Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 135

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

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A. C. SLUITER. Of the many indispens- able places to the residents of a city, the meat market is one of the most indis- pensable, for one of the mainstays of life is to be' found here. A well stocked and very popular place of this kind, whose proprietor is A. C. Sluiter, is located on Main and Lincoln Streets, Flushing. Mr. Sluiter was born in Holland, at Groningen, August 2, 1859, a son of Theo. and Anna (Middendorp) Sluiter, also natives of Holland, the former of whom was a son of Theo. Sluiter, and both followed the trade of butchers. The father of the subject of this sketch traveled for some time in the United States but returned to his native land and there

In his native land A. C. Sluiter was reared, and his education was obtained in private schools, where he acquired a good knowledge of English, French, German and Dutch. In 1881 he came to America, and after visiting all the principal points of interest in the United States, he settled down at the end of six months and be- gan importing Holstein cattle, his first load of one hundred and ninety head being sent to Que- bec, but the most of these animals were sold in the United States. His next load was landed at Garfield, N. J., and for some time thereafter he made about two trips per year. The cattle were sold by Peter C. Kellogg & Co., at the American Horse Exchange in New York City. He started a herd book for the American Branch Associa- tion of North Holland in 1888, and is still an active member of this association, which has be- come a very extensive and important organiza- tion. Mr. Sluiter has been a very extensive and successful importer, and this business brought him in good financial returns, but he gave it up in 1887 to engage in the meat business in Flush- ing.

The establishment which Mr. Sluiter purchased did not please him and he made some important changes and improvements in it, put in fine plate glass windows and a capacious refrigerator. His market is one of the best in Queens County and a fine retail business is being done. Mr. Sluiter was married in Passaic, N. J., to Miss Cornelia Troost, a native of Lodi, N. J., and to them two children have been born: Anna Maria and Marinus Antonius. Mr. Sluiter is a member of the Business Men's Protection Association, and politically is a Democrat in national politics.

D AVID BEDELL, who is intimately con- nected with the agricultural interests of Queens County, is the proprietor of a neat little farm of fifty acres, which he lives upon and improves. Mr. Bedell was born at East Meadow, this county, October 12, 1830, his par-

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ents being Sylvanus and Mary Ann (Southard) Bedell, also natives of this portion of the island, where most of their lives were spent.

The father of our subject was in early life the proprietor of an hotel at East Meadow, where he also established a grocery which he carried on with signal success for many years. About 1848 he exchanged his. property at East Meadow for the tract of land on which our subject now re- sides and from that time until his death in 1853, was engaged in its cultivation. His estimable wife departed this life in Brooklyn about 1886.

The subject of this sketch, like most of the youths of his day and locality, attended the dis- trict school for a few months in each year, thus gaining a fair education. As soon as old enough he began to assist in the farm work, and on the death of his father he was thoroughly competent to manage the estate which he left. He has made many improvements on the place since it came into his possession, and the buildings which the passer-by now sees are neat and comfortable and admirably adapted to the purposes for which they were intended.

Mr. Bedell was united in marriage in 1855 to Miss Rosetta, daughter of John Jackson, of Queens County. Their union has been blessed by the birth of six children, all of whom are liv- ing, and named respectively: Mary Emma, Mar- garet Ann, Fannie J., Rosetta, Mrs. Stephen P. Clement, who makes her home in this county; Sylvanus, a resident of Brooklyn; and John J., still with his parents. Both our subject and his wife are members in excellent standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the former is serving as trustee and steward of the congrega- tion. In politics he is an ardent Republican, but in no sense of the word could he be considered an office seeker. He is a man of honor and up- rightness who has made hosts of friends in the vicinity of his home.

C APT. ARCH UDALL has spent his en- tire life as a resident of Long Island and is well known throughout the town of North Hempstead, where he has a large number of warm personal friends. For a number of years he has resided near the village of Manhasset, where he has a comfortable and well improved place. He is not a wealthy man, but has accum- ulated a sufficient amount of this world's goods to provide every comfort for his declining days

and to relieve the needs of those less fortunate than himself.

A native of Suffolk County, Captain Udall was born March 19, 1819, at what is now Bay Shore, on the south side, near Great South Bay. His father had married an Indian woman, so that he traces his ancestry to the oldest settlers of Long Island, her forefathers having been among the prominent leaders of a tribe of Chippewas that occupied this territory before the foot of white man had ever trod the soil. Early in life our sub- ject began to earn his own livelihood and since then he has been self-supporting. At the age of five years he was taken to Glencove, and thence went to Great Neck six years later.

Before attaining his majority the Captain was at work on the water and very readily became an expert in the handling of sailboats and skiffs. While still young he became master of a vessel. which he commanded for many years. The first one was "Elias Hicks," and afterward he com- manded the "Gold Hunter," then the "Richard Udall." Recently, however, he retired from a sea- faring life, having determined to spend his re- maining years on land. He settled down near Manhasset, where he owns a comfortable home, and expects to remain until his earth life is ended. Notwithstanding his advanced years he is quite robust and hearty, and possesses the vigor of a man of less than fifty years. He has never taken an active part in public affairs, his occupation preventing him from identifying himself closely with political matters. November 19, 1874, he married Eliza J. Bigelow.

D AVID BRIELL. The question of de- mand and supply is one which agitates the mind of every thinking man to-day. The rapid growth of cities, the abnormal increase in population tend to raise to a higher pitch the call for more products to sustain life, and there are constant opportunities for bright men to ar- ray themselves as public providers. The market gardener is especially essential, and from him may be obtained much that goes to supply a well- set table. The philosophy of the German, to learn one thing, but to learn that well, has been adopted by Mr. Briell throughout his business career, and little can be told him about success- ful market gardening which he does not already know. He is one of the oldest residents of Long Island City, for he was brought thither by his

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parents in 1848, and during this long residence he has identified himself with the best interests of the place and has proven a useful and public- spirited, though quiet and unassuming, citizen. For a more extended history of his people see the sketch of his brother, Theodore Briell.

Mr. Briell is a native of Jersey City, N. J., born March 18, 1839, and there made his home until 1848. His early education was acquired in Jersey City, New York City, and in the Fourth Ward school in Astoria, and was completed in the private school conducted by Rev. Mr. Whit- ing in Flushing Avenue. While growing up he was initiated into the mysteries of market gar- dening by his father, who thoroughly understood all the details of the work, and under his guid- ance he continued to remain until 1880, when he began independently, and has since devoted about fifteen acres to garden vegetables. He raises nothing but the most prolific and improved kinds, raises bushels of fine tomatoes, and sends nearly all his produce to New York City, where a ready and profitable market is found. The work is healthy and congenial as well as profitable, and occupies the most of his attention.

In Astoria Mr. Briell was married to Miss Mary Jane Green, who was born in Hackensack, N. J., and they have a pretty and comfortable home at No. 329 Grand Avenue, Long Island City. The old Briell home is located at No. 319 Grand Avenue. Mr. Briell is a Democrat in national affairs, and is a member of the Fire- mens' Protection Company No. 2, in the village ot Astoria. He is a man of sound business prin- ciples and his word is to be relied upon at all times.

T OWNSEND SCUDDER, a well-known attorney-at-law, with offices at Glencove and at No. 181 Broadway, New York, commands the respect as well as the admiration of his brother practitioners, and stands as a living refutation of the popular idea that "there is no honest lawyer." His birth occurred at North- port, Suffolk County, July 26, 1865, a son of Townsend and Sarah M. (Frost) Scudder, the former of whom was born on a farm near North- port, which place was settled by the Scudder family in 1652 and has been in possession of some one of its members ever since. The paternal grandfather, Henry Scudder, was a tiller of the soil and served many years as justice of the peace

in the community in which he lived. His father, who also bore the name of Henry, was a captain under General Washington in the Revolutionary War, and was a participant in the battle of Long Island.

Townsend Scudder, the father of the subject of this sketch, graduated from Trinity College, at Hartford, Conn., after which he became a law student in New York City, and eventually a mem- ber of the law firm of Scudder & Carter, of that city, which, at the time of his death in 1874, had been in existence longer than any firm of that place. Mr. Carter represented the United States government at Paris at the time of the Bering Sea arbitration, and also plead the cause of the United States in the famous income litigation. Mr. Scudder was a man of noble mind, a keen, shrewd and well posted lawyer, and his death was a loss to the profession which he adorned. He was a worthy member of the Episcopal Church. During the winter months he and his family made their home in New York City, but their summer home was at Glencove for many years.

The subject of this sketch was the third of six children born to his parents, and his early mental training was acquired under tutors. When about twelve or thirteen years old he was sent to Paris to continue his studies, and later to Vevay, Switz- erland. At the age of seventeen he went to Weis- baden, where he was a student in the Polytechnic Institute for some time, then spent one year under Italy's sunny skies. Upon his return to America, after an absence in Europe of six years, he began the study of English, as he spoke it imperfectly, and finally entered the Real Estate Exchange of New York City, of which he was made cashier · and assistant manager. Two years later he en- tered the Columbia College of Law, from which he was graduated in 1888, after which he was admitted to the New York bar, at once beginning the practice of his profession. He has been iden- tified professionally with claims against the Pan- ama Canal Company and has represented the Turkish, Italian and Armenian governments in the protection of their subjects in New York City. His professional career has been extremely act- ive, las reflected the highest credit upon him in every particular, and the natural sequence is that his reputation as an able and successful attorney has gone abroad. A career of great usefulness is undoubtedly before him, and that his life will be worthily spent in redressing the wrongs of others is assured.

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June 3, 1891, Mr. Scudder married Miss Mary Dannet Thayer, of Brooklyn, a daughter of George A. and Jane (Jones) Thayer, and two children have been born to them: Atala Thayer and Elizabeth Hewlett, the former born at Glen- cove and the latter in Brooklyn. Mr. Scudder is a Democrat politically, and is a vestryman in the Episcopal Church, of which he is a member. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, having held a high official position in the grand lodge of the state, and is a member of Beta Theta Pi college fraternity.

SAAC N. CARMAN. The business interests of Hempstead have an efficient representative in this gentleman, who is known as one of the most energetic and stirring citizens of the place. Early trained to a thorough knowledge of the hardware business, he was fitted for the man- agement of the enterprise to which he succeeded at the death of his father. This village has been his lifelong home, and he is respected for his sterling qualities of character that have been dis- played in association with the people throughout his entire career.

After a short visit at home, Mr. Carman went to Westmoreland, Oneida County, where he learned the trade of a moulder with the firm of Clark Brothers, but after one year he returned to Hempstead and became associated with his father in the stove, tin and hardware business. At the death of his father he succeeded to the management of the store. In 1868 he married Miss Amanda Smith, of Freeport, and they have four children, namely: Thomas, a graduate of the Philadelphia Dental College, and now a prac- ticing dentist of Freeport; Jeannett, who was ed- ucated at St. Mary's College, Garden City, and is the wife of Herbert Davidson, who is engaged in the lumber and milling business at East Rock-

away; Edith, who was educated at Hempstead Institute, Hempstead; and Bertha, who died at the age of seventeen years.

Mrs. Carman is a daughter of William R. Smith, and granddaughter of Raynor Rock Smith, who made himself famous by attempting the rescue of the crew of the wrecked steamer "City of Mexico," on the coast. This perilous undertaking, in which he was assisted by his sons, seemed to all certain death, and no others dared to make the trip, yet this daring man succeeded, at the risk of his own and his sons' lives, in saving fourteen men from the ill-fated ship.

Especially fond of yachting, Mr. Carman is a member of the Hempstead Bay Yacht Club, and is the owner of the yacht "Dolphin." Fraternally he is a Mason, and also belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, Royal Arcanum and Shield of Honor. While he has never held political office, his opinions on public affairs are firm, and in his allegiance to the Democratic party he has never wavered. In religious belief he is con- nected with the Methodist Church.

C HARLES W. HALLETT, JR., is one of For the history of the family the reader is re- ferred to the sketch of the late Coles Carman, presented on another page. Isaac N. was born in Hempstead October 14, 1844, being a son of Coles and Frances Carman. He was educated in the public schools, and in boyhood assisted in the hardware store, being thus engaged at the outbreak of the Rebellion. He at once entered the United States navy and was assigned to duty on the war ship "Ossipee," serving until April, the best posted young men in Astoria, L. I., in regard to music, and has been organist in the Reformed Church in this place since about 1873. He is very popular with all and has met with unusual success in his career as a musician. It has often been said that "music has power to soothe the savage breast," but while we are not so sure of that, we do know that it has a refining and purifying influence on all. Charles W. Hallett, Jr., was born in Astoria 1862, when he was discharged at Washington on . February 17, 1858, and is a son of Charles W. account of physical disabilities.

Hallett, Sr., whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume.

Young Hallett was reared in his native village and received excellent educational advantages, receiving most of his training in a private school here. After finishing his literary education he took a trip to Europe and remained abroad for nine months. He went direct to Spain, then to France, England and Ireland, and finally returned to Astoria to engage in business. He had learned the hardware business in New York City under Hart, Bleven & Mead, one of the largest estab- lishments of the kind in those days, and remained with that firm for two years, thus laying a solid foundation for his subsequent prosperous career. After this he was with Russell & Irving for four

G. A. ROULLIER.

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years and then returned with his father to As- toria. Since that time he has been in charge of the hardware and house furnishing department here and is very popular with all. This is the largest hardware establishment in Astoria, and young Hallett takes a deep interest in its pros- perity.

In the city of Greenwich, Conn., Mr. Hallett was married to Miss Ida Crowninshild, a native of Boston, Mass., where she was reared and edu- cated, and the daughter of Caleb Crowninshild, who at one time was a large furniture manufac- turer of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Hallett are the parents of five interesting children: Florence, Edith, Alfred, Howard and Charles W.

At the present time Mr. Hallett is organist and leader of the choir in the First Reformed Church at Astoria, which position he has held for over twenty years. From early boyhood he had evinced a strong liking for music and studied under some of the best teachers in New York City. When but fifteen years old he began as organist and is the oldest one now in Long Is- land City. When but a boy he taught music for some time, and has given some delightful con- certs here. He is an active member of the Re- formed Church, and in politics is a Republican.

C OL. G. A. ROULLIER. As his name indicates, this gentleman is of French descent. He is a member of a family that has furnished many men to the army of France. His paternal grandfather was a major in the army under the illustrious Napoleon, and the maternal grandfather, Laurent Augier, was also an officer under that famous general. All other male members of the family took part in the bloody conflicts that marked the closing years of the latter, and the greater part of the present century, until the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when the last lost his life.

The subject of this notice was born in New York City in 1849, and received his primary education in a private school. At the age of six- teen he went to France, where he took a scientific course. The first work he secured was as a mem- ber of the engineering corps at the iron works of Boonton, N. J. One year later he came to Flushing, where he was employed in laying out the village. On completion of the work, he went to Baltimore, where for a year he was in charge of the engineering work on a large estate. Re-

turning to Flushing, he formed a partnership with H. C. Baldwin, under the title of Baldwin & Roullier, and surveyed the entire town of Flushing. Later our subject went into partner- ship with J. C. Rossi, and continued with him for some time. In 1880 he was appointed superin- tendent of the water works and street commis- sioner, in which capacity he has since served. Under his management the water works have been extended and enlarged, and a large number of sewers have been built. He planned and con- structed the water works in Whitestone and in Newtown, and under his supervision the streets of Flushing were macadamized. Since 1880 he has been city surveyor, and at his office, No. 20 Main Street, carries on a large business.

Socially our subject is a Chapter Mason and belongs to Cornucopia Lodge No. 563, F. & A. M. In addition, he belongs to the Royal Arca- num, and was a charter member of the Knights of Pythias, in which he was the first chancellor. He is identified with the Niantic Club and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was one of the organizers of the Seventeenth Separate Company of Flushing, National Guard of New York, and was chosen second lieutenant, but after one year was commissioned captain and later be- came major and inspector of the Eleventh Brig- ade. His next promotion was to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and inspector of rifle practice of the Second Division, in which capacity he served until all the division staffs were disbanded by order of the governor. His connection with the guard covered a period of exactly ten years. He was also in the fire department as a member of Mutual Engine Company No. I, in which he served as foreman, and was first assistant en- gineer for one term.

J I OSEPH WITZEL, proprietor of Point View Island, near College Point, was born in Fulda, near Hesse-Cassel, Germany, March 3, 1835. His father, Michael, who was born in the same place and followed farm pursuits, took part in the Napoleonic Wars in Germany and was wounded while performing official duty; he died in his native place in 1856, aged sixty-nine. His marriage united him with Mary Francke, who was born in Germany and died there, aged forty-eight. Of their five children, two are liv- ing, Joseph being the only one of the family who ever came to America. He was reared on the

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home farm. When about eighteen he started a shoe store in his native place and this he carried on until the time of his entrance into the army, in 1855. For one year he was a member of a brigade of mounted artillery, after which he re- tired from the service and resumed business.

In 1859 Mr. Witzel took passage on the sailer "Republic" at Bremen and arrived in New York City after a voyage of thirty days. For three months he worked at his trade there, after which, in August, 1859, he came to College Point and engaged in the shoe business, soon afterward starting a store in Second Avenue, on the present site of the bank. In 1871 he bought lots and built the hotel which he has since conducted and which is situated on the corner of Second Avenue and Tenth Street. Here he has a large pavilion, danc- ing hall and summer garden. In 1892 he became proprietor of Point View Island, a summer re- sort, where he has a dining room 130x61, with capacity for twelve hundred. The grounds con- sist of twenty-five acres, neat roads and paths di- viding the well kept groves. There are four dif- ferent ball grounds and a dock four hundred feet long. The place is admirably adapted for picnic excursions, and the proprietor is kept busy in arranging to accommodate the many parties who desire to secure the grounds.

In College Point Mr. Witzel married Miss Mary Kolb, who was born in Fulda, Germany, and they are the parents of two sons, Emil and Theodore. Politically our subject is a Demo- crat, and in religion belongs to St. Fidelis' Catho- lic Church.

J OSEPH H. ROSZEL. To those who, dur- ing the dark days of the Rebellion, offered their services to the government and went forth to protect the honor of the old flag and the unity of the nation, a debt of gratitude is due from every patriotic citizen. Among the Queens County war veterans mention belongs to the name of Joseph H. Roszel, member of the firni of Roszel Brothers, contractors and builders at College Point. He was born in Mercer County, N. J., near Hightstown, September 25, 1843. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Roszel, also a native of New Jersey, was a farmer by occupation and attained the age of eighty years. In relig- ious views he was a Baptist.

George Roszel, our subject's father, was born in New Jersey in December, 1814, and owned

and operated a farm near Hightstown. Politi- cally he is a strong Republican. He married Helen, daughter of William Brown, who was a shoemaker in New Jersey, and granddaughter of Everenham Roszel, one of the early residents of that state. Mrs. Roszel was born in 1818 and is still living. Of her twelve children, nine attained years of maturity, and eight are now living, Jo- seph H. and Elwood being the only ones in Queens County. Our subject, who is the oldest of the surviving children, was reared on the home farm and received district school advantages. In September, 1862, he enlisted in Company C, Twenty-ninth New Jersey Infantry, and was mus- tered in at Freehold for nine months. With his regiment he marched to the South and took part in the engagements at Fredericksburg and the Wilderness, after which he started on the march to Gettysburg, but his term of service expired before he reached that city and he was mustered out in Maryland in 1863. A few months after - returning home he again volunteered, with eighteen others, and went to Philadelphia, where he tendered his services to the United States navy, but all of the party with two exceptions were rejected.

On again coming home Mr. Roszel began an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, at which he served for two years. In 1867 he went to New York, where he worked at his trade for one year, and later was similarly engaged in Freehold and Elizabeth, N. J. In the fall of 1873 he settled in College Point, where he followed his trade for a time, and later was master carpenter in a rubber shop. In 1879 he began contracting and build- ing, and after five years took in his brother E !- wood as partner, the firm name becoming Roszel Brothers. They have had many of the most ini- portant contracts in the village, and among other residences, erected three in Twelfth Street, three in Seventeenth and one in Tenth; also fitted up several hotels and public buildings. The shop of the firm is situated in Fifth Avenue, near Twelfth Street.

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Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 135

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