USA > New York > Suffolk County > Portrait and biographical record of Suffolk county (Long Island) New York, Pt. 2 > Part 62
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The subject of this sketch had the usual school
privileges of the children of those days, and while it was not very extensive in the direction of the purely classical and more ornamental studie-, it was very thorough as a practical and busine, training for life. After his school days had passed. Mr. Halsey remained at home with his father for several years, having charge of the old far:n. When his father died, lie sold the farin to Cap :. Augustus Halsey, and removed to the town of Bridgehampton, where he purchased a place oi twelve acres, located within the limits of the vil- lage, and here he has since remained. He is a man of steady habits, and unusual continuit .. having made but one change during a long andl active life.
October 14, 1862, Miss Agnes, daughter of Capt. John and Amanda (White) Bishop, became our subject's wife. There have been no children born of this marriage. Captain Bishop was a na- tive of the town of Southampton, and had fol- lowed the sea for many years. In politics he ha- been a Republican during the past quarter of a century, and in religion has affiliated with the. Presbyterian Church, having long been a memb .: of that ancient and honorable body.
H ON. NATHANIEL S. ACKERLY, W ... is one of the able and representative 1?'("! of Suffolk County, commenced the pr .... tice of the legal profession at Northport in ING. and lias since been recognized as one of the ?!: Auential attorneys of this section. He was In -.: May 29, 1843, and is a son of Samuel and Lucin : : (Scudder) Ackerly, both natives of this place .. where the father engaged in agricultura! | .. : suits. Edmund Scudder, the great-grandiather : Mr. Ackerly, on his mother's side, was a solder in the Revolutionary,War, during which con? . he was taken prisoner by the British and heh! . . a time on tire prison ship in New York Har' The Ackerlys are descended from a family 1. . . resident in IIaddam, Conn., the first of the : . in America having come over from Englan 1 .. after the arrival of the "Mayflower."
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Reared on his father's farm, the subject of this sketch was early accustomed to the duties inci- dent to an agricultural life. He attended the dis- trict schools and continued at home until 1861. After the first battle of Bull Run, when the en- thusiasm and patriotism of all loyal supporters of the Government ran high, he enlisted in the Union Army, joining Company K of the Forty- eighth Regiment, New York State Volunteers, in July of that year, and following for many months the fortunes of that gallant body of men. In July, 1863, he lost his left arm in a charge on battery at Wagner, Morris Island, S. C., and'be- cause of this disability he was discharged from the service, November 16, 1863. He was awarded a medal for gallant and meritorious conduct in battle, receiving it from the hands of his com- mander, L. A. Gillmore. Even yet, at this distant day, his blood warms when in a reminiscent mood he reviews the action on the field where he was a participant. He was ever in the thick of the fight and did good service at Helton Head and in the siege of Pulaski.
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After returning home from the war, Mr. Ack- erly entered the Normal School at Albany, from which he graduated. For a time he read law with Hon. J. Lawrence Smith, a well known lawyer of Smithtown Branch, and was graduated from the Albany Law School. Afterward he was prin- cipal of schools at Kingston, N. Y., for one and a half years. He practiced law alone until 1892, when the present firm of Ackerly & Miles was or- ganized. A Republican in politics, Mr. Ackerly has ever been actively interested in matters of local interest, as well as national affairs. He was elected front the First Congressional District to the Constitutional Convention which convened in May, 1894. While a member of that convention, tary Offices, also the Committee on Industrial In- terests, being an industrions and influential mem- · ber of that body. Naturally of a logical turn of mind, no legal proposition is so complicated tliat his clear, far-siglited reasoning cannot untangle it. As a lawyer lie is recognized as one of the in- fluential members of the Bar of this county.
Y., Mr. Ackerly married Miss Mary M. Davis, daugliter of Hiram and Jane (Wood) Davis. They have six children, namely: Grace, wife of Henry D. Kerr, of Smithtown, and mother of two chil- dren, Nathaniel and Mack; S. LeRoy, who is a law student and a graduate of the Wesleyan Uni- versity, Middletown, Conn .; Natalie M., H. Davi -. Edna and Jennie Burton. Mr. Ackerly is a Trustee of the village. He is largely interested in oyster culture and was one of the first to engage in artificial culture in New York State. Recently he became interested at Point Lookout, on the Potomac River in Maryland, which he consider; a splendid field for future development in oyster culture. He took an active part in framing and having passed state laws granting land for the de- velopment of oyster interests and also for the pro- tection of those who were engaged in the busi- ness. This he considers an important factor in establishing a good basis for this ever-increasing industry.
D AVID BENDHEIM, a prominent cigar dealer and manufacturer, was born in Darmstadt, Germany, December 15. 1848, and was the son of Heyman and Mina (Bergstraeser) Bendheim. The father of our sub- ject was engaged in the dry goods business. and having ample resources he gave young David an education that was much beyond the run of the youth of this city. He was proficient in Latin. French, and other higher studies, and was es pecially efficient in French, writing and speaking that language readily.
As he had planned to come to this country, Mr. Bendheim took instruction in English at an Eng-
he served on the Committee on Militia and Mili- . lish institute at his native place, so that when he landed in New York he was able to command a good position in a large importing house there. as he could speak and write readily the three great languages of the modern commercial world, Eng- lish, German and French. That he might become more perfectly familiar with the customs and habits of the business world on this side the ocean. June 29, 1870, at Kingston, Ulster County, N. he took a special course in the business college
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of Bryant & Stratton, doing his studying in the evening after his work for the day was done.
Mr. Bendheim felt that he was now able to do for himself, and inaugurated a business in the cigar trade, both wholesale and retail, and contin- ued in this line until 1882, when he determined to manufacture his own goods. He kept the office in New York, where he had sold cigars for so many years, until the year 1885, when lie re- moved his entire business to Breslau, where he has maintained it to the present time. It has great- ly grown under his fostering care, and he is now putting out more than a million cigars a year, and gives employment to about thirty-five hands. Our subject has taken out naturalization papers. For a time he affiliated with the Democratic party, but now holds himself entirely independent. At one time he was a Mason, but at present does not take an active part in that society. He is also an honorary member of the Liberty Hose Company, in Babylon.
N ATHANIEL MILLER is one of the thrifty and substantial farmers of the town of Brook Haven, where he has passed the eighty years of his life. Personally he bears a high reputation for honorable and upright deal- ings with his fellow-men, and is always found in the front rank in works of improvement and pub- lic benefit.
Mr. Miller was born in Brook Haven, near where he now resides, September 15, 1815, the son of Dr. Nathaniel and Sarah (Havens) Miller, the former of whom was born at East Hampton, April 17, 1783. He was in turn the son of Elisha and Abigail Miller. His academic education was acquired in Clinton Academy, and when ready to prosecute his medical studies, he entered the New York Medical College, from which he was graduated. His practice as a physician in this place began in 1812 and ended in 1836. He was a prominent man and an acknowledged authori- ty among the physicians of his day. In 1818 he was elected a member of the General Assembly, and again in 1849, and while a member of that
body was the means of pushing forward many measures which were of benefit to his constit- uents. His wife was Sarah, daughter of Capt. John Havens, of Moriches. To them were born seven children, all of whom were living at the time of his death. They were named respectively. Nathaniel, Mary A., Caroline E., Jerusha K., Sarah, Laura C. and Julia. Those now living be- sides our subject are Jerusha, a resident of Port Jervis, N. Y., and Sarah, who makes her home in New York City. Dr. Miller departed this life May 7, 1863, and his estimable wife closed her eyes in death in October of the same year.
The subject of this sketch attended the district school in his youth, after which he was sent to a boarding school, where he prosecuted his studies in the higher branches. He remained under the parental roof until the age of eighteen, when lie clerked for a time, and then went to New York City and obtained a fine practical business edu- cation. In 1837 we find him in Florida, and for the following eight years he remained in the South. At the expiration of that time lie re- turned to New York City and engaged in busi- ness, but soon, owing to failing health and his dislike of city life, he went West to California This journey was undertaken in 1848, and to Mr. Miller is given the distinction of erecting the first building on Battery Street, San Francisco. H. was one of the organizers of the first vigilant com mittee in that city, and in numerous other way. he was found in the front rank in the work of improving the city.
In 1853 Mr. Miller returned to his native state and since that time has made his home in Sui folk County, where he has been actively engaged! in agricultural pursuits until within the last ic years, wlien, on account of old age, he lias Sie1 the work of running the farm over to youn .f hands and is exempt from labor. He is honer able in all his dealings with his fellows and in been faithful to every trust reposed in him. H. has been administrator to perhaps thirty ost.r. : the past forty years, and although now well .. vanced in life, has under his charge several .... estates which he is settling up.
In 1853 Mr. Miller was united in marriage w.
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Miss Ellen, daughter of Capt. Samuel Carman, a . prominent and worthy citizen of the town of Brook Haven. Eight children came to bless their union, of whom three now survive, viz: Frank. engaged in business in New York City; Clinton, a citizen of the town of Brook Haven, and George, at home with his parents. Mrs. Miller is a de- voted member of the Presbyterian Church, while her good husband holds membership with the Episcopal denomination, which he is serving in the official capacity of Trustee. In politics lie is a Democrat and an ardent admirer of Grover Cleveland. He has creditably served as Super- visor of his town, holding the office until he ab- solutely refused to longer serve. His son Clinton is at present the efficient Collector of the town, having been elected to this position by a hand- some majority, although the town was largely Re- publican. Thie Miller family is among the oldest and most prominent of Long Island, and we are greatly pleased to be able to herewith present this popular representative to our readers.
C LIFFORD B. ACKERLY, Secretary of the Riverhead Savings Bank, and one of the reliable men of the county, is a native of Patchogue, in Brook Haven Town. He is the third son of Samuel Ackerly and Charlotte Bur- nell, and was born May 26, 1851. The Ackeriy family have been residents of the town of Brook Haven since its settlement in 1655. The ancestor of the family, Robert Ackerly, was one of the colonists in the settlement at Southold in 1640.
The subject of this sketch removed with his parents to Brooklyn when he was twelve years of age. He attended the public schools in Patchogue and Brooklyn until he was seventeen years old, when he began business life as bookkeeper for the old and well-known firm of shipbuilders, John Englis & Son, with whom he remained five years, during which period he spent a good portion of his evenings in study and attending school. At twenty-two years of age broken health compelled
his abandoning office work, and nearly two years were spent in recovering his health.
In 1875 Mr. Ackerly came to Riverhead to at- tend to the work in the savings bank, his brother, Orville B. Ackerly, who had been chosen Secre- tary of the bank at its organization in 1872, being fully occupied with his duties in the County Clerk's office. Until our subject came to River- head the bank was opened for business but once a week and for three hours only. The institution was then in its infancy, having but $130,000 in assets. He was soon promoted to be Secretary. and for twenty years all his efforts have been de- voted to making this one of the most successful savings banks in the state. It is universally rec- ognized that he has largely helped in achieving this result. A savings bank in a rural county. starting with nothing but the good name and worthy ambition of its trustees, and accumulating resources amounting to more than $2,000,000 in about twenty-three years, is an institution of which its founders may well be proud. The management must be sound and the confidence of the public assured when such a record is made. During all this time Mr. Ackerly has been inti- mately associated in its management with the leading business men of the town, and the details of its business, with the care of its investments, have been largely under his control. He has won and retains the confidence of his board of trustees and the community generally.
The substantial stone and brick building, owned and occupied by the bank, was planned largely according to Mr. Ackerly's suggestions, and is. without doubt, the finest business structure on Long Island outside of Brooklyn. The Suffolk County National Bank and the postoffice are also located in this building, while the two upper stories are fitted and rented for offices and lodge rooms. Mr. Ackerly was one of the originators of the Suffolk County National Bank, organized in 1889, and is its Vice-President. The success of this bank is flattering to its managers.
Mr. Ackerly's friends may well feel proud of his standing in the financial world and in the con- munity. He has won it by deserving it. Ener- ! getic, honest, and courteous with all, he is a faith-
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ful public-spirited official and thorough in all his duties. Indifferent to mere honors, and opposed to shanis and hypocrisies, he is of a retiring dis- position and domestic in his tastes.
In 1878 Mr. Ackerly was married to Miss Addie Howell, only daughter of Deacon J. Chauncey Howell, of Riverhead. Their home is opposite the Congregational Church and is cheered by the presence of two daughters, Flor- ence and Ruth. It is regarded as one of the happy households of the village. The family are members of the Congregational Church, Mr. Ack- erly being Treasurer and one of the Trustees. He is also Treasurer and a Trustee of the River- hicad Cemetery Association. Although of an in- dependent temperament, Mr. Ackerly has al- ways been a Republican in politics.
L EWIS W. KORN. Among the younger business men of Southold our subject fig- ures very prominently, being here located as a merchant. He is a native of his present place of residence, and was born not far from the site of his present store, March 17, 1863. His father, John Korn, was born in Germany and came to America when quite a young man. He first lo- cated at New Haven, remaining there a year, and later came to Southold. which he made his head- quarters as a business point, running a dry goods wagon. He is now engaged in farming.
Our subject's mother was also born in Ger- many. Besides the son of whom we write, she was the mother of two sons and four daughters: John is a farmer in Montana, where he has been located for several years; Carrie is the widow of H. H. Lewis and resides in Southold; Emma, Mary and Anna are young ladies, the latter being a student in the State Normal School. One of the sons died in youth.
Mr. Korn received a good common-school ed- ucation in his native place, and finished at the Southold Academy. After completing his edu- cational course he was engaged as a clerk for two years in a grocery store; later formed a partner- .
ship with Frank Meyer and engaged in the gro- cery business. At the end of a year, however, the firm was dissolved, and since that time Mr. Korn has carried on business by himself. His career ?- a business man has been marked by indefatigable. energy and constancy to the interest at hand. When he began he had no means of his own, but borrowed $300 of his father. He was soon able to pay it back, however, and a handsome balance was left to carry on his own affairs. He has now operated for himself for eleven years, and during that time has been very successful. When but twenty-one years of age he was appointed In spector of Elections, which office he filled for three years, and for five years he served as Town Clerk. He takes great pride in the fire depart- ment of Southold, which is well organized and thoroughly drilled. He is the assistant chief of this department, and has also been its chief. Frater- nally he is Past Noble Grand of the Odd Fellow -, and now serves as Secretary of the lodge. He and his family are worshipers with the Methodist de- nomination of the place. He is a Trustee of the church and a loyal member.
Our subject was married in the fall of 1890, his bride being Miss Agnes Terry, daughter of the late Franklin Terry. Their wedded life has been marked by sunshine and shadow, for they have had one little daughter, upon whom was bestowed the sweet name, Viola May. On attaining the age of three years God took her to Himself. This was a great blow to the young parents.
T HE BLYDENBURGH FAMILY. I-ane Blydenburgh, great-grandson of Joseph Blydenburgh, the first settler of that name in Smithtown, was born on the Blydenburgh place at the Branch inr 1775. He married Su-an nah Smith, daughter of Job Smith, and moved to Bushey Neck. . In 1798 he built the mill and dam at New Mills, in connection with Caleb Smith andi Judge Joshua Smith, whose interests therein and his sons, Richard and Isaac W., afterward . quired. In 1821 he removed to the house on tin
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hill, at the end of the Neck, which he built in that year and where he died in 1858. His children were: Ebenezer, Richard, Elizabeth, wife of George Phillips; Isaac W., and Rath, wife of Tim- othy Smith.
Richard Blydenburgh, son of the foregoing, was born in 1798 and married Ruth, daughter of Judge Joshua Smith, of Hauppauge. In 1827 he, with his brother, Isaac W., built a woolen fac- tory at New Mills, which they operated for many years. Richard succeeded his father and brother, Isaac W., in the ownership of the mills and water rights at New Mills, where he died in 1873. He was long a prominent and generous member of the Presbyterian Church at the Branch. Of his children only Benjamin Brewster and Alma Ame- lia, wife of Maj. John Greenville McNeel, of .
Texas, lived to maturity.
The, mills and water rights passed to his son, Benjamin Brewster, who was born in 1821 in the house of his grandfather, Judge Joshua Smith, at Hauppauge. Most of his life was passed in busi- ness in New York. In 1870 he inherited his grandfather's house on Bushey Neck, where he then took up his residence and where he died in 1892. He married Mary Duryee, daughter of John H. Brown, of New York. His children were: John B., Amelia, Anna B., wife of Theron L. Smith; Charles E., who married Isabel Can- non; Henry D., who married Mary Wardwell; Benjamin B., and Morgan B., who married Lucy M. Slade. . The mills and property at New Mills are owned by his eldest son, John B., who is a merchant in New York, and his youngest son, Morgan B., now occupies the old place.
G EORGE WHALEY. In mentioning those of foreign birth who have become closely associated with the business in- terests of this county and state, we should not fail to present an outline of the career of Mr. Whaley, for he is one of those who have fully borne out the reputation of that class of indus- trious and energetic men of Irish nativity who
have risen to prominence in different portions of the country. Mr. Whaley is now one of the hon- ored citizens of East Moriches and is living on a beautiful place to which he retired several years ago after a successful business career in the city of Brooklyn.
Our subject was born August 17, 1817, his pa- rents being Daniel and Elizabeth Whaley. also born in Ireland, where they were content to pass their entire lives. George spent his early life in his native land, and during his boyhoodl days at- tended regularly the district school. He was a young man possessed of much energy and am- bition, and on attaining his twenty-ninth year he determined to try his fortunes in America, of which he had heard so much. Accordingly in 1846 he bade farewell to parents and friends and set sail for the United States. He was ambitious to accumulate money, and during his twenty years' residence in New York City had his fondest wishes realized in this respect.
May 2, 1870, Mr. Whaley decided to seek a more quiet city of residence, and purchasing a place in East Moriches, moved here with his fam- ily. Until being afflicted, about four years ago, he was one of its most active citizens in public af- fairs, supporting all enterprises tending toward the improvement of his community and giving lib- erally of his means to schools and churches, and was one of its foremost men. During his younger years he enjoyed perfect health, and it is safe to say that he would have been robust for the re- mainder of his life had he not been afflicted with la grippe in 1891. This left him in a very weak and nervous state, so that he was unable to fully recover from the paralytic stroke which soon. fol- lowėd.
August 9, 1849, Mr. Whaley was married to Miss Dunlap, the daughter of William and Eliza Dunlap, also for many years residents of Ireland, of which place they were natives. Mrs. Dunlap came to America after the decease of her hus- band, and in New York City her daughter was married to our subject. Their union resulted in the birth of eight children, four of whom are de- ceased. Those living are, respectively, Willian, a resident of New York City; George, who makes
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his home in East Moriches; Maggie, whose home is in Brooklyn, of which city Albert is also a resi- dent.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Whaley are worthy mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church. In politics the former is identified with the Republican party, but takes no part in politics and has never held office.
C APT. GEORGE W. ROBINSON. It is a pleasure to chronicle the history of a man whose life has been one of honor and usefulness, and although he has passed the zenith of his career Capt. George W. Robinson enjoys to the fullest extent the comforts of a home that is made beautiful by the sweet spirit of kindliness and mutual appreciation among the members of the family. He is a most worthy and respected resident of Patchogue, and was born upon the place where he now resides July 4, 1827. His parents, Joseph and Abigail (Tuttle) Robinson, were natives of Suffolk County and here most of their lives were spent, although the father was a sailor. He marketed wood in the city of New York and carried the same by sloops from Long Island to that point. He died in 1874, after an industrious and active life of over eighty-two years, and his most estimable companion sur- vived him but six weeks. She was also over eighty years old.
During his youth our subject received but lim- ited educational advantages, attending the district school for a short time, and remained under the parental roof until eighteen years old. He then went to sea and became a sailor before the mast. Three and a half years later he took charge of a packet between New York City and Charleston, S. C., and was master of a vessel for more than twenty years. He was master of one of the larg- est schooners on the water for that day, its ca- pacity being between three hundred and four hun- dred tons. In the year 1857 the Captain married Miss Georgiana Rogers, daughter of Jesse Rog- ers, who was a pioneer settler of Suffolk County
and who is still living at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. The four children born to Captain Robinson and wife were as follows: Lil- lie Bell, wife of Joseph Bailey, a prominent lum- berman of Patchogue; Ella Gertrude, the wife of Gelston G. Roe, owner of Roe's Hotel at Pateli- ogue; George L., a prominent attorney of New York City, and Joseph J., a graduate of Lafay- ette College, in Eastern Pennsylvania: he is also a graduate of the New York Law School and is now practicing law in the office of Morgan, Whit- on & Mitchell, No. 41 Park Row, New York City. Mrs. Robinson is a worthy member of the Con- gregational Church and her husband is a believer in that doctrine. In politics he adheres to the principles of the Democratic party and is a man well liked by all for his sterling qualities. He has served in the capacity of Road Commissioner and has held other local positions.
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