Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 8

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

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

habits, and is a student and ardent lover of nature, as well as of books. Although popu- lar in social circles, Prof. Mansfield has never been married, his whole life having been de- voted to his vocation.

In addition to his school duties, Prof. Mans- field has always taken a lively interest in mat- ters relating to the progress and welfare of the village, and has done much to aid in its devel- opment. He has been a member of the board of trustees of the village for many years, and was its president for four years. In 1882 he was made a trustee of the Wappingers Savings Bank, and in 1884 elected its president, which office he still holds. He is president of the board of Park commissioners, to which posi- tion he was elected in 1892. He is also one of the original trustees of the Grinnell Library. and chairman of the library committee. In politics, he is a stanch Republican, and has al- ways taken a lively interest in the success of his party and the principles for which it stands. Although not a member of any Church, he is a regular attendant at Zion Protestant Episcopal Church, of Wappingers Falls. He ranks among the best citizens of Wappingers Falls, and has the respect and esteem of all classes of people.

L UKE D. WYMBS, the present school commissioner for the First District of Dutchess county. has been recognized for many years as one of the leading educators of this section.

Born in Livingston, Columbia Co., N. Y., August 21, 1845, he passed his youth at that place, attending the public schools, and mak- ing such good use of his advantages that at sixteen years of age he was qualified to teach. He began his professional career February 23, 1862, and among the schools over which he presided were those of Germantown, Living- ston, Glencoe Mills, Pine Plains and Glenham. In 1864 he enlisted in Battery M, 3d New York Light Artillery, assigned to the army of the James, and his battery was in service against the fortifications around Petersburg and Richmond. At the close of the war he returned home and again engaged in teaching, spending nineteen years in the Glenhamn school. In the fall of 1893 he was elected on the Re- publican ticket to his present position, where his superior talents and wide experience enable him to benefit the cause of education through-

out a larger field. He has always been promi- nent in teachers' associations, both in Dutchess and Columbia counties. On November 3, 1896, he was re-elected school commissioner by a majority of 2.600. being the largest majority ever given a school commissioner in his district.

In early manhood Prof. Wymbs married Miss Mary E. Simmons, of Taghkanick, daugh- ter of Jeremiah and Almah (Tanner) Simmons. She died May 2, 1873, leaving one daughter, Iola M., now the wife of Bertrand J. Harder, of Mechanicsville, Saratoga Co , N. Y. On October 21, 1874, Prof. Wymbs was united in marriage with his present wife, Mary A. De- Lamater, daughter of Osterhoudt and Mary ( Decker ) De Lamater. The Professor has always taken keen interest in public questions and in local affairs. He is a member of the G. A. R., and is past commander of Howland Post No. 48, Department of New York. He and his wife attend the Reformed Church at Glenham.

The Wymbs family originated in Scotland, and at the time of religious persecution in that country moved to the North of Ireland. Our subject's grandparents, Luke and Mary Wymbs, were residents of New York City, where the grandfather was a merchant in the early part of this century. During the war of 1812 he was making a voyage to Ireland with a cargo of linseed, accompanied by his wife and son. Luke D., when the vessel was captured by a British man-of-war, and Mr. Wymbs and his family were taken to Cadiz, and held as pris- oners for five or six months. Luke D. Wymbs, the Professor's father, was then a mere boy. He was born in 1805, and on attaining man- hood became a farmer in the town of Taghka- nick, Columbia county. In 1840 he married Margaret Ferris, and our subject was their only son. Both parents passed from earth in 1886, the mother on February 13, the father on April 25. The mother was born in 1807, one of the fourteen children of her parents, William Ferris and his wife, Jane (Warren).

E DWARD BROWN DU MOND. principal of the Union Free School, in the village of Fishkill, Dutchess county, is one of the leading educators of this section, his profes- sional labors covering a period of nearly thirty years, twenty of them in his present position.

His family, which is of Huguenot extrac- tion, has been a resident in this State since an

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

early period, and his great-grandfather, Johan- nes Philip Du Mond, was an ensign and lieu- tenant in the American army during the Revo- lution, in the regiment of Col. Johannes Sny- der, and the company of Capt. Evert Bogar- dus. His commission, which is dated October 23, 1779. and signed by George Clinton, is now in the possession of our subject. He married Sarah Elmendorf, and their son Con- rad (Prof. Du Mond's grandfather) married Catherine Copp. Philip Du Mond (our sub- ject's father) was born May 28, 1817, and fol- lowed agricultural pursuits, first in West Hur- ley, N. Y., and later (in the "sixties ") near Kingston, N. Y., where he lived several years, finally purchasing a farmn at Accord, N. Y., spending the remainder of his active years there. He died at Fishkill, February 10, 1892, leaving a widow, Mrs. Cornelia Catherine ( Brown) Du- Mond, and six children, of whom our subject is the eldest. Mary Catherine is the wife of John H. Davis, a paper manufacturer of Mill- hook, Accord, N. Y. ; Martha Antoinette lives in New Jersey with her sister Frances; John Cal- vin resides at the old homestead at Accord; Philip Nelson married Miss Kate Davis, daugh- ter of Joseph and Charity Davis, and lives at Los Angeles, Cal. ; and Frances Augusta married Joachim H. Davis, with the New York Mail and Express, and lives in New Jersey. The mother of this family, who was born June

28, 1817. now makes her home with our subject. She is a descendant of a well-known family, a daughter of Matthias and Mary (Copp) Brown, and granddaughter of Silas and Martha (Robinson) Brown, of whom the last named lived to the age of 102 years.

Prof. Du Mond was born in West Hurley, July 9, 1843, and received his education in the public schools at Kingston, and in the State Normal School at Albany, where he was grad- uated in 1867. His first professional work was at Stuyvesant Falls, Columbia Co., N. Y., where he remained a year and a half, and then taught the same length of time at Schodack Landing, Rensselaer county. In 1870 he be- came principal of the Fishkill school, and after twelve years of effective work went to Pelham Manor, N. Y., where he filled a similar position for six years. In 1888 he returned to his former place in Fishkill, and since the Union School came under the control of the Regents in 1894, he has also had charge of the academic department, which was then added.

Prof. Du Mond is one of the honored vet-

erans of the Civil war, and his entrance into the service August 6, 1862. interrupted his studies. He was a member of the 120th N. Y. V. I., and participated in all the battles through which his regiment passed, until wounded, viz .: Fredericksburg, Chancellors- ville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spott- sylvania, North Anna, Tolopotomy, Cold Har- bor, Strawberry Plains, and the siege of Peters- burg, where his left hand was shot off by a shell. He is a member of the G. A. R., and in 1890 was a delegate to the National En- campment at Boston, where 45,000 men took part in the parade. In politics he is a Re- publican.

On March 10, 1870, Prof. Du Mond mar- ried Miss Ellen L. Mathewson, daughter of Sylvanus and Adelia (Cleveland) Mathewson, of Oneida, N. Y. Three children were born of this union: Grace Lavina, Edna Brown and Marcia Adelle. The Professor and his family are members of the Reformed Dutch Church at Fishkill. Their home is a beauti- ful estate comprising two acres-the old Oppie homestead. Mrs. Du Mond owns desirable village property at Pelham Manor, N. Y .; she is also a graduate of the Albany State Normal School.

Mrs. Du Mond's grandfather, Winchester Mathewson, married Abagail Swift, and lived in Smithfield, Madison Co., N. Y., where they both died. Their family consisted of fifteen children-seven sons and eight daughters. Mrs. Du Mond's father, Sylvanus, who was the eldest, about the year 1830 married Ade- lia Cleveland, and their family consisted of ten children-five sons and five daughters-Mrs. Du Mond being the sixth child; at the time of her marriage she was living in Oncida Castle, Madison Co., New York.

OHN PETER NELSON (deceased). The subject of this sketch, who in his day was

was one of the most prominent men of Dutchess county, was born July 29, 1810, in the house now occupied by his widow, at the corner of Cannon and Liberty streets, Pough- keepsie.

Francis Nelson, the first ancestor of the Nelson family, emigrated from England to America about the year 1647, he himself set- tling at Mamaroneck, Westchester county, while part of his family came to Poughkeepsie and part remained in Peekskill. Col. Joseph

John Peter Nelson

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Nelson, born April 1, 1786, at Clinton, Dutch- ess county, a descendant of this Francis Nel- son, was an editor in Poughkeepsie, and in 1806 published a paper known as the Political Bar- ometer, and was one of the leading citizens of his locality. He knew Washington, Hamil- ton, Burr and other prominent men of that time. He was a colonel in the war of 1812, and during his service contracted typhoid fever, from which he died in New York City, November 3, 1812. Col. Nelson married Hannah Fort, a daughter of Maj. Abram Fort, who fought in the Revolutionary war, and was well-known in his day. To Col. and Mrs. Nelson were born the following children: Jane Ann, who married Henry F. Granger, son of Judge Granger, of Grangerville; John Peter, our subject; and James Fort. Maj. Abram Fort was the father of the following children: Col. John A. Fort, who was one of Gen. Jack- son's aides in the war of 1812; Peter Fort, also an aide on Gen. Jackson's staff, who each year, on January 8, hoisted the stars and stripes in honor of the battle of New Orleans; James Fort; Mrs. Pierson ; Mrs. Abram Thomp- son; Alida; Sarah; Catharine; Mrs. Susan Haviland; Mrs. Maria Granger, and Mrs. Han- nah Nelson.

John Peter Nelson, our subject, was edu- cated in the private schools of New Orleans, where he spent the most of his boyhood. He also had a private tutor, and spoke several languages. After reaching his majority, he became a commission merchant, and owned several vessels which plied between New Or- leans and England. Some years prior to 1845, he became interested in cotton growing in Louisiana, where he had a plantation of 1, 400 acres, and owned 900 slaves who were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. At one time, prior to the war, he was the richest planter in the State of Louisiana. He con- tinued in business until 1874, when on account of ill health he retired, and in 1876 went to Europe, returning in the fall of 1877. His death occurred March 26, 1878. He was a remarkable man in many ways, was possessed of great firmness of character, a kind heart, great generosity-in fact, he was one of nature's noblemen. He was a kind father and a good husband. On December 5, 1839, he married Julia Ann Keese, who died May 23, 1841, leaving one child, Julia Keese Nelson, who married George Wetmore Colles, of New York City.

Mr. Nelson was married, the second time, in 1845, to Miss Cornelia Mandeville Nelson, and the following children were born to them: Peter Fort, who died of yellow fever at New Orleans in 1873; William James; Elizabeth Parker; Edward Beverly, principal of the New York Central Institution for Deaf Mutes, at Rome, N. Y .; Walter Huntington, in busi- ness in Washington, but living in Virginia; Thomas Grant; and Cornelia Mandeville.

Mr. Nelson was a stanch Democrat, a strong Union man, and did all he could to de- feat the ordinance of Secession. He was a member of Christ's Episcopal Church, New Orleans, and contributed liberally to its sup- port. In all matters he was a public-spirited man, much admired by all who knew him.

William Nelson, the father of Mrs. John Peter Nelson, widow of our subject, was born June 29, 1784, in Clinton (now Hyde Park), Dutchess county, and was the son of Thomas Nelson, an old citizen and native of the county, born in Clinton March 17, 1744, and died in Poughkeepsie, November 1, 1823. He mar- ried (first) Sarah Wright, of Somers, West- chester county, April 11, 1769, and (second) Mary Delavan. William Nelson attended the Dutchess County Academy, and received his legal education also in Poughkeepsie. He was admitted to the bar soon after reaching his majority, and went to Buffalo with a view to opening an office in that city. He spent a short time there, however, moving to Peeks- kill. He also practiced in the counties of Rockland, Putnam and Westchester. In the year 1812 he was elected to the State Senate, and took his seat there some two or three ses- sions. In 1848-49, and 1850-51, he was sent to Congress and was urged for re-election, but declined to accept. He was district attorney some thirty years, a remarkable length of time in that office. He was a man of great energy and will power, an extensive reader, and one of the foremost men of his community.

William Nelson was married to Miss Cor- nelia Mandeville Hardman, daughter of John Hardman, a West India merchant, of New York City, whose other children were: Sarah Ann, who married Dr. Thomas Mower, a sur- geon in the army; and Eliza, wife of Henry Starr, of New York City. The children of William Nelson were: Joseph, living in Mil- waukee; Dorinda, deceased wife of John Ar- thur. of San Francisco, Cal .: George P., a lawyer in New York City; Thomas, also a law-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ver in New York City; William Rufus (de- ceased), who was a lawyer in Peekskill; Sarah A., who became the wife of J. Henry Ferris, a lawyer in Peekskill; Elizabeth, now the widow of Rev. John Johnson, of Upper Red Hook; Robert Dean deceased ) ; and Cornelia Man- deville, the wife of our subject. Mr. Nelson was an Old-time Henry Clay Whig, and per- sonal friend of Daniel Webster, Abraham Lincoln and Henry Clay. He was a public- spirited man, and took great interest in all matters pertaining to his community. He died in October, 1869, aged eighty-five years; Mrs. Nelson passed away August 28, same year, five weeks before her husband.

R EV. BENJAMIN E. DICKHAUT, A. M. As pastor, the subject of this sketch is one of a long line of able and eloquent work- ers in the cause of Christ, and his labors have shown him to be well-worthy of a place in that illustrious company.

His father, Rev. J. Conrad Dickhaut, was a zealous clergyman of the Reformed Dutch Church. He was born in Germany, February 17, 1815, and ordained in New York City, at the church in N. Williams street, by the Classis of New York. He at once organized the Ger- man Mission in Greenwich street, New York, but remained only a short time, as he took a settled charge at New Brooklyn, where he of- ticiated twelve years, building meantime a new church edifice. His next pastorate was in the Presbyterian Church at East Williamsburg, N. Y., and after four years of faithful toil there, sickness compelled him to suspend his labors for two years. On resuming, he or- ganized the Reformed Church at Canarsie and served as its pastor until April, 1887, when failing health again caused him to retire, it be- ing in fact his last illness, as his death occurred December 30, 1887. In early manhood he married Miss Eva Ruby, who survives him. She was a daughter of Michael Ruby, and his wife, Margaret, who was a daughter of Martin Leyenberger. The following children were born to them: Conrad, Amelia, William, John, Sophia, Benjamin E., Timothy, Sam- uel and David. Of these, only three are now living: Sophia, Benjamin E. and Samuel.

Benjamin E. Dickhaut, our subject, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., April 29, 1863, and attended the public schools of the city, and then the Polytechnic Institute, graduating

from the latter in ISSo. In 1884 he was graduated from Rutgers College with the de- gree of A. B., and in 1887 he completed his course in the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, receiving in the same year the de- gree of A. M. from Rutgers. At the begin- ning of his theological course at New Bruns- wick he was chosen for missionary work at the Middle Collegiate Church, New York City, and spent his vacation in this field. In the summer of 1885 he was engaged by the Colle- giate Church to do missionary work in con- nection with De Witt Chapel, and during the remainder of his seminary course he continued working there. On graduating from the semi- nary, he was ordained by the Classis of New York to do missionary work under the super- vision of the Collegiate Church. In October, 1889, he accepted a call to the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, Dutchess county, which was his first independent charge. There he made his influence felt for good in many lines of effort. He was president of the Law and Order League of the village, and was on the executive committee of the county organization for good citizenship. On September 1, 1896, he accepted the call of the South Reformed Church, Brooklyn, N. Y., and the same ag- gressive methods employed by him at Fishkill have been productive of very encouraging re- sults in his new field of labor. He is a most decided temperance advocate, and is frequently engaged on the platform in this cause. On March 17, 1888, he was married at New Brunswick to Miss Margaret P. Maddock. daughter of Rev. George C. and Mary ( Price, Maddock. Her father is a minister for the M. E. Church, New Jersey Conference, and at present is chaplain of the New Jersey State Prison, at Trenton, N. J. Mr. and Mrs. Dickhaut have two children, viz. : Margaret Maddock and Dorothy.

The following is a list of the pastors of the Reformed Dutch Church of Fishkill since its organization in 1716 by Rev. Petrus Vas: Rev. Cornelius Van Schie, 1731-1738: Rev. Benjamin Meynema, 1745 1755; Rev. Jacob Vannist, served two and one-half years

when he died, 1761; Rev. Henricus Schoon- maker, 1763-1772; also Isaac Rysdyck, jointly with Rev. Schoonmaker, 1765 to 1772, and alone until 1790; Rev. Isaac Blanvelt, 1783- 1790; Rev. Nicholas Van Vranken, 1791-1804; Rev. Cornelius D. Westbrook, 1806-1830; Rev. Geo. H. Fisher, 1830-1835; Rev. Fran-

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHIICAL RECORD.

cis M. Kip, 1836-1870; Rev. Peter E. Kipp, 1870-1875; Rev. Asher Anderson, 1875-1880; Rev. M. Bross Thomas, 1881-1888; Rev. Ben- jamin E. Dickhaut, 1889-1896; Rev. Abel Huizinga, 1896, present pastor.

In the old Reformed Dutch church the Tory and other prisoners were confined, and from this building tradition teaches us that "Harvey Birch " (Enoch Crosby), having been arrested as a spy, effected his escape. During the Revolutionary war a part of the army was located in Fishkill, and their barracks extended from the Van Wyck place to the foot of the mountain. The officers' headquarters were in the dwelling well-known to the readers of the "Spy" as the " Wharton House " (occupied in 1866 by Sidney E. Van Wyck, and now ( 1896) by Miss Nettie Hustis); near the residence, by the large black walnut trees, south of the road and at the foot of the mountain, was the burial ground of the soldiers. The Episcopal church was used as a hospital, as was afterward the Presbyterian church at Brinckerhoff, about one and one-half miles north of the village.

E DWARD ELSWORTH, president of the Fallkill National Bank, and who has held various honorable and important offices in the city of Poughkeepsie, and in the county, was born January 6, 1840, in New York City. His parents were John and Martha (Van Varick) Elsworth, both natives of New York City, the former born in 1802. The father was a de- scendant of Christoffel Elswart, who was a free holder in New York in 1655, and the mother was a daughter of Joseph Van Varick, who was a merchant of that city.

In 1848 the parents of our subject removed to Poughkeepsie, where the father died in May, 1873, the mother surviving him until 1880. Mr. Elsworth was a Democrat, and both he and his wife were members of the Re- formed Dutch Church. He was a school trus- tee of the town of Poughkeepsie, and a mem- ber and trustee of the Mechanic Society, of New York City. Their family consisted of four children: Two died in infancy; John K. was a merchant in New York City; and Ed- ward, the sole survivor, is the subject of this sketch.

Edward Elsworth was eight years of age when his parents took up their residence in Poughkeepsie, and for a number of years was a pupil in the Dutchess County Academy.

His legal education was acquired in the State and National Law School, Poughkeepsie, from which he was graduated in the class of '58. For the following two years he was in the law office of Thompson & Weeks, and also in that of Judge Nelson. He then went to New York City, and for two years was in the law prac- tice with Bernard Roelker, and later practiced in Rockland county. In 1866, he returned to Poughkeepsie, and, after practicing his profes- sion for a time, entered into the hardware business in partnership with Guilford Dudley. During this time he was made director and also vice-president of the Fallkill National Bank, and in 1891 was elected its president ; he is also vice-president of the Poughkeepsie Savings Bank.

On November 26, 1867, Mr. Elsworth was married to Miss Mary Johnston. The John- ston family are of Scotch extraction, and Mrs. Elsworth's father, Samuel B. Johnston, a des- cendant of Capt. Archibald Johnston, a Rev- olutionary soldier, was a cousin of Gen. Al- bert Sidney Johnston. He was a native of Connecticut, but for many years a resident of Poughkeepsie, where he was a banker, and for a long period was vice-president of the Fall- kill Bank. Four children have been born to our subject and his wife, namely: Grace Varick, Mary Johnston, Ethel Hinton and Edward Wead, all of whom are at home. Mr. Elsworth is a stanch Democrat, and has al- ways been prominent in his party. In 1874 he was elected supervisor of the Third ward of Poughkeepsie, and served one term. In 1880 he was made school commissioner, which of- fice he filled for seven years. In November, 1886, he was elected mayor of Poughkeepsie, served one term, and in 1891 was re-elected to the same honorable position. He was elected a trustee of Vassar College in 1892, and is still serving as such. Mr. Elsworth also holds the following offices: Trustee and treasurer of Vassar Brothers' Institute; and vice-president for Dutchess county of the Holland Society of New York. He is also a member of the Sons of the Revolution. For several years he was judge advocate of the Eighth Brigade of the National Guard S. N. Y., and served in other offices in that organization. In 1891, he re- ceived the degree of A. M. from Rutgers Col- lege. The family are members and liberal supporters of the Reformed Dutch Church, and stand high in social and religious circles.

From the foregoing facts it will be seen

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

that Mr. Elsworth is a man of more than us- ual ability, and business qualifications, and that his many sterling qualities are appreciated by his fellow citizens. In the numerous re- sponsible positions in which he has been placed, he has fully merited their confidence and esteem, and no man occupies a higher place in the regard of the public, or in the friendship of his more intimate associates.

0 LIVER H. BOOTH (deceased) was born in 1823 upon a farm within the present limits of the city of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and died March 13, 1896, after an ill- ness of twenty-two days-the first sickness he ever experienced. During his life of well nigh three-quarters of a century, he saw a marvel- ous transformation, not only in the outward appearance of that locality, but in all phases of our complex and constantly progressing civilization. His early home was on the south side of Fallkill creek, opposite the present lo- cation of Pelton's factory, and his father, George Booth, a prominent citizen of that day, had a woolen-mill for manufacturing cloth, the first of the kind run by machinery in the coun- ty. This was before the days of pins, and old citizens remember the large thorn bushes in the neighborhood from which Mr. Booth obtained thorns to fasten his bundles with. In the field north of the church of the Holy Com- forter, he raised teazles, which were used in " gigging " the cloth.

During his early boyhood our subject at- tended a school that was kept in a small build- ing which is yet standing in the rear of No. 120 Main street, Poughkeepsie, the teacher be- ing Aunt Anna Haight, and he was proud of being able to say that he also, when a young boy, attended the old school at Pawling kept by Jacob Willets and his wife. It is said that this Jacob Willets was the author of the well- known rhyme about months . Thirty days hath September " etc., -which he introduced into his arithmetic. Later, Mr. Booth studied at the academy in Poughkeepsie, after which he was employed in his brother's (Alfred ) store in Boston, Mass., but at the age of fourteen ran away, joining a sea-going vessel as cabin boy, and for four years he sailed the ocean. We next find him in a bank at Detroit, Mich., where he remained some time, then returning to Poughkeepsie, at the age of twenty-one, became bookkeeper in the Vassar Brewery, of

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Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 8

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