Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 122

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 122

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Mr. Cornwall's wife was formerly Miss Mary E., daughter of William and Mary E. (Burr) Howatt, of Coldspring, L. I., where she was born July 7, 1867. She is the mother of five chil- dren, namely: John Willard, born July 27, 1884; Selemna, born April 16, 1886, died July 2, 1886; Audrey, born May 16, 1887; Hewlett, September 28, 1889; and William Howatt, born October 3, 1894, and died October 9 of the same year. Po- litically Mr. Cornwall is a Democrat, and in re- ligious matters is connected with the Episcopal Church. Socially he is a member of the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. The land which he occupies is thirty acres in extent, while the remaining tract of two hundred is still included in the estate.

M ICHAEL J. CARTER. Though a na- tive of Ireland, the subject of this sketch has spent his life principally in the United States and is in every respect a loyal citizen. His patriotic spirit is abundantly attested by his serv- ice in defense of the Union during the Rebellion, as well as by his support of American institutions at all times. He makes his home in Jamaica, where he owns considerable property and is well known among his fellow-citizens.

Born May 15, 1843, Mr. Carter was brought to America at the age of two years, his parents set- tling in New York City, where his father died a year later; his mother attained the advanced age of eighty-two. There were four sons and one daughter in the family, of whom Robert is an electrician in Brooklyn, and Jane is the widow of Charles Morgan, and lives in New York City.

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John and Martin are deceased. While our sub- ject was residing in New York City, the great Civil War broke out. April 22, 1861, while still a lad in his teens, he responded to the first call for volunteers and was enrolled in Company F, Fourth New York Infantry (the First Scott Life Guard). Among the battles in which he par- ticipated were those at Fredericksburg, Antie- tam and Chancellorsville.

After the war, Mr. Carter became connected with the construction of telegraph lines from New York to Boston, New York to Philadel- phia and New York to Hartford, for the Inde- pendent Telegraph Company, the Franklin Tele- graph Company; also the Bankers' and Brok- ers' Telegraph Company, with which he was con- nected until it was absorbed by the Western Union Telegraph Company. He put up the first stock indicator (now called "ticker") in the city of New York and the first telegraph cable on poles, the latter being from the corner of Pearl and Elm Streets to the corner of Nassau and Cedar Streets. He also had charge of the con- struction of the fire alarm lines in New York, and put up the first telephone on Long Island, this being during the period of his fifteen years' serv- ice with the Western Union Telegraph Company, his headquarters being at Jamaica. In 1889 he entered the employ of the United States govern- ment as lineman, in charge of the Long Island lines to connect the various life-saving stations, which position he has since filled.

Since coming to Jamaica, Mr. Carter has taken an active interest in local affairs. In 1884 he was elected village trustee, in which capacity he served six years altogether. While a member of the board he was influential in promoting the welfare of the village. Always frank and out- spoken in the declaration of his opinions, always fighting the enemy face to face, and never behind his back, these qualities brought him the admira- tion of some who had opposed his election. In the spring of 1895 he was again elected to the board, but it was discovered that, being an em- ploye of the government, he was not eligible to the office, therefore he resigned, much to the re- gret of his many friends. It is a rather peculiar fact that he was first elected on the Democratic ticket, next on the Republican ticket, and the last two times on the Citizens' ticket, being him- self independent in national as well as local politics. At the presidential election of 1892 he cast his ballot for Benjamin Harrison, and has

always made it his aim to support those men and measures best calculated to promote the welfare of the people.

Mr. Carter is a member of the Monumental Association of this city and one of the committee of twelve selected by the subscribers of the monu- mental fund for the erection of tlie Soldiers' and Sailors' monument to be erected in the village.

In 1874 he married Miss Philomene Ellis, a native of Quebec, Canada. In religious belief he is a Catholic, and socially takes an interest in the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to the post at Jamaica.

S AMUEL J. HORTON, one of the most re- liable business men of the village of Far Rockaway, is an extensive wholesale and retail dealer in feed, hay, grain, coal and wood in this community and is also engaged in deal- ing in brick and mason's materials, horses, car- riages and harness. His home has been at this point for many years, and he has witnessed its growth and improvement, taking an active part in the latter. Mr. Horton was born at Valley Stream, Queens County, in 1843, a son of David and Laura (Pearsall) Horton, both of whom were born on Long Island. They made their home at Pearsalls, where the father died at the age of seventy-five years, and the mother when seventy years of age. Their union re- sulted in the birth of eight children, as follows: Rebecca, of Lynbrook; Mary, wife of Alexander Davidson of Rockville Center; Louisa, deceased; Samuel J .; David B., of Valley Stream; Ben- jamin F., of Penhurst; Julia, wife of Abram Fir- man of Pearsalls; and William, keeper of the Bar- num Island Queens County Almshouse.

The early days of Samuel J. Horton were spent in farm labor and in acquiring such edu- cation as could be obtained near his home at that time. These advantages, however, were quite limited and the most of his education has been acquired through self-application, observation and contact with the business world. When about twenty-five years old he embarked in the grocery business at Hewlett, which calling he continued to follow for about five years, then came to his present location and established himself in busi- ness. He commenced in a small and modest way, but through good management and .busi- ness foresight he has accumulated means and

WATKIN W. JONES.

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won an enviable reputation in commercial cir- cles, which he fully deserves. His life has by no means been one continuous round of suc- cesses, on the contrary his experience has been much like that of thousands of others, and he has seen both ups and downs, but he has ever carried himself in a strictly upright manner and has truly verified the old adage that "honesty is the best policy."

Mr. Horton was united in marriage with Miss Mary Lavina Fowler of Norwood, by whom he has three children: Lula, wife of Charles Smith of Lawrence; Viola and Gilbert. Mr. Hor- ton has always supported the men and measures of the Democratic party and socially belongs to Jamaica Lodge No. 546, F. & A. M. His wife is a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

W ATKIN W. JONES. This gentleman needs no formal introduction to the people of Queens County, as he is well known to a large proportion of them through bus- iness and social relations, which have extended over a long period of years. In Far Rockaway especially, where he has made his home since 1883, engaged mainly in the real estate and in- surance business, he has been constantly and ac- tively identified with enterprises looking to the welfare of the people through the development of the village and neighborhood, the latter includ- ing, of course, the famous and time-honored Rockaway Beach. To this work he has brought ability that has forced recognition even from those who have sought to throw obstacles in his way, and a strength of character and firmness of purpose which have won the confidence of those with whom he has had business dealings.

Mr. Jones is of Welsh extraction, and his parents were David and Elizabeth (Hilliard) Jones. The former was for a brief period a resi- dent of New York, and subsequently, until his death, a Brooklynite. He was for some time a member of the Brooklyn police force and to some extent was interested in municipal affairs. He died at the age of sixty-two, and his wife at the age of seventy-six. Eight children were born to them, of whom four are now living. Watkin W. was born in Brooklyn on the 10th of August, 1844, and received his boyhood education in the public schools. On leaving school he spent a year in the printing business, and subsequently

learned the trade of showcase maker under John H. Fraser in New York City, where he remained until May 28, 1862.

Meantime the war of the Rebellion had broken out, and Mr. Jones became imbued with the mili- tary spirit. In 1861 he organized a company of young men known as the "Brooklyn Spahis," for which he managed to secure uniforms and equip- ment, and which was well drilled preparatory to active service in the field. Though ambitious to lead the company to the front he concluded that he might be too youthful to assume such a re- sponsibility, and he persuaded a Mr. Walsh to ac- cept the captaincy and Thomas E. Pearsall to be first lieutenant, Mr. Jones consenting to be sec- ond lieutenant. The company was to be assigned to the Twenty-third Regiment of Brooklyn, which was then being organized, but circum- stances prevented that regiment from going to the front, and consequently the company, as such, did not enter the service. This, however, did not change Mr. Jones' determination to enter the service of his country. On the 28th of May, 1862, the "old Thirteenth" of Brooklyn, under com- mand of Col. Robert B. Clark, went to the front. Mr. Jones learned that Capt. William W. Meade, commander of Company A of that regiment, was still in the city and would join the regiment in the field in a few days, and he obtained the captain's consent to take him along. He enlisted and donned the uniform, and a week later they over- took the regiment in the field at Suffolk, Va .. where Mr. Jones was duly enrolled as a member of Company A, Thirteenth Regiment New York Infantry. Although he did not participate in any of the great battles of the war, he saw a good deal of hard service in eastern Virginia in 1862, and in the Maryland and Pennsylvania campaign in 1863, at the time when the Union and Confeder- ate armies met and the historic battle of Gettys- burg was fought. He also did duty in the city during the draft riots. After the war he continued his membership in the Thirteenth Regiment serv- ing in all a little over twenty-six years, and he holds a medal for a continuous service of twenty- five years. He was besides the "crack shot" of the Thirteenth Regiment, and in 1876 was the first winner of the trophy put up for competition by Inspector-General Briggs, commonly known as the Briggs medal. He also wears the veteran marksman medal, presented by the state of New York.

Mr. Jones commenced in the insurance business

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in New York, operating under William H. Ross, general agent, at the branch office of the Liver- pool and London and Globe Insurance Company at No. 704 Broadway, New York. Mr. Ross sub- sequently became secretary, and afterward mana- ger of the Queen Insurance Company, and Mr. Jones also became interested in that company, holding all the places of trust in its employ during a connection of seventeen years. He had mean- time established his home in Jamaica, and there he afterward commenced the insurance business for himself. After the lapse of a year, desiring to add the real estate feature, he decided to go to Far Rockaway, where he opened an office in January, 1883. From that time dates his en- deavor to secure improvements in the village and neighborhood which he at once saw were impera- tively needed if the place was to hold its own in the struggle for supremacy among the Atlantic coast watering places. Probably no man in simi- lar circumstances ever encountered more strenu- ous opposition, but he never became discouraged or for one moment ceased his efforts. The town of Hempstead was populous and rich, but it doubtless had one of the worst systems of roads to be found in any town in the state. Now it has one of the best systems of macadamized roads to be found anywhere. Through his personal efforts Mr. Jones secured the passage of a bill through the Legislature for the construction of a highway on Rockaway Beach, and, though it was lost by the veto of the governor, the movement has since proved most beneficial.

Realizing the advantage of a newspaper de- voted to his real estate business, Mr. Jones es- tablished the "Real Estate Bulletin." Its effect was so good that he soon saw the field opened for a paper of more extended purpose, and he founded the "Rockaway Journal." This he edited and controlled for ten years and finally or- ganized the corporation that now controls it. He worked hard to secure a system of water works and a fire department. The files of the "Journal" reveal his plans for improvements, with discussion pro and con. To show the fierceness of the opposition against some of his plans for the public good, it may be stated that he has been both hung and shot in effigy, but he has never been molested in person.

As school trustee Mr. Jones has wielded an im- portant influence in educational matters, and has been instrumental in securing needed reforms. He is also a member of the board of village trus-

tees, to which office he was elected in 1895. He was mainly instrumental in the formation of the board of sewer commissioners, and was president of the board for five years, but resigned for per- sonal reasons when there seemed to be a reason- able probability that an acceptable system of sew- erage would be established. His fire insurance business is the largest on Long Island outside of Brooklyn, and his real estate business has always been considerable. His enterprises have been markedly successful; in many instances he has handled the property of others in such manner as to make thousands of dollars for them when tlicy probably would not have been measurably successful.

Socially Mr. Jones is connected with the Masonic fraternity, the Legion of Honor, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In July, 1867, he was married to Miss Harriet E. Joyce, of Brooklyn. They became the parents of six daughters, namely: Mrs. John T. Forrest, Mrs. Lewis B. Sharp, Sarah L., Annie V., Mary H. and Elsie R., the latter deceased. Mrs. Harriet E. Jones died May 22, 1879. In October, 1885, Mr. Jones was married to Miss Carrie C. T. Richard- son, a native of Mt. Desert, Me. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian Church.

C HAUNCEY BEDELL, vice-president of the First National Bank of Hempstead, was born November 7, 1833, on a farm south of this village, in the town of Hempstead. The family of which he is a member ranks among the oldest in the town of Hempstead, the first of the name to settle here being Daniel Bedell, who came hither in 1665. Since that time the family have taken an active part in affairs of the town and have been known as honorable, enterpris- ing men, largely mariners by occupation.

Gen. Daniel Bedell, our subject's grandfather, was a soldier in the War of 1812, where he gained the title by which he was known. The parents of our subject were Elisha and Lydia (Bedell) Bedell, the latter being a daughter of Stephen Be- dell of Freeport. The father, who was born Feb- ruary 16, 1803, was a seafaring man and for some years was captain of a coasting vessel. He died December 2, 1885, having long survived his wife, who passed away May 20, 1854.

The family of which our subject is a member consisted of nine children, but only four are now living. The others besides himself are Gilson,

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a seafaring man who lives in Brooklyn; John, a bookkeeper in Brooklyn; and Eugene F., who is with the Edison Electric Light and Power Company of New York. Educated in the schools of Hempstead, our subject added to the informa- tion gained in text books by thoughtful reading and by close observation. At an early age he became interested in the insurance business in New York, where he carried on the work con- nected with his office, although his home was in Brooklyn for twenty-four years. In 1875 he purchased his present home in Hempstead, and here he has since resided. When the First Na- tional Bank was organized, he was made its vice- president, and has since held that position, Au- gust Belmont being president of the institution. The influence of his name, standing as it does for substantial worth and sound financial dealings, has added prestige to the bank, which ranks among the important moneyed concerns of the county.

The first wife of Mr. Bedell was Phebe Cortel- you of Brooklyn, a descendant of Dutch fore- fathers, who were represented among the first settlers of New Utrecht, N. Y., one of them be- ing surveyor-general of New York from 1657 to 1671. This lady died June 7, 1865, leaving one child, Susan C., wife of J. S. Allen, one of the at- torneys for the Erie Railroad, with office in New York and residence in Garden City. In 1874 Mr. Bedell married Emma J. Howell, who was born in Trenton, N. J. Her father, Charles, was a prominent business man of that city, and her grandfather, John Howell, was a physician of note there for many years. She has a brother, John, who is retired from active business and makes his home in Virginia. In religious belief she is identified with the Presbyterian Church, and, having no children, she gives much of her time to aiding benevolent and religious projects, originated for the betterment of the people.

With most successful business men their own affairs engross them so entirely that they have little time and less inclination for public affairs. The duties of citizenship they neglect for per- sonal matters. It is to the credit of Mr. Bedell that in the midst of the gravest business respon- sibilities he has always shown an intelligent in- terest in public affairs and has sought to perform his duties as a citizen. He has always been in- terested in political affairs, but it has been the in- terest of a citizen, not that of an office-seeker or an officeholder. In the Democratic party he finds

embodied the principles most nearly in accord with his own opinions, and he therefore gives his support to its men and measures, believing that if carried out in their entirety they would prove the foe of gigantic monopolies and the friend of the workingman.

T HOMAS SKEUSE. Ice has come to be regarded not only as a luxury, but al- most a necessity during the long and sul- try summer months, and naturally he receives the most liberal patronage who deals in the pure article and has been tried and not found want- ing. The gentleman whose name heads this sketch, makes a specialty of hygienic ice and supplies his patrons promptly and at reasonable rates. He was born in Ireland in 1846 to Thomas and Mary Skeuse, also natives of the Isle of Erin, the former of whom was a soldier in the British army, as were also other members of his family. In 1846 the family immigrated to Amer- ica and located in Flushing, where the father se- cured employment as a landscape gardener, which he had learned in his native land, but later he began devoting his attention to the milk busi- ness, then retired and finally passed from life at College Point at the age of fifty-four years. His widow reached the age of seventy-two years. The seven children born to them reached mature years, but only three are living at the present time. William was a soldier during the war and was killed in battle. Richard was a contractor and died in 1879.

Thomas Skeuse has been a resident of the United States since he was nine months old, and with the exception of five years spent in Connecti- cut in childhood, has lived in Flushing, in the schools of which place he received a practical education. He began working when very small and was obliged to stand on a box to wash India rubber combs at College Point, at which time there were but seventeen houses in the place. The remuneration which he received for this work was $4 per month and board, but ere long he was compelled to give it up on account of sick- ness, after which for five years he assisted his father and brothers in farming and gardening, and in selling milk, continuing this occupation until his marriage March 3, 1865. He then en- gaged in general contracting in Flushing and al- though he met with some reverses he contin- ued to persevere and his efforts were eventually

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crowned with success. In 1879 he became a wholesale dealer in ice and has followed this calling up to the present time with marked suc- cess. Much of his product comes from Maine in barges, but since 1895 he has done a retail business in hygienic ice, and four delivery wagons are kept constantly employed. While engaged in contracting he built eleven miles of the best macadamized road between Flushing and Jamaica and also did some fine work on the dykes and put up a number of beautiful resi- dences.

Mr. Skeuse was married in College Point to Miss Mary Vaughn, a native of Ireland, and their children are as follows: Jane (Mrs. Hanson of College Point); William, who is associated in business with his father and is an Odd Fellow and Red Man; Eliza; Richard, also with his father; Mary, Thomas, George, Maude and Harrison. Mr. Skeuse is a Royal Arch Mason, was the original commander of the Odd Fellows' lodge at Hollis, L. I., belongs to the United Workmen, the Foresters and the Daughters of Rebecca. He and his family are attendants of the Episcopal Church and politically he has always been a Re- publican and a member of various committees.

W ILLIAM BURGHOFF, who has been engaged in the building and contract- ing business at College Point since 1871, is a German by birth, though since man- hood he has been a resident of the United States. He was born in Olsberg, Westphalia, on Christ- mas Day of 1842, being a son of Peter and Eliz- abeth (Neder) Burghoff, natives of the same province as himself. His father, who spent his entire life in his native land, served for a time in the German army.

Of the parental family of six children, Wil- liam was next to the oldest and is the only one in America. He was reared and educated in Ols- berg, and at the age of seventeen was apprenticed to the carpenter's and joiner's trade, at which he served until he had gained a thorough knowledge of the business. In 1867 he took passage on a steamer at Hamburg, which anchored in the harbor of New York after an uneventful voyage. Immediately after landing, he secured work at his trade in Melrose, New York City, where he remained until the time of his removal to Col- lege Point, in the spring of 1871.

After working at his trade for a while in this

village, Mr. Burghoff in 1874 began to take con- tracts for the erection of buildings, and in this capacity he has since gained a noteworthy suc- cess. Among the buildings for which he had the contract may be mentioned the Boulevard Hotel, of which J. M. Donnelly is the proprietor. Be- sides erecting houses, he has done considerable business in the line of house-moving, in which work he has rendered satisfactory service in a number of contracts. He erected the house in which he resides and which is situated in Fifth Avenue and Sixteenth Street. In College Point he married Miss Catherine Wienklier, who be- came the mother of five children, two of whom are now living, Bertha and William, Jr. Upon the death of his first wife he married Miss Cather- ine Abeling, who was born in Germany, and they have one child, Annie. Mr. Burghoff is a mem- ber of St. Fidelis' Catholic Church and the Catho- lic Benevolent Legion. He is a member of the board of health of College Point and served from 1871 to 1885 in Hose Company No. I.

J OHN L. WYCKOFF, who is a practical and wide-awake business man living in Ja- maica, is the head of a real estate firm in- terested in Woodhaven property. His career up to the present time has been a most successful and deserving one, and his prospects for the fu- ture are indeed promising.

Mr. Wyckoff was born in Monmouth County, N. J., in 1861, and was one in a family of three sons and one daughter born to Jacob S. and Sarah (Forman) Wyckoff. William F., a promi- nent attorney, having offices in Brooklyn and Ja- maica, makes his home in the latter place: he is also president of the Woodhaven Bank and is the owner of much valuable property in Queens County. Charles S. is pursuing his studies in Yale College; Anne S. is a highly educated and accomplished lady, and at the present time is traveling in Europe with her mother.

In 1869, John L. came to Queens County with his parents. He was given every opportunity for acquiring a good practical education and after leaving school he continued to live on the farm which his father owned and occupied until his death, in 1884, cultivating the same until 1890. That year he became interested in real estate in Woodhaven and abandoned agriculture in order that he might give his undivided attention to this branch of business. He is also director and

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Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 122

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