Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 83

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

USA > New York > Dutchess County > Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York > Part 83

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The daily routine at Hill Hope is very simple. An hour each morning is devoted to care of rooms and other housework, and arranging flowers for the table; half an hour at noon, the same at night. Every Saturday a thor- ough cleansing of rooms takes place, in anticipation of the incoming party of girls in the afternoon; this completes the work required. Family worship morning and even- ing; and who among the girls but will recall the pleasant little talks and the prayers offered at this time? For evenings and rainy days there are books and music, games, quiet and noisy, without end, with croquet, bean- bags, etc., and hammocks and lounging chairs for the long summer evenings. They enjoy even the chill rainy days, because they offer an excuse for a wood fire in the fireplace in the dining room. An occasional candy-pull, also, enlivens the wet days. Many of these girls have never been in the country before; very many see cows milked and horses groomed for the first time; and the hay-scented barn, at milking time, with the long rows of soft-eyed Jersey cattle, and the farmer and his assistants answering questions, is an inexhaustible fund of amuse- ment. Each set walks to the old Quaker Meeting House, a relic of ante-Revolutionary days, and listens to the thrilling stories of events which happened " on the spot;" and they often walk to the post office, where a gentle Quaker lady and her daughter entertain them, bringing out Quaker bonnets many years old, and relating their history.

Then there are picnic days, when "Chris" and the horses arrive early, and all are off for a drive through shady woods to the lake, a long day of boating, fishing and lunching in the woods, and at sunset a drive home "over the hills." Through the kindness of a gentleman, whose lovely home crowns the hill, the freedom of the lake was one year extended to Hill Hope; boats, fishing tackle, bathing suits, ice, lemonade, etc., being freely ten- dered to the girls at any time. Through the kindness of another gentleman from a distance, an outing fund was provided, so the girls might have driving when the home teams were not available. A lady has devoted many aft- ernoons and evenings to our girls, reading and walking . with them, taking tea in the woods, and making barn pic- nics for them. Many of the summer residents have shown thoughtful kindness by sending in quantities of fresh vegetables; and, once, the girls were invited to one of the

150

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

finest gardens in the place to pull all the flowers they wished. Said one pallid, sickly-looking girl: "1 never saw a sweet pea growing before." She and her compan- Ions gathered almost a bushel that morning, and in the afternoon assisted the King's Daughters Circle to arrange them to send to the New York Flower Mission.

Another set were invited by the manager of the "Dutcher House," in Pawling, to hear the band play. After a drive of six miles and an hour spent in rambling through the hotel grounds, they were served with ices in the music room.

One lovely September afternoon another set was asked by a lady, owner of a beautiful summer residence, to take tea at her home, and there charmingly entertained for two hours: after which they went, also by invitation, to walk through the garden and grounds of the gentleman who gave them the use of the lake, and whose wife has taught the successive parties of girls faithfully in the Sunday- school all summer, winning the heart of every one of them by her sweet graciousness of manner and her earnest teachings. Who can estimate the influence of this sim- ple, kindly hospitality and friendliness upon the toilful, cramped lives of our poor girls, except, indeed, He who spoke the " Inasmuch "?

G EORGE H. CRAMER, the proprietor of a well-known meat market at Red Hook, Dutchess county, is a representative of several of the oldest families of the vicinity. His ancestors on the paternal side settled here at an early date and bought land which succeed- ing generations cultivated. His grandfather, George Cramer, married Miss Allendorf, of Red Hook, and had seven children : Frederick, George, Henry A., Gettie, Lydia, Caroline and Bailey.

Henry A. Cramer, our subject's father, was born in 1804, was educated in the schools of Red Hook, and, like his forefathers, became a farmer. He married Miss Catherine Wal- dorph, and to their union were born the fol- lowing children : Balinda A., in 1827; John V. R., in 1830; George H., in 1834 ; James A., in 1836; and William C., in 1845. The mother died in 1895, at the age of eighty-three years ; the father in 188o. Our subject's mother was a descendant of another pioneer family which has taken a prominent part in the history of that locality. The old house, which has been the home of the family for generations, is still standing, a landmark which is looked upon with interest at this day. Mrs. Cramer's father, John Waldorph, was an influ- ential man of his time. He succeeded to the fertile acres which composed the family estate, and early in life married Miss Regina Benner, a daughter of Peter Benner, a leading farmer of Red Hook. Seven children were born of this union: William, John, Christopher, David, Maria, Catherine and Elizabeth.

George H. Cramer, our subject, attended the schools of his native place during his youth, and assisted his father upon the farm. He was married in October, 1862, to Miss Sarah C. Allendorf, a daughter of Philip Allendorf, a well-known resident of Red Hook, and one child blessed this union : Emma A., born October 30, 1866, who married Dr. William E. Traver, a promising young dentist of Red Hook. In 1876 Mr. Cramer gave up agricult- ural pursuits to engage in the meat trade in partnership with Philip Stickel. A year later, a brother-in-law, P. A. Allendorf, succeeded Mr. Stickel, but three years afterward he died and Clarence Shook took his interest, continuing for ten years, when C. N. Hicks, then an employe of the firm, purchased his share. Two years afterward Mr. Cramer bought out Mr. Hicks, and has since conducted the business in his own name, his energy and fine business ability assuring his continued success.

W ILLIAM A. SHOOK, of " Ardmore " farm, the well-known horticulturist and dairyman, whose large and admirably-con- ducted farm near Wappingers Falls, Dutchess county, is considered a model of its kind, is one of the most progressive citizens of the county.

His family has been prominent in the vicinity of Red Hook. Dutchess county, for several generations, and many of the name still reside there, among them being Sheridan Shook, a second cousin of our subject.

John Shook, our subject's grandfather, a native of Red Hook, was a leading agricultur- ist in his day, and an influential Democrat. He married Miss Nellie Shoemaker, and they reared a family of ten children, as follows: Christina, Maria, Helen, Cornelia, Aaron, Archibald, John, Walter, Alexander and Cath- erine. The parents were both members of the Lutheran Church. Aaron Shook, the fa- ther of our subject, grew to manhood at the old homestead, and married Miss Catherine Cramer, a descendant of an old Holland fam- ily, a daughter of Frederick Cramer, a leading carpenter of Red Hook. They settled on a farm there, and seven children were born to them: Lucetta, now the widow of Sylvester Teator, a farmer; Cornelia, the wife of Charles Schryver, a harness maker by trade; Helen, who married Robert W. Lewis, a farmer; William A., our subject; Gordon L., a farmer

451

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

by occupation (now deceased); Lydia E., who is at home; and Frederick, a resident of Rhine- beck. Aaron Shook died at the old home in 1884, his wife some five years later. He was an active worker in local affairs, and in the Democratic party, and held the offices of col- lector and poor master. '

William A. Shook, our subject, was born April 24, 1837, and spent his early years at the old homestead. In 1862 he married Miss Sarah D. Stickle, a daughter of Stephen P. Stickle, and granddaughter of Halley Stickle, both of whom were natives of Columbia coun- ty, N. Y. Her mother, Elizabeth (Couse) Stickle, was also born in that county, and both families traced their lineage to early Holland- Dutch settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Shook made their first home upon a farm in Red Hook, but in 1889 they moved to their present home, "Ardmore" farm, a fine estate of 400 acres. Since that time Mr. Shook has made many improvements. His specialties are fruit, bottled milk and cream, and garden produce, and he has about fifty cows, mostly Jerseys, besides other cattle. Among his extensive orchards there are 4,000 peach trees.

Mr. and Mrs. Shook have three sons: Frank B., manager of " Ardmore " farm, who married Miss Louise R. Hendricks; Edgar A., who married Miss Mary Scofield, and lives in the village of Fishkill; and Alfred E., at home.

R OBERT M. GREENE, a prominent hor- ticulturist of the town of Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, was born December 23, 1827, in the town of Milan. His family is of English extraction, and the first to come to America were Quakers in religious faith, and settled at an early period in Rhode Island- that refuge of the persecuted for conscience sake. His grandfather, Tobias Greene, was a native of that State, and passed his life there.

John R. Greene, our subject's father, was born near Providence, R. I., April 16, 1788, in early manhood came to Dutchess county, where he married Sabrina Martin, a lady of English descent, born April 8, 1793, a daugh- ter of George Martin, a leading farmer of the town of Milan. After his marriage he settled upon a farm in the same town, where he re- mained a number of years, removing later to a farm in the town of Rhinebeck. He was a Democrat of the old-fashioned sort, and he

and his wife belonged to the Christian Church, and were among the leaders in their vicinity in many of the progressive movements of their time. They had thirteen children: Mahala, who married (first) Mr. Hicks, and (second) Mr. Platt; Sarah J., the wife of Peter Welch, a farmer; Emeline, who married William C. Rikert, a butcher; Margaret A., the wife of Edward Knickerbocker, of Albany, who was, in early life, a teacher, but later on was a lum- berman; Martin T., a retired merchant, of Kane county, III .; George N., who died in childhood; John, who was a farmer in the town of Clinton; Elizabeth, who married Andrew J. Fish, a retired mechanic, in lowa; Robert M., our subject; Theron, who died in infancy; Martha, who married (first) Mr. H. Gray, and (later) Mr. Foster, of Hiawatha, Kans .; Walter N. (deceased), a lumber merchant at Burling- ton, Vt .; and Edmund, a wagon maker in the State of Washington. The father of this fam- ily died in 1867, his wife July 2, 1882.

The subject of our sketch was seven years of age when he came with his parents to his present home, where he has now lived for sixty- two years. He was married November 5, 1851, to Ann Eliza Vail, a native of the town of Stanford, born April 10, 1829, and a daugh- ter of Aaron Vail, a leading farmer there. They have had seven children: Evelyn, the wife of H. J. Lown, a farmer of Rhinebeck; Alice; Bertha; Hubert, a resident of the same township, and married to Miss Susie Harris; Delbert, who married Bertha V. L'Homme- dieu; Fanny; and Anabel, who married Reuben F. L'Hommedieu November 25, 1896.

Mr. Greene's farm comprises 138 acres de- voted to fruit raising, in which he has made a marked success. In politics he is a supporter of the principles of the Republican party, but he takes no active share in political work.

B ENJAMIN H. FRY, a wide-awake, ener- getic and progressive business man of Amenia, Dutchess county, was born in that village April 2, 1851. His father, Simeon Fry, was a native of Winchendon, Mass., born in 1817, and on reaching manhood was married to Miss Phebe Harris, of Pine Plains, Dutchess county, whose death occurred in 1852. In 1846 the father established the tin and stove . business in Amenia, which he successfully con- ducted until 1870, when the management was turned over to our subject, who ten years

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL PELOP.D.

later on the death of his father, assumed foi! contro! ci the business. Politically. he was Ers: a Whig. and later supported the Repub- lican party, while socially be was identified with Ameria Ledge No. 6;2. F. x A. M.

Mr. Fry. of this sketch, was an only child. and his boyhoud and youth were spent in attendance at the district schools and the Amenia Seminary. where he completed his literary course. A: the age of seventeen he left the schoolroom to learn the tinner's trade with his father. In Febreaty, 1576. he was married in the town of Washington, Dutchess county, the lady of his choice being Miss Ida B. Warner, daughter of Frederick Warner. and to them have been born four children: Clara. Louie. Helec. and Florence.

The Amenia Foundry was established by Mr. Fry in 18go for the manufacture of gen- eral castings, making a specialty of sash weights, since which time the foundry has been in continuous operation, producing 1.500 tons of castings per year. As a manufactory of sash weights it ranks as one of the best in the country.

In connection with the foundry, Mr. Fry also has the largest and best-equipped tin and stove store on the line of the Harlem railroad. There a specialty is made of the manufacture of copper wash boilers, making ;. cco a year. for which he has a large wholesale trade throughout the Eastern States as far north as Portland. Maine. He employs forty men and eight teams, with a pay-roll of $1.500 per month. Although one of the infant industries of the county. it seeks not the protection of a high protective tarif, but owes its success to the untining perseverance and able manage- ment of Mr. Fry. The Amenia Foundry is che of the few enterprises which furnish the life and prosperity of the village of Amenia. Ia 1:95 our subiect established a similar foundry a: Waterbury, Conn .. in connection with Julius Benedict. une of the oldest manufacturers of sash weights in this country. and they there employ from :wenty to thirty men.

The different industries with which Mr. Fry has been connected have been crowned with success Many of the men employed in the foundry when started are there at the presen: time. some of them having been with Mr. Fry for a quarter of a century, which fact speaks well for the judgment of the employer and the capabilities of the employes From the time of the establishment of the business, in ISE.

up to the present time, a period of Hity years, a Saturday pay-day has never been missed. a: which time the men and the cashier as free to give as they to receive. The fact that M .. Fry is at the head is a guarantee for the pros- perity and success of any enterprise, and we take pleasure in expressing our admiration for his remarkable business ability.

Socially. Mr. Fry affiliates with Amenia Lodge No. 6;2. F. & A. M., of which he has been master, and is also connected with Pough- keepsie Chapter. Council and Commandery, and Mecca Temple of Mystic Shrine in New York City. He is president of the Amenia Water Company, of which he is one-third owner.

A LBERT W. CORBIN deceased. Oa

the 4th of August, 18gs. there passed away at his home. in the town of Pawling. Dutchess county, the subject of this sketch, whose life of quiet and consistent usefulness had endeared him to a large circle of friends. Although by choice he followed the peaceful life of agriculture. he took a helpful part in the various local enterprises which marked the so- cial. religious and educational advance of the community. and his sympathies were always given to the side of progress.

Born in Patterson. Putnam Co .. N. Y .. Mr. Corbin was reared in Dutchess county, and as he reached manhood's estate he identifed himself completely with the interests of this locality. His family was already well- known here, his grandfather. Jabez Cor- bin, having come to the town of Pawling in the latter part of the last century. from Long Island. where the Erst ancestor of the American branch had settled at an early period on his arrival from England. Jabez Corbin probably located at Quaker Hill. He married Lucy Cheeseman, and reared a family of eight children-Isaac, our subject's father: William. a blacksmith a: Johnsville; George, a carpenter at Sherman. Cona .: Thomas, who lived near Fishkill: Benjamin, a farmer in Pennsylvania: Tallman, who also went to Pennsylvania: Lawrence. a resident of Pernam county; and Sarah, who married Harry Case. of Matteawan.

Isaac Corbin was born at Quaker Hill. November 10. 1,90. and in early manhood lived for a time a: Patterson, but in 1ses he returned to his native county and established

453

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his home in the village of Pawling, in the house occupied later by James Ferris. He was a blacksmith by trade, his shop being located just south of the Baptist church, and his in- dustry and successful management gained for him a fine competence. At one time he owned all that portion of the village site which lies west of the railroad. He wielded great influ- ence in local affairs, and was a strong sup- porter of the Democratic party. His wife, Martha (Haynes), was born January 8, 1796, a daughter of Archibald Haynes, a well-known resident of Patterson. They had four children, whose names with dates of birth are as follows: Jane, February 17, 1817, married John Ferris; Emeline, October 8, 1819, married Sheldon Haynes; Albert W., August 27, 1821; and Helen M., December 11, 1825, married Henry W. Wright, of Beekman, and is now the only surviving member of the family. The father died February 10, 1878, the mother on Oc- tober 28, 1882.

Albert W. Corbin attended the district schools of the town of Pawling, and a select school at Quaker Hill conducted by Serenus Jones; but although his advantages were the best which the time and the locality afforded, he was in a large degree self-educated, his reading in later years being unusually broad in its scope, history being his favorite study. ,He learned the blacksmith's trade with his father, but did not follow it, preferring agriculture. He began by working a farm east of the village, on shares, and gradually acquired large tracts of farming land, among them the Howland farm, upon which he made his home, the Stockholm farm, the Cook farm, and the one whereon Mrs. Corbin now resides, making him one of the most extensive real-estate holders in the town. He also at one time owned the ore bed at the top of the mountain, and was a stock- holder in the lower ore bed, of which he was superintendent for some years. He was an excellent business man, cautious, yet enterpris- ing, and of unquestioned integrity, and his advice was asked and followed in many im- portant enterprises. He was one of the orig- inal incorporators of the Savings Bank at Pawling, of which institution he held the office of trustee until the time of his death; and he was often called upon to assist in the settle- ment of estates. Possessing much public spirit, he took a generous interest in local affairs, and was a leader in the Republican organization of his town, serving for several terms as assessor,

and for five terms in succession as township supervisor.

In 1842 Mr. Corbin married Miss Julia A. Beardsley, a lady of English descent, and the daughter of Lewis Beardsley, a prominent resident of New Fairfield, Conn. Two chil- dren came of this union, viz .: Isaac L., born October 5, 1849; and Anna E., born January 12, 1851. now the wife of Edwin B. Dodge, a leading citizen of Pawling. Lewis Beardsley, father of Mrs. Corbin, was born January 17, 1798, in New Fairfield, Conn., and November Io, 1817, married Paulina Barnum, by whom he had five children: (1) Eliza married Will- iam H. Wright, and had nine children: Will- am H., John L., Thomas E., George W., Harriet E., Paulina, Albert W., Daniel B., and Albert D .; (2) Julia A. (Mrs. Corbin) comes next; (3) Daniel H. married Mary Lind- ley, and had three children: Huldah A., Alice and Lewis D .; (4) Huldah deceased when eighteen; (5) Paulina married Orris Haynes, and had two children: Lewis I., and Mary (deceased.) The mother of this family died October 7, 1832, and February 17, 1833, Mr. Beardsley wedded Miss Harriet Barnum (a sister of his first wife), and one child was born to them, named Hannah; her mother died in 1886. Mr. Beardsley passed from earth April 24, 1843, a member of the Presbyterian Church. By occupation Mr. Beardsley in his younger days was a farmer, later a speculator and merchant for some ten years, also bought and sold cattle.

Edwin B. Dodge, son-in-law of Mrs. Cor- bin, was born August 18, 1851, in the town of Pawling , Dutchess county, a son of John B. and Julia (Allen) Dodge, farming people, the other children in the family being Charles S., Priscilla F. and Ida A. The father of these died in 1861; the mother is yet living. Ed- win was married February 12, 1874, and they had two children: Essie A., born September 2, 1876, died September 24, 1877; and Albert E., born November 11, 1878, at present hold- ing a lucrative position in the general passen- ger agent's office New York Central & Hud- River R. R., city.

Edwin B. Dodge has served as collector of taxes, commissioner of public works, elected twice supervisor from Pawling, was nominated for member of Assembly in the First district of Dutchess county, but declined the nomination; is also a composer of religious, comic, and sentimental music.

454

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Isaac L. Corbin, eldest child of Albert W. and Julia A. Corbin, married Jennie Sher- man, June 14, 1871, and three children came of this union: Albert I., born November 6, 1872; Annie Maud, February 12, 1875, died April 23, 1875; Charles L., born March 3, 1876. The mother of these children died May 2, 1882, and Isaac L., in June, 1883, married for his second wife Mary F. Allison, of Canada. The children by this marriage are six in number: Willie A., born April 4, 1884; Frank B., born September 11, 1885; Cecil I., born June 12, 1887; Ethel B., born May 11, 1889; Lewis D., born April 21, 1891; Clement W., born April 27, 1896.

I. L. Corbin has large farming interests in Pawling, has always confined himself to agri- cultural pursuits, and is a conceded authority on up-to-date farming.

C HARLES H. SLOCUM, a traveling sales- man for the wholesale grocery house of Wright, Depew & Co., Nos. 103-105 Murray street, New York City, was born in the town of Pawling, Dutchess county, in 1860, and is about eight generations removed from Roscom Slocum, the founder of the family in the New World. He was a wealthy planter, and his wife, a Miss Fitzgerald, belonged to a prominent and well-to-do Irish family; she ran away from home, and her future husband paid her pas- sage in cattle.

Hiram Slocum, the father of our subject, was born in 1834, in the town of Dover, Dutchess county, where the birth of his father, Pardon Slocum, also occurred, and there the latter devoted his life to agricultural pursuits. Hiram Slocum's mother died when he was an infant, and he was reared by an uncle living near Cornwall Bridge, Litchfield Co., Conn., where he received only a limited district-school education. At the age of nineteen years he started out in life for himself, coming to Dover, where he engaged in shoemaking for a time. There he wedded Mary Olivett, by whom he has five sons: William E., of Poughquag; Hiram, a builder of the same place; Charles H., of this sketch; and Henry D. and Fred, also of Poughquag. After his marriage the father turned his attention to agricultural pur- suits in the town of Dover, where he remained until 1867, when he removed to his present farm in the town of Beekman. He is a self- made man, his possessions being the result of

his diligence, enterprise and perseverance, and he well deserves the success that has come to him. In politics he is a Democrat, and re- ligiously his wife is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In the town of Beekman, Charles H. Slocum attended the district schools, and after completing his education clerked in the store of H. Colwell for two years. At the age of nineteen years he bought out his employer, and conducted the business from March, 1880, until November 10, 1894, when his property was destroyed by fire, but he rebuilt the store, which he now rents to S. L. Davis & Dibble. Since June, 1895, he has been on the road in the wholesale grocery business as the outside financial agent for the firm. He was at one time treasurer and manager of the American Electric Light Company. As a business man he is winning success, and his unabating energy and diligence are important factors in his pros- perity.

At South Amenia Mr. Slocum was married to Miss Ella M. Odell, daughter of George W. Odell, and to them have been born two chil- dren: Blanche and Russell. Like his father, our subject also supports the Democratic party ; was supervisor of the town of Beekman in 1885, being the youngest member of the board; and in the fall of 1886 was nominated as a member of the General Assembly, but declined the honor. Since 1884 he served as postmaster of Poughquag except when Ben- jamin Harrison was filling the Presidential chair, and in both public and private life he has ever discharged his duties in a prompt and efficient manner. Socially he is connected with Hopewell Lodge No. 596, F. & A. M., and holds membership in the Methodist Epis- copal Church at Poughquag. Although he sustained a heavy loss at the time he was burned out, he was able to pay all his creditors one hundred cents on the dollar. All who know him esteem him for his sterling worth, his unimpeachable integrity and his up- right life.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York, Part 83

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