Washington county, New York; its history to the close of the nineteenth century, Part 63

Author: Stone, William Leete, 1835-1908, ed; Wait, A. Dallas 1822- joint ed
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: [New York] New York history co.
Number of Pages: 1000

USA > New York > Washington County > Washington county, New York; its history to the close of the nineteenth century > Part 63

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Hiram Shipman, father of the subject of this sketch, married Mary Anne T. Bush, daughter of Lemuel T. Bush of Fort Ann, N. Y. She was Holland-Dutch and French Huguenot on her father's side, being descended from Jan Ter Boss, who came to this country from Telliist, Holland, in 1662, and married, at New Amsterdam, Rachel Vermilyea, June 10, 1663. She was a native of Leyden and a descendant of Hugo Freer, one of the twelve patentees of New Paltz, N. Y. She is also reputed to have been a descendant of William of Orange and Anna of Egmont.

Hiram Shipman (son) married Mrs. Sarah Dewey Pike, daughter of Thaddeus N. and Edna (Clark) Dewey. They have one daughter, Mary Bush Shipman.

Mr. Shipman's father was a native ef Vermont, born near Mont- pelier, and was of English descent. He built and operated the first tannery in Fort Ann. This tannery originally occupied the site where the house of Myron Ingalsbe now stands, but soon after the canal was built it was removed to the location where the present tannery is situ- ated. He was afterwards a member of the firm of Pike & Shipman, Tanners and Shoemakers.

Hiram Shipman, the subject of this sketch, has one sister, Margaret, wife of the Rev. Wallace Sawyer of Milford, Ohio, His wife was the daughter of Thaddeus N. Dewey of Fort Ann. She was the widow of Silas P. Pike, also of this village, by whom she had one son, John M. Pike.

Hiram Shipman and Thaddeus N. Dewey were both grandsons of Lemuel Ter Bush or Ter Bosch, who was born at Nine Partners, Dutchess County, N. Y., February 15, 1770, and who, with his twin brother, Jonas, was baptized at the Mount Ross Church May 6, 1770. He was the son of Benjamin and Mary Ann (Fox) Ter Bosch and the grandson of Hendrikus Ter Bosch and Rachel Freer of Fishkill. His

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WASHINGTON COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.

great grandfather was Jan Ter Bosch or Ter Boss (as sometimes writ- ten) already mentioned.

Rachel Freer, granddaughter of Hugo Freer, was born November 10, 1710. Hugo Freer, one of the twelve patentees of New Paltz, settled upon this land in 1778, the grant of which was made by Gov- ernor Andross in 1677. They built shelters on the site of the village, which they named New Paltz, "in fond remembrance of their first place of rest in their exile from their native land." These settlers organized a church of which Hugo Freer was at first a deacon and in 1790 an elder. The Freers furnished a large number of officers and men in the Revolutionary War, among whom were: Colonel John Freer and Captain Jacobus Freer of Dutchess County; and Lieuten- ants Daniel and Anthony Freer, of Ulster.

The great grandfather of Lemuel Ter Bosch was Johannus Tur Boss, of whom Brinkerhoff's History of Fishkill says: "One of the first, if not the first, representative man in this part of Dutchess County, was Johannus Tur Boss. This name has either been changed from the original, or otherwise has now become extinct among us. He is reported in the census of 1714 and had five children. He was, at an early day, a Justice of the Peace and owned land about Fishkill village. The ground on which the Dutch Church is located was pur- chased from him. He was elected to the Colonial Legislature from 1716 to 1725, for a period of nine years; is also spoken of as Judge in old manuscript, and died before 1735. Was evidently a leading man in his day. Jacobus Tur Boss, a younger brother of Johannus, donated the site of the Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the Colonial Legislature from 1737 to 1743."

The official books in Albany say that Johannus died in 1725, while he was a member of the Legislature.

Lemuel T. Bush married Mary Lane of Kingsbury, Washington County, April 8, 1790, having come to Fort Ann not long before. Their children were: Amos T., who married Lydia Sargent, daughter of Dr. Sargent; Benjamin T., who died at twenty; Polly T., who married Chester Dewey of Fort Ann; Sally T., who married Matthias Pike, and was mother of Silas P. Pike, lawyer of Fort Ann and Lemuel B. Pike, lawyer of Saratoga; Joseph T. of Tonawanda, N. Y., and Electa, who married Solomon Cowen of Hartford, N. Y., and became the mother of Esek Cowen, a prominent lawyer of New York city.

In giving a record of the travels and operations of Mr. Shipman the

6 & Smith

BIOGRAPHICAL.

important fact should not be overlooked that he served for a short time as one of President Lincoln's body guard.

CHARLES C. SMITH, one of the representative men of the town of Fort Ann, Washington County, was born in Lincoln, Addison County, Vermont, October 5, 1836, and was educated in the town of Bristol. His first business occupation was that of clerk in a store which began at the early age of thirteen years, and in which position he remained for five years. In 1854 he went to Granville to take a similar position as clerk in a general store, subsequently removing to Fort Edward, where he bought a hotel which was burned down the night he pur- chased it.

In 1863 Mr. Smith enlisted in Company I, Sixteenth New York Artillery and during the operations of his regiment so distinguished himself that he received the commission of Second Lieutenant. In 1865 he received his honorable discharge, returned home, and pur- chased some property in Sandy Hill. In 1866 he removed to Smith's Basin and lived there until 1880, when he came to Fort Ann, where he purchased the farm upon which he has since resided.

Mr. Smith is a prominent Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Knights Templar.

On June 2, 1867, Mr. Smith married Josephine, a daughter of Ezekiel and Catharine Smith of Smith's Basin. Their children are Mrs. W. L. Pike of Saratoga Springs, and Frank R. Smith who died in 1895. Mr. Smith's parents were Elwood and Anna (Clark ) Smith. His father died in 1847 and his mother in 1897.

Mr. Smith is a member of Sandy Hill Lodge, No. 372, F. & A. M., Sandy Hill Chapter, No. 189, and Washington Commandery, No. 33, K. T., Saratoga Springs. He was made a Mason in 1857, when three days over the age of twenty-one. Both he and his wife are members of the Universalist Church.

In politics Mr. Smith is a Republican and cast his first vote for John C. Freemont. His grandfather, Daniel, was a prisoner on board a British man-of-war and died in Boston Harbor, aboard the ship, during the Revolutionary War.

Mrs. Smith's great-grandfather, Ebenezer, died in 1792. He was a Minute man in the Revolutionary War. Her grandfather, Ezekiel,

WASHINGTON COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.

who was six years old at the time, could remember seeing Burgoyne's surrender. Her ancestors came from Scotland.

Mr. Smith has never sought to take a very prominent part in public affairs, but he is one of the substantial men of Washington County and is universally esteemed and respected.

ROBINS MILLER WITHERBEE. - There was no more excellent or nota- ble man in Whitehall than Robins M. Witherbee, and a great many residents of this village mention his name as a local exception to the often stated rule that "the world misses no man," for since his un- timely and lamentable death, March 22, 1900, his absence has been felt not only in his family circle, but in every sphere of life in White- hall.

He was born in the town of Dresden, Washington County, N. Y., November 16, 1843, and was educated in the schools of his native place. On September 2, 1861, when only seventeen years of age, he enlisted in Company A, 87th New York Volunteer Infantry, to serve his country in the Union cause, which he did bravely and faithfully until compelled to accept his honorable discharge on account of disa- bility. After the war Mr. Witherbee returned to Dresden, where he worked on the farm for a time when he began the trade of boat builder, at which he worked for two years, after which he worked on the canal as a deck hand, finally purchasing a boat and doing business for himself on the canal for three seasons.

On February 26, 1874; he bought the grocery business of G. M. Chubb. This business under his able management continued to grow in volume, and he added clothing, boots, shoes, gents furnishings, grain and feed, so that, at the time of his death, it was one of the largest and most prosperous business establishments in Washington County. Yet while building up and expanding his own business Mr. Witherbee always took an earnest and intelligent interest in the welfare of the community at large, and in order to benefit the trade of Whitehall, had been mainly instrumental in projecting a railroad from Whitehall to Granville, the charter of which was secured just before his death.

He was a member of Phonix Lodge, No. 96, F. & A. M., of Cham- plain Chapter, No. 25, of Commandery No. 2. Knights Templar at

BIOGRAPHICAL.

Albany; Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Order of Scottish Rite Masons, thirty-second degree, at Albany, and of the Cypress Shrine. He was also very prominent as an Odd Fellow and was a member of Whitehall Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., of Whitehall En- campment, No. 69, I. O. O. F., and Whitehall Canton, Patriachs Mili- tant. He was Past Grand and Past Chief Patriach in this order. He was also a member of the Business Men's Club, of New York City, of Whitehall Steamer Company No. 3, a member of the society of the Army of the Potomac, of Post Tanner, G. A. R., and other local organizations.

In politics Mr. Witherbee was a Republican, but never held or aspired to public office, being essentially a business man and possess- ing remarkable faculties in that direction. Because of his business operations and his high standing in social organizations he was known from New York City to Canada, and everywhere was highly respected.

On April 9, 1870, Robins M. Witherbee married Mary L., daughter of Daniel and Susanna MeLaughlin. They have one daughter living, Minnie E., wife of Adjutant Emmett J. Gray of Whitehall, and one son, Clayton Robins Witherbee, born April 17, 1873, died March 12, 1898, at Boston.

Mr. Witherbee was pre-eminently the architect of his own fortune. As the history of his life shows he started out a poor boy and through his own energy and ability attained a high standing, both as a wealthy man and a man of unimpeachable integrity, and all this was accom- plished in a life cut off in its prime and also in the face of a disaster by fire which robbed him of upwards of thirty thousand dollars in I886.

On Monday, March 19, 1900, Mr. Witherbee left Whitehall for New York on business and died on Thursday, March 22, from a stroke of apoplexy. His body was brought to Whitehall and interred with impressive ceremonies Monday, March 26.

When Mr. Witherbee's body was being sent to Whitehall from New York. it was conveyed from the Central depot at Albany to the Delaware & Hudson station in a hearse sent by the Commandery and he was buried under Masonic auspices. His death was taken as a public calamity by the citizens of Whitehall, and during his funeral every store and retail establishment and even the schools of the vil- lage were closed while flags were seen at half-mast on the village hall, on the school buildings and on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monu-

WASHINGTON COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.

ment. Every organization in Whitehall turned out to his funeral and together made an impressive and solemn procession marching in the following order: Phoenix Lodge, No. 96, F. & A. M .; Whitehall Lodge, No. 5. I. O. O. F .; Post A. H. Tanner, No. 563, G. A. R .; Whitehall Steamer Company, No. 3; Citizens Hose, Torrent Engine Company, Burleigh Hose.

Relating to the life and character of this truly great man we quote from an excellent article in the Whitehall Chronicle :

"A man of commanding presence, in the full possession of health and strenth, his sudden demise seems no less inexplicable than deplo- rable. Through his removal, Whitehall loses a citizen foremost among our limited number of capitalists who are concerned in the advancement of every enterprise calculated to prove of benefit to the community. The tributes that have been paid to our townsman were not tendered merely because of his financial standing. That he had abundant resources of this character at his command is true, but he was disposed to utilize his talent in preference to burying it. He had recently made investments in real estate and proposed to erect build- ings on our main thoroughfare that would have contributed much to the appearance of our village. Behind his material resources was the energy, executive ability and experience to engage in bold ventures and to bring success out of every undertaking. He was not alone a man of wealth, but a man of character. He was not without purpose, determination, and above all reliability and strict integrity. He pos- sessed ambition and a just sense of pride in what he accomplished individually; yet the fact is too well known to scarcely need emphasis that he had the welfare and progress of Whitehall well in mind. It was not for the prospect of mere personal gain that Mr. Witherbee had labored and thought so much during the past year in perfecting the arrangements for the construction of the proposed Granville and Whitehall railroad. He was even advised that the consummation of this project would benefit him but little personally. Yet he was de- termined that this movement should succeed, and when he applied his forceful faculties to any given undertaking he never wavered. He regretted that so much time had been lost in obtaining the char- ter. He brooded over the matter until, as it is now believed, a mild state of cerebral congestion was induced. He lived to see the fran- chise granted; it is to be regretted that he could not have been spared to witness the completion and operation of the road itself, which he

Milo Angalstr

BIOGRAPHICAL.

believed would build up our town. Should the road in time be built and work good to Whitehall, let his labor in its behalf, and the fact that he was its first president. not be forgotten. In any event, let it go on record that he was a prime mover in the enterprise.

" But not in the commercial sphere alone was Mr. Witherbee dis- tinguished. He had contributed directly and indirectly toward the support of every desirable institution in our midst.

"On all occasions he was genial and courteous and his presence was greatly desired and appreciated. His life has its lessons for younger men. He has demonstrated that energy, perseverance and industry accomplish much. He has made it plain by his active career that it is noble to work, not alone for one's own advancement, but that good may be imparted to a community and its institutions. Others under similar circumstances would not have risen and become distinguished as he became. It is the memory of a strong and noble man we honor with our varied tributes."

MILO INGALSBE was born in the town of Kingsbury, Washington County, N. Y., May 29, 1818, and received his early education in the common schools and at the Academy in Castleton, Vt. When he was two years of age his parents moved from Kingsbury to Hartford, N. Y., and here he grew to manhood and passed almost his entire life. At the age of sixteen he began teaching school and continued in that work for several succeeding years. He early formed the determina- tion to make medicine his profession, and for that purpose entered the Albany Medical College, where he remained for some time, finally leaving and returning home to work on the farm, solely because he wished younger members of the family to have the opportunities for education which they could not otherwise obtain. This is a notable example of the high minded unselfishness which he manifested throughout his entire career. So it eventuated that he directed his life work to agricultural pursuits and their concomitants. For although it is rarely that a farmer gives much attention to literary or public affairs, he devoted a great deal of time and energy to both of these fields of labor. He always took great interest in education and our school system, and for several years was town Superintendent of Schools, while for fifty years he was Clerk of his school district, keep-

WASHINGTON COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.

ing records which have been of much value in tracing the necrologi- cal annals of the neighborhood. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for twelve years and was Supervisor of the town of Hartford during the War of the Rebellion, and was an active and influential member of the War Committee. He was one of the founders of the Washington County Agricultural Society, of which he was twice chosen President. He also acted as a member of the Executive Committee of the State Agricultural Society, and was its President for one year. He was also County Correspondent for the United States Bureau of Agriculture for a period of thirty years, and sev- eral very valuable articles from his pen, on the agricultural interests. of the state, were published during that period.

For many years he was a correspondent and observer of the Smith- sonian Institute and Signal Service Department.

In all his work he was both studious and careful and never could tolerate half-hearted work in connection with anything with which he had to do.

Although Mr. Ingalsbe was not a politician. as the word is gener- ally understood, and never sought or cared for public office, he took the keenest interest in all public affairs and his advice and counsel were continuously sought by his neighbors and associates. He was a strong supporter of the free district library, in its early and critical days, and he sought in every way to promote the introduction and perusal of good and healthy literature.

On June 5, 1842, Milo Ingalsbe married Laura Cook Chapin. Mrs. Ingalsbe was born August 21, 1817, but her mother dying when she was an infant, she was adopted by her uncle and aunt, Moses and Sophia Cook of South Hartford, N. Y. She was a grand-daughter of Samuel Cook, a Revolutionary soldier, whose lineage is traced back to Francis Cook, who, with his wife, came to Plymouth on the May- flower.

In 1892 Mr. and Mrs. Ingalsbe celebrated their golden wedding.

Their only son, Grenville M. Ingalsbe, is today one of the promi- nent men of Washington County, of which he is Surrogate.

Milo Ingalsbe died November 28, 1893, and was interred in Union Cemetery near Sandy Hill, N. Y.

Milo Ingalsbe's parents were James and Fannie ( Harris ) Ingalsbe. James Ingalsbe was born in Granville, Washington County, N. Y., and was one of the eleven children of Aaron and Polly ( Hicks )

HON. THOMAS STEVENSON.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

Ingalsbe. Aaron Ingalsbe was one of the first white settlers in the town of Hartford, he having gone there about the year 1780 with five other young men. His father was Ebenezer Ingalsbe, who came from Shrewsbury to Hartford about 1790. He was born February 10, 1730, and his wife October 18, 1729. Ebenezer's earliest known residence was at Boylston, Worcester County, Mass. Beyond his day, the history of the Ingalsbe family is obscure, but was a subject to which Milo Ingalsbe gave considerable attention, as he took much interest in genealogical as well as historical matters. The ancestors of the family in this country came from near the border line between England and Scotland, in the seventeenth century, and settled in Maine near where Bangor now stands. They subsequently moved to Massachusetts and some of them were participants in the King Philip and other early Indian wars. Ebenezer Ingalsbe was a sergeant in Captain Robert Andrews' company of minute men, which marched from the second parish of Shrewsbury to Cambridge on the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775. He also served at different times during the Revolutionary War and attained the rank of Captain in 1777. He was a man of great physical vigor, but his health was much impaired through exposure in the service, and after his final discharge he was never well, and died in Hartford, August 17, 1802. Several of his sons were also patriot soldiers.

Milo Ingalsbè was one of the best known and most highly respected men of his day in Washington County. Not only did his abilities and personality give him a high standing among men, but his charity, kindly consideration of others and his high integrity made him hosts of friends.

HON. THOMAS STEVENSON. - The subject of this biography was born on the farm where he now resides, in the town of Salem, Washington County, N. Y., October 27, 1831. He was educated in the district schools and at Washington Academy, Salem, N. Y. After leaving the Academy he taught school for several terms and ultimately returned to farming.

In every sphere of life in which he has engaged Mr. Stevenson has been markedly successful and has achieved a career that does great credit both to his head and heart. His abilities and integrity

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WASHINGTON COUNTY: ITS HISTORY.

drew to him several public positions of high responsibility and he discharged the duties of each with a fidelity which might well be a model for all men in public office.

He represented the town of Salem on the Board of Supervisors in the year 1884, and was the representative to the State Legislature for the first assembly district of Washington County in the years 1870 and 1871. He was appointed United States Collector of Internal Revenue for the Fifteenth District of New York by President Hayes in 1878. This district included the counties of Washington, Rensselaer, Warren, Clinton and Essex. Mr. Stevenson held this position for nearly five years, collecting $200,000 yearly and at the expiration of his term of office his books balanced to a cent, and in all his dealings and the discharge of his duties he was fair and just to every man.

Mr, Stevenson is not only one of the representative men of Wash- ington County, but his ancestors also played a prominent part in the development of this historic belt upon whose soil the first decisive blows were struck for American independence.

He is of Scotch-Irish descent, although his people on both sides have been Americans for over 125 years. His parents were James B. and Martha ( McFarland ) Stevenson. His great-grandfather, McFar- land, came to America from Ireland in the year 1774, and his great- grandfather, Stevenson, from Scotland, in the same year, the latter settling on a tract of land two miles east of the present village of Salem. The farm is still in the possession of the Stevenson family, and has been since first taken up by this pioneer ancestor.

Soon after the Revolutionary War began this pioneer Stevenson vol- unteered in the company commanded by Captain Alexander McNitt and he was a ruling elder in the first session of the old Scotch Presby- terian Church in Salem. He was also a member of the first Board of Trustees of Washington Academy. His son Thomas was a ruling elder in this church for nearly fifty years, and his grandson, James B., for nearly the same length of time. Of his descendants two were physi- cians, three were clergymen, four were lawyers and nine were teach- ers, all of them inheriting the strong characteristics of their ances- tors in an eminent degree.

On March 31, 1857, Hon. Thomas Stevenson married Alida Russell, daughter of William A. and Clarisa ( McKillip) Russell. Their children are George, Helen and Sara.

[ Since the foregoing was written Hon. Thomas Stevenson died, on Jan. 9, 1901.]

F. M. Vau Wormer

BIOGRAPHICAL.

FRANCIS M. VAN WORMER was born at Pattens Mills, a hamlet in the town of Kingsbury, Washington County, N. Y., in 1846, and is a son of Henry Fletcher Van Wormer and Jane M. Fuller Van Wormer.

On his paternal side he is a descendant, in the fourth generation, from Jacob Van Wormer, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who was one of the first settlers in the town of Kingsbury. He afterwards moved to West Fort Ann, where he built the first sawmill in the town and started the hamlet called Van Wormer, now West Fort Ann.

Henry Van Wormer, a son of Jacob Van Wormer, who was father of Henry Fletcher Van Wormer, served in the American army at the battle of Plattsburgh.

Henry Fletcher Van Wormer, father of Francis M. Van Wormer, was born in 1812, and died at his home at West Fort Ann in 1899, aged eighty-seven years.

The Van Wormers are of Dutch descent. Francis M. was reared in the town of Fort Ann, until he was sixteen years of age, when he en- listed, August 11, 1862, in Company D, 123d Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, as musician (drummer boy) and participated in all the battles and skirmishes in which the regiment was engaged, namely: Chancellorsville, Va .; Gettysburg, Pa .; Sherman's cam- paigns from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to the sea; Sherman's campaign through the Carolinas, in which was fought the battles of Averysboro and Bentonville, and several skirmishes preced- ing the surrender of Johnson's Confederate Army to General Sher- man, near Raleigh, N. C. The war being closed, the regiment was discharged in June, 1865.

One year later, in 1866, Mr. Van Wormer came to Sandy Hill and assisted as a millwright in building the paper mill of Howland, Clark & Company, now the Union Bag & Paper Company, and remained in their employ for five years, after which he entered the employ of P. H. Wait, proprietor of the Baker Falls Iron & Machine Works, where he learned the machinist's trade, and was afterwards made superin- tendent of the works. These works were founded by P. H. Wait in 1860, and after several changes in the management they were pur- chased by F. M. Van Wormer and T. E. Wells, and were run by them up to about 1882, when Otis A. Tefft and N. E. Packer became mem- bers of the firm, and the name of the firm was changed to the Sandy Hill Iron & Brass Works. A new machine shop and foundry was built, and in 1883 Otis A. Tefft was succeeded by his son, Richard C.

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Washington county, New York; its history to the close of the nineteenth century, Part 63

Author: Stone, William Leete, 1835-1908, ed; Wait, A. Dallas 1822- joint ed Publication date: 1901 Publisher: [New York] New York history co. Number of Pages: 1000

Author: Stone, William Leete, 1835-1908, ed; Wait, A. Dallas 1822- joint ed
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: [New York] New York history co.
Number of Pages: 1000