USA > New York > Schoharie County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 15
USA > New York > Schenectady County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 15
USA > New York > Greene County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 15
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OUIS A. BOENS, proprietor of La Touraine, Tannersville, was born in the north of France, February 8, 1855, son of Augustus and Josephine (de Sainte Roch) Boens. His parents were na- tives of Belgium, and his father, who was a farmer, died at the age of thirty-eight. His mother was twice married, and had six chil- dren, Louis being the eldest by her second husband. Mrs. Boens came to America with five of her children. She spent her last days
HENRY S. DE FOREST.
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with her son Louis, dying at the age of fifty- eight.
Louis A. Boens accompanied the family to the United States, first settling in Belport, Long Island, and a year later removing to Hunter. His training in the business of hotel- keeping was begun at the Laurel House, with which he was connected in different capacities for several years. In 1889 he completed and opened La Touraine, which was built and fur- nished under his personal supervision, and has accommodations for fifty guests. It is a favor- ite resort for New York people, and has a large patronage. . The table is a special feature, and is provided with poultry raised upon the premises.
In 1886 Mr. Boens was united in marriage with Kate Askin. Her parents, John and Mary Askin, who are no longer living, had a family of sixteen children. Mr. Askin was a native of Ireland. He died at the age of eighty years. The Boens family attend the Roman Catholic church. In politics Mr. Boens acts with the Democratic party.
ON. HENRY S. DE FOREST, ex- Mayor of Schenectady and an exten- sive real estate dealer, was born in this city, February 16, 1847, son of O. L. and Sarah (Vedder) De Forest.
His great-grandfather De Forest and his grandfather De Forest, both of whom were named Jacob, were lifelong residents of Sche- nectady County. Jacob De Forest, second,
was a well-to-do farmer and the father of a large family of children, one of them a son Jacob, who became a prosperous farmer, and another Martin, who acquired wealth in mer- cantile pursuits, and was a man of prominence in this section of the State.
O. L. De Forest, born in this county in 1806, son of the second Jacob, was a cooper by trade, and followed that business in this city successfully for a number of years, or until his death, which occurred in 1859. He served as Sheriff of Schenectady County and also as a Deputy.
His wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Nicholas Vedder, of Schenectady County, whose ances- tors were among the early Dutch settlers in the Mohawk valley. Seven children were born of their union, namely : Anna, who died young ; Rebecca, wife of Stephen D. Gates, of this city; Jacob, a furniture dealer, who served as Sheriff one term, and died in 1894, aged about sixty-two years, leaving a widow and five children; Ella, who married Christopher Van Slyck, and died in 1894, leaving two children ; Frank V., Assistant Chief of Police; Henry S., the subject of this sketch; and Lansing, a farmer in the town of Glenville, this county. The mother, Mrs. Sarah Vedder De Forest, died in 1867, aged fifty-nine years. Henry S. De Forest attended the Union School, and completed his studies with a com- mercial course at Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie. Entering the employ of bis brother-in-law. Christopher Van Slyck, a broom manufacturer, as clerk and book-keeper, he was later admitted to partnership; and
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after the dissolution of that firm, in 1878, he became extensively engaged in the cultivation of broom corn, which he carried on success- fully for eight years. When a young man he displayed a decided preference for the real es- tate business, and his first land purchase con- sisted of two lots for which he paid one hun- dred dollars each. About the year 1886 he turned his attention exclusively to city prop- erty, his transactions in which during the last twelve years have amounted to two million dollars. lle organized the syndicates which erected the Edison Ilotel, at a cost of one hun- dred and eighty-five thousand dollars, and the Van Curler Opera House, completed in 1893 at a cost of one hundred and two thousand dollars, of which he is the largest individual owner. Previous to the business depression of 1893, and since 1897, he has erected many hundreds of buildings for residence and business purposes. He has laid out several thorough- fares, including Foster Avenue, named in honor of Professor John Foster, of Union College; Summit and East Avenues ; and Terrace Place. These localities have been protected against the encroachments .of the liquor traffic largely through his instrumentality, and his excellent judgment in regard to the real estate interests of the city has proved exceedingly beneficial to property holders. He is one of the largest owners of the Metropolitan Asphalt Pavement Company, which was organized in 1895, and which has paved the principal streets of this city in a most satisfactory manner. He is con- sidered to-day the most extensive real estate dealer and owner in Schenectady. He is also
the largest owner in the Schenectady Daily Gazette, the leading newspaper in the city.
Politically, he is a Democrat. He served as City Recorder four years and as Mayor for the same length of time, and deserves much credit for giving the city a sound and progres- sive administration. He was active in secur- ing the erection of the new brick railway sta- tion, and an entirely new sewer system was among the number of public improvements completed during his term of office.
On September 6, 1876, Mr. De Forest mar- ried Lucy E. Van Epps, of this city, daughter of the late Harmon Van Epps. They have two daughters, namely : Beulah, a recent grad- uate of Lasell Seminary; and l'earl, aged eleven years,
Mr. De Forest is a director of the Schenec- tady State Bank. He is a Master Mason and a trustee of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation. His business office is located at 420 and his residence at 436 State Street. As noted above, his influence and judgment have long been prominent factors in shaping the course of public improvements in this city. The fact that he began business without capi- tal will enable those readers of the REVIEW who have hitherto been unfamiliar with his early business life to better appreciate his un - tiring energy and perseverance.
IJAUNCEY SMITH, of West Cat- skill, N. Y., dealer in coal, hay, straw, and grain, was born in Rox- bury, Delaware County, this State, on July
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25, 1847. His parents were Jonas M. and Deborah (Kater) Smith, both natives of Rox- bury. His paternal grandfather was David Smith, a native of Scotland. Immigrating to this country, David Smith settled in Roxbury, and there made his home many years, his death occurring at the advanced age of ninety- one. His wife, Jane More, also born in Scot- land, died at the age of eighty-nine. She was the mother of a large family of children, of whom the only survivor is R. B. Smith, of Cortland, N. Y.
Jonas M. Smith was reared on a farm in Roxbury. He was educated in the public schools, and he subsequently taught school for a while. Going west as far as Illinois, he lived for a time in that State, and then re- turned to his native town and started a variety store, which he carried on until 1863. Re- moving in that year to Ashland, Greene County, he engaged in farming, also devoting his energies to some extent to mercantile affairs. Subsequently he came to Catskill, where he died at the age of seventy-five. He was a man of influence, and served as Town Supervisor for four terms, as well as in other positions of trust. His wife died at the age of fifty-nine. All her four children are living. They are: Chauncey, Mary, Nettie, and Addie. Mary married William H. Tompkins, of Ashland. Nettie is now Mrs. Lewis, and Addie is Mrs. Wiers.
Chauncey Smith remained in his native town until he was seventeen years of age. Going then to Ashland, he remained there thirteen years, and at the end of that time he
came to Catskill. In 1877 he was engaged in the steamboat business at the Point, and from 1878 until 1892 he was in the flour and grain business. For a part of this time, some nine years, he also carried on a mill. He met with excellent success, but finally gave up all other business interests, and has since devoted him- self to his coal and grain business, which is one of the most prosperous enterprises in the town. In 1898 he erected the building which he now uses. He has both wholesale and re- tail trade, and is known as a man thoroughly estimable and upright.
In 1870 Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Aravesta Lewis, who was born in Dur- ham. Eight children have blessed this union; namely, Vernon M., Howard C., Raymond E., William H., Lizzie, Robert C., Arthur, and Clifford H. Vernon M. Smith is in the real estate and insurance business in Iowa and Minnesota. He married Maud Jennings, and has one son, Chauncey Joseph. Howard C. is a dealer in horses, and resides in this town. He married Carrie Crawford. Raymond and William are in school.
Mr. Smith is a Republican. He is a mem- ber of the Water Board and of the School Board, and a trustee in the Savings Bank. Ile was one of the organizers of the Catskill Rural Cemetery, and is one of its trustees. He and his wife and three of their sons are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Smith is a trustee of the church, and Mrs. Smith has been a teacher in the Sunday-school. Both are earnestly interested in all efforts to promote the moral and spiritual growth of mankind.
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OHN H. STERNBERG, vice-president and director of the Sharon, Seward, and Carlisle Insurance Company, and a leading hop-grower of Seward, resides on the Lunenburg turnpike about three miles from Seward village. Ile was born on the Sternberg homestead in this town on April 17, 1832, son of Abraham and Anna M. (Wormuth) Stern- berg, and is a representative of one of the old- est families in Schoharie County. His great- grandfather, Nicholas Sternberg, who was born in Schoharie, was a lineal descendant of Lambert Sternberg, who came to America from Germany.
Nicholas Sternberg was one of the pioneer settlers of the town of Sharon, now Seward. He cleared land and built a log cabin near the site where John H. Sternberg now lives. He became very prosperous, and a prominent man in this section, and owned a flour-mill and some three hundred acres of land.
John Sternberg, son of Nicholas, and grand- father of John H. Sternberg, was born on the homestead and reared there. The property eventually reverted to him, and he spent his life in improving it. Ile built the present house. A man of intelligence and sound judg- ment, he was highly respected by all with whom he came in contact, and he was an espe- cially valued member of the Lutheran church, in which he held at different times all the offices. His wife, whose maiden name was Anna Shafer, was a native of this region. She died at the advanced age of eighty years. All of the eleven children born to this worthy pair grew to maturity. One of the sons,
named Levi, was educated for the ministry in the Lutheran church. John Sternberg served for a time as Coroner.
Abraham Sternberg was born in the house built by his father, and was educated in the public schools of this district. Ile assisted his father on the farm for some time, and eventually assumed full management, carrying on general farming. Ile cultivated about two hundred acres of land. As a citizen he was active and well-informed, and for many years served as Supervisor, holding the office during the trying days of the Civil War. He was also Town Clerk for some years. For many years he was a trustee of the Lutheran church, and was particularly active at the time the new building was erected. He also held other offices of public trust, and was one of the first to introduce hop-growing into Schoharie County. He was also one of the original in- corporators of the First National Bank of Cobleskill. His wife, Anna, who is still liv- ing at the age of eighty-one, was one of a large family of children born to Henry Wormuth, of Sharon, an carly settler here, and by occupa- tion a tanner and currier. As was her hus- band, she has been a lifelong member of the Lutheran church. She has been the mother of eight children, of whom there are still liv- ing - John H. ; James H., who is a physi- cian at Waterloo, N. Y. ; Irving, a physician of Gouverneur, N. Y. ; Henrietta, who married Barnabas Eldred; and Jerome, who is a banker in Erie, l'a. Jerome Sternberg has two sons, who are in the same bank with him.
John II. Sternberg obtained a good practical
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education in the public schools near his home and at Hartwick Seminary. After completing his studies he was for some years engaged in farming on different farms away from Seward ; but in 1892 he came back to his native place and settled on his present farm, where he has since been largely engaged in hop culture. He has about fifty-two acres devoted to raising this important crop. Mr. Sternberg was one of the incorporators of the Sharon, Seward, and Carlisle Insurance Company, of which he has ever since been a director and agent, and for the last six years vice-president. The company is in a very prosperous condition, and has a capital of a million and a quarter of dollars.
In politics Mr. Sternberg is a Democrat. He has been Collector of the town for some time, and for a period of eight years, begin- ning in 1890, he filled the office of Supervisor. He is the only man in the town who has held this important office for so long a time. Mr. Sternberg has been a lifelong member of the Lutheran church, and has officiated in all the different church offices. He is at the present time serving as a trustee of the society. He has also been warmly interested in the work of the Sunday-school, and was formerly a teacher therein. His wife is connected with the church, and has also been a worker in the Sun- day school. A number of their children are church members.
Mr. Sternberg was united in marriage on January 30, 1865, with M. Ellen Eldredge. She was born in Sharon, near Sharon Springs, daughter of Robert Eldredge, a native of
Sharon Springs. lIer grandfather, Barnabas Eldredge, was among the first settlers of that place, and owned nearly all of the land where the present village now stands. He kept a tavern, and was interested in the manufacture of saleratus. His seven sons, to each of whom he gave a fine farm, became prominent men in their section of the State, and some of them were well-known hotel-keepers. They were active in public affairs, and creditably perpet- uated the memory of their father. Barnabas Eldredge died at the age of seventy-two. He was widely acquainted, and commanded the re- spect of all who knew him.
Robert Eldredge was reared in his native town. He sold the farm given him by his father, and bought another near the church in Sharon, comprising about two hundred acres, and located thereon a house and store. For twelve years he was in business there, a well- known merchant and a successful one. He was at one time judge of the county, and usually went by the name of Judge Eldredge. He was also a Justice of the Peace, and his opinion and advice were eagerly sought on im- portant occasions. He died at the age of fifty- three. Although not connected officially with any church organization, he was a man of straightforward Christian principle, and a be- liever in the doctrines of the Universalist church. His wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Adams, is still living at Cobleskill, in the full possession of all her faculties at the advanced age of ninety-one years. She was born in the town of Sharon. Six of her seven children grew to maturity, and four of
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them are living, namely : John A. ; M. Ellen; Spencer, who resides at Dwight, Ill. ; and James, who is a merchant and l'ostmaster in California. Horatio Olcott and Elizabeth are deceased.
Mrs. Sternberg resided with her parents until her marriage. She was educated in the common schools and in Cherry Valley Acad- emy. She has three children; namely, Ilow- ard J., Charles A., and Robert E. The first of these, who married Anna Vorhees, is pro- prietor of a hotel at Seward. Five children have been born to him, of whom four arc liv- ing, namely: Grace A., who is with Mrs. Sternberg, and is attending school; Julia A .; George V .; and Le Ray. Charles A. Stern- berg married for his first wife Lizzie Clark, who died at the age of twenty-two. llc mar- ried for his second wife Mamie Clark. IIe is a graduate of Bellevue Hospital Medical Col- lege in New York City, and is now in practice at Gloversville, having gone to that place from Howes Cave. Robert Sternberg married Louise Snedecor. They have one child, Flor- ence Louise, born June 17, 1898. Robert Sternberg was born in Seward and worked on the farm until he was sixteen years old. He then attended Hartwick Seminary for three years, and subsequently took a four years' course at Cornell University, gradu- ating in 1890 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He then taught school in Blue Point, Long Island, for a time, and has since been appointed School Commissioner of the second district of Schoharic County, succeed- ing Thomas E. Finegan. lle bas beld the
office since January 1, 1893, and is regarded as one of the most efficient officers in educa- tional work in this section of the State. Ile has filled in his leisure moments studying law, and was admitted to the bar in March, 1899.
J OSEPHI PUTMAN, who cultivates a productive farm in Rotterdam, Sche- nectady County, N. Y., was born in this town May 3, 1833, son of Aaron and Nancy (Hagerman) Putman. His father was born here in 1805, and his grandfather, John l'ut - man, was among the carly residents. Ilis great-grandfather, Aaron Putman, first, who came from Holland, settled in Rotterdam as a pioneer. All of the above-named ancestors were industrious farmers.
Aaron Putman, second, son of John, im- proved the farm which his son Joseph now owns, and was one of the able farmers of his day. In politics he acted with the Republican party, and was a Justice of the Peace for sev- cral years. Ile was a member of the Dutch Reformed church, and an carnest advocate of temperance. He died at the age of seventy- six years. Nancy Hagerman Putman, his wife, was a native of Amsterdam, N. Y, and the locality in that town known as Hagerman's Mills was named for her father. Of her chil- dren two are living, namely : John A. Putman, a real estate dealer in Brooklyn; and Joseph, the subject of this sketch. The others were : Dr. Francis D. Putman, who died at the age of twenty-three; Maggie V. Ilagerman, who died November 19, 1875; Elizabeth, who be-
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came Mrs. Sauter, and died in 1897; Ernes- tus H., who died at the age of ten years; and two children who died in infancy. The mother lived to be eighty-two years old.
Joseph Putman acquired his education in the schools of Rotterdam and Syracuse. When thirteen years old he made himself useful about the farm, and after completing his stud- ies he gave his entire attention to farming at the homestead. At the time of his marriage he began to work the farm on shares, and he continued to do so until his father's death, when he purchased the interest of the other heirs. He owns one hundred and twenty-five acres of desirably located land, which afford excellent opportunities for both tillage and pasturage, and, aside from raising the usual crops, he disposes of the milk of from fifteen to twenty cows.
On September 10, 1862, Mr. Putman was joined in marriage with Martha E. Shufelt, who was born in Rotterdam, September 6, 1840. Her parents, George and Pauline (Britton) Shufelt, are not living. Her father was a prosperous farmer. Mrs. Putman is the mother of two daughters - Purlie and Minnie, both of whom reside with their parents. Pur- lie married Van D. Sager, a building contrac- tor, and has one son, Clinton Sager, who was born June 22, 1892. Minnie is the wife of George H. Putman, an employee at the Edison Electric Works, Schenectady, and has one son, Joseph W., who was born January 9, 1898.
Although taking a lively interest in town affairs, and supporting at the polls the candi- dates for local positions whom he considers
most desirable, Mr. Putman has never cared to hold public office himself. In national elec- tions he acts with the Republican party. He is sincerely respected for his sterling integrity and high moral character. He is a member of the Reformed church.
OHN B. KNIFFEN, late a leading hop- grower of Middleburg, N. Y., and, at the time of his death, on January 25, 1899, the only hop-buyer with an office in the town, was born at New Baltimore, Greene County, on July 5, 1835. He was a son of John and Sophia (Crook) Kniffen, and de- scended from a line of agriculturists sprung from English stock. His first ancestor in this country came from England to a farm in New Jersey. His grandfather Kniffen removed from New Jersey to this State in early man- hood, and spent the remainder of his life in New Baltimore, where he died in extreme old age, lacking only three years of having reached a full century.
John Kniffen, father of John B., was born in New Baltimore, and was there educated in the public schools. He was reared to a farmer's life, but also did some work at the stone cutter's trade. Although strong and healthy, with every prospect of a long life, he was stricken down in the fulness of manhood, and died at the age of fifty-three from typhoid fever. He was a zealous member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, one of the trustees of the society, and for many years a class leader. He was a noted exhorter and a powerful man
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in prayer. Ilis wife, Sophia, who died at the age of seventy-six, was also a lifelong and ac- tive Methodist. She was the mother of four sons and five daughters, and of these nine chil- dren the subject of this sketch was the latest survivor.
John B. Kniffen received a practical educa- tion in the public schools, and during vacation time worked on his father's farm, where he learned the art of successful farming. At eighteen years of age he came to Middleburg, where until he reached his majority he worked by the month on farms, and at the same time made arrangements so that he was enabled to attend school during the winter. At the age of twenty-one he purchased a farm of some forty acres, which formed the nucleus of his later splendid property of over three hundred acres. As a farmer he was very successful ; and he and his son, who was in business with him for a number of years, were looked upon as two of the most progressive agriculturists in this region. The Kniffen estate embraces practically two farms, both of which are in a high state of cultivation. All the buildings on the farm upon which he lived, and also the house where his son lives, were built by Mr. Kniffen. In 1860 he began the culture of hops in a small way, being among the first here to engage in that enterprise. Ile con- stantly increased the scale of his operations, and in his later years had some fifty acres de- voted to hop-growing, producing annually some one hundred and twenty-five bales of hops. In 1880 he began buying hops, and from that time on he was interested with Charles S. | Voras.
May, who is proprietor of one of the largest hop markets in Albany. Mr. Kniffen was the first man in Middleburg to become a buyer, and he was latterly, as before mentioned, the only one in town who had an office. He raised grain of different kinds on his farm.
Mr. Kniffen was married in 1855 to Tabitha Wormer, a native of Middleburg, and daughter of John Wormer, a successful and prominent farmer of this place. Of the four sons and four daughters born of this union, seven chil- dren are living, namely : Emery W., who was in business with his father; Erskine; Estella; Amoretta; Evelyn; Frank; and Elliot. Er- skine, who married Molly Bowman, is in the insurance business connected with the Mutual Reserve Friend Association. Estella is the wife of Luther Jackson, overseer of the North Shore Road at South Schenectady, and is the mother of seven children - John, Flora, Frank, Harry, Claude, Clarence, and Ford, who is deceased. Amoretta married Charles D. Mitchell, who is in a shoe factory at Bing- hamton. They have a family of three chil- dren - by name, Belle, Clifford, and Forrest. Evelyn is the wife of Clarence McBain, a member of the firm of Bassler & Co., of Mid- dleburg, and she is the mother of four children - Nellie, John, Louisa, and Alice Leona. Frank, who also is a farmer and was interested in business with his father, married Dora Crosby, and has one daughter, Delia. Elliot Kniffen resides near the old home, and is in- terested in bee culture, in poultry raising, and in general farming. He married Ella Van
GEORGE W. BELLINGER.
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In politics Mr. Kniffen was a stanch Demo- crat. He was a member of Middleburg Lodge, No. 663, F. & A. M., with which he had been connected for twenty years, and he was buried with Masonic honors. He fol- lowed the religious faith of which his father was so devoted a disciple, and was one of the strong men in the Methodist church at Middle- burg. He was a member of it for forty years, and his wife and nearly all of his children are members. At the time the new church edifice was erected, Mr. Kniffen contributed a thou- sand dollars toward its construction.
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