USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume III > Part 29
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Joseph's Roman Catholic Church at Bathgate Avenue and One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Street, The Bronx; St. John's Hall, Fordham University; St. Jos- eph's Normal Institute, Pocantico Hills, Westchester County; Guardian Building, Peekskill, Westchester County. In politics he is a supporter of the Demo- cratic party and he has been connected at times with the municipal government of New York City, nota- bly as chief inspector in the Building Department, from 1890 to 1894; and a member of the Board of Standards and Appeals, July, 1921, to July, 1924. He has been a member of the New York State National Guard for many years, joining as a young man, serv- ing as a major in the Eighth Regiment during the Spanish-American War and now being on the re- tired list with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He is a member of the Chippewa Democratic Club and of The Bronx Board of Trade. His religious affilia- tions are with the Roman Catholic Church and he is a communicant of St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, City Island Avenue, City Island.
Col. Kerby married, February 28, 1910, Mathilda Endress. Mr. and Mrs. Kerby have no children and make their home at No. 50 City Island Avenue, City Island, The Bronx.
FREDERICK R. DIERING-A native and life- long resident of that part of The Bronx formerly be- longing to Westchester County and known as Wood- lawn, Mr. Diering has been connected with the ad- ministration of Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, for some forty-five years. Beginning as a clerk at the age of sixteen years, he gradually worked up his way to the office of superintendent, which he has occupied with great success since 1902. This long record of efficient and useful service is made the more remark- able by the fact that he was the successor of his father, who had occupied the office of superintendent for some thirty-eight years previously, so that father and son together have been in charge of this widely known and important burial ground of New York City without interruption for a total of sixty-two years.
Frederick (Fred) R. Diering was born in Wood- lawn, then part of Westchester County, now part of The Bronx, February 7, 1865, a son of Henry J. and Frederica (Huber) Diering, both natives of Germany, from which coun- try his father had come in 1849. The older Mr. Diering had settled in The Bronx in 1864, in which year he was made superintendent of Wood- lawn Cemetery, a position which he filled most ably and adequately until his retirement in 1902, his death occurring five years later, in 1907. The son was educated in the public schools of Washingtonville, also known as Wakefield, Westchester County, New York, at a private school at Mount Vernon, West- chester County, and at the Military College, College Point, Long Island, from which latter he graduated in 1880. In the same year he became connected with the administration of Woodlawn Cemetery, then in the hands of his father. His first position was of a clerical nature, but he displayed so much ability and efficiency that, as the years passed by, he was promoted at various times to different other posi- tions of increasing responsibility. Acquiring a thor-
ough knowledge of the affairs of Woodlawn Ceme- tery, he was the logical successor to his father in the office of superintendent, when the latter retired in 1902, and he was promptly promoted to this office by the officials of the company controlling the cemetery. The great success with which he has filled this office since then has proven this choice to have been very wise. Naturally Mr. Diering is one of the most wide- ly known and most highly respected citizens of that part of The Bronx in which he has lived for so many years, though, as a result of his work, he is also widely and favorably known to a very large number of people from other parts of Greater New York. He has served for many years as a member of The Bronx Grand Jury and he is a member of the Grand Jurors' Association, the Royal Arcanum, The Bronx Board of Trade, the Schnorer Club, and Hopewell Lodge, No. 596, Free and Accepted Masons, of which latter organization he was one of the earliest members.
Mr. Diering married, in The Bronx, September 1, 1886, Lucy E. Ottignon, a daughter of Claude and Leonora Ottignon. Mr. and Mrs. Diering are the parents of one daughter, Florence, born February 7, 1888, now Mrs. C. F. Puckhafer. They make their home at No. 350 East Two Hundred and Thirty- fourth Street, The Bronx.
JOHN WESLEY SUTPHEN, D. D. S .- One of the prominent dentists of The Bronx, John Wesley Sutphen, Doctor of Dental Surgery, is a physician who has long specialized in oral surgery. He was born on August 30, 1886, at Richmondville, in Scho- harie County, New York State, in the old home- stead that has been in the Sutphen family for many generations. Dr. Sutphen is a son of Charles Wesley and Allie (France) Sutphen, a generation of well-to-do farmers of Schoharie County.
Their son, John Wesley Sutphen, received his early education in the public and high schools of Rich- mondville, the community in which he was born, and later pursued his professional education at the New York College of Dentistry, graduating from there with the class of 1911, when he received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. This training did not follow in exactly the order named, however, for im- mediately after his graduation from the Richmond- ville High School he taught in the district schools of Schoharie County for a period of some two years be- fore coming to New York, and his professional educa- tion was received by working his way through the New York College of Dentistry. After his gradua- tion, however, he began practicing as a dentist, and such has been the success with which he has met that he now specializes in practically only dental sur- gery or, as it is termed, Oral Surgery. During the year 1913 he removed to his present location at No. 2122 Hughes Avenue, in The Bronx. In the spring of 1927, however, he is planning to move into the more spacious and modern quarters which will be provided by the erection of the new Doctors and Dentists Building on Burnside Avenue. As it stands, Dr. Sutphen is the owner of the building in which he now has his offices.
Despite the many varied and exacting duties of the work in which he is engaged, Dr. Sutphen has still
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found time in which to assume a number of outside commercial interests, and among the more important of these are the offices he fills as secretary and treas- urer of the Bronx Blowout Patch Company, and as a director of the Fordham National Bank. He has also been active in his club and social life, for he not only holds membership in the First District Dental Society, but he is affiliated, fraternally, with the Guiding Star Lodge, No. 565, Free and Accepted Masons, the Ivy Chapter, No. 238, Royal Arch Ma- sons, and the Union Council, No. 2, Royal and Select Masters; he holds membership in the dental college fraternity of Psi Omega, and is a part of the Psi Omega Glee Club; the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation; the New York Lawn Tennis Club; the Dela- ware Valley Fishing Club; and the Dehli Rod and Gun Club.
Dr. John Wesley Sutphen married, December 24, 1913, in New York City, Frances K. Stearn, a daugh- ter of George A. and Margaret (Duke) Stearn. Dr. and Mrs. Sutphen are the parents of three children, all of whom are sons: 1. John Wesley, Jr., who was born during the year 1915. 2. William Francis, who was born during the year 1918. 3. Charles Edward, who was born during the year 1922. Dr. Sutphen has made almost a hobby of tennis, handball and trout fishing, so fond is he of these sports, while Mrs. Sutphen is active in the work of her church, and holds membership in the Masonic Order of the East- ern Star. Dr. and Mrs. Sutphen maintain their resi- dence at No. 3572 DeKalb Avenue, in The Bronx, where they attend the Tremont Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Dr. Sutphen is a trustee.
HYMAN S. BROWN-For many years a dry goods merchant in New York City and one of the pioneer department store owners of uptown New York, first in Harlem, and later in The Bronx, Mr. Brown has been one of the outstanding figures in mercantile circles of The Bronx since 1911. A native of Russia, he came to the United States in his youth, having been educated in the elementary schools of his native country, where he also attended a gym- nasium, the equivalent of our high schools.
After a number of years spent in the employ of various mercantile concerns, he started in business for himself on Twenty-third Street, Manhattan. Later he became associated with the late L. M. Blumstein in the conduct of a dry goods store on West One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street, Har- lem, in which Mr. Blumstein's brother, William Blumstein also was a partner. In 1911, the business was incorporated under the name of L. M. Blumstein, with L. M. Blumstein as president, Mr. Brown as vice-president, and William Blumstein as secretary. The corporation purchased at that time the small store of Lyons & Chabath at Third Avenue and One Hundred and Fiftieth Street, The Bronx, and imme- diately commenced to enlarge and remodel its new property. The new five-story building occupies the entire block on Third Avenue, with a frontage of over one hundred feet on Melrose Avenue. The store is considered one of the most up-to-date, pro- gressive and attractive department stores in its vi- cinity.
Mr. Brown and his two partners not only shared in
the conduct of their business, but they were also closely connected by the ties of marriage, all three marrying sisters. Mr. L. M. Blumstein died in 1920, at which time his widow, Fannie S. Blumstein, suc- ceeded him as president of the corporation and since then has taken an active interest in the conduct of the business.
Mr. Brown's efforts in the success of the L. M. Blumstein Corporation contributed materially to the great new store which is located on West One Hun- dred and Twenty-fifth Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues. This immense store, which towers far above all other retail enterprises in Harlem and The Bronx, manifests itself as a shopping center.
Mr. Brown's influence is felt as an important fac- tor in many philanthropic circles, chiefly among them The Bronx Hospital, where he is a director of no small activity. He is also a director of the Melrose National Bank, an institution recently opened on Melrose Avenue and One Hundred and Fiftieth Street. He is a member of the Elmsford County Club and an enthusiastic golfer. His religious af- filiations are with Tremont Temple, The Bronx.'
Mr. Brown married, in Nyack, New York, Novem- ber 14, 1894, Mollie H. Hoffman, daughter of K. M. and Sarah Hoffman, of Nyack. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of six children: 1. Fay, wife of Leo S. Lieberman. 2. May, wife of Frank Gerstein. 3. Jeanette, wife of Joseph S. Marcus. 4. Harold. 5. Aaron. 6. Claire, wife of Edward Konner. The family residence is located at No. 790 Riverside Drive.
HARRY JEROME DOUGLAS, JR .- Specializa- tion in one particular field of human endeavor has ac- counted for the outstanding successes achieved by in- numerable leaders in the business world. The career of Harry Jerome Douglas, Jr., founder and sole pro- prietor of the large hardware establishment located at No. 2415 Jerome Avenue, furnishes an inspiring record made possible by adhering rigidly to this method of procedure-training .one's faculties toward the attainment of a single goal. Mr. Douglas deter- mined in early boyhood to master every phase of the business he had chosen as his life's calling; with that purpose ever in mind he proceeded to systematically study the business from every conceivable angle. He is now an undisputed authority on hardware, from the period of its manufacture to the time of its pur- chase by the retail customer.
His late father, Harry Jerome Douglas, Sr., was also a specialist-in the realty business. A member of a very prominent lower east side family, he was for many years prior to his death on November 7, 1926, a valued associate of the pioneer real estate firm of Winnans and May, the offices of which firm were located on Fifth Avenue, New York City. Some years prior to his demise, Mr. Douglas established his own realty business, which he personally operated until his retirement from active affairs and which is now carried on jointly by Harry Jerome Douglas, Jr., in addition to his hardware interests, and his brother, Hiram A. Douglas. The mother of these brothers, who was before her marriage Mary Emma Farring- ton, came from a very prominent old Brooklyn, New York, family.
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Harry Jerome Douglas, Jr., was born in the city of Brooklyn, New York. He was a student in the public schools of Mount Vernon, New York. Before completing his substantial education he had deter- mined that, for him, the greatest possibilities for suc- cess were available in the hardware field. A1- though primarily interested in the retail sales end of the business, his foresight dictated that he should thoroughly familiarize -himself also with the manufacturing processes of the trade. He accordingly, applied to Sargent and Company, one of the foremost American manufacturers of fine hardware, for the privilege of an apprenticeship in the company's plant. His application being favorably received, the young man devoted three years to conscientiously acquiring the essential knowledge. Upon the completion of his appren- ticeship, in 1910, he opened his first retail estab- lishment, upon a comparatively modest scale, at No. 2377 Jerome Avenue. Success having awarded his enterprising spirit, the growth of his business made it necessary that he remove to more commodi- ous quarters. He caused to be erected at No. 2415 Jerome Avenue a large, modern structure designed specifically to accommodate his business requirement which he proceeded to occupy on September 13, 1913. It is said of Mr. Douglas that he is one of the most progressive merchants in The Bronx, and that cus- tomers who purchase hardware from his store always feel assured of receiving goods that meet with their absolute satisfaction. The proprietor of this thriving business has on a number of occasions been a dele- gate to the Metropolitan Hardware Association and the Manhattan and The Bronx Hardware associa- tions conventions. As a member of the board of di- rectors of the Fordham National Bank and third vice- president, his value as a substantial citizen of the community is further enhanced
Harry Jerome Douglas, Jr., and Ethel Irving, daugh- ter of William Edgar and Ella Irving, were united in marriage on February 5, 1913, in Manhattan, by the Rev. Dr. Vorhees. Their children are: Dorothy, born in 1915; Irving, born in 1916; Margarie, born in 1920.
NATHAN BRISTOL VAN ETTEN, M. D .- For slightly more than thirty-five years The Bronx has had the benefit of the very successful and effec- tive professional activities of Dr. Van Etten as a phy- sician and he is today considered second to none as a specialist in internal medicine. One of the pioneer medical practitioners of The Bronx, he has made most important contributions to the development of this section not only as the guardian of the health of a large number of its people, but also through his active and continuous efforts for maintaining a high standard among the medical men of The Bronx and through his deep interest in some of its hospitals and in medical education.
Nathan Bristol Van Etten was born in Waverly, New York, June 22, 1866, a son of Dr. Solomon and Maria (Bristol) Van Etten, his father being also a physician and a member of an old Dutch family. He was educated in the public and high schools of Port Jervis, New York, and Cornell University. Deciding to follow in his father's footsteps, he then took up the study of medicine at Bellevue Hospital Medical
College, New York City, from which he graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1890. After graduation he established himself in the practice of his profession in The Bronx, where he has carried on his work ever since with offices at No. 300 East Tremont Avenue, be- ing an important factor in the growth and pros- perity of the community which has counted him amongst its leading citizens for many years. In spite of the great demands made upon his time and energy by his very extensive private practice, he has found it possible to give much helpful attention to some of the hospitals in his neighborhood and he is vice-president and chairman of the medical board of Union Hospital and consulting physician of the new Fordham Home for Incurables and of the Riverside Hospital. During the World War he was a member of the Medical Advisory Board. Always greatly in- terested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the medical profession, he has been very active for many years in many medical societies and he is a Fel- low of the American Medical Association and a member of the following societies: New York State Medical Society, of which he was vice-president in 1920 and president in 1925; Bronx County Medical Society, of which he was president in 1914; Bronx Borough Medical Society, of which he was president in 1900; Bronx Medical Association; New York So- ciety for Medical Jurisprudence, of which he was president in 1921; Greater New York Medical Asso- ciation, of which he was president in 1923; and Medi- cal Alumni of New York University, of which he was president in 1925. He was editor of the New York State Journal of Medicine, 1920-25. The frequency with which he has been elected to high office in these various professional societies is not only a testimony to his great ability as a physician and to his geniality, and a proof of the high regard in which these are held by his fellow-practitioners but also evi- dence of his unselfish readiness for service to the cause nearest his heart, the advancement of the medical profession. Dr. Van Etten is also a mem- ber of the New York Holland Society, the Military Order of Loyal Legion of the United States, The Bronx Board of Trade, the National Republican Club, the New York City Cornell Club, and the Kappa Alpha and Phi Alpha Sigma fraternities. In politics he is a supporter of the Republican party, while his religious affiliations are with the Presbyterian church and more particularly with the University Heights Presbyterian Church, of which he is a trus- tee.
Dr. Van Etten married (first), in 1893, Josephine Swinton, and after her death (second), in 1918, Elizabeth Bingham Read, daughter of J. Clarke and A. (Bingham) Read. He is the father of three chil- dren: Eleanor, Katherine, and John. The family home is located at No. 300 East Tremont Avenue, The Bronx.
JOSEPH A. BLACKNER-The broad range of realty interests in which Joseph A. Blackner has en- gaged throughout his business career has brought him into contact with many of the most desirable properties in The Bronx, whether in their purchase and sale or their management, and his place is well
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assured among the most intelligent factors in a business that is foremost in the upbuilding of this attractive residential and business section of the city.
Joseph A. Blackner, a son of George Blackner, a veterinarian, who died in 1895, and Kate Blackner, who survives her husband, was born April 30, 1880, in New York City, where he was graduated from Saint Joseph's Parochial School when he was thir- teen years old, and at seventeen he was graduated from the Eastman-Gaines Business School. His entire business life has been that of the enterprising and successful real estate leader, his first headquar- ters for fifteen years having been at East Eighty- sixth Street, near Third Avenue, and since then at No. 370 East One Hundred and Forty-ninth Street, where he engages in general real estate and insurance and in the management of properties.
In political matters, Mr. Blackner is active in the interests of the Democratic party and since 1915 he has served as the treasurer of the P. J. Kane Demo- cratic Club. Fraternally, he is a member of Bronx Council, No. 266, Knights of Columbus, and he is a member of the Silver Beach Association. He is a communicant of Saint Anselm's Roman Catholic Church.
Joseph A. Blackner married, April 15, 1902, Emelia Schumann, daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth Schumann. Their children: Edmund, Eleanor, Eve- lyn, Dorothy, and Herbert.
I. CHARLES SCHWALB-The parents of I. Charles Schwalb, Harry and Helen (Kraut) Schwalb, were both born in Austria, but although they had been living in adjacent towns, they never met until they came to New York in the same year in early life. After a brief courtship, they were married and two children were born, the subject of this history first, and a sister, Jean, several years later. In 1913 the family moved to The Bronx.
I. Charles Schwalb received his education in vari- ous public schools of New York City, graduating from Public School No. 40 in The Bronx. He then attended Morris High School until graduation in 1920. While attending school, the study of account- ancy looked very promising to him, and he accord- ingly took a position as bookkeeper in a local real estate office to fill in his spare time. However, in the face of the activity he found there, the idea of handling books and records devoid of the real human contact, lost most of its glamour, and the continuous dealing with men of the legal profession, inspired him to seek the latter as his life-work. Accordingly in 1920 he entered the Law School of Fordham Uni- versity as his first step in a new endeavor. After two years of study, he felt the need of practical ex- perience and affiliated himself with the law firm of Kadel, Van Kirk & Reynolds, where he served the requisite clerkship and received a most valuable training over a period of five years. In November, 1925, he was duly admitted to practice as an attor- ney and counsellor-at-law.
Mr. Schwalb is a member of the Bar Association of the County of The Bronx, and is closely identified with the many political, fraternal and social organiza- tions of the county. He is a keen lover of sports,
being especially fond of any diversion requiring a combination of physical and mental faculties.
ANDREW LINN BARRETT, M. D., well- known physician of The Bronx, where he has been engaged in practice for many years, is also well known due to his interest in various Christian ac- tivities of the community.
Dr. Andrew Linn Barrett, the son of Rev. Myron and Emma Elizabeth (Ryerson) Barrett, was born in the town of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, July 6, 1860. He was a student in the Newton (New Jersey) Col- legiate Institution, from which he was graduated in 1878, and subsequently enrolled at Princeton Uni- versity, which gave him the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in 1882, and Master of Arts in 1885, after which he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City, from which he was graduated in 1886 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and has since the last-named year been actively engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. Barrett is a member of The Bronx County Medical Society, the Medical Society of Greater New York, and is chair- man of The Bronx section of the latter society. He was on the staffs of the Presbyterian and Chambers Street hospitals, out-patient departments, and also was associated with the clinics of the Vanderbilt Hospital. Dr. Barrett is a member of the Univer- sity Heights Presbyterian Church with which he is prominently identified in the capacity of elder. He was for a number of years a member of the com- mittee of management of the Harlem Young Men's Christian Association.
In 1894, at New York City, Dr. Andrew Linn Barrett was united in marriage to Martha Henderson Knox, of New York City, daughter of William G. and Belinda (Henderson) Knox. This union has been blessed with four children, as follows: 1. My- ron Knox, who served in the World War, originally as first lieutenant, and later as captain, 51st Pioneer Infantry, United States Army. 2. Louise Ryerson. 3. Kenneth Linn, who enlisted for service during the same war, but was not called for duty. 4. Francis Henderson, who received a rating in the United States Navy as gunner's mate. Mrs. Barrett, like her husband, is exceedingly active in church work as a member of the Ladies' Guild, of the University Heights Presbyterian Church. The family reside at No. 2162 University Avenue, The Bronx, and Dr. Barrett maintains his professional offices at the same address.
JOHN PAUL COLLINS-It calls for talents of rather an unusual order to achieve prominence in two or more lines of endeavor as has John Paul Collins of The Bronx, who when a small lad came to this country from England. He is held in the highest respect and esteem by his fellow-citizens and can look back with satisfaction to a career well rounded out. Without any special training or financial back- ing in his business career he has solved the problems as they presented themselves, and has quickly recog- nized and seized his opportunities.
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