History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 30

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 30

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During 1879 Mr. Prince was offered various appoint- ments, including two in foreign countries, the marshal- ship of New York, the governorship of Idaho, and the chief justiceship of New Mexico. The latter he declined three times, but finally, at the urgent request of Secretary Evarts and the Department of Justice, consented to ac- cept, and left for his new home February Ist 1879. This position he still holds. Judge Prince is also presi- dent of the Territorial Bureau of Immigration of New Mexico, and is connected with nearly all the organiza- tions of the territory. He is an enthusiast as to the resources and future of that territory, and has written much on those subjects for eastern papers.

On the Ist of December 1879 Judge Prince was mar- ried at Grace Church, Brooklyn, by Bishop Littlejohn and Rev. Dr. Smith, to Hattie E. Childs, daughter of Dr. S. Russell Childs, of New York. After being entertained by President Hayes in Washington they proceeded im- mediately to New Mexico, where Mrs. Prince's beauty and intelligence made her a favorite at once. But. on an excursion to Kansas City to celebrate the opening of railway communication, she caught cold, and after a sin- gle day of serious sickness died suddenly of pneumonia, at Sante Fe, on February 26th 1880. The mourning and sympathy at this sad event were universal through- out the territory.

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CAPT. I. J. MERRITT.

CAPTAIN ISRAEL J. MERRITT.

There are few people, in the mercantile marine of this State especially, who will fail to recognize in the accom- paying portrait an old and valued acquaintance. For more than a quarter of a century Captain Merritt has been actively engaged in maritime pursuits, and, after passing through the various grades of apprentice, seaman, mate and captain, was appointed in 1853 agent of the Board of Marine Underwriters, graduated as general agent of that world-renowned and eminently successful institution the Coast Wrecking Company of the City of New York, and at present, in connection with his son Israel J. Merritt jr., is proprietor of the Merritt Wrecking Organization, of which he is sole manager. .

Captain Merritt is of medium height, compactly built, has a florid complexion, light hazel eyes, iron grey hair, and was born in the city of New York, August 23d 1829. As with very many of our most successful men, his oppor- tunities for obtaining an early education were exceed- ingly limited; yet, endowed with ambition and a strong will, combined with good, sound, practical common sense, we find him at the early age of twenty years in the full confidence of his employers and in command of a fine schooner employed in the coasting trade.

In the service of the Coast Wrecking Company he, by his skill, energy and earnest efforts, added largely to its reputation. In the performance of his labors and duties as its representative he has visited repeatedly all sections of our seacoast and lake borders, and, being eminently

a social and genial man, he has made hosts of warm friends both for his enterprises and himself. One of Captain's Merritt's prominent characteristics is his per- severence, backed by untiring patience, pluck and energy. He knows no such word as fear, never counts the chances of defeat when pursuing a cherished object, and, once settled in his convictions of duty and right, he never was known to shirk a responsibility or flag in his efforts to accomplish the desired results. He is zealous and posi- tive in whatever he undertakes, is a most agreeable, warm-hearted and genial companion, one of the truest of friends, and as such is honored and trusted by all who know him. He is modest and retiring when not in com- mand, and aside from his social and domestic duties his heart is bound up in his business.

To-day, wherever commerce spreads her wings and the Latin and Anglo-Saxon tongues are spoken, the name of Israel J. Merritt, the savior of the doubly-staunch steamer "L'Amerique," is a "household word."

For three long weary months, through sunshine and darkness, the hearts of his friends and the good wishes of the entire civilized world were with him in this gigantic undertaking, and they watched with curious interest his bearing through all the discouragements and embarass- ments of his trying position; and when success, in its broadest sense, crowned his efforts and he gave back to commerce the good ship, as staunch, strong and shapely as when she first touched our shores, the world was ready to shake his brawny hand and say how heartily it ac- corded to him its praise.

In this connection it will not be deemed inappropriate to give some of the more notable cases in which Captain Merritt's brain, skill and labor have been the means of saving hundreds of lives and millions of dollars of prop- erty on our coast. Among his achievements may be noted the saving of the ship "Cornelius Grinnell," ashore at Squan, in 1852; the crew of the brig "Kong Thryme," on Barnegat Shoals, in midwinter of 1856, for which he was awarded a gold medal by the Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York; the ship "Great Republic," 3,000 tons, sunk in the East River, in 1853; the passengers and crew of the ship "Chauncey Jerome," at Long Branch, in 1853; the ship "Arkwright," at Long Branch, in 1862; the ship "Aquila," having as cargo the U. S. monitor "Comanche," near San Fran- cisco, Cal., in 1864; the crew, 65 in number, of the steamship "Black Warrior," at Rockaway Shoals, in 1859, for which act of bravery he was presented with $500 in gold; the steamer "City of Norwich," sunk and lying bottom upwards in 120 feet of water in Long Island Soand, in 1866 (no other vessel ever having been raised from so great a depth); the steamer “ Dean Rich- mond," sunk in 38 feet of water in the Hudson river, in 1867, and the steamship "Australia," ashore near Galves- ton, Texas, in 1875. Scores and hundreds of other inci- dents might be mentioned, where his labors have been be- stowed, but the above are sufficient to show that his has been a busy and eventful career, and that his efforts have been crowned with a full measure of success.

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HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

To these let us add some account of the crowning effort of his life, the salvation of the steamship " L'Ame- rique," his greatest achievement. This vessel, one of the largest of the steamers belonging to the Trans- Atlantic Line between New York and Havre, as all will remember, was driven ashore at Seabright, N. J., about twelve miles from Sandy Ilook, during a violent snow storm, on the night of the 7th of January 1877, where she remained imbedded in the sand until liberated by Captain Merritt on the Ioth of the following April. During this entire period of ninety-three days he was constantly at his post on this ship, awaiting favoring winds and tides, yet with unbounded faith and confi- dence in the ultimate success of his labors. In the early part of this interval the entire cargo of the ship, valued at an immense figure, was saved without damage, and transferred to New York. In the meantime the requisite preparations for the saving of the vessel had been made, and machinery and appliances such as were probably never before brought into requisition were readily fur- nished and utilized by the Coast Wrecking Company under the direction of Captain Merritt. The necessity of these extraordinary preparations will be readily seen and comprehended when it is remembered that " L'Amer- ique " is an iron steamer of 4,845 tons capacity, 1,000 horse power, 410 feet in length, 46 feet breadth of beam, and 43 feet depth of hold, equal in bulk almost to two blocks of ordinary three-story buildings.

The needed appliances for moving this immense mass of iron being properly adjusted, then began the weary watching from day to day, till days grew into weeks, and weeks lengthened into months, and still the elements seemed laggard in coming to the aid of the sun-browned, weather-beaten man who earnestly watched and waited through calm and storm, upon her decks, for the oppor- tune moment. Storms and tempests came which forced him to slacken his huge, unwieldy hawsers and let the ship be driven still farther upon the beach, and which, in their fury, dashed in pieces other ships within his sight; and still the good "L'Amerique," like a rock of adamant, withstood the shocks of old Atlantic's mountain billows, as they came thundering and dashing against her sides; yet not one whit firmer stood the ship on the unfriendly shore than stood Captain Merritt, braving the dangers which encompassed him, in the calm confidence of ulti- mate triumph. Storm succeeded storm, yet with firm reliance he paced the decks of the grand old ship which, like himself, seemed to defy the elements, and waited, not patiently perhaps at all times, but confidently.

At last came the eventful day when Old Ocean, as if repenting of his laggard efforts, sent bounding in upon the yielding sands of Seabright the long-prayed-for rol- lers, which, born perhaps near the sunny shores of the land which gave birth to the good ship and Captain Pouzolz, her brave and noble commander, began to surge upon the shore and rock the huge monster in the "cradle of the deep;" and ere his hoarse murmurings had ceased she shook the sands of old Jersey from her keel, was rid- ing safely at anchor far from the shore, and the waves

were kissing her sides as if to welcome her once. more upon the broad pathway to la belle France.

Loud huzzas from the throats of the victors rent the air, and long and joyous shouts of Vive L' Amerique and " Le Merritt" mingled with the hoarse bellowings of the wind and the shrill whistles of the tugs as they bore her triumphantly from her prison. "L'Amerique " was free!

Politically Captain Merritt has always been a Demo- crat and a consistent, liberal and disinterested worker for the advancement of the principles of that party; but he has never sought nor accepted a nomination for any office except at the hands of his townsmen, who have ever found in him a firm supporter of the best interests of the locality where he lives. He was instrumental in securing the incorporation of the village of Whitestone, and has most of the time since served as one of the village trus- tees. His interest in education has always been great, and he has for years been a school trustee and exerted a strong influence upon the management of the public schools of Whitestone.

In 1853 Captain Merritt was married to Miss Sarah L. Nicholson, of New York, who died June 11th 1879, at the age of 45 years, 4 months and 2 days. He has six children living, named as follows, in the order of their birth: Israel J. jr., Emma, Irene, Ida, Flora and John J. Captain Merritt, who for twenty-one years has been a resident of Whitestone, has one of the most elegant resi- dences on Long Island and is regarded as a most hos- pitable gentleman.

HON. JOHN W. LAWRENCE.

Few names are better known in Queens county than that of the subject of this sketch, who is one of the most prominent men the county has produced, and a descend- ant of one of its oldest and most illustrious families. Born at "Willow Bank," Flushing, in 1800, Mr. Lawrence yet lives on the old home place, though the house in which he was born was destroyed by fire and the present commodious residence on the old site was erected by Mr. Lawrence in 1835.

The childhood of Mr. Lawrence was passed much as that of others of the time and locality was passed. He may be truly said never to have known any boyhood, having engaged in active business life at the early age of sixteen, as a clerk in the long-ago mercantile establishment of Hicks, Jenkins & Co., in which capacity he continued till 1821. Then, Mr. Jenkins having died, Mr. Hicks made a proposition to take young Lawrence into the firm, which the latter declined, entering instead into partnership with a fellow clerk in the shipping and commission business, under the firm name of Howland & Lawrence. In 1826 Mr. Lawrence was married to a daughter of Walter Bowne, of another old-time family of Long Island.

A mention of several of the more prominent of the business enterprises with which Mr. Lawrence has been connected will not be out of place as an evidence of the high esteem in which he has for many years been held in

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HON. J. W. LAWRENCE .- A. K. P. DENNETT.

business and financial circles, both on Long Island and in New York city. Mr. Lawrence's fifteen years' presi- dency of the Queens County Savings Bank, of which he is now a trustee, and his presidency for seven years of the Seventh Ward Bank of New York, of which he is now the oldest director, are features of a connection with monetary institutions which goes back to a time when he was a director in the New York branch of the United States Bank in the stormy financial period of President Jackson. For a third of a century he has been president of the Lawrence Cement Company, and he holds a sim- ilar position at the head of the Rosedale Cement Company.

By the admirable manner in which he has transacted all business devolving upon him, in these and many other enterprises of note, and the fidelity with which he has discharged all trusts imposed upon him, during a long and active business career, Mr. Lawrence has won an enviable reputation, which will survive him and be a shining example to those who may come after him. In public and political life Mr. Lawrence has won and re- tained a name rivaled only by his reputation as a man of affairs. During the extended period of fifteen years he was president of the village of Flushing, and upon his resignation of that position the board of trustees waited on him in a body at his residence and requested that he would become a candidate for re-election. In 1840 he was nominated for member of Assembly from his dis- trict, his rival in the field being no less formidable an one than John A. King, whom he defeated. This was the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider " campaign, and the ex- citement over the election ran pretty high. On the night upon which the result became known a considerable body of the strongest and most active Whigs in Flushing went to his house, accompanied by a band of music, at II o'clock and tendered him a serenade; and informed him through the spokesman of the occasion that, as they had opposed him on political grounds only, they had now come to congratulate him as a townsman on the success which he had achieved at the polls. In 1845 Mr. Law- rence was sent to Congress by the vote of his fellow cit- izens, and upon the expiration of his term was offered a renomination; which he declined to accept, though he could not but regard the act as an evidence of the con- fidence with which he had inspired those whom he had so ably represented in the council of the nation. Later he was tendered the nomination for the office of lieutenant- governor of the State of New York. This was at a time when he had retired permanently from the cares and re- sponsibilities of political life; and, with the desire for quiet and rest which all men feel as years advance upon them, he could not be prevailed upon to allow the use of his name in the manner requested, though urged to do so by some of the foremost men in his party on the ground of the strength it would lend to the ticket.

In private and public life, alike, Mr. Lawrence has ever held the highest esteem of all his associates and the respect of all, of all classes and parties, who were cogni- zant of his course. In Flushing, where he is best and most intimately known, he is regarded as the friend of those in need of sympathy and assistance, and the abettor of every measure tending to the public good and the public improvement.

OK Do Dennett.

ALBION K. P. DENNETT.

The subject of this sketch is one of the best known and most prominent citizens and business men of Flush- ing. He was born in Lyman, York county, Maine, Au- gust 9th 1827, and was named in honor of Governor Albion K. Paris, of Maine. His parents were Jesse and Abigail (Hooper) Dennett. His grandfather Joseph Dennett was in the patriot service during the entire period of the Revolution.

Mr. Dennett removed with his father's family to the town of Dayton, adjoining the town of his birth, when he was about twelve years old. He received his education in the common schools of that locality, and resided on his father's farm until the age of twenty-two, when he went to New York city, in 1849, and entered the employ of the Knickerbocker Ice Company, with whom he re- mained until April 1853, when he embarked in the ice trade in New York on his own account, remaining there until April 1868, when he removed to Flushing, where he has been since extensively and successfully engaged in the same trade, his office, at 1812 Main street, being one of the most noticeable business places on that street.

December 22nd 1853 Mr. Dennett was married to Jane M. Smith, of New York, originally of Rensselaer county, by whom he has a daughter, Emma Grace, now the wife of W. T. James, of the Flushing drug firm of Hepburn & James. With his entire family Mr. Dennett is a member of the First Baptist Church of Flushing.

Mr. Dennett cast his first vote with the Whigs, and since the organization of the Republican party he has been a firm believer in its principles, and has voted with it undeviatingly since the Fremont campaign of 1856. He has never been in the common acceptation of the

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HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

term a politician, though ever alive to the important de- mands of the hour. Engrossed in his business affairs, he has never sought political preferinent, but at the demand of his fellow citizens has from time to time accepted im- portant public trusts at their hands. He was elected a trustee of the village of Flushing in the winter of 1871, to fill a vacancy then existing in the board, by the vote of that body, and so satisfactory to the people of the vil- lage was his conduct during his term of service that he was four times thereafter nominated and elected to the same position against his wish and protest, but positively refused to qualify and serve the last time. In the spring of 1879 he was, in opposition to his own strongly ex- pressed desire, nominated and elected to the position of supervisor of the town of Flushing, and re-elected in 1880.

In 1858 Mr. Dennett joined Company B of the 12th regiment of New York State militia, of New York city, as a private and was elected orderly sergeant about a month later, serving in that capacity till April 21st 1861, when he was made second lieutenant, while the regiment was formed in Union Square, just prior to its departure for the seat of war in response to the demand of the government for three months' men. After the expiration of its term of service the regiment returned to New York, and in 1862 was re-organized, and Mr. Dennett was elected second and subsequently first lieutenant of Com- pany D. Later he was several times offered but as often declined the captaincy of the company.

Mr. Dennett is emphatically one of the self-made men of Queens county. Early in life he set out to make his way in the world by his own unaided exertions, and how successful he has been his present enviable position at- tests. A man of fine presence and genial and kindly ad- dress he has won and retains many friends, who speak highly of him as a man and a citizen in all relations of life.

BENJAMIN W. DOWNING.

Benjamin W. Downing was born at Glen Head, Long Island, on the first day of April 1835. His ancestry on one side was of Quaker stock, and members of the family on the paternal side had for many years had their home on Long Island. The subject of this sketch received his preliminary education at the public schools, but at an early age he entered Macedon Academy, at Macedon, Wayne county, in this State, where he completed a sound practical education, holding a high position in all of the various academic classes. Returning to his home on Long Island, Mr. Downing commenced the practical duties of life as a teacher, devoting a number of years to this arduous work.

His longest term of service in this capacity was at Locust Valley, where he brought the public school at that place into great and deserved prominence by the introduction of new and valuable methods of instruction. It was while in charge of this school, in 1856, that he was elected to the office of superintendent of schools of

the town of Oyster Bay; subsequently he was appointed school commissioner of all the schools in Queens county by the board of supervisors, and this promotion was fol- lowed by his election to the same office. Mr. Downing's administration of school affairs, continuing seven years and six months, was marked by great energy and the fullest success. The standard of the schools under his jurisdiction was greatly raised, and an impetus was given to the cause of popular education in the district that is even yet felt and realized.

Meanwhile Mr. Downing had abandoned his old pro- fession of teaching, and had commenced the study of law in the office of the Hon. Elias J. Beach, county judge of Queens county. This season of law reading was supplemented by a severe course of study in the law school at Poughkeepsie, from which institution he gradu- ated with high honors, receiving the title of LL. B., and was duly admitted to practice in the supreme court of this State. He established his law office at Flushing, to which place he had removed his residence from Locust Valley, and at once commenced an active and successful professional career.

Mr. Downing early won deserved distinction at the bar. His readiness in grasping the salient features of a case, his quick and correct application of the law to the facts, his faculty of building up upon the pivotal points involved, and the earnestness and force of his appeals to juries, made his professional services sought in every section of the county and in adjacent localities. In a short space of time he became recognized as the most able, adroit and effective practitioner at the bar of Queens county. Declining a re-election to a third term as school commissioner, Mr. Downing was elected in 1864 to succeed the Hon. John J. Armstrong as district attorney of Queens county, and he has since January Ist 1865 continuously held and more than acceptably dis- charged the duties of that exceedingly important and difficult position. The same qualities which gained for Mr. Downing his success as a teacher, school officer and private practitioner have made him eminently successful as a public prosecutor. Queens county especially de- mands a prompt, energetic and able man to fill at all acceptably the office of district attorney. With nothing but the narrow belt of the East River separating it from New York city, it is liable at all times to be overrun with desperadoes of the worst metropolitan type; and it is an exceedingly fortunate matter for the county that under the administration of its present district attorney Queens has established the reputation among the criminal classes of being an exceedingly unpleasant place for them to be tried in. During the incumbency of Mr. Downing he has prosecuted a large number of indictments, the trials of which rank among the causes celebres. We have space only for the enumeration of a very few of the more important of these cases. One was the trial and conviction of Lewis Jarvis and Elbert Jackson for the murder of Samuel Floyd Jones. The prisoners were subsequently executed for the offense in the old court-house yard in North Hempsted, this being

Benjamin M. Downing C

13g

DISTRICT ATTORNEY B. W. DOWNING.

the first execution that had occured for many years in Queens county. Mr. Downing prosecuted also the in- dictments against William Delany for the murder of Cap- tain L. Lawrence on the 27th of August 1875 on board a vessel lying at the time at anchor in Long Island Sound near Port Washington. Delany was also convicted by the jury and subsequently executed. Mr. Downing also prosecuted the indictments against David Burke for the murder of a night watchman at Long Island City. Burke was defended with great zeal and ability by the late. elo- quent John H. Anthon, who when the jury rendered their verdict of guilty declared that he would never again de- fend a man indicted for a capital offense, and this dec- laration was always thereafter strictly adhered to. Burke was sentenced to death, but the sentence was sub- sequently commuted by the governor to imprisonment for life. Other remarkable trials were those of the mur- derers of Garrett Nostrand, at Syosett, and the murderer of little Maggie Bauer, of Hempstead, some few years ago; Mr. Downing securing conviction in all these cases. He was particularly active also in the detection and trial of the masked burglars of Ravenswood, and succeeded in bringing about the conviction and punishment of this entire gang of desperadoes, who were sentenced to State prison at hard labor for terms varying from twenty to thirty-five years. We have specified only a very few of the important trials Mr. Downing has conducted as pub- lic prosecutor during the last fifteen years. His conduct of the affairs of his office has been characterized not only by ability but by faithfulness. He has not neglected the prosecution of ordinary indictments in order to shine brilliantly in the trial of " star " cases, but every indict- ment charging the commission of a criminal offence when brought to trial by him recived the careful, con- scientious treatment of a trained and skillful prosecutor, and it was a matter of very rare occurrence that a guilty man escaped just punishment when Mr. Downing prose- cuted. Of the trial of Elwood T. Van Nostrand for se- duction under promise of marriage, which occupied the court of sessions for nearly three days in 1880, the Long Island City Star says:

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History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 30

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