USA > New York > Long Island historic homes, ancient and modern : including a history of their founders and builders > Part 14
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During the draft riots of 1863 he was enrolling officer for the town of Hempstead and helped to organize the Home Guard, out of which grew the Union League Club. Principle and patriotism were paramount to all political considerations, or even the ties which bound him to the Friends. Great latitude was permitted and he was never called to account for his encouragement of and participation in warlike measures. No one could ever accuse him of inconsis- tency. He sacrificed his chances of preferment all through life be- cause he permitted principle rather than policy to govern his actions. He married January 18, 1848, Martha A. Seaman, daughter of Ben- jamin and Jemima, son of Enoch and Mary (Smith), son of Benja- min and Letitia, son of James and Martha, son of Capt. John Seaman. The children of this marriage were:
I. Mary, died in 1876.
II. Albert William Seaman (see record).
Albert William Seaman, only son of Edward H. and Martha A. Seaman, was born at Jerusalem, in the town of Hempstead, Octo- ber 3, 1851. While, like Cincinnatus of old, he "followed the plow," yet at the same time he was permitted to follow his own in- clinations and pursue a course of study leading to a professional life. The public school and two winters at Mansfield Academy of Brook- lyn, and a course of study at home after working hours, formed his principal equipment. He entered Columbia Law School, graduat- ing with honor in 1879, and was admitted to the New York Bar the same year. He entered the New York office of Hon. William H. Onderdunk, former Surrogate of Queens County, and, though nominally a law clerk, he was permitted to work up a private practice for himself. He opened an office for himself in 1881, and from
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that time forward he has had a constantly increasing and successful practice. He has tried many important cases which have added to his reputation. A case which was probably the most far-reaching in its effects was that of the Dosoris Pond, Long Island, in which he succeeded in establishing the title in question, which had long been a matter of controversy and litigation.
His desire to promote good government and improve the con- dition of the people of his native town and country naturally led him into politics, and, like his father, he has always been on the side of reform. With that independence of character for which his father was noted, he has followed his own convictions and never aimed at popularity. He attended the call at Long Island City in 1893 and was sent as a delegate to the Syracuse "Anti-Snapper" convention, and was a delegate to the National Convention at Chicago which nominated Grover Cleveland for President. He worked faithfully and carnestly for the success of the ticket.
Of late years he has given considerable attention to yachting as a source of recreation and pleasure. He is a member of the Pena- taquit-Corinthian Yacht Club of Bay Shore and the Unqua Yacht Club of Amityville. From the masthead of his own yacht he flies as his private signal the crest of the Seaman family, which is espec- ially appropriate for the purpose.
At Wantagh, formerly Jerusalem, he is largely interested in de- veloping and improving the property, which comprises a part of the 300 acre tract of the first Capt. John Seaman.
Mr. Seaman has been too much absorbed in his professional duties ever to give much attention to social or club life. He is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and of the New York Law Institute.
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He has been twice married. His first wife was Mary A. Hopkins, daughter of Edward A. Hopkins. She was a great-grand-daughter of Isaac T. Hopper, the noted Abolitionist. She died in 1898. He married, second, Daisy G. Hatton, daughter of Dr. Joseph Hat- ton, of Grovetown, Georgia, who served as surgeon in Cobb's Loyal Legion during the Civil War. Her grandfather, James Stedman, was an officer in the American army during the War of 1812, while her great-grandfather was captain on board the sloop of war May, and was captured by the British and confined in the old prison ship in New York harbor.
Mr. Seaman has one son by his first wife, Edwin. He was born at Wantagh (formerly Jerusalem), and graduated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, where he is now taking the Collegiate Course.
THE HULBERT MANSION.
PROSPECT PARK WEST, FRONTING PROSPECT PARK.
One of the most imposing and magnificent edifices fronting on Prospect Park is the home of H. C. Hulbert, the well known Ncw York merchant, who for nearly half a century has led his competitors in his line of business, and this mansion forms a fitting monument to his grand achievements.
The house towers high above all the surrounding property, af- fording the most extended view in every direction probably of any house in Brooklyn. It is situated on the south-east corner of Pros- pect Park west, 'corner of First Street, fronting on Prospect Park. It is historic ground, being in direct line of the old Porte road, through which the retreating Americans under Sullivan, on the morning of the 27th of August, 1776, were driven after a hard- fought battle in what is now Prospect Park, and finally saved from utter destruction by the gallantry of the "Four Hundred Maryland- ers" under Lord Sterling.
The style of the house is what is known as Romanesque, and the material used is the rock-faced Indiana stone, which retains its rich grey coloring for ages and is not affected by the elements. The architectural features are faultless, not a break or opening of any kind to mar the perfect harmony of the whole. When built it was one of the finest structures ever designed by the well known archi- tect, Montrose W. Morris.
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HULBERT MANSION
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The interior of the house is in perfect keeping with the exterior. There is a solidity, grandeur and beauty, indicative of the character of its owner, in every portion of the house from cellar to attic. The massive doors, wainscots, window frames, etc., are in polished oak, mahogany, vermillion wood and other rich and expensive woods, all in harmony with the artistic wall and ceiling decorations and the elegant carved and richly upholstered furniture. Each room is a revelation in itself, and each presents some new feature on which the eve delights to dwell upon. Everything is suggestive of the high- est style of art as well as the good taste and judgment of its designer.
One of the most interesting features of the interior is the beau- tifully stained glass window at the head of the first flight of stairs, representing as it does a chapter in the family history of the Cham- pion Marmion and Dymokes, from whom Mr. Hulbert, on his mother's side, is descended. This branch of the Dymoke family claim descent from the family of Marmion and Dymoke. William the Conqueror appointed Marmion as King's Champion, the cham- pionship to be held by tenure of the estate of Scrivelsby. In the Fourteenth Century, no male issue of the Marmion family living, a tournament was called, the successful knight to marry Margery, the heiress of Scrivelsby, and continue the office of King's Champion. Sir John De Dymoke was the successful knight, as told in the old Anglo-Norman ballad :
"Sir John De Dymock claim'd of right The championship through Margery, And 'gainst Sir Baldwin Freville, Knight, Prevail'd as Lord of Scrivelsby.
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And, ever since, when England's Kings Are diadem'd-no matter where, The Champion Dymock boldly flings His glove, should treason venture there."
The scene depicted on the window represents the Champion entering his home through the Lion's Gate after a Coronation. It is faithfully worked up by the artist from a photograph brought from England. The window itself is a work of art and reflects great credit on the artist.
HENRY CARLTON HULBERT.
His ANCESTRAL LINE AND ALLIED FAMILIES.
henry Carlton Fulbert, only son of Amos Geer Hulbert and Cyn- thia Bassett, was born in Lee, Mass., December 19, 1831. The ancestral lines, both paternal and maternal, extend back to the ear- liest settlement of the country and, both directly and collaterally, include many of the most ancient and honorable of the old Puritan families of New England, the characteristics of whom are developed in him to a marked degree.
His paternal ancestor was Lieut. Thomas Hulbert, who accom- panied Leon Gardner to this country in 1635, to build a fort at Say- brook. When attacked by the Pequots, while absent from the fort, he made a most gallant fight and, though severely wounded, fought his way back to the fort inch by inch. Gardner, in his account, says: "But in our retreat I kept Thomas Hulbert, Robert Chapman and John Spencer still before us, we defending ourselves with our naked swords or else they had taken us all alive." Thomas Hulbert afterwards settled in Wethersfield, Conn., where he died in 1673.
It is a singular fact that the descendants of Thomas Hulbert and Robert Chapman, above mentioned, were united by the marriage of H. C. Hulbert and Susan R. Cooley (a direct descendant of Robert Chapman) in 1854.
The direct line of Henry Carlton Hulbert is through John, the second son of Thomas, born March 8, 1642, died Aug. 30, 1690, settled in Middletown, Conn .; Ebenezer, third son of John, born January, 1683, died 1766; Ebenezer, Jr., born May 6, 1725, died 1777; Amos, born in Chatham, Conn., 1752, died in Lee, Mass., 1835; and Amos Geer Hulbert, of Lee, Mass., born in Wethersfield,
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Conn., 1799, died in Lee, Mass., Aug. 6, 1884, the father of Henry Carlton Hulbert, of New York and Brooklyn, born in Lee, Mass., December 19, 1831.
On the maternal side Henry C. Hulbert is closely identified with the Plymouth Colony, among whom were the English families of Bassett and Dymoke. The founder of the Bassett line, William Bassett, came over to the Plymouth Colony in the ship Fortune in 1621. He removed to Duxbury, Mass .; later to Bridgewater, Mass., of which he was one of the proprietors, and was admitted freeman in 1633, and died in 1667. He maintained a position of promi- nence, and was intimate with the chief dignitaries of the Massachu- setts Colony. The intimacy of his son, William Bassett, 2nd, with Governors Winslow and Hinckley was so close that he, dying carly, appointed them guardians over his children.
From William Bassett, the founder of the line, proceeds William Bassett (2), born 1624, died 1670; Colonel William Bassett (3), born in Sandwich, Mass., 1656, died Sept. 29, 1721; William Bas- sett (4), died 1744, at Sandwich, Mass .; Nathaniel Bassett, born Oct. 15, 1719, died 1814; Anselm Bassett, born at Sandwich, Mass., July 20, 1768, died July 14, 1837, at Lee, Mass .; Cynthia Bassett, born Jan. 28, 1802, died July 9, 1869, married Jan. 27, 1824, to Amos Geer Hulbert, and thus became the mother of Henry Carlton Hulbert.
By the marriage of Nathaniel Bassett, of the fifth generation, in 1745, to Hannah Hall, the great grand-daughter of Margaret, daughter of Governor Josiah Winslow, Henry C. Hulbert is eighth in descent from Governor Edward Winslow, as also from Widow Susannah Fuller White, whose marriage with Governor Wins- low, May 12, 1621, was the first marriage celebrated in Plymouth
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Colony, and whose child, Perigrine White (by her former husband ), was the first white child born in New England.
Mr. Hulbert is in the seventh generation from Governor Josiah Winslow, son of the preceding, who was the first native-born Gover- nor of Massachusetts, also the first native-born General, serving as General-in-Chief of the whole military force of the United Colonies during the Pequot war.
Mr. Hulbert's line of descent from the family of Dymoke is de- rived through his grandmother, Hannah Dymock, mother of Cynthia Bassett. The ancient cavalier family of Dymoke, by marriage with the heiress of the house of Marmion, became hereditary champion of the Kings and Queens of England, it being the knightly duty of the head of the family on Coronation Day to challenge to mortal combat any one who dared to deny the right of the Sovereign.
The Dymokes were a strong Catholic family. Tradition has it that one of the sons married a Puritan girl, and Thomas Dymoke, baptised at Pinchback, England, Oct. 6, 1604, one of his descend- ants, joined the Massachusetts Bav colonists prior to 1635. He married Ann Hammond, daughter of William Hammond and Eliza- beth Penn, sister of Admiral Sir William Penn, ancestor of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. He appears in the later records as "Elder Thomas Dymoke." He was selectman of Dorchester, Mass., 1635; admitted freeman 1636; removed to Hingham in 1638, and in 1639-40 to Barnstable, he being one of the original proprietors. He was Lieutenant of Militia, the highest military commission in the colonies at the time. He died in 1658. The line from him descends through Ensign Shubael, bap. Sept. 15, 1644, died at Mansfield, Conn., in 1735, aged 91; thence through John,
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born 1666; Theophilus, of Falmouth, Mass., born 1696, died 1760; Theophilus (2), born 1727, died 1765; Sylvanus, born at Fal- mouth, Mass., in 1754, died at Lee, Mass., March 16, 1837; Hannah Dymoke, born Jan. 5, 1778, died in 1853, who married Anselm Bassett, born in Sandwich, Mass., July 20, 1768, died in Lee, Mass., 1837; Cynthia Bassett, born in Lee, Mass., 1802, died July 9, 1869, who married, Jan. 27, 1824, Amos Geer Hulbert, born at Wethersfield, Conn., Feb. 7, 1799, died at Lee, Mass., 1884; Henry Carlton Hulbert, born at Lee, Mass., Dec. 19, 1831.
General Joseph Dymoke and Captain Lott Dymoke, of the Revolution, and sons of Theophilus Dymoke, of the fourth genera- tion above, and through Sarah Hinckley, his wife, were the great- great-uncles of H. C. Hulbert; through Sarah Hinckley, wife of Theophilus, Mr. Hulbert is descended from Samuel Hinckley, father of Governor Hinckley of Massachusetts.
Through the marriage of John Hulbert, of the second genera- tion of the Hulbert line, to Honor Treat Deming, Mr. Hulbert is descended from Richard Treat, father of Governor Robert Treat, of Connecticut. John Deming and Richard Treat were two of the patentees named in the Connecticut Charter, granted by Charles II, the famous document of "Charter Oak" notoriety. Another collateral ancestor (by marriage of William Bassett (4) of Sandwich, Mass., Feb. 3, 1709, to Abigail Bourne, grand-daughter of Rich- ard Bourne) was Richard Bourne, of Plymouth Colony, who ex- ercised an influence over the Massachusetts Indians similar to that of Sir William Johnson over the Six Nations of New York. Ban- stable Records, page 107, says that he did more by the moral power which he exerted to defend the old colony than Major William Brad- ford did at the head of the army. A score of other ancestors can
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be traced who were prominent colonists and who arrived in America prior to 1640. So far Mr. Hulbert has been unable to trace his de- scent from any one who emigrated later than 1645.
Amos Geer Hulbert, father of Henry C., inherited to the full the hardy, resolute character of his New England ancestry. His early boyhood was spent in Suffield, Conn. He served his apprenticeship as carriage maker in Salisbury and Canaan, Conn. In 1820 hc re- moved to Lec, Mass., where he rose to prominence as a successful manufacturer, and became thoroughly identified with the growth and progress of the town. His chief characteristics were cordiality, frankness, a spirit of investigation, indomitable perseverance and great thoroughness in all his undertakings. "In every thought, fibre and movement," it is related of him, "he was an enthusiastic business man, yet the perfect system with which he arranged his affairs gave him ample leisure for reading and self improvement." He was in person above the medium height, but of a robust nature and crect form that gave dignity to his presence. He was remarkably vigorous for a man of his age. At the age of seventy-four he visited England and the Continent, evincing all the interest, enthusiasm, etc., without any physical discomfort more than one in middle life. On January 27, 1824, he married Cynthia Bassett, of equally sturdy and resolute Puritan stock. He was a member of the Congregational Church, and led an exemplary Christian life. He died at Lee, Mass., in 1884.
Henry Carlton Hulbert, the only son of Amos Geer Hulbert and Cynthia Bassett, was educated at the public schools of his na- tive town and completed his studies at Lee Academy, of Lee, Mass. Of a strong individuality and pronounced principles, he was a leader among his associates in the various school day affairs, but with the blood of the old Plymouth Colony in his veins, he was restless and
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anxious to begin his career in life which should lead on to fortune. He had strong predilections for a mercantile life, and at the age of sixteen he bid farewell to his alma mater and started on his upward career as clerk in the store of William Taylor. He remained but a short time when he was offered a position in the dry goods house of Plunkett & Hulbert, of Pittsfield. After submitting the matter to his parents, he was informed by them that hereafter "self reliance must be his capital." He was equal to the occasion and had faith in his own ability to succeed. Within three years he rose from the po- sition of errand boy, through the intermediate grades, to that of cashier.
The little world in which he lived soon became too contracted and he was ambitious for a wider field. He felt that
"No pent up Utica contracts your powers, But the whole boundless continent is yours,"
and so he determined to try his fortune in the great metropolis. As he unfolded his plans to his father, he was reminded by the latter that not more than ten in one hundred who ventured there met with success. The ambitious young man replied: "I propose to bc one of the ten," and it was plainly evident that "that one" was a host in himself, and that his capital of "self-reliance" had largely increased. In February, 1851, at the age of nineteen, he started for New York City, provided with suitable letters of reco commenda- tion, among which were letters to Cyrus W. Field & Co., and White & Sheffield. Mr. Field was an old acquaintance of his father and received the young man cordially, but informed him that he had no position open at the time, but that he could use his firm's name as a city reference. He then presented his letters to White & Sheffield, importers of and extensive dealers in paper manufactures. The
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firm were very favorably impressed with the young man, and espec- ially with his direct and intelligent answers to their questions. Mr. Sheffield asked him what he proposed to do. His prompt reply was: "If you give me a position I propose to make myself so useful that you will give me an interest in your business," and he kept his word. His salary for the first year was $400. His previous training had been thorough and exacting, and he had been submitted to the se- verest discipline. As errand boy, salesman, book-keeper and cashier he was well equipped for his new position. Ever on the alert, an opportunity presented itself near the close of the year, which he was quick to avail himself of. The firm was in the habit of sending out account sales at the close of each quarter to the manufacturing firms they represented, and, owing to the illness of the book-keeper and cashier who attended to these duties, the firm were in a quandary as to what could be done. At this juncture young Hulbert offered to fill the place of the absent employee until he should be able to re- sume his duties, at the same time informing the firm that this had been a part of his education, and that he had no doubt of his ability to fill the position. After some hesitancy the offer was accepted, and they were greatly pleased with the result, every detail being per- formed in the most thorough manner. The increased confidence of the firm in his abilities and his personality as well, gave him a strong hold in the line of advancement.
Not long after this an incident occurred which raised the young man still higher in the estimation of his employers. There was an un- fortunate rupture between the firms of White & Sheffield and that of Cyrus W. Field & Co., in which their relations became very strained, so much so that the letters of the former firm were returned unan- swered. The matter was placed in the hands of Mr. Hulbert, with
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discretionary powers, in which he proved himself a skillful diplomat, and through his efforts the matter was amicably adjusted, to the en- tire satisfaction of his employers.
In the great panic of '57 Mr. Hulbert was sent on a Western trip for the purpose of effecting a settlement of old, and to use his own judgment about opening new accounts. His office experience had familiarized him with the financial conditions of the trade, and not a dollar was lost through the sales he made at this time. He had fulfilled his promise made to the firm at the time he entered their employ, and in less than four years he was given an interest in the profits in lieu of salary. One year later, at the age of 24, he was admitted to full partnership and the firm name changed to J. B. Sheffield & Co. On the expiration of this partnership, Jan. 1, 1858, Mr. Hulbert was offered fifty per cent. advance on his interest to re- main, but declined. Forming an association with his cousin, Milan Hulbert, of Boston, under the firm name of H. C. & M. Hulbert (with Otis Daniell, of Boston, as special partner for $30,000), he at once engaged in business for himself, on a capital of $40,000, as an importer and dealer in paper makers' supplies. After completing the organization Mr. Hulbert sailed for Europe and secured a number of valuable exclusive agencies, some of which are still retained by Mr. Hulbert's successors. Returning in 1858, the firm opened business at 83 John Street, and entered at once upon a successful career, which has continued uninterruptedly ever since. In the develop- ment of the business but two removals of its location have occurred, one in 1861 to 13 Beekman Street, the other in 1881 to 53 Beek- man Street. Up to the present time the firm has been but once re- organized, although there have been several changes in the personnel. In 1862, special partner Otis Daniell sold his interest to the general
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partners, without security, giving them three years in which to make payment. In 1872, general partner Milan Hulbert withdrew, when the firm was reorganized as H. C. Hulbert & Co., Mr. Hulbert ad- mitting as partners Joseph H. Sutphin and George P. Hulbert, both of whom had served a thorough apprenticeship in the business as clerks in the establishment. Mr. George P. Hulbert died in the au- tumn of the same year. In 1890, Charles F. Bassett, who had grown up in the business from a boy, under the training of Mr. Hulbert, was admitted as a partner, and the business was continued under the same firm name until May 1, 1900, when H. C. Hulbert retired and Bassett & Sutphin became his successors. In 1893 Mr. Bassett married Carolyn, the youngest daughter of Mr. Hulbert. As Mr. Bassett's line of descent was from the same Puritan stock of the Bassetts, Dymokes, Winslows and Hinckleys, the ancestral line merged into those of his father-in-law, thus making the offspring doubly related.
While controlling the principal interests of his own firm, Mr. Hulbert's business ability and influence have been sought in other directions. He was, from 1882 to January, 1900, when the Pull- man Co. purchased the assets of the Wagner Co., and when J. P. Morgan, W. K. Vanderbilt and other Wagner directors were added to the Pullman Co. Board, the only New York director of the Pullman Palace Car Co., of Chicago, Ill., and at Mr. Pullman's death, Robert Lincoln, Marshall Field and Mr. Hulbert constituted the Executive Committee of the Company. Mr. Hulbert is also trustee and one of the finance committee of the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company, and also of the Celluloid Company. He is one of the trustees and ist Vice-President of the South Brooklyn Savings Insti- tution, and is now, and for over thirty years has been, a director of
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the Importers' and Traders' National Bank of New York, also of the United States Life Insurance Company, and one of the trustees of the Franklin Trust Co. of Brooklyn. He is a member of the New York Chamber of Commerce, life member of both the New York and Brooklyn New England Societies, member of the Society of Colonial Wars, and a member and Chairman of the Executive Com- mittee of the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was for many years a member of the South Congre- gational Church of Brooklyn, a trustee of the society and Superin- tendent of the Sabbath School. Upon the call of his cousin, Rev. Edward P. Ingersoll, to the pastorate of the Middle Reformed Church of Brooklyn, he changed his membership to that church, and later became Superintendent of the Sabbath School. With the call of Dr. Ingersoll to the Puritan Church in 1882, Mr. Hulbert united with Christ Church, on Clinton Street, of which he is still one of the vestry.
Mr. Hulbert has been twice married. In September, 1854, he was married to Susan R. Cooley, step-daughter of William Porter, a prominent lawyer of Lee, Mass. She soon became a confirmed in- valid, but, at the expiration of about seven years, regained her health. She was active in benevolent work, and for many years was treasurer of the Brooklyn Industrial School and Home for Destitute Children. She died August 22, 1882. His two daughters, the offspring of this union, are the wives of Mr. Sutphin and Mr. Bassett, his business partners, who, on Mr. Hulbert retiring from active business in 1900, continued under the firm name of Bassett & Sutphin.
Mr. Hulbert married 2nd, on Oct. 16, 1884, Fannie Dwight Bigelow, daughter of the late Asa Bigelow, Jr., of Brooklyn.
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