Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 8

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 8

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The silver question precipitated a controversy between those who were in favor of the continu- ance of silver coinage and those who were op- posed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his inauguration.

On June 2, 1886, President Cleveland married Frances, daughter of his deceased friend and part- ner, Oscar Folsom, of the Buffalo Bar. Their union has been blessed by the birth of two daugh- ters. In the campaign of 1888, President Cleve- land was renominated by his party, but the Republican candidate, Gen. Benjamin Harrison, was victorious. In the nominations of 1892 these two candidates for the highest position in the gift of the people were again pitted against each other, and in the ensuing election President Cleveland was victorious by an overwhelming majority.

BENJAMIN HARRISON.

B ENJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty-third President, is the descendant of one of the historical families of this country. The first known head of the family was Maj .- Gen. Harrison, one of Oliver Cromwell's trusted followers and fighters. In the zenith of Cromwell's power it be- came the duty of this Harrison to participate in the trial of Charles I., and afterward to sign the death warrant of the king. He subsequently paid for this with his life, being hung October 13, 1660. His descendants came to America, and the next of the family that appears in history is Benjamin Harrison, of Virginia, great-grandfa- ther of the subject of this sketch, and after whom he was named. Benjamin Harrison was a mem- ber of the Continental Congress during the years 1774, 1775 and 1776, and was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was three times elected Governor of Virginia.

Gen. William Henry Harrison, the son of the distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a successful career as a soldier during the War of 1812, and with a clean record as Governor of the Northwestern Territory, was elected President of the United States in 1840. His career was cut short by death within one month after his in- auguration.

President Harrison was born at North Bend,

Hamilton County, Ohio, August 20, 1833. His life up to the time of his graduation from Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a country lad of a family of small means. His father was able to give him a good education, and nothing more. He became engaged while at college to the daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female school at Oxford. After graduating, he determined to enter upon the study of law. He went to Cincinnati and there read law for two years. At the expiration of that time young Har- rison received the only inheritance of his life-his aunt, dying, left him a lot valued at $800. He regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to get married at once, take this money and go to some Eastern town and begin the practice of law. He sold his lot, and, with the money in his pocket, he started out with his young wife to fight for a place in the world. He decided to go to Indian- apolis, which was even at that time a town of promise. He met with slight encouragement at first, making scarcely anything the first year. He worked diligently, applying himself closely to his calling, built up an extensive practice and took a leading rank in the legal profession.

In 1860, Mr. Harrison was nominated for the position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- gan his experience as a stump speaker. He can-

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BENJAMIN HARRISON.

vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the Seventeenth Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its Colonel. His regiment was composed of the raw- est material, but Col. Harrison employed all his time at first in mastering military tactics and drill- ing his men, and when he came to move toward the East with Sherman, his regiment was one of the best drilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he especially distinguished himself, and for his bravery at Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier-General, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most complimentary terms.

During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the field, the Supreme Court declared the office of Supreme Court Reporter vacant, and another person was elected to the position. From the time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 1864 he had taken 110 leave of absence, but having been nominated that year for the same office, he got a thirty-day lcavc of absence, and during that time made a brilliant canvass of the State, and was elected for another term. He then started to rejoin Sherman, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most trying attack made his way to the front in time to participate in the closing incidents of the war.

In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-election as Reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876 he was a candidate for Governor. Although defeated, the brilliant campaign he miade won for him a national reputation, and he was much sought after, especially in the East, to make speeches. In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the campaign1, and was elected to the United States Senate. Here he served for six years, and was known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and strongest debaters in that body. With the ex- piration of his senatorial term he returned to the practice of his profession, becoming the head of one of the strongest firms in the State.

The political campaign of 1888 was one of the most memorable in the history of our country. The convention which assembled in Chicago in June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief stand- ard-bearer of the Republican party was great in every particular, and on this account, and the at-

titude it assumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest in the campaign throughout the nation. Shortly after the nomination, delegations began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This movement became popular, and from all sections of the country societies, clubs and delegations journeyed thither to pay their re- spects to the distinguished statesman.

Mr. Harrison spoke daily all through the sum- mer and autumn to these visiting delegations, and so varied, masterly, and eloquent were his speeches that they at once placed him in the fore- most rank of American orators and statesmen. Elected by a handsome majority, he served his country faithfully and well, and in 1892 was nom- inated for re-election; but the people demanded a change and he was defcated by his predecessor in office, Grover Cleveland.

On account of his eloquence as a speaker and his power as a debater, Gen. Harrison was called upon at an early age to take part in the dis- cussion of the great questions that then began to agitate the country. He was an uncompromising anti-slavery man, and was matched against some of the most eminent Democratic speakers of his State. No man who felt the touch of his blade desired to be pitted with him again. With all his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for ora- torical effect, but his words always went like bul- lets to the mark. He is purely American in his ideas, and is a splendid type of the American statesman. Gifted with quick perception, a logi- cal mind and a ready tongue, he is one of the most distinguished impromptu speakers in the nation. Many of these speeches sparkled with the rarest eloquence and contained arguments of great weight, and many of his terse statements have already become aphorisms. Original in thought, precise in logic, terse in statement, yet withal faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. During the last days of his administration Presi- dent Harrison suffered an irreparable loss in the death of his devoted wife, Caroline (Scott) Har- rison, a lady of many womanly charms and vir- tues. They were the parents of two children.

QUEENS COUNTY (LONG ISLAND)

NEW YORK

INTRODUCTORY

HE time has arrived when it becomes the duty of the people of this county to perpetuate the names of their pioneers, to furnish a record of their early settlement, and relate the story of their progress. The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and the duty that men of the present time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In biographical history is found a power to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this country from its primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the great and aged men, who in their prime entered the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing to their graves. The number remaining who can relate the incidents of the first days of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of events without delay, before all the early settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time.

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, in spite of their best works and the most earnest efforts of their friends to preserve the memory of their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion and to perpetuate their memory have been in proportion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhumations made by the archæologists of Egypt from buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people to perpetuate the memory of their achievements. The erection of the great obelisks was for the same purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monuments, and carving out statues to chronicle their great achievements and carry them down the ages. It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea-to leave something to show that they had lived. All these works, though many of them costly in the extreme, give but a faint idea of the lives and character of those whose memory they were intended to perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of the people that then lived. The great pyramids and some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crumbling into dust.

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelligent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating a full history-immutable in that it is almost unlimited in extent and perpetual in its action; and this is through the art of printing.

To the present generation, however, we are indebted for the introduction of the admirable system of local biography. By this system every man, though he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, through the coming ages.

The scythe of Time cuts down all; nothing of the physical man is left. The monument which his children or friends may erect to his memory in the cemetery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated by a record of this kind.

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we engrave their portraits; for the same reason we collect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to wait until they are dead, or until those who know them are gone; to do this we are ashamed only to publish to the world the history of those whose lives are unworthy of public record.

REV. J. CARPENTER SMITH, S. T. D.

117

BIOGRAPHICAL

R EV. J. CARPENTER SMITH, S. T. D. During the long period in which Dr. Smith has officiated as rector of St. George's Episcopal Church at Flushing, he has gained the love of the members of his congregation, the ad- miration of his co-laborers in the clergy and the respect of all with whom he has come in contact. Though now in the twilight of his life, age has dealt kindly with him, and both health in body and vigor in mind abide with him. Time, which has taken somewhat from the elasticity of his step, has not been able to diminish in any degree h's deep interest in the spiritual welfare of his parish- ioners, nor rob his heart of its active sympathy for his fellow-men.

St. George's Church has an interesting history. With two exceptions, it is the oldest congregation of this denomination in Queens County, and Dr. Smith has in his possession the old church char- ter of 1760, as well as a photograph of the orig- inal house of worship, erected in 1743. The sec- ond edifice was built in 1821 and enlarged in 1840, while the present commodious stone structure was erected in 1850-51 and later enlarged and re- modeled in the interior. The seating capacity is large and the building, notwithstanding its age, still substantial and imposing. The congrega- tion is the strongest in Flushing, and to assist the rector in the work he has an associate, Rev. H. D. Waller. At this writing Dr. Smith is en- gaged in the compilation of a history of the parish of St. George's, and for this purpose he has se- cured, from various sources, a most interesting collection of historical data, including every fact of interest in connection with the church. For many years, during the eighteenth century, one of the most active workers in the congregation was Francis Lewis, a man of national reputation and one of the signers of the Declaration of In- dependence.

In Bethpage, town of Oyster Bay, October 28,

1816, the subject of this record was born. The family was first represented in this country by two brothers from England, one of whom settled in Hempstead South on property bought from the Indians. Our subject is a lineal descendant of a distinct race of Smiths known as the "Smith Rock" family, who were originally members of the Church of England, but during the time of Fox allied themselves with the Quakers, and afterward returned to their first faith. Dr. Smith's grandfather, Benjamin, who was of the Quaker belief, was born on the ancestral home- stead, in the town of Hempstead, but later went to Brooklyn, where he died when about fifty-five years old.

The father of our subject, John Smith, was born in the town of Hempstead, Queens County, in 1776, and at the age of eighteen went to Canada, where he helped to survey and lay out Little York, near Toronto. For some time he sojourned in Spain and visited other parts of Europe. On his return to the United States he settled in Beth- page, where he engaged in farming many years, then sold his farm and moved to Brooklyn, where his death occurred when nearly seventy. He was a lifelong member of the Society of Friends. To the advantages derived from a splendid education, he added the versatility and knowledge gained through close observation of peoples and customs in different countries, and was one of the most cultured men of the community in which he lived.

Dr. Smith's mother bore the maiden name of Martha Carpenter Gedney and was born in Rye, Westchester County. Much of her life was spent on Long Island and her death occurred in Brook- lyn when she was almost eighty years of age. Her mother was a member of the Carpenter family, of French Huguenot origin, but later members of the Church of England. The lineage is traced back through many generations to one of that nanie who was architect for Henry of Navarre, and who

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

escaped the fate that fell to many Huguenots at the time the Edict of Nantes was revoked. His sons sought a refuge in America, settling, one on the Hudson, in Westchester County, another in South Carolina.

The youngest and only survivor of four chil- dren, Dr. Smith spent his childhood years in Beth- page, where he attended a private school. The boys and girls of this generation, were they obliged to gain their schooling in a primitive, illy- constructed building, such as he attended, would consider themselves most unfortunate indeed, but children of the early part of the century, being less accustomed to luxuries, never dreamed of ut- tering a protest concerning the slab benches and other inconveniences of the school rooms of those days. While the quality of the instruction was inferior, yet our subject made rapid strides in his books and was considered one of the most prom- ising boys in the school. At the age of ten he ac- companied the family to Brooklyn and afterward had the best advantages that city afforded. In 1833 he went to Ohio with the family of Bishop McIlvane and soon afterward entered Kenyon College, at Gambier, Ohio, where he received his diploma and the degree of A. B., though ill health prevented him from completing his senior year. After a short time he entered the General Theo- logical Seminary of New York City, from which he graduated in 1842, being ordained to the min- istry July 2 of the same year.

The first charge of the young minister was at Wooster, Ohio, where he was rector of St. James' Church for eighteen months. In 1844 he accept- ed the pastorate of Trinity Church at Rockaway, N. Y., and in November, 1847, accepted a call to St. George's Church at Flushing, where he has since remained. In 1869 he was granted the de- gree of S. T. D. from Columbia College, being the third rector to whom that degree has been given by the college. He is a member of the standing committee and also of the board of trus- tees of the property of the diocese. Fraternally he is identified with Cornucopia Lodge No. 653, F. & A. M., and has taken the Royal Arch degree. In early years he was a Whig, but upon the dis- integration of that party he identified himself with the newly-organized Republican party, to which he has since adhered with unswerving loyalty. His life has been a most active and useful one. It has been his labor to uplift and elevate others and promote their spiritual welfare. His heart has been the consecrated temple of the true and

the good, and his daily life has been the living exemplification of that worship. The friend of the friendless, the helper of the helpless, it has been his privilege to lift up the fallen, encourage the weak and relieve the needy. In his charac- ter he combines those qualities of mind and heart that endear him to all and that will render his memory sacred after he shall have gone hence.

R ICHARD ARMSTRONG. In the follow- ing sketch is strikingly illustrated the force of well directed energy, steadfast purpose and never-ceasing effort for the accom- plishment of noble ends and the successful over- throw of those obstacles which beset the prog- ress of every young man who starts out to com- bat with life's stern realities. As a business man Mr. Armstrong is prompt, energetic and strictly upright, and eminently qualified for the position of superintendent of the Edward Smith & Co. Varnish Works, and Color and Coach Paint Manufacturing Company of Long Island City.

Richard Armstrong, Sr., the father of our sub- ject, is a native of the Emerald Isle, where the grandfather, John Robert Armstrong, was a far- mer, and passed his entire life. The members of this family were Episcopalians in their religious views. The father came to America when nine- teen years old and first worked on a farm in Con- necticut. During the Civil War he volunteered, but was not in the service. He was sent as ship- ping clerk to a station at Long Island City, but later embarked in the manufacture of varnish for Edward Smith & Co., thus learning that busi- ness. For three years, or until his death, he remained with that company as superintendent. His death occurred September 15, 1890, when only forty-eight years old. There are few men of the present day who are more worthy of hon- orable mention or whose history affords a better example of what may be accomplished by per- severance and strict integrity than this worthy man. Were his good deeds recorded they them- selves would furnish material for a volume.

For a time the father was police commis- sioner under Mayor De Bevan, but he resigned, and in 1886 ran for the office of mayor on the regular Democratic ticket, but was defeated. He married Miss Eliza M. Lawrence, a native of New York City, and daughter of George Lawrence of England. She died in the year 1876. Of the five children born to them our subject was sec-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

I19

ond in order of birth and is now the only one living. He was born in Long Island City, in the oldest brick building there outside of Brook- lyn, October 29, 1869, and received his educa- tion in the First Ward School and later in the grammar school.

When fifteen years old young Armstrong be- gan learning the varnish-making business under his father, and after the latter's death was made superintendent of the works of Edward Smith & Co., a position he holds at the present time. This is the largest manufacturing establishment of colors and varnish in the country and was estab- lished in 1827, the first varnish being made in a kettle under a tree in New York City, at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street. A plant was subsequently built in Astoria, Long Island City, but was not allowed to go on with the business on account of the odor. In 1840 it was moved to Hunter's Point, Long Island City, where it has since remained.

Mr. Armstrong resides at No. 103 Jackson Avenue, a house his father built, and was here married to Miss Ellen Mahoney, a native of Brooklyn. They have one child, Robert J. Mr. Armstrong is a member of Long Island City Lodge F. & A. M., and is a Royal Arch Mason. In national politics he is Democratic.

J OHN ANDREWS, a contractor, painter and decorator, is one of the most popular busi- ness men of Long Island City, and his repu- tation has extended far and wide. He was born in New York City, October 28, 1859, and comes of an old and prominent family. In that city he received a thorough education, standing at the head of his class, and the third year he took the O. Gorman medal. When fifteen years old he was obliged to leave school and was appren- ticed to learn painting under Mr. Wilson, at No. 67 West Twenty-first street, New York City, and was with him several years. During this time young Andrews was not resting contented with the education he had already received, but at- tended evening high school. He took the first prize in the bookkeeping class and received a di- ploma.

In 1879 Mr. Andrews went South to Jackson- ville, Fla., where he continued for a time en- gaged in business with Jones & Verril, painters and decorators. He then returned to Long Island City, where he advised and assisted his

father in conducting the present business, and has been here ever since. The business is con- ducted under the firm name of L. Andrews, but our subject is the sole proprietor. His father, L. Andrews, was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1826, and comes of old Scotch stock. His ancestors rebelled against the British crown and his great- great-grandfather, James Andrews, was promi- nent in defending the uprising in Ireland for lib- erty and republicanism. The grandfather, Will- iam Andrews, was a prominent man in Ireland and a civil engineer in Dublin.

When thirteen and a half years old the father learned the painter's trade in Dublin, Ireland, under his brother-in-law, and in 1848, for political reasons, came to America, where he followed his trade, becoming foreman of a shop, and holding that position until 1875. He then started his present business in Long Island City and has been a resident and a prominent citizen of that place ever since. He has been interested in edu- cational and religious matters all his life, and also takes a deep interest in the temperance move- ment. He is a trustee in St. Mary's Catholic Church. His wife, formerly Miss Elizabeth O'Donnell, was born in Ireland and is a niece of the late Very Rev. John McKeon, D. D., V. G., a linguist of remarkable ability, at one time Pro- fessor of Philosophy in the College of Salamanca, Spain, later Dean of the Diocese of Ardagh and Papal Legate for Ireland; also of Miles and Peter Mckeon, who were respectively a Major and Captain in the British army prior to the War of 1812, but then resigned their commissions and, coming to America, fought nobly in defense of their adopted country. Mrs. Andrews died Oc- tober 31, 1889. Our subject, who was the only child of her marriage, has many relics of the fam- ily, which he prizes highly.

Since 1876 Mr. Andrews has resided in Long Island City, where he owns considerable real es- tate. Here he married Miss Mary Moran, daugh- ter of Daniel Moran, who was employed by the Hartford & New Hampshire Railroad for over forty-four years. Mrs. Andrews was born, reared and educated in this city. Their only child is a daughter named Mary. In politics our sub- ject is an adherent of Republican principles, and has been delegate to county conventions, served as commissioner and is clerk of the Board of Plumbers. For three years he was president of the Athletic Club of Long Island City, of which he is still a member and in which he has held va-

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Portrait and biographical record of Queens County (Long Island) New York, Part 8

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