The twentieth century bench and bar of Pennsylvania, volume II, Part 75

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, H. C. Cooper, jr., bro. & co.
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > Pennsylvania > The twentieth century bench and bar of Pennsylvania, volume II > Part 75

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).

Governor Henry M. Hoyt was born June 8, 1830, in Kingston, and graduated from Wil- liams college in 1849. He studied law with Hon. George W. Woodward and began prac- tieing law in 1856. He took an active part in the campaign of 1856. Mr. Hoyt was eon- missioned lieutenant colonel by Governor Curtin. IIe severed his connection with mili- tary affairs and returned to his practice in Wilkes-Barre, and in 1867 was made addi- tional law judge. In 1875 he became chair- man of the Republican state committee, and in May, 1878, was nominated and elected governor of Pennsylvania.

Edmund L. Dana was born January 29, 1817. He prepared for college, and in Oc- tober, 1835, entered Yale, graduating there- from in 1838. He studied law in the office of Hon. Luther Kidder and was admitted April 16, 1841, and entered the office of George W. Woodward, where he remained in active practice until December, 1846, when he was mustered into the Mexican war. He also served in the war of the Rebellion. In 1867 he was nominated and elected to the office of additional law judge of Luzerne county, which office le filled to the satisfae- tion of the people.

We are indebted for the data of the fore- going article to the "Annals of Luzerne," by

1114

THE BENCH AND BAR OF PENNSYLVANIA

Stewart Pearee, revised by George B. Kulp.

Charles D. Foster, of Wilkes-Barre, is a native of Dallas township, Luzerne county, and was born in November, 1836, to Phineas N. and Mary (Johnson) Foster, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Con- necticut. Both parents settled in Pennsyl- vania in early life and were married there. They were farmers by occupation, and the father served a number of years as justice of the peaee. He died on April 7, 1878. His mother died on July 23, 1884.

Our subject's grandfather, Edward Foster, removed from Vermont to Pennsylvania at an carly date and settled on the farm where he lived until this decease, in 1819. His ma- ternal grandmother was Loly Nash. His maternal grandfather, Jacob Johnson, was born in Connecticut and was a son of Jacob .Johnson, who died at Wilkes-Barre March 15, 1797, whose monument at Wilkes-Barre bears the following inscription :

"Rev. Jacob Johnson, A. M., born at Wal- lingford, Conn., April 7, 1713. Died at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., March 15, 1797. Gradu- ated at Yale College, 1740. Pastor of Con- gregational Church, Groton, Conn., 1749- 1772. First pastor of Wilkes-Barre Congre- gational (subsequently First Presbyterian) 1772-1797. He made missionary journeys to the Six Nations, preaching in the Indian lan- guage. He was an early and outspoken ad- vocate of American liberty and a command- ing figure in the early history of Wyoming. He wrote the artieles of Capitulation fol- lowing the destruction of the infant settle- ment by the British and Indians in 1778, and was a firm and self-sacrificing defender of the Connecticut title throughout the prolonged land contest."

Charles received his preliminary education in the public schools and later attended Wyoming seminary in Luzerne county. He then became a law student in the office of Mr. Lyman Hakes at Wilkes Barre, where, on

April 23, 1861, he was admitted to the bar. At once opening an office in his own name, he has always conducted it alone, giving his attention to a general civil practiee, and by faithful devotion to his profession and the interests of his clients has beeome widely known as one of the safe, reliable and suc- cessful lawyers of his section of the state. His practice is extended to all the state and federal courts, and embraced a great many important and noteworthy eases. In recent years he has achieved distinction as a sueeess- ful practitioner in the Orphans' Court of his county, and withal his practice has been both large and luerative.

In polities Mr. Foster is a Republican, and has always been somewhat aetive in the af- fairs of his party. He has served as a mem- ber of the Republican county committee, has been three times a delegate to the state eon- vention and a delegate to the Republican league in New York. He was a member of the state legislature in 1883-84. He after- wards received the nomination of his party for Congress, but, it being an "off year," failed of election. During the Civil war he was a member of the Home Guards.

Mr. Foster has always been interested in business affairs, and is regarded as a leader in numerous business and finaneial enter- prises. He was president of the first street railway company of Wilkes-Barre, is a di- rector of the Wyoming National Bank, a stockholder in several banks in Wilkes-Barre and Pittston and a stockholder of the Wilkes- Barre Bridge Company and of several pipe line companies, also treasurer of Hunloek Creek Turnpike Company and director of Wilkes-Barre and Dallas Turnpike Company. IIe is aetive in social matters, being a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, the Elks, Westmoreland Club and the Malt Club, and also belongs to the Wilkes-Barre Bar Asso- ciation, Historical Society, Commemorative Association Goodfellows, and New England Society. In his religious affiliations he is

CHARLES D. FOSTER.

1115

LUZERNE COUNTY

an Episcopalian. On October 5, 1865, Mr. Foster was married to Miss Mary J. Hoag- land, granddaughter of Judge Andrew Hoagland, of Hunterdon county, New Jersey, whose ancestors came to New Netherlands in 1657 from Maerseveen, near the village of Hoagland, in the province of Utrecht. He and his asso- ciates were given letters patent from Gov- ernor Stuyvesant to found the eity of Brooklyn, N. Y. (spelled Breucklin). The Brooklyn and Flatbush surface ears have their passenger depot and stables on the site of the old Hoagland homestead. Judge Hoagland married a daughter of Elijah Car- man, who was a deseendant of John Carman, of Hemel Hempsted, Henlfordshire, Eng- land. He left his home for the new world in the ship "Lion" with Rev. John Eliot, Thos. Wakeman, Valentine Prentis and Riehard Lyman, and arrived at Roxborough, Mass., on the third day of November, 1631. He and nine others founded Sandwich, Mass., also Wethersfield and Stamford, Conn. In 1643 John Carman and John Goodham purchased of the natives all that part known as Hemp- sted, containing about 120,000 aeres of land. Carmanville, Long Island, was built on a portion of this tract. Mrs. Foster's maternal grandfather was Rev. George E. Fisher, a generous and exemplary man. Of two daugh- ters born to them, one, Lillian Blanehe, died June 29, 1883. Florence survives and is the wife of Dr. Frank T. Jenkins, of Washing- ton, D. C., a son of Rear Admiral Jenkins, of the United States navy.

Thomas Henry Atherton was born in Kingston township, Luzerne eounty, July 14, 1853, and is a son of William and Sarah (Atherton) Henry, his name having been, for family reasons, changed by aet of the legislature March 15, 1871, from Thomas Atherton Henry to Thomas Henry Atherton. He traces his paternal ancestry to Robert Henry, who immigrated with three sons- John, Robert and James-from Coleraine,

Ireland, and settled on Doe Run, Chester county, in 1722. Ilis grandfather, William Henry, was born March 12, 1757, and in his youth was apprenticed to Henry Albright, a gun maker of Lititz, to learn the business. Ile remained there until he attained his ma- jority in 1778, and then removed to the Moravian settlement near Nazareth, Pa., and carried on the business of gun making about two years. In 1780 he married Miss Sabina Sehroop and lived in Nazareth until 1818. Ile then removed to Philadelphia, where he lived until his decease, April 21, 1821. His widow, our subject's grandmother, died in Bethlehem May 8, 1848. ITis father, William llenry, was born at Nazareth August 15, 1796. Ile was edueated at Nazareth Hall, and was also a gun maker by trade. He died at his home in Wyoming, Pa., May 27, 1878. He was twice married, his second wife, Thomas' mother, being Sarah Atherton, a daughter of Elisha Atherton.

After leaving the common schools Thomas prepared for college at Wyoming seminary and at Wilkes-Barre, and was graduated from Princeton college with the elass of 1874. He then studied law with Mr. Charles E. Rice, now president judge of the Superior Court, and on September 29, 1876, was ad- mitted to the bar. He began his praetiee at Wilkes-Barre, and for fourteen years was associated as a partner with Mr. Allen H. Dickson, now deeeased, but since 1892 has been in practice alone. His praetice, general in character, has at the same time been largely in the line of corporation law and estates. Ile is attorney for the Temple Iron Company, West End Coal Company, Web- ster Coal and Coke Company and Vulean Iron Works. Ile is also a director of the last named firm, as well as of the Second National bank of Wilkes-Barre, People's bank and other organizations, and is counsel for the Wilkes-Barre Bridge company. Mr. Ather- ton is a Republican and has always been active in the affairs of his party, especially

1116

THE BENCH AND BAR OF PENNSYLVANIA

in the county organizations, but has never held political office. He is past master in the Masonic fraternity and an elder in the First Presbyterian church of Wilkes-Barre. In 1880, at Pittston, Luzerne eounty, he married Miss Melaine Parke, a daughter of Rev. N. G. Parke, D. D., of that place, and a woman who takes an active part in religious and charitable work and in social affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Atherton have one son and five daughters.

Asa Randolph Brundage, the subject of this sketch, is a native of Conyngham, Pa., born Mareh 22, 1828, to Moses S. and Jane (Brodhead) Brundage. He traces his pater- nal lineage through Israel Brundage, who immigrated to America in 1713 from Eng- land. His grandfather Brundage and four granduneles were soldiers in the. Revolution- ary war and fought for independenee through that struggle. His father, who was born at Bloomfield, N. J., was a soldier in the war of 1812, and in 1820 settled at Conyngham, Luzerne county, where, as a farmer, miller and merchant, he soon attained, and through his life maintained, a position of command- ing influence in the community. Asa's ma- ternal ancestors eame originally from York- shire, England, and were first represented in this country in 1632. Among them were men prominent in New York state more than one hundred years ago, one of whom was Daniel Brodhead, one of the carly surveyors general of Pennsylvania; and the present J. Romaine Brodhead, the historian of New York state, and James O. Brodhead, of Mis- souri, belong to the same family. Asa's grandfather, Richard Brodhead, Sr., settled on the Delaware river, near Stroudsburg, in Monroe county, and gave his name to Brod- head's creek, in that vicinity. His son, Richard Brodhead, Jr., was a prominent statesman and widely known as one of the ablest members of the United States Senate. Asa attended the common schools in his early boyhood, but at the age of fourteen

years left home and went to Jaekson, Miss., making the journey on horsebaek and car- riage, taking with him forty slaves and being accompanied by their owner, Dr. J. B. C. Thornton, of Virginia. This was in 1842, before there was any railroad through that country. Dr. Thornton had been one of the faculty of Dickinson college, but at this time was president of Centenary college, at Bran- don, Miss., even then a flourishing institu- tion whose course of study covered five years. Here young Brundage entered, and throughout his eourse maintained a high standing as a student, and was graduated in 1847 as valedictorian of his elass of two hun- dred. Returning home, he began the study of law in the office and under the direction of Col. Hendrick B. Wright, and on April 2, 1849, after a critical examination by Messrs. Harrison, Wright, O. Collins and H. W. Nicholson, was admitted to the bar. His rise in his profession was rapid, and by elose application to his books, faithfulness to his clients and conscientiousness in everything, he soon attained to a leading place among his professional associates. Mr. Brundage has given much attention to eriminal praetiee* and has been connected with a vast number of noteworthy criminal eases in which he has achieved great success. He is a careful, eon- servative and wise counselor and an advocate whose elear logic and foreeful eloquence seldom fail to carry eonvietion and win to his way of thinking those whom he addresses. During some fifteen years of his professional career Mr. Brundage was engaged in the trial of a large proportion of the cases that came before the eourts of his county, both eriminal and eivil, and his well known ability and zeal in seeuring the rights of those who en- gaged his services secured to him a large clientage and remunerative practice.

Mr. Brundage has been more or less aetive in the affairs of the Democratic party, and as early as 1855 was elected distriet attorney over the late Judge W. W. Ketchuni, the

1117

LUZERNE COUNTY

Republiean nominee. Besides this, he has held numerous other loeal offiees, been fre- quently mentioned by his party for judge, congressman and other high positions, and . on many occasions has represented his party in state and national conventions, where his stirring eloquence has made him a potent factor. In his religious affiliations Mr. Brundage is an Episcopalian, and for nearly half a century he has been a vestryman in St. Stephen's Episcopal ehureh of Wilkes- Barre. In 1853 he married Miss Frances B. Bulkeley, by whom he has one son, Riehard B., and one daughter.

Mrs. Brundage's father, the late Jonathan Bulkeley, was of the seventh generation of the descendants of "Peter Bulkeley, the Puritan," who, with others, immigrated from Wood Hill, England, in 1630, and settled in Massachusetts in a plaee first named by them Concord, where he died in 1659. In Neal's "History of the Puritans" he is deseribed as "a thundering preaeher and judieious di- vine," as appears by his treatise "Of the Covenant," which was dedieated "To the Church and Congregation at Coneord" and . to his nephew, "The Rt. Honorable Oliver St. John, Lord Embassador of England to the High and Mighty Lords, the States General of the United Provinces of the Netherlands ; also Lord Chief Justice of the Common . Pleas."

Jonathan Bulkeley was a midshipman in the United States navy about 1800, and helped in the capture of Franeois Dominique Toussaint, the Haytian general, in the island of San Domingo. He served as sheriff of Inzerne eounty in 1825.

Harry Hakes, LL. D. A man being suc- cessful as a lawyer and a doetor must needs be a mentally strong man. A man who has achieved a more than ordinarily fair stand- ing in both professions is the subject of our present sketch.

The Hakes family is of English extraction and of the earlier Puritan stoek. The Hon.

Henry Hakes was born June 10, 1825, at IIarpersfield, Delaware county, New York. IIis father, IIenry Ilakes, Sr., was born in 1788 at Watertown, Litehfield eounty, Con- necticut, which county furnished a large part of the early settlers of this valley. The grandfather of Harry Hakes was Lewis Ilakes, who married Hannah Church, of the family of Captain Church, about 1788, in Massachusetts. Lyman Hakes, Sr., moved to Harpersfield, N. Y., where he died in 1873. He married Nancy Dayton, of Watertown, Litchfield county, Connecticut, September 23, 1813. IIer father, Lyman Dayton, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. The mother of Mr. Dayton was Adiah, daughter of Stephen and Rebecca Matthews, also of Watertown. Stephen Matthews was a son of Thomas Matthews, of the same place. He also was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and was at the surrender of Fort Ticon- deroga. Thomas Matthews was a son of William Matthews, who emigrated from Wales, England, to Connectieut in 1671. He was born in Watertown in 1699 and died in 1798, aged ninety-nine years. At the age of forty Thomas Matthews was appointed mag- istrate of Watertown and held the office for forty years, being appointed yearly, and at the age of eighty deelined further appoint- ment. Mr. Hakes served in the war of 1812, and was a judge of the eounty in which he lived. Mrs. Hannah Carr, nee Hakes, sister of Lyman Hakes, Sr., was a granddaughter of Hon. C. E. Rice, president judge of Lu- zerne county. His family consisted of eight children. Of the sons, Harry was the young- est, and Lyman, Sr., for many years a resi- dent and leading member of the bar of this county, the oldest. He was for more than thirty years previous to his death, in 1873. an active practitioner at the Luzerne bar and very much at the bars of surrounding coun- ties and at the Supreme Court. Homer, an- other of the sons, died in 1854. Another son of this breeder of big men, Hon. Harlo Hakes,

1118

THE BENCH AND BAR OF PENNSYLVANIA

resides at Hornellsville, N. Y. Two of the sisters are still living, one the mother of Lyman H. Bennett, a member of the Luzerne bar and residing in Wilkes-Barre.

The boyhood of Harry Hakes combined the usual experience of farmers' sons-work upon the farm during the summer and at- tendance upon the district schools during the brief school term during winter. He had, even at that age, a habit of study and taste for general reading which made him, as nearly as possible for a boy, proficient in all the branches taught, and gave him a good English education. Leaving the plow, he entered Castleton Medical college, in Ver- mont, from which institution he graduated in 1846 an M. D. with all the honor that title conveys, and opened an office at Davenport Center, N. Y., which soon became the center of attraction for a large population needing medical help, and in which he remained for three years with gratifying financial success to himself and more than equally gratifying good to his patients. In June, 1849, when twenty-four years of age, he married Maria E. Dana, eldest daughter of Anderson Dana, Jr., of Wilkes-Barre, who was the uncle of ex-Judge Edmund L. Dana, of this city. She died in the December following, unfortunate- ly, and the bereaved husband devoted the year 1850 to attendance and faithful and ef- fective work in the schools and hospitals of New York city. Then he removed to the at that time rapidly growing village of Nanti- coke, in this county, where he continued the practice of his profession for three years.

In 1854 he visited the old country and spent another year of study in the medical institutions of London and Paris. Returning he married Harriet L. Lape, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Lape, both natives of this county, August 29, 1855. He then re- sumed his practice as a man of medicine, and, interspersing it with the care and culture of his fine farm in the vicinity of Nanticoke, did good work for himself and his county until

the spring of 1857. He has no children living, having lost two in their infancy. Dr. Hakes had succeeded in the cure of physical ailments of man, but, probably by hereditary transmission, he had an aptitude for the law. His father, as has before been stated, was a lawgiver of no little distinction. Ilis brother was a lawyer of acknowledged repute, practicing at our own bar. Another brother is one of the leading lawyers in the Empire state, has been district attorney of his county, member of legislature and regis- ter in bankruptcy. Harry began, urged by these influences, the study of the law in the office of his elder brother, Lyman, in 1857, passed the usual examination, and was admitted to practice on January 25, 1860. In 1864 he was elected a member of the legislature on the Democratic ticket, repre- senting Luzerne county. During that term and the succeeding one, to which he was re- elected, he secured an appropriation of $2,500 each year for the Home for Friendless Children. He served on the judiciary local, the judiciary general, ways and means, banks, corporations, federal relations, and estates and as escheats committees. He drafted the bill for the extension of the Le- high Valley Railroad from Wilkes-Barre to Waverly, N. Y., and the bill for the collection · of debts, all of which passed.

Although he still keeps up his relations with his brethren of the "healing art" and takes an active part in business and discus- sions as a member of the Luzerne County Medical Society, his attention and time are chiefly given to the law, with an occasional digression at the proper season, with the rod and reel, along some mountain stream, or an excursion with dog and gun into the haunts of the quail, the pheasant and other denizens of the woods.

The doctor is a life-long, earnest Democrat, and is always ready both in private and public to give a reason for the faith that is in him. He is a member of the medical

HARRY HAKES.

1119

LUZERNE COUNTY

association, and is often a delegate from the Luzerne County Medical Society. He is fre- quently ealled upon to make speeches on medical, agricultural and scientific subjects, He is not a member of any Christian church, but is a Methodist in religious belief.

Dr. Ilakes is a genial friend, a kind neigh- bor and a public-spirited citizen. Over six feet in height, he unites with a large frame a large heart and a grasp, a vigor and an independence of mind which renders empiri- eism and the small art and details of profes- sional life distasteful, but espeeially qualifies him to subjeet every question, whether in medicine, law or theology, to the rigid test of principle, and to that measure and amount of proof to which it is reasonably susceptible.

Isaac Platt Hand, who was born at Ber- wiek, in Columbia eounty, April 5, 1843, is a son of Aaron Hieks and Elizabeth Coit (Boswell) HIand. His father was born at Albany, N. Y., Deeember 3, 1811, and was graduated from Williams college in the class of 1831 and from Princeton Theological seminary in 1837, and was licensed to preach by the presbytery of New Brunswick, N. J. Ile was settled at Berwick at the time our subject was born,, but in 1845 went South on account of failing health. Later he re- turned to New Jersey, where he was pastor for twenty years of the Greenwich Presby- terian church. He died at Easton in 1880. Isaae's mother was a native of Connecticut, the daughter of Capt. John Lovette Boswell and Mehitable Coit, of Norwich, and born at Norwich April 8, 1820; married Aaron H. Hand Angust 13, 1838, and is still living with her daughters at Wilkes-Barre. Onr subjeet's paternal lineage runs baek to John Hand, one of the early Puritans from Maid- stone, county of Kent, England, whenee he emigrated with others in 1648. He was one of the founders of East Hampton, Long Island, where he died in 1663. Aaron Hand, Isaac's grandfather, was born April 27, 1773,

and was the son of John and Rebecea Hand. He married Tamar Platt at Kingsbury, N. Y., August 17, 1794; settled in Albany, where he was an elder in the Fourth Presbyterian church for many years and where he died October 27, 1832. Ilis widow died at Green- wich, N. J., January 16, 1854, at the age of eighty-one years.

After completing his preparatory studies young Hand entered Lafayette college, Easton, where he was graduated in 1865. During the Civil war he served three months in the Thirty-eighth regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. For two years after graduation from college he was principal of schools at Ilyde Park (now a part of Seranton), after which he studied law in the office of Messrs. IIand and Post, at Seranton, and on Novem- ber 15, 1869, he was admitted to the bar. Mr. Hand began praetiee at Seranton, but in 1870 removed to Wilkes-Barre and formed, with Hon. C. E. Wright, the firm of Wright & Hand, which continued until 1876, since which time he has conducted his practice alone. His has been a general civil practice, making somewhat of a specialty of matters in the Orphans' Court, and has had charge of the settlement of many large and impor- tant estates. Among the cases of note with which he has been eonneeted may be eited : Stephens vs. Church, in which he was asso- ciated with Hon. Sammel Linn and Hon. IIenry W. Pahner, which was carried to the Supreme Court of the state five times and to the United States Court twiee; Fellows vs. Proprietors of School Funds, in which he was associated with Mr. Isaac J. Post; Oakford vs. Ileckley, which was carried to the United States Supreme Court, and others of equal importance.

Mr. Hand has served as chairman of the Republican county committee several times since 1884, has many times been delegate to the state conventions, was a delegate to the national convention that renominated Ben-

1120

THE BENCH AND BAR OF PENNSYLVANIA

jamin Harrison to the Presidency at Minne- apolis in 1892, and in 1901 was a candidate for judge of the Orphans' Court.

Mr. Hand is interested in numerous busi- ness enterprises outside of his profession, and is recognized as an able and progressive man of affairs. He is a director and stockholder of the People's Bank of Wilkes-Barre, one of the proprietors of the Dolph Coal Com- pany of Lackawanna county, treasurer of the Winton Water Company, a trustee of the First Presbyterian church of Wilkes-Barre, of Lafayette college, Easton, of Harry Hill- man academy and of Wilkes-Barre institute. He is also a member of the Masonic frater- nity.

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 twentieth century bench and bar of Pennsylvania, volume II, Part 75

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago, H. C. Cooper, jr., bro. & co. Number of Pages: 1180

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, H. C. Cooper, jr., bro. & co.
Number of Pages: 1180