USA > New York > Encyclopedia of biography of New York, a life record of men and women whose sterling character and energy and industry have made them preeminent in their own and many other states, Vol. 2 > Part 51
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But it was not so much as a business man as in the part he played in conduct- ing public affairs that Mr. McGran was well-known in the city of his adoption, for in the latter department of activity he was felt as a very positive influence for good. He was a staunch supporter of the Democratic party and allied himself to the local organization thereof, taking such active part in its work that he was very soon recognized as a leader.' During the administration of Mayor Dillon he served most effectively as clerk of the board of health, and won the confidence of the community for the able way in which he
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handled his duties. A little later, under Mayor Raymond, he was elected to the office of receiver of taxes and served with equal success in that capacity during the administration. In 1912 Mr. McGran was appointed to a post in the State comp- troller's office, in the transfer tax depart- ment, and thereafter carried on his work in New York City where this office was situated. He was still serving in this ca- pacity at the time of his death. In the social circles of his town Mr. McGran was extremely prominent and was a member of a great number of fraternal societies and other organizations in the life of which he was conspicuous. While living in Newtown, Connecticut, he joined the fraternity of the Knights of Columbus, and upon coming to New Rochelle was one of the founders of a council of that order there and was en- rolled as a charter member. He was elected its deputy grand knight for the first two years of its existence and after- wards served a term as its grand knight. He also received the honor of member- ship in the Color Guard, Second New York Regiment, Fourth Degree. Mr. McGran was also a member of the New Rochelle Lodge, Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks; Knickerbocker Camp, Modern Woodmen of America; New Rochelle Council, Royal Arcanum; Di- vision Five, Ancient Order of Hibernians ; the Democratic Club and the Neptune Fire Company. In the matter of religion Mr. McGran was a staunch Catholic, a member of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, New Rochelle, active in the work of the parish and a member of a number of organizations connected there- with, the Irish Benevolent Society and the Holy Name Society, and he was also a member of the Robert Emmet Club.
Throughout the eighteen years during which Mr. McGran lived and carried on
his business in New Rochelle, he retained an affection for the city of his choice which expressed itself in many effective ways. He was extremely public spirited and was ever ready to take part in any movement or undertaking which had the common weal as an object and which appealed to his sense of what was wise and appropriate. His charities were large but unostentatious, and despite the promi- nent part he took in the community's affairs he was always of a retiring dis- position. Such men it is always more than usually the duty of posterity to re- member, in order that what they have neglected in their own behalf may be rectified and their names receive some- thing, even if but a tithe, of the credit that is their due.
WARD, Patrick H.,
Business Man, Public-Spirited Citizen.
No history of Poughkeepsie would be complete without the name of the late Patrick H. Ward, and this not merely because Mr. Ward was a prominent busi- ness man and useful citizen, but also for the additional reason that he was through- out his entire life identified with the city of his birth. Poughkeepsie always re- mained the centre of Mr. Ward's interests and never did he cease to be numbered among her most loyal sons.
Murtaugh Ward, father of Patrick H. Ward, was born in 1800, in County Down, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States, 1821, settling in the City of New York and later removing to Poughkeepsie, where the remainder of his life was passed. Mr. Ward married, in New York, about 1835, Mary Shannon, who was, a native of Connaught, Ireland, but who had, as he did, come at an early age to the United States.
Patrick H. Ward, son of Murtaugh and
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Mary (Shannon) Ward, was born June 8, 1845, in Poughkeepsie, New York, and received his education in St. Peter's School. After completing his course of study he was apprenticed to a firm of competent plumbers in Poughkeepsie for the purpose of learning the trade, and that he did so with exceptional thorough- ness his fellow citizens can bear abundant witness. For a number of years Mr. Ward was associated with a firm that did the plumbing work for Vassar College, and from the first he ranked as a skillful workman, being also liberally endowed with industry, energy and business ability. In 1874 he found himself in circumstances which justified him in going into busi- ness for himself and achieved a success as a man of his caliber could hardly fail to do. It was his firm which put the plumb- ing into the new post office building of Poughkeepsie and into the Hudson River State Hospital, an institution which is credited with having the most perfect system of sanitary plumbing in the United States.
In addition to his qualifications as a business man and a captain of industry. Mr. Ward possessed no small degree of literary ability and was widely known as the author of a number of articles for plumbers' trade journals. In everything pertaining to his trade he was looked upon as an authority and the productions of his pen were read with lively interest and regarded as sources of valuable in- formation. In politics Mr. Ward was an Independent, always considering the merits of the candidates irrespective of party prejudice. He was a member of the board of aldermen and served for a time as police commissioner of Pough- keepsie. In his discharge of the duties of both these offices he manifested a full measure of efficiency and the sincerest public spirit, having an eye single to the welfare of the community and the fulfil-
ment of his trust. He went out of office with a record honorable to himself and satisfactory to his fellow citizens. In the cause of temperance Mr. Ward felt a special interest, advocating it not only by the spoken and written word, but by the more potent agency of example. He was en- rolled in St. Peter's Temperance Society, belonged to the Knights of Columbus, and was a member of St. Peter's Church, contributing liberally to its work and sup- port.
The personality of a man so recently removed is too vividly remembered by his friends and neighbors to need descrip- tion here. Mr. Ward's strong presence and genial manner seem still almost present with us and it requires but a slight effort of memory to call before us the face which reflected the character and disposition that we knew so well, but for the sake of those who are to come after us it is to be wished that the lineaments of this excellent man might be preserved by the pencil of the artist.
Mr. Ward married, September 25, 1872, in Poughkeepsie, Catherine J. Doyle, a native of Boulogne, France, born March 28, 1849, who came in early youth to the United States. Their children are: I. J. Rigney, now undertaker in Poughkeepsie ; married, February 21, 1909, Ellen Sheedy, of Poughkeepsie. 2. Thomas J., now con- ducting his father's business ; married, July 24, 1906, Mary Haley, of Staatsburg, New York, and their children are: Thom- as A., Mary C., Monica J., William R. and Angelica T. 3. Lawrence, now liv- ing in Poughkeepsie, unmarried. 4. Mary Grace, teacher of music and organist of St. Peter's Church of this city. 5. Joseph, died in 1885. 6. Angelica, died in 1887. 7. Catherine R., formerly a teacher in the public schools of Poughkeepsie; now the wife of Frank Kearney and mother of two children: Catherine Patricia and Regina Frances. All of Mr. Patrick H. Ward's
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children and their children were born in Poughkeepsie. Mr. Ward was, above all else, a lover of home and family and his fireside was made dear to him by the presence of a most devoted wife, a woman who lived in and for her husband and children. In those sons and daughters, grateful, affectionate and growing up to be useful members of society, the parents found their highest happiness.
Some few years before his death Mr. Ward retired from business, but never lost his interest in local or national affairs, in the world of business or in the sphere of politics. The leisure which was his during this period of his life gave him larger opportunities for the enjoy- ment of the society of the many friends his sterling qualities had drawn around him. It was a shock to the entire com- munity when, on July 10, 1915, it was announced that Patrick H. Ward had passed away. All felt that the city had lost one of its finest representative men.
Seldom are we called upon to chronicle a life more fully rounded and complete than that of the upright and honorable man of whose career we have given an outline so extremely imperfect and in- adequate. As an industrial leader, as a business man of note and as a citizen dis- interestedly devoted to the public service Patrick H. Ward will long be remem- bered. He did much to increase the ma- terial prosperity of Poughkeepsie and he was largely instrumental in the promo- tion of municipal reform. His native city pays him the tribute of gratitude and re- spect, hoping and desiring that the future may give her many more men of the same type of true nobility.
FORD, Frank Ray,
Highly Regarded Citizen.
The debt that we owe to the man who simply brings good cheer in his com-
pany, whose presence of its own virtue suggests camaraderie and good fellowship, is commonly underestimated and, if not explicitly denied, at least forgotten. The man who builds up a great business, the man who erects a library or school, who establishes a park or donates a collection is commented upon, his gift thought of as a sort of a monument to his name, its value appraised and his title to note, in a large measure, gauged thereby. This is, of course, due to the fact that libraries and collections are tangible things which we can face familiarly, lay a yard stick upon, as it were, and compute in terms of dollars and cents, while in this age of what we choose to call practical common sense we are apt to be somewhat con- fused, if not abashed, when confronted with a spiritual fact like honor or senti- ment. And yet, taken in its larger aspect, is not a smile or an hour of warm friend- ship a better and more enduring monu- ment to a man than a dozen shafts, though they should be of alabaster ? And about these gifts, as bestowed upon us by some of the more positive and power- ful personalities, there is something which, to the sense, bulk almost like a solid, ponderable thing. It is as though such friendship was as sheltering as a house, such good cheer as warm as a tavern when the blaze is first kindled. Such a man and such a substantial boon the friendship and cheer that he carried with him and ever flung about him for all to gather, like a king's largesse, was Frank Ray Ford, who although he was debarred from that active part in the life of the community which his tastes would have impelled him to, and his talents fitted him for, by a cruel affliction, was yet a man of whose friendship all who knew him were proud, and whose personality was an in- fluence for good wherever it came.
Mr. Ford was a native of Cincinnati,
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Ohio, having been born there, March 5, 1857, but his associations with the place of his birth were comparatively slight, as his parents moved away from there when he was but five years of age and came to New York City. Mr. Ford's education was received in Philadelphia, to which city he was sent to school when he came of an age to leave home. The great afflic- tion of blindness came upon him in early life, and of course placed an insuperable barrier in the way of many careers that would otherwise have been open to him. With the courage of the true philosopher, however, he settled down to make the most of his life. He came to Yonkers, New York, while still a young man and there made his home from that time to the close of his life. He mingled with his fellow citizens freely and became a very well known figure in certain circles and was popular wherever he appeared on account of the courageous and cheerful manner with which he bore his affliction. He was especially fond of out-door sports and exercise and was devoted to boating and automobiling. He did not personally engage in active business, but he was quite capable of looking after his own affairs and managed his estate success- fully. He was an active and popular member of the Yonkers Corinthian Yacht Club, and took a considerable part in the informal social life of the city. In his religious belief Mr. Ford was a Baptist and attended for many years the Warbur- ton Avenue Church of that denomination, contributing generously to its work, espe- cially where this was connected with some philanthropic or charitable purpose. The death of Mr. Ford occurred May 22, 1914, at the age of fifty-seven years, and cut short a life in which spiritual power had triumphed in a very unusual degree over material obstacles and physical dis- abilities.
Mr. Ford was united in marriage, on May 28, 1890, with Isabella Dunlap, of New York City, a daughter of William and Margret (Tripler) Dunlap, old and highly respected residents of that place. Mrs. Ford survives her husband and still makes Yonkers her place of residence.
BROMM, Helfrich,
Business Man.
When the many diverse elements now seething in this great melting pot of the nations, the United States, have become finally amalgamated and the resultant race which we may then justly call "American" emerges, it will be found be- yond a doubt that it owes a great debt of gratitude to the Germanic peoples that have entered into its makeup in such great numbers and have leavened the whole mass with their strong and characteristic racial virtues of patient industry, com- plete devotion to the cause they have chosen and the most untiring pursuit of the objective they have set themselves. In innumerable throngs they have come from the "Fatherland" hither, each strong in the above virtues, each a potential fac- tor in the race to be. A splendid example of the best type of this great people was Helfrich Bromm, late of White Plains, New York, the distinguished gentleman whose death in that place removed from the community one of its foremost mer- chants and business men and a citizen prominent in every worthy department of the city's life. This loss, which occurred on December 26, 1915, was felt by the en- tire community which had grown to ap- preciate his sterling qualities through many years of disinterested, public-spirit- ed service.
Born in the Province of Hesse-Cassel, Germany, April 5, 1845, Mr. Bromm was a son of W. and Anna Katrina (Brown)
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Bromm, highly respected citizens of that region. His father was a cavalryman in the German army and had seen active service in the wars of the period so troublous in European affairs, and had taken part in a number of pitched battles. The son, Helfrich, passed the first sixteen years of his life in his native region, per- forming the same tasks and enjoying the same pastimes that his fellows of that time and place were accustomed to and gaining his education in the local volke- schule. He was a bright and enterprising youth and the accounts he heard of the United States, the great republic across the water, made him anxious to test for himself these wonders. Accordingly, in 1861, he sailed for this country, landing in New York City, and made that place his home for about two years. In 1863 he came to White Plains where he estab- lished himself in a tailoring business which he continued to conduct for the remainder of his life. He was highly successful in this enterprise and came in time to be regarded as one of the most substantial merchants in the entire region.
Business affairs made a very consider- able demand upon the time and energy of Mr. Bromm, yet not enough to prevent him from taking an active part in other departments of the community's life. In the matter of politics, for instance, he was extremely prominent and did much to advance the cause of the Republican party locally, he being a staunch sup- porter of its principles and policies. But though he was so active, he consistently refused public office of any kind or politi- cal preferment and only served in two very minor posts, in spite of the fact that his colleagues urged him often to accept candidacies more in keeping with his talents and abilities. He was an Episco-
palian in religious belief and for many years attended Grace Episcopal Church at White Plains and liberally supported the work of the parish, especially the philanthropies connected therewith. He was active also in social and fraternal circles in White Plains and belonged to a number of organizations among which should be mentioned Hebron Lodge, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows.
On February 13, 1866, Mr. Bromm was united in marriage with Margaret Foster Fausset, of White Plains, who died in 1908, a daughter of Arthur and Jane (Foster) Fausset, old and honored resi- dents of that town. Upon his death Mr. Bromm was survived by three children, as follows: Anna K., now the wife of George Foster, of New York City, a prac- ticing engineer, and the son of James and Lillian (Struttle) Foster, of that place ; Mary Jane, now Mrs. Joseph Smith, of Clogher, County Tyrone, Ireland ; Robert C., assistant auditor of passenger ac- counts of the New York Central & Hud- son River Railroad Company, and form- erly chief engineer of the White Plains Fire Department. Another son, William J., died in 1913, at the age of forty-one years.
Mr. Bromm was a splendid type of the substantial merchant upon whose efforts the prosperity of a community so largely depends. Of unimpeachable honesty and business integrity, he enjoyed an enviable reputation among his fellows and was one of the most conspicuous figures in the community. In his home he was a de- voted husband and father, always seeking the happiness of those about him even at the expense of his own, and in all the rela- tions of life he might well serve as a model for the youth of the community to pattern themselves after.
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MACDONALD, Peter,
Florist.
Among the citizens sent to the United States from various parts of the Old World natives of Caledonia are not, per- haps, as numerous as those of some other lands, but none can say that they do not make up in force of character and ability for any deficiency in numbers. Yonkers has been fortunate enough to count among her citizens many of these stal- wart Scotsmen, some of whom have now passed into the history of the city. Of these one of the best known and most highly esteemed was the late Peter Mac- donald, for a score of years superintend- ent of the estate of the late William F. Cochran and during the closing years of his life engaged in business as a florist. Mr. Macdonald was also active in social and fraternal circles of Yonkers and the vicinity.
Peter Macdonald was born in the beau- tiful city of Inverness, Scotland, May II, 1854, and there received his education. On reaching manhood he decided to seek his fortune beyond the seas, and accord- ingly he and his bride, Ann (Campkin) Macdonald, sailed for the United States, eventually finding a home in Yonkers. Both by education and natural talent he was fitted for a position of exceptional trust and responsibility, and this he secured when he became superintendent of the estate of William F. Cochran. The manner in which he performed the duties of his office proved him to be possessed of fine administrative ability and a rare capacity for detail and gave him high standing as a man endowed with qualities which rendered him valu- able to the community. After serving in this important position for twenty years Mr. Macdonald resigned in order to en- gage in business as a florist. His estab-
lishment was on Main street and as its well informed and courteous proprietor he is vividly remembered by many of the citizens of Yonkers. Some one has said that a gardener is always Scotch, and if this be so the business of a florist was singularly appropriate for Mr. Mac- donald in view of his nationality as well as of his love for flowers and his knowl- edge in regard to their cultivation.
Eminently social in his disposition, Mr. Macdonald was identified with a number of organizations. He belonged to the Yonkers Horticultural Society and was a former member of the Tarrytown Horti- cultural Society. In the Clan MacGregor he held an honorary membership and he affiliated with Rising Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Terrace City Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Yonkers Commandery, Knights Templar; and Yonkers Council, Royal Arcanum. At the meetings of all these bodies he was ever a welcome presence by reason of the sincere respect felt for his sterling quali- ties and the cordial regard inspired by his genial nature and friendly disposition. In Mr. Macdonald's speech there always lingered a trace of his native Scottish ac- cent, imparting to his conversation a de- lightful raciness and pungency which none who had the pleasure of speaking with him ever forgot. In fact, his whole personality was redolent of his birth- place, showing him to belong to the land of Scott and Burns, but none the less was he a loyal American citizen, earnest in the promotion of the best interests of his community.
Mr. Macdonald married Ann Campkin, of London, and they were the parents of the following children: William Angus, of Yonkers; James, also of Yonkers; Alexander P., of Yonkers; Anna, wife of Frederick Maxwell; and Grace, wife of Matthias August Thormahlen. The home
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life of Mr. Macdonald was very happy. He was a most affectionate husband and father, and his wife, a most excellent woman, lived in and for her husband and children.
Peter Macdonald did not live to be an old man. On April 10, 1912, almost in his prime, he passed away, after a busy, use- ful and happy life. His friends and neigh- bors, and his friends were found in all classes of the community, mourned for him as an able, honest and lovable man, a man of unblemished integrity, earnest public spirit and great kindness of heart. It is to be wished that the land from which Mr. Macdonald came would send us more of her sons. It would be well for our country to have a larger infusion of Caledonian blood. Our old Anglo- American stock has received, to its great advantage, shoots from Ireland, Wales, Holland, Germany, France, Scandinavia
and Southern Europe, and those that have been grafted upon it from the "land of brown heath and shaggy wood" have demonstrated the immense value which would accrue to us from a reinforcement of Scotsmen. May the future bring us more of the type of Peter Macdonald.
DERIVAN, James Francis, Business Man.
James Francis Derivan, late of Yonkers, New York, was a fine example of the best English type which sends its sons abroad to all parts of the world in that great movement of expansion that has meant the domination of the Anglo-Saxon peoples.
James Francis Derivan was born on July 20, 1859, at Stratford, England, but his associations were very limited with his historical birthplace as he came with his parents to the United States while yet a small child. His parents, Thomas and Ellen (Carey) Derivan, made their home
in the New World in New York City and it was in the fine public schools of the Western Metropolis that young Mr. Deri- van gained his education. Upon com- pleting his studies he engaged in the meat business in an enterprise of his own which did business under the style of Derivan & Company. His father and himself formed a partnership and continued this business until the death of the elder man after which Mr. Derivan continued it alone. He was highly successful in this enterprise and in the year 1886 came to Yonkers, New York, where he purchased a handsome house, and lived there during the remainder of his life. He was very prominent in the community, especially in connection with his religious associ- ations. He was a staunch Catholic and attended St. Mary's Church in Yonkers and was a member of a number of organ- izations connected therewith. He was a prominent member of the Knights of Columbus and of the Society of St. Vin- cent de Paul. Mr. Derivan died Decem- ber 8, 1914.
PARPART, Max,
Expert Insurance Official, Musician.
Max Parpart, whose death occurred in Mount Vernon, New York, June 7, 1905, though not a native of this country, was one of the representative men of his adopted community, whose name is iden- tified with the great industrial and busi- ness development of the city wherein he made his home for the major part of his life. He was a member of a well-known German family. Born at Dusseldorf, Germany, on May 19, 1846, Max Parpart passed the years of his childhood and young manhood in his native land. He received his education in the local volke- schule and the universities in Berlin and Hamburg, and on coming of age rendered the usual military services to the Father-
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