The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884, Volume II, Part 5

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co
Number of Pages: 1345

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884, Volume II > Part 5

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).

In addition to those mentioned in the preceding ar- ticle, and its accompanying biographies, we may men- tion, among shipping merchants, WILLIAM D. CLYDE, F. M. LAWRENCE and AMBROSE SNOW; JOHN H. FORD and L. H. LEONARD, Elevators ; WILLIAM H. LEAY- CRAFT, Port Warden; JOHN A. NICHOLS, Quarantine Commissioner.

JAMES McMAHON, Shipping and Transportation, es- tablished in New York, 1861, during the war of the civil rebellion (in conjunction with his partner, James T. Easton) ran a fleet of 300 barges between New York and Baltimore, Md.

ABIEL ABBOTT Low .- The city of New York, the great mercantile metropolis of these United States, is justly proud of that class of her population which has given her that distinction. No seaport or maritime city of any country can boast of better names on its mercantile roll than she. Merchant princes have they been called, and well they may; not for the princely wealth which many of them have accumulated, but from a far higher point of view; for the patient indus- try and far-seeing intelligence with which they entered upon and pursued their life-work; for their sterling principle and honesty in the conduct of their affairs; for their high aims in the struggle for success and wealth; for their estimate of wealth itself, sought and secured, not as a selfish end, but a means; not merely as a boon or a profession, but a sacred trust; and, con- sequently, for their generous and noble use of that wealth in behalf of religion, education and benevo-

Eng thy Gec E. Pering Y

A.d. Lars

647

THE COMMERCE OF BROOKLYN.

lence; of advanced science; of the useful and the fine arts; of good government and the integrity and purity of the State, and the elevation of the whole people; in a word, of whatever bears upon and tends to increase the public welfare. For all these, have the merchants of New York furnished illustrious examples.

Among them all, none is more deserving of respect- ful and admiring notice than Abiel Abbott Low. He was born in Salem, Essex county, Massachusetts, on the 7th of February, 1811-the oldest son among twelve children of Seth and Mary P. Low. His early educa- tion was in the public schools of his native city, and there he began his mercantile life as clerk in the house of Joseph Howard & Co., largely engaged in the trade with South America.

In 1829, he left Salem, and followed his father to Brooklyn, remaining with him some three years. Hav- ing attained his majority, he sailed, in 1833, for Canton, China, and, on arriving there, became a clerk in the house of Russell & Co., the largest American house in that city, and of which an uncle, the late Wm. H. Low, was a partner. In 1837, he was taken into the firm; and, after three years successful pursuit of the tea trade abroad, returned home in 1840, to prosecute the same business here. Hardly thirty years of age, he set about it at once, and soon established himself in Fletcher street, New York, and there laid the founda- tions of that which was destined to become the leading house of America in the China trade.

The business of the house was of rapid growth, and at length assumed grand proportions, requiring a fleet for its work. Ship after ship of the finest and most beautiful model and careful construction, with a view to the highest speed under canvass, kept pace with its demands ; and for years the house carried on its traffic between China and New York, without the loss of any of its ships, previous to the War of the Rebel- lion; in the progress of which, two-the Jacob Bell and the Contest-were captured by rebel cruisers, and burned at sea. In 1845, Mr. Low had removed to South street, and taken his brother, Josiah O. Low, into partnership; and, in 1850, he finally removed to 31 Burling slip, and took possession of the capacious warehouse and offices which he had built for the per- manent home of the house. In 1852, his brother-in-law, Edward H. R. Lyman, was added to the firm, whose style thenceforth became "A. A. Low & Brothers," and so remains to this day. For, while the old part- ners have retired from active participation in the busi- ness, it has passed, in the natural order of things, into the hands of their children, and the oldest son of the subject of this sketch bears his father's initials.

Mr. Low's whole business career, while distinguished by great success, is equally so by the high estimate very early put upon his business talents by the most experienced of his cotemporaries in the China trade, and their yielding to him the foremost place. His in-

fluence in the New York Chamber of Commerce has always been wholesome and valuable, as well as large and conspicuous. He entered it in 1846, was elected its President in 1863, and, on the expiration of the stated term of three years, was re-elected in 1866. In 1867, however, he resigned the office for the purpose of a voyage round the world; and, soon after, left home with his family, and was absent over ten months.

In great crises-commercial, financial or political-in periods of panic or actual disaster, he has the courage of his convictions, and his opinions are eagerly sought and freely given. In the Civil War, on all important questions of national policy or duty, his voice and his action were alike ready and sagacious, clear, patriotic and determined. Holding no political or public office, from which he has resolutely kept himself, but out- spoken and earnestly loyal to the Union, he was often at Washington during the war, on committees of the Chamber of Commerce, for consultation with the Gov- ernment regarding matters of the highest import con- nected with the war or the great commercial interests of the nation.

In Brooklyn, the city of his adoption and residence, he is one of her most public-spirited and useful citi- zens. Ever since his return from China to the United States, Mr. Low has taken a lively and hearty interest in her welfare. As his means have increased, he has kept a constant eye upon her growth and prosperity; and wisely and generously contributed to the estab- lishment and support of all institutions which tended lo make that growth attractive and healthy, and that prosperity ennobling. Thoroughly imbued with the spirit of a firm and enlightened Christian faith, the Church has found in him a true, devoted, exemplary friend. Fully appreciating the value and importance of good education to every community, and especially essential in a Republic, the public and private schools of the city for both sexes are to him of highest con- cern. Of the Packer Collegiate Institute, that noble school for female education, munificently endowed by a cultivated and widowed lady of Brooklyn as a mem- orial to her late husband, whose name it bears, Mr. Low has been for many years, and still is, President of its Board of Trustees, giving to its affairs not only large and intelligent oversight, but liberally providing for its library and scientific apparatus. At its Commence- ments, in official addresses to the successive graduating classes, he has been accustomed to add to wise counsel, eloquently and touchingly expressed, a farewell gift to each member of an elegant copy of some standard lit- erary work as a memento of personal regard. The Brooklyn Library, and the Long Island Historical So- ciety, have found in him from the start one of their most appreciative, active and munificent patrons. The City Hospital, the Society for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the Union for Christian work, and many other benevolent institutions, attest his readiness to aid

648

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

in the support of all well-designed and well-managed organized charities. In our great Civil War, his loyalty and patriotism, combined with his earnest desire that Brooklyn should prove herself second to no other city in her devotion to the Union, were most pronounced and constant. He was among the most energetic, liberal, useful members of the "War Fund Committee " (see page 503) of the city and county, which was organized in 1862, and which admirably and efficiently seconded and helped the United States Sanitary Commission. He was President of the General Committee of Citizens which, in co-operation with that of the Woman's Relief Association, managed and carried out its grand result of over $400,000 at the Brooklyn and Long Island San- itary Fair of February, 1864. In the preparation for, and progress of the Fair, Mr. Low took an active and prom- inent part; presiding at and earnestly and eloquently addressing an immense and enthusiastic public meeting at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as repeated meetings of the General Committee ; and adding most generous contributions of personal attention and ad- vice, of time and money.

It is wholly unnecessary to dilate upon the character of Mr. Low as a man and a citizen. High-minded, high-principled, and of broad, comprehensive, care- fully formed views of commerce, of finance, of the legitimate functions of government itself, and its true aim and policy; as a citizen of a great republic, ready to meet and discharge to the best of his ability every duty of a citizen; as the Christian head of a Christian family, so living among and before them as to make it sure that his memory and his example will be their richest treasure, and a constant motive and impulse to their own high endeavor, Mr. Low stands pre-eminent. Such a man, such a merchant, might, indeed, honor office, but office could not honor him. In his private walk he is the courteous and cultivated gentleman, of refined, cordial and unassuming manners. With a well-selected and ample library, and access to the newest and best books, he is a large and discriminating reader. His extended knowledge shows itself, without pretence or ambitious effort, in numerous speeches before the Chamber of Commerce, and other assemblies. At the ban- quet tendered him by the members of the Chamber, on his return from his voyage round the world in 1866-7, after giving a delightful resumé of his experiences on the voyage, and full proof of his keen observation in the various countries he visited, he closed with statesmanlike suggestions and reflections worthy the attention of the distinguished company before him, and of Congress and the nation as well.

Mr. Low was first married in March, 1841, to Ellen Almira, youngest daughter of the late Josiah Dow, of Brooklyn, by whom he had four children, two sons and two daughters, all of whom survive their mother, of blessed memory, who died after a short illness on the 25th of January, 1850. On the 25th of February, 1851,

he was again married to Mrs. Ann B., widow of his brother, the late Wm. H. Low, and daughter of the late Mott Bedell, of Brooklyn. Mr. Low's oldest son, Abiel Augustus, married the only daughter of S. Cabot Ward, a prominent merchant of New York City; his youngest daughter is the wife of Henry E. Pierrepont, Jr., of Brooklyn Heights; and his youngest son, Mayor of Brooklyn for a second term, married a daughter of the late Hon. Benj. R. Curtis, a distinguished lawyer of Boston, Mass., and Judge of the U. S. Supreme Court.

As an ornament to the city, the elegant and costly edifice which Mr. Low erected in 1882, and known as THE GARFIELD, on the corner of Court and Remsen streets, deserves mention as an illustration of his pub- lic spirit; admirably contrived for banking, insurance, law and other offices, and of the most thorough finish and construction within and without.

ALEXANDER ECTOR ORR is a member of a Protestant Irish family of Scottish extraction, claiming kindred with the clan Mac Gregor, who came to Ireland in the 16th century and settled in the north, acquiring real estate in the coun- ties of Donegal, Londonderry and Tyrone. His ancestors were present, on the defensive side, at the siege of London- derry, in 1688-9, then the most prominent city in the province of Ulster and the only one which successfully adhered to the standard of William the Third against his father-in-law, the dethroned James the Second of England, who, up to that period, had been successful in his operations in Ireland. His father, William Orr, was a gentleman of private fortune, re- siding at Strabane, in the County Tyrone, who died in 1834, three years after the birth of Alexander E. His mother, who was the daughter of David Moore, Esq., of Sheephill, in the county of Londonderry, soon after the death of her husband, removed from Strabane to Londonderry with her nine children, of whom Alexander was the seventh in order.

It was originally intended that a commission in the judicial or military departments of the East India Company's ser- vice should be his vocation in life, and a presentation to the company's college at Addiscombe was procured, where he was to go as soon as he had reached the adequate age ; but a severe injury to his foot when a lad of between thirteen or fourteen disabled him for several years, and rendered the fulfillment of that design impracticable.

During convalescence from this accident, and when he was permitted to resume his studies, he went to reside in the family of the Rev. John Hayden, Archdeacon of the Diocese of Derry and Raphoe, at Killaloo Glebe, a short distance from the city of Londonderry, who superintended his educa- tion; and, as it was necessary that he should be as much as pos- sible in the open air his lessons were generally recited on horse- back when riding about the parish with his reverend preceptor.

When he was able to lay aside the crutches which he had used for nearly four years, and had gained comparative strength, he visited the United States, in the year 1850, for the expected benefits of the sea voyage out and home, in a sailing vessel, owned by a relative of the family. The out- ward voyage was a tedious one (between two and three months), but it produced the most beneficial results, and he landed in Wilmington, North Carolina, a strong and healthy- looking young man. During a short tour of a month (while the unloading and re-loading of the vessel was taking place), which he made north ward, visiting Richmond, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia (but failing for lack of time to

動能

Дирид agon

649

THE COMMERCE OF BROOKLYN.

reach New York), he became so impressed with the magni- ficent future that was in store for the United States, that he returned to Ireland fully determined to make that country his future home, if the controlling authority (he being under age) would grant consent. At first, this was withheld ; but subsequently a compromise was effected, the terms being that if young Orr continued of the same mind till the sum- mer of the following year the objection would be withdrawn. There was no wavering on his part from the impressions pre- viously formed; time had only served to confirm them; and, in the autumn of 1851, he came to the United States in the steamship City of Glasgow, arriving at Philadelphia, and immediately proceeded to New York. This vessel was soon after lost at sea and all on board perished; she was never heard of after leaving Philadelphia on a subsequent return voyage.

Among many letters of introduction which Mr. Orr brought to the United States, was one to the banking firm of J. & J. Stuart, and another to that of Abraham Bell & Son, of Park Row. The senior member of the former firm tried to dissuade him from remaining in the United States, as, in his opinion, success here was very uncertain and England, if it did not offer better opportunities, had fewer temptations for young men. Mr. Abraham Bell, a genial warm-hearted Quaker gentleman, on the other hand, urged him to remain in New York, took a deep interest in his welfare, and pro- cured for him a situation in the office of his friend, Mr. Ralph Post, a shipping and commission merchant of South street. In later years, Mr. Orr has often referred to the kind and encouraging reception he received from Mr. Bell, whose warm friendship and advice influenced his career, in com- parison to that accorded him by Mr. Stuart, who, although an Irishman, seemed to have little confidence in either the per- severence or staying powers of his more youthful country- man. It is a coincidence that may be mentioned in this con- nection, that many years afterwards Mr. Orr was elected to fill the vacancy in the Board of Trustees of a large foreign financial institution (having a branch office in New York), caused by the death of Mr. Stuart.

Another letter of introduction which he presented was to the Scotch firm of Ritchie, Bane & Co., who have long since passed away. At his request, and prior to obtaining the situation referred to from Mr. Post, Mr. Ritchie kindly permitted him to come to his office for a short period and assist in forwarding some work that had fallen behind hand, thereby enabling him to obtain a knowledge of United States currency and the modus operandi of an American merchant's counting-room. His instructor was the book-keeper of the establishment, who, after courteously initiating him into the mysteries of his profession, confided to him the secret that he was studying for the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church. At the end of ten days, the tuition ter- minated, but twenty-two years afterwards Mr. Orr united with his colleagues in the vestry of Christ Church, Brooklyn, in extending a call to a reverend gentleman, as assistant minister of that parish (to have the special supervision of its most important mission), who proved to be none other than · his American preceptor; each having, in the intervening years, entirely lost sight of the other.

In 1856, the firm of Wallace & Wickes, whose office was then in Front street, tendered Mr. Orr the position of cashier and confidential clerk, which was accepted with the greatest pleasure on his part, where he remained for nearly two years. For the members of this firm he entertained the warmest friendship and only severed the relationship, with their con- sent and advice, to accept a similar position in the office of David Dows & Co., in the summer of 1858, where a wider field was presented to him.

On May 1st, 1861, Mr. Orr became a partner in this firm, and has been actively concerned in its management ever since. The founder of the firm of David Dows & Co. was John Dows, of Charlton, Saratoga Co., New York, and it dates back to 1825, when the produce trade of the United States was in its infancy and merchandise could only be transported in large volume from the interior of the State and vice versa, via the Mohawk and Hudson rivers ; canals, or railroads being then unknown. John Dows died in 1844, and the business was continued by David Dows and Ira B. Cary, his surviving partners, under the firm name of Dows & Cary.

In 1854 Mr. Cary died, and David Dows associated with himself his nephew, John D. Mairs, and under the name of David Dows & Co., the business was continued without in- terruption. This firm confines its operations to a strictly commission business in the major farm products of the United States. Grain, flour and provisions are the principal factors, while cotton, wool, tobacco, and many other com- modities are also shipped to its care.

The breaking out of the rebellion gave an immense im- petus to the volume of its transactions, and as the war pro- gressed, this not only increased, hut the Commissary Depart- ment of the United States Government found it advan- tageous and profitable to procure its services in purchasing a large part of the subsistence stores needed for the armies east of the Alleghany Mountains, up to the end of the war. As Mr. Orr had direct supervision of the financial and pro- vision departments of the firm, and was continually con- sulted by the Commissary General, reference to the follow- ing letter from General Eaton, the head of that Department of the Armies of the United States, may not be out of place :

OFFICE OF ASS'T COM .- GENERAL OF SUBSISTENCE, NEW YORK, Sept. 27th, 1864.

MESSRS. DAVID DOWS & CO .:

Gentlemen-With much pleasure I send you the following extract from a letter, yesterday received from General Eaton, Commissary-General of Subsistence, U. S. Army:

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF SUBSISTENCE, WASHINGTON CITY, D. C , Sept. 24th, 1864. Col. H. F. CLARK, A. D. C. & A. C. G. S., NEW YORK ;

Sir-Your letter of yesterday, reporting the result of the purchase of provisions, made under your authority, by David Dows & Co., has been received. These purchases have been made with commendable mercantile skill, and with the evident desire to serve the economical interests of the country. The thanks of this department are due Messrs. David Dows & Co. for this service.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed) A. B. EATON, C. G. S.

I am, gentlemen, very respectfully, your obedient servant, H. F. CLARKE. COL. A. D. C. & A. C. G. S.

The transaction here referred to covered several millions of dollars in value. It not only embraced the purchase of provisions, but also the negotiation of government certifi- cates of indebtedness (with which in large measure the Treasury Department of the United States was, from neces- sity, forced to pay its debts), upon a plan suggested by Mr. Orr, and which proved much more favorable to the Govern- ment than that which was practiced prior to David Dows & Co's management. It was in some respects a test case, which worked so well that it was continuously followed till the close of the war.

The policy and aim of David Dows & Co. has always been to encourage the agricultural and commercial development of the United States; and, as a means, it has always been identified with those enterprises which assisted in opening up and utilizing the products of new territories, and has ever been among the first to follow the pioneering railroad

650

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

into the wilderness. Nor has it forgotten its obligations to the city of New York, or its great dormitory, Brooklyn, where, on the water front of the latter, it has built some of the finest grain warehouses and elevators on the Atlantic sea- board. It has done much to make the harbor of New York the granary for the old world, and the city of New York the great grain center of the United States. In all these matters Mr. Orr has actively seconded the indomitable energy aud enter- prise of his senior partner, Mr. Dows, and has ever found in him a friend from whom he could accept counsel, and whose example it was his aim to emulate. Hence we find him asserting, when opportunity offers, the commercial su- premacy of New York, and advocating and supporting every influence that will tend to insure that end. - Year after year, since 1871, he appeared before committees of the Leg- islature, urging the reduction of tolls on the state canals; until in 1882, as chairman of the New York Produce Ex- change Committee of Fifty, he presented the unanswerable argument of the Exchange in favor of "free canals," and made the demand "that every toll bar erected against the internal commerce of the state, and the interests of the cities of New York and Brooklyn, must now be taken down."

In 1875 Mr. Orr was appointed by Governor Tilden a mem- ber of the commission charged with the duty of investigat- ing the affairs and management of the canals of this state. His colleagues were John Bigelow, Daniel Magone, Jr., and John D. Van Buren. This commission faithfully fulfilled the mission entrusted to its care. It was organized in April, and did not terminate its labors till the spring of the fol- lowing year. Through it a system of frauds was discovered and developed, which had been in operation for many years, and was sapping the moral condition of the governing bodies of the state.

Very many of the guilty persons were brought to justice, and made to refund their ill-gotten gains. Prominent state officials. who had either connived at, or profited by, these wrong-doings, were forced to resign, in order to avoid judi- cial removal; and others who could not be proved legally guilty, but whom the moral sense of the community deemed responsible, withdrew into private life as soon as their terms of office expired, and in a political souse, were heard of no more.

This commission was clothed with extraordinary powers. It was authorized to send for persons and papers, and arrest all refractory witnesses. Its expenses were of necessity large ; some $35,000 ; and yet it may be said to have paid more than its own expenditures, as it collected from persons wrongfully and fraudulently receiving, and returned to the state, either in cash or state certificates of indebtedness, $43,000; collected proofs which enabled the state to sue for hundreds of thousands of dollars, which had been wrong- fully or fraudulently paid to dishonest contractors, and caused contracts to be cancelled, and useless constructions to be stopped, which would have involved the useless expendi- ture of millions of dollars more. As a result, the recom- mendations of the commission were adopted by the Legislature; the pernicious elective offices of canal commis- sioners were abolished, divided responsibility was entirely eliminated from canal management; the office of superin- tendent of public works, with a direct responsibility, was created, and the expense of canal maintenance was reduced more than one-half.

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.

The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884, Volume II, Part 5

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co Number of Pages: 1345

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co
Number of Pages: 1345