Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 110

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1354

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Mr. Smith has a pleasant home overlook- ing the Hudson river and the city of Newburg, where he owns two large lots opposite his resi- dence. His wife, whom he married in August, 1861, was formerly Miss Elsie M. Bishop, daughter of Miles and Cynthia (Ives) Bishop, of Woodbury, Conn. Her ancestors were early settlers in New England, and one was a soldier in the Revolutionary war; her father served in the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs.

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Smith are members of the Reformed Church. They have one son, Walter A. Smith, who is at home.

W ARREN S. DIBBLE, one of the substan - tial business men of Matteawan, Dutch- ess county, is the proprietor of the popular hotel known as the "Dibble House," and also of the Dibble Opera House, a favorite place of amusement for the best people of that town.

His great-grandfather, Jonathan Dibble, was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. His grandparents were Seth and Diana (Sherwood ) Dibble, and his father was the late Augustus N. Dibble, a well-known farmer of Litchfield county, Conn., who was born February 20, 1811. He married Henrietta Morgan, and they reared a family of three children, of whom our subject is the eldest; Mary E. is the wife of Robert Cooley, of Albany, N. Y .; and Belle married William Daly, Waterbury, Connecti- cut.

Warren S. Dibble was born July 11, 1842, at Cornwall, where the schools afforded excellent educational advantages, of which Mr. Dibble availed himself, attending the public schools for some years, and later the Adelphi Institute. After his graduating, in 1858, he taught for several years in different places, and then went "on the road" as an auctioneer. A few years later he engaged in the hotel business, first at Cornwall, Conn., and then at Pine Plains, N. Y., and in 1877 he purchased his present hotel at Matteawan, then known as the Jaycox property. This be bas greatly improved, making additions from time to time until it now contains seventy-five rooms; and he has also built a commodious stable. In 1886 he erected the Dibble Opera House, which he is at present managing, and is furnishing a high class of entertainment to an appreciative public. He has also built several tenement houses which he rents. Genial in manner, but possessing keen discrimination in financial matters, Mr. Dibble holds the confidence of the people in an unusual degree. He is a Republican, politically, but is not an active worker in the party.

On April 11, 1870, Mr. Dibble married Miss Jane Stoddard, daughter of Jasper and Sophia (Hubbard) Stoddard. She is a member of the Baptist Church. They have one daughter, Daisy M., a young lady of fine social gifts, who attends the Episcopal Church, and takes an active part in various charitable enterprises.

J JOHN FLANNERY. The . Flannery House " at Fishkill Landing is one of the

finest and best managed hostelries in that locality, and its genial proprietor, the subject of this sketch, has demonstrated his business sagacity in his liberal yet judicious expendi- tures, in its building and equipment. When he purchased the property, in 1878, it was simply a marshy lot with an old shanty upon it, but as its location near the dock made it especially suitable for his purposes, he secured it at a cost of $10,000, and he has since spent $25,000 in the improvements which he has made from time to time.

Mr. Flannery was born March 25, 1849, in Dublin, Ireland, but his father, Patrick Flan- nery, a native of the same place, was for some years a farmer in County Tipperary before coming to America. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Katie Moore, was also a native of Dublin, and her death occurred there in 1854. Of their four children, our subject was the youngest. (1) James died at the age of four years; (2) Patrick E., who served as a soldier throughout the Civil war, is now a successful hotel-keeper at St. Paul, Minn .; and (3) Mary is the wife of Michael Ormand, a wealthy resident of Hastings, Minn. The father, Patrick Flannery, married a sec- ond wife, and for some time after his arrival in America lived upon a farm at Goshen, N. Y. He is now living in retirement, having sold the place to our subject. In religion he is a devout Catholic, and he has been an ad- herent of the Democratic party ever since he came to this country.

As John Flannery was but a child when he made the trip across the Atlantic, his boyhood was mainly spent at Goshen, where he re- ceived his elementary education. He also at- tended school at Campbell Hall, Orange coun- ty, and in Poughkeepsie. His first venture in the business world was at Goshen, where, when a mere boy, he conducted a hotel, and in seven months made $12,000, a remarkable beginning. He continued in the hotel business for two years, and then spent one year in rest and recreation, after which he went to Poughkeep- sie, as mentioned, and studied for a year. Resuming business, he conducted a hotel at Newburg for three years, and then bought one in the country, in Orange county, which he sold after two years, returning to Newburg and continuing in business there for three years. In 1876 he moved to Fishkill Land-

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ing, leasing the old "Myer's Hotel," near the depot, where he remained until he established his present place. Since taking up that enter- prise he has purchased a wholesale liquor busi- ness in Newburg, and he is also interested in thoroughbred horses, having owned many val- uable trotters. He is highly respected, and has always been noted for his liberality in po- litical, educational or philanthropical move- ments which appeal to his judgment, and es- pecially to the Catholic Church, of which he is a member. In politics he is a Democrat, and his influence in the organization is widely recognized.

In 1867 Mr. Flannery married his first wife, Miss Mary Groody, of Binghamton, N. Y., a daughter of John Groody, a well-known brewer of ale. Three children were born of this union: John, Jr., who died at the age of eighteen; William, who died at twenty-four; and Katie, the wife of Daniel Glinn, of New- burg. Mrs. Mary Flannery died at Fishkill Landing, in 1892, and on October 17, 1894, our subject was married to Miss Margaret J. Faulkner, an Episcopalian, the ceremony being performed in the Catholic Church, by Father T. F. Kelly. One son, John G., brightens their home.

Mrs. Flannery is a native of Newburg, where she was born May 1, 1870. Her family orig- inated in England, but her great-grandfather, who was a major in the English army, settled in the North of Ireland, in County Antrim, where her grandfather, Richard Faulkner, was born, and is still living at an advanced age, having passed his life there as an extensive agriculturist. He is a strict Episcopalian, and a generous contributor to various charities. He married Margaret Ewing, who was of Irish descent, and had the following children: John and Jane, twins, who died in infancy; Richard (1) deceased; John H .; James (1); Mary, wife of James Weir, of Ireland; George, a well-to-do farmer there; Robert H., a police captain at Derry, Ireland; Elizabeth, wife of James Walters, of Ireland; William, a success- ful farmer at the old homestead; Margaret, deceased, formerly the wife of John Nesbitt, principal of a school at Randallstown; Richard (2), and James (2).

John H. Faulkner was reared in the old country, attending school at Seymour Bridge, and in early manhood engaged in the grocery business at Belfast. On June 25, 1867, he wedded Miss Agnes Colville, who was born

August 5, 1844, at Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland, daughter of Hugh Colville, and grand- daughter of Alexander Colville. Her mother, Jane (Gordon), was also born there, and both families were among the old residents of the town. Mr. Faulkner continued in business in Belfast about three years after his marriage, and in 1870 he and his wife came to Newburg, where he became a salesman in a wholesale liquor store. It was not long before he had acquired a sufficient acquaintance with his new surroundings to warrant him in opening a similar establishment on his own account, and he has ever since been engaged in the business. In 1880 he removed to Matteawan, but later he transferred his interests to Fishkill Landing, where he hasremained. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner, as follows: Agnes and Jennie, who died in infancy; Robert C., who graduated from the School of Phar- macy in New York City, and is now a druggist at Cornwall, N. Y .; Margaret J. (Mrs. Flan- nery); Martha, a graduate of De Garmo Insti- tute, who is at home; Richard, a publisher in New York City, and a member of the Seventy- first regiment, N. Y. N. G .; Esther, who died in infancy; John G. and Esther (2), who are at home; Agnes, deceased, and another child who died in infancy.

F RANCIS TIMONEY, a wealthy brick man- ufacturer of Dutchess Junction, Dutchess county, is one of those business men whose in- dustry and enterprise seem limitless, their ac- tivity in varied lines of work appearing to be an easy and natural exercise of their inborn capacity for organization.

Mr. Timoney was born August 4, 1829, in County Fermanagh, Ireland, and is the third of his name. His grandfather, Francis Tim- oney (1), married Winifred Gallagher, and their son, Francis Timoney (2) ( our subject's father ), married Abbie Duffy, by whom he had eight children: Dennis, Patrick, James, Francis, John, Winifred, Mary and Bridget. The common schools of his native land did not afford Mr. Timoney the advantages that he needed, and he was partly educated by pri- vate tutors. At the age of twenty-three he came to America, and located at Verplanck's Point, Westchester county, where he found employment in the brick yard of S. M. Dyke- man. After three years he was put in charge of the yard as foreman, and held that position

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for two years, when he began to work on shares, Mr. Dykeman furnishing the plant, horses, carts, and implements, and Mr. Tim- oney supplying the labor and feeding the horses. This arrangement lasted two years, and then Mr. Timoney purchased a half inter- est in the business, and four years later he bought the other half and continued the busi- ness alone until 1886, when he purchased his present property at Dutchess Junction at a cost of $42,000. There was at the time one yard in working order, and he has since fitted up two others, expending from $50,000 to $75,000 upon his improvements. He now has three yards which he would not hesitate to compare with any on the Hudson. He can turn out a quarter of a million brick per day, and his daily expenditure for labor alone is from $300 to $500. He owns two barges which he uses to convey his brick to market, most of which is disposed of in New York City. For twenty years past he has been a promi- nent member of the Brick Exchange in that city, and his thirty-seven years of continuous work in brick manufacture has made him au- thority on all points relating to the business. But his success in this line of effort has not prevented him from engaging in others, and while at Verplanck's Point he carried on a gro- cery and dry-goods store for over eighteen years, the butcher business for two years, and the coal business for four years. Since com- ing to Dutchess Junction he has devoted his attention to his main line of business, but he takes an active interest in the Matteawan Na- tional Bank, in which he is a stockholder and director.

In politics Mr. Timoney is a Democrat, and while living at Verplanck's Point he was for two years a member of the board of auditors of Cortland township; but his business interests have prevented him from taking a very active part in political affairs.

On July 6, 1855, he married Miss Margaret Reed, daughter of John and Margaret (McKil- lup) Reed, and they have had eleven children, four of whom died in infancy. Their eldest child, Mary Ann, is the wife of John C. Mc- Namara, a commission merchant of New York City, formerly a resident of Fulton, N. Y., but now living at Fishkill Landing. Francis A., one of the leading young business men of Dutchess Junction, is a brick manufacturer, merchant, and at present the postmaster there, having been appointed in January, 1894. He

married Miss Margaret Grady, of Fishkill Landing. Five younger children - Theresa, Susie, John, James and Clara -- are still at home. The family are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

R OBERT P. LAWSON, a wealthy fisher- man and real-estate holder of New Ham- burg, Dutchess county, was born in that village about seventy years ago. His ancestors came originally from Holland, and the family is one of the oldest in the county.

Cornelius Lawson, our subject's grand- father, was born in Dutchess county, and fol- lowed the occupation of farming all his life. He reared a large family of children, among whom was Cornelius Lawson (2), our subject's father, who passed the greater part of his life in the village of New Hamburg, where he en- gaged in the occupation of lime burning. He married Miss Amy Lawson, a native of that village, and reared a family of five children, of whom our subject (the third son) is now the only survivor. Jeremiah and Cornelius were boatmen on the Hudson; John was a farmer of Dutchess county; and Ann, the youngest child, married Moses Sensabal, now deceased. The parents passed away many years ago.

Robert P. Lawson has spent his entire life at New Hamburg, and has secured a fine com- petence, being the owner of a valuable property in the village, and his industry and thrift have won for him the high esteem of his associates. In 1855 he married Miss Ann Orbson, a native of Ulster county, who died in 1893, leaving no children. In politics Mr. Lawson is a Demo- crat, as was his father before him, and he has never wavered in his devotion to the principles of his party.

A LONZO S. WILTSE, a well-known citi- zen of Fishkill-on-Hudson, Dutchess county, proprietor of a grocery located on the corner of Main and Ferry streets and South avenue, is descended on both sides of the family from old Holland-Dutch ancestry.

His father, the late Benjamin Wiltse, was born May 4, 1799, and became a farmer in the town of Fishkill. He married Margaret Ann Tidd, who was born December 22, 1801, and had eight children: Jane, Annis, Cath- erine, Margaret, Peter, Charles, Cyrus and Alonzo S. Of this family, our subject and

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three daughters are the only survivors. The father died January 1, ISSI, and the mother on January 9, 1868.

Alonzo S. Wiltse was born at the old homestead in the town of Fishkill, April 24, IS40, and was educated in the district schools of the neighborhood, his attendance, after he reached the age of twelve, being limited to the winter terms as his help was needed in sum- mer in the work on the farm. At nineteen he began his business career at Fishkill-on- Hudson as a clerk for S. G. & J. T. Smith, dealers in dry goods and groceries, with whom he spent six years. He then entered the em- ploy of the Newburg, Dutchess and Connecti- cut R. R. Co., taking charge of the buildings and bridges along the entire line. This po- sition he held until ISSo, when he received the appointment to the post of engineer at Sing Sing Prison, which he held eight years. In 1888 he resigned and returned to Fishkill- on-Hudson, where he established his pres- ent business, in which he has met with well- deserved success.

Mr. Wiltse married Miss Mary E. Benson, a descendant of one of the prominent families of Highland, Ulster county,' and the daughter of Capt. John Benson and his wife, Priscilla H. Benson. Two children were born of this union: Charles B., who has been for some time a train dispatcher on the N. D. & C. R. R., and Carrie L., a successful teacher in the pub- lic schools of Fishkill. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church of Fishkill Land- ing. In politics Mr. Wiltse has always been a steadfast Republican; socially, he is a mem- ber of Beacon Lodge No. 283, F. & A. M.

A BRAHAM BRETT was a descendant of one of our oldest families. His pater- nal great-grandfather, George Brett, married Hannah Cooper; their son, Francis G. Brett, married Margaret Camel, and their son, Har- vey Brett, married Susan Coleman, and had three sons: Wesley. Abraham and Charles Fletcher, and one daughter-Emma-who died in her seventh year. Abraham Brett was born in Matteawan February 1, 1843, and died April 13, 1893. He attended the schools of the village and the Tarrytown Institute for some years, and then entered Claverack Col- lege, Claverack, Columbia county. After graduation he at once began a mercantile ca- reer, spending two years as a clerk for Mr.

Wells in a general store at Highland Falls, N. Y., and then went to Newburgh, to enter the employ of Isaac Wood, at that time a prominent dry-goods merchant there. After one year he returned to Matteawan, and clerked for David Davis in his general store, which was long known as the "old Matteawan store." The building has since been torn down and replaced by the Music Hall build- ing, now occupied by S. G. and J. T. Smith as a dry-goods store. After learning the de- tails of mercantile business, Mr. Brett opened an establishment of his own August 1, 1865, the first exclusive dry-goods store in the town, and about a year later his brother, Charles F. Brett, was taken into partnership, under the firm name of A. & C. F. Brett. The first lo- cation was in what was known as the Mechan- ics Hall building, and from there they moved to the Phillips building, and remained until 1876, when they went to a store which they had just completed, next to the Howland Li- brary building. Here the business is still car- ried on, C. F. Brett conducting it since his brother's death, and retaining the same firm name. In politics the late Abraham Brett was a Republican, and in religion a Methodist, being an active member of the Church. In 1863 he married Jane, a daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Randall Tompkins. They had three children: ALBERT V., Emma S. and Harvey, Jr.

G EORGE SIEVERS, a retired clothing merchant and hotel proprietor, of Pough- keepsie, Dutchess county, was born October 3, 1824, in Hanover, Germany, where he grew to manhood and learned the tailoring business.

Mr. Sievers was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Frese, who was also born in Han- over, and was a daughter of Henry Frese. They were married in Hanover September 19, 1847, and directly thereafter came to America, locating in Albany, where our subject followed his trade for three years. He and his wife then came to Poughkeepsie, and have since remained here. Mr. Sievers worked at his trade for a year, and then went into the cloth- ing business, his store being located at No. 282 Main street, where he remained until 1861, and then started a hotel on the corner of Bridge and Main streets, carrying on at the same time a liquor business, until 1870, since which time he has been retired. The follow-

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ing children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sievers: Susie, who became the wife of Charles Achuster, a butcher, and died in 1884: Charles died at the age of twelve years; Louisa mar- ried Dr. Harper, of Cambridge, who is de- ceased; Anna married Bonocio B. Llensa, and they own a plantation in Porto Rico; Jeraldine is the wife of Dr. John P. Wilson.

When President Lincoln called for volun- teers in 1863, Mr. Sievers answered the call, and was appointed lieutenant of Company G. N. Y. S. M. He is a member of the Masonic order, and, with his wife, attends the German Lutheran Church, He is a fine German citi- zen, one who has helped to promote mat- ters of public interest in Poughkeepsie. He possesses considerable real estate, and is one of the leading men of the city.

Our subject's father, Christian Sievers, was born in England, learned the tailoring business and followed it all his life. He married Miss Dora Tilke, a native of Hanover, and the fol- lowing children were born to them: Christian, Henry and Carl, tailors by trade, who died in Germany; Dora, who died unmarried; and George, our subject. The father died in 1838 and the mother in 1831. The grandfather was a French Huguenot, born in France.

T HOMAS G. NICHOLS (deceased), the founder of The Sunday Courier, of Poughkeepsie, now owned and edited by Arthur G. Tobey, was born in Boston, Mass., January 8, 1827. While he was quite young his parents removed to Poughkeepsie, N. Y .. where he attended the common schools, and then commenced an apprenticeship to the printer's trade. Soon after his apprenticeship ended he opened a job-printing office, the first one in Poughkeepsie. In May, 1852, in part- nership with John H. Bush (now also de- ceased ), under the name of Nichols & Bush, lie started the first daily paper published in the city, which was called The City Press ; but in 1858 it was sold to Albert S. Pease, who changed its name to The Daily Press. Mr. Nichols then gave his attention to job print- ing, and continued exclusively in that line un- til 1868, when with the assistance of George Innis and others he established another daily paper called The Morning News, which soon became quite popular. Receiving a favorable offer, however, from Hegeman & Wilbur, Mr. Nichols sold the paper to them, and they

changed its name to The Poughkeepsie News. Subsequently J. O. Whitehouse purchased the paper, and for a year or two Mr. Nichols re- mained looking out for a good opportunity to enter anew the field of journalism. The fav- orable time came, and December 15, 1872, he commenced the publication of The Sunday Courier, the first Sunday paper issued between New York and Albany. Many of his friends doubted the wisdom of his enterprise: but it prospered, thanks to his own indomitable perseverance and energy, as well as the influ- ence and patronage of his many friends; and when in 1888, owing to failing health, he con- cluded to sell his newspaper, he realized a competence which enabled him to retire from business, and take his ease for the remainder of his days. He died August 26, 1895, at the residence of Mr. Ackerman, at Carthage Land- ing, N. Y., where for some time previous he had been making his home, having never mar- ried. He was peculiarly fitted for the profes- sion which he chose to adopt, was careful, painstaking and discreet, his editorials, withal, showing marked ability and thought.

A RTHUR G. TOBEY, the well-known editor and sole proprietor of The Sunday Courier, was born May 5, 1850, in the city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, where he lived until eight years of age, and then went with his parents to Utica, N. Y., where he attended the public schools. Later he was employed in a drug store at Rome, N. Y., remaining there for about two years, and subsequently returning to Poughkeepsie, where he learned the printing business, with T. G. Nichols, who was then conducting the Morning News with singular ability.

In 1871 Mr. Nichols sold the News to Hege- man & Wilbur, and Mr. Tobey was made fore- man and, subsequently, local editor. Later our subject went to New York City and en- gaged in the restaurant business. Disposing of his restaurant in December, 1872, he in the following month returned to Poughkeepsie and assumed the position of manager and local editor of The Sunday Courier, which was established December 15. 1872. He held that position until December, ISS8, when he purchased the paper, which at that time had a circulation of 5,000. This he has increased to 8,500. Mr. Tobey has never aspired to polit- ical or party honors, but has devoted his entire

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time and attention to his business, and has always conducted his paper on a non-partisan basis and with eminent personal popularity and pecuniary success. Beside the sole owner- ship of The Courier and a full modern plant, he has constructed and resides in an attractive residence on one of the most pleasant avenues in the city.

In 1875 Mr. Tobey was married at High- land, Ulster county, to Miss Florence Deyo, a daughter of the late Monroe Deyo, and they have two children: Earle D. and Florence E. Our subject is a member of Triune Lodge, F. & A. M., of Poughkeepsie Council No. 391, R. A., and of Hudson River Lodge, A. O. U. W.

Henry L. Tobey, our subject's father, was born in Poughkeepsie, and was one of the editors of the Utica Herald at the time of his death. He learned the printer's trade in the office of The Eagle, in Poughkeepsie, going from there to Kingston, where he was em- ployed as a writer on The Journal. He sub- sequently went to Utica, where he died at the age of thirty-five. He was married in Pough- keepsie to Miss Eliza A. Seabury, and they had the following children: Heman A. (deceased); Clara (deceased); Arthur G., our subject; and Kate E., wife of George R. Mooney, of New York.

Heman Tobey, the grandfather of Arthur G., was born in Sharon, Conn., and was at maturity a merchant in Poughkeepsie, where he married Miss Hannah Bolan.

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 110

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1354

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1354