Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 20

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

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Smith J. Gildersleeve, the youngest in the above-named family, and the father of our subject, was born August 21, 1809, in the town of Clinton, Dutchess county, and was reared on his father's farm. He married Miss Rachel Alger, who was born in the town of Stanford, Dutchess county, daughter of Daniel Alger (born July 26, 1773) and his wife Han- nah (born March 5, 1782). Mr. Alger in re- ligious faith was a Universalist, by occupation a hatter. Four children were born to him and his wife. their names and dates of birth being as follows: Ann, April 11, 1804; Stephen, March 5, 1807: Belinda, June 13, 1810; and Rachel, February 16, 1816. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith J. Gildersleeve were born five chil- dren, as follows: (1) Belinda, born in 1838, married Robert Halstead, a farmer in the town of Clinton, and died in 1865; (2) Henry C., born in 1840, died in infancy; (3) Henry A., born August 1, 1840, resides in New York

Bliver & Gildersleeve

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City, and is a judge of the supreme court, being the youngest man ever elected to that office in the city [See sketch of him else- where]; (4) Frank Van Buren, born in 1842, is a physician in New York City. (These two brothers, Henry A. and Frank Van B., served in the Civil war, and took part in many of the important battles, including that of Gettys- burg, Henry returning with the rank of major); and (5) Elmer Daniel, the subject proper of this memoir, born July 11, 1846.

Smith J. Gildersleeve followed farming most of his life. He was a member of the Re- publican party, but sympathized strongly with the Prohibitionists as he was an ardent advo- cate of temperance. At one time there was a combined effort of the "Washingtonians" (as the temperance people were called) to put their men into office, and Mr. Gildersleeve being one of the leaders was instrumental in electing their ticket. During the campaign he deliv- ered a number of lectures on the subject of temperance at which he would sing, and his sweet notes were so effective that many signed the pledge under the influence of his music. In matters of religion he was a Quaker by birth, but having married outside the Society he was "disowned ," and afterward became a prominent member of the Christian denomina- tion at Stanfordville, during which time he was a member of the building committee of a new church erected at Schultzville, within one mile of his birthplace-the only church in that lo- cality. After coming to Poughkeepsie he joined the M. E. Church; but all along he faithfully held to the faith of his fathers, at- tending the Friends meetings during the later years of his life. He died in 1881, in Brook- lyn, N. Y. ; his wife had passed away in 1864.

Elmer D. Gildersleeve, whose name intro- duces this sketch, spent his boyhood days on the home farm in Clinton, where he attended the district school, finishing his education at the Claverack Institute, in Columbia county. In 1866 he came to Poughkeepsie, and was employed as a clerk in the general store of Trowbridge & Co., remaining with them for a year. He was next employed in the shoe store of Charles Eastmead for a year, at the end of which time he went into the shoe business with his father at No. 361 Main street. This they carried on for a year when they sold out to D. L. Heaton, our subject taking the manage- ment of the business for him, and remaining in charge of it for twelve years. In 1886, Mr.

Gildersleeve formed a partnership with Benson Van Vliet under the firm name of E. D. Gil- dersleeve & Co., and they are still carrying on the shoe business at No. 314 Main street, where they have the largest and finest estab- lishment of the kind between New York and Albany.

Mr. Gildersleeve is a prominent member of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in which he was made a minister June 22, 1879. He has preached many sermons, and is always in request at funeral services, and in many ways takes an active interest in religious matters. He is a member of the Representative Meet- ing of the New York yearly meeting of Friends, which is the legislative body of the Church, and one of the oldest members of the Evange- listic Committee, which has charge of the Evangelistic work of the Church. He is also a member of the Y. M. C. A., of Poughkeep- sie, of which he was vice-president for four years, and one of the board of directors for twelve years. He has devoted much time and labor to this cause, for which he has a deep affection ; and in all good works he can always be relied on for substantial aid and sympathy, devoting as he does a great deal of time to vis- iting the sick and afflicted, and especially the aged and infirm. In business circles he holds high rank as a man of undoubted integrity, ex- cellent judgment and progressive spirit, and has a large circle of warm personal friends. He is a member of the Board of Trade, also of the Retail Merchants Association, and believes in enterprise and progress. On September 1, 1869, Mr. Gildersleeve was married to Miss Phoebe Haviland, who was born at Clinton Corners, Dutchess county, and eight children have been born to them, namely: (1) Frank (deceased ); (2) Alexander Haviland, engaged in manufacturing business; (3) William Dav- enport, an invalid, the result of service in the U. S. Regular Army, being one of the young- est of the United States pensioners (he resides with his parents); (4) Virginia Crocheron, a graduate of the Poughkeepsie High School, class of '95, at present devoting herself to the profession of voice culture (she has a soprano voice of great compass, sweetness and expres- sion, and takes rank as one of the leading vo- calists of the county; she is at present serving her second year as soloist of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie); (5) Elmer Daniel, Jr., a young man of much promise, who is now preparing for college in a Friends institute at Westtown,

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Penn., near Philadelphia; (6) Henry Alger (deceased); (7) Edith Haviland; and (8) Roger Morton. Mrs. Gildersleeve, one of the most highly educated women of the county, and a great reader, is possessed of superior mental caliber and conversational powers to a marked degree; and withal is a most devoted wife and mother, her first thought being of her children and the welfare of her family. In earlier life she possessed more than ordinary efficiency as an elocutionist, having completed a course in that art at Cook's Institute, Poughkeepsie.

Isaac Haviland, the grandfather of Mrs. Gildersleeve, married Miss Lydia Weaver, and shortly afterward settled on a farm at Quaker Hill, Dutchess county. They had nine chil- dren: Joseph, Daniel P., Isaac, Alexander Y., Jacob, Abraham, Charlotte, Sarah and Lydia Ann. The Havilands are of French- Huguenot stock, and possess a family crest; but the family in America are all members of the Society of Friends. Daniel, the second son of this family, married Lilias Aiken.

Alexander Y. Haviland, father of Mrs. Gildersleeve, was born August 25, 1814, at Quaker Hill, Dutchess county, and was reared to manhood on the home farin, and on August 8, 1844, he married Judith M. Griffen, who was born January 11, 1814, in Westchester county, N. Y., a daughter of Daniel Griffen (born in 1790, in the same county), and Phoebe Davenport Griffen. They settled on a farm at North Castle, where they reared a family of nine children: Mary D., Judith M. (mother of Mrs. Gildersleeve), Abigail, Esther H., Elihu, William D., Jacob, Catherine E. and Lydia S. About 1824, Daniel Griffen removed to Clinton Corners with his family, and spent the remainder of his life on a farm at that place. He died August 26, 1858, and his wife, on June 11, 1874. The Griffen family is of English and Welsh descent, and the great- great-grandfather. Elihu Griffen, was born in Westchester county, N. Y. After their mar- riage Alexander Haviland and his wife located on a farm at Clinton Corners, where two chil- dren were born to them: Lydia P., who died September 23, 1860, at the age of fifteen years; and Phoebe, wife of our subject. Mr. Haviland followed farming until his death, which took place May 29, 1853, after which his wife disposed of the property and removed to Poughkeepsie, where her daughter was edu- cated and subsequently married. The mother is still living at the good old age of eighty-

three years, and she and her brother Jacob, of Clinton Corners, are the only two survivors of this Griffen family.

C OL. HENRY ALGER GILDERSLEEVE

was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., August 1, 1840. His early life was spent on his father's farm and in attendance at the dis- trict school. When fifteen years of age he at- tended boarding school, and from that time up to the breaking out of the Civil war was either at school or engaged in teaching, that he might acquire funds with which to pursue his studies. He recruited for the 150th Regi- ment, N. Y. S. V. Infantry, and was mustered in as captain of Company C, October 11, 1862. He served with his regiment in the Middle Department, under Gen. Wool, and subse- quently in the Army of the Potomac, in which, with his regiment, he participated in the battle of Gettysburg and in the subsequent campaigns in Maryland and Virginia.

After several months of special duty, Capt. Gildersleeve, in June, 1864, rejoined his regi- ment at Kenesaw Mountain, where it was at- tached to the First Division of the Twentieth Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland, at that time commanded by Maj. - Gen. Hooker, and forming a part of the command of Gen. Sherman, then engaged in fighting its way to Atlanta. He served in Sherman's army until the close of the war, participating in numerous battles and skirmishes, and making the famous march with Sherman to the sea. He was made provost marshal of the First Division of the Twentieth Army Corps, on the staff of Gen. Williams, of Michigan. His duties as provost marshal were delicate, responsible and arduous. They were discharged, however, in a manner which met the approval of his superior. He was promoted to the rank of major of his regiment, and brevetted lieuten- ant-colonel U. S. V., by President Lincoln, "for gallant and meritorious service in the campaigns of Georgia and the Carolinas." When mustered out of service, in June, 1865, he chose the law as his profession, and in the autumn of that year entered the Columbia College Law School. Prof. Theodore W. Dwight, then at the head of the Law School, in a letter written to the Army of the Cumber- land, referring to Col. Gildersleeve, who had become famous as a rifleman, through the suc- cessful achievements in Great Britain and

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Ireland, in 1875, of the American rifle team, of which he was captain, used the following language: "In Col. Gildersleeve I feel an es- pecial interest. as I had the honor of giving him by personal attention his introduction to the science of law, and could have predicted the precision of his rifle from the accuracy and steadiness of his aim while going through his legal drill."

Col. Gildersleeve was admitted to the bar in 1866, and from that time until his elevation to the bench, in 1875, he was a hard-working and successful lawyer in the City of New York. The duties of his profession did not wean him entirely from his fondness for military life. In 1870 he was unanimously chosen lieutenant- colonel of the 12th Regiment, N. G. S. N. Y .. and took a keen interest in his military duties, and in promoting the success of the regiment. He subsequently became assistant adjutant general and chief of staff in the First Division of the National Guard of the State of New York, with the rank of colonel, which position he held for more than twelve years. He was honored with the appointment, by Governor Dix, of General Inspector of Rifle Practice, and was once elected colonel of the Ninth Regiment, both of which high positions he de- clined in order that he might remain at the head of the staff of the First Division. In civil life he attracted considerable favorable comment as a lecturer and as an agreeable, for- cible and interesting speaker. In 1875 he was elected judge of the Court of General Sessions of the City of New York, and for fourteen years sat upon the bench of that court, dispos- ing of an immense number of criminal cases of every kind and description. He always tem- pered justice with mercy, and his record as a criminal judge is excellent. He is now in his fourth year of service on the civil bench, as judge of the Superior Court of the City of New York, and has upward of eleven years of serv- ice still before him. Under the new amend- ments to the constitution he will become judge of the Supreme Court, January 1, 1896.

Judge Gildersleeve is now (November, 1894) in the prime of life, blessed with perfect health and iron constitution. With a past so varied and eventful, he has still many years of usefulness before him. He is a tall, strong and heavily-built man, of dignified and rather reserved bearing, but with manners of unvary- ing courtesy and kindness. He still finds some time in which to indulge his fondness for out-

door sports, and is frequently seen at athletic games. A tramp over the hills, or through the swamps, wherever game can be found, with dog and gun, is his favorite pastime. While he has no longer the skill with the rifle that he possessed in earlier years, he is still a mas- ter with the shotgun. The frequent allusions to the fame which he acquired as a rifleman, to which he is called upon to listen, always afford him much pleasure. It was truly said by a prominent editorial writer that though Judge Gildersleeve might live to write some of the best judicial opinions reported, they would drop into insignificance when compared with his fame as a rifleman. A prominent man, who had been a political opponent of Judge Gilder- sleeve, once said of him that his principal char- acteristics were his evenness of temper, his kindness of heart and his fidelity to his friends. [From Report of the Annual Reunion and Din- ner of the Old Guard Association of the Twelfth Regiment N. G. S. N. Y., April 21, 1894.]

L EWIS BAKER (deceased). Perhaps no man was ever known better, or known for a longer term of years in one community than was Lewis Baker, late of the town of Beek- man, Dutchess county. Born in that town June 4, 1792, he grew to manhood there, and at the age of twenty-one years married Sarah Allen, daughter of a farmer of the town of Pawling, and began farming for himself by purchasing forty-eight acres of land, where he and his wife lived, in the same house, for over fifty years.

With a debt of $1,250.00 this energetic young man started, having good health and the aid of a loving wife, to clear himself of this incumbrance through his own hard toil. Always honest, sober, reliable and industrious, and with the success which surely accompanies a disposition like his, he not only paid for his first farm, but eventually purchased adjoining farms until he had a solid body of 400 acres of choice farming land, which was all paid for, well stocked and in good condition. Every acre was paid for without aid from outside source of any nature, but from the fruits of hard, honest labor as a farmer, having never made a dollar from speculation in his life. Although he lived far beyond the allotted limits of nian's life, his clear, bright, honest eye was undimmed, and his wonted expression of self- reliance was never lost. At the age of ninety-

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three years he could take his " section " after the reaper, and bind seventy sheaves of rye in one hour-as he did in the season of 1885; or he could walk a distance of five or ten miles as quickly as most men who were but half his age.

Notwithstanding the lack of early educa- tional advantages, he could write a letter which for style and correctness would be envied by many who have all the advantages of modern schools, and his sterling worth and good judg- ment are clearly shown by the high esteem in which he was held by the neighbors, among whom he had lived all his life, and by the evi- dence that the people of his town called upon him to serve them as justice of the peace con- secutively for over a quarter of a century. He was their steadfast friend, advisor and counsellor in every emergency. As the Farm Journal, in its June issue, 1886, says: "He has a record of which any man may be proud, and we are proud to show his likeness to all our one million readers. '

He had five sons, one of whom died young, and another, William, who died in 1885 in Illinois, where he had become a prosperous farmer: the other three, Alexander A., Cyrus and Nicholas, are still alive, and for old men are remarkably hale and hearty, which goes to show the healthy methods which our old friend instilled in the minds of his children. Alex- ander A. is a resident of Poughkeepsie, and until late years has followed the vocation of farming, and now at over eighty years of age is still vigorous and alert. Nicholas is an at- torney located in the state of Connecticut, and Cyrus is a resident of Highland Falls, Orange county, this State.

The death of his loving wife, after fifty-five years of wedded life, made Mr. Baker's home seem desolate, and he subsequently divided his property among his children, and spent the remainder of his life with them alternately.

Mr. Baker's ancestors are said, on good authority, to have come from England in the " Mayflower," and settled in New England, but his father was a resident of the old town of Beekman.

Mr. Baker belonged to the sect of Friends, and his Quaker views were exemplified in his daily life. He was a man who never used vile language, was at all times kind and thought- ful for others, always a strong advocate for justice and peace between man and man. Honest in every relation, his word was as good

anywhere as a bond. He was, indeed, a man whose memory should be honored, and this world would be better had it more of a like character. He died at the city of Poughkeep- sie January 12, 1894, at the remarkable age of 102 years, and was buried in Rural Cemetery, leaving three of his children, many grandchil- dren and many great-grandchildren to mourn the loss of a father and good and wise coun- selor. Among the descendants who mourned his loss is his grandson and namesake, LEWIS BAKER, the well-known attorney and counselor of Poughkeepsie.

W ILLIAM THACHER REYNOLDS. senior member of the well-known firm of Reynolds & Cramer. Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, is a descendant in the ninth generation of one of the earliest settlers of Rhode Island-William Reynolds, who was a signer of the original Providence compact in 1637,. and who there is every reason to think was an offshoot of the manorial family of Reignoldes of Suffolk.

This pioneer had a son, James, who was a resident of Kingston, R. I., where he died in 1700. He and his wife, Deborah, had a son, Francis, of Kingston, who was born October 22. 1633, and died in 1722. He married Elizabeth, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Anthony) Greene, and granddaughter of John Greene. M. D., of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng- land, whose father was Richard Greene, Esq., of Bowridge Hall. Gillingham, Dorsetshire, England. They had a son, Peter, a resident of North Kingston, who had a son, John, born in 1721, and died there in October, 1804. He married Anne, daughter of William and Anne (Stone) Utter, and widow of Benjamin Greene. Their son, William, of North Kingston, who was born July 19, 1753. died October 4, 1841. He married Easter Reynolds, his sec- ond cousin, through John. James and Francis. He was commissioned ensign of the First com- pany of North Kingston in June, 1775, and performed about two years' active service dur- ing the Revolutionary war, for which he was pensioned in 1832. His son, James, our sub- ject's grandfather, born in North Kingston, R. I., April 7. 1777, moved to Poughkeepsie about 1800, and followed the occupation of ship carpenter until he established a store at Upper Landing, which formed the nucleus of the extensive business now conducted by our

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subject. He was a leading citizen of his time, and was instrumental in a great degree in the early development of the city, then a inere village. A Quaker in religious faith, he dis- played strong moral qualities joined to perfect liberality as to doctrinal points. His strictly temperate habits have been followed by all his descendants without exception, and the family have been noted for the qualities which consti- tute good citizenship, although they have never taken any active part in politics. He was married February 22, 1803, to Elizabeth Winans, daughter of James and Joanna (De- Graff) Winans, and granddaughter of James and Sarah Winans, of Pine Plains, and John De Graff, of Poughkeepsie, who was a de- scendant in the third generation of Jean and Mary (Lawrence) le Comte, of Harlem, 1674, de Graaff being a Dutch corruption of the French le Comte.

Their son, William Winans Reynolds, our subject's father, received his education in Poughkeepsie, and at an early age engaged in his father's business, to which he and his brother James succeeded. A man of well- trained intellect, great energy and sound busi- ness judgment, he developed the trade of the house extensively, making it the leading one of its line along the river. From 1840 to 1872 the business was the embodiment of his own ideas and abilities, owing to his brother's ill health and distaste for commercial life. He was an active and prominent member of the Washington Street M. E. Church, serving many years on the board of trustees, to which his brother also belonged. Mr. Reynolds was married September 10, 1833, to Phebe Amanda Thacher (daughter of Rev. William Thacher, who was descended from Colonel and Hon. John Thacher, of Yarmouth, Mass., who served in King Philip's war, and was for many years a member of the Governor's coun- cil. Rev. William Thacher's maternal grand- father was Thomas Fitch, Governor and Chief Justice of Connecticut), by whom he had six children: Martha T. (Mrs. William D. Mur- phy), Catherine R. (Mrs. Aaron Innis), Mary Louisa (the widow of Walter C. Allen), Will- iam T. (our subject), Hannah M., and Clarence James (now a partner of the firm of Reynolds & Cramer).

The subject of our sketch was born in Poughkeepsie, December 20, 1838, was edu- cated in the public schools there, and has always been identified with the interests of the

city. At the age of sixteen he began working in his father's wholesale store, taking a place "at the foot of the ladder," and working up by degrees until he had familiarized himself with every branch of the business. He has inherited the excellent qualities which made his father and grandfather useful and honored citizens, and he has well maintained the credit of the Reynolds name in religious, social and commercial life.

On July 6, 1864, William T. Reynolds was married to Miss Louise Smith, and they have two children: Harris Smith Reynolds, born May 19, 1865, also a member of the firm of Reynolds & Cramer, and May Louise Rey- nolds, born July 5, 1873. Our subject being a conservative Republican, has never taken an active part in politics, but is possessed of strong convictions, and great courage and in- dependence in supporting any cause he be- lieves to be right. He holds many important positions of honor and trust in the community, to wit: President of the board of trustees of the Washington Street M. E. Church; presi- dent of the Vassar Brothers Home for Aged Men; trustee of the Old Ladies Home; trustee of the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery; director of the Fallkill National Bank and the Pough- keepsie Savings Bank.

W ALTER C. HULL, well-known in Dutchess and surrounding counties as a prominent and highly popular attorney at law, with offices at No. 52 Market street, Poughkeepsie, is a native of that city, born July 4, 1857.

Mr. Hull was educated in part at private schools in Poughkeepsie, afterward attending McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and Harvard, his law studies being completed in Columbia College Law School, from which latter institution he graduated in 1880. Such a thorough education would naturally combine to accelerate the development of his character, and the furtherance of his future prospects. Since 1880 he has resided and practiced his profession in Poughkeepsie, his specialty being real-estate law and surrogate practice, though he has taken some general practice. During the years 1893-94 he was associated with Ira Shafer, of New York, but with this exception he has had no office partner.

George D. Hull, father of our subject, was born February 6, 1821. In 1850 he married

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Miss Mary E. Cluett, who was connected with the Adams family, of Boston, and children as follows were born to them: Louise M. and Walter C. The father died in 1886, the mother in 1883.

Walter C. Hull was married, in 1882, to Adele M. Fonda, who died April 5, 1893, leav- ing two children: Crosby Livingston, and Carlton, born in 1885 and 1890 respectively. Mr. Hull, socially, is a member of the Amrita and Dutchess Chibs, of the Veteran Firemen's Association, Poughkeepsie Gun Club, and of the Royal Arcanum. In politics he is a Repub- lican, and has served on the Civil Service Com- mission of Poughkeepsie. He is one of the most prosperous attorneys in his native city, and his fame as an erudite and accomplished scholar, a ripe lawyer and a close student of political economy is not confined to Pough- keepsie and Dutchess county, but extends throughout the entire State.

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 20

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