Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 160

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

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His first American ancestor came from England at an early date, and his grandfather, Gilbert Fowler, was born in Dutchess county, and became a farmer in the town of Clinton, but later in life he moved to Illinois, where his death occurred. He married Miss Powell, a native of Clinton, and reared a family of seven children: Gilbert, our subject's father; Weeden, a merchant and truckman in New York City; James, a cooper in the town of Hyde Park; Amond, a resident of New York City; Derinda, who married Dr. Braidy, of Little Rock, Ill .; Anna, who married Jesse Braidy, of Illinois; and Mary, the wife of Henry Abbey, a wagon maker in Little Rock.

Gilbert Fowler (2), the father of our sub- ject, grew to manhood in the town of Clin- ton, and married Hannah Frost, a lady of English descent, and a daughter of William Frost, a well-known farmer there. Shortly after his marriage he took his young wife to New York City and engaged in the trucking business, but he did not live long, his death occurring before the birth of our subject. His wife survived him many years; dying in 1894.

The subject of our sketch was reared in the town of Clinton, and October 31, 1867, he was united in marriage with Amanda De- Wint, a descendant of one of the early French settlers. and daughter of George De Wint, a leading farmer of Rhinebeck. The first year after his marriage they went to Illinois, where Mr. Fowler farmed for a year; but in 1868 he returned, and has since been contented with the fertile fields and picturesque scenes of his native county. He first purchased a farm of II8 acres, where he lived until 1889, when he bought the Pultz farm of 103 acres near Rhine-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

beck, all of which he devotes to general farm- ing. Mrs. Fowler died July 23, 1892, leaving four children bereft of her loving care: Emory, Jesse, Gilbert and Edna Mae, all of whom are at home. Two others had died in infancy. Mr. Fowler's ancestors on both sides were Quakers in faith, but he and his lamented wife had united with the Lutheran Church.

In politics our subject is a Republican, and while he is no politician he takes an influential part in local affairs, befriending every progress- ive movement.

P ETER M. CORNELL. The subject of this sketch was born on his present home- stead in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county, November 20, 1815, and is the son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Hoffman) Cornell.

Isaac Cornell was born at Bushwick, Long Island, and at the age of three years was brought by his parents to Lagrange. Here he grew to manhood, receiving his education in the district schools. He was married to Miss Hoffman, who was a native of the town of Poughkeepsie, and the following children were born: Peter M., our subject; William A., Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth, all deceased; Isabella; and Frederick, living in Kansas. Mr. Cornell died in Lagrange in 1875, and his wife in 1878.

Peter Cornell, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was one of the earliest settlers of the town of Lagrange. He married Miss Marcia Messarole, and to them were born the following children: Cornelius, Margaret, Eliza, Jane, Sarah and Isaac, all of whom are deceased. Mr. Cornell was of French ancestors, who were exiled from France at the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. They went to Bavaria, and from there came to America. Mr. Cornell died on his farm in Lagrange.

Peter M. Cornell, our subject, remained on the old homestead in Lagrange with his father, and in his youth went to the district schools. He has devoted all his time to farm- ing. At one time he was justice of the peace of Lagrange. He has never married.

William A., brother of our subject, married Miss Helen Wickoff, and had four children: Isaac, William, Elizabeth, and Jacob W. Frederick, another brother, married Miss Alice Barnes, and three children were born to them: Edward, Ann, and Peter MI.

R OBERT HUTCHISON, one of the repre- sentative farmers of Lagrange, was born in Perthshire, Scotland, July 24, 1857, and remained there during his boyhood, receiving his education in the parish schools. He served a three-years' apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade in Enochdhu, Scotland, and then worked in Glasgow for four years, and at Newcastle- upon-Tyne for three and a half years.

In 1882 our subject emigrated to America and located in New York City, where he fol- lowed his trade for nine years. In 1891 he moved to the town of Lagrange and bought his present farm, on which he has since lived. He was married in New York City May 11, 1887. to Miss Maggie J. Forbes, a native of Wap- pingers Falls. Mr. Hutchison owes his pres- ent prosperous condition to his own enterprise and energy. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Reformed Dutch Church at New Hackensack.

Robert Hutchison, father of our subject. was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, where he is still living on the farm, pursuing the occupa- tion he lias always followed. He married Miss Jeannette Petrie, by whom he had three chil- dren, namely: Elsie, Robert and George. James Hutchison, our subject's grandfather, was born in Fifeshire also, where he followed farming.

LOHN SELLECK LANDON, one of the sub- stantial farmers of Dutchess county, was born in the town of Lagrange, Dutchess county, April 25, 1843. As a boy he attended the district schools of his native town and, later, the Irving Institute at Tarrytown, N. Y., and Bisbee's school at Poughkeepsie. Heremained upon the farm with his father until his mar- riage, in Poughkeepsie, to Miss Jane Ken- worthy, a daughter of Richard Kenworthy. Of this union one child was born, Edith, now the wife of John Townsend.

Mr. Landon farmed for seven years after his marriage, and then followed the milling business at Manchester Bridge, Lagrange town, for nine years. In 1890 he bought his present farmn, to which he has since devoted his time and attention. He is a member of the Farm- ers Alliance, is a stanch Democrat, and has held the office of town auditor for several years.

James H. Landon, the father of our sub- ject, was born in the town of Poughkeepsie, June 23, 1814. He attended school there and,

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later, in Lagrange, and at the Willets Boarding School in the town of Washington. He re- mained on the farm with his father until the death of the latter, and has lived at his pres- ent residence for thirty-seven years. He was married January 19, 1842, to Jane A., daugh- ter of Reuben Tanner. Of this union the fol- lowing children were born: John Selleck, our subject; Mary T., born February 5, 1848, married Galen Overocker, and they had two children, Daniel W., born August 13, 1883. and Mary, born October 23, 1884. Mrs. Overocker died November 8, 1884. Mr. Lan- don was assessor of the town of Lagrange for many years, and also held the office of town auditor, being elected on the Democratic ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Landon celebrated their golden wedding January 19, 1892, and are as bright and lively as many people twenty years younger.

Joel Landon, the grandfather of John Sel- leck, was a native of Connecticut, born July 22, 1771, married Deborah Selleck (born Oc- tober 3, 1773), May 30, 1812, and their chil- dren were: John S., born March 30, 1813. died December 16, 1837; and James H., men- tioned above. Joel Landon died August 23. 1839, and his wife, Deborah, October 10, 1871.

W ILLIAM J. WELLING, a substantial farmer of the town of Washington, Dutchess county, was born in that locality, March 22, 1833. The first person bearing the name of Welling in this country came from Wales and settled in Dutchess county. From him descended Thomas, the great-grandfather of our subject, who was born probably in Pleasant Valley.

William, his son, was also born there, and his son, James M., the father of our subject, was born in the town of Clinton, January 19, 1807. Thomas Welling married a Miss Ger- mond, and they settled in what was then a wilderness, where five children were born to them. Of these, William married Elizabeth Marshall, and settled on a farm. Two chil- dren were born to them-James M. and Caro- line C. The latter married William C. Smith, a farmer in the town of Northeast, and is now deceased. William Welling was a stanch Democrat.

James M. was reared on a farm, and mar- ried Susan Vail. She was born in Unionvale. and was the daughter of Joseph and Mary

Vail, the former a farmer and a son of Israel V'ail. The Vails are among the oldest fami- lies in Dutchess county. For some time after his marriage our subject's father ran on the Hudson river as captain of the steamer " Ga- zelle," and subsequently for several years was a stock salesman in New York City. Later in life he spent his time upon his farm, where he died July 31, 1882. His wife died September 23. 1886. He was a Democrat and held the office of justice of the peace for some years. In their religious belief the family have all been Presbyterians. To James M. Welling and his wife four children were born, namely: Caroline C., who married Mark H. Wheeler, a farmer in Lagrange; William J., our subject ; Edgar P., who died in the Civil war; and Frances E., deceased.

When our subject was nine years old he went with his parents to Poughkeepsie, where they made their home while the father was engaged in steamboating. There he attended the city schools for some years, and in 1846, the family went back to their farm in the town of Washington. William completed his edu- cation in the Richmondville school in Scho- harie county, N. Y., and for a while taught school in the neighborhood of his old home. He then took up farming, at which he has been engaged ever since. He owns a fine place of 200 acres which is highly cultivated, and car- ries on general farming, in which he has been very successful. Although a man of agreeable manners and excellent character, and standing high in his community, Mr. Welling has never married. He is a Republican and a strong temperance advocate, and does all in his power for the good of his fellow-men.

M ILES K. LEWIS. There can be found no biographies more interesting to read than those of the industrious and enterprising, who have risen from a state of comparative poverty to a position of affluence. Prominent among the men of Dutchess county who have thus laboriously toiled onward and upward, is the individual of whom this sketch is written. He is now a successful business man of Was- saic, where for over thirty years he has con- ducted a general store.

Mr. Lewis was born at Sharon, Conn .. August 15, 1842, and traces his ancestry back to Benjamin Lewis, who came from England with two brothers and located at Wallingford,

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Conn., being one of forty families who laid out that town. His naine appears on the Congregational Church records in 1677. He married Miss Hannah - -, and their son James wedded a Miss Judson, by whom he had four children-James, John, David and Eph- raim, the eldest of whom married a Miss Sher- man, and their son Ephraim was the father of Birdseye, the great-grandfather of our subject.

Birdseye Lewis was born at Huntington, Conn., February 20, 1750, and died Novem- ber 27, 1822. On November 11, 1773, he married Miss Jerusha Thompson, whose death occurred June 8, 1821. Their son, Cyrus Lewis, the grandfather of our subject, was born at Trumbull, Conn., November 15, 1778, and on November 28, 1809, wedded Alice Hawley, who was born October 29, 1793, and died May 26, 1861. He departed this life August 25, 1861.

Miles B. Lewis, the father, was also a native of Trumbull, Conn., where he secured his education in the district schools, and served an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade, which he followed some forty years at Sharon, Conn. At Milford, in that State, he was united in marriage with Miss Maria Kelsey, daughter of Horace Kelsey, and they became the parents of four children, namely: William S., of Chicago, Ill .; Miles Kelsey, of this sketch; Eliza (deceased); and Charles, of Car- pentersville, Ill. The parents were good Christian people, very earnest workers in the Methodist Church, and were held in the highest regard. The father's death occurred in April, 1892; the widowed mother now finds a pleas- ant home with our subject.

Miles K. Lewis passed his boyhood at Sharon, Conn., attending the public schools, and at the age of fifteen years left the parental roof, coming to Amenia, Dutchess county, where he clerked for George Conklin in a gen- eral merchandise store until the spring of 1862. He was then in the employ of Seward, Vail & Haight, merchant tailors, as bookkeeper and cashier.

Filled with patriotic ardor, Mr. Lewis en- listed, in September, 1862, in Company A, 150th N. Y. V. I., and was a member of the regimental band until mustered out at Pough- keepsie, in June, 1865. Returning to Dutch- ess county, he was engaged in clerking in Dover until January, 1866, when he opened his pres- ent general store at Wassaic. In 1894 he ad- mitted J. G. Doyle to a partnership in the

business. For fifteen years he was also con- nected with the New York Condensed Milk Factory at Wassaic as bookkeeper and super- intendent, and was administrator of the Grid- ley estate for seven years. In all his dealing he is straightforward and honorable, and is justly entitled to the high regard in which he is held by all.

At Amenia, on October 24, 1867, Mr. Lewis wedded Miss Julia C. Reed, daughter of Les- ter and Margaret Reed, and to them have been born four children: Emma Gridley, who mar- ried E. J. Tanner, and has three children- Lewis, Margaret and Frederick; Nina, wife of Albert Hicks, of Wassaic; Alice and Roland. Socially, Mr. Lewis affiliates with Dover Plains Lodge No. 666, F. & A. M., of which he be- came a member in 1867; and of J. M. Gregory Post, G. A. R., of Sharon, Conn. He is a member of the choir of the Presbyterian Church at Amenia, as he takes great delight in music; in politics he is an ardent Republican.

R OBERT H. TITUS, one of the substan- tial farmers of Dutchess county, was born in the town of Lagrange, August 5, 1835. He spent his boyhood in the place of his birth, and attended the public schools and the Nine Partners Boarding School, in the town of Washington.

At the early age of ten years he went to work in his father's woolen-factory, and after the latter's death he continued the business with his brothers until 1891, when he sold out his interest to his brother Henry, and has since devoted his time to farming. He was married in 1864 to Miss Frances Sweet, a daughter of Nehemiah and Millie Sweet, of Poughkeepsie. Of this marriage were born the following children: Mary Annette, Fran- ces Adele, Helen Lossing and Warner Hatch. Mr. Titus built his present beautiful residence in the spring of 1864.

Elias Titus, father of our subject, was born in the town of Washington, where he received his education. He was married in the town of Pine Plains to Miss Mary A. Hoag, a daugh- ter of Robert Hoag, a farmer of that town, and the following children were born: Frances mar- ried James E. Sleight, and four children were born (both parents are deceased); Robert Hoag; our subject; Richard, deceased; Henry lives in Poughkeepsie; Sarah resides in Lagrange; Caroline Alida. Mr. Titus was living at La-

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grange at the time of his marriage, where he was running the woolen-factory with his father and brothers. He continued in that business from 1828 until the time of his death in 1881. In the early days the goods were shipped by boat in summer and overland in winter. As a business man he kept out of politics, and was a member of the Quaker Church. His wife died in 1838 or 1840.

John Titus, the grandfather, was born in the town of Washington. He was married three times, the grandmother of our subject being his third wife. He was known as " Squire Titus," and ran a factory for the man- nfacture of woolen cloth.

The great-grandfather of our subject was one of the early settlers of the town of Wash- ington. The family came from Long Island.

J JOHN R. THOMPSON. Success in any line of occupation, in any avenue of business, is not a matter of spontaneity, but is the legitimate offspring of subjective effort in the proper utilization of the means at hand, the improvement of opportunity and the exercise of the highest function made possible by the specific ability in any case. In view of this condition, the study of biography becomes val- uable, and its lessons of practical use. Mr. Thompson to-day stands at the head of several important enterprises, and is one of the most enterprising and successful business men of Dutchess county, making his home in Amenia.

In the town of Amenia, our subject was born July 8, 1851, and he is a son of Robert R. and Catherine (Sanford) Thompson, the latter of whom died in 1892. His father was born in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county. December 15, 1815, a son of James, Thomp- son and a grandson of Elias Thompson, also residents of Dutchess county. For forty years the father has been engaged in the insur- ance business at Smithfield, and he is a highly respected citizen. Our subject is the third in a family of four children, the others being: Ellen C., wife of William J. Clanney, of Amenia; George (deceased); and Edward B., who is engaged in the poultry business in the town of Amenia.

The early life of John R. Thompson was passed upon a farm at Smithfield, and in at- tending the district schools of the neighbor- hood. On leaving the parental roof in 1874 he took charge of a general store at Sheko-

meko, Dutchess county, and was also operator, station agent and postmaster for a year. He then engaged in the insurance business with his father at Smithfield, town of Amenia, for some seven years, on the expiration of which time he there turned his attention to agricult- ural pursuits, and also owned a large farm in Nebraska, but never resided thereon. While purchasing a windmill for the latter place, he became interested in the windmill business, and since that time has engaged in selling those machines all through the State; he also erected the largest windmill plant in the world, located at Chatham, Columbia Co., New York.

Until 1885 Mr. Thompson continued to en- gage in agricultural pursuits at Smithfield, and then removed to the village of Amenia, where he has since resided. Together with B. H. Fry, Charles Walsh, A. M. Card, of Sharon, Conn., and M. K. Lewis, of Wassaic, he as- sisted in the incorporation of the Amenia Water Co., in 1881, and, with Mr. Lewis, also owns the Wassiac water works, being now the efficient superintendent of both water works, as well as the one at Pine Plains. In 1885 he entered the steam-heating business, and, in advancing his individual prosperity, he has materially promoted the welfare of his county and State.

In the town of Amenia, October 11, 1877, Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Mary F. Bertine, daughter of Robert Bertine, of Amenia, and they have three children: Katie, John R. and Annie Frances. For over twenty years Mr. Thompson has been prominently identified with Amenia Lodge No. 672, F. & A. M., and he also holds membership in the Royal Arcanum at Wassaic. Like his father, he is an ardent Democrat, and is one of the leading and representative citizens of the com- munity.

D E WITT C. AYRES, a progressive and successful young agriculturist of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was born February 12, 1860, in Clinton Hollow.

His grandfather Ayres came from England and located upon a farm in Dutchess county, where he spent his remaining years. Jo- seph Ayres, our subject's father, was born in Oxford, England, and was nineteen years old when he accompanied his parents to this country. He married Margaret Marquet, a native of the town of Rhinebeck, and located

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in Clinton Hollow, where he followed the butcher's trade for some years. In 1879 he moved to the farm which is now owned by our subject, and here he carried on his trade in connection with farming. His wife died in 1878, and ten years later he, too, departed this life. They had four children: Charles, who died in 1888; De Witt C., our subject : George D., a farmer in Rhinebeck, and one who died in infancy.

De Witt Ayres was trained in youth to the habits of industry upon which his success is based, and for a short time he followed the butcher's trade successfully. On November 2, 1882, he married Miss Lelia Mills, a lady of English descent, the daughter of William Mills, a well-known blacksmith of Red Hook. After their marriage they settled upon the farm near Rhinebeck, where they have since remained. They have two children, Elsie and Ruth.

Mr. Ayres devotes his one hundred acres of land to general farming, and is regarded as one of the most enterprising and judicious of the young men of his locality. In politics he follows the faith of his father and is a stanch Republican.

J OHN H. BOICE, one of the active, prom- inent and most enterprising citizens of Dutchess county, is at present engaged in general farming and fruit growing in the town of Red Hook. His birth occurred June 16, 1850, on a farm in Milan town, Dutchess county, where his father, William Boice, and his grandfather, Henry I. Boice, were also born. The latter was a son of John Boice, who was of Holland origin, and is supposed to have been born in this country. After his marriage with Miss Lown, Henry I. Boice be- gan his domestic life upon the old family homestead, where his three children were born, one son and two daughters; but William was the only one who reached years of maturity. To the cultivation of that farm the grandfather gave his time and attention up to his death.

On reaching manhood the father of our subject was united in marriage with Catherine C. Pultz, a native of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, and a daughter of David Pultz, a farmer, who was of Holland lineage. On the old homestead in Milan town, they be- gan house-keeping, and there remained until 1869, when the father purchased the farm on

which our subject now resides, there continu- ing to make his home until his death in 1881, while his wife also died there on July 12, 1895. He was identified with the Republican party. The family circle included three children- Elmer A., a retired farmer, who now makes his home in the village of Red Hook; Ida C., wife of Henry Finger, an agriculturist of Columbia county, N. Y. ; and John H.

John H. Boice, of this review, obtained his elementary education in the district schools near his home, but completed his literary training at Rhinebeck, and was a resident of the town of Milan until nineteen years of age. Being reared a farmer's boy, he has followed this vocation through life, and since 1869 has lived upon his present farm, where in 1882 he erected a beautiful residence. He has 109 acres of fertile and productive land, where he has been engaged in general farming, though he makes a specialty of fruit raising. He is a progressive, scientific farmer, who thoroughly understands his business, and thus secures the best results from his labors.

On May 8, 1872, Mr. Boice was married to Miss Mary E. Hoffman, a daughter of Theo- dore Hoffman, and sister of T. A. Hoffman, the present county clerk of Dutchess county. They have one child, William H., who was born March 22, 1874. They are surrounded by many warm friends, whom they delight to entertain, and have the esteem and confidence of all who know them. Politically, Mr. Boice affiliates with the Republican party, and main- tains his principles in this regard with the same steadfastness which has characterized him in all the relations of life.

TRVING HAPEMAN, a reliable and intelli- gent young agriculturist of the town of Red Hook, Dutchess county, is the owner of a fine farm of eighty-seven acres of highly productive and fertile land, which he has by industry and good management, with its attendant hard labor, brought to a high state of cultivation, and his stock are of the best grades. His up- rightness, integrity and public-spiritedness have won him the confidence and esteem of his neighbors, and he is classed among the most respected representative citizens of the com- munity.

Philip Hapeman, his grandfather, was a native of the town of Red Hook, where he conducted a farm throughout life, and by his

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marriage with Catherine Phillips had six chil- dren, of whom Nicholas Hapeman, the father of our subject, was one. His birth also oc- curred in the town of Red Hook, where he re- ceived a common-school education, and like his father he also turned his attention to ag- ricultural pursuits. He married Miss Lucy N. Straut, daughter of Anthony Straut, by whom he had four children: Estella, wife of Will- ard Rowe; Jerleau; Irving and Mary.

In 1890 was celebrated the marriage of Irving Hapeman and Miss Cordelia A. Stevens, who was born in Claverack, N. Y., and was there educated. Her paternal grandfather, William Stevens, was a native of Hollowville, Columbia Co., N. Y, and while serving in the war of 1812 was killed. He married Cather- ine Stickle, and to them were born two chil- dren-William A. and Jane E. The former was also born in Hollowville, Columbia coun- ty, and after completing his education in the common schools he worked upon a farm until the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861, when he joined the Union forces, though at that time only sixteen years old. All through that struggle he served as a private, and at its close received an honorable discharge. After his return home, Mr. Stevens was united in marriage with Miss Hannah Elizabeth Mor- rison, daughter of William E. and Samantha Morrison, and they now have a family of nine children: Cordelia A., William A., Annie A., Fannie A., Henry A., Charles A., Herbert A., Frank A. and Milo A. The father, who is an agriculturist, is now engaged in the cultivation of land in Claverack, Columbia county.

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 160

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