USA > New York > Westchester County > Biographical history of Westchester County, New York, Volume I > Part 42
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JOHN H. ROSE.
The subject of this sketch, John H. Rose, is foreman of the steam engine department of the Otis Brothers & Company establishment, of Yonkers, New York, and resides at No. 10 Vineyard avenue that city.
Mr. Rose is a native of Holland. He was born September 1, 1861, son of Abel and Mary (Van Hook) Rose, and spent the first six years of his life in his native land. In 1867 he accompanied his parents to this country. The family settled at Little Falls, New Jersey, where they lived until 1874, where the mother of our subject died about 1868 or 1869. The father sub- sequently consummated a second marriage and he now resides at Paterson, New Jersey.
In 1881 John H. Rose entered the employ of Otis Brothers & Company as an apprentice to learn the machinist's trade, and did journeyman work until 1893, when he was made foreman of the steam engine department, in which position he has continued up to the present time, having about thirty- five men under his supervision. Mr. Rose has been a student all his life and has collected a well-selected library. He is now pursuing a course in the National Correspondence School.
Mr. Rose was married October 12, 1886, to Miss Louise Dykes, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Dykes, and they have four children, as fol- lows: Howard Manning, John Arthur, Raymond Stanley, and Edwin Har- rington.
Politically, Mr. Rose supports the Republican party and the principles advocated by it. He and Mrs. Rose are members of the First Presbyterian church of Yonkers.
WILLIAM H. HAMMOND.
The name of Hammond is one which has been long and conspicuously identified with the history of Westchester county and is one in which each successive generation has produced men of sterling worth. In the three important wars of the nation representatives of the family have fought for liberty; and bravery and loyalty are among the marked characteristics of those who bear the name. Staats Hammond, the grandfather of our subject, bore the family name of his mother, who prior to her marriage was a Miss Staats. Her relatives were the founders of the town of Staatsburg. Staats Hammond served as an orderly under General Washington in the Revolu-
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tionary war and was wounded at the battle of Trenton. Before the war he took up his residence in Unionville, Westchester county, where he built two mills,-one on the Sawmill river, where the county almshouse now stands, and the other in Unionville. He also owned some of the best land in the county. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Esther Martling, was a native of Tarrytown, and a daughter of Abram Martling. Her brothers, Abram, David and Jacob, all fought for the independence of the nation in the war of the Revolution, and Leverence Martling, another kinsman, was a member of the Colonial army. Staats Hammond and his wife became the parents of ten children, namely: David, Abram, Isaac, Staats, Thomas, Mary, Jane, Sarah, Nancy and James. The father died in 1822. He held membership in the Presbyterian church, and lived an honorable, upright life.
He had a brother, William Hammond, who served as colonel of a mili- tia regiment during the Revolutionary war; and at the time Lord Howe held New York city he learned from an old woman, Polly Reed, that a spy was about to leave the metropolis. Giving the information to the proper author- ities, the man was captured and proved to be Major Andre. During the war of 1812, Colonel William Hammond was a major-general, commanding the military forces of Westchester county, and he participated with General Putnam in the battle of White Plains.
Thomas Hammond, the father of our subject, was reared on the old family homestead in Westchester county, and, inheriting the patriotic instincts of his father and uncles, he enlisted for service in the war of 1812, when the second trouble with England occurred, and proved himself a brave soldier. He was a member of the Westchester Cavalry, and served throughout the campaign, holding the rank of first lieutenant. He married Miss Sarah Wor- den, the daughter of George Worden and an aunt of Admiral Worden. Seven children were born of their union: Lucretia, wife of H. Neuman; Mary Ann, wife of Elisha P. Cronk; Anna Louisa, wife of Stephen Baker; Elizabeth, wife of Alexander Discol; William H., whose name introduces this sketch; George Wordon and Thomas Harrison, both deceased. The father died at the age of forty-five years, and the mother, surviving him for many years, passed away at the age of eighty.
William Henry Hammond, who is one of the well-known and highly respected citizens of Pleasantville, was born at the old homestead at Union- ville, September 13, 1821. His boyhood and youth were passed under the parental roof, and his education was acquired in the schools of the neighbor- hood. During the greater part of his business career he has devoted his ener- gies to the shoe trade and was a shoe manufacturer and storekeeper for twenty-four years. At the time of the Civil war, although past the age of enlistment, he joined the army in 1863, enlisting under General Stagg, of
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Detroit, Michigan, as a brigade sutler. He was with the Army of the Poto- mac, and after two years spent at the front participated in the grand review in Washington, and was then honorably discharged, in the summer of 1865. Returning to the north, he was appointed to the charge of the Westchester county almshouse, and remained in that position for twelve years, discharg- ing his duties in a prompt and capable manner. He is now pleasantly located on the old family homestead, where he is surrounded with all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
On the 12th of March, 1842, Mr. Hammond was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Roselle, daughter of John Roselle, who was born in this neighborhood. He was of French Huguenot descent and served in the war of 1812. To Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have been born seven children, of whom five are living: Minerva, wife of Charles Dominick, of Westchester county, now of New York city; Thomas H., a resident of this county; Sarah Esther; Emma, wife of K. Choate; and Millard F., a manufacturer. Dan and Elias have both departed this life. The family is one of prominence in the community and its members hold high positions in social circles. Fraternally, Mr. Hammond is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In all life's relations he has manifested the same loyalty to duty which was so characteristic of his ancestors, and all who know him esteem him for his sterling worth.
JOHN T. TERRY.
In the beautiful district of Tarrytown, immortalized by Irving, stands Pink Stone, the palatial home of John Taylor Terry. Bordered by the Hudson, so justly famed in story and song, the grounds cover an area of thirty-five acres, diversified by hill and vale, and adorned by spendid old forest trees. Shady walks and winding drives, velvety lawns, and the wilder tracts left to Nature's gardener add diversity and charm to the scene. The large square mansion of stone, suggestive of stability and comfort, was erected in 1859 and has ever since been occupied as the family residence. It is an ideal home, the beautiful scenes of nature supplemented by the works of art and culture, yet all so harmonious in effect and so unostentatious that the evidences of wealth seem to indicate a refined and quiet taste, rather than the lavish display of the power of money. Certainly this is one of the most delightful homes in the beautiful Hudson valley, a fitting retreat for one who has been so long an active and prominent factor in the business world of America's great metropolis.
For fifty-eight years John Taylor Terry has been connected with the mercantile interests of New York city, and in the capable management of his extensive interests and by reason of his superior executive ability he has
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achieved a princely fortune. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on the 9th of September, 1822. His ancestry is traceable in direct line to some of the most celebrated of the original colonists of New England, and through Mabel Harlakenden, to King Edward I. of England, and from him to William the- Conqueror. Among his New England forefathers were George Wyllys, gov- ernor of Connecticut in 1642; John Haynes, husband of Mabel Harlakenden, the first colonial governor of Massachusetts (1635), the first governor of Con- necticut (1639), and re-elected to that office successively until his death, in- 1656, with the exception of an interval of five years, when he declined re-elec- tion; William Bradford, the famous governor of Plymouth colony; William Partridge, treasurer of Connecticut, and many others of no less prominence.
Mr. Terry is the third son and fourth child of Roderick and Harriet (Taylor) Terry, and spent his childhood days in his native state. He ac- quired his education in the academy at Westfield, Massachusetts, and the high school of Ellington, Connecticut, and when fifteen years of age entered upon his business career as clerk in the employ of his father, who was a suc- cessful merchant of Hartford and also president of the Exchange Bank of that city. His training was careful and exacting. He mastered thoroughly every task assigned him, and steadily worked his way upward by real merit, depending not in the least upon his connection with the head of the business for advancement. This thoroughness and promptitude have characterized his entire business career and have been important factors in his success. For four years he continued his clerkship and then, after a trip abroad, came to New York city to find in its greater interests better opportunities for ad- vancement and success. His rise in the business world has not come through influence or the aid of wealth, but has been the recognition of fidelity, hon- orable methods and unabating energy and industry.
He arrived in the metropolis in December, 1841, and secured a clerk- ship in the house of Edwin D. Morgan, afterward United States Senator and governor of New York, who recognized his ability and, on the Ist of Jan- uary, 1844, admitted him to a partnership in the business, which connection was continued uninterruptedly until Governor Morgan's death, in 1883, when the harmonious relations between the two gentlemen, and their trust and con- fidence in each other, was shown by the fact that Mr. Terry was made exec- utor of his partner's will. The members of the firm of E. D. Morgan & Company won a place in the front rank of business men in New York city, and enjoyed a very extensive trade as importers of and dealers in teas, cof- fees and sugar. The business is still carried on, and the volume of trade. transacted is hardly equaled by that of any other concern of the kind in the country.
Mr. Terry, however, is a man of resourceful business ability, and his
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efforts have by no means been confined to one line of endeavor. His sound judgment, keen foresight and unquestioned reliability have been important factors in bringing success to many an undertaking, and he is now a director in the American Exchange Bank, the Bank of New Amsterdam, and the Met- ropolitan Trust Company, vice-president of the Mercantile Trust Company, a director in the Western Union Telegraph Company and of other telegraph companies connected with that great system, a director in four railroad com- panies, and in gas companies and other important business concerns. His judgment in financial and commercial circles always carries great weight, and he stands as one of those irreproachable characters against whom the most malevolent have naught to say, so worthily has his success been won and so wisely is it used. His word is as good as any bond that was ever solemnized by signature or seal, and his record is at all times above question.
In 1846 Mr. Terry was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Roe Peet. For forty-three years he and his family have resided in their beautiful home on the Hudson a place of historic as well as of modern interest. It was the old Requa farm, and was the scene of a tragic event during the Revolution. In the summer of 1779 a strong detachment of British troops under Colonel Emmerick came up the river and advanced so rapidly upon Tarrytown that the Continental guard was completely taken by surprise. They were lodged in the house which is now Mr. Terry's gate house. Four Americans were killed and ten of the remaining twelve were taken prisoners. Tradition says that it was at this point that Isaac Martlingh, a one-armed man, also lost his life, and Polly Buckout was killed, being mistaken for a man from the fact that she was wearing a man's hat. More than a century has passed and there remains only the memory of such incidents-scenes out of the war drama that resulted in the establishment of our great republic. This district, which once resounded to the strains of martial music, is now comprised within one of the loveliest country seats on the Hudson, and offers to its owner a most quiet and delightful retreat from the activities and pressing responsibilities of the busy world.
Mr. Terry is a man of broad humanitarian principles and deep human sympathy, responding readily to any call for aid from the poor or unfortu- nate. He has long been a member of the Presbyterian church, is a director of the Presbyterian Hospital and chairman of the executive committee of the New York Institution of the Deaf and Dumb. Many charities and philanthropic movements have received from him substantial assistance, and his generosity is manifest in many other ways; but his freedom from all ostentation in this regard makes his acts of kindness many times known only to the donor. He has now reached the age of seventy-seven years, but is still an active factor in business life. His appearance is commanding
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and impressive and his simple dignity of manner is mar ked by great courtesy and kindliness. Such, in brief, is the history of one to whom large success has been vouchsafed as the reward of consecutive and honorable effort, to whom high regard has come in recognition of an upright life, and to whom gratitude is due for his helpfulness to his fellow men.
WILLIAM MURRAY.
Honored and respected by all, there is no man in Westchester county who occupies a more enviable position in business and financial circles than Mr. Murray, not alone on account of the brilliant success he has achieved but also on account of the honorable, straightforward business policy he has ever followed. He possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution, and his close application to business and his excellent management have brought to him the high degree of prosperity which is to-day his.
Mr. Murray was born in New York city, January 10, 1845, a son of Charles H. and Jessie (Conway) Murray. During the period of his minority he remained in the metropolis, and after acquiring his preliminary education in the public schools he became a student in a private school in Jersey City, New Jersey. At the age of fifteen years he began life for himself as a clerk, and on attaining his majority embarked in the hardware business on his own account in Jersey City, where he carried on operations in that line for a period of sixteen years. On disposing of his hardware store he made an extended trip through the western states and territories, visiting some of the leading cities of that section of the country, including St. Louis, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Chicago and Detroit.
Returning to the Empire state, Mr. Murray located in Larchmont and resumed business. He is now connected with a number of important enter- prises and his wise counsel is an important factor in their successful manage- ment. In 1888 he became interested in the Produce Exchange of New York city, and is also connected with the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, at Jersey City, the Colonial Life Insurance Company, of the same place, and is treasurer of the Larchmont Yacht Club. He is also the largest share- holder in the Larchmont Water Company, and the Larchmont Electric Light Company, and also in other business enterprises which are proving very profitable sources of income and investment.
In 1867 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Murray and Miss Alice T. Green, of Jersey City, a daughter of George B. Green, a prominent citizen. of that place and a member of the Produce Exchange of New York city. They have become the parents of two children, a son and daughter, namely:
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George G., who is connected with the Water Works and Electric Light Com- panies at Larchmont, and Jessie Louise, at home.
The Republican party has always found in Mr. Murray a stanch sup- porter, and he is now serving as president of the Republican National League and as chairman of the Larchmont Republican committee, being recognized throughout the country as one of the leaders of the party. Since its incep- tion he has been one of the most prominent and influential members of the Larchmont Club, which is one of the finest clubs in the state of New York, or indeed in the United States, and he has served at different times in all the important offices in that organization. He is also president of the Larch- mont Manor Park Society, and with his family he occupies an enviable posi- tion in social circles. They are members of St. John's Episcopal church at Larchmont, and he is a most generous contributor to its support. In mem- ory of their father he and his sister, Mrs. Neilson, erected the parish house and presented it to the rector and vestrymen of St. John's church. It is a handsome stone structure, to be used for church services, Sunday-school and other meetings of a nature to promote the moral welfare. His palatial home is most beautifully located and is surrounded by elegant grounds. Court- eous, genial, well-informed, alert and enterprising, Mr. Murray stands to- day one of the leading representative men of the community.
WILLIAM INCHO ODELL.
A member of the firm of Quimby & Odell, coal and feed merchants of Ardsley-on-Hudson, Mr. Odell is a native of New York city, having been born in the ninth ward of that city, December 14, 1860. He is a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Hopkins) Odell, and a grandson of Joshua Odell, who was a prosperous farmer of this. county, and is buried in White Plains.
Isaac Odell, the father of our subject, was born in the town of Green- burg, where he was educated and grew to manhood. While still young he went to New York city, and became associated with the Mercantile National Bank, of which he was president for many years. He was also president of the Irving National Bank for six years, and was a director of both at the time of his death, in 1888. His wife was Elizabeth, a daughter of Samuel and Phoebe Hopkins, and likewise a native of the town of Greenburg. She . is still a resident of the connty.
William I. Odell was reared in the city of New York and there received his education, graduating from the University of the City of New York. He then entered the pottery manufactory of his brother, Charles M., and there he remained six years. This plant was located at Tarrytown. For the seven years immediately following he served as deputy sheriff of this county, under
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the following sheriffs: Frank G. Shimer, John Duffy, Addison Johnson and William V. Molloy. After retiring from the office of sheriff he opened his present feed and coal office in Ardsley, in June, 1897. He was married Octo- ber 22, 1890, to Miss Abbie E. Yates, the eldest daughter of Montgomery and Jane E. Yates. Their union resulted in the birth of one child, Ruth King Odell. Mr. Odell is president of the village of Ardsley and was a trustee for several years, enjoying a wide degree of popularity throughout the county. He is a member of Diamond Lodge, No. 555, F. & A. M.
LYMAN M. TILLOTSON.
A prominent citizen and a leader in local political circles in Yonkers is Lyman Moores Tillotson, who comes from an old colonial family of New England. He served one term as president of the Lincoln Legion, the strongest Republican organization in Westchester county; was a delegate and chairman of the assembly held at Mount Vernon in 1896, and was chairman of the Fifth Ward Republican Club for two terms. While president of the Lincoln Legion he assisted in organizing branches at Mount Vernon and East Chester, and for years he has been in demand as a speaker upon political questions and upon public occasions of a patriotic order. He has been ten- dered the nominations for various important positions, and was chairman of the convention which elected delegates to the state, congressional and judiciary conventions held in the city of Mount Vernon in August, 1896. The delegates chosen at this convention were sent, respectively, to the state convention at Saratoga; the congressional convention, held in the city of Yonkers; and the judiciary convention, held in the city of Brooklyn.
The founder of the Tillotson family in the New World was one John Tillotson, a native of England, who sailed across the bleak Atlantic in the early part of the seventeenth century, and settled in Connecticut. One of his brothers was a clergyman of some little renown, belonging to the Episco- pal church. The family, or at least some of the descendants of John Tillotson, removed to Vermont, and in the village of Portsmouth the paternal grandfather of our subject was born. He was a member of the Congrega- tional church and was a man of exemplary life. Of his five children three were sons-George, Jackson and Lyman M .- and the girls were Mary and Birdie.
The father of the subject of this article was Lyman M. Tillotson, who was born in Vermont, in 1820. For many years he was a successful teacher, and later, removing to Lowell, Massachusetts, he became the superintendent of a cotton mill, and continued as such up to the breaking out of the civil war. He then went to Charlestown, Massachusetts, and had charge of the
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ammunition department of the navy yard there, afterward serving in a similar position on board a war-ship. His last years were spent in the employ of the planing department of the locomotive works at Manchester, Vermont, where he was manager. Most unfortunately, he met with a severe injury at the works, and from the effects of this accident his death resulted, in February, 1878. He was interred in the cemetery in Manchester. His widow, formerly Adelia Russell, is still living, being sixty years of age, but their only daughter, Grace Delia, died when twenty-one years old.
Lyman Moores Tillotson was born July 22, 1863, in Brighton Corners, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. His education was acquired in the public schools of Manchester, but when he was seventeen years of age he left his studies and entered the employ of the Amoskeag Manufac- turing Company, of his home town. During the next three years he mastered the machinist's trade, and then became engineer for the same company. In 1866 he went to New York city, and for a short time worked for the Consolidated Pin Company, making tools for carrying on their manufactures. He then embarked in the business of manufacturing pins, brass buttons, etc., on his own account, but found that he could not compete with the great corporations. In 1890 he came to Yonkers, and has since been engaged on contract mechanical work with the Otis Elevator Com- pany. On the 29th of March, 1899, Mr. Tillotson was appointed to the position of electrical engineer for the police department of the city of Yonkers.
He is a member of Rising Star Lodge, No. 450, F. & A. M., and attends the Methodist Episcopal church. January 7, 1889, Mr. Tillotson married Miss Isabella Hopkins Allen, a daughter of John C. and Cornelia Allen, of Jersey City, New Jersey.
JOSEPH O. MILLER.
He whose name forms the caption of this review needs no special introduction to the readers of this volume, but the work would be incomplete without the record of his life. No man in Westchester county has been more prominently identified with the political history of the community, or has taken a more active part in public affairs, but he is now practically living retired at his pleasant home in Mount Kisco.
Mr. Miller was born February 5, 1841, in Whitlockville, this county, of which place his father, John A. Miller, was likewise a native, and there the latter continued to make his home until 1848, when he removed to Bedford Center, Westchester county. He continued to engage in farming for several years, and on his retirement took up his residence in Mount Kisco, where he departed this life at the age of seventy-two years, honored and respected by
Josepho Miller
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all who knew him. In his political affiliations he was a Republican. In early life he married Charity B. Merritt, of New Castle, this county, a daugh- ter of Nathan Merritt, a representative of one of its old and highly esteemed families. She died at the age of seventy-two years, a faithful and active member of the Methodist church, to which her husband also belonged. Our subject's paternal grandfather, Samuel H. Miller, who died at the ripe old age of eighty-two years, was a farmer by occupation, and owned the site on which the village of Katonah once stood. His father, William J. Miller, also was a native of Westchester county, served as one of its first judges, and lived to quite an advanced age. He had a wooden leg and was of Ger- man descent.
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