USA > New York > Westchester County > Biographical history of Westchester County, New York, Volume II > Part 46
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Steamer, and he served as its foreman in 1857, 1858 and 1859. The last year he was presented by the company with a very handsome silver trumpet, which was one of his treasured possessions. He was a charter member of the Firemen's Benevolent Fund Association, and remained an active member until his death.
As president of the village of Port Chester, Mr. Abendroth's administra- tion stands out boldly. He was the only man who had the courage to enforce the ordinances, and despite the most persistent and obstinate objec- tions on the part of some timid persons he enforced the excise laws as he understood them and forced a respect of the Sabbath by liquor dealers. It is safe to say that no citizen of Port Chester was held in higher regard or had more true friends than Mr. Abendroth. When he was about to sail for Europe he was given a dinner in courses at Hawthorne Beach, by the trustees of the Port Chester Savings Bank, June 16, 1891, and on Saturday, September 27, 1891, a number of leading citizens and the employes of all departments of the Abendroth foundry made a surprise visit to Mr. Abendroth at his resi- dence on the Post Road, to greet and congratulate him on his safe return from Europe and to tender felicitations on the completion of the fiftieth year of the successful management of the firm of Abendroth Brothers. Sev- eral impressive speeches were made, showing the esteem in which he was held by the entire community. He died January 29, 1898, and the organizations with which he was connected sent to his wife appropriate resolutions of respect.
Mr. Abendroth's home life was an unusually happy one. In 1843 he married Miss Anna Maria Fraser, who survives her husband. To them were born five children, who are still living: Mrs. John F. Mills and Mrs. M. R. Hoagland, both of Port Chester; Frank A. Abendroth, of Chicago; John W. Abendroth, of New York; and Mrs. F. G. Dickson, of Jersey City.
WILLIAM FRED LAWRENCE.
The quiet, persevering business man who does not mix in politics is every year becoming a more and more important factor in our national prog- ress. That there is something to be done besides helping elect men to fat offices is a fact that is coming home to the American people. Politicians talk about prosperity; but it is the quiet, persevering business man who does not mix in politics that creates the prosperity. Such a man was William Fred Lawrence, of Yonkers. A stanch Republican in politics, a man of much personal and business influence, Mr. Lawrence was repeatedly urged to become a candidate for important public offices; but he steadfastly refused such honors and devoted his time and energies to building up his business
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interests, employing men intelligently and helpfully and doing the unostenta- tious but always telling work of the every-day business man for the good of the general public. In this way he was an exemplar of the truism that "he best helps others who helps himself."
William Frederick Lawrence was the oldest child of William H. and Maria Vanderveer (Back) Lawrence. He was born at Yonkers January 15, 1841, and died at 143 Buena Vista avenue, that city, July 13, 1897. After acquiring an education and passing some years in other employment, he entered the service of the lumber and coal firm of Read, Speedling & Nairn as bookkeeper. Not long afterward, upon the retirement of Mr. Read from the enterprise, he was able to purchase that gentleman's interest and the business was continued by Speedling, Nairn & Lawrence. Mr. Speedling died in 1872, and the business passed into the ownership of Mr. Lawrence and his brother, James V. Lawrence, and after that it was conducted under the firm name of Lawrence Brothers. This business has always been a leader in its peculiar field, and it has been so energetically developed that it has more than kept pace with the rapid growth of the city of Yonkers. Mr. Lawrence was also extensively interested in real estate in different parts of the city, and through his operations had much to do with the extension of the visible limits of Yonkers. He was one of the directors of the Citizens' National Bank of Yonkers, a trustee of the Yonkers Fuel, Light & Power Company and a stockholder and trustee in the corporation owning the Yon- kers Weekly and Daily Statesman.
On November 21, 1867, Mr. Lawrence married Miss Mary J. Weddle, of Rochester, New York. Her father, William Weddle, came to this country from Hull, England, with his father, Thomas Saddler Weddle, and his mother, Mary M. (Maune) Weddle. Mrs. Lawrence's mother, Electa (Brown) Weddle, traced her ancestry back to Elder John Strong, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, who came to America in the Mary and John, and to Thomas Ford, also a passenger in that good ship. Richard Strong, father of Elder John Strong, was born in Wales in 1561 and died in 1613. Elder John Strong married Abigail Ford, daughter of Thomas Ford. ' Their son, Samuel Strong, married Esther Clapp, daughter of Deacon Edward Clapp, of Dor- chester, Massachusetts. Their son, Ezra Strong, Sr., married I. Fowler, daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Brown) Fowler. Their son, Ezra Strong, Jr., married Mary King. Their son, King Strong, married Hannah Noble. Their daughter, Huldah Strong, married Jonah Brown, and Electa Brown was their daughter. Mr. and Mrs. William Fred Lawrence had four chil- dren: William H., Stanley (who died October 16, 1880), Mabel, Maud and Arthur. Mrs. William F. Lawrence's mother, Electa (Brown) Weddle, was a direct descendant of Peter Brown, 33d signer of the Mayflower compact.
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She was also descended from Hon. Daniel Clark, John Newberry, Thomas Barber, Christopher Crow, Benjamin Burr, Jonathan Gillette and many other New England emigrants of the seventeenth century. His family are con- nected with St. John's Episcopal church, of Yonkers, of which he was a lib- eral supporter and a member of the vestry. His enthusiasm for yachting led to his identification with the Corinthian Yacht Club. He was the owner, until about the time of his death, of the one-hundred-foot steam yacht, "Nereid," which was used during the late war with Spain by the government. He was a member of the uniformed rank of Masons and was connected with other important organizations, and in every relation with his fellow citizens was a leader in useful work, justly esteemed for his high character and worthy success.
COMMODORE A. MONROE.
One of the most popular and esteemed citizens of Westchester county is Commodore Augustin Monroe, whose broad culture, genial temperament and uniform courtesy have made him a social favorite and won him the regard and friendship of representatives of all classes. One of the most prominent factors in the social life of Westchester county and New York city is the Larchmont Yacht Club, of which Mr. Monroe was one of the organizers, and since its formation he has been active in its successful management and is now serving as a member of its board of trustees. It ranks among the finest clubs of the kind in the United States, which position is dne to the influence of its many eminent and well known members, prominent among whom is the subject of this review.
Mr. Monroe was born in the city of San Francisco, California, in 1854, and there passed the first nine years of his life. He then accompanied his mother, Laura (Renwick) Monroe, on their return to New York. Father John A. Monroe died in San Francisco in 1862.
Commodore A. Monroe acquired the greater part of his education in New York city, but also attended St. Paul's school, at Concord, New Hamp- shire, which he left in 1869. Returning home he spent five years in the city, graduated at the Columbia College Law School in 1876, and in 1881 cameto Larchmont, with the interests of which village he has since been identified. Larchmont occupies one of the most beautiful sites on Long Island Sound, and, recognizing the advantages here offered for such an organization, Mr. Monroe, in conjunction with two other prominent men, was instrumental in forming the Larchmont Yacht Club, which soon took rank among the finest clubs of the kind in the United States. Its growth was rapid, drawing its membership from the best citizens of Westchester county and New York. There are now six hundred names on the membership roll, and the club dis-
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plays many of the finest yacht and sailing craft seen on the sound. From the beginning Mr. Monroe has served as a member of the board of trustees, and under his able management the club has become one of the most pros- perous in the Empire state. He was third commodore of Larchmont Yacht Club, serving for 1884 and 1885. The club house, which was erected at a cost of one hundred and fifty-four thousand dollars, is a beautiful and magnifi- cent structure, complete in all its appointments, having spacious halls, draw- ing rooms, fine libraries, extensive verandas, balconies and dormitories. It is also most beautifully located, commanding an excellent view of the harbor and Long Island sound, and is a most delightful retreat during the hot sum- mer months. Mr. Monroe has labored untiringly in its interests, and for its success he deserves great credit. He possesses a fine physique, is an excellent conversationalist, is most affable and genial in manner and is a great favorite in all circles.
JAMES V. LAWRENCE.
James V. Lawrence is a son of William Henry and Maria Vanderveer (Back) Lawrence, and was born at Yonkers, New York, February 6, 1843. He was a younger brother and is the surviving partner of the business of the firm of Lawrence Brothers, composed of his brother, William F. Lawrence, deceased, and himself. They descended from patriot stock and from old and honorable English families. Samuel Lawrence was born in East Chester in 1751 and married Abigail Pell, who was born in East Chester, New York, in the same year. Her father, John Pell (1722-73), was the son of the honor- able Thomas Pell, third lord of Pelham manor, Westchester county (1686 -1739), and Anna, daughter of the reigning Indian chief of Westchester county. This Thomas was a son of Sir John Pell, second lord of Pelham manor, and Rachel Pinckney, daughter of Philip Pinckney, one of the ten proprietors of East Chester, New York. Sir John Pell (1643-1702) was born in London and died in East Chester. He was a server-in-ordinary to King Charles II. Through a long line of illustrious history the origin of the family of Pell is traced to William Pell, who descended from Walter de Pelham, who held the lordship of Pelham in Herefordshire, 21 Edward I (A. D. 1294).
Samuel Lawrence was the son of Mary Bishop and John Lawrence. Mary Bishop was the daughter of Mary and Frederick Deveaux, son of Abel Deveaux, one of the French Huguenots who came to New Rochelle about 1700. John Lawrence was the son of Jonathan, son of Jonathan, son of Thomas Lawrence, one of the three brothers, John, William and Thomas, sons of John Lawrence, of Great St. Albans, Herefordshire, England. Thomas was one of the patentees of Newtown, Long Island, in 1666, and
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proprietor of Hell Gate Neck, Long Island, and major in Leisler's forces in 1690, and died at Newtown in July, 1703. Samuel Lawrence early removed to Yonkers, where he became a tenant of Frederick Phillipse. His farm was located on both sides of Broadway, and his homestead, which is now stand- ing, was on Valentine's lane, near the Hudson. He was first lieutenant, then a captain, in the Westchester militia, and was an enthusiastic patriot. He acted as a guide for Washington, who with his officers many times held council under his roof and who evinced great friendship for him. When Frederick Phillipse was declared a traitor and his land confiscated, Samuel Lawrence, then holding a commission as major, bought all that land which he had theretofore held as tenant. Besides, he was presented, as a reward for his efficient service as a guide, with a considerable tract of land south of the Phillipse property. He died at Yonkers November 26, 1834, and his wife, Abigail Pell, died February 12, 1828, and they were buried in St. John's cemetery at Yonkers. They had six children, of whom Jonathan, grandfather of James V. Lawrence, was the oldest. Their father was Hen- drick Vanderveer, son of Macchiel, son of Cornelis Vanderveer and Tryntjr de Mandeville, daughter of Gillis de Mandeville and Elsie Hendrickse Koch, all of Flushing, Long Island. Their mother, Maria Voorhees, was the daughter of Adrianna Lefferts and Jan Van Voorhees, son of Maykr Schenck and Lucas Van Voorhees, son of Steven, son of Coert, son of Albret. Maykr Schenck was the daughter of Annetje Wyckoff and Roslof Schenck, son of Martin, son of General Peter Schenck, who fought in the war between Holland and Spain. General Schenck was descended through a noble fam- ily from Heinrich Schenck, 1346, Lord of Afferdeen, Walbeck, etc., Batavia. To him letters of administration were granted upon his father's estate in 1835.
Jonathan Lawrence was a farmer and owned a large tract of land in the southern part of Yonkers. His homestead, on South Broadway, is now known as the Radford house. He married Sarah Rheade, daughter of Robert (1749-1810) and Mary (1759-1835) Rheade. Robert Rheade, who was a son of Robert and Jane Rheade, was a stanch patriot who had a large farm on Sawmill River road, purchased from the commissionors of confiscation. While Colonel Thompson was stationed at Four Corners, Rheade learned that the English were making a stealthy movement to attack him. He rode his best horse at break-neck speed to Four Corners and arrived just in time for Colonel Thompson to make preparations to repulse the enemy, but his horse fell dead as he drew rein! Major Jonathan and Sarah (Rheade) Lawrence had seven children, of whom William Henry Lawrence, father of James V. Lawrence and William Fred Lawrence, was the sixth in order of birth.
William Henry Lawrence was born at Yonkers, February 28, 1813.
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His home was at Lawrence street and South Broadway, on part of the land which had belonged to his grandfather, Major Samuel Lawrence. He engaged in the real-estate and insurance business and served as coroner, tax- collector and deputy sheriff, and was otherwise prominent in municipal and public affairs. He was successful in life and accumulated a good property. He and his family were members of St. John's Episcopal church. He died January 13, 1879, and his body lies in St. John's cemetery. He was buried with Masonic rites. In politics he was a Democrat. On November 24. 1835, he married Maria Vanderveer Back, of Yonkers, who was born in New York city, October 4, 1813, and who traced her ancestry back to the early emi- grants along a number of lines. Her father was Henry Back, of Flushing, New York, and his father, Simeon Back, was of the early Backs of Connecti- cut. This Simeon Back married Belinda Vanderveer, who was a sister of Abraham Vanderveer, one of the early residents of Kings county.
Mrs. Maria Vanderveer (Back) Lawrence is still living. She bore her husband the following mentioned children: William Frederick, a bio- graphical sketch of whom appears on another page; James Valentine, referred to more at length further on; Mary Frances and Francis Henry, both of whom died in infancy; Arthur, who died at fourteen; Isabella; Harriet, who married Milo Baker, one of the proprietors of the Baker Iron Works of Los Angeles, California; Cecil R., who married Isabelle Otis, daughter of Colonel Otis, U. S. A .; Sidney, who is in the west; Amette O., who married Miss Nellie Car; and Eugene, who recently died in Wyoming.
James Valentine Lawrence was educated in the public schools of. Yonkers, and subsequently studied law at Columbia College, now Columbia University, District of Columbia, and was graduated with the degree of A. B., in 1871. He later practiced law in Washington about a year. At eighteen years of age he enlisted, in April, 1861, as one of the first defenders of the Union, in Company G, Second Regiment, New York Light Artillery, after- ward changed to heavy artillery acting as infantry. After organizing on Staten Island, he and his comrades were sent to Washington, where they did garrison duty for some time at Chain Bridge, Alexandria and Fredericksburg. They were detailed to join Sherman in his historic march to the sea, but the order was rescinded before its execution was commenced. Mr. Lawrence enlisted as a private, but was promoted successively to corporal, sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant and adjutant, and was afterward trans- ferred to the grand staff of the war department as assistant commissary and rank as captain. He was mustered out at Alexandria, in September, 1865, by special order of the war department, and for gallant and meritorious services was brevetted major. He occupied (1868-1872) a semi-official and diplomatic position in the department of foreign mails in the general post-
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office department at Washington, D. C., in which capacity he was sent by our government to negotiate postal treaties with Great Britain, Brazil and other countries, and attended various treaty conventions in different parts of the world. With Anthony Trollope, of London, he outlined the work of the convention between the United States and the United Kingdom, held at Washington in 1868. He was sent to the West Indies to examine and report upon the desirability of improving mail facilities with those islands, including the Danish West Indies. With the emperor and postmaster general of Brazil he arranged a postal treaty with that country, which was ratified in 1874. He attended various postal treaty conventions in South America and established the mail steamship service between the United States and China. He subsequently resigned from the postoffice department and returned to Yonkers to engage in his present business, one of the oldest enterprises in the city.
This business was founded in 1848 by Henry W. Bashford, who was suc- ceeded by the firm of Read, Speedling & Nair. That firm was succeeded by Speedling, Nair & Lawrence. Speedling & Lawrence succeeded Speedling, Nair & Lawrence. Mr. Speedling died in 1872 and the business was contin- ued by Lawrence Brothers. The concern deals in building materials and coal, and its establishment occupies three docks covering three acres of yard space, besides a block on Wells avenue, upon which the main office is located. Mr. Lawrence employs more than one hundred men in the office and in the yards; and his business which aggregates more than a million dollars annually, is the largest of the kind in the county. Mr. Lawrence is interested in a num- ber of other important enterprises, among them the Palisade Ferry Company and the Hygeia Ice Company.
Politically he is an enthusiastic gold Democrat. He has served in var- ious political capacities and stands high in the local councils of his party. He was a member of the board of supervisors a number of terms, and, until he refused to serve longer, a member of the civil service board; and for some years he has been a member of the board of school commissioners of the city of Yonkers. He was a candidate for mayor of Yonkers in 1874, on the minor- ity ticket, but was defeated by but a few votes, and in 1897 was the Dem- ocratic nominee for congress from the sixteenth district on the gold Demo- cratic platform. He was president of the board of trustees of the City Club, of Yonkers; he is a member of the New York commandery of the Loyal Legion, and was one of the organizers and charter members of John C. Fre- mont Post, G. A. R., and past commander of Kitching Post. He is identi- fied also with Nepera Lodge, A. F. & A. M., the Yonkers Teutonia Club, the Corinthian Yacht Club and the Yonkers Board of Trade.
Mr. Lawrence was married May 7, 1864, to Charlotte E. Southworth, a
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daughter of the famous novelist, Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth, of George- town, D. C. They have had ten children, seven of whom are living: Emma, Elizabeth Young, Valentine Henriques, James V., Jr., Edith, Nevette and Mary.
WILLIAM BRANDRETH.
William Brandreth, son of Dr. Benjamin Brandreth, was born at Sing Sing, October 22, 1842. His early education was obtained at Mount Pleas- ant Academy, and when sixteen years of age he went to New York, where he gained a thorough knowledge of his business as a pharmaceutist and druggist, and subsequently became connected with the wholesale drug trade, in the Spanish firm of Palanca & Escalante. At the age of twenty-one he went to South America and traveled extensively, remaining for some time in Venezuela, and afterward passed a year in the British, Dutch and Danish West Indies. Thence he went to California, by way of the isthmus of Panama, and remained there four years. During a portion of this time he was engaged in introduc- ing and extending the sale of medicines, but afterward established a life- insurance agency, in which he founded a very extensive business and enjoyed a high degree of success. In 1868 he returned to Sing Sing, where he became interested in insurance and real-estate transactions, in which he was very successful, and two years later established the firm of Howland & Brandreth, which for years carried on a very extensive and profitable busi- ness.
In 1876 he disposed of his interest in the firm and removed to New York, where he opened an office for the purpose of dealing in mines and mineral lands, and in the prosecution of this business he had ample oppor- tunities of becoming acquainted with the mineral resources of various portions of the county which he improved and acquired a practical knowledge of metal- lurgy. While thus engaged he became acquainted with W. W. Chipman, who had discovered a method of manufacturing iron and steel from the ore by the direct action of flame, and at a cost which is less than half of the ordinary methods of production. Experiments conducted by Dr. Charles J. Emes, Ph. D., have demonstrated its entire practicability and give promise of a new era in American manufacture. The companies which are at present engaged in the enterprise are the Graphite Steel and Iron Company and the Carbon Iron Company, in both of which Mr. Brandreth has extensive invest- ments; and he is also largely interested in mineral lands in North Carolina, containing mines of iron, copper and mica, which are as yet undeveloped.
As a citizen there are few who have taken a more active part in local improvements. The introduction of steam fire-engines and reservoirs in the village of Sing Sing was largely owing to his efforts, and it is generally
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admitted that in the business of insurance his knowledge of all the details is unsurpassed, and his reputation as a thoroughgoing man of business and a public-spirited citizen is fully sustained. Active and energetic in his nature, he sometimes allows his enthusiasm to get the better of his judgment, but no advice that can affect the interests of others is ever given by him unless based upon the most careful and dispassionate examination, and a knowledge of this fact renders his opinion worthy of the respect which it seldom fails to receive. In whatever business Mr. Brandreth has engaged, it has been his constant practice to leave no means untried to gain a thorough knowledge of all its details, and in this pursuit no amount of toil can turn him from his purpose, and no labor, however arduous, can cause discouragement. He is also a director and stockholder in the Porous Plaster Company of the village of Sing Sing, which company is the successor of his father, manufacturing Brandreth's Pills and Allcock's Porous Plasters. Mr. Brandreth takes great pride in being the pill-maker of the family, his brothers paying more atten- tion to the manufacturing of porous plasters.
Mr. Brandreth is a prominent member of the Masonic order, with which he has been connected for twenty-one years, and in addition to his member- ship in the lodge at Sing Sing he is also connected with the St. George's Society of New York. In 1868 he married Sarah Louise, daughter of the late George B. Flint. They are the parents of three children, - Sarah Bertha, Louise and Delia.
DANIEL D. MANGAM.
The honorable prominence of Daniel D. Mangam in the village of Sing Sing justifies us in presenting to our readers the fragmentary points of his career that we find available.
In 1860 he purchased a residence on Highland avenue, Sing Sing, and since that time he has been prominently connected with the public affairs of the town. For several terms he was trustee and treasurer of the town and chief engineer of the fire department, in which he took great interest. He has also been long connected with the National Bank of Sing Sing, as director, and is one of the trustees of the Savings Bank. His ancestor, Daniel Mangam, who came to this country from Scotland, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and present at the battle of White Plains. He left a fam- ily of seven children,-William, Isaac, John, Stephen, Daniel, Sarah, wife of Robert Tompkins, and Elizabeth, wife of Pierre Decevier.
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