Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 95

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

USA > New York > Albany County > Landmarks of Albany County, New York > Part 95

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1884 to 1895 was bookkeeper for W. H. Livingston. He was an organizer and the first secretary of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

Sutherland, Charles R., is descended from Joseph Sutherland, who came from Scotland and settled in Horseneck, Conn., where his son Thomas was born in 1736. Thomas married Barsheba Palmer and died in 1807. His son William, born December 31, 1791, settled in Kinderhook, N. Y., and died December 31, 1811. Rufus Sutherland, son of William, was born in 1799, married Sally Nivar, removed to Schoharic, N. Y., in 1840 and died in 1849. His son Michael, born in 1828, married Christina Lawyer and died February 25, 1888; his wife died in January, 1872. Her family were among the early Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam. Charles R. Sutherland, son of Michael, was born in Schoharie, January, 31, 1857, and after attaining his majority spent four years as clerk in the grocery store of his uncle. Isaac P. Sutherland, in Albany. In 1882 he engaged in the produce commission business as a member of the firm of Burhans & Sutherland, which in 1883 was succeeded by Burhans, Sutherland & Co .. which was followed in 1885 by I. P. Sutherland & Co. In 1838 his brother Willard J. was admitted and in 1890 the two brothers, Charles R. and Willard J., withdrew and formed the present commission firm of C. R. & W. J. Sutherland, which also deals in real estate. Mr. Southerland was a director of the South End Bank and is a member of Mount Vernon Lodge No. 3, F. & A. M., Capital City Chapter R. A. M., Temple Commandery K. T., and the Scottish Rite bodies. October 14, 1892, he married Mary Elizabeth, daughter of William H. Righter of Albany, and their children are Charles, jr. (deceased), Florence and Hellen.

Sutherland. Willard J., son of Michael and brother of Charles R. Sutherland (see above sketch), was born in Schoharie, N. Y., October 10, 1859, and when eighteen came to Albany as clerk for Haskell & Gallup, wholesale spices, etc., with whom he remained about three years. Later he was employed by J. E. Moore. manufacturer of pills. This position was given up to embark in the retail grocery business, which was successfully carried on for nearly six years. In the spring of 1885 he sold the grocery business to William H. Righter and became partner with his uncle, Isaac P. Sutherland and brother, C. R. Sutherland, in the produce commis- sion business, in which he has since continued, being now a member with his brother in the firm of C. R. & W. J. Sutherland. He is a member of Temple Lodge No. 14, F. & A. M. In 1884 he married Anna Stacpole of Albany, and their children are Mable, Harry, Libbie (deceased), Clara and Willard J., jr,

Schuyler, Richard P .- The domicile inhabited by this gentleman and his family is one of the historic landmarks of Albany county; situated at Port Schuyler, near West Troy, it stands a mute reminder of the generations of Schuylers it has shel- tered. Partially destroyed by fire, it has been rebuilt, but not essentially modern- ized and retains some quaint specimens of old Dutch handiwork. Richard P. Schuy- ler, son of the late Stephen R. Schuyler, was born here in 1847. A daughter, Miss jennie D. Schuyler, an able writer, who values high the traditions of her family, will contribute to this work some notes upon their genealogy. From a moss-grown stone in the Schuyler Cemetery, near by, we quote verbatim: "In memory of Col. Philip Schuyler, a gentleman who was emproved in several public enployments, in which he acted with integrity. He was singularly hospitable, a sincere friend, a

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kind master, and most tender husband. He lived respected, and died greatly la- mented. February 16, 1758, aged sixty-two years."

Staats, John M. was born in Schodack, Rensselaer county, in 1812 and is the son of Barrent N. and grandson of Nicholas Staats, who, with two brothers, came from Holland among the early settlers. Nicholas Staats had four sons: George, Joachim P., William and Barrent N., who in 1832 settled the farm where John M. now lives. He died in 1848 and left two sons: Garret B., and John M., who remained on the homestead and carried on the farm. John M. Staats had two sons and three daugh- ters. John A. now runs the farm, and the youngest son, Joachim P., died in 1885.

Secor, Benjamin M., of Huguenot descent, was born October 27, 1834, in the town of Berne, Albany county, where his father, Daniel, was born October 18, 1804. Daniel Secor, a Revolutionary soldier, settled in Berne about 1780 and died there; his son Cornehus lived and died there and was a colonel in the State militia. Daniel, son of Cornelius, married Cornelia Van Zandt and died June 22, 1879. Benjamin M. Secor was reared on a farm and received his education in his native town and Warnerville Seminary. He remained on the farm and clerked in country stores until 1866, when he came to Albany and engaged in the retail clothing business with L. D. Hutchins. In 1870 he became a clerk for R. C. Davis & Co. and so con- tinned till January, 1878, when he entered the employ of the late C. G. Craft ; Janu- ary, 1890, he became a partner in the firm of C. G. Craft & Co. Mr. Craft died March 13, 1890, and since then Mr. Secor and Joseph D. Chapin have continued the business under the old firm name. Mr. Secor is vice-president in the Albany, Hel- derberg and Schoharie Railway Company, member of Temple Lodge, F. & A. M., and has lived in the Thirteenth ward about thirty years. In 1858 he married Arvilla Strevell of Berne, and they have five children: Effie J., Elva, Laura M., Daniel and Ida A.

Saul Julius, was born in Prussia, Germany, March 29, 1836, came to this country in October, 1856, and first settled in Catskill, N. Y., where he found employment at his trade of clothing cutting. In May, 1858, he engaged in the merchant tailoring and ready made clothing business, which he sold out in 1869. In March, 1867, he moved to Troy and engaged in the same business, which he still continues in that city. He removed to New York in 1883 and began the manufacture of clothing and while there, in 1884, established a store in Albany, where he settled in May, 1888. In the latter year he purchased and extensively remodeled the property, Nos. 51-53 North Pearl street, where he has since built up a prosperous business, carrying in stock every article in clothing used from head to foot, by man, woman, and child. In 1893 his sons, Lester J. and Philip C., were admitted to partnership and the manufacturing department was moved from New York to Albany. Mr. Saul is an ex-member of the National Guard, an exempt fireman, a member of King Solomon's Primitive Lodge F. & A. M., and Trojan Lodge I. (). O. F. of Troy. In September, 1864, he married Rachel Cohn, a native of Prussia, Germany. Of their nine chil- dren four are living: Lester J., Philip C., Rose (wife of Dr. M. J. Lewi of New York city) and Elka.

Sayles, William, for twenty-three years one of the leading contractors of Albany, is a son of Thomas and Jane (Stephan) Sayles, and was born on the Isle of Man, May

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25. 1848. He was educated in private schools and learned the trade of carpenter and joiner in his native country, noted in recent years as the scene of Hall Caine's thrilling romances. Mr. Sayles came to America in 1867, arriving in New York city April 24, and the following day reached Albany, where he has since resided. He followed his trade as a journeyman until January, 1873, when he formed a copartner- ship with William H. Gick, under the firm name of Gick & Sayles, and engaged in contracting and building. This firm has steadily increased the volume of its opera- tions, until now it is one of the leading concerns of the kind in the city. They have erected about 300 buildings in Albany, among them the Albany County Bank, Dud- ley Observatory, Albany Safe Deposit and Storage Block, the Hope Baptist church, St. Peter's Rectory and the residences of Messrs. Wing, Russell, Rudd, Murphy, Gregory, Fuller, Waldman, Barber and Reynolds, on State Street, of George W. Van Slyke, Hon. John Palmer and Benjamin Lodge on Madison Avenue, of Mann, Waldman and Tracey on Willett Street; of Mrs. Craig in Englewood Place ; of Ogden, Kinnear and Rooker on Lake Avenue; the brown stone row on Lancaster street between Lark and Willett, and a great many other dwellings, public build- ings, etc., of equal prominence. They have also built a large number of handsome structures outside the city of Albany and are well known throughout a wide terri- tory. Mr. Sayles is a staunch Republican, and in May, 1895, was appointed by Mayor O. E. Wilson one of the city assessors for a term of three years. He is a member of Ancient City Lodge, No. 452, F. & A. M. He is a member and for ten years was a trustee of the First M. E. church. November 27, 1878, he married Ellen Elizabeth, daughter of the late William W. Pearl of Albany county, and they have three children, Arthur Everett, Agnes Pearl and Mabel Margaret.

Ten Eyck, Jacob H., is a descendant of Coenraedt Ten Eyck, who came from Am- sterdam, Holland, to New York city about 1650 and was a tanner. The words Ten Eyck mean "from the oak," the oak being the family's coat of arms. Herman Ten Eyck of Albany (where the family settled about 1690) was born here in 1793 and died May 17, 1861, about ten years after he retired from the dry goods business, in which he was long engaged with an elder brother under the firm name of Jacob H. Ten Eyck & Co. Herman Ten Eyck married, in 1821, Eliza Bogart of Geneva, N. Y., who died in 1853, leaving two daughters and an only son. Jacob H. Ten Eyck, the son, and the last living male representative of this branch of the family, was born in Albany, August 17, 1833, attended the Albany Academy and for a few years was clerk in a bank. In 1856 he went to Cuba and spent three years in railroading. Re- turning to Albany he raised in 1861 Co. G, of the 3d N. Y. Vols., was commissioned a captain in the State militia on April 25, and in May was mustered into U. S. ser- vice. He served nearly two years, being promoted major of the 154th N. Y. Vols., and stationed in Virginia with the 11th Army Corps. He resigned in 1864 on ac- count of ill health and since the war has had charge of several estates. He has been a trustee of the Albany Savings Bank and a director in the Albany Insurance Com- pany for about twenty years, is president of the Great Western Turnpike Company (the oldest corporation of the kind in the State), and is connected with several man- ufacturing companies in Albany and Troy. He was alderman of the old Seventh ward two years, one of the founders of the Fort Orange Club, for ten years a mem- ber of the Volunteer Fire Department, and was long a member of the Albany

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Burgesses Corps, and also commissary of the 10th Regt. In 1867 he married Ma- tilda E., daughter of G. V. S. Bleecker, a prominent citizen and for many years alderman of the Third ward of Albany and the father of Charles E. Bleecker, at one time mayor.

Veeder, Hon. William Davis, was born in Guilderland, Albany county, N. Y., May 19, 1835, a descendant of an old Netherland family. He received a common school and academic education, and read law with Peter Cagger, Nicholas Hill and John K. Porter. He was admitted to the Albany bar in 1858 and entered the office of Hon. Henry Smith in that city, where he remained until his removal to Brooklyn later in the same year, where he has since resided. He soon became active in politics and has filled with enviable distinction many positions of responsibility and honor. He represented the First district of Brooklyn in the Assembly in 1865 and 1866. He was made a member of the Democratic State Committee in 1874, which position he occupied until 1882. He served in the Constitutional Convention of 1867 68, and also in that of 1894 on the Committees on Preamble and on Corpo- rations. In the fall of 1866 he was elected surrogate of Kings county over two opponents by a majority of 4,500; this office he filled for ten years, or until 1877, and what is remarkable, not one of his decisions was ever reversed. In the fall of 1876 he was elected to the Forty-fifth Congress by a vote of 17,916 against 10,630 for Colonel Cavanagh, Independent Democrat endorsed by the Republicans. At the close of his term he retired from active political work and resumed his law prac- tice, which had become extensive. Mr. Veeder is an authority on constitutional law and a specialist in the statutes which relate to trusts, corporations and wills. Ile was a member of the Municipal Consolidation Inquiry Commission as to the Greater New York.

Wirth, Jacob, jr., son of Jacob and Mary Wirth, was born in Albany, N. Y., Feb- ruary 2, 1869. He was educated in the public schools and at the Albany Business College. Subsequently he learned the tailor's trade with his father, who for many years was in business in Albany. Jacob Wirth, jr., was in the employ of William Illch, as a cutter from 1886 to 1891, when he went to Europe with the Knight Temp- lars. Upon his return he commenced business at No. 41 Beaver street, where he is now located. He is a member of Guttenberg Lodge No. 737, F. & A. M., Temple Chapter No. 5, R. A. M., De Witt Clinton Council No. 22, R. & S. M., Temple Com- mandery No. 2, K. T., Cyprus Temple A. A. O. N. M. S., and the Acacia and Un- conditional Clubs. He is at present representing the First ward in the Board of Aldermen. In June, 1894, he married Katharine Deiseroth.

Winne. Barent S., son of Barent S. and Ann A. (Staats) Winne, was born in Cedar Hill, July 20, 1858. The Winne family are of Dutch descent and date their ancestry back in Albany county to 1684, the line of descent being Barent S., son of Barent S., son of Peter W., son of William, son of Daniel, son of Peter, son of Daniel, son of Peter. Mr. Winne is the seventh generation living on the homestead settled by Daniel Winne in 1715. Mr. Winne is now engaged in the extensive freighting com- mission and coal business established by his father in 1860.

Andrews, jr., Horace, was born in New Haven, Conn., March 19, 1852. His an- cestry includes several of the most prominent founders of the Connecticut Colony,

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and the Holland settlers of Kinderhook, N. Y. Mr. Andrews's parents were Horace Andrews and Julia R. Johnson, both of Connecticut. He was educated at private schools in New York city and New Haven, and at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, where he received his first and second degrees, the latter (of Civil Engineer) in 1872. Since then his occupation has been entirely in the line of his profession. He was engaged on hydrographic work, under the U. S. Coast and Geo- detic Survey, in 1872 and for several years afterwards was connected with the same government bureau, first in connection with the survey of the harbor and vicinity of New Haven, Conn., and afterwards on the east coast of Florida, whence he was called in 1878 to accept the position of assistant on the New York State Survey which he filled till the conclusion of the survey in 1884. Several of the technical papers in the reports of this survey were communicated by Mr. Andrews. Sanitary investiga- tions in many parts of the State were next undertaken by him, under the New York State Board of Health, until his appointment by Mayor Thacher, in 1886, as city engineer of Albany, which office has been filled by him since his first appointment up to the present time. Mr. Andrews has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers since 1887 and of the Geometer Verein of Germany since 1881 ; for several years he has been a member of the Fort Orange Club and he is a member of St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal church. In 1881 he married Adeleine Louise Downer, of Hamden, Conn., who died in December 1893. Of his three children, all of whom were born in Albany, the two now living are Theodore and Bertha A.

Aspinwall, William F., whose charming home near Loudonville, surrounded by grounds evincing the care and skill of a landscape gardener, cannot fail to attract the admiration of travelers along the Loudonville road, is the son of the late Lewis E. Aspinwall, who came to Watervliet in 1848. He was a brass founder by trade and noted for inventive genius and skill; but ill health led him to retire to the coun- try. He died here in 1888, aged seventy years. W. F. Aspinwall was born at Hastings-on the, Hudson in 1843. He was about years old when his family moved to Watervliet; since then he has resided here, chiefly engaged in gardening. Mr. Aspinwall is a musician, chiefly as an amateur violinist, and it is his own tasteful labors which have beautified the surroundings of his home. A daughter, Miss Mar- garet, evinces much of the same artistic proclivity; and a son, William D. Aspin- wall, a recent graduate of Harvard College, is now occupying a position with a Bos- ton publishing house. Mr. Aspinwall is a gentleman of quiet and studious tastes, with no political ambitions. He feels a just pride in the fact that one of his paternal ancestors was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and it is interesting to note that the Aspinwall Potato Planter, known the world over, was invented by his elder brother, L. Augustus Aspinwall.

Bentley, W .- Dr. Richard Bentley, English critic, was born in Culton, England, in 1662 and died in 1742. He had two brothers, Thomas and James, who emigrated to Rhode Island in 1720. James, not liking America, returned to England; Thomas remained in America and was the progenitor of a very numerous and respected line of descendants. Thomas Bentley had three sons: William, Benjamin and Caleb. Rev. Charles E. Bentley, Baptist minister of Lincoln, Neb., and chairman of the Nebraska State Prohibition Committee, is a descendant of Benjamin. Thomas Bentley's son, William, had four sons: Tillinghast, William, jr., Taber and Pardon.

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Pardon Bentley was the father of eleven children: Margaret, Pardon, jr., Thomas, William, John, Charles, Augustus, Samuel, Stephen, Elizabeth and Susan. Pardon Bentley's third son, William, was born in Rhode Island in 1767 and died at Chester- ville, N. Y., in 1820. He was twice married; by his first marriage he had three children; Jerusha, Olive and William, jr. His daughter Olive married Peter Cap- well; their son, Albert C. Capwell, was for many years a prominent lawyer in Brooklyn, N. Y. William, jr., was a resident many years of Westerlo, N. Y. ; he was supervisor of the town in 1837 and 1838, and moved to Onondaga county, N. Y., in 1840, where some of his descendants still reside. But one of his sons, George, is living, who resides at Colorado Springs, Col. ; a grandson, Floyd F. Bentley, is agent for the D., L. & W. R. R. at Baldwinsville, N. Y. William Bentley, sr.'s, sec- ond marriage was to Abigail, daughter of Elisha Smith of North East, Dutchess county, N. Y., whence they moved to Chesterville, Albany county, in 1800. Their children were Amanda, wife of John Winston; Alva; Abigail, wife of Reuben Winston, M. D .; Harriet, George H., Edward S., Edwin S. and Alexander, all dead except Alexander, who resides at Greenville, N. Y. Alva Bentley had one son, Jas- per Bentley, who is a lawyer and resides at Lansing, Mich., and whose daughter is the wife of J. B. Moore, Supreme Court judge of Michigan. George H. Bentley, born March 1. 1806, in Chesterville, N. Y., died July 16, 1863. He married Almira Lawrence, January 30, 1828, and in 1832, in company with his brother Alexander, engaged in the mercantile business in Chesterville, which was dissolved in 1837. George H. Bentley then purchased the old homestead, where he resided the rest of his life. He represented the town in the Board of Supervisors in the years 1854 and 1855. He was the father of Charles Bentley, who was born in Westerlo, N. Y., August 22, 1831, and lived on the old homestead until 1883, when he sold it and moved to Hastings, Neb. ; he now resides at Cambridge, Neb. He married Pris- cilia, daughter of Samuel G. Baker of Westerlo, N. Y., October 14, 1851, and they had one daughter and three sons: Fanny Ada, George, Edward W. and Willis. Charles Bentley was supervisor in Westerlo in 1866-67. Edward W. died June 28, 1866. Fanny Ada died July 19, 1866, and Mrs. Charles Bentley died December 21, 1879. George married Rosella, daughter of Henry L. Tallmadge of Westerlo, and moved to Cambridge, Neb .. in 1883, where he now resides. They have two sons: Fred E. and Charles L. Willis Bentley was born May 12, 1868, and in 1883 entered the employment of Ferris Swartout of Chesterville as clerk, in 1887 came to Ravena (then Coeymans Junction) and clerked it for James M. Borthwick (now county clerk) until 1890, when he and an associate clerk, Elvin C. Shults, succeeded Mr. Borth wick in business under the firm name of Shultes & Bentley, until March 18, 1895, when Mr. Shultes retired from the firm and the business has since been conducted by Mr. Bentley. Willis Bentley married Cora B., daughter of William H. Winegard of Westerlo, N. Y., February 4, 1891, and their union has been blessed with one daughter, Inez C., born March 19, 1892.

Belser, Joseph, jr., son of Joseph and Barbara (Klett) Belser, was born in Albany, May 4, 1866. Joseph Belser, sr., was born in Messingen, Germany, March 13, 1836. He came to America in 1852 and settled first in New York city, then in 1854 he re- moved to Albany and in November, 1857, engaged in the retail dry goods business, at what is now No. 352 South Pearl street. He gradually increased his scope of

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operations until 1884, when he took in his son-in-law, John Wagner, as a partner under the firm name of Belser & Wagner. This firm continued until 1888, when Mr. Belser's son, Joseph, jr., became a partner. In 1889 Mr. Wagner withdrew and engaged in the furniture business and Joseph Belser, sr., Joseph Belser, jr., and Miss Barbara Belser constituted the firm. In 1890 Joseph, sr., retired and since then the brother and sister, as Belser & Co., have continued the business. Joseph, sr., is a member of the Eintracht Singing Society and was for several years its treasurer. The firm of Belser & Co. now occupy for retail purposes three stores at Nos. 348, 350 and 352 South Pearl street; they also have three stores for their wholesale business, which has gradually been built up within the last few years.

Brennan, Edward J., is a grandson of James Brennan, sr., a maltster who came to Albany from Ireland and died here in 1880, aged eighty-two. James Brennan, jr., has been connected with the Albany police force since about 1870. He is a native of the capital city, as is also his wife, Mary Murtaugh. Edward J., their son, was born August 17, 1860, in Albany, was graduated from the Christian Brothers' Acad- emy in 1876 and in 1877 entered the law office of Smith, Bancroft & Moak, being ad- mitted to the bar in 1881. He remained with his preceptors as managing clerk until 1886, when he was elected justice of the City Court for a term of three years. Since 1889 he has been in active practice of his profession, making a specialty of criminal law, in which he has been very successful, having freed many well known criminals. He is a prominent Democrat, has served as delegate to several political conventions and is a member of the A. O. U. W. January 22, 1896, he married Mary, daughter of George Schwartz, a well known pork packer and dealer of Albany.

Cummings Brothers .-- James and John Cummings were born in the town of Berne, June 25, 1857, and May 20, 1859, respectively. They are sons of John Cummings, who was born in the city of Clonmell, Ireland, in 1829. He was one of four children of Patrick Cummings. John, the father, was a miller in his native place. He came to America and direct to the town of Berne, where he engaged in farming which he continued until recent years, when he retired to the village of Reidsville and leased his farm. In 1864 he enlisted in Co. B, 81st Regiment N. Y. Vols., and served until the close of the war, participating in the battle of the Wilderness, where he received a wound and lost part of his hand. He was under General Butler in five active en- gagements. His wife was Ellen Shea, a native of the city of Clonmell, Ireland, and daughter of Thomas Shea; to them were born five children: James, born June 25, 1857; John, born May 20, 1859; George, born June 1, 1861, and died at the age of nineteen ; Ellen, born in October, 1862; and. Thomas, born in December, 1866, and died at the age of sixteen. James and John were reared to farm life and attended the common schools and remained at home until they were twenty-four years of age. when they embarked in business for themselves, their first enterprise being farming and quarrying, which they followed for seven years. They dissolved partnership, James remaining at the quarry and John repaired to Albany and engaged in the stone business from 1891 to 1895. They then moved to Voorheesville and established themselves in the feed, grain and produce business, and in connection with this they carried on an extensive stone business. James married Ella Van Deusen of Berne, and daughter of Robert A. Van Deusen. Their children are Carrie and George. John married Mary C. Ecker of the town of Knox, and daughter of Allen Ecker, by

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Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Part 95

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