USA > New York > Suffolk County > Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2 > Part 24
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Benjamin Clark Tuthill and his younger brother, Capt. George F. Tuthill, who is President of the People's National Bank of Greenport, were the only children born of their father's first mar- riage. Benjamin was born at East Marion, June 2, 1827, and attended the local schools until thir- teen years old. He then went on the water as cook on his father's vessel, and when fourteen years old he made a profession of religion, unit- ing with the Baptist Church at Greenport. After remaining with his father until twenty-one years old he left the water and entered the store of his uncle, James Clark, as a clerk. On the roth of June, 1851, when twenty-four years old, he mar- ried Miss Rebecca M. Baker, of Amagansett, the daughter of John Baker, with whom he lived for forty-four years. She was a most estimable woman and an earnest and consistent member of the Baptist Church. Her death occurred No- vember 22, 1894, after having been an invalid for several years.
Of their union were born two children, Ger- trude R., born August 28, 1853, died January 2, 1865; Ella M., born February 16, 1860, was mar- ried December 5, 1883, to W. Halsey Wiggins, who is now in business with our subject and is Superintendent of the Baptist Sunday-school; they have no children. Soon after Mr. Tuthill's marriage he purchased the store of his uncle at East Marion, which village at that time was called Rocky Point. Through his efforts the name was changed to East Marion and for twell- ty years he was its Postmaster. The office is now in his store, but his son-in-law is the Postmaster. Mr. Tuthill has always transacted a large business, not only with the farmers, but in fitting out vessels with supplies.
In 1888 Mr. Tuthill built his fine large store building which is a credit to the village, as well as
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to its owner, and in addition to his mercantile business he has various other interests. His farm, which adjoins the village, he conducts more as a pastime than anything else. On it is a little pond or lake on which he has hiis private boat, and where he spends much of his leisure time. He is a public-spirited citizen and in conducting his numerous enterprises does not lose sight of his duties as such. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion a lifelong member of the Baptist Church, in which he takes a deep interest. He was instrumental in building an excellent church in East Marion, the family having previous- ly been obliged to go to Greenport to at- tend services. For many years he has been leader of the choir and is a liberal contributor to the support of the church. Mr. Tuthill has one of the finest homes in East Marion, and one of the most extensive and beautiful flower gardens in this county, and is passing the closing years of his life in peace and happiness. His daughter looks after the flowers, spending much of her time among them, and is also an excellent mu- sician, serving as organist in the Sunday-school. Their home life is a bright and happy one and they are honored and esteemed by all.
C HARLES E. TERRY is a man much re- spected in his community, and one who, by strict morality and integrity of pur- pose, furnishes an excellent example to others. : He is one of the representative farmers of the town of Southold and also adds to his income by his interest in the fishing industry, for which this particular locality is noted. Born on Long Island, December 4, 1844, he is the son of Hiram and Susan B. (Horton) Terry, also natives of this island. Both the Terry and Horton families are well known in this locality, and their various members have occupied positions of importance and prominence in their respective communities.
Hiram Terry was a lifelong farmer and at his deatlı, February 9, 1804, left his family well pro- vided for. He was greatly interested in every-
thing that tended toward the progress of his par- ticular locality and was regarded by all as one of its best residents. His marriage with Miss Horton resulted in the birth of five children, of whom two survive, Charles E. and Gilbert H. Those deceased were Marietta A., Georgiana I. and Lydia B. In his political affiliation he was a Republican and devoted to the best interests of bis party. He was a true Christian gentleman and for many years served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church at Southold.
Gilbert Horton, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the War of 1812. His daughter, the mother of Charles E., is still living and makes her home in this village, where she has many warm friends who have known her for many years. Our subject secured a good education in the public schools of his native vil- lage and also for a time attended Southold Acad- emy. He was just eighteen years of age when he enlisted his services in support of the Union, and August 18, 1862, became a member of Company H., One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York Infantry. His regiment was sent to join the Army of the Potomac, but was afterward sta- tioned in South Carolina. He participated in many well known and hard fought engagements, among them being the siege of Charleston. After an army experience of three years he received his honorable discharge and on being mustered out of service returned to Long Island, where lie has resided ever since. He has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits and has one of the best improved estates on the island. To the cultivation of this he devotes his entire time and is well repaid for the care and labor which he bestows upon the land, in the bounteous harvests which he reaps.
November 19, 1867, Mr. Terry married Miss Mary M., daughter of Barnabas Wells, late of Long Island. To them were born two children: L. Mary, the wife of W. R. Newbold, and Charles G. Following in the footsteps of his honored father, Mr. Terry is a Republican and is zealous in everything pertaining to the welfare of his party. He is a member of the Edward Huntting Post No. 353. G. A. R., at Greenport. He stands
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high in Masonic circles and is also an active worker in the Odd Fellows society and the Royal Arcanum. A man of progressive ideas, he is in favor of giving to the children of this genera- tion the best possible educational advantages that they may be fitted for the duties of life.
J JACOB C. SMITH was one of the nation's defenders at a time when the country, torn by internecine strife, stood most in need of loyal men. He is an old resident of Amityville and was born here August 6, 1844, being a son of William J. and Mary A. (Conklin) Smith. His boyhood days were spent on a farm near the present site of the town, and the knowledge gained in the district school was supplemented by a course of study in New York City, where he had excellent educational advantages.
Mr. Smith had hardly finished his school life when the Civil War broke out, and at the age of eighteen he enlisted in Company E, One Hun- dred and Twenty-seventh New York Infantry. He was a participant in the defense of Washing- ton and served under General Dix on the Pen- insula. Later he was engaged in service on the coast of South Carolina with the rank of Ser- geant. He saw service for two years and ten months, from August 19, 1862, to June 30, 1865. Although he contracted some of the dread dis- cases incident to army life, he was never obliged to go to a hospital. During service at Folly Island he received a sunstroke.
On coming out of the army Mr. Smith secured work as foreman on a farm at Lloyd's Neck. He remained there for three years and in the mean- time married, his bride being Miss Edna L. Van Buren and their nuptials were solemnized De- cember 19, 1867. Three children are the fruit of this marriage. The eldest child, Eva, the wife of Wallace Young, resides in Brooklyn, and has one child; Edna married Thomas W. Jarvis and lives at New Canaan, Conn .; the son, Herbert C., was born in Brooklyn, November 1, 1875. Mrs. Edna Smith died February 9, 1883. February
12, 1884, Mr. Smith married Frances M. Robin, of Brooklyn. Three children have blessed this marriage, namely: Jacob R., William W., and Mabel L.
On leaving the farm Mr. Smith was engaged in driving a truck in Brooklyn. He was employed in that way for sixteen years and led an indus- trious and provident life. He came to his pres- ent home in 1883, purchasing at that time three acres, and for ten years he was engaged in the poultry business. Since then he has engaged in the dairy business, and keeps on hand fifteen cows of his own.
In politics Mr. Smith is a Republican and is proud of having voted for Lincoln in 1864. He lias been elected to a number of town offices and at the present time is serving his eleventh year as Overseer of the Poor. He also served three terms as School Trustee and has been a delegate to Republican conventions. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic. In this last organization he has held the post of Adjutant from its beginning at this place. He has been through all the chairs of the Knights of Pythias and has been a representative to the Grand Lodge. He is also a member of the American Knights of Protection, and an honorary member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics.
S AMUEL CORWITH. In the village of Water Mill, where he was born in 1831, the subject of this notice still makes his home, and here for some years he has engaged in the mercantile business, while for eighteen years he served efficiently as Postmaster. His father, James, a son of Caleb, was born at Bridgehanip- ton, and was a member of one of the old families of the island. By his marriage to Harmienia Goodale he had seven children, six sons and one daughter; of whom the only survivors are Samuel and Caleb II., the latter a resident of Southamp- ton. The father, who was a shoemaker by trade. built a grist mill at this place about 1820, and this
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he operated for many years. He died at the age of eighty-one, and his wife when sixty-three; 'both were buried in the cemetery at Water Mill.
In 1859 Mr. Corwith married Miss Sarah H. Rose. They had five children, but one of the number died in infancy. The others were Mary A., wife of Gilbert LeFlore; Annie R .; James H., and Florence. In 1848 our subject went West to Wisconsin, making the trip via the Great Lakes, and settled in Prairie du Sac, but after a stay of only a year he returned home, satisfied to make this his permanent abiding place. He began to work at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a time. Soon, however, the same spirit of adventure which had led him to seek the wilds of Wisconsin induced him to try his fortunes in California. In 1854 he went to the Pacific coast by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and for eighteen months engaged in mining, meeting with fair success.
On his return to Long Island our subject took charge of his father's mill, which he carried on, to- gether with general farming, until 1879, since which time he has had a general store at Water Mill. In 1875 he was appointed Postmaster and held that office until 1893, when he retired after eighteen years' service. Politically he always votes the Republican ticket. He is an Elder in the Presbyterian Church and is one of the de- voted, earnest members of that denomination.
1 SAAC ROGERS was born in the village of Huntington, January 3, 1826. His father was born at Lloyd's Neck, was a carpenter and builder by trade, and in 1820 came to Huntington, where he followed his trade, erecting many of the leading buildings of his time, among them the Suffolk Hotel. He died in February, 1876, at the age of eighty-four. The mother of our sub- jeet, Lydia Bruslı, was born in what is now Woodbury, and died in June, 1884, at the age of ninety years. Both families belong among the oldest and most respected of the island, espe- cially on the north side.
Our subject liad two brothers and three sisters, of whom Stephen, now deceased, was for many years proprietor of the old Suffolk Hotel, and long filled the position of Postmaster in this vil- lage, was also Supervisor of the town, and served three years as Clerk of Suffolk County, of which he was one of the leading citizens and promi- nent Democratic politicians. George R., the only living brother of our subject, is a leading druggist in Huntington, and his sketch will be found in this publication. Hannah A., the oldest of the family, married Leander C. Kelsey, and both she and her husband are now dead; Alma died when twenty years of age; Laura married John B. Leffert, a builder, and lives in this village.
Isaac Rogers grew to manhood at Huntington, was educated to a very limited extent at the academy, and when but twelve years of age en- tered the store of Weeks & Shepherd as a clerk, but after a brief experience he returnd to school. At the age of fifteen he was taken into the store of Shepherd & Scudder, where he remained until he was twenty-one, and then became a member of the same firm under the name of George A. Scudder & Co. After a time the firm changed its name to Scudder, Rogers & Sammis, and he was connected with it for forty-five years. During this time the store was robbed several times, at one time the thieves being traced, and goods to the value of $3,000 recovered. At another time the little sheet iron safe in which the firm kept its valuables was blown open, and $12,000 in Government bonds belonging to Mr. Rogers was stolen and never recovered.
After a continuous connection with this estab- lishment for forty-five years, Mr. Rogers retired in 1888. Since that time he has been investing his funds in the West, conducting an extensive loan and investment business. He has had also much to do with local affairs, being interested in the Huntington Street Railway, is President of the Board of Education, a Director in the steam- boat company, in the Huntington water works, Treasurer of the. Huntington Rural Cemetery, Director in the Huntington Public Library, and Treasurer of the Long Island Publishing Com- pany.
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JOHN F. YOUNG.
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Mr. Rogers has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church since he was eighteen years of age, has been its Treasurer for many years, and is also one of its elders. He is a Republican, but has never been a candidate for any political office. September 12, 1845, he married Mary J. Smith, daughter of John P. Smith, a former mer- chant of this village. They are the parents of four children. Dr. F. W. was prosecuting his stud- ies at Princeton when his health broke down and ile gave up his college work; later he took up the study of dentistry, and is now practicing his profession in this village. He married Mary, daughter of Dr. George B. Banks, of Hunting- ton, and they have one child, Willard. Louie E. went to New Mexico for his health, but died there, as did also his wife, who was a Miss Secor, They left one child, Louie, now with our subject and its grandmother. Herman has been inter- ested in business with his father, and is now living in this village, where he married Cora, daughter of Prof. G. H. Brock, of this place; there have been no children born to this marriage. Agnes, the youngest daughter of our subject, is living at home.
J OHN F. YOUNG. Many of the most suc- cessful and enterprising citizens of Suf- folk County are natives of this county and have here spent the greater part of their lives. In them we find men of true loyalty to the inter- ests of their section, who understand, as it were, by instinct, the needs, social and industrial, of this vicinity, and who have a thorough knowledge of its resources. They are, therefore, better adapted to succeed here than a stranger, and are probably without exception warmly devoted to the prosperity of their native place. John F. Young. one of the foremost men of the village of Southold, was born there January 31, 1824, a son of Frederick and Temperance (Wells) Young, the former a native of Southold.
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1895, and Jolin F. is our subject. Rev. Jolin Young was one of the first of this family to settle in Suffolk County, he coming from New Haven, Conn., to Southoid in 1640. The Wells family came about the same time. John Young was the first minister in the Southold Congregational Church and was a man of more than ordinary ability. Ex-Governor Young of New York is a descendant of this family.
During his youth our subject attended the com- mon schools. April 26, 1852, he married Miss Betsey M. Howell, and two children were born to this union, Frank H., who was a student at Cornell College at the time of his death, in 1876, and Caroline M., wife of Benjamin H. Reeve, an attorney at Greenport. Previous to his mar- riage Mr. Young worked on a farm by the month. but when twenty-two years of age entered the State Normal School at Albany, from which he was graduated in the spring of 1848. In 1852 he went to Newburgh, N. Y., where he was a teach- er in the public schools one term, and from there went to Staten Island, where he was principal of the schools for two years. Leaving there. he came to Bridgehampton and purchased his iarm of fifteen acres on which he has resided since.
During the Civil War, in 1861, Mr. Young en- listed in Company K, Eighty-first New York In- fantry, as a private, and was mustered in at Os- wego. From there he went to New York City, thence to Staten Island, where he remained a short time, and from there to Fortress Monroe. He was first under fire at Fair Oaks, or Seven Pines, and later participated in the engagement at Harrison Landing. In December, 1862, the command went by transports to South Carolina. via Cape Hatteras, the night the "Monitor" was lost. During the winter of 1863 Mr. Young was on garrison duty at Northwest Landing. Later he was in the Petersburg campaign and a num- ber of engagements, and was discharged in Oc- tober, 1864, after serving three years. He was appointed Quartermaster at Oswego before leav- ing for the front.
The parental family included three children: Since the war Mr. Young has been engaged Jonathan died August 25, 1848; Elizabethi was ' in agricultural pursuits, but in 1872 he received the wife of H. M. Hedges, and died February 12, . the Government appointment of Inspector of
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Customs Coastwise, which position he held for twelve years. In politics he affiliates with the Re- publican party, of which he has always been a stanch member, and socially he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Young is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
T HOMAS J. TUTHILL. In the town of East Moriches resides one of the best known citizens of Suffolk County. He has reached the age of fifty-six years and now en- joys a reputation which is most desirable and gratifying. He is the owner of a valuable piece of land in the town of Brook Haven, which he cultivates, but he is best known as the genial proprietor of the Tuthill Point House, admirably situated on the banks of Great South Bay, and which is well patronized by the residents from the" city during the heated season.
Mr. Tuthill has always lived on Long Island and was born at Speonk, this county, in 1839. His parents were Joshua and Bethiah (Downs) Tut- hill, also natives of this isle, where they were content to pass their entire lives. The father was for many years one of the substantial and prosperous merchants of Brooklyn, but during the later years of his life took up his residence on a good farm, where he departed this life in 1887, respected by all for his honorable and upright character. His estimable wife is still living and is now in her eighty-seventh year.
The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days, principally in the common schools of Speonk. When fitting himself for an occupa- tion in life, he learned the trade of a carpenter, which he has followed for many years with good results. He is an expert in the use of tools and it is owing to his genius that many of the sub- stantial residences and store buildings have been erected in this locality. He built the Tuthill Point House early in the 'zos, but the building has been enlarged and improved no less than three times since that date. It is modern in all its appointments, popular in price, and is often
filled to its utmost capacity during the summer months. It commands a delightful view of Great South Bay, and the beautiful lawn, dotted over with flowers, presents a very inviting appearance. Both Mr. Tuthill and his excellent wife are well liked by their guests and each season they find themselves more embarrassed in order to give accommodation to their old patrons who return, bringing friends with them.
Thomas J. Tuthill and Miss Izanna, daughter of Harvy Benjamin, were united in marriage in 1863. The father of Mrs. Tuthill was a worthy citizen of Suffolk County, and until his death in 1871, engaged in farming. Two children have come to bless the union of our subject and his wife, Orville B., a resident of this county, and Bertha, the wife of Frank Miller, the Postmaster of East Moriches, in which village he also owns a general merchandise store.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Tuthill are valued members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The former is a stanch Republican in politics, with strong Prohibition tendencies. He hopes that he may live to see the day when intemperance. the de- basing habit which enslaves so many of his fel- lowmen, will be abolished.
C APT. CHARLES H. SMITHI. one of the well known and highly estcemed resi- dents of Shelter Island, is a native ci Suffolk County, and was born March 14. 1823. being a son of Knowles and Thankful (Crowell) Smith. His paternal ancestors were Scotch. his grandfather Smith having emigrated to America from the "land of the thistle," and located first at Cape Cod. The father of our subject came to Sag Harbor, where he passed the greater part of his life after retiring from the sea, and his death occurred in that place. Our subject's ma- ternal ancestors were of Puritan stock, and long lived in Massachusetts.
Captain Smith was reared to man's estate in the vicinity of Sag Harbor, and in his boyhood received the educational advantages of the aver-
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age youth of his day, which were not equal to those of the present time. He had, however, an inherent love for literature that prompted him to cultivate a taste for good general reading. Thus he has become a well read man and thoroughly posted on the general topics of the day. He may well be eailed a self-educated and self-made nian.
In 1837 our subject went to sea and sailed on four whaling voyages. During the first he was in the southern Atlantic and Pacific oceans and circumnavigated the world. His second voyage was mainly in the Indian Ocean, the vessel sail- ing round the Cape of Good Hope. The third trip took him into the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian ocean's, and his vessel went into port at the Sandwich Islands. The fourth voyage was almost a repetition of the third, merely extending to the sea of Kamschatka. During his last three voy- ages he was an officer of the ship. He subse- quently entered the merchant marine service and sailed in the celebrated clipper service, being the first officer of the clipper ship "Game Cock," one of the fastest vessels that sailed from New York. He also sailed on the "Mercury," a well known sail packet ship, and these were only two of a large number of vessels with which he was con- nected. He cireumnavigated the globe numerous times during his sea-faring life. In 1853, while on the California coast, he was for a time em- ployed on a coast steamer, and for about one and a half years he had charge of the landing of mer- chandise from ships at San Pedro Harbor, the scaport of Los Angeles, Cal.
In 1856 Captain Smith returned from Califor- nia to New York State via the Isthumus. Soon afterward he came to Shelter Island, and in 1858 settled on his present farm. where he has since resided. December 25, 1849, he married Mary S., daughter of Capt. Lewis Bennett. She died in March, 1853. He married his present wife, Sarah E., daughter of Horace B. Manwarring, October 21, 1857. By this marriage he has one son, Charles H., who is the present Postmaster of Shelter Island Heights. Charles married Ade- laide Becbe, by whom he has two children- Albert R., and Sarah E.
During the Civil War Captain Smith secured the substitutes that were necessary to relieve Shelter Islanders from active service. For thirty- two years he has served as Assessor and has been School Trustee for six years. He has also acted as Commissioner of Highways. Politically he is a Democrat. In church affairs both he and his wife worship with the Episcopalians, and he is now officiating as Senior Warden in his church. He is an excellent citizen, and is beloved by the people for his sterling and manly qualities. His estimable wife is a native of Shelter Island and was born December 11, 1834, being a daughter of Horace B. and Sophia (Huntley) Manwarring. natives of Connecticut. In the spring of 1832 the Manwarrings migrated to Shelter Island. where they remained until their decease. Mr. Manwarring was a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he held various offices. Twice married, he was the father of four children. of whom Mrs. Smith, a child of the first union, is the only survivor.
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