USA > New York > Schenectady County > Schenectady County, New York : its history to the close of the nineteenth century > Part 50
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On January 1, 1860, John Webber married Sarah M. Wanner of Saratoga County. They have three children, Roy Webber, who lives in Chicago, Hattie, wife of C. W. Armburst of Chicago and George Webber.
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Jolın Webber's parents were Benjamin and Mary (Phillips) Webber. They came over from England in 1859, and settled on Washington avenue, Schenectady, where they lived the remainder of their lives. Mr. Webber's wife died in 1885, and in 1886 he married Agnes Dugall, his present wife.
HERMAN C. GRUPE was born in Schenectady, N. Y., and was educated in the Union school of his native city. He then took up the study of law and was admitted to the Bar in the spring of 1885. In the spring of that year, also, he went to Dakota Territory, and was admitted to practice in that state in June, following. He there began the practice of law and was appointed clerk of the District Court for Walworth County in July, 1886, and held that office until December, 1889; afterwards he went to Butte City, Montana, in July, 1890. In July, 1892, he came east and settled in Albany. In the spring of 1897 he opened a law office in Schenectady with Hon. Austin A. Yates, with whom he is still associated.
Mr. Grupe has been twice married. His first wife was Mary L. Apps, who died leaving one son, H. Louis Grupe. On April 20, 1901, he married Katherine C. Helling. They have one child, Everett Grupe. Mr. Grupe's parents were Deitrich and Mary Grupe. They were married in 1850, and were both Germans, coming to this country from the kingdom of Hanover. Deitrich Grupe came over in 1846 and enlisted as a soldier in the Mexican War. Subsequently, in 1862, he enlisted and served in the War of the Rebellion. Her- man C. Grupe is a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the Evangelical Congregational church.
J. LELAND FITZGERALD was born in Oswego, N. Y., August 9, 1858. He received his early education in the High school at Mechanicville, N. Y., and in Brunswick, Ga. He then took a course in Union College and graduated as a civil engineer in the class of 1880. He took a post-graduate course in chemistry in 1881.
He was employed by a railroad company in Sinoloa, Mexico, from
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
1881 to 1883, and in 1884 was assistant engineer in the construction of sewers. In 1886 he was the engineer in charge of the construc- tion of sewers in the city of Schenectady, and from 1886 to 1890 was occupied in the private practice of his profession as a sanitary engineer. During this time he constructed sewers and water works at Round Lake, Green Island, Greenbush and other places. From 1890 to 1891 he was city engineer for the city of Schenectady, and fromn 1891 to 1899, was again engaged in private practice as sanitary engineer in the construction of sewers and water works at Canton, Hoosick Falls, Tarrytown and other places. From 1899 to 1902 he was a second time city engineer for the city of Schenectady. Since that date he has again been engaged in private practice in Schenec- tady.
In 1888 Mr. FitzGerald was elected a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In September of that year (1888) he married Grace, daughter of Benjamin Van Vrankin, of the city of Schenectady.
CHARLES G. MCMULLEN, M. D., was born in Schenectady, N. Y., February 2, 1874. He was prepared for college at the High school, from which he was graduated in 1893, and entered Union College, where he spent two years, and then entered the Albany Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1898. After graduating he spent one year in the Albany City Hospital as Interne.
In 1899 Dr. McMullen returned to Schenectady, opened an office and began the regular practice of his profession, in which he has since been inost successfully engaged.
He is a member of the Schenectady County Medical Society, of the Alpha Delta Phi and of the University Club.
On October 18, 1899, Dr. Charles G. McMullen married Frederica, daughter of John R. Bartlett, R. N., and Ellen (Walkem) Bartlett, his wife, of Plymouth, England. They have one daughter, Catherine E.
Charles G. McMullen, M. D., is the son of James H. and Catherine (Hagan) McMullen.
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SCHENECTADY COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.
WALTER E. TALBOT was born in St. Louis, December 18, 1867, and received his preliminary education in Montrose, Pa., graduating from the High school when seventeen years of age. He then learned the art of photography, at which he spent three years' apprenticeship, after which he spent a year in each of the following places : Williamsport, Binghamton, Memphis, Birmingham, Ala., Lancaster, Pa., and Rochester, N. Y. In 1890, he came to Schenec- tady, and, in conjunction with S. O. Smith, formed the firm of Smith & Talbot, which existed for six months, when Mr. Talbot succeeded to the business which he has since conducted and which he has made highly successful. In 1890, he built the Talbot Block in which he has his studio, one of the finest and best equipped in the state.
In 1890, Walter E. Talbot married Cynthia Babcock of Montrose, Pa., daughter of Willis and Florence (Sweet) Babcock. They have one son, Sydney. Mr. Talbot's parents were Joel and Melgerette (Allen) Talbot. Walter Allen, an ancestor on his mother's side, was a pioneer in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Talbot is a member of St. George's Lodge No. 6, F. and A. M., St. George's Chapter No. 157, R. A. M., St. George's Comman- dery No. 37, Knights Templar and of Oriental Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Troy, N. Y. He is also a member of the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks, the K. O. T. M., and of the Red Men.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM M. PURMAN was born in Waynesburg, Pa., May 17, 1872, and was prepared for college in Washington, D. C., after which he entered Cornell University, and was graduated there- from in the class of 1895, with the degree of M. E. He then came to Schenectady and entered the employ of the General Electric Company, and is now employed in the Switch Board Department.
During the war with Spain Captain William M. Purman was in Porto Rico with General Miles, attached to the First Engineer Corps. He served from May, 1898, until October of that year. He is a member of the 36th Separate Company, N. Y. N. G., and of the college fraternity, Phi Delta Theta. His parents were James J. and Mary (Winthrow) Purman.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
ALICE DUANE STEVENS, a teacher in Nott Terrace school, Schenectady, N. Y., is a native of this city, and she and her sister, Mary Vibbard Stevens, and brotlier, Edward Vibbard Stevens, are the surviving children of Henry Stevens, who was a native of Johnstown, N. Y., and who married Harriet Ann Vedder of West Milton, N. Y. She had two sisters, Mrs. Chauncey Vibbard and Mrs. Nicholas Swits, who lived in this city.
Henry Stevens was paymaster of the New York Central Railroad when his brother-in-law, Chauncey Vibbard, was first general super- intendent of that road.
Miss Stevens' great-great-grandfather, on her father's side, was Lodewick Putnam, a major in the Continental Ariny, and brother of General Israel Putnam. Major Lodewick Putnam's daughter, Anna, married Miss Stevens' great-grandfather, Amasa Stevens, who was an Indian fighter and scout in the Continental Army, and on whose head Sir William Johnson set a price. Having been absent from his family eighteen months, he ventured to visit them, much against the wishes of his friends. He was discovered crawling through a win- dow, was pulled out feet foremost by Indians, and burned at the stake; his wife, fleeing with her children, witnessed the scene from a distance. The baby in her arms is said to have been Henry Stevens, father of Lodewick Putnam Stevens, who married Anna Yanney of Johnstown, N. Y. They had six children of whom Henry Stevens was the youngest, and, through his mother, related to the present Yanneys, Edwards and Youngloves of Johnstown, N. Y.
The Stevens family came from the Berkshire Hills of Massa- chusetts, and the Putnams froin Salem, Massachusetts.
Miss Stevens' mother married, for her second husband, Joseph Younglove, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, a cousin of Henry Stevens. Henry Stevens died February 10, 1886, and Harriet N. Vedder, his wife, April 8, 1900.
Miss Stevens' mother, Harriet N. Vedder, was of pure Holland Dutch ancestry. Her mother, Eve Bradt, married Simon P. Vedder in 1796. Both were of Rotterdam, N. Y. They had eleven chil- dren, nine of whom grew up. Eve Bradt was born in the ancient brick house west of the first lock in Rotterdam, at that time owned
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SCHENECTADY COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.
by her uncle, Jacobus Bradt, and now by the estate of the late Simon Schermerhorn. Eve Bradt's aunt, Angelica Bradt, married Daniel Campbell, from whom the late Daniel Campbell inherited the prop- erty by changing his name. Had Eve Bradt named her first born son Daniel Campbell, he would have had the property instead of the late Col. Campbell, but she gave the boy her father's name, Abrahamn, and named her second son Daniel Campbell, on account of which he received a small legacy while Eve Bradt Vedder herself, received 270 acres of land on which stood a hotel and three mills in West Milton, Saratoga County.
The Bradts descended fromn two brothers who came from Holland and were among Albany's first settlers; one, Albert Andriese, remained there and was the ancestor of those in Albany County. His brother, Arent Andriese Bradt, was one of the first proprietors of Schenectady in 1662, about which time he died, leaving a widow and six children. His wife was Catalyntje, daughter of Jacques Conielson Van Slyke. Samuel Bradt, with one of his children, was killed in the Schenectady inassacre of 1690. His son, Captain Arent Samuelse Bradt, was the heir of his grandfather, Arent Andriese Bradt, and was a member of the Provincial Assembly in 1745, and was a trustee of Schenectady from 1715 to 1767. He married Cathrina, daughter of Jan Pieterse Mabie. Their son, Abraham, was born December 13, 1727. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and married Sara, daughter of Frederick Van Patten, February 2, 1761. Their children were Aaron, Rebecca, Elizabeth, John, Frederick, Katherine and Eve. Eve Bradt was Miss Stevens' grandmother, who moved soon after she was married on the land inherited from her aunt, Angelica Campbell, at West Milton, N. Y.
Miss Stevens' grandfather, Vedder, descended from Harmon Albertse Vedder, one of the first settlers of Beverwyck (Albany) before the year 1667. He sold his house and lot on State street, between Green and Pearl streets, to Rutger Jacobson. In 1663, Harmon Albertse Vedder leased his bowery at Schenectady for six years for 500 guilders rent. In 1664, he, together with Willian Teller and Sanders Glen, petitioned Governor Stuyvesant to have their land surveyed in Schenectady,
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
Arent, son of Harmon Albertse Vedder, inarried. Sarah, daughter of Simon Groot, and settled on the south side of the Mohawk river, opposite Hoffmans.
Philip, son of Aaron, was a lieutenant in the Revolution and married Margarita, daughter of Takerius Vander Bogart, December 1, 1770. Their children were Takerius, Simon P. (Miss Stevens' grandfather), Mary, wife of Frederick Bradt, and Eleanor, wife of Almon Horton. Takerius Bradt, as well as his brother, married Eve Bradt, daughter of Jacobus Bradt, and cousin of the other Eve Bradt, who was born in the house afterward inherited by lier cousin, Eve Bradt, daughter of Jacobus. Simon P. Vedder was born in an ancient house on Front street, facing Church street.
The children of Simon P. Vedder and his wife, Eve Bradt, were Abraham, Angelica, who married Nicholas Swits, Campbell, Sarah, who married Dr. John Walls, Mary Ann, who married Chauncey Vibbard, Elizabeth, who married Robert Speir, Eleanor, who married Rev. Andrew J. Wylie, Harriet Ann, who married Henry Stevens and two who died in infancy.
PETER TYMESEN was born in the town of Niskayuna, Schenec- tady County, N. Y., July 19, 1861, and was the son of Eldred and Elizabeth (Groat) Tymesen. His mother was a daughter of Abraham Groat. Peter Tymesen was educated in the district schools and the Union school of Schenectady, and was a grocery clerk for eight years before embarking in that business on his own account. He conducted a grocery store for fourteen years, when he engaged in the ice business which still occupies his attention. Mr. Tymnesen is a inember of Schaugh-naugh-ta-da Tribe No. 123, Independent Order of Red Men, and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Ancient City Lodge No. 183.
On June 27, 1888, Peter Tymesen married Adriane Hegeman, daughter of David and Emma (Stevens) Hegeman. They have one child, Emma Elizabeth. Mr. Tymesen is a scion of one of the oldest families in the state. His ancestors, who were Holland-Dutch, settled in this country over two hundred years ago.
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SCHENECTADY COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.
WILLIAM DOBERMANN was born in Germany, August 17, 1852, and came to the United States in 1869. He settled first in New York City, and remained there for several years. In that city he took up the business of catering, and after some time removed to New Haven, Conn., where he remained for five years, after which he went to Troy, where he was engaged in the business for six years, after which he spent two years in Albany and, finally, in 1893, he came to Schenectady, located permanently, and prosecuted his busi- ness of catering with such enterprise and success, that to-day he is the leader in his line in the city.
Mr. Dobermann is a member of St. George's Lodge No. 6, F. and A. M., St. George's Chapter No. 157, R. A. M., Bloss Council No. 14, R. & S. M., St. George's Commandery No. 54, Knights Templar and the Oriental Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Troy, N. Y. He is also a member of Schenectady Lodge No. 319, Knights of Pythias, the Rathbone Sisters, the Order of the Eastern Star and the German Club.
On April 28, 1883, William Dobermann married Charlotte Carrel, and they have one daughter, Marie T. Dobermann.
FRANK H. MOUNTAIN was born in Fort Edward, N. Y., May 17, 1860, but has resided in Schenectady since 1865. He received his preliminary education in the Classical school and entered Union Col- lege in 1880, where he remained for one year, when he entered the baseball profession and remained in it until 1887. He was in the railroad mail service for a time and, during 1887, was in the gents' furnishing business. In 1888, he entered the employ of the General Electric Company as a clerk, which position he retained for six years. In 1894 he was made chief of the Fire Department, which position he still occupies.
On March 17, 1885, Frank H. Mountain married Sarah Hosey, daughter of James and Jennie (O'Rourke) Hosey. They have four children, Martin James, Jennie, Rose and Raymond. Mr. Mountain's parents were David and Elizabeth (Condon) Mountain. They came from Ireland about 1847.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
EDWARD OTTEN, son of Charles and Theresa (King) Otten, was born in Schenectady, February 20, 1856, and was educated at the German Catholic School. His first employment was in the spinning room of the Roy Shawl factory, where he remained four years. He then took up the cigarmaker's trade in the Baum cigar store, where he remained for two and one-half years, after which he was a clerk in the shoe store of John Consaul for four years. He next entered the employ of James Creig, with whom he worked for three and one- half years, after which he had a position in the Givens House (now the Edison) for three years. His next position was that of transfer clerk in the office of the American Express Company, where he remained two years, after which he entered the Jones Car Works to learn the trade of blacksmith, and remained there for four years. He then took a position in the Merchant's Hotel, where he remained for two and one-half years, after which he embarked in the liquor ,business on his own account, and in which he is still engaged.
On October 21, 1883, Edward Otten married Margaret, daugliter of James and Bridget Bray. His wife died in 1884.
Edward Otten is a member of Cantuquo Tribe No. 361, Indepen- dent Order of Red Men, Court Cohennat No. 3,477, I. O. O. F., and of the Liquor Dealer's Association.
Mr. Otten's parents came from Germany to Schenectady in 1842, and his father died in 1863.
NICHOLAS D. PROPER was born in Schenectady, N. Y., October 20, 1849. He was educated at the Union school and worked as a moulder for eighteen years in a stove works, and at the Schenectady Locomotive Works. In 1885, he went into the ice business in com- pany with W. V. Paterson, and later on succeeded the firm, and for twelve years successfully conducted the business alone. He then admitted his son, Miramı H., into partnership under the firm name of N. D. Proper & Son, under which title the business is still con- ducted. They do a large trade and handle, on an average, 13,000 tons of ice per annum.
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SCHENECTADY COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.
On February 18, 1872, Nicholas D. Proper married Harriet J. Van Der Moor, daughter of Adolph R. and Harriet J. (Hilderbrandt) Van Der Moor. They have two children, Miram H. and Adolph Richard. Mr. Proper's parents were William H. and Malıitable M. (Corl) Proper. He is a member of Schenectady City Lodge No. 186, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is an enterprising and substantial business man.
CHARLES J. HAUBNER was born in Bavaria, Germany, June 19, 1865. In 1880, he came to America and settled in the city of Schenectady, where he completed his education. His first employ- ment was with the Jones Car Works, where he remained for three years, after which he went to West Albany, and took a position in the New York Central Railroad shops, as a painter, and remained there for seven years. In 1890 Mr. Haubner opened his present business, which he has since continued.
On June 15, 1888, Charles J. Haubner married Catherine, daugh- ter of Mathias and Christiana Tries. They have two children, Joseph, born February 26, 1892, and Carl, born July 18, 1895.
Mr. Haubner takes a deep interest and an active part in public affairs, and the progress and development of the city of Schenec- tady. In politics he is a Democrat, and in 1897 he was elected to the Common Council from the fifth ward, and served until January I, 1902. He was one of the instigators and promoters of the paid fire department for the city, and is a member of the Protection Hose Company, of the B. P. O. E., of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Asso- ciation and of St. Joseph's Church. He is also a member of St. Francis Society and the National Order of Mohawks. He was appointed by Mayor Duryea a member of the committee to reorgan- ize the Fire Department. . He served as a member of the committee on roads and bridges, during his connection with which 150 miles of streets were paved. He was appointed chairman of the committee on lamps, and has also served on several ininor committees.
Mr. Haubner's parents were John and Margaret (Miller) Haubner. They were native Bavarians, and did not come over to America.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
Mr. Haubner has been more or less successful in business, and in 1900 he purchased his present property. In the same year he built his two-story building, 65x22 feet, which is one of the nicest places in the city.
HERBERT E. WALKER was born in Rockford, Illinois, February II, 1868. His parents came east and settled at Sandy Hill, N. Y., when he was about three years old, and he was educated in the pub- lic schools of that place.
His first employment was in the capacity of a drug clerk and he studied pharmacy until 1899, in which year he opened a business establishment on his own account in the city of Schenectady. In 1902 he admitted his brother, William H. Walker, into partnership, and they have now the finest pharmacy in the city. It is known to everyone as the Walker Pharmacy. Both members of the firm are meinbers of the Masonic fraternity and the Odd Fellows. They are enterprising, successful and popular business men. Their parents were George M. and Frances A. (Ashbury) Walker.
ORPHEOUS TRUMBLEY, son of James and Pernelia (Hibbard) Trumbley, is a native of Schenectady County, N. Y., and was born March 15, 1828. He was educated in the district schools and at the Herkimer Academy. After leaving school he was farming for five years in Herkimer County, N. Y., after which he took the position of fireman on the New York Central Railroad and continued in this occupation for seven years, after which he was promoted to engineer. He was an engineer in active service for forty-six years, after which he retired. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and is one of the oldest members of the Brotherhood.
On January 4, 1853, Orpheous Trumbley married Anna Eliza Smith. They have one son, William A. Trumbley, who is also a locomotive engineer, and who resides at Bath-on-the-Hudson. Mr. Trumbley's ancestors were French and American. His wife's people were New Englanders.
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SCHENECTADY COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.
WILLIAM H. WHITMYRE, Inspector of Plumbing for the city of Schenectady, is a son of William C. and Mary (Wortman) Whitmyre, and was born in the city of Schenectady, in May, 1866. After leav- ing school, he learned the plumbing trade and, after serving his apprenticeship, established the plumbing firm of. W. H. Whitmyre & Company. He continued this business until 1899, when he was appointed to the position of Inspector of Plumbing, and on March I, completed his third terin in this office, a record which indicates the ability and faithfulness with which he discharged his duties.
In April, 1890, William H. Whitmyre married Louise, daughter of Christian Bowman. They have a family of three children, namely, Kittie, James and Ralph. Mr. Whitmyre's ancestors were Germans and his parents came to this country in 1850.
GEORGE F. TIGHE was born in Boston, Mass., October 8, 1869, and was educated at the High school in Boston, from which he graduated in 1882, the Holy Cross College at Worcester, Mass., from which he graduated in 1889, and Harvard University, where he attended lectures in the Medical Department for two and one-half years. At that stage of his career he was appointed to West Point, where he remained four years. After leaving West Point he was assistant to Senator John Reade of Boston, who was an undertaker, for seven years. He was next associated with George Winterbottam of New York for three years in the capacity of assistant undertaker.
In 1889, Mr. Tighe came to Schenectady and opened an undertak- ing establishment on his own account. In February, 1901, he graduated from the Renonard Training School for Embalmers.
On September 9, 1892, George F. Tighe married Beatrice O'Hearn, daughter of Patrick and Mary O'Hearn. They have one son, Charles A. R. Tighe. Mr. Tighe's parents were Thomas and Norah (Duggan) Tigle. Thomas Tighe was the founder of Company G, Ninth Massachusetts Regiment, and supplied all the money necessary to equip the company during the War of the Rebellion. He also served through that war himself.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
George F. Tighe is a member of the Knights of Columbus, is Chief Ranger of the Foresters, a member of the Red Men, treasurer of Hook and Ladder Company No. 3, captain of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of the Woodmen, and is adjutant of the Uniformed Rank K. O. T. M. He is also a member of the Spanish War Veterans Association. He served nine months in Company E, Seventy-first Regiment, New York Volunteers, during the Spanish-American War, and was eighteen months in the Thirteenth Regular Infantry. He was one of the first to enter the Spanish block house when the flag was lowered at San Juan.
H. E. TORREY-One of the most successful of undertakers in this part of the state is H. E. Torrey of No. 466 State street, Schenec- tady, N. Y. Previous to coming to Schenectady, Mr. Torrey had served in the largest undertaking and embalmning establishment in the world, that of the Stephen Merritt Burial Company of New York City, where his experience as a practical embalmner, as well as in other lines of the profession, was wide and varied. Mr. Torrey is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Embalming, but in addi- tion to this, spent a year in Bellevue Hospital of New York, where he took a special course in surgery. He has, therefore, had not only an extensive, but an excellent training for his business.
Mr. Torrey was born in North Bennington, Vt., and on March 8, 1902, married Harriet Sherman. Mrs. Torrey was born at Halifax, Vt., and received her early education in the schools of her native state. She also is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Embalming, having graduated September 1, 1901. Her parents were Hosea and Francelia Tyler.
Mrs. Torrey is the only practicing lady embalmer and funeral director in the county. They recently purchased a new ambulance which is the finest ever turned out by the manufacturers, James Cunningham & Sons, of Rochester, N. Y.
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