Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 84

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374

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Tremam and his son Grenville. He remained several years with this firm, acting as its managing clerk. In January, 1878, he was admitted to the bar at the General Term in Albany, at the first written examination under the new Code of Civil Pro- cedure. During 1878 death closed the career of both the Tremains, when Rufus W. Peckham associated himself with S. W. Rosendale and Mr. Hessberg, and the firm of Peckham, Rosendale & Hessberg maintained a high reputation. In 1883 Rufus W. Peckham was elevated to the Supreme Court bench, when the firm dissolved, and that of Rosendale & Hessberg formed, which has continued a successful law prac- tice. In April, 1881, Mr. Hessberg was appointed assistant corporation counsel of the city of Albany and served during the terms of Mayors Nolan and Banks. In the winter of 1884 he was named by the Common Council one of the commissioners to draft new laws and ordinances for the city. In the spring of 1888 he was elected recorder by a majority of 3,000 and served until 1892, when he was re-elected by a majority of 6,000 and served until May, 1896. He is public spirited and proud of the advancement, development and beauty of his native city. He was one who ren- dered valuable assistance in raising funds for the construction of Harmanus Bleecker Hall. He is a director of the Park Bank of Albany; trustee of the Albany City Savings Institution ; manager of the society for providing a home for aged and des- titute Israelites; treasurer of the New York State Bar Association; a director in the Cohoes City Railway; vice-president of the United Charities Organization of Al- bany; president of the Watervliet Turnpike and Railroad Company; one of the managers of the University Centre; member of all the leading Albany clubs and ex president of the Bena Berith organization. On the 19th of June, 1889, he mar- ried Miss Frederika Cohn of Albany and they have two children: Rufus R., and Ruth C.

Oothout, Volkert J., born in West Troy, N. Y., July 6, 1855, is a son of Jonas V. and Helen M. (Lobdell) Oothout. Mr. Oothout entered the law office, as a student, of Elias Van Olinda, counselor at law, of West Troy, and also attended the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated on May 27, 1881. He was admitted to the bar on May 28, 1881, and ever since that time has been engaged in the practice of law at West Troy, now the city of Watervliet. June 30, 1896, he was married to Sarah E. Blunn. Mr. Oothout is a descendant of Hendrick Oothout, who came from Holland and settled in Albany, and in 1713 purchased a large tract of land on the west side of the Mohawk River and settled there. A greater part of the land has been sold and is now populated with residences and manufactories, and includes the lands now comprising the village of Green Island, also a portion of the lands lying between the cities of Cohoes and Watervliet.

Fennelly, P. E., M. D., a well known and prominent physician of West Troy, be- gan the study of medicine in his native country, Ireland, where he was born in 1848. He was educated at St. Kyran's College, Kilkenny ; in 1867 he came to America and en- tered the Albany Medical College, graduating in 1869. He began his successful career as general practitioner here in 1870, and early reached the front rank of the profession. He is a valued member of the various medical societies and has been health officer here many years.

Tracey, James F., son of John, was born in Albany, May 30, 1854. John Tracey, a native of Ireland, settled in Canada when he was fourteen years old. During the

Canadian rebellion, or " Patriot War," of 1837 he removed to Albany, where he died July 12, 1875, in his sixty-sixth year. He was a successful merchant and a leading, respected citizen, and served as a member of the Common Council, the Board of Education, the Board of Police Commissioners, a governor of the Albany City IIos- pital and a trustee of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, St. Agnes Ceme- tery, St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum, and the Albany Savings Bank. He was also a member of the Board of Trade. James F. Tracey was educated partly in the Albany Academy and partly abroad, and was graduated from Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., in 1874. He read law with M. T. & L. G. Hun and at the Albany Law School, class of 1875, and upon his admission to the bar began active practice in Albany. In 1877 he formed a copartnership with James Fenimore Cooper and his father, Paul Fenimore Cooper, which continued until 1893, when Albert Rathbone was admitted under the present firm name of Tracey & Cooper. Paul F. Cooper died in April, 1895, leaving the three surviving partners to continue the firm's large law practice. This firm is a continuance of the old law firm of Charles M. Jenkins and Paul F. Cooper, which at the time of the latter's death was believed to be the oldest law partnership that had continued without change of name in the United States, it having existed without the admission of new members for about forty years. Mr. Tracey has conducted a general law practice with a specialty of business for banks and estates. He is an active Demcorat and during the first Cleveland campaign was president of the Young Men's Democratic Club of Albany. He was president of the Catholic Union two terms and is a trustee of various charita- ble and other societies. May 10, 1893, he married Lucianne Bosse, of Quebec, Can- ada, and they have one son, Walter.

Robinson, Walter Foote, M. D., son of Albert David and Helen (Fay) Robinson, was born in Albany October 13, 1860. His father was appointed paymaster in the army and moved the family to Washington, D. C., where Dr. Robinson prepared for Princeton College in Mr. Young's Academy. After graduating from Princeton with the degree of B. S., he entered the Albany Medical College and was graduated therefrom in 1884 with the degree of M. D. He spent one year in the Albany Home- opathic Hospital and two years in general practice and then for three years made a specialty of the study of mental and nervous diseases, attending lectures in all the principal hospitals of Paris, Vienna, Berlin and Heidelberg. In October, 1890, he returned to Albany, where he has since practiced his specialty of mental and ner- vous diseases. Dr. Robinson has perfected a number of electrical appliances of value to the medical profession. He is a member of the American Electro-Thera- peutic Association, the Albany Medical Society and the Albany Country Club.

Stillman, Dr. William O., of Albany, N. Y., son of Rev. Stephen Lewis and Lucretia (Miller) Stillman, and grandson of Ethan Stillman, was born September 9, 1856, at Normansville, a suburb of Albany. Dr. Stillman's paternal ancestry were Puritans, having come to this country in 1686 from England, and early took an active part in colonial life in Connecticut and Rhode Island. His mother's family came from Holland a little later and were numbered among the Dutch settlers of the Hudson River valley. During and subsequent to the Revolutionary war, Ethan Stillman, who owned a gun factory, manufactured large quantities of rifles for the Continental army, and a number of members of the family on both sides served in its ranks.

Dr. Stillman was educated in his native city and received the honorary degree of A. M. from U'nion College in 1880. He commenced the study of medicine in 1874, his medical preceptors being Drs. James H. Armsby, Samuel B. Ward and John P. Gray. He attended four courses of lectures at the Albany Medical College and received his degree February 3, 1878, taking the highest honors of his class and several prizes. Dr. Stillman was associated with the Drs. Strong in the management of their sani- tarium at Saratoga Springs from 1878 to 1883: at the end of that period he visited Europe and spent a year and a half in study in the universities of Berlin, Vienna and Parisand in the London hospitals. Returning to the United States in the autumn of 1884, he began the practice of medicine and surgery in Albany, which city has since been his residence. The project of a loan exhibition in 1886 to celebrate the bi-centennial of Albany's city charter, was first proposed by Dr. Stillman and he was most active in making it a success, as a member of the board of directors and chair- man of the building committee. From this exhibition he conceived the idea of a permanent museum, and mainly owing to his initiative, the Albany Historical and Art Association was incorporated, which institution will soon have a fine building of its own. As president of the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society, his philanthropie instincts have found full play, and much needed legislation has been secured throgh his efforts to promote humane work in the State. He is also a vice- president of both the State and National Humane Associations .. Dr. Stillman has been a member of the Albany County Medical Society, the Albany Academy of Med- icine, the Medical Society of the State of New York, the Association of American Anatomists, the American Society for the Advancement of Science, the American Sociological Society and the Albany Institute; trustee of the Albany Historical and Art Society; director of the Fairview Home since 1888; president of the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society since 1892; an officer of the Vigilance and Civic Leagues of Albany ; a member of various social and political clubs; and of the order of Masons and Odd Fellows. He was physician to the Open Door Mission and Hos- pital for Incurables in 1887 and 1888; to the Babies' Nursery and Bathrop Memorial from 1888 to 1892; to the Home for Christian Workers since 1892; and to the Do- minican Monastery since 1887. He has delivered several courses of medical lectures before various bodies and is the author of many contributions to medical literature, notably on "Neurasthenia," "Cholera," "The Mineral Springs of Saratoga," and many others. Dr. Stillman married Miss Frances M. Rice, of Boston, in 1880, but has no other family. He is still engaged in the active practice of his profession in Albany.

Walker, William J., is a son of John and Frances (Ginn) Walker, natives of the north of Ireland, who came to Albany about 1843. John was engaged in the cattle business and died in 1876, aged forty-nine. William J. Walker, born in Albany Feb- retary 13, 1853, attended public school No. 11 and when fourteen entered the law office of S. W. Rosendale and in 1869 the store of A. McClure & Co., wholesale drug- gists. In 1882 he was admitted a partner in this firm, the name of which was changed in 1889 to MeClure, Walker & Gibson, and in 1893 to Walker & Gibson, which it still bears. Theirs is strictly a wholesale drug business, covering the territory within a radius of about 200 miles of Albany. Mr. Walker has been police commissioner since 1894, was the Republican candidate for mayor in 1895, was a delegate to the Repub-

lican National Convention at St. Louis in June, 1896, and has frequently been a delegate to local and State political conventions. He is a member of the Fort Orange Club, one of the governers of the Albany City Hospital, a director in the National Commercial Bank and a trustee of the Mechanics' and Farmers' Savings Bank, the Madison Avenue Reformed church and the Albany College of Pharmacy. In 1882 he married Ada, daughter of John Craig of Fultonville, N. Y., and they have four children : William J., jr., Esther, Francis and Helen. -

Culver, Charles'M., M. D., son of Cyrus L."and Mary (Bullock) Culver, was born in West Troy, N. Y., September 28, 1856. His father, a lumber merchant, was born in Sandy Hill, Washington county, March 29, 1824, came to West Troy in 1850 and now lives in Albany. Dr. Culver was educated in the public and high schools of Troy, and was graduated as B. A. from Union College in 1878; while there he was prominent in athletics and won several prizes. He received the degree of A. M. from Union College in 1881, read medicine in Schenectady and Albany with Dr. Thomas Featherstonhaugh (now medical referee in the Pension Department at Washington,[D. C.), and was graduated from the Albany Medical College in 1881. He then went to Europe and studied ophthalmology with Dr. Schweigger, general medicine with Dr. Frerichs, and general surgery with Dr. Langenbeck, in Friedrich Wilhelm University, Berlin. In 1882 he went to Paris and studied ophthalmology with Drs. Galezowski and Landolt, and later pursued the same study in London, re- turning to America in 1883. He began the active practice of his profession in Al- bany, where he has since resided. His translations of Dr. E. Landolt's "Refrac- tion and Accommodation of the Eye and Their Anomalies" was published in Edin- burgh in 1886; of Landolt's "Cataract-Operation, in Our Time" in Nashville, Tenn., in 1892; and of Landolt's work on Strabismus is in course of publication in Phila- delphia, in the System of Ophthalmology to be edited by Drs. Norris and Oliver. Dr. Culver has written several articles which have been published in leading medical journals. He is ophthalmic surgeon to the Albany Orphan Asylum, member of the American Ophthalmological Society, the Medical Society of New York State and the Albany County Medical Society, historian of Philip Livingston Chapter, Sons of the Revolution, and a member through three ancestors, and a member of the So- ciety of the Colonial Wars through four ancestors. May 10, 1887, he married Jessie, daughter of the late Joel Munsell of Albany, and they have two children: Cyrus L. 2d, and Mary.

Crawford, Charles H., M. D., son of Isaac and Hannah (French) Crawford, the former a native of Scotland and the latter of Massachusetts and a descendant of John French of Revolutionary fame, was born March 17, 1851, and was graduated with the degree of A. B. from the Maryland University at Baltimore in 1873. He read medicine with the late Dr. Frank Hamilton in New York city for four years, taking lectures in the mean time at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He came to Albany in 1879 and entered the office of Drs. Swinburne and Balch, and graduated from the Albany¡Medical College in 1881 ; since then he has practiced his profession in Albany, giving special attention to diseases of women and children ; his office is located at 218 Hudson avenue. He is energetic and a hard worker and enjoys a wide practice among the best people of the city and vicinity, and whose judgment is considered equal to any in his profession. He is a member of the Al-

bany County Medical Society, Temple Lodge No. 14, F. & A. M., Clinton Lodge No 1. 1. O. O. F., Chancellor Lodge No. 58, K. P., and Clan Macfarlane No. 22, O. S. C.

Curtis, Frederic C., M. D., born at Unionville, S. C., October 19, 1843, is of New England parentage and a descendant in the seventh generation of Henry Curtis, who was born at Stratford-on-Avon, England, in 1621 and came to America in 1643, settling in Wethersfield, Conn. For three generations the family resided in Connec- ticut and subsequently removed to Stockbridge, Mass., where they have since lived. Rev. L. W. Curtis, father of Dr. Curtis, went South on account of his health when he was a young man and soon after settling in South Carolina was married to Eliza- beth Colton, of Lenox, Mass. Two sons were born to them: The eldest, Frederic C. Curtis, passed his early days in South Carolina, but while a lad removed to Canaan, N. Y., and subsequently entered Beloit College, Wisconsin, from which he was graduated in 1866, and in 1869 was awarded the degree of M. A. In 1864 he entered the U. S. army as a private in the 41st Wisconsin Regiment, Co. B, which was chiefly composed of Beloit College students. After completing his college course, Dr. Curtis began the study of medicine at the University of Michigan and finished it at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York city, from which institution he received his degree of M. D. in 1870. He subsequently pursued his medical studies for a year in Vienna. In 1872 Dr. Curtis began the active practice of his profession in Albany, in partnership with Dr. W. A. Bailey. He also, the same year, became a member of the Medical Society of the County of Albany and was its secretary from 1872 to 1874 and its president in 1878. In 1888 he was elected by the County Society a delegate to the Medical Society of the State of New York, of which he became a permanent member in 1882. He was made its secretary in 1889 and still retains the office. In 1883 he became a member of the American Pub- lic Health Association. He was appointed physician to the Albany Hospital Dis- pensary in 1872, a member of the medical staff of St. Peter's Hospital in 1874, of the medical staff of Albany Hospital in 1876, lecturer in the summer course of the Albany Medical College in 1877 and professor of dermatology in the college in 1880. He is a trustee of the Albany Female Academy and of the Albany County Savings Bank, and a member of the Sons of the Revolution. In 1884 he married Charlotte E .. daughter of Royal Bancroft of Albany. He has made a number of valuable contributions to current medical literature.

Davenport, Samuel J., son of Valentine and Maria (Palmatier) Davenport, was born in Schoharie, N. Y., June 3, 1834, and is a grandson of Samuel Davenport, who was master mechanic at the Greenbush barracks during the war of 1812. The fam- ily came from England very early and settled originally on Long Island. Mr. Dav- enport received a public school education and remained on the paternal farm in Schoharie county until he reached the age of eighteen, when he came to Albany and was employed in the lumber district until 1870, being lumber inspector for about eighteen years. He then engaged in paving streets, as a member of the Scrimshaw Paving Company, which in 1876 became S. J. Davenport & Company. In 1880 this firm was dissolved and continued by S. J. Davenport until 1892, when it was reorganized by Mr. Davenport and his brother, George W., of Altamont, under the old firm name of S. J. Davenport & Company, which still continues. In

1872 he began street sprinkling on contract, and the firm now carries on a large business in both lines and also in general contracting. He had the contract for improving the capitol park in October, 1888, and the following year took up the business of transplanting large trees. He occupied the "Old Elm Tree Corner" building at the junction of North Pearl and State streets when it burned and was the first to occupy the new Tweddle building after its completion. He was one of the principal founders of Grace M. E. church, has been a trustee since its organization and president of the board since 1876, and was chiefly instrumental in erecting the present edifice. He is an active Republican and a veteran member of Temple Lodge No. 14, F. & A. M. He has a fine and valuable collection of geo- logical specimens from all parts of the world. In 1858 he married Eliza A. Bur- banks, who died in 1871, leaving one son, Frank R., who died in 1894, aged thirty- five. Mr. Davenport married again in 1872 Isabella Wayne, of Iowa.

Davis, Charles Edmond, M. D., son of Thomas D. Davis, was born near Montreal. Canada, November 10, 1867, and when young moved with his parents to Waterford, N. Y., where he was graduated from the Waterford High School. He then engaged in the drug business, receiving a State drug license in 1889. He read medicine with Dr. Zeh of Waterford and the late Dr. Swinburne of Albany, and was graduated from the Albany Medical College in 1891. In 1889 and 1890 he was resident physi- cian to the Albany Homoeopathic Hospital and in 1891 he began the active practice of his profession in Albany. Dr. Davis is secretary of the Albany Board of Pension Surgeons, instructor in the Albany Medical College, and a member of the City Board of Health. He served a membership in Co. A, 10th Battalion, N. G. N. Y., and is now a member of the Old Guard of Co. A, and Hospital Steward of the Battalion. He is a member of the Albany County Medical Society, a delegate elect to the New York State Medical Society, a member of Masters Lodge, F. & A. M., Temple Chapter, R. A. M., Flower Lodge, K. P., and the Fort Orange and Albany Camera Clubs, and a member of the board of directors of the last named club.

Boardman & Gray. - This well known piano firm was founded in Albany in 1837 by William G. Boardman and James A. Gray. Mr. Gray was the practical member of the concern and was born in New York city in 1814. After serving a regular ap- prenticeship in piano forte making, he worked for several years as a journeyman and finally joined Mr. Boardman, who, as a business man, had begun the manufac- ture of pianos on a small scale. They established a factory, over which Mr. Gray had the practical supervision, until shortly before his death in 1889, Mr. Boardman retiring about 1866, and died in 1880. Mr. Gray was among the leaders in develop- ing the American piano and bringing it to its present high standard of perfection. He probably contributed more improvements than any other maker in the United States, and the firm has always made every part of the instrument. The original name of Boardman & Gray has been continued unchanged and the business is now carried on by James S. and William J. Gray (sons of James A.), and William H. Currier, of Toledo, Ohio. From 1877 to 1885 the firm was composed of James A. Gray and his eldest son, William J. Gray ; at the death of the father in 1889 the present partner- ship was formed. Their pianos have from the first taken a foremost rank among the best instruments of the kind in the world and are found in almost every civilized country on the globe.

Bacon, Allen H., Is a member of the wholesale coffee, spice and tea firm of Bacon, Stickney & Co., whose business was started at Nos. 7 and 9 Exchange street in 1835 by William Froment and William Prentiss, under the firm name of Froment & Co. In 1538 they sold out to George L. Crocker, who was succeeded in 1845 by Luther A. Chase and Moses W. Stickney. The firm of L. A. Chase & Co. continued the business until 1851, when Mr. Stickney retired and Samuel N. Bacon and Leander Stickney (brother of Moses W.) were admitted, the name remaining unchanged. March 21, 1857. S. N. Bacon, M. W. Stickney and L. Stickney became sole proprie- tors under the firm name of Bacon & Stickneys, and in 1861 they erected a new building, forming a part of the firm's present quarters on Dean street. On the admission of James Ten Eyck, March 1, 1865, the name of Bacon, Stickneys & Co. was adopted. Moses W. Stickney died in February, 1879, and his brother, Lean- der, in January, 1883. In 1883 a five story building was added to their plant on Dean street, where a large wholesale trade in coffees, spices and teas is conducted, being one of the oldest of its kind in the State. The same year Herbert W. Stick- ney, son of Leander, was admitted. Milton W. Stickney, son of Moses W., was a member of the firm from March, 1879, to March, 1882, and on March 1, 1888, Allen HI. Bacon (son of Samuel N.) and Samuel W. Brown became partners. Samuel N. Bacon died September 11, 1889; on October 1, following, the firm was reorganized and now consists of James Ten Eyck, Herbert W. Stickney, Allen H. Bacon and Samuel W. Brown.

Cohn, Mark, born in New York city, November 20, 1852, removed with his parents about 1861 to Albany, where his father, Louis Cohn, was engaged in the wholesale and retail clothing business until his death in 1877. He was educated in the public schools and Levi Cass's private school of Albany, read law in the office of Hand & Hale, Hon. Jacob H. Clute and Peckham & Tremain. He attended the Columbia Law School and received the degree of LL. B. from the Albany Law School in 1873 and was admitted to the bar in 1874. Since them he has been in the active practice of his profession. He is a Democrat, a member of the Albany Press Club and in 1892 was appointed assistant district attorney. In 1878 he married Sara Oppenheim of Albany, and they have two daughters, Olma and Therese.

Foster. Henry S., is a son of John Newton Foster, who was born in Utica, N. Y., June 28, 1836, and came to Albany about 1838, his parents having died while he was an infant. John N. was apprenticed to the gilding trade in the family of Lawson Annesley, and later engaged in the picture frame business under the firm name of Chapin & Foster. From about 1873 he was connected with the fire insurance patrol, as superintendent. He was member of assembly in 1878, superintendent of the poor two years, member of Co A, of the Old Guard, and during the panic of 1873 conducted a store for the relief of distressed families. He died April 13, 1895. He married Mary A. Snyder, who survives, and of their six children Fred H. died De- cember 27, 1895. Henry S. Foster, born in Albany, July 16, 1865, became a clerk at the age of fifteen in the office of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Albany (incorporated 1836), with which he has ever since been connected, serving as book- keeper, cashier, etc. On the death of George Cuyler in November, 1893, he was elected secretary and general manager. He also represents a number of other large American and foreign fire insurance companies as well as life and accident insur-

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Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 84

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1374

Author: Parker, Amasa Junius, 1843-1938, ed
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1374