USA > New York > Westchester County > Biographical history of Westchester County, New York, Volume II > Part 5
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EZRA M. POWELL.
Ezra Marshall Powell, of Cortlandt township, Westchester county, New York, was born in this county, December 29, 1819, the son of Stephen Powell and grandson of John Powell. John Powell was of Scotch descent, and both he and his wife, Elizabeth, lived for many years at Somerstown, Westchester county, of which place they were early settlers, and there they died and were buried. Stephen Powell was born in Somerstown. He mar- ried Miss Fanny Hyatt, daughter of Samuel Hyatt, of Westchester county, and to them were born nine children, viz .: David, Daniel, Stephen, Joseph, William, Ezra M., Deborah, Earl and Mary. All of this large family are deceased except Ezra M., the subject of our sketch. The mother died at the age of seventy-three years, and the father was eighty-two when he died. He was a man of many sterling qualities, was by occupation a farmer, and in religion a member of the Society of Friends, commonly designated Quakers.
Ezra M. Powell was reared and educated in his native county, and farming has been his life work. He was, however, for some time interested in the insurance business. For the past thirty-two years he has lived on his present farm, formerly known as the Thonell Jacobs farm. It consists of twenty acres, is located a mile and a half from the village of Peekskill, and is under a most perfect state of cultivation.
Mr. Powell was married in Cortlandt township, November 20, 1849, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Miller, a native of this township and a daughter of Cornite Miller. They have had three children: Louisa, who died, aged eleven years; and Fanny and Hattie. Fanny is the wife of Charles Yellott. Hattie became the wife of Samuel Pugsley, who died, leaving his widow with two children, Flossy and Winnie. Mrs. Pugsley lost one child, Lilian, at the age of twelve years and six months. Mr. Powell's daughter, Fanny, was educated in the State Normal School at Albany, New York. Mr. Powell
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and his family are all consistent members of the Dutch Reformed church at Peekskill.
Mr. Powell has served as commissioner of highways in Cortlandt town- ship for three terms of three years each, and is a very worthy citizen. Politically he affiliates with the Democratic party.
JAMES HOPKINS.
James Hopkins, of Armonk, Westchester county, was born March I, 1830, in the county in which he now lives and in which he has made his home to the present time. He traces his ancestry back in a direct line to England and to the year 1616.
Thomas Hopkins, a son of William and Joanna (Arnold) Hopkins, was born in England, April 7, 1616, and came to Providence, Rhode Island, about 1640. He had three sons. With his daughter-in-law and her two children he removed to Little Neck, near Musketo Cove, now called Glen Cove, Long Island, and died there in 1684. His children were Ichabod, who married Sarah Coles and died in 1726, leaving children: Thomas, who married Mar- garet Pine in 1738; Daniel, who married Anny Weeks; Elizabeth, who be- came the wife of Benjamin Birdsall in 1734; Ann, who never married; and Sarah, who became the wife of Joseph Merritt in 1736.
Thomas, the son of Ichabod, moved to the town of North Castle, New York, about the year 1740. The children of Thomas and his wife Margaret were Thomas, Daniel, Benjamin, Margaret, Naomy and Ann. Thomas, the son of Thomas, was born in 1740, and married, January 14, 1767, Zeruiah Palmer, according to the rules of order of the Society of Friends, at their meeting-house in the Purchase, and to them six children were born, namely: James, born October 14, 1767, married Mary Tripp and died August 29, 1859; Elizabeth, born June 5, 1769, married Job Cox and died September 30, 1828; Samuel, born June 8, 1771, died September 1, 1828; Mary, who was born August 14, 1773, died unmarried, December 5, 1825; Thomas, Jr., who was born June 27, 1783, died July 17, 1837; and Pine, who was born February 14, 1786, married Hannah Tripp and died August 29, 1856.
James Hopkins, the first, married Mary Tripp, and to them were born two sons, -John and Alfred. The latter married Mary Brower, and their union was blessed in the birth of one child, Eleanor, who is now living at Stamford, Connecticut. John T. Hopkins married Hannah Dayton, a native of the same county in which he was born and a daughter of David and Martha (Wood) Dayton. This worthy couple became the parents of five children, viz. : Alexander, deceased; Ed. R., also deceased; James, the subject of this sketch; Josephine, deceased; and Mary Elizabeth, who married William Ire-
Hours Respectfully
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land. Their father was a merchant and a farmer, and died in 1868, at the age of seventy-six years; their mother lived to be sixty years of age. She was a member of the Episcopal church.
After reaching manhood James Hopkins turned his attention to mer- chandising, and from 1857 to 1880 kept a general store. He has for years been more or less interested in political matters, and has filled a number of positions of prominence and trust in his township. His first presidential vote was cast for John C. Fremont, in 1856, and he has ever since given his sup- port to the Republican party. Ainong the offices tendered to him by his party are those of postmaster, which position he accepted and filled for twenty-three years; town supervisor, twelve years, and was chairman of the board the last year of his service; and township clerk and justice of the peace. He resides upon a farm near Armonk, where he has a pleasant and attractive home, which he is pleased to call Brookside.
In 1850 Mr. Hopkins married Miss Mary J. Smith, a daughter of Abram and Caroline Smith. Her father was a well known and popular citizen of Westchester county and has long been deceased. Their happy union lasted for a period of twenty-six years and ended with her death in 1876,-the great loss in Mr. Hopkins' life. She was a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church. Of the five children born to them only two are living, - Edwin R. and Abram S. The deceased were Josephine, Carrie and James Warren. Both his sons are married and settled in life. Edwin R. married Miss Cornelia Davis, and they have two children,-Floyd and Edwin. Abram S. married Miss Anna Flewellin, and five children were born to them: Mary I., who died in 1897, Niles, Eulalia, Gertrude and A. Josephine.
Since 1881 Mr. Hopkins had devoted his energies to the mastery of the business of farming, the mnost ennobling employment in the world, but finds that he commenced too late in life to realize the best results. For a number of years he has been a member of the board of managers of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of Westchester county, of which he has been president for the last two years. He has long been a member of the Method- ist Episcopal church at Armonk, and as a member of the building committee assisted in the erection of the new church edifice, which is one of the attrac- tions of the village, and he has held the office of trustee of the society for many years.
REUBEN BORLAND.
Though but thirty-one years of age, Reuben Borland, one of the native- born sons of the city of Yonkers, occupies a position of responsibility and trust such as few young men of his age are honored with. The confidence and regard in which he is held by his employers, however, is not misplaced,
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for no one could have a more thorough sense of duty or more earnest desire to meet every requirement of an important and difficult position than he, and during the fifteen years of his service for his firm he has always been found faithful to their interests, active and anxious to promote their welfare.
The birth of Reuben Borland took place in Yonkers on the 2d of March, 1868. He is a son of James and Sarah (Sloss) Borland, and when he had attained a suitable age he became a student in the public schools of this city. He was graduated here in 1883 and soon afterward entered upon his business career. Entering the employ of the famed Alexander Smith Carpet Com- pany, he began at the bottom rounds of the ladder, and was gradually pro- moted from spool-boy in the sitting department to one and another position, and finally was made foreman of the yarn department. Then, having become thoroughly familiar with every detail of the sitting department, and having served for four or five years as assistant foreman, he was promoted to the post of foreman, and acted in that capacity until 1894. For the past four years he has been superintendent of the great "moquette" mill, where he has five foremen to assist him, and has under his supervision about eighteen hundred persons. In this mill are manufactured moquette carpets, the hand- somest and most expensive carpets that are made. The Alexander Smith Carpet Company has a world-wide reputation, and is, indeed, the most extensive concern of the kind in this or any other country. Forty-five hun- dred persons are employed by the establishment, and the carpets which are manufactured here find their way into every portion of the civilized world. The highest possible excellence of goods, quality, style and workmanship is maintained, and thus the great importance of Mr. Borland's position is apparent. He duly appreciates the high esteem in which his superiors hold him, and for years their business relations have been of the pleasantest and most satisfactory nature all around.
In local society Mr. Borland is a great favorite, and he is a member of the Hollywood Gun Club. His principal diversion in his leisure moments, however, is music. He has become very proficient on the violin, and is taking a special course of instruction to further perfect himself in the use of that instrument. In political affairs he is a stalwart Republican. He is a member of the Episcopal church, and is liberal in his gifts to religious and charitable enterprises.
EDWARD WHITE.
To a student of human nature there is nothing of greater interest than to examine the life of a self-made man and analyze the principles that he has followed, the methods he has pursued; to know what means he has employed for advancement, and to study the plans which have given him prominence,
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enabling him to pass on the highway of life many who have had a more advantageous start. Through his own efforts Mr. White has attained to a position of prominence in business circles, and he is to-day a leading mer- chant and undertaker of Croton, New York.
He was born in that place, November 23, 1851, and is a son of Patrick and Margaret (Cartigan) White, both natives of Ireland, the former born in Queens county, the latter in county Kilkenny. When young they crossed the Atlantic, and their marriage was celebrated in New York city. On coming to Westchester county they located on the sand flat below the old Croton dam, and when the dam gave way they lost all their property and barely escaped with their lives. The father, who was a laborer, died in the prime of life, at about the age of forty-seven years. In his family were nine chil- dren, of whom four are now deceased. In order of birth they are as follows: William, who was foreman in the brickyard at Virplanks, and is now deceased; Charles, a boatsman, deceased; Mary Ann; John, deceased, who was for many years captain of engine No. 12, fire department, New York city; Catherine; Margaret; Thomas, a grocer of Peekskill, New York; Edward; and Elizabeth, who is deceased.
At the early age of nine years Edward White began earning his own livelihood as an employe in a brick-yard, and he continued to follow that occupation until he attained his majority, during which time he saved his money and assisted in caring for his aged mother. At the age of seventeen he decided to embark in business on his own account, in connection with his brother Thomas, and at the end of two years they had saved from their earnings six hundred dollars, after having paid off an indebtedness of one hundred and seventy-five dollars. With this capital they started in business, spend- ing five hundred dollars for a stock of groceries and liquors, and in this way the present mercantile establishment of our subjects was founded. At the end of about four years they dissolded partnership and Edward has since been alone. He has a good general store, well stocked with a high class of goods, and since 1884 has also been interested in the undertaking business, doing the only business in that line in the village. At Sing Sing he also established a business similar to his own in Croton, and in partnership with John Dorsey the store is conducted under the firm style of White & Dorsey.
Mr. White has since twice married, his first wife being Miss Mary Ann Vaughey, and she and the three children born to them all died within a few months. His second union was with Miss Elizabeth Donovan, by whom he has had four children, Maggie, Mamie and Catharine, all living, and one deceased. Mr. and Mrs. White are communicants of the Roman Catholic church, but Mr. White gives liberally of his means to the support of all churches, and his aid is never witheld from any enterprise which he believes
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will prove of good to the community. He is a public-spirited, progressive citizen, broad-minded and liberal in his views, and has the confidence and esteem of all who know him. The Democratic party has always found in him a stanch supporter of its principles, and he has been an influential dele- gate to its various county conventions, and has also been a member of the town committee for years. For five or six years he filled the office of over- seer of the poor, and is now president of the board of fire commissioners.
BENJAMIN FAGAN.
Mr. Fagan, who is a well-known attorney of Sing Sing, is one of the younger members of the Westchester county bar, but his prominence is by no means measured by his years; on the contrary, he has already won a repu- tation which many an older practitioner might well envy.
Mr. Fagan was born in Brooklyn, New York, April 1, 1874, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Guilfoil) Fagan, both of whom are natives of the Emerald Isle, and who now reside at Sing Sing. The father, who is a stone- cutter by occupation, is of Irish descent and has made his home in West- chester county for the past thirty years. In the family are six children, namely: Edward, a manufacturer of metallic roofing paint at Lincoln, Nebraska; John, a resident of Westchester county and a member of the engineering corps of New York city; Frank, a stonecutter of Sing Sing; Catharine E., at home; Joseph, also a stonecutter of Sing Sing; and Benjamin.
The subject of this sketch first attended public schools and later a pre- paratory school, after which he entered Cornell University in 1892, taking a complete course in law. There the degree of LL. B. was conferred upon him June 21, 1894, and the degree of LL. M. June 20, 1895. In the latter year he opened an office in Sing Sing, and has since successfully engaged in practice, making a specialty of corporation and real-estate law. He is thor- oughly in love with his profession and is eminently gifted with the capabilities of mind which are indispensable at the bar. As a Democrat he takes quite an active and prominent part in political affairs and is an efficient campaign worker in this state. Religiously, he is a member of the Catholic church of Sing Sing.
JAMES F. HUNT.
The well known and popular young postmaster of Croton, New York, has spent his entire life at that place, his birth occurring there January 31, 1869. His father, John Hunt, was a native of Kings county, Ireland, and was twice married, having by his first wife one child. In New York city, he
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wedded Miss Ellen McGuire, the mother of our subject, and in 1866 they removed to Westchester county, where he worked as a laborer until life's labors were over and he was called to his final rest, in 1882. In religious faith he was a Roman Catholic.
The schools of Croton afforded James F. Hunt his educational advant- ages, and when his school days were over he engaged in various forms of labor. At the age of thirteen years he commenced working at brick-making and while thus employed attended school during the winter months. He made excellent use of his opportunities and passed the required examination at North Tarrytown for the normal course. He early learned that knowledge is the key with which the poor boy anywhere can open the storehouse of the world and cull its choicest fruits, and he has therefore fitted himself to occupy any position in life which may fall to his lot.
Mr. Hunt always gives his political support to the men and measures of the Democracy, and takes a deep interest in local affairs. On the 25th of May, 1895, he was first appointed postmaster of Croton, and when the office was raised to that of the third class he was reappointed, October 1, 1896, and on the expiration of his commission, in February, 1897, was again appointed to the same position, as he had so creditably and satisfactorily discharged his duties. He was also appointed notary public in May, 1897, by ex-Governor Black, and still holds that office.
JAMES H. JACKSON.
True merit is recognized sooner or later, the exceptions simply proving the rule; and thus it has been in the case of James H. Jackson, a well known citizen of Yonkers, who has climbed to the very responsible position which he now occupies, solely on account of his genuine business ability and per- sonal worth. His superiors in the great commercial house with which he is connected feel that in him they have one in whom they can place implicit trust and confidence, certain that he will not neglect the least of his duties, and that everything which he agrees to accomplish will be promptly and con- scientiously performed. Such employes are the strong foundations on which every successful business is reared, and the great and prosperous merchants of this decade acknowledge this fact cheerfully and act accordingly.
James H. Jackson comes from sturdy Protestant-Irish stock, than which there is none better nor more loyal to the highest motives which govern citizens of this great republic, once they have come under its mantle of protection. James Jackson, the father of our subject, was a native of the northern part of the Emerald Isle, there growing to manhood. He learned the trade of gardening and found his chief pleasure among the plants and
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trees, in the pure, open air, for he was a great lover of nature. Coming to the United States when a young man he followed his favorite occupation during his entire active life-for a period in Boston, Massachusetts, and for about a quarter of a century in New York city and Yonkers. His home was in this city for several decades and here he was an active and earnest member of Westminster Presbyterian church. In his political faith he was a zealous Republican. He enjoyed the esteem and genuine regard of all who knew him. The maiden name of his wife was Sarah Matthews.
The birth of James H. Jackson took place in Riverdale, now a part of New York city, April 22, 1858. For some time he was a pupil in Yonkers school No. 6, but when he was a lad of about fourteen he left his studies and commenced working in the hat factory of .John T. Waring, being employed there for some three years. In 1885 he became connected with the Alexander Smith Carpet Mills, and was here occupied in the weaving of chenille by hand, and later he secured employment in the dyeing department of the moquette mills for three years. Since 1894 he has held the position of head of this important department, and has under his supervision one hun- dred and ten men. He is a thorough and practical master of his trade, and takes special pride and interest in the excellence of the work turned out from his branch of the immense establishment, which is one of the largest carpet manufactories in the world. In the matter of politics Mr. Jackson adheres to the creed of his father, and renders his allegiance to the nominees and principles set forth by the Republican party.
The pleasant and thoroughly attractive home of our subject and his recently wedded bride is one in which their numerous friends delight to assemble, for the hospitality of the host and hostess is genuine and free from ostentation. Mrs. Jackson was Miss Mildred J. Bell, a daughter of the late John Bell, a respected citizen of Yonkers, and her marriage to Mr. Jack- son was solemnized on the 19th of October, 1898.
REUBEN BARNES.
The honored subject of this memoir was for a long term of years one of the prominent and most respected citizens of Yonkers, with whose upbuild- ing and material prosperity he was closely identified, while in all that con- serves the uplifting of men into the plane of right living he was ever to be found zealous and earnest in doing good to all, ever mindful of the lofty prin- ciples expressed in the Golden Rule. He lived to attain the venerable age of eighty-one years, passing to his reward at the close of a well spent life, secure in the lasting esteem and veneration of those who had come within the influ- ence of his pure and unassuming character.
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Reuben Barnes was born in Preston, near Norwich, Connecticut, on the- 8th of July, 1810, being one of eleven children. When twenty-two years of age he went to Mobile, Alabama, where for about twelve years, as architect. and builder, he was engaged in business with his brother, James Barnes. There also he made the acquaintance of Miss Mary Hodge, of North Adams, Massachusetts, to whom he was married in 1837. In 1884 he returned to the north, locating in Poughkeepsie, New York. While there he erected many buildings, among the more inportant of which was the Cannon Street Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was an active and efficient member.
In the year 1852 Mr. Barnes removed to Yonkers, where for nearly forty years he was actively and prominently concerned in manufacturing and build- ing. He was animated by the stanchest integrity in thought, word and deed, and upon his business career as well as his private life there rested no shadow of wrong. He was called upon to mourn the loss of his devoted wife in the spring of 1881. She was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, whence her parents eventually removed to Michigan, becoming pioneers of Jackson county, that state, where all the other children of the family also located, becoming prominent and substantial citizens. . Of the large family of brothers and sisters only one is now surviving, Mrs. Sarah A. Baker, widow of Dr. Timothy Baker, of Union City, Michigan. At the time of Mrs. Barnes' death three of her children were surviving, namely: Martha, the wife of James B. Odell, of Yonkers; Hiram Barnes, an architect and builder of Yonkers; and. Mary, who is unmarried. Of these Mrs. Odell died on the 21st of June, 1894.
In the fall of 1882 Mr. Barnes consummated a second marriage, being then united to Miss Nancy Sample, of Norwich, Connecticut, who survives. him. In June, 1891, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes visited Norwich and Preston, Connecticut, and while in his native place the subject of this memoir was taken ill and at once returned to his home, 188 Buena Vista avenue, Yonkers, where on July 28, 1891, he was compelled to yield to the inexorable sum- mons of death, passing away in the fullness of years and honors. His mortal remains were interred in St. John's cemetery. While in Mobile Mr. Barnes was soundly converted, and thereafter lived an earnest, consistent Christian life. He was a man of deep convictions and was endowed with a courage sufficient to express them, but his entire life was a beautiful lesson of charity and good will to all. For many years he was an active and official member of the first Methodist Episcopal church of Yonkers, and when the Central Methodist church was organized he became an earnest and zealous member and supporter of the same, being at one time president of the board of trus- tees. There are many in Yonkers who will ever revert with deep respect and affection to this noble and kindly pioneer, whose life was one worthy of emulation.
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WILLIAM OAKLEY HOBBY.
Mr. Hobby is one of the most enterprising young business men of West- chester county, his success in the past few years being nothing short of phenomenal, yet accounted for only by his excellent methods of transacting and managing his financial affairs. He deserves great credit for the pros- perity and high standing he has achieved, and the future for him is one of much promise, judging from what he has already accomplished. In political matters he is liberal, using his ballot for the nominee whom he considers best qualified to fill any given position, and he has served as a city committee- man. For the most part, he uses his franchise in favor of the Democratic platform and party. Fraternally he is a member of Hiawatha Lodge, F. & A. M .; of Mount Vernon Encampment of St. John of Malta; the Ancient Order of Foresters; the Mount Vernon City Club, and at the present time is a member of the Central Hose Company. In all matters affecting the city and community he takes zealous interest, his influence being ever given to progress and improvements in all lines.
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