USA > New York > Suffolk County > Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2 > Part 40
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R EV. CHARLES O. GRAY. It is more or less a matter of pride for one to be able to look back over a known ancestral line of a thousand years-a line that can be traced to the time of William the Conqueror. The name Gray is of great antiquity and of local origin. The or- thography, however, prior to the tenth century, was De Gray, but the prefix has been generally dropped excepting in some of the titled families of England and Ireland. There are some mem-
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bers of this large family in Canada who can trace an unbroken lineage back to King William, who granted a crest, still maintained in England, and the reception of valuable testimonials from that king for distinguished services rendered at the battle of Hastings.
"Burk's Peerage" gives information of mem- bers of this family who received high honors from Richard I. in the twelfth century. The marriage of Henry Gray, the Duke of Suffolk, with Mary, the daughter of Henry VII., brought the family near the throne. His unreasonable struggle, however, to have their daughter, Lady Jane Gray, crowned as Queen brought that estimable young woman to a sad end. But Mr. Gray deems the attainments of the men of today of more account than the merits of remote ancestors.
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There are only seven generations of Grays in America at this time. Capt. Isaac Gray, the pa- triot who commanded a company at the battle of Bunker Hill, was the paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch. For several genera- tions the Gray family resided in the vicinity of Boston, Mass., and the great-great-grandfather of our subject made a fortune trading in the mer- cantile business. The grandfather was a promi- nent stock trader and moved to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., before the father of our subject, Walter R. Gray, was born. The latter, who was a farmer, was a man of literary taste and passed all his spare time in preparing articles for the magazines and press. He met and married Miss May J. Chambers, a native of Ontario, Canada, and the daugliter of John Chambers, who was born in Scotland. Five children were born to this union, as follows: S. Mina, wife of Charles J. Fuller, a merchant of Ogdensburg, N. Y .; Mary L., single and at home; Charles O., our subject: Alfred W., a brilliant and promising youn~ ~ torney of Buffalo, and J. C., at home. The parents are both living and reside in Heu- velton, St. Lawrence County, N. Y.
Charles O. Gray was born in Heuvelton in 1867 and in this small town of Northern New York he remained until fourteen years old, when he entered the academy at Ogdensburg and pre-
pared for college. On the completion of his academic studies lie taught school for a few years at Alexandria Bay before entering college, but, anxious to pursue his studies, he resigned from the school and entered Hamilton College, where he took the classical course of four years, gradu- ating with honors in 1893. Having had a feeling from childhood that he was called to the ministry, he felt especially the force of that call during his junior year and with zeal applied himself to his work.
Owing to necessity he engaged as Principal of the Union Free School on the completion of his college course, but happily circumstances so ar- ranged themselves that he needed to remain in the school but a single year; in the fall of 1891 he was enabled to enter the Union Theological Seminary in New York City to complete his the- ological studies. Previous to his graduation from the seminary in 1894 he married Miss Flor- ence Rollins, of Yonkers, N. Y., who a year later bore him a son, Charles Oliver Gray, Jr. During his senior year in the seminary Mr. Gray received a call to the Presbyterian Church at Smithtown, which he accepted, and in which place he has been laboring for about two years. He is a tal- ented and popular young minister, and since his pastorate in Smithtown he has not allowed the work of the church to be at a standstill, either spiritually or practically. He is active in good work, conscientious in the discharge of his duty and is deservedly popular with his congregation.
J AMES TRAVICE BENNETT. A glance at the interesting genealogy of the Bennett family shows that James Travice Bennett comes of very prominent people, who have, by their upriglit, straightforward course through life, kept their names unspotted and honored. For many years he was actively engaged in carpenter- ing in Suffolk County, and his career as a business man, as well as a citizen, was above reproach. After many years of industry and activity in his chosen calling, Mr. Bennett retired from business,
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and now resides at Amityville, where he is well liked by all acquainted with him. He was born in the town of Oyster Bay, Queens County, Oc- tober 18, 1818, and is the son of George and Susan (Travice) Bennett. For three generations the Bennett family lived in Queens County, and the father of our subject, who was a miller by trade, worked at various places on the Island. He was also a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Aside from his milling interests, George Bennett was also engaged in farming, and carried on both to- gether, so that our subject's boyhood days were spent on a farm.
James Travice Bennett was about fifteen years old when he took an active part in the milling business, but owing to failing health he had to give this up. He then began an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, and was thus employed for four years, receiving $25 per year for his services. He next began working in the navy yards of Brooklyn, and later worked as a wheelwright and house-builder in the neighborhood of Amity- ville. There he met and married Miss Cherry A. Powell, a native of this place, and four children blessed this union. Jarvis H. resides in Amity- ville; Deborah married Shepard H. Payne and lives in Brooklyn; she has three children; George, who lives in East New York, carries on dairying; he is married and is the father of four children; Charles Edward lives in the town of Babylon.
After his marriage Mr. Bennett engaged act- ively in the dairying business in Brooklyn, where he located, and continued that for fourteen years, when he leased a farm in the town of Babylon for ten years. Before the lease had expired he bought another farm and carried on both with much suc- cess for some time. He lived in that locality for twenty years, and then, having lost his wife, moved into the village and left the farm under the .anagement of his children. His second mar- nage occurred June 16, 1884, uniting him with Mrs. Maria Soper, daughter of Ketcham and Susan (Post) Wanser. Formerly Mr. Bennett was a Whig in politics, voting for Harrison in 1840, and upon the organization of the Republi- can party joined its ranks and soon afterward voted for Col. J. C. Fremont. He has never been
an office-seeker, preferring to give his time and attention to his business interests.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he joining at the age of fifteen, and she when sixteen years old. He has been a Class Leader, also Superintendent of the Sunday school, and is now a Steward in that church. Both are highly esteemed in the commu- nity in which they make their home, and are act- ive in all good work.
S IDNEY B. HUBBS follows an old and time-honored calling, for among the Bible characters the work of the flesher is the earliest named, while in classical literature the cleaver and flesher were popular and well-known personages. Even so is our subject the most popular butcher located at Bay Shore. He has been here six years, coming from the north side of Commack, where he learned his trade. Mr. Hubbs was born at the above-named place April 12, 1863, and spent the greater part of his life there. He is a son of Ira P. Hubbs (who died in 1893 at the age of forty-eight years) and Esther W. (Bryant) Hubbs, who still lives at the home- stead. They had six children, of whom the two daughters are deceased. The sons are William H., a butcher at Northport; Sidney B .; Frank E. and Frederick V., who reside at Commack.
Our subject was brought up in his native place and received a fair education in the common schools. He early began life for himself and six years ago started in business in this place, where he has built up a large trade, having thus far been very successful. It is a good point for a business of its character when carried on by the right person, and Mr. Hubbs has shown himself to be undoubtedly the right person in the right place.
Mr .. Hubbs was married to Miss Addie A. Hartt, of Northport, January 16, 1887. She is a daughter of David G. Hartt, and was born April II, 1861. They have two children, Loretta and Lavina. Mlr. Hubbs is a Republican in politics,
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and although he finds small time to spare from his individual interests he is a good citizen and uses his influence to further the welfare of the community. Fraternally he belongs to the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, having been a member of the Island Lodge for four years. Mrs. Hubbs is an active worker in the Methodist Epis- copal Church and is a genial and pleasant lady, to whom an appeal for aid never comes amiss.
S IMON DREYER. There is an old and fa- miliar adage which says "Dress makes the man, the want of it the fellow," and al- though this may not be strictly true, yet there is some truth in it. Dress a man in good and styl- ishly cut clothes and his manners will be more. easy, agreeable and pleasing; in fact, he will be far more manly than if his clothes were shabby and ill inade. It is the duty of the tailor to see that his customers are clad in proper apparel, and in this important branch of human endeavor Si- mon Dreyer has been more than ordinarily suc- cessful. He is a native of that country which has given to America some of her most intelligent, useful and progressive citizens, Germany, his birth occurring in 1845. His parents, Isaac and Sarah Dreyer, spent their lives in that land and there Simon received his education, but it was not long before he perceived the advantages offered to those who possessed enterprise and energy in America, and thither he came in 1866 and began working at the tailor's trade, which he had learned in Germany. He followed this occupation in New York City for seventeen years, then came to Port Jefferson and established his present busi- nese „nich he has ever since very successfully conducted. It is not exaggerating to say that Mr. Dreyer is one of the foremost business men of the place, not to mention Suffolk County, and carries a most complete and stylish line of men's furnishings, besides trunks, valises, etc. Mr. Dryer owes his prosperity to no man save liim-
self, therefore is strictly self-made, and takes pride, and justly so, in the fact that he has made his own way in the world. While not a native of Long Island, no man could be more closely identified or more interested in the welfare of the section than is he.
In 1868 Mr. Dreyer was married to Miss Rosa Hays, of New York, but a native of Germany, and five children have been born of this union: Isaac, Jacob S., Charles, Hattie and Arthur L. Mr. Dreyer has been active socially, is a member of Port Jefferson Lodge No. 627, I. O. O. F., of which he was one of the organizers, and is now Past Grand of the Royal Arcanum at that place. He also belongs to the Suffolk County Mutual, the B'nai Ephraim of New York, having passed through the chairs of the latter order and received from it a gold medal. Politically he has always been a Democrat, but has given his attention to industrial rather than to political matters. Mr. Dreyer is at the head of an establishment of which he has every reason to be proud, and he and his son also own a prosperous establishment at Naug- atuck under the firm name of S. Dreyer & Son. They are shrewd and practical business men, and it is their earnest desire to please their patrons, one of the first secrets of success in mercantile life.
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C APT. LEWIS W. DAVIS, who is the pro- prietor of the Willow Pond Mill at Smithtown, is a very enterprising busi- ness man, and his flour is noted for its excellent quality and superiority over other brands. In connection with his milling industry Mr. Davis is actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. His birth occurred in Stony Brook October 5, 1841, his parents being William and Catherine A. (Smith) Davis. The father was also a native of Stony Brook and there the greater part of his time was spent. He was a sea captain and was engaged in the coast trade near New York City for thirty years. In 1867 he located in Willow Pond, bought the property now owned by our
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subject, but subsequently went to Echo, near Port Jefferson, where he passed the last ten years of his life, dying July 10, 1877. To his marriage were born eight children, six of whom now sur- vive.
The Davis family was originally from Wales, the great-grandfather of our subject and one brother coming to America at an early date. The brother settled in Southern Connecticut, but the grandfather located on Long Island. The pa- ternal grandfather of our subject, James Davis, was also a native of Stony Brook and for thirty years was a sea captain. About 1816 he moved to Dutchess County and there received his final summons. His family consisted of five sons and two daughters. He owned a large tract of land in that county and was a wealthy and prominent citizen.
During his youth our subject attended the com- mon schools, and as soon as large enough began assisting his father in the mill at Stony Brook. When eighteen years old he went to sea, was in the coasting trade for four years, and then took charge of a sailing vessel from the gulf port, in the cotton trade, to English, French and Spanish ports. For some time he was also on the Medit- erranean Sea carrying on trade between the Span- isli ports and New York City. For eleven years he was engaged in foreign voyages, as captain, and in 1873 he left the water and located in Wil- low Pond. He had bought the milling property of his father in 1869 and since that time has car- ried it on very successfully. He has one of the best equipped mills in the section and it is situ- ated on the headwaters of the Nessequoge River.
In the year 1886 Captain Davis put in improved roller processes, and this is the only mill within twenty miles that is thus fitted out. He imports v.' .at and makes a superior grade of flour and is a prosperous business man. In politics he has · ever been a Republican, and he is a public-spirit- ed citizen, taking an active interest in all worthy enterprises. On the 2d of January, 1864, dur- ing his seafaring life, he was married to Miss Teressa Nichols, daugliter of Charles and Phoebe
(Smith) Nichols, and a native of the village of Brook Haven, this county, where her father re- sides at the present time. To Captain and Mrs. Davis have been born four children, two sons and two daughters: Carrie L., James L., Morgan P. and Edith M. James L. is fireman on one of the ferries between Long Island and Brooklyn. During his life on the ocean Captain Davis was very fortunate and successful and was never ship- wrecked.
AMES GOODMAN, of the village of West Hampton, was born in the city of Brooklyn October 24, 1815, and is the only survivor of two children. His father, Richard Goodman, was a native of Ireland and came to this country in the last century, making his home in Brook- lyn, where he died in 1829 from an attack of chol- era, which proved fatal to such multitudes of peo- ple at that time. He was a boss carpenter and superintended the erection of many of the early homes of that city. Our subject has no record of his mother, who died when he was an infant. The only mother he ever knew was the lady who be- came his father's second wife and cared for him as though he were her own son.
When the subject of this sketch had reached the age of ten he came to West Hampton with Oliver Tuttle, with whom he lived until he had reached his twenty-first year, acquiring his educa- tion in the common schools and being reared as a member of the family. In early manhood he began for himself as a farmer, and by unflagging industry, careful economy and an upright life has become prosperous in the last years of an honor- able and useful career. In 1843 he purchased his present home farm and in 1880 tore down the old house, which was one hundred and sixty-three years old, erecting his present commodious resi- dence. That house, with its history of more than a century and a half, woukl have wonderfully stirring tales to tell could it recount all that oc- curred within its walls.
The same year that Mr. Goodman became the
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owner of this farm he married Miss Delilah A. Phillips, daughter of Joseph Phillips, of Speonk. Their marriage occurred February 25, 1843, and has resulted in the birth of five children, three of whom are still alive. James Dennis married Miss Rose Ruland and is the father of two children. Hiram Francis married Miss Carrie A. Benja- min and has one son, Leon. Richard O. married Eunice M. Terry and they have four children. Mr. Goodman was called upon to mourn the death of his wife in 1877. Three years later, his son Hiram marrying, the young wife assumed charge of the domestic affairs of the household and has since presided over it.
Mr. Goodman has found in the platform of the Republican party the closest and clearest expres- sion of his political connections, so he has gen- erally affiliated with it. In religion he lias fol- lowed the customs of the Methodist Episcopal Church, being a member of it and serving the local church for several years as Trustee and Steward.
G EORGE E. DOTY, "mine host" of the Centerport Hotel and one of the popu- lar landlords in this part of Long Island, was born August 16, 1851, in the village of Wood- bury, the son of Richard and Caroline (Chester) Doty, both natives of the island. The father was a farmer, and was classed among the substantial and reliable agriculturists of his day.
Our subject spent his boyhood at home, and had the usual recreations and enjoyments of Long Island boys of the last generation, pleasures that are impossible to the more highly favored youth of the present time. He attended the com- mon schon' until he had reached the age of four- teen . .. en he went to New York City and began tending bar. He followed this in the metropolis and Brooklyn until he came to Centerport in 1884 and leased the hotel for three years which he now owns and conducts.
Mr. Doty was married in August, 1878, to Miss Ella Place, of Cold Springs, and of this marriage
there have been born two children. Their names are Blanche V. and Sarah and both are at home. Mr. Doty is a Democrat on general questions, and takes not a little interest in local politics. He is a member of the Odd Fellows, Ellsworth Lodge No. 449, of Huntington.
L EANDER R. DEVEAU, of Centerport, has won a good business reputation in the oyster interest. He was born March 6, 1851, in New Rochelle, Westchester County, and was one of fourteen children born to Joshua and Salina (Sheffield) Deveau. The former was a na- tive of this same place, where he was reared, and learned and worked at the carpenter's trade for many years. His life covered a span of seventy- six years and may be regarded as fairly success- ful in the great considerations of business success and personal character and standing. He was a Republican during his last years and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The De- veau family is of long standing, and has an honor- able history in France, being associated with the Huguenot movement and coming to this country for sake of liberty of though and speech. The mother of our subject was a native of New York City and is still living at the age of seventy-six. She is a daughter of Dodridge and Elizabeth (Wheeler) Sheffield, her great-grandfather being the English Admiral Wheeler of historic fame. Her grandfather Sheffield was a sea captain and served in the War of IS12. This was a prominent and wealthy family in the early history of this country. Mrs. Deveau's mother was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Deveau, the subject of this writing, re- mained at home and attended school until he was of age, when he engaged in farming for seven years. Then he saw an opportunity in the oys- ter business in this village, which he at once em- braced, and has been successfully engaged in the business since that time. He has an extensive oyster bed in Huntington Bay and does a good business with central markets.
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Our subject was married September 12, 1872, to Miss Sarah C. Strieby, of Kosciusko County, Ind., but who was born in Ohio. To this couple there have conie three children. The oldest, John, is an architect and builder at Northport, and Lena and Inez are still at home. Mr. Deveau is a man of strong character and takes as positive a stand in politics as everywhere else. He is a Republican, and both he and his family are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Social- ly he is an Odd Fellow and a member of the Royal Arcanum.
A LONZO REED, A. M., was born at Rox- bury, Delaware County, N. Y., in 1841. Among his fellow-townsmen who went out as young men from the same obscure little valley of the Catskills were John Burroughs, the popular writer on subjects pertaining to natural history and outdoor life, and the late Jay Gould, known as the "Napoleon of finance." His father, Aaron Reed, was originally from Dartmouth, Mass.
At the age of sixteen Mr. Reed entered upon his chosen profession, that of teaching, and for a time thereafter was employed as country school- master. In 1865 he married Frances M. String- ham, whose father, Dr. Henry S. Stringham, was the first physician to settle in the then village of Rondout on the Hudson. For seventeen years after his marriage Professor Reed was connected with the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn as teacher in the department of English. While thus engaged he began, with Prof. Brainerd Kel- logg, the preparation of a series of text-books on the english language.
The books of which Professor Reed is the au- thor are Reed's Word Lessons and Reed's Intro- ductory Language Work. Those of which he is joint author are Reed & Kellogg's Graded Les- sons in English, Reed & Kellogg's Higher Les- sons in English, Reed & Kellogg's One-Book Course in English, Kellogg & Reed's The English
Language, and Kellogg & Reed's Word-Build- ing. Others are in preparation. The books of this series have reached the enormous annual sale of about a half million copies and have been largely introduced into the schools of this coun- try
For twelve years or more Professor Reed has spent the summer seasons on the south shore of Long Island. Since 1891 he has had a residence near the village of Remsenburg (late Speonk), Suffolk County, on the Great South Bay, a posi- tion affording one of the most delightful and picturesque views to be obtained from our Ameri- can coast.
W ILLIAM W. GRIFFIN. To this gen- tleman belongs the distinction of hav- ing been in the employ of the Long Island Railroad Company for a longer period than any other man along the line, since the re- tirement of C. H. Harris, the veteran agent at Jamaica. In 1874 he took charge of the office at Greenport, being at first station agent, ticket agent, telegraph operator and baggage master, but since that time the business has grown to such large proportions that he now has a large force of men under his charge.
Born at Riverhead, L. I., January 6, 1854, our subject is a son of Henry L. Griffin, proprietor of the Griffin House at Riverhead and a member of one of the pioneer families of that village. At the age of thirteen, December 12, 1867, William W. entered the office of the President of the Long Island Railroad Company at Long Island City, where he worked as office boy. Though he had received very limited schooling, yet his ability was apparent and attracted the attention of the lead- ing officials of the road, who interested themselves in his behalf. Through their kindness he was permitted to take a course in the Weston Military School at Weston, Conn., from which he gradu- ated in English composition and bookkeeping.
In 1869, while still a youth in his teens. Mr. Griffin was put in charge of the office at River-
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head, and in May, 1870, was transferred to the office at Mineola. After concluding his course at the military academy he had charge of the train and material in the construction of the Port Jefferson branch of the road, under Webster Sny- der. Then, returning to the station at Mineola, he remained there until May 12, 1874, when he was made agent at Greenport. With the excep- tion of four months, when he was called by the company to the important position of train dis- patcher at Jamaica, he has been in charge of the Greenport office. So familiar is he with every de- tail of the business that if a man is sick or off duty he ean fill his place. The company look upon him as one of the most valuable men in their employ.' He has made a study of the railroad business and is master of it in all of its branches.
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