USA > New York > Westchester County > Biographical history of Westchester County, New York, Volume I > Part 36
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Mr. Kipp still maintains pleasant relationship with many of his old army comrades through his membership in Kitching Post, No. 60, G. A. R., in which he served as commander in 1894-5. Previously he had served for 20
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eight years as senior vice commander and for two years as junior vice com- mander. He was three times a delegate to the state encampments and is at present officer of the day, serving his second term. He was also an aide on the staff of the department commander of the state of New York. He also belongs to Lincoln Legion, P. O. S. of A .; the Junior Order United Ameri- can Mechanics and the Westchester Association of Grand Army Posts. In 1881 he became a member of the old Sixteenth Battalion, now known as the Fourth Separate Company, was promoted from the ranks to the position of sergeant and served seven years, during which time the command was called out in the Hudson River Railroad strike and Verplank ice riots. He is also a member of the Fourth Separate Company Veteran Association. His political support is given the Republican party, and he is now serving as inspector of buildings, to which position he was first appointed by Mayor James H. Weller, July, 1892, and afterward by Mayor J. G. Pence. In his religious belief he is a Baptist, holding membership with a church of that denomina- tion in Yonkers.
On the 12th of January, 1864, Mr. Kipp was united in marriage to Miss Emily C. Olivet, a daughter of Isaac Olivet, who followed farming in Dutchess county, New York. He was of Holland-Dutch extraction and a representative of one of the old families of the state. Mrs. Kipp's maternal great-grandfather was a hero of the Revolution. In Yonkers, where they have made their home for a third of a century, Mr. and Mrs. Kipp have many warm friends. He is a progressive and public-spirited citizen, as patriotically devoted to his country's good as when on southern fields of battle he fol- lowed the starry banner to victory.
Augustus and Emily Kipp have had five children: Mrs. Agnes M. Clark, the eldest, died at the age of twenty-nine years, leaving one child, Grace M. Clark. The remaining children are Warren A. and I. Olivet Kipp, and Mrs. Annie L. Ackerman and Mrs. Emily F. Hart, all residents of Yonkers.
WILLIAM BARRETT.
William Barrett, a highly esteemed and honored resident of Bedford township, Westchester county, was born May 4, 1827, and is a son of John and Lavina Barrett. His paternal grandfather, Abram Barrett, became one of the early settlers of this county and here spent his remaining days. He married Betsy Ketchum and to them were born the following named children: Absalom, Lewis, Stephen, Warren, Abraham, John, Phœbe, Hettie, Sallie and De Losse. The grandparents both lie burried in Buckson's cemetery, in Westchester county.
John Barrett, the father of our subject, came to this county when seven
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years of age and was here reared to man's estate. He built the first store at Bedford station and was a leading and influential citizen of the community. In New York city he married Miss Lavia Davis, by whom he had three chil- dren, two of whom are now living: Henry, a resident of Sing Sing, and William, whose name forms the caption of this record. After the mother's death the father wedded Miss Rachel Reynolds, a daughter of James Rey- nolds, and three children were also born of the second marriage, as follows: John J., Stephen, and Squire R., who died in childhood. Mr. Barrett, the father, was a stanch Whig in his political affiliations and was an earnest and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He departed this life in 1850, honored and respected by all who knew him. His son, John J. Barrett, was married on the 25th of December, 1861, to Miss Emily Sher- wood, who was born in 1839, in Bedford township, a daughter of John Sher- wood. Three children blessed this union: Clarence, now a resident of New York city; Lizzie M. and Carrie S.
Under the parental roof William Barrett, of this review, was reared, and having arrived at years of maturity he married Anna M. Galloway, the wed- ding being celebrated September 29, 1850. The lady is a daughter of Daniel A. Galloway, an iron merchant of New York city, and a sister of Robert M. Galloway, president of the Manhattan Railway Company, of New York city. She was born at No. 10 City Hall, New York city, and is connected with the Macey family, her great-grandmother having been a Macey.
During the civil war Mr. Barrett left his home and family and went to the front as a defender of the Union, enlisting ere the smoke of Fort Sum- ter's guns had scarcely cleared away. He became a member of Company B, Seventy-first New York Infantry, and served for three months as a private. He afterward became orderly sergeant in the Forty-eighth regiment of New York Volunteers, with which he continued two years, participating in the battle of Bull Run, also under General Sherman and in the engagements at Hilton Head and Pulaski. On leaving the army he became connected with the New York police force, serving for four years as patrolman and for six years as roundsman. He then resigned and went to Minnesota, where he engaged in farming for two years, but on the expiration of that period he returned to New York city, where he established a grocery business, which he conducted three years. He then went to Long Island, where he engaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits for twelve years, and since that time he has lived a retired life at the old home place in Bedford. The ac- tivity of his business career, his enterprise and careful management, brought to him a handsome competence, and he is now resting in the fruit of his former toil.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Barrett were born two children, but the daughter,
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Anna V., died in 1872. The son, Robert E., is now living in Brooklyn. He married Sadie Rippier, of that city, and they have four children, -Vavina, Frederick, Mildred and Daniel A. Our subject and his wife hold a member- ship in the Baptist church and are justly entitled to the confidence and re- spect so freely accorded them by their fellow citizens. Politically he is identified with the Republican party, and has most efficiently served as school trustee for some time. He belongs to the Veteran Association of the Forty- eighth New York Regiment of Brooklyn, and at all times is a loyal citizen as true to his duty to his country as when he followed the starry banner on the battle-fields of the south.
GEORGE L. MILES.
George L. Miles came to Elmsford, Westchester county, in 1892, from Brooklyn, New York, and established a grocery, provision and general merchandise store, which he has since successfully conducted, having built up a large and flourishing trade. His ability, enterprise and upright methods have won for him an enviable reputation in business circles, and he has already made many warm friends in his adopted county.
Mr. Miles is a native of Brooklyn, born November 3, 1860, and is a son of Lorenzo and Mary A. (Hathorn) Miles. The Miles family is of Welsh origin, and its members have principally been mechanics, farmers and pro- fessional men, while religiously they have been Episcopalians or Presby- terians. The father of our subject was the first of the family born in this state, his birth occurring at Homer, Cortland county, November 3, 1818. His parents were Sylvester and Sarah (Rodgers) Miles, natives of Durham, Connecticut, and his grandparents were Isaac and Betsy (Cushman) Miles. Isaac Miles was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. The boyhood and youth of Lorenzo Miles was passed in Greene county, New York, and the limited education he acquired in the public schools was supplemented by reading and study at home. At the age of twenty-one he went to New York city, where for a short time he held the position of clerk in the old French's hotel. Later he engaged in the hotel business on his own account for three or four years, on the present site of the Putnam house, and then for a time served as under sheriff of Kings county, New York. He next accepted a position in the Manufacturers' Bank of Brooklyn, which was opened at that time, and for forty-two years was one of its most trusted employes, remain- ing with the institution until his death, which occurred January 19, 1897. His loss was mourned by all connected with the business. On the 24th of February, 1846, he had wedded Miss Mary A. Hathorn, who survives him. Her parents, George C. and Sally (Bell) Hathorn, were natives of Orange county, New York, and Fairfield county, Connecticut, respectively. Her
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father was a farmer in early life, but later engaged in the grocery business in New York city, and subsequently operated a ferry between that place and Brooklyn. He died in September, 1861, at the age of seventy-six years, his wife in 1874 or 1875, at the age of ninety. He was a son of John and Eliza- beth (Welling) Hathorn. The father served with distinction as a major general in the war of the Revolution, and was a senator from Orange county, New York, to the first congress of the United States of America.
Our subject is one of a family of three children, his sister being Sarah F., wife of Charles H. Robinson, of Brooklyn, who is engaged in the insurance business in New York city. They have two children, Florence M. and Ethel A. Alfred S. Miles, our subject's brother, is also a resident of Brook- lyn and is the first receiving teller in the First National Bank of that place. He married Miss Annie Wills, and has three children: Robert A., Mary W. and Caroline F.
George L. Miles, whose name introduces this shetch, was married April 29, 1888, to Miss Dorothy L. Minuse, and to them have been born two child- ren: Dorothy M. and Lorenzo M. The family belong to the Episcopal church, in which Mr. Miles is serving as vestryman. He is one of the leading representatives of the Demcratic party in his section, has been an influential delegate to its various conventions, and has been called upon to fill the office of trustee of the public schools. Every trust reposed in him has been most faithfully discharged, and he is recognized as one of the most valuable and useful citizens of his community.
WILLIAM H. WOLFE.
For a period of eighteen years William H. Wolfe has been a valued and trusted employe of the Alexander Smith Carpet Company, of Yonkers, and now occupies the very responsible position of superintendent of the worsted spinning mill, where he has under his direction and jurisdiction some five hundred and fifty hands. He thoroughly understands the business, having worked his way upward from the least responsible place to one of the greatest trust and importance in this immense establishment, reputed to be the larg- est carpet works in the world.
The Wolfes have long been numbered among the representative families of eastern New York. The paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, Henry Wolfe by name, was a prosperous farmer of Greene county, New York, his homestead being located near the city of Albany. He saw service in the war with Great Britain in 1812, and was afterward a pensioner of this gov- ernment. In his political creed he was a Whig. He lived to attain vener- able age, his death occurring when he was about ninety, and his wife was
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eighty-four years old at the time of her demise. Their children comprised the following named: John H., David, Abraham, George William, Maria, Catherine, Hannah and Elizabeth.
John H. Wolfe, the father of our subject, was born in Greene county, New York, and died at his home in West Troy, this state, in 1889, aged seventy-six years. By trade he was a saddler and harness-maker, and for twenty years he was an overseer in the state penitentiary at Albany. Later he engaged in painting and contracting in West Troy. He was one of the first policemen in Albany, being one of the old "night watch ." In politics, he was actively interested in the welfare of the Republican party, and fra- ternally he was an Odd Fellow. His wife, whose maiden name was Amy Park, died in 1886, when seventy-six years of age. They had six children, of whom William H. is the eldest, and the others are Thomas K., Merrill E., James, Edward and Ida Vincent.
William H. Wolfe was born March 30, 1843, in Albany, New York, and attended the public schools only until he was twelve years of age. After he had laid aside his text-books he obtained a position in a shawl factory at Leeds, New York. Having shown marked aptitude in his work, he was soon made foreman in the carding department of the factory. He next entered the employ of A. T. Stewart & Company, at Leeds, New York, in a similar capacity, and after remaining for some time he was transferred by the same company to a larger establishment, at Glenham, New York, where his position was of the same character and relative importance as that previously occupied.
In 1880 he entered the employ of the Alexander Smith Carpet Company, as superintendent of the carding and spinning department in the moquette mill. In 1896, after his many long years of faithful and efficient service, he was promoted to the superintendency of the worsted spinning mill, where he directs and supervises the work of five hundred and fifty hands.
For several years Mr. Wolfe was a member of the volunteer fire depart- ment in Albany. At one time was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. At present he is affiliated with the Masonic order, being connected with Catskill Lodge, No. 468, F. & A. M., Terrace City Chapter, R. A. M., and the Yonkers Commandery of Knights Templar. He also belongs to the Social Christian Workers of Yonkers. Politically, he is an ardent Republican, and when a resident of Greene county he served for some time as poor master.
In 1865 Mr. Wolfe married Huldah Spencer, a daughter of Jeremiah Spencer, of West Troy, New York. Two sons and three daughters have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe, namely: William H., Jr., Eliza- beth, wife of Frederick Webb; Amy, wife of William Halley; Merrill; and Jennie.
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WILLIAM F. CHRYSTIE.
William F. Chrystie, who resides at Hastings-on-the-Hudson, is a native of Fishkill Landing, Dutchess county, New York. He was born July 5, 1823, and is a son of Albert and Frances (Few) Chrystie. His father was an officer in the state militia and served in the war of 1812. The grandfather, Major James Chrystie, of the United States Army, was an officer under General Wayne, and participated in the battle of Stony Point; while Colonel John Chrystie, in whose honor Chrystie street, New York, was named, loyally served his country in the second war with Great Britain. Albert Christie was a native of the Empire state, as was also his wife, who bore the maiden name of Frances Few. Her father was William Few, of Georgia, who took a very prominent part in the trouble between this country and Great Britain. He was one of the signers of the constitution of the United States, was com- missioned colonel of a regiment of Georgia state troops, and later was United States senator from that state. His wife was a daughter of Commodore James Nicholson.
William Chrystie was a student in Columbia College, New York, and afterward attended the Harvard Law School, being admitted to the New York bar, at Utica. He married Miss Emily H. Thomas, of Georgia, and to them have been born four children, two sons and two daughters. They are William and Frank, of Westchester county; Mrs. DeWitt Cochran and Mrs. Curtis. Their home is located on the grounds occupied by the old Port Tavern during Revolutionary days.
STEPHEN J. STILWELL.
Professional advancement in the law is proverbially slow. The first element of success is, perhaps, a persistency of purpose and effort as endur- ing as the force of gravity. But, as in every other calling, aptitude, character and individuality are the qualities which differentiate the usual from the unusual; the avocation from the career of a lawyer. Only twelve years ago Mr. Stilwell was admitted to the bar, and within that time he has gained an eminence for which older men have striven a lifetime. He is an indefatig- able worker, which means that he is a student, accurate in analysis, classi- cal in learning, and most thoroughly devoted to his clients' interests. Such are the qualities which have gained Mr. Stillwell prestige among the legal prac- titioners of Mount Vernon.
He is one of Westchester county's native sons, his birth having occurred May 10, 1866, on a farm now included within the limits of Yonkers, but at that time known as " Mile Square." His parents still reside at the old home-
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stead and are descended from honored Revolutionary ancestry. Mr. Stil- well of this review spent his boyhood days under the parental roof and began his education in a little country school-house, there becoming familar with the elementary branches of English learning. He entered upon his business career at the age of thirteen years by securing a position in a real-estate office in Mount Vernon, where he was employed for a considerable period, but he eventually adandoned that work to go upon the road as a harness salesman. He had, however, long cherished the desire of entering the legal profession, and to this end began the study of law under the direction of the firm of Van Dusen & Taylor, prominent attorneys then located in the Equitable Building, in New York city. He also obtained admittance to the New York University Law School and after his graduation in that institution was admitted to the bar, at the early age of twenty-one years.
Mr. Stilwell began the practice of his profession in partnership with Jared Sandford, the president of the village of Mount Vernon, and the first mayor after the incorporation of the city. Later he was associated in busi- ness with David Swits, but the firm was dissolved when his partner became corporation counsel, and for the past four years Mr. Stilwell has been alone in business. He has been connected with much of the important litigation tried in the courts of his district, and his clientage has constantly increased in volume. He now has a New York office also, the same being located at 256 Broadway. He has given to his professional duties a close and undivided attention, and he possesses remarkable aptitude for dealing, in a practical and eminently successful way, with the issues involved in general litigation. He also possesses admirable social qualities and those sterling traits of char- acter which everywhere win respect, confidence and friendship.
CHARLES HARRIMAN.
The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the chron- icle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by those of its representative citizens, and yields its tributes of admiration and respect to those whose genius, learning and enterprise constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride. It is the men of business ability, capable of directing extensive commercial and industrial interests, by whom the welfare and ad- vancement of a community are largely conserved, and as such a citizen Mr. Harriman is well deserving of prominent mention. His name figures con- spicuously on the pages recording the substantial development of southeast- ern New York, for in the improvement of one of the most beautiful and pic- turesque sections of the Empire state he has been an important factor.
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Chur Harriman
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Mr. Harriman was born in Leicestershire, England, about 1826, a son of Thomas and Maria (Sketchley) Harriman. His father was likewise a native of the same county and was a dock builder by trade. About 1834 he came to America with his wife and seven children, locating in New Jersey, at the place known as the English neighborhood. Later, however, he removed to New York city, where he remained until his death. He was a man of great strength, six feet and two inches in height and well proportioned. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife died in 1878, while on a voyage to England. Their children were John, William, Charles, Thomas, Joseph, Henry and Maria. The last named died in infancy.
Charles Harriman, whose name begins this review, entered upon the ac- tive and responsible duties of business life when only eleven years of age, and from that time has been dependent entirely upon his own resources, so that his splendid success is the merited reward of his business and executive ability, keen sagacity and indefatigable industry. He was first bound out to a farmer to serve for five years, and in return for his labors was to receive his board, clothing and three months' schooling each year, but after remain- ing four years with his employer, during which time he was permitted to at- tend school only three weeks, he went to New York city and secured a clerk- ship with a ship chandler, at a dollar and a half per week. At the expira- tion of nine years he was receiving one thousand dollars per year and his board. He boarded with his employer and never had an angry word with him in all that time, their relations being most congenial. He attended night school to some extent and thus was further fitted for the duties and labors of life. At the end of five years, owing to some jealousy manifested toward him by the bookkeeper, he left his employer, Mr. Hutchinson, and began selling papers. He established a little news-stand and succeeding in advanc- ing the return from his sales from fifty cents to twenty-three dollars daily. His old employer wished to advance him the money for one year's tuition in school, but not caring to be under any obligations to any one Mr. Harriman refused the offer. When Mr. Hutchinson's bookkeeper left the place, Mr. Harriman was offered and accepted the position, which he filled most accep- tably through the ensuing four years. On the expiration of that period, in 1851, he established a ship-chandlery business on his own account, and soon secured a very liberal patronge. After two years he purchased his former employer's store, where he conducted a most profitable business for eight years.
He then sold out, and in connection with William Moller, formerly of Havermeyer & Company, sugar refiners, began business in that line under the firm name of William Moller & Company, in 1859. The tract of land they occupied comprised eleven lots between Vandam and Charlton streets, New
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York city, where the sugar refinery of Havermeyer & Moller stood, with a capacity of two hundred and twenty-five barrels per day. Success attended the new enterprise from the beginning, employment was furnished to one hundred and sixty men, and a business to the value of two million dol- lars was transacted annually. At that time, theirs was one of the largest refineries in the country. For four years the firm of William Moller & Com- pany carried on operations, at the end of which time Mr. Harriman sold out, and at the corner of Thames and Cedar streets erected a brick factory, one hundred by seventy feet, and eight stories in height, with a capacity of one hundred barrels per day. He continued in business alone for a year, and admitted to a partnership William L. Wallace, the well-known New York confectioner, under the firm name of Harriman & Wallace. For six years they conducted a successful business, and then one-half their property was condemned, by the corporation of New York city, for street purposes, and they sold the other half to a Catholic school. The enterprise had been a very paying one, netting a substantial profit.
In the meantime Mr. Harriman had invested in property at Irvington- on-the-Hudson, and to this he afterward added until he had two hundred and seven acres of valuable land in one of the most beautiful districts of the Hudson valley. On disposing of his sugar interests he removed to Irvington and turned his attention to the development of his property, platting the land, dividing it into town lots, and erecting many residences thereon. He was one of the founders of the town, where he made his home for twenty-two years, and where he still owns considerable property. Having disposed of the major part of it, however, he came to Yonkers, in 1878, and has since been prominently identified with the upbuilding of the city. He had pre- viously purchased a small tract of land, and now formed a partnership with John S. Hawley, under the firm name of Harriman & Hawley. They have extended their realty possessions until they now own land half a mile along both sides of the street and river front, together with a half miile of river frontage on the Hudson. This they have platted, laying out streets, building residences, and making it one of the most beautiful residence districts in the valley. It commands a magnificent view of the river for twenty miles, includ- ing the palisades and the wooded stretches which constitute one of the most charming pictures that America furnishes. Artists have frequently transferred its beauties to canvass, and in former years it was a favorite resort for many pleasure-seekers from New York city, attracted here by the splendid views and fine forests. The home of Mr. Harriman is one of the old colonial dwell- ings, erected more than a century ago, -one of the first houses in Yonkers. The grounds were highly improved before he took possession of them, and were known as Spring Hill Grove, but now known as Harriman. It is one
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