USA > New York > New York City > Prominent families of New York; being an account in biographical form of individuals and families distinguished as representatives of the social, professional and civic life of New York city > Part 36
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107
Judge Haley Fiske, 1793-1877, grandfather of Mr. Haley Fiske, was the son of Ensign Squire and Amey (Lapham) Fiske. In the War of 1812, he raised a company of troops of which he was Lieutenant. He was a civil engineer and had charge of the building of the lower locks of the Delaware & Raritan Canal. For more than thirty-five years, he was a justice of the peace and was a close friend of Henry Clay. He married, in 1815, Judith Qureau, who was born in 1801 and died in 1865. The father of Mr. Haley Fiske was William Henry Fiske, who was born in Yonkers, N. Y., in 1818 and died in 1892. He was an accomplished civil engineer, and in the period immediately following the Civil War was connected with the street department of the City of New York. His wife, whom he married in New York in 1840, was Sarah Ann Blakeney, who was born in 1818 and died in 1884.
Mr. Haley Fiske was born in New Brunswick, N. J., March 18th, 1852. Educated in Rutgers College, he was graduated in the class of 1871 and studied law in the office of Arnoux, Ritch & Woodford, becoming a partner in that firm. He had a successful career at the bar, being engaged in some of the most important cases of the present generation, his last appearance as an attorney being in the Fayerweather will contest. In 1891, he gave up his legal pursuits to take the position of vice-president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and has since been engaged in that business. Other interests have commanded his attention and he has been a director in various corporations, including the Metropolitan Trust Company and the National Shoe and Leather Bank. He is treasurer of the Church of St. Mary, the Virgin.
The first wife of Mr. Fiske, whom he married in 1878, was Mary Garrettina Mulford, who died in 1886. His second wife was Marione Cowles Cushman. His children are Helen Fiske, who was born in 1884; Archibald Falconer Cushman Fiske, who was born in 1888, and Marione Virginia Fiske, born in 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Fiske live in Riverside Drive, at the corner of Seventy-sixth Street. He is a member of the Players, Grolier, City, Church and A ¢ clubs and the Bar Association.
216
LOUIS FITZGERALD
B ORN in New York, May 31st, 1838, General Louis Fitzgerald has been thoroughly identified with the metropolis during a long and active public and business career, and has been especially distinguished for his brilliant military service to the State and the country. After receiving a thorough education in public and private schools, he engaged in business and promptly identified himself with the militia. In 1857, he became a member of New York's famous Seventh Regiment, and since then his military service has been unbroken down to the present time, a period of forty years.
When the Seventh Regiment was summoned, in 1861, to march to the front in defense of the City of Washington from the invading Confederate forces, Private Fitzgerald was among those who went at the country's call. After the temporary term of service for which the regiment had been summoned had expired, he entered the Union Army as a volunteer, being commissioned First Lieutenant in the Eleventh New York Infantry. Participating in the first battle of Bull Run, he displayed special gallantry on the field and won his commission as Captain. After the disbandment of that regiment he became First Lieutenant in the Fortieth New York Infantry, and was again promoted to be Captain for gallant services at the battle of Fair Oaks. During the Peninsular Campaign, he served as Provost Marshal and aide-de-camp on the staff of Major-General Philip Kearny. For his bravery in this campaign, he won the honor of wearing the Kearny Cross, being one of the few officers entitled to that distinction. Subsequently he was aide-de-camp to Major-General D. B. Birney, commanding the Third Corps, and was afterwards attached to the staff of Major-General J. G. Foster, commanding the Eighteenth Corps. In 1864, he was advanced to rank of Major and subse- quently Lieutenant-Colonel of the First Mississippi Regiment. When peace had been declared, he retired from the army, bearing wounds received at Bull Run, Williamsburg and Fair Oaks.
Returning to New York, his bravery and brilliant service upon the field of battle was further rewarded by a commission as brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in the National Guard of the State of New York. His love for his old regiment brought him into the ranks again and he rejoined the Seventh, being appointed Regimental Adjutant. In 1875, he became Lieutenant- Colonel of the Seventh and held that position for the next seven years. His reputation as a tactitian and disciplinarian had in these years brought him into notice as one of the most earnest and efficient officers of the State National Guard, and [in 1882 he was commis- sioned Brigadier-General of the First Brigade of the State of New York, comprising the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth, Twenty-Second, Sixty-Ninth and Seventy-First Regiments, the First and Second Batteries of Artillery, and Squadron A of Cavalry. During the fifteen years that he has been at the head of the brigade, his command has developed in effectiveness, until it stands second to no other militia organization in the country and compares favorably with regular troops.
In the business world, General Fitzgerald has been interested in large and important financial affairs. For many years he has been president of the Mercantile Trust Company. He is one of the leading financiers of Wall Street and has taken an active part in the reorgani- zation of the affairs of some of the most important railroad corporations of the country. In 1872, General Fitzgerald married Gelyna, youngest daughter of William S. Ver Planck, and granddaughter of Gulian C. Ver Planck. They have four children: Geraldine, who in 1896 married Ernest R. Adee, son of the late George T. Adee; Louis, Jr., Adelaide and Eleanor, who are unmarried. The residence of the family is in Lexington Avenue and they have summer homes at Seabright, N. J., and at Garrison-on-the-Hudson. General Fitzgerald is a member of the Union, University, Metropolitan, United Service, Lawyers', Princeton and West- minster Kennel clubs, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, the Society of Colonial Wars and the American Geographical Society, and is a patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
217
CHARLES RANLETT FLINT
T HOMAS FLINT, who came from Wales in 1642 and settled in that part of Salem, Mass., now known as South Danvers, was the ancestor of Mr. Charles R. Flint. The latter's father was Benjamin Flint, who married Sarah Tobey, and during his earlier career was a shipowner in Thomaston, Me. In 1858, he removed to New York and became prominent in com- mercial life, residing in Brooklyn. Mr. Charles Ranlett Flint, son of Benjamin Flint, was born in Thomaston, January 24th, 1850. He was educated in his native place, in Topsham, Me., and in Brooklyn, and graduated from the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, being president of his class and later of the Alumni Association.
Entering business life, Mr. Flint became a partner in Gilchrist, Flint & Co. in 1871, and in 1872 was one of the founders and partners of W. R. Grace & Co. In 1874, he traveled in South America and afterwards paid a second visit to Brazil. In 1878, he organized the Export Lumber Company, Limited, and in 1885 became a partner with his father and his brother, Wallace B. Flint, in the firm of Flint & Co. Later on, he brought about a consolidation of exporting interests under the title of Flint, Eddy & Co., the houses of which he is the head being in the front rank of Ameri- can exporters and merchants of the present day. In 1892, Mr. Flint originated the United States Rubber Company and is its treasurer.
In a public capacity, Mr. Flint has been Consul of Chili in New York and Acting Chargé d'Affaires of that country to the United States, Consul of Nicaragua and Consul General of Costa Rica. In 1889-90, he was a delegate to the Conference of American Republics in Washington and, owing to his knowledge of South American affairs, was an important factor in that gathering. Secretary of State Blaine, in a letter to Mr. Flint, said: " Your services are so valuable, that we need you every hour. Though your large business interests demand your attention just now, it must be patriotism first and business afterwards." Mr. Flint proposed the organization of the Bureau of American Republics, to carry out the vote of the conference for uniform statistics and the extension of trade between the Americas. Later on, Mr. Flint was confidential agent of the United States in negotiating a reciprocity treaty with Brazil, which became the basis for treaties with other South American States and Spain. At the time of threatened trouble between this country and Chili, through his efforts the mediation of Brazil was offered. When an attempt was made to reestablish the monarchy in Brazil, Minister Mendonça, representing President Piexoto, empowered Mr. Flint to procure vessels and munitions of war in the United States for the constitutional government, and through his energy Ericsson's Destroyer, and the two fast yachts, Feiseen and Javelin, converted into torpedo boats, and the steamships, El Cid and Britannia, changed to armed cruisers under the names of the Nictheroy and America, were placed at the service of the Republic of Brazil.
Mr. Flint is connected with many financial institutions, being a director of the National Bank of the Republic, the State Trust Company, the Knickerbocker Trust Company and the Produce Exchange Bank. He has also been identified with other corporate interests and is one of the coun- cil of the New York University. In spite of his many business cares, he maintains an active interest in outdoor recreations and habitually spends one day each week with either rod or gun. He has hunted in Canada, the Rocky Mountains and South America, and has killed nearly every variety of big game found in the two Western Continents. He is also a prominent yachtsman and was owner of the Gracie, which probably won more prizes than any yacht in the United States. He was a member of the syndicate which built and raced the Vigilant in the contests for the America cup against the Valkyrie. He is a member of the Union, Riding, Metropolitan and South Side Sportsmen's clubs, the New York, Seawanhaka-Corinthian, and Larchmont Yacht clubs, the New England Society and the Century Association.
In 1883, Mr. Flint married E. Kate Simmons, daughter of Joseph F. Simmons, of Troy, N. Y. Mrs. Flint possesses marked musical ability. She has devoted the receipts of her musi- cal compositions to charity, and with one of them endowed a bed in St. Luke's Hospital.
218
ROSWELL PETTIBONE FLOWER
T HE progenitor of the Flower family in America was Lamrock Flower, who was born in Ireland in 1660, and coming to America in 1685 settled in Hartford, Conn. He had a son, Lamrock, whose son Elijah removed to New Hartford, and married Abigail Seymour. George Flower, son of Elijah Flower, was born in New Hartford in 1760, became one of the early settlers of Oakhill, Greene County, N. Y., and married Roxaline Crowe, of New Hartford, who was of French descent, her ancestors having emigrated from Alsace. They had a family of ten children, one of whom, Nathan M. Flower, born in 1796, married Mary Ann, daughter of Thomas Boyle, the builder of the first water-works in New York City. Nathan M. Flower went into business, in Springfield, N. Y., and afterwards in a settlement on Indian River, in Jefferson County, which became the village of Theresa. He was a Justice of the Peace there for fourteen years.
Mr. Roswell Pettibone Flower, the sixth of the nine children of Nathan M. and Mary Ann Flower, was born August 7th, 1835. His father died when he was only eight years of age, but he secured a good education, became a teacher, engaged in business, and finally became assistant postmaster of Watertown, the county seat of Jefferson County. A few years later he established himself as a jeweler and was very successful. Meantime, he kept up an extended course of reading in law and political history, and as a result was well fitted for the responsibilities which devolved upon him later.
In 1859, he married Sarah M. Woodruff, daughter of Norris M. Woodruff, of New Hartford, Conn. Mrs. Flower's elder sister was the wife of Henry Keep, the New York capitalist. Mr. Keep died in 1869, leaving a large estate, with the request that his brother-in-law assume its management. Accordingly, Mr. Flower removed to New York City and at once entered upon the career that has brought him wealth and renown. The Keep estate was so prudently administered that it quadrupled in value and Mr. Flower soon attained to prominence in the financial world. He organized the brokerage and banking firm of Benedict, Flower & Co., afterwards R. P. Flower & Co., which, in 1890, became Flower & Co. and in which he is now a special partner.
Mr. Flower has for many years been an important factor in New York State and national politics. He is a lifelong Democrat, of the school of Silas Wright, whose teachings he imbibed in youth. His first conspicuous appearance in public life was in 1881, when he defeated William Wal- dorf Astor for election to Congress from the Eleventh New York District. In 1882, he was urged to take the Democratic nomination for Governor of the State, but declined in favor of Grover Cleveland. The history of the country was changed by this decision. The offer of a second nomination for Congress was also declined, and in 1885, when nominated for Lieutenant-Governor, he refused the honor. In 1888, he was a delegate-at-large to the Democratic National Convention; in the same year was elected a member of the Fifty-first Congress, and in 1892 was the successful Democratic candidate for Governor of the State. He has frequently been mentioned for the Presidency of the United States, and in 1892 his friends made an active campaign in his behalf for the Democratic nomination.
Mr. and Mrs. Flower live in Fifth Avenue. They are noted for their charities, and for many years have set aside one-tenth of their income for benevolence. The St. Thomas House, an establishment for work among the poor of this city, was built by Mr. Flower, and he erected the Presbyterian Church in Theresa, N. Y., as a memorial to his parents. He also built the Flower Surgical Hospital in New York City, opened in 1890. In his charities Mr. Flower has the generous cooperation of his brother, Anson R. Flower. Together they built Trinity Episcopal Church, at Watertown, N. Y., and presented it to the parish. Mr. and Mrs. Flower have had three children; one daughter, Helen, and one son, Henry K., are deceased. The surviving daughter, Emma G. Flower, married John B. Taylor, of Watertown, N. Y. Anson R. Flower married Ida Babcock and lives in Madison Avenue. He is a member of the Metropolitan, Manhattan, Riding, Lawyers' and Democratic clubs.
219
WILLIAM CHAUNCEY FLOYD-JONES
N 1654, there came from England to Long Island a band of Colonists, headed by Richard Woodhull, who became patentees of a large plantation at Setauket. Prominent among them was Richard Floyd, a native of Brecknockshire, Wales, and the progenitor of the Floyd family in this country. He was a man of intelligence and vigor, acquired large estates, and was early chosen Judge of Suffolk County, and Colonel of the militia, which positions he held until his death, in 1690. The eldest son of Richard Floyd, also named Richard, 1661- 1737, inherited his father's property, and was for many years Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and Colonel of the militia of Suffolk County. In 1686, he married Margaret, oldest daughter of Colonel Matthias Nicoll, secretary of the Duke of York's commissioners, and the first secretary of the Province of New York.
Richard Floyd, the third of the name, 1703-1771, was also a Judge and Colonel of the militia, and a man of eminence in the community. The fourth Richard Floyd, 1736-1791, like his ancestors, held the offices of Judge and Colonel, which by that time had come almost to be considered appendages of the family. He settled upon the estate at Mastic, and was noted as a gentleman of the old school. His house was always open for entertainment, and it was said of him that "no man ever went from his house either hungry or thirsty." In the Revolution he espoused the royalist cause, and, by the act of attainder, his estate was forfeited and sold, in 1784, his brother being the purchaser. He then removed to St. John, N. B.
The wife of Richard Floyd, the fourth, whom he married in 1758, was Arabella, daughter of Judge David Jones, of Fort Neck, and a sister of Judge Thomas Jones, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Judge Thomas Jones died without issue, and, in accordance with the terms of the will of his father, the estate at Fort Neck reverted to the male issue of the daughter, Arabella, upon condition that they should add his name to their own. Consequently, David Richard, the only son of Richard and Arabella Floyd, became David Richard Floyd-Jones, and this change of name was confirmed by act of the Legislature, in 1788. Since that time, the senior branch of the family has borne the double patronymic, while the junior branches only have retained the name Floyd.
David Richard Floyd-Jones, 11764-1826, married a daughter of Henry Onderdonk, in 1785, and settled upon the estate at Fort Neck. He had two sisters, one of whom, Elizabeth, married John Peter DeLancey, son of Lieutenant-Governor DeLancey, and was the mother of Bishop William H. DeLancey, of Western New York, and of a daughter, Susan, who became the wife of James Fenimore Cooper. The sons of David Richard Floyd-Jones were Brigadier- General Thomas Floyd-Jones, 1788-1851, who succeeded to the estate, and at whose death the entail came to an end ; and Major-General Henry Floyd-Jones, 1792-1862, who was a member of the Assembly in 1829, State Senator and member of the Court of Errors from the district comprising Kings, Queens, New York and Richmond counties 1836-40. David Richard Floyd- Jones was the eldest son of Thomas Floyd-Jones, and was conspicuous in public affairs throughout his life. He made a worthy place for himself in the legal profession, but his activity was largely in politics. He was a member of the Assembly for New York State, in 1841, 1842, 1843 and 1857, a State Senator 1844-7, inclusive, a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1846, Secretary of State, 1860-1, and Lieutenant-Governor, 1863-4. The other two sons of Brigadier- General Thomas Floyd-Jones were William Floyd-Jones, of Massapequa, a merchant of New York, and Elbert Floyd-Jones, also for several terms in the Assembly.
Mr. William Chauncey Floyd-Jones, one of the sons of the late William Floyd-Jones, is a representative in the present generation of this distinguished family. He is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, and his residence is on the ancestral estate at Massapequa, Long Island. He is a member of the Union, the Racquet, the Westminster Kennel and the Country clubs.
220
GEORGE WINTHROP FOLSOM
B ORN in Kennebunk, Me., in 1802, the Honorable George Folsom, the father of Mr. George Winthrop Folsom, was a distinguished lawyer, statesman and man of letters in the last generation. Graduated from Harvard College in 1822, he studied law in Saco, Me., and practiced there and in Framingham and Worcester, Mass., for many years. He removed to New York in 1837 and became prominent in all the intellectual activities of the metrop- olis in that period, and died in Rome, Italy, in 1869. While living in Worcester, George Folsom was interested in historical research and was chairman of the American Antiquarian Society. In later years, he was president of the American Ethnological Society, and upon taking up his residence in New York, became one of the active members of the New York Historical Society. In 1844, he was elected a member of the State Senate, and in 1850 President Zachary Taylor appointed him Chargé d'affaires at The Hague, a position he held for four years. Among his published works were Sketches of Saco and Biddeford, Dutch Annals of New York, Letters and Dispatches of Cortez, Political Condition of Mexico, and an Address on the Discovery of Maine.
George Folsom came from a family that traces its descent from old-time English ancestors. in the first half of the fourteenth century, there was a John Folsom, Prior of the Carmelite monastery in Norwich and præses provincialis of all England. He was a D. D. of Cambridge University and died in the great plague of 1348. Richard Folsom, his brother, was much in evidence in the Court of John XXII., of Rome, 1316-1334. The first member of the family in this country was John Foul- sham, of Hingham, England, descended from Roger Foulsham, of Necton, Norfolk County, who died about 1534. He was born in 1615, and arrived in this country in 1638, with his wife, Mary Gilman, who was the daughter of Edward and Mary (Clark) Gilman. Settling first in Hingham, Mass., he went to Exeter N. H., in 1650, being a selectman there in 1659, dying in 1681.
The descendants of John Foulsham in direct line to the subject of this sketch were Peter Folsom, 1649-1717, and his wife, Susannah Cousins, or Coffin, of Wells, Me .; Peter Folsom, 1682- 1718, and his wife, Catharine, daughter of John Gilman and granddaughter of Edward Gilman; James Folsom, 1711-1748, and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Captain Jonathan King ; James Folsom, 1737-1824, and his wife, Elizabeth Webster, daughter of Thomas Webster ; and Thomas Folsom, of Kennebunk and Portland, Me., born 1769, and his wife, Edna Ela. Peter Folsom, 1649, was a Lieutenant in the militia. His son Peter, 1682, was a man of talent and of great influence in the community in which he lived and successful in business, accumulating considerable wealth. Thomas Folsom, who was born in 1769, and lived in Kennebunk and Portland, was the father of the Honorable George Folsom.
Mr. George Winthrop Folsom was born in New York and received a collegiate education. His mother, whom George Folsom married in 1839, was Margaret Cornelia Winthrop, daughter of Benjamin Winthrop. Through her, he is descended in direct line from Governor John Winthrop, of Massachusetts; Governor John Winthrop, of Connecticut; Major Waite Still Winthrop; Governor Thomas Dudley, of Massachusetts; Governor Joseph Dudley, of Massachusetts, and Governor Peter Stuyvesant, of New Amsterdam. Mr. Folsom has had a city residence in East Seventeenth Street, but has been principally identified with Lenox, Mass. He is a member of the Century, University and St. Anthony clubs and the American Geographical Society, and is a patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The wife of Mr. Folsom, whom he married in 1867, was Frances Elizabeth Hastings Fuller, of Cambridge, Mass., daughter of William Henry Fuller and granddaughter of Timothy Fuller. He had two sisters, Margaret Winthrop and Helen Stuyvesant Folsom. The latter was a member of the Sisterhood of St. John the Baptist, and founded the corporation known as the St. John Baptist Foundation, which carries on various charitable works, among others the mission church and schools of the Holy Cross in Avenue C, a school for girls in East Seventeenth Street and St. Hilda's Home on Long Island, all of which are under the care of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist. Helen Stuyvesant Folsom died in 1882.
221
THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN
F OR nearly two hundred years, the Frelinghuysen family has been conspicuous in the clerical and professional life of this country, and more than three centuries ago, in Holland, men of the name were leaders in religious thought. The ancestor of the American branch, the Reverend Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, was born in West Friesland in 1691, and was ordained to the ministry in the Reformed Dutch Church in his native land at the age of twenty-six. He was selected to establish a mission in the new settlement on the Raritan River, in New Jersey, and came to this country in 1720. He was an energetic, devoted man and has been called "One of the greatest divines of the American church." When he died, in 1747, he left five sons, all of whom were ministers, and two daughters who married ministers. His second son, the Reverend John Frelinghuysen, 1727-1754, succeeded to much of his father's work.
The only son of the Reverend John Frelinghuysen was General Frederick Frelinghuysen, who was born in 1753, graduated from Princeton in 1770, and was admitted to the bar in 1774. He was a member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey in 1775-76, and of the Continental Congresses in 1778, 1782 and 1783. At the Battle of Trenton, he was Captain of a company of Artillery, and a tradition exists that a shot from his pistol killed Colonel Rahl, the Hessian com- mander. He became a Colonel before the war ended, and in 1794 was Major-General of the New Jersey Militia. After the Revolution, he held several public positions, and in 1793 was United States Senator from New Jersey, but resigned his seat in 1796 on account of family bereave- ments. John, the eldest son of General Frederick Frelinghuysen, 1776-1833, held a Brigadier- General's commission in the War of 1812, and his second son, Theodore, 1787-1861, was an eminent lawyer, Attorney-General of the State of New Jersey, United States Senator, 1829-35, Mayor of the City of Newark, 1836-38, Chancellor of the University of New York, president of Rutgers College, 1850-61, and Whig candidate for the Vice-Presidency of the United States on the ticket with Henry Clay in 1844.
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.