USA > New York > Broome County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Broome County, New York. > Part 40
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In her girlhood Mrs. Van Schoyk attended the Gilbertsville Academy, where she ob- tained a good education. She afterward fol- lowed for twelve years the occupation of teaching, being thus engaged in Masonville, Monroe County, Hancock, Delaware County, and in the town of Deposit. She is a lady of refinement and cultivation. Mr. and Mrs. Van Schoyk have had four children, namely : . Antoinette Bryant; Alice Cary; Ida Violet, who died when six years old; and Eveline Colfax. They have resided in Deposit since
1874, and belong to the very best element of the best society of the place. Mr. Van Schoyk is connected with the Democratic party; and, while he is not very active in political campaigns, he takes an intelligent interest in governmental affairs, and espe- cially in local matters affecting the public weal.
HARLES P. KNAPP, Cashier of the Deposit National Bank, is one of the enterprising citizens of this place. He has contributed largely, both in money and influence, to advance the interests of this part of the county. A glance at the village of Deposit will indicate what manner of men have the controlling power, and will show the sort of public spirit they possess. The electric lights, water-works, soldiers' monu- ment, and various other public improvements would be creditable to a town four times its size; and Mr. Knapp has done his full share toward bringing these about. He is emphati- cally a Deposit man, having always made this village his home, and being familiarly known throughout the entire community. The bank of which he is the Cashier was started in 1854 as a private institution, being established by the Hon. Charles Knapp, his grandfather, who was one of the most prominent men of his time in this part of the State. (See sketch on another page.) In 1864 it became a Na- tional Bank, its number under the national banking laws being 472.
The present President is Charles J. Knapp, of Binghamton; the Vice-President, Charles
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Maples, of New York City. The Cashier, Charles P. Knapp, and the Assistant Cash- ier, Charles Pinkney, are residents of De- posit. The bank is on the soundest finan- cial basis, and has never failed to pay its five per cent. semi-annual dividend, which is good evidence of the character of its management and something of an index of the prosperity of the village and community. The father of Charles P. was James 11. Knapp, who was also interested in the bank, and was its Pres- ident from July, 1880, until his death, which occurred November 13, 1887. He had previ- ously been one of the bank's cashiers and vice-presidents, and was elected Director Jan- uary 9, 1866. He was a business man, and did not interest himself particularly in poli- tics. ITis widow, the mother of Charles P., is living at Deposit, and is a lady of fifty years, possessing rare qualities of mind and heart, with the intelligence and refinement of the true woman.
The subject of this sketch is an only child. He was born May 16, 1863, and was brought up in the village of Deposit. IIe attended the well - known Phillips (Exeter, N. H.) Academy, one of the best preparatory schools in this country, from `1880 to 1884. His father being in poor health, he was called to assist in the bank November 1, 1884, and ranked as Teller. On February 17, 1888, he was elected to his present responsible posi- tion, which he has ably filled, contributing largely to the prosperity of the institution. Mr. Knapp is the President of the Deposit Board of Trade; and it has been through the
untiring energy of this organization, made up mainly of the young men of Deposit, that the place has secured its varied industries, and has attained the proud distinction of being the most progressive place of its size on the road. Mr. Knapp is also a stock- holder and prime mover in the Deposit Elec- tric Company. Fraternally, he is High Priest of Deposit Chapter and Past Master of De- posit Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and is a member of Malta Commandery, No. 21, at Binghamton, and of the Otseningo Consistory, S. P. R. R., of Binghamton. Socially, he is a gentleman whom it is a pleasure to meet, genial and courteous, having the characteristics that make an agreeable companion and faithful friend.
B ARNA E. RADEKER, M.D., is a skilled physician who has been ac- tively engaged in the practice of his profession in Deposit since 1875. The high degree of success he has attained in the prac- ·tice of the healing art has been due not only to a natural adaptation for the work, but to. a thorough knowledge of the resources of his profession, gained by intense application to his studies in his student days, and years of practical experience since his graduation. . Ilis father, Barna Radeker, a well-known farmer, merchant, and lumberman of Col- chester, Delaware County, N. Y., married Elizabeth Fuller, by whom he had eight chil- dren, six of whom are now living. Both par- ents are now deceased.
Barna E. was the youngest of the family,
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and was born in the town of Colchester May 9, 1849. Ile was brought up to farm life and work, but even in his boyhood days felt an inclination for the study of medicine, and cherished the hope of some day becoming a successful physician. Having acquired the rudiments of learning in the district schools, he later became a student at Walton Acad- emy, subsequently attending the academy at Delhi for about a year. At the age of nine- teen he began the study of medicine with Dr. G. P'. Bassett of Colchester as preceptor. To eke out his limited pecuniary means, he was obliged occasionally to find employment at teaching or other remunerative work. He kept the main object of his ambition in mind, however, and finally entered Albany Medical College, where he pursued his studies for one term, and then matriculated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, at which institution he was graduated in the class of 1874. He then commenced practice in Andes, Delaware County, N. Y., remaining there for a year, after which he removed to Deposit, where he has since remained, and where he has been eminently successful. In addition to the ordinary routine of his profes- sion, he has devoted considerabte time to the study of diseases of the eye, and has treated cases of this kind with much success. He is a member of the Broome County Medical As- sociation, and his opinions on subjects con- nected with his profession are received with deference by his brother physicians.
Dr. Radeker is a Republican in his politi- cal views, and that he is popular with his
fellow-citizens may be inferred from the fact that he is now serving his third term as Cor- oner of Broome County. With an active mind well stored with practical knowledge, a genial personality, and a high regard for all moral and social obligations, the Doctor is a man well entitled to be counted among the best representative citizens of his county, and one whose personal history is illustrative of the high qualities of determination, persever- ance, self-reliance, and their natural se- quence, honorable success.
ON. CHARLES KNAPP, deceased, will long be remembered as one of the most distinguished men of his time in this part of the State, and one who contributed largely toward the development of Deposit and its vicinity. He was born in the town of Colchester, Delaware County, Octo- ber 8, 1797. He had only such educational advantages as were afforded by the district schools of his native place eighty years ago, and they were certainly very limited. Col- chester is situated upon the cast branch of the Delaware (formerly Mohawk) River, and is one of the roughest places in the State of New York. Lumber was the chief resource of the early settlers, as it is of their descend- ants, notwithstanding the tanning of leather is an important industry and in the past five years the dairy business has grown to consid- erable proportions.
Mr. Knapp was the son of a farmer, and was brought up to hard manual labor. His
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earnings till he reached his majority went into the general. fund for the support of his father's family. In 1815 he began his public career by venturing upon the occupation of a village school-teacher. For a few years teaching was his winter occupation, while in summer he returned to the farm. One in- stance of his thriftiness in his early life was teaching a six months' term of school for sixteen dollars per month, and presenting to his father at its close an even one hundred dollars, he having earned by overwork enough for his spending money and sufficient to add a small sum to the amount of his regular wages. Of course, his education did not stop with his school studies. He was gifted with a strong and assimilating mind, and became in a practical sense a thoroughly educated man. When he was twenty-one years of age, he embarked without capital in such local business as promised the best rewards. He continued as a farmer for a while, but soon also engaged in the lumber trade. In 1825 he opened a general country store at Pepac- ton, near Colchester. The amount of his capital for that enterprise . was only three hundred dollars; but he managed his little estate, so that with the entire confidence of the public, which he always enjoyed, he gained rapidly by legitimate enterprise, and in the course of twenty years he amassed what would be regarded even in these times a hand- some fortune. He did not confine himself to any one thing or a few things, but directed a large variety of paying enterprises.
The high regard in which he was held by
his fellow-citizens was shown in 1841 by his election to the State Assembly. He dis- charged his public duties at Albany, as he did his private business at home, in a man- ner which sustained him before the public as an upright, conscientious, and able man. In 1848 he moved to Deposit, as the Erie Rail- way appeared to be likely to make important changes in business channels and to aid him in larger enterprises than he had before been able to carry on. Here he engaged in farm- ing to some extent, but largely in lumbering and tanning. In 1854 he opened a banking house under the individual banking law of the State. This was the beginning of the Deposit National Bank, which has always been one of the soundest and, it may be added, one of the most successful financial institutions of the State. Two years later the bank became the property of an associa- tion with a capital stock of one hundred and twenty - five thousand dollars. Mr. Knapp retained a majority of the stock, which gave him the control; and the business manage- ment was still under his immediate supervi- sion. In 1864 it became a National Bank; and in 1873 the capital stock was increased to two hundred thousand, which, to avoid the payment of excessive taxes, was in' 1878 re- duced to one hundred thousand. Under the efficient management of Mr. Knapp the bank paid a good dividend, besides adding to its resources year by year.
In 1868 Mr. Knapp was nominated by a Republican convention held at Sidney Plains for member of Congress. It was a long and
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tedious convention, in which Chenango County presented the name of the Hon. Isaac S. Newton, Delaware County presented that of the Ilon. Samuel F. Miller, and Otsego County urged the nomination of the Hon. David Wilbur. Mr. Knapp, being finally asked by telegraph if he would take the nom- ination, consented, and was elected by a large majority. He served in Congress with abil- ity along with such representatives as Mr. Hotchkiss from this district, Hamilton Ward, William A. Wheeler, John A. Griswold, Gen- cral Slocum, Porter Sheldon, and others from this State.
In 1870 he was offered a renomination, but declined, as he was over seventy-three years of age, and did not care to burden his life with the responsibility of the position. He was originally a Democrat, believing with Jackson and Benton on national issues and financial matters, but was an inflexible oppo- nent of the extension of slavery, and was con- sequently among the first in the ranks of the Republican party. His whole career fur- nishes a remarkable example of the stalwart, self-made men of this country. He learned to struggle with poverty when a boy, which taught him the proper use of wealth when he became a man. It was no great step for him to go from the mountain school-house to the National Congress, because the school-teacher possessed the ability of the statesman. Early in life he was united in marriage with Sylvia Radeker at Colchester. The union was emi- nently a happy one, and was not ended until after its golden anniversary had been passed.
Mr. Knapp died in 1887. Ten children were the fruit of their marriage, five of whom, three sons and two daughters, are now living.
The Ilon. Charles Knapp died in July, 1880. His life had been an eventful and a useful one. The world was the better for his having lived in it, and it is with pleasure that the publishers of the Review can place in their work the biography of so illustrious a representative of this part of the country. He was an ambitious man, it is true; but his aspirations were always within their proper limits. There is in the human mind a nat- ural desire for distinction, for being or acquiring something which shall lift the in- dividual above the mass, and give him con- sideration with his fellows. A desire so natural and so universal as this, a desire that so readily joins hands with the highest mo- tives, must have a legitimate sphere of opera- tion, and must, when confined to this sphere, be entirely consistent with the noblest life. When it is united with a sincere love of men and an honest regard for the effect of one's action upon others, when it is held subordi- nate and subsidiary to the universal good, when it grasps at nothing which actual excel- lence of power and character may not legiti- mately claim, then it is good in itself and good in its results. It is right for a man to desire to excel in anything worthy of a man, and in all these desires and ambitions Mr. Knapp had this conception of the truth; and, whether in business affairs or political affairs, he was not held or controlled by selfish mo- tives. He was a man who reached his posi-
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tion of influence solely as a result of honest methods properly applied, and was enabled to become distinguished by virtue of his own inherent worth.
APTAIN JAMES F. PETTIT, a gal- lant officer and soldier of the Civil War, was born in Rhinebeck, N. Y., son of Emory and Margaret (Stoughtonbury) l'ettit, the family being of French extraction on the father's and German on the mother's side.
Emory Pettit was a farmer, and in 1840 bought seventy-five acres of land near Bing- hamton, N. Y., which land he cleared off him- self, and made a homestead, where he and his wife still live. He has been Assessor and Supervisor of the town of Kirkwood for a number of years, and was Captain of the mili- tia in 1838, his commission being signed by Governor Marcy. He had only one son, the subject of this sketch. He is a member of the Baptist church in Binghamton, of which he has been deacon since its organization, and still holds that position.
. Our subject was educated in the Bingham- ton Academy and Susquehanna Seminary, graduating from the old Commercial College in 1861. The Civil War had just broken out ; and, filled with the spirit of patriotism, he enlisted as a private, October 17, 1861, in Company G, Sixth New York Cavalry, and was sent to the Army of the Potomac. He was almost immediately enrolled as Corporal, and was then Sergeant for two years, being
promoted to the Second Lieutenancy of Com- pany D in 1864. Ile was transferred to Company F, Second Provisional New York Cavalry, in the same year, and assigned to the Second Brigade Ambulance Office Sep- tember 19, 1864, acting as Battalion Quar- termaster. Captain Pettit took part in fifty- three engagements during the war, among them South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericks- burg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Winches- ter, and Five Forks. He was badly wounded at Winchester, Va., and lay in the hospital at Philadelphia for three months. . It was on his recovery from this wound that he was sent to the Ambulance Office. Although in 1865 the war was virtually ended, some regiments were retained in the service several months; and thus Captain Pettit was not mustered out until September 10, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge. His faithful service on the battlefield won for him a splendid record as a brave, intrepid soldier, willing to risk all for his country.
. Captain Pettit, after his return to the quiet walks of life engaged as accountant, with the exception of a short time spent in the grocery business, when he was connected with the houses of Mayo & North, Geo. Q. Moon & Co., and R. A. Ford. In 1890 he estab- lished a pension and claim agency and insur- ance business in the Phelps Block, Bing- hamton, N.Y.
He is a member of the Grand Army Repub- lic, and was one of the original founders of the Watrous Post. IIe is also a member of the Society of the Army of the Potomac and
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of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He is connected with Otseningo Lodge, Bing- hamton Chapter, and Malta Commandery, A. F. & A. M.
In January, 1867, Captain Pettit was mar- ried to Miss Addie Hager, daughter of Isaac Ilager, of Binghamton, N.Y. Two children were born to them; namely, William Emory and Aurelia, both of whom reside in Bing- hamton at the present time.
AJOR EDWARD B. STEPHENS, late a resident of Binghamton, but now deceased, was born at Mont- rose, Pa., October 18, 1823, son of Frederick and Eliza (Hughan) Stephens. He was de- scended from New England Puritan stock; and, tracing his lineage back two hundred and fifty years, we find his ancestors taking an active part in the formation of our govern- ment, fighting the battles which resulted in American Independence, and taking part in subsequent struggles on behalf of freedom and liberty.
The father of Major Stephens was a tanner by occupation, and Edward carly developed a disposition to carn his own living. When only thirteen years old, he left home, and came to Binghamton alone, with a determina- tion to make his way in the world. His school education was obtained principally in the old Binghamton Academy, but his large stock of practical knowledge was acquired later in life as the result of experience in
contact with the world. He improved his mind and developed his mental powers by the reading of standard works of biography, his- tory, philosophy, political economy, and kin- dred 'literature, retaining what he thus ac- quired with the help of an excellent memory, so that in many respects he was at no disad- vantage when brought into contact with men of classical acquirements. His first occupa- tion was that of farming; and in 1849, at the ' discovery of gold in California, he went to that land of promise, making the journey by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and arriving in San Francisco July 4 of that year. Hc immediately engaged in mining, after the primitive fashion of the times, working out an average of about sixteen dollars per day. He then went to the Yuba country, along the Sierra range, finding considerable of the precious metal. He remained in California until 1858, mining most of the time, but also engaged to some extent in other busi- ness. Ile then returned home by the same route as he had taken on his outward jour- ney, bringing with him quite a sum of money. On the breaking out of the Civil War, he enlisted in the army as Quartermas- ter of the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh New York Volunteer Infantry. He was therefore nominally a non-combatant, as the duties of his office did not require him to par- ticipate in active service on the field; but, not satisfied to remain in the rear, he requested and obtained permission to go to the front with his regiment, and did gallant and effi- cient service in all the actions, sieges, and
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marches in the campaign, from Chattanooga to Atlanta, during the summer of 1864, espe- cially in the battles of Resaca, Ga., May 15, Dallas or New Hope Church, May 25, Pine Mountain, June 15, the battles around Kene- saw Mountain, from June 22 to July 3, Battle of P'each Tree Creek, July 20, and in the siege of Atlanta. He also participated in many other battles, among them Chancellors- ville, Gettsyburg, Lookout Mountain, and various minor skirmishes, accompanying the army in that notable march to the sea, then up through the Carolinas to Washington, participating in the grand review and being mustered out in 1865. He then returned to the civil walks of life. The State records show the following : -
ALBANY, N.Y., August 11, 1866. To E. B. STEPHENS :
By virtue of the authority conferred upon me, etc., I hereby appoint and constitute you Brevet Major New York State Volunteers for gallant and meritorious services in the cam- paign of Atlanta.
R. E. FENTON, Governor.
Mr. Stephens was Postmaster for the city of Binghamton from 1870 .to 1882, serving to the satisfaction of the public, and was later engaged in the insurance business until his death. He was one of the original members of Watrous Post, Grand Army Republic.
Ile was married to Miss Mary M. Will- iams, a daughter of Julius Williams, of Mont- rose, l'a., October 18, 1859. Mrs. Stephens has two children living, Nina and Grace.
IEUT. COL. JOHN BROOME, Lieu- tenant Governor of the State of New York in the early part of this cen- tury, was one of the most celebrated citizens of the State. Burke says the family is one of the most ancient in Great Britain, having been founded by the celebrated warrior, who, placing a sprig of broom in his helmet, adopted the name. In 1485 John DeBroome, while acting as standard-bearer to the Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII., laid down his life on the famous battlefield of Bosworth at the conclusion of the long and bloody war of the Red and White Roses. The family of Broome, who were of Herefordshire, Eng- land, were loyal and devoted servitors to King Charles I., and were banished and their es- tates confiscated by Cromwell. They, with many other Cavaliers, took refuge in the colo- nies, and settled in New York, where they have since been closely associated with the history of the State.
Martha Lamb in her History of New York thus speaks of Lieutenant Colonel Broome: "His father was an Englishman, his mother a French lady, Marie de La Tourette. The parents of this lady, the Count and Countess de La Tourette, were of an ancient Huguenot family, and resided at their old château in La Vendée when the Edict of Nantes was revoked. The Count was informed that his name was on the list of the proscribed, and that an unsuccessful attempt to escape would cost him his life. Thereupon he proceeded to give a large entertainment, to which all the neighboring gentry were invited, and,
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LIEUT. COL. JOHN BROOME
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when the gayety was at its height, stole away with the Countess from the banqueting hall, and escaped on foot to the seashore, where a vessel bound for Charleston, S.C., lay at anchor, taking with them their jewels and their Huguenot Bible. The ship was cast away on the New Jersey coast; and on the sands of Barnegat the Countess gave birth to a daughter, who subsequently became the mother of John Broome."
The subject of this sketch, having received an excellent and practical education in his native city, carly became a hero of the Revo- lutionary War, bearing the rank of Lieuten- ant Colonel, and was especially distinguished for his daring and impetuous courage. Ile was particularly remarkable for his antipathy to the Tories; and it is said that, while he was exceedingly neat and careful in his toilet, if he saw a Tory on the street, rather than meet him he would cross to the opposite side, no matter what the condition of the street would be. The family would always know, if he had mud on his boots, that he had encoun- tered a Tory, and in accordance with his usual custom had avoideded passing him on the same side of the street. lle was univer- sally popular, and was complimented in vari- ous ways. Not only was the county of Broome in 1806 named after him, but in 1808 the name of Bristol in Schoharie County was changed to Broome, and between the years of 1806 and 1810 the street in New York City on which he resided was named in his honor. Lieutenant Colonel Broome left to his de- scendants not only a distinguished record, but
also a large amount of wealth, having himself accumulated a comfortable fortune, which was augmented by valuable grants from the State.
One of his closest friends was John Lamb, proprietor of Lamb's Tavern, who with him and his brother, Samuel Broome, organized the Sons of Liberty in New York City. Mr. Lamb later became one of the leading spirits of the Revolutionary War, and was discharged with the rank of Major-General after the sur- render of Lord Cornwallis. Other prominent men of the times with whom he was intimate were Marenius Willett and John Jay, who was Colonel of the regiment in which he held the second rank. Colonel John Broome repre- sented his county in the New York State Assemblies of 1801 and 1802. In 1804 he was elected to the State Senate, and that same year was nominated Lieutenant Gov- ernor with Morgan Lewis, Governor. So great was the preponderance of Whigs in the legislature at that time that the address recommending these two to the favor of the electors was signed by 104 out of 132 mem- bers. When Mr. Tompkins succeeded Gov- ernor Lewis, Colonel Broome was re-elected Lieutenant Governor, and again February 5, 1810, was put in nomination for the same position, and elected without a dissenting voice, but died that summer on the eighth day of August, 1810, aged seventy-two years. Colonel John Broome was one of the founders of the famous Tontine Coffee-house in 1792, his name being first on the list of members. He was one of the committee with Jay and Rutgers who framed the Constitution of the
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