USA > New York > Nassau County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume III > Part 40
USA > New York > Suffolk County > Long Island; a history of two great counties, Nassau and Suffolk, Volume III > Part 40
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We have related above how Mr. Hall, the prophet of profits in Long Island real estate, took his own prophecies seriously in 1931, with highly satisfactory results. In 1940 Mr. Hall purchased the property at 22 Washington Street where his office and his home as well are now located. The building on this site is known as Century House, having been built in 1840 by George P. Denton of the Denton family who were the founders and pioneers of Hempstead. At a later period it was owned by the late Philip J. A. Harper of the magazine, "Harper's Bazaar." Mr. Hall, with the cooperation of his son Bond M. Hall, has renovated the ancient structure, at once moderniz- ing it and restoring its original beauty and charm.
Mr. Hall is a member of the Long Island Real Estate Board and of the National Association of Real Estate Boards. He attends the Methodist Church, and in politics he is a supporter of the Republican party.
On May 26, 1917, Harry G. Hall was married to Bessie Bond of Libertyville, Illinois, a daughter of Lafayette and Sarah (Slusser) Bond. Of this mar-
riage a son, named Bond M., was born on April 12, 1918. During the second World War Mr. Bond M. Hall answered his country's call to the colors by en- listing in the air force, and was killed in action during the course of combat in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
HARRY F. DE BEAU likes to recall that it was on his twenty-fifth birthday-May 14, 1907, being the date-when he opened his own office as an indepen- dent real estate dealer. And after forty years of notable success in his chosen business, the man who struck out for himself at so early an age can boast that he is now the oldest living active real estate man in the Hempstead area. His friends and neighbors will add that Mr. De Beau has long been one of Hempstead's most useful citizens and most unselfish public servants, and has well earned the respect and affection in which he is held in his community.
Born in the old city of Brooklyn on May 14, 1882, long before it became a borough of Greater New York, Mr. De Beau was the son of the late James F. De Beau, a native of Port Hope in the Province of Ontario, Canada. A carriage manufacturer by trade, James F. De Beau came to Brooklyn, where he pursued his calling and married a native Brooklyn girl, Hannah E. Norcross, who died in December, 1945. During the Civil War James F. De Beau took up arms in defense of his adopted country, serv- ing in Battery C of the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery. He was an ardent Mason.
The De Beau family removed from Brooklyn to Hempstead, Nassau County, where the young Harry F. attended the public grade and high schools. With his youthful ambition set on a career in business, he also enrolled for courses at the Heffley Institute and at the Bryant and Stratton Business College, both in Brooklyn. His first employment was as a clerk in the United States post office at Hempstead, where he remained for a few years before taking a position in the Jamaica office of the Title Guarantee & Trust Company. Here he remained but a short time, but long enough, doubtless, to make him aware of the potentialities in Long Island real estate as a business; for as related above, on May 14, 1907, he became a realtor in his own right, full of a youthful confi- dence which has been amply justified by four decades of success.
Always interested in good government and the effi- cient administration of public affairs, Mr. De Beau served for ten years, 1926 to 1936, as village assessor of the village of Hempstead, and at the present writing he holds the office of treasurer of that village government, and also village historian. He is a member of the Republican party and is a county com- mitteeman from the twenty-first election district of the town of Hempstead.
Mr. De Beau holds membership in the Long Island Real Estate Board and in the National As- sociation of Real Estate Boards. He serves as ap- praiser for the First Federal Savings and Loan As- sociation of Hempstead. He is a member of the Methodist Church, and his fraternal organization is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 1485. He was a delegate to the New York State convention of the Elks, held at Rochester in 1946. Mr. De Beau's hobbies span a wide range, from scholarly research to athletics. He is devoted to
Hlavy E. Martiniau
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the study of biography, history and old pictures of Hempstead, and he is also a baseball and a football fan, always ready to witness a lively game of either of these sports.
Harry F. De Beau is married, his wife being the former Edna Barker of Freeport, Nassau County, a daughter of Melvin E. and Alice (Seaman) Barker.
ROBERT G. McKEON-A native of New York City in the days before the consolidation of five boroughs to make Greater New York, Robert G. Mc- Keon has been associated since boyhood with Long Island, the scene of his notable business success.
Born on January 1, 1891, Mr. Mckeon attended grade school in New York City, but during his high school days his family lived in Long Island City- which by that time had become a part of the borough of Queens-and he attended the Long Island City High School and also took courses at night. About the year 1918 he became associated with the Nassau- Hicksville Lumber Company, which was originally known as the Nassau Lumber Company and was founded, and operated for many years, by William S. Hofstra, the founding patron of Hofstra College at Hempstead, one of the educational institutions of which Long Islanders are proud.
In 1937 Robert G. Mckeon purchased the Nassau- Hicksville Lumber Company, and changed the name to Mckeon Lumber Company Inc., of which he con- tinues to be president to this time. This long estab- lished business, with office and yards on Old Country Road in Hicksville, employs as many as fifteen people; and situated as it is in the midst of the area which is steadily being transformed into beautiful suburbs of metropolitan New York, the company under Mr. McKeon's management has continued to be increas- ingly successful, with every prospect that the re- quirements of the post-war era will provide greater outlets than ever for its products.
During the first World War Robert G. Mckeon served with the United States Signal Corps as an airplane inspector, and during World War II he was a member of the local Selective Service Board, No. 719, at Hempstead. He sits on the board of directors of the Long Island National Bank of Hicksville and is also a director of the Reserve Supply Corporation of Long Island, which has offices in Mineola, Nassau County, and Riverhead, Suffolk County. A Republican in political affiliation and a Protestant in religion, Mr. Mckeon is a member of Advance Lodge No. 635, of the Free and Accepted Masons, which meets in Long Island City. He also belongs to the Hempstead Country Club, where he indulges in his hobby, golf.
Robert G. Mckeon married Gladys Totten, and of this union there have been born two children: I. Robert, Jr., who during the second World War served in the United States Army, holding a com- mission as captain, and being connected with the 24th Division. Captain Mckeon saw service in the Philip- pine Islands, Japan, and other areas of the Pacific Theater of Operations, and was wounded in action at Mindoro Island. He was awarded the Bronze Cross and the Purple Heart decorations. Captain Mckeon is now associated in business with his father. 2. John Harold, who during World War II served in the United States Navy with the rank of lieutenant, junior grade, seeing action in the Far East. Since his honorable discharge from the Navy Lieutenant Mc- Keon has been studying at Amherst College.
HARRY E. MARTINSEN-Since 1936 Harry E. Martinsen has been in public service either as a hold- er of public office, paid or volunteer, or as a leader in civic and cultural activities. He is credited es- pecially with a major contribution in promoting the cause of music in Suffolk County and of improving and maintaining the county's civil service system and standards. Mr. Martinsen, whose home com- munity is Smithtown Branch, is a member of the county board of supervisors and is chairman or member of four of its major committees. He is former clerk of Smithtown and former chief of the Smithtown Branch Fire Department. He served in the United States Navy in World War II and is now active in veterans' work.
Supervisor Martinsen was born at Smithtown Branch on October 16, 1906, the son of Henry and Louise (Loheide) Martinsen. His father was a native of Norway and his mother was German. Henry Martinsen settled in Smithtown Branch as a young man and began his career as a gardener. For twenty-seven years he was superintendent of the estate of Charles M. Higgins.
Harry Martinsen was educated in the elementary and high schools of Smithtown Branch. In 1926 he became a clerk in the Bank of Smithtown, where he rose in time to teller and later to positions of even greater responsibility. He remained with the bank unt1 1938. Within that period he spent three years as a student at the American Institute of Banking in New York City. He resigned from the bank in 1938 to accept appointment as Town Clerk of Smithtown. He served in that post until De- cember, 1942, when he entered the Navy for war service. He achieved the rating of storekeeper first class, and was discharged in February, 1945.
Returning to Smithtown, Mr. Martinsen became a candidate for supervisor. Elected in November 1945, he took the oath of office Janury 1, 1946. He is chairman of the board's civil service committee and is a member of the committees on county proper- ty and buildings, roads and bridges and equalization and assessments.
For twenty years Mr. Martinsen was a member of the Smithtown Branch Fire Department and chief for two terms. He is still active in the depart- ment. He is also former president of the Suffolk County Symphony Orchestra Association. He is a member of the James Ely Miller Post of the American Legion at Smithtown Branch and of the Lions Club of Smithtown Branch. He is a Pres- byterian and Republican. His avocation is music, especially the violin, and for recreation he likes to fish and hunt.
Mr. Martinsen married Verna Kinsey at Port Jefferson in October, 1936. Mrs. Martinsen, the daughter of Warren and Irene (Dayton) Kinsey, is a registered nurse who was graduated from the Port Jefferson High School before taking her nurse's training. She comes of a seafaring family.
EDWIN SWENSON-In the banking business in New York as well as on Long Island since his youth, Edwin Swenson has been president of the Matine- cock Bank at Locust Valley since 1937. He is also a director, and comptroller of the Locust Valley Ceme- tery Association.
Mr. Swenson was born in Brooklyn, the son of the late John and Edla (Anderson) Swenson, both of whom were born in Sweden. Mr. Swenson's father,
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born near Halmstad, Sweden, in 1868, came to the United States at an early age. He was a gardener. Edwin Swenson attended Brooklyn public and Boys' High School and in Sweden received high school education. Returning to the United States, he entered the employ of the Broadway Trust Com- pany, now the Irving Trust, in New York City. He remained there until 1921, when he became a teller in what was then called the Glen Cove Bank, now the Glen Cove Trust Company. He was with this institution for two years. On January 1, 1924, he was appointed cashier of the Matinecock Bank in Locust Valley. He was later promoted to vice presi- dent and director and in 1937 elected president. Aside from his affiliation with the Locust Valley Cemetery Association, Mr. Swenson is also a mem- ber of the Glen Cove Lodge No. 580, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and of the Locust Valley Reformed Church, and is past president of Nassau County Chapter, American Institute of Banking. He is inde- pendent in politics.
Mr. Swenson married Ruth Markle in Glen Cove on February 12, 1927. She is the daughter of Homer and Julia J. (Bellows) Markle. Mr. and Mrs. Swen- son are the parents of two children; Edna Jane, born on May 2, 1928, and Edwin Carl John, born on July 18, 1938. .
WILLIAM A. SPECKELS-Among the young- er attorneys who have made their mark at the Long Island bar is William A. Speckels, who for some years divided his practice between his native borough of Brooklyn in New York City and the village of his choice and residence, Seaford, where in 1946 he de- cided to concentrate his legal activities.
Mr. Speckels' parents, the late Frederick G. Speckels, who was in the insurance business with the Home Insurance Company in New York until his death on November 1, 1936, and Mrs. Virginia L. (Fabb) Speckels, who is still living, were both native Brooklynites. It was on October 15, 1907, that William A. Speckels was born in that borough. His early education was at parochial schools in Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1925. His collegiate studies began at Fordham University, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts upon graduating with the class of 1929. Having determined upon the law as his profession, he enrolled at St. John's University, where he obtained his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1933. On May I of the following year he was ad- mitted to the bar.
Opening an offce in Brooklyn, Mr. Speckels prac- ticed there under his own name until 1946. From 1940 on. however, he also engaged in practice at Seaford in Nassau County, and with a view to con- centrating his practice in Seaford henceforth, Mr. Speckels has recently completed a modern office in that village, on the Merrick Road. In the course of his general practice of the law he has won the confidence of many important clients and the respect of his professional colleagues. He is a mem- ber of the Nassau County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. Active in political life, Mr. Speckels is a Republican, and a member of the Republican Club of Seaford. In religious mat- ters he is affiliated with the Church of St. William the Abbot in Seaford.
On February 26, 1938, William A. Speckels mar- ried Helen M. Sudneck of Easthampton, Massachu-
setts, a daughter of Alexander and Catherine (Sadow- ski) Sudneck. Of this marriage there are three chil- dren: I. Judith M., who was born on October 25, 1939. 2. Frederick Paul, born on January 25, 1944. 3. Chris- tine Joanna, born April 6, 1946.
EDWARD A. BRAUN-The extraordinary devel- opment of those areas of Long Island nearest to the city of New York, as residential suburbs providing homes for hundreds of thousands of city workers and their families, long since created an insistent demand for skilled and dependable service in the various fields of home equipment, foremost among which are plumbing and heating equipment. Braun Brothers Inc., of Hicksville, Nassau County, of which Ed- ward A. Braun is secretary and treasurer, ranks high among those firms, which, by skillfully and dependably filling the demand for modern plumbing and heating installations, have transformed thousands of houses into homes.
Much as it may now-a-days appear to be merely a sort of over-flow dormitory of New York City, Long Island also has its story of pioneers and first families. The Brauns have been established for at least five generations. Edward A. Braun's grand- father Wendel Braun was born at Hicksville more than a century ago. He was a farmer. His son Wil- liam S. Braun was born at Hicksville in 1855, lived there throughout a long life, following the trade of a retail butcher, and died there in 1923. William S. Braun married Sophie Betcha, a native of New York City, who survived him until 1933.
Edward A. Braun was born at Hicksville on July 21, 1898, and was educated at the parochial school in his native place. At an early age he became asso- ciated with Charles Raynor of Hicksville, a member of another old Long Island family, from whom he learned the plumbing and heating trade. In 1917 the firm of Braun Brothers, Inc., was formed by Edward A. Braun in association with his brothers, Lawrence S. and Clarence H. Braun. Of this concern Lawrence S. Braun was the president; Clarence H. Braun held the vice presidency; and Edward A. Braun was secre- tary and treasurer. Like Edward A. Braun, his brothers were born in Hicksville. Lawrence A. Braun served in the United States Navy during the first World War, and since that time has been in- active in the business due to ill health, but retains the office of president of the firm. Clarence H. Brown was born in the year 1900 and was educated at the Hicks- ville parochial school.
The firm of Braun Brothers, Inc., has enjoyed a highly successful business from the start, and its members look forward to the post-war era as holding the promise of greater activity than ever.
Edward A. Braun has for some years been asso- ciated with banking operations on Long Island, and is a member of the board of directors of the Long Island National Bank of Hicksville. A communicant of the Roman Catholic Church, he is also a member of the great fraternal order of that denomination, the Knights of Columbus.
On June 29, 1922, Edward A. Braun was married to Marion Meyer of Syosset, a daughter of Stephen and Annie (Browne) Meyer. Of this marriage there are two children: I. Edward G., who served in the United States Navy during the second World War. Since receiving his honorable discharge after three years of service. he has been associated with Braun Brothers, Inc. He is married to the former Barbara
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Navrot of Westbury. 2. Virginia Marie, who is now a student at St. Joseph's College in Brooklyn, New York City.
MAXIM BOBINSKI-The Suffolk Potato Ex- change of Riverhead, owned and operated by Maxim Bobinski and his three sons, was established in 1919 by the older man. The office and plant are located at No. 505 Lincoln Street, Riverhead, New York, and during the season the firm employs in excess of one hundred people.
Maxim Bobinski, a native of Poland, came to the United States at the age of sixteen in 1902, and later settled in the town of Riverhead where he soon became known as one of the most successful farmers of that region. The Bobinki family who specialize in the growing and dealing in potatoes and cauliflower, are agents for various types of farm machinery and fertilizer, operating under the firm name of the Suffolk Potato Exchange. Their farm, one of the largest in Suffolk County, contains over five hundred acres. Three sons are associated with their father in the operation of the company. Mrs. Stacia Bobinski passed away in 1916.
Konrad Bobinski, son of Maxim and Stacia Bobin- ski, was an All-American guard of the football team of Lafayette College in 1928, now associated in the family business interests. He married Teresa Roman- ski, of Jamesport, New York, and they are the parents of the following children: Konrad, Jr., Albin, Roberta, Karen and Alexander Bobinski.
Maxim Bobinski, Jr. who is also associated with the Exchange attended Alfred University before his service in the United States Marine Corps as a lieuten- ant in World War II. He was recently discharged from the service after serving from July, 1943, the last seventeen months having been spent in the South Pacific area. He married Claire Perkins, of Idaho, and they have a son, John Robert Bobinski.
Albin Bobinski was born at Riverhead, New York, in February, 1907, his mother passing away when he was nine years old. A graduate of Riverhead High School, class of 1924, he received his degree of Bache- lor of Science in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1928. A member of the family business interests, he was president of the Long Island Potato Shippers Association from 1936 to the present time, an association comprised of thirty-two potato firms on Long Island. He is a member of St. Isadores Roman Catholic Church of Riverhead, and his favorite forms of relaxation are found in the outdoor sports of boating and fishing. Albin Bobinski married Adelaide Dombek, daughter of John and Josephine Dombek of Riverhead, her father a director of the Long Island State Bank. Their children are: I. Constance, born March, 1931, a student at River- head High School. 2. Dianne, born in April, 1933. The family residence is at 404 Marcy Avenue, River- head.
WILLIAM G. HEMPEL-Beginning as a young man, William G. Hempel spent more than twenty years as a grocer before entering the laundry busi- ness. Highly successful in his original line of en- deavor, he found to change from a business which constantly tends to be overcrowded, to one affording greater opportunity, the open door to still more not- able success.
Mr. Hempel's father Hermann, and his mother Catherine (Mahlstedt) Hempel were both natives of Germany, and are now deceased. Hempel was a plumber and tinsmith. William G. Hempel was born in Bremen, Germany, on February 27, 1886, and at- tended public school there before coming to the United States in 1904. Settling in New York City, the young immigrant became a grocery clerk, and within a few years was in a position to go into busi- ness for himself. From 1910 to 1926 William G. and his brother Henry C. Hempel conducted a suc- cessful grocery business under the name of Hempel Brothers.
It was in 1926 that Mr. Hempel established himself in the laundry business under the name of the Walters Laundry Service, located in Hempstead, Nassau County. Of this concern, which employs approxi- mately sixty people in its plant at 39 Newman Court in Hempstead, Mr. Hempel has been and remains president and general manager. He is active in the business and civic affairs of his community as a member of the Hempstead Rotary Club, and partici- pates in fraternal life as a member of Queens Village Lodge No. 1046 of the Free and Accepted Masons. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and in poli- tics is a supporter of the Republican party.
On October 17, 1916, William G. Hempel was mar- ried to Lillie Giebelhaus, a daughter of Conrad and Rebekka (Mueller) Giebelhaus. Of this marriage there is one son, William G., Jr., who was born on August 13, 1917. He is a graduate of Lehigh University at Bethlehem. Pennsylvania, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts and was awarded the key of Phi Beta Kappa. During the second World War, William G. Hempel, Jr., served in the Quarter- master Corps with the rank of captain. He is now actively engaged in business with his father as vice president of the Walters Laundry Service. He is married to the former Edna A. Wich of Cliffside, New Jersey, and they have two sons, William G., III, and Robert George.
William G. Hempel, Sr., enjoys two hobbies, fishing and pinochle.
THOMAS M. DANGERFIELD-Society has al- ways honored the builder, the man of constructive ideas and talents. It is natural therefore that Thomas M. Dangerfield is a man lield in great respect throughout Nassau County, for the impress of his skill and his high standards of sound workmanship is to be seen throughout that populous and ever-growing suburban area, particularly on the numerous com- mercial buildings and official structures which have sprung up in recent decades to accommodate the services called for by the rapid increase of popula- tion in Nassau's score of home communities.
Mr. Dangerfield's parents, Charles M. and Mar- garet M. (McAnaspie) Dangerfield, were . both of English birth, the former hailing from London and the latter from Liverpool. Charles M. Dangerfield, who came to the United States in 1890, was employed in the department of water supply of the city of New York for many years before his death in 1913. His widow is still living. Their son Thomas M. was born at Hempstead in Nassau County on October 29, 1891. After attending public grade and high schools in his native place, he took employment, which he held for two years, in a real estate office in Garden City in his native county. His first associa- tion with the construction business was as an em-
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ployee of C. T. Wills of New York City. During his ten years with this employer he rose by industry, fidelity, hard work and innate ability from apprentice to foreman.
When J. P. Cowper of Buffalo, New York, built a plant for the Curtis Airplane Company at Garden City, Nassau County, Mr. Dangerfield was associated with them, and this connection continued until after the first World War. Following that, Mr. Danger- field entered the organization of Kirwin Estabrook of Hempstead, and became superintendent of the con- struction of the Hempstead High School. While he was associated with Mr. Kirwin Estabrook he also constructed the Franklin Shops Building in Hemp- stead, a six-story structure, and the Professional Building in the same village, also running to six stories. During this time also he constructed a great number of public school buildings, as well as all of the Hempstead schools and Garden City, Bald- win and Manhasset high schools and buildings hous- ing Hofstra College, which is located in Nassau County.
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