Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 135

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

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E DWIN KNICKERBOCKER, one of the most prominent agriculturists of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, and a leader in local politics, is a descendant of some of the early settlers of this region, the family having come originally from Holland.

For several generations the homestead of the family has been at Pine Plains, Dutchess county, and here our subject's grandfather, Hugh Knickerbocker, was born, and here he followed farming for many years, moving later to Northeast. He married a Miss Stickle, and reared a family of six children: Peter, Valen- tine, John, Nancy, Hugh and William, none of whom are now living. Hugh Knickerbocker (2), our subject's father, was born in 1801, and passed his early life at Pine Plains, attending the district schools of the neighborhood, later engaging in farming there and at Northeast, and in the town of Stanford, leading the quiet life of a farmer. For many years he was a

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member of the New York State Militia. Dur- ing his residence in Northeast he united with the Baptist Church, of which he remained a consistent member until his death in 1882. He married (first) Miss Mary Payne, of North- east, and had four children: William, Theron, and Henry, all three residents of the town of Stanford, and Niles (deceased). The mother of these died about 1850, and for his second wife Mr. Knickerbocker married Miss Elizabeth Smith, born in 1817, a daughter of John Smith, a well-known citizen of New Jersey. Four children were born of this union: Edwin, Jennie, Fannie (who married Edward Loomis, of Pittsfield, Mass.), and McClellan.

Edwin Knickerbocker. the subject of our sketch, was born in Stanford, October 17, 1854, and received his carly education in the public schools of New York. When a young man he taught successfully in the towns of Stanford, Clinton, Milan and Washington, and then engaged in farming upon land bought of his father. His educational opportunities were good, and he has improved upon them by private reading until he has acquired a wide range of information, and his sterling qualities of character and sound judgment give him great influence in the community. A lead- ing worker in the Democratic party in his locality, he in 1881 was elected justice of the peace, and held the office eleven years, serv- ing in the meantime for four years as justice of sessions in the county court. In the spring of 1893 he was elected supervisor of the town of Stanford, in 1894 was re-elected for two years, and again in 1896 for two years. On June 5. 1889, he was married to Miss Jennie Hooker, daughter of William and Sarah (Cutler) Hooker, well-known residents of the town of Dover, and has had four children: Jay, Asa, Effie, and Sarah. A progressive farmer, he is a member of the Grange, in which he holds the office of master, and he is also affiliated with the K. of P.

G ILBERT COOPER, one of the leading and representative citizens of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, was born in Fish- kill (now Wappinger) town, Dutchess county, March 23. 1820. His paternal grandfather, Obediah Cooper, who was of English origin, engaged in farming in Wappinger town, where he also followed the trades of a wheelwright and wagonmaker. He married Miss Maria

Van Benschoter, and by her had five children: William M., Elias, Nancy, Sarah and Tunis.

Tunis Cooper, the father of our subject, was also a native of the town of Wappinger, his birth occurring there June 25, 1787, and he wedded Mary Budd, a daughter of Under- hill Budd, of the same town. She was born April 22, 1793, and died April 10, 1825. They became the parents of the following children : Fletcher, born December 14, 1817, died May 12, 1884; Gilbert, whose name introduces this sketch, is the next in order of birth; Maria, born October 2, 1821, became the wife of John W. Sleight. of Lagrange town, Dutchess coun- ty, and was killed by a cannon ball at Nicar- agua, Central America, April 15, 1857; John was born July 12, 1823; William, born April 2, 1825, enlisted in an Illinois regiment during the Civil war, served throughout that struggle as hospital steward, and died July 7, 1868. After the death of his first wife Tunis Cooper married Maria Myers, who was born Decem- ber 17, 1804, and died February 9, 1874. Five children graced this union: Matthew, born November 5, 1828, died September 29, 1850; Amanda, born May 13, 1831, married Benjamin Pugsley, of Alamosa, Colo .; Susan, born March 3. 1836, became the wife of Louis Umlauf, and died August 15, 1873: Martin Luther, born February 23, 1833, died January 25, 1873; and Mary, born June 18, 1841, is the wife of William Pugsley, of Wappinger town.

After his marriage Tunis Cooper purchased the farm next his father's, and continued to live there until 1865. when he removed to the village of Wappingers Falls, where he re- mained for a couple of years. He next pur- chased a place between that city and Pough- keepsie, where he resided until his death, Octo- ber 31, 1868. He had been drafted for the war of 1812, but hostilities ceased before he was called into action. On attaining his ma- jority he supported the Democratic party, but after the nomination of President Lincoln, he became a stanch Republican, though he never cared for political preferment. He served as trustee and president of Amenia Seminary; was one of the leading members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the town of Wappinger, with which he was officially connected, and was always faithful in the performance of his duties in both public and private life.

During his boyhood and youth Gilbert Cooper attended the district schools of the town of Wappinger, and in 1842 left the place

Gilberto Coopero

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

of his nativity, locating at that time upon his present farm; but he was often with his father before the latter's death, caring for him and assisting him in his business. For many years he has rented his farm on shares. His polit- ical support is given the Democratic party, and he has served as assessor of the town of Stan- ford, also as trustee of Amenia Seminary, and was a member of the executive committee of that institution. He has been prominently identified with the upbuilding and welfare of the community, and his circle of friends throughout the county is very wide.

John Cooper, the brother of our subject, received his primary education in the district schools of the town of Wappinger, after which he attended the Amenia Seminary. In 1844 he removed to Kendall county, Ill., where for forty years he engaged in farming, but is now living with his brother Gilbert in Stanford town, Dutchess county. He was first married in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county, to Rachel R. Sleight, who died at the end of a year. In Kendall county, Ill., he was again married, this time to Eliza Van Kleeck, a native of Fishkill town, Dutchess county, who died in Iowa. They became the parents of six children: Tunis, now in Minnesota; James Fenimore, of South Dakota; Gilbert B., of Minnesota; Nellie, wife of Frank Jasinsky; Walter, of Iowa; and Edna, of Stissing, town of Stanford, Dutchess county.

H IRAM A. PULTZ, one of the leading agriculturists of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was born December 25, IS21, upon the estate adjoining the one on which he now resides.

His grandfather, David Pultz, purchased the property in the early part of the eighteenth century. He married Miss Tipple, and had nine children: Michael, a farmer and carpen- ter; Adam, a farmer in Columbia county; Henry, a farmer; Andrew, our subject's father ; David, a merchant and farmer; Leah, who married Andrew D. Traver, a farmer; Margaret, who married Fred Dedrick; Christina, who married Philip Traver; and Maria, who married Jacob Pells, a farmer in Rhinebeck. David Pultz and his wife lived at the old farm to an advanced age, and for many years were mem- bers of the Lutheran Church at Wurtemburg.

Andrew Pultz, our subject's father, was born May 18, 1792, and always engaged in

agriculture. He married Rebecca Cooking- ham, born January 9, 1798, a daughter of Frederick Cookingham, who came from Hol- land in early manhood and located upon a farm in Rhinebeck. They had two children, of whom our subject was the younger. Ephraim W., now deceased, was a farmer in Rhinebeck. Andrew Pultz died April 12, 1859, and his wife September IS, 1883. In politics he was a Whig.

Hiram A. Pultz has always lived near the old homestead. His present wife was Miss Annette Pultz, a native of the town of Rhine- beck, where her father, Jacob I. Pultz, was for some years a wagonmaker and farmer. Two children were born of this union: Anna and Minnie (deceased). Mr. Pultz raises gen- eral crops, and has done much to improve the homestead, building a beautiful residence about thirteen years ago. In politics he is a Re- publican, and has served as assessor of the township.

Jacob I. Pultz, father of Mrs. Hiram A. Pultz, died recently at the patriarchal age of ninety-two years, having been born in Rhine- beck in 1805, a son of John Pultz, a prominent farmer, and a member of one of the oldest families in the town. Jacob I. was a farmer in Rhinebeck until 1856, when he removed to a large farm on the Salt Point road, and in 1859 took up his residence in Arlington, where he passed the rest of his days. He was a man of fine literary tastes, and also an excellent musician, and was a member of the band that welcomed La Fayette to Poughkeepsie, on the occasion of that general's visit there in the early part of this century. In politics Mr. Pultz was, in later life, a strong Republican, and served in Rhinebeck as assessor and in Arlington as justice of the peace. He is sur- vived by a widow and two daughters -- An- nette (Mrs. H. A. Pultz) and Mary, the latter residing at Arlington.

T HOMAS BUTTS, an agriculturist of en- ergy and ability, owns the old family homestead in the town of Amenia, where the founder of the family, Thomas Butts, located 160 years ago. He was one of three broth- ers, who came to the New World from England, and established the family in Dutchess county, where most of his descendants have since made their home.

Richard Butts, the grandfather of our sub-

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ject, was born in Washington town, and was the son of Thomas Butts. By trade he was a cooper, and lived to the advanced age of ninety years. He married Susan Edmunds, by whom he had nine children: James and Jackson, deceased; Richard S. ; George; Rachel, Charlotte and Lois, all three deceased; Han- nah, who became the wife of Casper Wester- velt, and is now deceased; and Mary Ann, wife of Barlow White, of Tower Hill.

Richard S. Butts, the father of our subject, is also a native of the town of Amenia, and spent his boyhood days on Chestnut Ridge in the town of Washington, Dutchess county, where he attended the district schocl. He was married in the town of Gallatin, Colum- bia Co., N. Y., to Miss Eleanor Finkle, daughter of George and Mary (Kilmer) Finkle, and they became the parents of seven children : George and Robert, both of the town of Amenia; Thomas, subject of this sketch; Susan, wife of John Hunter; Phebe, wife of Seneca Miller, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y .; Elizabeth; and Lottie, wife of Millard Coons, of Claverack, New York.

After his marriage, Richard S. Butts pur- chased a sawmill near Ancram, Columbia Co., N. Y., which he conducted for many years, and then moved into the village, where he engaged in the butcher business. In 1863 he went to Hudson, N. Y., where he followed the same line of trade for three years, and. returning to Ancram, he there continued to reside until 1895. Now, at the ripe old age of eighty-four years, he finds a pleasant home with our sub- ject. He has been a lifelong Democrat, and has been called upon to fill the positions of justice of the peace and poormaster in An- cram. Socially, he is connected with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows at Copake, New York.

At Ancram, Columbia county, Thomas Butts was born, May 15, 1847, and in the pub- lic schools of that locality was educated. Un- der the able instruction of his father, he early became familiar with the milling and butcher business, and in 1865 left home, going to work for neighboring farmers. Later he fol- lowed the same occupation in the town of Amenia, Dutchess county, for one year, being employed by his uncle, Jackson Butts, and for two years by Dr. William H. Tanner, but was subsequently with the latter gentleman for ten years. After the first two years passed upon his farm, Mr. Butts was for a time engaged in teaming in the village of Rhinebeck, Dutchess

county, on the Connecticut & Hartford rail- road, after which he returned to Dr. Tanner. On leaving that gentleman, he rented a farm for one year on Skiff Mountain, and for the following two years lived upon the farm now occupied by W. A. Sherman. He was next employed by John R. Thompson, engaged in drilling artesian wells. For the past fifteen years he has been superintendent of the D. H. Sherman farm, renting it for six years, the last year of which he had under his manage- ment 1000 acres of land. He is a model farmer, thoroughly understanding his business, and has met with excellent success in his chosen calling. He still owns the farm upon which his grandfather lived.

In the town of Amenia, in 1867, was cele- brated the marriage of Mr. Butts and Miss Sarah E. Wheeler, daughter of Seth Wheeler, and to them were born three sons: Willis R., Edward and Charles. Willis R. married Florence Wheeler, and they now have three children: Ethel, Thomas and George. Mr. Butts is a stanch adherent to the principles of the Republican party in his politics, and sup- ports the candidates offered by that organiza- tion on all occassions. He is a most pleasant, agreeable gentleman, who easily wins friends, and has the happy faculty of retaining them. He is kind, unaffected and approachable, and every one receives his courteous attention.

A NTHONY H. BARTON is the owner of a fine farm of 200 acres, pleasantly lo- cated in the town of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, which he has been operating success- fully since 1864. He has been the architect of his own fortune, and has never been afraid of putting his shoulder to the wheel whenever necessary. His land has been brought to a high state of cultivation, largely by the labor of his own hands, and he is the possessor of good farin buildings, to which each year he adds something to enhance the beauty and value of his property. He takes great delight in landscape gardening, and his place is, there- fore, one of the most beautiful to be found in the town of Pine Plains.

Mr. Barton was born in Columbia county, N. Y., July 4, 1836, and is a son of George W. Barton. His educational privileges were quite good, and on leaving school at the age of seventeen years he aided his father in the operation of the home farm until his mar-

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riage. In 1858 he wedded Emily M. Sackett, daughter of Allen Sackett, of the town of Stanford, and to them were born five children: Sarah E., born March 18, 1859, married Sep- tember 13, 1877, to Albert Keller, of Stanford, N. Y. (they have one son, Herbert); one that died in infancy; Frank (proprietor of the "Stissing House " at Pine Plains), born March 23, 1864, married December 4, 1883, to Myra Rosa, of Ulster county (no children); Cora R., born July 18, 1862, married April 25, 1889, to Willis Wright, of Syracuse (they have two children, Herbert and Howard); and Fred, who was born on the present farm of our sub- ject November 13, 1865, married February 28, 1883, to Lizzie Moore, of the town of Milan (has one child, Roy), and is engaged in car- pentering and painting in the village of Pine Plains. The mother of these children died in 1876, and Mr. Barton was afterward married to Isophime Wilkinson, daughter of Sidney T. Wilkinson, of Hammerton, New York.

A year after his first marriage Mr. Barton rented the farm now owned by Mrs. Eban Husted, but at the end of a year he removed to the Dr. Barton farm, in the town of Stan- ford, owned by his father, and besides its cultivation he also gave considerable attention to stock dealing. He next lived upon the farm owned by his father at Boston Corners, from which he removed to the Joshua Culver place, near Carman's Mills. After residing there for about a year, Mr. Barton purchased for $15, - ooo the farin of 200 acres which he now occupies. About ten years after locating upon his present farm he began speculating in stock, grain, hay, straw and other farm produce, in which he was quite successful. For a quarter of a century he was also engaged in auction- eering, and does most of the business along that line throughout his section of the county. In his first venture in farming at Boston Cor- ners, Columbia county, he had no capital; but buying cows on credit and selling them again, secured his first start in life. In his early experience with his father, who was exceed- ingly economical, he learned the value of a dollar, which came to be worth thousands to him later, and he has always been an able financier.

Mr. Barton has always taken an active part in local politics, and is a strong supporter of the Democratic party, has served as high- way commissioner twelve years, assessor two years, and overseer of the poor for about one

year. Public-spirited and enterprising, he has taken a foremost part in the upbuilding and advancement of his locality. Socially, he is prominently identified with Stissing Lodge No. 615, F. & A. M., and in religious belief is a Presbyterian, while Mrs. Barton is a Methodist.

George W. Barton, father of our subject, born in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, May 14, 1795, died September 17, 1872. He was a very peculiar man; was never known to have but one suit of clothes at a time, which he wore every day of the week, including Sun- days. He did his own hair-cutting (with a jack-knife) and shaving (without any mirror), and yet hardly a day passed but what he had from three to five dollars in his pocket. His wife, Elizabeth ( Hoffman), born May 28, 1800, died August 26, 1879. They had nine chil- dren, to wit: Mariette, born March 1, 1824, married Warden Hoysradt, and died Septem- ber 12, 1873 (no surviving children); William H., born August 25, 1825, married Cornelia Decker, and died January 24, 1879 (no chil- dren); George W., Jr., born May 19, 1827, married (first) Julia Collins (two children), and wedded (second) Mary French (no children); Catherine, born December 15, 1829, married William McArthur (10 surviving children); Rachel, born December 16, 1831, married James Collins (one child); Leonard, born De- cember 14, 1834, married Henrietta Pulver (three children); Anthony H., the subject proper of this sketch; Artemus S., born Octo- ber 30, 1838, married (first) Mariette Rocka- feller (no children), and wedded (second) Jane Tripp (two children); and Fred, born May 24, 1841, married (first) Elizabeth Hoysradt (six children), and wedded (second) Zadie Tripp (no children).

R EUBEN J. ROBINSON. Among the ac- tive farmers of the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, the gentleman whose name stands at the beginning of this sketch holds a prominent place. He is a native of the coun- ty, born in the town of Clinton, July 5, 1854. His paternal grandfather, John Robinson, was born in the town of Milan, same county, Jan- uary 31, 1794, and was the son of John Rob- inson, who emigrated from Ireland to the New World, becoming a resident of Dutchess coun- ty. On June 15, 1815, John Robinson, Jr., married Submity Horton, who died June 1, 1818, leaving a son, who was born February

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22, 1817, and died June 25, 1867. Mr. Rob- inson again married on January 22, 1820, his second union being with Esther Ellison, who was born March 22, 1793, and died October 22, 1863. They became the parents of five children, namely: Simmons, born July 16, 1822, is the father of our subject; Eliza Ann, born June 7, 1824, died October 17, 1866; Nancy, born August 14, 1826, married John J. Conklin, of Leonard, Tex. ; John, born March 7, 1829, died April 6, 1885; and Smith, born March 15, 1831, died December 18, 1833. The father of this family was educated in his native town and learned the trade of a tanner, which he followed in Stanfordsville until his death, October 26, 1846.

The birth of Simmons Robinson occurred in the town of Stanford, and in the schools of Stanfordville he acquired his education. He began life for himself at an early age, working for farmers in the neighborhood, and in 1851 was able to purchase a farm in the town of Clinton, where he lived for eleven years. In 1865, he purchased a farm in Stanford, Bear Market-four-corners, and resided there until in 1881, when he deeded this farm to his son, Reuben J., and moved to a small farm adjoin- ing, that had been purchased by his wife.

On August 31, 1845, he was married to Jane Husted, who was born February 13, 1824, the daughter of Reuben Husted. Three children were born of this union: Courtland, born June 26, 1846. has been a teacher, but is now engaged in farming in Hyde Park township, Dutchess county, and in politics is a Prohibi- tionist; Lavina M., born July 29, 1848, died January 18, 1852; and Reuben J. is the young- est. The mother was called to her final rest on July 30, 1895. Since her death the father returned to his old home, and now lives with our subject. He has always been quite suc- cessful in his business ventures, was a faithful member of the Christian Church, and politic- ally, was first a Whig, and is now a firm sup- porter of the Republican party.

During his boyhood and youth our subject attended the district schools of the towns of Clinton and Stanford, and speut his entire life upon the ohl homestead, with the exception of one year passed at Pleasant Plains in the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, Besides gen- eral farming he was engaged in the milk busi- ness. On July 4, 1875, Mr. Robinson was married to Miss Carrie L. Moon, daughter of Franklin Moon, of Saratoga county, N. Y.

Our subject's career as a farmer has been char- acterized by keen judgment, shrewd common sense and good business habits, and as a man he stands deservedly high in the regard of his fellow-citizens.

H ORACE RENNIE POWELL, M. D., one of the most prominent physicians in the city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, was born February 16, 1860, at Coeymans, Albany Co., New York.

His family is of Welsh origin, three broth- ers having come from Wales to this country about 1 760, one of whom located in Virginia, one on Long Island and one in Westchester county, N. Y. Many descendants of the latter moved to Albany and Greene counties, and among these were the direct ancestors of our subject. His great-grandfather, John T. Powell, was a native of Coeymans, where he passed his life engaged in farming. Like all of this family, he was a Quaker in religious faith, and by his quiet, consistent life he won the high esteem of all who knew him. He married Anna Hal- sted, and had three children: James H. ; Joshua, now living at the age of eighty years; and Phoebe Ann, who died in 1892, aged forty. John T. Powell died in 1857, aged sixty-five, and his wife in 1861, at the age of sixty-four.

James H. Powell, grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in 1811, and died in I891; he was a captain on a line of freight boats on the Hudson between Coxsackie and New York, owned by Reed & Powell, produce dealers. This occupation he followed until old age un- fitted him lor labor, becoming well known along the river, where his warm heart and con- stant effort to promote the happiness of others won him universal friendship. He also owned and conducted a farm at Coeymans, and took an influential part there in local affairs, being one of the leading Democratic managers in Al- bany county. He was not an office seeker, and held few official positions, but was for two years-1875 and 1876-supervisor of his township. He married Sally Ann Kelley, who was born in 1812, and died in 1884, a daughter of Sylvanus and Mary (Dodge) Kel- ley, both of whom were natives of England. Sylvanus Kelley died in 1862, his wife surviv- ing him six years. James H. Powell and his wife had six children: John S. ; Jefferson, a resident of Coeymans; Ambrose and Henry (both uow deceased); Mary (Mrs. Garret C.

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Huyck, of Minneapolis, Minn.); and Alexan- der, a resident of Manchester, New Hampshire.

John S. Powell, father of our subject, was born at Coeymans, N. Y., January 11, 1835, and was educated at the Albany State Normal School. For twenty-five years he followed the occupation of teaching with great success, achieving high reputation throughout the State both as a disciplinarian and as an instructor. After teaching a few years at his native place and in Freehold, Greene county, he became principal of the academy at Nassau, Rensselaer county, and during the last eight years of his professional work he was principal of the Union Free School at "Bath-on-the-Hudson." He was a Democrat in early life, afterward a Republican, and was at one time clerk of the town of Coeymans. In his later years he en- gaged in the school, church and opera house furniture business.

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 135

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