USA > New York > Westchester County > Biographical history of Westchester County, New York, Volume II > Part 25
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The medal which he received in recognition of his bravery and kindness to his comrades consists of a bronze star suspended from a bronze bar. On the reverse side is inscribed the following:
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The Congress to Private Thomas J. Callan, Troop B, 7th Cavalry, For Gallantry at Little Big Horn, Montana, June 25-26, 1876.
The following letter accompanied the medal:
WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, WASHINGTON D. C., Nov. 3, 1896.
MR. THOMAS J. CALLAN, Yonkers, N. Y .:
Sir :- By direction of the Assistant Secretary of War, I enclose herewith a medal of honor awarded to you for gallantry at the battle of Little Big Horn, Montana, June 25-26, 1876, while serving as a private of Troop B, Seventh United States Cavalry. The records show that you volunteered and succeeded in obtaining water for the wounded of the command, and was con- spicuous for good conduct in assisting to drive the Indians from the trees in the bottom while the men attempted to get water.
Very respectfully, J. S. BABCOCK, Ass't Adjt. General.
The medal he received was one of two thousand which had been granted by the war department up to 1896. Mr. Callan is now an honorary member of John C. Fremont Post, No. 590, G. A. R., at Yonkers, which he fre- quently entertains with stories and reminiscences of his five years' service in the Seventh Cavalry and the Custer massacre or battle of the Big Horn.
After serving seven years in the United States Army Mr. Callan returned to the east in 1880, and, after one year spent in the leather business, re- moved to Yonkers, in 1881, to accept the position of manager for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, which responsible position he has since filled, being to-day in control of the largest business of the kind in West- chester county. In business affairs he shows great discretion, and displays great energy and enterprise, and his well directed efforts have brought him gratifying success.
Mr. Callan has been twice married. He first wedded Mary T. Matthews, of Newark, New Jersey, June 18, 1882, but she died a year and a half later, leaving him with an infant son, William, who died at the age of three years. His present wife was formerly Miss Mary J. Nolan, of Orange Valley, a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Colloton) Nolan. Their marriage was con- summated January 11, 1886, and they have one child, Mary Joachim. Socially Mr. Callan is connected with the Montgomery Club, the Order of Red Men, Shalamuck Tribe, No. 355, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He also belongs to St. Peter's Roman Catholic church and the Catholic
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Benevolent Legion, and Yonkers Council, No. 300. He gives his political support to the Democratic party, and keeps well informed on the issues of the day and actively identified with political and other public interests of importance. As a business man he bears an unassailable reputation and at all times and in all relations of life he is as true to his duty as when he fought for the interests of the nation against the red men upon the western plains.
HON. CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW.
Mr. Depew, distinguished as a lawyer and statesman, was born at Peek- skill, April 23, 1834. His ancestry was of Huguenot families, from which have sprung so many noble men to make immortal names in history. His family were early settled at Peekskill, where his father, Isaac Depew, resided on the farm which had been the home of his ancestors for two hundred years. His early years were spent on the old homestead, and his education was finished at Yale College, where he graduated in 1856. Resolved to enter the legal profession, he studied law under Hon. William Nelson, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and commenced practice in his native town.
His natural ability, sound knowledge of the law and great oratorical talent caused his rapid advancement. In his youth he took part in politics, was a delegate to the Republican state convention in 1858, and a distinguished and effective speaker in the campaign of 1860. In every presidential contest from that time to the present, his speeches have been listened to by thou- sands of his fellow citizens, and his opinions have never failed to attract attention and command respect. At the beginning of the war he was adju- tant of the Eighteenth Regiment of New York Volunteers, and served three months. In 1861 he was elected a member of the assembly, and re-elected in 1862. His legislative career, which was marked with great ability, pre- pared the way for a still higher position, and in 1863 he was elected secre- tary of state. He received, but declined, the appointment of commissioner of immigration, but served for one year as tax commissioner for the city of New York. In 1866 he received from President Johnson the appointment of minister to Japan, -a position which he resigned after holding the commis- sion for one month. He was appointed one of the commissioners of the new capitol at Albany in 1871. The Liberal Republican party gave Mr. Depew the nomination for governor in 1872; but he, together with the rest of the ticket, failed of election. During the controversy which led to the resigna- tion of Hon. Roscoe Conkling as United States senator, Mr. Depew was one of the most prominent among the candidates proposed as his successor, but withdrew his name in the interests of harmony. He was appointed one of the regents of the University in 1877, a position which he still retains. For
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several years he was vice-president and general counsel for the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad company, and afterward was president of the same, -a position which furnished ample scope for his abilities.
Among the prominent orators of the day, there are few who have been more frequently called upon to deliver addresses upon occasions of public importance. A speech delivered in the legislature, in 1862, upon the subject of state finances, has been considered one of his best efforts, and attracted wide attention. On the 4th of July, 1876, he delivered the centennial oration at Sing Sing, and made a brilliant address at Kingston on July 30, 1877, the anniversary of the formation of the state government. On September 23, 1880, he addressed a large assembly at Tarrytown, in commemoration of the capture of Major Andre, and he was the orator of the day upon the occasion of unveiling the statue of Alexander Hamilton in Central Park. At the election of a United States senator, in 1885, he was tendered the nomination by all divisions of the Republican party, but declined to be considered a can- didate, and the choice fell upon Hon. William M. Evarts.
In 1899 Mr. Depew was elected a United States senator, and this choice of the New York legislature elicited words of hearty commendation from the entire press of the state, with very few exceptions, irrespective of party lines.
In 1871 he married Miss Elise, daughter of William Hageman, Esq., of New York, and has one son, who bears his father's name.
JACOB H. DALTON.
Located four miles and a half distant from the town of Peekskill, New York, is found the delightful country home of Mr. Jacob H. Dalton. His. farm comprises seventy acres of fine land, well cultivated, and his commo- dious and attractive residence, beautifully located on an elevation and sur- rounded by shade and ornamental trees, commands a magnificent view of the surrounding country. The owner of this place is one of the prominent citi- zens of his locality.
He was born in Yorktown, Westchester county, New York, January 15, 1862, the son of Samuel Dalton and grandson of James Dalton. The Dal- tons trace their origin to the Scotch-Irish. Samuel Dalton married Miss. Ella Field McCord, a daughter of Jacob R. and Phebe (Field) McCord, and she died when her only child, Jacob H., the subject of this sketch, was a babe five months old. The father was subsequently married to Miss Cath- erine Richey, daughter of Elihu Richey, of Cortlandt township, Westchester county, New York. The mother of our subject was a representative of the old McCord family of which mention is made on other pages of this work. The Field family mentioned traces lineage back to English origin, the line of
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descent being traced from John Field, who was a resident of Horton Parish, of Bradford, England, in the year 1572.
The subject of this sketch received his early education in the public schools and later attended the Peekskill Academy. On reaching manhood he engaged in farming on his own account, and as the result of his push and energy is meeting with a fair degree of success.
He was united in marriage, October 31, 1888, to Miss Ida Travis, a native of New York city and a daughter of David Travis, deceased. David Travis was born in Putnam county, New York, and was twice married. For his first wife he married Miss Cornelia Gilbert, of Putnam county, and for his second wife he wedded Miss Jane Oakley, a native of Peekskill, New York, and a daughter of James and Mary (Gilbert) Oakley. Mrs. Dalton is the eldest daughter by the second marriage. Mr. Travis died in 1892 and Mrs. Travis is a resident of New York city. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton have two chil- dren: Florence May, born May 25, 1890, and Virginia Field, born October 20, 1892.
Mrs. Dalton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, at Shrub Oak, New York.
WILLIAM J. HORTON.
On the 24th of August, 1898, there passed away, at his home in York- town township, Westchester county, New York, one of that county's best and most highly respected citizens, William James Horton. His honesty, integrity, gentleness and purity were a constant source of inspiration to his loving family and friends, and few men have left an example more to be desired than he.
Mr. Horton was born in Yorktown township, December 10, 1828, a son of Frost and Phoebe (Tompkins) Horton. In early childhood he removed with his parents to Peekskill, where he attended first the public schools and later the Peekskill academy, and after attending the latter institution for some time he entered college at North Adams, Massachusetts. Upon his return home he remained in Peekskill for a time, filling a position in his father's office, but after his marriage took up the occupation of farming in Yorktown township, in which undertaking he met with more than ordinary success.
On the 8th of January, 1851, Mr. Horton was united in marriage with Miss Leah B. Carpenter, a daughter of William and Winnifred S. (Carpen- ter) Carpenter, and by this union there were three children, namely: Wright, who married Phoebe Weeks; Thomas V., who married Elizabeth Ireland; and Georgine H., now Mrs. Frank A. Weed. (More extended mention of the
11 Flames Horton 0
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Horton family is given in the sketch of Dr. Stephen F. Horton, on another page of this work. )
Mr. Horton was progressive and enterprising, and took an active interest in the welfare of the community. Politically he was a stanch Democrat and served his party in the office of commissioner of highways for a number of years, and also filled the office of township supervisor for several terms. He was a liberal contributor to church and charitable enterprises, and while not an avowed member of the Episcopal church he served for a number of years as one of its vestrymen. In his religious principles he held to the doctrines laid down by the Quakers, or Society of Friends. In his life-span of seventy years he accomplished much, and he left behind him an honorable record, well worthy of perpetuation. He was a man of the highest charac- ter, and those who were most intimately associated with him speak in unquali- fied terms of his sterling integrity, his honor in business and his fidelity to all the duties of public and private life. He was faithful to his country and to. his friends, and in his home was an exemplary husband and father. His death occasioned the deepest regret throughout the community, and West- chester county thereby lost one of its most valued citizens. Mrs. Horton is an estimable lady of many sterling qualities, and has a large circle of friends. in the community.
GRIFFITH JOHN.
It will assuredly prove not uninteresting to observe in the series of bio- graphical sketches appearing in this volume the varying nationality, origin and early environment of men who have made their way to positions of prominence and success. In no better way can we gain a conception of the diverse elements which have entered into our social, professional and com- mercial life, and which to the future American type will impart features. which cannot be conjectured at the present time. We have had an American type in the past; we shall have a distinctly national character in the future, but, for the present, amalgamation of the various elements is proceeding, and. the final result is yet remote. No unimportant element in the formation of this national type is that furnished by the little rock-ribbed country of Wales, which country was the original home of the ancestors of Griffith John. The sterling elements of that race are shown in his character, and their persever- ance and adaptability find an exponent in his successful career.
Although of Welsh ancestry, Griffith John is a native of China, his birth having occurred in Shanghai, on the IIth of January, 1856. His parents. were Griffith and Margaret (Griffiths) John. His paternal grandfather, who also bore the name of Griffith John, was a native of Swansea, Wales, and was connected with the manufacturing interests of that country. His son and.
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namesake was also born in Swansea, and is now a missionary at Hankow, where he has been located for forty-three years. He was educated in Brecon College, of Wales, and Bedford College, England, and, having prepared for the ministry, determined to devote his life to missionary work. Accordingly he went at once to the orient, -sent out by the London Missionary Society, -and now for forty-four years he has labored to spread the gospel among the heathen people of the great Confucian empire. He married Margaret Griffiths, a daughter of Rev. David Griffiths, who was born in Wales, and educated in one of the seminaries of that country. He prepared for the min- istry and then went to the missionary field of Madagascar, where he remained for many years. When the queen of that land attempted to massacre all the Christians his life was threatened, for his concealing and protecting the con- verts, so he was compelled to return to England, and one of his labors after reaching that country was the translation of the Bible into the Madagascar language. At the age of seventy years he retired to private life and died in Wales. He married Miss Mary Griffiths, in Wales, and she accompanied him on his missionary tour. Returning then to Great Britain, her death occurred in her native land, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. Among their children, five or six in number, was Mrs. John, mother of our subject. She, too, aided her husband in his noble work among the not Christianized people of the orient, and her death occurred in Singapore, in the Malay peninsula, in 1873. By her marriage she became the mother of six children, three of whom are living, namely: Dr. David John, a resident of Yonkers; Mrs. Mary Sparhan, whose husband was sent out by the London Missionary Society and is now in Hankow, China; and Griffith, of this review.
The last named, now one of the most prominent citizens of Yonkers, New York, was born in Shanghai and was educated in a boarding school in Blackheath, England, where continued his studies until seventeen years of age. In order to attain the mastery of the principles and practices of mechan- ical engineering he then spent six years in the Siemens Steel Works, in Swansea, Wales, in the pattern-making and machine department and the drawing offices. During that time he became very expert in the work, and on leaving that large industrial establishment he entered the ship-building yards of the Palmer Ship Building Company, of Jarrow, England. There he remained seven months and then went to sea, as assistant engineer on a mer- chant vessel, in order to gain practical experience. For several months he was thus employed, plying between Liverpool and New Orleans, and subse- quently he entered the consulting engineer's office, in London, for the pur- pose of perfecting his knowledge of marine engineering, in which he had become especially interested. There he remained for a year, enjoying par- ticular advantages in the line of his chosen profession. By most thorough
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and comprehensive training, both theoretical and practical, he was fitted for the most expert mechanical work of all descriptions.
In 1881 Mr. John came to the United States and accepted a position as draftsman with R. Hoe & Company, printing-press manufacturers, of New York city. For six years he occupied that responsible position and then came to Yonkers, in 1887, to accept the position of draftsman with Otis Brothers & Company, thus serving until 1892, when he went to Boston to become superintendent of the Whittier Machine Company, with which he was connected until 1896, when he returned to Yonkers. Since that time he has occupied the responsible position of superintendent of the extensive industrial interests of Otis Brothers & Company, -the most important place in all their service. He has under his control twelve foremen and between three and four hundred employes. His administration of the extensive affairs of the company indicates managerial ability of the highest order. Added to this is a most comprehensive and expert knowledge of the working of ma- chinery and the natural laws which govern it. He is just toward the workmen, and at all times alert in conserving the best interests of his company with which he is so closely allied. Tireless energy, keen perception, honesty of purpose, a genius for devising and executing the right thing at the right time, joined to every-day common sense, are his chief characteristics in business.
With all his great practical force of character, Mr. John has the faculty of placing all at ease by the courtesy and frankness of his manner, being in truth a gentleman and a universal favorite. Of course opportunity brings this side of his nature forward more frequently in social circles and in his home. He was married in April, 1883, to Miss Ida E. Paynter, a daughter of Isaac E. Paynter, of New York city, and they have had two children, Griffith Paynter and Bessie Edith. The family attend the First Presbyterian church, and enjoy the hospitality of the best homes of Yonkers.
JAMES H. LANDER.
Mr. Lander is one of the most energetic and enterprising citizens of Greenburg township, Westchester county, New York, and has served in the capacity of commissioner of highways since 1890. He was born in the town in which he now resides, on May 25, 1863, being a son of Henry S. and Annie (Williams) Lander, both of whom were born in England. His father, Henry Lander, was born in the village of Swanage, Dorsetshire, Eng- land, where he received a good common-school education and grew to man- hood, learning the trade of a stone-cutter. In 1855 he emigrated to America, coming to New York state and purchasing a farm in the town of Greenburg, Westchester county. On this land he established a factory for the manu-
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facture of bone-dust and fertilizer, and also made a kind of grease which he sold for lubricating purposes. He soon built up a good business and the output of his factory finds a ready sale among the surrounding farmers, bringing him a neat income. He was united in marriageto Miss Annie Will- iams, who was born in London. England, and came to America with her parents, who first made their home on Long Island, and later settled in the town of Greenburg, this county, where she met and married Mr. Lander.
James H. Lander received as good an education as could be obtained in the common schools. He also assisted his father about the farm work and in the factory. In 1890 he was elected commissioner of highways, and so acceptably were the duties of the office discharged that he has held the office continuously since, being re-elected in 1893 and 1896; his present term will expire in 1900. He received a most flattering vote, his majorities ranging from one hundred and seventy-six to four hundred and twenty in a strong Democratic township. He owns one farm of thirty-one acres, which is in a good state of cultivation, and supplied with good, commodious buildings. Besides this farm, which is always kept in first-class condition, he also owns. another farm, of about seventy acres, located near the Westchester county fair grounds, and upon this place are fine new buildings and other substantial improvements. He also owns several other small pieces of property in the town of Greenburg, and in addition to his farming operations does an exten- sive business in grading streets and highways, making excavations, etc.
When twenty-one years of age, he chose as the partner of life's vicissi- tudes Miss Ada McFadden, of the town of Greenburg, whose father was James McFadden, and whose great-grandfather emigrated to this country from Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Lander are the proud parents of nine children: Florence, Howard, Clarence, James, Frank, Irvin, Walter, Bessie and Everett. Mr. Lander is a Republican, and in 1891 was elected to the. office of school trustee, serving three years. He is a member of Diamond Lodge, 555, F. & A. M., at Dobbs Ferry, and the Spring Valley Lodge, I. O. O. F. He is a man of sound judgment and marked ability, and stands well in the community.
ALBERT. S. LEVINESS.
Mr. Leviness, a retired farmer living at Hartsdale, was born in the town of Greenburg, Westchester county, December 7, 1826, the second son of Jonathan and Charlotte (Underhill) Leviness. His father was born in the same town, in 1800, was a farmer in early life, a prominent citizen, a mem- ber and trustee of the Dutch Reformed church and a man of great force of character; he died in 1886. His father, Joseph Leviness, was also a native
p
Albert of Jenings
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of Westchester county, married Elizabeth Sherwood, and had five sons who married and had children. The mother of our subject was the daughter of Gilbert Underhill, who married a Miss Hart and had thirteen children, -nine daughters and four sons. William Underhill, father of Gilbert, mar- ried Ann Underhill and by occupation was a farmer.
Albert S. Leviness was reared principally on the farm and received a good common-school education, going to school during the winter terms. In his twentieth year he married and settled on a rented farm for four years, after which he purchased a farm of thirty acres of Benjamin T. Underhill, and continued in successful general farming until 1895, when he disposed of his place and retired from active life, attending only to the financial features of what business may remain on his hands.
He was first married to Dorcas Tomkins, of Greenburg, a daughter of James and Mary Tompkins, born in that town January 2, 1826. The chil- dren by this marriage were: James T .; Mary E., wife of Eugene Sherwood, a son of John Sherwood, residing in New Canaan, Connecticut; and Jay Hart, who resides in Greenburg township. Mrs. Leviness died in 1893, and for his second wife Mr. Leviness married, October 4, 1894, Mrs. Harriet Mead, widow of Amos Mead, her maiden name having been Dusenbury, as she was the daughter of Jacob and Jane (Underhill) Dusenbury. By her first marriage her children were Allen and Henry.
Mr. and Mrs. Leviness are members of the Dutch Reformed church. In politics he is independent, In public office he has served as school trus- tee and roadmaster. He has now passed his seventy-second birthday, is hale and hearty and in the possession of all his faculties. He has always been an industrious citizen and good manager, accumulating a handsome amount of property to enjoy in his declining years.
WILLIAM C. LAWRENCE.
In viewing the mass of mankind in the varied occupations of life the conclusion is forced upon the observer that in the vast majority of cases men have sought employment not in the line of their peculiar fitness but in that where caprice or circumstances has placed them, thus explaining the reason of the failure of ninety-five per cent. of those who enter commercial and pro- fessional circles. Mr. Lawrence, however, has a strongly developed com- mercial instinct, and therefore in his business life, which lies along that line, he has prospered. The qualities which insure success-perseverance, indus- try and capable management-are his, and they have been strengthened by wise use through the years of an honorable and active business career.
Mr. Lawrence was born May 6, 1860, in the village of Ardsley, where 45
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he now makes his home, and is a son of Daniel and Hannah T. (Southan) Lawrence. His paternal grandparents were William and Hannah (Vincent) Lawrence, and the former was born in the town of Greenburg, Westchester county, where he followed the trade of blacksmithing in his early life, aban- doning it in later years in order to devote his energies to farming, which con- tinued to be his vocation until his life labors were ended in death, about' 1880. The maternal grandfather of our subject, C. T. Southan, was of English birth and came to this country in 1832. He established a meat market at Dobbs Ferry, in 1835, and for forty years carried on business, - until 1875, -when he sold out to his son-in-law, Daniel Lawrence, and James E. Southan. He resided in Ardsley, but carried on business at Dobbs Ferry.
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