USA > New York > Broome County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Broome County, New York. > Part 9
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Professor Riley returned East in 1880, and entered the Lowell Business College of Bing- hamton as a teacher, remaining there one year, and then went to the famous Jesuit Col- lege of St. John's at Fordham, N. Y., where he was four years Principal of the Commer- cial Department and teacher of stenography. His superior talent and ability attracted the the attention of not only the professors of the institution, but also of the bishop and rev- erend clergymen of New York City; and
he counts to-day among his warmest friends the leading men of his church in that city. In 1886 he once more returned to Binghamton, and opened the business college which bears his name. His first location was at No. 76 Court Street; but, requiring more room, he removed to the McNamara Block, and after a short while there he established himself in the elegant rooms in the Westcott Block on State Street, where he occupies eighteen hun- dred square feet of space, and has one of the best fitted commercial colleges in any part of the country. . All the modern conveniences of steam heat, electric lights, elevator, good light, and ventilation can be found here. Believing with Pope that
" A little learning is a dangerous thing : Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring,"
the Professor allows no pupil to leave his col- lege with a superficial knowledge of his differ- ent branches. What they learn they must know thoroughly and well, or they get no cer- tificate to aid in securing positions. He gives his personal attention to all his classes, employing only such assistants as are abso- lutely necessary and whom he considers com- petent to give instruction. The majority of his graduates are natives of Binghamton, though he has hundreds of pupils from other places. The New York State and National Civil Service Commissions consider Professor Riley a model teacher, his scholars having passed every examination they have ever en- tered. In the different departments at Wash- ington, in the New York State Civil Service,
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in New York City and Chicago, besides other cities, the pupils of the Riley Business Col- lege are to be found; and they point with pride to the thorough teaching there as the secret of the success they have met in their different positions. The Typewriting De- partment of the college has twelve standard machines, which the students keep in con- stant use from 8 A.M. until 9 P.M. A great deal of work is done for outside parties in the city and county, and for all this the students receive full compensation. In 1892 they wrote over one hundred thousand form letters for the Binghamton Wagon Company, besides doing a vast amount of stenographie work for many business firms. This college, which is a marked exception to the unworthy concerns which are a blot and a shadow upon the field of commercial instruction, deserves to be commended for its genuine merit, trustworthi- ness, and its superiority as a high-grade insti- tution of learning.
Professor J. F. Riley was married on Octo- ber 15, 1888, to Miss Minnie B. Olds, of Binghamton. Her father, Spencer Olds, is an old resident of this city and a veteran of the late war, crippled in his country's service. One child, William H, Riley, a bright and intelligent boy, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Riley. The family are members of St. Patrick's Church of Binghamton.
Professor Riley has acted in the capacity of Assistant Examiner for the Civil Service Commission at various times. As a finished penman, he has no superior -a fact which is admitted by all the business men of his city.
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In his large school each pupil finds him a personal friend as well as teacher; and he evinces a father's interest in securing for them the best possible positions, which does not end there, but also looks after their wel- fare even when they are beyond his care. Kind-hearted, courteous, and agreeable, l'ro- fessor Riley is a thorough gentleman of the genuine type.
A ARON G. BEMAN, one of the oldest and most prominent citizens in the vicinity of North Colesville, at past fourscore years of age still actively en- gaged in general husbandry and stock-rais- ing, was born March 26, 1809, in Hartford County, Connecticut, a son of Reuben and
Elizabeth Beman, who were also natives of Connecticut. Reuben was a farmer, and moved to Broome County, New York, settling in the northern part of the town of Colesville in 1823, when the land was thickly wooded and game was plentiful. With the assistance of his sons he erected his primitive log cabin, and cleared his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and resided there until his death at . the age of fifty-four years, his wife surviving him, and living to be eighty-nine years old. Of . their nine children, four are now living, namely: Aaron, who is the eldest; Mrs. Eliz- abeth Church, of Great Bend, Pa .; Mrs. Charlotte Van Dusen, living in Canada; and Mrs. Flavia Wells, of Iowa. Reuben Beman and his wife were Presbyterians in their re- ligious faith.
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Aaron G. Beman was fourteen years old when he came with his parents to Broome County; and he has resided in the town of Colesville, where they settled, until the pres- ent day. Like all the youths of that genera- tion, he received his education in the "old field " school-house, where, although the ses- sions were irregular and the course of study unpretentious, many distinguished statesmen laid the foundations of their useful and brill- iant careers. He was quite young when he left school, and went to learn the trade of car- penter and joiner. For nineteen years Mr. Beman followed this calling, doing a great deal of work in Broome and adjoining coun- ties. He also in that period bought the homestead farm, where he has resided for over seventy years. He has one of the best places in the vicinity, conducting general farming and dairying, keeping about twenty head of cattle, and, though now eighty-four years of age, still gives his personal attention to its management. Mr. Beman has himself erected all the buildings on his farm, including his handsome dwelling. He is ably assisted by his daughter, Mrs. Emily Baker, who -resides with him, and under whose housewifely care the domestic affairs are as admirably con- ducted as is the outside work carried on by him. Unusually vigorous for a man of his years, he accomplishes more than many men in the prime of life, not only in the cultiva- tion of his land, but in stock-raising, of which he makes a specialty.
Mr. Aaron G. Beman was married in 1833 to Miss Lydia Church, who was born in Con-
necticut in ISI0, and who died in 1885. She and her husband, while excellent members of society, reverencing the truths of religion, were not connected with any particular church. Their two children are: Elbert Beman, of the firm of Beman & Bayless, re- siding in Binghamton, N. Y .; and Emily, wife of Nelson Baker, living with her father. Mr. Beman is a Republican in his politi- cal views, and one of the oldest members of the party since its organization in Broome County. By reason of his long residence in Colesville, he is deeply interested in every- thing concerning its growth and prosperity. He is an authority on all points of genealogy and history connected with Broome County, and is a most entertaining and instructive person to consult with on these subjects. He has led an industrious, hard-working life, and in the sunset of his years can look back with pride on the work he has done and the obsta- cles overcome.
HARLES HENRY PUTNAM, junior member of the mercantile firm of C. M. Putnam & Son, of Deposit, and Vice-President of the Deposit Board of Trade, is a deservedly popular young man in
the village and adjacent country. He was born in Deposit, December 28, 1860, and is one of its most active and progressive citi -. zens, being a leader among the earnest young men and the prime mover in many enter- prises which have enhanced the attractive- ness of the place and made it what it has
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become - one of the most delightful villages in the State. He had a good opportunity to secure an education, attending first the union schools of his native village, and later the South Jersey Institute at Bridgeton, N.J., graduating in the class of 1882. He then entered Brown, and remained two years. He then returned to his home in Deposit, and entered the store of his father, who had long been engaged here as a dealer in dry goods, clothing, carpet, and general furnishings. Having made himself thoroughly acquainted with the business, in 1886 he became a part- ner, the firm of C. M. Putnam & Son being organized.
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C. Henry Putnam was the prime mover in establishing the Electric Light Plant in De- posit, the company being incorporated under the laws of the State and adopting the Thompson-Houston system. The stock was divided into twelve equal shares of two thou- sand dollars each, and taken by the following persons: Charles P. Knapp, Charles N. Snow, Charles Pinckney, Charles A. Wheeler, Charles R. Smith, Charles M. Putnam, Charles H. Putnam, Paul Devereux, Dr. B. E. Radeker, A, F. Wiekwire, A. S. Wick- wire, and E. Frank Smith. This enterprise, thus fostered by the citizens of the place, required the work of a thorough and able organizer; and Mr. C. H. Putnam not only proposed the plan, but was largely instru- mental in securing the necessary funds to accomplish the work. He has been the fore- man of the Ward Hose Company, and is the present drill-master of that organization ;
and, under his tutelage, the company have been able to carry away a number of prizes in competition with the best companies of the State. He also takes an interest in the edu- cational affairs of the village, and for six years has been a member of the Board of Education.
Mr. Putnam was married in 1885 to Emma DeMoney, a daughter of Duane DeMoney, of Deposit. They have three sons, George, Frederick, and Arthur. Socially, Mr. Put- nam is a gentleman who will bear acquaint- ance, and is most highly appreciated by those who know him best. He is First Chancellor Commander of Deposit Lodge, Knights of Pythias. Politically, he is a Republican; and, while not a strict partisan in the sense of making a surrender of his entire individ- uality, he is a firm and decided adherent of the principles of that political organization. Ile has no patience with political shirks or with that fossiliferous element always pervad- ing the political field. He believes in activ- ity and progress, and is always found in the front rank, contending for all that is best in society, business, or politics. The village of Deposit is particularly fortunate in the character of its young business men, and among them none are deserving of higher commendation than C. Henry l'utnam,
YRUS S. CLAPP', a well-known citizen of the city of Binghamton, N. Y., prominent in business and social circles, was born in Norwich, N. Y., April
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17, 1830, son of John and Lydia (Strong) Clapp. John Clapp was born in New York City in 1801, and removed from there to Oxford, Chenango County, N. Y., when but a small boy, and was educated by his brother, James Clapp, with whom he afterward studied law. When admitted to the bar, he opened an office in the sequestered village of Pharsalia, situated in the north-west corner of Chenango County, but at the end of two years removed to Norwich in the same county, where he entered into partnership with the Hon. Lot Clark, who was a Democratic leader of such importance as would in these days be styled a "boss." Mr. Clark held the office of Dis- trict Attorney, which he resigned in favor of Mr. Clapp, by whom it was filled for six years.
Mr. John Clapp was a lawyer of great abil- ity. One of the most famous cases which he prosecuted was that of George Dennison for murder, who was convicted and hanged in March of 1833. During the last administra- tion of President Jackson, and also through Van Buren's, Mr. Clapp was Postmaster at Norwich. 1Ie was also Democratic candidate for Congress in 1838, but was beaten by John C. Clark, a recusant Democrat, who received the Whig nomination. Another cause for his defeat was the unpopularity of Mr. Van Buren and the "hard times," with which even the present stringency cannot compare. In 1840 Mr. Clapp removed to Binghamton, N. Y., and with Mr. Cyrus Strong opened an office. He attended to the legal business of the Broome County Bank, looked after his large
investments, but, although constantly associ- ated with such great men as Dickinson, Col- lier, and Hotchkiss, did not enter into general practice. lle was a Director in the First National Bank of Binghamton, and was connected with many of the local interests of the city.
Soon after coming to Binghamton he inter- ested himself in the question of local educa- tional facilities, and had much to do with organizing the old Binghamton Academy. He was an enthusiastic sportsman with gun and rod, and was formally admitted to mem- bership in the Unadilla Hunt -a body of sportsmen of State reputation, including Sen- ators, Congressmen, and others. Mr. Clapp was an carnest talker and thinker, and, while a good friend to those he called such, was nat- urally disposed to look on the dark side of life. His charities were many, but devoid of ostentation; and only those who were inti- mately acquainted with him knew the extent of his good works, of which he would never allow them to speak. One great shadow had saddened his life, causing him a grief from which he never recovered. His daughter Rosalind, a beautiful girl, died at the age of eighteen years; and, although not demonstra- tive in his sorrow, it was known to a chosen few that his mind and heart dwelt with his beloved dead, and he was often heard to mur- mur her name in terms of endearment.
lle was a communicant of Christ Church, and was always an earnest and devoted adher- ent of the Episcopal faith. In 1841 he built the beautiful home at No. 19 Chenango
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Street, Binghamton, which was considered one of the handsomest residences in the city, and is now occupied by his son and his fam- ily. It closely adjoins the home of Cyrus Strong, Sr., the veteran banker of Bingham- ton, whose sister Lydia Mr. Clapp married. She was a lovely and exemplary wife and mother, and was admired and respected by all for her beautiful Christian character. Her death occurred in New York City, February 26, 1884. ller husband died at an advanced age in October, 1886.
His only son, Cyrus S. Clapp, the subject of this sketch, was but ten years of age when he came to Binghamton with his father. He was educated in the academy here, and, when grown to manhood, spent some time in the West. He is associated with the firm of John Gumberg & Co., and is a Director in the First National Bank, having succeeded his father in that office. He is prominent in financial and social circles of the city, and his home is the centre of a refined hospitality and a gathering place for the best society of Bing- hamton. October 15, 1862, Mr. Cyrus S. Clapp was married to Miss Harriet Evans, of Newark, N.J., one of the acknowledged soci- ety leaders in the city, also well known for her ardent and practical interest in the chari- table works of her church. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Clapp, namely : Ernestine, wife of Dr. H. G. Pullen, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this hook; John, who is manager of the factory of John Gumberg & Co .; Lydia Strong and Eliza- beth Ely, the two latter residing at home.
One daughter, Rosalind, a twin to Ernestine, died in infancy. The family are members of Christ Church. Mr. Clapp is exceedingly popular in this city, a thoroughly genial gen- tleman, and is prominently identified with the Binghamton Club, a social organization composed of the leading men of this city.
USTAVE G. KAEPPEL, a leading baker and confectioner of Bingham- ton, N.Y., was born in Schleiz, Germany, February 22, 1851, son of John and Johanna Kaeppel. The father dying in Germany, the mother later came to the United States, and now resides in Binghamton, N. Y.,
Gustave received an excellent common- school education in his native town, and, being then apprenticed to a baker there, had the trade thoroughly learned when he was eighteen years old. Emigrating to the United States, he first stayed for a while in New York City, where he worked at his trade 'at different prominent hotels, and was after- ward at the West End Hotel, Long Branch, N.J., and in the Clifton House at Niagara Falls, holding the positions of pastry and confectionery cook, finally coming to Bing- hamton, N. Y., which place he has since made his permanent home.
His first engagement in this city was in Mann's Bakery, where by his superior skill he was the means of establishing a large and suc- cessful business, increasing the force from one man to six employees. April 1, 1881, Mr. Kaeppel started a bakery of his own, first
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at No. 5 Main Street, where for five years he was very prosperous. In 1886 he bought the building at No. 22 Court Street, remodelled the interior, in the salesroom putting in an electric motor fan, making the air always pure and sweet, and in the cellar a new patent oven, which cost four thousand dollars, mak- ing in all one of the finest equipped bakeries in the city. The premises occupied are com- modious and well adapted to the business, being embraced in two floors, each twenty- three and three-quarters by seventy feet in dimensions. Mr. Kaeppel caters for the best trade in the city, his ovens being especially arranged for Vienna and French bread. He gives employment to eight men, running two shifts day and night; and four wagons are utilized to deliver his products to con- sumers. As clerks and drivers, he has, all told, about fifteen men employed.
Mr. Kaeppel has built up this extensive business within the last twelve years. He is also interested in real estate, having built a fine double brick house on Cedar Street, Binghamton, and also other property. He is the owner of the hotel at Heart Lake, a watering-place in Pennsylvania. Mr. Kaep- pel is a member of the Lutheran church re- cently organized in Binghamton, and was one of the Deacons at its beginning. He is also a Director of the Joseph Laurer Brewing Company, and has been one of the stock- holders since its erection. Mr. Kaeppel is a Free and Accepted Mason, belonging to Bing- hamton Lodge, No. 177, also connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Can-
ton Binghamton, of which he has been Lieu- tenant. He is a member of Alert Hose, No. 2, Binghamton Fire Department, and in musical circles belongs to the Germania Männerchor.
On July 1, 1877, Gustave G. Kaeppel was married in New London, Conn., to Miss Helen Auth, who was born in Gellenhausen, Germany, in 1852. They have three chil- dren, Frank, Augusta, and Frederick. Mr. Kaeppel is an esteemed and progressive citi- zen, and his phenomenal success is as fully merited as it is prominent. In his business affairs he gives his personal attention to all its details, and is particular in using, in the manufacture of his bread and confections, only the best materials, which is the secret of the excellence of his goods. Having learned his trade in the Old World, where thoroughness is required and carelessness of . work is never allowed, Mr. Kaeppel is an expert in his business, and fully competent to hold his own with any competitor.
HARLES W. KATTELL, a widely known, enterprising business man, of New York City, resident at Kat- tellville, Broome County, N.Y., was born in this place, July 11, 1848. He was brought up on a farm, but early in life manifested a dis- position to engage in other fields of labor, and, having a natural taste for mechanics, soon found business more congenial, in which he has been an indefatigable and very suc- cessful worker.
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"Work explores the secrets of the universe, and brings back those contributions which make up the sum of human knowledge. It counts the ribs of the mountains, and feels the pulses of the sea, and traces the footpath of the stars, and calls the animals of the for- est and the birds of the air and the flowers of the field by name. It summons horses of fire and chariots of fire from heaven, and makes them the bearers of its thought. It plunders the tombs of dead nationalities, and weaves living histories from the shreds it finds. It seeks out and sets in order the secrets of the soil, and divides to every plant its food. It builds and binds into unity great philoso- phies, along which run the life and thought of ages. It embalms the life of nations in lit- eratures, in whose erypts are scattered seeds of thought that only need the light to spread into harvests of bread for living generations." Thus all great achievements are the result of work, as is every satisfactory condition in life; and the army of laborers has ever been busy, each member in his particular place, doing his "little stroke of work " in the great world field.
The Kattell family were very active and influential among the earlier settlers of the vicinity. Elias E. Kattell, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was the first of the family to come to this county, where he arrived over sixty years ago, and purchased one thousand acres of land, including the site of the hamlet of Kattelville, which he founded. He died here, an octogenarian, in 1867, having been twice married and hav-
ing brought up two sons and three daugh- ters.
The eldest son was Alonzo, the father of Charles W., who was born in 1812, and who married Elma F. Moore, of Binghamton, by whom he had four sons and three daughters, as follows: Jennie, who died when six years old; Adaline; Thaddeus, a farmer on a part of the old place; Mansir E., a farmer near Chenango Bridge; Frances, of Binghamton; Charles W .; John C., resident of Passaic, N.J., and in business in New York City. Mrs. Elma F. Moore Kattell died in the fall of 1868, and Alonzo Kattell married for a second wife Ann Prentice. Both Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo Kattell are now deceased. (For the early ancestral history of this family, see sketch of E. E. Kattell, of Binghamton.)
Charles W. Kattell was brought up on his. father's farm, where he worked hard, attend -: ing the district school during the winter sea- son, when farm work was less pressing. He obtained a fair common - school education, which was supplemented by a course in East- man's Business College at Poughkeepsie, from which institution he graduated in August, 1867, and afterward became a salesman in the ' wholesale house of A. T. Stewart & Co. of New York City. One year later he opened a real estate office in New York; and, while reasonably successful in both of these employ- ments, he was not entirely satisfied, the same not proving altogether congenial. He is nat- urally of a mechanical turn of mind; and, : desiring something in that line of occupation, he engaged with the Remington Manufactur-
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FRANCIS D. GRIDLEY
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ing Company in the sewing-machine depart- ment. His business ability gave him favor with the company; and it was not long before he had a more extended field, in connection with his brother John, and did a large busi- ness. When the Remington Company failed he entered the employ of the Singer Sewing- machine Company, with whom and with others he made a good record. Subsequently he became assistant manager of the Domestic Sewing-machine Company for the city of New York; and, such was his executive ability, combined with his mechanical knowledge and skill - so requisite in his position! - that he was soon placed in charge of several depart- ments ; and in 1890 he purchased the business of the New York City department, having his office at Union Square, corner of Broadway and Fourteenth Street. The business has prospered under his able and efficient manage- ment, the field of operations broadening until it embraces Westchester, l'utnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Rockland, Orange, Ulster, and Greene Counties; and it will doubtless con- tinue to enlarge until Albany and other important points are covered. He employs twenty-five salesmen, twelve women teachers, and three experts, with several collectors and book-keepers, having all the business well in hand and constantly reaching out for increas- ing trade.
Mr. Kattell was married December 23, 1868, to Phebe A. Westerfield, a daughter of Henry and Eliza Westerfield, of Bergen, N.J. Her father died when she was a child, and her mother at the age of seventy-five years,
in October, 1888. She has three sisters and one brother living. Mr. and Mrs. Kattell have no children now. They have lost two: Elma F., aged six years ; and Maud, aged six- teen months.
Ovalhurst, the beautiful country-seat of Charles W. Kattell at Kattelville, where he makes his home, comprises one hundred acres of the old home farm, which he recently pur- chased and has greatly improved at a cost of not less than twenty thousand dollars, this amount having been expended mainly in the construction of tasteful and conveniently . arranged buildings. The location and sur- roundings are the finest in the county, com- manding a magnificent view. The house, from its cemented cellar to its well-finished attie, is complete throughout, having all the modern improvements of heating, water, gas, and ventilation. The dwelling thus con- structed . and elegantly furnished supplies every reasonable want for a home, and Mr. and Mrs. Kattell evidently enjoy abundantly the 'delightful situation. Mr. Kattell is a Master Mason, and politically is connected with the Republican party. He is a genial gentleman, possessing rare social qualities and deserving of the success which has at- tended bis efforts.
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