USA > New York > Schoharie County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 21
USA > New York > Schenectady County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 21
USA > New York > Greene County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Schenectady, Schoharie and Green counties, New York > Part 21
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For the past fifteen years Dr. Rossman has been Health Officer of the town, holding his office by annual re-elections. He is an active and influential member of the Schoharie Medi- cal Society, and was secretary of the Board of Pension Examiners for the county. Ile is a Democrat, but never an office-seeker; in fact, he has never been willing to accept public office, except in cases where it has seemed plainly his duty to do so. He is a member of Middleburg Lodge, No. 663, F. & A. M .; of John L. Lewis Chapter, No. 229; of St.
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George's Commandery, No. 37; La Bastile Lodge, No. 494, I. O. O. F. ; and Middleburg Encampment, No. 129. In the Blue Lodge he has held all the offices, having been Master for two years, and secretary and Junior Warden for the same length of time each. IIe is Past Noble Grand of the Subordinate Lodge of this district, and Past Chief Patriarch of the En- campment, and was District Deputy for two years. For seven years he has been president of the Middleburg Cemetery Organization.
YLVESTER B. SAGE, of Catskill, dealer in carriages and harnesses, and present member of the New York Assembly from Greene County, was born in Prattsville on September 8, 1836, son of Hart C. and Clarissa H. (Van Luven) Sage.
The founder of the Sage family in America is said to have been David Sage, who came to New England in 1652, and settled at Middle- town, Conn., where he died in 1703, aged sixty-four years.
David Sage of a later generation, grand- father of Mr. Sage, of Catskill, was one of the early settlers of Broome, Schoharie County, N. Y., and resided on a farm there throughout the greater part of his life.
Hart C. Sage, son of the second David here mentioned, was brought up on the farm in Broome, but after his marriage came to Cat- skill. Here he remained two years engaged in mercantile business, and at the end of that time went to Prattsville, where he carried on a store. He died at the age of thirty-six. In
early life he taught school for several terms. He was prominent among the Odd Fellows, and after he went to Prattsville he built a hall there for the organization. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and conformed his daily life and walk to his professed beliefs. His wife, Clarissa, who shared his religious faith, was born in Broome. She was a de- scendant of one of the early settlers there, and one of a large family of children. She died at seventy, having been the mother of five chil- dren, namely : Osmar C., who is now deceased ; Omar V .; Sylvester B. ; H. Clarence; and Hart C., Jr., also deceased. Omar V. Sage is a well-known public man. He was Clerk of Greene County for two terms, and member of the New York Assembly two terms, and for the past five years he has held the important position of Warden of Sing Sing Prison. H. Clarence Sage is a professor of music, residing in New York City.
Sylvester B. Sage when a lad of eleven years lost his father, and at a very early age he was obliged to shift for himself. After working in Prattsville for a time as clerk in a store, he was in business there down to 1869. He then sold out his trade and stock and came to Cat- skill, and for eleven years, from 1869 to 1880, conducted a grocery here. In 1880 he received an appointment as under sheriff, and this office he filled in an entirely acceptable manner for three years. At the end of that time he opened his present business, which has since proved to be such a success. In his extensive warerooms on Main Street are to be found vehicles of all kinds, harnesses, whips, and
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general horse and carriage furnishings. He does a larger business in this line than any other firm between Albany and New York. He makes many of the harnesses he carries in stock, and sells many at wholesale, keeping five harness-makers employed the entire year. All wagons and carriages to be found in his repository are built by the best manufacturers. Hle employs fourteen men in the store, and sells at both wholesale and retail. Ile is among the oldest business men on the street, and, with two or three exceptions, the oldest in the town.
In politics Mr. Sage is a Democrat. Ile held the office of Town Collector for a year, and that of Police Justice for six years, and was then appointed Under Sheriff. He has also been on the Board of Education several years, and was clerk of the board during the greater part of his period of membership. In 1897 he was elected to the Assembly, receiv- ing three thousand, eight hundred and sixteen votes, against three thousand, four hundred and fifty-three lfor John B. Logendyke. During that year he was a member of the Committees on Internal Affairs and Villages. In 1898 he was again elected to the Assembly, against D. G. Green, of Coxsackie, and is now serving on the Committees on General Laws and Re- vision, the two best in the House.
Mr. Sage married, in 1861, Alice, daughter of Darius W. Smith, proprietor of a sale stable in 24th Street, New York. Of this union two children have been horn - Francis V. and Clarence B. The latter is in business with his father. Mr. Sage's business is located in
one of the handsomest blocks in Catskill, and his residence, purchased in 1872, occupies one of the most sightly spots in the town.
Mr. Sage is a member of Catskill Lodge, No. 468, having joined many years ago. He held the office of Clerk for a long time, but has declined all other offices. He is at the present time vice-president of the Catskill Driving Park Association, and president of the Moun- tain Dew Brewery, and a director in both or- ganizations; also a member of the Executive Committee of the Retail Carriage Dealers' Protective Association, which is a national or- ganization. In 1895 he was president of the association. Mr. Sage and his family are all members of the Presbyterian church. He is one of Catskill's most progressive and most highly respected citizens.
HARLES E. WEIDMAN, M. D., the well-known medical practitioner of Gallupville, in the town of Wright, his native place, was born on November 8, 1870, his parents being Daniel and Louisa (Vroman) Weidman. His grandfather, Peter I. Weidman, who was born in Middleburg, was a farmer by occupation, and there spent the early part of his active life. Later he lived in the town of New Scotland for ten years, and at the end of that time came to Wright, where he died at the age of seventy- five. Peter I. Weidman's wife, the Doctor's grandmother, Edith Houghtaling, a native of New Scotland, Albany County, is still living on the old farm. All her life she has been
CHARLES E. WEIDMAN.
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a devoted member of the Lutheran church. Of the five children born to her, only one is living.
Daniel Weidman, son of Peter I., was reared on a farm, and received his education in the common schools. He spent the later years of his life on the old homestead, his death occur- ring at the age of fifty-two. In politics he was a stanch Republican, as his father before him had been. He was a leading agriculturist of his town and an active member of the Lutheran church.
Dr. Weidman's mother, who was the daugh- ter of Albert Vroman and one of a family of eleven children, was born in 1846, in the town of Guilderland, in Albany County, this State. Her father was a speculator in farm produce. Her mother, whose maiden name was Van Aurnum, is still living. Besides the Doctor, Mrs. Weidman had two children, namely : Aus- tin J. ; and Edith, who is the wife of Charles S. Young. Mrs. Weidman died in 1889 at the age of forty-three. Both parents were members of the Lutheran church, and the father had held the office of Deacon as well as others of less importance.
The boyhood of Dr. Weidman was spent on the home farm. He attended the common schools and Hartwick Seminary, graduating from the last-named institution in 1891. Subsequent to this he taught school in Gal- lupville for two years. He pursued the study of medicine in the Albany Medical College, was graduated in 1895, and since that time has been located here. He has demonstrated his fitness for the profession in which he has engaged, and has built up a flourishing prac-
tice, his ability being recognized by all who have had occasion to call upon him. Al- though he has been here but a comparatively short time, he has won many friends profes- sionally; and his services are in requisition, not only in the village, but also in the outly- ing districts.
Dr. Weidman was married in the fall of 1896 to Minnetta C. Barringer, who was born in Germantown, Columbia County. She is the daughter of John I. Barringer, a druggist of Hudson, formerly of Germantown, and one of a family of three children. In politics, the Doctor is a Republican. He has served on the town Republican committee, and has been candidate for Coroner. He has held a number of offices on the election board, among these being that of ballot clerk. In 1898 he was elected Supervisor of the town of Wright, and in 1899 was re-elected for two years. Profes- sionally, he is a member of the Schoharie County Medical Society. He is a member of Orion Lodge, No. 624, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; is Past Grand, and has been through all the other chairs. Mrs. Weidman is a member of the Presbyterian Church of Waterford.
R OBERT ELLIOTT, whose death oc- curred on January 6, 1899, was for many years a representative citizen of Hunter, N. Y., being well known in the third quarter of the century as a general mer- chant, and later as the builder and proprietor of the Kaatsberg. He was of Scotch-Irish parentage, and was born on June 24, 1822, in
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Ireland, where his father, whose name was Thomas, spent his entire life engaged in agri- culture.
Thomas Elliott and his family were stanch members of the Presbyterian church, and he was an Elder for many years. He lived to be eighty years old. His wife, Jane McLane Elliott, was of Scotch descent, and one of a large family. She was the mother of the fol- lowing - named children : Robert; John, who lives in Kansas; Thomas, Jr., also in Kansas ; Samuel, Harriet, and James, all three de- ceased; Helena and Jane, who are living in Ireland; and Adam, who went to Australia. James Elliott was educated for the Presbyte- rian ministry at Belfast. lle subsequently taught in Canada.
Robert Elliott inherited from his parents those sterling qualities which ever character- ized his dealings, and which were such potent factors in shaping his successful business career. Ile was educated in the national schools of Ireland. At the early age of eight- teen years he took the place of a professor in one of those schools, and performed the duties of the position for six months in a highly cred- itable manner. At the end of that time he set sail for America. Hle soon obtained a posi- tion in a tannery, and after a short time he entered the employ of Mr. Edwards, who be- longed to the prominent Hunter family of that name, and who was descended from the Jona- than Edwards family of Massachusetts. Mr. Elliott kept books for Mr. Edwards until that gentleman died, and he then entered the em- ploy of his brother, Colonel William W.
Edwards, with whom he came to this town in 1848. Colonel Edwards carried on a large tannery here, and Mr. Elliott had charge of the accounts of the concern until his employer went out of business.
In 1853 Mr. Elliott opened a general store, and for the next twenty-five years he conducted a large and successful business. At the end of that time he sold out, and later bought the lot upon which he erected the beautiful Kaatsberg. This fine house he built in 1883 - the finest house in Hunter village. He ran this as a summer boarding-house up to 1897, when he gave up the management to his son, Robert G. Elliott. All built under Mr. Elliott's super- vision, it is a monument to his thoroughness and is admired by every one.
In 1855 Mr. Elliott married Mary A. Cald- well, a lady of Canadian birth. Of the six children born of this union, four are living; namely, Helena, Elmore E., Clara, and Ro- bert G. Elmore E., who is a prominent phy- sician in Catskill, married Mabel Sanderson, a daughter of Judge Sanderson, of Catskill, and has two sons - John Sanderson and Robert Caldwell. Clara resides with her mother. JIelena is the wife of Dr. C. P. MeCabe, of Greenville. Of her three children one is liv. ing, a daughter Dorothy.
EREMIAHI DUNCKEL, who resides on his farm in the town of Seward, about a mile from the village of Hyndsville in Schoharie County, is living retired from active pursuits, enjoying the fruits of his car-
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lier years of toil. He was born April 7, 1821, in Canajoharie, N. Y., a son of George G. Dunckel, and the descendant of a pioneer settler of that town.
llis great-grandfather, Dunckel, whose name was Peter, emigrated from Germany in Colo- nial times. Peter Dunckel took up a large tract of unbroken land in Canajoharie, and, erecting a small log cabin in the woods, settled there with his wife and children. He was an industrious, hard - working man, and while clearing a farm for himself he assisted in the upbuilding of the town. His son George, who was the grandfather of Jeremiah Dunckel, the subject of this brief sketch, enlisted as a sol- dier in the Revolutionary army, and at the battle of Cedar Swamp was unfortunate enough to lose an eye.
George Dunckel was born in Germany, and spent the first ten years of his life in the Fatherland. Coming then to New York with his parents, he performed his full share of the pioneer labor of redeeming a homestead from the forest. When, on the death of his father, the farm came into his possession, he continued the improvements already begun ; and prior to his death, which occurred at the age of eighty- four years, he had a fine set of frame buildings on the place, which was one of the best in its appointments of any in the neighborhood. Six children were born to him and his wife, Elizabeth Countryman. She, too, lived to an advanced age. Both were active members of the Lutheran church.
George G. Dunckel, son of George, grew to manhood on the ancestral farm in Canajoharie,
where from his youth up he was familiar with its daily labors. He subsequently became sole owner of the homestead property, and was there prosperously engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1848. Selling out at that time, he came to Seward, and, having purchased the farm now owned and occupied by his son Jeremiah, he carried it on until his decease, at the age of seventy-seven years. A man of energy and in- telligence, he was a valued member of the Democratic party, and for a number of terms served wisely as Assessor and Highway Com- missioner. He was a Methodist in his relig- ious belief, and an active member of the church of that denomination. He married Maria Cook, daughter of John R. Cook, a farmer and blacksmith of Canajoharie. They had a family of eleven children, three of whom are now living, namely : Jeremiah, the fifth- born; Levi, who lives at Central Bridge; and Sophronia, widow of Austin Lory, late of Hyndsville.
Jeremiah Dunckel obtained his early educa- tion in the common schools, and under the in- struction of his father became well versed in farming pursuits. When the family came to Seward he accompanied them, and, remaining an inmate of the household, assisted in the management of the new farm. This valuable estate of two hundred acres be now holds in his own name, having purchased the interest of the remaining heirs. In its care he has shown excellent judgment and skill. He has carried on general farming to advantage, devot- ing a part of the land to raising hops, a profita- ble crop in this section of the State, and has
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also met with success as a dairyman. He has sometimes had as many as forty cows in his herd, and his butter has always met with a ready sale. Of recent years he has relegated the management of the estate to his eldest son, Lucius Dunckel.
On October 5, 1843, Mr. Dunckel married Lana A., daughter of Sylvanus Nestle, a well- known tailor of Sprout Brook, N. Y. She died at the age of sixty-one years, having borne him four children. Of these two are dead, namely : Esther, who married Anson Hynds; and Helen M., who married Irving Schoolcraft. The two now living are Lucius and George. Lucius, born April 6, 1846, has spent his life on the home farm, of which he has had full charge since 1882. Ile is a Democrat in politics and has served as school trustee. In 1869 he married Adelaide Lory, daughter of John Lory, of Seward. They have one child, Lottie Ann, who married Clark Bouton, Postmaster and merchant at Hyndsville, and has two chil- dren - Edna Belle and J. Leroy. George, a resident of Cobleskill, married Angerilla Falk. They had five children : Jerry; Ann; Una and Ula, twins; and Oscar, who died at the age of nineteen years. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Dunckel married Henrietta Young, who was born in Seward township, where her father, Jeremiah Young, a farmer of Seward township, but a native of Onondaga County, died aged seventy years. Her mother, whose maiden name was Caroline E. Weatherwax, was born in Rensselaer County. She died in 1892, aged eighty-one years, leaving seven children out of a family of ten born to her and
her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Young were members of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Dunckel is a stanch Jeffersonian Demo- crat, dyed in the wool. He has taken an ac- tive interest in advancing the welfare of the town and county, but has invariably refused public office, although he has served as trustce of the School Board. He was one of the orig- inators of the Cobleskill Agricultural Society, and has been among its most active and valued members. Mrs. Dunckel is a member of the Methodist church.
AMES B. DALEY, of Prattsville, at- torney-at-law and a Civil War vet- cran, was born in Ohio, township of Richfield, March 7, 1845, son of Daniel and Mary Ann (Champlin) Daley. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Daley, and his great- grandfather, Obadiah Daley, were lifelong residents of Columbia County, New York, and the latter was the son of Joseph Daley, first, who came from New England to Chat- ham, N. Y., where he cleared a farm. Joseph Daley, second, Mr. Daley's grandfather, was a prosperous farmer, and noted for his physi- cal strength and power of endurance. He married Hannah Son. Her father was an carly settler in Columbia County, and she in- herited a part of the Son farm. The grand- parents died at the age of eighty years. They reared a large family of children, and none arc now living
Daniel Daley, James B. Daley's father, fol- lowed the blacksmith's trade in Chatham for
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a time, and moving from there to Lebanon Springs, N. Y., he carried on the wagon-mak- ing business for some years, finally retiring to a farm in Chatham, where he died at the age of seventy-seven. He was widely known among Odd Fellows, having been a member of that order for many years; and he also had a large number of friends and acquaintances outside of that fraternity. His wife, Mary Ann, was born in Chatham, daughter of Will- iam and Mary (Kenyon) Champlin. Her father, who came to this State from Rhode Island, taught school in New York City prior to settling upon a farm in the town of Chat- ham. He had a family of six children. Daniel and Mary Ann Daley were the parents of ten children, six of whom are living; namely, William C., George, James B., Henry, Sarah, and Charles. William C. and George Daley are practising law in Chatham, and a sketch of each will be found in the BIO- GRAPHICAL REVIEW of Columbia County. James B. is the subject of this sketch; Henry is a lawyer residing in Coxsackie, N.Y .; Sarah is the widow of Nathan C. Hagerborn, late of Stillbrook, N.Y .; and Charles is residing at the homestead in Chatham. The mother died at the age of seventy- two years. The parents were Baptists. They, were highly esteemed for their many excellent qualities, and obituary notices of each were published in the county news- papers.
Having supplemented his common-school studies with a course at the Lebanon Springs Academy, James B. Daley turned his atten-
tion to educational pursuits, teaching schools in Columbia and Rensselaer Counties, New York, and in Berkshire County, Massachu- setts. His law studies were pursued in the office of his brother George, and after his ad- mission to the bar in 1872, he began the prac- tice of his profession in l'rattsville. In the spring of 1873 he returned to Chatham, where he was in business one year, at the end of which time he removed to Windham, Greene County, and for the succeeding eight years was a member of the firm of Daley & Tal- madge, who transacted an extensive general law and real estate business. After the dis- solution of that partnership he once more re- turned to Prattsville, where he has practised continuously to the present time. His Civil War services were performed in Company B, Ninety-first Regiment, New York Volunteers, with which he participated in a number of en- gagements, including the battle of Five Forks; and he witnessed the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox Court House.
In June, 1878, Mr. Daley was united in marriage with Lucy Tyler, who was born in Roxbury, Delaware County, daughter of Henry and Deborah (Hull) Tyler. Her father was a wealthy farmer. He eventually removed from Roxbury, his native town, to Pratts- ville, where he spent the rest of his life. Henry Tyler died at seventy-three, and his wife died at seventy. They reared three chil- dren: Lorinda, who married John Erkson, a leading merchant of Prattsville; Lucy, who married Mr. Daley ; and Annie, who married Homer B. Van Cott, of Norwich, N. Y. Mrs.
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Daley was a graduate of the Fort Edwards Institute, and prior to her marriage she taught music at the institute in Ellenville. She died in 1896, aged forty-six years. As a member of the Methodist Episcopal church she took an active interest in religious work, and was sincerely respected for her estimable character and rare intellectual qualities. She left four children; namely, Mamie, Emma, Ethel, and James, aged respectively sixteen, fourteen, twelve, and ten years.
Politically, Mr. Daley is a Republican. He has served with ability as a trustee of the village and of the Cemetery Association for a number of years, and acts as a notary public. ITis literary talents are highly appreciated in Prattsville and vicinity, and his frequent con- tributions to the various county papers upon different subjects are widely read. Ilis more notable writings are: a series of articles de- scribing his war experience, published in the Catskill Examiner ; another series devoted to Western life, printed in the Hunter Phoenix, and a number of articles upon legal subjects, which have been bound with the law journal for preservation. Mr. Daley attends the Methodist Episcopal church.
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ON. JOHN A. GRISWOLD, of Cats- kill, N. Y., ex-Congressman and former Judge and Surrogate of Greene County, was born in Cairo, this county, November 18, 1822, son of Stephen 11. and Phœbe (Ashley) Griswold. He is a representative of the Griswold family of Con-
necticut, an account of whom appeared in the Magasine of American History in 1884. His father was born in Greene County, New York, February 26, 1793; and his grandfather, Jeremiah Griswold, came to Catskill from Connecticut about the year 1800, accompanied by his family.
Jeremiah Griswold, who was a prosperous farmer, lived to an advanced age. lle married Mary Hill, whose birth took place either in Massachusetts or Connecticut in December, 1753. She served the patriot cause during the Revolutionary War by making cartridges for her brothers. She died December 8, 1841.
Stephen 11. Griswold, Judge Griswold's father, studied law, but did not enter into practice, preferring instead to engage in agri- cultural pursuits. He owned a good farm in Cairo, where he resided until his death, which occurred June 14, 1844. As a stanch supporter of the Democratic party he took an active in- terest in the political affairs of his day, and was universally esteemed for his upright char- acter. He was a Free Mason, and in his younger days was identified with the local Blue Lodge. He and his wife, Phoebe, were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Griswold was a native of Catskill, where her father, John Ashley, was an industrious farmer. She became the mother of ten chil- dren, five of whom are living, namely: John A., the subject of this sketch; Miles, who re- sides in one of the Western States; Addison, a well-known lawyer of Catskill; Alonzo, who is residing on a farm in Jesup, Ja. ; and Mar- ion, who is a banker in Ohio. The others
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were : Mary, Stephen, Emily, Jerome, and Mahala. Stephen, who entered the Union army as a surgeon early in the Civil War, was captured by the enemy at the first battle of Bull Run, and died in prison. Jerome, who was a druggist in Kansas, was killed by Con- federate raiders under Quantrell. Judge Gris- wold's mother died June 13, 1877, aged seventy-two years.
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