Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 53

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 53

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February 17, 1866, Mr. Dennis married Miss Fannie Abrams and thirteen children were born unto them, all of whom but two are living. They are as follows: Richard H., a carpenter. who mar- ried Miss Hattie Decker; Jennie; Drusilla, wife of Stephen F. Hendrickson, who is with L. E. Decker, a grocer of Springfield; Wilber, who is connected with the bakery business in Jamaica; Edward S., who is in the employ of L. E. Decker; Ida M., Morris F., Alice, Charles S .. Arthur and Gracie.

Politically Mr. Dennis is liberal, supporting in local elections those whom he deems best qualified to fill the position in question, while in national affairs he inclines toward Democratic principles. His family are connected with the Methodist Church and regular attendants at re- ligious services. Since 1890 he has been a mem- ber of the school board, and has aided in making the school one of the best graded institutions in the county, also in the erection of the new school building at a cost of $15,000. Progressive, en- terprising and liberal, he has been instrumental in promoting the general welfare and industrial thrift of the village of Springfield, and is in every way worthy of the high place he holds in public esteem1.

W ILLIAM MCCARTHY is a man who has carved his way from small begin- ning to his present enviable position and has the respect and esteem of all. He was born August 16, 1865, in Roslyn, and is a son of

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John and Mary (Gilfoy) McCarthy. His paternal grandfather was John McCarthy. Our subject remained with his parents until twelve years old and then went to live with an uncle, Alfred P. Aveson, and there attended school for a very short time. In fact, nearly all his schooling was received before he was twelve years old, but he has made up for this to a great extent by self study and observation. Although he spent some years of his early life in the saloon business, he is proud of the fact that he does not use liquor in any form.

When eighteen years old young McCarthy en- tered the railroad office at Garden City, and later had charge of that office for one year. On the 5th of September, 1885, he was appointed to the office at Mineola and has had charge of the same since. He has full control of the general office work, telegraph and switch tower, this being one of the most important offices of the Long Island Railroad. He is a most capable and trustworthy young man, and since his first appointment has been promoted a number of times to more in- portant duties. In 1888 he was appointed post- master of Mineola and was in that office for four years, but resigned when President Cleveland took his seat. Socially he is a Mason, a member of Morton Lodge No. 63, and also belongs to Lodge No. 141, I. O. O. F., at Hempstead, and the Encampment No. 121. He is also a P. C. P. and now holds the office of F. S.

Mr. McCarthy has been a member of the Min- eola Hook and Ladder Company No. I, has held office in the same, and is now its trustee. In politics he supports the principles and policy of the Republican party. November 21, 1888, Mr. McCarthy was married to Miss Mary Underhill, daughter of George S. Underhill, and grand- daughter of Willett Underhill, an old and promi- nent citizen of Green Vale. Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Carthy are the parents of one son, Earl Under- hill, who is named in honor of his grandfather.

J UDGE PETER MCARDLE. As a repre- sentative of the business element, to whose progressive spirit and superior abilities is due much of the prosperity enjoyed by Long Is- land City, we present the name of Judge McArdle, who is well known, not alone in this city, but throughout the island and state. He was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, in 1840. His father, Patrick, and his mother, Margaret (Mooney)

McArdle, were also born on that island and are both now deceased. Peter, who was the eldest of the family, was a lad of six years when he was brought to America by his maternal grandfather and was established in the home of a brother of his mother's, who was then engaged in business in New York City.'Young McArdle was given every opportunity for acquiring a good education and until eighteen years of age carried on his studies in the public schools of the metropolis.

In the year 1858, when eighteen years of age, our subject began in business for himself in New York, having a fat-rendering establishment lo- cated in West Thirty-ninth Street. He was very successful in this venture and continued to do a large business in New York for ten years. Find- ing that Long Island City would prove a better location for his factory he removed hither and built his large works, covering half a block on Honeywell Street and Jackson Avenue. Here he transacts all his business in this line and bears the distinction of having the largest fat-render- ing establishment in the state. He knows his business in all its detail, but is now relieved of much of the care and responsibility by his two sons, James and Joseph, both of whom are his partners, the firm being known as Peter McArdle & Sons. They have six wagons, and through keen business acumen, push and energy, are in the enjoyment of a most extensive and paying business.

The marriage of Peter McArdle and Miss Mary McAdam occurred in New York City in 1861. The latter, who was also born in Ireland, became the mother of eleven children, five of whom are now living, and of whom we make the following mention: Catherine is a teacher in the schools of Long Island City; James and Joseph are engaged with their father in busi- ness; Mary is Mrs. Sheridan, of this place; and Elizabeth married George Johnson, of New York. Mrs. Mary McArdle departed this life in 1878, mourned by all who knew her. In 1880 our sub- ject chose for his second wife Miss Margaret Shannon, a native of Long Island City. To them were born six children, all of whom are living. After the death of his second wife Mr. McArdle married Miss Frances Otis.

Mr. McArdle is truly a self-made man, who by his own industrious efforts and strict attention to business during his earlier years has worked his way upward to a position of wealth and afflu- ence. He is a man of unswerving honesty, whose

HON. JOSEPH FITCH.

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word is considered as good as his bond, and the confidence of the entire community is his. He was alderman of the second ward of the city for two terms, having the honor of being a member of the first board after the organization of the city. During that time he was chairman of the finance committee and gave his attention most zealously to the interests of his constituents. He is a stanch supporter of Democratic principles and takes great pride in the success of his party. On the expiration of his term as alderman Mr. Mc- Ardle was appointed justice of the peace, to fill an unexpired term, occasioned by the death of Judge John P. Madden. He was afterward elect- ed recorder of Long Island City to succeed Judge Parsons, and after filling this position most ac- ceptably for four years resigned and refused fur- ther political honors until 1893, when he was appointed school commissioner by Mayor San- ford, which position he still holds. He is doing much toward elevating the standard of efficiency in his school district, and believing that what is needed is better schools and better teachers, is going about supplying these needs in a most praiseworthy manner. He is a member of the committees on supplies and buildings, and it is pleasant to note that he is giving conscientious attention to the duties of his office. He is a mem- ber of the Jefferson Club, and for many years during his more active career was a member of the general committee.

H ON. JOSEPH FITCH. Justice and rea- son are the strong pillars of law. No man is required to do that which does not lie in his power by the statutes of the govern- ment. Often he may fail in his conception of them, and in this do the exponents of jurispru- dence prove their value by construing for him the correct meaning and leading him right. Hon. Joseph Fitch is one of the prominent legal lights of New York, a city noted for its many able and brainy professional men, and is a resident of Flushing, where he is one of the representative citizens. He is an ex-member of the New York Assembly and a man of brilliant mental attain- ments. Born in Flushing August 27, 1857, he is a son of Joseph and Avis (Leggett) Fitch, the former a native of Flushing and the latter of New York City.

The grandfather, Joseph Fitch, Sr., was a na- tive of England, and when a young man came

to America, settling in New York City. He was in the service of the English government and made his headquarters in the above mentioned city, with summer residence in Flushing. Here he died when his son Joseph was an infant. The latter was born in 18II and was reared by his sister, Mrs. Joseph Franklin, who resided in Bay- side. Eventually he became a prominent business man and his time was passed in New York City and New Orleans until the breaking out of the Civil War, his sympathies resting with the North. His death occurred in Flushing in 1868. In his political views he was a Democrat. Mrs. Fitch was the daughter of Thomas H. Leggett, who was a prominent retail merchant of New York City. The latter carried on business for many years, but at last retired from active duties and located in Flushing, where his last days were spent. Mrs. Fitch now resides on the old Leg- gett estate in Amity Street, and is in the enjoy- ment of comparatively good health. She is a Quaker in her religious views.

Joseph Fitch, our subject, was the only child born to his parents. He spent his childhood in Flushing, attended Flushing Institute and later Swarthmore (Pa.) College, where he gradu- ated with the degree of A. B. in 1879. After that he began the study of law and entered Columbia College Law School, and he was admitted to the bar in February, 1882. He was with C. W. Pleas- ants at No. 237 Broadway until the latter's death in 1890, and then succeeded to the business, con- tinuing it alone up to the present time. He is counselor for the Flushing Board of Health, a position he has held since about 1891.

In the fall of 1885 Mr. Fitch was elected, on the Democratic ticket, to the assembly from the old first district of Queens County, and re-elected in 1886, serving from 1886 to 1887. At first he was on the committee of ways and means, and the second year was on the cities and insurance committee. He succeeded in passing the bill establishing the Coldspring Fish Hatchery of Queens County, which has become the most important hatchery in the state. For a number of years he was a director of the Flushing Bank. At present he is a member of the board of educa- tion, having held that position since 1893, and is chairman of the finance committee.

In the year 1886 Mr. Fitch married Miss Annie L. Rose, a native of Yonkers, N. Y., and the daughter of Levi P. Rose, who was a prominent business man and postmaster there for many

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years. Mr. and Mrs. Fitch are the parents of two children, Avis L. and Dorothy. In 1891 he moved to his present residence, a fine place at No. 303 Sanford Avenue. For ten years Mr. Fitch has been on the board of governors of the Niantic Club, was captain of the Nereus Rowing Club for two years, and is a member of the League of American Wheelmen. For three years he was chairman of the Democratic town com- mittee and in 1894 was nominated for congress from the first congressional district, but was de- feated, with the rest of the ticket. He is a mem- ber of Queens County Bar Association and of the New York Law Institute. It is hardly neces- sary to add that he is a stanch Democrat.

F REDERICK E. DETHERIDGE, manager of the Jamaica branch of the "Brooklyn Daily Times," and the present police judge of the village of Jamaica, was born in England. In childhood he accompanied his mother to America, and to the country of his adoption has since been loyally devoted. His education was obtained in the public and private schools of New York City, and has since been supplemented by self-culture. Devoting some attention to the study of medicine in early life, it was at one time his intention to become a physician, but the pro- fession was not altogether congenial to his tastes and he selected instead an occupation that was more to his liking.

From his youthful years Mr. Detheridge dis- played a predilection for journalistic work; the bent of his mind was toward the newspaper busi- ness, and he never lost an opportunity to famil- iarize himself with its details. With that purpose in view he secured a position as proofreader on one of the dailies of Brooklyn, and at one time and another he filled almost all of the positions on the staff of a great city paper. For some time he was assistant city editor of the "Brooklyn Union." Since 1886 he has been on the staff of the "Brooklyn Daily Times," and is the present manager of its branch office at Jamaica, where through his efforts a large business has been built up. He is a thorough newspaper man, an able and forcible writer, brief, concise and pertinent in his statements regarding public or local affairs of importance.

Possessing considerable natural genius as a musician, Mr. Detheridge obtained a thorough musical education and is well versed in that art.

At different times he has been organist in churches in New York and Brooklyn, and is now a member of the Jamaica Choral Society, with which he has official connection. A man of de- cided ideas and views, he has taken a positive stand on the side of the Republican party, for which he has done good work. Though not an aspirant for official honors, the people, irrespec- tive of party lines, elected him to the office of police justice in Jamaica in the spring of 1895. He was elected by a large majority and is now filling the office with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the people.

Mr. Detheridge married Miss Emeline C. Sayrs, of New York City, whose father, John Sayrs, was for many years connected with the Erie Railroad. They are the parents of three children, of whom the son, Frederick W., is an engineer in Boston; Kate C., the elder daughter, received a thorough musical training and is an accomplished alto singer; she is now the wife of Andrew J. MacLean, a journalist. The younger daughter, Florence Helene, is a member of the choral society and is well versed in music, for which she possesses an inherited talent.

H ON. P. J. WHITE. In a work devoted to an exposition of the various industries of Blissville, Long Island City, in a man- ner not only serviceable to those who conduct the various business enterprises of the place, but also with a view to giving information to the general public relating to her resources, the dairy business conducted by Hon. P. J. White is deserving of honorable mention. For three years this representative citizen was president of the board of aldermen of Long Island City, and for six years he was a member of the same. He is noted as having been president of the board longer in succession than any other man. Mr. White was born in Long Island City in 1860, but his parents, John and Rose (Clancy) White, were natives of Ireland. John White was a tailor by trade, and when but a boy came to America. He first located in the town of Newtown, at Laurel Hill, but as business was dull there he entered the Queens County Oil Works, where he was employed for some time.

Later Mr. White embarked in the dairy busi- ness and also opened a grocery store which he carried on until his death in 1869. He was one of the old and respected settlers here. Mrs. White

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was the daughter of John Clancy, who settled here at an early date and kept a hotel and board- ing house at Laurel Hill. Since the death of her husband Mrs. White has conducted the grocery store very successfully. She is the oldest settler here by fifteen years. Her children were four in number, three sons and one daughter. Our sub- ject, the eldest of this family, received a good practical education in the public schools of New York and Brooklyn and subsequently entered Christian Brothers College, in the former city, where he completed his schooling. Later he took charge of the dairy business and soon became its owner.

Mr. White has now the largest dairy business in Western Long Island. Three wagons are on the routes in Brooklyn all the time and he has a fine herd of cows, supplying his customers at all times with the purest milk. In 1884 he was elected a member of the board of aldermen from the second ward, on the Democratic ticket, and served three terms of two years each, and for three years was a member of the fire and water board. He was one of the organizers of the Jef- ferson Democratic Club.

J OHN MURPHY. If history is to be be- lieved, the people of Egypt were the first to originate the wagon, or rather, to con- struct a vehicle on wheels, but these conveyances differed as materially from the present elegant, easy and light-running carriage as did the primi- tive residences of those people differ from the magnificent and palatial homes of the present generation. One of the most skillful and compe- tent wagon and carriage manufacturers of Long Island City is John Murphy, who has built up a large and paying patronage through the excel- lence of his work and his upright business prin- ciples.'

Mr. Murphy was born in Hackensack, N. J., June 25, 1843, a son of John and Ellen (Caffrey) Murphy, natives of Ireland. The former was en- gaged in the milk business and farming in the vicinity of Jersey City, but in 1856 death closed his career. His widow now resides in that place. The subject of this sketch was the only child born of this union and in his native town his parents continued to reside until he was three years of age, at which time they removed to Jersey City, where he was educated in the subscription

schools. Jersey City was then a mere village and was called Horse Siamans.

After the death of the husband and father, Mrs. Murphy and her son were left in limited cir- cumstances and John was compelled to leave- school and begin the battle of life for himself. He began driving a horse cart for a flouring mill in 1857, but in the latter part of that year was ap- prenticed to the carriage manufacturers, Cooley & Lampmann, of Jersey City, completing the trade at the end of three years and nine months. Im- mediately thereafter he enlisted in Company K, Seventeenth New York Infantry, was mustered into the service in 1861, for two years, at Park Barracks, New York, and eight days later was sent to Beaufort, N. C. During the seven months spent there he was in either battles or skirmishes every day. At the end of that time his regiment had lost so many men that it was disbanded and he was honorably discharged and returned to New York, having at no time been wounded.

In August, 1862, Mr. Murphy volunteered in the United States navy at Brooklyn on board the gunboat "Yankee," but some months later was transferred to the "Satellite," and still later to the gunboat "Osophey." All this time he was ship's blacksmith. The next boat on which he served was the "Jacob Bell," on which he re- mained until he received his discharge, in 1864, on the James River, and then returned to New York City. While in the naval service he re- ceived a wound in the right hand, his middle finger being shot nearly off; the skill of his sur- geon, however, saved it, but he was for three months in the Maryland Hospital.

In 1864 Mr. Murphy entered the employ of Stratton & Son, in Fourteenth Street, New York, with whom he remained engaged in the manufac- ture of carriages for nine months. The following thirteen years he had charge of the works of R. M. Stiver, in Thirty-first Street, New York, but during this time he had removed to Long Island City and built him a comfortable residence here. He was next in the employ of Bradley, Ploy & Co. for one year and eleven months, in Broadway, New York, but they failed in business and then he embarked in business for himself at his pres- ent stand, and has improved his business connec- tion until it is very large. His establishment is 25x200 feet in dimensions, a part of which is two stories in height, and he utilizes every inch of the space. He manufactures carriages, wagons and

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trucks, and his work is first class in every partic- ular. His is the next oldest place of business of the kind in the city, and employment is given to fifteen hands.

. Mr. Murphy was married in New York to Miss Ann Lennon, a native of Ireland, and five chil- dren were born to them: Thomas J., who was educated in New York, and is a blacksmith in his father's shops; John H., deceased; Mrs. Ann Eliza Adams of New York; Ellen R. and Patrick. They received good educations in the schools of New York City. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, John J. Mitchell Lodge, and belongs to Sheridan Post No. 682, of the Grand Army of the Republic. Politically he is a stanch Republican.

G EORGE W. MOUNT. The friends of Mr. Mount know him to be something more than a successful farmer; they rec- ognize in him a man who is earnestly striving in all honorable ways to make the world better for his presence. He is not only a prominent factor in agricultural circles of the town of Jamaica, but he is constantly endeavoring, so far as lies within his power, to relieve suffering, help the needy and advance the welfare of the community. He owns a small but well improved place in Farmer's Avenue, where he has resided since 1890.

The subject of this notice was born in Fosters Meadow September 1, 1845, and is one of the five surviving children of Zebulon and Mary Anna (Manley) Mount, whose family originally con- sisted of ten children. His paternal grandparents, Samuel and Rachael Mount, were born April 20, 1759, and February 13, 1769, respectively. The former had two brothers who, during the Revolutionary War, were killed by the Indians in New Jersey. In the early days of the colonies several members of the family gained promi- nence, and there were not wanting those of the name to enlist in defense of liberty against the oppression of the British.

The birth of Zebulon Mount occurred in Mon- mouth County, N. J., January 16, 1800. After his marriage he settled in New York City, where for a few years he engaged in contracting, but in 1830 he came to Queens County and settled upon a farm. Here he spent the remainder of his days until his death, August 23, 1870. His son, George W., grew to manhood on the home place,

gaining his education in the common schools. At the age of seventeen he went to Queens and apprenticed himself to the trade of a wagon- maker, but after eighteen months he decided to give it up. Going to Jersey City, for one year he was employed in the car shops. Next we find him in Brooklyn, where for four years he was employed in making flasks in a foundry. Fol- lowing this he was engaged in the milk and but- ter business for two years in Brooklyn, after which he returned to Fosters Meadow and took up carpentering. A short time elapsed and he then purchased the old Foster Hendrickson farm, upon which he was occupied in tilling the soil for the ensuing eighteen years. He then bought the tract of ten acres upon which he still re- sides. Here he built a neat house and introduced some valuable improvements, and upon this place he hopes to spend his remaining days. The other farm, however, is still in his possession, but cul- tivated by tenants.

June 6, 1884, Mr. Mount was united in mar- riage with Miss Sarah E., daughter of Amaziah Foster, of Springfield. They are the parents of three children: Carrie B., Ethel May and Sam- uel M. Politically Mr. Mount is a Republican and takes a warm interest in matters pertaining to the public welfare.

S ANFORD H. KEPNER, though young in years, holds the responsible posi- tion of superintendent of the Long Island Paint and Color Works, which is a department of the Standard Oil Company. He is a native of the Buckeye State, and was born in Hartford, Trumbull County, August 16, 1861, the son of Henry and Adaline (Lynch) Kepner, both native of Pennsylvania. The grandfather of our subject, John Kepner, was a pioneer of the Western Reserve and followed farming there until his death. For many years he was a member of the German Reformed Church. Farming has been the principal occupation followed by his son Hen- ry, who resides on the old homestead, and who has met with excellent success in his chosen calling. He is an honest, upright citizen, and is now about sixty-four years old. Mrs. Kepner was born in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, and there her father, Isaac Lynch, was a prominent real estate inan and coal dealer. Of the three chil- dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Kepner only two are now living, our subject and John, the latter re-

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Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 53

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