History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 22

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703

USA > New York > Queens County > History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals. > Part 22

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The institution of slavery antedated the earliest settle- ments on the island, and not only were African servants brought from Holland, but families who came from New England imported Indians, who were either prisoners of war or the children of those who had been. The earliest mention of slaves found in any of the old historical works

During the last years of the eighteenth century the stand taken by the Quakers against slavery, and the visits of free negroes, many of whom were at that time employed on American vessels, had stirred up a desire for freedoni which led to many attempted and some suc- cessful escapes. On May 10th 1791 the Daily Advertiser contained the following: "$20 Reward. Ran away from Flushing two negro men! One Aaron, the prop- erty of Jeremiah Vanderbilt, who had on fustian trowsers and wool hat, and is a good boatman; the other, Poly- dore, the property of Francis Lewis, who wore a blue cloth jacket and breeches, woolen stockings and wool hat." They stole a boat and went up the sound, as was supposed.

Although they were well treated, and perhaps better off in that respect than their fellow serfs in other States, the desire for personal liberty had become to some extent general among the slaves, if we may judge from advertisements which were published from time to time.

How far this feeling rendered them insubordinate we find little besides the instance just stated to prove, but it must have had a powerful influence in securing the

HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

acquiescence of the masters in the steps taken by the State toward emancipation. Freed from slavery they have generally remained in the locality, and their de- scendants become orderly members of the working classes, with an occasional instance where genius has risen superior to caste and the unfortunate tyranny of circumstances, and become, to some extent, prominent. There are still living in the place some who were held in bondage when young.

RISE AND GROWTH OF THE NURSERY BUSINESS.

paid more attention to the science of war than the pur- suits of horticulture, and in 1789 the nurseries had ob- tained a reputation that induced General Washington, then President of the United States, to visit them. In his diary for October roth of that year is the following: "I set off from New York, about nine o'clock, in my barge, to visit Mr. Prince's fruit gardens and shrubberies at Flushing. The vice-president, governor, Mr. Izard, Colonel Smith and Major Jackson accompanied me. These gardens, except in the number of young fruit trees, did not answer my expectations. The shrubs were trifling and the flowers not numerous." It should be remem- bered that General Washington's estimate was that of a man familiar with the more luxurious vegetation of Vir- ginia. The first notice of the Lombardy poplar occurs in 1798, when Mr. Prince advertises 10 000 of them, from ten to seventeen feet in height. They grew rapidly and became for years a popular shade tree, long avenues of them being planted in all parts of the island, and their leaves gathered for fodder for sheep and cattle by many. In 1806 they, however, received their death blow, as it was then claimed that they harbored a poison - ous worm, and they were cut down in inany cases and burned for fuel. Thompson, in his History of Long Island, relates that when the British troops entered Flushing in 1777 General Howe ordered a guard to be stationed for the protection of these gardens and nursery. Originally confined to an area of eight acres the Linnæan Botanic Gardens, as they have. been termed, were en- larged by Mr. Prince in 1792, to cover the space of twenty-four acres; and under the management of his son during the early part of the century to more than sixty acres, employing a force of about fifty men in their best days.

The Prince Nurseries .- The climate and the soil of this town being peculiarly adapted to the propagation of trees and plants, the success attained by the Huguenot settlers in introducing the fruits of their native province led English gardeners, who had settled here, to experi- ment in horticulture, with such results that William Prince in 1737 laid out a tract of land in the village and devoted it first to the propagation of fruit trees, after- ward extending his efforts to the growth and introduc- tion of shade trees, of which the Lombardy poplar is believed to have been one. The lack of forest trees on the island made his venture a popular one, and we find him circulating the following notice, dated Septem- ber 21st 1767: "For sale at William Prince's nursery, Flushing. a great variety of fruit trees, such as apple, plum, peach, nectarine, cherry, apricot and pear. They may be put up so as to be sent to Europe. Captain Jacamiah Mitchell and Daniel Clements go to New York in passage boats Tuesdays and Fridays." This is be- lieved to have been the first nursery in the country. At the time of writing this a part of the old grounds was still open to the school children, who have termed the field " the wild nursery," and who roam there during the summer, gathering stray blossoms from plants once Thus from a small beginning has grown up what has been for the past half century the most important in- dustry of Flushing, employing a considerable force of intelligent men, and, what is perhaps of still more im- portance, deserving the credit of having educated a large number of the best landscape gardeners and horticultur- ists in the State. The great value of the lands used for nursery purposes here, and the springing up of the forest tree business in western New York, has led the nursery- men of Flushing to abandon that branch of the business for the more lucrative one of ornamental shrubbery, plants and cut flowers. No better view of the business as it now exists can be given than by sketching the his- tory of such nurseries and greenhouses as are now in operation. rare and choice, or weaving garlands from the parti- colored foliage. The extension of Prince's business to the culture of shade and ornamental trees is first noticed in an advertisement in the New York Mercury of March 14th 1774: "William Prince at his nursery, Flushing landing, offers for sale one hundred and ten large Caro- lina magnolia flower trees, raised from the seed-the most beautiful trees that grow in America-4s. per tree, four feet high; fifty large catalpa flower trees, 2s. per tree; they are nine feet high to the under part of the top, and thick as one's leg; thirty or forty almond trees, that begin to bear, Is. and 6d. each; fifty fig trees, 2s. each; two thousand five hundred white, red and black currant bushes, 6d. each; gooseberry bushes, 6d .; Lisbon and Madeira grape vines; five thousand Hautboy Chili large The Parsons Nurseries .- Among the marked men of Flushing in the generation now passed away was Samuel Parsons, of whom De Witt Clinton once remarked that he had never met another man so truly courteous with- out compromising a single Christian principle. The men- tal training given by his classical education was supple- mented by a knowledge of French, his fluency in which was gained by constant association with the French emi- English and American strawberry plants; one thousand five hundred white and one thousand black mulberry trees; also Barcelona filbert trees, Is. The Revolution- ary war put a stop to the conduct of any business requir- ing free communications, and we find Mr. Prince adver- tising for sale 30,000 grafted cherry trees for hooppoles. A return of peace brought with it increased trade to make good the depredations of the soldiery, as well as to grees, who were welcome guests at his father's house. stock the orchards of those who for seven years past had Retiring from business with a liberal income, his benev-

HORTICULTURE IN FLUSHING.

olence abounded to the full extent of his ability, and in conferring a favor he made himself the one obliged. Al- though a minister in the Society of Friends, his liberality in thought to all denominations was well known. His sincere and fervent piety, earnest and continual desire for the spiritual improvement of those among whom his lot was cast, and the whole tenor of his life make his memory valued among those now living who recollect him. Foremost among the advocates of public improve- ments, his fondness for trees induced him to commence a system of street planting, which, continued by his sons, has made Flushing noted for the beauty of its streets. The same taste led him to fix upon the nursery business for his sons, and in 1838 to commence the busi- hess, which, with some changes, has been continued since his death, in 1841. Passing at that date into the hands of his sons Samuel B. and Robert B. it was continued un- til 1872, during which time it had grown steadily. When the greatest demand for grapevines sprang up, in 1862, lasting until 1865, they increased their facilities for cul- tivation until their annual production in this one branch of the business amounted to over 800,000 vines annually. They became the only growers in this country of rhodo- dendrons and hardy azaleas and went largely into the culture of camelias. When the demand for dwellings made large inroads upon the nursery, and a single one of its acres sold for $10,000, Samuel B. Parsons, seeing no future in that village for the proper extension of the business for which his sons had been trained, decided in 1872 to remove his share of the firm's stock to some lands which he owned on Kissena Lake, the picturesque character of which particularly fitted them for an orna- mental nursery. He hoped also to prove, as he has suc- cessfully done, that plants grown in an exposed locality, open to all winds, possess, in their hardiness, an addi- tional value. At the same time he reserved for himself the southern part of the old nursery. To this new land there accompanied him his two sons and J. R. Trumpy, the successful propagator for the old firm, whose genius and skill are well known.

Menlo Park by ex-Governor Stanford, of California, in- cludes over sixteen hundred varieties.

As a writer for the press Mr. S. B. Parsons has since 1840 attained a reputation for both literary ability and a knowledge of landscape gardening that has made his pen sought for by such publishers as the Harpers, and led to the republication of his articles in some of the best European magazines. His first published volume, "The Rose, its History, Culture, etc.," was issued in 1856, by Wiley & Halsted, and met with so favorable a reception that it was reissued in an enlarged and im- proved form in 1869, by Orange Judd & Co., as " Par- sons on the Rose." It has found its way to thousands of American homes, and done much to aid the growth of a love for the beautiful. His son Samuel has also be- come known as a writer for Scribner and others, and be- coming a partner with Mr. Calvert Vaux in the profes- sion of landscape gardening carries to it a knowledge of trees rarely found among landscape artists. The other son, George H., whose education like that of his brother has been practical as well as classical, has recently been engaged by the Denver and Rio Grande Railway Com- pany to organize a system of improvements on their lands in Colorado.

The junior member of the old firm, Robert B. Parsons, retained the northern part of the old grounds, including the office and greenhouses on Broadway, and since the dissolution has conducted a large business in the special- ties of the old house, to which he has recently added the extensive culture of roses and cut flowers, for which, owing to the large number of greenhouses, the nursery is well adapted. Located in a convenient portion of the village, the nurseries of R. B. Parsons & Co. will well enter- tain a visitor, who will find there some curiosities, among them a magnificent weeping beech, unequaled in the country.

The writer has been inclined to devote more space to the histories of these nurseries and those who are and have been identified with them than he would have done did not every step in their progress mark the value of proper training and refined tastes in this as in other business enterprises. At present they represent the combined taste and skill of three generations, and the influences that have gone out from them and educated the tastes of others cannot be overestimated.

The Kissena Nurseries, as they are called, are managed as a limited company, under the name of the Parsons & Sons Company, of which Samuel B. Parsons is president. Continuing the propagation of the class of specialties for which the old house was noted, they commenced gather- ing from foreign countries all the ornamental plants and John Henderson's Floral Gardens, occupying some sixteen acres on Parsons avenue, were opened in 1867. The owner, a native of London and descended from two generations of English florists, came to America in 1854, commenced business in a small way in Jersey City, be- came part owner of The Oaks, and is now the most ex- tensive cultivator of cut flowers in the vicinity. His ex- tensive establishment comprises twenty-four greenhouses, averaging one hundred feet long, warmed by four-inch hot water pipes, of which there are two and three-fourths miles, heated by fifteen large furnaces, consuming annu- ally four hundred tons of coal. Twelve men are em- ployed and the sales for 1880 comprised some 700,000 trees which could be obtained ; especially from Japan, whence by the aid of Thomas Hogg, the well known col- lector, they were furnished with a variety rich, perfectly hardy, and containing many sorts unknown in Europe. Of these the Japan maples are conspicuous by their beauty, dwarf-like character, and thorough hardiness. One or two of these are grown elsewhere in this country. and several in Europe; but the entire collection of twenty-four varieties can only be found in Japan and in the Kissena Nurseries. The great variety of this gene- ral collection is described in a catalogue just issued. Some idea of its extent can be gained from the fact that an order recently filled for an arboretum being made at | choice flowers, of which more than 400,000 were roses.

HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

The products of these greenhouses are all handled through the New York city agency at 940 Broadway, and sold in bulk to retailers and bouquet makers. Among the specialties originated by Mr. Henderson are the Bouvar- dia Elegans, Tuba Rose Pearl, the new dwarf camelia and Carnation Snowden, the new dwarf white carnation.

The Exotic Gardens, on Broadway near the Town Hall, were opened by John Cadness, and purchased by Leavitt & Lawlor. Their greenhouses are devoted to the culture of cut flowers, and the firm supplies the local demand for bouquets and funeral and bridal pieces. The gardens and hotbeds are also devoted to supplying the local demand for'early plants, and a fair business is done in potted flowering plants. The location of the grounds is convenient, and the new proprietors are young men of enterprise and ambition.

G. R. Garrettson, seedsman, has the only seed farm in Flushing. It comprises about one hundred acres, and is on the Jamaica road, about a mile from the village. Mr. Garrettson was a pupil of Grant Thorburn, and was after- ward with Prince & Co. He established his present business on a small scale in 1836, and for many years did a large and flourishing trade. Increased competition has, however, induced him to curtail its dimensions, and it is now confined to the supply of his old customers, and the sale of seeds in bulk. Mr. Garrettson married a daughter of Daniel Bloodgood, and lives on the old Bloodgood homestead, which has been in the family since 1673.

The Oaks, at Bayside, was first opened as a nursery by a member of the Hicks family, and was afterward owned by Lawrence and since his proprietorship by Henderson & Taylor. The estate has an area of three hundred and twenty-five acres, on which are twenty-four greenhouses, covering an acre, warmed by hot water pipes, employing fourteen men, and with a trade in plants and cut flowers of about $12,000 annually. The present owner, John Taylor, is a native of England, and the estate, aside from the value of its hothouse products, is one of the finest in the town, if not in Queens county.

BURIAL PLACES.

The oldest burial grounds known in the town are those of the Lawrence family, at Bayside; the Skidmores, at Fresh Meadows, and the Friends' meeting-house. We have some trace of the date of the Friends' ground being set apart, as a record of that society shows that in 1695 they raised money by a subscription for the purpose of fencing in their burial ground. On this no stone was allowed to mark the graves, and when one sister evaded the rules in spirit by planting a tree at the head of her husband's grave a stern old Quaker dug it up and de- stroyed it. Besides these the Parsons and Loweree fami- lies have private grounds. An old cemetery is connected with St. George's, and the Catholics have a consecrated ground connected with St. Michael's church.

rations to come, and capable of improvement to any extent deemed advisable. An association was incorpo- rated in 1853, and purchased a plot of twenty-one acres in a pleasant part of the town, about one and a half miles from the village, in the vicinity of Kissena Lake. Here the funds received from fees and from the sale of lots have been largely expended in beautifying the place, and added to this the large expenditures made by the owners of burial plots have been sufficient to make the cemetery one of the finest on the island. The association will take entire charge of a funeral when desired, furnishing carriages and attendants, and has a scale of prices for such funerals. This course has been adopted to prevent exorbitant charges by undertakers and liverymen, as well as to prove of service in cases where the deceased has no near friend capable of assuming such charge.

WHITESTONE.

This village-one of the earliest settled points in the town of Flushing-has a name of equal antiquity; it having been named from a large white stone or rock which lies off the point where the tides from the sound and the East River meet. During the popularity of De Witt Clinton a vote of the citizens at a public meeting named the village Clintonville; but the old name still clung to it, and when, in 1854, a post-office was established it was given the old familiar title. A. Kissam was the first postmaster. The present incum- bent of the office is Oliver Taff.

The place was one of no business importance up to 1853, and in the year 1800 there were but twelve houses within a circuit of a mile. The date at which the village first took any decisive advance was, as has been said, 1853, at which time John D. Locke & Co., a firm of eastern manufacturers, established a manufactory of tin, japan and copper ware, which employed several hundred hands, and is still the most important business enterprise in the place.

Here was the home of Francis Lewis, one of the sign- ers of the Declaration of Independence, and on his farm here General Morgan Lewis, afterward governor of New York, passed his youthful days. During the early years of the present century a ferry was established here-its other terminus being Throgg's Neck and the principal business done the transfer of cattle. It was under the charge of Henry Kissam for fourteen years. Sailboats were employed. In 1856 an unsuccessful attempt was made to revive the ferry.

The rapid increase in population rendered necessary prompt and liberal action in educational and religious matters, and John D. Locke, who took up his residence here at the time of founding his factory, has been foremost in good works, and a public spirited citizen, without whose assistance the progress made would have been impossible.

The rapid growth of population at Flushing made it The shore at this place presents many attractions as a place of residence, and since about 1825 a considerable necessary to agree upon some site for a village cemetery large enough to meet the wants of the locality for gene- I number of elegant mansions have been erected by gentle-

INSTITUTIONS OF WHITESTONE.

men from New York city and from the southern States --- some of which are now the homes of prominent business and professional men whose offices are in New York.

The first store in the town is said to have been near the landing here, and at this place watchmen were sta- tioned by order of the colonial authorities during the French war.

Beds of potter's clay were found here, some of suffi- cient purity to be used in the manufacture of tobacco pipes, which industry was carried on to a small extent during the first half of the last century. An advertise- ment dated March 31st 1835 reads: "The widow of Thomas Parington offers for sale her farm at Whitestone, opposite Throgg's Point. It has 20 acres of clay ground fit for making tobacco pipes." Another of May 31st 1835: " Any person desirous may be supplied with vases, urns, flower pots, etc., to adorn gardens and tops of houses, or any other ornament made of clay, by Edmond Annely at Whitestone-he having set up the potter's business by means of a German family that he bought, who are supposed by their work to be the most ingeni- ous that ever arrived in America. He has clay capable of making eight different kinds of ware."

LOCKE'S FACTORY.

John D. Locke began business November 17th 1827, in the manufacture of plain tinware, japanned ware, toys, planished ware, stamped ware and trimmings, the factory being located in Brooklyn. In 1845 the business was removed to Whitestone. There are 18 buildings devoted to the various branches of the enterprise, and the works occupy a block. The average number of employes is from 300 to 350. The business has increased almost constantly from the date of its establishment, and is now growing rapidly. Mr. Locke has a very large domestic and a considerable export trade, most of the goods ex- ported being shipped to Germany. A South American trade is about being established, and the reputation of the products of the factory is such that they will in time be introduced in most of the leading markets of the world. The goods are manufactured for the trade. The business is carried on under the personal supervision of the proprietor, and the affairs of the office and the ac- counts are managed by his son Frank M. Locke. The New York office and salesrooms, at 44 Cliff street, are under the supervision of Aubin G. Locke, another son of the proprietor.

NEWSPAPERS.

The initial number of the Whitestone Herald was issued by the Whitestone Herald Publishing Company, with John Steren as editor, May 24th 1871. A few months later Mr. Steren was succeeded by Charles W. Smith, the present editor of the Flushing Journal, who continued at the helm until February 1875. The Whitestone Print- ing Company was then formed; the paper changed hands and was controlled by George W. Van Siclen until March 1878, when it was purchased by W. S. Overton, under whose control the paper entered upon an era of prosper-

ity and has become a valuable property. It is Democratic in politics but is chiefly devoted to local interests.

The College Point Mirror, published at Whitestone by W. S. Overton, was established in the spring of 1879 by the present publisher, with C. B. Westervelt as editor. In the fall of the same year Mr. Overton assumed edi- torial charge of the paper. The Mirror is independent politically, with a leaning toward Democratic principles. Its aim is purely to aid the best interests of the villages and the town whence it derives the greater part of its patronage.

GRACE CHURCH.

The services of the Protestant Episcopal churchi were first held in Whitestone, regularly, about 1840, in a building erected by Samuel Leggett and others, members of the Society of Friends. All religious denominations were allowed the use of this building, and, accordingly, soon after its erection several members of the Protest- ant Episcopal church and others residing in the place who preferred the services of that church requested the rectors of the neighboring parishes to hold services in the new building as often as practicable. Among the clergymen who united in maintaining the services of the Episcopal church for several years succeeding the above date were the rectors of St. George's church, Flushing, Rev. Henry M. Beard, D. D., of Zion church, Little Neck, the late Rev. W. A. Muhlenberg, D. D., at that time president of St. Paul's College, at College Point, and other clergymen who were professors in the institution, among whom we may mention Rev. Mr. Van Bokelyn, and Rt. Rev. J. B. Kerfoot, D. D., late bishop of the diocese of Pittsburgh. Several students of St. Paul's College, who were preparing for the university, also ren- dered very efficient service at this place as lay readers and teachers in the Sunday-school.

In 1855 the same building in which services had been previously held was rented of the executors of Mr. Leg- gett, and Whitestone became a regularly organized mission of St. George's Church, Flushing. Services were now regularly held by Rev. William Short, assistant minister of St. George's Church, with the understanding that his field of labor should be especially within the limits of the village of Whitestone. The building in which the congregation worshiped was occupied for a period of nearly six years.

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History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 22

Author: Publication date: 1882 Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co. Number of Pages: 703

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703