USA > New York > Queens County > Long Island City > Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York > Part 36
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Under the last administration of George Petry as mayor our subject was appointed a member of the board of fire and water commissioners of Long Island City. In the fall of 1893 Mayor Sanford appointed him to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Alfred Nelson as a member of the school board, and the following year he was
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elected president of the board, which position he still holds. Socially he is connected with Advance Lodge No. 635, F. & A. M., at Astoria, in which he is past junior warden. He is also a member of the John Allen Lodge, A. O. U. W., at As- toria. For six years he was president of the Har- monia Singing Society in Steinway, and is still associated with the organization. His family at- tend the Union Church, of Steinway. His politi- cal affiliations have always been with the Re- publican party, which he has represented fre- quently in county, congressional and senatorial conventions.
M AJ. GEORGE A. HICKS. The life of a good man in a world containing so much of sorrow and evil shines out like the noonday sun and redeems the earth from the gloom that would otherwise envelop it. The per- ilous times of the Civil War developed many brave and courageous spirits who encountered untold hazards in the struggle for the Union and aided in preserving the flag as the emblem of a free and united people. Among the thousands who went to the front and met the enemy on many a bloody battlefield none were braver, more loyal or more valiant than Major Hicks, late of Ja- maica, now deceased.
The patriotic spirit displayed by Major Hicks was his by inheritance, for his ancestors took active part in the stirring events of the Revolu- tionary War, and the family, which is one of the oldest on Long Island, has always displayed the utmost loyalty to the government. He was born in the city of Brooklyn, August 5, 1828, and was the son of George A. Hicks, a prominent resident of that place. When President Lincoln issued his first call for troops he was one of the first to re- spond, and in April, 1861, was enrolled in Com- pany D, Third Battalion, Massachusetts Rifles, being chosen adjutant-general, with the rank of captain. With his regiment he was attached to Burns' Brigade, formerly commanded by Colonel Baker, who was killed at the battle of Ball's Bluff.
Among the engagements in which Major Hicks participated were the battles of the Peninsula, Fair Oaks, Savage Station, White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill. With General McClellan he went to the defense of Washington after the rout of the Union army at the battle of Bull Run. He took part in the battles of Antietam and Fred- ericksburg, was then transferred to the Army of
the Tennessee and concluded his active service before Petersburg, later witnessing the surrender of General Lee. He was brevetted major for his gallant and meritorious service, which extended over a period of more than four and one-half years.
Retiring from the army in November, 1865, Major Hicks returned to his northern home, con- tent to devote his remaining years to the less ex- citing life of a civilian. Soon afterward he opened an insurance office at No. 68 William Street, New York, and continued in that business up to the time of his death, February 22, 1894. He always took a warm interest in Grand Army affairs, and besides that order also belonged to the Loyal Legion, Royal Arcanum, Masonic Or- der and the Jamaica Club. In religion he was an Episcopalian and held the office of vestryman in Grace Church.
By his first marriage, which united him with Zelia Stanton, of the island of Cuba, Major Hicks had five children, of whom four are still living. In 1871 he was united in marriage with Miss Hel- en M., daughter of Lyman G. Morgan, and cousin of ex-Governor Morgan. She and her two living children, Helen E. and Emeline E., occupy the family residence in Clinton Avenue and are prominent in the best social circles of the village.
Throughout the entire county Major Hicks was known as a man of genial personal characteristics, companionable and accommodating, one whom it was a pleasure and privilege to know. His rec- ord is that of an honorable, upright man, whose high personal character made him an influence for good in his locality and who, in advancing his own prosperity, promoted the welfare of the vil- lage where he made his home.
E LMER G. STORY, member of the law firm of Weed, Story & Stratton, New York City, was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., April 21, 1862, and is a member of one of the oldest and most influential families of that sec- tion. His education was commenced in the pub- lic schools and carried on in Bishop's English and Classical School, a preparatory institution, where he was fitted for college. In the fall of 1880 he entered Cornell University, from which he graduated with high honors and the degree of B. S., in 1884. For one year following his graduation he was principal of an academy in Berne, Albany County, N. Y., after which for a
T. A. McNICHOLL, M. D.
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similar period he was principal of the school at Stony Point, N. Y.
Turning to another occupation, Mr. Story en- tered the government service, becoming an em- ploye in the New York custom house, where he remained six years. During the latter portion of this time he began the reading of law, and later entered the law department of the University of the City of New York, from which he graduated in 1894, having been admitted to the bar prior to his graduation. Immediately afterward he opened an office at No. II William Street, New York, and in the intervening years, as a mem- ber of the firm of Weed, Story & Stratton, has built up a good practice and a valuable clientage.
June 1, 1887, Mr. Story married Miss Ella J., daughter of John W. Butts, one of the most prominent men of Dutchess County. The chil- dren of this union are Ethel B., born June 13, 1888; and Ernest D., September 27, 1892. Mr. Story is a member of All Saints' Episcopal Church and holds the position of vestryman in the congregation. Socially he is connected with the Cornell University Club of New York City, the Phi Delphi fraternity and the Niantic Club of Flushing. His interest in all matters pertaining to popular education has led him to accept a po- sition on the school board and he has served in other important capacities in the village of Bay- side, of which he is a well-known and honored citizen.
T HOMAS A. McNICHOLL, M. D., of Sea- cliff, is one who has always loved knowl- edge, and as a physician is devoted to his profession, careful in his investigations and gives all the time he can find in his busy life to books and periodicals devoted to medicine and surgery. He is a native of the Emerald Isle, born in County Armagh, Province of Ulster, February 21, 1867, a son of Rev. Robert T. and Eleanor (Brown) McNicholl. The McNicholl family came origin- ally from Scotland, but for four generations its members were residents of Ireland, whither they made their way with the Wesleyan Methodists who settled in that country.
The grandfather of our subject was a large farmer of Ireland, but when a young man he canie to America and made his home here for about thirty years. Returning to his native land, he was married there when about sixty-five years
old, and there spent the remainder of his days. His son, Robert T. McNicholl, received a liberal education in Ireland, and after growing up be- caine principal of Abbey Street National School in Armagh. At the same time he performed his duties as a clergyman in the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Failing health caused him to come to America, where he expected to remain only long enough to see improvement in his condition, leav- ing his family in Ireland. Within a week after coming here he was placed in charge of a church at Roxbury, Conn., and as he liked the country very much, sent for his family, his wife and chil- dren joining him at Roxbury in 1875.
At the time of leaving Ireland our subject was reading in the third reader, and in Roxbury, when eight years old, was placed in the fifth reader. Later, for about three years, he attended school at Williams Bridge, Westchester County, where his father was pastor, and while there the mother died. During her sickness he was kept out of school, as he was the eldest child, and had to assist a great deal at home. The family was next stationed at Brooklyn, N. Y., where young Thom- as attended School No. I, and where his father married again. After this for some time his studies were again interrupted by sickness in the family, and after the father moved to New York City our subject entered the public schools, from which he was graduated in June, 1884. In the fall of that year he entered the City College, and after studying there one year, the family moved to Brooklyn. There our subject decided to start out in life for himself, as his father's position at that time was not a very lucrative one.
Leaving school, Thomas became bookkeeper for the firm of Bryan, Taylor & Co., remaining one year, and subsequently became manager of a refrigerator company, with which he remained until the company was dissolved. Subsequently he became bookkeeper for the Haskell & Post Publishing Company, with which he remained one year. After that he began the study of ar- chitecture, but on account of difficulty with his eyesight had to abandon this after two years' hard study. While with Haskell & Post he was per- suaded by Dr. Heber N. Hoople to study medi- cine, and, giving up his bookkeeping, he went on the road, canvassing for a thirty-dollar work of art in order to get funds for his lectures. He left the road in 1889, and as he had kept up his medi- cal studies, he entered college in the fall of that year, Bellevue Hospital, New York City, being
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his choice of an institution, and graduated from the same in May, 1892.
Dr. McNicholl began practicing in New York City and resided there until April, 1895, when he moved to Seacliff. He has an office in New York City, where he spends two days in the week. The Doctor was married June 14, 1893, to Miss Elsie E. Robinson, of Meriden, Conn., where she was born in the year 1868, and where her parents, Benjamin and Laura (Blakesley) Robinson, reside at the present time. She is a woman of more than ordinary intelligence and is a graduate of the Meriden High School. Dr. McNicholl is a Prohibitionist in politics, voting that ticket in 1888, and was a candidate for Alderman in New York. While studying medicine he lectured for prohibition in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. In 1892 he re- ceived the appointment of surgeon of Red Cross Hospital, of New York City, which position he still fills. For some time Dr. McNicholl has been a member of the New York County Medical As- sociation, the New York State Medical Associa- tion and the American Medical Association. In 1894 he was appointed local preacher in the Meth- odist Episcopal Church at Beekman Hill, New York City, where his father is pastor.
T HOMAS CHARLES KADIEN. Among the successful and able lawyers of Long Island City noted for their skill in hand- ling cases is Mr. Kadien, who possesses far more than the share of ability with which the average man is endowed. He has won his enviable posi- tion in the legal fields by the exercise of the talent with which nature endowed him, and few can con- scientiously accept the praise which he so well merits. He is at present prosecuting attorney and assistant counsel to the general improvement commission and is one of the foremost men of the city. His birth occurred in the town of Nev- ersink, Sullivan County, N. Y., in 1857, and he is a son of Nicholas and Bedelia (Carliss) Kadien, both natives of the Emerald Isle. In tracing the genealogy of the Kadien family we find that they came originally from Spain, whence it is thought they went to England and then to Ireland. Nich- olas was a young man when he came with his mother to America and settled in Sullivan County, N. Y. Here he learned the trade of tanner and became superintendent of J. N. Young & Co.'s tannery in Parksville. When this company failed
Mr. Kadien bought a large farm near Liberty, Sullivan County, conducting the same until he re- tired from active duties. He is now an influen- tial citizen of Middletown, N. Y., and is in inde- pendent circumstances. His wife died in 1888.
Of the three children in the parental family only our subject and M. A. Kadien, of New York City, are now living. The childhood days of the former were spent in Parksville, N. Y., and in addition to a good, practical education received in the public schools, he attended Eastman's Busi- ness College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and after- wards St. John's College at Fordham. Following this he began the study of law under Benjamin Reynolds, a noted attorney of Parksville, and was. admitted to the bar at Ithaca, N. Y., in 1881. Then turning his face toward the setting sun he went to Denver, Colo., and was engaged in busi- ness there for eighteen months, after which he re- turned to his native state and settled in New York City, where he practiced his profession for two years.
About 1886 Mr. Kadien located in Hunter's Point, Long Island City, at No. 104 Third Street, . and has since been engaged in his chosen profes- sion. He has had a hand in many matters for the public welfare and continues with energy and good will to further all enterprises for the ad- vancement of the city. He was married in Long Island City to Miss May Denen, a native of this city, and their three children are named as fol- lows: Thomas C., Jr., Adelaide and Frank. The pleasant home of this family is at No. 140 Twelfth Street. Mr. Kadien is a Democrat in politics, though liberal, and is ex-secretary of the Jefferson Club. He is also a member of Ravenswood Boat. Club, and the Queens County Bar Association.
E LIAS C. HENDRICKSON. To perpetu- ate the memory of one of the energetic and successful business men of Jamaica this bio- graphical review is presented. The life which it records began at Springfield, town of Jamaica, March 15, 1826, and closed in Jamaica, October I, 1892, having faithfully fulfilled the purpose for which God gave it entrance into the world of ac- tion. Mr. Hendrickson was gifted with firmness, sagacity and foresight to a marked degree, which traits were no doubt instrumental in gaining him a position among the influential men of Long Island. Starting from an humble station and from small beginnings he achieved a competence,.
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and what is still better, gained the universal re- spect and confidence of the community, a just tribute to the upright life of the man and his trustworthiness of character.
January 10, 1809, occurred the marriage of Charles Hendrickson and Alletta Snediker, the parents of our subject. The former was born in Queens County, April 29, 1787, and died March 10, 1829; the latter was a member of one of the old families of the island, where she spent her entire life, dying October 20, 1845. They had ten children, but none are now living. Their son, Elias C., grew to manhood at the home place, but in young manhood went to Brooklyn, where he was employed in a boot and shoe store. Later he went into the newspaper business, for some time being connected with the "New York Sun," but subsequently returned to his farm at Spring- field. In 1862 he embarked in the lumber busi- ness in Jamaica and soon became one of the prin- cipal business men of the place, accumulating a fortune as the result of his energetic efforts.
For many years Mr. Hendrickson had the com- panionship of a devoted helpmate, to whom much of his success may justly be attributed, for in all his enterprises she was his counselor and con- fidant. She bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Denton and was born in the town of Jamaica, where her father, Amos Denton, was a farmer, and from which place he had gone forth as a sol- dier in the War of 1812. Her mother, Patience (Ludlum) Denton, was a member of one of the oldest families of Long Island. Of the children, she and her two brothers, William and Amos, of Jamaica, are the only survivors. Unto the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hendrickson there were born nine children, of whom four are now living: Amos D., who married Sarah Lewis, was connect- ed with his father in the lumber business and at his death succeeded to the management of the concern, being now the head of the large lumber firm of Hendrickson & Co. Samuel E., who is in the employ of his brother in the lumber business, married Hattie Barto and has three children, Florence, Clara and Ethel. Anna E. is the wife of Elmer E. Bergen, the clothing merchant of Jamaica. Jennie, the youngest of the family, is single and lives with her mother.
In addition to building up an extensive busi- ness, Mr. Hendrickson always took an active part in local matters and supported any project for the advancement of the people. A sincere Christian, he was for a number of years a trustee of the
Presbyterian Church, also maintained a warm in- terest in the Sunday-school. Those who had tried to help themselves but had been unfortunate al- ways found in him a friend, and he was also known for the charitable and forgiving spirit which he manifested toward his erring fellow men. His widow is connected with the Presbyterian Church, in which her brothers are elders. She and her daughters and son-in-law have a pleas- ant home in Union Avenue and are highly re- garded by the best people of the community.
C HARLES H. HARRIS. Viewed in the light of his useful and honorable exist- ence, Mr. Harris may be regarded as one of the best citizens of Jamaica. For more than forty years he has made his home in this village, and few of its residents are better known through- out the county than is he. While he started in life without capital, yet by persistent energy and industry, with the exercise of sound common sense, he has succeeded in securing a competency and at the same time has made for himself a name for strict honor and uprightness.
Born in Worcester County, Mass., May 25, 1830, the subject of this article is a son of William and Epsie (Flint) Harris, natives of Ashburnham, Mass. His boyhood years were passed in the place of his birth, where he obtained a fair edu- cation in the public schools. In 1855, when twen- ty-five years of age, he came to Jamaica as a telegraph operator for the Long Island Railroad Company. He remained in that capacity until 1861, when, in recognition of his ability, he was given charge of the station as agent. This is the most important station on the Long Island sys- tem, and the fact that Mr. Harris retained the position until he voluntarily retired in the sum- mer of 1895 proves his fidelity to the trusts com- mitted to his care.
At the time of his arrival in Jamaica, the Long Island Railroad was a small affair, and he has been connected with it during the entire period of its great development, and has witnessed its steady progress until now it extends to every part of the island. He became one of the stockhold- ers in the road, the interests of which he has guarded with fidelity through all these years. At the same time he has not been unmindful of the interests of Jamaica, and it has been due largely to his management that the village now has such excellent service to and from the two great cities.
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No man connected with the road has had such long and continuous service on the system, and he is now enjoying a well earned rest, having gained a competency during his forty years' ser- vice. His form on the platform at the station was a familiar figure to all old residents, who knew him better than any man connected with the road.
In politics Mr. Harris is a Republican, yet so reasonable in his political views that he desires to give exact justice to all parties and that political supremacy shall not be secured by intrigue or par- ty machinations. He has served on the board of village trustees and held other local offices of trust. In the Reformed Church, of which he is a member, he has served both as deacon and elder. His first marriage, which united him with Betsey Sarah Woods, a niece of Dr. Leonard Woods, of Andover, Mass., occurred in Fitchburg, Mass., in December, 1851. One son, Herbert W., was born of this marriage. He is now a resident of New York, but is employed by a Philadelphia house. In Jamaica, June 18, 1867, Mr. Harris married Miss Florence Hall, and they occupy a comfortable residence in Union Avenue, where they have made their home for more than a quar- ter of a century. Dr. H. D. Hall, father of Mrs. Harris, was a surgeon in the army during the Civil War and made his home in this village until his death, which occurred July 1, 1895, at the age of eighty-seven years.
J OHN SUTTER. The unwritten history of our country contains many a story of poor boys who landed on the shores of America without a dollar in their pockets, but who, through their own inherent qualities of enter- prise, industry and perseverance, conquered a handsome fortune or a comfortable competency. In this class we mention the name of John Sutter, proprietor of one of the leading marble and gran- ite works at Middle Village, and who, from pov- erty, has worked his way up to prosperity and success, depending solely upon his own efforts to surmount the obstacles in his path.
1851, our subject emigrated to America, landing in New York City on the 23d of July, with but two francs in his pocket. Going to Cypress Hill, he secured work at his trade, but after six weeks went back to New York, where for three weeks he was employed in a grocery. Next he went to Hastings, N. Y., and worked at the stone-cutter's trade, cutting stone for the custom house in Charleston, S. C. Four years were spent in that employment, after which he spent a short time in Jersey City and then came to Middle Village in 1859.
Here Mr. Sutter formed a partnership with a brother-in-law, John Diehlmann, in the tomb- stone business, but as the venture did not prove profitable, he left its management in the hands of his partner and went to Jersey City, where he worked at ship carpentering and various other trades. After one year he came back to Middle Village to accept the position of superintendent of the Lutheran Cemetery, in which capacity he was employed until 1878. In 1868 his partner died and he took charge of the business, which has become one of importance in the intervening years.
The first wife of Mr. Sutter, with whom he was united May 8, 1858, was Miss Gesche Wendel- ken, and they became the parents of eight chil- dren; only one, however, survives, this being Elizabeth, wife of Richard A. Homeyer, a sketch of whom appears in this work. January 3, 1884, Mr. Sutter was united in marriage with Mrs. Catherine Schumacher. Politically he is a firm and loyal supporter of the Republican party, to which he always gives his vote. Socially he is connected with Schiller Lodge No. 304, F. & A. M .; Atlair Chapter No. 237, Brooklyn; and St. Elmo Commandery No. 57, Brooklyn; also the Charles T. Schmitt Lodge No. 348, I. O. O. F., the Knights of Honor, Centennial Lodge No. 261 of New York, and Concordia Lodge No. 290, New York, Knights and Ladies of Honor. He was one of the founders of the Lutheran Church here and has ever been one of its most active members, being at this writing the president of the congregation.
Mr. Sutter was born in Bavaria, Germany, March 20, 1831, and was one of eleven children (eight still living) who comprised the family of John and Elizabeth (Sieber) Sutter. His father, G EORGE HERBERT HIGBIE is a rep- resentative farmer of Queens County, one who is identified especially with the town of Jamaica and who has been of great assistance who was born in Bavaria in 1803, learned the trade of a stone-cutter, which has been the occu- pation of four successive generations of the fam- ily. This he followed until his death in 1875. In in developing and extending its agriculture. His
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is the record of an upright life, and he is an influ- ence for good in the community with whose high- est interests he is associated. He is a man of sound nature, standing among our best men whose push and energy have placed this section of the country in the front rank as an agricul- tural and commercial center.
On the place where he now resides the subject of this sketch was born March 25, 1859, and he and a brother, Robert W., were the only children of Alexander and Sarah F. (Davison) Higbie. His father, who was born in Brooklyn in 1833, came to Springfield, town of Jamaica, in child- hood, with his father, Daniel, and here grew to manhood, when he entered upon the active life of an agriculturist, and this occupation he fol- lowed until within five years of his death. Aban- doning that calling, he engaged in the insurance and real estate business. He was a man of sincere Christian character, a devoted member of the Methodist Church and for several years was sup- erintendent of the Sunday-school. His public spirit was shown in his endeavors to forward every movement that would in any way enhance the prosperity of his town and county.
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