Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2, Part 27

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: New York, Chicago, Chapman
Number of Pages: 926

USA > New York > Suffolk County > Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2 > Part 27

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Having a natural talent for all kinds of art work, Mr. Warner studied photography in Nor- walk and became familiar with the use of instru- ments. On coming to this village he opened a studio on Main Street, where he has since carried on a large business in his line. Those who are judges of such work speak of his views as clear- cut and perfect in every detail, while his photo- graphic work is also up to the highest standard. He has never joined any political party, being in- dependent in his views. As a member of the Board of Health and in other capacities he has rendered excellent service in behalf of his fellow- townsmen. In religious belief he is an Episco- palian.

May 20, 1894, Mr. Warner was united in mar- riage with Miss Jennie E. Pitcher, of Upper Red Hook, daughter of Rev. William Pitcher, a man of wide learning and influence. Mrs. Warner is an accomplished, cultured lady, possessing lit- erary tastes and large aptitude as a writer. The author of several works which at the time of pub- lication and afterward have attracted consider- able attention, she is known as one of the pleas- ing writers of the East and has gained national

fame. A talented artist, she has produced many works that show evidence of skill. In addition she is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, and although having many other claims upon her attention, has not allowed that science to be neglected.

J I OHN N. FRAZER. The village of East Islip counts this gentleman as one of its inost active and progressive business men. He has been here for twenty-nine years, and in that time has become thoroughly identified with the place, not only in his own especial line as a saddler and harness maker, but as a leading and progressive citizen. The village itself was named by. him, and the fire department was organized at his house, under his supervision and by his per- sonal effort. The post-office in this place was only secured after long and hard work by our subject, and it is said that probably there would not have been a post-office here to-day if he had not taken hold of the movement and given it the impetus of his own strong personality.

The father of our subject, also John Frazer, was a native of Scotland, his birth occurring in 1800. In 1853. at the age of fifty-three, he died of cholera. Early in life he came to this country and by his tremendous force of character rose rapidly to a leading place in the affairs of New York during the days of Peter Cooper and other men of that period. In 1832, in New York City, he was married to Sarah Neeley, who lived some years after her husband had passed away and died in 1864, at Huntington, at the age of sixty. There are four children living, or supposed to be living, of this worthy representative of Scot- land. The two sons, William F. and Samuel A., are seafaring men, but nothing has been heard of them for many years.

The subject of this sketch was born in the city of New York, October 26, 1840, and was a resi- dent of that city for seventeen years, attending school from the time he was old enough to go, until he had reached the age of eleven. Then he

754-160

HENRY L. FLEET.

761

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

was called from the school room and set to work to earn his living, beginning as a worker in leather in the harness trade at a shop at Hunt- ington. He has always been a leather worker, sometimes handling military equipments. When the war broke out he enlisted as a soldier under the starry banner in Company A, One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York Infantry, in Au- gust, 1862. The regiment was ordered to the defense of Washington, and made an honorable record in its three years of active service. Dur- ing all this time our subject was with his colors and knows about war by actual experience, much more than any one can by reading about it. He was in the front, where he saw plenty of fighting, was at Charleston, the very hotbed of secession, and with his regiment was the first to enter the conquered city. He also served with General Sherman five months, and holds that able war- rior in the highest estimation. He was a brave soldier, shirked none of the duties of his station, and fortunately escaped serious injury, though he has seen his comrades fall thick around him. Once he was struck in the shoulder by a spent- ball, but it did not inflict a dangerous wound. After a record of three faithful years he came out of the service with an honorable discharge, but not so good a mian physically as when he enlisted. The soldier's life will tell on the strongest con- stitution, and as the years roll on the effects of that life are becoming more and more apparent on all the veterans of the grandest war ever fought in the history of man.

In the year 1866 Mr. Frazer came to East Islip and opened the shop where he lias since been engaged. In 1872 he was married to Miss Ida Jennings, a native of Cornwall, England, and by this marriage were born three children, the old- est, Edith H., being the wife of John R. Hill, of Islip, and the mother of one child, Hamilton R. Eloise is living at home, and John C. S., who is also at home, is attending school. Our subject is a Republican, and a Master Mason of the high- est standing, having taken the thirty-second de- gree, Scottish Rite. He also belongs to the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the Royal Ar- canum, the Order of American Firemen, and is

an honored member of William Gurney Post No. 38, G. A. R., at Bay Shore. The post was named after his old Colonel, and our subject was its second Commander. In politics Mr. Frazer has always been identified with the Republican party and cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864. He is not a member of any church, but his tendencies and inclinations bring him close to the Presbyterian body. His wife is a member of the Episcopal Church, having been reared in that faith in her English home.

H ENRY L. FLEET, formerly a well known and highly esteemed citizen of Cutchogue. died April 27, 1894, and was deeply mourned, not only by friends and members of his family, but by the community at large. He was a native of Long Island and was a son of Augustine and Rhoda (Terry) Fleet, both of whom were na- tives of this island. He was born November 27. 1832, and as his parents died when he was a boy. he had to begin the battle of life alone. In the private schools of the town where he lived he ac- quired an excellent education, and, being natur- ally of a studious turn of mind, he acquired an extensive knowledge of topics of general interest.

On reaching manhood our subject married Sara J. Betts, daughter of William M. Betts, formerly of New York City, but who later settled in Suf- folk County, where he died .. Mr. Fleet became the father of six children, five of whom survive him. They are William A., who married Imogene Goldsmith, now deceased; George H .; Lizzie R., wife of Thomas Brown; Emma, deceased; Harry L., who married Ida R. Cooper; and Frank R.

Though a modest, unassuming man, Mr. Fleet was, by popular vote, elected to serve in various official capacitics. He was Road Commissioner for the town of Southold for several years. In politics he was a Democrat, but was too public- spirited to be swayed entirely by party. Besides his extensive agricultural interests. he was a breeder of trotting horses, and had acquired a far- reaching reputation for his success in that line.

762

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

He bred the well known "Harry Fleet" and sev- eral others of local note.

Mr. Fleet's parents were ardent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which his father was an Ekler. The son, however, while a believer in the faith of his father, had not allied himself with any denomination. He was noted for his honor and uprightness and enjoyed the con- fidence of all those who knew him. His widow survives him and continues to reside on the home- stead, which is an attractive and comfortable place. Here she rests after the ardor and toil, incident to the noon day of life, and enjoys the fruits of a life spent in usefulness and well doing.

George H. Fleet, the second son, who resides at the Fleet homestead, was born here August 31, 1858, and grew to manhood in this locality, re- ceiving his education in the schools of the vicin- ity. December 23, 1881, he married Jennie E. Leek, daughter of Philip A. Leek, of Southamp- ton. They have had five children, whose names are Olin N., Clara L., Madeline and Elizabeth B., and Nettie O., deceased. He has served as As- sessor of the town of Southold and as Trustee of the schools. In politics he is a Democrat. In connection with farming he also breeds trotting horses, as did his father. His wife died April 14, 1892. The Fleet family is numbered among the old and well established people of Long Island.

C APT. ISAAC REEVE, Jr. This worthy old sea captain is a native of Greenport, and was born April 21, 1836, to Isaac and Elizabeth Amanda (Young) Reeve, who were born in Aquebogue and Orient, respectively. Isaac Reeve was a merchant in Riverhead for many years, but in 1834 took up his residence in Greenport, where he engaged in the occupa- tion of a wheelwright. His attention was not confined to this occupation; he was for many years Highway Commissioner and helped to build what is known as the South Road and other well known causeways. He was a prominent member of the Congregational Church, a strong

temperance man, and politically an old-line Whig. He voted for Lincoln, but after the war went into the ranks of Democracy. His father, Abner Reeve, was also a wheelwright by trade, and dur- ing the conflict with Great Britain in 1812 served in the American army. The maternal grandfa- ther of the subject of this sketch, W. M. Young, was a mariner and a man of considerable ability.

Capt. Isaac Reeve, Jr., was an only son, but had six sisters, five of whom are living. The mother lived to see her children established in life, and died in 1876 at the age of sixty-six years. Captain Reeve received his education in the pub- lic schools of Greenport, but at the age of eight- een years he became a sailor, and when he had attained the age of twenty-five years he was master of a coasting vessel. This calling he fol- lowed until 1873, and then for two years was in the wholesale glassware business in the city of New York, as a member of the firm of Dean & Reeve.

This did not prove a profitable enterprise. and at the end of the two years Captain Reeve disposed of his interest, returned to Greenport, and purchased from his brother-in-law, Frederick B. Beebe, his interest in the steam ferry boat line from Greenport to Shelter Island. The ferry company purchased the wharf, and for fifteen years it was the sole proprietor, Captain Reeve being the manager and holding the controlling interest. In 1890 the business was incorporated as the Greenport & Shelter Island Ferry Com- pany, with the ex-Mayor of Brooklyn, F. A. Schroeder, as President; Thomas H. Wood, of New York, Vice-President; Lemuel Burroughs, of Brooklyn, Treasurer; and Captain Reeve as Secretary and Master. For twenty-one years he has been the Master of this line and is said to have made it a very successful venture. Their fine new boat is a credit to the company, and shows that its members are full of enterprise.

Captain Reeve has had other interests besides this, for in 1876 he engaged extensively in the coal and wood business, but this he disposed of in 1892. He was one of the Trustees of the vil- lage of Greenport for nine years. Socially he is a member of the Masonic Order, has long been

763

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and for fifteen years has been Secretary of the lodge. He married Miss Ellen M. Barnes, of New London, Conn., a daughter of Capt. Samuel D. Barnes, a sea-faring man and a Knight Templar Mason. They have but one child, Ellen Fedora, the wife of C. B. Wiggins, a prominent merchant and ship chandler of Greenport, by whom she has two children-Ruberta E. and Gustava.

Since he was eight years of age Captain Reeve has been connected with the Baptist Church. A man of exemplary habits, he has never smoked or chewed tobacco, and never drank a drop of intoxicating liquor in his life. His life has in every way been a successful one and he is the owner of much valuable property, and has a very fine home on the main street of the village. He is a popular commander and is universally liked and esteemed.

A LFRED ROGERS, of Huntington, was born on the place where he now lives No- vember 13, 1819, and is the only surviv- or of the five children of Moses and Rosanna (Lef- ford) Rogers, natives of Cold Spring. His fa- ther was born April 25, 1784, being a son of Zeb- ulon and Rhoda (Blatsley) Rogers, and was reared to manhood at Cold Spring, devoting his entire life to farming and marketing.

Alfred, the subject of this sketch, grew to man- hood in the place of his nativity, and was educat- ed like the boys of his day, in the common schools. and was well prepared. for a vigorous contest with an unfriendly fortune, which indeed he has made to bend to his desires in a very great de- gree. When he became a man he engaged in farming, for which his boyhood training had thor- oughly fitted him. He has been a farmer all his days and has sustained a good name among the agriculturists of the county.

The home farm which Mr. Rogers now owns reverted to liim at his father's death, which oc- curred April 14, 1859. To say that he has not only maintained its former high cultivation but

has greatly improved it is to state a fact that is patent to every one at all familiar with the history of the farms and farmers of this portion of the county. The handsome residence in which he and his family are now living was erected by him some twenty years since and is still regarded as one of the handsomest and best appointed farm houses of this portion of the island.

In 1849 Mr. Rogers married Miss Phoebe Ann Titus, daughter of Isaac Titus, of Cold Spring. and a woman well calculated to cheer and in- spire her husband, making his home bright with the sunshine of her contented presence. To this marriage there were born three children, two of whom are now living, a son and a daughter. Franklin P. married Miss Esther Sammis. but has no children; Isabelle is the wife of Joel Ti- tus, of Cold Spring, and has four children.

While acting with the Democratic party in na- tional matters, Mr. Rogers sinks politics out of all local questions and asks simply what is for the best interest of the town and neighborhood. voting as all conscientious men should, for the best men and measures, without regard to party or name. In religion he is a member of the Bap- tist Church, where he is regarded as a devoted friend to whatever makes for the moral good of men, and is relied upon to help in every onward movement. For several years he has acted as Trustee in this organization.

T HOMAS B. ARCHER, the popular hotel proprietor at Huntington Harbor, brings to bear upon the management of the house the thorough knowledge of the wants and require- ments of his patrons. He is an expert in the modern art of hotel-keeping and spares neither time nor money in making his guests comfortable. Mr. Archer is a native of Suffolk County. L. 1 .. born in Cold Spring, November 25. 1850, son of Benjamin and Phoebe (Wall) Archer, who were the parents of six children, five of whom survive. Benjamin Archer was born in England and was brought to this country by his parents when but

764

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

two years old. Here he was reared and engaged in a seafaring life and ere lie had reached the age of twenty years was captain of a vessel. He was on two or three whaling voyages, but later en- gaged in the coast service, running along the north coast in summer and the south in winter.

Thomas B. Archer received a good practical education in his youth, and remained with his parents until grown. From the age of eight years he was in a mill in his native town, but later he gave this up and for some time followed the bottling business, which occupied his attention for ten or twelve years. Following this he be- came a partner in the firm of Archer & White, of Cold Spring, but about 1891 he severed his connection with this firm and leased the hotel, which he has conducted very successfully up to the present time, at Huntington Harbor. On the 9th of April, 1871, Mr. Archier was married to Miss Esther Warren, of Cold Spring, and to them were given twelve children, eight of whom are still living. Benjamin is on the water and has been captain of a vessel since the age of eighteen ; Mary is next in order; Nettie married Joseph Schram; Jane married John Briggs; Williani is a carpenter; Minnie married Capt. George Noyes, owner of a steamer, and Horace and Raymond complete the list. In his political predilections Mr. Archer is a liberal Democrat. He is inspector of elevators. Socially he is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and holds the office of Vice Grand in the latter organization.

D EACON JOHN P. TERRY was born in the town of Riverhead, four miles east of the village, September 21, 1818. His father, Howell, was born on the same farm, and followed farming the greater part of his life. In addition to that occupation, he was one of the owners of the woolen mills, speculated in real estate, and was a non-commissioned officer in the state militia. He was a regular attendant upon the services of the Congregational Church, though not a communicant, during the last days | Fosdick, a successful lawyer at that place.

of his life. He was prudent and energetic, and is said to have gained quite a fortune for his day. He had four sisters and one brother. The latter, Daniel, lived on the old farm all his life, and was a prosperous man; Hannah married John Grif- fing, a member of the prominent old family of that name; Rachel married Jolin Luce, a Long Island Sound sailor and a farmer; another sister mar- ried Nathan Young, of Brooklyn, who was a contractor and built the first church in that "city of churches;" Phoebe became the wife of Ezra Benjamin and moved to Allegliany County, where he cultivated a farm.

The grandfather of our subject, Deacon Daniel Terry, was born on the same place that his de- scendants for two generations have occupied. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and was a leader and Deacon in the Congregational Church. He was twice married, the last time to the grandmother of our subject, both having been married before. The Terry family is one of the oldest on the island, and its members have been actively identified with the growth of this section of country.

The mother of our subject, Hannah Albert- son, was born at what is now known as Upper Mill, a mile from the village of Riverhead. She was a daughter of Richard Albertson, a miller at Upper Mill and a member of the old and honored families of the county. After the death of the father, the mother married Isaac Sweezy, who had been the former's partner in the mill and had married her sister for his first wife.

Our subject was the oldest of four children. His sister, Phoebe Jane, married A. M. Young. for- merly a school teacher, now deceased; she is liv- ing with her daughter, Mrs. George Wells. wife of a retired farmer at Aquebogue. Mary E. mar- ried J. Frank Youngs, a conductor on the Long Island Railroad when it was first built, but both are now deceased: their son is a business man at Hunter's Point, but makes his home at Hemp- stead, L. I. Oliver A., who married Charlotte Conklin of Riverhead, was a tanner and currier. and died twenty years ago. His wife is living at Jamaica, her daughter having married Lewis

765

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

But eight years of age when his parents moved into the village from the farm, our subject was educated in the schools of the place, and while still a boy went into his father's woolen mill, where he learned the trade in a practical and thor- ough manner. When he was twenty-one, he formed a partnership with Richard Sweezy, a son of his father's partner, and together they ran the business for two years, when, his partner hav- ing died, he gave the business up, and for a time kept a store in Riverhead. Later he took a farm, where he was busily employed for several years, and then became proprietor of the old Long Island House at Riverhead, in which he was en- gaged for thirty years. When he went into the business it was generally held that a hotel could not be run on Long Island without a bar, but being a strict temperance man, he determined that he would follow his convictions in that mat- ter, and so for thirty years not a drop of liquor of any kind was sold in the house.

Since our subject gave up the hotel he has been leading a quiet and retired life, and is now enjoying a serene and honored old age. He has been twice married, his first wife being Electa Ann, the daughter of D. M. Tuthill, of Brooklyn. She died in 1871, leaving two children, namely: Alonzo P., a farmer, who married Anna MI. Wells, a sister of the present wife of our subject; and Cassius M., a leading dentist in Riverhead, who married Mary M. Bailey, the daughter of an Episcopal minister. In 1873 our subject married Mrs. Fannie E. (Wells) Wells, widow of Horace E. Wells, a prominent lawyer, who had been a student in Williams' College with James A. Gar- field, and who at the time of his death, 1863, was a resident of Huntington; his widow was left with a child but two weeks old when he died. This son is Horace H., who makes his home with his mother, Mrs. Terry. She is an active worker in the Congregational Church and a member of the choir. Mr. Terry was one of the first mem- bers of the Riverhead Congregational Church, and is now the only original male member liv- ing. He has been a Deacon in it for many years . and has done all in his power to make it a power in the community. During the Civil War he was

an enrolling officer. In politics he is a Repub- lican, and it is a matter worthy of record, both as showing his convictions and the steadiness of his mind, that he has been a subscriber for the New York Tribune since its first issue. He is a Mason, and has been a lifelong temperance man.

W ILLIAM H. LEWIS. This promi- nent business man of Huntington in- herits the sturdy perseverance of his English ancestors, for from that country came Henry J. Lewis (father of our subject) with his parents when about twelve years old. The grand- parents settled in New York City, and here young Henry, whose native town was London, England, grew to manhood. As a boy he worked in the shops of his father, who was a manufacturer of daguerreotype appliances, and later became a member of the firm, carrying on business for a number of years at No. 142 Chatham Square. New York City. Grandfather William Lewis made the first daguerreotype apparatus in his na- tive country, and they were formed from designs furnished by Professor Draper, of New York.

This business was conducted by the father of our subject under the firm name of Lewis Manu- facturing Company, up to the year 1867, when his son, William H., who had gained a thorough knowledge of the business, assumed control and conducted it under the name of William H. Lewis. With the assistance of his father he carried on this enterprise until 1800, when the father retired. and after that he had the entire charge of affairs. In 1893 he disposed of the business, which was conducted on an extensive scale in Green Point. Brooklyn, N. Y., eighty-seven hands being em- ployed. Although he thought of retiring, he only recovered from an illness of six months to again enter upon an active business career. He opened a factory in Huntington, L. L., where he has been a resident since 1887, and embarked in his former occupation with a force of twenty-five hands.

766

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Mr. Lewis is a man well known in the Patent Office at Washington, D. C., for therein is re- corded his fifty-fifth patent, principally in the photographic line. He has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Sarah Bootlı, of Green Point, Brooklyn, whom he married in 1862. She died in 1885, leaving one son, Albert D., who still survives. His second wife, Miss Mary L. Booth, was also of Green Point. The two children born to this union are Elsie and Roswell E.

A Democrat in his political views, Mr. Lewis was a candidate on this ticket for the Assembly in 1891, when he reduced the Republican major- ity over three hundred votes. In 1892 he was also the party's selection for the same position, but the Republican majority here is too strong to be overcome. He is an attendant at the First Presbyterian Church, to which he contributes liberally, and he has shown his appreciation of secret organizations by becoming a member of the Masonic fraternity and the Royal Arcanum. For three years he was Commissioner of High- ways and discharged the duties of that position in a very creditable manner. He is a wideawake and much esteemed citizen.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2, Part 27

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: New York, Chicago, Chapman Number of Pages: 926

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: New York, Chicago, Chapman
Number of Pages: 926