USA > New York > Westchester County > Rye > The bar of Rye Township, Westchester County, New York; an historical and biographical record, 1660-1918 > Part 6
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The Bar of Rye Township
Supreme Court in the first judicial district, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Justice Edwards. This office Justice Cowles resigned in November, 1855. On December 3, 1855, he was again appointed to the same office, this time to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Justice Morris. This appointment was contested by Henry E. Davies who had been elected a Justice of the Supreme Court at the general election held No- vember 6, 1855. In a suit brought it was held at special term and also at the general term that Mr. Cowles's title to the office was good, but the Court of Appeals reversed this judgment (13 N. Y. 350), and Justice Cowles relinquished the office on De- cember 31, 1855. Resuming his practice, he again located in New York City, and, in 1871, was joined by his son, Edward Boies Cowles, who continued with him until 1874, when the elder Mr. Cowles died.
In 1852, Justice Cowles married Sarah Ely Boies, of Northampton, Massachusetts. The children of this marriage were Edward B. Cowles, born Oct. 2, 1854, died Aug. 10, 1887; David S. Cowles, born Dec. 25, 1857, died Nov. 6, 1911; Charles P. Cowles, born July II, 1859; and Justus A. B. Cowles, born Febru- ary 17, 1862.
In May, 1870, Justice Cowles moved to the town of Rye, where he and his family continued to reside until the time of his death. Justice Cowles was a Republican. He became prominent in the town of Rye, although a resident thereof but a short time.
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EDWARD PITKIN COWLES
The Bar of Rye Township
He was a member of the Presbyterian Church at Rye. He died December 2, 1874, at Chicago, Il1. Both he and his wife are buried in the Hudson City Cemetery, Hudson, N. Y.
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Alexander Warfield Bradford
Alexander Warfield Bradford, a lawyer eminent in his profession, and who also engaged in editorial work and contributed much valuable literature to the law, lived for a number of years on the "Brad- ford place," nearly opposite the Jay estate, on the Boston Post Road, in the town of Rye. He was a son of John M. Bradford, D.D., an eminent divine of Albany, and was born in that city in 1815. He died in New York City, November 5, 1867.
In 1832, he was graduated from Union College, and soon thereafter was admitted to the Bar. He rapidly acquired a reputation for ability and learn- ing, and became prominently connected with many cases of importance. He was a member of the commission to codify the laws of the State, and served as Surrogate of New York County for three terms, having been elected in November, 1848. He was succeeded by Edward C. West, who was elected in November, 1857.
Judge Bradford was at one time associated with Dr. Anthon in editing The Protestant Churchman. Four of the volumes of the Surrogate's Reports were published by him, and a work on American Antiquities was edited by him. His introductory
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note in Volume I of Bradford's Reports is a most valuable treatise upon the subject of the probate of wills and the administration of estates of deceased persons, particularly from a historical standpoint. In his death at such a comparatively early age, the profession sustained a great loss.
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Timothy P. Burger
In the New York State Register for the year 1843, edited by O. L. Holley and published by J. Disturnell, Albany, as well as in the same publication for the year 1845, under the list of county officers, attor- neys, etc., appears the name of Timothy P. Burger, as an attorney of Port Chester, N. Y. Mr. Burger was a practicing attorney and the court records show that he was a member of the firm of Palmer & Burger, with an office at 131 Cherry Street, New York City, in 1847, but investigation fails to confirm the statement that he was an attorney of Port Chester, either residing or maintaining an office there.
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James Edward Beers
During his residence in Port Chester, N. Y., James Edward Beers attained to a position of considerable prominence and influence. He was born in New York City, December 23, 1817, baptised in St. Peter's Church, Port Chester, on Sunday, May 9, 1858, by the Rev. Isaac Peck, and died in New York City, July 5, 1883. He married Sarah Frances Rockett, in Charleston, South Carolina, who died July 7, 1907. Both Mr. and Mrs. Beers are buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn. There were five children of this marriage, namely, Fanny Beers, who married Grassit Lanny, and died in Chicago, in 1883 or 1884; Amanda Garson Beers, who married A. H. Lockwood, and died in New York City, March 18, 1899; Edward William Beers, who died while a prisoner of war, at Andersonville, Georgia, Novem- ber 8, 1864; James Henry Beers, who married Catherine Clark and who died March 25, 1884; and Francis Eugene Beers, who was born January 18, 1854, and died September 22, 1855. For the fore- going information we are indebted to Mrs. Daisy B. Whedon, of Nyack, N. Y., who is a daughter of James Henry and Catherine Clark Beers.
James Edward Beers settled in Port Chester in
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The Bar of Rye Township
about 1840, and for several years resided on King Street, in the house now occupied by Mr. Joseph T. Hubbard, formerly the home of Mrs. J. B. Root. He was a man of pleasing personality and soon won local recognition. In 1852, he was chosen vestry- man of St. Peter's Church, Port Chester. He became a fast friend of the late George W. Smith, then school commissioner of the Rye district, and together they, on February 13, 1864, issued for the first time the Port Chester Monitor, a weekly news- paper which was conducted with considerable ability, and which appeared regularly until the first week in August, 1867, when it was discontinued.
Mr. Beers was elected, in 1846, a member of the State Assembly and served during the seventieth session, in 1847. His seat was contested by John R. Hayward. In about 1870, he opened a law office in New York City, where he continued to practice for some time. In 1875, he appears to have had an office at 7 Murray Street.
During his residence in this locality, Mr. Beers was a conspicuous figure. He would wear the con- ventional high hat of the period and was reputed to be one of the best dressed lawyers practicing at the Bar.
Mr. Beers, it appears, was one of the organizers, in 1852, of The Port Chester Mutual Loan and Accumulating Fund Association, which was incor- porated under the laws of New York, and which, for a time, conducted business in Port Chester, with an office at the Post Office, the trustees having been
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The Bar of Rye Township
Jared V. Peck, John W. Mills, Jonathan I. Deall, William Provoost, Samuel W. Kelley, Newbury D. Halsted, John E. Marshall, Read Peck, William L. Bush, Augustus Abendroth, and Alexander Ennis. Jared V. Peck was president of the association, New- bury D. Halsted, vice-president, Edward Field, sec- retary, and James E. Beers, attorney and counsel. John W. Mills, at the time, was county judge of Westchester County.
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Daniel Haight
Daniel Haight, sometimes known as Daniel O. Haight, but who had no given middle name, was, at the time of his death, dean of the Port Chester Bar and probably of the Westchester County Bar as well, he having continuously practiced law for fifty- eight years.
He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, Janu- ary 6, 1827, the son of Daniel and Desire (Wilson) Haight, and a grandson of Daniel Haight. He received his early education in the district school in the locality of his childhood, and then attended Wesleyan University, from which he was graduated in 1847 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1850 the degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him by that university. He was admitted to the New York Bar at Poughkeepsie, in 1850, and spent some time in the office of Minott Mitchell in White Plains. Practically all of his professional life, however, was spent in Port Chester, N. Y. His first office was on the Mosher corner, Liberty Square. Then he occupied an office on the north side of Westchester Avenue, westerly of and near the railroad crossing. From there he moved to an office on the northwest corner of Adee and Fountain
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DANIEL HAIGHT
The Bar of Rye Township
(now King) Streets, which he occupied for many years. He next had an office in the Centennial building and afterward and finally occupied an office on King Street in a small one-story building, which is still standing, adjoining the station plaza.
Mr. Haight first married Susan M. Sutton. Of this marriage one child was born, Josephine. He secondly married Louise Lyon, daughter of Elias and Martha Lyon, of Greenwich, on July 14, 1874, at Port Chester. Of this marriage there were three children: Daniel, born February 9, 1876; John, born January 1, 1879, (since deceased); and Martha, born August 8, 1884, the wife of Francis A. Field.
Mr. Haight died at Port Chester, March 14, 1908, his death resulting from a fall, and is buried in Greenwood Union Cemetery, Rye. He was a Republican, but was never actively interested in politics. He was a Methodist. At one time he served as trustee of the village of Port Chester. During the long period in which he engaged in his profession, although not known as a court lawyer or seeking trial work, he, nevertheless, had charge of many important matters and became widely known as a careful adviser. He was a man of retiring dis- position, correct of habit, and highly respected.
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Richard Coe Downing
Richard Coe Downing, who was born at Mamaro- neck, N. Y., in 1827, lived in Rye for many years, and died there January 26, 1890. His parents, Richard and Leah (Kirby) Downing, were Quakers, and his early ancestors were among the first settlers of Queens County. Prior to his admission to the Bar, he studied law in the office of Minott Mitchell, at White Plains. Later he formed a partnership with Henry D. Lapaugh, with whom he practiced law in the city of New York for a number of years, under the firm name of Lapaugh & Downing.
In 1852, Mr. Downing married Annie Searles, of White Plains. No children were born of this mar- riage. Taking up his residence in White Plains, Mr. Downing, from 1869 to 1871, served as a trustee of that village. In 1881, he returned to the town of Rye, and, in 1884, was elected a justice of the peace of that town, which office he held until he died. At one time he held the position of superintendent of sanitary inspection in the health department of New York City. This position he relinquished at the outbreak of the Civil War, when he enlisted in the famous 69th Regiment, becoming commissary ser-
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The Bar of Rye Township
geant, and afterward brigade commissary with the rank of captain.
Judge Downing always took an active interest in politics and was a Democrat of the Jacksonian type. Frequently he served as a delegate to the county and district conventions.
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Amherst Wight, Jr.
Amherst Wight, Jr., the second child of Amherst and Joanna Gosman (Sanderson) Wight, was born in New York City, August 15, 1828. Previous to his thirteenth year he attended a private academy in New York conducted by a Mr. Rand, and then, instead of entering college, was tutored by his father. He attended at his father's law office daily for instruction and soon developed a considerable ca- pacity and desire for study. Under the able guidance of his father he obtained an education which was probably equal to that afforded by any of the colleges. As some proof of this, his brother, Peter Bonnett Wight, relates that when he attended college, he obtained possession of a valuable "Pony" which contained a complete and accurate translation of the tragedy of Œdipus Tyrannus by Sophocles, of which Amherst was himself the author.
Not long after entering his father's office, Amherst, who had become highly versed in the classics, indi- cated a preference for the law. At the age of fifteen, or possibly earlier, he began his studies in the law. He was industrious as well as studious, and provided himself with funds by doing work at copying. He wrote a fine legible hand and did work of this kind
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AMHERST WIGHT, JR.
The Bar of Rye Township
for many of the lawyers in the city. At the age of twenty-one he was admitted to the New York Bar and thereupon became associated with his father in practice under the name of Amherst Wight & Son, with offices at 96 Beekman Street, New York. The firm next occupied an office in the American building, corner of Broadway and Barclay Street, and re- mained there until about 1865 when the building was destroyed by fire. Later an office was taken at 119 Broadway, and in January, 1871, Mr. Wight became associated with Mr. John H. Clapp, under the name of Wight & Clapp, maintaining offices both in New York and Port Chester, N. Y., as well as a branch office at White Plains, this last relationship continuing until June, 1877. The office which the firm occupied in Port Chester was in the building in which the town offices of Rye are now located.
Mr. Wight removed to Port Chester in 1859, and continued to reside there until he died. He was twice married, his first wife being Adelaide Augusta Louise Griswold, whom he married in New York City, May 14, 1856, the daughter of Daniel S. and Mary S. Griswold. The children of this marriage were Richards Gordon Wight, born November II, 1857, who married, July 10, 1888, Mary Lucy Rice, Charles Edmund Wight, born March 20, 1860, who died January 8, 1915, unmarried, and Mary Anna Wight, born April 12, 1862, who married Samuel M. Meeker of Brooklyn. Mr. Wight's second marriage was to Ellen M. C. Abendroth, June 20, 1867, at Port Chester, who was a daughter and the youngest
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The Bar of Rye Township
child of William and Margaretta R. Abendroth, and a sister of the late William P. Abendroth, who played such a prominent part in the development of the village of Port Chester. There was only one child of this marriage, Florence Abendroth Wight, born April 8, 1871, who married Harry W. Harmon.
Mr. Wight's talents and his splendid character were such that it was only a short time after coming to Port Chester that his reputation was secure and he became widely known. His prominence as a lawyer extended far beyond the community, and at the time of his death, it is safe to say, he was Rye's leading lawyer. He was the first president of the board of trustees of the Port Chester Library and Reading Room, which was founded by Jared V. Peck, an intimate friend of Mr. Wight. In 1871 and 1872, Mr. Wight served as supervisor for the town of Rye, and afterward became counsel to the board of super- visors. In 1873 and 1874, he served as member of Assembly. In 1876, he was the Republican candidate for Congress from this district, but was defeated by the small margin of four votes. For many years he was a trustee of the Port Chester Savings Bank, and also its counsel. He was a vestryman of St. Peter's Church, Port Chester.
Mr. Wight died at Port Chester, June 28, 1877, having long suffered from cancer of the stomach. He is buried in Greenwood Union Cemetery, Rye. For many years he resided with his father on King Street, Port Chester, and later in his own house, on Abendroth Place, afterward occupied by William H.
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The Bar of Rye Township
Hyler. His death was greatly lamented. Three of the pallbearers at his funeral were Justice Jackson O. Dykman, Surrogate Owen T. Coffin, and Judge William H. Robertson. The Rev. Brockholst Livingston Morgan, who officiated at his funeral, paid him the following tribute:
"It is no common loss which has summoned this large assembly from all parts of the county, to fill this church to-day. It is a loss which goes home to every one among us with the sense of an acute, personal bereavement. Wherever in this town or State the news shall come that Amherst Wight, Jr., has ceased to live, there is not a dwelling which will not feel a peculiar pang, and strong men will be known to shed tears, for a good man is one of the noblest gifts which God has placed upon this earth. Mr. Wight was a man who touched nothing which he did not adorn, and filled no position which he did not honor. Through all the temptations of professional and political life he carried a bright and untarnished name. He was a good father, a good son, and an affectionate husband and friend. The purity, the usefulness of such a character as his is evidenced by the many and varied offices of trust he filled-lawyer, politician, vestry- man, supervisor, president. He died as he had lived, unselfish and gentle to the last, and his mind upon God whom he had so faithfully served."
And Justice Isaac N. Mills, writing in Scharf's History of Westchester County, on "The Bench and Bar," pays this tribute to Mr. Wight:
"The lawyers, as a class, have been exceptionally able, dignified, courteous, industrious, and true to the
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The Bar of Rye Township
interestate of their clients and trusted counselors of the court. Many of them, as Benjamin Nicoll, Timothy Wetmore, Richard Morris, Gouverneur Morris, John Jay, Philip Pell, Richard Hatfield, John Strang, Peter Jay Munro, Edward Thomas, Martin S. Wilkins, Daniel D. Tompkins, William Nelson, Minott Mitchell, Richard R. Voris, Joseph Warren Tompkins, Albert Lockwood, John J. Clapp, Jonathan Henry Ferris, Amherst Wight, Jr., and Isaiah T. Williams, were lawyers of unusual ability and high repute. By their careers at the Bar, they honored the legal profession, and remained bright examples for the emulation of their successors."
A meeting of the members of the Westchester County Bar was held in White Plains on September 21, 1877, at which action was taken upon the death of Mr. Wight. Among others, Justice Jackson O. Dykman and Martin J. Keogh made remarks. Justice Dykman spoke as follows:
"It would seem eminently fitting and proper that when a man of the character and respectability of Mr. Wight in the profession departs from life, some public recognition should be had of his services. Mr. Wight was a man of high character and standing in the profession. As has been remarked, he was just about entering upon the full fruition of his experience, and in the future would have been able to render even more service to his clients and to the profession than he had done in the past. But it was the will of Providence that he should be taken away, and we have to mourn his loss. His example is one to be emulated by the younger members of the Bar. "
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The Bar of Rye Township
Mr. Keogh said:
"His home was radiant with the reflection of his own placid nature; his social intercourse was marked by the easy grace and unaffected finish of the true American gentleman; his advocacy in the courts was controlled by candor and exalted by dignity, signal- ized by a deference to the court, unbroken courtesy to his opponent, cold contempt for personalities, and unswerving fealty to his clients at all times, hazards, and sacrifices."
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Samuel William Johnson
Samuel William Johnson was born in New York City, October 27, 1828, the second child and eldest son of William Samuel and Laura Wolsey Johnson. He was of distinguished lineage, his great-great- grandfather having been Dr. Samuel Johnson, the eminent American clergyman, who was born in Guil- ford, Connecticut, October 14, 1696, and who died at Stratford, Connecticut, January 6, 1772. His great-grandfather, William Samuel Johnson, LL.D., was first president of Columbia College, a member of the convention that framed the Constitution of the United States, and the first delegate in the Senate of the United States from the State of Connecticut. His father was a New York lawyer of prominence and a member of the Senate of the State of New York. His mother was a sister of President Wolsey of Yale University.
Mr. Johnson was graduated from Princeton College in 1849, and from Harvard University Law School (LL.B.) in 1851. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1852, and immediately removed to Cattaraugus County, New York, where he re- mained for thirteen years. In 1865, he removed
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SAMUEL WILLIAM JOHNSON
The Bar of Rye Township
to the town of Rye, residing at Rye Neck, and there he died on November 25, 1895.
Mr. Johnson was active in politics and became prominent as a democrat. He was nine times elected supervisor of the town of Rye, and for two years was chairman of the board of supervisors. For three years he served as a member of Assembly. From 1853 to 1872, he held commissions from the State of New York, the last one being that of Briga- dier General on the staff of Governor John T. Hoffman. In 1871, he was appointed Commissary General and Chief of Ordnance for the State.
Mr. Johnson married Frances Ann Sanderson, of New York City, daughter of Edward Fisher Sander- son, a steel manufacturer of Sheffield, England, and Julia Carow Sanderson. Mrs. Johnson died at her home at Rye Neck, in 1879. Their only living child is William Samuel Johnson, two other children having died in infancy. Mr. Johnson was a member of the Manhattan, University, and St. Nicholas Clubs, of New York City. He was also a director of the North River Insurance Company, and for many years a trustee of the Port Chester Savings Bank.
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John Edward Parsons
(The greater part of the following is taken from the memorial of Mr. Parsons, prepared by the Hon. Joseph H. Choate, and read by him at a meeting of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, March 14, 1916.)
Edward Lamb Parsons, the father of John Edward Parsons, was born in England, and came to New York when about nineteen, where he met and mar- ried Matilda Clark, a daughter of Ebenezer Clark, who was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, and Ann (Marselis) Clark. The Clarks later moved to Rye. Not long after his marriage, Edward Lamb Parsons purchased an estate at Rye, then and still called Lounsberry (adjoining the Jay estate), which he made his summer home. John Edward Parsons, who was brought up at Lounsberry, was born at New York City, October 24, 1829. Nearly ten years later, in March, 1839, his father was lost in the wreck of the packet ship, Pennsylvania, on the coast of Cheshire, returning to New York.
The events which followed in the life of this dis- tinguished man are best described in a brief auto- biography found in his desk after his death, extracts from which are subjoined:
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JOHN EDWARD PARSONS
The Bar of Rye Township
"My father's death left my mother a young and most attractive widow with five children. Louns- berry was (later) let and my brother William and I were sent to the school at Rye of Mr. Samuel W. Berrian, who had married my father's sister Eliza. I remained at Mr. Berrian's school until October, 1844, when as a freshman I entered New York Univer- sity. I was one of the youngest members of the class, graduated third. What was to be my occupation in life had remained in abeyance. My choice had inclined to being a banker as furnishing the oppor- tunity most quickly of making a fortune. My father's estate had realized to me $15,000 to $20,000, quite a sum for those days. No opportunity came. My uncle James had had occasion to employ the law firm of Gerard & Platt. In the autumn of 1848, I determined to try the law, although with no very definite purpose to become a lawyer. Mr. Gerard's son, James W., and Thomas T. C. Buckley formed a law firm. Not long after I began to try cases, I was opposed to Mr. Buckley in a minor case; he spoke of me in a way which was one of the things which encouraged me to become a court lawyer as against an examiner of titles to which I originally inclined. I was a student in the Gerard office until 1851 or 1852. Joseph L. White, who was interested in obtaining a concession for the Nicaragua Transit Canal, was an habitué of the office. He talked the canal. The shares began to advance. I put about all I had in them; it turned out that Mr. White had failed, the shares sank out of sight, and I was made to realize that I must work for a living. I had the opportunity of taking a clerkship with Benedict & Boardman and did so at $6 per week. Mr. Board- man voluntarily made my $6 per week $8; and when I left would have made me a junior partner. I had come to the conclusion that it was time for me
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The Bar of Rye Township
to know whether I was to succeed as a lawyer; I did not feel satisfied to be the tail end of an attorney firm, and after being with Benedict & Boardman some- thing more than a year I determined to start for myself. My Uncle James had an office. He gave me desk room and there I hung out my shingle. I had kept up relations with Mr. Vose (John Gorham); he recommended me to Mr. Shepard (Lorenzo B.) as his successor; Mr. Shepard offered me the posi- tion, and in 1854 was formed the firm of Shepard & Parsons. I had been admitted to practice in 1852. I assumed that my partnership might mean from one thousand to two thousand a year for me, twice that for Mr. Shepard. In 1854, the then district attorney died. Horatio Seymour appointed Mr. Shepard to succeed him. Mr. Shepard accepted and appointed me to be his assistant. I demurred say- ing that I had never seen an indictment. He said that I had better learn how to draw one. For seven months I was sole assistant district attorney, drew all the indictments, and with a few exceptions tried all the cases. Later Shepard & Parsons moved their offices to 49 Wall Street. The future was reasonably assured when in the fall of 1856 Mr. Shepard died. The office business, such as it was, remained with me and promised perhaps $2500 a year."
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