USA > New York > Rockland County > History of Rockland County, New York : with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 71
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I. DESCENDANTS OF SAMUEL COE (son of Samuel) .- Samuel Coe married Phebe, daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Denton) Seaman. Their children were:
I. Samuel, born March 10th 1739. He married Greitche, daughter of Johannes Blauvelt, and had two children: Samuel, born October 28th 1762, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel Coe; and Jane, wife of Jacob T'en Eyck. Samuel and Elizabeth Coe had seven children: Robert, Elias, Mary, Daniel, John, David, and Alexan- der.
2, Isaac S., born January 3d 1746, married Rachel, daughter of Jacob Archer. Their children were: Sam- uel, who married Mary, daughter of Isaac Concklin, and had eleven children, Nancy, George, Sarah, Elizabeth, Martha, John, Charlotte, Harriet, Isaac, Mary, and Jesse; Martha, wife of Samuel Wilson; Sarah, wife of Lawrence
Garret Onderdonk; Elizabeth, who married Abram Ste- vens, in 1806; Hannah; Barbara; and Elsie. The last three died without issue.
3. Daniel S., born February 4th 1753, married Abigail Sniffen, and their children were: John, Samuel, Daniel, George, Mary. Elizabeth, Sarah, Jane, Phebe, Charlotte, Abigail, Deborah, and Matthew,
4: William S., born January 25th 1748, married Mar- tha, daughter of Dominy Connelly. Their children were: Samuel, Robert, Arthur, John, Dominy born March 17th 1792, Charles, Sarah, and Phebe.
6. Deborah, born October 26th 1741, married Eli Gur- nee, son of Francois.
7. Margaret, born August 25th 1743, married William Dusenberre M. D. She died August 3d 1828.
8. Elizabeth, born April 8th 1745, married Martin Armstrong.
born March 19th 1751, was drowned in 1774; 6, Han- nah, born April 20th 1754, married Walter Smith in 1774. died in 1804; 7, Samuel, born January 7th 1757, died August 3d 1831; 8 and 9, Halstead and Jonas (twins), born March 20th 1759; 10, Sarah, born July 28th 1761, died September 26th 1801, without issue; 11, Matthew, born September 13th 1766, married Charlotte daughter of John De Noyelles, died without issue.
3. Judge Benjamin Coe married, first, Sarah, daughter of John Johnson, November 13th 1777. She died March Ist 1797. Their children were: Jonas, born November 19th 1778, died June 19th 1803; Halstead, born Novem- ber 16th 1780, died January 13th 1816; Benjamin jr., born November 7th 1794, died May 26th 1851; Charlotte, born May 29th 1790, married Robert Parkinson; Martha, born October ist 1782, inarried Abraham Wandell; Mat. thias, born October 28th 1792, married Hannah, daughter of Joseph B. Allison, and died without issue. The second wife of Judge Benjamin Coe was Sarah Mynders, daughter of Martin Mynders. They were married November 17th 1799. She died August 14th 1818, aged forty-three. The children of this marriage were Sarah M., born
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November roth too, and Grover, born February 8th 1803; both died without issue.
Benjamin Coe
Benjamin Coe jr., married Catharine, daughter of Joseph B. Allison, November 7th 1818. Their children were Adelphina, born July 26th 1819; Hannah, born in 1822; Jonas L., born April 3d 1824; Halstead C., born April 13th 1827; Marietta, born October 14th 1830; and Sarah Jane, wife of David Romaine, now living in Haver- straw. Adelphina and Hannah died without issue.
Jonas Coe (son of Judge Benjamin) married Margaret Allison in April 1797, and left three children: Abraham, Sarah and Peter who has two sons, Theodore, of Haver- straw, and Levi, of Jersey City.
Halstead Coe (son of Judge Benjamin), married Sarah De La Montagne, March 21st 1811, and had three chil- dren, all of whom died young.
Deacon John Coe (son of John Ist) married Mary, daughter of Caleb Halstead. Their children were Amzi, born March 7th 1796; Elizabeth; Martha; Phebe; Han- nah; Mary, born June 25th 1804, married M. Wright and died in 1868; and Catharine. The daughters with the eral Peter Schuyler Post, of Florida, Orange county, June exception of Mary, died unmarried. The son Amzi re- 2Ist 1820. She is now living in Galesburg, Ill. moved to Virginia.
7. Samuel (son of John Ist) married Sarah, daughter of Jacob Onderdonk; she died March 4th 1848, aged seventy nine. Their children were Walter S., born February 14th 1792, married Rachel De Noyelles and died without issue; Jacob O., born in 1797, died in 1803; Anna, born in 1802, died in 1818; Richard, born Novem- ber 2 Ist 1804, died in 1867. His son, Theodore, is now living at Bay Shore, Long Island; John R., born April 16th 1797, died July 23d 1861. He married Jane, daughter of Archibald Cassidy. Their children were; Archibald, of Hackensack, N. J .; Richard, of Pough- keepsie; Samuel, now in Haverstraw; Sarah, wife of John W. Ten Eyck; Elizabeth, wife of George S. Sherwood, died 1884; Martha and Mary, unmarried.
9. Jonas (son of John ist), a prominent clergyman of the Presbyterian Church, was settled in Troy, N. Y. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Matthias Burnet Miller. Their children were. Edward M., John R., and Eliza M., who married James Brown, of the firm of Brown Bros. & Co., bankers, New York. Rev. Jonas Coe was one of the Regents of the State University in 1796.
8. Halstead (son of John ist) married Phebe, daugh- ter of Caleb Halstead. They had one child, Phebe. His second wife was Abigail, daughter of Timothy Ward. Their children were: George W. (who died in Savannah, September 22d 1832); Sarah, wife of Rev. J. Patterson, of Philadelphia; Timothy; Abigail; Charlotte, wife of Burnett, of Newark, N. J .; and Halstead, who was an admiral in the Brazilian navy. He married Donna Trinidad Belcarse, of Rio Janeiro.
III. DESCENDANTS OF DANIEL COE (son of Samuel
ist) .- Daniel Coe married Sarah, daughter of John Pal- mer. Their children were: 1, John D., born May 26th 1755, died May 3d 1824; 2, Matthew D., born October 15th 1757; 3, Daniel D., born November 25th 1759; 4. Sarah, born January 25th 1762, married Benjamin Gur- nee (son of Stephen); 5, Samuel, born in 1764. died in 1765. The second wife of Daniel Coe was Rachel, daughter of John Slott. Their children were: 6, Samuel, born January 24th 1770, died in 1804; 7, Alexander, born October 26th 1771, married Elizabeth Du Bois, and left one child, Rachel; 8, Mary, born August 17th 1768; 9, Phebe, born March, 1778; 10, Rachel; 11, William.
I. John D. Coe (son of Daniel) married Sarah, daugh- ter of John Coe Ist, June 15th 1783. Their children were: Hannah, born May 26th 1784, married Halstead Gurnee, died May 4th 1837; Catharine, born January 13th 1786, married Colonel Daniel Robart, died in 1846; Sarah, born January Ist 1788, inarried Deacon Jasper Armstrong, of Orange county, died May icth 1870; John D. jr., born June 12th 1790, died November 11th 1878, at Romulus, Seneca county; Matthew D., born January 7th 1793, died February 13th 1876 in New York; Wil- liam, born November 18th 1795, died young; William Alexander, born February 28th 1798, died October 9th 1863; Mary D., born December 4th 1800, married Gen-
2. Matthew D. Coe, son of Daniel, inarried Martha, daughter of Stephen Gurnee. Their children were Ste- phen, Mary, Matthew, Sarah, Martha, Elizabeth, Catha- rine, and Hannah.
3. Daniel D. Coe, son of Daniel, married Sarah, daugh- ter of John Halstead, April 25th 1784. Their children were: William, born May 16th 1785, went to Orange county; Abraham, born August 18th 1793; Elizabeth, born March 27th 1789; John, born October 7th 1798; Sarah, born October 30th 1805; and Thebe, born Octo- ber 9th IS01.
John D. Coe jr. married Sophia, daughter of John Stone, of Seneca county, August 13th 1818. His father, having purchased large tracts of land in Seneca county, gave them to his two sons, and they removed there in 1814, and settled in the town of Romulus.
Matthew D. Coe, son of John D. sen., married Jean- nette, daughter of John De La Montagne, December 12th 1815. She died in Chicago August 6th 1849. Their children are Delia, Mary M., wife of Walter S. Gurnee, both now resident at Irvington, New York, and Augus- tus, who died in Virginia at the age of fourteen.
There are few families who have held a higher position in the county than the one whose genealogy is herein given. John Coe was judge of Orange county from 1764 to 1770, a member of the Colonial Assembly in 1775, a member of the Provincial Congress in 1775, and a mem- ber of Assembly in 1778-80. His son, Benjamin, was one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas, a miem- ber of Assembly in 1778 (father and son both being mem- bers at the same time), and was also elected in 1789. He was the first member from Rockland county in 1799,
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George Conklin
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HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.
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was State Senator in 1807-12, and a member of Council of Appointment in 1811.
John D. Coe sen., joined the Revolutionary army, and was under the command of General Schuyler until his
1722, when he was one of the inhabitants of Kakiat, and his homestead was Lot No. I, in the west division of the 400 acre lots. He is supposed to have come to that part of the country from East Chester. He had four sons: division was transferred to General Montgomery. He | Edward, John, William, and Joshua. The last was born at was present at the taking of Fort Johns on Lake Chamn . plain, and was sent in charge of prisoners to Albany. Ile was a State Senator from 1795 to 1798, and a member of
East Chester, October 2d 1707, and died April 29th 1804. His wife was Mary Secor, born in New Rochelle, De- cember Ist 1713, and died at the age of 92 years and one Assembly in 1789, and was three terms Commissioner of month. Their son, Isaac, was born August Ist 1736, and Loans. In all the walks of life he was noted for deep rooted integrity, and to the end of his days was a useful and honored man. His son, John D. Coe jr., was a member of Assembly from Seneca county in 1834 and in 1835. died September 16th 1814. His wife was Mary Lock- wood, who died February ist 1843, at the age of 92 years, 3 months, and 15 days. Their son, Josiah, was born January ist 1784, and married Elizabeth, daughter Matthew D. Coe was a prominent citizen of Seneca county. He was actively engaged in the War of 1812, was lieutenant of a company raised in Rockland county, and was at one time in command of the fort at Gover- nor's Island. of Joseph Marsh. The children by this marriage were: Emily, born August ist 1810 (married Clinton Gurnee); Isaac, born December 3d 1824, died 1854, married Lavinia Mackey, left no children; Mary, born September 11th 1817, married Dr. Charles Whipple; George, born June 28th [S20; Anna, born September Ist 1822, married John W. Felter; Matilda, born January 16th 1826, mar- ried Abraham T'. Van Houten. Josiah Concklin's wife, Elizabeth, died February Ist 1830, and he married Mar- tha, daughter of Jonah Seaman, May 7th 1831. Their children were: Almira, wife of Jonathan Sherwood; Elizabeth, wife of Elias G. Sherwood; Sarah; and Josiah. who married Mary L., daughter of Erastus Johnson, and
Two grandsons and two great-grandsons of John D. Coe took part in the late war. Of the former, Schuyler P. Coe was for some months a prisoner at Andersonville; General Philip Sydney Post was colonel of an Illinois regiment, and made a brilliant record in the war. He was afterward Consul General at Vienna. Of the great- grandsons, General Roy Stone was conspicuous for his gallantry in action, and had two horses shot under him during the campaign in the Wilderness, and Edward by her had two children, Ervin and Elizabeth A. His Wicker was killed in the war.
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William Alexander, son of John D. Coe sen., married Catharine, daughter of James Sherwood, April 15th 1820. He died at Willetts, Cortland county, October 9th 1863, where his descendants are now living.
The old homestead of the Coe family is the corner op- posite the "English Church " at Kakiat, and the farni is part of Lot No. 4 of the west division of 400 acre lots.
Mr. Concklin's homestead is the original tract owned
Samuel Coe, the first settler, lived on this place, and his by his ancestor, Nicholas Concklin, which has been large-
son John after him, and it was at his house that Major Andre and Joshua Hett Smith stopped for dinner when being taken as prisoners to Tappan. It was next owned by Daniel Coe, who left it to his son, John D. Coe. His heirs sold it to Samuel Coe in 1826, and his son, John R. Coe, was the last of the name who owned it. The ly increased by judicious purchases, and he is now one of the largest land owners in the county. He is exten- sively engaged in fruit raising, and the orchards on his estate cover an aggregate area of nearly two hundred acres. Connected with his farm is a large cider mill and saw mill run by steam power. It has been the custoni old stone house standing on the east side of the road to in the Concklin family from the first generation for the the "English Church," and opposite the late homestead of John B. Gurnee, was the home of Deacon John Coe. 'The family burying ground is on this farm and contains monuments to many of the generations long since passed away. A broken tombstone bears the following: "In memory of John Coe Esq., son of Samuel Coe, who de- parted this life the 11th of May 1782, aged 62 years, 5 months, and 4 days." parents to divide the real estate among the children dur- ing their life time,* and in accordance with this practice Mr. Concklin's married children are settled near the homestead upon portions of the paternal inheritance. Some of the Concklins have been members of the Socie- ty of Friends, and they are among the principal support- ers of the Friends meeting at Kakiat. Mr. Concklin is a solid and substantial citizen whose success is the natural result of prudence and industry, and whose object through life has been to avoid the pride and ostentation
The home of Judge Benjamin Coe was the farm now owned by the heirs of Jesse Gurnee, at the head of the mountain, near Mount Ivy railroad station. In a small | which has ruined so many of the " world's people."
family burying ground on this farm the judge and leg- islator rests in peace.
A few words may be said concerning the various branches of the family descended from the sons of the original set- tler, Nicholas. William Concklin, in 1765, owned a por- tion (if not the whole) of the tract now owned in part by
GEORGE CONCKLIN.
The name of Nicholas Concklin appears as early as
*The divisions have been made on an average once in every 30 years.
second wife was Margaret Onderdonk, by whom he had two children, Mary and Ada.
George Concklin married Margaret E., daughter of Isaac Lake, December 15th 1849. Their children are: George C .; Ann E., wife of Coe Gurnee; Ella L., wife of Sylvanus Sidman; Andrew; and Emma, wife of Hen- ry Sidman.
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RAMAPO-BIOGRAPHIES.
the heirs of David Burns. This was Lot No. 6 in the east division of Kakiat, and he resided there at the date mentioned above. He had a son William, and " Lieuten- ant Nicholas Concklin," who is mentioned in 1770, was probably a grandson. John, another son of Nicholas Concklin, left many descendants.
Isaac Concklin had (besides Josiah, mentioned above) children: Jesse, who left no descendants; Isaac (who married --- Williams, and had four children, Walter. Washington, Isaac, and Zebulon); Jonas (who married Mary Snedeker and had children, Josiah, Jesse, Alfred, George, DeWitt, and Jonas); and Sarah, wife of Lewis Concklin. This last was probably a grandson of William Concklin, and he had a son William, who was one of the early preachers in the Society of Friends.
GURNEE FAMILY.
This family is of Huguenot origin, and the name was originally spelled " Garnier," but like many other French names, has been changed from its original form. The ancestor of this family was Isaac Garnier, whose will, dated July 7th 1727, mentions his wife Elizabeth, and children: Francois (the eldest son), Isaac, Mary, and Elizabeth. Francois Garnier came to this county from Westchester, and on November 27th 1729 he purchased from Thomas Barker " of Cow Neck, Long Island," Lot No. 6, in "Conklin's range " in Kakiat. This is now the homestead and farm of Josiah Concklin, near the head of the mountain in the town of Ramapo, and the old house stood a short distance east of the present residence.
Francois Garnier was the father of ten children: 1. John, born December 12th 1729; 2, Francis; 3, Stephen; 4, Isaiah; 5, Isaac; 6, Eli; 7, James; 8, Hester, wife of Rodger Osborn; 9, Elizabeth, wife of - Peets; and 10, Anna,
1. John married Abigail, daughter of John Coe. Their children were: 11, Hannah, born July 16th 1760, mar- ried John Thew; 12, John J., born March 13th 1763, married Nancy Stryker, and had children: Abigail, wife of Tunis Cooper; Lydia, wife of Archibald Cassidy; Eliza, wife of David Reynolds; Daniel (who married Abigail, daughter of John Gurnee, son of Stephen, and left children: Antoinette and John D., of Wisconsin); and Clinton, born in 1803, died in 1877, who married Emily, daughter of Josiah Concklin, and left children, George of Nyack, Clinton of California, Aaron, and Matilda, now living in Ramapo.
13, General Benjamin, born November 11th 1767, died May 27th 1856. He married Catharine, daughter of Abraham De Ronde, and their children were: Harriet, born in 1793, wife of Henry Tinkee; Catharine; Hannah, wife of William Gurnee, son of Colonel William; Abigail, wife of Garret Onderdonk; Halstead, boin May 21st 1801, who left a daughter, Harriet, wife of John Coleman of Orange county; Benson; John B., born February 26th 1809 (he married Mary L., daughter of John and Mar. garet Hillery, June 25th 1879, and died September 13th 1882, leaving no children); Abraham B., born April 29th
1790. His children were Leonard, Servetus, Amelia, Nelson, and Palmer,
14, Abigail, born February 8th 1772, married John Cole.
15, Coe, born May 26th 1776, died May 25th 1861. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham Thew. Their children were: Abigail, wife of Jesse Gurnee; Daniel, who left no descendants; Eliza; John, who mar- ried Sarah Thompson, and left one son, Thompson; Edward, who married Elizabeth Cassidy and left chil- dren, John C., Emma L., Alice, and Irving.
16, Elizabeth, born October 13th 1779, married Abr.um Stevens.
I. DESCENDANTS OF FRANCIS GURNEE (son of Fran- cuis),-Francis left two children: 1, Anna, wife of John Hewitt, whose son, Abram S. Hewitt, is a well known statesman, and 2, William, who married Elizabeth Drum- mond, and whose children were: 1, Francis, and 2, James; 3, Jesse, born June 19th 1813, died July 25th 1878 (he married Abigail, daughter of Coe Gurnee, and their chil- dren were: Elizabeth, wife of George Blauvelt; Augusta, wife of George Onderdonk; Martha; Adelaide; Coe, who married Anna, daughter of George Concklin, and has two children, Herbert and Edith; and Daniel, who left no descendants); 4. William; 5, Elizabeth, wife of George Suffern; 6, Mary, wife of Albert Westervelt; 7, John, unmarried; and 8, Edward, who married, first, Matilda Marks, second, Hannah Wright, and left four children: Amanda, Emma, Eli, and Edward.
Of these children of Francis (son of Francois), the eld- est son, Francis, married, first, Leah, daughter of John Deniarest, and second, Margaret E. Mead. His chil- dren are: William Z., of Newark; Eleanor; Lizzie, wife of Rev. John J. MacMahon; Frank; Harry; Anna, wife of John H. Peterson; and Myra. This family are now living at the head of the mountain in the town of Haver- straw. Francis died in 1874, aged sixty-five.
II. DESCENDANTS OF STEPHEN GURNEE (son of Fran- cois) .- Stephen Gurnee married Sarah Halstead. Their children were: 1, Benjamin, who married Sarah, daugh- ter of Daniel Coe, and had children: Martha, Benjamin (who died in 1864), Daniel, and Abigail; 2, Caleb, who lived at Port Byron; 3, Jonas, who married Phebe, daughter of Isaac Concklin; 4, Abraham, born Decem- ber 1781, died August 25th 1854, (he married Sarah. daughter of William Osborn, and she died March 11th 1865, aged seventy-nine; their children were: William A., of Paterson, N. J .; Jonah, of Ohio; Richard, whose fam- ily are now in Tennesse; Melissa, who married Jonathan Barlow, whose daughter, Sarah J., is the wife of Joshua Penney of Haverstraw; Ambrose S., of Illinois; and Harvey W., of Pennsylvania. Abraham Gurnee was a State Senator in 1825, and a member of Assembly in 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, and 1825); 5, Halstead, born June 4th 1776, died March 15th 1822, who married Hannah, daughter of John D. Coe, May 26th 1801; their children were: Sarah, born March 8th 1802, married Ithiel Stone, August 21st 1831, she died March 13th 1875; John Robert, born January 9th 1805, married Hes-
W. S. Eurona
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HISTORY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY.
ter Beach; Lucien, born October Ist 1807, married Ade- line Schooley, died in Chicago, December 10th 1863, leaving no children; Denton, born September 16th 1810, married Louise Ayres, January 13th 1835, died in Chi- cago, May 20th 1878; Walter S., born March 9th 1813, married Mary M., daughter of Matthew D. Coe; Catha- rine, born August 30th 1816, married Peter L. Yoe; and Mary Jeanette, born October 20th 1819, married Thomas Lancaster.
6, Eli, who married Hannah Woodward.
7, John S., who married Abigail, daughter of Moore Woodward. Their children were: John S., a surveyor and prominent business man, born in 1798, died March 15th 1872, (he married Maria Blauvelt, and his children, Mathew and Elmira Blanch, are now living in West Haverstraw;) Abigail, wife of Daniel Gurnee; and Martha, wife of Rev. James Sherwood. Mathew married Adelia, daughter of Walter Brewster, and left two children, Walter and Abraham.
8, Stephen, of whose family no information has been obtained.
9, Martha, wife of Mathew Coe.
10, Sarah, wife of Matthias Osborn.
6, Eli, the son of Stephen and Sarah (Halstead) Gurnee, left a son, Leonard, whose children, Elias, Ben- jamin, and Emily (wife of John L. De Noyelles) are now in Haverstraw.
. DESCENDANTS OF ELI GURNEE (SON OF FRANCOIS). - Eli Gurnee married Deborah, daughter of Samuel Coe. She was born October 26th 1741, and their children were: Ann, born July 11th 1762, married Stephen Conklin; Phebe, born May 12th 1764, married Gilbert Johnson; Eli, who married Phebe, daughter of Jonas Brewster, and had one daughter, Amelia, wife of John Reynolds; Eliza- beth, wife of Garret A. Onderdonk; Deborah, wife of Abraham Cole; Hannah, wife of Richard Brewster; and Colonel William, born July 31st 1770, died January Ist 1856, married Sarah Sniffen. Their children were: Daniel, born April Ist 1798, who married Margaret, daughter of Colonel David Burns. Their children are: Robert, Thornton, Elizabeth, David L., Sarah A., Marietta, Susan, Hannah, Mark, Victor, and Jeanette. Mrs. Margaret, the widow of Daniel Gurnee, and some of the children, are now living on the former homestead of Colonel David Burns, in West Haverstraw.
2. William, born January 3d 1800, married Hannah, daughter of General Benjamin Gurnee, and left two (who married Edward Scott, and died in 1881, leaving children, Amelia and Spencer.
3. Elizabeth, born April 14th 1804, died unmarried.
Colonel William Gurnee lived on the old Gurnee home- stead, at the head of the mountain, now owned by Josiah Concklin. His remains rest in the family burying ground on the Burns farm in West Haverstraw.
DESCENDANTS OF JAMES GURNEE (son of Francois).
James had a son Francis, who married Mary, daughter of Edward Smith. Their children were: Jacob (who mar- ried Mary, daughter of John Smith, and had eight chil- dren: John, Benjamin, James, Mary, Eliza, Rebecca, George, and Maria); and Benjamin, who married Phebe
Smith, and whose children were: John, Benjamin, Mary wife of John Bell, and Francis, who left no descendants.
DESCENDANTS OF ISAAC AND ISAIAH GURNEE (sons of Francois).
Isaiah's children were Abraham, John, and Reuben, many of whose descendants are now living in Ramapo.
Isaac had a son Francis, who left a daughter Rachel. There are many descendants of these families concerning whom no definite information can be obtained.
The homestead of Stephen Gurnee was Lot ir in the west range of Kakiat, in the town of Ramapo, and the place is now owned by Nelson Smith. John S. Gurnee, a son of Stephen, owned the homestead now in posses- sion of the heirs of Clinton Gurnee.
Walter S. Gurnee was born at Haverstraw, March 9th 1813. After the death of his father, Halstead Gurnee, in 1822, his family removed to Seneca county, New York. In 1835 he went to Detroit, and in the following year to Chicago, which then contained but a few thousand in- habitants. Here he entered business as a manufacturer and merchant, and, later, engaged in banking. He was prominent in the construction and management of the first railroads built out of Chicago, particularly in the Chicago & Milwaukee, the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and many others.
In 1851 Mr. Gurnee was elected Mayor of Chicago, and re-elected for a second term. The city then con- tained but about 25,000 inhabitants. In all that tended to the public welfare he took an active interest, and was a liberal supporter of works of benevolence and useful- ness, but had no taste for politics, though voting with the Democratic party up to 1860. He then became what was called a " Douglas Democrat," acting with his friend and fellow citizen, Senator Stephen A. Douglas, supporting and approving all measures of the Republican party in preserving and maintaining the integrity of the Union. In 1855 he went abroad for his health, remaining a year, and has since spent much time in Europe, with his fam- ily. In 1863, Mr. Gurnee's interests required his pres- ence so often in New York, that he finally concluded to make it his permanent home, and purchased an estate near Irvington, Westchester county, where he now re- sides. He still devotes his time to his railroad and other interests.
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