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 pre?minent in their own and many other states. V.6 > Part 16
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moved to Poughkeepsie, where he lived a retired life. Mr. Vail was a director for fifteen years of the Fallkill National Bank, member of the Amrita Club, Dutchess Golf and Country Club, and of the Masonic order. He married, January 14, 1885, Gertrude B. Flagler, born January 24, 1862, daughter of Philip D. Flagler, of "Overlook," town of Lagrange, Dutch- ess County, New York. They were the parents of two children : Lavina Cornell, who married Dr. Harrington; and Elias C., born September 25, 1889, at Verbank, Dutchess County, New York; educated at Riverview Military Academy, vice- president of the Pouvailsmith Manu- facturing Company, Poughkeepsie; mar- ried, October 7, 1916, Alice Jaquith, of Omaha, Nebraska, and they were the parents of two children : Joan and Eleanor Vail.
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VAN KLEECK, Frank, Merchant.
In the death of Frank Van Kleeck, in 1917, the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, lost one of its most honorable merchants and citizens. A thoughtful, quiet man, he said or did nothing for dis- play, and was always tolerant of those who differed with him. Always a gentle- man, it was a pleasure to be associated with him socially or in business, and he left a good example of honorable and faithful living. Mr. Van Kleeck was noted in the business world principally for his succession in the family line in the manufacture of hats and furs, an industry established more than a century ago in Poughkeepsie and which holds an impor- tant place in the commercial life of that city. He preserved the rich traditions of the ancient family name, and sought to promote the success of the establishment
through increased volume of trade and progressiveness of management. In these endeavors he was instrumental in having the business keep pace with the forward movement of the city of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Van Kleeck himself set a high mark for personal integrity in business affairs, which is one of the pleasant memories cherished by his family and associates.
Frank Van Kleeck was a direct descendant of Baltus Barentsen Van Kleeck, the first of the family name to emigrate from Holland and transplant the roots of that robust stock to a farm- stead on the site of the present city of Poughkeepsie. In 1697, Baltus B. Van Kleeck bought a farm, and with character- istic energy began to do those things to which the succeeding generations of Van Kleeck's delighted to point. He was the first man to open a farm in that section, and he was the first man of any family in that region to build a stone house as the seat of his homestead. This famous Van Kleeck house for many years stood as a landmark on Mill Street, near Vassar Street, Poughkeepsie. From with- in its walls Baltus B. Van Kleeck went forth to become a member of the Colonial Assembly. He was successful in this ad- venture into politics, and was succeeded in office by his son Johannis. There were six children in the Van Kleeck family from which Frank Van Kleeck sprang. The line descends through Peter, Baltus, Peter B. and Teunis, the grandfather of Frank Van Kleeck.
Teunis Van Kleeck was born June 14, 1773, in Poughkeepsie, and having learned the hatter's trade, he established himself in that line of business in 1799. He mar- ried, January 15, 1792, Irene Bacon, and to them were born nine children, of whom the son next in line was Albert.
Albert Van Kleeck was born in Pough-
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keepsie, December 27, 1807. He carried on his father's business until his own death, November 7, 1866. He attained prominence in that region in both busi- ness and politics. In 1857 he was elected treasurer of Dutchess County. He was appointed postmaster of Poughkeepsie by President Lincoln, and received a reap- pointment from President Johnson, but died before his term of office expired. In early manhood he was a Whig, but after- ward threw his influence to the new-born Republican party. He was succeeded in the hat manufacturing business by his son Edward, who died November 13, 1890. His widow and Frank Van Kleeck managed the business until February, 1894, when Frank Van Kleeck assumed the entire management. Albert Van Kleeck married, September 23, 1833, Eliza Green, a native of England. To them were born ten children.
Frank Van Kleeck, of this memorial, was born in Poughkeepsie, June 25, 1857, the son of Albert and Eliza (Green) Van Kleeck. His death occurred on October 14, 1917. He was educated in the schools of Poughkeepsie, and early in life became engaged in the manufacture of hats and furs, an industry that had been in the Van Kleeck family for more than one hundred years. The family traditions and inci- dents of local history were so indelibly stored in the mind of Frank Van Kleeck that for many years he was a delightful medium of this class of information to numerous people of the community. One of the relics most highly prized by him was a hat that had been made by his grandfather, Teunis Van Kleeck, for a soldier of the War of 1812.
Mr. Van Kleeck for a number of years had been president of Vassar Brothers' Hospital, and was a trustee of that insti- tution for more than a quarter of a cen-
tury. The board of trustees of the hos- pital adopted the following resolutions on the death of Mr. Van Kleeck:
WHEREAS, Frank Van Kleeck, whose death occurred on October 14, 1917, was a trustee of Vassar Brothers' Hospital for twenty-six years and was president of the Board of Trustees for eleven years prior to March, 1913, it seems fitting that more than passing notice should be taken of his death.
Resolved, That the Board of Trustees of Vassar Brothers' Hospital desires to place upon record its appreciation of his sterling qualities, his uniform courtesy and his conscientious performance of his official duties and its profound regret that a life so useful and a relationship so agreeable should be terminated; further
Resolved, That this resolution be recorded in the minutes of the board and a copy thereof sent to Mr. Van Kleeck's family.
BENJAMIN M. FOWLER, Secretary.
Mr. Van Kleeck was a trustee for twen- ty-six years of the Vassar Brothers' Home for Aged Men. He was a member of the Adriance Memorial Library Board, hav- ing been appointed to the first board in 1899. At a special meeting of the board of trustees of the City Library, October 16, 1917, the following was unanimously adopted :
The Board of Trustees of the City Library wishes to record its esteem for its late member, Mr. Frank Van Kleeck, and to express its sorrow and regret for his death.
Mr. Van Kleeck was one of the original mem- bers of the library board and has continued in office since the board organized on May 4, 1900. He took a deep interest in the work of the library, and as chairman of the Book Committee did much by his advice and counsel to give the library its present high standing.
The board feels that the city has lost a valuable official and a citizen; and the cordial relation existing among the members of the board makes his death the loss of a personal friend to the sur- viving members.
Resolved, That the foregoing be entered in full upon the minutes and a copy sent to his family.
I. REYNOLDS ADRIANCE, President. JOHN L. SICKLEY, Secretary.
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Mr. Van Kleeck published, in 1900, "The Van Kleeck Family," a little volume of great historical value. In his political affiliations he was a Republican. He was a member of the Holland Society of the State of New York; a member for more than forty years and at one time president of the Amrita Club, a member of the Dutchess County Historical Society, the Phoenix Hose Company, Triune Lodge, No. 782, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Reformed Dutch Church. ʻ
Mr. Van Kleeck married, September 24, 1891, Sarah P. Sleight, daughter of Henry A. and Mary (Ward) Sleight, old and honored residents of Dutchess County and of Revolutionary stock. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Van Kleeck are: 1. Mary Sleight, who mar- ried, December 29, 1920, Theodore Van Kleeck Swift, of Poughkeepsie. 2. Baltus Barentsen, born April 10, 1901, at Pough- keepsie; he was educated at Riverview Military Academy, the Choate School at Wallingford, Connecticut, and Williams College, and is a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Holland Society of the State of New York, and is associated in the management of the busi- ness established by his forefathers.
RYON, Walter Gohring,
Superintendent Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie.
Recognized throughout the State of New York as an authority on mental diseases, Dr. Walter G. Ryon, the super- intendent of the Hudson River State Hos- pital at Poughkeepsie, New York, brought to his present important position exper- ience and equipment acquired in four hospital tenures of office or periods of post-graduate study. At the institution of which he is the head his deep learning and the great fund of knowledge gained
from close research in matters and cases of ills affecting the mind qualify him to serve with excellence of wisdom and ex- treme humaneness as the final arbiter in the numerous perplexing problems pre- sented in the care of nature's unfortu- nates. So highly esteemed is he as an ex- pert in his specialized department that Governor Alfred E. Smith has appointed him a member of a commission to deter- mine the mental condition of condemned prisoners. Dr. Ryon also ranks as a high authority on nervous diseases, and has contributed numerous articles for maga- zines and other periodicals on mental subjects. He has now been seven years superintendent of the Hudson River State Hospital, and is said by State Officials and the medical fraternity to have made an unqualified success of his administra- tion.
(I) Dr. Ryon is a grandson of George P. Ryon, one of the early settlers of St. Lawrence County, New York, who was born in Hammond, New York, 1820, and died there in 1881. He was a master builder by occupation. He married Eliza- beth Lum, who came of an old Ogdens- burg, New York, family, and they were the parents of three sons : Charles, Frank, and George Ludlow, of whom further.
(II) George Ludlow Ryon, son of George P. and Elizabeth (Lum) Ryon, was born in Rossie, St. Lawrence County, New York, February 6, 1850. He attend- ed the public schools of Ogdensburg, and at the age of fifteen years, while the Civil War was in progress, he entered the service as a drummer-boy. He later was made Quartermaster sergeant and as- signed to Department Headquarters at Atlanta, Georgia. Returning from the war, he became connected with the firm of Skillings, Whitney & Barnes, a lumber company of Ogdensburg, of which he
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became treasurer, and remained with them in various capacities until he reached the age of fifty-five, when he re- tired from active work. Mr. Ryon is vice- president and director of the National Bank of Ogdensburg, and is interested in the Strong Lumber Company, the Mc- Laren Lumber Company and a number of other business enterprises. He is a member and a trustee of the Ogdensburg Presbyterian Church and is active in church affairs. Mr. Ryon married (first), in 1872, Grace Hill, who died in March, 1874; they were the parents of one child, Walter Gohring, of whom further, whose grandparents, on his mother's side, were James and Jane (Kane) Hill, of Ham- mond, New York. Mr. Ryon married (second), in 1879, Emma Frances Davis, daughter of Hollis and Hannah (Haber) Davis, of Weston, Massachusetts.
(III) Dr. Walter Gohring Ryon, son of George Ludlow and Grace (Hill) Ryon, was born in Ogdensburg, New York, March 23, 1874. He attended the public schools of his home city and Ogdens- burg Academy. He then took up the study of medicine at the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons of Columbia Uni- versity, New York City, and was gradu- ated, class of 1896, degree of M. D. He entered the Manhattan State Hospital, Ward's Island, as interne, where he re- mained fourteen months. He next was appointed assistant physician at the State Hospital, Central Islip, Long Island, re- maining there six years. He then was assigned as assistant physician to the St. Lawrence State Hospital at Ogdensburg, in which position he continued eight years, of until he was promoted to first assistant physician to the Willard State Hospital, Willard, New York. He was in the latter position ten months, when he was given the appointment, January 17, 1912, of medical inspector for the State
Hospital Commission. This position he filled until April 19, 1917, when he was appointed superintendent of the Hudson River State Hospital at Poughkeepsie, of which office he is the successful incum- bent.
Dr. Ryon is a Fellow of the American Medical Association, member of the New York State Medical Society, American Psychiatric Association, New York Soci- ety for Clinical Psychiatry, Society of Medical Jurisprudence, Mental Hygiene Committee of the New York State Chari- ties Aid Association, Dutchess and Put- nam Counties Medical Society, Pough- keepsie Academy of Medicine, Dutchess County Historical Society, Nurses Advis- ory Council of the New York State Department of Education. His fraterni- ties are: Poughkeepsie Lodge, No. 275, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Poughkeepsie Lodge, No. 266, Free and Accepted Masons; Ogdensburg Chapter, No. 63, Royal Arch Masons and King Solomon Council, No. 31, Royal and Select Masters, Poughkeepsie. His clubs are the Amrita, Dutchess Golf and Country, Dutchess County Sportsman and Poughkeepsie Auto, all of Pough- keepsie. He is a member of Christ Epis- copal Church, Poughkeepsie.
Dr. Ryon married, October 2, 1902, Annie Isabel Hall, daughter of William C. and Anna (Cooper) Hall, of Ogdens- burg. Dr. and Mrs. Ryon are the parents of three sons: William Church Hall, born October 20, 1903; George Ludlow (2), born September 14, 1905; Walter Gohring, Jr. born May 16, 1908.
KINGSTON, Walter W., Contractor, Builder.
The line of the Kingston family herein considered has been identified with America for three generations, but for
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many centuries prior to the founding of the family in the New World the patro- nymic "Kingston" was well and widely known throughout the British Isles. Walter W. Kingston is to-day a represent- ative of the third generation of his branch of the family in the United States, and as a successful contractor and builder and as a highly respected citizen his name is well known in Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County, New York State.
The family originated in England, whence it eventually spread to Scotland and Ireland. The name is classified by the late etymologist, Charles Wareing Bardsley, as a local surname, taken from the name of the parish in which early members of the family lived. There are Kingston parishes in the counties of Cam- bridge, Devon, Somerset, Southampton, Sussex, Berks, Wilts, East Riding, and Yorks, and in the parishes did the name originate almost simultaneously when early in the eleventh century it became the custom to use surnames. Probably the most ancient of the twenty-two coats-of- arms which have been granted to various branches of the family is the one used by the parent branch during the reign of Richard II.
Arms-Argent, a steel cap proper in the front thereof a feather gules.
Unlike the vast majority of English, Irish, Scotch, and Welsh patronymics, Kingston has undergone very few ortho- graphic changes. Its earliest form was Kyngeston, as is evidenced by many old records, for instance, in the Hundred Rolls, 1273, Peter de Kyngeston is listed as a resident of London. In England proper and in Ireland did the family be- come especially numerous and ramified, and from Ireland sprang the progenitor of the family from which Walter W. Kingston is a lineal descendant.
N.Y .- 8-8
(I) John Green Kingston, the immi- grant ancestor of Walter W. Kingston, was born August 17, 1814, in Bantry Bay, Ireland, and died in Worcester, Massa- chusetts, February 19, 1895. Upon com- ing to America he settled in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. He was a ship- builder, and followed the vocation for many years in St. John. Subsequently he removed to Worcester, Massachusetts, where he lived a retired life until his death. He was married, in England, to Harriet Smith, born January 11, 1826, in Hull, Yorkshire, England; she died in March, 1913; she bore her husband five sons and one daughter, George, of whom forward, being the youngest.
(II) George Kingston, youngest of the six children of John Green and Harriet (Smith) Kingston, was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, October 3, 1854. His education was received in the public schools of his birthplace, following which he became associated with his father in the latter's ship-building business. While still a young man he removed to and set- tled in Worcester, Massachusetts, and here with his four brothers he engaged in the contracting and building business. Later he took over the concern and con- ducted it alone, doing an extensive busi- ness in Worcester and its environs. To- day he is a well known and respected citi- zen, and identified with the fraternal life of his community through membership in the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. His religious affiliation is given to the Universalist Church. He was mar- ried in the year 1878 to Harriet Margaret Neve, born March 5, 1859, a native of London. To them were born four chil- dren : Laura ; Alma ; Walter W., of whom forward; Alice.
(III) Walter W. Kingston, only son
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and third of the four children of George and Harriet Margaret (Neve) Kingston, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, April 18, 1883. His early education was obtained in the local public schools and Worcester English High School. Upon the completion of his scholastic work he entered the employ of George H. Cutting & Company, of Worcester, as civil engi- neer and time keeper on their construc- tion work. After a period of six years in this capacity he became connected with the J. W. Bishop Company as superin- tendent of construction, which position he ably filled for eight years. In 1911 he removed to Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, in order to become superintendent of construction of Jocelyn Hall and the Auditorium buildings at Vassar College. In 1913 the firm of King- ston & Campbell, contractors and build- ers, was formed, and during the follow- ing six years the firm constructed many private residences, in addition to the Dutchess Manufacturing Building, the Smith Brothers Factory, the Windsor Hotel, and the First National Bank Building. In 1919 the firm was dissolved by mutual consent and W. W. Kingston now conducts his business under the firm
name of W. W. Kingston & Company, In- corporated, of which he holds the chief ex- ecutive position. Among the many im- portant contracting and building opera- tions undertaken by the firm was the re- modeling of the Lucky Platt Department Store, the Viola Public School, the Hud- son River Foundry, the Delafield School, Marion's Garage, and many others.
Mr. Kingston has been active in fra- ternal circles, as is evidenced by his many affiliations. He is Past Master of Pough- keepsie Lodge, No. 266, Free and accept- ed Masons; Past High Priest of Pough- keepsie Chapter, No. 172, Royal Arch
Masons; Past Master of King Solomon's Council, No. 31, Royal and Select Mas- ters; Grand Representative of the Grand Council, State of New York; and member of Poughkeepsie Commandery, No. 43, Knights Templar; Tri-Po-Bed Grotto, Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm ; and the Masonic Club; Poughkeepsie Lodge, No. 21, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and Poughkeepsie Lodge, No. 275, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He also holds membership in the Amrita Club; the Poughkeepsie Auto- mobile Club; Poughkeepsie Kiwanis Club ; and is a member and former direc- tor of the Poughkeepsie Chamber of Com- merce. He was one of the six enterpris- ing citizens to take over the Poughkeepsie Driving Park in order to maintain it as such for the community. His religious affiliation is given to the Presbyterian Church.
Walter W. Kingston was married in Baltimore, Maryland, July 30, 1907, to Marguerite Louise Pentz, a daughter of Thomas and Katherine C. (Mathews) Pentz, residents of Baltimore, Maryland. Walter W. and Marguerite Louise (Pentz) Kingston are the parents of two children : Mildred D., born July 5, 1908, and Elva M., born April 10, 1918.
WEAVER, Fred Bain, Physician.
Ability, thorough preparation, and close attention to the duties of his profession have enabled Dr. Fred Bain Weaver to attain high standing among his col- leagues and to fill with notable efficiency the responsible position of company sur- geon of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company.
Dr. Weaver is of English ancestry, bearing a name which was distinguished
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in the "right little tight little island" more son, the son being Norman, of whom fur- than three centuries ago. The name ther. doubtless belongs to the class known as occupational in its earliest history, but the family in America is said to derive its name directly from the Manor of Weever, near Middlewick, Cheshire, England. After coming to America the form Weaver seemed to be preferred and it is in general use in this country at the pres- ent time. The family in England was and is armigerous, bearing arms as fol- lows :
Arms-Barry of four, argent and sable; on a chief of the last a garb or.
Crest-A ram's head erased argent, armed or.
In this country the Weaver family has attained distinction and honor, and has been represented in nearly every line of useful activity including agriculture, mechanical lines, and the professions. The Weaver family of Rhode Island, which ranks among the leading families of Colonial origin in the State, was founded in Newport, Rhode Island, about the year 1655, when Clement Weaver be- came a freeman in Newport. He pur- chased land there and settled about three miles from Newport, in which is now Middletown. He became prominent in the community and was elected deputy to the Rhode Island General Assembly. Representatives of the name were in New York State before the Revolution.
(I) Peter A. Weaver, grandfather of Dr. Fred B. Weaver, was born in the town of Gallatin, Columbia County, New York, in 1815, and died there in 1859. He spent practically all of his life there. He was well known as a successful hotel proprietor and farmer, and was one of the highly esteemed citizens of the town. He married Emma Barnard, born in Gal- latin, in 1811, died in 1884, and they were the parents of four daughters and one 837, and of fourteen subsequent kings of
(II) Norman Weaver, son of Peter A. and Emma (Barnard) Weaver, was born in the town of Gallatin, Columbia County, New York, March 12, 1840, and died December 21, 1921. After receiving a good practical education in the public schools of his native district, he became his father's associate in the hotel business and in his agricultural activities, and this connection was maintained to the time of the death of the father. Norman Weaver then purchased the homestead from the other heirs, but in 1874 he sold the home farm and purchased a larger one, known as the Lasher Farm, located near Gal- latin. This he successfully conducted to the time of his death. While winning success in his personal business affairs, he did not neglect his duties as a citizen, but served the community in which he lived in the same efficient manner in which he conducted his own business. He was prominent and highly esteemed through- out the county, and took an active part in local public affairs, serving for years as town clerk. For more than half a cen- tury he was a member of the Masonic order, being affiliated with Widows Sons Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Livingston, New York.
Norman Weaver married, July 6, 1864, Christina Avery, daughter of Solomon and Sarah E. (Bain) Avery, of West Tagkkanic, Columbia County, New York. Mrs. Weaver is a descendant, in the eighth generation, of Captain James Avery, who was born in England, about 1620, and married Joanna Greenslade, of Boston, Massachusetts; their son, Sam- uel Avery, 1664-1723, married Susannah Palnus, 1665-1747, who was a direct de- scendent of Egbert, first king of England,
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England, and of Irish descent ; their son, Humphrey Avery, 1699-1788, married, 1724, Jerusha Morgan ; their son, Solomon Avery, 1729-1798, married, 1753, Hannah Punderson ; their son, Henry Avery, 1767- 1853, married Hannah Rockefeller (aunt of John D. Rockefeller's father); their son, Solomon Avery, 1812-1901, married Sarah C. Bain, and their daughter, Chris- tina Avery, married Norman Weaver. The Bain family, mentioned above, is of Scotch origin. Sarah C. Bain, who mar- ried Solomon Avery, was a daughter of Andrew and Christina (Millis) Bain, and a descendant of Hugh Bain, who came to this country from Scotland about 1715. Norman and Christina (Avery) Weaver became the parents of two children: I. Henry Avery, born April 19, 1867, died November 6, 1893; married Kate Hins- dale, and has one child, Henry Avery Weaver, born April 3, 1894. 2. Dr. Fred B. Weaver, of whom further.
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