real  estate  owner.  He 
died  at  Coxsackie  in  his  seventy-ninth  year. 
Of  his   .seven   children    one   son,  Wallace  W., 


264 


lilOr.RAPHKAL    REVIEW 


who  is  a  nicrcliaiit,  resides  at  Coxsackic. 
Hoth  he  ami  liis  wife  were  Presbyterians. 
Thomas  1).  ami  Helen  Tallmaclge  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are 
livin;;.  They  are  as  follows:  Raymond,  who  is 
book-keeper  and  general  manager  for  Van  Slyke 
&  Horton,  of  Albany;  Alice  A.  ;  Josiah  C,  an 
attorney  at  Catskill ;  Pllizabeth ;  Edward  C, 
who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  John  G.  Myers 
firm  in  Albany;  Matilda,  who  is  the  wife  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  \V.  l^aton,  jiastor  of  the 
Methodist  l-lpiscopal  church  at  Patter,  Pa.  ; 
Thomas  1).,  an  artist  residing  in  New  York 
City;  Caroline;  IJenjaniin  I.;  Mac;  anil  R. 
DeW'itt,  who  was  a  meniljcr  of  the  First  New 
York  Volunteers  in  the  late  war.  The  mother 
of  these  children  is  still  livin--  in  Onconta,  and 
her  four  daughters  reside  with  her.  .She  and 
her  two  youngest  ikuiglitcrs  arc  nienihcrs  of  the 
Baptist  church,  while  Alice  and  lili/.abeth  are 
connected  with  the  Methodist  church.  The 
family  is  remarkable  for  its  musical  ability, 
and  all  four  of  the  daughters  have  sung  in 
church  choirs.  lulward  C.  Tallmadge  also,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  First  Reformed  Church, 
has  sung  in  the  clioii'.  He  is  likewise  a  mem- 
ber (jf  the  Consistory. 

lienjamin  I.  Tallmadge  resided  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  about  sixteen  }ears  of 
age.  After  attending  the  public  schools  of 
New  Baltimore,  he  began  a  sjjccial  course  in 
Windham  preparatory  to  stud\ing  law,  which 
enabled  him  to  secure  what  is  known  as  a  law 
student's  certificate  from  the  Hoard  of  Regents 
in  Albany.  He  entered  the  office  of  his 
brotlier,    the    Hon.  J.   C.   Tallmadge,    who   was 


then  practising  in  Windham,  and  there  he  re- 
mained until  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1893. 
Immediately  upon  his  admission  to  the  bar  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  under 
the  firm  name  of  J.  C.  &  B.  I.  Tallmadge,  and 
this  continued  until  F'ebruary,  1897,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  in  business  alone. 

The  Hon.  Josiah  C.  Tallmadge,  who  is  now 
a  leading  attorney  in  Catskill,  began  his  prac- 
tice in  W'inilliani  in  1S75,  having  previously 
studied  here  with  his  uncle,  Kugene  Raymond, 
who  started  in  practice  here  over  fort)'  )ears 
ago.  From  1 S90  to  1893  the  Hon.  J.  C. 
Tallmadge  was  District  Attorney  of  Greene 
County,  and  during  that  time  was  engaged  in 
some  notable  criminal  trials.  He  was  one  of 
the  attorneys  in  the  Loring  Robertson  case, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  celebrated,  not  only 
in  the  county,  but  in  the  State.  His  success 
in  winning  this  for  his  client  won  for  him 
great  praise.  Tallmadge  brothers  were  for 
several  years   the   only  attorneys  in  Windham. 

Mr.  Tallmadge  was  married  in  i  S94  to  Rose 
B.  Graham,  wlio  was  born  in  this  town,  the 
(laughter  of  Lucius  S.  and  Phiebe  (Bump) 
Graham,  the  father  a  well-known  shoe  dealer. 
Both  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  are  deceased,  the 
former  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  and  the  latter 
at  the  age  of  fifty-five.  They  were  active 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Their  four 
children  are:  Mrs.  Tallmadge,  who  is  the 
eldest;  I'lla,  who  married  L.  11.  Townscnd; 
Margaret  R.  ;  and  ]-:dwin.  Mr.  and  Mr.s.  Tall- 
madge have  one  child,  a  daughter  Dorothy, 
aged  two  \  ears. 

Mr.    TallmadLre     is,    as    was    his    father,    a 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2C5 


DemDcrat,  but  he  docs  not  engage  activcl}-  in 
politics.  lie  is  a  Mason  and  nieniber  of 
Mountain  Lodge,  No.  529.  Moth  lie  and  his 
wife  are  mcmlicrs  of  the  l'rcsh_\tcrian  church, 
and  he  is  treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
leailer  of  the  choir,  and  an  acti\-e  worker  in  the 
Sunday-school.  i\Irs.  Tallmadge  is  the  church 
organist.  Mr.  Tallmadge  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Windham  Water  Company,  and 
he  is  now  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  organ- 
ization and  one  of  its  directors. 


tLBERT  CHASE,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Hensonville,  was  born  in 
*» —  Lexington,  January  4,  1S19,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Lydia  (Skiff)  Chase.  The 
family  is  of  English  descent.  Thomas  and 
Aquila  Chase,  brothers,  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land, and  were  living  at  Hampton,  N.  H.,  as 
early  as  1640.  A  few  years  later  Aquila  re- 
moved to  Newbury,  Mass.  "A  large  majority 
of  the  Chases  of  the  United  States,"  some  one 
has  said,  "are  his  descendants."  Thomas 
Chase  married  Elizabeth  Philbrick,  and  had 
five  sons.  The  fourth  son,  Isaac,  removed  to 
Edgartown,  iMartha's  Vineyard,  Mass.  He  was 
twice  married,  and  had  a  number  of  children. 

]3enjamin  Chase,  the  father  abo\-e  men- 
tioned, was  a  son  of  Zephaniah  Chase,  and 
both  were  natives  of  iMartha's  ^'ineyard. 
Zephaniah  Chase,  the  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  came  to  Lexington  as  a  pio- 
neer. He  cleared  a  large  tract  of  land,  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  there,  dying  at  the 
age  of  eighty. 


Benjamin  Chase  resided  on  the  home  farm 
for  some  years.  Later  he  purchased  a  farm 
nearby,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
1 1  is  death  also  occurred  at  eighty  years.  When 
a  young  man  he  was  an  officer  of  the  militia. 
His  wife,  Lydia,  who,  like  himself,  was  a 
native  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  became  the 
mother  of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity,  and  two  are  now  living,  namely:  Al- 
bert, of  Hensonville;  and  Ira,  who  resides  in 
Jewctt.  The  others  were:  Benjamin,  who 
lived  in  Lexington,  and  died  aged  ninety- 
three;  Elizabeth,  who  resided  on  the  old  home- 
stead, and  died  at  eighty  years  of  age;  Lydia, 
who  married  Orin  Burges.s,  of  Hunter,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  si.xty ;  William,  who  died  in 
Ohio  at  eighty;  Lucinda,  who  married  Mathias 
Chittenden,  and  resided  in  Callicoon,  Sullivan 
Count}-,  where  her  death  occurred  when  she 
was  si.xty  years  old;  Mary,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Cook,  of  Sidney,  Delaware 
County,  and  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty;  and 
Sarah,  who  became  Mrs.  Peleg  Chamberlain, 
resided  in  Michigan,  and  died  at  the  .same  age. 
The  mother  died  in  1S27,  at  the  age  of  fifty. 

Albert  Chase  in  his  early  childhood  attended 
the  common  schools  of  Lexington.  He  resided 
at  home  until  the  death  of  his  mother,  when, 
a  lad  of  eight  years,  he  went  to  live  with  an 
uncle  in  Jewett,  about  two  miles  below  Hunter 
village.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  returned  to 
Lexington  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  about  twenty-five  years, 
becoming  one  of  the  largest  contractors  in  this 
.section  of  the  county.  He  erected  many  pri- 
vate residences,  business  blocks,  mills,  bridges. 


BIOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


and  other  structures,  employing  a  number  of 
men.  He  came  to  Hensonville  in  1845, 
when  this  village  was  in  its  infancy,  and  did 
;in  extensive  business  here,  erecting  many  of 
the  present  buildings.  Purchasing  a  saw- 
mill in  1863,  he  carried  on  a  large  lumber 
business  for  some  years.  He  removed  to  his 
present  farm,  consisting  of  three  hundred  acre.s, 
in  1858,  erected  his  dwelling-house  and  other 
buildings,  ami,  relinc|uishing  his  contracting 
business  a  few  years  later,  gave  his  principal 
attention  to  farming.  Since  1880  his  son,  De 
Mont,  has  had  charge  of  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  acres.  Mr.  Chase  and  his  .son  have  jHir- 
chased  two  additional  farms,  one  being  devoted 
to  dairy  purposes,  and  they  keep  twenty-seven 
cows,  mcstly  Jerseys. 

In    1844  Mr.  Chase  was   united    in    marriage  i 
with  Mi.ss  Laura  O.  Woodworth,  of  Windham, 
daughter  of  Abner  and  Betsey  (Judson)  Wood- 
worth.      Her    father,    who    was    a     native    of 
Cherry  Valley,    and   followed    farming   during  , 
his  active   period,  spent   his   last   days  in  liast 
Jewett,  dying  at   the  age  of   eight_\-two   years.    [ 
Her  nKjther,  who  was   horn    in  Windham,  died 
at    the    age    of     forty-eight.      Mr.    and     Mrs. 
Woodworth    reared    a    family    of    six    children. 
Of   these   the   three  living  are:   Laura,  who  is  i 
now     Mrs.     Chase;      Lucius,    who    resides    in  [ 
Hunter;  and   Lueiiula,  who   is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Mead.       Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chase  have  had  five  chil- 
dren —  .Sophronia,   Lydia,  Abner,    Lmery,   and 
De    .Mont    L.   Chase.      .Sophronia  died  of   diph- 
theria at  the  age  of   se\enteen.       Lydia,  who  is 
no    longer    living,    married    Cyrus    Hloodgood, 
clerk   of   Catskiil    Countv.      Abner  died  at  the  1 


age  of  two  years.  Emery,  formerly  a  member 
of  the  law  firm  of  Hallock,  Jennings  &  Chase, 
later  Jennings  &  Chase,  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  .Supreme  Court  in  1896.  He  married 
Mary  Churchill,  daughter  of  the  jMojirietor  of 
St.  Charles  Hotel,  of  New  York,  and  has  two 
children  —  Jessie  C.  and  Albert  W.  Cha.se. 
De  Mont  L.  Chase  is  now  associated  with  his 
father  in  carrying  on  the  farm.  He  has  served 
as  Supervisor  and  Tax  Collector.  He  married 
Jo.sephine  Osborn,  daughter  of  l-;ibert  Osborn, 
of  Brooklyn,  and  has  two  children —  Leona  L. 
and  Elbert  O.  Chase. 

Mr.  Chase  is  a  Re])ublican  in  jiolitics.  He 
has  been  Overseer  of  the  IVtor,  and  has  acted 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  four  years.  He  is 
connected  with  the  Order  of  Good  Templars, 
also  with  the  -Sons  of  Temi)erance,  and  has 
filled  some  of  the  important  chairs  in  these  so- 
cieties. He  is  a  member  fif  the  Methodist 
Episcnj)al  church,  of  which  he  has  been  trus- 
tee, steward,  and  class  lender  for  many  years. 
He  has  also  been  district  steward,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  building  committee  which  erected 
the  new  church,  and  served  as  trustee  of  the 
parsonage.  He  was  formerl}'  superintendent  of 
the  .Sunday-school,  and  Mrs.  Chase  was  a 
teacher. 

^Cdu/lLLIA.M  S.  VA\D1:RBILT,  a  rep- 
^V  resentative  citizen  of  the  \illageof 
Clrcenville,  was  born  in  New  ^'ork  City  on 
Eebruary  10,  1S45,  his  jiarents  being  William 
-S.  and  Susan  A.  (Wright)  Vanderbilt.  He 
belongs  to  a  family  that  has  for  many  years 
been    jirominent     in    Rockland    County.      His 


WILLIAM    S.   \'AXDERBILT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


groat-gnimlf;itlicr  scttlcil  in  Clarkstowii,  in 
that  (.•(Hinty,  wlien  a  young  man,  ami  resided 
there  on  a  farm  chiring  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  His  grandfather,  Isaac  \'anderbilt,  was 
born  in  Clarkstown,  and  sjient  his  life  there 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

William  S.  Vanderbilt,  Sr. ,  son  of  Isaac 
and  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
also  born  on  the  homestead,  but  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  left  the  parental  roof  and  learned  the 
merchant  tailor's  trade.  At  twenty -one  he 
began  business  for  himself  in  New  York  City, 
and  subsequently  for  twenty-seven  years  con- 
ducted it  most  successfully.  His  store  was  at 
416  and  later  at  408  Broadway,  and  his  was 
one  of  the  best-known  tailoring  establishments 
in  the  city.  He  died  on  February  13,  1S64, 
being  only  forty-eight  years  of  age.  His  wife, 
Susan,  who  died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine,  was  born  in  Greenwich  village,  now  a 
part  of  New  York  City,  and  spent  the  whole  of 
her  life  in  the  great  metropolis.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Charles  S.  Wright,  who  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  most  influential  mem- 
bers of  the  School  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Ninth  Ward  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  for 
a  long  time  its  chairman.  At  one  time  Mr. 
Wright  was  waited  upon  by  a  committee  to  see 
if  he  would  accept  the  nomination  to  the  legis- 
lature. Mr.  Wright  declined  the  honor.  He 
lived,  about  1824,  in  the  house  in  Greenwich 
village  which  his  father  had  built.  It  was  then 
out  in  the  country,  and  the  canal  wound  its 
sluggish  way  through  what  is  now  Canal  Street. 

\\'illiam  S.,  Sr.,  and  Susan  \'anderbi]t,  had 
eight  children,  of  whom  four  are   now   living; 


namely,  William  S. ,  Oliver  DeClray,  John, 
and  Mrs.  George  W.  Vanderhoef.  Mrs.  \'aii- 
derl)ilt,  after  the  death  (if  her  first  husband, 
married  Andrew  Hdoghmd,  a  prnminent  and 
well-to-do  citizen  of  New  \'(jrk,  and  mie  of  the 
best-known  members  of  the  New  York  Produce 
Exchange.  Mr.  Hoogland  was  born  on  May 
20,  181  5,  and  died  in  1879.  He  was  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Corn  Exchange  Bank,  and  of  the 
New  Amsterdam  Insurance  Company,  and  for 
many  )'ears  a  member  of  St.  Andrew's  Curling 
Club,  its  president  in  1873  and  1874,  and  at 
one  time  president  of  the  National  Curling 
Club.  He  also  represented  the  St.  Andrew's 
of  New  York  City  at  the  national  convention 
at  Toronto  in  1S73.  To  the  last-named  club  he 
gave  a  fine  flag.  He  held  membership  in  the 
Dutch  church,  and  was  one  of  its  active  and 
liberal  supporters.  At  one  time  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Seventh  Regiment  of  militia,  and 
later  a  member  of  the  \'ictorian  Association. 

William  S.  Yanderbilt,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  lived  in  New  York  City  until  1871, 
when  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Greenville. 
He  boarded  in  different  families  for  a  number 
of  years,  but  in  1S88  began  buying  land,  and 
the  following  year  built  his  present  handsome 
residence.  He  owns  a  number  of  fine  farms, 
including  what  are  known  as  the  Lewis  Sher- 
rill  and  Prevost  farms.  Mr.  Yanderbilt  is 
one  of  Greenville's  most  public-spirited  citi- 
zens, and  has  shown  this  in  manv  ways.  He 
built  in  the  village  a  beautiful  opera  house, 
and  gave  a  great  stimulus  to  the  introduction 
of  water  in  the  town  by  placing  it  in  all  of  his 
buildings. 


270 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RF.VIEW 


Mr.  Vanderbilt  married  in  1876  Miss  Mary 
J.  Hickok,  of  this  town,  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  old  and  leading  families.  She  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-three,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Lizzie  H.  Vanderbilt.  On  November  14, 
1888,  Mr.  Vanderbilt  married  Mary  Rccd, 
daughter  of  John  K.  and  Ann  (.Sherrill)  Chap- 
man. Her  father  was  born  :it  Sali.sbury, 
Conn.  While  yet  a  mere  lad  his  father,  Rob- 
ert L. ,  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Greenville, 
where  he  died  in  1S57,  eighty-two  years  old. 
Mrs.  N'anderbilt's  father  was  an  early  i^old 
hunter  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  going  to  Cali- 
fr)rnia  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  in 
1849.  After  acquiring  considerable  money  for 
those  days,  he  returned  to  Greenville,  was 
married,  and  shortly  after  went  to  Janesville, 
Wis.,  where  with  a  brother,  lie  enj^nged  in 
the  dry-goods  business.  Here  his  daughter 
Mary  was  born.  lie  returned  to  Greenville  in 
1865,  residing  there  until  his  death  in  1888, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  wife,  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt's  mother,  was  the  daughter  of 
Lewis  Sherrill,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  pio- 
neer families  of  the  town.  Her  grandfather, 
Jonathan  .Shenill,  had  extensive  tanneries. 
One  of  them  was  located  on  the  corner  where 
Coonleys  Hotel  now  stands.  Jonatiian  .Sher- 
rill built  and  occupied  the  house  that  is  now 
the  residence  of  Dr.  H.  S.  .McCal)e.  His 
home  at  the  time  of  his  deatli  was  the  house  on 
North  Street  owned  by  Ciiarlcs  K.  Knowles, 
of  Albany  (a  grandson),  and  used  as  a  summer 
residence.  He  died  in  1.S51,  in  his  eighty- 
second  year. 

Lewis  Sherrill,  for  many  years   president   of 


the  old  Greenville  Academy,  was  a  broad- 
gauge  public-spirited  man.  He  was  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  stock-raiser,  a  life-member  of 
the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society,  and 
the  fir.st  president  of  the  Greene  County  Agri- 
cultural Society.  The  stone  walks  about  the 
village,  among  other  things,  are  largely  the 
result  of  his  energy  and  push.  He  died  in 
March,  1SS9,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  His 
wife,  h'.sther  Ford,  died  in  1872,  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  have 
two  children  living,  the  elder  being  William 
Stephen,  and  the  younger  George  \'aiulerhoef 
Vanderbilt. 

In  politics  Mr.  \'anderbilt  is  a  Repui)lican, 
and  some  years  ago  he  was  very  active  in  all 
political  matters.  He  is  a  member  of  James 
M.  Austin  Lodge,  1".  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he 
has  been  ti'easurer  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
he  holds  membershi]!  in  the  Royal  Arch  Cha|.- 
ter,  of  (ireenville.  He  is  also  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  <if  Pythias  organization 
here.  He  is  warden  and  treasurer  of  the  h'-jjis- 
copal  church,  and  treasurer  of  Greenville  Fire 
District. 

T^AGK  T.  HOAGLAND,  editor  and 
h-^  proprietor  of  the  A',r<W,  Oak  Hill, 
was  born  in  Malugin's  Grove,  near 
Dix.in,  Lee  County,  111.,  March  23,  1.S56,  son 
of  Abram  Allen  and  ICunice  F.  (Hloodgood) 
Hoagland.  He  is  of  the  eighth  generation  in 
descent  from  Christophal  Hoageland,  who  was 
born  in  ll.)ll;uid  in  ir,;,4,  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica about  tlie  year  1654,  and  settled  in  New 
Amsterdam. 


lilCKlRArillCAI, 


From  Christophal  the  ancestral  line  is  traced 

tliniu_';h  his  clilost  son,  Cliristophor,  -  wlio  was 
born  in  the  vicinity  of  lirooklyn,  N.  V.  ;  John,' 
wiio  was  liorn  in  Flatlands,  N.J.,  in  1701,  and 
elicd  in  1767;  Jacob  Iloa-cland,^  born  in  liar 
bin-cr,  X.J.,  in  1735;  Abraham  Ilooyland,-^ 
wlio  was  iiorn  in  Soworland,  New  Harbinger, 
Somerset  County,  N.J.,  alx>ut  the  year  1773; 
Henoni  llooyland,"  who  was  born  in  Gilboa, 
N.  V. ,  February  25,  1796;  and  Abram  Allen 
lloagland,'  who  was  born  in  Gilboa  in  1S31; 
to  Page  T.  Iloagland,'  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Jacob  Hoageland  resided  in  New  Jersey 
until  after  tlie  settlement  of  his  father's  estate, 
when  he  came  to  New  York,  and,  after  sojourn- 
ing for  a  time  in  Schoharie  County,  went  from 
there  to  Albany  County,  where  he  passed  the 
rest  of  his  life.  Abraham  Hoogland,  of  the 
fifth  generation,  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Gilboa  in  1785.  Remarried  Polly  RI.  Eraser, 
daughter  of  Benoni  Eraser,  who  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  Schoharie  County  and  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  On  September  11, 
1S17,  Benoni  Hoogland,  the  grandfather,  mar- 
ried Katy  Shoemaker,  who  was  born  August 
-9,  1 79 1,  daughter  of  Jacob  Shoemaker. 
Grandfather  Hoogland  died  May  25,  1867,  and 
the  grandmother  died  May  27,  186S.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  two  sons 
and  seven  daughters,  and  five  of  their  family 
are  now  living. 

About  the  year  1S54  Abram  Allen  Hoag- 
land,  Mr.  Page  T.  Hoagland's  father,  removed 
from  New  York  to  Illinois,  where  he  followed 
his    occupation   of    carpenter  and   joiner  for  a 


short  time.      Then  going  from   there   to    Kau 

Claire,  Wis.,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  ailjoining  the  town  site. 
Two  years  later  he  returned  to  New  ^'ork,  and 
from  1859  to  1 866  resided  in  Ashland  and 
Jewett,  Greene  County.  After  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  he  again  went  to  Illinois.  He 
located  in  Rockford,  and  resuming  his  trade 
remained  there  until  shortly  after  the  deatli  of 
his  father,  in  186S,  when  he  came  to  Gilboa  to 
care  for  his  mother,  who  died  suddenly  within 
the  following  year.  The  ne.xt  two  years  he 
spent  upon  a  farm  in  Johnson  Hollow,  town  of 
Roxbury,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1870  removed  to 
Oneonta,  this  State,  where  he  was  eniplo)-ed 
in  the  car-shops  of  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna 
Railroad  Company.  He  ne.xt  settled  in  Bing- 
hamton  on  a  leased  farm,  which  he  carried  on 
until  1876;  and  the  year  after  he  cultivated  the 
G.  H.  Bloodgood  farm  in  Conesville.  He 
then  came  to  Oak  Hill,  followed  his  trade  here 
for  two  years;  and  in  1S79  he  returned  to 
Conesville,  occupying  the  Hawver  farm  for 
about  one  year.  Removing  to  Superior,  Neb., 
in  1880,  he  resided  there  some  years.  He  is 
now  living  upon  a  large  farm  in  Oak  Hill. 
His  first  wife,  luuiice  E. ,  whom  he  married  in 
1854,  was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Bloodgood. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  tanner,  spent  most  of 
his  life  in  Jewett,  and  her  mother  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Tower  family  of  New  England. 
It  is  said  that  some  of  her  ancestors  came  over 
in  the  "Mayflower."  Abram  Allen  Hoag- 
land's first  wife  died  in  1894,  at  fifty-nine 
years  of  age.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second 
wife  was  Eugenia   Brand   Lynam.      He   is   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


fatlKT  of  two  chilclrcn,  both  by  his  first  wife: 
Ta-^c  T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Kdith 
G.,  who  married  William  J.  W'imi,  of  l<riilj;e- 
port,  Conn. 

Page  T.  Hoagland  came  from  \\'isc(jnsin  to 
Greene  County  with  his  parents  when  about 
three  years  old.  His  educational  opi)ortuni- 
ties  were  confined  to  the  schools  of  the  various 
localities  in  whiib  he  lived  uji  to  1.S70,  when 
he  became  a  pupil  in  the  Oneonta  -raded 
school,  under  the  supervision  of  Professor 
N.  X.  Hull.  lie  was  i^raduated  in  1872,  and 
immediately  entered  the  store  of  L.  Goldsmith 
as  a  clerk.  Afterward  he  worked  for  Joseph 
and  Morris  Price  in  the  same  capacity,  and 
later  for  Miller  &  Pope,  dealers  in  Hour  and 
provisions.  lie  taught  school  in  Sullivan 
County  during  the  ensuing  winter,  and  then, 
joining  his  father  on  the  farm  at  Binghamton, 
he  remained  there  the  following  seas(jn.  In 
the  fall  of  1S79,  having  previously  taught 
■schools  in  Conesvillc  and  Rensselaerville,  he 
entered  the  store  of  Hagadorn  Brothers,  Gil- 
boa.  A  year  later  he  went  to  Superior,  Neb., 
and,  after  being  employed  as  a  clerk  during  the 
fall  and  winter  of  iSSo  and  1881,  he  in  the 
spring  became  a  cow-boy,  and  remained  on 
the  ranch  until  July  of  that  year,  when  he  went 
to  Plattsmouth,  Neb.,  twenty  miles  below 
Omaha.  P'ailing  to  find  employment  in  the 
city  .stores,  he  worked  in  a  brick-\ard  until, 
through  the  influence  of  a  friend,  he  obtained 
a  subordinate  position  ui)on  the  clerical  force 
of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  River  Railroad. 
In  1883  he  was  a])p(jintetl  assistant  station 
agent    on   the   Chicago,    Burlington   &    (Juincy 


Railroad  at  Pacific  Junction,  la.,  resigning  in 
January,  1884,  in  order  to  take  the  position  of 
manager  of  the  loss  and  damage  dejjartment  of 
the  Burlington  &  Missouri  Railroad  at  their 
headquarters  in  Omaha.  He  continued  to  serve 
in  that  capacity  until  the  ensuing  fall,  when 
he  was  forced  by  ill  health  to  return  to  Gilboa. 
In  March,  1885,  he  purchased  of  11.  V. 
Jones  the  Jeffer.son  (N.V.)  Connn;  which  he 
conducted  for  over  three  years,  selling  in  .Au- 
gust, 1888,  to  George  M.  Projier,  of  Eminence, 
N.V.  He  ne.xt  purchased  the  Monitor,  a  paper 
published  in  Gilboa,  which  he  carried  on  until 

1893,  when  he  disi)osed  of  it  to  Berton  C». 
Griffin,  and  coming  to  Oak  Hill  in  the  spring 
of  1894  established  ihc  Rccoii/,  which  he  has 
conducted  successfully  ever  since.  He  has  a 
well-equipped  [dant  with  ample  facilities  for 
handling  the  con.stantly  increasing  circulation 
of  his  paper,  and  his  advertising  department  is 
both  popular  and  profitable. 

In  June,  1882,  Mr.  Hoagland  was  unitetl  in 
marriage  with  Prances  Stryker,  daughter  of 
Abraham    .Stryker,    of    Gilboa.      She    died    in 

1894,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven,  having  been 
the  mother  of  seven  children.  Of  these,  five 
are  living  — Scott  R.,  Hazel  C,  Ciuy  W., 
Cecil    A.,    and    b'.llen    V.      On    September    4, 

1895,  he  married  for  his  second  wife  IClla 
Cherritree,  daughter  of  Walter  S.  Cherritree, 
a  native  of  Durham  and  prominently  identified 
with  the  foundry  interests  of  Oak  Hill. 

In  ixditics  .Mr.  Hoagland  is  a  Republican, 
and  during  his  residence  in  Jefferson  he  servetl 
as  Town  Clerk  ami  as  School  Trustee.  He 
served   in    the   same   capacity  in  Gilboa,  where 


lilOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


he  was  candidate  for  Supervisor  in  1S93,  and 
was  again  liis  p.uty's  camliilato  for  Town  Clerk 
in  189S.  ]  le  has  been  a  memlier  of  the  Repub- 
lican County  Committee  since  1896.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  at  Jefferson  in  Working  Lodge, 
No.  554,  V.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  Junior 
Warden  for  two  \ears.  In  1889  he  was  de- 
niitted  to  C.ilboa  Lodge,  No.  630,  of  which  he 
served  as  secretary  four  )ears.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  Cascade  Lodge,  No.  427,  Oak  Hill. 
In  1892  he  joined  Blenheim  Lodge,  No.  651, 
L  O.  O.  F. ,  from  which  he  withdrew  to  be- 
come a  charter  member  of  Lyman  Tremaine 
Lodge,  No.  265,  Oak  Hill,  of  which  he  was 
treasurer  for  the  years  1896  and  1897,  and  was 
chosen  \'ice-Grand  in  1 89S.  He  was  made 
Noble  Grand  January  i,  1899,  serving  until 
July  I  of  the  same  year.  During  this  year  he 
was  recommended  to  the  Grand  Lodge  as  sec- 
retary to  the  Grand  Committee,  District  of 
Greene.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Middleburg 
Kncampment,  No.  129,  and  Valley  Chapter, 
No.  38,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  was  confirmed  by  Bishop 
Doane,  of  Albany,  and  has  served  as  vestry- 
man of  the  Episcopal  church.  Educational 
and  literary  matters  have  absorbed  his  leisure 
time,  and  he  has  a  well-selected  library  of 
standard  works. 


"jClLDA  B.    CHAPMAN,  wife  of  J.  P.  Chap- 

J man,   of  East  Cobleskill,  Schoharie 

County,  N.  V. ,  and  a  prominent  worker  in  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  was 
born  at  Bramanville,  in  the  town  of  Cobleskill, 


on  April  9,  1S52,  her  parents  being  Nelson 
anil  Catherine  M.  (Braman)  Bice.  Her  family 
is  of  Dutch  origin,  a  representative  of  it  com- 
ing from  Holland  in  1657,  and  .settling  in  New 
Vork  when  it  was  called  New  Amsterdam. 
The  name  was  originally  spelled  Ikiys,  as  it 
still  is  in  Holland. 

Mrs.  Chapman's  paternal  grandfather,  Joshua 
Bice,  who  was  a  farmer  and  later  a  merchant, 
settled  on  land  in  liast  Cobleskill.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  Christian  character,  and  for 
si.xty-tw-o  years  was  an  earnest  and  devoted 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  was  the 
first  member  of  the  church  here.  At  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years  he  handed  in  the  class- 
book  that  he  had  used  in  the  many  years  when 
he  had  held  the  position  of  class  leader,  saying 
he  was  too  old  to  attend  to  it  any  longer. 

Mrs.  Chapman's  father.  Nelson  Bice,  was 
born  at  East  Cobleskill,  where  his  daughter 
now  resides.  He  lived  in  this  county  nearly 
all  his  life,  and  for  the  nine  )-ears  preceding 
his  death  he  lived  on  this  place.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  For  six  years,  while 
residing  in  Middleburg,  he  served  as  Assessor 
of  the  town,  being  nominated  to  the  office  by 
acclamation.  hi  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  joined  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  in  1S80,  he  was  one  of  its 
faithful  members.  For  many  years  he  held 
the  office  of  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  for  eight  years  that  of  class  leader,  and 
for  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  church  trus- 
tees. He  served  his  townspeople  as  school 
trustee    for    a    number    of   years.       His    wife. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Catlicrinc,  was  hum  in  Hranianvillc,  dauj^litcr 
of  John  W.  I^iaman.  llcr  ^Grandfather,  Will- 
iam Hraman,  was  an  l-ln^^lishman ;  and  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Do  Lamater, 
was  half  I-'rench  and  part  IJutch,  being  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Re\-.  llverardus  l^ogardiis  and 
iiis  wife,  Anneke  Jans.  John  W.  liraman 
built  a  woollen-mill  in  Hramanville.  The 
place  was  named  in  his  honor,  and  he  was  one 
of  its  most  highly  valued  citizens.  He  was  a 
.strong  advocate  of  temperance.  When  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy  he  taught  the  village 
school  in  Rramanville.  For  twelve  years  he 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  married  Eliz- 
abeth Wetsell,  daughter  of  Cliristopher  Wet- 
sell,  a  German  who  owned  about  a  thousand 
acres  of  land  and  a  number  of  sla\es.  When 
the  State  gave  them  freedom,  some  of  Mr. 
Wetsell's  negroes  remained  with  him,  and 
some  of  them  accompanied  fClizabeth  Wetsell 
when  she  married  and  left  home. 

Mrs.  Chapman's  father  was  an  owner  in  the 
woollen-mill  built  b_\'  her  grandfather  l-iraman, 
but  when  she  was  three  years  of  age  he  re- 
moved to  Ivist  Worcester.  'I'here  the  family 
lived  for  the  ne.xt  five  years,  at  the  ^:\n]  of 
which  time  they  went  to  ICast  Cobleskill. 
Six  years  later  they  removed  to  h'ultonhani, 
and  after  staying  in  that  ])lace  four  \ears  the\- 
returned  to  East  Cobleskill,  where  Mrs.  Chaj)- 
man  has  since  made  her  home.  She  attentled 
the  district  schools  until  she  was  si.\teen  years 
old,  and  was  then  sent  to  Schoharie  Academy, 
where  she  remained  for  some  time,  studying 
academic  branches  antl  music.  She  subse- 
quently  studied   music   with    Miss   Rankin,  of 


Middleburg.  Her  marriage  occurreil  on  Octo- 
ber 25,  1S71,  and  since  that  time  she  has 
shown  her  abilit)-  not  only  in  the  administra- 
tion of  her  domestic  duties,  but  in  \arious  re- 
sponsible luiblic  [jositions.  In  connection 
with  her  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  tem- 
l)erance  she  has  been  count)'  superintendent 
of  the  Simday-school  work  of  the  Woman's 
Christ iiui  Temiierance  Union.  l-'or  twenty-one 
)ears  she  was  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school 
of  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  she  is  a 
member. 

Mr.  Chapman  was  born  in  h'ultDn,  his  par- 
ents being  Jacob  and  Huldah  (Winans)  Chair- 
man. His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Winans,  a  Baptist  minister.  Mr. 
Cha])man  is  an  enterprising  farmer  and  a  man 
who  commands  universal  esteem.  He  has 
been  twice  elected  Supervisor  of  the  town  of 
Middleburg. 

Mrs.  Chapman  takes  an  acti\e  interest  in  the 
advancement  of  agriculture,  and  has  written 
several  valuable  essays,  which  were  read  be- 
fore the  State  Agricultural  Societ)-  and  before 
the  State  Dairymen's  Association.  She  has 
also  read  jiapers  before  the  count)-  Sunday- 
school  conventions,  and  has  been  one  of  the 
judges  of  award  at  two  siKer  metlal  contests. 
Mrs.  Chapman  is  the  mother  of  tluee  daugh- 
ters—Lena May,  Mildred  II.,  antl  Agnes  E. 
The  first  named  is  a  gratluate  of  tlie  Cobleskill 
High  School  ami  ot  Syracuse  University. 
Mildred  H.  is  a  graduate  of  the  Cobleskill 
High  Schoid,  and  is  now  jireparing  to  take  a 
course  of  study  in  Syracuse  University. 
Agnes  E.   is  ten  years  of  age. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


§  AUGUSTUS  SNYDER,  supcrintcnd- 
ont  of  the  I'oltz  suiniiiLT  home  at 
■  fohleskill,  N.V.,  near  Warnersville, 
was  born  in  this  town,  October  6,  1S44,  son  of 
William  and  Rebecca  (Houck)  Snyder.  He  is 
of  thrifty  derman  ancestr)-,  and  a  lineal  ile- 
scendaiit  of  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  this 
section  of  Schoharie  County. 

William  Sn\der,  first,  his  great-great-grand- 
father, emigrated  from  Germany  in  Colonial 
times,  and  located  on  Helderberg  Mountain, 
near  Albain',  N.Y. ,  but  prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tion he  came  to  Cobleskill,  where  he  took  up 
a  tract  of  wild  land  and  began  the  improve- 
ment of  a  homestead.  In  the  ensuing  struggle 
for  independence  William  Snyder  took  an  ac- 
tive part,  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  army  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  The  Lutheran  church, 
which  was  built  by  him,  contained  a  tablet 
bearing  his  name. 

Peter  W.  Snyder,  the  grandfather  of  J.  Au- 
gustus, was  born  on  the  old  Snyder  homestead, 
which  later  passed  into  his  possession.  He 
was  an  industrious,  energetic  worker,  and 
added  materially  to  the  improvements  on  the 
estate,  erecting  the  present  comfortable  set  of 
buildings.  He  married  Catherine  Warner,  a 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Warner,  who  also  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  part  of  Scho- 
harie County,  and  formerly  the  owner  of  al- 
most the  whole  of  the  present  site  of  the 
village  of  Warnersville.  A  man  of  good 
understanding,  interested  in  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, Peter  W.  Snyder  had  the  distinction  of 
being  the  first  English  school-teacher  in  this 
valley.      P'or  many  years  he  served   as  Justice 


of  the  Peace;  in  1826  and  1827  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Assembly;  and  was  also  (jue  of  the 
first  railway  commissioners  in  this  locality. 
He  died  at  a  ripe  old  age  in  1850.  Peter  W. 
Snyder  anel  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  Of  their  union  seven  chil- 
dren were  born.  ]\Irs.  Catherine  W.  Snyder 
survived  her  husband  a  score  (jr  more  of  years, 
attaining  the  venerable  age  of  ninety-three. 

Their  son,  William  Snyder,  second,  was 
born  and  reared  on  the  old  home  farm,  and 
eventually  succeeded  to  its  ownership.  He 
carried  it  on  successfully  for  many  years,  but 
later  sold  it,  and,  buying  a  farm  near  by,  there 
spent  his  remaining  days,  dying  at  the  age  of 
seventy-si.\'  )'ears.  In  addition  to  general 
farming  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  mill- 
ing, and  built  the  plant  now  known  as  Sny- 
der's mills,  a  large  mill  having  four  runs  of 
stone,  which  is  now  operated  by  one  of  his 
sons.  He  manufactured  large  ciuantities  of 
flour  and  made  a  specialty  of  custom  grinding, 
for  years  carrying  on  a  lucrative  business. 
He  was  an  uncompromising  Democrat,  influen- 
tial in  local  affairs,  and  held  many  public 
offices,  being  Supervisor  five  years,  E.xcise 
Commissioner  eighteen  years,  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace  a  number  of  terms.  He  attended 
the  Lutheran  church,  antl  gave  generously 
toward  its  support.  He  was  three  times  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Diana  Bouck,  died  at  an  early  age,  leaving  two 
children  —  George  W.  and  Margaret.  George 
W.  attended  Franklin  and  Schoharie  Acade- 
mies and  Union  College,  after  which  he  entered 
West   Point,    where  he  was  graduated    at    the 


276 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


head  of  his  class  in  the  engineer's  department. 
In  1858  he  was  appointed  Second  Lieutenant, 
and  he  was  afterward  stationed  at  different 
points  along  the  coast,  including  l^oston,  I'en- 
sacola,  Key  West,  Charleston  (S.C. ),  and  Fort 
Moultrie.  In  1861  he  was  ordered  to  I-'ort 
Sumter,  and  while  there  was  twice  promoted, 
first  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant  and  then 
Captain.  lie  was  sul)sc(|Liently  panded  for  a 
time,  and  on  returning  to  Washinj;l(jii  was  ap- 
pointed as  Aide  de-camp  to  {".eiieral  Heintzel- 
nian,  and  was  with  him  at  tiie  battle  of  Hull 
Kun.  Taken  sick  with  tyi^hoid  fever  just 
after  the  battle,  lie  died  November  17,  i.SYn. 
He  hail  been  brevctted  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
As  a  snldicr  he  was  brave  and  courageous, 
faithful  in  the  performance  of  every  duty. 
The  father's  second  wife,  Lavina  Houck,  lived 
but  a  few  years.  He  subsequently  married  for 
his  third  wife  Rebecca  Houck,  who  was  born 
in  Cohleskill,  a  daughter  of  David  Houck,  and 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Covernor  Bouck.  She 
bore  him  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are 
now  living;  namely,  J.  Augustus,  David  H. , 
and  William.  The  mother  tlied  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years. 

J.  Augustus  Snyder  lived  with  his  parents 
until  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  began  life  for 
himself.  While  working  with  his  father  he 
had  learned  the  miller's  trade,  and  he  subse- 
quently operated  for  five  years  a  grist-mill  that 
his  father  bought  in  Hyndsville.  lie  then 
went  West,  and  at  Saginaw,  Mich.,  he  en- 
gaged   in    railroad  construction    and    lunibering 

lered    the    mill    now    owned     by    his    brother. 


David  H. ,  and  this  he  operated  a  few  years. 
After  that  he  carried  on  a  farm  seven  years, 
selling  out  at  the  end  of  this  period  and  remov- 
ing to  Richmondville,  where  he  was  engaged 
as  a  retail  grocer  and  marketman  for  five  years. 
During  the  next  six  years  Mr.  Snyder  kept  a 
hotel,  and  shortly  after  .selling  that  property  he 
assumed  his  present  responsible  jjosition  as  su- 
l)erintendent  of  the  Foltz  place.  I'nder  his  efh- 
cient  management  marked  impro\emeiUs  have 
been  made  <in  the  estate.  The  grounds  have 
been  linely  laid  out  and  beautified,  antl  the 
new  house  has  been  built,  the  homestead  being 
now  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  vicinity. 
On  June  2^,  i,S,S2,  Mr.  Snyder  married  Miss 
Mary  C).  Baker,  who  was  born  in  Worcester, 
Otsego  County,  N.  V. ,  one  of  the  six  children 
of  Sherman  S.  Baker,  a  well-known  cattle 
dealer  of  that  town.  Politically,  Mr.  Snyder 
is  a  straightfdrward  Republican,  interested  in 
public  mattei's,  and  while  in  Michigan  served 
as  Justice  of  the  I'eace.  I-"raternally,  he  is  a 
thirty-second  degree  Mason,  ]irominent  in  the 
order,  and  a  member  of  Cohleskill  Lodge, 
F.  &  A.  I\L  ;  the  John  L.  Lewis  Chapter, 
Cohleskill;  St.  C.eorge's  Commandery,  K.  T. , 
of  Schenectady;  and  Temple  Consistory,  No. 
2,  of  Albany.  lie  also  belongs  to  Cohleskill 
Lodge,  No.  500,  L  O.  O.  F.  In  religious 
matters  he  is  broad  and  liberal. 


"ON.    EMORY    ALBERT  CllASF,   of 

Catskill,     Justice     of      the      Sui)reme 
Court    for    the    Third    Judicial    Dis- 
trict  of    New  York,  was    born    nn    August    J  I, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


277 


1S54,  at  Hensonville,  Greene  County,  N.Y. , 
where  his  parents,  Albert  and  Laura  (W'odiI- 
worth)  Chase,  are  still  living.  On  the  ])ater- 
nal  side  he  is  of  Knglish  descent,  and  on  tlie 
maternal  of  Scotch. 

The  ancestral  home  of  the  Chase  family  was 
at  Che.sham,  England.  Thomas  Chase,  a 
prominent  resident  of  Cheshani,  had  a  son 
Kichard,  who  married  Joan  Bishop  at  Cheshani, 
April  16,  1564.  This  couple  haii  a  son 
Thomas,  born  at  Cheshani,  who  emigrated  to 
America  about  the  year  1639,  ^"f'  settled  at 
Hampton,  N.  H.  He  married  Elizabeth,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Philbrick,  and  remained 
in  Hampton  until  his  death  in  1652.  He  had 
a  son  Isaac,  born  April  i,  1647,  who  is  com- 
monly referred  to  as  Lieutenant  Isaac.  This 
son  married  for  his  second  wife  Marv  Tilton, 
and  lived  at  Vineyard  Haven,  ^lartha's  \'ine- 
yard.  He  died  there,  May  19,  1727,  and  is  i 
buried  on  the  hill  overlooking  the  head  of 
Vineyard  Haven. 

Isaac  Chase  and  his  wife  had  a  son  Joseph, 
born  February  26,  1689,  who  married  Lydia 
Coffin.  Their  first  child,  Abel,  was  born 
October  9,  17 19.  He  married  Eebruary  14, 
1744,  on  Martha's  Vineyard  Island,  Mercy 
Mayhew.  They  had  a  son  Zephaniah,  born 
March  14,  174S.  He  married  for  his  first  wife 
Abigail  Skiff.  Zephaniah  Chase  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Captain  Smith's  seaport  company  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  and  in  the  year  1787  he  sold  his  property 
in  Vineyard  Haven  and  migrated  to  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Le.xington,  Greene  Countv,  N.  Y. , 
then  County  of  Albany.      His  son  13enjamin,  | 


born  January  21,  1774,  married  Lydia  Skiff, 
and  had  a  son  Albert,  born  January  4,   i8ig. 

Albert  Chase  and  Laura  O.  Woodworth  were 
married  on  September  i,  1S44.  They  have 
two  sons,  namely:  Demont  L.,  of  llensonville, 
N.Y.  ;  and  Emory  A.,  of  Catskill,  the  s]x-cial 
subject  of  this  hiogra|)hy.  Albert  Chase  was 
engaged  for  many  _\ears  in  contracting,  build- 
ing, and  lumbering.  Since  retiring  he  has 
lived  on  a  farm. 

Most  of  the  early  life  of  Judge  Chase  was 
spent  on  his  father's  farm.  He  attended  the 
public  school  at  Hcnsonville,  and  continued 
his  studies  at  the  Fort  lulward  Collegiate  In- 
stitute, but  did  not  graduate.  He  was  fitted 
for  the  legal  profession  in  the  office  of  King  & 
Hallock  (Rufus  H.  King  and  Joseph  Hal  lock) 
at  Catskill.  In  April,  18S0,  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  firm  of  Hallock  &  Jennings;  and 
in  18S2  he  became  one  of  its  members,  the 
firm  name  being  changed  to  Hallock,  Jennings 
&  Chase.  After  Mr.  Hallock's  retirement, 
September  22,  1890,  the  business  was  con- 
tinued under  the  style  of  Jennings  &  Chase 
until  December,  1896,  when  it  was  dissolved 
in  consequence  of  Mr.  Chase's  election  as 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  the  Third 
Judicial  District.  In  a  district  usuallv  Dem- 
ocratic he  was  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket  by  a  majority  of  about  thirteen  thou- 
sand. Since  the  ist  of  January,  1S97,  he  has 
devoted  himself  to  the  duties  of  that  office. 

The  jurisdiction  of  a  Supreme  Court  Judge 
extends  throughout  the  State,  but  the  judges 
are  elected  by  districts.  The  Third  District 
is    composed  of   seven  counties  —  Rensselaer, 


278 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Albany,  Schoharie,  Columbia,  Greene,  Ulster, 
and  Sullivan.  Judj^e  Chase  has  always  been 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  ii])  to  tlie  time 
of  his  election  as  a  Supreme  Cmiit  Judge  he 
attended  as  a  delej,'ate  nearly  every  town, 
county,  district,  and  State  convention  of  the 
Re])ublican  party.  During  his  career  at  the 
bar  he  was  constantly  connected  with  imjjor- 
tant  litigations  ill  the  Third  Judicial  District 
and  other  parts  ol  the  State.  He  lias  been 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  United  Stales  Dis- 
trict and  Circuit  Courts  and  in  the  L'nited 
States  Supreme  Court. 

Judge  Chase  has  long  been  prominent  in  the 
local  affairs  of  Catskill.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Hoard  of  lulncation  for  fourteen  years  ]ire- 
vious  to  December,  iScjG,  and  for  five  years 
was  its  president.  He  served  for  a  long  period 
as  corporation  counsel  of  the  village  of  Cats- 
kill,  retiring  from  that  office  in  ICS95,  and  was 
Supervisor  of  the  town  of  Catskill  in  1.S90. 
He  has  also  been  conspicuously  identilied  with 
several  of  the  most  representative  local  inter- 
ests. He  is  now  first  vice-president  of  the 
Cat-skill  Savings  Iviiik,  a  diiector  in  the  Tan- 
ners' National  J^ank  antl  in  many  other  local 
enterprises.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I'resby- 
terian  church. 

ICmory  A.  Chase  married  Mary  IC.  Churchill 
on  the  thirlietii  day  of  June,  1.SS5.  They 
have  tw.)  children —Jessie  Churchill  Chase 
and  Albert  Woodworth  Chase  — and  have  a 
pleasant   home  at   25    Prospect   Avenue. 

Although  Judge  Chase  is  one  of  the  youngest 
men  eleclc;!  to  the  Supreme  Court  in  this 
State,  he  has  met  with  a  very  favorable  recep- 


tion,  as    shown    by  the  following    resolutions 
and  newspaper  comments. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Schoharie  County  bar, 
held  at  the  Surrogate's  office  in  the  village  of 
Schoharie,  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  January, 
1897,  the  fidlowing  resolutions  were  unani- 
mously adojited  :  — 

" Riso/vfd,  that  the  bar  of  Schoharie  County 
ha\e  watched  with  jdeasure  ami  apjirobation 
the  hokiing  of  Judge  hanory  A.  Chase's  first 
trial  term  following  his  recent  election,  antl 
they  congratulate  themselves  that  Schoharie 
County  has  had  the  privilege  and  honor,  as 
well,  of  seeing  him  start  out  in  their  midst  of 
what  we  trust  and  expect  will  be  a  long  and 
distinguished  judicial  career. 

'■  RcsohY.i.  that,  while  hitherto  he  has  been 
a  stranger  to  maii\-  of  us,  yet  we  desire  to 
testify  to  his  patience  and  kindness;  to  his 
fairness,  skill,  anil  judicial  ability,  as  mani- 
fested in  conducting  the  trial  of  causes;  to  the 
ease  and  facility  with  which  he  has  put  off  the 
lawyer  and  assumed  the  dignity  of  the  judge; 
to  his  evident  desire  to  be  right  and  impartial 
in  his  rulings;  and  we  congratulate  the  bar  and 
the  ]ieople  of  this  State,  and  assure  them  that 
they  have  made  no  mistake  in  elevating  to  the 
bench  Judge  luiiory  A.  Cha.se.  We  extend  to 
him  the  pledge  of  our  loyalty  antl  friendshij), 
and  ex]iress  the  desire  that  he  shall  long  con- 
tinue  to  wear  the  judicial  ermine." 

From  the  Alban\-  Daily  Pnss  Kiiicker- 
bockcr  :  — 

••Judge  Chase  has  won  a  very  enviable  reiiu- 
tation  during  his  sitting  for  ability  and  in  ex- 
pediting the  administration  of  justice.   " 


iU(x:R.\riiic.\i 


From  the  Albany  Times  Union:  — 
••It  was  the  fust  term  i)t'  Justice  Cluisc  in 
this  city,  and  lie  lias  inaclc  a  tavorahle  imprcs- 
sinn  <in  the  nu-iiiiicis  of  the  har  in  this  county, 
not  only  as  an  honorable  gentleman,  but  a  lair 
anil  impartial  lawyer,  possessing  extensive 
legal    knowledge." 

From  the  Albany  Moniiiii:;-  /■x/'/rss : — 
••Justice  Chase  convened  the  March  trial 
term  of  the  Supreme  Court  on  the  first  day  of 
.^^arch.  He  came  to  Albany  for  the  first  time 
as  a  presiding  justice,  and  was  unknown  to 
many  members  of  the  bar.  He  adjourned  the 
term  yesterday,  and  left  the  city,  having  won  a 
reputation  for  judicial  abilit}',  fairness,  and 
courtesy  that    is   well   deserved. 

■•Justice  Chase  has  been  a  model  presiding 
justice.  He  was  confronted  with  a  calendar  of 
three  hundred  and  forty-four  cases,  and  during 
the  three  weeks  of  the  term  he  disposed  of 
si.xty-si.x  cases.  Of  this  number  twenty-six 
were  settled,  twenty-eight  tried,  eleven  re- 
ferred, and  a  change  of  venue  was  made  in  one. 
This  is  a  somewhat  remarkable  record  ;  and,  if 
other  justices  were  as  anxious  to  expedite  busi- 
ness as  is  Justice  Chase,  many  cases  would  not 
drag  along  in  the  courts  for  an  extended  period 
of  time. " 

P'rom  the  Albany  Evening  Journal :  — 
"The  Judge  has  proved  himself  to  be  one   of 
the  most  popular  men  who   ever  have  sat  upon 
the  bench  in  the  court  room  in  the  City  Hall." 
From  the  Albany  Evening  Journal :  — 
"During    the    term    just    concluded    Justice 
Chase  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  model  presid- 
ing officer.      His  first  circuit  has  demonstrated 


him  to  be  practically  all   that  a  judge  should 

From  the  Troy    Tinics  :  — 

"The  Hon.  hlmory  A.  Chase,  of  Catskill, 
Justice  of  the  .Supreme  Court,  has  just  finished 
his  first  trial  term  in  Schoharie  County.  The 
term  was  highly  successful,  and  Justice  Chase 
was  congratulated  by  the  bar  on  the  impartial- 
ity of  the  rulings  and  the  fairness  of  his 
charges.  Justice  Chase  has  a  fine  command  of 
language  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
rules  of  evidence.  The  opening  of  his  judicial 
career  fulfils  the  prophecy  of  his  nomination." 

From  the  Hudson  Republican  :  — 

"The  Hon.  I^mory  A.  Chase,  of  Catskill, 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Third  Judicial 
Departinent,  has  accepted  the  invitation  of  the 
Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
the  First  Department  to  hold  a  special  term  in 
New  York  City  beginning  May  17  and  contin- 
uing until  June  5.  Justice  Chase  was  chosen 
to  the  bench  at  the  last  election  of  a  Supreme 
Court  Justice  in  this  judicial  district,  and  lie 
has  alread)-  so  thoroughly  proved  his  efficiency 
as  to  warrant  the  high  compliment  which  is 
contained  in  this  invitation  from  the  judiciary 
of  New  York  City.  Justice  Chase  has  just 
finished  holding  a  term  of  court  at  Hudson, 
where,  as  usual,  his  impartiality  and  judicial 
ability  were  praised  by  everybody.  He  is 
remarkably  well  fitted  for  the  office  which  he 
fills,  and  it  has  not  taken  the  courts,  the  bar, 
and  the  people  long  to  find  it  out." 

PTom  the  Tro)-  Times  :  — 

"The  term  of  the  Supreme  Court  just  clos- 
ing in  this  city  has  given  the   law3-ers  and   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


pco])lc  ail  oppditiinity  to  hoconiL-  atc|iiaiiUc(J 
with  tlic  judicial  qualities  of  the  ])icsiclinj; 
justice,  the  Hon.  Kmory  A.  Chase,  of  Cats- 
kill.  Acquaintance  has  meant  admiration. 
In  sitting  as  judj(e  at  civil  and  criminal  trials 
of  unusual  magnitude  Justice  Chase  has  shown 
promptness,  fairness,  and  mastery  of  the  law 
and  its  principles  that  have  assured  to  him  tiie 
place  of  a  favorite  in  the  esteem  of  the  people 
hereabout.  His  future  visits  to  this  city  in 
either  a  judicial  or  a  social  capacit)-  will  he 
cordially  welcomed." 

The  Albany  Kvpirss,  siieakinj;  of  the  Octo- 
ber trial  term  of  the  Supreme  Court,  presided 
over  by  Judge  Chase,  says,  "  The  term  has 
been  one  of  the  longest  and  most  satisfactory 
e\er  held  in  this  county." 


J-.T1':R  I.  .STAXI.KV,  M.U.,anabIe 
])h_\sician  and  a  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zen of  Windham,  Greene  Count}-, 
X.V.,  was  born  in  I  larpersfield,  Delaware 
County,  this  State,  on  August  ii,  1825,  son 
of  Nathan  and  I'amelia  (Hogaboom)  Stanley. 
His  grandfather,  l^ichard  Stanley,  came  to 
New  York  .State  fiom  New  Jerse_\-  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  being  among  the  farming 
population  of  that  colon)-  who  were  so  harassed 
by  the  Hessian  troojjs  brought  over  to  re-en- 
force the  13ritish  army  that  they  abandoned 
their  homes. 

Richard  Stanley,  settling  in  tlie  wilderness, 
cleared  a  farm  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  (iil- 
boa,  Schoharie  County,  where  he  resided  for 
a  number  of  yeais.      His   last  days  were  spent 


in  Harpersfield.  He  was  the  father  of  three 
children.  Information  at  hand  does  not  locate 
for  a  certainl)-  the  birthplace  of  his  son 
Nathan,  the  Dcjctor's  father,  but  he  was  prob- 
ably reared  in  Schoharie  Coinit}-.  He  served 
as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1.S12. 

Nathan  Stanley  acconi[)anied  his  father  to 
Harpersfiekl,  and,  succeeding  to  the  ownership 
of  the  homestead,  he  resided  there  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  His  wife,  I'amelia  Hogaboom, 
was  a  native  of  I'rattsville,  Greene  County. 
She  became  the  mother  of  fourteen  children, 
o[ily  three  of  whom  are  living,  namel\- :  John 
L.,  who  is  residing  in  Kansas;  Peter  I.,  the 
subject  (jf  this  sketch;  and  Jane,  who  married 
\\'illiani  Samiison.  The  jxuents  both  lived  to 
be  sevent\--eight  years  old.  The\-  were  origi- 
nally Presbyterians,  but  in  their  later  years  at- 
tended the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  church. 

Peter  I.  Stanley  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  at  the  .Stamford 
Academy.  He  ren-iained  upon  the  home  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-one,  when  he  went  to 
work  in  a  woollen  factor)-,  and  continued  in 
that  emiiloyment  one  year.  Deciding  to  enter 
professional  life,  he  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine at  the  age  of  twenty-two  with  Dr.  Covel, 
of  Stamford,  and  completed  his  preparations  at 
the  Albany  .Medical  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1853.  Locating  in  Ashland, 
he  resided  there  for  si.\tcen  years;  and,  as  he 
was  the  only  ])hysician  in  the  town,  he  was 
keiit  constantly  busy  in  attending  to  a  large 
and  lucrative  jiractice,  which  extended  over  a 
wide  circuit.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of 
the  people  of  Windham  he   in    1869  removed 


PETER    I.   STANLEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


283 


to  this   town,  where 
ample  fieUl  in  whieh 


as  e\cr  since  found  an 
lenionstrate  his  ability 
and  usefulness;  and  it  may  he  truthfully  said 
that  the  entiie  et)mmunity  has  priifited  by  his 
fitlelit\-,  |ironi[)titucle,  and  skill.  He  has  re- 
ported many  interesting^  cases  to  the  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber ever  since  its  organization,  some  forty 
years  ago;  and  be  has  several  times  been  called 
upon  to  serve  as  its  jiresident.  As  his  physi- 
cal powers  remain  unimpaired,  he  still  con- 
tinues to  take  long  rides;  and  the  inhabitants 
of  all  this  locality  consider  themselves  fortu- 
nate in  being  able  to  reap  the  benefits  arising 
from  his  long  experience  as  a  practitioner. 

In  1 85 3  Dr.  Stanley  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Sarah  Bassett,  a  native  of  Harpers- 
field  and  a  daughter  of  Joshua  Bassett,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  that  town.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Stanley  have  had  ten  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living;  namel}-,  Ella  M.,  Ada  E. ,  Joseph- 
ine A.,  Nathan  Wilniot,  and  Sarah  Kathleen. 
Ella  M.  married  J.  C.  Talmadge,  a  lawyer  of 
Catskill,  and  has  two  children  —  Leone  S.  and 
N.  Edna.  Ada  E.  married  Edgar  C.  ]\Ioon, 
a  printer  in  New  York  City,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren—  \'ernon  S.  and  Lena  A.  Josephine  A. 
is  the  wife  uf  Lawyer  Alellen,  a  boot  and  shoe 
dealer  in  Windham,  and  has  three  children  — 
Stanley  H.,  Edith  A.,  and  Sheridan  Wilmot. 
Nathan  Wilmot  Stanley  is  a  civil  engineer 
employed  in  the  department  of  public  works 
in  New  York  City.  Sarah  Kathleen  Stan- 
ley is  an  artist  of  local  repute,  her  talent, 
which  is  of  a  high  order,  having  been 
cultivated     under     corajDetent     instructors     in 


New  York.  Of  the  otlier  children  one 
ilied  in  infancy;  J5elle  and  Charles  died 
while  young;  \'ernon  C.  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two  years,  while  pursuing  his  medi- 
cal studies;  and  William  .Sheridan,  who  was 
a  hardware  merchant  in  Cairo,  N.  Y. ,  died  at 
the  age  of  thirt)'-one  years.  The  latter  was 
also  an  artist  of  ability  both  with  the  brush 
and  needle.  Among  the  dearly-prized  prod- 
ucts of  this  genius  is  a  piece  of  work  five  feet 
long  and  three  feet  wide,  executed  from  an 
original  design,  and  representing  a  deer  in  the 
forest  on  its  wa}-  to  drink.  Another,  which  is 
a  painting  representing  two  admirably  drawn 
dogs  of  different  sizes,  called  "David  and  Go- 
liah, "  has  received  favorable  comment  from 
artists   of   note. 

Politically,  Dr.  Stanley  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Ashland  Board  of 
Supervisors  in  i860,  has  served  as  Town  Clerk 
in  Ashland  for  two  years  and  as  Coroner  for 
the  same  length  of  time.  He  is  a  Chapter 
Mason,  and  formerly  belonged  to  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  For  the  past 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  a  Pension  Ex- 
aminer. 


§ACOB  M.  SNYDER,  the  genial,  ac- 
commodating, and  popular  proprietor 
of  the  Snyder  House  at  Gallupville,  in 
the  town  of  Wright,  Schoharie  County,  was 
born  in  Berne,  N.Y.,  May  6,  1837,  a  son  of 
Peter  I.  Snyder.  He  is  the  worthy  represent- 
ative of  one  of  the  early  settled  Dutch  fami- 
lies of  this  section  of  the  State.  His  grand- 
father, John  Snyder,  and  his  great-grandfather, 


2$4 


niOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Liidwig  Snyder,  natives  of  Holland,  emigrated 
to  America  in  Colonial  days,  ami  both  served 
as  soldiers  in  tlie  Revolutionary  army. 

John  Snyder  came  with  his  jiarcnts  to 
Schoharie  whi.-ii  a  young  man,  and  witli  them 
settled  in  the  unbroken  woods.  At  the  he- 
ginning  of  the  Revolution  he  entered  the 
Continental  army,  and  on  July  26,  1782,  was 
carried  as  a  prisoner  to  Canada.  lie  tliere  en- 
listed in  the  British  arm\-,  from  wliicli  lie  very 
soon  after  made  his  esca]ie,  ami  returned  to 
Schoharie.  Here  he  was  afterward  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  iiis  decease,  in 
1850.  He  married  a  Miss  Dorstein.  She 
died  at  an  advanced  age,  after  bringing  u[)  a 
large  family  of  children. 

Peter  I.  Snyder  was  born  on  the  homestead 
in  Schoharie  in  1802.  Learning  tlie  trade  of 
a  shoemaker  in  his  youth,  he  followed  it  for  a 
time  in  Heme,  Allxmy  County.  Returning 
to  Schoharie,  he  lived  there  a  while,  and  after 
that  he  was  located  in  Gallupville  as  a  shoe- 
maker a  few  years,  and  then  he  removed  to 
Knox,  Albany  County,  where  he  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years.  He  was  a  Democrat 
in  his  jiolitical  affiliations,  and  served  as  an 
Overseer  of  the  Poor.  While  a  resident  of 
Ikrne  lie  united  with  the  local  lodge  of  Odd 
Fellows,  an  orgaiiizatinn  in  which  lie  took 
great  interest  all  his  life.  Poth  he  and  his 
wife  were  active  members  of  the  Lutheran 
churcii.  Her  maiden  name  was  ICva  Dietz. 
She  was  born  in  the  town  of  Heme  of  German 
parentage,  being  one  of  the  fourteen  children 
of  John  H.  Dietz.  p:ieven  of  these  children 
grew   to   mature   life,  and   the   average  age  of 


nine  of  them  was  seventy-nine  years,  a  record 
for  longevity  .seldom  efiualled.  Of  the  seven 
children  born  to  Peter  1.  and  Lva  (Dietz) 
Snyder  four  grew  tn  years  of  maturity  and  two 
are  now  living,  namely:  Jacob  M.  ;  and  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Sidney  Sluihldt.  The  mother 
died  December  12,  1885,  aged  eighty-two 
years. 

Jacob  ^L  .Snyder  received  iiis  early  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  Heme,  and  after 
finishing  his  studies  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  which  he  followed  in  Knox  until  1863. 
Coming  then  to  Gallupville,  he  opened  a  cus- 
tom shop,  in  wiiich  for  twenty-two  years  he 
made  shoes  to  order,  being  the  jdoneer  of  that 
line  of  industr)'  in  this  region.  In  1885  he 
purchased  from  the  former  owners,  Twitchell 
&  Collins,  the  old  Collins  House,  to  which  he 
has  since  built  an  addition.  It  is  now  known 
as  the  Snyder  House,  has  been  entirely  refur- 
nished, and  is  one  of  the  best  country  hotels 
in  this  section  of  the  State.  Mr.  Snyder  also 
owns  a  livery  stable,  whicii  he  carries  on  suc- 
cessfully in  connection  with  his  hotel. 

He  is  prominently  itlentifietl  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party  of  this  locality,  which  he  has  rep- 
resented at  various  county  conventions  as  a 
delegate.  In  i8qi  and  1892  he  was  one  of 
the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  for  six  years  he 
has  served  as  Town  Clerk. 

On  November  27,  1862,  Mr.  Snyder  mar- 
ried Julia  Allen.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Syl- 
vester Allen,  who  was  formerly  a  carpenter  of 
Knox,  Albany  County,  but  is  now  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  in  that  town.  .Seven 
children    have   been    born    of   this    union,    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


2SS 


four  of  them  are  now  living;  namely,  Jeffer- 
son, Edna,  J.  Miner,  and  Ursula.  Jefferson, 
who  married  Nellie  Becker,  was  for  seven 
years  connected  with  the  Albany  day  line  of 
steamboats,  and  for  four  years  was  connected 
with  the  management  of  Stanwix  Hall  in  Al- 
bany, but  is  now  proprietor  of  Hotel  Berne  in 
Berne,  N.Y. 

Edna  is  the  wife  of  Sanford  D.  Schell,  a 
farmer  in  Gallupville,  and  has  six  children  — 
Eva,  Libbie,  Hazel,  Martin,  Jefferson,  and 
Howard.  J.  Miner,  for  four  years  connected 
with  the  Albany  day  line  of  steamers  and 
now  manager  of  the  Snyder  House,  married 
Carrie  Zimmer.  Ursula  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  E.  Spateholts,  a  farmer  of  Wright. 
Mrs.  Snyder  is  a  Methodist  in  her  religious 
belief  and  a  regular  attendant  of  the  church 
of  that  denomination. 


fOSEPH  W.  VAN  SCHAICK,  for  many 
years  a  prominent  farmer  of  Sharon, 
Schoharie  County,  was  bom  in  this 
town,  June  5,  1804,  son  cf  Koert  and  Margaret 
(Wilson)  Van  Schaick.  He  was  a  descendant 
in  the  fourth  generation  of  Francis  Van 
Schaick,  one  of  three  brothers  who  emigrated 
from  Holland  and  settled  in  New  Jersey. 
Francis  Van  Schaick  died  in  New  Jersey;  and 
his  son  William,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  settled  in  Glen,  N.Y.,  where  he 
probably  spent  his  last  days.  William  Van 
Schaick  married  Patience  Schenck,  who  also 
was  of  Dutch  descent. 

Koert  Van  Schaick,    father  of   Joseph  W., 


served  in  the  Continental  army  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  several  others  of  that  name, 
who  were  relatives,  being  enrolled  among  the 
patriots.  He  came  from  Glen  to  Sharon  .some 
time  between  the  years  1790  and  1796;  and 
the  title  to  the  homestead,  upon  which  his 
grand-daughter  now  reside.s,  was  issued  in  the 
latter  year.  He  cleared  a  large  farm,  built 
the  present  residence,  which  is  now  about  one 
hundred  years  old,  and  was  favorably  known 
throughout  this  locality.  He  lived  to  be  over 
seventy  years  old.  His  wife,  Margaret,  who 
came  from  New  Jersey,  was  of  English  and 
Scotch  descent.  She  became  the  mother  of 
nine  children;  namely,  Mary,  Patience,  Mar- 
garet, Joseph  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Leffert  G.,  Rachel,  Sarah,  James,  and  another 
son  who  died  in  infancy.  James,  who  served 
as  an  officer  in  an  artillery  company  connected 
with  the  State  militia,  was  accidentally  killed 
by  the  premature  discharge  of  a  cannon  at  an 
election  celebration  in  1844.  He  was  unmar- 
ried. The  other  .seven  married,  and  had  fam- 
ilies. 

Joseph  W.  Van  Schaick  succeeded  to  the 
homestead,  which  he  occupied  his  entire  life, 
and  was  one  of  the  stirring  farmers  of  his  day. 
Though  not  an  aspirant  for  public  office,  he 
was  honored  with  election  to  various  local 
positions  of  trust,  serving  acceptably  as  Super- 
visor of  the  town  in  1849,  and  was  highly  es- 
teemed for  his  many  excellent  qualities.  He 
was  a  firm,  stanch,  and  lifelong  Democrat. 
He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  True  Re- 
formed church  of  Sharon,  and  by  his  liberality 
and  labor  was  instrumental  in  a  great  measure 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in  the  liiiildin-;  of  tlic  clnirch  fdificc.  lie 
died  on  April  23,  iSSo,  honuicd  and  esteemed 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

Joseph  VV.  \'an  Schaick  married  l^lizabeth 
Slinf^crland,  daiij;hter  of  Cainaiii  Jacul)  Siinj;- 
crland,  of  Hethlchem,  Albany  County,  who  tlied 
in  1.S90.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  \oung, 
anil  sliu  was  reared  in  Sharon  by  an  aunt. 
Mr.  and  .Mrs.  \'an  .SchaJLk  were  tlie  luireiits 
of  eight  children;  namely,  Knert,  Klizabeth, 
Mary,  Catliarine,  John,  Slingerland,  Sarah, 
and  I'jnilv.  'I'iie  eldest,  who  was  a  well- 
known  singer  and  teaciier,  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three  \ears,  lea\-ing  one  s(jn,  William, 
will)  is  now  residing  in  Rochester,  N.V. 
Slingerhuid  died  in  California.  Elizabeth, 
Mary,  and  Saraii  are  no  longer  living.  liniily 
is  the  wife  of  Mr.  \'an  Schaick,  of  Mont- 
gomery County.  John  is  an  attorney  in 
Cobleskill,  and  an   e.\-State  Senator. 

Miss  Catliarine  \'an  Schaick  is  a  graduate 
of  the  State  Normal  Schixd  at  Albany.  She 
was  for  several  \-ears  a  successful  teacher,  but 
gave  uji  educational  work  in  i8tS3  in  order  to 
care  for  her  mother.  After  the  death  of  her 
mother  in  iSyo,  Miss  Van  Schaick  took  charge 
of  the  homestead;  and,  being  a  woman  of  good 
executive  ability,  she  lias  managed  the  prop- 
erty energetically  ever  since.  She  possesses 
literary  tastes  and  attainments  of  a  high  order; 
and  these,  together  with  her  excellent  .social 
qualities,  endear  her  to  a  large  number  of 
friends  and  accjuaintances.  She  is  a  strict  ad- 
herent of  the  Dutch  Reformed  cluircli.  The 
house  she  occiijiies  has  long  been  conspicuous 
a.s    a    landmark.      It    contains    many  relics    in 


shape  of  family  utensils  used  by  her  grandjiar- 
ents  ;  also  the  Revolutionary  musket,  with  its 
highly  ])rized  date  of  1776  engraved  thereon, 
and  the  old  sword   hanging  idly  in  its  scabbard 

lii-b  up  on  the  wall. 

The  \'an  Schaick  family  are  sturdy-g<jing 
Americans,  and  in  e\ery  generation  men  of 
this  name  have  gone  forth  to  serve  their  coun- 
try upon  the  battlefield  and  in  the  council 
chambers  of  the  go\ernment.  The  family 
cherish  the  traditions  of  Alkmaar,  Leyden, 
Brill,  and  the  Beggars  of  the  Sea.  They  rev- 
erence the  memor)-  of  William  of  Orange  and 
Prince  Maurice,  under  wlmm  their  ancestors 
fought  the  Spanish  tyrant.  15ut  they  have 
trans])lanted  these  memories  anil  traditions  to 
iVmerican  soil,  and  are  thorougii  patriots. 
Down  to  the  latest  generation  the  strong  qual- 
ities of  the  race  ha\'e  descended.  The  recent 
ajipointment  of  Louis  J.  Van  Schaick,  son  of 
e.x-Senator  \'an  Schaick,  to  a  Second  Lieuten- 
ancy in  the  L'nited  States  regular  anii\', 
marks  the  beginning  of  another  career  which 
bids  fair  to  be  an  honored  and  a  useful  one. 


'TKI'H1;N  p.  HALLOCK,  of  Co.x- 
sackie,  NA'. ,  dealer  in  provisions, 
grain,  hay,  and  straw,  was  born  in 
New  Baltimore,  N.Y.,  on  March  5,  1S3S,  his 
parents  being  Joseph  Z.  and  Phcebe  (Herrick) 
Hal  lock.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Zebulon 
Hallock,  was  either  born  in  New  Baltimore 
or  came  there  as  a  child  in  the  eaily  days  of 
its  settlement.  He  was  a  tanner  and  shoe- 
maker, and  worked  at  those  trades  all  his  life. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


287 


He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  His  wife 
was  before  her  marriage  Sally  S.  Kidmore. 
They  had  a  large  family  of  children. 

Joseph  Z.  Hallock  was  a  farmer.  He  spent 
all  his  life  in  New  Baltimore,  and  died  there 
on  January  2S,  1899,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen  in  his 
town  and  a  farmer  on  a  large  scale.  He  was 
a  member  for  si.\ty-four  years  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  held  leading  offices  in  the  church. 
His  wife,  Fhrebe,  was  born  in  New  Baltimore, 
daughter  of  John  Herrick,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  that  town.  She  is  still  living  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two.  Of  the  five  children  that 
have  been  born  to  her,  four  are  living, 
namely:  Stephen  P.;  Andrew,  who  resides  at 
the  Upper  Village;   Leander;  and  Charles. 

Stephen  P.  Hallock  received  a  practical  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town.  The  first  twenty-four  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  on  his  father's  farm,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Coxsackie,  and 
entered  the  dry-goods  store  of  Collier  &  Van 
Vliet  as  clerk.  Three  years  later  he  pur- 
chased Mr.  \'an  Vliet"s  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  the  firm  became  Collier  &  Hallock. 
This  partnership  continued  until  1880,  when 
Mr.  Hallock  sold  out  to  Mr.  Wolf,  and  bought 
out  the  grocery  business  of  David  Hallock. 
He  was  then  located  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  but  a  few  years  after  he  bought  out 
Piatt  Coonley's  business,  with  his  entire  stock 
of  groceries  and  provisions,  and  then  removed 
to  his  present  stand.  In  1896  his  son  Roscoe 
was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  business. 
This  is  the  largest  grocery  in  Greene  County, 


carrying  on  besides  its  immensj  retail  trade  a 
large  wholesale  department.  Mr.  Hallock  is 
the  oldest  grocer  in  the  town,  and  in  course 
of  his  long  business  career  he  has  seen  many 
changes  in  the  village  and  a  great  increa.se  in 
population. 

Mr.  Hallock  was  married  in  1864  to  Carrie 
Webber,  who  was  born  in  this  town,  daughter 
of  William  Webber.  She  is  of  Holland  de- 
scent on  her  grandfather's  side,  her  grand- 
mother having  been  a  native  of  Connecticut. 
Her  father  spent  his  life  on  a  farm  in  this 
town,  and  was  not  only  a  farmer  but  the  lead- 
ing auctioneer  of  Coxsackie.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent Democrat,  and  held  a  number  of  town 
and  county  offices,  among  them  being  that  of 
county  superintendent  of  the  almshouse  at 
Cairo.  His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of 
seventy.  He  and  his  family  attended  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Vermillia,  was 
born  in  Coxsackie.  She  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five,  having  been  the  mother  of  seven 
children  —  Christina,  Millisson,  Robert, 
Carrie,  John  W.,  Addie,  and  Sallie.  Of  these 
two  are  deceased,  namely:  Millisson,  who 
married  J.  H.  Brandow;  and  Robert.  Chris- 
tina, who  is  a  widow,  married  for  her  first  hus- 
band Richard  Halstead  and  for  her  second 
husband  Richard  Cornwall.  Addie  is  the 
wife  of  O.  T.  Schermerhorn,  of  Cairo,  and 
Sallie  married  J.  O.  Cornwall.  Mrs.  Hal- 
lock's  paternal  grandmother  lived  to  be  ninety- 
two  years  of  age,  dj'ing  on  the  farm  where  her 
son  William  was  born  and  where  he  lived  and 
died.      Mr.    and    Mrs.    Hallock   have  an    only 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


child,  Roscoe,  who  has  always  been  in  his 
father's  store  except  during  the  four  years 
when  he  was  Assistant  Postmaster.  He 
bought  an  interest  in  the  business  in  tlic 
spring  of  1896. 

Mr.  Hallock  is  a  Republican  and  a  strong 
advocate  of  the  principle  of  protection.  He 
has  served  many  years  on  the  Hoard  of  Educa- 
tion, for  several  terms  as  Trustee  ami  Treas- 
urer of  the  village,  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  in  all  public  matters.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  earnest  promoters  of  the  beautiful 
new  school-house,  which  was  erected  at  a  cost 
of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  For  more  than 
thirty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Sec- 
ond Reformed  Church,  of  which  also  his  wife 
and  son  are  members.  Mr.  Roscoe  Hallock 
is  a  member  of  Ark  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Coxsackie.  Although  Mr.  Hallock's  best  ener- 
gies have  been  given  to  his  store,  he  has  found 
time  to  devote  to  other  business  interests. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  operated  the  Hallock 
steam-mill  and  the  foundry  connected  with 
it.  This  was  started  by  his  brother  David, 
who  erected  the  buildings,  but  the  jilant  was 
burned  in  1892.  It  was  an  important  indus- 
try in  Coxsackie  for  many  years.  At  one  time 
Mr.  Hallock  carried  on  a  feed,  grain,  and  salt 
business  at  West  Coxsackie.  During  early 
life,  for  a  number  of  years,  he  taught  school 
in  the  winter  time. 


Ur,l-;NI':     !•:.      lUnVE,    a    rising     young 
awyer  of  (iilboa,  was  born  in  South 
Londonderry,     Vt.,     May     22,     1S67,    son    of 


Flwin  A.  and  Jennie  (Walker)  Howe.  He 
is  a  descendant  on  both  sides  of  early  arrivals 
at  I'lymouth,  Mass.,  and  his  paternal  grand- 
father was  prominently  identified  with  the 
public  affairs  of  Vermont  in  his  day.  Elwin 
A.  Howe  enlisted  as  a  private  at  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Civil  War,  and  was  later  commis- 
sioned Captain  of  a  company  belonging  to  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighth  United  States  In- 
fantry, a  colored  regiment.  After  the  war  he 
engaged  in  the  wooden-ware  Inisiness  in  Lud- 
low, Vt.,  becoming  one  of  tlie  ])rincii)al  stock- 
holders in  a  large  enterprise  known  as  the 
Ludlow  Toy  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
which  he  was  superintendent.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  throughout  the  Green 
Mountain  State  as  a  leading  Republican,  hav- 
ing served  four  years  in  the  lower  iiouse  and 
two  years  in  the  State  Senate.  He  was  for- 
merly Postmaster  of  Ludlow  and  superinteml- 
ent  of  the  water-works.  He  married  Jennie 
Walker,  a  representative  of  a  highly  reputable 
Vermont  family  and  a  sister  of  the  Hon.  Will- 
iam H.  Walker,  a  prominent  lawyer,  who 
served  in  lioth  branches  of  the  legislature  and 
as  a  Justice  of  the  Sujireme  Court.  Mr.  anil 
Mrs.  Elwin  A.  Howe  have  had  six  sons  and 
three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  studiously 
inclined,  and  are  making  goot!  use  of  the  lib- 
eral education  which  it  has  been  their  good 
fortune  to  receive. 

Eugene  K.  Howe  pursued  his  jireparatory 
course  at  the  Hlack  River  Academy,  Ludhnv, 
and  was  graduated  at  MiddJchury  College 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  iSSS. 
He  was  one  of  the  honor  men  of  his  class,  and 


I),    i;.    IIIK   IlLMC 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


belongs  to  the  various  college  fraternities. 
In  18S7  he  was  appointed  official  reporter  for 
the  Vermont  legislature,  hohling  that  office 
for  four  years  in  the  House  and  two  years  in 
the  Senate.  His  law  studies  were  begun  in 
the  office  of  liatehckler  &  Iiarber,  of  Vermont ; 
and,  while  pursuing  the  regular  course  at  the 
Albany  Law  School,  his  spare  time  was  spent 
in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  Alden  Chester,  of 
that  city.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1S91,  and,  beginning  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  company  with  J.  S.  P>ost,  he  re- 
mained in  Albany  some  four  years,  during 
which  time  he  figured  in  several  important 
cases.  In  1S95,  at  the  advice  of  friends,  he 
came  to  Gilboa,  where  he  has  already  estab- 
lished a  large  general  law  business,  and  has 
become  a  familiar  figure  in  the  courts  of 
Schoharie,  Greene,  and  Delaware  Counties. 
He  is  a  forcible  advocate  and  a  fluent  speaker, 
is  familiar  with  court  procedure;  and  these 
essential  qualities,  together  with  the  ability  he 
displays  in  preparing  his  cases,  give  ample 
evidence  of  the  brilliant  future  which  has 
been  predicted  for  him.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican. 

Mr.  Howe  married  Florence  Eaton,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Eaton,  a  successful  business 
man  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  West  Ar- 
lington, Vt.  Her  father's  people  were  na- 
tives of  Vermont,  and  her  mother's  family 
were  from  the  South.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  attended 
the  Emerson  School  of  Oratory,  Boston,  and 
was  a  successful  teacher  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage.     Of  this  union  there  are  sons,  Eugene 


S.  and  Carroll  K.,  and  a  daughter  Marion. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howe  are  members  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  church. 


WIGHT    B.    HITCHCOCK,  a  retired 

business  man  of  Windliam,  was  born 
in  this  town  on  February  3,  1830, 
being  the  son  of  Lucius  and  Eveline  (Hayes) 
Hitchcock.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Lemuel 
Hitchcock,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Greene  County, 
coming  first  to  Durham. 

Later  Lemuel  Hitchcock  removed  to  that 
part  of  Windham  known  as  Big  Hollow,  where 
he  settled,  and  subsequently  remained  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-fi\-e.  He  had  ten 
children.  His  first  home  here  was  a  log 
cabin;  but  later,  as  increasing  prosperity  at- 
tended him,  he  erected  a  large  frame  house. 
He  was  one  of  the  prominent  men  in  this  part 
of  Greene  County,  and  during  the  Revolution 
served  the  country  as  a  military  officer,  hold- 
ing the  rank  of  Lieutenant. 

Lucius  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Durham. 
He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  all  his  life 
was  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
built  a  house  in  Big  Hollow  near  that  of  his 
father,  and  there  made  his  home  to  the  end  of 
his  days.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican, 
and  in  religious  faith  he  followed  the  teach- 
ings of  his  father  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  His  wife,  Eveline,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fort_\'-si.\,  was  born  in 
Granby,  Mass.,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children.      Her  father,  Luther  Hayes,  who  was 


lilOGRArmCAL    REVIEW 


a  saddler  of  that  town,  settled  eventually  in 
Durham,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Lucius  Hitchcock  were 
the  parents  of  five  children.  l-"our  of  these  are 
living,  namely:  Dwight  1?.;  I'latt  O.  ;  Har- 
riet, who  married  the  late  Gcuri^c  I'.  Tow  nscnd, 
of  Windham;  and  William. 

Dwight  H.  HitchcK-k  livL'd  with  his  parents 
in  Hig  IIoHdw,  and  helped  on  the  home  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he 
began  working  out  by  the  month.  His  habits 
were  frugal.  He  saved  his  wages,  and  event- 
ually bought  a  farm  near  his  father's.  There 
he  remained  ten  years.  He  then  removed  to 
.\shland,  and,  in  company  with  .Mr.  R.  I.. 
I'ai'sons,  bought  (JUt  a  store,  where  he  carried 
on  business  for  five  years.  .Selling  out  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  he  came  to  Windham  and 
went  into  [lartnershi])  with  John  Patterson. 
.\fter  twelve  years  of  successful  enterprise  he 
retired  from  business.  Mr.  Hitchcock's  place 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  Windham.  It  is  known 
as  the  Colonel  Roberts<jn  homestead. 

Mr.  Hitchcock  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Julia 
.■\lwater,  died  in  her  thirtieth  year.  She  was 
born  in  Hig  llnlldw.  Her  father,  .Alfred  .Xt- 
w.iter,  faianetl  fur  sume  time  in  liig  Hollow, 
later  fur  twenty  years  in  Windham,  and  finally 
removed  to  Colorado,  where  he  died.  Mrs. 
Julia  A.  Hitchcock  was  the  motlier  of  two 
children,  neither  of  whom  is  li\ing.  She  was 
a  (le\()ted  member  of   the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  ilitchcock's  second  wife,  also  a  native 
iif  Windham,  was  before  her  marriage  .Sarah 
R.     IJaniey.      Her     parents    were     Abira    and 


Lydia  (Robertson)  Harney,  and  her  grandpar- 
ents were  Aaron  and  Rebecca  (Saxton)  Harney. 
Her  grandfather,  Aaron,  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  but  came  to  Windham  in  early 
manhood  and  began  work  as  a  journe\'man  car- 
penter, settling  near  the  village.  He  lived  to 
a  good  old  age.  He  is  well  remembered  as 
the  builder  of  the  tanneries  in  this  section. 
Rebecca,  his  wile,  died  at  tile  age  of  thirty- 
four  years,  having  been  the  mother  of  three 
children.  She  was  a  native  of  Reiisselaer- 
ville,  of  which  place  her  )xirents  were  early 
settlers. 

Abira  Harney,  who  died  in  liis  seventieth 
year,  carried  on  a  farm  where  the  cemetery 
now  lies.  He  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  this 
locality,  having  been  born  in  tlie  town  and 
reared  in  the  village.  His  wife,  Lydia,  was  a 
daughter  of  Colonel  James  Robertson,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  to  take  up  and  clear  land  in  the 
town  of  Windham.  He  was  a  prominent  man 
in  these  parts,  very  active  in  all  jniblic  affairs. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  Of  his 
eight  children  two  are  living:  James,  of  Os- 
wego Ccnmty,  New  York;  and  bllbert,  who  re- 
sides in  Washington,  D.  C.  Mrs.  Lydia  R. 
Harney  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  Of  her 
four  children  one  son,  l-;il)erl,  died  in  i  S(/,, 
and  the  other,  Samuel,  <lied  at  the  :iye  of 
twelve  years.  The  living  are:  Mr.s.  Hitch- 
cock and  Mrs.  L.  \'.  Hrisack.  IMrs.  Hitch- 
cock's parents  and  grandparents  were  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Politically,  Mr.  Hitchcock  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  share  in  local 
matters  and  in  all  questions  of  pidjlic  interest. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


He  and  Mrs.  Hitchcock  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  active  workers  in  that 
body.  Mr.  Hitchcock  is  an  1^ 
church. 


:r    of    the 


^^^TANTON  COURTKR,  a  weli- 
^-/"^  known  manufacturer  and  builder  of 
•^"*^'  Cobleskill,  N.Y.,  was  born  in  this 
town,  February  23,  1839.  His  father,  the 
late  Charles  Courter,  was  for  many  years  an 
influential  resident  of  Cobleskill.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Ralph  Courter,  who  was  born 
and  bred  in  Germany,  came  to  America,  and, 
after  living  a  short  time  in  New  Jersey,  re- 
moved to  Schoharie,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  shoes. 

Charles  Courter,  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children,  spent  his  early  life  in  Schoharie, 
but  when  a  young  man  began  work  on  his  own 
account  in  Middleburg  as  clerk  in  a  store. 
Going  thence  to  Lawyersville,  he  there  en- 
gaged in  business  until  his  removal  to  Cobles- 
kill, in  1837.  He  subsequently  assisted  in 
building  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  railway, 
of  which  he  was  for  many  years  a  director. 
He  also  built  many  fine  brick  blocks  in  Cobles- 
kill; but  after  the  disastrous  fire  of  1873,  in 
which  he  lost  heavily,  he  practically  retired 
from  active  pursuits,  although  he  retained  real 
estate  interests  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1879,  at  the  age  of  threescore  and  ten 
years.  He  was  a  stanch  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  served  as  one  of  the  village  trustees  a 
number  of  years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Helen  Lawyer,  was  born  in  Law- 
yersville,   and    was   a    daughter    of    Thomas 


Lawyer,  a  lifelong  resident  of  that  town. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-cight  years. 
Both  parents  were  attendants  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  Five  of  their  children  survive; 
namely,  Josephine,  Stanton,  Henrietta,  Cor- 
delia, and  Helen  C. 

Stanton  Courter  in  his  youth  attended  acad- 
emies at  Schoharie  and  Fort  Plain,  and  was 
afterward  graduated  from  the  Buffalo  Commer- 
cial College.  Before  attaining  his  majority 
he  went  to  Chicago,  where  his  father  had  been 
instrumental  in  establishing  the  extensive 
lumber  firm  of  C.  Courter  &  Co.,  which  dealt 
in  lumber  manufactured  in  its  own  mills  in 
the  timber  districts  of  Michigan.  He  was 
there  for  a  time  in  the  employ  of  that  com- 
pany, and  going  thence  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
he  was  connected  with  the  extensive  railway 
operators,  Rogers,  Courter  &  Co.,  until  they 
sold  the  Milwaukee  &  Western  Railroad  to 
the  St.  Paul  Railway  Company,  when  he  be- 
came confidential  secretary  of  Sherburne  S. 
Merrill,  manager  of  the  road  under  the  new 
officials.  In  1864  Mr.  Courter  returned  to 
Cobleskill,  and  for  eleven  years  was  first 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank,  which  he 
and  his  father  had  established.  The  follow- 
ing three  years  he  spent  in  Pensacola,  Fla., 
looking  after  the  lumber  interests  of  his  father 
in  that  State.  The  Florida  property  being 
then  sold  to  an  PInglish  syndicate,  Mr.  Courter 
again  returned  to  his  native  town,  and  on  the 
death  of  his  father  succeeded  him  in  business, 
becoming  owner  of  the  manufacturing  plant  of 
Courter  &  Overpaugh.  With  characteristic 
enterprise  he  has  almost  entirely  rebuilt  the 


lilOGRAPHICAL    KEVIKW 


original  wori<s,  and  now  lias  a  large  factory 
finely  equipped  with  modern  machinery  and 
appliances.  In  addition  to  turning  out  vast 
amounts  of  dressed  lumlier  and  building  ma- 
terials of  all  kinds  each  year,  he  manufactures 
furniture  of  all  descriptions,  and  as  a  con- 
tractor for  buildings  has  erected  some  of  the 
finest  residences  in  this  part  of  the  county. 
His  own  dwelling,  on  the  corner  of  Alain  and 
(irand  Streets,  is  a  spacious  Colonial  man- 
sion, with  large  rooms  and  halls  and  high 
ceilings. 

Mr.  Courteralso  built  the  Cobleskill  elec- 
tric light  plant,  which  has  proved  of  inesti- 
mable value  as  a  means  of  lighting  the 
village,  the  corporation,  and  the  residences  of 
the  town.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason,  be- 
longing to  Cobleskill  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
and   to   John    L.   Lewis  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. 


)UCIU.S  A.  WOODWORTH,  proprie- 
tor of  the  Ripley  House  in  Hunter, 
was  born  in  Jewett  on  January  i8, 
1833,  his  parents  being  Abner  and  Sophronia 
(Jud.son)  VVoodworth.  The  family,  which  is 
of  Scotch  descent,  was  a  pioneer  one  of 
Jewett,  living  there  first  in  a  log  cabin  and 
clearing  the  wild  forest  land.  Mr.  Wood- 
worth's  grandfather,  Lemuel  VVoodworth,  was 
born  in  Jewett,  and  lived  there  to  a  good  old 
age.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Lydia  Winters,  lived  to  be  seventy-five  years 
old.  Their  cliildren  were  as  follows:  David; 
Alanson:  Hiram:  l.ennicl:  Reuben,  who  died 
young;    Lydia,  who   married  a  I'ulier;    Nancy, 


who  married  a  Fairchild:  and  Sally,  who  mar- 

I  ried  a  Slater. 

Abner  Woodworth  was  born  in  Jewett.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  was  interested  in 
agricultural  laliors  as  long  as  he  lived.  When 
about  eighteen  years  of  age  he  became  the 
owner  of  a  farm,  and  this  he  carried  on  until 
his  death,  a  period  of  neaily  si.xty  years.  He 
was  a  very  earnest  Christian  man  :ind  an  ac- 
tive worker  in  tlie  Methodist  church,  of  which 
he  and  his  wife  were  members.  Mrs.  So- 
phronia Woodworth,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-seven,  was  born  in  Jewett.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Judson,  an  oUl-time  physician 
of  Windham,  who  is  believed  to  have  come 
from  Hartford,  Conn.  Abner  and  Sophronia 
Woodworth  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

Lucius  Woodworth  lived  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  cdd.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common    schools   and    at    I-'er- 

!  gusonville  Collegiate   Institute.        He    taught 

!  school  one  winter  in  Hunter,  and  worked  in 
this  vicinity  at  carpentering  with  his  brother- 
in-law  during  the  summer.  At  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  went  out  to  Wisconsin,  where 
he  stayed  for  three  years,  working  at  his  trade 
in  the  summers.  One  winter  he  taught  school 
at  I':ikhorn,  in  that  State;  one  winter  he  at- 
tended school  ;  and  the  third  he  worked  in  a 
sho]).  In  1 86 1,  in  company  with  two  other 
men,  he  startetl  for  Colorado,  journeying  in 
his  own  conveyance,  which  was  a  large  covered 
emigrant  wagon.  The  distance  was  eleven 
hundred  miles.  Indians  were  often  seen,  but 
they  were  not   hostile,  and    the   trip  was   made 

i  in    safety.      .'\rriving    in    Denver,    Mr.    Wood- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


295 


worth  remained  there  a  short  time,  and  then 
went  up  to  Hlaei<  Hawk,  torty  miles  farther, 
into  the  minima  region.  There  tor  a  year  he 
was  engageil  in  buiLling  t|uartz-mills,  antl  at 
the  end  of  that  time  he  became  himself  pro- 
prietor of  a  mill,  which  he  operated  for  the 
next  three  years.  The  country  was  then  al- 
most a  wilderness,  and  this  mill  was  one  of 
the  first  started  in  that  locality.  At  the  end 
of  three  years  he  sold  out  his  mill  and  re- 
turned East,  but  only  to  remain  for  a  short 
time.  The  Western  fever  was  on  him  strong, 
and  he  returned  to  Wisconsin  and  purchased 
a  farm.  Not  long  after  he  had  an  opportunity 
to  go  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  do  carpentering 
for  the  Northern  army:  and,  when  some  time 
later  he  returned  to  Wisconsin,  he  sold  out 
his  farm  and  decided  to  push  on  farther  west 
to  Montana.  Going  down  to  Chicago,  he 
bought  twenty  mules,  loaded  a  wagon  train 
with  freight,  and  started  westward.  The 
freight  was  to  be  delivered  in  Denver.  This 
was  in  the  dead  of  winter,  and  the  undertaking 
was  most  perilous.  For  two  months  Mr. 
Woodworth  travelled  without  seeing  a  spark 
of  fire,  except  for  cooking  purposes.  But  he 
reached  Denver  safely,  delivered  his  load,  and 
then  returned  to  Council  Bluffs,  where  he 
hired  his  mules  kept  until  spring  opened. 
Then  securing  a  load  in  Omaha  for  Denver,  he 
carried  it  out  there,  a  distance  of  six  hundred 
miles,  and  upon  delivering  it  reloaded  in 
Denver  for  Salt  Lake  City.  After  covering 
the  eleven  hundred  miles,  he  camped  for  about 
ten  days,  and  then  sold  out  his  mule  train, 
and  went  to  work  for  another   man   to   drive   a 


I 
freight     team     to     Helena,     Mont.        With    a 

wagon  drawn    by  four   mules   he   traversed   the 
five  hundred   miles    in   twenty-five   days.      .Ar- 
!  tisans  were  scarce  in  Montana,  and  Mr.  Wood- 
worth  went  to  work  at  his   old   trade,  building 
a    mill,    and    receiving    in    jiayment   his   board 
j  and  ten   dollars  a  day  in   gold.      After  a   time 
1  he    formed    a    partnership    with    a    Mr.    Hen- 
\  dricks,    bought   a   quartz   mine   and    put    up    a 
quartz-mill,  which  he  operated  for  three  years. 
Upon    selling   out   his   own    business    he   took 
charge  of  a  quartz-mill  for  Daler  &   Larkey  at 
Iron  Rod,  on  Jefferson    River,  and  was   super- 
intendent there  for  six   years.      In    1882,  after 
a  varied  and  hazardous  experience   in   journey- 
ing through  the  Far   West,  he   returned    East, 
and  the  following  year   began    business   at   his 
,  present    occupation.      The   hotel    of   which    he 
I  is  now  proprietor  was   built    in    18S6.      It   has 
accommodations    for  fifty    guests,    and   during 
the    summer    mont+is    he    has   a   large   number 
of   boarders.      Since    1883    he  has  conducted  a 
livery   stable,    having    been    the    first    man    in 
town   to  open   one. 

Mr.  Woodworth  has  been  twice  married. 
The  first  Mrs.  Woodworth  was  born  in  Big 
Hollow,  and  her  maiden  name  was  Adele 
Hitchcock.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Anson 
Hitchcock,  a  leading  farmer  of  Big  Hollow. 
Her  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  thirty.  The 
second  ;\Irs.  Woodworth  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  her  maiden  name  being  Mary  Ran- 
son.  She  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  chil- 
I  dren,  the  others  being:  Gussie,  who  married 
John  Coreja:  Addie,  who  lives  in  Brooklyn; 
I  and     Georgiana,    who     married     Bert      Allen, 


296 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Mrs.  Mary  Woodworth  died  at  the  aj^e  of 
thirty-five.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist church.  Mr.  VVooilworth  has  one  daiif^h- 
ter,  Ada  C. 

Politically,  Mr.  Woodwurtli  is  a  Republi- 
caTi.  I-'or  two  years  he  was  a  meiiiber  nf  tlie 
Board  of  Hdiication,  and  in  1  .S94  he  was  As- 
sessor. He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in 
Hunter  and  one  of  tlie  most  pojjular  landlords 
in  this  section  of  the  .State.  lie  is  a  man  of 
remarkable  intrepidity,  as  shown  by  his  dar- 
ing jouriieyini,'s  in  the  West. 


'RANK  A.  CHAPMAN,  proprietor  of 
Hotel  Chajiman  at  Hlenheim,  -Schoharie 
County,  N.V.,  may  be  spoken  of  as  an  ideal 
landlord,  being  active,  enterprising;,  and  at 
all  times  obliging  and  pleasant.  He  was  born 
in  the  nearby  town  of  l-'ulton,  June  25,  1S71, 
a  son  of  Moses  L.  Chapman,  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent of  that  place. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Jacob  Chapman, 
was  born  in  Rensselaerville,  Albany  County, 
and  lived  there  after  marriage.  Removing 
then  to  Knlton,  he  bought  a  large  tract  of 
timi)ered  land  at  ]?ouck's  Falls,  where  he 
cleared  and  improved  a  homestead,  and  passed 
his  remaining  days,  tlying  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  He  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  Methodist  church  of  that 
place,  in  which  he  ser\'eil  in  vaiidus  nflicial 
positions.  His  wife,  Hnldah  Wynans,  a  na- 
tive of  Cooksburg,  N.V.,  bore  him  eleven 
children,  of    whom    seven    are    living,    being. 


with  one  exception,  residents  of  Schoharie 
County.  They  are:  Spencer,  a  farmer  at 
Bouck's  Falls;  Nancy  C,  wife  of  Chauncey 
Shattuck,  of  Michigan;  Maria  Mann,  of 
Breakabeen;  Moses  L.  ;  James  1'.,  ex-Super- 
visor of  Middleburg;  Elizabeth  L. ,  wife  of 
Dr.  Holmes;  and  William  W..  of  Bouck's 
l-"alls,  e.x-Sui)ervisor  of  I'ulton.  The  ile- 
cea.sed  are:  Adam,  late  of  Bouck's  I'^alls; 
Harriett  l"..  ;  Isabella,  deceased,  who  married 
Hiram  Ackerson  ;  and  Dr.  I'eter  L. 

Moses  I..  Chapman  remained  at  the  jiaren- 
tal  homestead  until  he  was  of  age,  and  then 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  on  his  own 
account.  He  bought  a  large  farm  in  h'ulton, 
on  which  he  maile  substantial  improvements, 
including  the  erection  of  a  new  set  of  build- 
ings, and  was  there  successfully  employed  as 
a  general  farmer  until  his  death,  at  the  com- 
paratively early  age  of  forty-two  years.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Methodist  I^piscopal  church,  to 
which  his  wife  also  belonged;  and  both  were 
interested  in  its  Sunday-school.  He  maniecl 
Huldah  A.  Beard,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Ade- 
line (Phillips)  Beard.  Her  parents  were 
wealthy  members  of  the  farming  community 
of  Richmondville.  They  reared  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Sarah,  who  married  Judge 
Holmes,  for  twelve  years  Judge  of  Schoharie 
County;  Huldah  A.:  and  John.  Mrs.  Beard 
died  at  the  age  oi  forty-live  years,  and  Mr. 
lieard  afterward  removed  to  Genesee  County, 
where  he  attained  the  venerable  age  of  ninety 
years.  ( )f  the  nine  children  born  to  the  par- 
ents, si.x  are  still    livin-    as  follows:    William 


AMl.L    D.    I-KISIWK. 


'  '    'li'ULUY 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


H.;  the  Hon.  Charles  Cliapmaii,  a  iiiembcr  of 
the  Assembly;  IJa,  wife  of  J.  S.  Hunt,  of 
Boston;  Frank  A.;  Flora,  of  Boston;  and 
Dora.  Hattie  is  deceased.  The  mother 
passed  to  the  life  beyond  when  fifty-five  years 
of  age. 

Frank  A.  Chapman  was  but  ei-ht  years  old 
when  his  father  died.  He  remained  at  home 
until  after  completing;  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  West  Fulton  and  Blenheim,  and 
then  came  to  his  present  hotel  as  a  clerk  for 
his  brother,  a  capacity  in  which  he  remained 
two  years.  Going  then  to  Worcester,  Mass., 
he  was  an  attendant  at  the  asylum  for  the  in- 
sane three  years.  In  1S93  Mr.  Chapman  re- 
turned to  Blenheim  and  purchased  the  hotel, 
which  he  has  since  conducted  with  eminent 
success.  He  has  enlarged  the  building, 
partly  refurnished  it,  made  substantial  im- 
provements in  and  around  it,  and  has  now  a 
model  public  house,  the  leading  one  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  It  is  well  adapted  for 
the  entertainment  of  guests  from  the  city. 
Connected  with  it  is  a  first-class  livery,  with 
a  number  of  horses  of  good  qualities,  one  pair 
especially  being  the  finest  of  any  in  the  vicin- 
ity. Mr.  Chapman  has  had  charge  for  some 
time  of  the  stage  line  between  Middleburg 
and  Gilboa,  and  also  of  the  line  from  the 
latter  place  to  Grand  Gorge,  si.x  miles  be- 
yond, and  has  the  contract  for  carrying  the 
mails  between  these  places. 

On  December  28,  1893,  Mr.  Chapman  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  M.  Ross,  who  was  born  in 
Littleton,  Me.,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Hester  (Weeks)  Ross.      Her  mother  was  born 


in  -St.  John,  N.  B.  Mrs.  Chapman  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Ricker  Classical  Institute  in 
Houlton,  Aroostook  Comity,  Me.,  and  |)re- 
vious  to  her  marriage  she  taught  school  in 
that  town.  Mr.  Chajjman  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Mitlilleburg 
Tribe  of  Red  Men  and  of  Gilboa  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  are  both 
members  of  the  Eastern  Star  Lodge,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Gilboa. 


ANIEL  D.  FRISBIE,  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Schoharie  Rcpubli- 
cau,  was  born  in  Middleburg,  his 
present  home,  on  November  30,  1859.  Son 
of  Grandison  Norton  and  Kate  (Dodge)  Fris- 
bie,  he  is  the  representative  of  a  family  that 
has  done  much  to  promote  the  industrial,  edu- 
cational, and  political  advancement  of  this 
county.  The  family  traces  its  line  back  to 
New  England  ancestry,  and  two  of  its  early 
members  in  this  country  bore  officers"  commis- 
sions and  served  with  distinction  in  the  Con- 
tinental army  during  the  Revolution.  A  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  Grandison  Norton  Frisbie 
appears  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

The  Dodge  family  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county,  coming  from  New  Eng- 
land and  becoming  allied  by  marriage  with 
the  good  old  Dutch  stock,  of  which  Colonel 
Zelie,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  was  the  best 
early  representative,  and  the  Hon.  Daniel 
Danforth  Dodge,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  later  the  most  jarominent, 
having   represented   this   county   in   the   State 


lilOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


legislature  and  attained  the  greatest  success 
as  a  merchant  and  financier. 

Daniel  1).  I-'risbie  was  ethicateil  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Ilartwick 
Seminary,  one  of  the  oldest  scats  of  learning 
in  the  State.  At  the  latter  institution  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  a  thorou.^h,  broad,  and 
liberal  education,  develoi)ing  marked  literary 
t.istes,  which  in  after  \ears  frund  opportunity 
in  journalism  for  cmidoymenl.  In  the  I'hilo- 
|)hronean  Society,  of  which  he  became  ])resi- 
dent,  were  brought  out  an  ajjlitude  for  debate 
and  the  qualities  which  have  since  made  him 
an  easy,  graceful,  and  torcetul  public  speaker. 

On  the  completion  of  his  course  at  the  sem- 
inary, he  entered  actively  upon  a  business 
career  which  has  jiroved  singularly  successful. 
He  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  his 
father  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  continued  in 
that  capacity  until  i.S.Si,  when  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  partnership.  Later  the  firm  became 
G.  N.  I'"risbic  &  Sons  by  the  admission  of  his 
brother.  In  1 S92  the  senior  retired,  and  the 
firm  became  D.  IJ.  &  G.  1).  Frisbie,  continu- 
ing thus  until  Ajiril  i,  i  ."^99,  when  a  multi- 
plicity of  business  cares  lead  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  to  retire  in  favor  of  Ids  brother-in- 
law,  Nathaniel  Manning,  Jr.  iJuring  the 
twenty-three  years  of  his  connection  with 
the  business  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  modest  cmnitry  store  develo]i  into  a  modern 
department  store,  the  largest,  perhaps,  in  tlie 
county  in  point  of  sales  and  stock  carried,  and 
widely  known  for  its  exact  aiul  honorable 
methods. 

]5elieving  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  citizen 


to  take  an  intelligent  interest  in  public 
affairs,  Mr.  l'"risbie,  within  a  year  after  at- 
taining his  majority,  was  made  president  of 
the  local  Democratic  Club  in  the  fall  of  1882, 
anil  again  in  1884,  when  Mr.  Cleveland  car- 
rieil  New  York  antl  won  the  Presidency  for  his 
])arty.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  town 
of  Middleburg  in  those  years  rolled  uj)  the 
largest  Democratic  majorities  in  a  decade. 
In  1.S86-87  he  was  a  niember  and  treasurer  of 
the  Democratic  County  Committee,  rendering 
valuable  service.  For  several  years  he  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Town  Committee  of 
his  party.  Mr.  Frisbie  has  never  held  a  po- 
litical office,  but  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
Democratic  |iarty  have  been  so  cons]iicuous  for 
so  many  years  that  he  has  been  prominently 
mentioned  for  member  of  Assembly;  and,  if 
merit  meets  with  due  reward  in  old  Schoharie, 
he  will  soon  be  thus  honored. 

Seeking  a  wider  opportunity  for  the  atlvo- 
cacy  of  his  ]5olitical  ])rinci]iles  and  for  the 
exercise  of  literary  tastes,  he  purchased,  Au- 
gust, 1.S87,  the  Schoharie  RcpuHicmu  of  the 
estate  of  A.  A.  Hunt.  The  paper  was  estab- 
lished, in  iSig  by  Derrick  Van  V'echten,  and 
is  probably  the  second  oldest  in  the  State. 
In  January,  1896,  its  size  was  enlarged,  and 
its  circulation  has  increased  tlireefold  under 
the  present  management.  Its  columns  are 
rich  with  the  best  reading  of  the  day,  and  its 
hop  reports  are  regartleil  as  thoroughly  reli- 
able and  comprehensive.  As  an  advertising 
meditun  it  unquestionably  takes  the  lead,  as 
its  circulation  is  principally  among  the  large 
purchasing    classes    of    the    .Schoharie    valley. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


rolitu-allv,  the  Kif<iil'/ii<)ii  is  soundly  and  un- 
oqiiiviK-allv  Democrat ic.  It  was  established  as 
a  Democrat ie  or>;an,  and  has  always  been  true 
to  its  lirst  prin.ciples.  Its  editorials  are  often 
([uoteil  in  the  leading'  jiapcrs  of  the  State,  anil 
it  is  regarded  as  in  every  way  the  equal  of  the 
best  county-seat  papers  to  be  found  in  the 
Commonwealth.  In  1S94  the  seventy-fifth 
anniversary  of  its  founding  was  celebrated; 
and  upon  that  occasion  Mr.  Frisbie  purchased 
the  three-story  block  in  the  central  part  of 
Schoharie,  and  made  it  the  permanent  home  of 
the  paper.  The  editorial  offices  are  on  the 
first  floor,  as  are  also  the  mechanical  and  job 
printing  departments.  The  composing-rooms 
are  on  the  second  floor. 

The  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Frisbie  is  held 
by  his  brethren  of  the  press  is  shown  by  his 
election  in  1S9S  as  second  vice-president  of 
the  Democratic  State  Fditorial  Association. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  State  Editorial 
Association,  a  non-partisan  organization. 

In  recognition  of  his  interest  in  the  cause 
of  education,  Mr.  Frisbie  was  in  1S93  ap- 
pointed treasurer  of  Middleburg-  High  School, 
and  was  reappointed  for  a  second  term.  In 
iSgs  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  re-elected  in  1898.  Since 
September,  1897,  he  has  been  president  of  the 
board.  In  concert  with  his  associates,  the 
school  has  been  advanced  to  a  proud  position 
among  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
State,  its  finances  strengthened,  and  the  num- 
ber of  its  students  increased. 

In  1894,  when  the  business  men  and  farmers 
of  the  interior  counties  felt  severely  the  exac- 


tions ol  the  stock  iire  insurance  comi)anies, 
Mr.  iM-isbie  assisted,  with  others  interested, 
in  the  formation  of  the  Mutual  I'"ire  Insurance 
Company,  became  one  of  its  directors  and  a 
member  of  its  Iv\ecutive  Committee.  In 
1897  the  necessity  arose  for  another  comjiany 
in  this  county,  and  the  Merchants'  and 
Farmers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  was 
organized,  with  Daniel  D.  Frisbie  as  presi- 
dent. The  company  during  its  two  years' 
existence  has  saved  thousands  of  dollars  to  its 
policy  holders,  and  has  accumulated  a  sub- 
stantial surplus.  In  time  it  promises  to  be- 
come one  of  the  strongest  institutions  of  the 
county. 

Mr.  Frisbie  is  a  director  of  the  Middleburg 
&  Schoharie  Railroad  Company,  and  since 
1894  has  been  its  secretary  and  a  member  of 
its  Finance  Committee.  He  is  itlentified 
with  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  Church,  was  for  five 
years  superintendent  of  its  Sunday-school, 
and  is  at  present  its  financial  secretary.  Of 
fraternal  orders  he  is  a  member  of  Middleburg 
Lodge,  No.  663,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  is  also  a 
Past  Sachem  of  Oucongena  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M., 
No.  242.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Colum- 
bian Literary  Union  Association,  which  was 
an  inspiration  to  young  men  in  Middleburg 
for  many  years,  and  holds  its  reunion,  Janu- 
ary I,  1900.  He  is  a  hop-grower,  and  has 
done  much,  through  his  paper  and  otherwise, 
to  advance  the  interests  of  the  growers  of  the 
county. 

The  latest  enterprise  to  engage  the  atten- 
tion of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  one  that 
he  hopes  to  utilize  largely  for  the  public  good. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


is  tlic  mills   and  water   privilcj^e   located    mid- 

1S37,    in    Carlisle,    being    a    son    of    William 

way     between      Middlehiiri;      and      Schnharie, 

Chambers,    who   was   born    in    the    ^ame    town, 

which  he  acquired  April    i,    1899.      Tiie   mills 

June     2,      kSio.        His     paternal     grandfather. 

are  being  improved  by  the  addition  of   modern 

David  Chambers,  first,  was  born  and    reared   in 

machinery,    and     their    eajjacity     greatly    in- 

Charlt(jn,  -Saratoga  County,  whence  he  removed 

creased.       Under    the     l-'risbie    MillinLC    Com- 

in  iSoo  to    Carlisle,   Schoharie    County.      Pur- 

pany   the    business    will    be    extended,    and    a 

chasing   three   hundred   aci'es    of    heavilv   tim- 

good market  afforded   farmers   for  their  grain. 

bered    land,    Cirautlfather   Chambers   began    the 

Mr.    h'risbie   also   has    in    mind    the  establish- 

improvement of  a  homestead,  on  which  he  sub- 

ment  of  an    electric   plant,  to   i)e   operated    by 

sec|uently  resiiled  until  his  death. 

water  power,  whereby  the  people  of  Mitldleburg 

William    Chambers   was   one   of   a   family  of 

and  Schoharie   may  have   the   benefit    in   their 

ten  children  b(}i-n   in   the   old    log   house  which 

business    places,    streets,    and    homes    of    that 

his  father  reared    in  the  forest,  and    in  common 

great     modern     convenience,    electric     lights. 

with    his   brotheis  and   sisters  was  etlucated   in 

Should   this   be   accomp.lished,   a   great    public 

the  ])ioneer  school  of   the   district.      .Soon  after 

service   will    be    placed    to    the    credit    of    the 

attaining   his  majority  he  ]nuchased    land    near 

subject  of  this  sketch. 

the   old    homestead    in    Carlisle,  and  was   there 

Mr.  l->isbie  was  married  in   1S82  to  lileanor 

successfully  engaged    in   tilling   the   soil    until 

Manning,    third   daughter  of    Nathaniel    Man- 

1S4S.      In   that   year   he   sold    his    pro])ert)-    in 

ning,  E.sq.,  a   leading   citizen   of    Middleburg, 

Carlisle,    and,    going     to     Cherr\-    \'alley     in 

who    traces    his    ancestry    back    to    Crovernor 

Otsego   County,  bought  a  farm   that   he  owned 

Bradford,    first    Plymouth    colony,    who    came 

till    his   death,    which   occurred    (m    Api'il    22, 

over    in    the    "Mayflower."      The    family    was 

1899.       He    carried    on    general    farming   until 

among  the  earliest  in  the  county,  and  has  hekl 

1890.       From    that    time    on    he    lived    retired 

an    honorable   place    in    its    annals.      Mr.    and 

from  active  pursuits,  at  the  home  of   one  of  his 

Mrs.  Frisbie  are  the  parents  of  three  children 

sons    in    Decatur,  not    far   from  Clierry  \'alley. 

—  G.     Norton,     Cornelia     M.,      and     Daniel 

He   was   a   strong   Republican    in    politics  and 

Manning. 

a   member  of   the   Christian    church,   to   which 

his    good    wife    also    belonged.        Her    maiden 

"irXAVIlJ    (TIAMHI-:RS,  a  thriving  agri- 

name  was  ]5etsey  Salisburv.       .She  was  hoin    in 

IfeH      cultuiist    of    Cobleskill,    N.V.,  own- 

Carlisle,  and  was   a   daughter  of   James    Salis- 

("~**-^       ing  and    occupying  a   well-improved 

Inu'w  formerl)-   of   Albau)'    County.      She   died 

farm  of  one  hundred  and    sixteen   acres   on    the 

at  the  age  of   seventy-five  years.      Of  her  eight 

Carlisle   road,  about  three  miles   from    the   vil- 

children    these     six    are    still    living:     Mary, 

lage   of   Cobleskill,   is  one   of   the   town's  most 

Da\id,    James,    Norman,    Stewart,    and    I'lliza- 

respected   citizens.       He  was  born   January  I  1, 

beth. 

WILLIAM    H.    BALDWIN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


I)a\'icl  Clianibcrs  completed  his  L-ducation  at 
the  Cherry  Valley  Hi-h  Scho.il,  and  after- 
ward, until  he  was  twenty-three  )ears  old,  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  home 
farm.  He  then  married,  February  15,  i860, 
Catherine  M.  Richtmyer,  daughter  of  Christian 
Richtmyer,  a  farmer  of  Cobleskill.  Mr. 
Richtmyer  was  born,  and  he  lived  and  died,  on 
the  farm  which  Mr.  Chambers  now  occupies, 
and  which  he  has  managed  to  good  purpose 
ever  since  his  marriage,  now  thirty-nine  years 
ago.  He  carries  on  general  farming,  raising 
principally  hops  and  hay,  although  he  has 
other  crops,  and  pays  some  attention  to  raising 
sheep  of  the  Shropshire  breed.  He  has  on  his 
place  a  fine  grove  of  maple-trees,  from  which 
he  makes  considerable  sugar  each  season.  The 
original  owner  of  this  homestead  was  Conrad 
Richtmyer,  Mrs.  Chambers's  grandfather,  who 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  coming 
here  with  his  family  when  his  son  Christian 
was  about  three  years  old.  This  son  succeeded 
to  the  ownership  of  the  paternal  acres,  and  here 
reared  his  two  children  —  one  son,  Julias,  and 
one  daughter — -Mrs.  Chambers  being  the  only 
survivor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  have  one 
child,  Florence.  She  is  the  wife  of  Adam  J. 
Karker,  and  has  four  children — Orrin  C, 
Blanche  M.,  Lloyd  D.,  and  Myra  A.  Mr. 
Karker  and  his  family  reside  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chambers,  and  he  assists  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  homestead  property,  although  he 
has  a  fine  farm  of  his  own  near  by. 

In  politics  Mr.  Chambers  has  always  affili- 
ated with  the  Republican  party,  which  is  in 
the  minority  in  this   section   of  the   State,  and 


he  iias  the  distinctinii  of  being  the  only  Super- 
visor elected  on  that  ticket  in  Schoharie 
County  tor  thirty  years.  He  held  the  office 
in  the  years  1X94  and  1X95,  being  elected  by 
a  majority  of  forty-three  votes  in  a  town  whose 
Democratic  majority  was  usually  three  hun- 
dred. He  attends  and  liberally  supjiorts  the 
Dutch  Reformed  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Cham- 
bers is  a  member. 


ILLIAM  H.  BALDWIN,  New  Bal- 
timore, N.Y. — ^The  Baldwins  are  of 
I£nglish  descent.  Their  ancestors  held  the 
manor  of  (3sterarsfee  in  Aylesbury,  Bucking- 
hamshire, in  the  time  of  Flenry  II.  The 
owner  of  the  manor  in  11  go  was  Sylvester 
Baldwin,  known  as  Aylesbury.  In  1546  the 
manor  of  Dundridge,  Aston-Clinton,  four  miles 
from  Aylesbur}',  was  added  to  the  estate.  In 
1638  Sylvester  Baldwin  embarked  for  America 
in  the  ship  "Martin,"  accompanied  by  his 
wife,  two  sons,  Richard  and  John,  and  four 
daughters.  He  died  during  the  passage,  and 
his  will  was  admitted  to  prt)bate  in  Boston  the 
same  year.  He  left  a  large  estate.  His  fam- 
ily settled  in  New  Haven,  Conn.  His  son 
John,  after  losing  his  wife  and  chiUl,  settled 
in  New  London  in  1664.  In  1672  John  mar- 
ried again,  and  remtned  to  Stonington.  His 
son  Theophilus  married  Priscilla  Mason, 
grand-daughter  of  the  famous  Captain  John 
Mason,  who  led  the  settlers  against  the  Pequod 
Indians  in  1637,  and  destroyed  the  tribe. 

John  Baldwin,  son   of   Theophilus  and    Pris- 
cilla (Mason)  Baldwin,  married  Eunice  Sjiald- 


3o6 


RIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


in<;.  Their  son  Zil);i,  born  in  1752,  was  the 
-rcat-ramlfathcr  of  William  H.   lialdwin. 

William  11.  lialdwin  was  married  in  1874 
to  Kittic  \'aii  Hcrycn,  (laii<;htcr  of  John  Van 
licrgcn,  of  Coxsackic,  N.  \'.  She  died  in 
I.S76,  the  infant  daughter  Liz/.ie  surviving;  her 
a  few   months. 

In  1880  William  II.  lialdwin  married  Lillie 
Summers  Jones,  of  I'hiladeli.hia.  Mrs.  liald- 
win is  a  mendu'r  of  the  Chester  County  Chap- 
ter of  the  n.  A.  R.  Her  ancestors  were 
anKjni;-  the  earliest  settlers  of  Pennsylvania. 
Her  great-grandfather,  Cidonel  Jonathan  Jones, 
served  his  country  in  the  capacity  of  Captain, 
Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  anti  Colonel  of  the 
Continental  army,  being  promoted  after  active 
service  in  the  campaign  in  Canaila  in  1776. 


.\kSll.\I.I,  1).  HICI-:,  of  Schoharie, 
lealer  in  gentlemen's  furnishing 
goods,  hats,  caps,  boots  and  shoes, 
in  business  (Jii  Main  Street,  was  born  in  this 
town  on  June  i,  i^^J,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Jemima  (Headle)  iiice.  His  grandfather, 
Aaron  Iiice,  was  a  native  of  Holland.  He 
came  to  New  York  in  early  manhood,  lived  for 
a  time  in  Dutchess  County,  and  suhsec|uently 
removed  to  Schoharie,  where  he  spent  the  last 
years  of  his  lite. 

Joshua  Iiice,  above  named,  who  was  born  in 
Dutchess  County,  was  brought  up  on  a  farm, 
and  was  early  accustomed  to  farm  work.  He 
also  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  He  came 
to  this  town  shortly  after  his  marriage,  and 
.settled   on    a   small  farm  which    he   cairied   on. 


engaging  in  .shoemaking  during  his  spare  time. 
A  man  of  great  industry  and  very  frugal,  by 
degrees  he  added  to  his  property  till  he  was 
the  owner  of  one  hunched  and  twenty  acres. 
He  resided  here  si.\ty-two  years  in  ail,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  He  was  an  old- 
fashioned,  zealous  Methodist,  always  active  in 
chinch  work,  and  was  one  of  those  who  took  a 
leading  part  in  building  the  Methodist  church 
edifice  at  blast  Cobleskill.  He  also  took  a 
warm  interest  in  the  Sunday-school.  It  is 
.said  that  in  every-day  life  he  applied  the  prin- 
cijiles  he  professed  to  believe.  His  wife, 
Jemima,  who  also  was  an  active  church  worker, 
was  born  in  Dutchess  Count}'.  They  reared  a 
family  of  thirteen  childien,  only  three  of  whom 
are  living.  These  are  :  Levi  M.,  Marshall  D., 
and  Asher. 

Marshall  D.  Iiice  receixed  a  practical  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schcjols  of  Schoharie,  and 
subsetpiently,  at  the  age  of  si.xteen,  began  his 
working  life  as  clerk  in  the  store  of  ().  li. 
Throop  in  this  village.  Three  years  later  he 
went  to  blast  Cobleskill,  where  for  three  years 
he  was  in  partnership  with  his  father.  At  the 
end  ol  that  time  he  removed  to  Cobleskill  and 
started  in  business  for  himself,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  doing  then  to  New 
York  City,  he  was  employed  for  two  years  in 
a  wholesale  hat  store.  This  brought  him  up 
to  the  clo.se  of  i,sr)3,  and  in  December  of  that 
year  he  enlisted  in  Company  II  of  the  Third 
New  York  Regiment  of  Cavalry.  h'or  a  year 
he  remained  in  New  Vnvk  Harbor  at  draft  ren- 
dezvous; but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  ap- 
pointed   Lieutenant    of  a   company   of   cavalry. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


and  went  to  the  Ircmt,  ioiiiin,^-  his  roj;inn.'in  :it 
I'ctersbuff;-.  Later  liis  Cdmpany  went  to  Nor- 
folk to  do  j;x-ii^-''al  ilnty.  and  thence  to  North 
Carolina,  where  iMi'.  Hiee  was  appointed  a 
]iro\(ist-niarshal.  Snl)set[nently  he  was  assist- 
ant iirovost-niarsha!  at  Norfolk,  \'a.,  and  then 
Aide-ile-eanip  on  General  Mann's  staff.  /\fter 
being  ninslereil  out  of  the  serxice  in  1S65,  he 
remained  at  Norfolk,  \'a.,  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
and  was  engagetl  in  buying  up  government 
horses  and  mules  at  auction  and  selling  them 
at  private  sale.  In  atlclition  to  this  he  carried 
on  some  mercantile  business.  He  then  re- 
ceived an  appointment  as  United  States  In- 
spector of  Spirits  at  Chicago,  and  went  to  that 
city.  Returning  to  his  native  town  at  the  end 
of  nine  months,  he  engaged  in  the  general  gro- 
cerv  and  house  furnishing  business,  which  he 
continued  for  ten  years,  or  up  to  1894,  when  he 
purchased  the  block  where  he  is  now  carrying 
on  business.  He  put  in  a  large  stock  of  goods, 
and  has  met  with  all  the  success  he  could  have 
hoped  for. 

Mr.  Bice  was  married  in  1879  to  Melissa  M. 
Jones,  who  was  born  in  Duanesburg,  N.Y.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  Con- 
stable for  some  years,  also  Overseer  of  the 
Poor,  but  has  refused  all  other  public  offices. 
Forty  years  ago  he  joined  Schoharie  \'alley 
Lodge,  No.  491,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  he  is  at  the 
present  time  the  oldest  member  of  this  lodge. 
He  has  been  Master  for  several  years,  and  has 
filled  all  the  other  offices.  In  1S61  he  joined 
the  Chapter  of  Canajoharie,  and  in  1S63  he 
joined  the  Masonic  chajiter  at  Cobleskill, 
being  one  of   its   charter   members.      He    is   a 


niemiier  (il  the  Schoharie  Lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, ami  has  fc.r  many  years  been  coiuiected 
with  the  tire  department.  .Mr.  ]5ici-  attends 
the  Methodist  church,  and  is  a  trustee  .if  the 
■^"^^i^'ty-        ^^^ 

AMI)  ]\I.  HINMAN,  the  popular 
merchant  of  New  HaltinKire,  Greene 
County,  N.Y. ,  was  born  in  this  town 
on  the  last  day  of  January,  1863.  He  is  the 
only  surviving  son  of  the  late  William  C. 
Hinman,  who  established  the  Hinman  store, 
and  who  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  New  Baltimore.  Mr.  David  M. 
Hinman's  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Connect- 
icut, and  came  from  that  State  to  Albany 
County,  New  York,  when  it  was  being  cleared 
and  settled.  He  was  a  school  teacher  by  pro- 
fession, and  followed  that  calling  through  a 
long  life.  He  taught  music  as  well  as  the 
common  branches  of  learning.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  eighty. 

William  C.  Hinman  was  born  in  Albany 
County,  and  reared  on  a  farm  near  Ravena. 
He  pursued  his  studies  in  the  district  school, 
and  in  addition  was  privately  instructed  by  his 
father.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.  Later  he  became  a  tradesman  on  a 
small  scale  near  Utica,  and  subsequent  to  that 
he  came  to  New  Baltimore.  Here  he  was 
clerk  for  John  G.  Raymond  for  a  time,  and  he 
subsequently  established  the  business,  which 
has  since  become  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the 
town.  The  buildings  now  in  use  were  built 
by  him  some  time  after  the  business  was 
started.      At    first   he  was    in   partnership   with 


3o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


his  lircithcr,  llcniian  II.  Ilinnian,  later  with 
William  Fulk-r  down  to  1.S76.  Then  for 
eleven  \ears,  or  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1S87,  he  carried  on  the  business  alone.  He 
ilied  ayed  si.\ty-nine  year.s.  His  wife,  whose 
niaiilen  name  was  Jane  Terry,  was  born  in 
foeymans,  N.  \'.  She  was  one  of  the  ten  chil- 
dren of  John  Terry,  a  lifelmiLC  farmer  of  that 
place.  She  is  now  se\enty-fi\e  years  of  aye. 
Of  her  seven  children  tliree  are  living  —  Kliz- 
abeth,  Annie,  and  David  AI.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  C.  Hinman  were  active  in  the 
affairs  of  the  iVIethodist  chinch,  and  both 
worked  earnestly  to  secure  the  building  of  the 
church  edifice,  Mr.  Hinman  being  on  the  com- 
mittee having  the  matter  in  charge.  He  was 
for  }ears  the  strong  man  in  the  church,  and  to 
him  all  looked  for  o.unsel.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  the  oldest  merchant  in  the  town. 

David  M.  Hinman  attended  the  public 
schools  of  New  Baltimore,  anil  subsequentl}' 
received  private  instruction  for  some  time. 
He  went  to  work  in  the  store  at  an  early  age, 
and  soon  became  his  father's  most  trusted  and 
efficient  clerk.  l^pon  the  death  of  his  father 
he  .succeeded  to  the  business,  which  he  has 
since  successfully  managed.  He  carries  a 
large  stock  f)f  general  merchandise,  including 
groceries  and  provisiijns,  dr}'  goods,  hardware, 
paint.s,  oils,  glass,  oil-cloths,  and  ladies'  and 
gentlemen's  furnisliing  goods.  The  store  has 
been  the  largest  in  the  town  since  it  was 
started  fifty  )'ears  ago.  Mr.  Ilinman's  sister 
now  acts  as  book  keeper,  and  she  is  al.so  the 
ojjcrator    on    the     Western     Union    Telegra]jh 


line  here.  There  is  a  long  distance  tele- 
phone in  the  store.  Mr.  Hinman  has  in  a 
measure  steppeil  into  the  place  his  father  for- 
merly occupied  in  the  chuicli.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  Board  of  Stewards,  for  six  years  has 
been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  and 
he  is  vice-i^resident  of  the  l-Lpworth  League,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  member  ever  since  the 
branch  here  was  organized.  His  politics  are 
Republican.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Town 
Clerk  for  a  year. 


§UDSON  BURHANS,  junior  member  of 
the  enterprising  firm  of  Borst  &  Bur- 
hans,  Coblcskill,  N.V.,  millers,  niam:- 
facturers  of  buckwheat,  wheat,  r)-e,  and  graham 
flours,  and  custom  grinders  of  general  feed,  is 
a  well-known  business  man  of  this  town.  He 
was  born  the  first  day  of  January,  1849,  in 
Carlisle,  Schoharie  County,  which  was  al.so 
the  birthplace  of  his  father,  John  Burhans. 

The  emigrant  ancestor  of  the  Burhans  family 
emigrated  from  Holland  to  the  State  of  xNew 
York  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Mr.  Judson 
Burhans's  grandfather,  Peter  Burhans,  .spent 
the  early  ]iart  of  his  life  in  Greene  County, 
New  V,.rk,  whence  he  removed  to  Carlisle  with 
his  parents.  He  married  Annie  Ihnnmel, 
the  descendant  of  a  Dutch  family  of  C.reene 
(^lunty,  and  was  the  father  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  two  are  yet  living.  His  wile  tlied  in 
Carlisle  at  the  age  of  threescore  and  ten  years. 
John  Iknhans,  son  of  Peter  and  father  of 
Judson,  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools   of   Carlisle,  and   on  the  parental   farm 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


was   \vi 


ai;ri(.'ulturc.  Dcciilin.i;  tn  make  laniiing  his 
lilc  occuixitidii,  he  purchased  tlie  did  hdiiic- 
stead  when  he  hecanie  nf  age,  and  fioni  that 
time  luitil  liis  death,  at  the  aL;e  (il  se\'ent}'-six 
)-eais,  eairietl  on  general  farming  most  success- 
fully, lie  married  I.axinia  Loucks,  who  was 
born  in  Carlisle,  the  daughter  of  Peter  Loucks, 
a  well-to-do  farmer,  and  descendant  of  an  early 
settler  of  the  towai.  Six  children  were  the 
fruit  of  their  union,  namely:  Judson,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  brief  sketch;  Andrew;  Melvin; 
Peter;  Romeyn ;  and  Walton.  Mrs.  Burhans 
is  still  living,  an  acti\-e  woman  of  seventy 
years.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  to  which  her  husband  also  belonged. 

Judson  Burhans  attended  the  district  school 
until  fifteen  years  old,  when  he  began  working 
out  as  a  farm  laborer  and  carpenter's  appren- 
tice. After  learning  the  trade  he  worked  at 
carpentering  in  the  summer  season  and  taught 
school  winters  for  ten  years,  finding  time  also 
to  fit  himself  for  a  book-keeper  at  the  Pough- 
keepsie  Business  College.  After  that  he  was 
employed  as  a  book-keeper  at  Coble.skill  for  a 
while,  and  then  went  to  Albany,  where  he  was 
engaged  as  a  commission  merchant  from  1882 
until  1886,  when  he  disposed  of  his  business 
in  that  city  and  returned  to  Cobleskill.  Buy- 
ing an  interest  in  the  Cobleskill  mills,  he  has 
since,  with  the  co-operation  of  his  partner,  Mr. 
Borst,  materially  increased  the  capacity  of  the 
plant,  which  now  produces  on  an  average  one 
hundred  barrels  of  buckwheat  flour,  fifty  barrels 
of  rye  flour,  and  forty  tons  of  feed  e\-ery 
twenty-four  hours.      These  gentlemen    make  a 


specialty  ol  buckwheat  Hour,  which  they  manu- 
facture  from   a    luimbcr   one   grain,  bought    di- 

years  they  ha\e  sold  to  wholesale  and  retail 
dealers  in  all  parts  of  the  Union  large  auKJunts 
of  their  "Sure  Rising  Buckwheat,"  which  is 
pronounced  by  the  trade  to  be  one  of  the  most 
popular  on  the  market,  rixalling  Hecker's,  the 
Martha   Washington,  and  the  1.   X.   L.  brands. 

On  July  24,  1878,  Mr.  Burhans  married 
Miss  Mary  E.  Becker,  one  of  the  six  children 
of  Francis  Becker,  formerly  a  miller  in  this 
part  of  Schoharie  County,  but  later  a  resident 
of  Berne,  Albany  County.  She  was  born  and 
educated  in  Gallupville,  a  village  not  far  from 
Colbeskill.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burhans  have  two 
children  —  P' rank  J.  and  PLlla  Ploy,  both  of 
whom  are  in  school. 

P"raternally,  Mr.  Burhans  belongs  to  the 
Albany  Lodge  of  Odd  P""ellows.  He  also 
joined  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  while 
living  in  that  city.  He  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Farmers'  and  Mechanics'  Bank 
of  Cobleskill,  and  is  one  of  its  directorate.  In 
politics  he  is  independent,  voting  with  the 
courage  of  his  con\'ictions  for  the  best  men  and 
best  measures,  regardless  of  party  ties.  He 
attends  the  Methodist  p:piscopaI  church,  of 
which  Mrs.   Burhans  is  an  acti\e  member. 


,ETER  MAGP:K,  a  well-known  ship- 
builder of  Athens,  N.  Y. ,  was  born 
on  November  23,  1S3S,  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  where  his  parents,  John  and  Anna  (Ca- 
hill)    Magee,    settled  when   they   emigrated    to 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


this  country  from  Irtlaiul.  lie  is  tlic  only  one 
now  living  of  a  family  of  ei.u;i)l  tliildien.  IScitli 
father  and  mother  were  members  of  I  lie  Catho- 
lic church.  The  mother  died  at  tlic  age  of 
seventy  one. 

Mr.  Magee  was  reared  in  lialtimore,  and  in 
his  childhood  attended  a  parociiial  school  in 
that  city.  When  he  was  only  thirteen  years 
old,  his  father  died  and  he  had  to  be.L^in  to  as- 
sist his  widowed  mother.  lie  learned  the 
ship-builder's  trade,  serxirii;  a  four  years'  ap- 
prenticeship wilii  Jolm  J.  .Ahraiiam,  who  was 
reckoned  one  of  the  best  shiii-builders  in  that 
region.  When  he  had  completed  his  jjeriod 
of  apprenticeship,  he  began  wori<ing  for  Mr. 
Abraham  as  a  journeyman,  and  in  a  short 
time  was  reeeising  higher  wages  than  any 
other  man  in  the  yard.  After  this  he  spent 
one  _\ear  in  ]\Iound  City,  111.  ;  and,  when  he 
returned,  he  again  engagetl  with  Mr.  .Abraham. 
Leaving  Haltiniorc  a  second  time  and  going 
to  New  ^'ork  City,  he  worked  a  while  for 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  now  (iovernor  of  the 
State,  several  months  for  William  II.  Webb, 
and  then  put  U|i  a  vessel  foi'  \'an  iJuzen 
Brothers.  He  next  entered  the  service  of  the 
L'nited  .Stales  as  a  mechanic  at  Tort  Royal, 
and  tiiere  lemained  two  years  and  one  montii. 
L'jion  leaving  I'ort  Royal  he  came  to  New 
\'ork  and  took  a  eoiilract  bir  work  at  liie  biot 
of  Si.xteenth  .Street,  being  then  only  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  After  executing  this  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  he  went  to 
work  for  Sinionson,  the  shipduiilder,  this 
being  tluring  tiie  eight-houi'  strike. 

Subsequently     he     was     employed      iu      Mr. 


J.  R.  I5aldwin's  yard  at  New  Haltimore,  and 
from  tiiat  ])lace  lie  came  to  Athens  and  started 
business  for  himself.  He  was  first  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Matthias  \'an  Loan  in  1871, 
and  this  partnership  continueil  for  twenty 
years,  tlie  firm  being  known  as  \'an  Loan  & 
Magee.  Since  iSSS  Mr.  Magee  has  been 
without  a  partner.  During  the  time  he  has 
been  in  the  }ard  heie  he  has  built  over  two 
luuulred  X'essels,  and  has  rebuilt  man)'  more. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  repu- 
table ship-builders  in  this  region.  His  son 
Josei^h  acts  as  his  bjrenian. 

Mr.  Magee  was  married  in  1S71  to  Mary  J. 
McCabe,  who  was  born  in  Greene  County. 
She  has  borne  iiim  three  children:  Joseph, 
abo\'e  mentioned;  Mary;  and  Hannah.  All 
the  children  have  receivetl  a  i)ublic-scho(]|  etlu- 
cation.  The  daughters  reside  with  their  jiar- 
ents.      Joseph  married  Mary  Hrennan. 

Mr.  .Magee  is  a  Democrat  in  ])olitics,  and 
for  many  years  has  been  member  of  town  anil 
county  committees.  He  has  attended  many 
conventions  as  delegate.  In  i>SS5  he  was 
elected  Sheriff  of  the  county,  and  for  the  three 
succeeding  years  he  efficiently  filled  that 
office.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  School 
Hoard  for  thirty  years,  and  for  the  same  length 
of  time  a  Trustee  of  the  village. 

Mr.  Magee's  house  is  one  of  the  tinest  in 
.Athens.  He  puts  a  large  amount  of  money  in 
circulation  in  the  town  ever)-  week  when  he 
pays  off  his  force  of  workmen.  He  and  his 
family  attend  the  Catholic  church.  They  are 
actively  interested  in  all  efforts  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  communilw 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


jUTHER  ZELIK,  a  wide-awake,  enter- 
prising business  man  of  Fulton,  Scho- 
harie County,  prosperously  engaged 
as  a  general  nierchaiU  in  the  village  of  Break- 
aheen,  was  born  in  this  town  on  July  7,  1874. 
The  son  of  l-lphraim  and  Helen  (Becker)  Zelie, 
he  is  the  representative  of  one  of  the  earlier 
families  of  this  part  of  the  county,  and  comes 
of  patriotic  stock,  his  great-grandfather,  Colo- 
nel Zelie,  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  having 
had  command  of  the  Upper  Fort  in  Fulton 
during  the  Colonial  struggle  for  independence. 

Peter  Zelie,  son  of  Colonel  Zelie  and 
grandfather  of  Luther,  spent  his  entire  life  of 
seventy-five  vears  in  Fulton,  and  here  married 
Eliza  X'roman.  He  was  a  carpenter,  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  until  well  advanced  in  years, 
when  he  retired  from  work,  and  spent  his  re- 
maining days  with  his  son  Ephraim.  His 
wife  survived  him,  attaining  the  age  of  four- 
score years.  Both  were  devout  members  of 
the  Reformed  church.  They  had  eleven  chil- 
dren. 

Ephraim  Zelie,  the  father  above  named,  was 
born  in  1839  in  Fulton,  and  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools.  At  the  age  of 
ten  years  he  began  working  out,  and  from  that 
time  fought  the  battle  of  life  for  himself. 
When  old  enough  to  labor  at  the  anvil,  he 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  at  which  he 
subsequently  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  Schoharie  County.  Going  then  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  remained  there  three 
years,  but  preferring  to  establish  himself  per- 
manently in  New  York  he  returned  home,  and 
in  1861  located    in  Breakabeen,  where   he  con- 


tinued at  his  trade  for  twenty  )-ears.  From 
that  time  until  his  death,  May  20,  1S97,  he 
lived  on  a  farm  in  h"ultiin.  He  was  a  firm 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  served  for  a  while  as  C(dlector  of 
Ta.xes.  He  married  Helen  Becker,  one  of  the 
two  children  of  Henry  and  Rebecca  (Berg) 
Becker.  Her  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  and  her  mother  died 
at  the  age  of  forty-eight.  Five  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ephraim  Zelie,  and  of 
these  two  are  living;  namely,  Luther  and 
Laura,  twins.  Laura  is  the  wife  of  Floyd 
Mattice,  of  North  Blenheim.  Both  parents 
were  active  members  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  the  father  served  as  an  holder,  besides 
holding  other  offices,  being  for  a  number  of 
years  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school. 

Luther  Zelie  in  boyhood  and  youth  attended 
successively  the  village  schools  of  Fulton  and 
the  Middleburg  High  School,  and  afterward 
completed  the  course  of  study  at  the  Albany 
Business  College.  Returning  to  Fulton,  he 
taught  school  a  year  in  this  town,  and  then 
began  his  mercantile  career  as  a  clerk  in  the 
store  of  Cottrell  &  Leonard,  hatters  and  fur- 
riers in  Alban}-,  where  he  remained  three 
years.  Coming  to  Breakabeen  in  1895,  Mr. 
Zelie  bought  out  the  long-established  business 
of  Mr.  E.  Patterson,  a  well-known  merchant, 
and  has  since  conducted  the  store  with  emi- 
nent success.  He  has  considerably  increased 
the  original  stock,  carrying  now  a  complete 
assortment  of  groceries,  provisions,  boots, 
shoes,  hats,  gentlemen's  clothing  and  furnish- 
ing goods,    and  also  a  full    line   of   hardware. 


lilOGRAl'HICAL    RE\'IK\V 


in  all  (if  which  he  hns  built  up  a  substantial 
trade. 

On  January  26,  iSyS,  Mr.  Luther  Zelie  wa.s 
united  in  marriage  with  Mi.s.s  Kcziah  Shafer, 
dau-hter  of  Josejjh  A.  Shafer,  of   lUeakabeen. 

.Mr.  Zelie  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  beini;  a  mem- 
ber ..f  lUenbeim  l.od.ue,  I.  O.  O.  \- .  In  poli- 
tics he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  is  now  serving;  as  'I'own  Clerk.  lie  and 
his  wife  arc  faithful  mciulicrs  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  of  the  Sunday-school  connected 
with  it,  .Mr.  Zelie  being  the  superintendent  of 
the  school. 


IGI^KRT  R  DODGK.  of  Ashland,  was 
rn  in  ( jiecnville,  (iiecne  County, 
N.\'.,  ()ct(jl)er  24,  1S22,  son  of  Antlrew  and 
Ruth  (Hlackmar)  Lodge.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
Mose.s  Dodge,  who  mo\ed  his  family  from 
Ma.ssachusetts  to  FreehoUl,  (ireene  County,  in 
1804,  and  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade  in 
connection  with  other  mechanical  occupations 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Moses  Dodge  is  said 
to  have  been  a  descendant  of  William  Dodge, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Salem,   Mass. 

Andrew  Dodge,  father  of  I'gbert  B. ,  was 
born  in  Massachusetts.  When  a  )i)ung  man 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  ]<"reehold.  J^'rom 
1.S15  to  I.S47  he  carried  (jii  a  general  store, 
and    he    also   manufactured   p..tash.       His    last 

an<l    he    died    at    the   age    of    eighty  one   years. 
He   served   as    Postmaster  for  thirty  years.       In 

Republican.       During     the    somewhat    violent 
agitation  against   the  ^Lisunic  fraternity  which 


took  place  in  his  day,  he  sided  with  the  oppo- 
nents, and  was  known  as  an  anti. Mason.  An- 
drew Dodge  married  Ruth  Llackmar,  a  native 
of  Great  Jbrringlon,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Abel 
Hlaekmar.  a  prosperous  farmer  and  cattle 
dealer.  She  became  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren, tiirce  of  whom  are  living;  namei\-,  big- 
bert  li. ,  .\ugnsta,  and  Louisa.  Augusta  is  the 
widow  of  the  Rev.  John  X.  Spoor;  and  Louisa 
m;irried  D.miel  C.  Searles,  ,il  (ireenville. 
Mrs.  Ruth  Dodge  died  at  the  age  of  Hfty-five 
years.  The  parents  of  Ruth  Dodge  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  of  which  she  was 
also  a  mend)er. 

Egbert  R  Dodge  obtained  his  knowledge  of 
the  iirimar_\-  branches  of  learning  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  LreehoUl,  and  completed  his 
studies  at  the  academy  in  (ireenville.  He 
taught  several  terms  of  school  in  Greene  and 
Dutchess  Counties  previous  to  1S47.  In  that 
year  he  engaged  in  trade  at  Freehold,  where  he 
continued  in  business  some  thirteen  years,  and 
in  i86o  he  removed  to  Ashland.  Securing  a 
site  adjoining  the  hotel,  he  openeil  a  general 
store,  which  for  the  succeeding  two  ye;irs  was 
the  only  source  <if  supply  in  this  vicinity.  He 
was  therefore  called  uiion  to  carry  a  varied 
stock,  wliich  was  transported  from  New  \'ork 
City  by  river  boats  to  Catskill.  After  being 
out  of  business  two  years  he  (in  iSThj)  built 
a  new  store;  and,  putting  in  a  large  stock  of 
general  merchandise,  he  continued  in  trade 
until  iSSo,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son. 
After  being  relieveil  of  the  cares  of  business 
he  coidd  not  remain  idle,  preferring  instead  to 
continue    in    the   stole;   and  as  Assistant   I'ost- 


EGBERT    B.    DODGE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


n 

as 

or  ho 

lias  1 

1' 

1st 

thirt) 

year 

r 

■cs 

iJcnt 

Fillni 

1' 

lei 

CO        M 

minis 

tial 
the 
Rep 


lulled  the  mails  here  for  the 
He  was  rostmaster  under 
■e  and  durini;-  a  part  oi  the 
aticin.  He  has  witnessed 
langes  and  improvements  in  the  postal 
and  has  a  distinct  remendirance  of 
wiien  stages  were  the  only  means  of 
nee.  He  has  voted  at  every  I'residen- 
:tion  since  1844,  when  he  supported 
didacy  of  Henry  Clay,  and  is  now  a 
can.      He    served    as    a    Supervisor    in 


1868,  as  Town  Clerk  in  1870,  was  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  fourteen  years,  and  has  settled 
many  e.states. 

In  1853  Mr.  Dodge  was  united  in  marriage 
with  1-Iliza  C.  Sax,  who  was  born  in  Cairo, 
tireene  County,  daughter  of  Jacob  Sax,  the 
descendant  of  an  early  Dutch  settler  and  a 
prosperous  farmer  of  that  town.  J\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Dodge  reared  three  children  ;  namely,  Francis, 
Edgar  S. ,  and  Ella  M.  Dodge.  Francis  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  business,  and  is  now  the 
leading  merchant  in  this  section,  also  Post- 
master at  the  present  time.  He  married  Mary 
Clark,  and  has  two  children  —  Frederick  C. 
and  Florence.  Edgar  S. ,  who  is  a  horse 
dealer,  married  Sarah  Frances  Martin.  P^lla 
M.  married  Edward  Snow,  a  carpenter  of 
Kingston,  and  has  three  children  —  Herbert, 
Harold,  and  Laura.  I\Irs.  Eliza  C.  Dodge 
died   August    j8,    1S97,    aged    sixty-six  years. 

As  an  intelligent,  progressive,  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,  who  can  be  depended  upon  for 
assistance  in  forwarding  any  movement  calcu- 
lated to  be  of  benefit  to  the  community,  Mr. 
Dodge  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow-towns- 


men, among  whom  he  has  for  )-ears  been  a 
prominent  and  inlluenlial  figure.  He  ]ios- 
sesses  an  extensive  knowledge  of  the  town's 
history  for  the  past  thirty-eight  years,  has  been 
a  careful  reader  of  instructive  books,  and  his 
judgment  in  matters  of  public  importance  is 
still  sought  for  and  relied  upon.  He  was  for- 
merly a  member  of  the  Inde|iendent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a 
Presbyterian,  and  liis  sou  Francis  is  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 


iHARLES     P.      McCAHE,     M.D.,      of 

Green\ille,  one  of  the  foremost  prac- 
tising ph3-sicians  of  Greene  County, 
was  born  on  August  11,  1856,  in  the  house 
where  his  father,  Bradley  Selleck  McCabe, 
M.  D. ,  now  resides.  His  family  is  an  old  one 
in  the  county,  having  been  prominent  here 
since  17S3,  when  Stephen  McCabe,  his  great- 
grandfather, settled  in  New  Baltimore. 

Stephen  McCabe  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in 
1755.  During  the  Revolution  he  enlisted  and 
served  for  a  time  in  the  Continental  army. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  came  to  New  Balti- 
more with  his  wife,  Mary  P\irrar,  and  their 
family,  his  son  Benjamin  being  then  three 
years  of  age.  There  he  settled  on  the  estate 
now  owned   by   Hiram   Miller. 

Benjamin  McCabe,  the  third  son,  was  mar- 
ried in  181 2  to  Sarah  Gedney,  of  New  Balti- 
more, and  continued  to  reside  on  his  father's 
place  till  1825,  when  he  purchased  and  re- 
moved to  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Cath- 


3«8 


hi OC; RA PH IC AL    K E\' I K\V 


cnrt.  Ill  I.S34  he  houglit  and  rcniovL-d  to  the 
farm  now  nwnud  l)y  Adam  I.urcnz.  Hcnja- 
niin's  wife,  Sarah,  was  the  daughter  ni  Joshua 
Gedney,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
New  Haltimorc,  where  he  heeame  the  owner  of 
a  fine  farm.  He  was  l)orn  in  Westchester 
County,  of  wliich  liis  father  was  an  early  set- 
tler, anil  it  was  on  his  father's  land  in  that 
county  that  the  battle  of  White  Plains  took 
place.  josluKi  Cedney  and  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Hennett,  were  zealous  Meth- 
odists, and  their  descendants  to  the  jnesent 
generation  have  continued  in  the  faith  of  that 
church.  Mrs.  Gedney  died  at  seventy.  She 
was  horn  in  Westchester  County.  Her  chil- 
dren were:  I'eter.  Bartholomew,  Joshua,  Sam- 
uel, Absalom,  Sarah,  Hannah,  ami  Taticnce. 
Of  Iknjamin  McCabe  it  has  been  written,  "He 
was  possessed  of  a  discriminating  mind  and  a 
sound  judgment,  and  was  ne\'er  known  to  shed 
a  tear  nor  to  laugh  audibl)-,  so  jierfectly  were 
his  passions  under  his  control."  He  died  on 
November  6,  1S55,  surviving  his  wife  only 
nine  days.  He  was  the  father  of  the  follow- 
ing-named children:  Caroline,  Jane,  Hamil- 
ton, Bartholomew  G.,  Bradley  S. ,  Philip  P:., 
and  Mary.  Uf  these,  Hamilton  J.,  the  eldest 
son,  has  for  many  years  been  engaged  in  the 
tin  and  hardware  business  in  Creenville  vil- 
lage; and  I5artholomew  ('..,  the  second  .son, 
who  was  graduated  in  medicine,  died  at  De- 
posit, Delaware  County,  N.  Y. 

Bradley  Selleck  McCabe,  M.D.,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  his  medical- 
diploma  from  the  .\lbany  Medical  C.dlege  in 
iSsO,  and  short] v  entered  on  the  duties   of   his 


profession  in  ])artnershii)  with  Dr.  Gideon 
Botsford,  with  whom  he  had  begun  the  study 
of  medicine  some  years  before,  after  attending 
Greenville  Academy.  'Phe  late  Dr.  Botsford 
was  a  notable  man  of  his  time  in  (Ireenville, 
and  had  a  ver\  large  jnactice.  Dr.  McCabe, 
who  has  been  his  worth}'  successor,  is  known 
throughout  the  comity  for  his  skill  both  in 
medicine  and  in  surgery.  He  has  been  for  a 
lunnber  of  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Greenville  Academy.  He  rep- 
resented his  town  in  the  Board  of  .Supervisors 
six  years,  was  twice  chairman  of  the  Board. 
He  has  also  represented  the  county  in  the 
State  legislature. 

He  w:is  marrieil  on  June  26,  1S50,  to  Mary 
P.,  youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Amos 
Botsford.  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
him  — Amos  B,,  Charles  P.,  and  George  G. 
Amos  B.  McCabe,  who  has  been  in  the  sub- 
treasury  in  New  York  City  since  I S90,  was 
born  on  September  17,  1852,  and  during  early 
manhood  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
married  Helen  Kyle,  of  Alban\-,  arid  has  two 
children  —  John  C.  and  Mar\-  B.,  the  son 
being  now  in  the  emplo)'  of  the  New  Wnk 
Pife  Insurance  Comixmy.  (Jeorge  (i.  McCabe 
was  born  on  June  26,  1S60.  He  was  formerly 
in  the  employ  of  P.  Winne  &  Co.,  of  this 
place,  but  is  now  carrying  on  a  drug  business 
for  himself.  He  was  Postmaster  for  eight 
years  under  Cleveland,  and  he  is  the  present 
Sujiervisor  of  the  town.  He  married  Plmme- 
line  Stevens,  the  ceremon\-  t:iking  place  on 
Jamiary  S,  \S<jy  Dr.  Bradley  S.  McCabe 
was  I'ostmaster    for   lour   years    under  P'ranklin 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Pierce,  and  also  under  James  Buchanan.  He 
was  formerly  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  was  for  some  years  an  active  worker  in 
that  organization. 

Charles  P.  McCabe  after  attending  the 
Greenville  Academy  went  to  Boston,  Mass., 
and  entered  the  Conservatory  under  the  famous 
teacher,  Petersilea,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years.  Returning  to  his  native  place,  he 
taught  music  for  some  years,  but  in  1880 
began  the  study  of  medicine  with  his  father. 
Subsequently  he  entered  the  Medical  College 
at  Albany,  and  in  March,  1883,  took  his  de- 
gree from  that  institution.  After  some  time 
spent  in  the  Boston  hospitals  and  attendance 
on  the  clinics  there,  he  came  back  to  Green- 
ville and  settled  to  practise  with  his  father, 
continuing  in  partnership  with  him  till  1890. 
He  has  since  practised  alone.  He  has  patients 
in  all  the  surrounding  towns  over  a  radius  of 
fifteen  miles,  and  besides  his  extensive  medi- 
cal practice  has  many  difficult  surgical  cases. 
He  built  his  present  residence  in  1889. 

Dr.  Charles  P.  McCabe  was  married  on  Sep- 
tember 10,  1884,  to  Helena  F.,  eldest  daughter 
of  the  late  Robert  Elliott,  of  Hunter,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Of 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  of 
whom  Clara,  the  eldest,  died  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen months,  and  Millicent  at  the  age  of  five 
and  a  half  years.  One  daughter  is  living, 
Dorothy  K.  In  religious  faith  Dr.  Charles  P. 
McCabe  is  a  Methodist.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  prominent  workers  in  the  church,  and  he 
has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school 
and  for  many  years  one  of  the  stewards.      For 


many  years  he  sang  in  the  choir,  and  formerly 
he  held  the  position  of  organist.  He  orga- 
nized the  Greenville  Musical  Union,  a  chorus 
of  seventy  voices,  and  so  great  was  its  reputa- 
tion that  at  one  time  the  largest  hall  in  the 
town  was  filled  on  si.\  successive  evenings  to 
listen  to  it.  Mrs.  McCabe  was  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday-school  for  many  years,  and  also 
sang  and  acted  as  organist.  She  is  a  graduate 
of  Kingston  Academy  and  of  Chamberlaine 
College  in  Randolph,  N.Y.  She  was  born  in 
Hunter. 

Dr.  Charles  P.  McCabe  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Society,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Soci- 
ety. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  1893 
he  was  elected  and  served  as  Supervisor,  but 
he  refused  to  accept  the  nomination  a  second 
time,  and  has  uniformly  declined  to  run  for 
other  offices,  feeling  that  his  practice  needs 
his  undivided  attention.  He  is,  however,  con- 
nected with  various  fraternal  societies,  namely: 
with  James  M.  Austin  Lodge  of  Masons,  of 
which  he  was  Master  for  three  terms;  with 
Zeus  Lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
which  he  was  Chancellor  for  two  years,  and  of 
which  he  is  a  charter  member  and  was  the  first 
commanding  officer.  He  has  unusual  business 
aptitude.  He  is  president  of  the  Greene 
County  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and 
was  formerly  president  of  the  Village  Fire  As- 
sociation, which  operates  in  Greene,  Albany, 
Delaware,  and  Schoharie  Counties,  and  he  is 
a  director  in  both  companies.  Ever  since  the 
Greenville  Board  of  Education  was  organized 
he  has  been  one  of  its  most  active  members. 


330 


lilOGRAl'lIlLAL    REVIEW 


TT^HRISTIAN  RECTOR,  who  owns  a 
I  J|        good  farm   in  Glenville,  N.Y.,  on  the 

^ banks    of    the    Mohawk    River,   was 

born  where  he  now  resides  on  October  16, 
1S36,  son  of  William  and  Susan  (Ilavcrley) 
Rector. 

William  Rector  was  a  native  of  this  State. 
Settling  when  a  young  man  upon  the  farm  his 
son  now  owns,  he  successfully  followed  agri- 
cultural [)ursuits  for  the  rest  of  his  active 
period.  He  took  a  leading  j)art  in  public 
affairs,  holding  various  town  offices,  and  in 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  Dea- 
con and  I'^Ider  of  the  Reformed  church.  His 
wife,  Susan,  was  born  in  the  house  which  her 
son  Christian  now  occupies.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Christian  Haverley,  who  built  the 
house  with  brick  made  upon  the  farm.  She 
became  the  motlier  of  three  children,  namely: 
AnnaM.,  wife  of  James  T.  Wyatt,  of  Glen- 
ville; Christian,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Susan  Rosa,  who  is  no  longer  living. 
William  Rector  lived  to  be  nearly  eighty-five 
years  old,  and  his  wife  died  at  eighty-three. 

Christian  Rector  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Glenville.  I-"rom  his  youth  upward  he  has 
been  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil,  and,  succeed- 
ing to  the  ownership  of  the  homestead  property 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres,  he  has  real- 
ized excellent  returns  as  a  general  farmer. 
His  success  is  the  result  of  practical  knowl- 
edge, diligent  effort,  and  sound  judgment. 

On  October  10,  1866,  Mr.  Rector  married 
Emma  Vedder,  who  was  born  in  Schenectady, 
June  4,  1S45,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Prudence 
(Gates)  \'edder.      Her  father  was  born  in  Nis- 


kayuna,  N.Y. ,  and  her  mother  was  a  native  of 
Schenectady.  Peter  \'edder  was  a  carpenter 
and  lumber  dealer  in  Schenectady  for  many 
year.s,  and  the  business  is  now  carried  on  by 
his  sons.  He  served  as  Super\'isor  and  Alder- 
man, to  which  offices  he  was  elected  by  the 
Republican  party;  and  as  a  generous,  public- 
spirited  citizen  he  was  accorded  the  esteem 
and  good  will  of  his  fellow-townsmen.  In  his 
religious  belief  he  was  a  Baptist.  Peter  Ved- 
der lived  to  be  sevcnty-si.\  years  old.  His 
wife  died  at  thirt}-nine.  He  was  the  father  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Mary  C,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  Van  Dyke;  Emma,  who  is  now  Mrs. 
I^ector;  Theresa,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Gilbert; 
Daniel  G.,  Sharratt  G.,  Albert,  William,  of 
Pasadena,  Cal.  ;  and  Prudence  G.,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  Bett.s.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I^ector  have  three 
children,  namely:  William,  a  druggist  in 
Schenectady;  Susan  R.,  who  married  George 
Koonz,  of  Glenville,  and  has  two  daughters  — 
Mabel  and  l^erdena ;  and  Prudence,  who  re- 
sides at   home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rector  are  members  of  the 
Reformed  church.  Politically,  Mr.  Rector 
acts   with   the   Democratic   party. 


,LARENCE  M.  BOORN,  station  agent, 
telegraph  operator,  freight  agent,  and 
passenger  agent  at  Seward  station, 
Schoharie  County,  is  a  capable,  pleasant,  ac- 
commodating official,  well  adapted  for  the 
responsible  position  that  he  holds.  He  was 
born  September  6,  1863,  in  13ecatur,  Otsego 
County,    N.  Y. ,    the    town    in    which    botli    his 


CHRISTIAN    RECTOR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


323 


father,  Nathan  Boorn,  and  his  grandfather, 
whose  name  was  Amos,  first  drew  the  breath 
of  life.  Amos  Boorn  was  the  son  of  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  Decatur,  and  was  born 
and  reared  in  a  log  cabin.  A  man  of  industri- 
ous habits,  energetic  and  ambitious,  he  cleared 
the  timber  from  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  thus 
reclaimed  from  the  wilderness  a  fine  farm. 
He  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

Nathan  Boorn  was  born  in  the  log  house  in 
which  his  parents  began  housekeeping.  In  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  greatly  as- 
sisted his  father  in  felling  the  giant  trees  of 
the  forest  and  in  tilling  the  soil.  He  after- 
ward learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  for 
many  years  followed  it  in  his  native  town. 
Subsequently  removing  to  the  near-by  town  of 
East  Worcester,  he  there  set  up  his  smithy, 
and  now,  though  he  is  seventy  years  of  age,  he 
is  still  active. 

"  Week  in,  week  out,  from  morn  till  night, 
You  can  hear  his  bellows  blow." 

He  married  Catherine  Brazie,  one  of  the 
thirteen  children  of  Francis  Brazie,  of  Coopers- 
town,  N.Y.  Four  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  and  three  are  living,  as  follows:  Clar- 
ence M.  ;  Ortentia,  wife  of  Alfred  R.  Robbins; 
and  Friend.  Both  parents  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
politics  the  father  is  an  uncompromising  Re- 
publican, and,  though  never  an  office-seeker, 
has  served  two  terms  as  Town  Clerk. 

Clarence  M.  Boorn  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  left 
home  in  order  to  study  telegraphy.      As  soon 


as  he  had  acquired  a  sufficient  knowledge  of 
the  art,  he  was  appointed  night  operator  at  one 
of  the  stations  on  the  Delaware  &  Hudson 
River  Railroad,  and  he  has  since,  for  a  period 
of  seventeen  years,  been  in  the  employ  of  the 
same  company.  For  some  time  he  had 
charge  of  the  telegraph  office  at  Unadilla, 
whence  he  was  transferred  as  agent  to  Schen- 
evus,  also  in  Otsego  County,  and  in  1896  came 
to  Seward.  Here  he  has  faithfully  and  satis- 
factorily performed  the  duties  pertaining  to  his 
office,  and  in  every  way  has  proved  himself 
worthy  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  him.  Po- 
litically, he  is  a  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party. 

On  March  19,  1890,  Mr.  Boorn  married 
Miss  Edna  M.  Winegard,  who  was  born  in 
Seward,  one  of  the  two  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Abram  Winegard,  well-to-do  and  promi- 
nent members  of  the  farming  community  of 
this  town,  and  pillars  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boorn  have  one 
child,  Carl  W.  Mr.  Boorn  attends  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Boorn 
is  an  active  member. 


WILLIAM    B.    KNISKERN^ 
getic   farmer  and  one    of 


N,  an  ener- 
the    most 

popular  young  men  of  Blenheim,  N.  Y.,  was 
born  in  Fulton,  this  State,  September  6,  1868. 
He  is  the  son  of  Rufus  and  Helen  M.  (Best) 
Kniskern,  and  is  of  the  fifth  generation  in 
descent  from  Johannis  Kniskern,  his  pioneer 
ancestor,  who  was  the  original  owner  (as  early 
as  177s)  of  the  farm  on  which  he  resides  with 


324 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


his  father  and  mother.  This  is  the  line: 
Johannis, '  Joseph,"  Christopher,'  Riifus,-' 
William  B.s 

The  grandfather,  Christopher  Kniskern,  son 
of  Joseph,  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the 
homestead,  and  was  an  industrious  farmer.  He 
married  Olive  Dornburgh.  Their  children 
were:  Hamilton,  who  resides  in  Blenheim,  and 
is  a  cooper  by  trade;  Angelinc,  wife  of  Joseph 
Fink;  Adeline,  who  married  .S.  L.  Perry; 
Mary,  who  married  William  S.  Ilager;  Kliza- 
beth,  who  is  unmarried;  Rufus,  the  father  of 
William  B.  ;  Caroline,  who  married  Jeremiah 
Zeh ;  and  Martha,  who  married  a  Mr.  Shaffer. 

Rufus  Kniskern  was  reared  on  the  ancestral 
farm,  which  he  inherited  in  turn,  and  here  he 
Cdiitinues  to  make  his  home.  Devoting  him- 
self to  its  cultivation  during  the  active  period 
of  his  life,  he  gave  particular  attention  to 
carrying  on  a  dairy  and  raising  hops,  making 
the  most  of  his  opportunities  for  success.  He 
married  Helen  M.  Best,  daughter  of  William 
and  Nancy  (Hagadorn)  Best,  of  P'ulton. 
Rufus  Kniskern  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
lipiscopal  church,  and  his  wife  is  a  Lutheran. 

William  B.  Kniskern  acquired  a  public-school 
education.  From  his  youth  he  has  worked 
upon  the  homestead  farm,  which  for  some  time 
he  cultivated  jointly  with  his  father.  He  now 
crops  about  twenty-five  acres,  has  fifty  acres  of 
excellent  pasture  land,  and  keeps  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  cows.  He  has  relinquished  the 
growing  of  hops,  preferring  to  devote  his  en- 
ergy to  general  farming  and  dairying. 

Mr.  Kniskern  married  Mary  C.  Hanes, 
daughter  of   John    Hanes,    of     Fulton.      They 


have  one  son,  Harold.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat.  .Altiiough  frequently  solicited  to 
accept  nominations  to  town  offices,  he  has 
generally  declined,  but  has  rendered  valuable 
service  to  the  party  as  a  member  of  the  town 
and  county  committees,  and  was  a  candidate 
for  Supervisor  in  i8g8.  He  attends  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 


Yq)OREN  p.  COLK,  attorney-at-law  and 
jell  farmer  of  Conesville,  N.  V. ,  was  born 
"^^^  ^  in  this  town,  May  31,  1S52,  .son  of 
I'llder  Loren  P.  and  Charlotte  (Weed)  Cole. 
He  is  a  grandson  of  Avery  Cole,  who  moved 
with  his  family  from  Vermont  to  that  part  of 
Blenheim  which  is  now  Gilboa,  Schoharie 
Count),  and  was  engaged  in  farming  for  the 
rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years. 

A\ery  Cole  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Baptist  church.  He  was  a  Whig  in  politics, 
and  held  some  of  the  town  offices.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Polly  l^lair,  and 
their  children  were:  Suel,  Ambrose,  Loren  P., 
Anson,  liarnard,  Ahaz,  Rosetta,  Mary,  and 
Esther.  Of  these  Ambrose,  who  resided  in 
Indiana,  and  Rosetta,  who  married  Patrick  Van 
Dyke,  are  the  only  survivors.  Mary  married 
Warren  W.  Parsons;  Esther  married  Daniel  C. 
Leonard;  .Suel  and  Barnard  died  in  Gilboa; 
Anson  died  in  Western  New  York;  and  Ahaz 
died  in  Windham,  this  State.  All  except 
Suel  li\'ed  to  be  sixty-three  j'ears  old. 

Elder  Loren  P.  Cole,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketcli,  was  born    in  \'ermont    in    1808, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ami  came  to  Schdliario  County  wlicn  he  was 
four  years  old.  Ho  resided  in  C.ill)oa  until 
1845,  when  he  eanic  to  Conesvillc  and  became 
an  extensive  farmer,  owning  some  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  He  was  an  ordained  min- 
ister of  the  Baptist  denomination.  He  sup- 
plied pulpits  in  this  section  for  many  years, 
and  also  taught  school.  He  served  as  Super- 
visor for  the  years  1853-59,  1864,  and  1879, 
being  in  the  latter  year  the  oldest  man  on  the 
board.  He  also  served  as  Highway  Commis- 
sioner, Superintendent  of  Schools,  and  Gen- 
eral Inspector.  Elder  Cole  died  in  1886.  He 
was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Phoebe  M. 
Pierce,  died  two  years  after  marriage,  leaving 
one  daughter,  Phoebe  Ann,  who  married  E.  G. 
Case.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Char- 
lotte Weed,  whose  ancestors  came  from  Con- 
necticut. Seven  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  namely:  Alzina,  who  married  W.  H. 
Braman;  Pluma,  who  married  Bartholomew 
Becker;  Julia  E.,  wife  of  James  A.  Bouck ; 
lanthc,  wife  of  George  W.  Gurnsey ;  Char- 
lotte, who  married  Giles  P.  Guernsey;  Lean- 
der,  a  farmer  of  Conesville;  and  Loren  P.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  mother's  death 
occurred  a  few  weeks  prior  to  that  of  her  hus- 
band. 

Loren  P.  Cole  was  given  the  advantages  of 
a  good  education,  and  after  the  completion  of 
his  studies  he  taught  seven  terms  of  school  in 
winter,  and  worked  summers  on  a  farm  of  his 
father's.  Purchasing  the  home  farm  in  1876, 
he  carried  it  on  until  1889,  when  he  sold  the 
property  to  his  brother  Leander,  and  bought  a 
residence    in    the    village.      His    law    studies 


were  jjursued  in  the  office  of  Le  Grand  Van 
Tyle,  now  District  Attorney;  and  since  estab- 
lishing him.self  in  practice  he  has  built  up  a 
large  business  both  in  Conesville  and  Gilboa. 
In  public  affairs  he  has  rendered  able  services 
to  the  town  and  county  as  Supervisor  for  eight 
years,  acting  as  chairman  of  some  of  the  most 
important  committees.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

Mr.  Cole  married  in  1873  Martha  Leonard, 
daughter  of  Peter  H.  Leonard,  formerly  of 
Prattsville,  and  now  of  Bainbridge,  N.Y.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cole  have  no  children.  They  attend 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


AVID  T.  SLATER,  general  mer- 
chant of  Hensonville,  in  the  town  of 
Windham,  Greene  County,  N.  Y. , 
was  born  in  Jewett,  July  24,  1839,  son 
of  Hugh  and  Sally  (Woodworth)  Slater. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Greene  County, 
his  father  having  been  born  in  Cairo,  and  his 
mother   in   Hunter. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Elihu  Slater,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  came  to  Cairo  as  a 
pioneer,  built  a  log  cabin,  cleared  a  farm,  and 
tilled  the  soil  during  his  active  period. 
Grandfather  Slater  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three;  and  his  wife,  Sally  Beach  Slater,  who 
was  the  mother  of  a  large  family,  died  at 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal   church. 

Hugh  Slater,  father  of  David  T. ,  was  reared 
on  a  farm  in  Cairo,  and  resided  there  until 
twenty-one  years  old.      He  then  went  to  Jew- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ett,  where  lie  followed  the  occiiiiation  of  a 
farmer  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat  until  1856,  when  he  became  a  Re- 
publican, his  views  having  changed  on  the 
slavery  question.  He  held  several  town 
offices.  His  wife,  Sally,  was  a  daughter  of 
Lemuel  Woodworth,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
this  section.  Four  of  the  five  children  born  to 
them  arc  living,  namely:  David  T.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  ;  Mary,  who  married  Henry 
Whitcomb;  Lydia,  who  became  the  wife  of 
An.son  R.  Mott;  and  Dayton,  who  is  a  drug- 
gist in  Hunter.  The  mother,  Mrs.  Sally 
Woodworth   Slater,   died  at  seventy-one. 

David  T.  Slater  began  his  education  in  Jew- 
ett,  and  completed  his  studies  at  Ashland 
Seminary.  At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  went 
to  Cairo,  where  he  followed  farming  and  ran 
a  saw-mill  for  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  sold  his  property  and  came  to  Henson- 
ville.  Purchasing  an  interest  in  a  general 
store,  he  was  a  partner  in  the  concern  for 
twenty-two  years,  then  becoming  sole  proprie- 
tor of  the  establishment.  He  conducts  a 
thriving  business  here,  carrying  a  large  stock 
of  dry  goods,  groceries,  clothing,  boots  and 
shoes,  patent  medicine,  hats,  caps,  and  other 
wares. 

In  1S64  Mr.  Slater  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Winter,  daughter  of  Har- 
rison Winter,  of  Jewett.  They  have  had  eight 
children,  four  of  whom  survive  —  Jonathan, 
Lilian,  Dayton,  and  I^va.  Jonathan  married 
Laura  Shcrcr.  He  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
in    Brooklyn,    N.Y.      Lilian    is  a    pupil    at  a 


seminary   in   New  York  City,   and  the  others 
are  also  attending  school. 

Since  1884  Mr.  Slater  has  acted  with  the 
Prohibition  party,  and  has  been  Inspector  of 
Elections.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  has  been  class  leader,  and 
also  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 


UNCAN  M.  LEONARD,  M.D.,  of 
Broome  Centre,  Schoharie  County, 
was  born  in  Roxbury,  Delaware 
County,  N.  Y. ,  August  27,  1S37,  son  of  Henry 
and  Huldah  (Hull)  Leonard.  His  grand- 
father, John  Leonard,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, being  the  son  of  an  Englishman  who 
settled  in  that  country  and  married  there. 
John  Leonard,  on  coming  to  America,  first  set- 
tled at  Black  River,  Vt.,  but  later  removed  to 
Delaware  County,  New  York,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  to  make  a  clearing  in  Roxbury.  He 
died  in  that  town,  August  23,  1826.  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ruth  Olmstead, 
died  March  ig,  1842.  They  had  but  one  son, 
Henry,  Dr.  Leonard's  father. 

Henry  Leonard  was  born  in  Roxbury,  July 
4,  1789.  Succeeding  to  the  ownership  of  the 
homestead,  he  gave  his  princiijal  attention  to 
dairy  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  through 
energy  and  thrift  he  realized  good  financial 
results.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig.  Henry 
Leonard  died  December  20,  1871.  His  wife, 
Huldah,  who  was  born  June  20,  1799,  was  a 
daughter  of  Seth  Hull,  of  Hartford,  Conn. 
She  died  September  10,  1864.      They  were  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


jnircnts  of  twelve  children,  namely:  SalinaJ., 
horn  Cletober  5,  1820;  John,  born  June  6, 
iSjj;  Peter  H.,  born  May  21,  1S24;  George 
H.,  born  January  11,  1826;  Daniel  C,  born 
September  16,  1S27,  died  in  July,  1897;  Asa 
D. ,  born  Sejitember  4,  1829;  Lucy,  born 
March  13,  1832,  who  married  John  Weckle; 
Samuel  \V.,  born  December  8,  1S33;  William 
II.,  born  June  27,  1835;  Duncan  M.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  MaryE.,  born  April  25, 
1839;  and  Charles  K.,  born  May  20,  1842. 
George  H.,  who  practised  medicine,  served  in 
the  Civil  War,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.Y.  ; 
John,  who  became  a  surgeon  of  repute,  served 
three  years  in  the  army,  and  owing  to  ill- 
health  he  subsequently  engaged  in  farming; 
Peter  H.,  Daniel  C. ,  and  Asa  D.  were 
farmers;  Samuel  W.  remained  upon  the  home- 
stead ;  and  Mary  E.  married  Christian  Ender- 
lin,  of  Roxbury.  Charles  K.,  while  pursuing 
his  medical  studies,  received  injuries  which 
later  resulted  in  his  death.  Several  of  the 
sons  taught  school  in  their  younger  days. 
The  father  was  a  Baptist  and  a  prominent 
church   member. 

Duncan  J\I.  Leonard  completed  his  early  ed- 
ucation at  the  Roxbury  Academy,  and  having 
begun  his  medical  studies  under  the  direction 
of  his  brother  George,  he  attended  the  Univer- 
sity Medical  College,  Castleton,  Vt. ,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1857.  Locating  at 
Broome  Centre  on  January  i  of  the  following 
year,  he  has  resided  here  ever  since,  and  al- 
though he  has  practised  his  profession  steadily 
for  a  period  of  over  forty  years  he  still  retains 
much   of  the  vigor  and   activity  which  charac- 


terized his  youth,  and  attends  regularly  to  his 
every-day  duties.  As  a  physician  he  stands 
high  in  the  community,  his  professional  skill 
and  reputation  for  promptitude  enabling  him 
to  maintain  among  the  well-to-do  residents  of 
this  vicinity  a  practice  sufificient  to  keep  him 
constantly  busy ;  yet  he  has  never  been  known 
to  refuse  when  called  to  attend  the  poor,  from 
whom  he  could  expect  little  or  no  compensa- 
tion, and  he  has  never  instigated  a  law  suit  for 
the  collection  of  fees.  Prompted  by  the  be- 
lief that  good  physicians  are  an  urgent  neces- 
sity to  the  welfare  of  mankind,  he  has  not  only 
directed  the  preparation  of  several  students 
and  provided  for  their  personal  wants  during 
their  preliminary  studies,  but  has  also  assisted 
them  in  securing  an  adequate  college  training. 

On  January  i,  i860,  Dr.  Leonard  married 
for  his  first  wife  Vashtie  JMcHench,  who  died 
June  4,  1877;  and  on  January  i,  1879,  he 
wedded  her  sister,  Emma  J.  Their  father  was 
William  McHench,  the  son  of  John,  who  came 
from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  was  a  jjioneer 
farmer  in  this  section.  The  family  is  of 
Scotch   origin. 

John  McHench  had  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren; namely.  Submit,  William,  Catherine, 
and  John.  Submit  married  Benjamin  Thorn- 
ington.  Catherine  married  John  Goodfellow. 
William  remained  on  the  homestead,  and 
John  settled  in  another  part  of  the  town. 
William  McHench,  w-ho  was  a  prosperous 
farmer,  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
and  held  some  of  the  important  offices  in 
this  town.  In  early  life  he  was  interested 
in   military  affairs,    and  acquired  the  title  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Captain.  He  was  one  d  tlic  Icailini,'  nicnihcrs 
of  tlie  Christian  (.hincli.  lie  clicd  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven  years.  William  McIIencli 
married  Ann  Ferguson,  and  was  the  father  of 
nine  chilthcn,  nanicl\- :  Willard,  deceased; 
James  R.,  deceased,  who  settled  in  Minnesota, 
and  became  wealthy;  Nancy,  tlcccascd,  who 
married  Klder  Brown,  and  had  four  chiKlrcn  ; 
\'ashtie.  Dr.  Leonard's  first  wife;  William  and 
Wilson,  twins;  Antlrew  and  I'rancis,  also 
twins;  and  I'^mnia  J.,  Dr.  Leonard's  secoml 
wife.  Of  these,  William,  Andrew,  and  Emma  J. 
are  still  living.  William  McHench,  second, 
was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  and  is  now  prac- 
tising his  profession   in   Brighton,  that  State. 

Dr.  Leonard  is  the  father  of  four  ciiildren, 
all  by  his  first  marriage,  namel\-:  iMiinia  R., 
born  October  19,  i860;  Frances  A.,  born  .Sep- 
tember 12,  1863;  Ursula  J.,  born  April  16, 
1866;  and  Rutson  R.,  born  June  3,  1S6S. 
I'jiima  R.,  who  is  a  gratluate  of  the  State 
Normal  .School,  Albany,  is  a  successful  school 
teacher.  l""rances  is  the  wife  of  ¥.  IV 
Mackey.  L^rsula  J.  married  C.  S.  Best, 
1\LD. ,  who  is  practising  in  Midtllcburg, 
N.V.  Rutson  R.  Leonard,  1\I.D.,  who  is  now 
located  in  Bloomville,  Delaware  County,  New 
York,  began  his  jireparation  under  his  father's 
direction,  and  pursued  his  advanced  studies  in 
the  universities  of  \'crmont,  New  York  City, 
and  Michigan. 

Dr.  Duncan  M.  Leonard  cultivates  a  good 
farm,  and  is  quite  an  extensive  real  estate 
holder,  owning  about  .seven  hundred  acres  in 
all.      He  formerly  acted  with  the  Republican 


party  in  politics,  but  now  votes  independently. 
He  belongs  to  the  County  Medical  Society, 
and  was  at  one  time  its  president.  For  years 
he  has  devoted  his  leisure  to  reading,  and  has 
sludietl  tiie  natural  sciences,  including  astron- 
oni\-.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  a  Baptist, 
and  for  many  years  has  been  prominenth'  iden- 
tified with  that  church. 


LI  ROSK,  former  superintentlent  of  the 
Howe's  Cave  Lime  and  Cement 
Company  and  proprietor  of  a  general  mer- 
chandise store,  is  now  retired  from  business 
and  rcsitling  at  Central  Bridge,  N.  Y.  He  was 
boiii  in  Maryland,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  on 
February  20,  1840,  son  of  Nathan  and  Deborah 
(Morehouse)  Rose.  He  comes  of  English 
stock. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Rose, 
probably  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  said  to  have 
been  the  descendant  of  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  that  State  (whether  of  Thomas  Ro.se,  who 
was  an  inhabitant  of  Scitnate,  Plymouth 
County,  before  1660,  or  of  another  emigrant, 
the  present  writer  is  nnalile  to  say),  came  to 
Columbia  County,  New  York,  in  young  man- 
hood. From  Columbia  County  Nathaniel 
Rose  removed  to  Warren,  Herkimer  County, 
N.Y.,  and  finally  to  Maryland.  N.Y.,  where 
he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life.  He  started 
as  a  poor  boy,  but  before  he  died  he  accumu- 
lated a  large  property,  chiefly  comprised  in 
land.  He  was  able  to  give  to  each  of  his  six 
.sons  a  fine  farm,  and  then  had  some  three  hun- 
dred acres  left  for  himself.      Each  son  also  re- 


ELI    ROSE. 


MRS.    ELI    ROSE, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


335 


ceived  a  pair  of  horses,  farm  stock,  and  grain 
for  planting.  Nathaniel  Rose  was  a  Captain 
in  the  State  militia.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  year.s.  His  wife,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five,  was  before  her  marriage 
Lovina  Spencer.  Her  family  were  people  of 
importance  in  Columbia  County.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  married 
and  had  families.  Both  she  and  her  husband 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  were 
active  and  liberal  in  their  support  of  all  church 
matters.  So  interested  were  they  that  they 
were  instrumental  in  building  a  house  of  wor- 
ship almost  without  assistance  from  others. 

Nathan  Rose,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  father  of 
Eli  Rose,  was  born  in  Columbia  County,  New 
York,  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  there.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  he 
settled  upon  the  farm  given  him  by  his  father, 
and  there  engaged  in  farming  with  great  suc- 
cess. In  time  he  developed  dairying  to  some 
extent  and  also  lumbering,  carrying  on  in  the 
last-named  industry  a  very  large  business.  He 
was  active  in  town  affairs  and  a  liberal  sup- 
porter of  the  Baptist  church.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine.  His  wife,  Deborah,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  was  a  daughter 
of  James  Morehouse,  a  farmer  on  an  extensive 
scale,  residing  at  Maryland,  N.  Y.  Her  grand- 
father, who  lived  to  be  eighty-five  years  of 
age,  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  that 
place.  Her  father  was  killed  when  only  thirty- 
four  years  old  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Bum- 
side,  was  born  in  Maryland  and  died  at  the  age 
of  sixty.      She  was  twice  married,  and  had  five 


children  by  her  first  marriage  and  three  by  the 
second.      All  of  them  grew  to  maturity,  but  all 

are  now  deceased  save  one.  Nathan  and  Deb- 
orah Rose  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
namely:  John  J.,  of  Maryland,  N. Y.  ;  Betsey, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Baker,  of  Oneonta; 
i\Iary,  who  married  Amos  Graves,  of  Glens 
Falls,  now  deceased;  Lovina,  who  is  the 
widow  of  Nelson  Goodrich,  of  Oneonta ;  and 
Eli,  the  special  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Eli  Rose  received  a  public-school  education, 
and  subsequently  assisted  his  father  on  the 
farm  until  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  also  taught  school  for  two  terms.  In  1867 
he  entered  the  emi)loy  of  the  Howe's  Cave 
Lime  and  Cement  Company,  which  had  just 
been  formed,  as  book-keeper.  The  following 
year  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  business, 
and  he  was  afterward  promoted  through  the  po- 
sition of  foreman  to  general  manager  and  treas- 
urer. He  had  sometimes  as  many  as  eighty 
men  under  his  charge ;  and,  besides  managing 
the  lime  and  cement  business,  he  operated  a 
general  merchandise  store,  which  he  started  in 
1 868  and  which  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  in  the 
county.  In  February,  1S98,  Mr.  Rose  sold 
all  his  interests  at  Howe's  Cave  to  a  wealthy 
syndicate,  and  removed  to  Central  Bridge, 
N.  Y. ,  where  he  is  now  living. 

A  word  in  regard  to  the  cement  company 
with  which  he  was  so  long  connected  may  be 
interesting  to  the  reader.  This  company  was 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
New  York  in  1867  by  Hon.  John  Westover,  of 
Richmondville,  N.  Y. ,  Jared  Goodyear,  of 
Colliers,  N.Y.,   and  E.    R.    Ford  and  Harvey 


35^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Barker,  of  Oneonta,  N.Y.,  as  charter  members 
and  owners.  The  seventy  or  more  acres  of 
land  owned  by  the  company  were  rude  and 
rugged  in  the  extreme,  and  no  appliances  were 
at  hand.  But  generous  ledges  of  limestone 
gave  promi.se  of  rich  reward  to  those  who 
should  quarry  it.  Houses  for  the  employees, 
bams  for  the  work  horses,  shops,  kilns,  and 
mills  were  erected;  and  derricks,  engines,  and 
other  appliances  were  brought  here.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  company,  the  line  of  the  Albany 
&  Susquehanna,  now  a  part  of  the  D.  &  H.  C. 
Company,  ran  near  —  .so  near,  in  fact,  that 
often  in  blasting  large  pieces  (jf  rock  were 
thrown  on  the  track.  The  ledge  nearest  the 
railroad,  which  is  of  dark  blue  limestone,  is 
forty-four  feet  thick,  and  is  composed,  of 
course,  of  comparativel)'  thin  and  light  rock. 
Next  above  this  is  a  ridge  of  gray  limestone  in 
ma.ssive  blocks  and  of  excellent  quality  and 
soundness,  such  as  are  eminently  suitable  for 
the  construction  of  piers,  abutments,  canal 
locks,  retaining  walls,  and  all  kinds  of  massive 
masonry.  The  lime  produced  in  the  kilns  is 
very  strong,  adhesive,  and  of  great  durability. 
Its  lasting  virtue  is  well  shown  in  the  stone 
fort  at  Schoharie  Court  House,  which  was  built 
more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  as  yet 
presents  no  imperfection  of  either  stone  or 
mortar.  Among  the  imi)ortant  structures  in 
which  this  cement  has  jjeen  employed  are  the 
following:  the  new  capitol  at  Albany;  Hol- 
land House,  New  York  City;  the  Scranton 
Steel  Works;  Troy  Steel  and  Iron  Works;  and 
the  reservoir  at  Fair  Haven,  Vt.  As  all  the 
process  of  manufacture  and  the  disposal  of  the 


output  was  under  Mr.  Rose's  supervision  until 
his  recent  retirement,  no  further  commentary 
upon  his  ability  both  as  an  executive  officer 
and  as  a  financier  is  needed. 

Mr.  Rose  was  married  in  1870  to  Mary  C. 
Warner,  who  was  born  in  Richmondville, 
daughter  of  Henry  Warner.  Her  father,  a 
farmer,  who  was  a  descendant  of  an  old  and 
honored  family,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  Her  grandfather  and  great-grandfather 
Warner  were  both  carried  captives  to  Canada 
by  the  Indians  and  held  there  as  prisoners  for 
a  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  have  one  daugh- 
ter, So]5hina,  who  assists  her  father  in  the 
store.  In  politics  Mr.  Rose  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and 
is  a  tru.stee  of  the  society.  His  wife  and 
dautrhter  are  also  members  of  the  church. 


DGAR  HARTT,  Greenville's  veteran 
merchant,  member  of  the  firm  of 
J.  G.  &  E.  Hartt,  was  born  on  Norton  Hill  in 
this  town  on  January  2,  1828,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Salome  (Miller)  Hartt.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Joseph  Hartt,  was  a  native  of 
Dutche-ss  County,  New  York.  The  maiden 
name  of  his  grandmother  was  Polly  Green. 

John  Hartt,  the  father,  was  born  in  Harts- 
ville,  Dutchess  County,  and  was  a  shoemaker 
by  trade.  He  came  to  Norton  Hill  in  1820, 
previous  to  his  marriage,  and  carried  on  a  suc- 
cessful business  here  during  the  remainder  of 
his  working  life.  He  hired  a  number  of 
hands,  and  did  considerable  cu.stom  work. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian church;  and  he  was  a  Deacon  and  active 
worker  in  the  church.  The  house  of  worship 
was  four  miles  from  their  home.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican.  Mrs  Salome  Miller 
Hartt  was  born  in  Dutchess  County.  She 
lived  to  be  eighty-seven  years  old.  Of  her 
seven  children,  five  are  living,  namely:  Mary 
Ann,  who  resides  in  Greenville;  Edgar,  the 
direct  subject  of  this  biography;  John  G.,  a 
sketch  of  whose  life  appears  below;  William 
B.  ;  and  George  A.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of 
John  G.  Myers,  of  Albany. 

Mr.  Edgar  Hartt  received  a  practical  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Norton  Hill. 
His  first  business  experience  was  in  shoemak- 
ing,  which  he  learned  by  working  with  his 
father.  He  followed  his  trade  about  nine 
years.  The  partnership  with  his  brother  was 
formed  in  1S56,  at  the  old  stand;  and  three 
years  later  the  store  where  they  are  now  doing 
business  was  built.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  is 
a  single  partnership  in  the  State  that  has  ex- 
isted longer  than  this.  Messrs.  Hartt  still 
buy  goods  in  some  instances  of  the  firms  from 
whom  they  bought  when  they  began  business. 
They  carrj^  a  very  complete  stock  of  general 
merchandise,  including  dry  goods,  groceries, 
boots  and  shoes,  ready-made  clothing,  hats  and 
caps,  crockery  and  glassware,  oil  cloth,  hard- 
ware, grain,  drugs  and  patent  medicines,  wall 
paper  and  stationery.  The  business  has  grown 
from  year  to  year  with  the  growth  of  the  vil- 
lage, which  has  nearly  doubled  in  size  since 
they  began. 

In   i860  Mr.  Hartt  married  Augusta  Chap- 


man, a  native  of  Wcsterlo  and  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Eliza  Chapman,  her  father  a  black- 
smith. Both  her  parents  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty.  They  had  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living.  Mr.  and  :\Irs.  Hartt  have 
three  children  —  Gertrude,  Clara,  and  Henry 
G.  Gertrude  is  the  wife  of  G.  W.  Palen,  a 
tanner  residing  in  Western  Penn.sylvania,  near 
DuBois.  Clara  resides  with  her  parents. 
Henry  G.  Hartt  is  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Colier  &  Co.,  dry-goods  merchants  at  Cox- 
sackie,  where  they  carry  on  a  most  successful 
business.      He  married  Grace  Vanderburg. 


fOHN  G.  HARTT,  brother  of  Edgar  and 
his  partner,  was  born  at  Norton  Hill  on 
October  3,  1829.  Upon  leaving  home 
and  starting  life  for  himself,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Thomas  Saxon  in  South  Westerlo. 
From  that  place  he  came  to  Greenville  and 
began  working  for  Mr.  Bentley,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  the  next  nine  years,  during  the 
first  three  of  which  he  worked  for  fifty  dollars 
a  year  and  found  his  own  clothes.  His  hours 
were  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  he  often  had  to 
work  until  midnight.  His  motto  always  was 
that,  no  matter  how  small  an  amount  he  earned, 
he  must  save  a  little;  and  he  always  kept  to 
it.  He  left  Mr.  Bentley  to  join  his  brother  in 
business,  starting,  as  has  been  said,  in  the  old 
corner  store. 

Mr.  Hartt  married  in  1S59  Jane  A.  Tall- 
madge,  a  native  of  Greenville,  N.Y.  Her 
father,    Henry  Tallmadge,   a  native  of  Poult- 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ney,  Vt,  was  a  physician  by  profession ;  but 
he  came  to  Coxsackie,  and  engaj^ed  in  mercan- 
tile business  there.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three.  His  wife,  whose  name  before 
marriage  was  Jane  A.  Reed,  was  born  in  Cox- 
sackie, and  died  in  Greenville  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five.  She  bore  him  eight  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartt  have  only  one  child,  Ar- 
thur, who  is  a  merchant  at  Ravena,  Albany 
County,  this  State,  and  Postma.ster  in  that 
place.  He  was  in  the  Greenville  Local  print- 
ing-office for  nine  years,  and  h;is  taken  an  ac- 
tive part  in  politics.  He  married  Rose  Wil- 
sey,  and  has  one  son,  Harold. 

Both  John  and  Edgar  Hartt  are  prominent 
members  of  the  Republican  party  in  this  sec- 
tion. The  former  has  been  Town  Clerk  and 
Assistant  Postmaster.  Neither  has  cared  for 
public  office.  Both  arc  attendants  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  their  wives  and  the  three 
children  of  Mr.  Edgar  Hartt  are  members  of 
the  church.  The  brothers  are  among  the  best- 
known  men  in  the  county,  and  command  uni- 
versal esteem. 


LIBERT  G.  ROSEKRAUS,  Esq.,  a 
gencial  merchant  in  Fulton,  Schoharie 
County,  was  born  May  5,  1837,  in 
Berne,  Albany  County,  a  son  of  Holmes  Rose- 
krau.s,  M.  D.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Henry 
Rosekraus,  removed  from  Westerlo,  N.Y.,  to 
Wright,  Schoharie  County,  when  in  the  prime 
of  a  vigorous  manhood,  and  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  fourscore  )ears, 
was  engaged  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.     His  wife. 


whose  maiden  name  was  Holmes,  also  lived  to 
be  eighty  years  old,  and  dying  left  five  chil- 
dren ;  namel)',  Holmes,  Frederick,  Henry, 
Phebe  P'lansburgh,    and   Mrs.    Hungerford. 

Holmes  Rosekraus  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Albany 
County,  and  after  reading  medicine  for  a  time 
with  competent  instructors,  entered  the  Al- 
bany Medical  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. Locating  at  once  in  Berne,  Albany 
County,  he  built  up  a  very  large  practice  in 
that  town  and  vicinity,  and  became  one  of  its 
most  successful  and  favorably  known  physi- 
cians. After  an  active  practice  of  thirty 
years,  he  passed  to  the  higher  life,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-four.  He  was  deejjly  interested  in 
local  affairs,  and  served  a  number  of  years  as 
Town  Superintendent.  He  was  a  regular  at- 
tendant of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which  his 
wife  was  a  consistent  member.  He  married 
Melinda  Weidman,  one  of  the  three  children 
of  Jacob  Weidman,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Berne.  Twelve  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  and  six  of  them  survive,  namely : 
Jacob;  Albert,  the  special  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  James,  a  professor  of  music,  and  a 
minister;  Thomas;  Washington;  and  Eliza- 
beth. All  of  the  children  are  gifted  with  ex- 
cei)tional  musical  talent,  and  all  but  two  are 
quite  noted  throughout  Schoharie  County. 
The  mother  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years. 

Albert  Rosekraus  attended  the  jjublic  schools 
of  Berne  until  ten  years  old,  and  then  came  to 
Middleburg,  in  this  county,  where  he  contin- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


341 


uod  his  studies  at  the  high  school  and  acad- 
emy, and  also  woiked  for  a  while  as  a  clerk. 
Going  then  to  Albany,  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship of  two  years  and  a  half  at  the  printer's 
trade;  but,  not  liking  it  well  enough  to  con- 
tinue it,  he  returned  to  Middleburg,  where  he 
was  subsequently  employed  as  a  clerk  ten 
years.  Coming  in  1864  to  P^ulton,  he  bought 
an  interest  in  his  present  store,  and  in  partner- 
ship with  Charles  Watson  carried  on  an  exten- 
sive business  for  three  years.  The  partnership 
being  then  dissolved,  he  returned  to  Middle- 
burg, where  for  the  ensuing  three  years  he 
was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  the 
store  occupying  the  present  site  of  Wellington 
Bassler's  establishment.  Disposing  of  his 
property  there,  Mr.  Rosekraus  then  bought  his 
present  store  in  Fulton,  and  has  since  carried 
on  a  very  large  and  successful  business  as  a 
general  merchant. 

In  politics  he  is  prominently  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  which  he  has  served 
three  years  as  one  of  the  Democratic  County 
Committee.  He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace 
sixteen  years,  an  office  which  he  still  holds, 
his  present  term  not  expiring  until  1900.  He 
has  been  Town  Clerk  two  terms,  and  on  three 
occasions  has  received  the  nomination  for 
County  Clerk.  He  was  one  of  the  promoters 
of  the  Fulton  Valley  Telephone  Company,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  stockholder  and  a  director 
several  years.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of 
Middleburg  Lodge,  No.  663,  F.  &  A.  M., 
which  he  assisted  in  organizing,  and  he  was 
for  some  years  the  chorister.  He  belongs  to 
the  Reformed  church.      He  has  served  a  num- 


ber of  years  as  a  Deacon  of  the  church,  and  he 
was  for  a  long  time  the  organist  and  chorister. 
He  has  also  been  actively  identified  with  its 
Sunday-school  as  a  teacher  and  superintendent 
and  as  the  leader  of  singing. 

In  October,  1858,  Mr.  Rosekraus  married 
Margaret  Zeh,  daughter  of  Joseph  Zeh,  a  well- 
known  farmer  and  an  old  and  respected  resi- 
dent of  Seward.  She  died  at  the  age  of  three- 
score years,  leaving  three  children,  namely: 
Pauline,  a  teacher  in  Fulton;  Dora,  who  was 
also  a  teacher  for  some  years,  and  now  is  the 
wife  of  J.  Brewster,  a  farmer  in  Seward;  and 
Ida,  who  is  the  wife  of  Edwin  Lawyer,  and  has 
one  child,  Albert.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  Mr.  Rosekraus  married  Mary  Follett, 
daughter  of  John  Follett,  a  cooper,  of  Fulton, 
their  union  being  solemnized  in  October,  1897. 


(sTy-LBERT  L.  KERR,  general  merchant 
^^  and  Postmaster  at  Haines  Falls,  N.Y., 
V — '  was  born  in  this  village,  September 
18,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Mar- 
garet A.  (Haines)  Kerr.  His  father  was  born 
at  Tannersville,  and  his  mother  was  born  at 
Haines  Falls.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
George  Kerr,  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and 
later  settled  in  Tannersville,  where  he  followed 
farming.  George  Kerr  died  at  the  age  of  sixty. 
Robert  Kerr,  father  of  Albert  L.,  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  this  section  when  a 
young  man,  and  before  the  advent  of  railroads 
ran  a  stage-coach  to  Catskill.  Since  1891  he 
has  resided  here  summers,  and  spent  his  win- 


mOGRArHICAL    REVIEW 


ters  in  New  York  City.  He  is  now  engaged  in 
selling  Christmas  trees,  cutting  and  shipping 
them  to  the  metropolis,  where  they  find  a  ready 
market.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  His 
wife,  Margaret  A.,  daughter  of  Peter  B. 
Haines,  formerly  of  this  village,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  John  Haines,  who  went  from  Staten 
Island  to  Putnam  County,  New  York,  where 
he  died  in  1771.  Elijah  Haines,  son  of  John, 
moved  from  Putnam  County  to  Greene  County 
about  the  year  1779,  as  a  pioneer,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life  here;  and  her  grandfather, 
Edward,  who  was  born  in  Greene  County,  New 
York,  became  a  prosperous  farmer  in  this 
county.  Peter  B.  Haines,  father  of  Mrs.  Kerr, 
erected  the  first  dwelling  on  the  site  of  the 
Catskill  Mountain  House.  He  followed  farm- 
ing. He  also  carried  on  a  saw-mill,  and  was 
a  useful  citizen.  He  had  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren. Robert  and  Margaret  A.  Kerr  have  two 
children:  Gertrude,  who  married  Cornelius  H. 
Legg,  of  Haines  Corners;  and  Albert  L.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  parents  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Albert  L.  Kerr  attended  the  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  took  a  clerkship  in 
the  post-office  in  this  place,  and  later  went  to 
Tannersville,  where  he  occupied  the  same  posi- 
tion in  the  post-office  under  Mr.  Mulford  for 
three  months  (the  fall  season).  In  1888  he- 
engaged  in  general  mercantile  business  on  his 
own  account  at  Haines  I'alls;  and,  the  post- 
office  having  been  removed  to  his  store,  he 
acted  as  Postmaster  thirteen  months.  He  then 
purchased  the  building  in  which  he  is  now 
located.       In    1898    he   was    appointed     Post- 


master, and  in  order  to  more  conveniently 
handle  the  business,  which  is  largely  increased 
during  the  summer,  he  erected  a  special  post- 
office  building  adjoining  his  store.  This  office 
transacts  a  large  money  order  business,  has 
eight  mails  per  day,  averaging  five  sacks  of 
first-class  matter  and  three  of  papers;  and 
there  are  two  regular  mails  on  Sunday. 

In  1888  Mr.  Kerr  married  Belle  B.  Brewer, 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary  (William.s) 
Brewer,  of  this  town.  Her  grandfather,  Sam- 
uel Brewer,  was  born  in  Connecticut.  Her 
father  was  a  prosperous  farmer  here,  dying  at 
the  age  of  seventy ;  and  her  mother,  who  was 
born  in  Colchester,  N.Y.,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Williams,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  Na- 
than and  Mary  Brewer  had  four  children  — 
Charlotte,  Belle  B.,  Scott,  and  Mott.  Char- 
lotte married  Norman  Kerr.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Albert  L.  Kerr  have  had  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living:  l.ouis  A.;  and  Harold 
Maine,  who  was  born  February  15,  1898,  a 
day  made  memorable  by  the  blowing  up  of  the 
battleship  "Maine"  in  Havana  Harbor. 

Mr.  Kerr  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He 
attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


fACOB  VAN  VALKENBURGH,  M.D., 
of  Sharon,  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y., 
was  born  in  this  town,  June  13,  1839, 
son  of  Henry  and  Olive  L.  (Roth)  Van  Valk- 
enburgh.  His  ancestors  were  Germans  from 
the  Lower  Palatinate  of  the  Rhine,  or  Pfalz, 
Germany.  They  came  in  the  great  Palatinate 
e.xodus  about  1709.      The  original  surname  was 


BIOGRAl'IIICAL    REVIEW 


Falkenburg.  Some  members  of  the  family 
wrote  it  Valkenburg,  and  about  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century  it  assumed  its  j^resent 
form,  \'an  \'alkenburgh. 

Dr.  Van  Valkenburgh  is  a  lineal  descendant 
in  the  sixth  generation  of  Arnold  Van  Valken- 
burgh, who  came  to  America  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  one  son,  the  latter  beiny  then 
eight  years  old.  Arnold  Van  Valkenburgh  re- 
sided in  Ulster  County,  New  York,  from  1709 
to  1713,  when  he  came  to  Schoharie  County, 
and  acquired  from  the  Indians  a  tract  of  land. 
His  son,  John  Joseph  Van  Valkenburgh,  also 
resided  in  this  county.  The  latter,  who  was 
the  great-great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  ser%'ed  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War  as  an  Ensign.  He  was  also  a  private  in 
Colonel  Kilian  Van  Rensselaer's  regiment 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  acted  as  a 
scout.  He  had  three  sons  —  Adam,  Joachim, 
and  Joseph.  The  second  son,  Joachim,  was 
shot  by  an  Indian  at  Jefferson  Lake  in  this 
county. 

The  third  Joseph,  who  was  Dr.  Van  Valk- 
enburgh's  great-grandfather,  was  born  in  1744. 
He  and  his  two  brothers  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  as  privates  in  a  regiment  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Peter  Vrooman.  Joseph 
Van  Valkenburgh  was  the  first  of  the  family  to 
locate  in  Sharon.  The  farm  he  cleared  is  now 
owned  by  John  J.  Van  Valkenburgh,  a  distant 
relative  of  Dr.  Jacob  Van  Valkenburgh.  The 
log  house  of  the  pioneer  stood  about  one  mile 
from  his  great-grandson's  residence.  Joseph 
Van  Valkenburgh  married  iMagdaline  Brown, 
who  was  born   in    1742.      Their  children  were  : 


Lana,  Merie,  Eve,  Adam,  John  Joseph,  Eliza- 
beth, Nancy,  I'eter,  Merie  (second),  Margaret, 
Jacob,  Joachim,  and  Henry.  Joseph,  the 
father,  died  March  28,   181  5. 

John  Joseph  \'an  Valkenburgh,  second,  the 
Doctor's  grandfather,  was  born  in  Schoharie, 
July  23,  1771.  The  greater 'part  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  Sharon,  where  he  owned  a  well- 
cultivated  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-four 
acres.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Bel- 
linger sect,  being  a  Calvinist  in  religious  be- 
lief. Of  reserved  disposition,  he  held  aloof 
from  public  affairs.  During  the  War  of  1812 
he  was  drafted ;  but,  being  unable  to  go  to  the 
front,  he  furnished  a  substitute.  He  died  on 
his  birthday,  July  23,  1S55.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Mary  Bender,  was  born  in 
Bethlehem,  Albany  County,  N.  Y. ,  October 
13,  1776,  and  died  June  4,  i860.  Their 
children  were:  Henry,  Lana,  Christian,  Will- 
iam, Maria,  John,  Joseph,  Stephen,  and  Eliza- 
beth. Joseph  served  in  the  Mexican  War, 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chepultepec,  and 
subsequently  drew  a  pension. 

Henr>'  Van  Valkenburgh,  Dr.  \'an  Valken- 
burgh's  father,  was  born  in  Sharon,  May  14, 
1798.  He  belonged  to  the  Bellinger  church, 
of  which  he  was  Elder  for  many  years.  Study- 
ing theology,  he  became  an  evangelist,  in 
which  capacity  he  was  widely  known  through- 
out New  York  and  New  Jersey.  He  left  the 
homestead  after  his  first  marriage,  but  contin- 
ued to  make  general  farming  his  chief  occupa- 
tion. He  died  in  this  town,  April  iS,  1866. 
For  his  first  wife  he  married  Rachael  Blcom- 
ingdale,  who  was  born  June  19,   1803,  and  who 


344 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


died  April  26,  1835,  leaving  one  son,  Henry 
H.  The  latter,  when  fifteen  years  old,  went 
to  reside  with  a  bachelor  uncle  in  the  town  of 
North  Greenbush,  Rensselaer  County,  N.Y. , 
whose  property  he  afterward  inherited ;  and  he 
became  a  prosperous  farmer  and  dairyman. 
He  married,  and  at  his  death  left  five  children. 
For  his  second  wife  Henry  Van  Valkenburgh 
married  Olive  L.  Roth,  who  was  born  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, July  31,  1 8 10,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Roth.  She  was  a  descendant  of  John  Roth, 
an  Engli-shman,  who  was  the  progenitor  of  a 
long  line  of  physicians  and  surgeons  of  Ux- 
bridge,  England.  Some  of  her  brothers  were 
well  known  as  bridge-builders  and  mechanics. 
She  was  given  a  good  education,  and  was  par- 
ticularly proficient  in  vocal  music.  She  was 
reared  a  Calvinist  in  religion.  She  died  Au- 
gust 23,  1874,  having  been  the  mother  of  four 
children  —  Jacob,  Albert  A.,  Joseph,  and  Em- 
ily. Albert  A.,  who  was  a  farmer,  enlisted 
in  Company  E,  Forty-third  Regiment,  New 
York  Volunteers,  with  which  he  served  in  the 
Civil  War  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  that 
time  being  assigned  to  the  invalid  corps.  He 
died  soon  after  his  return  from  the  army. 
Joseph,  who  is  a  merchant  in  Canby,  Minn., 
is  married,  and  has  a  family  of  five  children. 
Emily  became  the  wife  of  David  Ottman,  of 
Cobleskill. 

Jacob  Van  Valkenburgh  began  his  education 
in  the  district  schools,  and  at  a  later  date  stud- 
ied the  classics  and  high  mathematics  under 
the  direction  of  a  private  tutor.  He  afterward 
attended  the  Troy  Academy,  then  presided 
over   by  Professor   Wilson;  and    his    classical 


studies  were  completed  at  the  Hartwick  Semi- 
nary. He  taught  school  for  a  time,  and  also 
studied  theology  and  medicine,  with  the  view 
of  becoming  a  missionary,  but  finally  gave  his 
whole  attention  to  medicine.  Beginning  the 
study  of  that  profession  with  Dr.  William  H. 
Parsons,  an  eclectic  physician  of  Sharon, 
N.Y.,  he  later  received  instruction  from  Dr. 
Robert  Plldredge,  and  acquired  a  knowledge 
of  botanic  medicine  under  Dr.  John  Praymer. 
He  also  studied  two  years  with  Dr.  J.  S.  Her- 
rick,  an  allopathic  physician  of  Argusville, 
N.Y.  ;  and  he  received  his  degree  from  the 
Eclectic  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  known  as  the  Paine  School,  January  22, 
1862.  Locating  in  Charleston,  N.Y. ,  in 
April  of  that  year,  during  the  first  five  years 
of  his  practice  he  was  obliged  to  contend 
against  the  animosity  then  existing  between 
the  eclectic  and  regular  schools  of  medicine; 
but  the  skill  he  displayed  in  his  profession  at 
length  gained  for  him  the  recognition  of  his 
opponents,  and  he  has  since  received  honorary 
degrees  from  two  medical  colleges.  In  1867 
he  moved  from  Charleston  to  Sharon,  where  he 
has  a  lucrative  practice. 

Dr.  Van  Valkenburgh  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Society  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  being  one  of  the  charter 
members  named  in  the  article  of  incorporation 
by  the  legislature  of  the  State.  He  was  corre- 
sponding secretary  of  the  society,  and  served 
on  various  committees.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Twenty-third  Senatorial 
District  Medical  Society,  now  known  as  the 
Susquehanna    District    Medical    Society,    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


was  one  of  its  censors.  He  has  been  health 
officer  many  years,  acts  as  a  Notary  I'ublic, 
anil  was  a  trustee  of  Slate  Hill  Cemetery. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  public  school  in  his 
village  for  many  years.  He  delivers  extem- 
poraneous address  on  public  occasions,  on 
patriotic,  educational,  or  religious  subjects; 
frequently  lectures  to  various  societies,  and 
writes  for  the  medical  and  secular  j^ress.  A 
book -lover  and  a  close  student  from  his  boy- 
hood, he  has  gathered  a  large  library,  to  which 
he  makes  additions  every  year.  Never  idle, 
he  employs  each  moment  in  some  useful  occu- 
pation. He  owns  a  farm,  and  is  out  of  debt. 
In  politics  he  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but 
supported  the  candidacy  of  William  J.  Bryan 
in  1896.  While  now  a  Populist,  he  loyally 
supports  President  McKinley  and  Governor 
Roosevelt. 

Dr.  Van  Valkenburgh  married  Harriet 
Moulton,  daughter  of  Gordon  Moulton,  of 
Lykers,  Montgomery  County,  N.  Y. ,  and  of 
English  ancestry.  Mrs.  Van  Valkenburgh, 
who  was  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools,  died 
May  31,  1892.  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
children,  namely  :  Emma,  widow  of  Irving  A. 
Parsons;  Minnie,  who  married  Charles  Van 
Home;  Moulton,  wdio  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty  months;  and  Flora,  who  resides  at 
home  with  her  father.  The  daughters  are  all 
graduates  of  the  Cobleskill  High  School,  and 
the  first  and  second  were  teachers  prior  to  their 
marriage. 

Dr.  Van  Valkenburgh  assisted  in  building 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  stands 
on  land  given  by  him  for  that  purpose.      He 


has  served  as  steward  and  trustee  and  as  suijcr- 
intendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  He  is  also  a 
class  leader,  and  acts  as  janitor  without  fee  or 
reward.  He  is  a  Master  Mason,  having  been 
a  member  for  thirty  years,  or  since  1869,  of 
Cobleskill  Lodge,  No.  394,  F.  &  A.  M. 


DWARD  A.  GIFFORD,  the  well-known 
lawyer  of  Athens,  N.  Y. ,  for  si.\ 
years  District  Attorney,  was  born  in  this  town 
on  December  22,  1856.  He  is  a  son  of  Al- 
fred and  Christina  (Hollenbeck)  Gifford,  and 
grandson  of  Joseph  Gifford,  late  a  farmer  in 
Rensselaerville,  N. Y.  His  grandfather  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  and  his  grand- 
mother died  at  the  age  of  eighty.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  John,  Rufus,  Abraham,  Warren, 
Alfred,  Margaret,  Sophia,  James,  and  Jere- 
miah. 

Alfred  Gifford  was  born  in  Rensselaerville, 
Albany  County,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm 
there.  Coming  to  Greene  County  in  1868,  he 
settled  in  New  Baltimore,  where  he  remained 
ten  years.  After  that  he  was  in  Coxsackie  for 
ten  years,  and  he  then  went  on  the  road  as 
agent  for  the  Capitol  City  Iron  Works  Com- 
pany of  Albany.  He  has  travelled  all  over 
the  country  in  the  interests  of  their  business. 
His  political  principles  are  Republican.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  reside  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Mrs. 
Gifford's  parents  were  Abraham  and  Jane  (Van 
Horsen)  Hollenbeck,  both  of  Dutch  ancestry; 
and  her  paternal  grandparents  were  Casper  and 
Christina    Hollenbeck.      H^r    father   was   for 


346 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


many  years  one  of  the  promiiK'nt  men  of 
Athens.  He  had  several  chiUlren.  Alfred 
and  Christina  Gifford  are  the  i)arents  of  five 
sons  —  Lawrence  1"'.,  lulward  A.,  h'rederick 
W.,  George  K,  antl  William  L.  (".enrj;e  B. 
and  Lawrence  F.  Gifford  are  in  I'liihidelphia. 
William  L.  and  Frederick  \V.  Gifford  reside 
in  Boston,  Mass. 

Kdward  A.  Gifford  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  received  his  elementary  education  in  the 
common  .schools,  suhscquently  continuing;  his 
studies  at  home.  I'^arly  in  life  he  formed  the 
resolve  to  achieve  a  prosperous  career.  He 
obtained  a  legal  clerkship  in  the  office  of  J. 
Washington  Hiseerd,  of  Co.xsackie,  and  during 
his  three  years'  stay  there  gained  much  valua- 
ble knowledge  and  experience.  He  then  en- 
tered the  Law  Department  of  Union  Univer- 
sity at  Albany,  N.Y.  ;  and  on  January  25, 
1884,  four  months  before  his  graduation  there- 
from, he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Albany, 
passing  a  brilliant  examination.  Three  years 
later,  after  successful  practice  of  his  profession 
in  New  York  City,  he  abandoned  it  in  order  to 
accept  a  position  as  superintendent  and  general 
passenger  agent  and  excursion  agent  of  the 
Seneca  Falls  &  Cayuga  Lake  Railroad  Com- 
pany, and  of  the  Cayuga  Lake  Park  Company 
at  .Seneca  Falls,  this  State.  These  offices  he 
held  until  October,  1889;  and  the  following 
month  he  again  took  up  the  practice  of  law, 
settling  in  Athens. 

In  November,  1892,  he  was  elected  District 
Attorney,  being  the  second  Republican  to  hold 
that  office  in  Greene  County.  Re-elected  in 
189s,    he  served   until    1S98,    a  period  of  six 


years  in  all.  As  District  Attorney,  Mr.  Gif- 
ford won  a  high  rejiutation  for  ability  and  con- 
scientious devotion  to  official  duty.  He  con- 
ducted without  assistance  the  prosecution  of 
George  W.  Hess,  indicted  for  murder  in  the 
second  degree  for  the  killing  of  Hezekiah 
Iredell  (a  cidorcd  man)  ;  also  of  I'asquale  Ca- 
serta,  who  was  tried  for  murder  in  the  second 
degree  for  the  killing  of  his  cousin,  Joseph 
Caserta.  In  the  first  case  he  had  against  him 
the  Hon.  Jacob  H.  Chute  and  the  Hon.  Eu- 
gene Burlingame,  of  Albany,  but  secured  the 
conviction  of  Hess.  In  the  second  case  the 
accused  was  defended  by  Egbert  Palmer,  Jlsq., 
of  Catskill;  but  again  Mr.  Gifford  won  his  case, 
and  convicted  Caserta  of  murder  in  the  second 
degree,  as  charged  in  the  indictment.  Both 
cases  excited  great  public  interest,  and  rank 
among  the  most  celebrated  criminal  cases  ever 
tried  in  Greene  County.  Mr.  Gifford  is  at  the 
present  time  attorney  for  the  Union  Commer- 
cial Co-operative  Bank  of  Albany,  for  the  town 
of  Athens. 

Mr.  Gifford  was  married  on  June  22,  1881, 
to  Ella  J.  Porter,  of  Athens,  eldest  daughter  of 
Clark  and  Charlotte  C.  (Mead)  Porter.  Her 
paternal  grandfather  was  Israel  R.  Porter,  who 
died  in  1874;  and  her  maternal  grandfather  was 
Daniel  Mead.  Clark  Porter  was  born  in  Scho- 
harie County,  but  in  childhood  moved  with  his 
parents  to  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Athens,  where 
he  still  resides.  He  is  a  prominent  towns- 
man, having  been  Supervisor,  Inspector  of 
F^lections,  and  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years  As- 
sessor. They  had  a  family  of  seven  children; 
namely,    Ella    J.      (Mrs.    Gifford),    Clark   I., 


.\.\1)K1'.\V    RA'VM( 


UIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


349 


Oliver  G.,  Lottie  C,  Addison  \V.,  Will 
and  J.  Melvin.  All  arc  liviii-  o 
William. 

I\Ir.  Cifford  is  a  member  of  the  Kiii-li 
I'ythias  Lodge,  No.  129,  of  Athens,  and  G 
Master  of  the  Exchequer  of  the  Grand  L 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  the  State  of 
York.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Cat 
Tribe  of  Red  Men,  and  of  the  l^oard  of  T 
of  Athens,  and  is  vice-president  of  the  1 
trie  Light  Company  of  his  town. 


:cept 

ts  of 
rand 
odge 
New 
skill 


iF.v.    andrp:w    van   vranken 

RAYMOND,  D.D.,  LL.D,  president 
of  Union  University,  Schenectady, 
was  born  at  Vischer's  Ferry,  Saratoga  County, 
N.Y. ,  August  8,  1854,  son  of  the  Rev.  Henry 
Augustus  and  Catharine  M.  Raymond.  On 
the  paternal  side  he  is  descended  from  a  long 
line  of  American  ancestors  of  English  origin, 
the  first  of  whom  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1629. 
The  grandfather  was  Clapp  Raymond,  a  native 
of  Norwalk,  Conn. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Augustus  Raymond,  the 
father,  was  born  in  Patterson,  Putnam  County, 
N.  Y.,  May  30,  1804.  He  was  graduated  at 
Yale  University  with  the  class  of  1825;  and, 
entering  the  ministry,  he  labored  in  the  Dutch 
Reformed  churches  in  New  York  State  during 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  period. 

Andrew  Van  Vranken  Raymond  completed 
the  regular  course  of  study  at  the  Troy  High 
School  in  1871,  was  graduated  from  Union 
College  in  1775,  and  from  the  New  Bruns- 
wick   Theological    Seminary    in     1S78.       His 


initial  call  was  t<i  the  l-'irst  Reformed 
Cluirch  in  I'aterson,  N.J.,  where  he  remained 
frnm  1S78  to  18.S1.  He  occupied  the  inil- 
pit  of  Trinity  Reformed  Church,  I'lainlicUl, 
N.J.,  for  the  succeeding  six  years;  and,  ac- 
cepting a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  tlie  ]M)urth 
Presbyterian  Church,  Albany,  he  labored  in 
that  city  for  se\'en  \cars,  or  until  1894.  He 
was  the  ninth  pastor  of  that  church,  and  the 
fifth  occupant  of  its  pulpit  to  be  selected  for 
college  work,  having  been  chosen  president 
of  Union  University  in  1894.  He  was  hon- 
ored by  his  Alma  Mater  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1887  and  by  Williams 
College  with  that  of  Doctor  of  Laws  in  1894. 
He  was  elected  moderator  of  the  Presbyterian 
Synod  of  New  York  in  1891;  was  a  commis- 
sioner to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  for  the  years  1888,  1891,  and 
1893.  He  belongs  to  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and 
the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  Societies. 


eR  E.  PELHAM,  proprietor  of  "The 
Kenwood,"  at  Haines  Falls,  town 
of  Hunter,  Greene  County,  N.  Y.,  was  born 
near  Palenville,  this  county,  August  30,  1863, 
son  of  Snyder  and  Christina  (Saxe)  Pelham. 
His  parents  are  natives  of  the  sanie  town, 
and  his  grandfather,  Peter  Pelham,  was  a 
lifelong  resident  of  the  vicinity  of  Palen- 
ville. His  father  learned  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith, which  he  followed  near  Palenville  many 
years,  and  he  is  still  living  at  his  former  place 
of  business.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
His  wife,    Christina,  was  a  daughter  of  Jere- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


miah  Saxe,  a  farmer  near  Palenville.  She 
is  the  mother  of  four  sons,  all  of  whom  are 
living;  namely,  Jeremiah  P.,  Harvey  C, 
Elmer  E.,  and  Adam  A.  The  parents  attend 
the  Reformed  church. 

Elmer  E.  Pelham  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town,  and  remained 
at  home  until  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
came  to  the  Haines  Falls  House,  where  he  was 
employed  for  twelve  years,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  erected  the  present  house, 
known  as  "The  Kenwood,"  situated  near  the 
Haines  Corners  railroad  station.  It  is  located 
on  high  ground,  is  equipped  with  all  modern 
improvements,  and  has  accommodations  for 
fifty  people.  Mr.  Pelham  has  been  in  the 
boarding  business  nearly  ten  years,  has  been 
successful,  and  is  well  known  throughout  the 
county. 

In  1888  Mr.  Pelham  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Elida  F.  Fatum,  daughter  of  Henry 
Fatum,  of  Saugerties,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pelham  have  one  son,  Fred  E. 


"CiDU'ARD  ADAIMS,  wholesale  and  retail 
X!l  ^dealer  in  meat  at  Haines  Falls,  N.  Y., 
was  born  in  Durham,  Greene  County,  February 
I,  1838,  son  of  Seymour  and  Maria  (Chidister) 
AdanLs.  His  grandfather,  Joseph  Adams,  who 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  of  English 
descent,  carried  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hartford  when  a  young  man,  later  moving  to 
Durham,  near  Cornwallville,  where  he  spent 
some  years,  and  then  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Cairo,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 


ninety-seven  years.  Grandfather's  wife,  with 
whom  he  lived  for  over  seventy  years,  died  at 
the  age  of  ninety-nine  years  and  six  months. 
She  was  the  mother  of  five  children. 

Seymour  Adams,  father  of  Edward,  was  born 
in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools.  He  began  to  support  him- 
self by  conducting  a  farm  on  shares,  later 
coming  to  Cairo,  where  he  purchased  a  piece 
of  property  and  rented  it  to  the  agricultural 
society.  He  was  engaged  in  business  in  the 
village  of  Cairo  for  a  time,  and  on  relinquish- 
ing that  he  gave  his  whole  attention  to  his 
farm,  which  was  devoted  to  dairy  purposes. 
For  forty-four  years  he  supplied  the  Catskill 
Mountain  House  with  poultry,  butter,  and 
eggs.  In  politics  he  usually  voted  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  and  was  well  known  throughout 
the  county.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge  in  Cairo.  His  wife,  Maria, 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Chidister,  of  Kiska- 
tom.  Her  father  was  a  farmer,  and  in  early 
life  owned  the  property  which  was  later  pur- 
chased by  her  husband.  The  last  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  retirement  at  Cairo,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Seymour  and 
Maria  C.  Adams  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren;  namely,  Edward,  Emily,  William,  Eliz- 
abeth, and  Eliza.  Emily  married  William 
Lewis,  of  Cairo,  N.  Y.  ;  William  resides  in 
Rensselaer  County,  New  York;  and  Eliza  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty-five. 

Edward  Adams  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  worked  on  a  farm  in  Acra  until 
his  marriage,  when  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
Cairo,    on   which    he   followed   farming   until 


BIOGRAPIIICAL    REVIEW 


1870.  In  that  year  he  came  to  his  present  lo- 
cation, three  and  one-half  miles  from  Tanners- 
ville,  on  the  Little  Delaware  Turnpike,  and 
started  in  the  meat  business,  having  as  a  sole 
customer  the  Catskill  Mountain  House,  which 
he  has  supplied  for  the  past  twenty-eight  years. 
As  the  hotels  increased  in  number,  he  added 
to  his  list  of  patrons  the  Laurel  House,  the 
Hotel  Kaaterskill,  and  others,  his  business 
becoming  extensive.  He  supplied  in  1898 
two  hundred  and  thirty-two  hotels  and  board- 
ing-houses, selling  in  five  Saturdays,  from 
July  30  to  August  27,  forty-four  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  ninety-seven  pounds  of  meat. 
He  runs  three  two-horse  and  two  one-horse 
wagons,  and  employs  seventeen  men.  He 
buys  the  choicest  cuts  of  beef,  slaughtered  for 
him  in  New  York,  and  uses  about  two  carloads 
per  week.  He  kills  all  the  lamb  and  veal  on 
his  own  premises,  employing  a  buyer  of  live 
stock  on  the  road,  and  keeps  from  ten  to  twelve 
tons  of  beef  on  hand  at  all  times  during  the 
summer,  his  two  refrigerators  holding  five  hun- 
dred tons  of  ice.  By  adhering  to  the  prin- 
ciple of  fair  dealing  he  has  built  up  this  large 
trade  unaided.  His  residence,  barn,  ice-house, 
slaughter-house,  and  refrigerators  were  built 
under  his  personal  supervision.  He  keeps  ten 
horses  and  five  wagons  for  delivering  his  meat. 
He  also  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres. 

In  1859  Mr.  Adams  married  Adelia  A. 
Crary,  a  native  of  Delaware  County,  adopted 
daughter  of  Jacob  Craft.  They  have  three 
children:  Jennie  and  Jessie,  twins;  and  Ida 
May.  Jennie  married  George  White,  a  hotel- 
keeper  near  East  Durham,  N.Y.,  son  of  Will- 


iam White;  and  she  has  one  son,  Edward. 
Jessie  married  Sherwood  H.  Camp,  a  carpen- 
ter in  Catskill,  N.  Y. ,  son  of  Harmon  Camp, 
formerly  of  Windham,  N.Y. ,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Edna.  Ida  May  married  Joscjili 
Hand,  of  New  York  Cit)',  formerly  manager  <jf 
Marlboro  Hotel  and  now  clerk  for  a  broker  in 
Wall  Street.  They  have  three  children  —  Eva, 
Florence,  and  Joseph. 

Mr.  Adams  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  political  matters. 
He  was  Supervisor  one  term  in  Cairo,  but  re- 
fused a  renomination.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Kademak  Lodge,  No.  693,  F.  &  A.  M., 
was  Junior  Warden  when  the  lodge  was  first 
established,  and  is  one  of  the  few  now  living 
who  organized  the  lodge.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Arch  Masons.  He  is  liberal 
in  his  religious  belief  and  a  strict  obsen-er  of 
Sunday  as  a  day  of  rest. 


iHARLES  H.  RAMSEY,  president  of 
the  Howe's  Cave  Association,  was 
born  in  Lawyersville,  N.Y. ,  on  Jan- 
uary 3,  1853,  son  of  the  Hon.  Joseph  Henry 
and  Sarah  (Boyce)  Ramsc}-.  He  comes  from 
a  line  of  able  and  honest  men  and  stanch  Re- 
publicans. His  great-great-grandfather  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Schoharie 
County.  Frederick  Ramsey,  his  grandfather, 
was  born  in  Guilderland,  and  worked  there  for 
a  time  at  his  trade,  which  was  that  of  black- 
smith. He  subsequently  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Cobleskill,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life, 
attaining  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.      He 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIKW 


died  at  the  home  of  one  of  his  daughters.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  \'an 
Schaick,  lived  to  the  advanced  a.L;e  of  ninety- 
four.  She  was  a  native  of  this  county,  and  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  Of 
their  ten  children,  seven  daughters  and  one 
son  are  living,  the  latter  being  Robert  Ram- 
sey, of  Argusville. 

The  Hon.  Joseph  Henry  Ramsey,  f(jr  many 
years  a  leading  citizen  of  Schoharie  Count)-, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon  on  January 
29,  1816,  and  died  in  Ma)-,  i  iS94.  He  studied 
law  with  Jedediah  Miller,  and  was  admitted  to 
practise  in  all  the  courts  of  the  State  in  1  S40. 
Subsequent  to  this,  he  continued  for  some  time 
in  Mr.  Miller's  office,  and  eventually  suc- 
ceeded to  his  practice;  hut  he  afterward  re- 
m(jved  his  office  to  Law)ersville,  where  lie 
remained  until  his  removal  to  Albany  in  1863. 
In  185s  he  re])resented  the  Northern  Assembly 
Di.strict,  having  as  his  colleague  from  tiie 
Southern  District,  Wilkinson  W'ilsey.  This 
was  the  last  time  the  county  was  represented 
by  two  members.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Whig  State  Con- 
vention, and  was  made  a  member  also  of  the 
Joint  Convention,  comjiosed  of  the  members  of 
the  Whig  Convention  and  a  State  convention 
of  Free  Soil  Democrats,  which  formed  the  Re- 
publican party  in  this  .State.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  his  election  to  the  .State  .Senate  tiie 
same  year,  as  a  Republican  from  the  .Seven- 
teenth Senatorial  District,  which  comprised 
Schoharie  and  Delaware  Counties.  In  1866 
he  was  nominated  as  a  candidate  for  Congiess, 
but  failed    of    election.      In    1871,    1872,   and 


1S73  he  was  a  delegate  from  Albany  to  the 
Re|)ublican  .State  Convention,  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  State  Committee.  He 
took  an  active  part  against  Judge  Barnard,  who 
made  the  order  in  favor  of  Gould  and  Fisk, 
and  secured  his  imjieachment  by  the  Senate, 
and  the  passage  of  a  decree  forbidding  the 
judge  to  hold  further  office  under  the  civil 
government. 

Joseph  H.  Ramsey  was  a  well-known  rail- 
road man,  having  been  officially  connected 
with  a  number  of  important  roads.  Prior  to 
1858  he  was  active  in  securing  subscription 
for  the  building  of  the  Albany  &  Susque- 
hanna Railroad,  and  showed  himself  so  efficient 
that  in  1858  he  was  chosen  director  and  vice- 
president  of  the  company.  This  comj^any  was 
organized  in  1852;  stock  had  been  subscribed 
along  the  line  and  at  Albany  to  the  amount  of 
a  million  dollars;  and  the  city  of  Albany  had 
been  authorized  to  loan  the  company,  on  cer- 
tain conditions,  another  million  dollars  of  its 
bonds.  Work  had  already  begun  at  different 
]ioints  in  Albany,  Schoharie,  Otsego,  and 
Hroome  Counties,  but  an  une.\]5ected  revulsion 
occurrctl  in  railroad  affairs,  which  rendered  it 
difficult  to  secure  furtlier  funds.  This  created 
an  uneasy  feeling  among  the  stockholders,  and 
they  were  glad  to  accept  a  proposal  made  by 
the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  Company,  by 
which  the  Canal  Comjiany  assumed  the  pay- 
ment of  the  principal  and  interest  of  the 
bonded  debt  of  the  road,  and  the  original 
stockholders  were  to  receive  semi-annual  divi- 
dends of  seven  per  cent,  jjer  annum.  As  this 
was  a  virtual  sale  of  the  road  and  its  franchises 


lUOGRAl'IIICAI,    KKVIKW 


to  the  Canal  Company,  Mr.  Ramsey  and  others 
of  the  directors  were  opposed  to  it.  'lliey 
would  have  preferred  to  keep  it  indeiiendent  of 
any  eoal  or  other  company,  to  have  liberal 
rates  for  transportation  in  order  to  have  con- 
tracted upon  the  line  the  largest  amount  of 
business  possible,  and  to  have  the  orii^inal 
stockholders  reap  the  full  benefits  accruing. 
As  few  roads  in  the  State  have  been  better 
paying  property,  it  is  seen  to-day  that  his 
judgment  was  correct.  After  the  execution  of 
the  lease,  Mr.  Coe  F.  Young,  the  general 
manager  of  the  Canal  Company,  was  elected 
president  of  the  road  in  place  of  Mr.  Ramsey. 
The  latter  was  also  president  of  the  New  York 
&  Albany  Railroad  Company,  and,  subsequent 
to  the  death  of  the  Hon.  lu'astus  Corning, 
president  of  the  Albany  Iron  Manufacturing 
Company.  The  furnances  of  the  last-named 
company  in  Albany  were  built  during  his  in- 
cumbency. Mr.  Joseph  H.  Ramsey  was  also 
president  of  the  Howe's  Cave  Cement  Com- 
pany. His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Sharon  and 
died  in  1S92,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  was 
one  of  seven  children  born  to  Daniel  Boyce, 
farmer  and  miller  of  Shirley,  and  the  grand- 
daughter on  her  mother's  side  of  Colonel  Rice 
of  Revolutionary  fame.  Of  Mrs.  Ramsey's 
seven  children,  three  arc  living,  namely:  Har- 
riet, who  is  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  I'ascal  nar- 
rower, pastor  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  West 
New  Brighton,  Long  Island;  Frances,  who 
married  Dr.  H.  A.  Crar}' ;  and  Charles  H. 
Ramsey. 

Charles    H.    Ramsey    fitted    for    college    at 
Williamstovvn,    Mass.      He    was    graduated    at 


Cornell  University  in  I.S74,  and  from  the  Al- 
bany Law  School  in  1^75,  and  the  following 
year  was  admitted  to  tlic  bar.  Shortly  after 
he  came  to  Howe's  (!a\'e  as  secretary  of  the 
company,  which  had  then  just  started.  Upon 
the  death  of  his  father  he  was  made  jircsident. 
He  has  watched  the  growth  of  the  plant,  and 
has  been  closely  identified  with  its  develop- 
ment. It  is  now  one  of  the  leading  industries 
of  the  county,  and  when  running  full  time 
employs  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Large 
quantities  of  lime,  cement,  and  plaster  are 
manufactured  ;   also  building  stone. 

Mr.  Ramsey  was  married  in  May,  1879,  to 
Annie  E.  Stevens,  who  was  born  in  Sloanes- 
ville.  daughter  of  Mark  W.  and  Lucy  (Phelps) 
Stevens.  Her  father,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
si.xty-eight,  was  the  president  of  Schoharie 
County  Bank,  and  a  very  prominent  man  in 
his  section.  Her  mother  died  when  Mrs. 
Ramsey  was  twelve  years  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ramsey  have  four  children  —  Margaret,  Jo.seph 
H.,  Mark  W. ,  and  Charles  H. 

Mr.  Ramsey  is  a  man  of  very  varied  busi- 
ness interests.  He  is  director  in  the  Scho- 
harie and  Otsego  Insurance  Company,  of 
Cobleskill;  president  of  the  New  York  & 
Canadian  Pacific  Railroad,  which  runs  from 
Ogdensburg  to  New  York ;  trustee  of  the 
Cobleskill  Cemeter)-,  and  member  of  the 
Schoharie  County  Historical  Society.  He  is 
an  attendant  of  the  Reformed  church,  while 
his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  F'raternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Lodge  of  Cobleskill,  and  of  John  L. 
Lewis    Chapter;     also    of    the    Kappa    Alpha, 


mOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


which  is  the  oldest  colle^^e  society  in  exist- 
ence. As  mi^'ht  be  expected,  his  political 
principles  are   Republican. 


R.  A.  W.  CLARK,  a  skilful  dental 
practitioner  and  graduate  optician, 
of  Jefferson,  Schoharie  County,  the 
founder  and  for  some  years  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Jfff'crsoiiiaii,  now  known  as  the 
Jefferson  Coiiriti;  was  born  in  Blenheim, 
N.  Y. ,  August  20,  1843,  son  of  John  A.  and 
Catherine  (Van  der  Vort)  Clark. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Randall  Clark, 
came  to  this  country  from  Rhode  Island  and 
settled  in  IMenheim,  where  he  became  quite 
an  extensive  farmer  and  land-owner.  Randall 
Clark  married  Phoebe  Dorcas  Tucker,  and  his 
children  were:  Benjamin,  Eliza,  Alfred,  John 
A.,  Stephen,  Lucinda,  Charles,  Mary  J.,  Will- 
iam, and  Hilmer.  Of  these  the  only  survivor 
is  Eliza,  who  is  residing  in  Rhode  Island. 
Hilmer  died  while  still  young,  and  the  other 
sons  all  engaged  in  farming. 

John  A.  Clark,  Dr.  Clark's  father,  came  to 
this  county  when  a  boy,  and  was  reared  at  the 
homestead  which  he  occupied  in  part  until  his 
death.  He  was  prosperous  as  a  general 
farmer,  and  at  one  time  owned  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land.  Politically, 
he  was  in  his  later  years  a  Republican.  He 
attended  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
was  an  earnest  advocate  of  temperance.  He 
lived  to  be  sixty-six  years  old,  and  his  wife 
survived  him  ten  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of   nine   children,  namely:  A.  W.  Clark, 


the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Alzada,  wife  of 
C.  B.  Atwood,  a  lawyer  of  Watertown,  Conn. ; 
Lindon,  a  resident  of  Blenheim;  Le  Grand 
and  La  Grange,  twins,  both  of  whom  live  at 
the  homestead;  Fremont,  who  resides  in 
Delhi,  N.V.  ;  John  J.,  also  a  resident  of  that 
town ;  Ida,  who  married  W.  L.  Cranch,  and 
resides  at  Thompson,  Conn.;  and  Ida  Ursula, 
who  died  when  about  six  years  old. 

A.  W.  Clark  pursued  his  elementary  studies 
in  the  common  schools  of  Blenheim,  and  ad- 
vanced in  learning  by  attending  the  Stamford 
Seminary.  After  leaving  school  he  went  to 
Auburn,  N.Y.,  with  a  view  of  engaging  in 
business,  but  at  the  solicitation  of  Dr.  A.  A. 
Wood,  who  was  then  practising  in  Jefferson, 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  that  doc- 
tor's office,  and  continued  it  for  eighteen 
months.  Failing  health  caused  him  to  relin- 
quish his  studies,  and  while  resting  he  deter- 
mined to  abandon  medicine  for  dentistry.  He 
accordingly  became  a  student  in  the  ofifice  of 
Dr.  H.  S.  Wood,  of  Stamford,  with  whom  he 
made  rapid  progress,  and  in  1866  he  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Jefferson, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  An  experience 
of  over  thirty  years  has  given  opportunities 
for  acquiring  a  varied  knowledge  of  dentistry, 
and  his  business  is  both  large  and  profitable. 
He  has  availed  himself  of  all  modern  improve- 
ments in  the  way  of  appliances.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  National  College  of  Electro- 
therapeutics, Lima,  Ohio,  which  college  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Electro-therapeutics  (M.E.).  He  deals  in 
dentists'  supplies,  and  has  travelled   consider- 


lilOGRArillCAL    REVIEW 


3SS 


ably    in   the   interests    of    tliis   branch   of    his 
business. 

In  1871  Ur.  Clark  purchased  a  small  job 
printing-office  for  the  purpose  of  devoting  his 
leisure  moments  to  some  useful  employment, 
and  engaged  in  the  printing  of  small  hand- 
bills, letter-heads,  etc.  He  was  shortly  after- 
ward requested  by  his  fellow-townsmen  to  es- 
tablish a  newspaper,  which  he  agreed  to  do 
provided  a  sufficient  sum  was  raised  to  pur- 
chase a  press.  Although  but  half  the  neces- 
sary amount  was  subscribed,  he  determined  to 
see  the  scheme  through ;  and,  making  up  the 
deficiency  from  his  own  pocket,  he  bought  the 
desired  machinery.  Without  knowledge  or 
experience,  he  entered  upon  his  new  enter- 
prise, to  which  he  gave  every  moment  of 
time  that  could  possibly  be  spared  from 
his  professional  duties;  and  as  a  result  of 
his  indefatigable  labors  the  initial  number  of 
the  Jcffcrsouian,  the  first  newspaper  ever 
issued  in  Jefferson,  was  delivered  to  the 
people  on  March  6,  1S72.  The  paper  was  a 
success  from  the  start,  and  its  subsequent  en- 
largement was  made  necessary  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  local  advertisers.  For  about  nine 
years  its  founder  continued  to  edit  and  pub- 
lish the  Jcffosonian,  which,  under  his  man- 
agement, performed  its  mission  in  an  able 
manner.  He  contributed  much  valuable  mat- 
ter in  connection  with  the  publication  of  the 
Roscoe  History  of  Schoharie  County,  and  has 
since  written  for  publication  in  the  Jefferson 
Courier  considerable  historic  matter,  col- 
lected as  far  back  as  1730,  pertaining  to  the 
history  of   Schoharie  County  and   the  border 


wars  of  New  York,  giving  a  detailed  narrative 
of  many  tragic  scenes  enacted  on  the  frontiers 
of  New  York.  He  is  now  engaged  in  collect- 
ing dates  and  writing  the  liistory  of  the  Clark 
family. 

Dr.  Clark  married  Sarah  A.  Phincle, 
daughter  of  William  anil  Anna  (Toles) 
Phincle.  They  have  had  two  children  :  Sarah, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  La  Mancha,  who 
was  graduated  at  the  Pennsylvania  College  of 
Dental  Surgery  at  Philadelphia  in  1898,  that 
college  conferring  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery.  He  stood  high  in 
his  class  of  one  hundred  and  eight,  of  which 
he  was  the  youngest.  He  married  Florence 
Lilian  Lee,  of  Glen  Castle,  N.Y.,  on  Febru- 
ary 8,  1S99.  He  is  a  fine  operator,  gold  fil- 
lings and  crown  and  bridge  work  being  his 
specialty.  The  young  Doctor  is  now  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  a  large  and  successful 
practice. 

As  a  progressive,  public-spirited  citizen  the 
Doctor  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  im- 
provements, and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  water- 
works. He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order  and 
other  organizations,  and  frequently  attends 
the  meetings  of  the  State  Dental  Society. 
The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


WILLARD    "Lh 
progressive 


LARKIN,  a  practical  and 
farmer  of  Schoharie, 
N.  Y. ,  was  born  at  Central  Bridge,  Schoharie 
County,  October  3,  i860,  son  of  John  W.  and 
Nancy    M.     (Enders)    Larkin.       His    paternal 


3S6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


grandfather,  Daniel  Larkin,  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Central  Brid<;e,  where  he  settled  in  early  life, 
and  prior  to  his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  hud  redeemed  a  good  farm  from  the 
forest.  He  was  a  strong  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, very  influential  in  public  affairs,  and 
served  several  years  as  County  Sheriff,  being 
the  only  Republican  in  the  county  ever  elected 
to  that  office.  His  second  wife,  Nancy  Boyd, 
bore  him  three  children,  one  of  whom  was 
Jdhn  \V.,  the  father  above  named.  Both 
Daniel  Larkin  and  his  wife  Nancy  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  church,  in  which  he  held 
most  of  the  offices. 

John  W.  Larkin  completed  his  education  at 
the  Charlotteville  Academy,  and  subsequently 
assisted  in  the  care  of  the  old  homestead, 
which  came  into  his  possession  after  the  death 
of  his  parents.  He  was  a  very  energetic  and 
thrifty  farmer,  successful  in  his  undertakings, 
and  he  addetl  to  the  imjirovements  of  the  es- 
tate the  fine  set  of  buildings  now  standing. 
He  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six  years.  An  unswerving  Republican  in 
politics,  he  served  as  Supervisor  during  four 
terms  of  one  year  each,  at  one  time  being 
chairman  of  the  board,  the  only  Republican 
in  the  county  to  hold  a  similar  office.  I'or 
several  years  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  to  which  he  and  his  wife  be- 
longed, and  he  was  also  a  valued  worker  :n 
the  Sunday-school.  He  married  Nancy  M. 
EnJers,  daughter  f)f  Peter  I.  lenders,  an  ex- 
tensive farmer  and  land-owner  of  Central 
Bridge.      Of   the   six   children    born    of    their 


union  four  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Will- 
ard,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Daniel;  Mary 
K.,  wife  of  Frederick  R.  Farquher;  and 
Delia  B.,  wife  of  Robert  S.  Arcularius,  of 
Brooklyn,  N.Y.  The  mother  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-six  years. 

VVillard  Larkin  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  and  at  the  Schoharie  and 
the  Claverack  Academies.  Returning  to  the 
parental  home,  he  assisted  in  the  farm  work 
for  several  years,  and  helped  to  erect  the  pres- 
ent farm  buildings.  When  ready  to  establish 
a  home  of  his  own,  he  bought  his  present  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  five  or  more  acres,  which 
by  judicious  toil  and  superior  management  he 
has  made  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  attrac- 
tive estates  in  this  section  of  the  county.  A 
few  years  ago  he  rebuilt  the  house,  barn,  and 
out-buildings,  which  are  commodious  and  well 
equipped.  Since  the  death  of  his  mother  Mr. 
Larkin  has  managed  the  homestead  property 
in  connection  with  his  own  farm,  having  now 
the  charge  of  two  hundreil  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  land,  which  he  devotes  to  general 
farming,  stock-raising,  and  dairying.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  strong  Republican,  and  in  1896 
was  elected  Commissioner  of  Highways  for  a 
term  of  two  years. 

On  November  29,  1881,  Mr.  Larkin  mar- 
ried Ruth  H.  Hoag,  who  was  born  in  Sloans- 
ville,  Schoharie  County,  daughter  of  John  I. 
and  Mary  (Carr)  Hoag.  Her  grandfather, 
David  Hoag,  was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers 
of  that  village,  where  he  was  long  engaged  in 
clearing  and  cultivating  the  land.  He  at- 
tained the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.      John    I. 


Cl.AKKNCE    li.   ULnolKUJUlJ. 


BIOGRArUlCAL    REVIEW 


359 


Hoag  carried  on  farming  on  the  old  home 
farm  until  his  death,  March  20,  1898.  His 
wife,  Mary,  was  born  in  Carlisle,  and  was  one 
of  the  fourteen  children  of  John  and  Eliza 
(Sweetman)  Carr,  seven  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hoag.  The  two  now  living  are:  Mrs. 
Larkin;  and  her  brother,  George  W.  Hoag,  a 
merchant  in  Sloansville.  Their  mother  died 
at  the  age  of  fifty-si.x  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larkin's  only  child,  John  H., 
died  when  eleven  years  old.  Mr.  Larkin  and 
his  wife  are  prominent  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Central  Bridge,  of  which 
he  is  treasurer,  and  both  are  teachers  in  the 
Sunday-school,  in  which  Mr.  Larkin  has  been 
superintendent  for  si.x  years.  Mrs.  Larkin  is 
president  of  the  Home  and  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society  of  Hartwick  Synod;  and  Mr. 
Larkin  has  been  president  of  the  County 
Union  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  for 
five  years,  attending  four  meetings  each  year 
in  different  parts  of  the  county.  In  1S95  he 
went  as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  in 
Cleveland.  Mrs.  Larkin  is  a  member  of  the 
local  W.  C.  T.  U. 


,LARENCE  E.  BLOODGOOD,  of  the 
firm  of  Bloodgood  &  Tallmadge,  Cats- 
kill's  well-known  attorneys,  was 
born  in  Jewett  on  February  3,  1S49,  son  of 
Jason  and  Lucinda  (Coe)  Bloodgood.  His 
father,  who  is  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four, 
living  retired  in  the  village  of  Hensonville, 
is  the  grandson  of  William   Bloodgood,  one  of 


the  pioneer  settlers  of  Conesvillc,  Schoharie 
County,  coming  to  that  place  from  New  Jer- 
sey and  originally  from  Long  Island. 

William  Bloodgood  fought  for  American  in- 
dependence in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Dingle, 
was  from  New  England.  She  died  in  1833, 
surviving  her  husband  si.xteen  years,  his  death 
having  occurred  in  1817.  Their  son,  Lewis, 
the  ne.xt  in  line  of  descent,  was  born  in  Scho- 
harie County,  and  spent  his  life  there  in  the 
town  of  Conesville,  engaged  in  farming.  He 
married  Catherine  Califf.  He  died  about 
1 82 1,  when  his  son  Jason  was  a  lad  of  si.x 
years. 

Jason  Bloodgood  began  his  working  life 
when  very  young.  He  was  engaged  for  a 
number  of  years  at  farming  and  lumbering  in 
his  native  town,  and  then  he  removed  to  a  farm 
in  Jewett,  where  he  remained  until  18S7. 
Since  that  time  he  has  resided  in  Hensonville. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  His  wife,  Mrs. 
Lucinda  C.  Bloodgood,  died  in  1893.  She 
was  born  in  Jewett  on  October  i,  1809,  being 
the  daughter  of  Justus  and  Ruth  (Bailey)  Coe 
and  one  of  a  family  of  six  children.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Goshen,  Conn.,  and  came  to 
Jewett  in  the  early  days  of  its  settlement,  find- 
ing his  way  thither  by  means  of  marked  trees. 
There  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days, 
making  his  home  at  first  in  a  tiny  log  cabin 
and  having  but  the  barest  necessities  of  life. 
He  was  a  Deacon  in  the  Presbyterian  church, 
which  he  helped  to  build,  and  one  of  its  active 
supporters  throughout  his  life.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four,  and  his  wife  died  at  the 


360 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


age  of  sixty-five.  None  of  their  se\eii  chil- 
dren are  living. 

Jason  and  Lucinda  C.  Bloodgood  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  liv- 
ing. These  are  as  follows:  Levi;  Cyrus  E.  ; 
Clarence  K.  ;  Tremain  S.,  of  Jewett ;  Mary, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Van  Valkenberg,  of 
Catskill;  and  Isaac  L.  All  the  men  of  this 
family  are  prominent  citizens  in  the  towns 
where  they  reside.  Three  of  the  brothers  have 
been  Town  Supervisors.  Levi  and  Isaac  are 
in  partnership,  and  conduct  the  large  general 
merchandise  business  at  Hensonville.  Levi 
and  his  brother  Cyrus  E.  bought  the  business 
in  1868  of  Messrs.  Brown  &  Loughran,  and 
were  in  partnership  for  seventeen  years,  when 
Cyrus  sold  his  interest  to  the  youngest 
brother.  Levi  Bloodgood  married  Kate  Bed- 
ford, of  Delaware  County,  and  has  two  daugh- 
ters:  Lena,  who  was  educated  at  Stamford 
Seminary,  and  is  now  a  teacher  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music;  and  Lettie,  who  is  in 
school.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  Democrats 
of  his  county,  was  Town  Supervisor  in  1890 
and  1891,  has  been  chairman  of  the  Town 
Committee  and  many  times  a  delegate  to  both 
town  and  county  conventions.  lie  is  a  mem- 
l)er  of  the  Methodist  church  and  prominent  in 
Sunday-school  work.  Cyrus  E.  Bloodgood  is 
at  the  present  time  Clerk  of  Greene  County. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
of  the  county  in  1SS2.  Tremain  is  a  farmer. 
For  two  years  he  represented  his  town,  Jewett, 
in  the  Greene  County  Board  of  Supervisors. 

Clarence  E.  Bloodgood  in  his  early  years  at- 
tended the  common  schools,  and  subsequently 


a  school  at  Jewett  Heights.  He  then  taught 
two  terms  in  Jewett,  and  in  1869  entered 
Stamford  Seminary.  There  he  continued  his 
studies  until  July,  1871,  with  the  exception  of 
one  winter,  during  which  he  was  teaching.  In 
July,  1871,  he  took  the  examinations  for  Yale, 
passing  through  New  York  on  the  twelfth  of 
the  month,  while  the  Orangemen's  riot  was  in 
progress.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered 
the  Freshman  class,  and  in  1875  was  graduated 
in  the  classical  department,  receiving  honors. 
Among  his  classmates  were  the  following- 
named  men,  who  have  since  been  distinguished 
in  national  life:  John  Patton,  United  States 
Senator  from  Michigan;  Albert  S.  Jenks,  re- 
cently elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  Second  District  of  New  York  State;  John 
S.  Seymour,  formerly  of  Connecticut,  now  of 
New  York  City,  who  was  Commissioner  of  Pat- 
ents under  Cleveland's  last  administration; 
Edward  S.  Jones,  First  Assistant  Postmaster- 
General  under  the  .same  administration;  Ed- 
ward S.  Atwater,  of  Poughkeepsie,  candidate 
for  Comptroller  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in 
1898;  and  Edward  C.  Smith,  at  present  Gov- 
ernor of  Vermont. 

In  the  fall  of  1S75  I\Ir.  Bloodgood  was 
elected  School  Commissioner  of  the  First  Dis- 
trict of  Greene  County ;  and  this  position  he 
held  for  nine  years.  In  1879  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  J.  B.  Olney,  of 
Catskill,  and  in  January,  1S85,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  He  immediately  began  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  and  twelve  years  later  formed  the 
partnership  with  Mr.  Tallmadge.  The  firm 
has   one    of    tlie    largest    law  libraries    in    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


361 


county,  and  its  practice  is  very  extensive. 
Both  partners  have  a  wide  circle  of  acquaint- 
ance throughout  this  section  of  the  State,  and 
command  universal  confidence. 

In  1 89 1  and  1S92  Mr.  Bloodgood  served  as 
State  Senator  from  the  Fourteenth  District, 
which  then  included  Greene,  Ulster,  and 
Schoharie  Counties.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  of  the  Committee  on 
Finance,  and  of  the  Committee  on  Canals, 
Roads,  Bridges,  and  Poor  Laws,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  last  two.  He  introduced  some 
bills  of  importance,  among  others  one  that  had 
been  many  times  before  presented  and  as  often 
failed  to  pass.  Against  the  opposition  of 
members  from  large  cities  he  secured  the 
passage  of  the  law,  enlarging  the  scope  of  in- 
vestments for  savings-banks.  Mr.  Bloodgood 
believes  in  "sound  money."  He  has  been 
continuously  active  in  all  duties  of  good 
citizenship  since  he  graduated  from  college. 
In  1S95  he  was  chairman  of  the  Democratic 
County  Committee.  He  is  at  the  present  time 
a  member  of  the  State  Committee  for  the 
Twenty-fifth  Senatorial  District.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  State  Bar  Association 
since  1892.  In  1897  he  was  elected  vice- 
president  of  the  association  for  the  Third  Judi- 
cial District  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
last  January  was  re-elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion for  the  current  year.  In  1896  also  he  was 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  spe- 
cial commissioner  to  investigate  certain  mat- 
ters connected  with  the  Osage  Indians;  but,  as 
the  acceptance  of  the  position  would  require 
him  to  spend  an   indefinite  time  in  the  Indian 


Territory,  he  felt  obliged  to  decline  the  honor. 
Mr.  Bloodgood  was  married  in  1892  to  Joseph- 
ine L.  Case,  of  Catskill,  daughter  of  Hiram 
Case.  Mrs.  Bloodgood  was  born  in  what  is 
known  as  Potter's  Hollow,  Albany  County. 
Mr.  Bloodgood  during  the  two  years,  1895  and 
1896,  was  president  of  the  Rip  Van  Winkle 
Club,  which  is  the  leading  social  club  of  Cats- 
kill.  He  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Com- 
mercial Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Association  of 
Catskill. 


OW  FONDA  VROMAN,  a  leading 
citizen  of  Middleburg  and  represen- 
tative of  one  of  the  oldest  families 
in  the  county,  was  born  in  this  town  on  a  farm 
adjoining  his  present  dwelling-place  on  No- 
vember 14,  1 83 1,  his  parents  being  Henry  and 
Catharine  (Hagadorne)  Vroman. 

The  first  title  to  Schoharie  lands  known  to 
have  been  recorded  was  obtained  by  his  ances- 
tor, Adam  Vroman,  from  the  Indians,  and  has 
since  been  known  as  Vroman's  land.  It  is 
located  two  miles  south-west  of  Middleburg. 
The  conveyance  is  dated  Schenectady,  August 
20,  171 1.  Adam  Vroman  obtained  a  royal 
patent  to  these  lands  from  King  George  on 
August  26,  1 714.  On  March  30,  1726,  he 
obtained  a  new  grant  from  the  Indians. 
Twenty  families  of  Hollanders  settled  here, 
and  there  was  considerable  friction  between 
them  and  the  Palatinates  before  friendly  rela- 
tions were  established.  Adam  Vroman  was 
born  in  Holland  in  1649,  and  came  to  this 
country  with  his  father,  Hendrick  Meese  Vro- 
man,   in    1670,    settling  first   in   Schenectady. 


362 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


The  father  was  killed  in  the  massacre  there  in 
1690.  Adam's  two  brothers  were  named  Jan 
and  Bartholomew.  Me  lived  in  Schenectady 
diirinj;  the  <;reater  part  of  his  life,  and  is  bur- 
ied there;  but  his  death  occurred  in  Middle-  I 
hurt;  in  1730,  at  the  home  of  his  son.  He  was 
three  times  married,  successively  to  Kn^eltie 
Kyckman,  (irietje  \'an  Slyck,  and  Grietje 
Takelse  Hemstreet.  His  first  wife  and  her 
infant  child  were  killed  in  the  massacre. 

Adam's  son  Peter  was  born  in  Schenectady 
on  May  4,  i6<S4.  He  came  from  that  place, 
and  settled  in  Middleburg,  in  the  part  now 
called  Fulton,  on  the  banks  of  the  Schoharie 
River,  where  he  cleared  a  lari;e  tract  of  land. 
His  relations  with  the  Indians  were  most 
friendly.  He  died  in  1777.  His  wife, 
Grietje  Van  Alstyne,  who  was  born  in  Albany 
of  Dutch  parentage,  was  the  mother  of  twelve 
children,  seven  sons  and  five  daughters. 

Adam  Vroman,  second,  son  of  the  above 
named  Peter,  and  great-grandfather  of  Dow  F. 
Vroman,  was  born  at  Fulton  on  September  21, 
1707,  and  died  of  consumption  in  1754.  De- 
spite his  feeble  health,  he  was  a  man  of  much 
energy,  and  one  of  the  most  ]irogressive 
farmers  of  this  region. 

Jonas  Vroman,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Middleburg,  now  Ful- 
ton, on  April  i,  1735,  and  died  on  April  16, 
1804.  Upon  reaching  his  majority,  he  moved 
to  the  farm  which  adjoins  Dow  F.  Vroman's 
property,  and  there  built  in  1792-93  the 
house,  the  main  part  of  which  is  still  stand- 
ing. He  was  a  lifelong  farmer.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden   name  was  Deliah   Hager,  died 


in  1S30,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  They  were 
the  ])areiits  of  two  sons. 

Of  these  Henry,  above  named,  was  born  on 
the  farm  his  father  had  settled,  and  there  he 
continued  to  reside  thoughout  his  life.  Upon 
the  death  of  his  father  he  came  into  possession 
of  the  propet)-.  He  was  a  man  of  considera- 
ble jirominence  hereabouts,  anil  was  at  differ- 
ent times  Lieutenant  and  Ca])tain  in  the 
militia.  Both  he  and  his  wife  Catherine  were 
members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  The 
latter  was  a  native  of  Middleburg,  now  Ful- 
ton, and  daughter  of  John  Hagadorne.  She 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine ;  and  her  hus- 
band died  on  March  2,  1859,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two.  Of  their  family  of  ten  children, 
three  are  living;  namely,  Dow  Fonda,  Adam, 
and  Susan,  who  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Borst. 

Dow  V.  Vroman  received  good  mental  train- 
ing in  the  public  schools,  and  resided  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  left  home  and 
travelled  for  about  four  years.  Returning 
then  to  Middleburg,  he  purchased  the  farm  of 
forty  acres  adjoining  his  father's  estate,  which 
has  since  been  his  home.  In  1854  he  married 
Margaret  Smith,  one  of  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren born  to  Martin  Smith,  a  farmer  of  Albany 
County,  New  York.  Of  this  union  nine  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  '  namely  :  Eugene,  who 
resides  in  Middleburg;  Charles,  who  married 
Mary  Best,  and  is  engaged  in  business  here; 
Henry,  who  is  a  farmer  in  California;  Kate, 
who  resides  with  her  ]jarents ;  Dow,  a  lawyer 
of  Tonawanda,  Niagara  County,  a  graduate  of 
Union    College    and     Albany    Law    School; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


363 


Smith,  an  cn!;iiKcr  in  California;  Margaret, 
who  resides  with  lu-r  iKuents;  Guy,  who  is 
a  civil  engineer,  a  graduate  oi  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  in  the  class  of  i.SgS;  and  Roy, 
who  is  attending  the  high  school.  Mr.  \'ro- 
nian  is  a  man  of  sujierior  intelligence,  and  pos- 
sesses a  wide  antl  thorough  knowledge  of  men 
and  affairs.  He  has  made  a  careful  study  of 
the  family  history,  and  is  an  authority  on  all 
points  connected  with  it.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat;  but,  although  he  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  his  party,  lie  has  never  cared  to 
hold  public  office.  In  1 S90,  1S91,  and  1S92 
he  served  as  Supervi.sor  of  Middleburg.  His 
wife  and  two  daughters  are  members  of  the  Re- 
formed church. 


TT^HAUNCEY  W.  HINMAN,  attorney- 
I  J|        at-law  and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  resid- 

^ — ^  ing  at  Schoharie,  N.  Y. ,  was  bom 
in  Middleburg  on  June  4,  1835,  son  of  John 
S.  and  Margaret  (Pausley)  Hinman.  His 
grandfather,  Justus  Hinman,  by  occupation  a 
mechanic,  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut. He  removed  to  Kinderhook,  Co- 
lumbia County,  in  this  State,  among  the  early 
settlers,  and  he  lived  there  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one.  His  wife,  who  was  before  her 
marriage  Alice  Spencer,  was  also  born  in 
Connecticut.  She  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of 
age,  and  reared  a  family  of  eight  children. 
Of  these  only  one  son,  Franklin  by  name,  is 
living.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church. 


John  S.  Hinman  was  born  in  Kinderhook, 
and  was  hrouglit  up  in  th.it  town.  When  a 
mere  boy  he  left  home,  anil  for  some  years 
subsequently  he  journeyed  from  one  place  to 
another,  until  at  length  he  settled  in  Middle- 
burg and  carried  on  wagon-making,  later  en- 
gaging in  the  practice  of  law.  He  became  an 
attorney  of  some  note,  and  continued  practice 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  also  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  many  years.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat.  His  death  occurred  at 
the  age  of  fifty-si.x.  His  first  wife,  Margaret, 
the  mother  of  Chauncey  W.  Hinman,  was  the 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Christiana  Pausley, 
the  father  a  lifelong  farmer  and  during  his 
last  years  a  resident  of  Middleburg.  She  was 
bcrn  in  Schoharie,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three.  Of  the  six  children  born  to 
her,  four  are  living,  the  record  being  as 
follows:  Chauncey;  Charles;  Helen,  who  is 
the  widow  of  William  Bouck;  and  Mary 
Jane,  who  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  L.  Zimmer,  of 
Wright.  Mrs.  Margaret  Hinman  was  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  Methodist  church.  The 
second  wife  was  a  sister  of  the  first,  and  she 
was  the  mother  of  John,  Justice,  Albert, 
Alice,  and  Catharine,  of  whom  John  and  Jus- 
tice are  living.  She  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight. 

Chauncey  W.  Hinman  attended  the  public 
schools  until  si.xteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
left  home  and  went  to  work  in  Franklinton 
and  Livingstonville,  where  he  remained  for 
a  short  time.  He  subsequently  worked  in 
Utica  and  elsewhere  in  Oneida  Countv,  in  Al- 
bany,   and    in    Ohio,  as   a   clerk,  and   then   re- 


364 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


turned  to  Middleburg,  where  he  learned  the 
harness-maker's  trade,  and  subsequently  car- 
ried on  business  until  1S62,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  D  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-fourth  Regiment  as  a  private.  He  was 
in  active  service,  and  through  successive  pro- 
motions rose  to  the  rank  of  Second  Lieuten- 
ant and  finally  to  that  of  First  Lieutenant. 
He  was  at  Chancellorsville  and  at  Gettys- 
burg, and  at  Tilton,  in  the  fall  of  1S64,  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  rebel  forces.  He  was 
carried  to  Andersonville,  and  there  for  six 
months  endured  horrors  worse  than  those  of 
open  warfare.  From  being  a  solid,  well-built 
man  weighing  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
pounds,  he  became  reduced  to  a  mere  skele- 
ton, and  escaped  death  only  by  the  fortunate 
circumstance  of  his  release.  He  saw  thou- 
sands of  men  breathe  their  last  in  the  prison, 
victims  of  starvation  and  disease.  The  daily 
rations,  which  were  never  varied,  were  one- 
half  pint  of  corn  meal,  the  same  quantity  of 
beans,  and  one  spoonful  of  molasses  or  two 
ounces  of  meat.  To  this  was  added,  once  in 
three  days,  a  small  tablespoonful  of  salt. 
Thirty  men  of  Mr.  Hinman's  company  shared 
the  horrors  of  prison  life  with  him. 

With  peace  came  his  release  and  subsequent 
discharge  from  the  army.  Returning  then  to 
Middleburg,  Mr.  Hinman  began  the  business 
of  harness-making,  but  in  1867  he  came  to 
Schoharie  and  began  the  study  of  law.  Two 
years  later  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  at 
once  formed  a  partnership  with  liis  brother, 
which  continued  until  1871.  Since  that  time 
Mr.  Hinman  has  been  alone.      He  is  the  sec- 


ond oldest  lawyer  in  practice  in  the  town. 
For  eight  years  he  has  been  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  the 
Union  School. 

Mr.  Hinman  was  married  in  1S72  to  Alice 
ver  riank,  who  was  born  in  Wright,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alanson  ver  Plank  and  one  of  a  family 
group  of  five  children.  Of  this  union  six 
children  were  born,  as  follows:  Nellie  M., 
Douglas  A.,  Herbert  W.,  Mabel,  Alice,  and 
C.  Ford.  Nellie  M. ,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
Vassar  College,  is  the  assistant  principal  of 
the  Union  School.  Douglas  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Albany  Law  School  and  a  practising 
lawyer  in  Ikrne,  Albany  County.  Herbert 
W.  is  in  business  with  a  florist  in  Saratoga 
Springs.  Mabel,  who  was  educated  at  the 
Young  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Binghaniton,  is 
now  in  Europe.  Alice  is  a  student  in  the 
Union  School,  Schoharie.  C.  I'ord  Hinman 
is  studying  law  in  his  father's  office. 

Mr.  Hinman  is  an  Odd  Fellow  of  To-wos- 
scholer  Lodge,  No.  546.  He  is  a  member 
and  trustee  of  the  Stock  Growers'  Associa- 
tion. He  has  a  general  law  practice,  and  also 
acts  as  pension  attorney.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  Mr.  Hinman  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  he  is  a  trustee  of  the  society.  ]5oth  he 
and  his  wife  have  been  teachers  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. 

KA    GRAND    L    TREADWELL,   a  pro- 
gressive farmer  and  prominent  citizen 
"■"^  of     Jefferson,     Schoharie     County, 
N.Y.,    was    born    in    Harpcrsfield,    Delaware 


0k^ 


I 


JAMKS    -]■.   WVATT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


367 


County,  this  State,  October  7,  1845,  son  of 
James  T.  and  Eliza  A.  (Buckingham)  Tread- 
well. 

His  father,  James  T.  Treadwell,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Harpersfield,  N.Y.,  born  August  6, 
I  Si  2.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
town,  where  he  held  the  office  of  Supervisor. 
He  was  also  a  Colonel  in  the  militia.  A 
stanch  Republican  in  politics,  he  was  a  great 
admirer  of  Lincoln,  Grant,  Seward,  and  other 
great  men  of  his  party  who  had  proved  their 
fitness  for  high  place  by  the  magnitude  of 
their  services  to  their  country.  In  religion 
he  was  a  Methodist  and  a  prominent  officer  of 
that  church.  His  wife,  Eliza,  who  was  born 
in  Jefferson,  Schoharie  County,  July  14, 
181 1,  was  a  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sally  Buck- 
ingham, her  father  being  a  prosperous  farmer. 
She  died  in  her  native  town,  February  27, 
1896,  having  survived  her  husband  nearly 
twenty-five  years,  he  having  passed  away 
April  26,  1871.  Their  children  were:  Orrin, 
Sarah,  Cassius,  La  Grand,  and  Addie. 

La  Grand  L  Treadwell  received  a  good  dis- 
trict-school education.  He  began  early  to  ac- 
quire a  practical  knowledge  of  agriculture, 
and  since  his  youth  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. His  present  farm  of  one  humlred  and 
ten  acres  is  well  located,  and,  kept  by  him  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  it  produces  satis- 
factory financial  results.  Mr.  Treadwell  is  a 
man  of  good  business  capacity,  progressive  in 
his  methods,  an  untiring  worker,  and  thor- 
oughly wide-awake  to  every  opportunity  for 
the  improvement  of  his  property.  That  he 
stands  high  among   his   fellow-townsmen    may 


be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  has  been 
called  upon  to  serve  them  as  Commissioner  of 
Highways  and  as  Supervisor.  He  attends  the 
Methodist  church.  He  belongs  to  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  being  a  member  of  Lodge  No. 
554,  F.  &  A.   M.,  of  Jefferson. 

He  married  September  22,  1885,  Miss  Jean- 
ette  C.  Grant,  a  native  of  Stamford,  Delaware 
County,  N.Y.,  and  a  daughter  of  Alfred  B. 
and  Maria  A.  (Davenport)  Grant.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Treadwell  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
J.  Logan  Treadwell,  who  was  born  August  12, 
£887. 

§AMES  T.  WYATT,  e.\-Supervisor  of 
Glen\-ille  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War,  was  born  in  Halifa.x,  N.  S.,  Octo- 
ber 22,  1834,  son  of  John  F.  and  Charlotte 
(Stewart)  Wyatt.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  and  his  mother  of  Nova  Scotia. 

John  \\'yatt,  his  grandfather,  who  was  born 
in  Charleston,  S.  C,  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  for  some  years  was  a  planter  in 
his  native  State.  Coming  North,  John  Wyatt 
resided  in  New  York  State  for  a  time,  but  his 
last  days  were  spent  in  Nova  Scotia.  The 
family  is  of  English  origin.  Probably  its  first 
representative  in  this  country  was  Sir  Francis 
Wyatt,  one  of  the  early  Colonial  governors  of 
\'irginia,  the  first  term  of  his  wise  and  pacific 
administration  beginning  in  October,   1621. 

John  F.  Wyatt,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  a  carpenter,  and  followed  his 
trade  during  his  active  years.  Moving  from 
Nova  Scotia  to  New  York  State,  he  resided  in 
Albany    until    going   to    Cattaraugus     County; 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ami  hcilic'd  in  Jamestown,  Cliaiitaiic|iia  County, 
at  tlic  Ane  of  cij,'litytlncc  years.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican.  His  wife,  Charlotte, 
was  tile  mother  of  seven  childieii,  four  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  John  A.  and  James  T. , 
both  residents  of  Ck-nville;  ICleanor,  wife  of 
M.  G.  Martyn.  of  JaniesL.wn  ;  and  William 
H.  VVyatt,  of  .\kron,  Ohio.  -ihe  others  were: 
Hliza  C.  Harriet,  and  Adelaide.  Mrs.  Char- 
lotte .S.  W'yatt  died  in  Akron,  Ohio,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-si.\  years.  In  religious  faith  the 
parents  were  Episcoi)alians. 

James  T.  Wyatt  was  reared  in  .Albany  and 
educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  When  a 
young  man  he  entered  the  grocery  business  as 
a  clerk,  and  remained  in  that  employment  for 
four  years.  In  October,  iS6i,  he  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  an  independent  organization  known 
as  the  Havelock  Battery,  which  was  raised  in 
Albany,  and  became  attached  to  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  He  participated  in  some  of  the 
most  stubbornly  contested  engagements  of  the 
Civil  War,  including  the  battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville,  where  he  was  wounded,  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  First  Lieutenant,  being  discharged  as 
such,  January  24,  1865.  The  .State  of  New 
York  gave  him  the  rank  of  Hrevet  Major.  Re- 
turning t<.  Albany,  he  in  isr,6  became  travel- 
ling .salesman  for  Hurton  &  Co.,  dealers  in 
mouldings,  picture  frames,  and  similar  wares, 
and  remained  with  that  concern  for  eight  years. 
In  1S77  he  bought  his  present  farm  in  Glen- 
ville,  containing  one  hundred  and  forty-two 
acres  of  desirable  land  situated  in  the  beautiful 
and  fertile  Mohawk  valley,  one  of  the  finest 
agricultural  regions  in  the  .State.      He  displa_\s 


unusual  practical  ability  and  good  judgment  in 
managing  his  property,  which  yields  a  good 
income,  the  energy  of  its  owner  being  visible 
on  everv  hand. 

In  June,  1867,  Mr.  Wyatt  was  united  in 
marriage  with  .Anna  M.  Rector,  who  was  born 
in  C.lenville,  May  25,  1S35,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Rector  and  a  rejiresentative  of  an  old  fam- 
ily of  this  town. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wyatt  is  a  Republican. 
He  served  with  ability  as  Supervisor  during 
the  years  1.SS2,  1S.S3,  1.S84,  and  1SS6.  He  is 
a  comrade  of  Horsfall  Post,  No.  90,  G.  A.  R., 
of  Schenectady.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wyatt  have 
no  children.  They  attend  the  Lpiscopal 
church. 

RNI-:ST  E.  BILLINGS,  M.D.,  the  lead- 
ng  physician  of  Gilboa,  Schoharie 
County,  N.  Y.,  is  a  native  of  Broome,  this 
State.  He  was  born  on  September  29,  1859, 
to  Peter  L.  and  Amelia  (Brayman)  Billings. 
His  great-grandfather  Billings  came  to  this 
place  from  Connecticut.  He  was  of  Lnglish 
ancestry. 

The  Doctor's  paternal  grandfather,  John 
Billings,  lived  and  died  in  this  county,  and 
was  a  lifelong  farmer.  His  children  were  as 
follows:  Thaddeus:  Peter;  Charles;  William; 
pjnma,  who  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  Brazee; 
Kllen,  who  is  the  widow  of  limerson  Camp- 
bell; and  Luther,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  Charles  and  William  Bill- 
ings both  reside  in  this  county. 

Peter  Billings  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
active  life  was  engagetl  in  farming  at  Broome, 


369 


but  he  lived  for  a  time  in  Greene  County, 
rolitically,  he  was  a  standi  Reinihlican.  I-cr 
a  luiinhor  of  yrars  lie  was  I'oormastcr.  lie 
was  a  ineiiil)cr  ol  tlie  old  scliool  Haplist 
church  ami  one  of  its  most  zealous  upholders. 
His  four  childicn  were:  I'.rnest  Iv  and  I'lrwin 
15.,  twins;  Anna,  who  married  Albert  rainier; 
and  Hurton,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years. 

ICrnest  K.  Hillings  during  his  boyhood  at- 
tendeil  school  at  Broome  and  subsequently  at 
Rensselaerville  Academy.  In  his  early  years 
he  had  access  to  a  well-selected  library,  which 
probably  in  a  measure  determined  the  course 
of  his  later  life.  This  library  consisted 
largely  of  works  of  science  and  history.  It 
had  been  accumulated  by  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Benjamin  Brayman,  who  resided  in 
Broome.  Mr.  Brayman  was  a  genuine  lover 
of  books.  Not  a  volume  on  his  shelves  but 
was  one  of  value  and  standing,  and  not  one 
that  he  had  not  read  and  digested.  His  mem- 
ory for  facts  was  wonderful,  and  no  one  here- 
abouts could  equal  him  in  extent  of  knowl- 
edge. He  was  e.xtremely  logical,  and  could 
floor  any  one  in  an  argument.  Withal,  he  was 
a  successful  man  of  affairs.  At  that  time, 
when  good  books,  or  indeed  books  of  any  sort, 
were  difficult  to  get,  his  library  unquestion- 
ably e.xerted  a  great  influence  in  moulding  the 
future  of  his  grandson. 

After  leaving  school  Ernest  E.  Billings 
taught  for  four  or  five  terms,  as  also  his  twin 
brother,  who  subsequently  obtained  a  State 
certificate.  From  boyhood  it  had  been  his 
ambition  to  be  a   physician,  and   accordingly, 


as  soon  as  the  opportunity  presented  itself,  he 

b(.-an  the  study  of  nu-dieine  with  his  uncle. 
Dr.  ]•:.  Hrayman.  of  I.ivingstonville.  Alter 
a  year  spent  there  lie  enteral  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  (if  the  City  of  New 
\'ork  in  i,S,Si,an(l  in  I  .S.S4  he  was  graduated 
at  that  institution  with  the  coveted  degree  ot 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  While  there  he  showed 
esjiecial  [iroficiency  in  mathematics  and  in 
microscopy.  He  was  one  of  two  to  receive  a 
certificate  in  the  latter  study.  He  immedi- 
ately began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Conesville,  where  he  remained  until  October 
5,  1887.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  settled 
in  Gilboa.  The  Doctor  still  has  more  or  less 
practice  in  Conesville,  and,  in  fact,  in  the 
four  counties  of  Delaware,  Greene,  Schoharie, 
and  Albany.  His  calmness  at  all  times  and 
his  sympathy  in  the  sick-room  fortify  him  for 
attendance  on  the  most  serious  or  critical 
cases,  and  his  warm  heart  and  generous  ex- 
pression of  feeling  win  for  him  the  lasting 
gratitude  of  his  patients  and  their  friends. 
He  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  diseases  of 
women  and  children. 

Politically,  the  Doctor  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  Town  Clerk  in  Broome  in  1882,  and 
is  at  the  present  time  Health  Officer  of  Gil- 
boa.  Since  1890  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  For  two  years 
he  was  a  Deacon  in  the  church,  and  for  the 
last  three  years  has  been  Elder.  He  is  a 
Mason  of  Gilboa  Lodge,  No.  630,  and  at  the 
present  time  secretary  of  the  lodge.  Profes- 
sionally, he  is  a  member  of  the  Schoharie 
County    Medical    Society.      He   is   one   of   the 


lilOGRAl'HICAL   REVIEW 


stockholders  in  the  weekly  jinper  published  at 
Gilboa. 

Dr.  Hillings  married  Carrie  Riclitmyer, 
daughter  of  I'eter  Richtmyer  and  descendant 
of  one  of  the  old  and  honored  families  of  this 
vicinity.      Tiiey  have  one  child,   l'>nestine. 


WILLIAM  W.  ClIAl'MAN,  a  prac- 
tical and  prosperous  agriculturist  of 
I'-ulton,  .Schoharie  County,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides,  known  as  the 
Chapman  homestead,  November  14,  1846,  a 
son  of  Jacob  Chapman.  His  great-grand- 
father Chapman  was  one  of  the  very  early  set- 
tlers of  Columbia  County,  New  York,  where 
he  owned  an  extensive  tract  of  land  and 
about  sixty  slaves. 

William  Chapman,  the  grandfather  of  Will- 
iam W.,  was  born  and  educated  in  Columbia 
County,  but  afterward  became  a  jiioneer  of 
Albany  County,  whither  he  removed  with  his 
family  at  an  early  day.  He  also  was  a  slave- 
holder, and  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
when  he  was  but  forty-seven  years  old,  he  had 
cleared  a  large  farm,  and  had  come  to  hold  an 
important  position  among  the  influential  men 
of  the  town  of  Rensscl  lerville,  in  which  he 
had  settled.  His  wife,  wiiose  maiden  name 
was  Eva  Solpaugh,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  after  rearing  a  number  of  children. 
In  religion  tiiey  were  both  of  the  Baptist  per- 
suasion. 

Jacob  Chapman  was  born  in  Rensselaer- 
ville,  Albany  County,  wiicre  he  resided  until 
twenty-seven     years    old.        Coming     then     to 


Sclioharie  County,  he  purchased  one  hundred 
acres  of  woodland,  on  which  almost  the  only 
improvement  visible  was  a  small  log  house 
that  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  substan- 
tial dwelling  on  the  Chapman  homestead,  the 
house  subsecpiently  erected  by  him.  He 
cleared  a  large  part  of  the  land  he  first  pur- 
chased, and,  having  bought  another  lot  of  forty 
acres,  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  with  great  success  until  his  death,  at 
the  venerable  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat,  and 
served  one  or  more  terms  as  Overseer  of  the 
Poor.  His  wife,  Huldah  Winans,  was  the 
daughter  of  I{lder  John  Winans,  for  many 
years  a  Baptist  minister  at  Preston  Hollow, 
Albany  County,  where  she  was  born  and  bred. 
They  had  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom  are 
living,  as  follows:  Spencer,  a  farmer  residing 
near  the  old  homestead;  Nancy  C,  wife  of 
Chauncey  Shattuck;  Adam  M.,  a  farmer  at 
Bouck's  Falls;  Maria,  widow  of  the  late 
Almon  Mann;  Isabella,  wife  of  Hiram  Ecker- 
son ;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  George 
Holmes;  James  P.,  former  -Supervisor  of  Mid- 
dleburg;  and  William  W.,  the  special  subject 
of  this  sketch.  The  mother  also  attained  a 
gootl  old  age,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  four- 
score anil  four  years.  Both  parents  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  the  father  served  long  and  faithfully 
as  steward  and  class  leader.  Their  son  Peter, 
who  was  graduated  from  the  Normal  School, 
and  afterward  attended  private  lectures  and 
the  Philadelphia  Medical  College,  went  West 
when  a  young  man,  antl,  settling  in  Iowa,  was 


DAKNAKI)    D'llAKA. 


I5U)C;RAriIICAL    RK\IK\V 


there  engaged  first  as  a  teacher  ami  later  as  a 
physician.  He  subsequently  lived  in  Ne- 
braska, ami  for  six  years  was  School  Commis- 
sioner in  Lincoln.  Returnini;-  to  .Schoh.irie 
County,  he  practisei!  medicine  in  {•iichmond- 
viile  for  six  years,  goini;'  from  there  to  New 
Mexico,  where  he  had  a  lucrative  position  in 
a  government  land  olfice  until  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  forty-nine  years. 

William  W.  Chapman  succeeded  to  the 
ovvnershi[i  of  the  home  farm  of  one  hundred 
anil  fortv  acres,  on  wliich  he  h.is  spent  his 
entire  life,  bein;^  known  throu,i;hout  tiie  com- 
iiumity  as  one  of  its  most  skilful  and  thrifty 
farmers.  Energetic  and  industrious,  and  well 
versed  in  the  science  of  agriculture,  he  is 
meeting  with  well-merited  success  in  his 
chosen  vocation.  In  addition  to  raising  the 
crops  common  to  this  region,  he  carries  on  to 
some  extent  dairying  and  the  raising  of 
draught  horses,  in  which  he  has  been  some- 
what interested.  A  firm  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  takes 
an  active  interest  in  local  affairs.  He  has 
served  on  both  the  Town  and  the  County  Com- 
mittee and  in  1 89 1,  1892,  1893,  and  1894  he 
was  Supervisor,  having  been  elected  and  sub- 
sequently re-elected  three  consecutive  years 
by  a  large  majority. 

On  November  21,  1877,  Mr.  Chapman  mar- 
ried Emma  Zeh,  who  was  born  in  Middleburg, 
a  daughter  of  Philip  Zeh,  a  farmer.  .She  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty -one  years.  She  was  a  de- 
voted member  of  the  Reformed  church.  On 
December  29,  1886,  Mr.  Chapman  married  for 
his  second  wife   Miss   Keziah    Hilts,  who  was 


born  in  Fulton,  a  daughter  of  Gideon  D.  and 
I'.li/.abclh  (Ah)  Hills.  Her  f.ilher,  a  native 
of  Wright,  removed  to  j-uiton  whi-n  hut  six- 
teen years  of  age,  and  Irom  that  timi'  until  his 
decease,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  was 
engaged  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  He  affiliated 
with  the  Democrats,  and  was  active  in  public 
life,  serving  as  .School  Commissioner  in  his 
district  and  as  .Supervisor  of  the  town  :i  num- 
ber of  years.  His  wife,  I'^li/.abeth,  who  was 
born  in  Midtlleburg,  died  in  I-'ulton  in  1S91. 
]?oth  were  active  members  of  the  Reformed 
church.  Of  their  eleven  children  five  are 
still  living,  namely:  George,  who  was  gradu- 
ated from  Claverack  College,  and  now  resides 
in  New  York  City;  Jennie,  who  married  Mar- 
cus Zeh;  Jay;  Keziah,  now  Mrs.  Chapman; 
and  Elizabeth.  Mrs.  Chapman  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Albany  Normal  School,  and  has  had 
considerable  experience  as  a  teacher,  having 
taught  in  her  nati\'e  jilace  and  for  two  years  in 
the  Ulster  Academy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman 
have  two  children —  Leo  H.  and  Alice  Irene. 


ARNARD  U'HARA,  proprietor  of 
the  O'Hara  House,  Lexington, 
Greene  County,  N.V. ,  was  born  in 
Fi.shkill,  Dutchess  County,  this  State,  June  i, 
1 8 16,  son  of  Teter  and  Lucretia  (Darbee) 
O'Hara.  His  father  emigrated  from  Ireland 
in  1801,  first  locating  in  New  York  City  and 
later  in  Fishkill,  where  he  worked  by  the 
month  on  a  farm.  Peter  O'Hara  was  subse- 
quently engaged  in  farming  in  Westfield  Flats, 
Sullivan    County,    and    in    Greenville   village. 


BIOCRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


His  first  purchase  was  a  small  piece  of  land, 
which  he  later  sold.  He  finally  hought  a 
tract  of  forty  acres  situated  on  the  Durham 
line,  where  he  resided  for  the  rest  of  his  active 
period.  ]5y  his  industry  and  thrift  he  was 
enabled  to  inciease  his  pro])erty  by  the  pur- 
chase of  adjoining  land,  owning  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurretl  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years,  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  was  a 
capable  farmer,  possessing  excellent  judgment 
in  all  agricultural  matters,  which  enabled  him 
to  make  good  use  of  his  resources  and  ojipor- 
tunities.  l^esides  the  raising  and  selling  of 
farm  produce,  he  distilled  apple  brand}-,  an 
agreeable  and  somewhat  seductive  beverage, 
known  to  residents  of  the  present  day  under 
the  more  familiar  name  of  aj^i^le-jack.  He 
was  also  a  weaver  of  great  renown.  Peter 
O'Hara  was  a  Democrat  in  jiolitics,  and  took  a 
lively  interest  in  local  public  affairs,  serving 
frequently  as  a  grand  juror  at  Catskill  and 
holding  minor  town  offices.  In  his  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic  and  so  true  a 
follower  of  the  precepts  of  the  church  that  on 
one  occasion  he  carried  a  child  from  Fishkill 
to  Troy  and  thence  to  Lansingburg  in  order 
to  have  it  baptized  by  a  Catholic  prie.st.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lucretia  Dar- 
bee,  was  a  native  of  Coshen,  Orange  County, 
to  which  town  her  parents  had  removed  from 
Goshen,  Conn.,  settling  as  i)ioneers.  Her 
father  was  a  farmer  and  a  cloth  dresser  for 
some  years.  Later  he  kejit  a  tavern  in  West- 
field  Flats.  He  was  killed  by  the  overturning 
of  a  load  of  hay.  I'eter  and  Lucretia  (Darbee) 
OTIara  had  fifteen  children,  of  whom   six   sons 


and  seven  daughters  lived  to  have  families; 
and  si.x  of  the  daughters  were  school  teachers 
pre\'ious  to  their  marriage.  The  only  sur- 
vivors arc:  I^arnard,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  Le\i,  who  still  resides  upon  a  portion  of 
the  old  homestead,  which,  after  the  father's 
death,  was  divided  into  four  farms.  The 
mother  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty-four.  .She  at- 
tended the  Alethodist  l-lpiscopal  church. 

Barnard  OTIara  in  his  l)oyhood  and  \()uth, 
from  the  time  he  was  able  to  be  of  use,  worked 
on  the  home  farm  during  the  farming  seasons, 
and  attended  school  winters. 

Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he 
went  to  Albany,  N.Y. ,  where  he  obtained  em- 
plo\ment  in  a  dry  and  fancy  goods  store.  His 
em]iloyer  failed  a  short  time  later,  and  he 
made  an  arrangement  with  the  assignee  to 
peddle  the  stock  upon  the  road.  After  driving 
through  Central  New  York  with  a  horse  and 
wagon  in  the  emjiloy  of  others  for  some  time, 
he  invested  what  monc)-  he  had  sa\ed  in  a  team 
of  his  own  ;  and,  borrowing  the  sum  of  three 
hundred  dollars  of  his  father,  he  engaged  in 
peddling  fur  himself,  soon  establishing  his 
credit  in  New  \'ork  City  by  punctually  meet- 
ing his  obligations.  After  continuing  u]ion 
the  road  some  years,  or  until  1N45,  he  settled 
in  Lexington,  where  in  the  following  )ear  he 
completed  the  building  of  a  store,  which  he 
stocked  willi  general  mercliandise,  and  carried 
it  on  successfully  for  over  thirty  years.  For  a 
I(jng  period  he  was  also  engaged  in  the  untler- 
taking  business. 

.\fter  visiting  some  of  the  Western  States 
he    retin-ned,    feeling    certain    that    his    future 


niOCRAl'IllCAI, 


prospects  were  just  as  promising  in  Lexington 
as  elsewhere.  The  succeeding  ten  years  were 
devoted  to  the  management  of  his  store  and 
to  the  cultivation  nf  his  f;irni,  which  he  \n\r- 
ciiased  in  1S65,  ant!  whicli  lie  still  owns. 

In  1880,  having  admitted  his  smi  as  a  part- 
ner, he  severed  his  active  cuiuKctiim  with  the 
mercantile  husincss.  Tiic  sun  cuiitimied  in 
charge  of  the  cstahlishnicnt  until  iSSS,  siiuc 
which  time  the  store  luiiUling  has  hccn  leased 
to  others. 

The  O'llara  House  stands  upon  a  sit^-  for- 
merly occupied  liy  a  Haptist  cliurch.  It  was 
completed  and  opened  in  1S77,  and  is  one  of 
the  largest  hotels  in  Lexington,  having  accom- 
modations for  one  hundrctl  and  twenty-five 
guests.  Situated  at  an  altitude  of  sixteen 
hundred  feet  above  sea  level,  and  [irovided 
with  ample  facilities  for  comfort  and  recrea- 
tion, it  offers  special  inducements  as  a  health 
re.sort. 

In  1845  •^f''.  O'llara  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Charlotte  Briggs,  daughter  of  Da- 
rius Briggs,  a  well-known  farmer  of  I,exington 
in  his  day.  She  became  the  mother  of  seven 
children;  namely,  Mar\"  A.,  Edgar  B., 
George  P.,  Arthur,  Arrietta,  Ida,  and  Belle. 
Mary  A.  is  the  wife  of  James  M.  Van  \'alken- 
burgh,  a  hotel  proprietor  of  Lexington,  and  has 
one  son,  George  B.  \'an  \'alkenburgh,  who  is 
a  college  graduate.  Edgar  and  George  assist 
their  father  in  carrying  on  the  O'Hara  House. 
Edgar  also  carries  on  a  thriving  business  in 
the  manufacture  of  cider.  George  O'Hara 
married  Mary  Smith,  and  has  two  children  — 
Charlotte  and  Edgar   L.      Arthur  O'Hara  died 


at  the  age  of  two  years.     Arrietta  died  in  1876 

at  the  :igr  of  twenty-one  years.  Ida  married 
I'etcr  J.  Kelicy,  wiio  is  now  a  resident  of  New 
^■ork  City.  lUllr  is  residing  at  home.  Ivdgar 
is  a  graduate  ol  Manhattan  College,  Xew  N'ork, 
and  of  I'lastman's  Business  College,  I'ongh- 
keepsie;  and  ( leorge  took  a  coniinereial  course 
at  l''(d.som's  Business  College.  The  daught.-rs 
attended  '•Kenwood,"  a  Catholic  school  in  Al- 
bany. In  politics  Mr.  O'llara  is  a  Democrat. 
He  served  as  .Supervisor  in  i  S^ij  and  1S70,  re- 
cei\ing  at  his  re-eleition  the  unanimous  sup- 
[lort  of  both  the  Republican  and  Democratic 
parties.  He  has  been  Clerk  of  the  town  and  of 
the  school  district,  and  has  frequently  served 
as  a  grand  and  petit  juror.  Mrs.  O'Hara  died 
in  December,  i.S,So,  aged  fifty-four  years. 
The  faniil)-  attend  the  Roman  Catholic 
church. 


§OKL  H.  MEAD,  M.D.,  Hunter's  vet- 
eran plivsician  and  surgeon,  residing  on 
Main  Street  in  that  town,  was  born  in 
Jewett  on  June  15,  1S38,  his  parents  being 
Stephen  and  Caroline  (Hosford)  Mead.  The 
family  is  of  English  descent,  and  early  settled 
in  Columbia  County,  New  York,  among  the 
pioneers  of  that  region. 

Philip  Mead,  the  Doctor's  grandfather,  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Jewett,  coming  to 
that  town  by  a  route  marked  with  trees,  and  in 
company  with  two  or  three  other  young  men 
settling  in  the  heart  of  the  forest  to  make  a 
home  for  himself.  His  first  dwelling  was  a 
rude  log  hut,  but  after  he  had  made  a  clearing 
he  erected  a  handsome  frame  house.      The  near- 


376 


lilOC.RAl'IlUAI,    RKVIKW 


est  town,  Cairo,  was  ten  miles  distant,  and  all 
supplies  had  to  be  brought  from  that  place. 
Bears  and  other  wild  animals  were  abundant, 
and  fearlessly  prowled  near  the  little  cabin. 
After  eighteen  years  spent  in  Jewett,  during 
which  he  had  cleared  a  large  tnut  of  land,  he 
removed  to  Cayuga  County,  then  just  iK-ini; 
opened  up.  There  he  remained  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  His  wile, 
Hannah,  died  at  the  age  of  eighty.  H'ltli  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mrs.  Hannah 
Mead  was  born  in  Columbia  Cmnity,  of  jiannts 
who  were  pioneer  settlers  there.  .She  hail 
twelve  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  ileceased. 
Stephen  Mead  was  horn  in  Columbia 
County,  but  the  greater  p;irt  of  his  life  was 
spent  in  Jewett,  where  lie  ))urchasL'd  a  farm  in 
early  manhood.  In  national  [lolitics  he  was  a 
Republican.  He  t.iok  a  warm  interest  in  local 
public  affairs,  ai)d  held  several  minor  offices  in 
the  town.  His  deatii  occurred  at  the  age  of 
eighty-si.v.  His  wife  was  born  in  Jewett, 
being  a  daughter  of  Joel  Hosford,  who  married 
a  Miss  Mann.  Her  father  was  one  of  three 
brothers  who  came  from  the  town  of  W'al ling- 
ford.  Conn.,  to  settle  the  town  of  Jewett.  One 
of  the  brothers  was  named  Reuben.  They 
were  pioneers  of  Jewett  Heights.  The  Mann 
family  was  one  of  the  first  to  settle  on  Man- 
hattan Island,  coming  over  from  Holland. 
Mrs.  Caroline  Hosford  Mead  died  at  the  age  of 
si.xty-seven.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  One  of 
their  four  children,  a  son,  Alanson,  is  de- 
ceased. The  living  are:  Dr.  William  H., 
who   is   practising   in  Windham    (see  sketch  on 


another  page)  ;  Dr.  Joel  H.  ;  and  Adeline, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Alanson  Woodworth. 

After  leaving  the  common  .schools  Joel  H. 
Mead  studied  medicine  for  a  time  with  Dr. 
F.  H.  Holcomb,  of  Windham,  and  then  took  a 
course  in  medicine  in  the  Albany  Medical  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1863. 
He  at  once  began  practice  in  Hunter,  and  in  a 
short  time  had  as  many  patients  as  he  could 
care  for.  Besides  his  general  medical  practice 
Dr.  Mead  has  given  considerable  attention  to 
surger\,  antl  has  performed  some  remarkable 
operations.  For  twenty  years  he  was  the  only 
physician  in  this  and  several  of  the  adjoining 
towns.  He  is  to-day  one  of  the  oldest  practi- 
tioners in  the  county,  there  being  only  four 
physicians  whose  professional  career  antedates 
his.  He  is  the  Nestor  of  the  medical  frater- 
nity hereabouts. 

In  1 866  Dr.  .Mead  married  Lucinda  Wood- 
worth,  daughter  of  Abner  and  Sojjhronia  (Jud- 
son)  Woodworth.  Her  father,  who  was  a 
farmer  and  one  of  the  earl\'  settlers  of  Jewett, 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  Her  mother 
dietl  at  fort\-si.\.  Their  six  children  were: 
Lain-a,  who  married  Albert  Chase,  a  son  of 
Judge  Chase  of  the  SuiH-eme  Court;  Buel ; 
Lucius,  a  sketch  of  whom  ajipears  elsewhere  in 
this  book;  Lemuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twentv ;  Loren,  who  is  deceased;  and  Mrs. 
Meatl.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  have  been 
blessed  with  two  children  —  Ldith  and  Bertha, 
the  last  named  of  whom  resides  with  her  par- 
ents, lulith  married  R.  A.  Austin,  a  drug- 
gist of  Cairo,  and  has  one  child,  Joel  by  name. 
The   daii'diters   received   their   finishing  educa- 


tion   in  a  private  school.      Both  are  fine  per- 
formers on  the  organ  and  piano. 

The  Doctor  takes  a  warm  interest  in  ;ill  pub- 
lic matters,  ami  j;ives  the  \veij;ht  of  liis  pnliti- 
cal  influence  to  tlie  Republican  party.  In  iiSS; 
hc  fillol  the  ..lllcc  ..f  Supcrvi.sor.  lie  is  a 
Master  Mason  aiul  nicniiier  nf  .Mount  Tabor 
Lodge  of  IliiiUcr.  lie  w, is  a  promoter,  from 
the  start,  of  the  Maplcwoml  C'cuutery  ori^ani- 
zation,  and  has  always  been  one  of  its  active 
supporters.  In  connection  with  Dr.  Slank\- 
he  is  ])ension  examiner  for  drccnc  Comity, 
holdinj;-  the  [losition  uiuler  i;o\ernmeiit  ap- 
pointment, lie  is  now  president  of  tiie  Hoard 
of  Examiners.  He  has  also  iieen  examiner  for 
several  years  for  various  life  insurance  com- 
])anies,  among  which  ma\'  be  named  the 
I'htenix,  the  New  York  Life,  the  New  York 
Mutual,  the  Equitable,  and  tiie  ^\'ashington. 
The  Doctor's  famih'  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist church. 


"CS^/aLLACK  W.  CRATSKR,  a  well- 
Y^V,^  known  business  man  of  the  town  of 
Summit,  Schoharie  County,  residing  at  Char- 
lotteville,  was  born  in  Jefferson,  this  State, 
on  April  12,  1S42,  his  parents  being  Robert 
and  Rosetta  (Gardner)  Crapser.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Albertus  Crapser,  who  was  of 
Dutch  lineage,  died  in  Claverack  at  the  age 
of  seventy.  He  was  by  occupation  a  farmer, 
and  in  politics  at  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Re- 
publican. He  had  a  family  of  five  .sons  and 
four  daughters. 

Robert   Crapser,  son   of  Albertus  and  father 


of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  born  and 
reared  in  (ireenville,  \.\'.,  but  move<!  to 
Claverack  in  early  manhood.  He  w;is  first  a 
Whig  in  polities  iind  Liter  a  Republican,  and 
was  very  active  and  inlbieiitial  in  |)ublic 
atfairs.  Wjien  about  sixty  years  of  ;.j;c  he 
was  drowned  wlii  ie  sail  ing  on  the  Hudson  as 
a  passenger  ai)oard  tiie  Herkshire  bout.  In 
early  life  he  laiiglu  school  for  some  time  dur- 
ing the  winters,  and  worked  :it  boating  dur- 
ing the  summers.  L:iler  he  gave  all  his  time 
to  farming.  At  the  age  of  thirty  he  married 
Rosetta,  daughter  of  Andrew  Gardner.  She 
is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  son  Wallace.  The 
father  had  at  one  time  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  under  cultivation.  He  was  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  many  years.  His  religious  pref- 
erences were  Lutheran.  He  had  only  one 
other  child  beside  his  son  Wallace  —  namely, 
Jesse,  who  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  rebels  at 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  who  subse- 
quently died  from  the  hardshijis  of  his  pri.son 
life,  being  still  under  his  majority  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

Wallace  W.  Crapser  received  a  good  com- 
mon-school training  in  Summit.  He  early 
began  farming,  and  engaged  in  that  occupation 
until  I.S94,  being  located  about  a  mile  above 
the  village  of  Charlotteville  on  a  farm  of  a 
hundred  acres,  and  giving  special  attention  to 
dairying.  On  the  ist  of  April,  i  Sg;,  he 
practically  retired  from  business.  Mr.  Crap- 
ser is  one  of  the  \-alned  workers  of  the  Meth- 
odist church,  with  which  he  has  been  connected 
for  the  last  twenty  years.      He  is  a  trustee  and 


378 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


steward  of  the  church,  also  class  leader; 
and  for  tiirco  )ears  he  was  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday-school.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, but  he  has  never  sought  office,  though 
warmly  interested  in  the  success  of  his  party. 
Mr.  Crapscr  was  first  married  to  Mary  J. 
VVhorton.  She  died  in  1891,  having  been  the 
mother  of  two  children,  namely:  Albert,  who 
died  at  two  years  of  age;  and  Charles,  who  re- 
sides with  his  father.  Mr.  Crapscr  married 
for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Miry  Multcr  Dorwin, 
the  widow  of  Philip  Dorwin.  i  Ici  torrner 
husband  was  a  lawyer  and  a  leading'  citizen  of 
South  Worcester,  also  a  prominent  Demo- 
cratic worker.  She  is  a  daughter  of  J.  D. 
Multer,  a  very  successful  dairy  farmer  of  this 
region  and  a  strong  Reiniblican  and  active 
Methodist.  Mrs.  Crajjser  has  four  sisters, 
namely:  Martha,  who  is  the  wife  of  James 
Fo.x;  Alice,  who  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Spang- 
ler;  IClizabeth,  who  is  Mrs.  Hnlson  ;  and 
Rose,  wi>o  is  Mrs.  Calvin  Hutts.  Mrs.  Crap- 
scr taught  school  for  sonic  time  before  her  mar- 
riage. She  is  a  mcmijer  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 
and  f)ne  of  the  acti\e  workers  in  the  cliurch. 
Mr.  Crapser  has  always  been  op])oseil  to  the 
licpior  traffic,  and  is  e\cecilingl\-  tenii)crate  in 
all  his  habit.s. 


"OWARD  KATON  I.()M.\.\,  Ml)., 
the  leading  physician  <if  New  Haiti- 
more,  Cireene  Connt\',  N.\..  is  a 
native  of  tlie  city  of  .Albany,  and  was  born  on 
April  30,  1S6.S,  son  of  John  and  Martha 
(Katon)    Lomax.      On   tiic   paternal    side  he  is 


descended  from  French  Protestants,  or  Hugue- 
nots, who,  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes  in  1685,  fled  from  persecution  in  their 
native  country  to  England. 

The  Doctor's  paternal  grandfather  emigrated 
from  England  some  time  after  his  marriage, 
and,  settling  in  Hoston,  Mass.,  there  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  soap  and  tallow  candles. 
His  son  John  was  born  in  England,  but  was 
brought  u])  in  Boston,  and  learned  the  harness- 
maker's  trade  in  tlint  city.  Nearly  forty  years 
ago  John  Lomax,  the  Doctor's  father,  took  a 
position  with  Holland  Terrell,  the  well-known 
harness  manufacturer  of  Albany,  and  is  now 
foreman  of  the  estal^lishment,  whicli  is  said  to 
be  the  lari^^est  of  its  kind  in  tlie  world.  He  is 
an  active  Republican,  and  be  takes  a  warm 
interest  in  all  Masonic  affairs.  Among  the 
]\Iasonic  offices  he  has  held  may  be  named  the 
following:  Master  of  Mount  \'ernon  Lodge, 
V.  &  .A.  M.,  in  1.S70;  secretary  of  tiie  same 
for  fourteen  vears;  director  in  tlie  Masonic 
Relief  .Association  of  AllKiny,  and  one  of  its 
trustees  for  fifteen  years;  and  secretary  of  the 
Ma.sonic  Veteran  Association  for  three  year.s. 
His  wife,  Martha,  was  born  in  Chelsea,  Mass. 
She  is  a  member  <if  the  E])iscopal  church.  Of 
their  ei-ht  children  five  are  living-  Ella, 
ILittie,  1-annie,  Howard  l"..,  and  lulith.  Ella 
is  the  wife  of  Harry  Knight,  of  Denver,  Col.  ; 
llattie  is  the  wile  of  C.  W.  h'orman,  of  York- 
t.Avn.  X.\'.  ;  I'annie  is  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Pray, 
of  Lebanon.  .Me.  ;  ;ind  Ldilh  is  principal  of 
tlie  Albany  Trainin-  .Scho,d  lor  Teachers. 

Dr.  Lomax  was  i^radnated  from  the  Albany 
Higli    Scho(d    in    iSSS.      He   subsequently  en- 


BIOGR Al'II RAL    R KV  1  K\V 


379 


gaged  as  a  diaughtsman  in  New  York  City  for 
a  year  with  Gillam,  the  celebrated  cartoonist 
of  Jiui^n:  He  then  entered  the  Albany  Medi- 
cal College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1S9J,  and  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  this  town.  Dur- 
ing his  first  }-ear  in  the  high  school  he  was 
awarded  a  gold  medal  for  excellence  in  draw- 
ing, being  the  first  boy  and  the  first  Freshman 
to  receix'e  a  medal  in  the  history  of  that  school. 
He  still  retains  much  of  his  early  skill  with 
the  pencil.  I'he  Doctor's  course  in  the  medi- 
cal college  was  one  of  distinction.  He  won 
two  prizes,  and  at  graduation  received  honor- 
able mention  in  three  subjects.  Since  coming 
here  he  has  built  up  the  largest  practice  the 
town  has  ever  known,  and  is  as  popular  as  he 
is  successful.  He  has  been  three  times  vice- 
president  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  So- 
ciety, and  has  written  numerous  papers  and 
addresses  on  medical  subjects,  and  some 
articles  for  publication  in  medical  journals. 
He  is  a  devoted  student  of  natural  liistory,  ar.d 
has  a  fine  entomological  collection,  also  an 
interesting  collection  of  snakes  and  serpents. 

Dr.  Lomax  is  a  fine  singer  and  a  skilful  per- 
former on  the  piano,  organ,  and  flute.  He 
began  playing  the  flute  in  early  boyhood,  under 
the  instruction  of  his  father,  who  was  a  fine 
flutist  and  a  member  of  Gilmore's  celebrated 
band  when  first  it  was  organized.  When  a  boy 
of  only  sixteen  the  Doctor  was  in  demand  for 
orchestras.  As  he  became  older  his  musical 
ability  was  of  great  service  to  him,  enabling 
him  to  pay  his  college  expenses.  For  two 
seasons   he   performed   on  one  of  the  day  boats 


running    from    Albany,    and    in    the    evenings 

plaj'cd  in  the  orchestra  at  the  I. eland  (Jpeia 
Ht)use.  For  two  seasons  he  was  at  .Saratoga  in 
the  orchestra  and  for  two  seasons  at  the  Pros- 
pect Park  House  in  the  Catskills.  He  has 
pla)'ed  under  all  the  leading  conductoi's  of 
Albany,  and  is  well  known  among  the  musi- 
cians of  that  city. 

Like  his  father,  Dr.  Lomax  is  interested  in 
masonr)-.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term 
as  Master  of  Social  Friendship  Lodge,  No. 
741,  of  Mew  Baltimore,  and  has  held  \-arious 
other  otTices  in  the  lodge,  among  them  that  of 
Senior  Deacon.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. P"or  the  last  four  )'ears  he  has  been  one 
of  the  health  ofificers  of  the  town.  He  is  a 
Deacon  in  the  Dutch  Reformed  church,  of 
which  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members,  and 
Mrs.  Lomax  has  played  the  organ  for  both 
church  and  Sunday-school. 

The  Doctor's  marriage  took  jilace  in  Sep- 
tember, 1897.  Mrs  Lomax  is  the  daughter  of 
Newton  Sweet,  a  leading  citizen  of  New  Balti- 
more. Her  grandfather,  Joshua  Sweet,  who 
was  born  in  Chesterville,  Albany  County,  was 
a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  worked  on  the  old 
Catskill  ]\L)untain  House,  and  later  came  to 
New  Baltimore  and  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight.  His  wife,  Laura  Baker,  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four.  She  was  one  of  the  eight 
children  of  an  Fnglishman  who  came  with  his 
family  from  England  to  Philadelphia,  from 
there  by  stage  to  New  York,  thence  up  the 
Hudson  to  Albany,  and  thence  b}-  stage  to 
Coeymans.      He  engaged   in  mercantile  life  in 


38c 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


New  York  City,  and  there  fell  a  victim  to 
small-pox.  Joshua  and  Laura  Swccl  were  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Frank;  Newton;  and 
Laura,  who  married  Watson  Ham. 

Newton  Sweet  was  born  in  this  town  on  De- 
cember 1 6,  184.S.  After  attendinj;  Coeymans 
Academy  for  four  years,  he  he-^an  teaching 
school  winters  and  working;  at  carpenterinf,' 
summers.  This  lu- tout  iiuicil  till  twcnt)'  fnnr 
years  of  aj;e,  when  he  left  off  his  Inulc  and 
thenceforward  kejit  at  iiis  professional  work 
all  the  year.  lie  tau-ht  successively  in  the 
graded  school  at  the  Iron  Works,  Troy,  where 
he  remained  five  years;  in  the  graded  school  in 
Coeymans;  in  New  Baltimore  for  a  \ear;  and 
then,  in  the  year  1893-94,  in  West  Coxsackie. 
While  at  New  lialtimore  he  was  eletteil  Supcr- 
vi.sor  for  18.S7  on  the  Repuhlican  ticket. 
The  following  \ear  he  was  elected  .School 
Commissioner  from  the  .Second  Distiict  of 
(ireene  County,  which  included  the  towns  of 
New  Haltimore,  Coxsackie,  (neenville,  Dur- 
ham, Ashland,  Windham,  and  I'r  ittsviUe. 
He  had  eighty  schools  to  look  alter  ami  a 
hundred  teachers  to  examine,  ami  must  visit 
each  .school  twice  a  year.  After  serving  three 
years  he  was  re-elected  for  a  second  teiin,  at 
the  close  of  which  he  began  teaching  in  West 
Coxsackie.  At  the  end  of  a  year  there  he  was 
.secured  for  the  New  Baltimore  sciiool,  but 
while  attending  a  teachers'  institute  in  Cairo, 
where  the  Republican  convention  was  in  ses- 
sion, he  was  nominated  for  the  Assembly. 
He  was  triumjihantly  elected  by  a  majority  of 
four  hundred,  going  ninety  ballots  ahead  i.f  the 
ticket  in  this  town,  and   being  the  third  Super- 


visor ever  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  in 
this  Democratic  stronghold.  He  voted  for  the 
Raines  Hill,  and  in  1897  was  re-elected  by  a 
majority  of  live  hundred  and  fifty.  During 
his  two  terms  he  rendered  his  constituents 
valuable  service.  He  introduced  a  bill  to  pro- 
hibit vivisection  in  the  public  schools,  and 
served  on  various  educational  committees. 

Mr.  Sweet  has  resided  in  New  Haltimore 
village  for  the  last  eighteen  years.  lie  is 
prominent  in  Masonic  circles  and  in  the 
Knights  of  ryihias.  His  wife,  Adelaide,  was 
born  in  Coeymans,  the  daughter  of  I'hilijiand 
Jane  (\'an  Allen)  Winne.  Mr.  and  .Mrs. 
Sweet  have  five  children  —  1-' rank,  Jane  (Mr.s. 
Lamox),  Laura,  Isaac,  and  .\rba.  h'rank  is 
the  foreman  of  Cushman's  bakery  in  New  Ymk 
City.  lie  married  Marietta  Vanderpool, 
(laughter  of  Dr.  A.  \'.  S.  \'anderpool,  of  this 
town.  Isaac  has  l)een  for  the  last  three  years 
t|uartermaster  on  the  "Dean  Richmond." 
Arba  is  [irepiuing  to  be  a  locomotive  engineer. 

Mrs.  Lomax  taught  school  in  New  Haltimore 
with  most  flattering  success  for  some  time 
before  her  marriage.  She  is  a  line  nnisiiian. 
The  Doctor  and  his  wife  have  one  son,  lul- 
mund  W.   Lomax. 


W'^'^-' 


]■:.    riioRi'i-;,  of  Cat.skiii. 

mendier  of  the  firm  of  IMal- 
colm  &  Co.,  was  born  in  Conesville,  Sclioharie 
County,  on  Novendjer  15,  1869,  his  jjarents 
being  Douglass  and  Catherine  11.  (Ingraham) 
Thnr|ie.  His  jKiternal  grandfather,  Amos 
Thorpe,     was    born    in    the    town    of    Hroome, 


WILLIAM    E.    THORPE. 


EIOGRAI'HICAL    REVIEW 


383 


Schoharie  County.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  am!  worketl  at  that  occupation  all  his 
life.  He  also  did  some  farming.  The  death 
of  Amos  Thorpe  took  place  in  Conesville. 

Douglass  Thorpe  was  born  in  Conesville  on 
March  9,  1S32.  He  worked  somewhat  in  the 
smithy  with  his  father,  but  when  about  nine- 
teen years  of  age  began  learning  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Dy- 
l)erry  Falls,  Pa.,  to  assist  in  putting  up  a 
tannery,  and  after  it  was  completed  he  re- 
turned to  Conesville  and  settled  on  a  farm. 
While  there  he  was  twice  Supervisor  of  the 
town.  In  1 88 1  he  came  to  Catskill,  and  for 
the  two  succeeding  years  was  in  the  grocery 
business  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Bassett, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bassett  &  Thorpe. 
Upon  his  retirement  from  business  he  was 
made  Superintendent  of  Streets,  which  office  he 
filled  for  two  years.  More  recently  he  has 
been  in  poor  health.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  it. 

Mrs.  Catherine  H.  Thorpe  was  born  in  Dur- 
ham, and  spent  her  life  there  until  she  was 
eighteen,  when  she  removed  to  Conesville. 
She  taught  school  from  the  time  she  was  fif- 
teen years  old  until  she  was  married,  at 
twenty-two.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  two 
children  —  William  E.  and  George  N.,  the 
last-named  of  whom  resides  on  a  farm  in 
Conesville.  Mrs.  Thorpe's  father  was  Ezra 
Ingraham,  son  of  William  and  Hester  (Doty) 
Ingraham.  Her  mother  was  Charlotte  Newell, 
daughter  of  Seth  Newell,  a  soldier  of  the  War 
of    1812,   who  contracted  disease  while  in   the 


service  and  died  from  its  effects.  William 
Ingraham,  her  grandfather,  was  born  in  Say- 
brook.  Conn.  He  came  to  Durham  among  the 
early  settlers,  and  had  a  grant  of  a  small  farm, 
but  worked  most  of  the  time  at  his  trade,  which 
was  that  of  a  cooper.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty.  His  wife,  Hester,  who  was  born  in 
Saybrook,  Conn.,  died  at  fifty-five.  William 
and  Hester  (Doty)  Ingraham  had  ten  children, 
all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Their  son  Ezra 
was  born  in  Durham.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade,  but  much  of  his  life  was  spent  on  a  farm 
in  Conesville,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six.  His  wife,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two,  bore  him  three  children,  of  whom 
only  Catherine  (Mrs.  Thorpe)  is  living. 

William  E.  Thorpe  attended  school  in 
Conesville  until  he  was  about  twelve  years 
old,  when  the  family  removed  to  Catskill. 
Here  he  entered  the  high  school.  At  seven- 
teen he  had  finished  his  .studies,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  Smith  &  Forshew,  dry  goods 
merchants,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  year. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  took  a  position  as 
book-keeper  with  Van  Brocklin  &  Co.  in  the 
Catskill  Knitting  Mill,  When,  nine  years 
later,  Mr.  \'an  Brocklin  retired  and  the  Mal- 
colm Company  was  formed,  Mr.  Thorpe  took 
an  interest  in  the  business,  this  being  in  Jan- 
uary, 1S97.  The  annual  output  of  this  mill  is 
valued  at  between  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand and  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
Woollen  underwear  is  manufactured,  also 
men's  dress  shirts.  This  firm  is  one  of  the 
pioneer  concerns  in  the  making  of  fleece-lined 
goods.      That  its  product  bears   a   solid  reputa- 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


tion  in  the  niarkcl  may  be  gathered  from  the 
fact  that  during  all  the  recent  business  depres- 
sion the  mill  has  been  running  steadily  and 
often  over  hours.  Sales  are  made  through  the 
company's  agents  direct  to  the  jobbing  trade, 
and  there  is  not  a  State  in  the  Union  that  does 
not  purchase  goods  of  Malcolm  &  ("n.  One 
noticeable  thing  in  the  history  of  this  business 
has  been  the  cordial  feelinj;  between  the  em- 
ployers and  the  workmen.  Mr.  Thorpe  began 
work  in  the  office  at  si.\  dollars  a  week,  and 
had  his  salary  increased  from  time  to  time 
until  it  reached  twenty-four  dollars  a  week, 
lie  forms  a  striking  cxamiile  of  what  can  be 
accomplished  Ijv  faithfulness  and  api)lication. 
In  March,  1.S9.S,  Mr.  Tliori)e  was  chosen 
Trustee  of  Catskill  and  after  one  year  Presi- 
dent of  the  village.  His  politics  are  Republi- 
can. He  is  a  member  of  Catskill  Lodge  of 
Masons,  No.  468,  and  its  organist;  a  charter 
member  of  the  Catskill  Royal  Arch  Chapter; 
member  of  the  Order  of  Odd  b'ellows.  Lodge 
No.  189,  in  wliich  he  luis  occu])ied  the  Noble 
Grand's  chair ;  and  also  a  member  of  the  Rip 
Van  Winkle  Club.  I-"or  two  years  he  was  a 
choir  leader  in  the  Methodist  church,  but  he 
now  holds  membership  in  the  Reformed 
church.  l-"or  five  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Si.\teenth  Separate  Comjiany,  N.  (>.  S.  N.  Y. , 
and  for  two  years,  or  until  his  discharge,  a 
member  of  the  First  Ambulance  Corps.  He 
has  always  shown  a  warm  interest  in  the  fire 
dei>artment,  and  is  at  the  present  time  president 
of  Wiley  Hose  Company  and  vice-jiresident  of 
the  Hudson  River  \olunteer  h'iremen's  Asso- 
ciation.     He  is  a  singer  of   unusual  merit,  and 


has  sung  on  many  public  occasions.  While  in 
the  emjiloy  of  Mr.  Van  Brocklin,  Mr.  Thor])e 
was  the  recipient  of  many  hand.some  presents, 
being  remembered  most  generously  on  each 
recurrin;.;  Christmas. 


^:NJA^HX   i.   a.m.   wh.liam  c. 

PLATNKR,  of  Prattsville,  N.Y., 
are  sons  of  Cornelius  and  Laura 
(Parmenticn  I'latner.  Tlieir  paternal  grand- 
father was  a  native  and  lifelong  resident  of 
Hudson,  N.\'. 

Cornelius  I'latner  was  horn  in  Prattsville  in 
February,  1821.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
hatter,  which  he  followeil  here  for  many 
years,  first  as  a  journeyman  and  later  in  com- 
pany with  Theodore  Rudolph,  as  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  I'latner  &  Rudolph.  Their  shop 
was  .U  one  time  destroyed  by  a  flood,  hut  they 
rebuilt  it,  and  subset|uently  continued  the 
business.  Their  partnership  i:eing  finally 
dissolved,  Mr.  I'hitner  o|iened  a  restaurant  in 
the  building  now  occupied  by  his  sons,  and 
carried  it  on  for  some  time.  He  held  quite  a 
prominent  position  in  the  communit)-,  took  an 
active  interest  in  town  affairs,  and  served  sev- 
eral years  as  Dejiuty  Sheriff.  He  was  also 
active  in  military  matters,  and  was  connected 
with  the  militia  in  the  early  training  days. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 

His  wife,  Laura,  was  a  native  of  Tanners- 
ville,  N.  v..  and  a  daughter  of  Winthrop  Par- 
mentier.  Their  family  consisted  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  now  living,  five  being 
residents  of   Prattsville;  namely,  Charles  H., 


mOGRAPHlCAI,    KK\JK\V 


385 


Chester  A.,  Joseph  E. ,  benjamin  F.,  ami 
William  C.  Charles  H.  I'latncr  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  general  store  in  I'rattsviile. 
Chester  A.  is  engaged  in  tlio  feed  business, 
and  has  also  a  large  interest  in  the  Stanley 
Hall  farm  of  five  hundred  acres.  He  keeps 
one  hundred  cows,  and  deals  largely  in  cattle, 
besides  having  other  extensive  business  in- 
terests. Joseph  E.  is  a  druggist  in  Pratts- 
ville.  Gustavus  A.  is  a  farmer  residing  near 
Ashland.  Mrs.  Laura  Parmentier  Platner 
died  in  1S95,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

Benjamin  F.  and  William  C.  Platner  were 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  village, 
and  have  always  resided  here.  They  formed 
their  copartnership  February  i,  1885,  both 
having  had  some  previous  experience  as 
clerks.  They  have  since  conducted  a  very 
thriving  general  mercantile  business.  Their 
store,  of  which  they  are  the  owners,  stands  on 
what  was  formerly  the  old  Platner  homestead, 
and  measures  fifty  by  fifty  feet,  exclusive  of 
the  house  and  store-rooms;  They  carry  the 
largest  stock  of  general  goods  in  this  section, 
their  boot  and  shoe  department  being  the 
largest  between  Kingston  and  Catskill. 
They  have  been  very  successful,  and  their 
business  is  continually  on  the  increase. 
Quiet,  unassuming  gentlemen,  they  enjoy  a 
wide  popularity. 

Mr.  William  C.  Platner  married  on  June  5, 
1895,  Miss  Marion  Becker,  of  Grand  Gorge, 
an  estimable  lady,  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Wyckofif)  Becker,  then  of  that 
place,  but  now  of  Stamford  village.  He  is  a 
Democrat    politically,    but     hitherto    has    de- 


clined office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided 
attention  to  his  business.  He  was  formerly 
interested  in  tlie  then  proposeil  Kingston  & 
Utica  Railway,  being  secretary  of  the  com- 
pany. He  is  a  member  of  Oasis  Lodge,  No. 
119,  F.  &  A.  .M.,  which  he  joined  in  18.S8, 
and  in  which  he  has  filleil  some  of  the  chairs, 
being  now  Senior  Warden.  He  and  his  wife 
belong  to  the  Reformed  church,  which  they 
attend  and  help  support. 


RTHUR  HEXRY  FAROUHER,  late 
a  well-known  furniture  manufacturer 
and  dealer  of  Schoharie,  X.Y.,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Berne,  in  Albany  County, 
this  State,  on  October  27,  1840,  and  died  at 
his  home  in  Schoharie,  a  few  weeks  since, 
August  9,  1899.  He  was  a  son  of  James  and 
Margaret  (Clark)  F"arquher.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  John  P'arquher,  was  a  butcher  by 
trade,  and  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  the 
market  business  in  Ireland.  In  1S30  Grand- 
father F'arquher  came  to  America  and  settled 
in  Berne,  N.Y.,  where  his  son  James  had  pre- 
ceded him. 

James  F'arquher  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
remained  in  that  country  until  after  his  mar- 
riage. He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
there,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  the 
market  business  until  he  purchased  a  farm. 
Believing  that  the  New  World  offered  great 
opportunities  to  the  industrious  and  enterpris- 
ing, he  came  over  to  this  countrv  with  his 
wife  and  one  child,  and  eventually  met  with 
the  success  he  had  hoped  for.      At   first,  how- 


386 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


ever,  it  was  an  iiiihiU  road  to  climb.  When 
he  arrived  in  All^aiiy  lie  fouiul  that  his  money 
had  i;iven  out,  antl  he  was  obliged  to  walii 
from  that  city  to  Rensselaerville.  After 
prosperity  came  to  iiim,  he  bought  a  farm,  and 
there  lived  until  iiis  deatli,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two.  He  made  many  friemls  in  his 
adopted  country,  bein.i;  highly  respected  by  his 
fellows  on  account  of  his  industry  and  hon- 
esty. He  was  at  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Re- 
publican; and  he  was  warmly  interested  in  the 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  his  wife  was  a 
member.  Mrs.  Margaret  I'arquher  was  born 
in  Ireland,  being  the  daughter  of  a  farmer  and 
one  of  a  family  of  five  children.  .She  lived 
to  be  seventy-si.x  years  of  age.  She  was  the 
mother  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  nine  grew 
to  maturity,  namely :  John;  William;  Joseph; 
Jane,  who  is  the  widow  of  Daniel  Carey; 
Elizabeth:  Arthur  H.;  Thomas;  Mary,  who 
is  the  wife  of  Rensselaer  Taylor;  and 
Francis. 

Arthur  H.  Farquher  spent  his  boyhood 
years  in  Ik-rne,  attending  the  public  schools, 
and  during  vacation  time  assisting  his  father 
on  the  farm.  In  1857,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, he  left  JKime  and  went  to  (iilboa.  where 
he  served  three  years'  apprenticeship  at  the 
cabinet-maker's  trade,  and  subsequently  re- 
mained a  year  as  journeyman. 

On  September  25,  1861,  Mr.  Farquher  en- 
listed in  the  military  service  of  his  country, 
and  on  the  first  day  of  the  succeeding  October 
was  assigned  to  the  United  States  Lancers. 
On  November  2  of  the  same  year  he  was 
transferred  to  Company  H  of  the    P'ourth    New 


York  Heavy  Artillery,  and  while  a  member  of 
that  cf)mpany  saw  some  of  the  hardest  fighting 
that  occurred  in  the  whole  course  of  the  Civil 
War.  The  following  arc  among  the  engage- 
ments in  which  he  took  part:  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  on  May  6,  1864;  Todd's  Tavern, 
on  May  8;  Hart's  Farm,  May  9;  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  May  12;  North  Anna  River,  on 
May  23;  Sheldon  Farm,  on  May  30;  Cold 
Harbor,  on  June  3,  1864:  Petersburg,  on 
June  iS  and  July  30,  1864;  Deep  I^ottom,  on 
.August  14;  Ream's  .Station,  on  August  25; 
Mile  Run,  on  December  9,  1864;  Hatcher's 
Run,  on  February  5,  1865;  assault  on  the 
lines,  on  March  25;  opening  the  campaign, 
on  March  28,  29,  and  30;  South  Side  Road, 
on  April  2.  He  was  at  Appomatto.x  at  the 
time  of  the  surrender  of  Lee,  April  9,  1865. 
Mr.  F'arquher  went  into  the  service  as  a  pri- 
vate, and  came  out  of  it  as  a  Sergeant.  The 
Colonel  of  his  regiment  was  Colonel  John  C. 
Tiddball,  and  the  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Thomas 
Alcott.  D.  F.  Hamlin  was  the  Major.  The 
detachment  of  which  I\Ir.  Farquher's  company 
formed  a  part  left  Washington  for  the  front 
with  twenty-two  hundred  men,  and  in  five 
months'  fighting,  from  March  23  to  August 
25,  lost  eighteen  liumlred.  In  one  engage- 
ment of  an  hour's  iluration  sixty  men  of  his 
own  company  fell.  Mr.  Farqidier  was  one  of 
those  who  escaped  unhurt.  He  seemed  to 
bear  a  charmed  life,  and  was  not  even 
wounded.  The  terrible  slaughter  at  Peters- 
burg he  never  forgot.  It  stood  out  among 
m.uiy  other  scenes  of  horror  as  the  most 
direful  of  all. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


387 


Returning  to  Gilboa,  after  being  discharged 
in  October,  1865,  Mr.  Farquher  worked  for 
his  old  employer  until  the  fall  of  1S66,  when 
he  came  to  Schoharie,  and  began  working  for 
a  man  who  was  located  in  the  same  building 
in  which  he,  Mr.  Farquher,  subsequently  car- 
ried on  business.  In  1S74  he  became  a  part- 
ner, and  a  year  later  the  firm  changed  and 
became  Farquher  &  Settle,  which  was  in  busi- 
ness for  two  years  and  a  half.  Mr.  Farquher 
then  took  his  first  partner,  who  remained  with 
him  for  some  seven  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  Mr.  Farquher  became  full  proprietor  of 
the  business,  and  henceforth  he  continued  it 
alone.  Occupying  the  four  floors  of  his  large 
building,  he  carried  a  very  large  stock  of  fur- 
niture, and  had  an  extensive  trade.  After 
1893  his  manufacturing  of  furniture  was  con- 
fined mostly  to  custom  work  of  the  highest 
grade.  The  business  has  been  established 
here  for  over  fifty  years,  and  has  always 
merited  the  full  confidence  of  the  public.  As 
a  consequence  its  fair  reputation  has  spread, 
and  its  patrons  have  come  from  long  dis- 
tances. The  undertaking  department  has  also 
been  long  established  here,  and  is  the  only 
one  in  town. 

Mr.  Farquher  was  married  to  his  first  wife 
in  1865.  She  was  Maria  C.  Benjamin, 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  Benjamin,  a  farmer  of 
Gilboa.  In  religious  faith  she  was  a  Meth- 
odist. She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-one, 
having  been  the  mother  of  three  children: 
namely,  Fred  R.,  Minnie  E.,  and  Benjamin  J. 
F"red  R.,  who  married  Mary  R.  Larkins,  is  a 
furniture    dealer    and    undertaker    at    Centra] 


Bridge.  Minnie  married  Robert  A.  Dewey, 
cashier  in  one  of  the  Schoharie  banks,  and  she 
is    the    mother    of   one    son,    Arthur.      Benja- 


min J.  was  his  father's  assistant.  He  is  an 
enterprising  and  able  young  man,  and  bids 
fair  to  equal  his  father  in  business  ability. 
Mr.  Arthur  H.  Farquher  married  for  his  sec- 
ond wife  Ida  "SI.  Schoolcraft,  who  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Wright,  being  one  of  a  family  of 
five  children  of  Peter  P.  Schoolcraft,  a  farmer. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  The  pres- 
ent Mrs.  Farquher  was  before  her  marriage 
Amanda  Wright.      She  is  a  daughter  of   Ezra 

I  Wright  and  a  native  of  Albany  County. 

I  In  politics  Mr.  Farquher  was  a  Republican. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  village  for  eight 
years,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  still 
serving  as  president,  having  held  the  office  for 
four  years.  This  is  a  strongly  Democratic 
town.  Mr.  Farquher  usually  refused  public 
office,  but  at  one  time,  in  order  to  gratify  the 
wishes  of  the  party  leaders,  he  permitted  his 
name  to  be  used  on  the  Republican  ticket  for 
Supervisor,  and  thereby  reduced  the  Demo- 
cratic  majority   from   three    hundred   and   six- 

'  teen  to  thirty-five.  He  was  a  member  and  for 
three  years  was  treasurer  of  Schoharie  Valley 
Lodge  of  Masons,  Xo.  491,  having  held  also 
numerous  other  offices  in  the  lodge.  For 
twenty-nine  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  fire 
department,  and  much  of  the  time  either  fore- 
man of  the  company  or  chief  engineer  of  the 
department.      He   took   an    active   part    in   all 

]  movements  affecting  the  interests  of  the  town 

I  and  was  one  of  those  foremost  in  securing  the 


388 


bio{;rai'Hical  review 


incorporation  of  the  village.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber and  had  been  Commander  of  Hoosick  Mix 
I'ost,  No.  134,  G.  A.  R.:  also  a  member  for 
many  years  of  the  Schoharie  County  Histori- 
cal Society.  He  was  an  attendant  oi  the 
Lutheran  church  of  this  place,  and  his  son  is 
Deacon  of  the  church. 


I.LIAM     JAMi:S     SMl'Al.LIi:,     a 

thrifty  farmer  of  TriiKetown,  Scho- 
harie County,  N'.\'.,  was  liorn  in  this  town, 
May  10,  1S52,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Milmine) 
.Smeallie.  11  is  father  was  born  here  March 
^,  1.S16,  and  his  mother  was  jjorn  in  b'lorida, 
X.V.,  .March  2G.  iSiT,.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, James  .Smeallie,  was  born  in  Linlith- 
gowshire, -Scoihuid,  A|)ril  i.S,  1786,  anil  came 
to  America  in  iSii.  James  .Smeallie  settled 
vipon  a  farm  in  tlie  northerl\-  pait  of  I'rince- 
town,  where  he  resided  the  rest  of  his  life.  He 
was  quite  ]iroinineiit  in  ])ublic  affairs,  serving 
as  Siiper\'isiii-  and  .School  Commissioner,  and 
he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  United 
rresbyterian  Church  of  I'lorida,  N.  Y.  He 
married  his  cousin,  Mary  .Snieallie.  .She  was 
the  daughter  of  his  uncle,  John  Smeallie,  first, 
a  native  of  .Scotland,  who  came  to  this  coinitrx' 
and  served  as  a  soUlier  in  the  Kevolutionary 
War. 

John  .Smeallie,  second,  son  of  James  and 
Ahiry,  was  a  prosperous  farmer  and  lifelong 
resilient  of  I'rincetown.  Heing  a  man  of  jiro- 
gressive  tendencies,  he  made  good  use  of  his 
resources,  and  realized  excellent  results  as  a 
general   fanner.      In  politics  he  was  original)}- 


a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Scotch  church.  Jane  Milmine 
Smeallie,  his  wife,  became  the  mother  of  three 
children,  namely:  Mary  L. ,  wife  of  John  M. 
Conover ;  William  J.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  and  Agnes  Smeallie,  of  I'rincetown. 
John  Smeallie,  second,  li\ed  to  be  seventy-five 
years  old,  but  Mrs.  Smeallie  died  at  thirty- 
eight. 

William  James  Smeallie  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools.  He  resided  in  Duanesburg 
for  ten  years,  but  with  that  exception  has  been 
engaged  in  general  farming  in  I'rincetown  ever 
since  reaching  manhood.  He  is  now  the  owner 
of  one  hundred  acres  of  fertile  land,  com])ris- 
ing  one  of  the  best  farms  in  town.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  breeding  Jersey  cattle  and  fancy 
IJoultr)-,  owning  at  the  present  time  some  fine 
sijccimens  of  each,  and  his  buildings  arc  well 
adapted  for  these  purposes. 

Mr.  Smeallie  has  served  with  ability  as  Kx- 
cise  Commissioner  twelve  years,  and  is  now 
holding  the  office  of  Overseer  of  the  I'oor.  In 
politics  he  acts  with  the  Republican  ]jarty. 
The  family  has  long  enjo\ed  local  distinction 
for  thrift  and  prosperity,  ami  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  has  fully  demonstrated  his  ability 
to  maintain  this  reinitation.  Mr.  Smeallie  is 
unmarried.  He  attends  the  United  Presby- 
terian church,  of  which  he  was  elected  I":ider 
in   i.SSj. 

ENJAMIN    H.    AVICRV,-*    an    enter- 
prising     merchant      of       Jefferson, 
Schoharie  Count)-,  and   an   ex-mem- 
ber of   the   New   York    State    legislature,  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


389 


born  in  Jefferson,  December  29,  1S52,  son  of 
Heriah  and  Lydia  (Buckingham)  Avery.  His 
immigrant  progenitor,  Christopher  Avery, 
came  over  from  England  early  in  the  Colonial 
jieriod,  lived  for  some  years  at  Gloucester, 
Mass.,  and  was  Selectman  there  in  1646, 
1652,  and  1654.  In  March,  165S-9,  Christo- 
pher Avery  bought  land  and  one-half  of  a 
house  in  Boston,  situated  where  the  pcst-office 
now  stands.  This  property  he  sold  in  1663, 
and  in  1665  he  bought  a  house  and  lot  in  New 
London,  Conn.,  his  son  James  having  moved 
to  that  colony  some  years  before. 

From  Christopher  the  line  is  traced  through 
James,  Thomas,  Abraham,  William,  Ben- 
jamin, John,  and  Beriah  to  Benjamin  H.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  The  original  dwell- 
ing-house, built  by  Captain  James  Avery  in 
1656  in  what  was  formerly  New  London  and 
afterward  Groton,  Conn.,  was  burned  in  July, 
1894.  Some  of  the  Avery  ancestors  fought  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  a  monument  to 
their  memory  has  been  erected  by  John  D. 
Rockefeller,  the  Standard  Oil  magnate,  who 
is  related  to  the  family. 

John  Avery,  the  grandfather,  who  was  a 
tanner,  served  in  the  Assembly  in  1850,  and 
held  other  offices.  Beriah  Avery,  Benjamin 
Avery's  father,  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  Jefferson  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  was  quite  active  in  public  affairs,  serving 
as  Supervisor  with  marked  ability.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
His  wife,  Lydia,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Buckingham,  of  Harpersfield,  became  the 
mother  of  four  children  —  William,  Benjamin, 


Mary,  and  Edward.  William,  who  succeeded 
to  his  father's  business,  died  in  1876,  aged 
about  twenty-six  years;  and  Mary  and  Edward 
died  in  early  childhood.  Beriah  Avery  died 
in  1S91,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  his 
wife  having  died  one  week  previous. 

Benjamin  Avery  attended  school  in  Char- 
lotteville  for  a  time,  and  completed  his  studies 
at  the  Stamford  Seminary.  Going  to  River 
p-alls,  Wis.,  he  was  employed  there  as  a  clerk 
until  1876,  when  he  returned  to  Jefferson,  and 
purchased  the  business  left  by  his  brother 
William.  He  has  one  of  the  largest  and  old- 
est established  general  stores  in  town,  and 
ranks  among  the  substantial  merchants  in  this 
part  of  the  county.  As  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  he  was  active  in  forward- 
ing the  interests  of  the  town.  In  the  legis- 
lature he  introduced  no  less  than  twenty-four 
bills,  fourteen  of  which  became  laws.  He 
was  assigned  to  the  Committees  on  Internal 
Affairs,  Villages,  Fish  and  Game,  and  Agri- 
culture, being  chairman  of  the  first-named 
body;  and  his  work  in  the  committee-room 
and  upon  the  floor  was  heartily  commended  by 
the  majority  of  voters,  irrespective  of  party. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been 
treasurer  of  the  water  company  since  its 
organization,  having  been  instrumental  in 
securing  the  construction  of  the  works,  and 
he  was  a  director  of  the  old  railroad  line. 

^Ir.  Avery  married  Anna  D.  Fuller,  daugh- 
ter of  J.  Dean  Fuller,  of  Jefferson.  They 
have  two  children  —  William  H.  and  Edna  B. 
For  twenty-two  years  Mr.  Avery  has  been  a 
member  of   the   Methodist   Episcopal   church. 


390 


i:io(;rai'HI(ai,  Kfc:\ip:\v 


in  which  he  has  served  as  steward  and  Sunday- 
school  siipcrintciuieiit  for  a  t;rcatcr  part  of 
that  time.  Mr.  Avery  is  an  Odd  Follow,  be- 
longing to  Richmondville  Lodge,  No.  525, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  band,  of  which  he 
has  been  leader  for  a  number  of  years.  Mrs. 
Avery  is  a  member  of  tiie  church  and  of  the 
Woman's  Christian  Temiierance  Union. 


§01 IX  mac;  I  NX  IS,*  superintendent  of 
the  Athens  Knittinj;  Mill,  was  burn  in 
(iilboa,  Schoharie  County,  on  June  5, 
1S49,  son  (if  Patrick  and  Mary  (Hrady)  Magin- 
nis.      His  parents  were  both  born  in  Ireland. 

Patrick  Maginnis  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and 
followed  that  occupation  after  coniini;  to  this 
country  and  settling  in  C.ilboa.  He  retired 
from  business  at  about  fift\-  years  of  age,  and 
died  about  ten  years  later.  His  wife,  who 
was  also  born  in  Ireland,  died  at  sixty-si.\. 
Of  their  ten  children  four  are  living;  namely, 
Bernard,  .Anna,  John,  and  Mary.  .Anna  is  the 
wife  of  James  Fitzpatrick.  Mary  married 
James  Mitchell,  since  deceased.  All  the  chil- 
dren were  born  in  this  country. 

John  Maginnis  remained  in  his  native  place 
up  to  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  received  his 
early  etiucation  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
a  seminary,  and  subsequently  studied  with  pri- 
vate teachers  and  also  in  an  evening  school. 
His  first  industrial  experience  was  in  the  cot- 
ton sheeting  mill  in  Cili)f)a,  and  while  there 
he  worked  in  every  department.  His  second 
was  ill  the  Harmony  Mills  at  Cohoes,  where 
he  worked  ten  vears  as  overseer  in  the  weaving 


room.      Following  this  he  was  for  ten  years  in 

the  \'an  .Allen  Cotton  Mills  at  Stuyvesant 
I"'alls,  fi\e  \ears  in  X'alatieas  sui)erintendent  of 
the  Wild  Manufacturing  Company,  and  seven 
years  superintendent  of  the  Harder  Knitting 
C<mi])an\-  in  Hudson.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  settled  here  in  his  present  business.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  company,  and 
he  superintended  the  building  of  the  mill  and 
the  putting  in  of  the  machinery.  The  factory 
is  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  by  fifty- 
five  feet  in  width,  and  is  two  stories  high.  It 
has  si.\  sets  of  machinery,  all  of  which  are 
made  after  the  most  improved  plans,  and  is  de- 
voted to  the  manufacture  of  fleece-lined  knitted 
underwear.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty 
hands  are  employed,  all  of  whom  are  hired  and 
superintended  by  Mr.  Maginnis.  He  attends 
to  the  disposing  of  the  output  of  the  mill, 
sending  goods    to  every   State    in    the  Union. 

Mr.  Maginnis  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Libbie 
Sparlin,  was  born  in  Hensonville.  Her  father 
was  Philip  .Sparlin,  a  hatter.  She  died  at  the 
age  of  tbirty-two,  ha\ing  been  the  mother  of 
two  sons—  William  and  Byron.  The  former, 
who  is  a  baker  in  Xorth  Adams,  Mass.,  is 
married  and  has  three  children  —  \\'illie, 
Helen,  and  John.  Byron  is  also  married. 
He  is  an  engineer  in  the  fire  dei^artment  of 
Cohoes.  Mr.  Maginnis's  second  wife  was  be- 
fore her  marriage  lunma  Peck.  She  was  born 
in    Craigsville. 

Mr.  Maginnis  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  served  as  Alderman  from  Ward  F'ive  in 
Hudson.      He  has  alwavs  been  a  most   success- 


JOHN    McGINNIS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


393 


fill  man,  and  since  he  began  working  has  never 
been  without  a  position.  On  account  of  his 
skill  in  his  chosen  line  he  has  frecjiiently  been 
solicited  to  enter  positions  more  profitable 
than  the  one  he  was  holding  when  asked.  In 
Cohoes  he  was  one  of  thirteen  to  help  put  up 
the  machinery,  and  was  engaged  as  overseer. 
While  in  Stuyvesant  Falls  he  introduced  new 
machinery  into  the  mill,  and  remodelled  the 
old,  so  that  the  output  of  the  mill  there  was 
largely  increased. 

Mr.  Maginnis  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodi.st  church  for  twenty  years.  Both  his 
wives  have  also  been  members.  In  whatever 
town  he  has  been  living,  he  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  all  church  matters  and  in  the 
Sunday-school.  While  in  Hudson  he  had 
charge  of  the  prison  work  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association.  He  has  been  a  trustee 
of  every  church  with  which  he  has  been  con- 
nected, and  in  Stuyvesant  Falls  and  Valatie 
was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 


|APTAIN  JAMES  STEAD,  superin- 
tendent and  manager  of  the  Catskill 
'and  New  York  Steamboat  Evening- 
Line  at  Catskill,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  Cairo,  this 
State,  on  May  23,  1832,  his  parents  being 
David  and  Hannah  (Mackelwaite)   Stead. 

The  father,  David  Stead,  was  born  in  Hud- 
dersfiekl,  England,  and  in  early  life  was  em- 
ployed there  in  a  woollen  manufactory.  He 
came  to  America  when  forty  years  of  age,  and 
settled  in  Cairo,  where  he  bought  a  farm.  For 
a  time  he  carried   on  a  woollen  manufactory  in 


Woodstock,  a  part  of  Cairo,  but  he  .subse- 
quently closed  out  the  business  and  engaged  in 
farming.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty,  after 
having  lived  retired  foi"  some  time  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Cairo.  He  was  an  (ild-time  Whig, 
but  though  warmly  interested  in  all  public 
affairs  was  never  an  aspirant  for  office.  His 
wife,  Hannah,  who  also  was  of  L2nglish  biith, 
died  in  Cairo  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  She 
bore  him  four  children,  of  whom  there  are  liv- 
ing—  James,  John,  and  Levi.  John,  who  re- 
sides in  Cairo  at  the  old  homestead,  carries  on 
a  boarding-house;  Levi  is  in  business  in  Chi- 
cago; and  Charles  is  deceased.  Both  parents 
were  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

James  Stead  left  home  at  eighteen  years  of 
age,  and  went  to  work  as  clerk  in  the  office  of 
Lenfield,  Day  &  Co.,  who  managed  a  steam- 
boat line  between  New  York  and  Catskill.  In 
time  he  rose  to  be  a  captain,  and  he  was  in 
their  employ  in  that  capacity  for  several  years. 
Subsequently,  for  three  years,  he  was  captain 
of  a  steamer  owned  by  Hamilton  &  Smith,  and 
engaged  in  freighting  between  New  Baltimore 
and  New  York,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he 
acted  as  salesman  for  the  same  firm  on  a  line 
of  boats  pl}ing  between  Coxsackie  and  New 
York.  For  a  year  during  the  Civil  War  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  government,  acting 
as  inspector  of  the  bay  for  the  army,  it  being 
his  duty  to  load  schooners  at  Jersey  City  and 
make  reports  to  Quartermaster  Brown.  I"or 
the  next  three  years  after  this  he  was  captain 
of  the  "New  Champion,"  a  boat  owned  by 
Black  &  Donohue,  running  from  Catskill  to 
New  York  ;  and,  following  that,  he  was  for  two 


394 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


years  in  company  witli  Mr.  ('icdr^'c  II.  I'cn- 
fielcl,  his  first  cni])i(i\cr,  runnin;,^  a  line  of 
barges.  Then,  for  a  second  jicriod  of  tliree 
years,  he  was  master  of  the  "New  Chanijiioii," 
and  at  the  end  of  tliat  tifne  lie  l)ecame  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Catskiil  and  New  \'ork 
Steamboat  Company. 

Mr.  Donohiie  was  superintendent  of  tlie 
company  at  the  start,  and  Captain  SIcm\  was 
in  command  of  one  of  tiie  boats;  init,  upon  liie 
death  of  Mr.  D.mnliue,  Captain  .Stead  was  made 
superintendent  and  general  manager.  .\t  first 
there  were  two  small  boats,  the  "New  Cham- 
jiion  "  and  the  "Water  Hrette.  "  These  wcie 
sui)erseded  after  a  time  by  the  "  l-lscort  "  and 
the  "Charhitte  X'anderbill,  "  whicli  were  much 
larger  boats  and  which  were  in  turn  su]icrseded 
by  others  of  still  greater  caiiacity.  In  iSSo 
the  company  built  the  "City  of  Catskiil," 
which  has  a  keel  two  hundred  and  forty-seven 
feet  in  length,  beam  thirty-five  feet  in  width, 
and  si.\ty-nnc  feet  o\er  all,  and  has  a  carrying 
capacity  of  fi\e  hundred  tons  and  accommoda- 
tions for  two  hunrlred  and  fift)'  passengers.  In 
I,S82  was  built  the  "  Katterskill, "  two  hundred 
and  eighty-five  feet  in  length,  thirty-eight  feet 
beam,  and  sixty-si.\  feet  over  all,  and  capable 
of  accommodating  five  hundred  passengers. 
This  is  one  of  the  finest  boats  on  the  rivei, 
and  one  of  the  most  jiopular.  Jioth  these 
boats  were  built  under  Captain  .Stead's  con- 
stant supervision,  and  they  met  the  needs  of 
the  business  until  1.S93,  when  the  "ICscort" 
was  rebuilt  and  her  name  changed  to  the 
"City  of  Hudson."  In  i  .StjS  the  "Onteora" 
was  built,  length   two   hundred  and  forty-seven 


feet,  beam  thirty-fixe  feet,  and  si.\ty-three  feet 
o\er  all,  and  cajKible  of  carrying  si.x  luiiidred 
l)eo])le.      .She  was  built   for  night  service,  and 

is  the  fastest  night  boat  afloat,  having  a  speed 
of  twenty-three  miles  an  hour.  She  has  made 
the  run  from  New  X'ork  to  Catskiil,  a  di.stance 
of  one  hundred  .ind  tweiitx  miles,  and  made 
one  laniling,  in  four  hours  and  twenty  minutes. 
Captain  Stead  takes  much  jjride  in  this  boat, 
as  she  was  built  b)-  his  plans  and  measure- 
ments. .She  is  fitteil  with  ever\-  convenience 
for  the  comfort  of  guests.  This  company  is  a 
stock  concern,  and  does  a  large  and  constantly 
increasing  business.  Their  boats  connect  with 
the  Catskiil  Mountain  Railroad,  and  in  the 
summer  the\'  carr\'  a  large  numbei"  of  tourists 
and  tpiantities  of  ficight. 

Cajitain  .Stead  was  married  in  1865  to 
Rachel  K.  Pettit,  who  was  born  in  Dutchess 
County,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Pettit.  One 
child  has  blessed  this  union,  Ida  II.,  now  the 
wife  of  Charles  I.  P'iero,  superintendent  of  the 
Pratt  lir.inch  of  the  Standard  (_)il  Company  in 
(neenpoint.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Imch)  have  one 
daughter,    Rachel    S. 

The  Ca|)tain  is  a  Republican  in  jiolitics. 
In  1S70  he  was  elected  Sheriff,  which  ofifice  he 
held  until  1882,  when  he  declined  to  serve 
longer.  In  188^  he  was  elected  to  the  legis- 
latLU-e,  wheie  he  served  one  year.  He  is  a 
prominent  man  in  his  part)',  was  for  a  long 
time  a  member  of  the  Count)'  Committee,  and 
has  man\'  times  been  a  delegate  to  Rejudjlican 
conventions.  He  helped  nominate  Ciovernor 
Morton.  P"or  three  years  he  was  a  trustee  of 
the  village,    and    for  a  year    president    of    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Biiard  of  Trustees.  Captain  Stead  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  liaving  been  longer  in  the  boating 
business  than  an}-  other  man  on  the  Hudson. 
He  built  his  present  residence  in  1897.  He 
is  a  trustee  of  the  Catskill  Savings  Bank, 
and  president  of  the  Cat.skill  Ferry  Company 
running  between  Catskill  and  Catskill  Station, 
and  an  owner  in  the  last-named  corporation. 
He  is  also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Hudson 
Steamboat  Company.  He  attends  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  his  wife  and 
daughter  are  members. 


)EVI  M.  DEFAXDORF,  a  skilful 
farmer  and  dairyman  of  Seward,  Scho- 
harie County,  owner  and  occupant 
of  a  fine  farm  lying  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  Hyndsville  village,  is  a  representative  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  in  this  part  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  He  was  born  on  this 
farm  on  April  26,  1831,  son  of  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Petrie)  Defandorf.  His  first  progenitor 
in  this  country,  his  great-grandfather,  came 
from   Germany. 

Jacob  Defandorf,  father  of  John,  bought  a 
large  tract  of  heavily  timbered  land  in  Seward, 
N.Y. ,  which  included  the  larger  part  of  the 
homestead  of  his  grandson,  Levi  M.,  and  the 
adjoining  estate  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres.  In  common  with  his  neighbors,  who 
were  few  and  were  settled  far  apart,  he  suf- 
fered the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  but  with 
true  German  habits  of  industry  and  persever- 
ance worked  steadily;  and  the  end  of  each  year 
saw  more   land   cleared   and    larger   crops  har- 


vested. He  died,  jirobably  in  the  log  cabin 
which  he  reared  on  coming  to  the  wilderness, 
at  the  age  of  fifty  years,  leaving  a  widow,  Mrs. 
Susan  Defandorf,  and  six  children.  Mrs.  De- 
fandorf was  born  at  Frey's  Hush,  Montgomery 
County,  and  died  in  Seuard  at  the  age  of  four- 
score and  four  \ears. 

John  Defandorf  remained  beneath  the  paren- 
tal roof  until  ready  to  establish  a  home  of  his 
own,  when  he  purchased  a  portion  of  the  pa- 
rental estate.  Here  he  was  successfullv  em- 
ployed in  general  agricultural  pursuits  until 
his  death,  at  the  age  of  si.\ty-four  years. 
After  he  had  made  the  last  payment  on  his 
property,  he  began  making  needed  improve- 
ments. The  present  dwelling-house  was 
erected  by  him.  A  man  of  intelligence,  he 
was  greatly  interested  in  all  things  pertaining 
to  the  welfare  of  the  town,  but  was  never  an 
aspirant  for  official  honors.  He  married  Eliz- 
abeth Petrie,  one  of  the  seven  children  of  John 
Handrake  Petrie,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Car- 
lisle, Schoharie  County.  P'our  children  were 
born  of  their  union,  and  two  of  them  are  liv- 
ing, namely:  Julia  Ann,  wife  of  Austin 
P'rance,  of  Seward  \'alley;  and  Levi  M. 
The  parents  were  consistent  members  of  the 
]\Iethodist   church. 

Levi  M.  Defandorf  attended  the  district 
school  when  it  was  in  session  during  his  hoy- 
hood  and  youth,  and  in  the  same  period  was  so 
well  trained  at  home  that  he  became  as  famil- 
iar with  the  work  of  the  farm  as  he  was  with 
his  books.  On  attaining  his  majority,  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  of  the 
old    Defandorf    homestead;    and,    having  since 


396 


lilOCKAlMIICAI,    KKVIKW 


addetl  to  it  nineteen  acres  by  purchnsc,  lie  has 
a  large  farm,  anil  one  of  the  best  in  line  of  im- 
provements and  appointments  of  any  in  the 
vicinity.  He  devotes  his  time  to  general 
farming,  raising  grain  and  liops  to  a  considera- 
ble extent,  but  making  a  specialty  of  stock-rais- 
ing and  dairying.  From  his  herd  of  twenty 
or  more  grade  Holstein  and  Jersey  cows,  lie 
makes  butter,  the  greater  part  of  which  he  ships 
to  his  son,  who  is  enga,i;e(l  in  tlie  grocery  busi- 
ness in  'J'roy,  \.V.,  and  some  to  the  markets  in 
Ohio  and  in  Washington,  1).  C.  He  has  always 
taken  a  great  interest  in  the  establishment  of 
permanent  town,  county,  ami  State  agricult- 
ural as.sociations;  and  as  an  exhibitor  at  fairs, 
held  under  the  auspices  of  these  organizations, 
Mr.  Defandorf  has  on  several  occasions  taken 
the  first  i)remiuni  on  stock.  'I'he  credit  of 
establishing  the  ])roducts  of  his  dairy  as  among 
the  best  in  the  market,  he  gladl)'  gives  to 
his  deccasetl  wife,  who  was  an  e.\|)ert  butter- 
maker. 

Mr.  Defandorf  married,  April  25,  1H50, 
Miss  I.ucinda  R.  Sexton,  daughter  of  Austin 
Sexton.  Her  father  was  formerly  engaged  in 
farming  in  this  i)art  of  Schoharie  County, 
but  afterward  removed  to  Oriskany  Falls, 
N.\'.,  where  he  ojierated  a  grist-mill  and 
where  lie  .--pent  his  remaining  days.  I\Ir. 
and  Mrs.  Hefandorf  rearetl  five  children; 
namely,  Mary  F.,  Clark  H. ,  Jason  F, ,  John  A., 
and  Daniel  A.  ^h^•y  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Adam 
Myers,  of  Husk  irk,  Rensselaer  County,  and 
has  two  children  -  \'ictor  and  Ralph.  Clark 
H. ,  deceased,  married  Susan  Ostrandcr,  who 
bore  him    three  children  —  Jessie,  Arthur,  and 


Lucinda.  Jason  F.  Defandorf  was  graduated 
with  high  honors  from  the  Cazenovia  Acad- 
emy, afterward  spent  three  years  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  Universit)',  Middletown,  Conn.,  and 
still  later  attended  the  Law  School  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  .Arts,  and  has  since  been  employed 
by  the  government  in  the  jiost-olTice  and 
in  the  War  and  Treasury  Departments  in 
that  city.  He  married  Miss  Hattie  Holmes, 
and  has  four  children-  I-llizaheth  I'.,  James, 
John  Levi,  and  Marion.  JcjIiii  A.  Defandorf 
was  for  one  year  clerk  in  a  store  at  Coble.skill, 
then  was  several  years  a  clerk  in  Troy,  and 
subsequentiv  went  into  business  for  himself 
with  (lis  cou>in,  Charles  H.  Sexton,  at  Troy. 
He  married  Fmnia  Smith,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Clark.  Daniel  A.,  the  youngest  .son, 
completed  his  education  at  the  Cohleskill 
High  School,  and  subsequently  taught  school 
se\'eral  terms  in  .Seward  and  Sharon.  He  as- 
si.sts  his  father  in  the  care  of  the  home  farm, 
and  is  also  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodi.st 
church.  He  married  Carrie  \'roman,  daughter 
of  Harney  Woman. 

After  fort\-seven  \ears  of  liappy  wi.'diled 
life,  Mrs.  Lucinda  R.  Defandorf  passed  to  the 
brighter  worKl  beyond,  her  death  occurring 
June  6,  iSyj.  She  was  a  woman  of  exem- 
jdar)'  character  and  great  personal  worth,  in 
every  way  deserving  the  high  respect  univer- 
sally accorded  her.  She  was  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  .Mr. 
Defandorf  is  (jue  of  the  oldest  members  now 
living,  and  in  which  he  has  held  all  the 
offices,  having  been   a   trustee  and   steward  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


years,  a  class  loailcr  for  a  i|uarlcr  of  a  ccn- 
tiir\-,  and  for  fifteen  \ears  superintendent  of 
the  Sumlay-school,  in  wliieh  his  wife,  Lii- 
eiiida,  was  a  teaciier.  Hoth  assisted  in  evei"y 
work  indorsed  b)-  the  church,  ami  their  hospi- 
table home  was  ever  t>pen  to  receive  the  minis- 
ters of  that  tlenomination. 

On  January  25,  i8g8,  Mr.  Defandorf  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Catherine  M.  Somers,  daughter  of 
Joseph  h" ranee,  a  farmer  of  Seward,  N.V. 
Three  chiklren  were  born  to  the  present  Mrs. 
Defandorf  and  her  former  husband,  Peter  N. 
Somers — Howard  S.,  Ernest  F. ,  and  Arthur 
L.,  deceased. 


§AMES  MADISON  CASE,  a  prominent 
busincs.s  man  of  Gilboa,  N.Y.,  was 
born  in  this  town,  July  7,  1849,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Betsey  (Chichester)  Case.  He  is 
a  descendant  of  John  Case,  who  came  over 
from  England  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago. 

A  brief  account  of  the  life  of  John  Case, 
the  immigrant,  by  A.  P.  Case,  of  Vernon, 
N.  Y.,  has  recently  appeared  in  print.  In 
this  book  mention  is  made  of  records  showing 
that  John  Case  as  early  as  1640  was  living  in 
the  vicinity  of  Hartford,  Conn.;  that  in  1656 
he  was  an  inhabitant  of  Long  Island,  a  year 
or  two  later  removing  to  Windsor,  Conn., 
and  in  1669  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Sims- 
bury,  Conn.,  so  named  in  1670.  For  four 
years  he  represented  the  town  in  the  General 
Court,  or  Assembly.  He  married  first  Sarah, 
daughter   of    William    Spencer,    of    Hartford. 


She  died  in  1691,  and  he  afterward  mairied 
I'Llizabeth  Loomis,  a  widow.  He  had  ten 
chiklren,  all  by  his  first  wife;  namely,  I'lli/a- 
beth,  Mary,  John,  William,  Samuel,  Richard, 
Bartholomew,  Joseph,  Sarah,  and  Abigail. 

The  Case  family  in  I'jigland  is  said  to  have 
been  numerously  represented  for  a  number  of 
generations  at  Aylsham,  Norfolk  County. 
Calvin  Case,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
April  10,  1763,  came  to  Conesville,  N.Y., 
and  a  few  years  later  he  moved  to  Gilboa, 
where  he  acquired  two  tracts  of  land,  amount- 
ing in  all  to  two  hundred  acres.  The  prop- 
erty he  occupied,  which  is  still  known  as  the 
Case  farm,  now  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
si.Nty  acres,  and  the  original  title  is  in  the 
possession  of  his  grantlson,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  His  first  abiding-place  was  a  log 
hut,  the  entrance  to  which  was  covered  with 
a  blanket ;  and  from  a  struggling  pioneer  he 
rose  to  be  a  well-to-do  farmer,  stock-raiser, 
and  grain  dealer.  Calvin  Case,  it  is  said, 
served  as  a  minute-man  in  1777,  and  was 
ordered  to  the  front  at  the  second  battle  of 
Stillwater,  but  arrived  after  the  surrender  of 
General  Burgoyne.  The  Case  family  have  an 
honorable  record  for  patriotism,  seventy  or  rr.oie 
of  that  name  from  Connecticut  having  served 
in  the  Revolution,  upward  of  twenty  in  the 
War  of  1812,  and  over  fifty  in  the  Civil  War. 
Calvin  Case  was  married  in  Connecticut, 
August  2,  1793,  to  Jerusha  Griffin,  and  he 
brought  three  children  with  him  to  Schoharie 
County.  He  died  January  4,  1854,  aged 
ninety-one  years,  and  his  wife,  who  was  bom 
December  2,   1777,  died    May  7,   1S49.      They 


398 


lilOGRAl'HICAL    REVIEW 


reared  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  namely: 
Calvin,  who  moved  from  Conesville  to  Blen- 
heim; Luther,  who  died  at  Potter's  Hollow; 
IClisha,  Allen,  and  firastus,  who  all  died  in 
Conesville;  Ira,  who  now  resides  at  Cones- 
ville; Daniel.  James  M.  Case's  father; 
(jrifTin,  who  died  in  (iilhoa;  llirain,  who  re- 
sided in  Catskill;  Jod.  who  died  while 
yoiini;-;  Jerusha,  deceased,  who  married  Or- 
lean  Ue  Witt,  of  Oak  Hill;  I':iiza,  who  mar- 
ried S.  Mackey,  of  Gilb.ia;  and  I'hu-hc,  who 
marrie.i  William  I'h.ss,  of  GiJlmn.  The  sons 
were  ail  farmers  except  Hiram,  who  was  a 
cattle  dealer,  hotel-keeper,  and  general  specu- 
lator. The  i^randparents  were  Presbyterians, 
and  most  of  tiieir  children  became  members  of 
that  church. 

Daniel  Case  remained  at  tiie  homestead  to 
care  for  his  parents  in  tiieir  (dd  ai;e,  and  after 
tiieir  death  lie  succeeded  to  tlie  ownership  of 
the  property  iiy  |Kirchasing  the  interests  of 
the  other  heirs.  He  was  an  eneri;etic,  indus- 
trious, and  successful  fanner,  and  at  his 
death,  wliich  occurred  November  lo,  KS.Sf),  he 
left  a  good  estate.  His  wife,  Hetsey,  was  a 
dausjhter  of  Joseph  Chichester,  and  the  maiden 
name  of  her  mother  was  Welch.  The  Chi- 
chesters  are  of  Scotcii  descent,  and  the 
Welches  are  said  to  be  of  Dutch  ori.i,'in.  Jo- 
seph Chichester  had  a  family  of  nine  children. 
Daniel  and  Hetsey  Case  reared  but  one  child, 
James  M.,  the  sui)ject  of  this  sketch.  The 
mother  died  I'ebruary  19,   1875. 

James  Madison  Case  was  educated  in  Gil- 
bo.x,  and  taught  several  terms  of  school  after 
the  completion    of    his    studies.      He  assisted 


his  father  in  farming  from  the  time  he  was 
able  to  be  of  u.se  until  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
when  he  engaged  in  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  C(jmpany  with  Abraham  Walker,  a 
partnership  that  ended  at  the  death  of  Mr. 
Walker  some  tiiree  years  later.  He  continued 
in  business  alone  some  sixteen  years,  or  until 
about  1.S93,  when  he  sold  out  to  George  E. 
Hawver.  He  has  since  given  his  attention  to 
the  buying  of  country  ]>ioduce,  ineluding 
butter,  which  he  handles  cpiitc  extensi\-ely. 
He  also  buys  large  quantities  of  wool,  which 
he  ships  to  Hoston  ;  and  during  the  jiast  year 
his  shipments  amounted  to  over  one  hundred 
thousand  pountls.  He  still  owns  the  home- 
stead, upon  which  he  raises  some  tine  horses, 
and  he  takes  special  pride  in  preserving  the 
old  dwelling  which  was  built  by  his  grand- 
father over  eighty  years  ago.  h'or  the  past 
ten  years  he  has  been  actively  interested  in 
inland  fisheries,  in  stocking  the  various 
streams  in  this  locality,  and  is  regarded  as  an 
authority  on  that  subject. 

Mr.  Case  married  Hattie  E.  Hawver, 
daughter  of  William  W.  and  Samantha  (Hay) 
Hawver.  She  was  the  first-born  of  eight  chil- 
dren, the  others  being:  I'^nma  D.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years;  I-llla,  who  married 
(;.  N.  Thorp:  George  l- 
ton,  N.Y.  ;  James  H., 
who  occupies  the  lA  1 
ville:  Flora  A.,  who 
twenty -one  years;  Hertha,  wife  of  James  Car- 
penter; antl  Martha,  who  married  D.  V.  I'"er- 
guson,  of  Alton,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Case 
have    hati    two    daughters:     Merta,     who    died 


,  a  merchant  of  Url- 
a  prosperous  farmer, 
lomestead  in  Cones- 
died    at     the     age    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


aged  four  years;  and  Mina,  who  died  aged  one 
year. 

In  politics  Mr.  Case  is  a  Democrat,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  was  Postmaster.  lie  lias 
served  upon  tiie  Town  Committee  several 
terms,  has  attended  as  a  delegate  many  county 
conventions,  but  has  never  sought  for  or  held 
local  offices.  He  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  be- 
longs to  Gilboa  Lodge,  No.  630. 


'rank     RUFUS      SEARLES,     M.D., 

physician  and  surgeon,  Catskill,  N.Y., 
was  born  in  Newton,  N.J. ,  April  29,  1868, 
son  of  Arthur  and  Alice  (Martin)  Searles. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  comes  of  English  an- 
cestry, and  through  his  mateinivl  grandfather 
he  is  a  descendant  of  French  Pi-otestants,  or 
Huguenots.  The  first  of  the  Searles  family 
who  came  to  America  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  was  a  farmer.  Representatives  of 
the  family  participated  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  the  War  of  18 12,  and  the  I'rench  and 
Indian  War.  Dr.  Searles's  great-great-grand- 
father, John  Finlay,  was  an  aide  on  the  staff 
of  General  Green  and  also  on  that  of  General 
Mifflin. 

Arthur  Searles,  the  Doctor's  father,  was 
reared  in  Massachusetts.  He  followed  agri- 
culture until  of  age,  when  he  went  to  New- 
Jersey.  Later  he  entered  commercial  life  in 
New  York,  and  resided  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  the  age  of  thirty.  Mr. 
Searles  is  survived  by  his  wife,  Alice,  and 
their  only  child,  Frank  Rufus,  the  special 
subject   of  this  sketch.      The  Doctor's  mother, 


now  Mrs.  Lester  Leggett,  resides  in  Plainfield, 
N.J.  She  has  one  brother,  Frederick  Martin. 
Her  parents  were  Lebbeus  L.  and  Frances 
(lieach)  Martin.  Her  father  was  a  wholesale 
clothing  merchant  of  Plainfield,  N.J.,  moved 
from  that  town  to  Newton,  N.J.,  and  at  one 
time  resided  in  New  York  for  a  short  jjeriod. 
His  death  occurred  in  Plainfield,  N.J.,  in 
iSg8,    at   the  age  of   seventy-eight. 

Frank  Rufus  Searles  was  educated  in  the 
common  and  high  schools  and  at  Leal's  Acad- 
emy, Plainfield,  N.J.  His  medical  studies 
were  completed  at  the  Long  Island  College 
Hospital,  from  which  he  was  graduated  March 
22,  1892.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Plainfield,  N.J.,  where  he  remained 
one  year,  removing  from  there  to  Hunter, 
Greene  County,  and  two  years  later  settling  in 
Catskill,  N.  Y.  He  has  made  rapid  progress 
in  his  profession,  and  is  highly  esteemed  both 
as  a  physician  and  citizen. 

On  November  8,  1893,  Dr.  Searles  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Myra  Rose 
Lowrie,  daughter  of  Dr.  H.  H.  and  Myra  G. 
(l^urr)  Lowrie,  of  Plainfield.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Searles  have  one  child,  P^rank  Rufus  Searles, 
second.  There  are  twenty-two  physicians  in 
the  Lowrie  family,  and  Mrs.  Searles's  father 
has  practised  in  Plainfield  many  years.  Her 
mother,  who  is  a  native  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. , 
and  a  descendant  of  a  branch  of  the  family  to 
which  Aaron  Burr  belonged,  has  reared  four 
children,  namely:  Caroline,  who  is  the  wife 
of  the  Rev.  C.  G.  Bristol,  rector  of  Colts 
Memorial  Church,  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  Myra 
Rose,    now    Mrs.    Searles;    Maud    Myra,     now 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


Mrs.  Julian  Deane,  who  is  residing  at  Spring- 
field, Mass.  ;  and  H.  H.  Lowrie,  Jr.,  who  is 
manager  of  an  insurance  company  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

Dr.  Searles  has  served  as  president  of  the 
Greene  County  Medical  Society,  :ind  h;is  fre- 
(piently  read  jinpers  before  tliat  body  upon 
timely  topics.  lie  is  now  delet;;ite  to  tiie 
Medical  Society,  Stale  of  New  York,  lie  is 
Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  Sixteenth  tdmpan\, 
N.  Ci.  .S.,  N.\'.,  now  actiii_i;-  I'aptain  ;  is 
medical  examiner  for  a  number  of  life  insin- 
ance  companies;  and  is  local  health  officer 
and  secretary  of  the  Hoard  of  L'.  S.  Pension 
Ivxaminers  of  (ireciie  Coniit}'.  In  politics  he 
is  a  keiuiblican.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Searles  are 
members  of  Christ's   I'resbyterian   Church. 


^OllX  II.  HCRIIS,  Jk.,*  jiroprietor  of 
-^1  the  lintel  St.  Charles,  Hunter,  X.V., 
^  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  Long  Island, 
October  24,  1869,  son  of  John  11.  and  Mary 
(Thompson)  Hurtis.  His  father  is  a  native 
of  Washinj^ton  County,  New  \'ork,  and  his 
mother  was  born  in  Nar.tucket,  Mass.  His 
immigrant  ancestor  came  from  h'lorence,  Italy; 
and  his  great-grandfather  Hurtis  and  his  grand- 
father, whose  name  was  lohn,  were  natives 
of   Washington   County,  this   State. 

John  Hurtis  was  a  carpenter  and  builder  and 
a  manufacturer  of  sieves.  In  his  latter  years 
he  removed  to  Hunter,  wheie  he  carried  on  a 
large  sieve  factory  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred   in    1890.        He  was  a   Justice    of    the 


Peace  many  years,  was  familiarly  known  as 
Squire  liurtis,  and  he  enjoyed  the  esteem  of  all 
who  knew  him.  In  his  religious  belief  he  was 
a  Presbyterian.  He  married  for  his  first  wife 
Piliza  l.ee,  a  native  of  Washington  County, 
and  had  a  large  famil\-  of  children,  of  whom 
the  only  one  living  is  John  H.,  Sr.  The 
.urandmother's  tleath  occurred  man\  }ears  ])rior 
to  that  of  her  husband. 

John  H.  Hurtis,  Sr.,  was  reare.l  in  Wash- 
ington Count)'.  Ill  1S45  became  to  Hunter, 
and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  comprising  three 
hutulred  and  fifty  acres,  mostly  covered  with 
timber,  which  he  at  first  used  for  si)orting  pur- 
poses, and  later  cleared  for  cultivation.  h"or 
several  years  he  conducted  the  sto\e  and  tin- 
ware business  in  New  \'ork  City.  After  that 
he  engaged  in  the  dried  fruit  trade  and  still 
later  in  the  wholesale  drug  and  ])atent  medi- 
cine business.  At  the  present  time  he  is  a 
])ro.spcrous  real  estate  dealer  in  Hrooklyn, 
where  he  resides  winters,  his  summers  being 
spent  in  Hunter.  His  original  residence  here, 
which  he  built  shortly  after  purchasing  his 
]iropertv,  he  afterward  I'ulargetl  for  the  accom- 
modation of  summer  hoanlers;  and  it  was  con- 
ducted by  his  half-brother  until  1.SS2,  when  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1.S83  the  present 
large  hotel  was  erected.  For  three  years  it 
was  in  charge  of  S.  P.  \'an  Loan,  later  in  that 
of  Mr.  Scri])ture,  and  in  1.S93  John  II.  Hurtis, 
Jr.,  became  its  manager. 

John  H.  Hurtis,  Sr.,  is  a  Republican  in  pol- 
itics. He  was  in  the  Assembly  in  i.S'75  and 
1876,  anil  is  cpiite  active  in  the  ])ublic  affairs 
of    Hrooklyn.      In  Masonry  he  has  advanced  to 


JOHN    H.    BURTIS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


403 


the  thirty-second  degree.  He  has  served  as 
Deputy  Grand  Master,  and  Ijclongs  to  the  Mys- 
tic Shrine;  is  vice-president  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  Broot;l\n;  and  president  of 
Aurora   Grata   Club. 

His  wife,  Mar_\',  is  a  daughter  of  James  B. 
and  Mary  (Gardner)  Thompson.  Her  father 
was  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  a  well-known 
mathematician.  He  was  the  author  of  Thomp- 
son's Arithmetics,  and  has  written  over  forty 
different  volumes,  known  as  Thompson's 
Mathematical  Series,  including  arithmetic, 
algebra,  geonietrv,  and  trigonometry.  He  was 
at  one  time  principal  of  an  acadeni}-  in  Nan- 
tucket, Mass.  During  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  he  made  his  home  in  New  York,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  }'ears.  His  wife, 
Mary  Gardner  Thompson,  who  is  still  living, 
is  now  seventy-five  years  old.  Mrs.  Mary 
Thomp.son  Burtis  was  educated  in  Brooklyn 
and  at  a  young  ladies'  seminary  in  New 
Haven,  Conn.  She  is  president  of  Memorial 
Hospital,  Brooklyn,  and  is  prominent  in  char- 
itable work.  She  has  had  seven  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living:  Alary  L.,  John  H., 
Jr.,  and  Grace  L.  Burtis.  Charles  Burtis, 
M.D.,  was  graduated  from  the  New  York 
Homoeopathic  College,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  practising  his  profession  in  Atlanta, 
Ga.  Grace  L.  is  a  student  at  Vassar  College, 
Poughkeepsie.  The  parents  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  | 

John  H.  Burtis,  Jr.,  began  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Brooklyn,  and  fitted  for 
college  at  the  Latin  school.  He  was  graduated 
from  Columbia  College   in    1894,  with   the  de-  j 


gree  of  liachelor  of  Arts,  and  siibse(|uently 
studied  law.  During  the  summer  of  1893  he 
managed  the  Hotel  St.  Charles  in  Hunter,  and 
since  1894  he  has  resided  here  permanently. 
This  hotel,  which  is  situated  upon  the  highest 
elevation  in  the  Catskill  region,  occujjies  a  de- 
sirable location  on  what  is  known  as  Breeze 
Lawn  Farm.  The  building  is  se\entv-five  feet 
front,  one  hundred  and  si.xty-three  feet  deep, 
and  four  stories  high.  It  has  broad  piazzas  on 
three  sides,  and  is  equipped  with  all  modern 
improvements,  including  passenger  elevator 
and  telegraph  office.  With  the  annex  it 
has  accommodations  for  two  hundred  guests. 
The  table  is  supplied  with  fresh  cream, 
butter,  eggs,  and  vegetables  from  the  farm 
connected  with  the  house;  and  the  service 
is  of  the  best.  Aside  from  the  hotel  Mr. 
Burtis  manages  Breeze  Lawn,  consisting  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  He  carries  on 
a  dairy,  and  sends  his  surplus  products  to 
market. 

On  October  9,  1S95,  Mr.  Burtis  married 
Zaidee  I.  Scribner,  a  native  of  Hunter,  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  H.  and  Agnes  (Merwin)  Scribner. 
Her  father,  who  at  one  time  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  in  Catskill,  is  at  present 
residing  in  Palenville,  where  he  accommodates 
summer  boarders. 

Mr.  Scribner  originally  came  from  Connect- 
icut. He  has  had  four  children:  Zaidee  I., 
now  Mrs.  Burtis;  George  H.  ;  Bertha;  and 
IMerwin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burtis  are  the  parents 
of  two  children  —  Thompson  H.  and  Grace 
Agnes. 

Mr.  Burtis  is  a   Republican  in   politics,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


has  been  c|iiite  prominent  in  public  afiairs. 
He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  Order,  being  a 
member  of  Mount  Tabor  Lodge  and  the  chap- 
ter in  Windham.  He  attends  the  Meth.idist 
l-j.iso.i'al  einueh. 


M()R\'  STK\'I-:NS,  of  Conesville,  an  ex- 
mcnil)er  of  the  Stale  legishiture,  was 
born  ill  this  town,  September  24,  1.S39,  son  of 
Levi  F.  and  Thirza  (Sage)  Stevens.  His 
grandfather,  Peter  S.,  and  his  j^reat -grand- 
father, (iershom  Stevens,  both  came  here  from 
Fairfield,  Conn.,  in  1.S05,  I'eter  S.  being  then 
a  young  man. 

Ciershom  Stevens  iiecame  the  second  owner 
of  the  first  grist-mill  in  this  region,  and  he 
operated  it  for  a  number  of  years.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Levi,  Cicrsliom,  I'eter  S. ,  Ozias, 
and  two  davighters.  Some  years  after  his 
death  iiis  son  I'eter  S.  remodelled  the  mill 
into  a  tannery.  This  was  afterward  destroyed 
l)y  fire,  and  two  other  buildings  erected  upon 
the  site  were  also  burned. 

Peter  S.  Stevens  was  the  father  of  ten  chil- 
dren ;  namely,  Levi  v.,  Walter,  Alfre<l,  Nel- 
son, Tompkins,  Thalia  A.,  Sally,  John  F. , 
Ozias  I).,  and  another  son  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  Old)'  one  now  living  is  Tomp- 
kins, who  is  a  well-known  dealer  in  hides  in 
New  York  City.  Thalia  A.  married  Andrew 
Rickev,  and  Sally  married  tHiarles  Slurgis. 
Jolm  I'".,  who  became  a  piiysician,  was  for  five 
years  president  of  a  medical  scliocd  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  and  afterward  practised  in  Prook- 
lyn,    N.V.       Nelson    died    in   Cnesville,    aged 


twenty-four  years.  Tomi)kins,  Alfred,  and 
Walter  went  to  Sullivan  County,  and  were 
instrumental  in  building  uj)  the  t(jwn  of  Slev- 
ensvijle,  where  they  operated  tanneries  for 
many  \ears,  being  also  engaged  in  hunbering 
and  farming.  Tiie  Stevens  l)rotliers  built  a 
hotel  in  C.inesville,  which  was  first  openeil  by 
Gersiiom. 

Levi  I-".  Stevens,  father  of  I-^mory,  was  in 
his  younger  days  interested  in  the  tannery  at 
Cone.sville,  and  for  a  while  be  kept  a  .store. 
He  succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the  home- 
stead property,  which  was  in  his  day  a  part  of 
the  original  tract  one  mile  square  acquired  by 
his  granilfather.  He  was  an  able,  energetic, 
and  successful  farmer,  and  favorably  known 
through  this  section  of  the  county.  I'oliti- 
cally  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  held  some  of 
the  town  offices.  He  was  an  active  niember 
and  a  prominent  official  of  the  Methodist  F:pis- 
cojxil  church,  whose  house  of  worshii)  was 
built  principally  through  the  instrumentality 
of  his  father  and  David  .Sage.  Levi  F. 
Stevens  died  March  jS,  iSqo,  aged  eighty 
years. 

His  wife,  Thir/.a,  was  a  daughter  of 
David  Sage,  who  removed  with  his  family  to 
Conesville  from  Coniieclicut.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  David  Sage,  first,  who  was  born  in 
Wales  in  iCy),  and  coming  to  .America  w.,s 
one  of  the  earliest  seltlers  in  Middletown, 
Conn.  The  immigrant  was  also  the  ancestor 
of  Russell  Sage,  the  well-known  financier. 
The  Sage  familv,  we  are  told,  ilates  its  origin 
from  the  time  of  the  Norman  conquest,  •  its 
founder   having  fought    on    the   winning  side  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


the  battle  of  Hastings.  Mrs.  Stevens's 
father,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  settled 
upon  a  tract  of  twt)  hundred  acres  in  that  part  of 
Broome  which  is  now  Conesville,  and  became 
a  successful  farmer.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Strykersville.  His  children  were:  Daniel, 
Abiel,  Simeon,  Levi,  Thirza  (Mrs.  Stevens), 
Polly,  and  Lucena.  Abiel,  twin  brother  to 
Thirza,  died  in  Ashland,  Greene  Count)-, 
N.  Y.  ;  Daniel  died  in  Conesville;  Levi  died 
while  young;  and  Simeon,  who  amassed  a  for- 
tune in  business  in  New  York  City,  died  in 
Windham. 

Levi  F.  and  Thirza  (Sage)  Stevens  had 
seven  children;  namely,  Diantha  M.,  David 
S. ,  Delphus  T. ,  Thalia  A.,  Emor}',  Ozro,  and 
Daniel  T.  Stevens.  Diantha  M.  died  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years;  David  S.,  who  resided  in 
Gilboa,  was  for  twenty  years  a  Methodist 
preacher;  Delphus  T. ,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-eight,  was  a  promising  young  lawyer  in 
Oak  Hill,  N.  Y.  ;  Thalia  A.  died  at  sixteen; 
Ozro  died  at  eighteen  ;  and  Daniel  T.  died  at 
twenty-three  years.  The  mother  died  in  Au- 
gust,  1890,  aged  eighty-five  years. 

Emory  Stevens  completed  his  education  at 
the  Charlotteville  Academy.  He  taught 
school  for  some  time,  and  afterward  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  mercantile  business  at 
Conesville  and  Gilboa.  fie  then  went  to 
Iowa,  where  for  the  next  few  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  various  kinds  of  business,  including 
mercantile.  For  some  time  he  kept  a  sale 
stable  in  Des  Moines,  and  while  in  that  city  he 
also  speculated  rather  extensively   in  real   es- 


tate. Since  his  return  home  he  has  devoted 
some  tif  his  time  to  educatimial  work. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  while  re- 
siding in  Iowa  was  ciiosen  a  delegate  to  repre- 
sent Harrison  County  in  the  State  Convention. 
He  has  served  as  a  Supervisor  in  Conesville 
for  three  years.  He  also  served  as  chairman 
of  the  County  Canvassers'  Committee,  as  fore- 
man of  the  Grand  Jury,  and  during  his  term  in 
the  Assembly  he  was  a  member  of  several  im- 
portant committees.  Mr.  Stevens  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  and  was  for  a  number 
of  years  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 

Mr.  Stevens  married  Emma  Miller,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Miller,  of  Conesville.  They 
have  six  children;  namely,  Ward  E.,  ^^'alter 
A.,  Linnie  D.,  Ralph  F. ,  Levi  F. ,  and  Susie 
E.  Ward  E.  was  graduated  from  the  New 
York  Dental  College  in  1897.  Walter  A.  is 
a  member  of  the  police  force. 


§OHN  WESLEY  GAYLORD,  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  Conesville,  N.  Y. , 
was  born  in  this  town  on  April  4, 
1840,  son  of  George  and  Fannie  (Humphrey) 
Gaylord.  On  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  Hu- 
guenot descent.  His  emigrant  ancestors  on 
leaving  France  settled  first  in  England, 
whence  some  of  the  family  found  their  way  to 
this  country.  His  great-grandfather  Gaylord 
served  as  an  Ensign  in  the  Continental  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  a 
man  of   considerable   property. 

John   Gaylord,    son   of   Ensign    Gaylord,  was 
but   a  young   boy  at   the  time   his  father  died  ; 


4o6 


mOGRAl'HICAL    KKVIKW 


and  he  was  bound  out  to  a  Captain  Langdon, 
of  Litchfield,  Conn.  He  ran  away,  however, 
at  about  the  age  of  eighteen,  having  received 
none  of  his  inheritance,  and  with  one  Allen 
Griffin  came  to  Conesvillc,  journeying  by  way 
of  Catskill,  guided  by  marked  trees.  He  set- 
tled on  the  Sotts  patent,  now  known  as  the 
Van  Dyke  farm,  and  built  a  Ing  house  to  live 
in.  After  remaining  there  a  few  years,  he  re- 
moved to  a  farm  on  the  stage  road  between 
Gilboa  and  Cairo,  in  Manor  Kill  village. 
Subsequently  he  settled  on  the  farm  where  his 
grandson,  John  Wesley  Gaylord,  now  resides. 
He  became  the  largest  land-owner  of  his  time, 
owning  from  fnur  to  five  hundred  acres. 
When  he  arrived  here  he  liiul  only  fifty  dollars 
in  his  pocket.  He  married  .Sabrina  Atwood,  re- 
turning to  Connecticut  for  that  purpose.  .She 
bore  him  three  sons — Hiram,  Henry,  and 
George.  To  each  of  these  he  gave  a  handsome 
property  iii)on  his  coming  of  age.  He  then 
himself  started  afresh,  and  in  time  accumu- 
lated as  much  as  he  had  at  first,  so  that  during 
his  life  he  owned  between  eight  hundred  and 
a  thousand  acres.  roliticall)-,  he  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  the  leading  member  of  his  party 
hereabouts.  In  religious  faith  he  was  a  Meth- 
odist. He  helped  to  build  the  Methodist 
church  here,  and  was  always  one  of  its  most 
liberal  supporters.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight,  and  his  wife  died  later,  at  about 
the  same  age.  His  son  Hiram  became  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  New  York  City.  Henry, 
who  removed  to  Catskill  in  1868,  became  a 
wealthy  dealer  in  live  stock  and  wool,  and  later 
in   real   estate.      He  died   at   Catskill  in  Janu- 


ary, 1898,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
He  had  travelled  e.xtensively.  The  fine  bell 
on  the  church  at  Manor  Kill  was  presented  by 
him  some  four  years  ago  at  a  cost  of  four  hun- 
dred dollars. 

George  Gaylord,  father  of  John  W. ,  was 
born  on  April  28,  181  5,  in  Conesville,  and  re- 
sided here  all  his  life,  dying  in  187S.  He 
kept  a  hostelry  for  drovers,  the  largest  in  the 
-State,  furnishing  accommodations  one  night 
for  fifteen  hundred  cattle.  Drovers  came  here 
from  different  .States,  and  it  is  said  that  one 
paid  him  ninety  dcdlars  for  three  tons  of  hay 
to  feed  liis  drove  for  a  single  night.  He  was 
famed  far  and  wide  for  his  hospitality  and  for 
his  sunny  and  genial  temper.  Himself  an  ex- 
pert judge  of  cattle,  he  bought  and  sold  many 
head.  He  owned  a  farm  of  si.x  hundred  acres, 
upon  which  he  raised  annually  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  tons  of  hay.  During  war  time  he 
kept  three  hundred  sheep,  and  forty  or  fifty 
head  of  cattle.  Like  his  father,  he  was  a 
strong  Democrat ;  but  he  was  no  office-seeker. 
He  was  married  on  December  31,  1838.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  active  and  de\dted  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church,  and  gave  it  gen- 
erous financial  support.  The  latter,  who  was 
born  on  August  21,  1818,  died  in  1868.  She 
was  the  mother  of  four  children,  namely: 
John  W.  ;  Woodford,  who  was  born  on  January 
2,  1842;  George  K. ,  who  was  born  on  June  9, 
1846;  and  Ugden,  who  was  born  on  June  13, 
1849.  George  IC. ,  who  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  is  one  of  the 
largest  land-owners  here.  He  is  an  influential 
man,    a  political    leader,    and    has    twice    been 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


407 


Supervisor  of  the  town.  Oi^den  is  in  the 
nicLit  business  at  Gilijoa.  Woodford  is  the 
well   known   ex- Sheriff. 

John  Wesley  Gaylord  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools,  at  Chartlotteville  Hii;-h 
School  and  Ashland  Academy,  being  a  stu- 
dent in  the  last-named  institution  in  1S60, 
when  it  was  burned.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  a  farm  of  his  own,  where  he  lived 
for  ten  years.  He  then  came  back  to  take 
charge  of  the  homestead  farm.  Here  he  now 
owns  some  five  hundred  acres.  He  was  for- 
merly engaged  to  some  extent  in  dairying  and 
in  growing  hay.  From  youth  also  he  has  been 
interested  in  buying  and  selling  cattle,  being 
an  expert  judge  of  stock.  In  1S68  he  went  on 
the  road  in  this  business,  but  after  some  years 
gave  it  up,  only  to  start  again  in  1S80  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  George.  The  latter  re- 
tired from  the  partnership  in  1891,  and  Mr. 
J.  W.  Gaylord  has  since  continued  alone.  In 
his  early  life  he  taught  school  for  a  time,  but 
finally  decided  that  business  was  much  more 
congenial  to  him.  As  a  cattle  dealer,  he  has 
travelled  into  Canada  and  throughout  this 
State,  principally  in  Dutchess,  Columbia, 
Green,  Schoharie,  Otsego,  Montgomery,  Jef- 
ferson, and  Delaware  Counties.  He  also  went 
into  Connecticut  on  some  of  his  trips.  He 
was  usually  absent  from  home  three  or  four 
weeks  at  a  time.  Like  his  fatber,  he  is  noted 
among  all  who  know  him  for  his  genial  hospi- 
tality. He  is  popular  in  his  own  town;  and  it 
is  said  that,  if  he  takes  a  subscription  paper 
among  the  people  for  any  purpose  whatever,  he 
is  sure  to  fill   it  with  names.      No  family  in 


the  community  has  done  more  for  the  church 
of  the  town  than  the  Gaylord  family.  Mr. 
John  \V.  Gaylord  in  this  respect  has  not  been 
behind  his  father  and  grandfather  in  generosity 
and  in  the  support  of  every  good  movement. 
In   politics   he   is   a   Democrat. 

At  twent_\-three  Mr.  Gaylord  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mar)-  K.  Porter,  daughter  of 
a  Scotch  family.  Mrs.  Gaylord  died  on  De- 
cember 17,  1S97,  having  been  the  mother  of 
three  children.  Of  these,  John  H.  died  in  in- 
fancy; and  George  Porter  died  on  December 
14,  1 889,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  P'annie 
M.,  the  only  daughter,  resides  with  her  father. 
She  attended  the  Albany  Normal  School,  and 
subsequently  taught  school  until  her  marriage 
with  Coral  E.  Rictchmyer.  She  has  one 
child,  Mabel  G.  George  Porter  Gaylord  was 
a  young  man  of  great  promise.  In  his  youth 
he  attended  a  select  school  in  Broome  Centre, 
and  then  took  a  course  in  the  Albany  Busi- 
ness College.  He  was  nearly  qualified  to  take 
his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  New  York  when  he  be- 
came ill.  He  was  naturally  a  devoted  .student, 
and  his  close  confinement  to  his  books  had  un- 
dermined his  health.  He  was  a  Mason  of  Gil- 
boa  Lodge,  and  remarkably  well  informed  on 
Masonic  history  for  one  of  his  age. 


w. 


GARDINER  COFFIN,  cashier  of 
he  Catskill  National  Bank  of  Cats- 
kill  and  Supervisor  of  the  town  of 
Catskill,  is  a  native  of  this  village,  and 
was     born    on    August    10,   1S59,  his    parents 


4o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


being  Uriah  H.  and  Klizabetli  J.  (Surllcot) 
Coffin. 

The  family  of  which  he  is  a  representative 
has  existed  for  many  generations  in  England. 
Tristram  Coffin,  the  founder  of  the  American 
branch,  was  the  son  of  Peter  and  Joan  (Them- 
ber  or  Thumber)  Coffin,  of  Bri.vton,  Devon- 
shire, and  a  grandson  of  Nicholas  Coffin  of 
that  place,  who  died  in  1613.  Tristram 
Coffin,  born  probably  at  Hri.xton,  about  1605, 
married  Dionis  Stevens.  Ho  came  to  New 
England  with  his  widowed  mother  and  his 
family  in  1642.  After  residing  successively 
in  Haverhill,  Newbury,  and  Salisbury,  he 
finally,  about  i66o,  settled  at  Nantucket, 
where  he  died  in  1681,  and  where  some  of  his 
descendants  live  at  this  day.  Mr.  Coffin  has 
in  his  possession  a  copy  of  the  commission, 
dated  June  29,  1671,  granted  by  Francis 
Lovelace,  Governor  of  New  York,  to  Tristram 
Coffin  to  be  chief  magistrate  over  the  islands 
of  Nantucket  and  Tuckernuck. 

.Mr.  Coffin's  grandfather,  IV-ter  G.  Coffin, 
was  born  in  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  on  July  30,  1794. 
For  many  years  he  owned  and  ran  boats  be- 
tween Catskill  and  Albany.  He  died  on  De- 
cember 5,  1858.  He  was  three  times  mar- 
ried. His  second  wife,  the  grandmother  of 
P.  Gardiner  Coffin,  was  before  her  marriage 
Lucy  O.  Green.  .She  was  born  in  Athens, 
N.Y.,  on  November  i,  1793,  and  died  there 
on  February  7,  1834,  having  been  the  mother 
of  only  one  child,  Uriah  H.  Both  she  and 
her  husband  were  Episcopalians. 

Uriah  H.  Coffin  was  born  on  May  30,  1831. 
He  was  brought  up  in  Athens,  Greene  County, 


N.Y.,  removed  to  Catskill,  and  engaged 
in  grocery  business  there.  He  was  captain 
for  a  time  of  the  "P.  G.  Coffin"  that  ran  be- 
tween Albany  and  Catskill,  and  later  he  ran 
on  the  boats  plying  between  New  York  and 
Catskill.  After  being  engaged  in  the  boating 
business  for  some  years,  he  removed  to  White- 
hall, N.Y.  He  enlisted  during  the  Civil 
War,  was  commissionetl  as  Captain  of  a  com- 
pany in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regi- 
ment, and  remainetl  in  the  service  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  being  Quartermaster  of  the 
regiment,  on  the  staff  of  Colonel  George  H. 
Sharp.  Some  time  after  being  mustered  out, 
he  received  an  appointment  in  the  post-office 
in  New  York  City,  and  is  now  in  charge  of 
the  record  department  of  the  registration 
office.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  His 
first  wife,  the  mother  of  P.  Gardiner  Coffin, 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  having  borne 
him  three  children.  Of  these  the  living  are: 
Charles  G..  who  is  in  the  insurance  business 
in  this  town;  and  P.  Gardiner.  The  second 
wife  was  before  her  marriage  Emma  Johnson. 
She  was  l)orn  in  Whitehall,  N.Y.  She  is  the 
mother  of  two  sons  now  living  —  Arthur  and 
Robert  Coffin. 

P.  Gardiner  Coffin  lost  his  mother  when  he 
was  an  infant.  He  was  born  and  brought  up 
in  Catskill,  ant!  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
village  all  his  life.  In  1S76  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  Postmaster  of  the  town;  and,  after 
filling  that  office  in  a  most  creditable  manner 
for  si.\  years,  he  entered  the  Catskill  National 
Bank  as  a  general  clerk.  In  a  short  time  he 
was    aj)pointed    teller,    in    1889  he  was  made 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


409 


assistant  cashier,  and  in  1896  was  promoted  to 
his  present  position  of  cashier,  being  also  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors.  This  bank 
was  organized  in  1S12,  and  is  one  of  the  old- 
est banks,  not  only  in  the  State,  but  in  the 
United  States,  and  has  a  proud  history.  A 
sketch  of  Mr.  CoiTfin  appears  on  page  5S-,  and 
his  portrait  on  page  191,  of  the  work  recently 
issued,  entitled  "Prominent  Bankers  of 
America." 

From  1S85  to  1891  Mr.  Coffin  was  inter- 
ested with  his  brother  in  conducting  a  large 
general  insurance  business.  In  18SS  he 
helped  to  organize  the  Catskill  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  and  he  has  since  been  its 
treasurer  and  one  of  its  directors.  For  twelve 
years  he  was  treasurer  of  Catskill  village.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  elected 
Supervisor  of  the  town  in  1896,  and  again  in 
1898  to  serve  one  year;  but  by  a  change  in 
the  law  he  will  continue  in  office  until  1900. 
In  1898  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  board. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  leading  member  of 
the  Republican  county  committee,  and  he  was 
its  chairman  for  a  year.  His  activity  in  pro- 
moting the  best  interests  of  the  village  has 
been  unceasing,  and  his  townsmen  award  him 
due  credit  for  his  disinterested  efforts.  He 
is  well  known  in  both  town  and  county,  and 
highly  respected. 

Mr.  Coffin  was  married  on  November  9, 
1S87,  to  Ida  Brown,  who  was  born  in  Peta- 
luma,  Cal.  Her  father.  Captain  John  Brown, 
formerly  interested  in  the  boating  business  on 
the  Hudson  and  a  resident  of  Catskill,  now 
resides   in  California.       He   removed    to  that 


State  in  1S49,  and  was  for  many  years  with 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  as 
master  mariner  in  their  steamboat  service  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Oakland.  He  has 
now  retired  from  business.  Mrs.  Coffin  fre- 
quently visits  her  family  in  California.  She 
has  made  the  overland  journey  eight  times, 
Mr.  Coffin  accompanying  her  once.  In  1883 
she  and  her  mother  were  in  the  railway  dis- 
aster at  Tehachepi,  Southern  California,  where 
eleven  out  of  twenty-three  persons  in  one  car 
were  killed.  In  this  accident  Mrs.  Coffin 
sustained  injuries  which  kept  her  in  the  hos- 
pital for  several  months,  and  the  injuries  of 
her  mother  were  of  such  a  serious  character 
that  she  never  fully  recovered  from  their 
effects.  Mrs.  Brown  is  now  deceased.  She 
was  a  woman  of  unusual  literary  attainments, 
anci  was  the  author  of  a  work  on  botany.  It 
was  through  her  efforts  that  the  library  in 
Alameda,  Cal.,  was  established.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Helen  Walter.  She  was  born  in 
Catskill,  daughter  of  William  Walter,  for 
many  years  a  leading  merchant  here.  F'or  a 
time  she  lived  in  the  family  of  Captain  Hugh 
Taylor.  Mrs.  Coffin  is  the  only  daughter  in 
a  family  of  four  children.  Her  eldest  brother 
Thomas  is  manager  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  at  Reno,  Nev.  William  Brown, 
second  brother,  is  travelling  freight  and  pas- 
senger agent  of  the  Great  Northern  Railroad 
Company  of  California.  George  W.  Brown, 
another  brother,  is  in  the  Wells  &  Fargo  E.\- 
press  Company 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coffin  have   three   children  — 
Charles  G.,  Robert  E.,  and  Helen   M.      Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Coffin  is  a  member  of  Catskill  Lodge  of 
Masons,  and  chairman  of  Finance  Committee. 
He  has  held  mcmlKTshi])  in  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed cliurch  for  many  y.'ars. 


RANKLIN  CLAITI-IR,  the  \vell-kn.,wn 
:hant  of  Mackey's  ("urneis,  (iilho;!, 
N.  V. ,  is  a  native  of  this  town.  lie  was  horn 
on  May  4,  iSr");,,  and  is  the  only  son  cjI'  I'hiliii 
and  Hetsy  (Robinson)  Clapper.  The  family 
is  known  to  be  of  German  descent,  and  it  is 
believed  that  Mr.  Clapper's  ,i,q-eat-,^'reat --rand- 
father  was  its  first  rei)rescntati\c    in    /Xnierica. 

His  f,aeat-f;randfather,  Henry  1'.  Clapper, 
came  to  Gilboa  from  Coeymans,  this  .State, 
about  I  Si  5,  and  settled  in  the  north  part  of 
the  town,  then  in  Uroome.  He  took  up  a  tract 
of  about  a  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  wild  land, 
and  built  first  a  log  cabin  and  later  a  frame 
house.  He  felled  the  first  trees,  and  did  all 
the  clearing;.  'I'liis  farm  is  still  owned  b)'  one 
of  the  family,  a  .i;i-andson  (if  the  |iioneer. 
Henry  1".  Clajiper  died  on  the  farm  in  1849, 
at  the  age  of  eighty.  His  wife,  whom  he  had 
married  in  Coeymans,  dieil  some  \ears  before 
he  did.  They  had  three  sons  —  .Sylvester, 
Silas,  and  (;eor,i;e;  and  four  daughters  — 
Sarah,  re-.-y,  I'olly,  and  Harriet.  Geor-e 
resided  at  tlie  homestead.  Silas  settled  in 
another   part  of  the  town. 

-Sylvester  Clapper,  j^randfalher  of  h'ranklin, 
was  born  in  Coe\mans  in  1802,  and  died  in 
Sejitember,  1.SS4.  He  came  to  (iilboa  with 
his  parents  when  about  thirteen  years  of  age, 
and  in  time  settled  upon  a  portion  of  the  home- 


stead farm,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.      He  acquired  some  two  hundred  acres 

of  land.  In  religion  he  was  a  liiptist  of  the 
old  schnnl.  I'iditically,  he  was  a  strong  Dem- 
ocrat, and  a  leadei"  in  his  party  in  this  vicin- 
ity, though  he  never  sought  office  for  himself. 
As  a  business  man,  he  was  shrewd  and  far-see- 
ing. His  judgment  was  much  deferred  to  by 
his  fellow-citizens.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Louisa  R\der,  was  born  in  1807, 
anti  died  in  1891.  Her  ancestors  were  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  came  here  from  Columbia 
Count).  Tile  cliildren  of  .Silvester  Clapper 
were:  I'hilip,  Henry,  John,  and  George  M. 
John,  who  remained  on  the  homestead  farm, 
died  in  1885.  George  M  went  to  Michigan 
in  1883.  Henr\'  H.  is  a  \er\-  prosperous 
farmer  in  Albany  County.  He  is  married, 
and  has  four  children.  Syhx-ster  Clapper  was 
interested  in  the  turnjiike  road  between  North 
Hlenheim  and  Potter's  Hollow,  and  together 
with  Mr.  Tibbits  was  instrumental  in  securing 
the  legislation  under  which  it  was  Iniilt. 

Philip  Clapper,  abo\c  named,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools,  and  subsequently  taught 
school  for  a  number  of  terms.  He  has  contin- 
ued to  be  a  student  thidughout  his  life,  and 
has  been  much  lookeil  to  hy  his  neighbors  and 
acquaintances  for  information  on  doiditful 
points  under  discussion.  In  jiolitics  he  is  a 
Democrat.  His  first  farm  consisted  of  one 
hundred  acres,  all  tillable  land.  Later  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  homestead  jiroperty, 
where  he  has  resided  since  1863,  in  his  active 
}ears  ilexnting  his  energies  to  general  farming, 
giving    special     attention     to    dairying.      His 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Betsy  Robinson, 
is  the  daughter  of  John  D.  Robinson,  whose 
ancestors  were  of  Scotch-Englisli  descent,  emi- 
grants from  Connecticut.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Philip  Clapper  have  one  son,  Franklin,  whose 
personal  history  is  given  below,  and  a  daugh- 
ter Emmaline,  who  was  married  in  December, 
1894,  to  Edgar  Hulbert,  of  North  Blenheim. 

Franklin  Clapper  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  in  a  select  school,  receiving 
more  than  ordinarily  good  advantages.  Then 
for  some  time  he  taught  school  during  the  win- 
ter terms  in  the  towns  of  Gilboa,  Blenheim, 
Breakabeen,  and  Fulton,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing during  the  summers.  As  a  teacher  he  met 
with  great  success,  and  in  Breakabeen  he  had 
a  school  of  seventy  pupils.  Deciding  to  go 
into  mercantile  business,  he  bought  out  his 
present  stand  in  March,  1892,  and  since  then 
has  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  building 
up  a  trade.  Although  he  had  no  previous  ex- 
perience as  a  tradesman  to  guide  him,  he  has 
prospered  even  beyond  his  expectations.  He 
carries  at  the  present  time  thrice  the  stock 
that  he  carried  at  the  outset,  having  enlarged 
his  line  of  drugs,  groceries,  dry  goods,  hard- 
ware, and  farm  tools.  He  sends  goods  over 
a  radius  of  four  or  five  miles. 

Since  1893  Mr.  Clapper  has  been  the  vil- 
lage Postmaster.  His  management  having 
proved  satisfactory  to  both  parties,  no  candi- 
date has  been  put  forth  to  oppose  him.  He  is 
also  serving  on  his  third  term  as  Notary  Pub- 
lic. Mr.  Clapper  has  often  been  delegate  to 
both  local  and  county  conventions.  Repeat- 
edly importuned   to   accept   the  nomination  for 


public  ofifice,  he  has  declined,  though  he  never 
loses  an  opportunity  to  work  fur  the  good  of 
his  party  and  of  the  community.  He  was  in- 
strumental in  the  construction  of  a  telephone 
line  to  ]\Iackey's  Curners,  thereby  giving  to 
the  citizens  of  that  little  hamlet  direct  and 
rapid  communication  with  the  count}-  seat  and 
other  parts  of  the  county.  He  is  a  Mason  of 
Gilboa  Lodge,  No.  630,  vi  which  he  has  been 
Junior  Deacon,  and  is  warmly  interested  in 
the  ancient  craft.  When  he  joined  in  1SS7, 
he  was  the  youngest  man  in  the  lodge. 

Mr.  Clapper  was  married  on  April  21,  1897, 
to  Harriet  E.  Wykoff,  who  is  the  eldest  of  the 
five  children  of  George  'SI.  Wykoff.  Mrs. 
Clapper  was  a  successful  student  in  the  One- 
onta  Normal  School,  and  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage she  taught  school.  Mr.  Clapper  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  choir  for  five  or 
six  years,  and  at  the  present  time  his  wife  is 
also  a  member.  Both  are  popular  in  social 
circles,  and  have  every  outlook  for  a  prosper- 
ous future. 


lONVAS  E.  MARKHAM,  of  Fulton, 
teacher  and  farmer,  well  known  in 
Schoharie  County  as  Professor 
Markham,  was  born  in  this  town,  August  10, 
1843,  son  of  Alden,  Jr.,  ar,d  Catherine  (Cook) 
Markham.  Through  his  father  he  traces  his 
ancestry  (by  what  line  we  have  not  been  in- 
formed) to  John  Alden  of  the  "Mayflower" 
company  of  Pilgrims  who  settled  at  Plymouth. 
Professor  Markham's  paternal  grandparents, 
Alden    Markham,    Sr. ,     and    Elizabeth    Pease 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


Markham,  were  born,  bred,  ami  niarrietl  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut.  Soon  after  their  mar- 
riage tliey  migrated  westward  to  Otsego 
County,  New  York,  where,  in  the  town  of 
Worcester,  the  grandfather  took  up  a  tract  of 
forest -covered  land,  from  which  he  cleared  the 
timber  and  improved  a  homestead.  He  became 
actively  identified  with  the  interests  of  the 
town,  and,  while  establishing,'  a  home  for  him- 
self and  family,  also  assisted  in  (levelopiiiL^  the 
resources  of  that  section  of  the  State.  He  was 
among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  eommunity, 
and  for  many  years  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  lived  there  until  well  advancetl  in 
years,  and  then  went  to  Massachusetts,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  His  wife, 
who  bore  him  seven  children,  also  lived  to  a 
ripe  old  age.  Hoth  were  Ba]Hists  in  their  re- 
ligious beliefs. 

Alden  Markham,  Jr.,  was  born  and  educated 
in  Otsego  County  ;  and,  having  been  reared  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  he  followed  farmini,'  for 
some  year.s.  He  also  taught  during  the  winter 
terms  in  Otsego  County  for  a  while,  and  later 
on  for  a  few  terms  in  Richmnndvillc,  .Scho- 
harie County.  In  1S38,  or  .soon  after,  he  ac- 
ce])ted  a  position  in  the  public  schools  fif  Ful- 
ton; and,  being  pleased  with  this  locality,  he 
subsequently  invested  his  money  here  in  a 
farm,  and  resumed  life  as  an  agriculturist.  A 
few  years  afterward  he  removed  to  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  vears.  llis 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine  I  J. 
Cook,  was  born  in  the  western  part  of  l'"ulton, 
being  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Cook,  an   exten- 


sive farmer,  who  spent  his  life  of  threescore 
and  ten  years  in  this  town.  Mrs.  Markham 
died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-nine  years,  hav 
ing  borne  her  husband  five  children.      Four  of 

this  family  are  now  living,  namely:  Convas 
li.  ;  Asher;  Luther  ().,  who  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  has  been  Superintendent  of  Schools  at 
Haverstraw,  New  York.  ;  and  PZlizabeth,  wife 
of  E.  \V.  Haverly.  Hoth  parents  were  persons 
of  eminent  |)iety,  and  active  members  of  the 
HaiJtist  cluirch. 

Comas  1^.  Markham  began  teaching  in  the 
district  schools  when  but  si.xteen  years  old. 
He  afterward  took  a  full  course  of  study  at 
the  Schoharie  Academy,  and  still  further  fitted 
himself  for  a  teacher  by  attending  the  Albany 
Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1869.  He  has  since  taught  in  various 
towns,  including  I-'ultoii,  where  he  commenced 
his  career,  Galluinille,  in  whose  schools  he 
was  emiilo)ed  twelve  consecutive  years,  and 
l^sperance.  He  also  taught  several  years  in 
Piermont  and  Haverstraw,  Rockland  County. 
.Since  his  marriage  he  has  resided  on  his  farm 
of  one  hundred  acres  in  l'"nlton,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  professional  laixus  in  this  vicinity, 
has  been  prosperously  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  dairying.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
best  known  teachers  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Markham  married  Carrie  I^ouden,  of 
I'^ulton,  a  graduate  of  the  Normal  School,  and 
for  some  years  prior  to  her  marriage  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools.  She  was  born  in  Ful- 
ton, being  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Louden,  of 
whom  a  hinnraphical  sketcli  a])|)ears  elsewhere 
in  this  \olume. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


413 


RANK  H.  FRANCE,  a  native  of  Sew- 
ard, now  residint;"  in  the  village  of 
Cobleskill,  was  born  on  March  31,  1S59,  son  of 
Gilbert  G.  and  Angeline  (Ottman)  France. 
He  is  a  great-grandson  of  Sebastian  Frantz, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Schoharie  County. 

Sebastian  Frantz  came  from  Germany  in 
1752,  shortly  after  his  marriage  with  y\nna 
Fritz.  He  was  born  in  Wi.irtemberg,  in  the 
year  1732,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  the  same 
place  in  the  year  following.  They  were  Luth- 
erans, and,  with  three  others  of  that  persua- 
sion, left  their  native  land  in  order  to  secure 
greater  freedom  of  worship.  The  little  party 
landed  in  New  York  in  November,  1753. 
Sebastian  was  sent  ahead  to  prospect  for  a 
place  in  which  to  settle,  and  he  eventually 
chose  a  location  in  this  county  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Seward. 

He  was  a  man  of  deep  piety  and  great  relig- 
ious zeal,  and  his  unflinching  boldness  in  de- 
fence of  his  faith  has  borne  fruit  in  the  lives 
of  his  descendants.  He  brought  with  him 
from  the  Fatherland  his  German  family  Bible, 
the  first  Bible  ever  brought  into  the  town  of 
Seward,  and  this  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  heirs  of  his  grandson,  the  late  Gilbert  G. 
France.  Seven  tedious  years  were  sjient  in 
clearing  the  land  and  making  it  capable  of  pro 
ducing  harvests,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time 
the  desire  of  the  immigrant's  heart  was  ful- 
filled in  the  erection,  at  what  was  called  New 
Rhinebeck,  of  a  Lutheran  church.  The  struc- 
ture was  a  frame  building,  and  was  the  second 
house  of  worship  reared  in  the  town.  The 
society  was  presided   over  by   the    Rev.    Peter 


Nicholas  Sommer,  a  travelling  Lutheran 
preacher,  wlio  preached  also  to  the  Methodist 
congregation  in  the  other  church,  which  was 
located  at  Seward  Centre. 

The  children  of  Sebastian  Frantz  numbered 
twelve,  and  were  named  as  follows:  Anna, 
Ernest  Christopher,  Eva,  Elizabeth,  Jacob, 
Margaretta,  John,  Catherine,  Henry,  Lena, 
Lawrence,  and  David.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution,  the  two  elder  sons,  Christopher  and 
Jacob,  enlisted  as  soldiers,  and  were  quartered 
with  their  company  in  the  Schoharie  Valley. 
On  October  18,  while  Sebastian  was  away 
from  home  doing  government  service,  his  home 
was  entered  by  an  Indian  chief  who  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  British;  two  of  the  sons,  John 
and  Henry,  were  taken  captive;  and  the  barns 
and  out-buildings  were  burned.  Thus  in  a 
moment  were  destroyed  the  results  of  years  of 
earnest  toil. 

Mrs.  Anna  Frantz,  with  her  ten  remaining 
children  fled  to  Gravel  Mountain,  where  she 
secreted  herself  for  three  da3-s,  not  daring  to 
make  a  fire  for  fear  that  her  hiding  place  might 
be  revealed.  John,  one  of  the  captured  sons, 
was  scalped  and  murdered,  but  Henry  fortu- 
nately escaped.  On  the  same  da}',  the  young 
woman  who  was  to  ha\'e  been  the  bride  of 
Christopher  in  two  weeks,  was  murdered.  A 
pair  of  silver  shoe  buckles,  her  wedding  gift 
from  her  lover,  is  still  in  the  possession  of  her 
family.  After  the  war  Sebastian  Frantz  re- 
paired and  re-established  his  home,  and  subse- 
quently remained  there  until  his  death  in 
1S05.  His  wife  survived  him  ele\en  }ears. 
Both    were   buried   on   the    home  farm,    but    in 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


1891  the  remains  were  disinterred  l)y  Gilbert 
G.  France  and  were  removed  to  tiie  Zion  Rural 
Cemetery  at  Seward  Centre. 

The  descendants  of  this  worthy  pair  ndw  con- 
stitute a  considerable  jiortinn  of  tlie  jiopiila- 
tioi)  of  Schoharie,  and  incnihers  of  the  fourth 
and  fifth  generations  have  become  residents  in 
other  parts  of  the  State.  Ikni)  I'rantz,  who 
escaped  from  the  Indians,  spent  ills  early  life 
on  the  homestead,  and  later  1k)u;;1u  a  farm  near 
by,  where  he  lived  until  iiis  death,  at  the  a-e 
of  eighty-eij;ht.  He  was  a  most  active  Chris- 
tian, aiul  both  he  and  his  .i;o()(l  wife  were  iiicni- 
bers  of  the  Methodist  church.  llcr  maiden 
name  was  Maria  Horn.  .She  was  boin  in  Al 
bany,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Horn,  a  promi- 
nent clothier  of  tiiat  place.  .She  hatl  one 
sister,    Margaret,    who   married    David    Frantz. 

Of  the  fifteen  children  of  Henry  I'rantz, 
fourteen  grew  to  maturity,  antl  thirteen  were 
married  and  had  children.  There  were  eleven 
sons,  and  of  tiicse  seven  became  class  leaders 
in  the  Methodist  chuich,  and  of  the  seven  two 
became  preachers,  (lilbert  G.  !•" ranee  was  the 
latest  survivor  of  this  large  famil)-.  He  had 
at  one  time  a  hundred  cousins,  but  all,  with 
one  e.xception,  are  now  deceased. 

Gilbert  G.  I'rance  was  jj.irn  on  the  home- 
stead on  December  25,  1816,  the  youngest 
child  of  his  parents.  He  remained  at  home 
until  the  age  of  seventeen,  attending  school 
and  assisting  on  the  farm.  Then  lie  learned 
the  trade  of  tanner  and  currier.  Suiisequently 
he  went  witii  ills  wife  and  chiUhen  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  in  comiian\-  with  three  others  took  uji 
some  government  land,  and  founded  and  named 


the  town  of  Sharon.  His  title  deed  to  this, 
signed  by  President  I'idk,  is  still  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  family.  After  remaining  there 
for  seven  years,  he  returned  Fast  and  traded 
his  land  for  a  farm  in  Richmondville,  where  he 
lived  for  five  years.  In  1S56  he  came  to  his 
f.irm  in  .Svward,  and  fidm  tliat  time  devoted 
himself  to  gcner.d  farming,  hop-raising,  and 
dairying.  He  had  at  one  [leriod  a  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  but  later  he  cultivated  about  si.\ty 
acres,  iiaving  also  some  outlying  lands.  He 
[  i)uilt  the  farm  buiUlings,  as  well  as  another 
house  and  a  store  in  tiie  town,  and  several 
dwelling-houses.  During  the  last  forty  years 
of  his  life  he  was  a  leatlcr  in  every  advanced 
movement.  He  was  one  of  the  earlv  ])ro- 
moters  of  the  railroad  wliich  runs  to  Cherry 
Valley,  twenty-five  miles  from  Cobleskill,  be- 
ginning to  agitate  the  subject  in  1S67  in  com- 
pany with  Judge  Campbell  and  Judge  Bates. 
Vpou  being  a])pointed  one  of  the  commis- 
sioiK-rs,  along  with  .\l)raham  Sternberg  and 
Leonard  W'iland,  he  was  alile  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  bonding  the  town  for  twenty-five 
thousand  dollar.s.  He  was  Railroad  Commis- 
sioner for  fifteen  years. 

Giliiert  Ci.  h'rance  was  married  in  1840,  his 
wife  being  the  daughter  of  Christian  Ottman, 
and  a  native  of  tiiis  regi.in.  She  died  al  the 
age  of  sixty-two,  iiaving  been  the  mother  of 
se\en  children.  Of  these,  si.\  are  living; 
namely,  Augusta,  Anna,  Helen,  Millard  I'il- 
more,  Ichi,  and  I'rank  H.  .Augusta  married 
Peter  Haines,  a  farmer  in  liie  valley,  and  has 
one  child,  Vergil  by  name.  Anna,  who  mar- 
ried Ilannuil  Strail,  has  t wo  ciiildren  —  Cirace 


BIOGRArillCAL    KKVIKW 


and  Gilbert.  Helen  married  David  Berger, 
who  was  killed  by  a  stroke  of  lightning-.  She 
has  two  ehildren— Ina  and  Arthur.  Millard 
F.,  who  alwaxs  resided  with  his  father,  mar- 
ried Mary  Brown,  and  has  one  child,  Leland. 
Ida  is  the  wife  of  David  Emerick,  a  travelling 
salesman  in  Western  New  York,  and  is  the 
mother  of  two  children  —  Hertha  and  Grace. 

Gilbert  tj.  France  was  actively  interested  in 
politics  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  and  served  as 
Collector  and  as  Overseer  of  the  Poor.  So  far 
as  possible  he  refused  public  offices.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Grange,  and  was 
one  of  its  lecturers.  He  was  ardentl\-  in  favor 
of  prohibition,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  State 
convention  at  Syracuse  for  the  Prohibition 
part}-.  On  the  occasion  of  the  centennial 
celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  town,  he 
was  the  president  of  the  day,  and  had  full 
charge  of  affairs.  For  fifty-eight  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  fifty-six  years  a  church  officer.  Thirt}'- 
three  years  he  was  a  class  leader,  and  twenty 
years  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 
The  beautiful  grove  fitted  up  b}-  him  is  largely 
used  for  Sunday-school  gatherings.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  April  5, 
1S9S,  he  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  charge, 
which  includes  Hyndsville,  Seward  Valle}-,  and 
Seward  Centre,  and  was  probably  the  oldest 
church   official    in   the   State. 

P"rank  H.  France  is  by  trade  a  carpenter  and 
cabinet-maker.  Since  the  death  of  his  father 
he  has  purchased  village  property  in  Coble- 
skill,  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  charge 
of  his  father's  farm,  and    is   doing  a  prosperous 


business.  He  married  Carrie  M.  Ireland, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Ireland,  of  Albany,  and 
she  has  borne  him  four  children,  as  fcdlows: 
Lulu  A.,  Gilbert  D.,  Daniel  D. ,  and  Mel- 
ville  D. 


DGAR  JACKSON,*  attorney  and  coun- 
sellor at  law,  North  Blenheim, 
Schoharie  County,  N.  V. ,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Gilboa,  this  county,  August  28,  1853,  a 
son  of  John  I.  Jackson.  His  grandfather, 
David  Jackson,  was  an  early  settler  of  Gilboa, 
where  he  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  for 
many  years  was  one  of  its  most  successful 
farmers  and  the  Justice  of  the  Peace.  To  him 
and  his  wife,  Peggy,  three  children  were  born. 
John  I.  Jackson,  who  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm,  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools,  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in 
his  early  manhood,  and  after  marriage  pur- 
chased a  farm  not  far  froni  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent post-office  in  Mackey.  Taking  up  the 
study  of  law,  he  pursued  it  diligentlv,  and, 
after  his  admission  to  the  bar,  in  1S55,  prac- 
tised his  profession  in  Gilboa  for  nearly  forty 
years,  and  achieved  considerable  fanie  as  a 
lawyer  of  sound  judgment  and  superior  ki-iowl- 
edge.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  prom- 
inent in  town  matters,  and  served  as  Super- 
visor. He  married  Mary  A.  Moore,  a  native 
of  Gilboa.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Moore,  who  came  of  pioneer  stock.  She  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  March  31,  1S79, 
leaving  six  children,  namely:  Rhoda,  de- 
ceased;  William    M.,    a   farmer   in    Iowa;    Lu- 


4«6 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


cinda,  deceased;  Oscar  D.,  a  farmer;  Edgar, 
the  special  subject  of  this  biography';  and 
Luther.  Hoth  parents  were  members  of  the 
Haptist  church;  and  the  father  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  Gilboa  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  died  on  October  23,  1893,  at  the  age  of 
fourscore  years. 

Eldgar  Jack.son  acquired  the  iiulinicnts  of  liis 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Gilboa,  and 
afterward  continued  his  studies  at  the  Dela- 
ware Literary  Institute.  He  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  mechanical  pursuits  for  a  while,  and 
then  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  law, 
which  he  pursued  to  such  good  purpose  that  in 
1886  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  differ- 
ent courts  by  Judson  S.  Lawdon  and  Augustus 
Hakes,  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Albany. 
The  following  two  years  he  practised  with  his 
father  in  Gilboa,  whence,  in  188S,  he  came  to 
N'orth  Hlenheini,  where  he  has  built  up  a  large 
and  lucrative  general  practice,  being  emplo\ed 
in  the  Justice,  Surrogate,  County,  and  Su- 
I)renie  Courts.  In  1894  he  built  his  present 
commodious  office,  which  is  centrally  located. 
While  living  in  Gilboa  he  served  as  Justice  of 
the  I'eace  some  years  and  as  T(nvn  Trustee. 
Since  coming  here  he  has  been  Commissioner 
of  Highways.  Politically,  Mr.  Jackson  is  a 
straightforward  Republican;  and,  fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  Gilboa  Lodge,  V.  &  A.    M. 

Mr.  Jackson  married  in  1S73.  His  wife's 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  .Sally  K. 
James,  is  still  living,  and  has  two  children: 
Mrs.  Jackson;  and  Orville  A.,  of  Chenango 
County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  have  one 
child,   II.   Warren.      Mr.  Jack.son  is   a   memi)er 


of  the  Haptist  church,  while  Mrs.  Jackson  be- 
longs to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


§AMES  K.  ALVERSON,*  who  has  been 
identified  with  the  educational  interests 
of  Schoharie  County,  New  York,  as 
school  teacher  and  School  Commissioner  for 
the  ])ast  three  decades,  resides  in  Middleburg, 
where  he  built  his  present  residence  in  1883. 
He  was  born  February  21,  1845,  in  Kerne,  Al- 
bany County,  a  son  of  Leonard  Alverson.  His 
grandfather,  Isaac  Alverson,  formerly  a  black- 
smith in  tlie  city  of  Albany,  was  killed  in  one 
of  the  battles  of  the  War  of  1812,  while  in  the 
prime  of  manhood. 

Leonard  Alverson  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Duanesbiirg,  N.  V.  He  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade,  which  he  subsequently  followetl 
in  Heme,  not  far  from  Hunter's  Land.  In 
Heme  he  afterward  settled  on  a  farm,  and  also 
carried  cjn  a  grocer)-  store  and  conducted  a 
iiotel,  being  very  popular  as  a  landlord.  In 
politics  he  was  a  sound  Democrat.  He  served 
as  Assessor  of  Hcrne  and  as  Supervisor,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  Deacon  of  the 
Christian  church.  He  subsequently  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Hunter's  Land,  on  wiiicii  he 
engaged  in  agricultural  jnirsuits  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  si.xtyfive  years.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Cutter,  or,  as  she  was  familiarly 
known  in  her  girlhood,  Hetsey  Wilbur,  who 
was  bom  in  Duane.sburg,  a  daughter  of  Esquire 
WillMir.  Her  father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer 
and  an  expert  fo.\  iumter.  He  reared  four 
chiiihvn,  namelv:   Sarah,   wife  of  .Seth  Owens; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


417 


William    B.  ;     Elizabeth,    Mrs.    Alverson,    de- 
ceased ;  and  Joseph  W. 

James  K.  Alverson  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  district  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  old,  and  then  began  earning  his  own  liv- 
ing by  working  out  by  the  month,  being  thus 
employed  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  enlisted 
in  Company  M,  Seventh  New  York  Artil- 
lery, with  which  he  served  eighteen  months. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Anna  River,  and  Cold  Harbor,  where 
he  was  twice  wounded  by  minie-balls,  once 
in  the  right  forearm  and  once  in  the  left 
thigh.  He  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  from 
which  he  was  discharged  as  a  private  at  the 
end  of  eight  months.  Returning  home,  he 
commenced  his  career  as  a  teacher,  being 
employed  in  1865  and  1866  in  Berne.  After- 
ward he  was  principal  of  schools  in  the 
village  of  Schoharie,  in  Middleburg,  and 
Wright,  and  in  other  places  in  Schoharie  and 
Albany  Counties,  for  a  continuous  period  of 
twenty  years.  In  18SS  Mr.  Alverson  was 
elected  School  Commissioner  of  the  F"irst  Dis- 
trict of  Schoharie  County  for  a  term  of  three 
years,  and  in  1894  was  again  elected  to  the 
same  responsible  position,  and  served  until 
1897.  As  School  Commissioner  he  had  to 
examine  the  one  hundred  and  twelve  teachers 
employed  in  the  ninety-eight  schools  under  his 
immediate  supervision,  and  personally  visit 
each  school  in  the  eight  towns  composing  his 
district.  Since  the  expiration  of  his  last  term 
in  this  capacity,  he  has  resumed  his  former 
occupation  as  a  teacher,  and  is  now  one  of   the 


oldest  instructors  in  this  part  of  the  county  and 
one  of  the  most  successful.  He  was  formerly 
a  member  of  the  Schoharie  County  Teachers' 
Association,  and  while  a  Commissioner  of  the 
First  District  he  built  many  new  school- 
houses.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  w^as 
twice  elected  Collector  of  the  town  of  Berne. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Moses 
Tompkins  Post,  No.  149,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  Ofificer  of  the  Day  and  been 
Commander,  and  belongs  also  to  the  Middle- 
burg Lodge,  Le  Bastelle,  L  O.  O.  F.,  in  which 
he  has  passed  all  the  chairs,  and  is  now  Past 
Noble  Grand.  He  and  his  family  attend  the 
Lutheran  church. 

In  1S76  Mr.  Alverson  married  Miss  Rhoda 
Shoemaker,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Phebe 
(Layman)  Shoemaker.  Her  parents  spent 
their  later  years  of  life  in  Middleburg,  where 
her  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
tive  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alverson  have  three 
children;  namely,  Leonard  A.,  W.  Layman, 
and  Otis  Ray. 


,HARLES  E.  BARRUP,*  Postmaster 
of  Esperance,  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y. , 
was  born  August  12,  1855,  in  Car- 
lisle, this  county.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1S12,  and  was  at- 
tached to  the  staff  of  General  Jackson. 

Charles  E.  Barrup  received  his  education  in 
the  district  schools,  which  he  attended  until 
reaching  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when  he 
found  employment  and  became  self-supporting. 
In    18S4    he  opened   a   harness    shop    in    Espe- 


BIOGRArillCAL    RKVIKW 


ranee,  and  he  has  since  cuiuliicted  tlie  l)iisiiiess 
very  successfully  up  to  tiie  present  time.  Mr. 
Karrup  has  taken  a  pniminent  part  in  trnvn 
affairs.  He  has  twice  heen  elected  Town 
Clerk,  and  he  lias  been  a  nienihei-  of  the 
County  Coniniittee.  lie  is  an  active  Denio- 
cratic  worker,  and  has  dune  nuich  to  advance 
the  cause  of  his  iiarty  Incally.  He  is  a  nieni- 
her  of  Schciharie  l.od.L^e,   !•.  &  A.   i\I. 

In  1S79  Mr,  ]5arrup  was  united  in  marria-e 
with  Miss  Sarah  Heed,  dau-hter  ui  Henry 
Keed,  nl  I'sperance.  Mr.  Harrup's  mother  is 
a  descendant  of  the  family  of  Shafers  that 
figured  lart;cly  in  the  earlier  history  of  Scho- 
harie County.  Her  grandfather  and  her  great- 
grandfather were  prominent  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Lutheran  church  of  Cobleskill, 
which  some  six  jears  ago  celehiated  its  cen- 
tennial. 

§.\MHS  L.  UTTKR,*  the  leading  farmer 
of  Oak  Hill,  Durham,  and  owner,  on  a 
large  .scale,  ..f  Western  real  estate,  was 
born  at  Oak  Hill,  on  the  spot  where  he  now 
resides,  on  May  20,  1S46,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Mary  A.  (Xiles)  Utter.  The  farm  of  which 
he  is  now  the  owner  has  been  in  his  family  for 
three  generations,  his  great-grandfather,  James 
Utter,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  having  settled 
here  when  the  country  around  was  a  wilderness. 
He  came  here  with  his  wife  and  son  James 
from  Saybrook,  Conn.,  in  the  spring  of  i7S;i, 
and  built  a  log  cabin.  Some  years  Liter, 
after  he  hail  cleared  some  lan.l,  he  built  a 
fram,'  house,   which    stood    until    1S94,  when  il 


The  second  James  Utter  was  horn  in  .Say- 
brook, Conn.,  and  came  here  with  his  mother 
on  horseback.  He  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm,  and  in  li^oG  he  built  a  house  for  himself 
where  his  grandson's  house  is  now  standing. 
He  kejit  increasing  his  farm  by  buying  adjoin- 
ing land,  and  became  a  very  prosperous  man. 
In  January,  1S37,  when  he  was  only  fiftv-si.\- 
years  old,  he  slipped  on  the  ice  and  broke  his 
hij),  and  liii  the  19th  of  the  month  dieil  from 
the  effects.  His  wife,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried on  November  26,  1805,  bore  him  si.\ 
children,  none  of  whom  are  now  living.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  I'ost.  .She  was  a 
l'resh\terian,  and  her  husband  was  a  I!a])tist. 

Isaac  Utter,  above  named,  son  of  James, 
second,  and  IClizabeth,  was  born  on  Deceiuber 
19,  iSoS,  anil  died  on  his  si.xty-fourlh  birth- 
day. He  ahva\s  lived  on  the  homestead,  with 
the  exception  of  four  years  which  he  spent 
elsewhere.  He  was  interested  in  real  estate 
in  the  West,  jiarticularlv  in  Wisconsin,  where 
he  owned  considerable  land  and  held  farms  on 
mortgages.      Politically,  he   was  a  Republican. 

He  was  a  liberal  cinitribiilor  to  the  Meth- 
odi.st  church,  of  which  both  he  and  his  wife 
were   members;   and  for  nian\'  years  he  was  one 

inent  [lart    in    public   affaiis    in    the    town,  and 

incorporation.  His  wife,  who  was  one  of  a 
family  of  ten  children,  was  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Niles,  wh..  moved  to  Oak  Hill  when  .she 
was  a  young  giil,  and  spent  the  remaindi.'r  ol 
his  life  here.  Mr.s.  Utter  resides  with  her  .son 
James,   who  is  her  only  child. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


419 


Mr.  James  Utter's  house,  which  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  count\',  was  built  by  his 
father  and  himself  and  under  their  daii}' 
supervision.  It  was  built  entirely  by  the  day, 
and  is  of  the  best  possible  workmanship.  The 
son  furnished  the  plans  and  gave  suggestions 
for  interior  decorating  and  finishing.  The 
decorations  were  made  from  exclusive  designs, 
and  are  really  works  of  art.  There  are  twentv 
large  and  fully  furnished  rooms,  some  of  them 
measuring  fourteen  by  fifteen  feet. 

Mr.  Utter  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  Greenville  Academy,  and  a  select 
school  in  Durham.  After  his  father's  death 
he  then  became  proprietor  of  the  homestead 
estate,  which  consisted  of  a  hundred  and  ten 
acres.  Since  then  he  has  bought  some  forty 
acres  adjoining  and  eighty  more  on  the  moun- 
tain. He  keeps  seven  horses  and  twenty-three 
head  of  cattle  of  Jersey  stock,  and  makes  butter 
for  the  New  York  markets.  He  cuts  a  large 
amount  of  ha_\-,  the  annual  crop  sometimes 
reaching  eighty  tons;  and,  though  he  has  built 
two  new  barns  recently,  he  is  still  often 
obliged  to  stack  some  of  it  out  of  doors.  He 
keeps  two  men  employed  the  year  through. 
Mr.  Utter  is  a  proficient  carpenter  himself, 
and  has  built  a  number  of  the  buildings  on  his 
place,  though  others  he  hired  built.  His 
tenant  house,  near  his  own  residence,  is  an 
example  of  his  own  workmanship. 

In  1883  Mr.  Utter  went  into  the  enterprise 
of  buying  land  in  the  ^^'est,  and  he  has 
continued  to  buy  until  he  now  has  about  seven 
thousand  acres  there.  Of  this  he  tills  some 
si.\-  hundred  acres,  raising  large  crops   of  corn, 


wheat,  and  oats.  In  looking  after  his  inter- 
ests he  has  made  many  trips  West,  [jarticu- 
larly  to  Dakota  and  Michigan,  where  his  land 
is  situated.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  in  the 
North  American   Loan   and   Trust    Company  of 

I  New  York  City,  which  has  a  paid-up  capital 
of  over  half  a  million  and  a  surplus  fund  of  a 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

j  Mr.  L'tter  married  in  1871  Dora  Kelsev, 
only  child  of  Hiram  Kelsey,  a  leading  farmer 
of  Albany  County.  Although  he  is  an  ardent 
Republican  and  takes  active  part  in  all  politi- 
cal matters,  attending  State  and  county  con- 
ventions as  delegate,  he  refuses  to  accept  pub- 
lic ofiRce.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  while  Mrs.  Utter  is  a  Baptist.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  a  church  trustee. 
Mr.  Utter  is  a  hard  worker,  and  everything 
about  his  place  is  kept  in  the  best  of  repair. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the 
county. 


M'' 


iXRY  C.  GLTTER,*of  Middleburg, 
N.  Y.,  one  of  the  leading  ]aw\-ers  of 
Schoharie  Coimt\',  was  born  on 
June  16,  1857.  His  father,  David  Getter, 
was  born  in  Schoharie.  His  grandfather 
Getter,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  came  to 
this  country  when  a  boy,  and  settled  at  Central 
Bridge,  Schoharie.  He  was  an  expert  handi- 
craftsman, and  followed  the  trades  of  gunsmith 
and  clock-maker.  A  large  number  of  clocks 
made  by  him  are  still  in  running  order.  He 
lived  to  be  ninet_\"-eight  xears  of  age,  and  his 
mental    faculties    were    well    preserved    to    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


last.  His  wife  attained  the  aj^e  of  ninety- 
three. 

David  Getter  grew  to  manhood  at  Central 
Bridge,  where  he  was  born,  and  in  his  youth 
learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith.  Coming  to 
Middleburg  when  he  was  of  age,  he  set  up  his 
forge,  and,  starting  in  business  for  himself, 
continued  actively  engaged  over  fifty  years. 
For  a  long  period  his  was  the  only  smithy  in 
the  town.  He  was  an  abolitionist  and  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  His  vote  was  the  only 
one  cast  for  Fremont  in  his  district,  and  four 
years  later  he  was  one  of  three  tn  vdte  fur 
Abraham  Lincoln.  A  reader  and  a  thinker, 
he  was  highly  respected  as  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity  and  sound  judgment,  as  well  as  of 
strong  convictions  and  more  than  average  self- 
reliance.  In  religion  he  was  a  devoted  Meth- 
odist, for  twenty  years  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school  and  for  thirty-five  years  class 
leader.  His  house  was  a  home  for  Methodist 
ministers  who  came  that  way,  and  many  a 
weary  circuit  rider  there  found  shelter  and  re- 
freshment. David  (letter  married  Harriet 
Kfner,  daughter  of  Harvey  Efner,  formerly  of 
Palmer,  Monroe  C(Huity.  She  is  still  living, 
being  now  past  eighty  years  of  age.  Her 
father  lived  to  the  age  of  ninet\-three  years, 
and  was  then  ne.xt  to  the  oldest  Free  Mason  in 
the  State.  Mrs.  Getter  has  three  children 
now  living;  namely,  Harvey,  Jerome,  and 
Henry  C.  Two  —  Charles  and  Madison  —  are 
deceased. 

Henry  C.  Getter  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  and  at  a  private 
school  taught  by  Professor  James  Edmondson, 


now  principal  of  a  college  in  Missouri.  He 
studied  law  with  Messrs.  Sandford  &  Thorn, 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  then  went  to  Kal- 
amazoo, Mich.,  and  was  there  for  a  time  with 
Hriggs  &  Burroughs.  Returning  East,  he 
formed  in  1883  a  partnership  with  William  H. 
Fngle,  whicli  still  continues,  this  law  firm 
being  now  the  oldest  in  the  county  and  Mr. 
Engle  the  oldest  lawyer  in  the  State.  Besides 
doing  a  large  amount  of  office  work,  they  have 
an  extensive  [iractice  in  the  \'arious  courts  of 
the  State,   including  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

Mr.  (letter  married  Mary  E. ,  daughter  of 
Albert  Sawyer  and  grand-daughter  of  Dr. 
Moses  Sawyer,  formerly  of  Fulton.  Her 
father  was  a  farmer  in  Fulton.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  thirt\ -seven,  leaving  two  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Getter  have  one  child,  Jennie 
F.,  who  is  now  in  the  high  school.  Mr. 
Getter  resided  in  Fulton  up  to  1S97,  when  he 
removed  to  Middleburg. 

Mr.  Getter  is  a  Republican  in  pcditics.  He 
has  been  candidate  for  District  Attorney,  for 
C(junty  Judge,  and  for  Supervisor,  and  has  as- 
sisted to  reduce  the  Democratic  majority  in 
the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
of  Middleburg.  Mrs.  Getter  attends  the  Meth- 
odist ciiurch,  and  he  contributes  to  its  support. 


w 


BREWSTER,  M.D.,*  of  North 
Blenheim,  N.  Y. ,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, Albany  County,  January  8,  1863,  son  of 
William  J.  and  Margaret  (Ramsey)  Brewster. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  traces  his  ancestry,  we 
are  told,    to   Elder  William   Brewster,   of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


"Mayflower"  and  Plymouth  Colony.  His 
grandfather,  who  was  born  in  1795,  and  died 
in  1S41,  operated  a  carding-mill  in  Schoharie 
County.  His  grandmother  Brewster's  maiden 
name  was  Silence  Gallup. 

William  J.  Brewster,  the  Doctor's  father, 
was  born  in  Albany  County,  in  February, 
1S39.  His  education  was  completed  at  Scho- 
harie Academy;  and  he  taught  school  for  a 
number  of  years  in  Schoharie  County,  where 
he  also  engaged  in  farming.  His  wife,  Mar- 
garet, was  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  farmer 
and  leading  public  official  of  Gilboa,  who  was 
of  Scotch  descent.  Dr.  Brewster's  parents 
were  members  of  the  Reformed  Church  of 
Gallupville,  and  his  father  took  much  interest 
in  church  matters.      He  died  April  13,   18S3. 

W.  J.  Brewster  obtained  his  elementary  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools,  pursued  more 
advanced  studies  at  Schoharie  Academy,  and 
then  by  teaching  school  earned  money  enough 
to  enable  him  to  take  the  course  at  the  Normal 
School,  where  he  was  graduated.  His  medical 
studies  were  begun  under  a  private  instructor, 
and  continued  at  the  University  Medical  Col- 
lege and  at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College. 
He  took  special  courses  in  the  laboratory,  and 
a  very  thorough  course  in  surgery.  He  was 
graduated  a  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1890,  and 
then  went  to  North  Stratford,  Coos  County, 
N.  H.,  where  he  was  in  practice  till  his  health 
failed.  After  a  season  of  rest  and  recupera- 
tion he  came  in  1897  to  North  Blenheim, 
where  he  is  now  settled.  He  is  a  well-edu- 
cated physician,  and  has  a  good  country  jjrac- 
tice.      While    in    New    Hampshire    he    was  a 


specialist  in  orthopedic  surgery,  in  which  he 
has  done  some  remarkable  work.  He  was  a 
Health  Officer  in  New  Hampshire,  and  served 
also  as  County  Coroner.  He  was  a  member 
of  Coos  County  (New  Hampshire)  Medical  So- 
ciety, being  later  a  member  of  the  Schoharie 
County  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  Scho- 
harie Valley  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.  491. 
He  has  written  valuable  papers  for  various 
medical  journals.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

Dr.  Brewster  married  Emily  E.  Earle,  of 
Valleyfield,  Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  and 
has  one  child. 


§AMES  FROST,*  formerly  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Mariahville,  in  the  town  of 
Duanesburg,  N.Y.,  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington County,  this  State,  August  4,  1783, 
son  of  Lot  and  Temperance  (Semen)  Frost. 
He  was  a  descendant  in  the  fifth  generation  of 
William  Frost,  first,  a  native  of  Hampshire, 
England,  and  a  Quaker,  who  came  to  America 
and  settled  in  Boston,  but  on  account  of  the 
religious  intolerance  of  that  time  was  obliged 
to  seek  a  home  eLsewhere,  and  accordingly  re- 
moved to  Long  Island.  He  married  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Wright.  William  Frost, 
second,  the  next  in  line  of  descent,  who  was 
boin  on  Long  Island  about  the  year  1647,  and 
resided  there  until  his  death,  married  Hannah 
Trior. 

Benjamin  Frost,  son  of  William,  second, 
and  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  June  9,   1719,  and  spent  the  greater 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


jKirt  of  Ills  active  life  in  Dutchess  CniiiUy, 
New  \'iirk.  lie  married  Rose  Spriii.i^er. 
Their  son  Lot,  father  of  James,  was  born  in 
Dutchess  County,  March  i,  1744.  He  was  a 
resident  for  some  years  of  Washington  County, 
whence  he  moved  to  L)uaneslnirg,  taking  up  his 
residence  on  (Juaker  Street,  a  locality  settled 
by  the  Frienils'  Society  at  an  early  date,  and 
which  is  still  known  1)\  that  name.  His  wife, 
Temperance,  was  born  on  August  30,    1744- 

James  ]'"rost  accompanied  his  parents  from 
Washington  County  to  Duanesbiug.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  education,  and  taught  school  in 
his  younger  days,  but  relinquished  that  occu- 
])ation  to  become  a  surveyor,  in  which  capacity 
he  performed  much  work  of  an  important  char- 
acter. He  projected  and  completed  a  plank 
road  from  Albany  to  Fort  Hunter,  and  drafted 
one  of  the  earlier  maps  of  Schenectady  County. 
In  1833-34  he  surveyed  the  new  line  between 
Canada  and  New  York  State,  as  well  as  the 
greater  part  of  Clinton,  I'lsse.x,  and  Franklin 
Counties,  then  a  wilderness.  With  his  associ- 
ates he  camped  out  for  weeks  and  months  at  a 
time.  At  night  the  widves  howled  around 
them,  and  were  kcj)!  at  bay  only  by  fires. 
That  .section  of  the  State,  the  .\dirondack 
region,  is  now  a  famous  place  of  resort  in  sum- 
mer. In  [819  he  began  a  survey  of  the  east 
shore  of  the  Hudson  River,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Surveyor  General,  traversing  the  river  by 
sloop  and  making  numerous  .soundings.  He 
also  surveyed  the  ground  for  the  second  rail- 
road built  in  the  L'nited  States,  that  between 
Albany  and  Schenectady,  and  surveyed  and 
made  maps  of   all  old  Schoharie,  besides  other 


territory.  In  1S35  hcsur\e_\ed  lands  in  blliza- 
bethl(.wn  (now  Flli/.abeth  City),  N.J.,  belong- 
ing to  Messrs.  Conner,  Bryant  &  Crane  of  that 
place,  and  Clark  and  (jthers  of  New  \'<nk,  and 
made  maps  of  the  city.  Subsequently,  remov- 
ing from  (Juaker  Street,  to  the  northerly  part 
of  the  town  of  Duanesbiug,  about  two  miles 
west  of  Mariahville,  he  engaged  in  farming, 
and  also  conducted  a  general  store.  Possess- 
ing an  muisual  anioimt  of  energy  and  ability, 
which  made  him  especiall)'  eligible  to  the  pub- 
lic service,  he  took  a  leading  part  in  town 
affairs,  was  particidarly  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters,  acted  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  man\-  years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  As- 
sembly three  terms.  Politically,  he  was  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Whig  jwrt)-.  Though 
reared  a  Quaker,  he  was  liberal  in  his  relig- 
ious opinions,  and  in  his  later  )ears  favored 
the  Universalist  belief.  He  died  at  his  home 
in  Mariahville,  December  23,  1851,  and  his 
death  was  the  cause  of  general  regret. 

James  F'ro.st  married  Mary  Marsh,  who  was 
born  in  Canaan,  Conn.,  October  24,  1787, 
daughter  of  Silas  Marsh.  .She  was  a  good  bus- 
iness woman,  and  rendered  valuable  assistance 
to  her  husband  liy  carrying  on  the  store  while 
he  was  absent  on  surveying  trips.  She  became 
the  mother  of  ten  children  —  five  sons  and  five 
daughters  —  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and 
two  aie  living,  namely:  (General  D.  M.  Frost, 
a  graduate  of  the  Ignited  States  Military  Acad- 
emy at  West  Point,  and  now  a  prominent  resi- 
dent of  .St.  Louis,  :\Io.  ;  and  Miss  M.  Louise 
Frost.  (ieneral  Frost  had  a  large  family  of 
girls,    three   uf    whuni    married    Fnglish    noble- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


423 


men.  One  of  them  is  now  living  in  Paris. 
The  others  are  in  England.  Miss  M.  Louise 
Frost,  who  is  a  lady  of  superior  attainments, 
resides  at  the  homestead  during  summer,  and 
passes  her  winters  in  the  South.  The  other 
children  of  James  and  Mary  (Marsh)  Frost 
were:  Caroline,  Adelia  D.,  Silas  W.,  Ro- 
sanna,  James,  William  M. ,  John  S.,  and 
Phoebe  A.  The  mother  died  August  iS,  1864. 
The  sons  nearly  all  studied  and  followed  engi- 
neering. John  S. ,  who  was  a  lawyer,  died  in 
1857. 


§OHN  H.  PUTNAM,  who  carries  on 
farming  and  market  gardening  in  Nis- 
kayuna,  was  born  in  this  town,  June  15, 
1 8 16.  His  parents,  Harmon  and  Margaret 
(Wheaton)  Putnam,  were  natives  of  this 
county.  His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Put- 
nam, was  an  early  settler  here  and  a  noted 
hunter  in  his  day.  He  afterward  resided  in 
various  places,  and  died  in  Greene,  Chenango 
County,  at  an  advanced  age. 

Harmon  Putnam,  the  father,  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade  during  his  active  period. 
He  was  married  in  Niskayuna,  which  was 
thenceforward  his  place  of  residence.  He 
was  a  reliable  workman,  and  as  an  honest,  in- 
dustrious citizen  he  stood  high  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  entire  community.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  Margaret  Wheaton 
Putnam,  his  wife,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  children, 
of  whom  John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  first-born,  and  is  the  only  one  living. 


Reuben  and  Jacob   died   young,  and   the   other 
died  in  infancy. 

John  H.  Putnam  was  educated  in  the  town 
schools  of  Niskayuna.  At  an  early  age  he 
began  work  as  an  assistant  on  the  farm  he  now 
occupies,  which  was  then  owned  by  one  John 
Clark,  and  he  afterward  worked  for  other 
farmers  in  the  neighborhood.  When  seven- 
teen years  old  he  began  an  apprenticeship  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  which  was  his  occupa- 
tion for  thirty  years,  or  until  1S64.  In  1876 
he  bought  his  present  farm  of  seventy  acres, 
which  he  has  greatly  improved,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  general  farming. 

On  p-ebruary  28,  1S39,  Mr.  Putnam  was 
joined  in  marriage  with  Mary  Ann  Van 
Vranken,  of  Niskayuna,  daughter  of  Jacob 
Van  Vranken  and  a  representative  of  an  old 
family  of  this  town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Putnam 
have  one  son  living,  Jacob,  who  was  born 
January  i,  1846,  and  is  engaged  in  farming 
with  his  father.  He  married  Gertrude  Mc- 
Chessen,  and  has  four  children — John,  Mar- 
garet A.,  Julia,  and  Lena. 

Since  the  breaking  out  of  the  Southern  re- 
bellion in  April,  1861,  Mr.  Putnam  has  voted 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  has  served 
with  ability  as  Supervisor  and  Town  Clerk, 
each  two  terms.  He  was  Highway  Commis- 
sioner five  years,  and  has  been  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  is  a  Master  Mason  and  one  of 
the  oldest  members  of  St.  George  Lodge, 
No.  6,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Schenectady,  having 
joined  the  order  in  1855.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Put- 
nam are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


AUISON  YOUNG.*  for  a  number 
II  of  years  a  prominent  figure  in  the 
public  affairs  of  Carlisle,  Scho- 
harie County,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  this  town, 
September  20,  1846,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Lana  (Van  Vaulkenburgh)  Young.  His  great- 
grandfather was  Peter  Young,  a  German,  who 
came  here  from  Hudson,  N.Y. ,  as  a  pioneer, 
and  acquired  possession  of  two  separate  tracts 
of  land,  the  whole  amounting  to  three  hundred 
and  ten  acres.  His  log  cabin  stood  about 
twenty-live  roils  west  of  the  Rock  School- 
house.  He  was  a  successful  farmer,  and  his 
property,  which  was  unencumbered  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  divided  among  his  children. 

Matthias  Young,  Madison  Young's  grand- 
father, whose  birth  took  place  January  20, 
1763,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Car- 
lisle. Receiving  a  share  of  his  father's  prop- 
erty, he  erected  a  frame  house,  and  carried  on 
general  farming  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred May  21,  1822.  He  was  actively  inter- 
ested in  political  and  religious  affairs,  held 
some  of  the  important  town  offices,  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed church.  He  married  Helena  Patria, 
who  was  of  German  descent,  and  she  died 
March  14,  1824.  They  were  the  parents  of 
five  children;  namely,  Solomon,  Benjamin, 
Richard,  Margaret,  and  Lana.  The  great- 
grandfather served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  the  grandfather  in  that  of  181 2. 

Benjamin  Young,  Madison  Young's  father, 
was  born  October  20,  1800.  He  succeeded  to 
the  possession  of  about  eighty  acres  of  his 
father's  property  when  a  young  man,  and  cul- 


tivated his  farm  energetically  for  the  rest  of 
his  life.  He  died  in  October,  i86g.  He  was 
the  father  of  six  children:  Helena,  wife  of  J. 
Rose;  Margaret,  wife  of  Demosthenes  Young; 
Sarah  M.,  who  married  Adam  Cole;  Eva  A., 
widow  of  Abraham  Burnstein;  Madison,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Frances  M.,  wife 
of  E.  C.  Grantier. 

Madison  Young  acquired  a  district-school 
education,  and  his  aptitutle  for  learning 
enabled  him  to  attain  unusual  proficiency  in 
his  studies.  He  assisted  in  carrying  on  the 
home  farm  until  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
when  he  turned  his  attention  to  educational 
work,  and  taught  school  with  marked  success 
during  the  following  eighteen  years,  with  the 
exception  of  one  term,  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  being  spent  in  this  and  the  adjacent 
localities.  For  the  first  term  of  teaching  he 
received  one  dollar  per  day,  after  that  two 
dollars  a  day,  very  few  then  receiving  so  high  a 
salary.  Finally  becoming  tired  of  the  arduous 
as  well  as  monotonous  duties  of  a  pedagogue, 
he  resumed  farming  at  the  homestead,  which 
contains  about  eighty  acres  of  well-improved 
land;  and,  though  not  inclined  to  force  its 
yielding  power,  he  nevertheless  raises  excel- 
lent crops. 

As  one  of  the  foremost  leaders  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  in  this  section,  he  has  long 
maintained  a  wide  influence  in  public  affairs, 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  all  voters  irre- 
spective of  politics.  His  long  and  faithful 
service  to  the  county  was  characterized  by  a 
judicious  expenditure  of  public  funds  and  an 
earnest  desire  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


425 


the  people.  As  chairman  of  the  Committees 
on  Printing  and  on  Ratio  and  Apportionment 
during  his  two  years  as  Supervisor,  he  greatly 
reduced  the  expenses  of  these  departments, 
and  by  close  figuring  was  able  to  effect  con- 
siderable retrenchment  in  other  branches  of 
the  service. 

Mr.  Young  married  for  his  first  wife  Eliza- 
beth Brounnaghin  and  for  his  second  Nettie 
Hilsinger.  He  has  no  children.  In  his  re- 
liarious  views  he  is  liberal. 


W: 


,LIAM  H.  NEVILLE,*  a  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  Middleburg, 
N.  Y. ,  and  a  man  of  varied  business  interests, 
was  born  in  the  house  which  is  now  his  home 
on  August  6,  1S67,  son  of  Jacob  and  Jane  E. 
(Shafer)  Neville.  His  grandfather,  William 
Neville,  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Sharon,  and 
died  there  at  an  advanced  age,  leaving  a  large 
family. 

Jacob  Neville,  one  of  the  youngest  of  the 
children  of  William,  was  born  in  Sharon  on 
August  21,  1S27,  and  died  in  Middleburg  in 
1891.  He  was  for  many  years  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  growth  of  this  town,  and  was  one 
of  the  leaders  in  every  worthy  enterprise  started 
here.  His  boyhood  days  were  passed  on  the 
farm  in  Sharon,  and  early  in  life  he  assisted 
in  the  family  support.  His  career  in  mercan- 
tile affairs  began  at  the  time  he  went  into  a 
store  in  Sharon  Hill  as  clerk.  At  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  he  came  to  Middleburg  and 
entered  the  general  merchandise  store  of  the 
old  firm  of  Becker  &   Beckman,      So  valuable 


did  he  make  himself  in  the  conduct  of  the  busi- 
ness that  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Beckman 
he  became  a  iiartner  in  the  concern,  which 
thereupon  assumed  the  name  of  Becker,  Neville 
&  Co.  They  were  the  leading  merchants  of 
the  town,  and  had  a  large  trade  in  all  the  sur- 
rounding countr)'.  In  time  Mr.  Becker  sold 
his  interest  in  the  business  to  Mr.  Hoag,  and 
the  firm  name  became  Neville  &  Hoag.  Later 
Mr.  Hoag  sold  out  to  !\Ir.  J.  L.  Engel,  and 
still  later  a  brother  of  the  latter,  Mr.  A.  B. 
Engel,  was  admitted  to  partnership.  The 
business  was  then  continued  up  to  18S9  under 
the  name  of  Neville,  Engel  &  Co.  Upon  Mr. 
Neville's  retirement  in  1889,  the  firm  became 
Engel  Brothers,  and  as  such  has  continued  in 
business  to  the  present  time. 

Among  the  various  enterprises  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  which  Jacob  Neville  was  an  im- 
portant factor  may  be  mentioned  the  follow- 
ing: the  Middleburg  &  Schoharie  Railroad; 
the  First  National  Bank  and  later  the  bank 
building;  and  the  Union  school-house  build- 
ing, which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county. 
He  was  a  large  stockholder  in  the  railroad 
organization,  and  was  a  director  and  the  vice- 
president  until  his  death.  He  was  also  a  di- 
rector in  the  bank  as  long  as  he  lived.  Politi- 
cally, he  was  a  Democrat,  and  frequent  appeals 
were  made  to  him  to  accept  public  office. 
From  1885  to  1S89,  under  Mr.  Cleveland's 
administration,  he  was  Postmaster  of  Middle- 
burg; and,  had  not  his  death  prevented,  his 
friends  would  undoubtedly  have  elected  him  to 
the  Assembly  for  the  session  of  1892-93.  He 
was  for  many  years  an   Elder  in  the  Lutheran 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


church,    and     ^LUcmusly    assisted    the    church 
l)(itli  !))•  linancial  and  by  mural  support. 

His  marriage  occurred  in  Jainiar\-,  1S64. 
His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Maria  (Gridley)  Shafer,  and  grand-daughter  of 
Joseph  Gridley,  who  was  one  of  Washington's 
body-guard.  William  Shafer  was  born  in 
Hlcnhcim,  and  was  a  lifelong  resident  there. 
He  owned  a  nundx-r  of  dwelling-houses  and 
farms,  and  dealt  ([uite  extensively  in  real  es- 
tate, besides  carrying  on  general  farming.  As 
a  business  man  he  was  very  successful.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  His  wife,  who 
tlied  at  the  age  of  si.xty-four,  was  a  native  of 
Middlcburg.  Of  the  four  children  born  to 
them  three  are  living,  namely:  iMis.  Neville, 
who  resides  with  her  son  on  the  farm  settled 
by  her  ancestors;  Margaret,  who  is  the  wife  of 
George  Brockway,  of  Chicago;  and  Nancy. 
The  last  named  married  A.  J.  l--reneyer,  of 
Albany,  who  for  many  years  managed  the 
Freneyer  House  in  Middleburg. 

William  H.  Neville  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Middleburg  and  at 
Albany  Academy.  Leaving  the  latter  after 
four  years  of  study  there,  he  entered  the  po.st- 
office,  his  father  then  being  Postmaster,  and 
for  the  succeeding  four  years  he  had  practical 
charge  of  the  office.  Upon  the  expiration  of 
his  father's  term  he  went  into  the  store  as 
clerk,  and  afterward  he  went  to  Albany  as 
clerk  in  the  insurance  office  of  W.  C.  Rose. 
.Still  later  he  became  interested  in  the  ]?ran- 
dow  Printing  Company,  of  Albany,  but  when 
the  plant  was  burned  he  returned  to  Middle- 
burg,   where    he    took    charge    of    his    father's 


affairs  until  the  death  of  the  latter.  Shortly 
after  this  event  the  son  bought  the  Middleburg 

Gazelle,  of  which  he  continued  to  be  the  pro- 
prietor for  three  years.  .Since  selling  out  in 
1895,  he  has  occupied  himself  with  looking 
after  his  own  and  his  mother's  real  estate  in- 
terests, and  in  doing  some  general  farming  and 
hop-raising.  As  he  has  a  large  real  estate 
pro|)crty,  including  a  lunnber  of  farms,  he  has 
little  chance  to  be  idle.  He  also  retains  an 
interest  in  the  Hrandow  Printing  Company, 
which  has  been  reorganized  since  the  fire. 
Besides  this  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Middle- 
burg &  Schoharie  Railroad,  in  the  projected 
road  to  Catskill,  and  in  the  National  Bank. 
He  is  a  director  in  the  Micklleburg  Telephone 
Company  and  treasurer  of  the  high  school. 
For  three  years  he  was  Village  Clerk,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  he  served  on  the  Board  of 
lulucation.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  for  two  years  was  a  member  t>f  the  county 
conunittee. 

Mr.  Neville  was  married  on  June  22,  1893, 
to  Maud  \\.  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  Gilboa. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Oscar  and  Agnes 
(Strickland)  Lewis.  Her  father  is  now  one  of 
the  most  prominent  stock  farmers  in  Cones- 
ville.  Mrs.  Neville's  two  brothers,  Messrs. 
F'rank  and  Ra)nionil  Lewis,  are  interested  in 
the  stock  farm  in  compan\'  with  their  father. 
Mrs.  Neville  graduateil  from  the  Normal 
School,  and  taught  before  her  marriage  in  the 
grammar  school  in  Middleburg.  Siie  is  the 
mother  of  one  son,  Donald.  Mrs.  Neville  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  her  hus- 
band   is  an   attendant  of   the   Sunday  services. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


427 


Mr.  Neville  belongs  to  the  Masonic  organiza- 
tions here;  to  La  Bastile  Lodge,  No.  494, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Encampment  No.  129;  also 
to  the  order  of  Red  Men.  He  has  been  Chief 
Patriarch  of  the  encampment  for  one  year. 


iHARLES  MANN,*  one  of  the  most 
able  and  progressive  agriculturists  of 
Schoharie  County,  owns  and  occu- 
pies a  well-appointed  farm  in  Fulton,  not  far 
from  the  village  of  Breakabeen.  He  was  born 
in  this  town,  November  2,  1S56.  He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Almon  Mann,  and  comes  of  hardy 
New  England  stock,  his  grandfather,  Thomas 
Mann,  having  been  born  and  bred  in  Vermont. 
From  his  hillside  home  in  the  Green  Moun- 
tains Thomas  removed  to  Albany  County,  New 
York,  while  yet  a  young  man,  and  in  the  newer 
country  cleared  and  partly  improved  a  farm. 
Coming  then  to  Schoharie  County  from  Berne, 
he  spent  his  remaining  days  in  I'ulton,  living 
until  eighty-six  years  old. 

Almon  Mann  was  born  in  Berne,  N.  Y.,  but 
removed  with  his  parents  to  I'^ilton  when  a 
boy,  and  was  there  reared  to  man's  estate. 
After  completing  his  education,  he  worked  as 
a  farm  laborer  luitil  ready  to  settle  in  life, 
when  he  bought  land,  which  he  cultivated 
some  years.  Prior  to  his  death,  however,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  he  removed  to  the 
village  of  Breakabeen.  A  consistent  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  held 
many  of  the  offices  in  that  organization,  and 
w-as  connected  with  its  Sunday-school.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Maria  Chapman, 


is  living  at  Breakabeen,  an  active  woman  of 
sixty-four  years.  She  was  born  in  h'ulton,  the 
daughter  of  Jacob  Chapman.  .She  is  a  sister 
of  William  W.  Chai)man,  whose  sketch  may 
be  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume.  She 
has  twelve  children,  as  follows:  Alice,  living 
in  Amsterdam;  Jacob  H.,  who  has  been  School 
Commissioner  of  Schoharie  nine  years;  Theron 
H.  ;  Charles;  Ro.se  E.  ;  Wellington;  Lilly; 
Irving;  Julia;  Hattie;  Josiah;  and  Manley  B. 
Charles  Mann  acquired  his  early  education 
in  Fulton  and  Middleburg.  After  leaving  the 
parental  roof  he  made  his  home  with  an  uncle, 
and  for  three  or  more  terms  taught  school,  a 
part  of  the  time  being  thus  employed  in  Rich- 
mondville.  On  marrying  he  bought  and  took 
possession  of  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  formerly  known  as  the  Burgh 
farm,  where  he  has  since  been  profitably  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  dairying.  In 
the  latter  industr\-  he  is  very  successful,  hav- 
ing a  well-selected  herd  of  Guernsey  and  Jersey 
cattle.  On  the  estate  he  has  made  improve- 
ments of  an  excellent  character,  having  brought 
the  larger  part  of  the  land  to  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  erected  nearly  all  the  buildings  on 
the  place,  and  furnished  it  with  the  latest  ap- 
proved modern  farm  machinery  and  imple- 
ments. He  has  built  a  silo,  which  he  con- 
siders a  good  investment  for  a  dairy  farmer, 
and  he  uses  a  separator  in  his  dairy.  Mr. 
Mann  reads  the  leading  journals  devoted  to 
agriculture,  and  he  is  himself  a  frequent  con- 
tributor to  the  home  and  agricultural  depart- 
ments of  various  papers,  including  the  New 
York   Honicstftui  i\n(\   the  Utica  P?css.      He  is 


428 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


an  active  member  of  the  New  Vork  State 
Grange,  in  which  he  has  served  as  lecturer 
several  terms.  In  July,  1898,  he  passed  the 
required  examinations  for  a  milk  expert  in 
Albany.  In  politics  he  is  an  unswervin-,^ 
Democrat,  and  has  been  nominated  as  Assessor. 
A  valued  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  of 
Breakabeen,  he  has  held  the  position  of  treas- 
urer and  secretary,  and  for  many  years  lias  been 
sujierintendcnt  of  the  .Sunday-sclioo]  connected 
with  it. 

In  1879  Mr  Mann  married  Miss  Bertha  Ter- 
pening,  who  was  burn  in  I'rincetown,  Schenec- 
tady County,  dauglitcr  of  Henry  H.  Terpening, 
a  farmer  of  that  town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mann 
have  four  children. 


TANTON  OSTEKHOUT,*  one  of 
the  stirring  farmers  (jf  Carlisle, 
Schoharie  County,  was  born  in  this 
town.  May  20,  1852,  .son  of  Jacob  and  Bet.sey 
E.  (Kniskern)  Osterhout.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Abraham  Osterhout,  a  native  of  Hol- 
land, immigrated  to  New  York  when  young, 
and  coming  from  Dutchess  County,  this  .State, 
to  West  Carlisle,  settled  upon  a  tract  of  land 
containing  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres. 
A  sturdy  [lioneer,  he  improved  his  land  into  a 
good  farm,  and  lie  took  an  acti\e  jiart  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Dutch  Reformcil  church  in  his 
neighborhood.  He  was  twice  married,  and  by 
both  of  his  wives  had  children.  Tlmse  of 
his  second  union  were:  Jacob  A.,  (ieorge, 
Chauncy,  Sarah,  and  Catherine.  George,  who 
was  quite  active   in    political    affairs,    dietl    in 


1862,  aged  forty-five  years.  Chauncy,  who 
was  engaged  in  business  in  Cobleskill,  died  in 
1872.  Sarah  is  the  widow  of  David  P.  Brown. 
Catherine,  who  married  J.  J.  Brown,  died  in 
1878. 

Jacob  A.  Osterhout,  .Stanton  Osterhout's 
father,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Carlisle. 
After  his  father's  death  he  and  one  of  his 
brothers  bought  the  homestead.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  farmers  in  the  town  to  engage  in 
the  raising  of  hops,  wiiich  he  produced  quite 
extensively,  and  he  also  made  a  specialty  of 
hay  and  grain.  He  owned  about  four  hundred 
acres  of  land.  He  was  jirominent  and  influen- 
tial in  town  and  count)-  politics,  took  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  various  conventions,  but 
would  not  accept  office.  His  religious  prefer- 
ence was  for  the  Dutch  Reformed  church.  He 
was  the  father  of  seven  children,  namely: 
Josiah ;  Stanton,  tiie  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Wilson;  Alfred;  Albert;  I^lmira;  and  Melissa. 
Josiah  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen;  Melissa 
married  Daniel  Miekle;  1-Llmira  married 
Aaron  Young;  Alfred  is  residing  at  the  home- 
stead; antl  the  others  are  engaged  in  farming 
in  this  town. 

.Stanton  Osterhout  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict school.  He  assisted  his  father  in  farm- 
ing until  after  his  marriage,  wiien  he  purchased 
the  property  known  as  the  Young  estate,  which 
was  formerly  owned  by  his  father.  This  farm, 
which  originally  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-five  acres,  he  has  enlarged  by  the  addition 
of  adjoining  land.  He  divides  his  time  between 
dairy  farming  and  the  cultivation  of  hojis. 
He    keeps  from    twent\-five    to  thirty   head    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Holstein  cattle,  besides  other  blooded  stock, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Holstein 
Association. 

He  has  served  as  Supervisor  for  at  least  two 
terms,  was  chairman  of  the  Committees  on 
Printing,  Town  Accounts,  and  Equalization, 
and  by  judicious  management  succeeded  in 
making  a  considerable  reduction  in  public  ex- 
penditures. He  has  served  as  Highway  Com- 
missioner one  year,  and  upon  the  Democratic 
County  Committee  several  terms.  He  was 
instrumental  in  establishing  the  Farmers'  In- 
surance Company  of  Seward,  Carlisle,  and 
Cobleskill  ;  was  one  of  the  organizers,  and  is 
director  and  treasurer,  of  the  Hop  Insurance 
Company;  is  local  agent  for  the  Sharon,  Car- 
lisle, and  Seward  Insurance  companies,  and  for 
the  hop  company. 

Mr.  Osterhout  married  Josephine  Hilsinger, 
daughter  of  William  Hilsinger.  They  have 
had  three  children  —  Orson,  Elva,  and  Emory. 
Elva  married  Homer  Karher.  Orson  died  July 
II,   1891,  aged  twenty  years  and  seven  months. 

Mr.  Osterhout  belongs  to  Cobleskill  Lodge, 
No.  394,  is  vice-president  of  the  local  agricult- 
ural society,  a  charter  member  of  the  grange, 
and  a  member  of  other  organizations.  He  at- 
tends the  Dutch  Reformed  church,  but  contrib- 
utes liberally  toward  the  support  of  other  relig- 
ious denominations. 


fOSEPH    B.     GRAHAM,*    e.x-Mayor   of 
Schenectady,      N.  Y. ,      was     born       in 
Rossie,    St.     Lawrence     County,    this 
State,   September  27,    1S30,    son   of    William 


and  Janet  (Fairbairn)  Graham.  His  father 
was  born  in  Wigton,  near  Carlisle,  England, 
June  6,  1S06,  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of 
Scotland. 

Joseph  Graham,  the  grandfather  of  Joseph 
B. ,  was  born  in  Wigton  about  the  year  1767. 
He  was  a  saddler  by  trade,  and  carried  on  busi- 
ness there  until  meeting  with  reverses.  In 
April,  1 8 19,  he  sailed  from  Liverpool  with 
his  wife  and  eleven  children,  landing  at  Que- 
bec in  the  following  June.  With  his  small 
means  he  purchased  a  tract  of  wild  land  in 
Wilna,  Jefferson  County,  X.Y.,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  his  five  sturdy  sons  he  cleared  a 
good  farm,  upon  which  he  resided  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  died  in  1841,  and  his  wife, 
who  survived  him,  died  in  Lowville,  N.  V., 
on  her  eightieth  birthday,  while  visiting  her 
daughter.  They  had  five  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters. One  of  the  latter,  who  was  taken  ill 
while  on  the  passage  from  England,  died  soon 
after  landing.  The  first  and  third  sons  set- 
tled near  St.  Catherine's,  Canada.  The 
others  located  in  this  State,  married,  and 
reared  laige  families.  All  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age,  and  Margaret,  the  youngest,  died 
in  Carthage,  N.Y. ,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
The  grandparents  were  members  of  the  Church 
of  England,  but,  through  the  influence  of  the 
itinerant  Methodist  preachers  who  visited 
the  outlying  districts  in  those  early  days, 
their  children  were  converted  to  that  faith. 

William  Graham,  the  father,  was  educated 
in  England,  and  was  an  apt  scholar,  especially 
in  mathematics.  When  nineteen  years  old  he 
began   teaching    school    in   the   Scotch   settle- 


430 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


nicnt  near  Wilna,  but  his  principal  business 
was  the  furnishing;  of  plans  and  specifications 
to  contractors  for  heavy  mason  work,  bridge 
building,  and  so  forth.  He  was  a  highly  in- 
telligent, well-read  man,  particularly  fond  of 
biography  and  history,  and  is  said  to  have 
predicted  that  slavery  in  the  South  would  ul- 
timately cause  a  civil  war.  He  died  No- 
vember 3,  185S.  Jeanettc,  his  first  wife, 
whom  he  married  in  1829,  was  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  (Hell)  Fairbairn,  who  came 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
in  i8i8,  and  settled  in  Rossie,  N.V.  They 
were  industrious  farming  people  and  sturdy 
pioneers.  They  reared  one  son  and  five 
daughters.  William  Graham  by  his  first  mar- 
riage was  the  father  of  eii^dit  children,  of 
whom  Joseph  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  eldest.  All  are  li\ing  e.xccpt  James, 
the  second-born,  who  died  suddenly  in  May, 
1S94,  aged  si.\ty-two  years,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren. The  mother  died  in  1S52,  agcil  forty- 
two  years.  15y  a  second  marriage  William 
Graham  had  three  daughters. 

Joseph  15.  Graham  resided  with  his  mater- 
nal grandparents  from  his  fifth  to  his  tenth 
year,  and,  as  they  spoke  the  .Scotch  dialect,  he 
learned  it  to  perfection.  He  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  antl  was  fitted 
for  college  at  the  Wesleyan  Seminary, 
Gouverneur,  N.V.  In  order  to  procure  funds 
for  the  completion  of  his  studies,  he  taught  in 
the  common  schools  until  1854,  wlien  he  en- 
tered Union  College,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  honors  in  1S58.  After  teaching  classics 
and   mathematics  at   the  Stillwater  Academy 


for  a  time,  he  came  to  Schenectady,  and  in 
company  with  Mr.  F.  A.  Young  was  engaged 
for  the  succeeding  eight  years  in  mercantile 
business,  dealing  in  books,  stationery,  wall 
papers,  pianofortes,  and  other  musical  instru- 
ments. Selling  his  interest  to  his  partner, 
he  was  out  of  business  for  about  six  years,  and 
then  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  trade  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  T.  H.  Reeves  &  Co.,  from 
vvhicli  lie  withdrew  some  seven  years  later. 
He  was  for  a  number  of  years  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business,  and,  al- 
though his  activity  in  that  line  has  somewhat 
diminished  of  late,  he  still  owns  a  large 
amount  of  valuable  city  property,  which  is  oc- 
cupied by  thirty  or  more  tenants.  He  resides 
in  a  substantial  house  at  6  Nott  Terrace, 
which  he  built  twenty-seven  years  ago. 

Mr.  Graham  is  a  director  of  the  Union  Na- 
tional Bank.  In  1879  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Mutual  Relief  Society,  under  certifi- 
cate No.  212;  he  was  a  memijer  of  its  Hoard 
of  Directors  for  six  years:  was  chairman  of 
the  Reserve  I-'und  Committee  and  of  the  com- 
mittee ap|)ointed  to  revise  the  by-laws;  and 
at  the  annual  convention  in  1SS3  he  was 
unanimously  elected  vice-president.  His 
connection  with  the  society  has  been  marked 
by  an  unusually  clear  concejition  of  and  a 
conscientious  regard  for  its  business  inter- 
ests, and  he  is  considered  one  of  its  most  val- 
ued officials.  He  was  twice  elected  to  the 
Common  Council,  has  iieen  a  member  of  the 
lioards  of  Health  and  l{ducatioii,  ami  as 
Mayor  of  the  city  in  1879  So  he  managed  the 
municipal  affairs  in  a  business-like  manner. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


43' 


On  August  S,  1858,  Mr.  Graham  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Cornelia  L.  White,  of  this 
county,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Cornelia 
(De  Forest)  White.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  her  mother  be- 
longed to  an  old  Dutch  family  of  this  city. 
She  died  in  1878,  and  in  1880  he  married  for 
his  second  wife  Sarah  E.  Hagaman,  also  of 
a  well-known  Dutch  family,  daughter  of 
Joseph  J.  and  Elizabeth  M.  Hagaman.  He 
was  the  father  of  three  children  by  his  first 
union,  namely:  Jennie,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  five;  William,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one 
year  and  six  months;  and  Edward  White 
Graham,  who  married  Abbie  Craver,  and  is 
now  residing  in  Denver,  Col.  One  child, 
Mary  Hagaman,  by  his  second  marriage,  is 
living  with   her  parents. 

Mr.  Graham  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  he  has 
served  in  an  official  capacity.  He  was  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  building  of  the 
present  edifice,  which  was  completed  in  1874, 
at  a  cost  of  eighty  thousand  dollars,  and  is  a 
liberal  contributor  toward  its  support.  He  is 
a  member  of  Union  College  Chapter  of  the 
Phi  Beta  Kajjpa  Society;  has  been  a  trustee 
of  the  Troy  Conference  Academy,  Poultney, 
Vt.,  continuously  since  1874;  and  has  been 
president  of  the  board  since  1S78.  He  pos- 
sesses and  highly  prizes  a  small  writing-desk 
which  was  purchased  in  England  for  five 
guineas  by  his  grandfather,  who  in  April, 
1819,  gave  it  to  his  son  William.  In  it  are 
some  rare  specimens  of  drawings  executed  by 
his   father  when   a   lad   of   thirteen   years,  and 


also  some  letters  received  from  the  father  by 
the  son  while  in  college.  Mr.  Graham  re- 
ceived this  heirloom  from  his  father  in  No- 
vember,  1858,  just  before  his  father's  death. 


§AMES  C.  McWILLIAMS,*  an  able 
farmer  and  enterprising  insurance  agent 
of  Prattsville,  was  born  in  Kortright, 
Delaware  County,  August  4,  1845,  son  of  Jo- 
seph S.  and  Mary  Ann  (Kilpatrick)  RlcWill- 
iams.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  that 
town,  and  he  is  of  Scotch  descent.  Joseph  S. 
McWilliams  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
which  he  followed  until  turning  his  attention 
to  farming;  and  he  was  engaged  in  the  latter 
occupation  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  27,  1869,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  He  was  an  upright,  conscien- 
tious man,  who  possessed  considerable  natural 
ability,  and  he  acquired  success  in  his  calling. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  and  his 
wife,  Mary  Ann  McWilliams,  were  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  They  had  two  sons: 
John  B. ,  who  is  no  longer  living;  and  James 
C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  mother 
died  May  19,  1890,  aged  seventy-four  years. 
John  B.  McWilliams  enlisted  for  service  in 
the  Civil  War  while  under  age,  and  was  re- 
jected on  that  account,  but  when  old  enough 
he  re-enlisted  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  Regiment,  New  York  Volun- 
teers, of  which  he  became  Orderly  Sergeant. 
He  died  in  the  army  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years. 

James    C.    McWilliams    started    in    life   for 


432 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


himself  at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  clerk  in  the 
general  store  of  G.  C.  Fcnn,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained four  years.  After  residing  at  Red 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  for  a  time,  he  became  a  travelling 
salesman  for  a  Utica  cigar  firm,  and  a  year 
later  he  went  to  New  York  City,  where  he  se- 
cured a  clerkship  in  a  dry-goods  store.  He 
was  subsequently  in  the  employ  of  J.  S.  Con- 
over,  dealer  in  grates  and  fenders.  After  re- 
siding in  the  metropolis  about  five  years,  he 
came  to  Prattsville,  where  for  the  next  seven 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  cooperage  busi- 
ness. Selling  out  in  1893,  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  post-office,  and,  being  appointed 
Postmaster  by  President  Cleveland,  he  contin- 
ued to  serve  the  community  in  that  capacity 
until  1897.  He  is  now  local  agent  for  several 
large  insurance  companies;  and  he  also  carries 
on  a  small  farm,  which  lie  devotes  to  market 
gardening.  He  is  quite  extensively  engaged 
in  raising  bees,  and  sells  a  large  qiumtity  of 
honey  annually.  Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  been  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
twelve  consecutive  years,  was  for  a  number  of 
years  Inspector  of  Elections,  served  two  terms 
on  the  special  license  board,  and  was  nomi- 
nated by  his  jxirty  for  the  presidency  of  the 
village,  which  he  declined  to  accejit.  He  is 
sincerely  esteemed  as  a  hij,'li-niinc!c<i,  j)ublic- 
spirited    citizen. 

In  1869  Mr.  McWilliams  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Elizabeth  Decker,  his  first  wife, 
a  native  of  Roxbury,  N.Y.,  daughter  of  Lorin 
and  Sally  Ann  Decker.  Mr.  Decker  was  a 
prosperous  fnrmer  and  a  life-long  resident  of 
that  town.      Slie   died,   leaving   one  son,   Will- 


iam  J.,  a  farmer  and  market  gardener,  who 
married  Mary  Churchill.  For  his  second 
wife  Mr.  James  C.  McWilliams  married  Ella 
Miller,  a  native  of  Cairo,  N.Y.,  daughter 
of  Seymour  Miller.  Her  father  was  for  years 
a  widely-known  hotel -keeiier.  At  one  time  he 
was  proprietor  of  the  Pratt.sville  House;  and, 
jirevious  to  coming  here,  he  kept  hotels  in 
Cairo,  Windham,  and  other  places.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  union  are  James  E.  and  Marie. 

Mr.  McWilliams  was  made  a  Mason  over 
thirty  years  ago,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  Oasis  Lodge,  in  which  he  has  oc- 
cupied all  the  important  chairs,  having  been 
its  Worshipful  Master  for  six  years  in  succes- 
sion. The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 


TT^HARLES  K.  FRAZIER,  M.D.,*  an 
V  J|         '"^^'^^    ^"'•'     P'""S''^'^^'^''^     physician     of 

^*^ '  Cobleskill,     Schoharie    County,    was 

born  in  this  town,  October  17,  1850.  He  is 
the  .son  of  the  late  Dr.  David  Frazier,  who  was 
here  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  for 
forty-seven  consecutive  years.  His  great- 
grandfather Frazier  came  to  Cobleskill  from 
Germany  in  1776,  being  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  this  part  of  the  county.  He  was  here 
engaged  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  the  remainder  of 
his  days,  and  here  his  son  John,  the  father  of 
the  elder  Doctor,  was  born  and  reared.  John 
Frazier  was  born  in  that  part  of  Cobleskill 
that  is  now  known  as  Richmondville,  and, 
having  succeeded  to  the  occupation  of  his 
latiier,  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


throughout  the  active  period  of  his  life  of 
seventy-eight  years. 

David  Frazier  obtained  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  this  town,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  Schoharie  and  Albany 
Medical  Schools.  Settling  in  Cobleskill,  he 
practised  his  profession  with  unusual  success, 
having  an  extensive  patronage,  and  being  by 
far  the  best-known  physician  within  a  radius  of 
twenty  miles.  He  was  very  influential  in 
local  affairs,  and  besides  being  one  of  the 
members  of  the  first  Board  of  Town  Trustees, 
a  position  which  he  filled  several  years,  and 
Supervisor  of  the  town  three  terms,  he  was 
superintendent  of  schools  a  number  of  years, 
and  also  Coroner.  In  politics  he  was  true  to 
the  principles  in  which  he  was  reared,  and 
zealously  supported  the  Democratic  party.  He 
died  in  1894,  aged  seventy-five  years.  His 
wife,  Susanna  Jenkins,  was  born  and  educated 
in  Dover,  England,  from  whence  she  came  with 
her  parents  to  New  York  State  when  a  girl. 
She  died  September  25,  1897,  aged  eighty-three 
years,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  Eliza- 
beth; Charles  K.,  the  special  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  and  Frances,  wife  of  the  Rev.  George 
Muller.  Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church. 

Charles  K.  Frazier  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Cobleskill,  and 
after  taking  a  course  of  study  at  the  Albany 
Academy  he  read  medicine  a  while  with  his 
father  and  with  Dr.  Armsby,  of  Alban\-.  He 
was  graduated  from  the  Albany  ^ledical  Col- 
lege in  1873,  and  spent  his  first  \ear  of  prac- 
tice   in    Albany.      He    subsequentl}'    practised 


two  years  each  in  Waverly,  Tioga  County, 
N.Y.,  and  Big  Flats,  Chemung  County,  not 
far  from  Elmira.  In  i<S7,S  he  returned  to 
Cobleskill,  and  in  the  time  that  has  since  in- 
tervened he  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice. 

He  is  a  sound  Democrat,  and  was  formerly 
quite  active  in  political  circles  and  a  regular 
attendant  of  primaries  and  local  conventions. 
In  1877  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  State  conven- 
tion that  nominated  Horatio  Seymour  for  gov- 
ernor, and  which,  on  Seymour's  refusal  of  the 
proffered  chair,  reconvened  at  Saratoga,  and 
nominated  Robinson,  the  successful  candidate. 
He  has  served  as  Town  Clerk,  and,  having 
been  appointed  Coroner  to  fill  out  an  unex- 
pired term  by  his  old-time  friend.  Governor 
David  B.  Hill,  he  has  since  held  the  position, 
having  been  re-elected  for  a  term  of  four  years 
in  1 891  and  again  re-elected  for  another  term 
in  1895.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Schoharie 
Medical  Society,  and  since  1S95  has  been  its 
president. 

In  1874  Dr.  Frazier  married  Miss  Rosalia 
L.  Camp,  daughter  of  Nathan  Camp,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Campville,  Tioga  County, 
where  he  still  resides.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Frazier 
have  one  child,  Nellie. 


|RS.  MARY  J.  MULFORD,*  pro- 
prietor of  the  Mountain  Summit 
House,  Tannersville,  is  a  native 
of  New  York  City.  Her  parents,  John  and 
Mary  (Corson)  Braden,  were  natives  of  Ire- 
land, but  came  to  America  prior  to  their  mar- 


434 


BIOGRAPHICAL   REVIEW 


riage.  Arriving  in  New  Vork  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  lier  father  securctl  a  position  in  a 
stoic,  lie  sLihsL-qiiently  came  to  Tannersville 
in  the  employ  of  the  Ktlwards  Tannery  Com- 
pany, remaining  with  that  concern  until  it 
went  out  of  husiness.  After  following  various 
occupations,  Mr.  Hraden  turned  hi.s  attention 
to  farming,  upon  the  property  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Mulford.  II is 
death  occurred  here  at  the  age  of  .seventy  years. 
To  him  and  his  wife,  Mary,  were  born  three 
children  —  Margaret,  Elizabeth,  and  Mary  J., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Margaret  resides 
with  her  sister  in  Hunter;  and  Elizabeth,  who 
is  the  wife  of  William  Stewart,  is  living  in 
Sullivan  County.  The  mother  died  at  si.xty- 
seven.      The  parents  were  Presbyterians. 

Mary  J.  Braden  in  her  girlhood  attended  the 
common  schools,  acquiring  therein  a  practical 
knowledge  of  .several  branches  of  study,  which 
have  since  been  useful  to  her  in  a  business 
way.  In  1 868  she  became  the  wife  of  Samuel 
S.  Mulford,  who  was  born  in  Harpcr.sfield, 
Delaware  County,  son  of  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  the  same  name.  Mr.  Mulfmd  was  well  ed- 
ucated, and  when  a  young  man  he  tauglit 
schools  in  Delaware,  Schoharie,  and  Greene 
Counties.  y\fter  his  marriage  he  was  engaged 
in  the  hotel  business  in  Cairo,  this  county,  for 
a  short  time,  and,  going  from  that  town  to 
(iilbna,  Schoharie  County,  he  conducted  a 
stage  line  plying  between  Windham  and  Cats- 
kill.  Rclin(|uishing  the  latter  enterprise,  he 
came  to  Hunter,  where  he  liegan  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Hraden  farm  for  summer  resort 
purposes   by   hist    removing   the   old   dwelling, 


which  he  replaced  with  a  more  commodious 
building  containing  accommodations  for  a 
number  of  guests.  The  success  of  the  venture 
made  necessary  an  enlargement  of  the  house, 
the  adtiition  being  completed  in  1891,  the  year 
in  which  he  died.  He  was  then  fifty-si.x  years 
old.  Mr.  Mulford  was  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  this  section  as  an  able  busi- 
ness man  and  a  public-spirited  citizen,  ever 
displaying  an  active  interest  in  the  political, 
moral,  and  religious  welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity. He  served  as  a  Supervisor  for  a  number 
(jf  years,  was  School  Commissioner  for  two 
terms  of  two  years  each,  and  he  was  an  earnest 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party.  His  judg- 
ment in  public  affairs  was  much  sought  after 
and  followed.  I'erceiving  the  need  of  a  per- 
manent religious  organization  in  this  village, 
he  was  mainly  instrumental  in  causing  one  to 
be  established,  subscribing  liberally  toward  the 
erection  of  a  church.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  and  had  occupied  some  of 
the  important  chairs  in  the  Hlue  Lodge  at  Sau- 
gcrties.  Samuel  S.  Mulford  was  the  father  of 
three  children,  namely:  William,  Maud,  and 
h^rancis,  all  of  whom  are  now  assisting  in 
carrying  on  the  hotel.  William  married 
Carrie  McGee,  and  has  four  children. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Mul- 
ford jjecame  manager  as  well  as  jiroprietor  ol 
the  hotel,  and  in  these  capacities  has  displayed 
her  ability  by  successfully  conducting  both 
the  business  and  domestic  departments.  The 
Mountain  .Summit  House,  whicli  is  a  pleasant 
and  healthful  summer  home,  occujjies  a  sightly 
location  upon  elevated  ground.      It    has  ample 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIFAV 


accommodations  for  two  hundred  guests,  and 
that  their  comforts  are  well  provided  for  is 
manifested  by  the  large  number  who  enjoy  its 
hospitality  during  the  summer  and  autumn 
months.  Though  not  a  member  of  any  relig- 
ious denomination,  Mrs.  Mulford  is  a  generous 
contributor  toward  the  support  of  religious 
work.  She  is  highly  esteemed  for  her  many 
estimable  qualities. 


®SCAR  H.  SHANNON,*  a  Civil  War 
veteran,  was  born  in  Schenectady, 
where  he  now  resides,  August  29, 
1S4S,  son  of  Thomas  T.  and  Lucy  C.  (Geer) 
Shannon.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Glen- 
ville,  N.  Y.  His  great-grandfather  Shannon, 
and  his  great-grandfather  Tull  served  in  the 
Continental  army  during  the  Revolutionary 
W^ar. 

Having  completed  his  education,  Oscar  H. 
Shannon  at  the  age  of  fifteen  enlisted  in  the 
Seventy-seventh  Regiment,  New  York  Wilun- 
teers,  with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of 
the  Rebellion,  and  participated  in  the  siege  of 
Petersburg.  After  his  discharge  he  went  to 
sea  as  engineer's  storekeeper  on  the  steam- 
ship "Henry  Chauncy, "  and  was  absent  about 
one  year,  during  which  time  he  visited  South 
America.  Upon  his  return  to  Schenectady  he 
ser\'ed  an  apprenticeship  at  the  tinsmith's 
trade,  which  he  followed  as  a  journeyman  pre- 
vious to  opening  an  establishment  on  his  own 
account,  and  he  subsequently  carried  on  a  suc- 
cessful business  for  about  fifteen  years.  Join- 
inir  the   National   Guard,    he  served  for  some 


time  as  Lieutenant  in  a  company  of  the 
Eighty-third  Regiment,  and  assisted  in  organ- 
izing two  other  companies,  one  of  which,  the 
I  Washburn  Continentals,  formerly  the  Stanford 
Hose  Comj^any,  withdrew  in  a  body  fmm  the 
Schenectady  Fire  Department  to  become  the 
Stanford  Cadets.  He  was  promoted  from 
the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant  to  that  of  Captain 
of  the  company,  and  its  present  name  was  sug- 
gested by  him.  The  Washburn  Continentals 
were  mustered  into  the  National  Guard  during 
the  war  with  Spain  as  Company  F,  Second 
Regiment.  He  was  also  one  of  the  principal 
organizers  of  a  company  composed  entirely  of 
Civil  War  veterans,  which  flourished  for  a 
time  as  originally  made  up;  but  the  veterans 
were  compelled  by  old  age  to  withdraw  one  by 
one,  and  their  places  were  filled  by  young  re- 
cruits. This  company,  of  which  he  was  First 
Lieutenant  for  five  years,  was  mustered  into 
service  during  the  late  war  as  Company  E, 
Second  Regiment. 

Mr.  Shannon  married  Mary  A.  Langdon,  of 
Schenectady,  daughter  of  John  Langdon.  He 
has  one  daughter,  Bernice  L. ,  who  is  now  the 
wife  of  Andrew  T.  Branion,  of  New  York 
City. 

Mr.  Shannon  belongs  to  St.  Paul's  Lodge, 
No.  17,  L  O.  O.  F. ,  and  is  a  Past  Commander 
of  Harsfall  Post,  No.  90,  G.  A.  R.  In  1S71 
he  joined  Julian  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
which  was  afterward  disbanded,  but  prior  to 
the  surrender  of  its  charter  he  withdrew  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  the  Mohawk  Valley 
Lodge  at  Fort  Plain,  and  was  its  first  Chan- 
cellor.     He  was  representative    to  the  Grand 


436 


BIOGRAPHICAL    REVIEW 


Lodge  ill  1897,  and  was  Dc])iity  Grand  Chan- 
cellor. He  organized  Loyal  Lodge,  No.  384, 
in  1896;  was  formerly  Chief  of  Staff  of  the 
New  York  Brigade,  Uniform  Rank,  with  the 
rank  of  Colonel;  received  his  Grniid  I.ml^'u 
degrees  during  the  present  )car;  and  was  ap 
pointed  assistant  organizer  nf  the  Miuluwrncnl 
Rank  by  Past  Grand  Ciianccllur  and  .Su|ircinc 
Representative  William  Lcduw,  his  jurisdic- 
tion covering  the  entire  .State  of  New  York 
outside  (if  the  metropolis.  Mr.  Shannon  is 
now  a  member  of  Schenectady  Lodge,  to  which 
he  was  admitted  by  card. 


tEVILO  COBB,*  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
Ashland,  N.Y.,  was  b(.rn  in  Wiiul- 
— ^  ham,  Greene  County,  March  4, 
1821,  son  of  Simon  and  Eunice  (Lewis)  Cobb. 
His  father  came  here  from  Connecticut  as  a 
pioneer,  and  cleared  off  a  tract  of  land,  which 
he  improved  into  a  good  farm.  He  was  an 
early  schoolmaster  in  this  locality,  and  figured 
quite  [prominently  in  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  town.  He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  years.  Simon  Cobb  and  his  wife,  Eunice, 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children.  Three  of 
the  four  now  living  are:  Revilo,  ICdwin,  and 
Sidney.  The  mother  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two. 

Revilo  Cobb  was  reared  upon  the  homestead 
farm,  and  was  educated  in  Windham.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  in  a  log  house,  and  his 
clothing,  like  that  of  other  children  of  this  lo- 
cality at  that  time,  was  made  from  home-rai.sed 
wool  and  iiax,   which  were  spun,  woven,   and 


made  up  by  the  deft  hands  of  his  mother. 
When  a  young  man  he  turned  his  attention  to 
agriculture,  and  tilled  the  soil  of  one  farm  for 
a  i)eriod  of  thirty-eight  years.  In  1888  he 
moved  to  his  present  farm  of  fifty  acres,  which 
is  admirably  located  and  unusually  fertile. 
His  principal  efforts  are  devoted  to  the  care  of 
a  well-equipped  dairy.  He  was  formerly  an 
extensive  sheep-raiser,  and  in  that,  as  well  as 
in  dairy  farming,  he  has,  throu;;h  his  energy, 
perseverance,  and  sound  judgment,  realized  ex- 
cellent financial  results.  He  still  possesses 
the  strength  and  agility  of  a  much  younger 
man,  and  attends  to  his  every-day  duties  with 
the  same  activity  that  has  for  years  been  one 
of  his  chief  characteristics.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat. 

Mr.  ColDb  marrietl  Louisa  Barlow,  who  was 
born  in  Ashland,  daughter  of  Alanson  Bar- 
low. Her  father  spent  his  active  life  upon  a 
farm  in  this  town,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.  Mrs.  Coblj  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-si.x.  She  was  the  mother  of 
but  one  child,  George  A.,  who  was  born  in 
A.shland,  October  28,  1850.  Revilo  Cobb  acted 
as  a  vestryman  of  the  Episcopal  church  for  a 
numl^er  of  years,  and  his  wife  was  a  member. 

George  A.  Cobb  completed  his  education  in 
West  Windham,  and  taught  school  a  number 
of  terms  in  different  places.  He  took  charge 
of  the  homestead  farm  when  his  father  left  it, 
and  he  carried  it  on  until  1894,  when  he  re- 
linquished it  in  order  to  assist  his  father.  In 
1S7.S  George  A.  Cobb  married  Elizabeth  Sut- 
ton, who  was  born  in  Windham,  N.  Y. ,  daugh- 
ter of  Aden  and  Elizabeth  (Cook)  Sutton.   Her 


BIOGRAPHICAL    RKVIEW 


father  was  a  native  of  Schohaiie  County,  and 
her  mother  was  born  in  Windham,  daughter  of 
Ichabod  Cook.  Aden  and  Elizabeth  C.  Sutton 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely : 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  A.  Cobb;  Polly, 
wife  of  Henry  Sutton;  Ella,  who  married 
H.  D.  Martin;  and  Dr.  I.  F.  Sutton,  a  physi- 
cian, who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years. 
Aden  Sutton  married  for  his  second  wife 
Theresa  Cook,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven  years,  leaving  a  daughter  Ursula.  The 
latter  married  I.   C.  Lee,    a  merchant   of  this 


town,  and  is  no  longer  living.  The  father 
died  at  tiie  age  of  seventy-two  years.  He  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in 
which  he  was  at  one  time  a  class  leader,  chf)ir 
director,  and  steward. 

George  A.  Cobb  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  local 
grange.  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  and  is  its  pres- 
ent Master.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  A.  Cobb 
have  one  daughter,  Hattie.  They  attend  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


NDEX. 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


A. 

Adams,  Edward 350 

Akeley,  Frank 175 

Albro,  William  H 242 

Alverson,  James  K 416 

Anderson,  George  W 205 

Avery,  Benjamin  H 3S8 

B. 

Baldwin,  Andrew  G 53 

Baldwin,  William  H 305 

Barrup,  Charles  E 417 

Bassler,  Wellington  E 209 

Beard,  Franklin  P 7S 

Becker,  Harmon 20 

Beekman,  Dow 89 

Beekman,  Duryea 88 

Bellinger,  George  VV 169 

Benham,  John  T 37 

Bestle,  Rudolph 208 

Bice,  Marshall  D 306 

Billings,  Ernest  E 368 

Rloodgood,  Clarence  E.     .     .     .  359 

Boens,  Louis  A 158 

Boorn,  Clarence  I\I 320 

Botsford,  Henry  T 19 

Boughton,  Seymour 33 

Bradt,  John 260 

Bradt,  Nicholas 69 

Brewster,  W.  J 420 

Bruce,  Elbert  0 45 

Burgett,  William  \V 215 

Burhans,  Judson 30S 

Burnett,  Charles  S 140 

Burtis,  John  H.,  Jr 400 


Campbell,  John  D 52 

Campbell,  William  L 240 

Gary,  John  S 157 

Case,  James  M 397 

Casper,  Frank  L 200 

Chambers,  David 302 

Chapman,  Mrs.  Elda  B.     .     .     .  273 

Chapman,  Frank  A 296 

Chapman,  William  W 370 

Chase,  Albert 265 

Chase,  Emory  A 276 

Clapper,  Franklin 410 

Clark,  A.  W 354 

Clute,  Bartholomew  H.           .  156 

Cobb,  Revilo 436 

Coffin,  P.  Gardiner 407 

Cole,  Loren  P 324 

Conover,  John  M 117 

Courier,  Stanton 293 

Crapser,  Wallace  W 377 

Curtis,  Stephen  A 22 


Elliott,  Robert  .  .  . 
Enipie,  John  G.  .  .  . 
Eisenmenger,  Frederick 
Enders,  David       .     .     . 


Farquher,  Arthur  H. 
Faulkner,  George  H 
Ferguson,  Alonzo 
Ferguson,  John  A. 
Ferrier,  Thomas  E. 
Flanagan,  James  H. 
Ford,''Edwin  L. 
Fowler,  Charles 
Fox,  George  L. 
France,  Frank  H 
France,  John  H. 
Frazee,  Frederick  I 
Frazier,  Charles  K. 
Frisbie,  Daniel  D, 
Frisbie,  Grandison  N 
Fromer,  Jacob 
Frost,  James 


Daley,  James  B 228 

Danforth,  George  L 71 

Decker,  William  H 189  '  Gara,  Hugh  B.      . 

Defandorf,  Levi  M 395  j  Gaylord,  John  W. 

De  Forest,  Henry  S 161    Getter,  Henry  C. 

Dibbell,  Renwick 13    Gifford,  Edward  A. 

Dickinson,  Charles 83    Goodsell,  Elmer  E. 

Dodge,  Egbert  B 314  I  Gordon,  John  A.   . 

Dorniady,  Thomas 371  Graham,  Joseph  B. 

Dunckel,  Jeremiah 226  !  Granbv,  William  . 


149 
I  S3 


79 
432 
299 

!7 

258 


405 
419 
345 
32 
132 
429 
'37 


Gray,  John  H 54 

Creen,  Nelson  0 70 

Griswold,  John  A 230 

(luffin,  An(hcw  J 12 


H. 

I  lager,  Edwin  D.  . 
Hallock,  Stephen  P. 
Hamlin,  William  S.  . 
Haner,  George  .  . 
Hartt,  Edgar  .  .  . 
Hartt,  JohnG.  .  . 
Hinman,  Chauncey  \V 
llinmaii,  David  M.  . 
Hitchcock,  IJwight  B. 
Hoagland,  Page  T.  . 
Howe,  Eugene  K.  . 
Hubbell,  Kichtmycr. 
Huntini;,  Amljrose  K. 


Jackson,  Edgar  . 
Jenkins,  Daniel  W. 
Jeralds,  Thomas  W. 


Kelley,  Solomon  . 
Kerr,  Albert  L.  . 
Kilmer,  Thomas  J. 
Kilts,  Jacob  L. 
Kipp,  Herbert  .  . 
Kline,  Andrew  J.  . 
Kniffen,  John  15.  . 
Kniskern,  William 
Kohring,  William 
Kreiger,  Elmer  E. 


248 


Lackey,  Michael,  Jr. 
Lape,  Simeon  .  .  . 
Larkin,  Willard  .  . 
Lasher,  George  .  . 
Lehman,  Parke  C.  . 
Leonard,  Duncan  M. 
Liddle,  Andrew  G.     . 


Lomax,  Howard  E 
Loudon,  Stephen  . 


iander 


MacMillen,  Ak 
Magee,  PetL-r  .  .  . 
Maginnis,  John  .  . 
Malcolm,  Jo.seph  .  . 
Mann,  Charles  .  . 
Markham,  Convas  E. 
Mattice,  Garret  W.  . 
Mayham,  Stephen  L 
McCabe,  Charles  P. 
McMillan,  Andrew  J. 
McWilliams,  James  C. 
Mead,  Joel  H.  .  .  . 
Mead,  William  H.  . 
Mulford,  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Mvers,  John  A.     .     . 


N. 


Neville,  William  H 

Newell,  John  A 

Nichols,  Charles  E 

Nichols,  Charles  E.  (of  Catskill), 


Odell,  Herbert  L. 
O'Hara,  liarnaril  . 
O'Hara,  Michael  . 
Olmstead,  Henry  F. 
O'Neil,  Hugh  .  . 
Osterhout,  Stanton 


Pelham,  l-.lmer  E.      . 

Pettingill,  llaman  1'. 

I'itcher,  Charles  W. 

Plainer,  Benjamin  F. 
44  Plainer,  W'illiam  C.  . 
loS  I  Potter,  Thomas  R.  . 
32.S  Pulman,  Joseph  .  . 
103    Putnam,  John  II.  .     . 


Ramsey,  Charles  H 351 

Raymond,  Andrew  V.  V.    .     .     ,  349 

Rector,  Christian 320 

Rifenbark,  Hiram 253 

Rivenburg,  Willard  T 234 

Roe,  John 199 

Rose,  Eli 330 

Rosekraus,  Albert  G 33S 

Rossman,  John 219 

S. 

Sage,  Sylvester  B 221 

Salsbergh,  William 130 

Schermerhorn,  Simon  J.    .     .     .  22 

Searles,  Frank  R 399 

Selden,  Robert 47 

Shafer,  William  D 191 

Shannon,  Oscar  H 435 

Shelmandine,  Lewis       ....  63 

Showers,  Cyrus 39 

Showers,  Isaac 85 

Sias,  Solomon loi 

Slater,  David  T 327 

Smeallie,  William  J 3S8 

Smith,  Chauncey 162 

Snyder,  J.  Augustus       ....  275 

Snyder,  Jacob  I\I 283 

Staley,  James  S 129 

Stanley,  Peter  1 280 

Stead,  James 393 

Sternberg,  John  H 164 

Stevens,  Emory 404 

Stevens,  James 97 

Stewart,  William  H 202 

Straul),  Frank  .\ 56 


Tallmadgc,  Benjamin  I. 
Terpen ing,  Ira  ^L  .  . 
Thorpe,  William  E.  .  . 
Tinning,  Archibald  .  . 
Treadwell,  La  (Irand  1. 


I'tter,  Israel  P. 
LMter,  James  L, 


263 
106 
380 
55 
3^'4 


INDEX 


Van  Bergen,  Henry 138 

Vanderbilt,  William  S.       ...  266 

\"anderpoel,  Andrew  J.       ...  1S7 

Van  Dreser,  Henry 96 

Van  Eps,  Peter  V 66 

Van  Loan,  Jane 93 

Van  Loan,  Walton 77 

Van  Schaick,  Joseph  W.    .     .     .  2S5 

Van  Valkenburgh,  Jacob   .     .     .  342 

Van  Wagenen,  Jared     ....  207 

Van  Zandt,  Henry  C 34 


Voss,  Charles 104 

Vroman,  Dow  F 361 

W. 

Waddell,  James  W 143 

Waddell.  William  T 63 

Wakeman,  Alonzo 197 

Wasson,  William  A 61 

Weidman,  Charles  E 222 

West,  Xoah  D 114 

Wilber,  Kirby 76 

Wilson,  Mrs.  Julia  A 23S 


Winegard,  Richard 154 

Woodworth,  Lucius  A 294 

Wyatt,  James  T 367 

Y. 

Yates,  Austin  A 9 

Young,  J.  Edward 3S 

Young,  Madison 424 

Z. 

Zelie,  Luther 313 


PORTRAITS. 


Albro,  William  H 243 

Anderson,  George  W 204 

Baldwin,  William  H 304 

litard,  Franklin  P 74 

Bellinger,  George  W.    .     .  faces  169 

moodgood,  Clarence  K.     .     .     .  35S 

P.radt,  John 2C1 

liurtis,  John  H.,  Jr 401 

De  Forest,  Henry  S 160 

Dickinson,  Charles 82 

Dodge,  Egbert  B 315 

Eisenmenger,  Frederick    .     .     .  213 

Ferrier,  Thomas  E iio 

Frisbie,  Daniel  D 29S 

Frisbie,  Grandison  N 16 

Gordon,  John  A 133 


Griswold,  John  A.     .     . 

231 

Hitchcock,  Dwight  B.    . 

290 

Hubbell,  Richtmyer       . 

41 

Jeralds,  Thomas  W.       . 

91 

Kerr,  Albert  L.     .     .     . 

MO 

Kilmer,  Thomas  J.    .     . 

IIQ 

Maginnis,  John     .     .     . 

39' 

Malcolm,  Joseph  .     .     . 

24 

Mattice,  Garret  W.    .     . 

14S 

Mayham,  Stephen  L.     . 

124 

Newell,  John  A.    .     .     . 

49 

O'Hara,  Barnard  .     .     . 

372 

Pitcher,  Charles  W.  .     . 

177 

Raymond,  Andrew  V.  V. 

34S 

Rector,  Christian  .     .     . 

321 

Rifenbark,  Hiram      .     . 

252 

Rose,  Eli 331 

Rose,  Mrs.  Eli 333 

Sias,  Solomon 100 

Stanley,  Peter  1 2.S1 

Straub,  Frank  X 57 

Thorpe,  William  E 38 1 

Vanderbilt,  William  S.       .     .     .  267 

Vanderpoel,  Andrew  J.       ...  1S6 

Van  Eps,  Peter  V 67 

Van  Zandt,  Henry  C 35 

Waddell,  James  W 142 

Wakeman,  Alonzo u/^ 

Weidman,  Charles  E 223 

Wyatt,  James  T 366 

Yates,  Austin  A 8 


''"^