USA > New York > Westchester County > Manual of Westchester county.Past and present. Civil list to date 1898 > Part 27
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stance he fell only a few votes short of the nomination. To his influence is due mainly the reor- ganization of the Westchester County Agricultural and Horticul- tural Society, which was effected in
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1885, and of which he is the secre- tary. Mr. Long was married Octo- ber 27, 1867, to Miss Sarah T. Thiell, daughter of John and Sarah Thiell, of White Plains.
WILLIAM P .. MAYNARD.
William P. Maynard, former postmaster of White Plains, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., on Septem- ber 7, 1843, his parents being E. A. and W. V. (Hart) Maynard. He was educated in the public schools of Buffalo. Mr. Maynard removed to White Plains in 1863, where he was engaged for sixteen years as a photographer. In 1879 he disposed of his business to his assistant, John Rosch. He then removed west, remaining in Springfield, Ohio, two years and in Chicago one year; has since resided in White Plains; was married May 14, 1867, to Miss Nettie C. Colburn, daughter of the late Amasa S. Colburn, of Hartford, Conn. Mrs. Maynard died June 27, 1892, less than a month after she and her husband, with numerous friends, had cele- brated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their marriage. Mrs. Maynard had been an invalid for many years and a great sufferer, yet through it all she maintained a cheerful spirit, anxious not to be of trouble to her loved ones, especially her husband, whose principal desire was to meet her every wish and administer to her comfort and relief. In 1886 Mr. Maynard became the pioneer in the work of constructing the now one- hundred-feet-wide Mamaroneck Av- enue in his village, an attractive resident street, as well as extending Court Street. He took the initia- tory steps, purchased a large tract of ground lying between lines of both streets and inside of ten days from date of purchase had the street cut through, lots laid out, water and gas introduced and shade trees planted. Within two years he had succeeded in selling every lot, thus creating a new residence sec- tion and adding twenty-four new taxpayers to the tax assessment rolls. In commendation of his en- terprise he was unanimously chosen a Village Trustee in 1889 | tion.
and in 1890 his fellow-citizens urged upon him the acceptance of the appointment as postmaster of White Plains. He served in the of- fice from April, 1890, to April 1, 1894. During his term the receipts of the office doubled and the grade was raised from a third to a second- class; on November 4, 1892, Mr. Maynard realized his ambition, when he was able to enter a hand- some new post office located in an imposing brick building erected by F. H. Nowell for the purpose, and in answer to Mr. Maynard's urg- ings. Though a Republican, Mr. Maynard is in no sense a politician. At present he is engaged in the real estate and insurance business.
GEORGE L. MILLER.
George Leonard Miller, a Trustee of the village of White Plains, was born on January 6, 1849, in the said village, and has lived there all his life. He is a son of Leonard and Eliza Jane (Renoud) Miller, and is a descendant on the maternal side from the early Huguenots, who landed and settled in New Rochelle in 1686. He attended the public schools and finished his studies in the Alexandria Institute of his na- tive town, after which he learned the trade of a carpenter. He is one of the best-known carpenters and builders in White Plains and vicin- ity, having commenced business on his own account in January, 1877, and is now giving employment to many men, and is one of the fairest and most conscientious employers of labor to be found anywhere. His popularity as a citizen has fre- quently suggested his availability as a candidate for public office, but he has never been prevailed upon to accept other than the office he now holds, that of Village Trustee, to which he was elected in 1895, and which office he has held since. Mr. Miller was married on October 18, 1876, to Miss Hettie A. Cole, daugh- ter of James and Esther (Van Wart) Cole, of Greenburgh, and great- granddaughter of Isaac Van Wart, who was one of the three men who effected the capture of Major An- dré during the American revolu-
JOHN P. MORAN.
GEORGE L. MILLER.
WILLIAM P. MAYNARD.
EDWARD B- LONG.
James Young, Jr, WATER COMMISSIONER
Jeremiah Lockwood WATER COMMISSIONER
Louis G. Platt, Jr; TOWN CLERK
James W.Stafford EX- SCHOOL TRUSTEE.
George I Capron JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
STUART DEAN PLATT.
Aged seventeen months; son of W. Popham Platt, a former District Attorney; a grandson of the first elected Surrogate of Westchester County; a nephew of a former Deputy County Clerk; a nephew of a recent Deputy Clerk of the Surrogate and a present Town Clerk. He is not himself an office-holder, nor even a voter. but he is mounted to win in the not far distant He is here seen taking the first lesson necessary to be learned by a would-be successful politician-how to control a kicker.
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JOHN P. MORAN.
John P. Moran, Police Justice and postmaster of White Plains, and one of that locality's best- known and most genial citizens, was born in White Plains on June 20, 1858, a son of Patrick and Maria (Haley) Moran. He was educated in the public schools of his native village and started out early in life on a business career. He has al- ways resided in White Plains and for many years has been engaged actively and successfully as a real estate broker. He never married, which omission he explains by say- ing that he either lacked the cour- age to ask the all-important ques- tion or that he never thought he had time to give the matter of mar- riage due deliberation. Mr. Moran is an ardent Republican, a recog- nized party leader in the county and as a young man proved an apt pupil under the instruction of one of the cleverest in politics, his close friend, former Judge William H. Robertson. Mr. Moran's first polit- ical office was that of Collector of Taxes of the village of White Plains. He was for twelve years a trustee of the Union Free School of the joint district of the towns of White Plains and Harrison and clerk of that Board of Education for the same number of years. He is now serving his fourth year as Police Justice of the village of White Plains; is at present a mem- ber and secretary of the White Plains Board of Water Commis- sioners. He was appointed by Pres- ident Mckinley as postmaster of White Plains on March 17, 1898, and took possession of the office on May 2, following. In the first week of his administration he inaugu- rated a movement having for its purpose the introduction of free postal delivery.
LEWIS C. PLATT, JR.
Lewis C. Platt, Jr., Town Clerk of the town of White Plains, was born on September 20, 1862, at White Plains, a son of Judge Lewis Canfield and Laura (Sherbrook Popham) Platt. He was educated in the public schools at White Plains and has always resided in his native town. He was appointed
by Surrogate Coffin on August 7, 1887, as Record Clerk to the Sur- rogate's Court, and continued in that office until March 1, 1896; from January 1, 1895, to March 1, 1896, serving under Surrogate Silkman, being succeeded on latter date by a Republican. Mr. Platt was admit- ted to practice at the bar on De- cember 11, 1894, and soon after be- came attached to the law offices of Platt & Thompson. At the town election held March 29, 1898, he was elected on the Democratic ticket as the representative of the younger Democracy to the office of Town Clerk. He is also treasurer of the Democratic Committee of his town. He served as chief engineer of the White Plains Fire Department in 1886-87. He is a member of White Plains Lodge, No. 473, F. and A. M. Mr. Platt was married on June 15, 1892, to Miss Fannie A. Armbru- ster, daughter of John and Eliza- beth Armbruster, of White Plains.
JAMES W. STAFFORD.
James Ward Stafford, former School Trustee, was born in Cana- joharie, N. Y., on April 8, 1862, of American parentage, a son of Joab and Maria (Swart) Stafford. He was educated in the schools of his native town, graduating from the Canajoharie High School and also from the Clinton Liberal Institute at Fort Plain, N. Y .; subsequently he graduated from the Albany Col- lege of Pharmacy in 1885, being the valedictorian of his class. He was married on June 7, 1886, to Lillian M. Terhune, daughter of Henry C. Terhune, of Red Bank, N. J. His wife died in 1890. His second mar- riage occurred January 27, 1892, to Miss Cornelia A. Slauson, daughter of Austin M. and Elizabeth Slau- son, of New York city. Mr. Staf- ford is engaged in business as a prescription druggist. In politics he is a Republican, and though he has ever taken an active interest in public affairs he has held, from preference, only one office, that of a School Trustee of the White Plains School District. He is a member of the White Plains Lodge, No. 473, F. and A. M., and is a member of Court White Plains, No. 249, F. of A. M.
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JAMES YOUNG, JR.
James Young, Jr., a Water Com- missioner and ex-Trustee of the village of White Plains, was born on February 8, 1858, in the city of New York, a son of James and Mar- garet (Mills) Young. When four years of age his parents removed to Sing Sing, and there he resided until his removal to White Plains in 1882. He received the advant- ages of good public schools in Sing Sing village. Mr. Young was mar- ried on August 18, 1886, to Miss
Ella M. Fick, daughter of William Fick, of Carryville, N. Y. His wife died February 6, 1891. His second marriage occurred on June 4, 1894, when he married Miss Jane B. Archibald, daughter of James B. and Susan (Saul) Archibald, of Yonkers. Mr. Young is extensively engaged in the livery business. He was elected as a Republican to the office of Village Trustee and served in the years 1894-95-96. He was unanimously appointed in March, 1898, by the Board of Village Trus- tees as a Water Commissioner of the village.
CITY AND TOWN OF YONKERS.
Yonkers is one of the oldest towns of the State, having been settled but a few years after New York and Albany. Was incor- porated as a township in 1788. The excellent water power, so con- venient to navigation, was probably the reason of this preference. The first settler of whom we have any authentic accounts was Adrian Vanderdonck, who purchased lands at the north of the Saw Mill River and erected houses and mills. The date of his death is uncertain, but must have occurred about 1654. His wife was named Mary Doughty, a native of Maspeth, Long Island. After his death she married Hugh O'Neil, and in 1666 obtained a grant from Gov- ernor Nichols, confirming them in the possession of the property. In 1677 she sold it to her brother, Elias Doughty, who in turn sold it, in 1685, to Frederick Philipse. These sales include about seven thousand acres, adjacent to the mouth of the Saw Mill.
Philipse added greatly to the extent of this property, and creat- ed the manor of Philipsburg in 1693; at his death the manor em- braced about forty thousand acres, covering the greater part of Yonkers, all Greenburgh and Mount Pleasant, and parts of Ossining and New Castle. He died in 1702, at an advanced age, and by his will divided his estate between his second son, Adolphus, and his grandson, Frederick, the representative of his eldest son, who had died a year or two before in Barbadoes. Adolphus died without children, in 1749, and thus the whole estate became vested in Fred- erick Philipse, who died in 1751, leaving the manor to Frederick Philipse, his eldest son.
During the War of Independence, this gentleman, after much hesitation, joined the English side, and his estate was, consequently,
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confiscated in 1779, after having remained in the family for ninety- four years. After the war, Frederick Philipse removed to England, where he died at Chester, in 1785, aged sixty-five years. The Brit- ish Government granted him a compensation of £60,000 for his losses.
The manor was sold in small parcels by Commissioners of For- feiture appointed by the Legislature. The price obtained was very low, owing to the scarcity of money occasioned by the war. Good farming land within the limits of the old village incorporation brought only $1.88 an acre. The Manor House, water privileges and three hundred and twenty acres of ground adjacent were bought by Cornelius P. Lowe. After passing through several hands, this prop- erty was finally bought by Lemuel Wells, after whose death it was divided among his heirs, and later came in possession of a large num- ber of proprietors.
During the Revolutionary War, Yonkers was liable to be rav- aged by parties from both the contending armies. No action, how- ever, of any important influence on the final result took place within its limits. A party of Stockbridge Indians were badly cut up by Simcoe's Refugee Horse in the valley of Tibbitt's Brook, about two miles south of the old village line, in 1778, and there was a skirmish, accompanied with a cannonade, near Spuyten Duyvil, in January, 1777, which resulted in forcing back the British advanced posts from Westchester to New York Island.
Yonkers is the southwestern township of Westchester County, and is bounded on the north by Greenburgh, on the east by the River Bronx, which separates it from East Chester and Mount Ver- non; on the south by New York city, and on the west by the Hudson River. Few towns of equal extent are better supplied with springs, brooks and running water. The Saw Mill River, which waters the northern half of the township, rises in the town of New Castle, this county, near Chappaqua station. The Sprain rises in the town of Greenburgh, and empties into the Bronx about a mile north of Hunt's Bridge. Tibbett's Brook rises in the high ground immedi- ately south of the Bronxville road, and runs thence about five miles nearly due south, to Spuyten Duyvil Creek. The highest point in the town has been determined by the United States Coast Survey to be 516 feet above the level of the sea.
The population of the township at the various censuses which have been taken is as follows: In 1790, 1,125; in 1800, 1,176; in 1810, 1,365; in 1815, 954; in 1820, 1,586; in 1825, 1,621; in 1830, 1,761; in 1835, 1,879; in 1840, 2,968; in 1845, 2,517; in 1850, 4,160;
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in 1855, 7,554; in 1860, 11,848; in 1865, 12,756; in 1870, 18,357; in 1875 (as a city), 17,232; in 1880 (the city), 18,892; in 1890 (the city), 30,033. The decrease between 1810 and 1815 was owing to the war with England.
The Croton aqueduct, to supply New York city with water, was constructed through this town between 1840 and 1845.
The village of Yonkers was incorporated on April 12, 1855. Its first elected officers were: William Radford, President; William C. Waring, Jacob Read, Lemuel C. Wells, Thomas O. Farrington, Reuben W. Van Pelt and Fielding S. Gant, Trustees; William H. Post, Clerk; John M. Stillwell, Treasurer, and Lyman F. Bradley, Collector. The number of votes cast at this village election was 504. The succeeding Village Presidents were: William. W. Wood- worth, Robert P. Getty, Thomas F. Morris, John T. Waring, Everett Clapp, James C. Bell, Justus Lawrence, I. H. Knox, Robert P. Getty.
The local Fire Department was organized in 1853; Daniel Blau- velt served as its first Chief Engineer. The department, one of the best, in the State, has now fifteen fully equipped companies. It is in part a paid department, directed by Fire Commissioners. The Fire Department Association, to increase the department's efficiency and aid sick and disabled firemen, was organized July 7, 1858, with Thomas Smith as its first president.
On invitation of the local Fire Department and citizens, the New York State Firemen's Association will hold its annual conven- tion of 1899 in this city.
The first newspaper, the Yonkers Herald, was established in Yon- kers on June 19, 1852, by Thomas Smith and Thomas Towndrow; a few weeks later Mr. Smith became the sole proprietor of the news- paper, and continued its publication many years. Mr. Smith sub- sequently issued the first daily newspaper published in the county.
The churches in the village were organized in the following or- der: St. John's Episcopal, in 1753; First Methodist Episcopal, in 1828; Reformed Church, in 1842; St. Mary's Catholic, in 1848; Mt. Olivet Baptist (afterward the Warburton Avenue Baptist), in 1849; First Presbyterian, in 1852; Unitarian, in 1853; Westminster Pres- byterian, in 1858; St. Paul's Episcopal, in 1858; Methodist Congre- gational, in 1858. Churches organized more recently are the Afri- can Methodist, Christ Episcopal, Dayspring Presbyterian, German Methodist, Immanuel Presbyterian Chapel, Messiah Baptist, Nep- perhan Avenue Baptist, Parkhill Reformed, St. Andrew's Memorial, St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran; St. Joseph's Catholic.
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A union free school district was established in 1858, and John Hobbs, Thomas Smith, J. F. Williams, Josiah Rich, W. N. Seymour and J. H. Monckton were elected members of the Board of Educa- tion.
Mention of the Yonkers banks is made elsewhere in this vol- ume.
Gas was first introduced in the village during the year 1854. The act to provide Yonkers with water was passed February 28, 1873.
Philipse Manor House, which was erected in 1862, was occupied as a private residence, its last occupant being ex-Judge William W. Woodworth, until 1868, when it was purchased by the village au- thorities for use as a village hall. It is at present used as a City Hall, in which the Common Council holds meetings, and in which various city officials have offices. The building preserves its old ap- pearance excepting such alterations as had to be made to render it available for present service. A new municipal building was erect- ed in 1897.
The town and village of Yonkers was incorporated as a city on June 1, 1872, by act of the State Legislature, under the name of the city of Yonkers, and was divided into four wards. The first city officers elected were: James C. Courter, Mayor; John Brennan, E. L. Seger, Albert Keeler, William MacFarlane, Ethan Flagg, H. L. Gar- rison, Henry R. Hicks and Z. H. Brower, Aldermen. The succeed- ing Mayors were: Joseph Masten, William A. Gibson, Joseph Mas- ten, Norton P. Otis, Samuel Swift, W. G. Stahlnecker, J. Harvey Bell, James Millward, James H. Weller, John G. Peene and Leslie Sutherland.
The city is justly famous for its beautiful, shaded streets, paved or asphalted, complete sewerage and general modern equipments As a residence place it has few superiors; the costly dwellings erected on desirable sites, commanding charming river and land views, at- test this. Its many attractions have earned for it the title of the "Queen City."
The present population of the city is estimated at 40,000.
As a manufacturing city it is well known. Here are located the factories of the Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company, which gives daily employment to about 7,000 persons; the shops of the Waring Hat Manufacturing Company, the largest in the country, employ at least 2,000 persons daily; the extensive eleva- tor and electric plant of Otis Brothers & Co .; the refinery of the
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National Sugar Refining Company, and industries of almost every description.
The following named persons are officials of the city: Leslie Sutherland, Mayor; John H. Southwick and William H. Costello, First Ward; E. A. Houston and John H. Schlobohm, Second Ward; Hyatt L. Garrison and George H. Kaler, Third Ward; John J. Loehr and Michael J. Walsh, Fourth Ward; Robert Ferguson and Abraham H. Tompkins, Fifth Ward; John J. Broderick and Patrick J. Curren, Sixth Ward; Edgar U. Reynolds and Francis J. Hackett, Seventh Ward, Aldermen. John Pagan, City Clerk; Henry B. Archer, Receiver of Taxes; Robert P. Getty, City Treasurer; Charles F. Brown, City Auditor; William C. Kellogg, City Judge; James M. Hunt, City Attorney; Samuel L. Cooper, Commissioner of Public Works; William P. Constable, Commissioner of Charities; John C. Shotts, President Board of Water. Commissioners; Charles H. Fan- cher, President of the Board of Education; Charles E. Gorton, Su- perintendent of Schools; Francis P. Treanor, President Board of Po- lice; James McLaughlin, Captain of Police; Caleb F. Underhill, President Board of Assessors; Edgar M. Hermance, M. D., President Board of Health; John Rowland, President Board of Fire Commis- sioners; Edwin L. Thomas, President Civil Service Commission; Au- gustus Kipp, Inspector of Buildings; David Chambers, Inspector of Boilers.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
JAMES M. HUNT.
James Monroe Hunt, Corporation Counsel, City of Yonkers, and Counsel to the Board of Supervis- ors, was born in Clarence, N. Y., on April 6, 1858; a son of Rev. Har- rison P. and Caroline (Holmes) Hunt. His preparatory education was received in the public schools and at the Brockport State Normal School. In 1880 he was graduated from the University of Rochester, subsequently receiving the degree of Master of Arts. After graduat- ing, he began the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in New York city in November, 1882. Since his admission he has practiced con- tinuously in this city, building up a lucrative business. Confining him- self to no particular specialty, his work has covered a broad field. He
has appeared as counsel in many important cases, including that of Uppington vs. Keenan, in which a verdict of $80,000 was secured for the plaintiff in the first trial. A notable case in the Court of Ap- peals, the Board of Health of Yon- kers vs. Copcutt, clearly defined for the first time in this State the pow- ers and liabilities of boards of health. Mr. Hunt became a resident of Yonkers in 1882. Since 1892 he has been Corporation Counsel of that city. In 1897 he was chosen coun- sel to the Westchester County Board of Supervisors. He is the representative of the Comptroller of the State in many important le- gal matters. He is an acknowl- edged leader of the Republican par- ty in Westchester County, and for many years served as chairman of | the Republican Central Committee
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of Yonkers, in which position he displayed special ability as an exec- utive officer and organizer. To him is greatly due the present efficient organization of the party in that ity. Mr. Hunt was married on June 5, 1883. to Miss Normie L. Fanning. daughter of A. M. Fan- ning, of New York city.
WALDO G. MORSE.
Waldo Grant Morse, a Palisade Commissioner, was born in Roches- ter, N. Y., on March 13, 1859, a son of Adolphus and Mary E. (Grant) Morse, seventh in descent from Samuel Morse, who settled in Ded- ham, Mass., in 1635, and, on the maternal side, sixth in descent from Christopher Grant, one of the founders of Watertown, Mass. He was educated in Rochester and en- tered the University of Rochester, but owing to ill health left before completing the course, spending two years in rest and travel. He read law with Martindale & Oliver, of Rochester, and was admitted to the bar at Buffalo in 1884. In 1888 he removed to New York city and opened law offices, and has been in his present location, at No. 10 Wall Street, since 1890. As a public speaker Mr. Morse is eloquent, sin- cere and impressive, and has been in demand on important occasions outside of his general duties as a lawyer. In his practice he has had charge of many cases involving im- portant interests and made a spe- cial study of the laws involved in corporate and financial transac- tions. He has taken a special in- terest in the movement to preserve the Palisades of the Hudson from defacement. He drafted and se- cured the passage of the bill in the State Legislature for the appoint- ment of the Palisade Commission- ers of the State of New York in 1895, and drew the Palisades Na- tional Reservation bills passed by the States of New York and New Jersey in 1896. He also drafted the act on the subject now before Con- gress. Upon the passage of the leg- islative bill he was appointed by Governor Morton one of the three Palisades Commissioners to act conjointly with three appointed by
Governor Werts, of New Jersey, and was made secretary and treas- urer of the joint Commission for the States of New York and New Jersey. He is now president of the Morse Society, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York, is a member of the American Acad- emy of Political and Social Science, of the American Bar Association, of the New York State Bar Asso- ciation, of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, of the Westchester County Bar Associa- tion, of the Society of Colonial Wars, of the Sons of the Revolu- tion, of the Lawyers' Reform, Quill, Amackassin Seagkill Golf and other clubs. He is a resident of the city of Yonkers. Mr. Morse was married June 22, 1886, to Miss Ade- laide P. Cook, daughter of Albert Cook, Seneca Falls, N. Y.
JOHN G. PEENE.
John G. Peene, former Mayor of Yonkers, was born February 23, 1843, in Yonkers. He is a son of Joseph and Caroline A. T. (Garri- son) Peene. He was educated in the public schools of his native town. When quite young he be- came associated in business with his father, who had, in company with his uncle, Hyatt L. Garri- son, established the first line of freight boats between Yonkers and New York city. During the civil war he served his country as a pri- vate in the Fifth Duryea Zouave Regiment, enlisting in 1861 and serving two years. At the com- mencement of his career he exhib- ited a great business capacity, and to his energy is due much of the success of the Ben Franklin Trans- portation Company, the main freight line between Yonkers and New York, at the head of which he is at the present time, associated with his brothers, Joseph and George. For many years he has been connected with public affairs as a business man, though an ac- tive Republican, his large business interests prevented his yielding to the urgings of political friends and accepting public office. In 1872 Governor Dix appointed Mr. Peene a Harbor Master at New York; this
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