USA > New York > Suffolk County > Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2 > Part 10
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The father became acquainted with Miss Muncy in Westchester County, while she was there on a visit, and after their marriage (she being an only child), he took charge of the farm near Amity- ville, where she had been born September 7. 1826. Her parents were Jesse and Elizabeth (Purdy) Muncy, and the farm near Amityville had
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been in the family since the time of Mrs. Purdy's grandfather, Isaac Muncy. The spring follow- ing their marriage, which occurred in October, 1844, Mr. Purdy took charge of this farm and improved and beautified it in every way. Pos- sessed of more than the ordinary amount of com- mon sense, and native ability, he became a promi- nent man in his section and held a number of important local positions. For some time he was overseer of the poor, also a member of the Board of Education, and served as Superintendent of the town of Huntington before it was divided, from the spring of 1869 until the following spring.
Mr. Purdy was one of a committee of five ap- pointed to pay to volunteers' wives and children the money raised by the town for them. He had been reared in the Episcopal Church and held to that faith through life, holding membership at South Oyster Bay, where he was Vestryman for years. All his life he had taken a deep interest in public affairs of moment and was trusted alike by rich and poor. Especially was he interested in educational work and he was instrumental in getting Dr. Preston to take charge of the schools in Amityville. Early in life Mr. Purdy was a Whig, but subsequently became a Democrat. Through his long career, which closed October 12, 1872, his integrity was unimpeached and his manly course through life should be emulated by all.
Muncy Purdy, our subject, is a fit son for such a sire, and has inherited many of his father's estimable qualities. He secured a good practical education in the public schools of Amityville. where he remained until twelve years old, and then for several winters was sent to the academy at Ryc, Westchester County. Returning to Amityville, he again entered the public schools. He was the eldest of a family of three, the next born being a daughter, Sarah E., who now re- sides on the old homestead with an aunt. The youngest child, James II .. who is married, re- sides with our subject, and is actively engaged in farming. Ilis wife was formerly Miss Hettie Van Nostrand and they have one child, Henry M.
Our subject makes his home with his mother and he has been engaged to a considerable ex-
tent in real estate improvement, owning land near the depot. The first buildings on his lots were a blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, livery stable, and a dry-goods store. Previous to this he had clerked in a store at Brooklyn, with an idea of following mercantile pursuits in the future, but not liking it, lie left and returned to the farm. He has also been interested in building yachts, and selling them, sending some as far away as Strat- ford, Conn. He took a yacht around by Brook- lyn, through East River, Hurlgate and the Sound, experiencing quite a rough voyage, but came through all right, in little more than twenty-four hours, besides lying over in Erie Basin over night. He also sold one and took it to South Brooklyn.
Mr. Purdy is a natural genius in the carpenter's line, and although he never learned the trade, he can do excellent work in that line and in yacht building. Politically he is a Democrat in Na- tional affairs, voting for Seymour in 1868, but is independent in local politics. However he is not an active politician. For eight or nine years he served as Overseer of Highways, being appointed by the Republicans, and, being gifted with intel- ligence, and unswerving integrity, he to-day com- mands the respect of his fellow-men, and numbers his friends only by his number of acquaintances.
W ELLINGTON D. SOPER. The green fields and the highly cultivated farms of the town of Babylon show that it is possessed by a generation of practical and thor- ough- going farmers. Many of its farming tracts have all the richness and elegance of country homes of wealthy and retired business men. The farm on which the subject of this sketch resides bears much of this appearance. Its proprietor was born in Jamaica, Queens County, and was the son of Alfred F. and Jane M. (Skidmore) Soper, the former born at Smithtown, October 23, 1817, and the latter being a native of Brooklyn, born April 2, 1823. They were married Febru- ary 2, 1846, and after some sixteen years the
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JAMES R. HALLOCK.
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husband died, January 11, 1862. leaving seven children, of whom four are still living. Eliza Jane became the wife of Angelo Pauling, and now makes her home in Watertown. The second child is the one whose name introduces this sketch. Randolph lives in New York, where he is a dealer in produce; he is married, but has no children. Alfred, who was born in Jamaica, May 30, 1852, makes his home in the town of Babylon, but is engaged as a produce dealer in New York: he is married. and has four children.
The family lived in Jamaica until about 1870, which they removed to New York. After the death of the maternal grandfather of our sub- ject, David Skidmore, they purchased two hun- dred acres from his estate. This fortunate and successful farmer was known among the most honored and successful settlers of the island. Mr. Soper at once took possession of the new pur- chase and still makes it his home.
Our subject grew to manhood in Jamaica, and was very fairly educated in its common schools. Hle has led a somewhat varied and eventful life, having followed various occupations, and has maintained throughout the reputation of an hon- e'st and trustworthy man. His first introduction into the business world was in the position of clerk in a fruit store, and after hokling this for a time, he clerked in a sewing machine house. Finally he started in business for himself in the produce business, conducting a very satisfactory tra'le until his presence and assistance were re- quired on the farm, where he has since been found. Politically he is a Republican, but is not in any sense an office seeker or a worker of the party machinery.
David Skidmore, the maternal gran lfather of Wellington Soper, was probably boin on the farm which that gentleman now occupies. He made a linmible beginning in life, and after re- petted failures won a great fortune and attained a hig !: position in the estimation of all who knew bim. As a boy and a young man he took care of the horses on the place where he lived for some sears. He made business adventures which re- ;Ited disastrously, and had to return to the farm. w.I begin life anew. Fortune favored him at :
last, and he died a man of property and affairs. leaving over four hundred acres and not a little other property to be distributed among his heirs. He was three times married, and left nine chil- dren, all of whom were born of his first mar- riage. All grew to maturity, seven were mar- ried, and six are still living. Politically Mr. Skid- more was a Democrat, but was liberal in his views, and was not what is called a politician. He died on the night of January 30, 1876, when bis dwelling was destroyed by fire, three others per- ishing with him in the flames.
The Skidmore family have owned the place where our subject now lives for more than one hundred and thirty years, running back to slave- holding times, the great-grandfather of our sub- ject. Timothy Skidmore, holding the plantation. and leaving slaves and lands by will to the various heirs, according to the direction of his gran 1- father. who had acquired the property. Mr. Soper has seen and read these wills, but they were destroyed in the burning of the house, with all the other family records.
J AMES R. HALLOCK, one of the represen- tative citizens of the town of Southold. was born in Suffolk County April 16, 1830. He was a son of Benjamin G. and Betsy A. Hallock. who were also natives of this county, as was his grandfather, James Hallock, this family being one of the oldest and most highly respected on the island. The gentleman last mentioned trans- mitted to his descendants an honorable record as a member of the Continental army. At one time he was Justice of the Peace, and held other town offices.
Benjamin G. Hallock, the father of our sub- ject, was a lifelong resident of the town, and was an agriculturist by occupation. At first he was a Whig. but when the old parties broke up and re- organized as Republicans and Democrats, he cast . in his sympathies with what he considered the party of liberty and progress. He was a member and a Ruling Elder of the Presbyterian Church at
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Mattituck, and died in the month of November, 1891, leaving as the most precious legacy to his children the records of a life long and singularly free and clean. He was the father of four chil- dren, of whom the eldest, Josephine, is the wife of D. K. Halsey, of this county; James R. is the second child; Fannie C. is the wife of David R. Dayton, of this county; while the youngest, Mary, has been dead for some time. The father was a self-made man, had a wide circle of ac- quaintances, and was a prompt and energetic man, not only in his private business, but also in anything that looked to the public good. His mother was a sister of the well-known Rev. John Goldsmith, a man whose name is familiar in many parts of the island.
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. James R. Hallock, our subject, was reared to man's estate in this town, where he has followed the noble and useful pursuit of farming all his days. His education was gained mainly from the district school and from Franklinville Acad- emy. He has been a deep reader and a close stu- dent of life, so that he is well posted on all cur- rent topics of discussion, and well deserves to be pronounced one of the leading inen of his town to-day.
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Mr. Hallock was married for the first time to Rosetta Corwin, daughter of Daniel Corwin, late of Riverhead, and for his second and present wife, Mrs. Mary J. Reeve. He owns a fruit farmi of one hundred and fifty acres under good cultivation, and it may truthfully be said that our subject has proved himself a competent and highly success- ful business man. He is a member of the Pres- byterian Church, and is a Republican in politics.
he devotes to the use of those who desire a more private life than is possible in the great hotel. Mr. Snedecor has been located here for nearly fifty years, and has seen the village grow from a mere rural hamlet to its present considerable population both permanent and transient.
The father of our subject, Abraham, lived out the Psalmist's threescore and ten years. He was an influential man in his day, doing quite a large. business in produce, running wagons through the country. He married Patience Fowler, who lived a widow many years, and died after she had passed her ninety-second birthday. For three generations the Snedecor family has been known on Long Island. The Fowler family is of Ger- man extraction. To Abraham Snedecor and his wife were born six children, of whom three. Sarah, Fannie and William, are deceased. Eli- phalet is the subject of this sketch: Debbie Ann is the next in order of birth; and J. L. is in busi- ness in Brooklyn.
Our subject was born in Sayville, January 27. 1828, and spent his boyhood in Islip. His edu- cation was quite limited, being obtained in the district schools, which were of a very inierior grade at that time. He lived with his father un- til he was sixteen years old, when he struck out for himself, and came to this village, where after clerking in a store for a year, he took up the butcher business, having learned something of it with his father. At the age of seventeen he en- gaged in business for himself, and from the first has made a great success of it. as indeed he has of everything else that he has undertaken. In that respect he has been quite remarkable, seem- ing beforehand to discriminate and select only those enterprises that could not help but prove profitable. For about thirty-five years he has been engaged in the latter business, his first ven- ture in that line being killing a calf and selling its meat when he was in a store. He also has an interest in a livery business, and he has accumu- lated a large amount of property.
E LIPHALET SNEDECOR is prominent and active in the village of Bay Shore, and is in much demand by those who come from the heat and dust of the great cities to en- joy the pure air and the lovely scenery of this Mr. Snedecor has been twice married. his first wife being a Miss Ruland, who died after a brief married life, leaving two children, Almeda, the charming city by the sea, for he has much to in- terest them in the fact that he is the owner of forty-five pleasant and well kept cottages, which , wife of Edward Dominy, of Bay Shore; and
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Antoinette, who is the wife of Arthur Dominy, also of this place, and the mother of two sons. After her death our subject was married to Miss Bayliss, of Brooklyn. Politically he is a Demo- crat, but is not a strict party man, voting for whoever he believes to be the best person for the place. He is a member of the Methodist Episco- pal Church, of which he is Trustee and Steward, and both he and his wife are much interested in Sunday-school work.
D AVID RICKETTS, JR., one of the push- ing and energetic young business men of Babylon, was born in London, but as he came to this country at the early age of four, is thoroughly Americanized, and full of the life and vim of our modern business activities. He was born April 7, 1848, the son of David and Mary (Wilson) Ricketts, who were reared in London and in Lincolnshire, respectively. When David was four years old his parents brought him across the ocean in a sailing vessel, being seven weeks on the way. . The father had been a driver on the omnibus lines of London, and very soon found employment in a similar capacity in New York. Later he found more remunerative work with the Long Island Railroad. He is still living at the age of seventy. In 1864 he enlisted in Company M, Thirteenth New York Heavy Artillery. He is now a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Mrs. Ricketts, the mother of our subject, died of cholera soon after coming to this country, and left three young children to the care of the deso- late husband and father. That he faithfully met this great responsibility the lives of the brother and sister amply demonstrate. A young son, William, was called away, leaving the brother and sister to care for each other and brighten the days of the afflicted father. The sister resides in New York City, and is now Mrs. Mary Koop- man.
share the responsibilities of manhood. During the war in 1863 he enlisted in Company I, Thir- teenth New York Heavy Artillery. His battalion was detailed for duty on the water, and he was stationed at various places along the coast. at Fortress Monroe, Norfolk, Newport News, and other points in Virginia. City Point, Bermuda Hundred, Dutch Gap, Wilmington, Ft. Fisher and Appomattox are proud names on his roll oi scenes and experiences in that great struggle. The young soldier was twice in the hospital for rheumatism and remittent fever. October 19. 1863, the soldier lad, now become a veteran in the service, served where the last scenes of this gigantic strife were witnessed, and throughout this broad land there was no longer a hostile hand lifted against the flag of the nation's free- dom and union.
Mr. Ricketts and his father were honorably discharged from the service June 28. 1865. Re- turning home, our subject found work in a whip factory in New York City at the munificent sal- ary of $3 a week. After six weeks and. although only seventeen years old, he bought out his pro- prietor, paying $150 down, and giving his note for the rest, to be paid at his leisure. What had made the soldier successful and honored served also to push the whip manufacturer forward. and he achieved a decided success in this calling.
Mr. Ricketts was married September 11, IS60. to Miss Mary C. Bane, of New York City, the marriage taking place at Philadelphia. The young husband thought he would have a better opportunity for building up his business on the island, and so his business was removed to Green- point, a place now comprised within the city lim- its of Brooklyn, and there he remained for two years, when he tried Williamsburg and East New York. Though still engaging in the same busi- ness, he branched out into other and untried lines. such as sharpening slate pencils for the trade and making wooden toys. His success in this direc- tion was the means of raising the tariff on German toys, so that the importation of these goods from abroad was largely stopped for several years. He remained in East New York for eleven years, when
At the age of fifteen our subject was a strong and sturdy lad, able to do a man's work, and , he decided upon another move, and this, in 1886,
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brought him to Babylon, where he has since re- mained. Here he has added the manufacture of walking canes to his other lines, and is doing a large and increasing business.
Mr. Ricketts has been very fortunate in his do- mestic relations, and he and his wife have reared seven children: David C., who is married, and the father of one child, is the manager of the whip factory, and is working with his father. Carrie married James H. Arnold, Jr., of Babylon. Ella is a young lady, and lives at home, where the younger children, Hattie, Ida, Walter and Jessie, are also found. Our subject is entirely independ- ent in politics, and voted the first time for James A. Garfield as the Republican candidate for Pres- ident. He has never sought office, but was elected this year (1895) President of the village of Babylon. He wears the Grand Army button with much pride, and takes much interest in the working of that noble organization. In Post No. 538, located at Bay Shore, few members are more highly respected and trusted than Comrade Rick- etts. Beside several subordinate positions, he has filled the chair of Post Commander for two years. Wherever the Grand Army holds its na- tional annual reunions there the figure of this sur- vivor of the war, still strong and sturdy, may be seen. He has attended these gatherings at Mil- waukee, Boston, Detroit and Washington. He is also a member of Babylon Council of the Royal Arcanum. Not to be out of the fashion, and think- ing that in such a collection of the curiosities of the world's industries he might learn much, our subject attended the World's Fair at Chicago.
W ILLIAM OSBORN RACKETT is the pleasant and accommodating pro- prietor of a livery stable at East Hamp- ton, which is centrally located. In his barns are to be found every variety of vehicle and horses of a good grade, which he lets at moderate prices. He has been engaged in this enterprise a year, but during this time has made a host of friends among his customers, who always return to his
stables for accommodations when in search of either a handsome turn-out or a steady-going team and buggy.
Our subject is a native of this county, having been born at East Marion, in the town of South- old. September 23, 1844. His parents were Capt. Nathaniel and Harrict (Osborn) Rackett, the former of whom was also born at East Marion, while the latter was a native of East Hampton. Mrs. Rackett was the daughter of Henry Osborn, for many years an old and highly-esteemed resi- dent of this community. The Racketts for many generations have been born here, and several members of the family were seafaring men.
Capt. Nathaniel Rackett, who was commander of a schooner engaged in fishing and trading along the coast, died when our subject was a lad of about seven years. He had one sister older than himself , who died the day of his birth. When William O. was in his fourteenth year he came to East Hampton in company with his mother. and the latter lived here until the day of her death. which occurred when she was three score years. and ten.
The subject of this sketch farmed for others un- til twenty-three years of age, when he purchased a piece of property near Southampton. There he was married, March 3. 1868, to Elizabeth H. Sanford, an adopted daughter of Nathan San- ford, of that place, and a well-to-do fariner. Her father was a Mr. Cooper, who in early life married Miss Hannah Howell, the latter dying when Mrs. Rackett was three weeks old. Her father then placed her in the family of Mr. Sanford, with whom she remained until her marriage.
After farming for some time in Southampton, our subject came to this locality, where he not only conducted his farming interests, but during the summer season ran a stage from East Hamp- ton to the depot at Bridgehampton. He had this route until the railroad was extended through to East Hampton, conducting that line until within the past year, when he engaged in his present bus- iness. In addition to his livery stable, he owns a twenty-four 'acre' farm, which is well improved and made to yield good crops each year. The comfortable residence which Mr. Rackett occu-
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
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pies is the old Sylvanus Jones place, well known to the citizens of this community. Mrs. Jones, whose maiden name was Betsey Osborn, was the eldest sister of our subject's mother. She was the mother of one child, a daughter, Philena, who married Capt. William Mulford, for many years commander of a whaling vessel; both are now de- ceased. On the death of Mrs. Jones she left the property to the mother of our subject, and on the death of that lady William O. inherited it.
. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born two daughters, Hattie O .. now the wife of Frank Potter, of Brooklyn, and Ger- i trude Sanford Rackett, a young lady, who is still with her parents. Although for many years a strong advocate of Democratic principles, our subject now votes for Prohibition candidates. He is an active member of the Good Templars' Lodge at this place, and has been influential in winning many voters to pledge themselves to support the Prohibition candidate for 1896. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.
B ENJAMIN F. ROGERS, M. D. A bio- graphical record of Suffolk County would be incomplete if within its pages a sketch of the above-named gentleman should fail to ap- pear. His standing is high among his medical brethren in this locality and he is deservedly re- spected by those who are favored with his ac- quaintance. He is now living in Eastport, where he enjoys a lucrative practice.
Our subject is a native of this county and was horn in Eastport, November 14, 1860, his parents being Capt. Lyman Dexter and Clara (Raynor) Kogers, also natives of Suffolk County. The former was for many years captain of a vessel on the high seas, but having accumulated a compe- tence in this business, is now living retired in this community. He is three score years and three. and bids fair to live in the enjoyment of many more years of peace and quiet. He holds an hon- "red place among the citizens of Eastport, which lact is attested by the positions of honor which
have been conferred upon him. His good wife is also living and enjoys excellent health.
Benjamin F. Rogers first attended school at Sayville, this county, and when prepared to en- ter college became a student at St. Paul's School in Garden City. He was graduated from this in- stitution when nineteen years of age, and then, it being his ambition to follow a professional life, he entered the office of Dr. Louis W. Terry, of Patchogue, studying under his instruction for some time. After the prescribed course of study he entered the College of Physicians and Sur- geons of New York City, and after two years spent there gained a great deal of experience as assistant house surgeon of the Eastern District Hospital of Brooklyn. After holding this posi- tion for two years he entered the medical depart- ment of the University of New York City in the fall of 1886, and the next year was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Succeeding his graduation, our subject re- turned to Sayville, where he continued in active practice until the fall of 1894. That year he was obliged to suspend business on account of failing health, and in order that he might more readil; regain his lost energies, he retired to a farm in this county and spent several months rusticating. During the summer of 1895, however, he was able to take up his work again and is now enjoy- ing a splendid practice, which redounds greatly to his credit. It may be said of him that he stands at the head of his profession in his community. Faithful and just in the conduct of his business. as he is skillful and efficient in the practice of med- icine, he is without reproach in any of the affairs of life. He devotes himself to his work with con- scientious zeal, and, as his profession is agreeable to his tastes, he cannot fail to become prominent.
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