Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 55

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

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On October 23, 1889, he was married, by Rev. F. B. Wheeler, to Miss Mary E. War- ren, daughter of Albert Warren, a well-known citizen of Poughkeepsie. They have one child, Estelle E., born September 20, 1890. Mrs.

Tiedje is a true helpineet for her husband, and her energy and business ability have been im- portant factors in her husband's advancement, and he takes manly pride in acknowledging the fact. Mr. Tiedje is a naturalized citizen of the United States, but he does not take any active part in politics, his attention being given to his business interests.

B ENJAMIN A. SLEIGHT (deceased), for- merly a prominent business man and agri- culturist of the town of Wappinger, Dutchess county, was a member of one of the oldest and most highly esteemed families of that vi- cinity, and as a substantial citizen of his own day he sustained well the reputation won by his forefathers. He was born in 1786, in the town of Poughkeepsie, and his active life cov- ered a period of great importance in the devel- opment of that region.

Abraham Sleight, father of Benjamin A., and a native of Kingston, Ulster county, was a prominent citizen of the town of Fishkill during the latter part of the eighteenth cen- tury, and served as a soldier in the Revolu- tionary war, a grateful country awarding him a pension in his later years. He followed farming all his life, settling in Fishkill shortly . after his marriage with Miss Ruth Roe, a na- tive of Dutchess county. Both became active supporters of the Reformed Dutch Church in Fishkill. They had eight children: Sarah, who married James M. Jones, of Dutchess county; Abraham, a farmer, who died in early manhood; Benjamin A., our subject; Ann, Ruth, John (an invalid), and Nellie (none of whom ever married), and Sophie E. (Mrs. R. D. E. Stoutenburgh). Among other represent- atives of the Sleight family in that locality was Peter R. Sleight, a cousin of our subject, and the father of Alexander Sleight, of Lagrange.

Benjamin A. Sleight was reared upon the farm, and attended the schools of Kingston, where he acquired a good academic education. After leaving school he engaged in mercantile business in the town of Poughkeepsie. He married Miss Caroline Ackerman, daughter of James Ackerman, a native of the town of Poughkeepsie, and a leading farmer of the town of Lagrange, where she was born. Her grandfather, Gnrloyn Ackerman, was a leading resident of the town of Poughkeepsie in his time, and her ancestors were among the most highly esteemed of the Holland-Dutch settlers

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of Dutchess county. Not long after his mar- riage Mr. Sleight settled in the town of Fish- kill, where his well-known integrity of charac- ter and judicial mind caused him to be elected to the office of justice of the peace, and his faithful discharge of the duties in that position occupied most of his time for many years; but later he devoted himself to the manage- ment of his farm. In politics he was a Dem- ocrat, and like his parents he adhered to the old Reformed Church. His wife died in 1854, and four years thereafter he, too, passed away.

Eight children were born to their union: Edgar, who died in 1892, was a farmer in the town of Wappinger; Louise is at home; Frank, a hardware merchant in Poughkeepsie, died in 1877; Amelia was married to Francis B. Pye, the famous inventor; Anna married M. V. B. Schryver, of Rhinebeck, and died in 1894; Eliza is at home; John is a resident of Green- bush, N. Y .; and Sidney died there in 1873.

The late Francis B. Pye, whose name is known in all parts of the civilized world as the inventor of the time lock, was a native of Newark, N. J., and a descendant of an old English family. His grandfather, Thomas Pye, was the pioneer lock manufacturer of America, while he (Francis B.) was the first to manu- facture cast-iron locks in this country, and was the head of the Trenton Lock Co., one of the most important firms engaged in that line of business. Since his death, which occurred in January, 1877, Mrs. Pye has lived at the old homestead near Fishkill Plains, a fine estate with a tasteful and commodious brick residence. She possesses unusual executive ability, and manages the farm of 167 acres with great skill. Her specialty is horticulture, and she has 1, 200 apple trees in her orchards, which are among the most extensive in the locality.

T HOMAS I. STORM (deceased), who in in his lifetime was a wealthy and influ- ential citizen of the town of East Fishkill, ·Dutchess county, residing near Stormville, was one of the leading agriculturists there, as were several generations of his ancestors.

John Storm, his great-grandfather, was one of three brothers who came from Holland at an early period and settled upon a large tract of land in the wilderness-Goris in Westches- ter county, N. Y. ; Isaac in York county, Penn., and John at our subject's present farm in East Fishkill.

Thomas I. Storm, our subject's grandfather, was born and reared there, and after his mar- riage to Dianah Adriance, November 9, 1788, made it his permanent home. Seven children were born to him: Isaac, a wholesale mer- chant in New York City; Thomas, a specula- tor in New York City, and the owner of a farm in Orange county; Charles, a tobacco mer- chant in New York City; Gallette, who mar- ried Gilbert Wilkinson, of Poughkeepsie, a boatman by occupation; Catherine, the wife of Henry Teller, a farmer in Orange county; Theodorus, our subject's father; and Emeline, who married George Doughty, a farmer.

Theodorus Storm settled upon the old farm, and married Susan Storm, a native of Fishkill, and the daughter of Col. John Storm, a de- scendant of one of the three brothers above mentioned. Seven children were born of this union: Susan, who married John T. Storm, now living in retirement in Beekman; Maria L., the wife of William Humphrey, a farmer in Pleasant Valley; Catherine (deceased); Theo- dore, who is blind; Cornelia, who married Henry Wooley, a farmer in Beekman (both now deceased); Thomas I., our subject; and one child that died in infancy. The father of this family died August 10, 1865. He was a Democrat in principle, though not especially active in political affairs, and he and his wife were both prominent members of the Reformed Dutch Church.

Thomas I. Storm was born April 14, 1827, and passed his entire life upon the old estate to which the residence of so many of his fam- ily have lent pleasant associations. On June 10, 1857, he was united in wedlock with Susan Maria Arthur, a lady of Irish descent, and a native of Dutchess county. Her father, John Arthur, a well-known agriculturist, was a cousin to ex-President Chester A. Arthur; her mother was a daughter of Major Abram Ad- riance, of East Fishkill. Of the four children by this marriage, all are residents of the town of East Fishkill. Arthur is a horticulturist; Walter follows agriculture; Adriana married Eugene Storm, formerly a merchant of New York, who died January 9, 1890, leaving a widow and one child, William T. Storm, born September 2, 1885; and Doretha, married to Benjamin D. Haxtun, a farmer, and has two children: Maria Arthur Haxtun, born October 22, 1894, and Adriana Storm Haxtun, born February 22, 1897.

Thomas I. Storm died very suddenly June

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17, 1896. He took an active part in the local Democratic organization, and served as town assessor. He was a leading adherent of the Reformed Dutch Church, of Hopewell, as is also his widow.

J OHN G. DUNCAN (deceased) was born in the town of Unionvale, Dutchess Co., N. Y., in the year 1793. He received a good common-school education, and while yet a young man entered the general store of Jacob Fowler as clerk. By strict attention to business he rose rapidly, and soon became owner of the store at Hoxie Corners. By de- grees he acquired several farms in the vicinity, among them being the Oakley and the Stryker places. His health failing, he retired, when about thirty-four years of age, to his farm at Verbank, where he passed his declining years, dying December 19, 1857. Shortly after his death his widow removed to Poughkeepsie, and died there January 4, 1875.

Mr. Duncan in his political preferences was first a Whig, afterward a Republican, and served as justice of the peace for many years. He was fond of reading, and for a long time was custodian of the circulating library known as the Franklin Library, and he was also in charge of the District School Library.

He was progressive, being quick to appre- ciate and advance whatever pertained to the welfare of the community, and his sterling qualities earned for him the respect and con- fidence of his fellow townsmen. In his domes- tic relations he was a kind husband and father, always preferring the quiet seclusion of home to the more bustling activities of his business life. He suffered not a little from rheumatism, and was also quite deaf, which latter infirmity accounted for his absence from many public assemblages.

The old house on the Verbank farm (which is still in the possession of the family) was con- sidered unusually handsome in its day, its architectural features being admired by many from a distance. The walls, which were hard finished, are still well preserved, and the past seventy years have made little impression on the solid timbers. The land now covered by the Verbank station, as well as a good portion of the Verbank Rural Cemetery, originally be- longed to " Ingleside," the farm owned by the subject of our sketch.

The Duncan family, of which John C.

Duncan was a member, originally came from Scotland, first locating in Canada, thence mov- ing to Boston, and from there to Dutchess county. William Duncan married Mary Wooley, their son George marrying Lucy Rey- nolds, leaving a son John G.

In 1814 Mr. Duncan married Mary Vail, second daughter of Platt Vail. To Mr. and Mrs. Duncan were born seven children as follows:

(1) Maria Jane was born in Unionvale in 1816. She attended Miss Proctor's school at Poughkeepsie. She was married to Leonard B. Sherman, of the town of Washington, and died in 1847, leaving two daughters, (a) Mary and (b) Matilda. (a) Mary married Lewis Germond; (b) Matilda married Chauncey Colwell.

(2) Ovid was born December 1, 1819, in the town of Unionvale. He spent his boy- hood on his father's farm, attending school at Amenia Seminary in Dutchess county. He early became associated with his father in mercantile pursuits, and later purchased the Alonzo Haight farm. For many years he was widely known as a dealer in cattle. He mar- ried Ann Davis, leaving two daughters, Caro- line (now deceased) and Annie Kate; also four sons-John, Jesse (deceased), Everett and Theron. All those who are living reside in Dutchess county.

(3) Antoinette died in infancy.

(4) George Platt was born June 23, 1825. His school days were passed at Amenia Semi- nary. On the death of his father, the home- stead came into his possession. In 1864 he married Anna Brown Downing, of Lagrange, and took up his residence in this town, dying there March 23, 1874. He was honorable in his business affairs, faithful in his friendships and respected by all. He left two sons, Charles Henry (born July 11, 1866) and George Richard (born February 14, 1868), both of whom attended private schools in Poughkeep- sie, and later St. Stephens College, Dutchess county. The former was graduated from St: Stephens in the class of '87, and from Gen. Theological Seminary in 1890. His first charge was in Geneva, N. Y., from which place he was called, in 1891, to St. James Church, Watkins, N. Y. After spending five years there he was elected to the rectorship of Grace Church, Millbrook, N. Y. As the tastes of the latter inclined toward business, he left school at an early age to take up newspaper

John YDunkin

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work, which he followed with success until his health became affected. He now resides in North Granby, Massachusetts.

(5) Catherine Amelia was born at the home- stead, Unionvale, June 1, 1827. She joined the Methodist Church at an early age, attend- ing school at Nine Partners and Amenia Sem- inary. In company with her mother and sis- ters she removed to Poughkeepsie in 1864, be- coming a communicant of St. Paul's Church in 1877, where she continued a devoted member up to her death, which occurred March 26, 1897. She was unmarried.

(6) Rebecca Matilda was born at the homestead, town of Unionvale. She attend- ed Nine Partners School and Amenia Semi- nary, and was a member of the M. E. Church in her youth. Removed to Poughkeepsie and was married June 22, 1864, to Lewis F. Streit, an elder in the Presbyterian Church, of which Church she subsequently became a member.

(7) Frances Emma, the youngest child, was born at the homestead in Verbank, town of Unionvale. She was a member of the Methodist Church at that place. Attended school at Tookers Female Academy, Pough- keepsie. In 1864 she came to Poughkeepsie to reside, and in 1877 she was confirmed in St. Paul's Church, Poughkeepsie. She is liv- ing at her home in the above-named place, and is unmarried.

The father of Mary (Vail) Duncan was Platt Vail (born 1769, died 1822), who was married to Catherine Reynolds (born 1767, died 1852). His father was Capt. Israel Vail, of Beekman Precinct, who served with dis- tinction in the war of the Revolution, and whose record appears as follows, according to the secretary of the New York Society. "Sons of the Revolution:" "Captain Israel Vail, 5th Regt., Dutchess Co., N. Y., Militia. (Col. James Vanderburg) March 10th, 1778."

G EORGE SCHLEGEL. There is no ele- ment which enters into our composite national fabric which has been of more practi- cal strength, value and utility than that fur- nished by the sturdy, persevering and honora- ble sons of Germany, and in the progress of our Union this element has played an important part. The subject of this review, who comes from stanch German stock, was born at Carls- ruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, April 20, 1823.

There he was educated, and learned the shoe- maker's trade.

Hoping to benefit his financial condition, Mr. Schlegel, in 1844, sailed for America, and on landing at New York secured work there at his trade for five years, at the end of which time he came to Poughkeepsie. Here he opened a retail shoe store, and also engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes, conduct- ing his business on Main street, near River street, until 1870, when he disposed of his stock. He then came to his present location at Nos. 544 and 5443 Main street, where he has since successfully carried on a variety store, and has built up an extensive trade.

In 1846 Mr. Schlegel was united in mar- riage with Johanna Reinhard, a lady of Ger- man birth, who died in Poughkeepsie in 1867. Four years later he was again married, his second union being with Emma Meyerhuber, a native of Carlsruhe, Germany, and to them have been born two children, George C., born August 23, 1873. a druggist of Pough- keepsie; and Emma, born June 5, 1876. Mrs. Schlegel is the proud possessor of a medal and cross given her by King William I, of Ger- many, for the services she rendered during the war of 1870, while in the hospital taking care of the sick and wounded. In religious belief both she and her husband are Protestants, and they have made many warm friends in their adopted country. Politically, Mr. Schlegel uses his right of franchise in support of Demo- cratic principles, and has maintained a lively interest in the advancement of the industrial and popular interests of the city of his adoption. He is a man of genial, social nature, a member of the Germania Society, and is a representa- tive German-American citizen.

P ETER ADRIANCE, senior member of the firm of Peter Adriance & Son, plumbers, tinners, steam, hot water and gas fitters, whose place of business is No. 393 Main street, Pough- keepsie, was born in the town of East Fish- kill, Dutchess county, April 19, 1843, on the farm where his great-grandfather, Ram I. Adriance, located, the first of the family to come to Dutchess county.

There also was born, in 1787, Peter Adri- ance, the grandfather of our subject, and there his entire life was devoted to agriculture. He married Catherine Storm, and they reared a family of three children: Thomas, the fa-

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ther of our subject; Mary A., who wedded James Wilkinson, of Dutchess county; and Amelia, who married Willett Culver, a farmer of Dutchess county. The parents of these were both faithful members of the Reformed Dutch Church.

Upon the old homestead Thomas Adriance (father of our subject ) was born in 1811. He married Catherine Culver, a native of the town of Hyde Park, Dutchess county, and a daughter of a farmer of that locality. Her people were members of the Society of Friends. Five children were born to this union: Peter; Edgar, who deals in fancy goods in Pough- keepsie; Amelia, wife of S. A. Walker, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Robert, a merchant of Fish- kill, Dutchess county; and Mary A., who died in infancy. The father followed farming ex- clusively through life; in his political senti- ment he was an ardent Democrat. He died in 1861, his wife in 1885.

Like most farmer boys Peter Adriance passed his early life, and the education he ac- quired in the old district school of the neigh- borhood was supplemented by a course in the Dutchess Academy, and at the Hudson River Institute at Claverack, N. Y., after which he returned to the home farm, where he con- tinued to work until twenty-five years of age. In 186t he married Miss Alice Adriance, who was born in the town of Fishkill, a daughter of John V. Adriance. an agricultu- rist. One child was born to them, Eugene, who is now in business with his father. After living upon the farm for about four years, Mr. Adriance entered the grocery store of Dart & Co., at Glenham, Dutchess county, as clerk, but soon after came to Poughkeepsie, where he was similarly employed by D. O. Smith for about a year. For two years he then clerked in the hardware store of Budd & Trow- bridge, and then for the same length of time was with L. T. Mosher, in the pork-packing industry, after which he returned to the hard- ware store, which was then owned by Trow- bridge & Sherrill. He soon secured a third interest in the firm, the name being changed to Trowbridge, Sherrill & Adriance; but at the end of three years Mr. Sherrill sold out. The firm of Trowbridge & Adriance did business until 1893, when our subject purchased his partner's interest, and his son was given a share in the business, which has now grown to extensive proportions. The liberal patron- age which they receive is well deserved, as

they strive to please their customers, and their work is all first-class in every particular.

Mr. Adriance is public-spirited in an emi- nent degree, and has done much in behalf of the general welfare of the community. He is popular, and is the center of a large circle of friends and acquaintances who honor and es- teem him for his many virtues and genuine worth. He is largely interested in the Co- operative Savings and Loan Association, and prominently identified with the Masonic Order and the Royal Arcanum. He and his estima- ble wife contribute to the Reformed Church, which they attend. The line of descent of which our subject is a member, is as follows: (1) Adrian Reyersz, emigrated from Holland, 1646; (2) Abram Adriance, born 1680, settled in Flatbush, N. Y .; (3) Ram I. Adriance, born 1753, was the first to come to Dutchess county; (4) Peter Adriance, born 1787, in Dutchess county; (5) Thomas Adriance, born in IStt, in Dutchess county; (6) Peter Adri- ance, our subject.

G EORGE SCHLUDE. A brilliant example of a self-made American citizen, and a grand exemplification of the progress that an ambitious foreigner can make in this country of unbounded opportunities, is shown in the case of our subject, one of the leading Ger- man-American residents of Poughkeepsie. His singular success is due to his own energy and the high ideal which his lofty and laudable ambi- tion placed before him. Success in any walk of life is an indication of earnest endeavor and persevering effort-characteristics that Mr. Schlude possesses in an eminent degree.

Our subject was born in Hochberg, Hohen- zollern, Sigmeringen, Prussia, Germany, Feb- ruary 2, 1832, and is the elder of the two chil- dren of Boletus and Elizabeth ( Grazer ) Schlude, both natives of the same locality as is George, where the father died in 1834. The younger child, Josephine, wedded John Rumsburger, a merchant of Germany, but both are now de- ceased.

In the Fatherland George Schlude grew to manhood, securing the usual education afford- ed by the public schools of that country, and there learned cabinet-making. Hearing much of the splendid opportunities afforded young men in the New World, he at the age of eight- een years sailed for the United States, and in New York City and Philadelphia worked at his

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trade for about two years, when he returned to Germany, and there spent a similar period. However, in 1854, we again find him in Amer- ica, and this time he located at Poughkeepsie, where he was employed at his trade until 1872. He then began the furniture business, which he has since continued, at the present time located at Nos. 150 and 152 Main street, the firm being now George Schlude & Sons. For the past five years he has occupied his present store, where he carries a full line of furniture and pictures, and in connection con- ducts an undertaking department.

In 1855 Mr. Schlude married Miss Caroline Hummel, a native of Baden, Germany, and eight children bless their union: Caroline, Charles, Emma, Frederick, Ida, George, Lil- lie and Leonard. Charles, Frederick and George are in business with their father. As a Democrat in politics, Mr. Schlude takes great interest in all political questions, although not an aspirant for political preferment. He has done much for the upbuilding of Pough- keepsie, and in his varied relations in business affairs, and in social life, has impressed all with his sincere and manly purpose to do by others as he would have others do by him.

A BRAM STORM HUMPHREY, a mem- ber of the well-known wholesale and re- tail drug firm of Doty & Humphrey, Pough- keepsie, was born in the town of Beekman, Dutchess county, October 12, 1848.

Thomas Humphrey, his great-grandfather, was a farmer in Dutchess county, and mem- bers of the family served in the Revolutionary war. Abram Humphrey, grandfather of our subject, was born in Beekman, July 1, 1785, and followed the occupation of a farmer until his death, which occurred February 9, 1821, in Dutchess county. He married Miss Letitia Adriance, also a native of the county, and their three children were as follows: Cath- erine, who married Alexander Hasbrouck, a farmer of East Fishkill; Sarah, who married Jacob Pudney, a farmer in Dutchess county; and John (our subject's father).

John Humphrey, father of our subject, was born in Beekman, Dutchess county, June 12, 1818. He was reared upon a farm, and married Miss Catherine E. Storm, who was born in East Fishkill, June 25, 1814. Her father, Abram Storm, who was a native of the same place and a farmer, was the son of Isaac

and Elizabeth Storm, the former of whom was born in Tarrytown, N. Y., October 1, 1772, and with four brothers-Jacob, John, Abram and Thomas-came in an early day to Dutchess county. They took up a very large tract of land, some of which is still in possession of the family. The Storm family lived on Long Is- land in 1620, or thereabouts, and their coat of arms has been handed down to the present generation.

Our subject's parents after their marriage located on the old farm in Beekman, where they reared a family of six children, two of whom died in infancy. The others were Helen; Letitia, who married William Quin- tard, of the firm of Quintard Brothers, jewel- ers, of Poughkeepsie, and died July 18, 1887; John V., a wholesale and retail druggist of Poughkeepsie; and Abram S., our subject. The father of this family died October 20, 1853, the mother on August 24, 1885. He was a Democrat in his political views, and both were members of the Reformed Dutch Church.

Our subject spent his younger days, after 1856, in Poughkeepsie, where he attended the Dutchess County Academy, and at the age of sixteen he entered the drug store of Elias Trivett as clerk. There he remained for about four years, then went to Kingston, N. Y., and clerked for Van Dusen Brothers for some five years. His next location was Providence, R. 1., where he engaged in the drug business for himself for one year, after which he returned to Poughkeepsie, and a year later formed a partnership under the firm name of Humphrey & Bowne. This continued two and one-half years, when Mr. Bowne sold out his interest to John V. Humphrey, and the business was then conducted under the name of Humphrey Broth- ers. Eight years later Abram S. sold out his interest, and became secretary and treasurer of the Storm Spring Company, holding these offices for eight years. In 1890 he became a member of the present firm of Doty & Hum- phrey, which does a large wholesale and retail drug business.

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 55

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