USA > New York > Queens County > Long Island City > Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York > Part 61
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By his marriage to Martha Mapes, a native of New York City, and daughter of Henry Mapes, Peter Van Iderstine, Jr., had two sons and five daughters, of whom all but one daughter are still living. The wife and mother died in New York in 1878. Our subject, who was the elder of the two sons, spent his childhood years in New York City, where he was a student in Grammar School No. 55 in Twentieth Street. At the age of fifteen he began to learn the hide and leather business under the instruction of his father, of which he soon had a thorough knowledge. In 1888 he and his brother started in business at No. 181 Huron Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, but after their father's death in 1893 they became the possessors of this business, with which they consolidated their own, moving it to Blissville. They have since enlarged the business, and as they have am- ple capital and untiring energy, they will un- doubtedly add to the reputation gained by the firm in days past. Steady employment is fur- nished to thirty or forty hands, and they carry on a large trade in all kinds of skins.
In Brooklyn Mr. Van Iderstine married Della, daughter of John H. Ireland, a lumber merchant of that city, where she was born. Her death oc- curred March 16, 1896. With his three children, Edwin, John I. and Earl, our subject resides at No. 473 Green Avenue, Brooklyn. In religious belief he is connected with the Washington Ave- nue Baptist Church, and to it, as well as to other religious enterprises, he gives generous support.
Mrs. Van Iderstine was also a member of the same church. Mr. Van Iderstine is actively iden- tified with the Manufacturers' Association of Kings and Queens counties, and is regarded as one of the foremost business men of this locality. Like others he has at times suffered losses in business, but in the main he has been very suc- cessful and has always maintained his reputation as an upright, honorable man, one whose integ- rity is unquestioned and who commands the uni- versal respect of his fellow-men.
G EORGE CASEY. There is nothing more important to the welfare of a city than a well-equipped fire department, nor is there anything more effective in the preservation of property as well as life, and the man who suc- cessfully fills the position of chief must possess keen foresight, great energy and must "sleep with one eye open," so to speak, in order to respond instantly to calls upon his services. The subject of this sketch is ex-chief of the fire department of Astoria and filled this office in a most thorough and satisfactory manner. Mr. Casey was born in Queens County, Ireland, in 1847, a son of Law- rence and Ann (Moran) Casey, also natives of that county, where they were married. The fath- er was a shoemaker by trade, and followed this occupation in Main Street, Astoria, after his re- moval to this country with his family in 1849. Here he died at the age of seventy-three years and here his wife was also called from life.
George Casey was the eldest of four daughters and two sons, and at the time of the family's re- moval to America he was two years of age. He was reared in Astoria, educated in the public schools of the fourth ward and learned the shoe- maker's business with his father. He became an instructor of his trade on Randall's Island, where he continued for sixteen years, then, in 1865, he was a volunteer in the United States navy and for one year served on a gunboat. At the expira- tion of his term of enlistment he was honorably discharged, March 19, 1866, on Randall's Island, but soon afterward went to New Brunswick, N. J., and in 1878 took up his abode in Astoria, where his home has ever since been. He has been connected with the fire department of As- toria for many years, was one of its organizers, and from 1877 to 1880 was chief engineer.
In February, 1891, Mr. Casey was appointed chief by Mayor Gleason, thus becoming the first
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chief engineer in the paid department, which he assisted in organizing, but in 1893 there was a political change in the administration and he was deposed. Mr. Casey contested the matter in the courts and was reinstated, but in the following September was again discharged, and the case is now being once more tried, with the prospects of success in his favor. He was one of the organ- izers of the Veteran Firemen's Association of Long Island City, and the hall above his office is now used by this society. He is a member of Ringgold Post of the Grand Army of the Re- public, and politically is an active worker in the Democratic party. In Long Island City he mar- ried Rose Ann Joyce, who was born in Astoria and died here February 23, 1894, leaving five chil- dren, James, William, George, Jr., Lawrence and Rose Ann, all of whom are attending school.
T HE HICKS FAMILY. Among the old names connected with the early history of Long Island that of Hicks has always been prominent both in public and in private life. From the first settlement of the country, and until the close of the Revolutionary War various per- sons bearing the name took an active and im- portant part in the affairs of the colony. When the struggle for independence came several of the most influential members of the family were holding office under the government, and natural- ly remained loyal to the king, as did their friends and relatives; but most of the Hicks' on Long Island were professedly neutral, although the sympathies of many were evidently with the mother country. At the close of the Revolution a few fled to Nova Scotia, while confiscation de- prived many wealthy members of the family of their estates.
The family became early identified with the Society of Friends, and most of them still hold to that faith. Elias Hicks, the celebrated Quaker preacher, was a great-great-grandson of the first settler, John Hicks. The Hicks family are of English descent, and their progenitor on Long Island, John Hicks, came to America from Lon- don in 1635. He was nearly related to Robert Hicks, who came with the Pilgrims in 1621, and traced his ancestry back to Sir Ellis Hicks, who was knighted on the battlefield of Poiters in 1356.
John Hicks came to Long Island with the first settlers of Hempstead in 1642, and always took an active and prominent part in the affairs of the
colony. He was a man of strong and vigorous intellect and seemed a natural leader among men. The final settlement with the Indians on the 4th of July, 1647, for the lands purchased of them by the colonists in 1643, and the defining of the boundaries was intrusted to his management. On the IIth of December, 1653, he was a delegate to a convention representing the towns on Long Island, called to obtain a redress of grievances from the Dutch government. In 1663 he was one of the delegates chosen to associate with the deputies from the other English towns to obtain aid from the general court at Hartford against the Dutch, and again in the same year he repre- sented his town in a general assembly of dele- gates from Long Island towns.
In 1665 Governor Nicoll called a convention composed of two delegates from each of the towns on Long Island and those in Westchester County "for the purpose of making additions and altera- tions to existing laws." John Hicks was chosen one of the delegates from the town of Hempstead, and was a leader in the convention. The proceed- ings of that assembly were of much interest and value, and the ordinances framed at that time, called the "Duke's Laws," were of great import- ance, and remained in force for over a hundred years.
Thomas Hicks, the son of the above John, was also a man of unusual energy and ability and took a prominent part in public affairs. He was a dele- gate to most of the assemblies and conventions of that time, and in 1691 was honored by Gover- nor Andross in being the first appointed judge to the county court, an office which he held for a number of years. In 1666 he was granted a patent for four thousand acres of land at Great Neck, where he erected a mansion and resided until his death. Whitehead Hicks, a grandson of Thomas, was mayor of New York City, by the king's appointment, for ten years previous to and during the Revolutionary War. A son of Thom- as, Isaac Hicks, was colonel of the county militia, and another son, Jacob, held the appointment of captain, in which capacity he saw some service in the colonial wars.
The above Col. Isaac Hicks was afterward, and for many years, a judge of the county court and highly respected. He was also active in public affairs, and was chosen by the colony of Massa- chusetts as one of a commission to settle a boun- dary dispute between that commonwealth and Rhode Island. In appreciation of his services the
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former colony presented him with a silver tank- ard, inscribed, and bearing the arms of the com- monwealth. His son, Stephen Hicks, was also colonel of the county militia.
Since the Revolution the family has held entire- ly aloof from public life, and its members have been principally engaged in agricultural and mer- cantile pursuits. Several accumulated wealth, and left honorable records as merchants and ship- owners in the city of New York; but most of the Hicks' of Long Island have been content, in re- cent years, to lead the quiet and industrious lives of farmers and to continue in the simple and un- ostentatious ways of the Quakers.
F RANK DOOLEY. Among all of the in- dustries that are carried on in this great country of ours none succeed so well as those conducted by practical men. An instance in mind is the success attained by Frank Doo- ley since he established himself as a dealer in marble and slate at Hunter's Point, Long Island City. Mr. Dooley was born in 1842 in Kings County, Ireland, where his parents, Andrew and Mary (Monopan) Dooley, were also born. This worthy couple joined their children in the United States in 1864, and in this country they made their home until death called them hence, the father in 1889, at the age of eighty-nine years, and the mother when sixty-five years old. Ten children were born to them, but only four are now living, two sons and two daughters, all being loyal subjects of "Uncle Sam."
Of this family the subject of this biography was the third eldest. The isle that gave him birth continued to be his home until he had reached the age of seventeen years, at which time he came to the United States on a sailing vessel, the "Man- hattan," the voyage occupying twenty-three days, but on its journey back to the old country the ship was lost at sea and was never afterward heard from. Mr. Dooley worked in a soda water es- tablishment for about three months after his ar- rival here, then apprenticed himself to a marble cutter in New York City and worked under va- rious masters until he had thoroughly learned the trade. In 1879 he started in business on his own account in New York City, where he continued until 1882, and then established himself in Hunt- er's Point, Long Island City, having, in 1874, taken up his residence here. His first shop was in Fourth Street, but he afterwards removed to No.
24 Hunter's Point Avenue. He makes a special- ty of marble and slate for mantels and manufac- tures his goods from the rough. He deals in the finest materials, but has goods to suit the purses of all classes and is recognized as an authority in the trade. All the marble and slate work in the residence of Father McGuire was done by him, likewise that of F. J. Oakes, the Queens County court house, Kelly's block, Keonery flats, the Fourth Ward schoolhouse and scores of the finest residences of the place. His work is of the most meritorious and in every respect he is an upright and pushing business man.
Mr. Dooley was married in the city of New York to Miss Mary Hines, a native of the Isle of Erin, and to them one child was given, Will- iam, who is his father's business associate, and is a skillful granite letterer. The family move in the best social circles and are attendants of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Mr. Dooley has al- ways supported Democratic principles.
W YMAN S. BROWN. Among the names entitled to space in the history of Queens County is the one that heads this sketch, for it is borne by a man who has been identified with the best interests of the county for many years and with its advancement in every worthy particular. Mr. Brown is at present en- gaged in the real estate business, having his of- fice located at No. 16 Court Street, Brooklyn. His place of residence, however, is in the beautiful village of Manhasset.
January 7, 1824, Mr. Brown was born in Edge- comb, Lincoln County, Me., and is the son of Capt. Daniel and Alice (Webber) Brown. The father was also born in the Pine Tree State, and when a young man of twenty years left home and went to sea. It was not long before he became captain of a vessel and for the remainder of his life followed this calling. During the progress of the War of 1812 he had charge of a vessel in the navy. He was the owner of a nice farm, on which his son, our subject, was reared. The household included eight children, of whom Wy- man S. was the eldest but one His education was acquired in the schools taught in the district and after his school days were over he often took trips with his father on the ocean. Captain Brown lived to be sixty-five years of age.
When eighteen years old our subject turned his attention to the carriagemaker's trade and
JULIUS AUGUSTIN.
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after serving the usual length of time as an ap- prentice began working for wages. He followed this business for a few years, but abandoned it in order that he might engage in more profitable work. When twenty-four years of age he was married to Miss Alice S. Wilson and to them have been born three children. Anna M. is now the wife of George W. Liscomb of New York; Effie L. became the wife of E. Walter Roberts, and their home is in Brooklyn; Fannie M. is the wife of Asa C. Brownell, Jr., and they make their home with our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Brownell have three children, Alice D., Clara F., and Albert Wyman, all of whom were born in Brooklyn.
In 1870 Mr. Brown began dealing in real estate and so prosperous was he in this business that he has continued to give it his entire attention ever since. He took up his abode in Manhasset in 1893 and is now one of the most substantial resi- dents of the village. Politically, he has voted the Republican ticket since 1860. In his re- ligious views he is a Congregationalist, worship- ing with this denomination in Brooklyn.
J ULIUS AUGUSTIN. There are few resi- dents of Hicksville who, through a long and varied career, met with such uniform suc- cess as rewarded the efforts of the subject of this article. Beginning for himself at an early age and without means, he steadily worked upward, conquering the difficulties incident to strange lan- guages and unfamiliar customs, and such was his success that when still young he was in receipt of a large salary. Both in the old country and the new he worked untiringly and efficiently, nor did his energy show any diminution with increasing years. At the time of his death, which occurred February 2, 1896, he was conducting a successful business, dealing in lumber, coal and building ma- terials of all kinds.
In Menslage, a small village in Hanover, Ger- many, our subject was born August 10, 1838, to Johan Daniel and Catherine (Wolf) Augustin, na- tives of Hanover, the former of whom died in 1894, aged ninety-two years. The mother was a daughter of Frederick Wolf, who for many years was in the employ of the Hanoverian govern- ment, being superintendent of the construction of public buildings. In his native village Johan Daniel Augustin was engaged as proprietor of a dyeing establishment, in which business he was
occupied until the time of his death, meanwhile accumulating a large fortune. By his marriage seven children were born, the youngest of whom was only four years old when his mother died. The father never married again.
About 1855 William, a brother of our subject, emigrated to America and, failing to find em- ployment at his trade of dyer, secured work in a grocery in New York, his salary being only $4 per month for two years. In 1859 he entered business for himself, opening a store at No. 68 Greenwich Street, New York, where he carried on a retail trade until 1867, being so successful in his enterprises that he became possessor of an estate valued at $40,000.
Under the supervision of a private tutor our subject early gained a knowledge of French and English. At the age of thirteen his father secured him a situation in a large crockery, china and queensware house at Haarlem, Holland, where he remained until twenty years of age. No stip- ulation was made as to salary, and for three years no wages were given him, but afterward he was in receipt of regular remittances. His work was hard and tedious, he was far from home and friends, but he had a brave heart and soon won the esteem of those by whom he was employed. While there the first railroad in Holland was built, the terminal points being Amsterdam and Haarlem, and he traveled on one of the first trains to Amsterdam for the purpose of purchas- ing goods for the firm. The senior partner, with the caution of age, refused to travel by rail, deem- ing the canal boats safer, though not nearly so rapid.
The interest and skill displayed by Mr. Augus- tin soon led to his promotion. During the sec- ond year of his connection with the firm he was intrusted with the purchase of goods, a very re- sponsible position for one so young. At the age of nineteen he was obliged, according to the laws of the country, to take his place in the mili- tary service, but on volunteering he was rejected owing to his small stature and delicate appear- ance. He then resumed his business duties in Haarlem, but the following year was again obliged to return to Hanover for military exam- ination. This time he resolved not to return to Haarlem. His employer offered him a partner- ship in the business, but he declined, whereupon the other assured him that he would find his po- sition waiting for him any time he wished to re- turn.
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As before, Mr. Augustin was rejected on his ex- amination for army service. He then went to Hamburg, where a married sister resided, and after fourteen days there secured a position in a large crockery and queensware establishment at a salary of three hundred marks per year and board. The business was divided into two dis- tinct branches and he was offered the manage- ment of one of these, which he accepted, though reluctantly, as he doubted his ability to fill the place. However, his diligent efforts brought very satisfactory results and he retained the po- sition for five years, receiving a salary of nine hundred marks at the time he left the firm.
About this time Mr. Augustin received letters from his brother William, in New York, telling him of his success and advising him to come to America. This he decided to do, and in Sep- tember, 1862, he embarked in a ship which landed him in New York after an uneventful voyage. He at once took an inferior position in his brother's store, but later was promoted to a better position as salesman, where his previous study of Eng- lish was of the greatest value to him. While he entered the business without wages, his brother, at the end of a year, gave him a compound in- terest bearing note for $1,000 in return for his services. He remained in this connection until the sudden death of his brother in November, 1867. He was appointed administrator of the es- tate and settled up the property, continuing the business until 1872.
June 22, 1871, Mr. Augustin married Johanna Freytag, daughter of William and Louisa Frey- tag, of Hicksville, and they took up their resi- dence at No. 64 Greenwich Street, where they had apartments above the store. Mrs. Augustin died July 30, 1872, leaving an infant daughter two days old; the latter is now the widow of Dr. Newton Taliafero. His wife's death changed our subject's plans. He sold the business and came with his daughter to the home of his father-in- law in Hicksville. In the spring of 1873 he es- tablished a German newspaper, the "Long Island Central Zeitung," which was sold a year later and removed to College Point, where it is still pub- lished.
Resuming the business with which he was most familiar, Mr. Augustin opened a grocery in Hicks- ville December 4, 1874, and this he successfully conducted for nineteen years, meanwhile enlarg- ing the stock until anything could be bought there from a paper of needles to a ton of coal or
household furnishings. From 1870 until 1880 his business aggregated thousands of dollars an- nually, having had a steady increase from the start. In July, 1890, he sold the stock to H. F. Hueltner, retaining, however, the coal and fur- niture business, though one year afterward he also disposed of the latter. In connection with his coal trade, he established a lumber yard, and later added lumber for masons and all kinds of building material.
In 1890 Mr. Augustin erected a commodious residence and made other improvements on the home place. His second marriage took place in April, 1877, and united him with Miss Louisa Freitag, a cousin of his first wife, and now the mother of two children. The son, Julius, is clerk- ing in a retail grocery in Brooklyn, and the daughter, Louisa, is a student in the academy at Locust Valley.
A Democrat in politics, Mr. Augustin was elect- ed in 1891, on that ticket, to the office of justice of the peace, which position he filled with credit until his death. He was an important factor in the improvement of Hicksville, the interests of which he advanced by the erection of eight houses and by his successful management of large busi- ness affairs. From childhood he was a member of the German Lutheran Church, of which he was an officer for many years. Formerly he was ac- tively connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he filled all the chairs, but for some time prior to his death had not been identified with the lodge. His fair and honorable dealings brought him the respect of the people, and he stood high in the estimation of his asso- ciates.
S ERGT. THOMAS F. DARCY. Wherever there are human beings there will be among them a certain proportion who are evilly disposed, and in large communities it has always been found necessary to appoint guardians of the peace. In late years there have been introduced many measures of discipline and training calcu- lated to improve the force and the police of As- toria, Long Island City, and as now organized and governed, constitutes an energetic and ef- ficient force. Among the prominent officers of the above-mentioned city the name of Thomas F. Darcy takes a prominent place. He is sergeant of police of Long Island City and is a splendid man physically and otherwise.
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Mr. Darcy is a native of Astoria, born March 4, 1847, and the son of Philip and Johanna (Dwyer) Darcy, who came to Long Island about the year 1839. The father was a mason and contractor and builder and erected the family residence at No. 216 Franklin Street. The father and mother both passed away in this city, the former in 1869 and the latter in 1864. Their family consisted of eleven children, of whom our subject was the eldest, and only two of whom are now living. The one besides our subject, James A. Darcy, is a special officer in the employ of the Ninety-second Street Ferry Company. Another brother, who was a prominent crockery merchant of Astoria, died in 1892.
The youth of our subject was passed in the old Fourth Ward school, and after leaving that he attended a grammar school in New York City for six months. Following that he worked for his father as builder, but from 1862 to 1864 he was in the laboratory of the United States gov- ernment. In the last mentioned year his mother died, and in March, 1865, he volunteered in the United States navy, going on the steamer "Cor- win," which was attached to the North Atlantic squadron. After the war he was engaged in coast surveying and laid out Beaufort, N. C. Later he went to Key West and to Havana, surveying for the cable, and remained until discharged in 1866.
Returning to Astoria, L. I., our subject assist- ed his father in the contracting business and in 1868 embarked in the ice business there, establish- ing the People's Ice Company, in partnership with John Delahanty. This continued until 1870, when Mr. Darcy quit the business on account of the scarcity of ice and started out as contractor. The same year he was appointed by the mayor and aldermen as constable of Long Island City, but after holding that position five months resigned it and on the IIth of May, 1871, was appointed patrolman. In 1872 he was appointed acting ser- geant of the police force, and in November, 1875, he was made full sergeant. In the month of August, 1883, he was in charge of the police force as acting chief and filled that position most ac- ceptably until January 1, 1887, when he accepted his present position. He has alternated between the first and second precincts, but has been for the most part in the former. The new first police precinct station at No. 252 Grand Avenue was completed December 12, 1894. Mr. Darcy was sergeant and turned out the first force from the same. In the discharge of his duties he carried
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