Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 100

Author: Chapman, firm, publishers
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1220

USA > New York > Queens County > Long Island City > Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York > Part 100

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J I OHN BRICK, who is meeting with success as contractor and builder in College Point, was born in Flushing in 1858. His father, Edward Brick, was born on shipboard in the Eng- lish Channel while his parents were en route from Ireland to England. They settled in Manchester, and there and in Liverpool he was reared to man- hood, learning the trades of mason and bricklayer. In early manhood he came to America, and after a short sojourn in New York went to Flushing, where he began contract work. At the outbreak of the rebellion, when the first call was made for troops to defend the Union, he enlisted in an engineers' corps and after a time became first ser- geant, serving until the close of the war. During the period of his connection with the army his family lived in Washington, D. C. On retiring at the close of the conflict, he joined his wife in Washington and began work as a contractor and builder there, remaining until 1871. Coming thence to College Point, he continued contract- ing and building, much of his work lying in Flushing, although he had a number of outside jobs. His wife, who bore the maiden name of

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Catherine Carroll, was born in Ireland and died in College Point, September 9, 1895.

The parental family consisted of twelve chil- dren, of whom nine are living, John being the eldest. He was reared in Flushing and Wash- ington, D. C., where he received an excellent edu- cation. For a time he also attended the high school at College Point. In early boyhood he learned the bricklayer's trade, and afterward studied carpentering in Flushing. About 1886 he began to take contracts for frames, sash and blinds, being thus engaged in Flushing for a few years. About 1890 he began contracting and building in College Point, where he built a resi- dence for himself and has since made his home. Estimates furnished on plans are given with an accuracy and conciseness that is satisfactory to other parties, and his work is constantly increas- ing, the profits growing in proportion. Political- ly he is a Democrat. He is well known in the best circles of the town and is now president of the Adelphi Social Club.

C HARLES M. CHAMBERLAIN, super- intendent of Mt. Olivet Cemetery, has by hard labor, guided by true genius, made this last resting place of the dead a beautiful and attractive spot. At the age of fifteen years he was left in charge of the cemetery by the death of his father, who previously held the position, thus throwing upon our subject the necessity of sup- porting himself and the other members of the family. Though so young, he ever manifested the deepest desire to keep the grounds in first- class order. He brings to his work an original, thoughtful, well-trained mind, and long experi- ence has developed his natural taste, so that the results are in every way worthy of what might be expected in "God's acre."

A native of Waterford, Me., born November 18, 1841, our subject is the son of John and Phoebe R. (Haskins) Chamberlain, being the ninth in order of birth among twelve children, of whom four are living. His father was born in Waterford in 1792 and was a farmer by occupa- tion. In 1855 he came to Maspeth to take charge of Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and in less than a year his body was laid to rest. He was a man of firm, decided character, kindly and warm-hearted, and a veteran in the War of 1812. His father was a Revolutionary veteran and a man of patriotic spir- it. Our subject's mother is still living, and is

now in her ninety-fourth year. Notwithstanding her great age, she is bright and active and in possession of all her faculties. She makes her home with her son, our subject.

In 1866 Charles M. Chamberlain married Miss Anna M. Burroughs, daughter of Joseph Bur- roughs, an old resident of Newtown. Of their five children only two are living, Charles William and Joseph B., both of whom are married.

Interested in his own affairs, Mr. Chamberlain has never desired to mingle in politics or with politicians, but he has made a study of the great questions of the age and has given his support, unfalteringly, to the platform of the Republican party. In his 'religious belief he is a Seventh Day Adventist. He and his wife are well known by the people of Maspeth and have the regard and esteem of those with whom they associate.

B ENJAMIN J. PINE, manufacturer of and dealer in fertilizers at East Williston, was born September 29, 1833, in the house now owned by C. C. Parsons. In an old Bible which he has in his possession appears the family record, which shows that James Pine, born December 14, 173I, was a son of James Pine and the father of Jacob Pine, our subject's grandfather, who was born April 8, 1765. The great-grandfather, James Pine, was an extensive land owner and fariner, and had in his possession so many slaves that it became a neighborhood axiom, in expressing a large number, to say that they were "as thick as Pine's niggers." He was killed in an encounter with a British soldier during the Revolution. The first representative of the family in America was Resolve Pine, a native of Holland, who owned patents for all the land now included in Harlem flats, lying between the rivers.

The father of our subject, James Pine, was born in 1800 in the house in which our subject was also born and he died at the family home- stead February 15, 1848. He was a farmer by occupation, a Democrat in politics and took an active part in public matters, but always refused official positions. He was a zealous member of the Presbyterian Church. His seven children still survive and reside in Queens County. New York, and Brooklyn. Our subject was reared on the home place and attended the common schools and the academy at Hempstead. At the age of twenty he entered the clothing store of Stillwell & Whiting, corner of Fulton and Orange

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Streets, Brooklyn, where he remained one and one-half years. Then returning to the home- stead, he took charge of it until 1860.

After his marriage, in 1859, to Miss Emma Stillwell, daughter of Samuel Stillwell, of Brook- lyn, our subject bought a portion of the home- stead and erected a residence in the village of Hempstead, where for a number of years he en- gaged in teaming and contract work, keeping three teams in use. In 1875 he sold his place and moved to Federalsburg, Md., where he bought a farm and peach orchard and engaged in truck farming until 1880. His stay in Mary- land covered a period of four years. He arrived in that state February 22, 1876, and returned to Queens County on the same day in 1880.

While residing in Maryland, Mr. Pine's atten- tion was called to the use of commercial fertiliz- ers, which were in general requisition there. Up- on his return to Queens County he settled at Westbury, broke up a piece of wild land and pre- pared some commercial fertilizer for his own place, also supplied his neighbors, disposing of eighty tons the first year. The next year he de- termined to make a business of its manufacture and this he did, disposing of three hundred tons. He has continued thus engaged since 1880 and has met with success in the enterprise.

In 1882 Mr. Pine settled in the new village of East Williston and built a factory here. In 1886 he erected his comfortable residence. His trade has gradually increased and he now markets about six hundred tons annually. In 1889 he erected another house in the village, which he rents. Po- litically he advocates Democratic principles, but is liberal in his views. Religiously he is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He be- longs to Protection Lodge No. 151, I. O. O. F., at Hempstead, in which he has held all the chairs and is now past grand. He and his wife have two children living and have lost two by death. Their daughter, Mary E., is the wife of Sidney Pratt, of Westbury; the son, James, takes charge of the manufacturing business.

in 1846.

W ILLIAM SMITH, alderman from the third ward of Long Island City, was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N. Y., He is the son of John Smith, a native of Queens County, and a member of one of the old families of Long Island, who, learning the trade of a wheelwright, for a time had a shop in

Hempstead, but later was for three years em- ployed by a railroad contractor of New York, and thence went to East Rockaway, Queens County, where he was proprietor of a shop until his death in 1889, at the age of eighty-four. The family has been noted for its longevity, and one of his uncles, Nathaniel, attained the great age of one hundred and two.

The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Jane Louise Swift and was born in Brooklyn. Her father, who was also a native of that city, was a member of an old Kings County family and a descendant of English ancestry. She died in 1893, aged seventy-four years. Her three sons and three daughters all reached years of ma- turity and all but one daughter are still living. One of the sons, Steven L., was a member of a New York regiment during the Civil War and is now living in New Jersey.

The childhood years of William Smith were principally spent in East Rockaway, where he was educated in the public schools. In 1861 he went to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he learned the carpenter's trade, and at this he was employed for eighteen months there. He then took up the trade of stair building, which he afterward fol- lowed in connection with that of carpenter. In 1865 he came to Long Island City, where he found employment at his trade for three years. In 1868 he took up contracts for stair building, and the ten years thus spent were profitable and busy years. Since that time he has been a con- tractor and has his shop at No. 116 Academy Street. In addition to having contracts for many residences, he built the Third Methodist Episco- pal Church of Dutch Kills, Vocel's Hall and many other public buildings. During the busy season he employs as many as thirty-five men.

In this city Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Miss Margaret McFayden, who was born in New York. They are the parents of four liv- ing children: Mamie, Nelson Raymond, Bella and Laura. The family residence is conveniently sit- uated at No. 79 Henry Street. Politically a Re- publican, Mr. Smith is a member of the Lincoln Club and has represented his party at various conventions, having been chairman of the gen- eral committee one term. In 1889 he was elected supervisor on the Republican ticket by a majority of one thousand, and had the distinction of hav- ing been the first Republican ever elected to that position in Long Island City. In 1895 he was elected to represent the third ward on the board

FRANKUND ING YOUR

REV. C. D. F. STEINFUHRER.

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of aldermen, receiving a plurality of one hun- dred and thirty-five, and took his seat in January, 1896. Socially he is connected with Advance Lodge No. 635, F. & A. M., at Astoria.

R EV. CHARLES D. F. STEINFÜHRER. It may be recorded as a noteworthy fact that, while this gentleman has been a cler- gyman for twenty-nine years, his present pastor- ate is the only one he has ever had. Immediately after the completion of his theological course, he was called to take charge of the German Second Reformed Church of Astoria, Long Island City, and here he has since remained. The passing years have witnessed many changes in the con- gregation, which has increased from forty-five to nearly three hundred. Few of the original mem- bers now remain, some having sought other homes, while not a few have entered into eternal rest. The house of worship, too, has been re- modeled and enlarged, and every department of the church work bears evidence of the pastor's painstaking, efficient oversight.

Referring to the history of the family, we find that our subject's father, Christopher Daniel George, was born in Stargard, Mecklenburg-Stre- litz, which was also the native place of grandfath- er Johan Jürgen. The former was the first of the family to seek a home in America; accom- panied by his wife and five children he set sail on the "Elbe" July 15, 1854, and after a stormy voyage arrived in New York City October 4 of that year. The father, who had been employed as a draper in Germany, followed various occupa- tions after coming to this country, being en- gaged in the Schenectady Locomotive Works until 1866, after which he was an assistant to his son, a pharmacist. He died in 1884, at the age of seventy-five, having been born in 1809. In his native land he manifested the deepest inter- est in the welfare of the people and was a sym- pathizer in the revolutionary movement of 1848. It was largely on account of his republican views that he decided to seek a home in the land of freedom, and he never regretted the change, though to the last he manifested a patriotic af- fection for the land of his nativity.

The mother of our subject, who bore the maid- en name of Ernestine Henning, was born in Mecklenburg in 1817 and died in 1871. Her father, Frederick, was an agriculturist, and her mother, Caroline, was a daughter of Ernest En-

gelke, a forester in the dukedom. Our subject is one of five children, there being three sons and two daughters, of whom he is the eldest and the only survivor. His brother, Ernest, a well- known druggist of Schenectady, died in 1883; the other brother, Dr. Gustav, graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and became a prominent physician of that city, where he died in 1890.

Rev. Charles Daniel Frederick Steinführer was born in Stargard, grand duchy of Mecklen- burg-Strelitz, January 12, 1841. At the age of thirteen he accompanied his parents to America and settled with them in Schenectady, where he gained a good English education in the Union school. In the fall of 1860 he entered Union College, where he took a full collegiate course, receiving the degree of A. B. This college was then in the height of its prosperity under the direction of Dr. Eliphalet Nott, and among the members of the faculty were Dr. Taylor Lewis, Prof. D. L. Hickok, Prof. J. Foster and Pro- fessor Jackson, men distinguished for their learn- ing.

In June, 1864, our subject graduated with high honors in a class of sixty-four members, among whom were Dr. David Van Horn, now president of the Reformed Church Theological Seminary at Dayton, Ohio; Dr. Daniel Stimson of New York City, and Dr. E. W. Paige, an attorney of New York, at one time deputy attorney general of this state, and who is also a property holder in Long Island City. In the fall of 1864 our subject entered the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church at New Brunswick, N. J., where he spent three years of preparation for the ministry, graduating in 1867 and receiving the same year the degree of A. M. from Union College.

Coming to Astoria in May, 1867, Mr. Stein- führer was chosen pastor of the German Second Reformed Church. At that time the congrega- tion were building a house of worship on the site of the present edifice, and until its completion the people occupied the basement of the First Reformed Church in Remsen Avenue. The Ger- man Second Reformed Church of Astoria and the German Reformed Church of Newtown were then under one charge, and he was pastor of both until 1873, when they were made separate charges, and since that time he has been pastor of the Astoria Church only. The first church building was oc- cupied for the first time June 23, 1867, and on the

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following Sunday he was ordained and installed as pastor, this ceremony having been deferred in order that it might be solemnized in the new building. Seven years ago the church was en- larged by an addition of thirty-two feet and re- modeled to its present style. In 1892 the twenty- fifth anniversary of the pastor's installation was celebrated, and nearly all the Protestant churches of Astoria joined in commemorating the event. In November, 1868, a parochial school was es- tablished in connection with the church and this has been continued successfully to the present time.

In 1868 Mr. Steinführer was united in marriage with Miss Louise Dorrman Knecht of Schenec- tady, an estimable lady, who has been his effi- cient helpmate in all his undertakings, especially in Sunday-school work and in connection with the church music. She was chosen a member of the board of lady managers for Astoria Hospital and aided in the fair held in the spring of 1895, in which all the Protestant denominations co- operated for the benefit of the hospital. Her efficiency in this position is proved by the fact that the booth of the German Second Reformed Church succeeded in obtaining the largest re- ceipts of any. The high regard in which Mr. Steinführer is held on account of his hearty sym- pathy in respect to this noble work of philan- thropy was shown on the occasion of the laying of the corner stone of the new Astoria Hospital, November 30, 1895, when the board of managers unanimously chose him to deliver the dedicatory address, notwithstanding his urgent protests.

During the years of Mr. Steinführer's residence in Long Island City, many changes have taken place, both in municipal affairs and in the relig- ious bodies. With the exception of the Church of the Redeemer, of which Dr. Cooper is the rector, all the churches, Protestant and Cath- olic, have changed pastors several times. Dr. Cooper, the only other clergyman who has been longer in the city, preceded him here about six months, having been made rector of his church in December, 1866. No clergyman of his de- nomination in the North Classis of Long Island has been the pastor of one church so long as Mr. Steinführer. During his pastorate the most friendly relations have existed between him and the other clergymen of the city. This friendly spirit is shown by the fact that at the time of the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his installation every Protestant clergyman but one,

in the upper part of the city, joined in celebrating the event. From the founding of the Astoria Hospital he has been interested in and intimately associated with its progress. For years he was secretary of the Board of German Missions of New York City, retaining that position until the society was transferred into the hands of others. At different times he has been president of the Classis, in which he is the oldest pastor. He was made a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society by the faculty of Union College and is a member of the Alumni of Union College and the Theological Seminary at New Brunswick. As a minister he has been faithful, efficient and energetic. Finding the church weak numerical- ly, he at once entered zealously upon the work, and with love for the cause has toiled on, until to-day the church is one of the strongest of the locality, with a good house of worship, the whole church working together in harmony and peace. Possessed of more than ordinary pulpit talent and with special gifts as a pastor, he has brought to his work rare earnestness and Christian con- secration. In his church and out of it, he has shown himself a friend of humanity, deeply in- terested in the welfare of all, and full of sym- pathy for those who are in sorrow and distress. He has thus endeared himself to many friends and has won the confidence of all, without re- spect to their differences of opinions on doc- trinal points.

W ILLIAM A. SMITH, M. D. It is not altogether a knowledge of herbs and nostrums that brings success to the physician. In order to attain true success he must possess the spirit of patient research into the intricacies of the human form, and a kindly sympathy which will give his patients confidence in his humanity as well as his skill. The career of Dr. Smith, of Springfield, town of Jamaica, has been creditable to him, both as a physician and as a gentleman. Thorugh his recognized ability he has built up an extensive practice, extending be- yond the limits of the village in which he resides. A man of fine intellectual attainments, with broad and liberal views, he has fortified his mind with a store of useful knowledge, not only in connection with his profession, but along lines of general thought and culture.

A native of St. James, Suffolk County, born August 14, 1854, Dr. Smith was one of two chil-

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dren born to Edmund W. and Catherine J. (Hubbs) Smith, the other being Charles E., a sea captain residing in St. James. His father was a member of a family very wealthy at one time, but who, during the California gold excitement, lost their property, throwing him upon his own re- sources. He apprenticed himself to the trade of a house and shipbuilder, which he followed in after life, earning for himself a competence through his diligent efforts. At an advanced age he retired to spend his remaining years in the enjoyment of the fruits of his labors. He passed away in 1894 at the age of seventy-seven, having been born in 1817. His father, Jonas Smith, was at one time a wealthy land owner, owning some twelve hundred acres, as well as a number of slaves.

From the public schools the subject of this no- tice went to the University of the City of New York, where he prosecuted his studies. When little more than eighteen years old he became pro- fessor in the Clinton Academy, East Hampton, where he taught one year. The following year he taught in the village of Setauket, Suffolk County, and then was principal of the Stony Brook school one term. The confinement inci- dent to professional work proved detrimental to his health, and for two and one-half years he did not engage in any active work, several months of this time being spent in an ocean voyage to Washington, D. C., Alexandria, Lewiston, Del., Wareham, Mass., and other cities. With health somewhat recovered, he accepted a position as principal of the Farmingdale school, but during the two years he was there the family suffered from illness, in which way he met Dr. Preston, of Amityville. Through the encouragement of that gentleman he decided to study medicine, and with Dr. Radcliff, a graduate of Harvard College, he began reading at Smithtown Branch. Six

months were thus spent and he then entered the medical department of the University of the City of New York, from which he was graduated in 1882. He attended clinics of Bellevue, New York and St. Luke's hospitals and the Eye and Ear Infirmary, thus gaining a thorough experi- mental knowledge of the profession.

At the close of his college studies, Dr. Smith began to look around for a suitable location and selected Springfield, where he has since conduct- ed a general practice. In 1892 he married Miss Florence Stevens, of this village, and something over a year later built his present handsome resi-

dence, where, with his wife and son, William W., he has a happy home. A little daughter born of this union died in infancy, and the son is the only surviving child. Politically the Doctor is a stanch Republican. He and his wife are drawing around them the best social influences, such as are cal- culated to upbuild the moral elements of the com- munity, and their high moral principles and cour- tesy have given them an enviable position in the estimation of the people.

A LFRED H. BEERS. Among the citizens of Jamaica no one is more justly entitled to an honorable place in its history than Mr. Beers, a gentleman who has been usefully and worthily identified with the prosperity of the village in every progressive movement, but es- pecially in the promotion of its mercantile inter- ests. Coming to this place in 1877, he embarked in the grocery business in partnership with Sam- uel H. Cornell, and has since built up a lucrative trade among the people of this locality.

Referring to the family history of our subject, he is a son of Zeras Beers, a native of Newtown, Conn., and a cloth dresser by trade, though for fifteen years he taught school and the latter part of his life was spent on a farm in the town of Huntington, Suffolk County, N. Y. There he died in 1878, aged eighty-eight. He was a man of consistent Christian character and a member of the Methodist Church. By his first marriage he had one son, George S., now the wealthy propri- etor of a hotel in St. Louis, Mo. His second mar- riage was to Mrs. Amelia (Hendrickson) Miller, daughter of Joshua Hendrickson, of Queens County. She died in 1882, after having become the mother of four children.

Of her sons John Z. is a coal operator in Brooklyn; William H., who in early life was a Methodist minister, enlisted in Company E. One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York Infan- try, and served for three years, being sergeant of his company. After the war he was for several years keeper of the government lighthouse at Charleston Harbor, and is now connected with the public library at Huntington, where he and his family reside. Our subject was born in the town of Huntington, L. L., in 1847, and grew to manhood years on the home farm, receiving his primary education in the public schools, and later taking a business course in Eastman's Commer- cial College.

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Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 100

Author: Chapman, firm, publishers Publication date: 1896 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1220

Author: Chapman, firm, publishers
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1220