USA > New York > Suffolk County > Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2 > Part 52
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In the village where he now resides, the subject of this sketch was born, February 16, 1868, and here he carried on his studies in the public schoo's. which he attended prior to the age of fifteen. When not in school he was busily employed in market gardening, and on leaving school he was engaged in railroading for eight months, after which he learned his trade of a contractor and builder, under W. S. Velsor, then at work on the asylum at Central Islip. Six months were spent with that gentleman, after which he took a po- sition with Mr. Olmstead, in Northport, remain- ing with him for five years, when he purchased the business, which he has since increased and
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carried on with success. He is doing well and has every prospect of future prosperity and pronti- nence. In the construction of houses he follows modern ideas and avails himself of every improve- ment introduced.
Socially Mr. Cadoo is connected with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. In his advo- cacy of progressive measures he is energetic, and politically he finds himself in touch with the prin- ciples of the Republican party, to which his vote and influence are given. He and his wife, formerly Miss Bertha Conklin, occupy a neat and cozy home, which he erected. They are members of the Episcopal Church and supporters of religious and benevolent projects.
C APT. CHARLES E. TOOKER. The life of the ocean sailor has been familiar to the subject of this sketch ever since he was about nine years of age, and during this long period he has gained a knowledge of seafaring life second to none. As a matter of fact, he could give "pointers" to many a man older in the life than himself. He is, as were his parents, Brew- ster H. and Charry (Bellows) Tooker, a native of Suffolk County, and his birthi occurred at Mt. Sinai ir: 1844. Brewster Tooker was a sltip car- peuter by trade, but later in life was captain of various sailing vessels, but at a still later period he turned his attention to farming, and was fol- lowing this quiet and uneventful, but none the less useful, life when his career was closed by deatlı in 1861. He was a substantial citizen and had numerous warm friends, which fact speaks eloquently as to his many worthy characteristics. His widow survived hint until 1889.
Capt. Charles E. Tooker had but few educa- tional advantages in his youth, for at the age of nine and a half years he went to sea with his father as cook and his sunimiers were thus spent for some time. However, he was in school dur- ing the winter months for three or four years, and during this time acquired a practical educa- tion. At the age of twenty-three years hie be-
came captain of the brig "Eaglet," and was sub- sequently master of the schooner "Annie M. Dickinson," then the "Jolin Rose," all three of which vessels were constructed at Port Jefferson. The next vessel of which he had command was the "Emma Ritch," then the "Mary A. Greenwood," and in 1883 he took command of his present boat, the "Nonowantuc," which plies daily between Port Jefferson and Bridgeport, Conn. It is a well-built boat and has an able and experienced commander in Captain Tooker, whose long sea- faring life has made him familiar with all its phases.
On the 5th of October, 1874, the Captain was married to Miss Corinne, daughter of Alfred MI. Davis, who is a substantial citizen, well known in Suffolk County. They have one son, George MI., who still lives at home with his parents. Mrs. Tooker is a member in good standing of the Con- gregational Church, and socially the Captain is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Captains and Pilots' Association. He has always espoused the principles of Democ- racy, but has never held or sought official posi- tion, as he has always preferred to give his time and attention to his business.
J I OHN W. OLMSTED, City Clerk of North- port, Manager of the Electric Light Com- pany, and Superintendent and Secretary of the Northport Water Company, is one of the act- ive and pushing men of this thriving village. lle was born, February 13, 1848, at Smithtown, and was the oldest in a family of three children born to Francis B. and Nancy (Ruland) Olmsted. He lias one brother, William M., who is engaged in the manufacturing business at Wallingford. Conn., and one sister, Isabelle B., who is the wife of George A. Ketcham, of this place. His mother. who was a daughter of Manly Ruland, was born at Patchogue, and died when she was only twenty- five years of age.
The father of our subject was born, December 9, 1820, in the City of New York, where he was
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raised to manliood. For forty years he was a merchant in Northiport, and is now engaged in the insurance and real estate business, in which lines he is successful. The ancestry of this family runs back to James Olmsted, who came from England about the year 1600, and settled near Norwalk, Conn., where his death occurred. A brother of the father of our subject, Nathan Olm- sted, settled at Ridgefield, Conn., where he died at the age of seventy-six. The second wife of Francis Olmsted and the step-mother of our sub- ject was Harriet Mott, of Blue Point, who was born February 12, 1839, and became the mother of three children. Frank E. died when twenty- nine years old; Mary A. is the wife of Andrew Ackerly, of this place, and Harold C. is still at home.
Until sixteen years old our subject remained at home with his father, attending the common schools and helping some about his father's store. Then he was sent to Paterson, N. J., where he graduated from the city high school, after which he spent some time in his father's store. At the age of twenty-one, however, he went back to Paterson, where he was clerk in a store for two years. Then he learned telegraphy, although he did not work at it. Again he returned home and worked at the carpenter's trade until 1873, when occurred his marriage. He was in the employ of the New York Herald until 1883. when he again came back to this place and began business as a contractor and house-builder on a large scale. In this he was very successful, erecting about one hundred of the very best residences of the vicinity. In the winter of 1892-93 the Northport Water Works Company was organized, with John W. Fowler as President. H. S. Mott as Treasurer. and our subject as Director and Manager. The latter was instrumental in the organization and the incorporation of the Electric Light Company, with Edward Thompson as President, Edward Pidgeon as Secretary, and himself as Manager:
Mr. Olmsted was married July 20. 1873. to Miss Elizabeth Taylor, of this place, and to this marriage were born six children, of whom the oldest, Henrietta B., died in infancy. The second child, Frederick B., died when six and a half
years old, and Isabelle passed away in infancy. Bessie died at the age of seven, Nellie L. at four, and one child is still unnamed.
Mr. Olmsted is a Democrat on all national is- snes, and has always taken an active interest in politics. He has been Clerk of the village since it was incorporated, and is a mian of character and standing in the community. In the month of No- vember, 1893. he sold out his building interests and is taking life somewhat easier. In fraternal affairs he is quite a leader, being Past Master of the Masonic lodge of this place, Past Grand of the Odd Fellows, and Past Regent of the Royal Arcanum. He is also an active member of the . fire department.
C APT. FRANKLIN C. JESSUP, one of the noteworthy figures of the village of West Hampton Beach, is a member of the life saving station at this point, and is one of the oldest men engaged in this humane and noble calling. He has also seen more years in the ser- vice than any other man whose name appears on the roll of enlistment. We need not stop at this time to call the attention of our readers to the very high character of this service, nor speak of its transcendent importance to the sailors of the deep, nor even to suggest what nerve and bravery and steadiness, as well as quickness of thought and action, such a calling demands. These things must be familiar to any one at all conversant with the service and the good that it has done since its first establishment.
Captain Jessup was born September 15. 1823. to John S. and Peggy (Cooper) Jessup, being one of their family of seven children, six sons and one daughter, of whom five are now living. The Coopers were seafaring men, and no doubt the traditions of the family, with all their flavor of the salty seas, and adventure, and storm and wreck, had much to do with the selection which the young Jessup made for his life business. He was mar- ried in 1855 to Miss Charlotte French, and is the father of seven children, Margaret C., Mary H., Agnes, Winfield, Isabel, Jolin and W. Cyrus.
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Captain Jessup was born and reared on a farm, but the tendencies of his sailor soul could not be shut up within its narrow limits. When he had reached the age of eighteen he secured a place on a whaling vessel for a voyage of one year, which took him into the Indian and Atlantic oceans. A second voyage was much more extensive, and carried him over large portions of the Atlantic. Pacific and Indians oceans and did not bring him home again until more than three years had ex- pired. The next ten years of his life were divided between the ocean and land, following which he was engaged on a merchant vessel plying be- tween New York City and London. In 1844 he served on board the whale ship "Manhattan," of Sag Harbor, the first American vessel to carry the American flag in Japan harbors.
Out of this crew of able-bodied men only two are now known to survive. In 1844, while serv- ing on the "Manhattan," Capt. Mercator Cooper, in the North Pacific Ocean, he assisted in res- cuing two shipwrecked crews; twenty-two Jap- anese sailors, and carried them to Jeddo, the cap- ital of Japan, the "Manhattan" being the first vessel to carry the American flag into a Japanese port.
In the spring of 1849 our subject was attracted by the tales of fabulous riches to be found in Cal- ifornia, and accordingly determined to try his hand there in picking up gold. He sailed for that distant land by water, and was six months on the way. When he arrived in San Francisco he found the requirements for a mining life and at once departed for the mining scenes, where for three years he was occupied in the endeavor to dig gold out of the earth. In this he was successful, much more than the majority of those he saw around him, and coming home in 1852, he located at West Hampton, and engaged in farming and fishing. Here he continued until 1868, when he was made captain of the life saving station at this place, and in this position he has served contin- uously unto the present day. The record of the service under his administration is a brilliant one, having rescued or assisted in rescuing more than four hundred shipwrecked persons from various vessels which had gone on the coast, or
were in positions of extreme peril. Captain Jes- sup is a Republican in his party affiliations, but is a broad-minded and liberal man, seeking honesty and character and ability above everything else in the candidates for whom he casts his vote.
I OHN H. YOUNGS. For twenty-five years our subject has been identified with the wel- fare of West Hampton Beach, and has been engaged during all that time in the occupation of a blacksmith. He was born in Moriches, this county, May 1, 1824, and is a son of David and Polly Maria (Petty) Youngs. The father, Capt. David Youngs, was born in 1780 in Moriches and was the son of David, who was the son of David, Sr. Grandfather David was a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church, and the great-grand- father was a minister in the same denomination. As he grew to manhood the father adopted a seafaring life, and after some years became the owner of two vessels, which he ran as trading ships between the north and south. On one of his trips south he contracted yellow fever, and died a victim of this dread disease, passing away in his forty-ninth year.
The progenitor of the Youngs family coming to this country from England was Rev. John Youngs, who emigrated hither in the seventeenth century, and after a residence of some two years in Connecticut, came to Southold and settled per- manently. His son, Benjamin, was the father of the Rev. David Youngs, before alluded to.
The subject of this sketch was five years of age at the time of his father's death, and later bound out to a family in East Hampton. There he grew to manhood, and the conditions of his life were such as to bring out sturdy manhood rather than ultra-refinement. His school days were lini- ited to little more than two years. After his six- teenth year 'he apprenticed himself to learn the blacksmithi's trade, in Bridgehampton, where he remained until reaching his majority. After spending a year with a brother in Jefferson, this state, he went to East Hampton and opened a
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shop, continuing in his business for twenty years.
In 1847 our subject removed to Fairmount, Martin County, but after a sojourn there of about three years he returned to West Hampton Beach, and here he has spent the better part of his life. He was married, May 24, 1849, to Miss Mary E. Mil- ler, of East Hampton. Eight children were born of this union, of whom the following still survive: Mrs. Mary A. Strong, who is the mother of five children; Catherine J., now Mrs. Zachariah Tay- lor, the mother of seven children; Ida J., who married Elihu Taylor and has two children; Hen- rietta M., the wife of Franklin W. Phillips and the mother of four children; Maria B., who is Mrs. F. C. Halsey and has four children; John D., who married Miss Jessie Jagger and has five children, and Mrs. Helen E. Raynor, the mother of two children.
Our subject's political affiliations are with the Democratic party. In his religious convictions he is a Methodist and has been since his nineteenth year. For many years past he has had a license as a local preacher and has been a Class-leader. He takes a leading part in all church work and is a good and conscientious Christian. He was for- merly a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, but as there is no lodge at West Hamp- ton, he has allowed his membership to lapse.
J ULIUS N. BURR. The family of which this well known resident of Kings Park is a member originated in England and was first represented in America during the seventeenth century. Between the years 1630 and 1640 three of this name crossed the Atlantic Ocean, in com- pany with other Puritan pioneers. Of these three, John Burr came with Governor Winthrop's fleet, and settled in Roxbury, Mass .; Benjamin (of whom our subject is a lineal descendant) was one of the founders of the city of Hartford, Conn., in 1635, and Rev. Jonathan was the founder of the Dorchester branch.
In tracing the genealogy the records show that a fourth member of the family, Henry Burr, an as-
sociate of William Penn, came with the Quakers to America, and, settling in New Jersey in 1681, founded that branch of the family. In the center of London, on Queens Square, near the British Museum, stands Burr's Hotel, which for the past forty years has been conducted by a relative of our subject. Another relative of the family is Carl S. Burr, the noted horse-trainer, and an own cousin of our subject's father. Aaron Burr, the talented but misguided and unfortunate man who attained prominence during the Revolution, also belonged to the same family.
The father of our subject, Maurice .A., was born at Commack, this county, August 11, 1822. and died June 22, 1889. In youth he learned the trade of a mason, which he followed in Commack until 1862, when he purchased a country home- stead, and this he resided upon until his death. ITis marriage united him, May 28, 1854, with Marietta Ruland, who was born in the town of Huntington and is still living, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Lillian Hart, of Northport. Six children were born of their union, namely: Julius N., Mortaville M., Isabelle C., deceased: Mary E., deceased; Lillian, and Alice L., deceased.
Our subject's grandfather, John Burr, was born at Commack, and in 1810 was married to Sybil Arthur, by whom he had a family of twelve chil- dren. His life was uneventfully passed on a farm in the town of Huntington, where he was engaged energetically in his chosen occupation. The famn- ily has been one of considerable influence, and its members have been known as people of upright character and broad intelligence.
In Commack, town of Huntington, the subject of this sketch was born, August 17, 1850, and he grew to manhood under the parental roof, gaining a common-school education in the neighborhood. During boyhood much of his time was spent on the water, engaged in the coasting trade. In childhood he accompanied his parents to the place where he has since resided, and which he now owns., February 21, ISS8, he was united in mar- riage with Miss Margaret M., daughter of John W. and Margaret (Tate) Reid, whom she accom- panied from her native city, Edinburgh, Scotland, to this country in childhood, settling with them
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in Brooklyn. She grew to womanhood in Brook- lyn, and still holds membership in the Ross Street Presbyterian Church of that place. Two children bless the union, the elder of whom, Maurice A., was born August 4, 1890, and died February 6, 1894; the younger, Agatha W., was born Septem- ber 22, 1895.
Mr. Burr is chiefly known by his connection with the Sound View Hotel at Kings Park, of which he is proprietor. This hotel is beautifully located on the beach of the Sound, two miles north of the station of Kings Park, and near the St. Johnland Home and the Long Island State Hospital. The location is one of the most at- tractive on the island, and the hotel, which Mr. Burr has conducted since 1884, is well known among summer visitors to the island. In 1889 he remodeled the place and arranged it for the ac- commodation of a larger number of guests. In this business lie has met with success, and his hotel has gained a wide reputation for the excel- lence of its service.
Taking an active interest in public affairs, Mr. Burr is a Democrat in politics and a stanch advo- cate of the platform of that party. For seven years he has held the office of Trustee. In 1895 he was elected Collector for the town, which position he now holds. The preceding year he served as a delegate to the county convention, and has fre- quently been delegate to town conventions. So- cially a Mason, he belongs to Alcyone Lodge No. 695, at Northport.
the vacation season the pleasant associations of childhood years.
The family of which Professor Edwards is a member consisted of four children, of whom the eldest, Elizabeth Blanche, resides with her mother; George V. is next in order of birth; James Irving, the younger son, married Lillie Vail, and they reside in Riverhead, where he is employed as an engineer; the younger sister, Jane, died in her second year. The father, Jere- miah M. Edwards, was born in Sayville and was a prominent druggist of Riverhead for many years, being a man of means and very popular among his fellow-citizens. As a local Democratic poli- tician he was well known, and was also highly re- garded in Masonic circles, being an officer in the order. He served as Director in the Riverhead Savings Bank, in addition to being connected with other local enterprises. In the work of the Congregational Church he maintained great in- terest, and was a teacher in the Sunday-school until his death, in 1879.
The grandfather of our subject, Capt. James M. Edwards, was a native of Sayville, and in early and middle life was a seafaring man; his father, Matthew, also a native of Sayville, owned an ex- tensive farm, and was the son of John Edwards, who was in the French and Indian War about Ticonderoga, in 1758. The Professor's mother, Susan, was a daughter of Charles Vail, and was born in this village, where hier family was among the pioneer settlers. She is still living near the old homestead, and our subject makes his home with hier when not engaged in college work.
Professor Edwards started out in life with one great purpose in mind, and that was to become an instructor in some great institution of learning ; this ambition was before him all through his school life, and he diligently applied himself to his studies for the sake of accomplishing his hopes. His early education was obtained in the village schools, and in 1833 he graduated from the Union School. At Franklinville Academy, an institution that has turned out many influential and prominent men, he prepared for Hamilton College, which he entered in 1887, and from
P ROF. GEORGE V. EDWARDS. One of the Riverhead "boys" of whom its people are justly proud is the gentleman whose name appears above, and who is at present filling the position of Professor of Latin in Union Col- lege, at Schenectady. Though still quite young, having been born November 17, 1868, he has at- 1 tained a knowledge of the classics and general his- tory and literature of which an older man might 1 well be proud. In this village, where he was born, he still makes his summer home, renewing during ; which he graduated in 1891 with high honors.
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He was a special student in Latin at Cornell Uni- versity for one year, and afterward spent two years similarly occupied in the Johns Hopkins University. He was at once called to Union Col- lege to be instructor in Latin, a position for which he is well fitted, and the ambition of his school days is thus early accomplished. His qualifica- tions are such that he will undoubtedly be called to higher positions of honor in the educational world as the years pass by. Personally he sus- tains the highest character, being a member of the Congregational Church and of the choir, as well as holding a high position in the best social circles of the community.
C APT. GEORGE S. HODGKINSON, a resident of Smithtown, was born April 13, 1832, in the town of Brook Haven. His parents moved to Smithtown, however, soon afterward, and the greater part of his life has been spent in this place. He is a son of William and Elizabeth (Smith) Hodgkinson, the former a na- tive of the State of New Jersey and the latter a native of Smithtown. She was a daughter of Jonas Smith, a member of an old family here and an extensive land-owner at St. James.
The father of our subject was a man of means, and on coming to this place married and pur- chased a liome at St. James, making it his home the remainder of his life. He engaged in no ac- tive pursuit or occupation, and his was a life of ease. In his family were five children, four sons and one daughter, of whom our subject is the eldest. George attended the common schools until fourteen years of age, when his father died. Our subject then had a great desire to go to sea, unmindful of what position he might be obliged to take, and first sailed as cook and cabin boy. His first voyage was on the coasting sloop "Eagle." At the age of sixteen he went before the mast on the schooner "Eurania" and rounded the Horn on a voyage to California during the gold excite- ment. The boat touched at the Sandwich Islands and for two years they engaged in the Pacific
coasting trade, their principal points being San Francisco, the Sandwich Islands, Portland and Columbia.
After this Pacific experience Captain Hodg- kinson returned home, but soon after shipped as first mate on the sloop "Thomas B. Hankins." which was engaged in trade on the Atlantic coast. After spending six months the vessel was lost and he then shipped as mate of the "Charles D. Hallock," which was also engaged in the coast- ing trade. After three months' service on that vessel, at the request of the crew, he was made captain. During the following three years he was interested in the coasting trade, and in 1860 was given command of a brig. From Mobile, Ala., he made a voyage to Glasgow, Scotland. with a cargo of cotton, thence took a general cargo to Rio Janeiro, Brazil, and from there a cargo of coffee to San Francisco around the Horn. Again our subject coasted for a year from San Francisco to Puget Sound and various British points. In 1863 he sold the vessel and returned by the isthmus to his home after an absence of three years.
In 1865 our subject shipped as mate with his brother-in-law, Capt. George W. Smith, to Mo- bile, and during that voyage the latter was swept overboard by a hurricane and lost. Since that time Captain Hodgkinson has been almost con- stantly engaged in foreign voyaging, visiting nearly every South American and European port. The seas have been kind to him with but one ex- ception, when he was shipwrecked on the Ca- nary Islands. His vessel was anchored in the open ocean off the coast and during a storm broke cable and was driven ashore on the rocks. Al- though the vessel was lost, all hands on board were fortunately saved.
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