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LO  UIS  F.  HAFFEN 


History  of  Bronx  Borough 

CITY  OF  NEW  YORK 


Compiled  for 
THE      NORTH      SIDE      NEWS 

By 

RANDALL  COMFORT,  A.  B.,  LL.B. 

Member  of  the  New   York   Historical  Society 
with   Collaboration   of 

CHARLES    D.   STEURER 
CHARLES  A.  D.  MEYERHOFF 


I 


North  Side  News   Press 

i^gth  Street  and  Bergen  Avenue 

New  York 

igo6 


UBRARY  of  CONGRESS 

IwcrOuuics  Recetved 

AUG  2/   i!JU6 

(itASS     ^       AAC.  No, 
COPY    A.  J 


COPYRIGHT   1906 
By  F.  T.  Smiley  Publishing  Company 


c^ 


..^u    ^ 


This  work   is   Printed  xifh   Double-tone   Sepia    Ink 
Manufactured  h\   Sigmund   Vllman    Co. 


Views  iy   Randall   Comfort 
Assisted  b\   Dr.    G.    W.    Nash  and  George   E.    Stonebridge 


Portraits   largely  by    Rockwood 


PREFACE. 


LOATING  down  the  stream  of  ages  have  come  to  us  many  historical  facts,  many 
interesting  traditions  and  many  myths  Irrevocably  connected  with  that  part  of  the 
American  Metropolis  known  as  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  it  has  been  the  constant 
intention  of  the  author  to  gather  these  into  a  brief  and  readable  form  for  those  into  whose 
hands  this  history  may  fall.  In  doing  this  he  has  been  confronted  by  a  serious  handicap  that 
every  historian  must  meet — the  vast  conflict  of  authority  that  is  to  be  found  everywhere. 

Again,  the  historical  portion  of  this  book,  It  must  be  understood,  dates  from  the  time  of  the 
manuscripts  having  been  handed  in,  as  many  changes  may  have  occurred  afterward,  too  late 
for  insertion. 

Notwithstanding  these  small  perplexities,  the  collection  and  classification  of  these  items, 
imperfect  as  they  are,  have  been  a  source  of  deep  gratification  to  the  author,  and  he  sincerely 
hopes  that  it  may  be  equally  satisfactory  to  all  who  read  it.  Finally,  he  wishes  to  express  his 
many  thanks  to  his  army  of  friends  who  have  so  kindly  guided  him  to  interesting  spots,  and  to 
those  who  have  so  hospitably  thrown  open  their  doors  at  his  knock. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


F 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I. 

Glacial    Age 

The    Glacial     Man— Glacial     Traces— Noted    Boulders- 
The    Indian    P.alh— The    Indian    Cemetery. 

CHAPTER  H. 


PAc:: 
I 


Indians   of  the   Bronx 3 

Hendrick  Hudson's  Experience — Indian  Names — In- 
dian   Vdlages — Indian    Deeds. 

CHAPTER  HI. 

First    White    Settlers 7 

Jjnas  Bronek — Aime  Hutchinson — John  Throckmor- 
ton— Thomas  Cornell — Dr.  Van  Der  Donck. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

■  Settlement   of  Westchester 1 1 

Thomas  Pell— His  Deed  of  Westchester— St.  Peter's 
Church— The  Old  Bowne  House  and  Other  Old 
Houses. 

CHAPTER  V. 

tchester     l.} 

St.  Paul's  Church  and  Churchyard — The  Vincent-1  lal- 
sey   House — Reid's   Mill — Mill   Lane. 

CHAPTER  VL 

igsbridge    17 

Old  King's  Bridge — The  Free  Bridge — The  Macomb 
Mansion — The  "Cowboys"  and  "Skinners" — The  Neu- 
tral Ground — The  Bloody  Well — The  Tippett  House — 
The   "Cowboys'   Oak." 

CHAPTER  VII. 

tyten    Duyvil    and    Riverdale 19 

Spuyteu  Duyvil  Parkway — Origin  of  the  Name  "Spuy- 
ten  Duyvil" — Canal  Street  Cottage — Old  lladley  House 
—The  Van  Tassel  Household  Dutch  House— Anec- 
dotes. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

n    Cortlandt    Park Ji 

The  Van  Cortlandt  Mansion — The  Death  of  Captain 
Rowe — The  Rhinelander  Sugar  House  Window — The 
Van  Cortlandt  Mills — The  Old  Burying  Ground — Van 
Cortlandt  Lake— The  Van  Cortlandt  Vault— Vault  Hill 
— The  indii'n  Field — Redoubts  Overlooking  Kings- 
bridge. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

neral     Montgoraery     25 

His  I'"arm  at  Kingsbridge — His  Will — Lady  Ranelagh, 
His  Sister— Rev.  John  Peter  Tetard— The  Old  Arch- 
way. N"* 


CHAPTER  X.  PACE 

The  Old  Boston   Post  Road,  or  Boston   Avenue 27 

The  "Negro  b'ort" — The  Isaac  Varian  Farm  House — 
The  Williams'  Bridge— The  Old  Williams'  House— The 
Havens'  House— The   Hustace-Cash  House. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Boston    Road    ■ ^^^ 

Name  of  Harlaem— The  Ferry  and  Rates  of  Ferriage— 
The  Three  Harlem  Bridges  and  Rates  of  Toll— Boston 
Road— The  Gouverneur  Morris  Tree— The  Old  School 
House— Mill  Brook— Charlotte  Temple's  Home— Ex- 
tracts from  Washington's  Diary— Madam  Knight's  Ex- 
periences. 

CH  API  ER  XII. 

Gouverneur    Morris  and   Old   Morrisania .^3 

Richard  Morris— Gouverneur  Morris— The  Gouverneur 
Morris  Mansion— Anecdotes—The  Lewis  Morris  Man- 
sion—Morrisania   Almost   the   Capital    of   America. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Morrisania    Village     35 

The  Two  Houses  that  Date  from  the  Period  when 
Morrisania  was  Bought— The  Old  Stone  Gate  House 
and  the  Jennings'  Old  Homestead — Anecdotes — The 
"Huckleberry  Road'— Ihe  Old  Stages— The  William 
H.  Morris  Mansion — The  Morris  I'~arm  House— The 
Georgi  House— The  Mott  House— Other  Old  Houses- 
Robert    Bonner's    Advertisement— The    Old    Spy    House. 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Crotona    Park     39 

The  Indian  Pond— Old  I'ordham  Avenue— The  Bath- 
gate Homestead — Fairmount — The  Old  Shingle-Sided 
House — "The   Rush." 

CHAPTER  XV. 

West  Farms  and  the  Bronx  River 41 

West  Farms— The  Bronx  River— Anecdotes— The  Wal- 
ker Mansion— The  De  Lancey  Block  House— Uncle 
Daniel  Mapes'  Temperance  House — Tlie  Old  Ford — 
The  Hassock  Meadow— Old   Patents. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


jironx    Park    

De  Lancey 's  Mills— Lydig's  Mills— De  Lancey's  Pine- 
Johnson's  Tavern— The  Zoological  Park— Bronxdale— 
The  Lorillard  Estate— The  Botanical   Gardens. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

The  Bronx  Above   Bronx   Park 

Source  of  the  Bronx— The  "Hermitage"— Washing- 
ton's Gun  House — Indian  Rock — Valentine  Farm  House 
— Woodlavvn   Cemetery— Adelina  Patti's   House. 


4.= 


48 


VI 


Table  of  contents 


CHAPTER  XVIII.  PACE 

Eden  wald     51 

Seton  Fallsl — Indian  Hiding  Place — Imdian  Fortifica- 
tions— Seton  Cave — Seton  Mansion. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Pclham    Bay    Park 5,3 

Anne  Hutchinson — Thomas  Pell — Haunted  Cedar  Knoll 
—Glover's  Rock— Battle  of  Pell's  Point— Old  Ferris 
House — Old  Peil  Cemetery — Collins'  Homestead — Pell 
Mansions — Howe  Chestnut — Twin  Islands — Hunter's 
Island. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

City    Island    59 

Ancient  Horse  Cars — Marshall  Mansion — ^City  Island 
Bridge — General  History  of  the  Island — Macedonia 
Hotel. 

CTTAPTER  XXI. 

The   Battle  at  Westchester   Creek 63 

General  Account — Extract  from  General  Heath's  Me- 
moirs— ^The   Old   Westchester    Bath — Old    Milestones. 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

The   Devil's    .Stepping    Stones G5 

The  Satanic  Legends — The  Old  Ferris  Houses — The 
Spy  Tree  and  its  Legends — The  Paul  House — Kelly's 
Old  Homestead — Thwaite's  Old  Homestead — "The 
Drovers'   Inn" — The  Adee  Ccmeterv. 


CHAPTER   XXIII.. 

Fort   Schuyler  and   Screven's    Point 

Fort    Schuyler — Hart's     Island' — Zcrcga's     Point — Screv- 
en's  Point — Castle    Hill    Mansion — The   Wilkins'    House. 


67 


Port   Morris  and 

Riker's     Island — Two     Brother 
counts  of  the  Lost  "Hussar." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 
The   Hussar" 71 


Islands — Various     Ac- 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Leggelt's  Lane  and  Westchester  Turnpike 72 

Leggett's  Lane' — The  Dater  Mansion — The  Dennison- 
White  Mansion — The  Revolutionary  Cave — Oak  Point 
— The  Whitlock-Casanova  Mansion — Westchester  Turn- 
pike— Janes  &  Kirtland  Iron  Foundry — St.  Ann's 
Church — The  Pocahontas  Branch  Railroad — The  "Great 
Eastern" — Bensonia    Cemetery — The     Bension     Mansion. 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

'Fremont   and   Fordlmm 75 

Ancient  Bathgate  Avenue  House — Historical  Tremont — 
Jacob  Lorillard  Residence — Old  Stenton  Mansion — Old 
Powell  Farm  House — Rose  Hill  Farm  House — Fordham 
Heights  Cemetery — Poe  Cottage — Dutch  Reformed 
Church — Ancient  Manor  of  Fordham. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII.  PAGii 

Parks  of  the   Bronx Sj 

History  and  Description  of  the  Parks  and  Parkways  of 
the   Bronx. 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

Railroads 85 

General  Description  and  History  of  the  Railroads  of 
the   Br.inx   from  Early  Days  to  the   Present. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Hunt's  Point   87 

The  Vyse  Mansion — The  Old  Hunt  Inn — Fo.xhurst — 
The  Fade  Estate — The  SpofTord  Mansion — The  Leggett 
Cemetery — The  Baretto  Mansion — The  Hunt  Cemetery 
— Joseph  Rodman  Drake — The  Hunt  Mansion^ — ^Lafay- 
ette  Lane. 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Jerome   Park  Reservoir Q2 

Jerome  Park — Old  Bathgate  Houses — Remains  of  Old 
Redoubt — Old  Croton  Aqueduct — Jerome  Park  Reser- 
voir— Polo   Club   House. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

The   Clack   Swamp  and   Highbridgeville 95 

The  Mysterious  Black  Swamp — The  Old  Cromwell 
House — The  Townsend  Poole  Cottage — Featherbed 
Lane — The   De    Voe   Residence — Andrew   Corsa. 

CH'APTER  XXXIH. 

Places  of   More   Recent   Interest 09 

Old  Mansions  and  Families  in  Bronx  Borough — The 
Stenton  Willow — Annexation  in  1874 — Annexation  in 
1895 — The  Concourse — White  Plains  Road  Widening — 
Westchester  .Avenue  Widening — The  Bronx  as  a  Sep- 
arate County — The  Portchester  Railroad — The  Subway, 
Existing  and  Planned — ^Coming  Improvements  of  the 
Harlem   Railroad — A  Wonderful    Prophesy   Fulfilled. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Ecclesiastical    .Architecture    in    the    Bronx 109 

The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Houses  of  Divine  Worship 
Shown — Commendable  Progress  in  Developing  Relig- 
ious Interests  in  the  Borough — Some  of  the  Pastors 
of  Bronx  CInirches. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Catholic    Educational    Institutions 121 

New  York  Catholic  Protectory,  its  Aims,  Influence  and 
Work — L^rsuline  Academy — St.  John's  University,  at 
Fordham — -Academy  of  Mount  St.  Vincent — Sacred 
Heart   .Academy — Manhattan   College. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
Municipal.   Medical,   Charitable   and    Benevolent    Institutions 

and  Societies  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx 13, 

Son\e  of  the  Leading  Medical  Men  of  the  Bronx. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

The  Bridges  of  the  Bronx 

Bridges  Crossing  from  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  to 
Manhattan  Lsland — Their  Various  Histories  and  Points 
of  Interest. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

79       Clubdom    in    the    Bronx 163 

Some  of  the  Principal  Social  and  Political  Organiza- 
tions —  Jefferson  —  Schnorer  —  Fordham  —  Brown- 
son  —  Chippewa  —  Longwood  —  Bronx  —  Union  Re- 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


publican — North  Side  Republican — Mohawk — Wam- 
panoag — Mott  Haven — Men's  Club  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal   Church. 

CHAPTER  XXXVHI. 

c   Bodies    in    the    Bronx 167 

North  Side  Board  of  Trade — Twenty-third  Ward  Prop- 
erty Owners'  Association — Taxpayers'  Alliance — Im- 
provement League. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Association  of  the  Bar  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  .    174 

CHAPTER  XL. 

■csentatives    nf    the    Bar 177 

Some  of  the  Prominent  Members  of  the  Legal  Fra- 
ternity of  the  Bronx. 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

^ryphical    Sketches     213 

The  Personal  History  of  Many  of  Those  Who  Have 
Been  and  .'Hre  Prominent  in  the  Life  of  the  Bronx  and 
Have    Aided    in    its    Development. 

CHAPTER    XLII. 

he    Public    Eye 272 

Some   of   the   Men   Who   Have    Figured    in    Developing 


the  Borough,  and  Have  Attained  More  Prominence 
Than   is   Accorded    Most    Men. 

CHAPTER   XLIII. 

Manufacturing    and    Industrial    Enterprises 292 

The  Bronx  a  Center  of  Commercial  Activity — Marvel- 
ous Growth  Shown  in  the  Leading  Channels  of  Manu- 
factures. 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Prominent    Men    of    Affairs 331 

Who  Have  Made  Their  Mark  in  the  Annals  of  this 
Progressive  Borough. 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

Educational   Advantages    391 

Colleges  —  Seminaries  —  Public  Schools  —  Commer- 
cial  Schools. 

CHAPTER    XLVI. 

Transportation  Facilities  of  the  Bronx 305 

The  Portchester  Railroad — Union  Railway  Company — 
New  York  City  Interborough  Railway — College  Point 
Ferry. 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 

About   the   Steurer    Publishing   Company 403 

A  Great  Printing  House  Occupying  Six  Floors, 
Located  in  the  Business  Center  of  the  Bronx. 


GENERAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACE 

ioat  Chill   Scene  on   llic  1  larlcni 5J 

:leniy  al    Ml.   Si.   \'incL-nl ij^ 

Joebns'    I'lnn-ial   anil    Ivnlialmina    l£sial)li.shnK'nl ,i,y) 

ceiie  on  iht-   I'mnx  Ri\X'r  near  llie    IK-nilork  (onvc 6 

cene  on  l'ron.\   River 48 

)cene   in    l'"cho    Park 60 

His   NiH.nday    Meal ;/; 

VTorris  Park  Race    Track .8? 

atic  Bird   Tlonse  in   I'.ron.v   Park 8j 

;1  Concert   in   Macmnli^   l)ani    Park 60 

;ba!l   Game    in   Crolona    Park .  .  'lo 

[gate  House   oj 

igate    Homestead  ■ y-j 

ionia  Cemetery,  Formerly  Located  al  ihe  Jnnction  of  St. 

Ann's  and  P.rook  .\\enne.; ..  i  itj 

ian  Cemetery,   l'"ordham    1  lei.ulii  ■, 76 

seye  View  of  llie   Xew    \'ork   Catlmlic    Prottctory ijo 

on    Road    at    Spencers    Corner,    luai-     Williamsbridgc.  .  29 

nical   Mnsenni   in    I'.ron.x    Park                        ■.  . .  50 

ge    as    Proposed    on    the    Ponchester     Railroad 396 

ge  Connecting  L.nrillard  Mansion  with   llemlock  Grove,.  <S6 

'ornia    Sea   l.mn — .-\    Scene    in    I'.ronx    ['ark.,  Oq 

nova    Mansion     ,  .  73 

olic    Protectory     I'.and i-'.j 

legie  Library,   .Mcxander   .\ venue  and    i^oih    .Stie^l .;.'o 

ral    L'nion    Gashght    Company's    Office     linilding,     I42d 

Street  and  .Mexander  .\venue -'0- 

)el  and  A-^seinhly    Mall   of  the   New  York  Catholic   I'ro- 

tectony     .122 

)el  at  Ml.   St.  'Vincent .  ijr 

st   Episcopal    Clinrcli,    Ri\erdale   and    .M.amo   .Avennes...  2.) 

Island   Car 62 

emont   Park    Congregational    Clinrch ,  .  ti;; 

;on  Avenne  and   170th   Street  Soeiiieen   ^'ear..  .\t;>. 70 

;ge  Point  Ferry  P.oat    (  "Port   Morris"  1 400 

red    Orphan    Asyhnn.    Riverdale    .\venne 136 

lieger's     Son     I'actc  iry 323 

liwell    Farm    I  louse 06 

Lanccy's    Pine .|5 

;ram  of  Pews  of  Old  St.  Paul's  Chinch.  Fastchester 14 

sel   Railwav  Lamp   Works ...  315 

blishment   of  Kiny    the    I'lonst ..  38.; 

npt  Firemen  on   Parade 105 

:  German  M.  F.  Church.  Fllon  .'\ venue  and   i5Sth  Street.  110 

itliill  Castle."  Academy  of  Mt.   St.  Vincent i.;o 

cluirsl,"  Residence  of  William   Simpson 377 

Mansion 99 

1/   Sigel    Park 82 

Bridge.  Kingsbridge 18 

em  River,  Looking  North  from  MaduiMi   Awnne  Bridge,  97 

em  River,  I.ooking  West  from  Second  .\veiiue  Piridge.  .  97 

;ock  Meadow  .  .  43 

ry   W.    P.oettgcr    Silk-    Finishing    Works ...  385 

1    Bridge    80 

le  for  Incurables,  Third  .\vcnuc  between  tSist  and  t,'^4i1i 

Streets   1  .^^ 

le    of    the    Friendless,    Woodycrest    .Vvenne 134 


Hunt    House,     Boston     Road, 

I  lunt    Mansion    

Indian  Cemetery 

Indian   L;d<e.  (."rotona  Park.... 


91 

4 

82 


Inihislnal     liuilding,   Male     Department,    of     the     New    \nrk 

Catholic    Protectory    .    120 

Isaac  V^arian   llomestead.   Van  Cortlandt   .Vvenue 27 

lacol)    Ijiill's    Piano    Factory 313 

l.LCol)   Ruppert's  Jcc   Plant 304 

Jeimings'  Old  Homestead  (Old  .Sinne  Jug) 37, 

lohu  Lanzer's  Planing  and  Moulding   Mill,   L'nionport 327 

Johnson's  Tavern,  West  Farms 42 

Joseph  Rodman  Drake's   Monument ..go 

lunior  Flail,  Fordham   University 126 

Junctioiii  of  'I'hird  Avenue  and    r.oston  Ro.ad ir,2 

Last  of  the  Morris    I'ret.- 51 

Le'banon   Hospital,    \'  .\venue 13c; 

1-eggett's   Lane   .  . , .  72 

Lincoln  Hospital,  141  m1   i     n     ird   .Avenue 137 

looking    South    froiij    Junction    of    148th    Street,     I  bird    and 

Willis    .'\ venues    08 

Looking  South   from  Jimction  nf    Third  ,uid   .Mexander  .\\e- 

nues  and   T43d   Street 98 

Lorillard    Snuff   Mill,    Bronx    Park .      .17 

Lorillard  Studio,  Bronx  Park  47 

Lydig's    Mills    .43 

Macedonia    Hotel     bi 

Macomb    Mansion     101 

Madison  .Avenue  Bridge,  at  I38tb  Street,  Over  llarU-m  River,  yf^ 
Main  Entrance  from  Westchester  A\enue  to  the  New  York 

Catholic    Protectory    123 

Map  of  "Bronckxncck."   Showing  Patents  of  Lewis  Morris, 

Sr.,  and  Jesup  and  Ricbardson 103 

Manhanset  .Apartment  House,  Erected  by  Tames  F.  Meehan.   23. j 

Manhattan  College.  New  York 132 

Mausoleum  of  Collis  P.  Huntin.glon.  in  Wnndlawn  Cemetery, 

Erected  by  Robert  Calerson 321 

Melrose    Turn     Verein     Building 162 

Metropolis  'I'heatre.  :42d  .Street  and  Third  Avemie 337 

Alontgomery    Cottage ■     -5 

Alorris    Farm    House 37 

Morris   High   School,  Boston   .Avemic  and    looih    .Street 32 

Morris  Park  Race  Track  Club   1  louse 164 

Mott    Haven    Refornicd    Church.    Known    as   the   Old    .Stone 

Church.    Third    A\cnue.    l''ormcrly    Boslfin     Road,    and 

146th  St  rcet    30 

Mutual  Milk  and  Cream  Company's  Depot.  .  32S 

M.  E.  Westergren's   (Inc.)   Factory .    .   324 

National  Guard  in  Camp  at  Van  Cortlandt  Pai  k 24 

Nazareth    Branch    of    Seton    Hospital.    Spnylen    Dnyvil....   140 

New  Beck  Memorial   Church.  West  Farins 4] 

New  Third   .Avenue  Bridge 78 

New   York   Central    I'lrid.gc   at    Park   .Avenue.   C)\er    Harlem 

River    78 

\"ew    York    Central    Railroad    Tracks   and    .Station    at    177th 

Street  (Treinont  .Avenue) .    .    108 


f 


GENERAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACF 

New   York   Stalf    National    (iiianl    in    Camp  on    iliu    Papule- 
Ground  in    Van   Corllanili    I'arU 22 

North  New  York  Conyregatiunal  Clinrch 112 

Nortlt  Side  Brewing  Compan\ 301 

Old  Batligate  AveiUK-    1  louse 75 

Old  Berrian    I  louse,    S|uiylen    1  )uy\  il ig 

Old  City  Island   liridgc 50 

Old  Hadley  House,  Mo.sh,.ln 20 

Old   Hunt   Inn S; 

Old  Kingsbridge  ! 7 

Old  Lady  Washington  Engine  Company,   i66tli   Street,   Near 

Washington   Avenue   38 

Old  Mill  at  West  Farms 64 

Old  Mott  Haven  Canal,  Looking  South  from   144th  Street...  68 

Old  Mott  Haven  Canal,  Looking  Nonli  tr(»ni    i.^Sih  Street..  68 

Old  Map  of  Original  West  h'arms 9.1 

Olin   Methodist    Episcopal    Chiircli,    Williamsliridge 112 

Old   Stone  Gate   House,   Morrisama 35 

Old  Spy  House.  Near  West  Farms 43 

Old   'Ihird   Avenue 3'J 

Old  Wilkins'  Farm  liouse,  Screven's  Point g 

Old   Williams'  House,  Williamsliridge 27 

(Jne  Hundred   and    Sixty-third    Street,    East   of   Third    .Ave- 
nue— To  Left.   Schnorer   Cluli ;   to  Right,   Eagle   .\venue 

School    100 

Oppenheim's    Furnishing   Goods   Store 355 

Patriotic  Celebration  at  the  Gouvcrneur  Morris  Mansion  on 
the  Occasion  of  the  Reception  of  the  Liberty   Bell  from 

F'aneuil  Hall   34 

Pell    Burying    Ground 56 

Pell  Mansion 57 

Perspective  View  of  the   Reformed  St.   Paul's  Church.   141st 

Street,   St.   Ann's   and   Trinity    .\venues 114 

Philanthropin    Hospital.    Briggs    and    Maple    .\venues,    Wil- 

liamsbridge     134 

Poe  Cherry  Tree 105 

Poe   Cottage    76 

Police    Station.    Fony-tirst    Precmot.    Webster    .Avenue    and 

Mosholu  Parkway   390 

Port    Morris    Market 32S 

Powell  Farm  House 7S 

Princeton   Dental   Parlors 387 

Prong- Florned   Antelopi'    ,36 

Proposed    Jefiferson    Club    House 163 

Public  School  No    2,  Third  .Avenue   Near  170th  Street 304 

Public  School  No.  6.  Locust  Avenue.  West  Farms 39.4 

Public  School  No.  27,  .St.  Ann's  Avenue.  Opposite  St.  Mary's 

Park  30.1 

Public  School  No.  3;^.  Jerome  and  Walton  -Avenues 391 

Public   School   No.   39,   Longwood    -Avenue,   Kelly   ;ind   Beck 

Streets    .^92 

Public  School   No.  41.  Elliott  .Avenue  and  209th  Street.  Wil- 

liamsbridge     392 

Residence  of  Dr.   George  .A.   Strader 161 

River  Park,  St.  Vincent's  Point 128 

Rocking    Stone    of    Bronx    Park 2 

Ruined    Chimney    in    Lord     ilowe's    Head(|uarters,     Clason 

Point    9 

Ruins  of  Lord  Howe's   Headtpiarters.   Clason    Point 9 

Sacred    Heart    Academy 124 

Scene  on  Bron.x  River  in  Bronx  Park 12 

Scenes  at  Clason  Point  Inn.  the  Favorite  -Amusement  Resort.  .386 

Scenes  of  the  Seasons  in  the  Bronx .=8 

Scene;  in  the  Parks  of  the  Bron.\ "^o 


VAr.t 

.scenes    Huring    Construction    ol    ilie    Subway    in    llu-    llronx, 

at     I4ylh    Street    and     Third    -\\enne 106 

;->cenes   on   the   Bronx   Shore   I- runt 51 

.Schieft'ehn  &  Company  t  Lahor.itory 319 

School   Building  01  the  New   York  Catholic   I'roleciory 122 

Senior  Hall.  F'ordham  Univer^iiy 126 

Second    Iron    Bridge    at     Third    .A\eiuie    Replaced    by     Xew 

Third   Avenue   Bridge 7S 

Seton  Falls  Cave 5j 

Seton  Hospital,  at  Spuyten   Duyvil 138 

Miain  Battle  at  Van  Cortlandt  Park 18 

Sigmund  Ullman  &  Company's   Ink  Manufactory 328 

Signature  of  Thomas   llunt,  Jr 89 

Signatures  of   Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Hunt 88 

Site  of  Revolutionary  Cave 73 

Some  of  the  A.ttractive  Spots  in  the   Bronx ^1 

Specimen    of   the   American    Uison   at    the  "Zoo"    in    T.ronx 

Park     107 

Specimens  of  the  .AnimaK  at  the  Bronx  "Zoo" 36 

Spy  Tree,  Pelham  Road 65 

Stenton    Mansion     75 

Style  of  Cars  for  the  Portchester  Railroad 39(1 

Sunday  School  May  Walk  in  Claremont  Park 60 

St.  Ann's  Avenue.  Opposite  St.  Mary's   Park 100 

St.   John's    Hall,  Fordham  University 126 

St.    John's    German    Evangelical    Lutheran    Church.     T'ulton 

Avenue    1 11 

St.   Joseph's    Hospital.   East    143d   and    I44tli    Streets.    Brook 

and    St.    -Ann  s    .Avenues 130 

ot.     Joseph's     Roman     Catholic     Church.     Piathgate     .Avenue 

Near     177th     Street 112 

St.   Margaret's  Protestant  Episcopal   Church 112 

St    Mary's  Lyceum,   151st  Street,  West  of  Melrose  Avenue,  164 

St    Paul's  Church,  Eastchester   14 

St.  Peter's  Church.  Westchester 1 1 

.St.   Raymond's   Roman   Catholic   Church,    Westchester no 

The   Black    Swamp 95 

The  Blue  Bridge,  Bronx  Park so 

The  Bostonian  Dry  Goods  Store 361 

The    Bronx    Club    House 165 

The  "Campus"  at  Fordham  University 126 

The   Fordham   Club    House 166 

The    Gorge.    Bronx   River,    Bronx    Park 26 

The  Heine  Monument,  l6ist  Street  and  Mott  Avenue X4 

Temple  Hand-in-Hand,  145th  Street,  East  of  Willis  avenue,    no 

The  Flemlock  Grove.  Bronx   Park 44 

"The  Locusts,"   Hunt's   Point   Road 88 

The  Original   Building  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church   of 

Tremont    212 

The  Race  Course  at  Morris  Park 164 

The    Schnorer    Club 162 

Third  Avenue  Elevated  Road,  Opposite  the  Home  for  Incur- 
ables at    180th    Street 104 

Third  and  Tremont  Avenues — Borough    ?IalI   to  the  Right.    101 

Thirty-seventh    Precinct    Police    Station 401 

Tremont  Avenue   Presbyterian   Church.  Washington   .Avenue 

Near   iTtth   Street no 

Two-family   Houses   Erected   by   the   .American    Real    Estate 

Company  on  Faile  Street 255 

Townsend   Poole   Cottage 9^) 

Uncle  Daniel  Mapes'  "Temperance  House."  West  Farms....      42 
Union  Railway  Company's  Office,  at   i2Sth  Street  and  'Third 

Avenue    400 

L^rsuline  .Academv  at  Bedford  Park 132 


GENERAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 


n  Cortlaiult  MIIIn  .nul   l.akf,  \':m  C'nrllaiult   I'ark 21 

11   Cortlaiult   X'aiilt 23 

:inity  of  Rathgatc  A\oniio,   North  of   177th   Street.   Show- 
ing the  New  Church  of  St.  Josejih  Xeariiis  CmiipK-tion.  loS 

;w  of  Treniont  in  the  Year  1854 212 

iceiit-llalsey    }  louse.    Eastchesler t*! 

isliiiigton    Aveiuie   ami    I7.iil    .Street    I'efore    Widening.  ,.  .  loi 

ishington    Rriilge    79 


Washington   Gun    llnne 40 

Vyfebb   Aea'lemy    40! 

Webster  and    Urook   .\veinies,   North   of    Melrose   X'iailuct...  10- 

William    11.    Morris'    .Mansion.    Morrisania 37 

V\'inter  Scene  in  Crolnna  Park 105 

Works   of  the   N'.an    Nest    Woodworking   Company 32J 

York  &   Swift's    1  "ndertaking   Kslablishnient 373 

Young    Female    ^^■o(ldland     Carilioii 36 

/-uorowski    Mansion     83 


ADDENDA  AND  ERRATA 


Page  9 — The  btiildmgs  on  Clason's  Point,  long  known  ;is 
;  Christian  Brothers'  Academy,  now  bear  the  title  of  the 
ison    Point    Military    School. 

Page  g — The  following  interesting  inscription  is  found  on 
'  walls  of  the  Clason's   Point  Inn  : 

IX    THE  YEAR    1643 
lOMAS    CORNELL    liOUGllT     TlllS    POINT    OF    THE 

by 
DL\NS.     HIS   TITLE  Wa>  Conlirnied  Dutch    Governor 

the 

is 
left"  and  He  Settled  Here.     Part  of    Tbis  Building  House 

the 
by 
nstructed   by   Cornell.      It   W.i^    Ibirned  Indian^   the    Fii  st 

the 
ar  He  Came. 


Page  2/ — The  older  wing  of  the  Varian  homestead  has  re- 
cently been  torn  down  and  the  nilier  portion  modernized.  While 
:'.t  work  the  men  disccnered  some  rare  coins,  most  of  them_ 
English,  and  liearing  the  mint  marks  of  the  seventeenth  ani! 
eighteenth   centunes. 

Page  '=, — (hi  ihi-  p.ige  the  names  of  the  Powell  Farm  Hon-'; 
and  the  .Stenton   .Mansion  should  be  interchanged. 

Page  79 — Ina'^nincb  as  Hudson  was  an  English  navig.ato: 
and  a  citizen  of  1  ondon.  his  name  sliould  be  Henry  Hudson. 

Page  15.^ — Coroner  Schwannecke  is  the  son  of  the  late  Dr. 
Schwannecke,  who  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  pbysicians 
of-  the   Bronx. 

Page  iSo — Judge  Matthew  P.  Breen  was  born  December  4. 
1847.  and  not   December  4,  1845,  as  stated  on  this  page. 

Page  261 — Mrs.  William  H.  Keating  is  an  accomplished 
musician  and  not  her  husband  as  erroneously  stated  on  this  page. 


CHAPTER  I 


THE  GLACIAL  AGE 


The  Glacial  Man — Glacial  Traces — Noted  Boulders — The  Indian  Bath — The  Indian  Cemetery 


Who  were  the  very  first  dwellers  of  this  borough  of  ours, 
where  land  is  rapidly  becoming  so  valuable,  and  residents  pour  in 
so  that  we  shall  expect  to  see  sky-scrapers  being  erected  in  place 
of  the  magnificent  apartments  that  almost  amaze  us  to  look  at, 
to-day?  The  Indians,  perhaps  you  will  say,  the  "painted  brothers 
of  our  common  race."  No,  indeed!  Go  far  back  of  their  time, 
centuries,  even  ages.  Look  at  the  whole  country  just  after  the 
immense  layer  of  ice  left  it,  and  perchance  you  may  find  an 
answer  to  the  question. 

The  very  first  man  that  trod  on  these  shores  is  styled  the 
"glacial  man,"  and  he  is  described  as  in  manners  ruder  than  the 
rudest  savage,  and  in  appe.'irance  closely  resembling  the  present 
Esquimau  of  the  north. 

In  the  books  of  science  we  learn  that  a  mass  of  ice  once 
moved  slowly  but  surely  over  this  district,  leaving  the  traces  that 
still  exist  to-day  in  the  form  of  gigantic  boulders  and  layers  of 
rock  that  are  polished  uniil  they  fairly  shine.  "Looking  back- 
ward through  the  centuries,"  we  read,  "the  populous  city  fades 
from  sight  as  a  dissolving  view,  and  a  great  sheet  of  ice  appears. 
It  is  the  glacial  epoch,  the  ice  age,  and  we  are  looking  backward, 
not  through  hundreds  of  years  only,  but  through  thousands  ot 
years.  We  are  contemplating  'terrestrial  map-making.'  The 
Divine   Builder  is  laying  the   foundations." 

Scattered  throughout  this  borough  evidences  everywhere 
:xist  that  were  left  when  the  immense  glacier  receded  towards 
the  north,  leaving  the  traces  that  it  brought  from  perhaps 
thousands  of  miles  away.  The  principal,  the  best  known  of  these, 
las  vanished  from  sight,  blasted  mto  countless  fragments  and 
Tiost  likely  forming  part  of  the  foundation  of  scores  of  houses  in 
;he  neighborhood.  This  was  old  "Pudding  Rock,"  that  was  once 
iuch  a  prominent  landmark  at  the  intersection  of  Boston  Road 
md  Cauldwell  Avenue. 

Many  are  the  tales  recounted  about  this  huge  mass  of  rock. 
Rising  "not  unlike  a  pudding  in  a  bag,"  it  was  gracefully  orna- 
nented  at  the  top  by  an  attractive  group  of  cedar  trees,  its  dimen- 
sions being  twenty-five  feet  high  and  thirty-five  feet  in  diameter 
—truly  a  gigantic  boulder  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  The 
.ndians  of  old  were  not  slow  in  discovering  that  on  one  side  is 
)ossessed  a  natural  fire-place,  where  they  cooked  their  oysters 
md  clams   and  held  their  "corn  feasts." 

When  that  well  known  artery  of  travel,  Boston  Road,  was 
ipened,  Pudding  Rock  became  the  camping  place  of  the  Hugue- 
lots,  driven  from  France  by  the  persecutions  there.  Here  they  tar- 
•ied  for  many  a  day  before  they  selected  New  Rochelle  as  the 
inal  place  to  settle  and  worship  according  to  the  dictates  of  their 
)wn  consciences.  Later  on,  we  are  told,  it  was  chosen  as  the 
lalf-way  point  to  rest,  when  they  made  their  w-eekly  journeys  on 


Sunday  from  their  homes  at  New  Rochelle  to  worship  at  the  shrine 
of  old  Trinity  Church  at  Broadway  and  Wall  Street,  New  York 
City. 

Finally  came  the  scientist,  "with  his  big  brain  and  his  little 
lianimer,"  who  announced  that  Pudding  Rock  was  a  glacial  waif, 
left  stranded  by  the  mass  of  ice  as  it  receded  to  the  north,  leaving 
this  section  "open  to  the  tread  of  the  mastodon." 

Another  famous  glacial  stone  is  the  Split  Rock  of  Pelhani 
Bay  Park,  on  Collins'  Lane  or  "Split  Rock  Road."  Cleft  direct- 
ly in  the  middle,  with  a  good-sized  tree  growing  in  the  fissure, 
this  great  boulder  is  one  of  the  sights  of  the  neighborhood,  and 
stands  a  few  feet  south  of  this  historic  roadway,  not  far  from  the 
city  line. 

Rivalling  Split  Rock  m  historic  interest  is  the  famous  Rocking 
Stone  of  Bronx  Park,  just  west  of  the  buffalo  range  in  the  south- 
erly portion  of  the  Zoological  Park.  Accounts  tell  that  this  was  a 
source  of  wonder  and  amazement  to  the  Indians,  who  would  gather 
about  these  various  balanced  rocks  and  hold  many  a  medicine- 
dance  in  their  weird  and  peculiar  fashion.  Many  years  ago,  long 
before  the  Bronx  Park  was  even  thought  of,  this  rocking  stone 
stood  on  the  extensive  estate  of  the  Lydigs,  and  the  foreman  of 
the  place  attempted  to  drag  it  away  from  the  spot  it  had  occu- 
pied for  so  many  generations.  The  combined  efforts  of  twenty- 
four  oxen  proved  unavailing  to  stir  it  from  its  place,  and  yet 
one  person,  by  pushing  from  the  right  direction,  can  easily 
cause  it  to  rock  back  and  forth. 

"A    rock,   chance   poised   and   balanced   lay. 
So   that  a   stripling  arm  might  sway, 
A   mass  no  host  could  raise. 

"In  nature's  rage  at  random  thrown. 
Yet  trembling  like  the  Druid's  stone 
On   its  precarious  base." 

Historians  tell  us  that  this  Rocking  Stone,  which  it  is  lucky 
the  farmer  could  not  dislodge,  is  entirely  different  in  geological 
formation  from  the  rock  on  which  it  rests.  Had  the  glacier 
carried  it  but  a  little  further  south,  it  would  now  be  in  soft 
earth  instead  of  on  ice-polished  veins  of  rock,  and  the  Bron.x 
would  have  lost   one   of  its   most  cherished  curiosities. 

But  to  return  to  Pelham  Bay  Park.  On  a  section  of  the 
same  historic  roadway  from  which  the  Split  Rock  may  be  seen, 
between  Bartow  station  and  City  Island,  rises  a  solitary  sentinel, 
emblazoned  with  a  bronze  tablet  and  known  as  "Glover's  Rock," 
in  commemoration  of  the  masterly  retreat  conducted  by  Colonel 
Glover  during  the  Revolution,  holding  in  check  the  red  coats 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


under  Howe  and  enabling  Washington  with  his  men  to  reach  a 
point  of  safety.  It  is  about  opposite  "Jack's  Rock,"  one  of  the 
best  fishing  resorts  in  the  vicinity. 

Within  the  hniits  of  picturesque  Bronx  Park  of  glacial 
curiosities,  too  important  to  be  passed  by  without  a  little  notice, 
there  are  the  "glacial  grooves,"  or  indentations  in  the  solid 
rock,  showing  where  the  mass  of  ice  plowed  its  way  along, 
leaving  these  deep  furrows  in  its  wake.  In  the  precipitous  side 
of  a  clifif  is  the  "Indian  Well,"  also  styled  the  "Indian  Bath,", 
a  rocky  basin  perhaps  used  by  the  red  men  as  a  place  to  grind 
their  corn,  in  the  hollow  of  which  some  stone,  in  days  of  yore, 
was  whirled  around  and  around  by  the  powerful  mass  of  ice 
until  it  ground  this  deep  hole.  Then  the  outside  of  the  cliff  evi- 
dently fell  forward  towards  the  river,  releasing  the  stone  that 
had  done  the  work,  but  leaving  its  results  behind. 

A  little  to  the  south  will  be  found  the  "Bear's  Den,"  a  ro- 
mantic spot  where  the  rocks  were  pded  perpendicularly  by  some 
immense  force,  between  them  being  a  natural  cave  in  which  a 
family  of  bears  may  have  made  its  home  and  reared  its 
cubs  in  these  wild,  rocky  fastnesses.  To  the  south  of  the 
"Bear's  Den"  may  be  seen  the  "Indian  Burying  Ground,"  where 
a  mass  of  stones  is  standing  on  end  in  truly  Druidical  fashion. 
Whether  this  be  the  work  of  the  ice  or  the  Indians  or  of  the 
white  man,  there  it  remains,  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the 
Botanical  Garden. 

Now  to  take  a  glance  at  some  of  the  other  interesting,  glacial 


freaks.  There  is  the  great  boulder,  styled  "Black  Rock,"  partial- 
ly imljcdded  in  the  salt  marshes  to  the  south  of  the  Westchester 
Turnpike,  not  far  from  Pugsley's  Causeway.  I  have  been  told 
that  this  is  a  meteorite,  but  at  any  rate  there  it  lies,  probably 
deeply  sunken  in  the  ground,  almost  within  sight  of  the  great 
stone  "Watson  Mansion."  the  home  of  the  Westchester  Golf 
Club. 

Overlooking  the  new  Jerome  Park  Reservoir,  just  in  front  of 
the  engineer's  office,  stands  another  immense  rock,  fortu 
nately  on  the  city's  property  and  so  likely  to  be  preserved. 
If  we  pass  to  the  southwest,  just  outside  the  reservoir's 
domains,  we  shall  come  upon  a  flat  surface  of  rock,  plainly  bear- 
ing the  marks  of  the  passing  of  the  glaciers  in  centuries  gone  by. 
Plainly  indented  here  are  two  depressions,  the  exact  size  and 
shape  of  human  feet.  If  we  can  imagine  that  some  "glacial  man" 
stood  here  when  the  rock  was  yet  plastic,  he  must  have  stood 
with  his  toes  turned  far  out,  almost  too  far  to  have  rendered  it 
possible.  A  photograph  of  this  freak  of  nature  would  indeed  be 
difficult,    unless    the    camera    were    pointed    directly    downwards. 

There  are  many  other  boulders  that  have  as  yet  withstood 
the  advancing  march  of  civilization,  such  as  the  one  on  top 
of  the  ridge  overlooking  Jerome  Avenue,  and  the  great  rock 
near  the  southerly  limit  of  Clareniont  Park.  A  large  boulder 
stands  near  the  corner  of  the  Southern  Boulevard  and  Home 
Street,  but  it  will  soon  yield  to  the  "advancing  tide  that  flows 
not  from  the  waters  of  the  Sound  but  from  New  York  City." 


Rocking  Stone  of  Bronx  Part 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  INDIANS  OF  THE  BRONX 


Hendrick  Hudson's  Experience — Indian  Names — Indian  Villages — Indian  Deeds 


The  thirteenth  day  of  September,  1609,  says  a  writer,  marked 
the  point  of  division  between  the  prehistoric  and  the  historic  pe- 
riods of  our  district.  It  will  be  remembered  that  that  great 
structure  of  the  future,  tlie  Hudson  Memorial  Bridge,  that  is 
to  span  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  at  its  confluence  with  the  Hudson 
River  and  connect  the  Boulevard  Lafayette  with  the  beautiful  Spuy- 
ten Duyvil  Parkway,  is  located  almost  at  the  exact  spot  where 
the  "Half  Moon"  came  to  anchor  and  was  met  by  the  innumerable 
canoes  of  the  dusky  race,  who  came  out  from  their  villages  and 
hiding  places  to  witness  the  wonderful  flying  bird  with  white 
wings  that  had  come  from  such  a  far  distant  country.  Earlier 
than  that  date  all  is  uncertainty,  almost  ignorance.  Afterwards 
we  know  something,  but  far  too  little,  of  the  many  events  that 
make  up  the  history  of  our  borough. 

Whence  came  these  red  men  that  once  inhabitated  our  dis- 
trict and  whose  traces  we  behold  even  to-day?  Of  the  Indians' 
own  history  they  seemed  strangely  ignorant.  If  we  ignore  the 
"indigenous"  theory,  we  may  believe  that  possibly  they  strayed 
from  the  Orient  to  this  country  by  means  of  Behring  Strait,  or 
were  brought  in  ships  that  had  been  wrecked  on  these  shores. 
Japanese  vessels  that  have  not  infrequently  been  cast  on  our 
northwestern  shores  and  the  islands  in  tlie  Pacific  as  well  as 
the  Atlantic  Oceans  may  have  been  the  means  of  bringing  these 
early  dwellers  to  our  region. 

Occupying  our  entire  .\tlantic  seaboard  was  one  great  tribe 
— the  Algonquins.  This  was  divided  into  many  subdivisions, 
speaking  many  different  tongues.  Occupying  the  large  portion 
along  the  sea  coast  were  the  Siwanoys.  or  .Sewanoes.  In  the 
interior  the  Mohicans  or  Mohegans  seemed  to  have  held  sway. 
As  to  the  opinion  of  an  early  Dutch  settler  in  regard  to  the 
Indians,  it  was  as  follows :  "They  call  themselves  Manettas ;  they 
are  the  devil  himself!"  Probably  he  had  reference  to  the  tribe 
inhabiting  Manhattan  Island,  which  is  said  to  have  overflowed 
to  the  lower  part  of  Bron.x  Borough. 

An  e.xact  allotment  of  the  territory  occupied  by  each  branch 
of  the  great  Algonquin  tribe  might  be  given  up  as  hopeless;  their 
subdivisions  and  overlappings  would  puzzle  even  a  Philadelphia 
lawyer.  Oysters  were  their  favorite  food,  as  the  shell  beds  bear 
distinct  evidence.  One  on  City  Island  may  especially  be  men- 
tioned, while  on  Pelham  Neck  once  existed  two  villages,  one  on 
the  extreme  point  and  another  further  on  the  mainland,  nearer 
tlie  Eastern  Boulevard.  I  have  in  my  collection  two  curiosities 
that  were  dug  up  from  here.  One  is  a  highly  polished  "banner- 
stone"  and  the  other  a  portion  of  an  Indian's  skull,  exhumed 
from  the  extensive  burying-ground  tliey  once  had  here. 

.'\n  early  traveler  in  this  borough  tells  us  that  "the  salvages 
are  the  most  salvage  of  any  I  ever  saw,"     If  we  were  more  exact. 


we  should  refer  to  these  red  men  as  "Amerindians,"  as  this  title 
was   adopted  not  long  ago  by  the   Bureau  of  Ethnology. 

"And  still  the  lofty  hills  abide 

Where   sped   their   moccasined   feet. 

Still  flows  and  ebbs  the  river's  tide 

Where    skimmed    their   birch   bark   fleet. 

"But  from  the  hills  and  river's  shore 

Their  dusky  race  has  fled. 
The  pale-face  thoughtlessly   treads  o'er 

The  places  of  their  dead." 

Go  where  you  will,  you  will  find  the  old  Indian  names  still 
in  use.  As  we  have  seen,  Muscoota  was  their  name  for  the  Har- 
lem River — perhaps  on  account  of  the  numljer  of  "mosquitos" 
they  found  there,  as  the  name  signified  "the  river  of  the  grass 
lands."  The  River  Bionx  they  termed  "Aquahung,"  while  the 
Hudson  was  in  their  language  "Shatemuck."  Mill  Brook,  whose 
waters  once  flowed,  clear  and  crystal,  through  the  Webster  and 
Brook  Avenues  valley,  was  known  by  them  as  "Acrahung"  and 
Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  "Papirinamen."  This  gave  rise  to  the 
"Island  of  Papirinamen,"  lying  to  the  north  of  old  King's  Bridge 
and  east  of  Tippett's  Brook,  which  was  in  truth  an  island  when 
the  tide  was  high. 

The  northern  bank  at  the  mouth  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek 
was  the  site  of  a  fortified  Indian  village  "Nipinichsan."  It 
proved  both  a  dwelling  place  and  a  defence  against  the  savage 
"Sank-hi-can-ni  (Fireworkers)  living  on  the  west  side  of  the 
"Shatemuck"  (Hudson).  Some  years  ago  Uie  distinct  remains 
of  Indian  shells  were  visible  in  the  rear  of  the  fortress,  "Nipinich- 
san," of  the  Mohegans. 

A  brief  glance  may  be  taken  at  the  various  Indian  villages, 
strongholds  and  burying  grounds  that  once  dotted  this  borough. 
They  dwelt  on  the  Bronx,  on  the  shores  of  Tippett's  Brook  and 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  When  Hendrick  Hudson  came  sail- 
ing up  in  his  "Half  Moon,"  and  stopped  at  a  point  near  Spuyten 
Duyvil.  he  tried  to  capture  two  of  the  Indians,  who  had  come 
out  in  their  canoes  to  meet  him,  but,  jumping  overboard,  they  es- 
caped. What  was  his  dismay,  on  returning  down  the  river,  a 
month  later,  when  they  swarmed  out  in  their  canoes  to  seek  re- 
venge. Hudson  describes  the  attack  in  his  own  words  as  fol- 
lows :  "Whereupon  two  canoes  full  of  men,  with  their  bows  and 
arrows,  shot  at  us  after  our  Sterne,  in  recompense  whereof  we 
discharged  si.x  muskets,  and  killed  two  or  three  of  them.  Then 
above  a  hundred  of  them  came  to  a  point  of  land  to  shoot  at  us. 
There  I  shot  a  falcon  at  them  and  killed  two  of  them;  where- 
upon the  rest  fled  into  the  woods.     Yet  they  manned  ofif  another 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


canoe  with  nine  or  ten  men,  who  came  to  meet  us.  So  I  shot 
a  falcon  and  shot  it  through,  and  killed  one  of  them.  So  they 
went  their  way." 

Many  interesting  tales  are  told  about  the  Indians  that  once 
dwelt  among  the  wilds  of  Pelham  Bay  Park.  Indeed  we  may 
describe  this  as  the  paradise  of  the  red  men.  It  was  here  they  as- 
sembled in  hordes  to  fish;  among  the  rocky  fastnesses  they  se- 
cured an  almost  unlimited  supply  of  their  beloved  "quckog," 
from  which  they  fashioned  their  primitive  "seawant"  or  wam- 
pum. Hence  arose  what  is  known  as  the  Indian  name  for  this 
section  "Laaphawachking,"  the  "Place  of  Stringing   Beads." 

A  few  years  ago,  two  men  were  exploring  in  this  neighbor- 
hood for  Indian  relics,  when  suddenly  their  spades  struck  against 
the  bones  of  a  human  foot.  What  was  their  delight  in  unearth- 
ing the  complete  skeleton  perfect,  save  for  the  absence  of  the  lef* 
hand,  while  lying  in  the  hollow  of  the  right  arm  was  a  sharp 
stone   weapon,   resembling  a   knife!     It   was   suggested   that   the 


and  Ann-hook,  once  chiefs  of  the  powerful  Sewanoes.  "We 
examined  several  mounds  near  the  water's  edge."  writes  a  his- 
torian, in  speaking  of  Pelham  Neck.  "One  held  the  remains 
of  an  Indian  boy  about  twelve  years  old,  in  a  sitting  position, 
together  with  a  beautiful  specimen  of  native  pottery,  formed 
by  the  hand  alone,  rudely  ornamented  with  zigzag  lines,  in  which 
we  discovered  an  arrow-head  of  quartz  and  the  bones  of  a  small 
animal." 

But  to  turn  to  the  ancient  town  of  Eastchester  for  a 
moment.  All  along  the  banks  of  the  "Aqueanoncke,"  or  East- 
chester Creek,  were  numerous  Indian  wigwams,  while  a  castle 
of  the  Sewanoes  stood  on  a  hill  at  the  rear  of  one  of  the  best 
known  residences.  Traces  of  these  were  recently  discernible, 
while  many  arrow  heads  and  implements  were  fo^ind. 

In  the  Indian  deed  of  K!astchester.  dated  December  3d.  1700, 
the  following  is  the  consideration:  "Fourteen  guns,  twelve  coats, 
twelve   Indian  kettles,  twelve   Indian  axes,  four  adzes  and   four 


Indian 

skeleton  was  that  of  a  criminal,  whose  right  hand  had  been  cut 
off  before  his  execution,  and  the  stone  weapon  with  which  the 
deed  was  done,  buried  with  him,  to  take  with  him  to  the  happy 
hunting  grounds. 

The  opinion  is  that  the  skeleton  is  that  of  a  very  aged 
Indian,  who  had  lain  buried  for  three  hundred  years  and  perhaps 
much  longer.  This  discovery  is  of  the  greatest  scientific  value 
and  it  has  been  added  to  the  many  treasures  of  antiquity  in  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History. 

"The  Indians  long  are  gone. 

With   their   forests   wide  and   deep. 
And  we  build  our  homes  upon 

Fields    where    their    fathers    sleep." 
One   authority   tells   us   that   close   to   an   immense   rock   on 
Hunter's  Island  are  the  grave?  of  the  famous  Sachems,  Nimham 


Cemetery 

barrels  of  cider."  The  deed  from  the  Indians  of  Westchester, 
May  27,  1692,  from  the  Indian  Sachems  Maminepoe  and  Wampage, 
gives  as  its  consideration: 

Two  guns  Two  coats  Two  shirts  Two  kettles 
Two  adzes  One  barrel  of  cider  Six  bits  of  money. 
Following  are  the  disbursements  upon  the  Indian  purchase: 

£      s      d 

William  Barnes,  One  Kettle 220 

To   expences    to   }'e    Indians o       6      o 

John   Hunt,    One    Coate o     12      o 

For    Money     o       I       0 

To    Indian     Supper    and    other    Expences 030 

William    Richardson,    Two    Shirts 0     12      0 

John   Ferris,    senior.    One   Coate o     12       o 

To  One  day  with  the  Indians ,.     o      3      q 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Joseph  Hunt,  Two  Adzt^s  (and  3s  8d  in  money) o     IS       o 

Samuel    Palmer.    One  gun 100 

Thomas    Baxter,    One    Gun I       2      0 

Joseph  Hunt,  One  Barr.^1  of  Cider o      3       0 

£846 

27"  of  March,  1704,  Joseph  Hunt  was  directed  to  go  to  the 
clerk  of  the  County  and  see  the  Indian  deed  recorded. 

The  deed  conveys : 

"All  that  tract  of  land  lying  on  the  east  side  of  Brunx's 
river  beginning  at  the  Pine  Trees,  compassing  all  the  land 
uhicli  we  the  said  Maminepoe  and  Wampage  layes  claim  to, 
until  they  come  to  the  head  of  Rattle  Snake  brook,  and  froin 
thence  northeast  to  Mr.  Pell's  land,  so  north  by  said  Pell's 
marked  tree  to  Brunk's  River  ....  (only  reserving  to  our- 
selves the  privilege  of  making  use  of  wliitewood  trees  for  our 
particular  use.)" 

Not  a  very  exact  description,  and  one  that  would  hardly 
pass  the  particular  attorneys  of  to-daiy.  But  it  was  fully  in 
keeping  with  the  old  deeds  and  descriptions  of  that  age  where 
land,  not  being  in  the  great  city  of  New  York,  was  not  quoted 
at  such  a  high  premium  as  it  is  to-day. 

Passing  south  along  the  Sound  from  Pelhani  Bay  Park  we 
find  that  a  well  fortified  Indian  castle  stood  on  Screven's  Point. 
Indeed  one  authority  describes  it  as  the  original  settlement  of 
the  Weckquaesgeeks.  Here  they  had  a  permanent  camp,  pro- 
tected by  a  fort,  and  on  this  locality  also  was  their  burying- 
ground.  A  mortar,  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  shows  plainly  where 
they  ground  their  corn.  The  name,  "Castle  Hill,"  still  clings 
to  this  place,  as  a  memento  of  the  by-gone  days  of  the  savages. 
The  old  Bear  Swamp  Road,  between  Westchester  and  Bronx- 
dale,  on  the  outskirts  of  Bronx  Park,  is  so  styled  from  the  large 
swamp  near  which  the  led  men  had  quite  an  extensive  village. 
Of  this  settlement  they  remained  in  possession  until   1689. 

According  to  another  authority  it  was  the  Sewanoes  that 
lived  at  Castle  Hill  and  Bear  Swamp.  They  are  known  as  "one 
of  the  tribes  of  the  seacoast,  dwelling  along  the  shore  of  the 
Sound   frotii    Norwalk   to   Hell   Gate,   while   their   deeds   of  sale 


covered  parts  of  Morrisania,  Pelhatn,  Eastchester,  Westchester 
and  West  Farms.  One  of  the  best  known  warriors,  who  lived 
about  1644,  was  Mayane,  described  as  "a  fierce  Indian  who 
alone  dared  to  attack  with  bow  and  arrow  three  Christians 
armed  with  guns,  one  of  whom  he  shot  dead,  and  whilst  engaged 
with  the  other  was  killed  by  the  third  and  his  head  conveyed  to 
Fort  Amsterdam." 

An  early  historian  thus  describes  the  Indians  of  upper  Bronx 
Borough : 

"They  are  well  shaped  and  strong,  having  pitch-black  and 
lank  hair,  as  coarse  as  a  horse's  tail,  broad  shoulders,  small 
waist,  brown  eyes  and  snow-white  teeth ;  they  are  of  a  sallow 
color,  abstemious  in  food  and  drink.  .  .  .  Their  clothing  is 
most  sumptuous.  The  women  ornament  themselves  more  than 
the  men.  .  .  .  Both  go  for  the  most  part  bare-headed.  Around 
llie  neck  and  arms  they  wear  bracelets  of  'seawant,'  and  some 
around  the  waist.  Moccasins  are  made  of  elk  hides.  .  .  .  The 
men  paint  their  faces  of  many  colors.  The  women  lay  on  a 
black  spot  only  here  and  there.'' 

This  same  authority  writes  that  when  the  Indians  went 
"a-hunting  bears"  they  dressed  themselves,  "as  Esau  did,  in 
clothes  that  have  the  fl:i\or  of  the  woods,"  that  they  might  not  be 
discovered  by  the  sharp-smelling  animals.  Great  quantities  of 
arrow  heads  and  spear  heads  have  been  dug  up  in  the  vicinity  of 
Eastchester,  showing  it  to  have  been  a  great  hunting  district. 

In  the  year  188a  we  are  told  that  there  were  but  fifteen 
civilized  Indians  in  all  Westchester  County,  and  ten  years 
later,  only  four.  "The  passing  away  of  a  race  is  sad.  The  wail 
of  the  red  man  as  he  looked  for  the  last  time  on  the  graves  of  his 
kindred  and  set  his  face  toward  the  sunset,  touches  a  respon- 
sive  chord   in   all   sympathetic  breasts." 

"I  will  go  to  my  tent  and  lie  down  in  despair; 

I  will  paint  me  with  black  and  will  sever  my  hair; 

I   will   sit  on  the  shore  where  the  hurricane  blows, 

And  reveal  to  the  God  of  the  tempest  my  woes. 

I  will  weep  for  a  season  on  bitterness   fed. 

For  my  kindred  are  gone  to  the  mounds  of  the  dead." 


> 

o 
ai 
o 

ui 
u 
o 


I 

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Oi 

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s 

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u 

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U 

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CO 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  FIRST  WHITE  SETTLERS 


Jonas  Bfonck — Anne  Hutchinson — John  Throckmorton — Thomas  Cornell — Dr.  Van  Der  Donck 


"I  hear  the  tread  of  pioneers, 

Of  nations  yet  to  be; 

The  first  low   wash  of  waves,  where  soon 

Shall    roll    a   human    sea. 

"The   rndimcnts  of  empire  here 
Are  plastic  yet   and   warm ; 
The  chaos  of  a  mighty  world 
Is   rounding   into   form." 

How  many  of  those  Avho  admire  the  many  glories  of  the 
Bron.x  River,  its  romantic  gorge  near  the  Lorillard  Mansion  and 
its  broad  artificial  lake*  above  West  Farms,  where  hundreds  and 
even  thousands  glide  in  row-boats  in  summer  or  in  autumn, 
enjoying  the  rich  coloring  of  the  foliage  on  either  side,  ever  stop 
to  think  that  this  little  river  was  named  after  one  Jonas  Bronck, 
who,  in  1639,  settled  near  its  mouth,  erecting  his  house  there, 
the  traces  of  which  have  entirely  disappeared?  As  early  as 
1628,  the  white  population  of  Manhattan  Island  was  given  as 
two  hundred  and  seventy !  What  a  wonderful  difference  from 
to-day!  Two  years  earlier,  in  1626,  the  whole  of  Manhattan 
Island  was  purchased  from  the  Indians  "for  the  value  of  sixty 
guilders,"  or  twenty-four  dollars !  As  Frank  Moss  expresses 
it,  they  were  buying  "a  pig  in  a  poke."  They  knew  but  little  of 
the  vastness  and  extent  of  what  they  were  getting.  Hut  it 
turned  out  to  be  a  most  fortunate  and  lucky  "pig!" 

As  we  have  said,  the  first  settler  of  Bronx  Borough  ap- 
peared in  the  year  1639.  At  that  time  the  ship  "Fire  of  Troy" 
arrived  at  New  Amsterdam  in  July,  bearing  Bronck,  his  family, 
farmers,  servants  and  cattle.  Soon  afterwards  he  bought  from 
two  Indian  sachems,  Ranaqua  and  Taekamuck,  some  five  hun- 
dred acres,  which  became  known  as  "Bronxland,"  and  were 
described  as  "lying  betv  cen  the  great  kill"  (Harlem  River)  and 
the  Aquahung,  afterwards  known  as  the  "Bronx."  In  this  way 
we  easily  see  the  derivation  of  the  name  Bronx  (Bronck's) 
River.  The  "Fire  of  Troy"  set  sail  from  Hoorn  in  Holland. 
We  learn  that  while  Jonas  Bronck's  last  residence  was  in 
Amsterdam,  where  he  married  his  wife,  Antonia  Slagboom,  he 
was  originally  of  Swedi.sh  descent,  and  that  great  and  wondrous 
tales  had  come  to  him  of  the  marvelous  fertility  of  the  strange 
country   beyond  the   seas. 

The  New  York  Colonial  Documents  tell  that  he  built  for 
himself  on  his  new  possessions  a  stone  house  with  a  roof  of 
tiles — evidently  as  a  safeguard  against  the  flaming  arrows  of  the 
Indians — and  two  barracks,  a  barn  and  tobacco  house.  On  an 
old  map  of  "Bronxland"  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  at  Albany,  it  would  appear  that  Bronck's  house,  as  clearly 
as  this  old  tracing  indicates,  was  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Bronx  River,  perhaps  close  to  the  present  Harlem  River  station 


of  the  branch  road  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad.  Bronck  may  have  imported  bricks  from  Holland  with 
which  to  build  his  home  m  the  Westchester  wilderness,  as  the 
Dutch  word  for  stone — steen — is,  always  ambiguous  unless  accom- 
panied by  some  words  of  description.  Two  of  Bronck's  friends 
who  came  over  with  him  in  the  "Fire  of  Tray,"  leased  part  of 
his  land  for  cultivation  in  order  to  raise  tobacco  and  maize,  and 
to  reimburse  him  for  their  passage  money  out  of  the  products. 

In  Bronck's  library  in  his  home  at  Morrisania,  which  was 
called  "Emmaus,"  were  found  a  number  of  Danish  and  Latin 
works,  together  with  several  law,  history  and  divinity  books. 
In  the  year  1642  Jonas  Bronck's  house  was  chosen  as  the  place 
for  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  which 
unfortunately  did  not  last  long,  and  in  the  following  year  he 
died,  his  estate  being  administered  by  his  friend  across  the  river 
at  Harlem.  One  of  those  who  made  up  the  inventory  was  the 
Dutch  minister  at  New  Amsterdam,  Everardus  Bogardus,  the 
husband  of  the  well  known  Anneke  Jans.  Among  those  present 
were  his  widow  and  his  son,  Peter  Bronck.  We  find  that  the 
Rev.  Mitchell  Bronk,  formerly  of  the  Ascension  Church  in  Mel- 
rose, was  a  descendant  of  Jonas  Bronck  of  old. 

Returning  to  the  invonlory.  it  shows  quite  clearly  that  Jonas 
Bronck  was  a  gentleman  of  culture,  as  well  as  refinement  and 
learning,  for  he  is  said  to  have  used  silver  on  his  table  and  had 
lable-cloths  and  napkins  and  to  have  possessed  as  many  as  six 
linen  shirts.  We  are  told  that  his  belongings  included  pictures, 
silver  cups,  spoons,  tankards,  bowls,  a  silver-mounted  gun,  fine 
bedding,  satin,  gros-grain  suits  and  gloves.  How  fortunate  are 
we  when  we  stop  to  consider  that  the  name  Bronck  is  perpetu- 
ated for  all  time  to  come  in  the  Bronx  River  as  well  as  Bronx 
Park  and  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 

It  was  unfortunate  that  the  treaty  of  peace  signed  at 
Bronck's  house  proved  of  but  little  avail.  Back  in  1626  two 
of  the  Weckquaesgeek  Indians  journeyed  southward,  crossing 
the  Harlem  River  until  finally  they  reached  the  "Kolck"  or  Col- 
lect Pond,  near  Canal  Street,  with  a  quantity  of  beaver  skins 
for  trading.  Here  they  were  met  by  servants  of  Governor 
Iilinuit,  who  not  only  stole  the  skins  but  murdered  the  older 
Indian.  The  younger  savage,  a  nephew  of  the  elder,  managed  to 
escape,  but  vowed  that  he  would  seek  revenge,  and  when  he 
came  to  manhood  he  redeemed  his  vow.  He  came  one  day  to 
Harlem,  seeking  to  trade  some  skins  for  "duffels,"  and  while  the 
white  man  with  whom  he  was  about  to  make  the  barter  was 
stooping  over  his  chest,  the  treacherous  red  man  quickly  raised 
an  axe  and  killed  him  on  the  spot,  escaping  with  his  plunder 
across   the   Harlem   into   \Vestchester. 

Prompt  satisfaction  was  demanded  by  Governor  Kieft,  but 
tlie    chiefs    refused    to    surrender    the    culprit,    although    soldiers 


8 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


were  at  once  sent  from  Now  Amsterdam  in  an  unsuccessful  at- 
tempt to  capture  him.  Then  it  was  that  the  short-lived  treaty  of 
peace  which  was  signed  at  Bronck's  house  came  to  an  end.  The 
savages,  in  no  manner  satisfied,  began  committing  depredations 
on  all  sides,  until  at  last  Governor  Kieft  decided  upon  a  war, 
placing  Captain  John  Underbill  in  command  of  the  expedition. 
This  intrepid  Indian  fighter  writes  as  follows  in  his  "News 
from  America  :" 

"Myself  received  an  arrow  through  my  coat  sleeve,  a  second 
against  my  helmet  on  the  forehead;  so  as  if  God  in  His  provi- 
dence had  not  moved  the  heart  of  my  wife  to  carry  it  along  with 
me,  which  I  was  unwilling  to  do,  I  had  been  slain.  Give  me 
leave  to  observe  from  hence,  let  no  man  despise  advice  and 
counsel  of  his  wife,  though  she  be  a  u'oinan." 

Turning  to  the  English  settlers,  we  learn  that  one  of  the 
earliest  as  well  as  most  important  was  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchin- 
son, who  has  given  her  name  to  the  Hutchinson  River  or  East- 
chester  Creek,  which  after  passing  under  Pelham  Bridge  widens 
into  that  noted  fishing  resort,  Pelham  Bay.  The  summer  of  1642 
saw  her  advent  to  the  vast  wilderness  of  Pelham  Bay  Park,  to- 
gether with  her  son-in  law,  Mr.  Collins,  his  wife  and  family 
and  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  younger  cliildren.  Driven  from  both 
Boston  and  Rhode  Island  because  of  her  peculiar  religious  ideas, 
she  sought  the  forest  as  a  refuge.  Crossing  from  Flushing  so 
as  to  avoid  the  Dutch  who  did  not  look  upon  her  ideas  with 
favor,  she  had  her  house  built  upon  the  rising  ground  not  far 
from  the  Hutchinson  River  and,  as  near  as  the  authorities  agree, 
back  to  the  famous  Split  Rock.  The  exact  spot  remains  unde- 
cided. 

Among  her  scattered  neighbors  she  still  continued  to  ex- 
pound her  peculiar  views.  Among  others  that  came  to  hei 
meetings  was  big  Captain  John  Underbill — and  rumor  has  it 
that  he  may  have  cared  less  for  her  teaching  than  for  her  hand- 
some self. 

"What  have  you  done  since  you  were  here  last  that  you 
should   have   left   undone?"   she   would  ask. 

Then  the  man,  who  was  not  afraid  of  the  savages,  would 
quail  under  her  glance  and  confess  his  sins,  the  worst  being 
drinking  rum  or  dancing  at  a  tavern  with  some  girl. 

"Will  you  never  become  good?"  she  would  say  in  despera- 
tion, and  then  to  one  of  her  followers:  "Bring  me  the  fool's 
cap." 

Then  on  the  head  of  the  daring  Indian  fighter  would  be 
placed  the  long,  peaked  cap,  and  he  would  sit  in  front  of  the 
others  to  do  his  penance.  But  just  as  soon  as  the  cap  was  re- 
moved from  his  curly  locks,  he  would  again  become  the  same 
roistering,  good  fellow. 

We  may  trace  for  a  few  minutes  the  ancestry  of  this  re- 
markable woman  who  had  left  her  home  in  civilization  to  seek 
religious  freedom  among  the  Indians  of  Pelham.  She  is  said 
to  have  been  related,  collaterally,  to  the  poet  Dryden.  Her  bus 
band  is  described  as  a  "mild,  amiable  and  estimable  man,  pos- 
sessed of  ac  onsiderable  fortune,  and  in  high  standing  among  his 
Puritan  contemporaries,"  who  died  a  short  time  before  her  pil- 
grimage to  Pelham.  Accompanied  by  her  husband  and  children 
she  left  the  shores  of  England,  coming  to  Massachusetts  Bay  in 
1636.  'When  she  aroused  the  ire  of  the  Puritans,  she  sought 
shelter  in  Rhode  Island.  Her  husband  dying  in  1642,  she  and 
what  was  left  of  her  family  came  to  Pelham,  at  that  time  a 
primeval   wilderness. 

One  day  an  Indian  appeared  at  the  door  of  her  little  cabin. 


Anne   received   him   cordially,   feeding  him   on    fresh   bread   and 
cakes  and   clams. 

"Where  are  all  the  men  ?"  he  asked  of  her. 

"There  are  no  men  here,"  she  declared,  and,  pointing  to  her 
oldest  son,  "this  is  the  only  man  I  have." 

"Ugh!"  was  the  response.     "Him  no  man;  only  little  boy." 

The  Indian  went  his  way  with  a  smile  on  his  face,  promis- 
ing to  bring  some  more  game  the  next  time  he  came.  He  came 
again,  all  too  soon,  and  the  game  was  an  Indian  game.  That 
same  niglit  the  savages  came  in  force,  setting  fire  to  her  cabin 
and  slaying  the  inmates,  including  Anne  Hutchinson  herself. 
Her  little  eight-year-old  daughter  was  carried  ofif  into  captivity 
by  the  Indians,  only  to  be  taken  from  them  so  long  afterwards 
that  she  had  almost  forgotten  her  native  language  and  was  de- 
cidedly unwilling  to  leave  her  captors. 

It  so  chanced  that  John  Underbill  was  in  his  tavern  when 
be  learned  of  the  news  of  the  massacre.  Dashing  his  mug  of 
ale  from  his  lips  he  resolved  to  seek  vengeance  on  the  guilty 
savages,  if  possible.  Following  the  Indians  into  Connecticut,  he 
completely  encircled  their  camp  so  that  hardly  an  Indian  escaped. 
Standing  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  and  gazing  at  the  blood-stained 
snow,  the  ruins  of  the  camp  and  the  bodies  below,  he  said, 
quietly  : 

"I  have  done  my  best,  but  if  we  had  killed  a  thousand  more 
of  the  red  devils,  it  would  not  have  paid  for  a  single  drop  of 
Anne   Hutchinson's   blood!'' 

Along  in  the  fall  of  1642  another  early  settler  made  his  ap- 
pearance in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  selected  Throgg's  Neck 
as  a  dwelling  place  and  his  name  was  John  Throckmorton.  With 
others  he  had  secured  from  the  Dutch  government  a  license, 
bearing  date  October  2,  1642,  allowing  him  to  settle  within  three 
Dutch,  or  twelve  English,  miles  of  New  Amsterdam.  What  was 
styled  a  "land  brief"  was  granted  to  "Jan  Throckmorton,"  in- 
cluding "a  piece  of  land — being  a  portion  of  Vredeland — con- 
taining as  follows:  Along  the  East  River  of  New  Netherlands, 
extending  from  the  point  half  a  mile,  which  said  piece  of  land 
aforesaid  on  one  side  is  bounded  by  a  little  river,  and  on!  the 
other  side  by  a  great  kill,  which  river  and  kill,  on  high  water 
running,  meet  each  other,  surrounding  the  land." 

This  locality,  from  the  name  of  its  original  occupant,  be- 
came known  as  "Throckmorton's  Neck,"  soon  shortened  into 
"Throgg's  Neck."  It  even  appears  as  "Frog's  Point."  By  way 
of  explanation  it  may  be  stated  that  the  "Little  River"  re- 
ferred to,  is  Westchester  Creek,  and  the  "Great  Kill"  the  Sound 
or  East  River. 

Associated  with  Throckmorton  was  another  emigrant  from 
England,  by  name  Thomas  Cornell,  who  settled  on  the  long 
neck  of  land  south  of  Throgg's  Neck,  which  was  styled  after  him 
"Cornell's  Neck."  Below  is  an  abstract  of  Governor  Kieft's 
patent  to  Cornell,  taken  from  the  translation  of  the  Book  of 
Dutch  Patents : 

"We,  William  Kieft,  Director  General,  and  the  Council  .  .  . 
in  New  Netherlands  residing  .  .  .  have  given  and  granted  unto 
Tomas  Coornal  a  certain  piece  of  land  lying  on  the  East  River, 
beginning  from  the  Kill  of  Bronck's  land,  east  south  east  along 
ihe  river,  extending  about  half  a  Dutch  Mile  from  the  River 
till  a  little  Creek  over  the  Valley  (Marsh)  which  runs  back 
around  this  land.   .    .    . 

"Confirmed  with  our  seal  of  red  wax  here  and  under- 
neath suspended.  Done  in  the  Fort  Amsflerdam,  in  New 
Netherland,  this  26lh  July,  A.  D.,  1646. 

"Willem    Kieft." 


Hon.  RICHARD  H.   MITCHELL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Cornell's  Neck  has  almost  lost  its  familiar,  old  name  in  the 
modern  title  of  "Clason's  Point,"  and  the  romantic  roadway  that 
leads  from  the  old  Westchester  Turnpike  is  one  of  the  most- 
ideally  shaded  and  rur;d  in  our  neighborhood.  Cornell,  it  is 
stated,    had    come    here    along    with    John    Throckmorton    and 


Old  Wilkins*  Farm  House.  Scrtven  Point 

Roger  Williams.  Together  they  had  journeyed  from  Rhode 
Island,  where  they  had  been  the  most  intimate  friends.  Both 
Throckmorton  and  Cornell  at  first  settled  on  Throgg's  Neck 
until  driven  away  by  the  attacks  of  the  hostile  Indians  in  the 
next  year.  The  savages  "killed  several  persons  belonging  to  the 
families  of  Mr.  Throckmorton  and  Mr.  Cornell,"  say  the  early 
reports. 

Of  this  Indian  war  Roger  Williams  write:  "Mine  eyes  saw 
the  flames  of  their  town,  the  frights  and  hurries  of  men,  women 
and  children."  In  the  words  of  Governor  Winthrop  we  learn 
that  "by  the  mediation  of  Mr.  Williams,  who  was  there  to 
go  on  a  Dutch  ship  to  England,  the  Indians  were  pacified  and 
peace  was  re-established."  Thus  much  do  we  owe  to  the  efforts 
of  Roger  Williams. 

When  the  war  was  over,  Cornell  came  back  again,  this 
time  taking  up  his  residence  on  Cornell's  Neck  or  Clason's  Point. 
In  1665  he  was  "driven  off  the  said  land  by  the  barbarous  vio- 
lence of  the  Indians."  The  name  of  Willett's  Point,  which  is 
given   to  this   section   is  after   a   Thomas   Willett,   who   married 


John  Dolling,  one  of  her  many  admirers,  was  forthwith  "ordered 
by  the  court  not  to  trouble  or  annoy  Sarah  Willett."  Shortly 
afterwards  we  learn  that  her  anxieties  in  this  direction  were  over 
when  she  married  Charles  Bridges,  Governor  Stuyvesant's 
English  Secretary  of  the  Province. 

In  this  same  connection  we  may  say  that,  seven  years  later, 
a  Colonial  maid  produced  several  letters-promissory  of  mar- 
riage, from  a  young  man,  and  the  Court  ordered  that  he  be 
"condemned  to  marry  her."  Another  young  man  of  New 
Netherland  declared  that  instead  of  being  obliged  to  wed  his 
fair  sweetheart  "he  would  rather  go  away  and  live  with  the 
Indians"— a   truly   terrible    threat ! 

From  tradition  we  learn  that  the  Willett  mansion  stood  on 
the  present  Clason's  Point  Road,  about  opposite  the  Christian 
Brothers'  Academy,  but  it  was  burned  many  years  ago.  This 
Academy  is  described  as  a  large  stone  chateau,  the  most  im- 
portant house  on  the  point,  and  built  towards  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century  by  a  wealthy  New  York  merchant,  Dominick 
Lynch,  for  his  own  home.  From  the  balconies  of  this  stately 
building  may  be  seen  a  fine  prospect  of  the  Sound  and  the  sur- 
rounding region,  with  Flushing  Bay  and  College  Point  in  the 
distance.      On   the   extreme   end   of   Clason's    Point   there   stood 


Ruined  Chimney  in  Lord  Howe's  Headquarters.  Clason's  Point 

Cornell's  daughter.  And  right  here  we  may  mculion  that  one 
of  the  early  Willetts  died,  leaving  a  widow,  young,  attractive  and 
worth  a  small  fortune  in  Bronx  Borough  real  estate.  Result — 
she  had  suitors  too  numerous  to  mention,  so  that  she  was  obliged 
lo  appeal  to  the  courts   for  protection.     On  August   nth,   1647, 


Ruins  of  Lord  Howe's  Headquarters.  Clason's  Point 

until  recently,  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  farmhouse,  the  stones  of 
which  have  in  great  part  found  their  way  into  the  present 
Clason's  Point  Inn.  This  old  house,  which  even  in  its  ruined 
state  presented  a  most  picturesque  appearance,  was  one  of  the 
early  Willett  houses,  and  its  immense  fireplace  and  oval  brick 
oven  were  one  of  thi?  borough's  most  striking  reminders  of 
the  past.  Another  name  of  this  ancient  structure  was  "Lord 
Howe's  Headquarters,"  and  I  have  been  told  that  the  British 
commander  made  it  his  place  of  residence  while  his  men  were 
in  the  region. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  a  remarkable  Indian  deed,  conveying 
property  in  this  vicinity  and  signed  by  the  most  famous  sachem, 
Saringo.     It   is  as   follows: 

"The:  4:  of  July-1701. 

"Biet  (be  it)  known  to  all  home  it  may  consarn.  That  I, 
SARINGO,  hafe  This  day  Sold  unto  Joseph  Horton,  saner 
(senior)  A  sarten  Track  or  parsal  of  land  Setuaten  &  Lyen 
within  the  profence  of  Nu  Yorcke,  which  land  beginned  at  the 
purch(ase)  lastly  purch'ed  by  Cornal  Hacoc't.  John  Horton, 
Cap'tt  Thall,  Joseph  Purdy.  and  all  the  Land  wassward  un- 
purch'd  and  so  to  run  upwa-d  to  brunkess  reuer  (Bronx  River), 
and  I  SARINGO  do  oblidge  myself,  my  ars  (heirs)  or  assins 
(assigns)  to  marcket  (mark  it)  oute  by  Mark  Treese  as  may 
aper  her  agan   (appear  here  again)   &  This  To  be  marcked  oute 


10 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


The  Sext,  or  Saventh  Day  of  This  entant  (instant)  munth 
and  for  the  Tru  Berformance  I  haf  Sat  my  hand  &  Sale  Sinedee, 
Saled  and  DIeaved  In  prants  (presence)  of  us  This  been  in 
order  To  a  furder  confmashon. 

"SARINGO;    X 
"(and  three  other  Indians,  names  illegible.)" 

Endorsed  on  this   deed  is  the   following : 

"I,  Joseph  Horton  oblige  mysalfe  To  pay  one  Sarengo  he 
performen  his  part  accorded  to  bagen  (bargain)  as  may  apen 
consarned  land  which  he  Is  or  .  .  .  (illegible)  ...  to  per- 
forme. 

"The  a  buv  named  horton  Is  obliged  To  Pay  Sringo  the 
ras  (rest)  of  his  .  .  .  (illegible)  ...  as  follas :  i  barrel 
of  Sidar,  6  shurts,  5  galans  of  rum,  I  Cot  (coat)  i  shepe.  And 
this  is  to  be  payd  at  or  before  The  furst  day  of  Jnery  nex 
in  .  .  .  (illegible)  .  .  .  The  day  manshshened  (mentioned) 
July:  4:  17001  (so  in  original)  :  i  hors,  I  sadal,  i  bridal,  2  cots, 
I  calf,  2  shurds  (shirts),  i  ancher  of  rum." 

Figuring  most  conspicuously  among  the  first  settlers  of  our 
borough  was  Dr.  Adrian  Van  der  Donck,  a  native  of  Breda  in 
Holland.  His  land  embraced  the  tract  from  Spuyten  Duyvil 
Creek  north  to  a  stream  styled  the  Amackassin,  in  Yonkers,  and 
extending  eastward  to  the  Bronx  River.  It  was  a  portion  of  the 
Indian  Keskeskeck  region,  purchased  from  the  natives  by  Secre- 
tary Van  Thenhoven  for  the  West  India  Company  in  1639. 

"Appeared  before  me  Cornelius  Van  Thenhoven,  Secre- 
tary of  the  New  Netherlands,  Frequemeck,  Rechgawac,  Peckan- 
niens,  owners  of  KEKESHICK,  which  they  did  freely  convey, 
cede,  &c.,  &c.,  to  the  behoof  of  the  General  Incorporated  West 
India  Company,  which  lies  over  against  the  flats  of  the  Island  of 
Manhates,  beginning  at  the  source  of  said  kill,  till  over  against 
the  hill  of  the  flat  lands,  to  wit,  by  the  great  kill,  together  with 
all  the  rights,  estate,  title  to  them  the  grantees,  &c.,  &c. 

"In  testimony  of  which  the  truth  of  this  is  subscribed  by 
witnesses. 

"Done  3d  of  August,  at  Fort  Amsterdam,  in  New  Nether- 
land, 

"CORNELIUS  VAN  DER  HOYKEN, 
"DAVIDY  PIETTERSEN  DE  VRIES, 
"In  presence  of  me,  (As  witnesses.) 

"CORNELIUS    VAN    THENHOVEN,    Secretary." 

About  this  time  a  slave  averaged  sixteen  dollars,  a  horse 
fifty  pounds,  a  pair  of  oxen  forty  pounds  and  a  good  cow 
thirty  pounds,  while  during  harvest  the  day's  wages  of  a 
laborer  were  thirty  cents. 

Dr.  Van  der  Donck  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  pictur- 
esque figures  of  our  early  settlement.  We  learn  that  in  1646  an 
Indian  sachem,  Tacharew,  granted  lands  in  Neperhaem,  to  one 
Adriaen  Van  Der  Donck.  But  being  a  true  Dutchman  what 
he  wanted  was  "that  indispensable  requisite  of  a  Dutch  farm — 
a  salt  meadow."  This  he  succeeded  in  finding  in  the  level 
marshes  just  above  King's  Bridge,  described  as  "a  flat  with 
some  convenient  meadows  about  it,"  and  this  he  at  once  ob- 
tained both  by  a  further  grant  from  Kieft  and  by  a  purchase 
from  the  Indians.  On  the  ancient  corn  ground  of  the  Indians 
he  laid  out  his  "Bouwerie"  or  farm,  including  a  "planting 
ground,"  extending  from  what  are  now  the  Colonial  Gardens  in 
Van  Cortlandt  Park  up  to  the  heights  above,  and  from  Broad- 
way (the  old  Albany  Post  Road)  to  and  possibly  beyond  Van 
Cortlandt  Lake  on  the  east. 

Van  der  Donck's  land  became  known  as  "Colen  Donck,"  or 


Donck's  colony.  The  entire  patroonship  of  Van  der  Donck 
afterwards  became  known  as  "De  Jonkheer's  Land,"  or  "De 
Jonkheer's,"  signifying  the  estate  of  the  young  lord  or  jonk- 
heer.  From  this  is  easily  traced  the  present  name  of  the  City 
of  Yonkers,  "On  the  flat  just  behind  the  present  grove  of 
locust  trees,  north  of  the  old  mill,  he  built  his  farmhouse,  with 
his  planting  field  on  the  plain,  extending  to  the  southerly  end 
of  Vault  Hill."  Most  likely  the  residence  that  Van  der 
Donck  began  to  build  before'  hi^  departure  for  Holland  in  1649 
was  on  that  very  plain,  and  its  location  was  a  short  distance 
north   of  the  old  Van   Cortlandt  Mills. 

Many    interesting    tales    are    recorded    about    this    Van    der 
Donck.     He  wrote  a  : 

"BESCHRYVING 

van 

"NIEUVV-NEDERLANDT" 


Beschreven  door 
ADRIAEN  vander  DONCK." 

Following  is  the  translation  of  the  entire  title  page: 

"Description  of  New  Netherland,  Comprising  the  Character, 
Situation,  and  Fertility  of  the  Said  Country;  and  also  the  Man- 
ners and  Peculiar  Qualities  of  the  Wild  Men  or  Natives  of  the 
Land.  And  a  Separate  Account  of  the  Wonderful  Character 
and  Habits  of  the  Beavers  .  .  .  Described  by  Adriaen  Van 
der  Donck,  Doctor  in  Both  Laws,  Who  at  present  is  still  in 
New   Netherland." 

A  few  quotations  from  Van  der  Donck's  book  may  prove 
of  interest: 

"Buffaloes  are  tolerable  plenty.  These  animals  must  keep 
towards  the  southwest,  where  few  people  go."  In  March,  1647, 
"the  whales  swam  up  the  (Hudson)  river  forty  (Dutch)  miles, 
from  which  place  one  of  them  returned  and  stranded  about 
twelve  miles  from  the  sea,  near  which  place  four  others  also 
stranded  the  same  year. 

"I  have  been  frequentl)'  told  by  the  Mohawk  Indians  tliat 
far  in  the  interior  pa'rts  of  the  country  there  were  animals, 
which  were  seldom  seen,  of  the  size  of  horses,  with  cloven 
hoofs,  having  one  horn  in  the  forehead  .  .  .  and  because  of 
their  fleetness  and  strength  they  were  seldom  caught  or  en- 
snared. The  deer  are  incredibly  numerous  in  this  country.  Al- 
though the  Indians  kill  many  thousands  throughout  the  year, 
and  the  wolves  also  destroy  many,  still  the  land  abounds,  with 
them  everywhere,  and  their  numbers  appear  to  remain  un- 
diminished." 

Van  der  Donck  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  very 
first  lawyer  to  practise  in  the  Colony  of  the  New  World.  In 
Court  the  judges  "agreed  to  allow  Lawyer  Van  der  Donck 
to  give  advice,  but  forbade  him  to  plead  on  the  novel  ground 
that  there  w-as  no  other  lawyer  in  the  colony  to  oppose  him." 

In  1655  Van  der  Donck,  the  Patroon,  died,  and  in  that  year 
occurred  a  serious  massacre  by  the  Indians  of  the  residents  of 
the  outlying  settlements,  that  compelled  the  others  to  seek  the 
walls  of  Fort  Amsterdam  for  protection.  We  can  look  back, 
"through  the  lenses  of  history,"  and  see  the  early  Dutch  settlers, 
dressed  in  their  quaint  costumes,  surrounded  by  the  usual 
crowd  of  Indians,  conversing  with  them,  not  in  broken  English, 
but  in  broken  Dutch.  "As  the  wood-choppers  swung  their 
axes,  the  trees  came  rustling,  crackling,  crashing,  thundering 
down.  The  white  chips  flew  in  every  direction  as  the  beams 
were  hewn !" 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  WESTCHESTER 


Thomas  Pell — His  Deed  of  Westchester — St.  Peter's  Church — The  Old  Bowne  House  and  Other  Old  Houses 


Among  the  early  settlers  who  came  to  this  region  may  be 
lassed  Thomas  Pell,  after  whom  the  beautiful  Pelham  Bay 
'ark  takes  its  name.  A  curious  fact  led  him  to  make  his  home 
1  what  was  then  the  remote  wilderness  north  of  the  Hutchin- 
3n  River.  He  had  come  from  Connecticut  in  1654,  and  after 
btaining  a  deed  from  the  Indian  sachems  Maminepoe  and 
innhoocg  his  first  thought  was  to  seek  a  site  for  a  dwelling 
lace.  He  had  seen  fish-hawks  nesting  in  the  great  oaks  and 
lestnuts  near  Pelham  Neck.  Now  he  was  a  great  believer  in 
le  fact  that  where  this  kind  of  bird  nested,  there  good  luck 
ould  come.  So  he  built  his  house,  as  I  have  been  told,  on  the 
1st  side  of  the  Eastern  Boulevard,  almost  in  front  of  the  pres- 
it  immense  Bartow  Mansion,  and  just  above  the  Split  Rock 
oad.  Another  authority  places  the  "Old  Pell  House"  "just 
ver  the  brow  of  Prospect  Hill  and  in  full  view  of  the  Boston 
ost    Road." 

It  need  not  be  mentioned  that  the  word  Pelham  is  made 
p  of  two  others,  Pell  and  ham  (home.)  The  story  runs  that 
ahn  Pell,  the  second  Lord  of  the  Manor  and  nephew  of 
homas  Pell,  had  been  confined  to  his  bed  for  years  with  rheu- 
latism.  One  day,  much  to  his  amazement,  a  slave  came  run- 
ing  into  his  room  shouting  that  there  was  a  mad  dog  running 
lose.  Rheuinatism  or  not.  it  produced  a  magical  effect  on  the 
ivalid.  Jumping  from  his  bed,  he  displayed  wonderful  agility 
!  climbing  the  stairs  to  escape  the  enraged  beast  and  we  learn 
lat  the  cure  was  permanent,  although  the  mad  dog  story  was 
othing  but  a   hoax,  gotten   up  to   frighten  the   slave. 

But  to  turn  to  Thomas  Pell's  deed  of  Westchester:  On  No- 
jmber  14,  1654.  Thomas  Pell  purchased  from  the  Indian  chief- 
lins,  Maminepoe  and  Annhoocg  and  five  other  braves,  "all  thai 
act  of  land  called  Westchester,  which  is  bounded  on  tlie  east 
y  a  brook,  called  Cedar  Tree  Brook  or  Gravelly  Brook,  and  .so 
uining  northward  as  the  said  brook  runs  into  the  woods 
lout  eight  English  miles,  thence  west  to  .  .  .  Bronck's  River 
I  a  certain  bend  in  the  said  river,  thence  by  marked  trees  south 
ntil  it  reaches  the  tide  waters  of  the  Sound  .  .  .  together 
ith  all   the  islands  lying  before  that  tract." 

A  few  days  before  the  execution  of  Pell's  deed  from  the 
idians,  on  the  fifth  of  November,  1654,  we  learn  that  English 
?ttlers  had  begun  to  put  in  an  appearance  in  Westchester.  An 
Id  record  tells  us : 

"Whereas  a  few  English  are  beginning  a  settlement  at  no 
reat  distance  from  our  outposts,  on  lands  long  since  bought 
nd  paid  for,  near  'Vredeland,"  an  interdict  was  ordered  sent 
)  them  by  the  council  and  director-general  of  New  Nether- 
nd,  asking  them  not  to  proceed  further,  and  commanding  them 
)   leave   the    spot.   One   of   the   very   first   acts   of   the    English 


colonists  was  to  nail  to  a  prominent  tree  the  arms  of  the  Parlia- 
ment of  England. 

Soon  afterwards  the  English  dwelling  there  were  firm  in  al- 
legiance to  the  Dutch  rule,  although  practicing  the  English  form 
of  worship,  as  we  find  by  the  following  entry : 

"31  December,  (1656) — After  dinner  Cornelius  Van  Ruyven 
went  to  see  their  mode  of  worship,  as  they  had  yet  no  preacher. 
There  I  found  a  gathering  of  about  fifteen  men  and  ten  or 
twelve  women.  Mr.  Baly  said  the  prayer,  after  which  one 
Robert  Bassett  read  from  a  printed  book  a  sermon  composed  by 
an  English  clergyman  in  England.  After  the  reading  Mr.  Baly 
gave  out  another  prayer  and  sang  a  psalm,  and  they  all  sep- 
arated." 

One  of  the  landmarks  of  Westchester  is  St.  Peter's  Church, 
the  front  portion  of  whose  property  has  been  unfortunately 
diminished  by  the  widening  of  the  street  in  front.  The  pres- 
ent  building   is   the    fourth   of   the   series,   the   first   having   been 


St.  Peter's  Church,  Westchester 

creeled  in  1700.  In  that  year  the  trustees  met  and  resolved  "to 
build  a  church  twenty-eight  feet  square,  with  a  terret  on  top." 
It  cost  the  then  large  sum  of  forty  pounds,  and  stood  on  the 
old  "Town  Green."  close  to  the  former  County  Court  House, 
about  on  the  site  of  the  present  Sunday  School  building.  The 
congregation  increased ;  its  members  were  ambitious,  and  in 
1762  they  took  the  important  step  of  securing  from  King 
George   III   a   charter,   styled: 

"The  Royal  Charter  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  in  the  Bor- 
ough Town  of  West  Chester." 

To  proceed  with  the  history  of  this  church — the  second 
edifice,  much  larger  and  more  imposing,  was  built  ninety  years 
later,  in  1790,  at  the  increased  cost  of  336  pounds.  The  year 
1854  beheld  a  sad  sight  in  Westchester — St.   Peter's  a  smoking 


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HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


13 


and  blackened  ruin.  _  Nothing  daunted,  however,  the  parishioners 
in  the  following  year  erected  a  new  and  more  modern  edifice, 
which  was  fated  only  to  fall  a  second  victim  to  the  pitiless 
flames. 

The  St.  Peter's  of  to-day  is  of  solid  stone,  as  imposing 
without  as  it  is  beautiful  within.  To  the  landed  possessions  of 
the  church,  close  to  the  parsonage,  is  added  a  portion  of  the 
"Ancient  Glebe,"  given  by  the  town  in  1703,  and  otherwise 
styled  the  "Parsonage  land,"  while  an  adjacent  roadway  bears 
the  appropriate  name  of  "Glebe  Avenue." 

Westchester  was  the  ancient  "Vredeland"  of  the  Dutch, 
a  term  signifying  "Free  land,"  or  Land  of  Peace.  Another  name 
was  Gostdorp,  or  Eastern  Village,  perhaps  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  "West  Farms,"  further  to  the  westward. 

Westchester,  although  a  portion  of  New  York  City,  still  re- 
tains its  countrified  aspect,  and-  a  number  of  ancient  houses  are 
still  to  be  found  close  to  that  modern  means  of  transportation, 
the  trolley  car.  One  of  these  is  the  shingle-sided,  old-fashioned 
house,  once  so  well  known  as  the  country  store  of  S.  B.  Bowne 
&  Son,  close  to  Westchester  Creek.  This  is  said  to  have  been 
a  sales-place  for  almost  anything  under  the  sun.  Some  young 
men,  to  annoy  the  storekeeper,  who  was  a  staunch  old  Quaker, 
once  asked  him  if  he  had  in  stock  such  a  thing  as  a  pulpit. 
With  great  slowness  of  speech,  the  Quaker  settled  the  question 
by  saying  to  his  assistant:  "If  thee  will  go  up  in  the  garret, 
thee  will  find   Parson  Wilkins'   old  pulpit  behind  the  chimney." 

Another  landmark  of  Westchester,  once  located  on  Main 
Street,  was  an  ancient  stone  building,  erected  over  100  years 
ago  by  Captain  Bowne,  who  brought  the  stones  used  for  its 
construction  in  his  sailing  vessel  from  England.  The  old  house 
is  said  to  have  been  intended  for  a  bank,  but  it  was  never  used 
for  that  purpose.  The  first  drug  store  in  Westchester  was 
located  here. 

Under  the  shadow  of  St.  Peter's  spire  lies  the  venerable 
church-yard,  dating  as  far  back  as  the  very  first  settlement  of  the 
village   and   numbering   amongst   its   interments   many   of   West- 


chester's most  illuslrious  dead.     One  or  two  of  the  inscriptions 
may  here  be  quoted  : 

Here    lyeth    the    body    of 

WILLIAM    (BAILY)    QUERY,    ESQ., 

H.  1718  aged  50  years  B.  P.  O.  1727. 

Deceased,   March  27th,   1702 

In   memory   of 

PHILIP   HONEYWELL,   ESQ., 

Died   ...   on  the  8th  day  of  September,   1813, 

In  the  5.3d  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  an  active  character  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War. 
He    lived    respected,    and    died    regretted. 
Near    St.    Peter's   burying-ground    is    the    Ferris   graveyard, 
also  known  as  the   Pasture  Hill   Burying  Ground,  in  which  are 
the    family    vaults    of    Benjamin    Ferris,    also    numerous    head- 
stones  to  the    Pell   family. 

Many  of  the  monuments  and  gravestones  in  line  with  the 
new  grade  of  the  avenue  have  been  removed  to  other  ceme- 
teries. The  handsome  monument  to  George  Townsend  Adee, 
who>e  name  appears  on  the  "three-keyed  bells"  in  St.  Peter's 
tower,  now  stands  in  Woodlawn  Cemetery,  near  Central  Ave- 
nue, not  far  from  the  southern  entrance. 

Until  recently,  the  ancient  Orthodox  Quaker  Meeting 
House,  built  in  1723,  and  afterwards  occupied  by  the  Hicksite 
parly,  stood  a  short  distance  south  of  the  church,  while  nearly 
opposite  was  that  of  the  Orthodox  Friends,  built  in  1828. 
Both  within  a  few  years  have  been  burned  to  the  ground  and, 
as  rumor  goes,  on  the  same  night.  Just  beyond  flows  Indian 
Brook,  on  whose  banks  the  celebrated  George  Fox  is  said  to 
have  addressed  the  first  Quaker  meeting  ever  held  in  America. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  Westchester  Road  St.  Boniface's 
Inn   used  to  display  this  curious  inscription : 

"No  Really  Destitute  Person  Need  Pass  This  House 
Hungry." 


CHAPTER  V 


EASTCHESTER 


St.  Paul's  Church  and  Churchyard— The  Vincent-Halsey  House— Rcid's  Mill— Mill  Lane 


To  describe  the  whole  of  Eastchester  is  a  difficult  under- 
taking, as  a  portion  of  it  lies  within  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
while  the  northern  part  is  outside  of  the  city.  The  best  way, 
therefore,  is  to  go  beyond  the  exact  limits  of  this  work,  and  tell 
of  Old  Eastchester  as  a  whole,  disregarding  the  northern 
t>oundary  of  the  city. 

If  any  one  should  ask  what  is  the  inost  conspicuous  land- 
mark in  all  Eastchester,  he  would  at  once  be  told  "St.  Paul's 
Church."  One  glance  at  the  massive  stone  tower,  with  the  date 
of  erection  (1765)  quaintly  carved  over  the  doorway,  one  look 
at  the  well  filled  graveyard,  containing  six  thousand  bodies, 
lying  peacefully  asleep,  one  of  them  said  to  be  petrified,  and  a 
single  examination  of  the  unique   interior,   with   its   strange  col- 


St.  Paul's  Church 

lection    of    relics    far    up    in    the    Ijclfry,    is    enough    to    convince 
the  most  doubtful  of  its   striking  historic   interest. 

Perhaps  the  ancient  bell  (1758),  the  treasured  Bible, 
printed  in  London  in  1759,  and  the  immense  Prayer  Book,  printed 
in  London  in  1715.  are  the  greatest  curiosities  of  all.  In  the 
sacred  care  of  the  big  safe  in  the  vestry  room  are  kept  these  two 
latter.     They  have  the  distinction,  all  three  of  them,  of  having 


been  buried  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution  for  safekeeping, 
dug  up  afterwards  and  restored  again  to  the  church.  One  thing 
about  the  great  prayer  book  cannot  fail  to  attract  attention.  This 
is  the  place  where  is  printed,  in  large  antique  type,  the  prayer  for 
King  George.  Just  after  the  Revolution  the  rector,  whose 
sentiments  were  far  from  being  with  the  royal  family  across 
the  seas,  pasted  a  strip  of  paper  across  the  King's  name,  writ- 
ing in  its  place  that  of  George  Washington.  To-day  these 
strips  have  been  torn  away,  showing  the  page  as  originally 
printed,  but  the  stubs  are  still  to  be  seen  where  the  patriotic 
rector  showed  his  honor  for  the  first  American   President. 


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While  making  a  visit  to  these  curiosities  in  the  church 
rector,  who  by  the  way,  has  been  in  charge  ever  since  185^, 
told  me  a  characteristic  story  of  the  olden  time,  wdien  the  pulpit 
was  directly  opposite  the  side  door,  the  reverse  of  its  present 
arrangement.  In  those  days  it  was  a  "triple-decker,"  the  pulpit 
proper  being  at  the  top,  the  reading  desk  below,  while  under- 
neath  was   the   "dark's   stall." 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


15 


It  was  a  beautiful,  warm,  summer  morning,  the  doors  all 
being  thrown  open  to  admit  the  slightest  breeze.  During  the 
quietest  part  of  the  service,  in  strolled  a  great  dog.  Slowly  he 
mounted  the  steps  of  the  "triple-decker,"  to  the  amazement  of 
the  minister  and  the  "dark."  Finally  he  settled  himself  in 
the  pulpit,  looking  down  in  dignified  silence  upon  the  minister, 
dark  and  congregation  below.  Then  from  one  of  the  pews 
arose  a  young  lady,  w'bo  with  a  set  expression  followed  the  in- 
truder. 

"Do  not  move  or  attempt  to  touch  him!"  she  exclaimed  to 
tlie  minister  as  she  climbed  the  steps.  "He  is  our  dog  and  he  will 
bite  all  strangers."  Then  grasping  the  collar  of  the  dog,  she 
descended  the  steps  and  led  the  animal  out  of  the  church.  Quiet 
and  coinposure  having  been  once  more  restored,  the  interrupted 
service  went  on  again  as  usual. 

In  front  of  the  old  church,  on  the  grassy  lawn,  may  yet  be 
seen  a  space  between  the  row  of  giant  locust  trees  that  lines  the 
roadside.  Here  once  stood  the  original  wooden  building,  erected 
in  1698  and  torn  down  by  piecemeal,  during  the  Revolution,  by 
the  British  soldiers,  who  were  using  the  present  stone  structure 
for  a  hospital  and  who  sadly  needed  firewood.  As  a  result  the 
ashes  of  the  earlier  edifice  are  in  the  cellar  of  the  newer  one, 
where  they  were  thrown  by  the  English  as  the  easiest  means 
of  getting  them  out  of  the  way.  The  locust  trees  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking  still  contain  in  their  thick  bark  the  deep  marks 
where  once  were  fastened  the  iron  bands  to  which  criminals 
were  tied,  years  ago,  to  receive  their  punishment. 

Before  the  first  church  building  was  erected  active  endeavors 
were  made  to  establish  a  place  of  worship  in  the  vicinity.  Ih 
1677,  we  read  that  a  "house  and  land  and  forty  pounds  a  year 
is  determined  upon  for  a  minister  settling  in  the  town."  while 
in  l6g2  several  of  the  inhabitants  "promised  to  contrybute  unto 
Samuel  Casting,  he  being  chosen  to  Read  the  bibell  and  other 
good  sermin  books,  and  so  to  carion  the  Sabbath  day  Exercises 
as  according  to  our  Honorable  Col.  Heathcut's  order  unto  us. 
Henry  fifowler  promises  to  give  one  Bushell  of  good  winter 
wheat  .  .  .  and  John  Pinchey  five  pecks  of  Indian  corn." 

When  the  war  was  over,  the  solid  structure  of  St.  Paul's 
Church,  which  had  seen  far  more  service  as  a  hospital  than 
as  a  church,  was  utilized  as  a  court  of  justice,  and  "that  ro- 
mantic wrong-doer,"  Aaron  Burr,  then  in  the  zenith  of  his  powc. 
is  on  record  as  having  pleaded  a  cause  with  this  church  as  a 
forum.  I  have  seen  a  legal  paper,  carefully  framed,  and  signed 
by  Aaron  Burr  and  used  in  connection  with  one  of  these  cases. 
Four  years  after  the  war  the  parish  was  organized,  but  it  was 
not  until  179S  that  it  was  re-incorporated,  then  taking  for  the 
first  time  the  name  of  St.  Paul.  About  three  years  ago  the  old 
willow  tree  that  stood  for  more  than  100  years  near  the  door- 
way of  the  church  was  found  to  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  It  was 
planted  by  Mrs.  Lancaster  Underbill,  the  wife  of  an  early  warden 
of  the  church.  One  of  the  first  popular  elections  ever  held  in 
the  United  States  took  place  on  Eastchester  Common,  under 
the  branches  of  th's  willow. 

A  well  known  tavern  stood  south  of  the  old  church,  which 
in  1728  was  kept  by  William  Baker,  and  during  the  Revolution 
by  Charles  Guion.  who  was  descended  frotn  the  Huguenot 
Guion,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  New  Rochelle.  Tradition 
tells  us  that  Washington  was  detained  in  this  house  by  sickness 
for  several  days,  Mrs.  Guion  acting  as  his  nurse.  In  return  for 
her  kindness,  on  leaving,  he  stooped  down  and  kissed  her  on  the 
cheek.  Her  husband  felt  so  honored  that  for  a  long  time  he 
would  not  allow  her  to  wash  the  place  that  had  been  kissed. 


The  Rev.  Mr.  Coffey  tells  us  that  "the  tavern  became  wide- 
ly known  by  the  exhibition  in  it  of  the  petrified  body,  dis- 
covered in  this  condition  on  its  removal  from  a  city  cemetery  to 
St.  Paul's  churchyard  directly  opposite."  All  that  now  remains 
of  this   famous   inn  is  the   foundation   wall 

On  the  Boston  Road  is  situated  the  famous  hostelry  known 
for  the  past  half  century  as  "Odell's  Tavern."  The  present 
building  is  comparatively  modern,  but  the  immense  trees  in 
front  and  the  ancient,  moss-grown  barns  are  evidences  of  the 
early  date  at  which  the  original  inn  was  built. 

Included  in  the  list  of  rectors  of  St.  Paul's  from  1700  to  the 
present  time,  are  to  be  found  the  names  of  the  most  prominent 
men  then  in  this  part  of  the  country.  We  may  mention  a  few, 
such  as  the  Rev.  Joseph  Morgan,  whose  salary  was  thirty  pounds 
a  year ;  the  Rev.  John  Bartow,  who  was  associated  with  the 
old  Bartow  family;  the  Rev.  Samuel  Seabury,  the  first  Bishop 
of  the  Protestant  Church  in  America,  who  made  the  long  voy- 
age over  to  England  in  order  to  be  ordained,  and  last,  but  not 
least,  the  Rev.  William  S.  Coffey,  who  since  1852  has  continu- 
ously held   the   rectorship. 

A  brief  description  may  be  made  of  the  ancient  burying 
ground  surrounding  St.  Paul's  Church,  whose  walls,  by  the 
way,  are  said  to  bear  the  bullet  marks  made  by  a  band 
of  Americans  in  a  brave  though  ineffectual  attempt  to  dislodge  a 
company  of  Hessians  who  had  made  a  firm  stand  in  this  minia- 
ture but  secure  fortress.  The  very  oldest  tombstone  is  roughly 
inscribed 

M.     V.     D. 
FEB.    THE 

IS 

1704. 
Another  is : 

R.     S. 
DEC.   14 
1704 
Again   wc   read : 

I.     P.     D.     NOVE 
MBER  THE   FOURT 
ETH.    DAY.    1724 
Still   another : 

I   D   I   D 
N  .  20 
I   7   I   4 
Again  we  find 

MAJOR  SAMUEL  PELL,  OB.  29.  DECR  1786 
IN  THE  32nd  YEAR  OF  HIS  AGE.  THUS 
AFTER  RETURNING  VICTORIOUS.  FROM  THE 
FIELD  OF  MARS,  HE.  CHEERFULLY  OBEYS 
THE  SUMMONS  FROM  WHENCE  THERE  IS  NO 

RETURN. 
Among  the  further  inscriptions  we  find  the  names  of  those 
foremost  in  the  land,  Drake,  Pell,  Odell,  Reid,  Valentine,  Ward 
and  Hunt.  There  is  al.so  the  Comfort  Sands — of  Sands  Point, 
Long  Island — family  vault,  and  once  when  I  was  strolling  in  the 
old  burying-ground  I  noticed,  among  the  scores  of  other  quaint 
inscriptions,  the  following 

"Afflictions  sore,  long  time   she  bore ; 
Physicians  were  in  vain  ; 
Till    God    did    please    with    death   to    seize ; 
And  ease  her  from  her  pain." 
As  has  been  said,  the  side  entrance  of  the  old  churcli   was 
originally  the  front  door,  and  in  a  book  of  the  Town   Minutes 


16 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


are  given  the  sittings  and  names  of  the  pew  holders.  I  have 
been  recently  told  that  it  is  planned  to  restore  this  arrange- 
ment in  place  of  the  present  manner  in  which  the  pews  are 
placed. 

To  the  south  of  old  St.  Paul's  Church  is  a  most  curious 
gateway,  the  entrance  to  the  ancient  Halsey  House,  which  in 
Revolutionary  days  was  the  property  of  the  Vincents.  The 
older  portion,  evidently  the  wing  towards  the  south,  with  its 
sloping  roof  and  quaint  dormer  windows,  was  undoubtedly 
the  pre-revolutionary  part,  belonging  to  the  Vincents. 

A  striking  tale  is  told  of  these  Vincents  during  the  war 
for  independence.  It  seems  that  they  were  the  village  smiths  in 
Revolutionary  times,  and  were  highly  respected.  One  day  an 
impatient  American  officer  demanded  that  his  horse  be  shod  on 
a  Sunday.  The  Vincents  firmly  refused,  and  the  angry  officer 
struck  one  of  them  to  the  ground  with  his  sword.     His  brother, 


W^m 


Vinccnt'Halsey  Hcuse.  Eastchester 

Elijah  Vincent,  at  once  entered  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  and  as 
a  result  no  one  was  a  greater  terror  to  the  Americans  than 
this  man  who  might  have  so  strongly  helped  the  patriot  cause. 

In  an  old  issue  of  "Holden's  Magazine"  is  a  most  exciting 
story,  entitled  "The  Whispering  Bell."  It  has  for  its  foundation 
the  fact  that  the  prayerbook  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  together  with 
the,  Bible  and  the  bell  were  buried  for  safekeeping  near  one  of 
the  trees  that  make  the  old  Halsey  mansion  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  and  secluded  nooks  in  our  borough. 

Hunting  bears,  wolves  and  rattlesnakes  were  among  the 
diversions  of  "good  old  Eastchester."  Rattlesnake  Brook,  that 
fiows  close  by,  still  bears  the  title  that  recalls  the  early  times  of 
the  "rattlers."  The  ancient  forests  were  fairly  alive  with  deer 
and  wolves  and  the  great  quantity  of  arrow  heads  and  spear 
heads   that   are   found   on   all   sides   in   this   sparsely   settled   dis- 


trict prove  that  it  was  literally  a  hunting  paradise  for  the 
dusky  population,  centuries  ago.  A  friend  told  me,  a  while  ago, 
that  he  knew  of  a  spot  where  any  number  of  arrow  heads 
might  be  picked  up  merely  by  stooping  over  and  getting  them 
in.  So  with  a  companion  he  started  off,  picturing  in  his  mind's 
eye  a  return  with  pockets  filled  to  overflowing. 

They  found  the  quarry  all  right — but  not  a  single  arrow 
head  was  there  to  greet  them. 

"You  told  us  that  there  were  piles  on  piles  of  arrow  heads 
in  your  old   quarry!"  they  cried  in   despair  to  the  owner. 

"Them  sharp  stones,  do  you  mean?"  came  the  unruffled 
reply.  "Well,  you're  a  day  too  late.  I  was  just  thinkin'  I 
didn't  want  them  lyin'  round  in  the  way,  so  yisterday  I  went  ancf 
filled  a  lot  o'  barrels  with  'em,  an'  dumped  the  whole  lot  in  the 
river   to   git   rid   of   'em!" 

If  you  turn  sharp  to  the  right  at  Eastchester  and  follow 
the  windings  of  the  shady  and  serpentine  "Mill  Lane  "  you  will 
at  last  come  to  a  most  desolate  spot  where  the  road  abruptly 
ceases,  and  nothing  is  left  but  a  dreary  and  forbidding  expanse 
of  salt  marsh.  This  was  originally  known  as  Sanders'  Landing, 
and  here,  in  1739,  Thomas  Shute  and  Joseph  Stanton  erected  a 
mill,  known  afterwards  as  "Bartow's"  and  lastly  as  "Reid's  Mill." 
In  Volume  H,  of  the  Records  at  White  Plains,  pages  162  and 
166,  and  L..  page  42,  is  recorded  that  John  Bartow  sold  this 
historic  mill  in  1790  to  John  Reid,  father  of  Robert  Reid,  the 
last  miller. 

To  this  old  wooden  structure  the  farmers  from  the  whole 
country  around  would  bring  their  corn  to  be  ground.  Before 
the  building  yielded  to  the  fierce  gales  of  one  winter,  not  long 
ago,  I  climbed  all  through  it,  examining  its  ancient  shingled 
sides.  It  is  too  bad  that  it  was  not  preserved  as  a  relic  of  the 
past,  for  we  have  far  too  few  of  these  mementoes  remaining. 
Even  the  grinding  of  western  grain  was  done  in  its  interior. 
One  can  imagine  the  bustling  activity  of  old  Mill  Creek  and  the 
flotilla  of  craft  that  once  plied  on  the  waters,  all  striving  to 
reach  the  mill.  What  a  change  there  is  now  in  this  region !  Even 
the  stout,  hand-hewn  timbers  and  sturdy  beams  at  last  have  fallen 
a  prey  to  the  elements.  "The  quiet  which  now  pervades  this  lo- 
cality is  a  commentary  on  the  uncertainty  of  everything  human, 
for  here,  if  anywhere,  was  the  promise  of  unfailing  prosperity." 

Just  opposite  is  a  decidedly  ancient  building,  its  huge  sloping 
roof  bearing  evidence  to  its  great  age.  We  may  imagine  fnat 
this  was  the  miller's  house,  so  that  he  might  be  handy  and 
'ready  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  early-rising  residents.  Soon 
this  old  house  will  follow  the  lead  of  the  mill  across  the  way, 
and  leave  the  spot  to  its  original  solitude. 

Tell  any  one  that  Reid's  Mill  was  built  seven  years  after 
Washington  w'as  born,  and  see  them  rack. their  brains  to  find  out 
the  date  of  its  erection.  Perhaps  most  of  the  readers  of  this  book 
will  have  to  turn  back  to  the  pages  of  history  themselves,  to 
ascertain  the  e.xact  year ! 


CHAPTER  VI 


KINGSBRIDGE 


Old  King's  Bridge— The  Free  Bridge— The  Macomb  Mansion -The  "Cowboys"  and  "Skinners" 
—The  Neutral  Ground— The  Bloody  Well— The  Tippett  House— The  '-Cowboys'"  Oak 


We  are  now  entering  upon  a  most  interesting  historical 
locality,  widely  extended,  both  in  area  and  time  limit,  and  the 
best  way  to  begin  is  perhaps  to  quote  from  the  pages  of  the 
journal   of   a   woman    who   made   the   trip   lietween   the   cities   of 


Old  King's  Bridge 

Boston  and   New  York  in  the  depths  of  winter,  during  the  far 
distant   Colonial   year  of   1704. 

To-day  we  think  nothing  of  making  the  trip,  in  the  easiest 
of  cars  in  the  almost  incredible  time  of  five  hours.  How  about 
Madame.  Sarah  Knight,  who,  on  horseback,  took  a  fortnight 
to  accomplish  the  journey?  We  are  vexed  and  annoyed  at  a  de- 
lay of  a  few  minutes.  But  just  listen  to  the  Madame's  experi- 
ences : 

Being  compelled,  on  account  of  the  bad  condition  of  the 
roads,  to  travel  on  horseback,  her  returning  route  lay  up  the 
old  King's  Bridge  Road  in  the  upper  part  of  Manhattan  Island, 
thence  across  old  King's  Bridge  itself.  Here  the  two  early  roads 
branched.  One  of  them,  the  Albany  Post  Road — erected  in 
1669  and  perhaps  the  very  oldest  road  in  this  part  of  the  country 
— extended  north  along  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson.  For  many 
miles  it  is  known  as  the  "Old  Post  Road,"  and  in  other  place; 
as  "Broadway."  -At  King's  Bridge  the  "Boston  Post  Road" — 
built  in  1672 — branched  towards  the  east,  crossing  the  Bronx 
River  at  Williams  Bridge  and  reaching  New  Rochelle  by  a 
winding  and  circuitous  route. 

It  was  this  latter  highway  that  Madame  Knight  traveled. 
Part  of  it  is  in  existence  yet,  although  known  by  a  variety  of 
names.  Near  Kingsbridge  it  is  styled  "Boston  Avenue,"  and 
must  not  be  confused  with  the  present  Boston  Road  that  was 
laid   out   much    later,   and   which,   crossing   the    Harlem   Bridge, 


extends    almost    in   a    straight    course    nearly    to    New    Rochelle, 
where  it  meets  the  old   Boston   Post   Road. 

On  her  return,  Madame  Knight  left  New  York,  "with  no 
little  regrett. '  About  five  in  the  afternoon  she  reached  "Spiting 
Devil,  else  King's  Bridge,  where  they  pay  three  pence  for  pass- 
ing over  with  a  horse."  Madame  Knight  also  tells  us  that  "be- 
ing come  to  Mr.  Havens'  I  was  very  civilly  received  and  courte- 
ously entertained.  But  I  could  get  no  sleep  because  of  the 
clamor  of  some  of  the  Town  topers  in  the  next  Room.  I  set 
my  candle  on  the  chest  by  the  bedside,  and  setting  up,  com- 
posed  my   resentment   in   the   following   manner: 

"I    ask   thy   Aid,   O    Potent   Rum, 

To   charm   these   wrangling   Topers   Dum. 

Thou  hast  their  giddy   Brains  possest — 

'I  he  man  confounded  w'th  the  Beast — ■ 

And  I,  poor  I,  can  get  no  rest. 

Intoxicate  them   with   thy   fumes; 

O.   still    their   Tongues   till   morning  comes." 

"And   I   know   not  but  my  wishes  took  effect,   for   the   dis- 
pute soon  ended  with  tother  dram,  and  so  good  night." 

Old  King's  Bridge  itself  is  said  to  have  stood  just  cast  of 
the  present  structure,  and  to  have  been  built  in  1693.  A  wad- 
ing place  was  near  by.  Not  to  be  daunted  by  the  tolls  im- 
posed on  those  that  crossed  King's  Bridge,  the  people  erected 
another,  about  1759,  a  little  below,  called  variously,  the  Free, 
the  Farmer's  or  Dycknian's  Bridge.  The  rates  of  toll  for  the 
King's  Bridge  were : 
"I  Penny  for  each  head  of  neat  cattel. 
2  Pens  for  each  mann  or  horse. 

12  Pens  for  each  score  of  hoggs  and  sheep  passing  the  lirige. 
g  Pens  for  every  boat,  yessell  or  canoo  that  shall  pass  the  said 
brige  and  cause  the  same  to  be  drawne  up." 
Picturesquely  hidden  behind  a  forest  of  its  own,  stands 
one  of  Kingsbridge's  oldest  hou.ses,  the  Macomb  mansion.  This 
was  the  old  tavern  of  Colonial  days,  at  whose  doors  the  early 
travelers  halted  for  rest  and  refreshment.  The  King's  Bridge 
itself  was  styled  the  "barrier"  and  this  old  hostelry  the  "walch 
tower"  of  Revolutionary  times.  Although  many  changes  have 
been  made  in  its  appearance  as  shown  to  me  by  the  late  owner, 
it  is  still  the  same  old  structure,  built  at  an  age  when  the  Indian 
was  the  principal  resident  of  this  region,  and  is  said  to  antedate 
the  Van  Cortlandt  mansion  itself.  Speaking  of  the  Indians, 
the  traders  used  to  complain  that  "the  red  men  were  never 
known  to  hurry  except  when  Satan  himself  was  at  their  heels." 
Over  this  old  King's   Bridge  streamed  bands  of  "Skinners" 


18 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


and  "Cowboys."  "The  'Skinners'  fouglit,  or  rather  marauded," 
says  Irving,  "under  the  American,  and  the  'Cowboys'  under 
the  British  banner.  In  the  zeal  of  service  botli  were  apt  to 
make  blunders  and  confound  the  property  of  friend  and  foe. 
Neither  of  them,  in  the  heat  and  hurry  of  a  foray,  had  time 
to  ascertain  the  politics  of  a  horse  or  cow  which  they  were  driv- 
ing into  captivity,  nor  when  they  were  wringing  the  neck  of  a 
rooster  did  they  trouble  their  heads  whether  he  crowed  for 
Congress  or  King  George." 

Following  the  line  of  the  old  Ailiany  Post  Road,  we  find 
we  are  traveling  through  the  famous  Neutral  Ground,  the  scene 
of   many    depredations   of   by-gone    days.      Numerous    cases    are 


Free  Bridge.  Kingsbridge 

related  where  the  "Skinners"  and  "Cowboys"  sulijected  defense- 
less persons  to  the  most  cruel  tortures,  in  order  to  compel  them 
to  give  up  their  money.  It  seemed  a  favorite  pastime  to  hang 
a  man  until  apparently  dead,  then  restore  him  to  consciousness, 
repeat  the  experiment  and  finally  abandon  him  for  dead ! 

A  certain  peaceable  Quaker,  living  near  Kingsbridgc,  was 
once  visited  by  these  miscreants,  who  called  for  his  money, 
and  when  they  had  got  it  demanded  more.  The  old  man  de- 
clared he  had  no  more.  Thereupon  they  dragged  him  out- 
side and  hanged  him  to  a  tree,  cut  him  down  and  repeated  the 
operation  a  second  and  even  a  third  time,  at  last  leaving  him 
almost  lifeless. 

Standing  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Neutral  Ground  was  a 
well  known  tavern  called  the  Old  French  Inn.  It  was  once  at- 
tacked by  the  "Cowboys"  who  received  such  a  shower  of  bul- 
Itts  that  they  fled  in  the  greatest  haste,  carrying  with  them  one 


of  their  number  who  had  been  wounded.  While  approaching 
Kingsbridge,  it  soon  became  apparent  that  their  comrade  could 
not  last  long.  So,  under  the  shade  of  an  apple  orchard,  they 
stooped  to  rest,  only  to  discover  that  he  had  died.  Quietly  pick- 
ing up  the  body  again,  they  bore  it  to  a  well  nearby,  and  letting 
i:  slip  into  the  dark  waters,  continued  on  in  their  mad  flight. 

Next  morning,  imagine  the  surprise  and  dismay  of  the  peo- 
ple to  find  the  water  of  the  well  as  red  as  blood !  From  that 
time  the  spot  has  been  called  "The  Bloody  Well,"  and  the 
strangest  sights  and  sounds  are  reported  to  have  come  there- 
from. But  a  comparatively  short  time  ago,  the  remains  of  a 
man's  body  were  removed  from  the  depths  of  this  well,  and 
since  then  the  mysterious  apparitions  have  ceased,  and  the 
well  is  itself  again. 

To  the  west  of  the  Macomb  mansion  is  pointed  out  the  Tip- 
pett  House,  solid  and  squarely  built.  After  the  Tippett  family 
were  named  Tippett's  Hill  and  Tippett's  Brook,  the  outlet  of 
Van  Cortlandt  Lake.  They  were  mostly  Tories,  and  one  of 
them  was  arrested  in  1776  by  General  Clinton  for  "practices  and 
declarations  inimical  to  American  liberty."  The  "ear-mark"  of 
George  Tippett's  stock,  roaming  through  the  woods,  is  said  to 
have  been  "the  cutting  off  of  their  ears  so  close  that  all  other 
marks  would  be  cut  off  by  it." 

"Don't  talk  to  me,"  says  Felix  Oldboy's  grandmother. 
"Don't  talk  to  me,  Felix,  for  I  always  felt  as  if  it  was  flying  in  the 
face  of  Providence  to  use  a  tea-kettle  to  travel  with.  I  am  out 
of  all  patience  with  steamboats  and  locomotives.  No,  I  am  not 
going  one  step  out  of  town  this  summer.  There's  all  the  coun- 
try I  want  this  side  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  and  I  can  get 
there  without  a   sputtering  tea-kettle   to   drag  me." 

A  wildly  magnificent  primeval  forest  lines  picturesque 
Riverdale  Avenue  as  it  winds  its  way  northward  from  Kings- 
bridge.  One  of  these  immense  trees,  a  gigantic  white  oak.  said 
to  be  over  three  hundred  years  old.  is  called  the  "Cowboys' 
Oak."  Just  think,  it  must  have  been  growing  when  Hendrick 
Hudson  sailed  up  the  Hudson  and  fought  his  battle  with  the 
Indians  near  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek !  Whenever  the  "Cow- 
boys" were  captured  they  were  at  once  hurried  to  this  place 
and  strung  up  from  the  huge  branches  of  this  oak.  Over  thirty 
gentlemen  of  the  Cowboy  persuasion  met  death  in  this  way,  and 
even  to-day  people  living  in  the  vicinity  have  a  strange  dread 
of  passing  the  tree  after  nightfall.  When  the  moon  is  at  the 
full,  we  are  told  that  the  ghostlike  forms  of  the  dead  "Cow- 
boys"  may  be   seen   dangling   from   the  mass   of  branches ! 


Sham  BattIc,".Van  Cortlandt  Park 


CHAPTER  VII 


SPUYTEN  DUYVIL  AND  RIVERDALE 


Spuyten  Duyvil  Parkway  -Origin  of  the  Name  "Spuyten  Duyvil  "-Canal  Street  Cottage     Old  Hadley  House 

—  The  Van  Tassel  House — Old  Dutch  House — Anecdotes 


Situated  at  tlie  southwestern  corner  of  Spuyten  Duyvil 
Heights  near  the  western  end  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Parkway, 
was  an  American  battery,  erected  in  1776.  It  commanded  a 
fine  view  of  the  Hudson  as  well  as  of  the  "Cock  Hill  Fort" 
on  Inwood  Heights,  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek.  To  the 
northeast  stands  the  solid  stone  Berrian  farmhouse,  one  of  the 
very  oldest  landmarks  in  the  neighborhood.  Tippett's  Hill  and 
P.errian's  Neck  are  other  names  for  this  same  elevation.  Close 
by  were  three  American  forts,  built  in  I'/fi  and  occupied  by  the 


Old  Bcrri.in  House,  Spuyten  Duyvil 

British  from  1776  to  1779.  They  were  known  as  "British  Forts 
Nos.    One,    Two   and   Three." 

Where  Spuyten  Duyvil  Parkway  crosses  Riverdale  Ave- 
nue, or  very  close  to  Thorn's  Corners,  was  a  "Yaeger  Camp" 
from  1776  to  1781.  A  large,  old-fashioned  stone  building  on  the 
picturesque  and  serpentine  curve  of  Dash's  Lane,  is  known  by 
the  name  of  the  "Upper  Cortlandt's"  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
"Lower  Cortlandt's,"  in  the  park  below. 

Many  have  wondered  what  the  derivation  of  the  name 
"Spuyten  Duyvil"  really  was.  Some  have  thought  it  came  from 
the  "outpour"  from  the  guns  of  the  "Half  Moon,"  or  from  the 
gushing  waters  of  "Cold  Spring,"  under  Cock  Hill.  Others  sup- 
pose it  to  be  the  same  as  "Spouting  Devil,"  from  strange  out- 
bursts of  water  as  the  tide  rushed  over  the  cliff.  The  best  ex- 
planation is  in  Irving's  quaint  legend  of  the  "Doleful  Disaster 
of  Anthony  tlie  Trumpeter."  Anthony  Van  Corlear,  be  it 
known,  was  the  trumpeter  and  right-band  man  of  Governor 
Stuyvesant.  "As  he  wished  to  defend  his  beloved  New  Amster- 
dam, he  commissioned  Anthony  to  go  forth  and  with  the  sound 
of  his  trumpet  arouse  all  the  yeomanry  and  warriors  of  the 
neighborhood,  charging  them  to  take  up  arms  and  come  down  to 
Manhattan. 


"On  reaching  the  brink  of  the  creek,  he  swore  he  would 
swim  across  'en  spuyt  den  duyvil'  (in  spite  of  the  devil.)  Find- 
ing that  the  billows  were  about  to  overwhelm  him,  he  blew  a 
final  blast,  and  sank  to  rise  no  more."  Irving  further  says  that 
bis  restless  ghost  for  years  has  haunted  the  neighborhood,  and 
that  his  trumpet  is  often  heard  on  a  stormy  night. 

Snugly  nestling  among  the  woodland  fastnesses  of  River- 
dale,  and  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  Hudson  River,  stands 
one  of  the  Bron.x's  quaintest  cottages,  with  a  real  history  attached 
to  it.  Many,  many  years  ago,  when  an  actual  waterway  existed 
in  Canal  Street,  New  York  City,  there  stood  fronting  on  this 
thoroughfare  a  small  cottage.  Then  began  its  journeyings.  On 
a  canal  boat  it  was  carried  to  the  Hudson,  and  so  up  to  River- 
dale,  where  it  "debarked"  and  was  placed  in  its  present  position. 
.A  sort  of  a  platform  is  built  over  the  tracks  of  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad,  and  from  this  vantage  point  can  be  seen  an 
almost  incredibly  long  stretch  of  river.  On  a  clear  day  I  was 
told  that  the  range  extended  from  Jersey  City  on  the  south  to 
the  gray  walls  of  Sing  Sing  Prison  on  the  north.  By*«pecial 
invitation  I  visited  the  interior  of  this  cottage,  and.  much  to 
my  surprise,  found  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  luxuriously  fur- 
nished homes  I  ever  saw.  Even  in  the  midst  of  the  advance  of 
our  modern  civilization,  this  tiny  abode  has  stood  distant  and 
luitouched,  guarded  by  Riverdale's  magnificent  forest  trees  as 
silent  sentinels. 

One  has  but  to  descend  the  almost  precipitous  hills  of  River- 
dale  Lane  to  the  old  Albany  Post  Road,  and  turn  to  the  south, 
to  come  upon  the  Old  Hadley  House,  one  of  the  curiosities  of 
the  borough  and  almost  facing  the  level  stretch  of  "Van  Cort- 
landt  Park's  Parade  Ground.  As  to  its  date,  no  one  seems  to 
know  when  it  was  built,  except  that  it  is  stated  to  have  ante- 
dated  the   old   Van   Cortlandt   mansion. 

"Isn't  the  owner  proud  of  possessing  such  a  fine  old  build- 
ing?" I  once  asked  the  residents.  "No,  indeed,"  they  replied. 
"He  has  often  said  he  wished  it  was  destroyed  and  out  of  the 
way." 

In  the  second  story  of  the  stone  portion,  which  is  the  older 
part,  is  something  novel  in  the  way  of  sleeping  apartments,  the 
"old  stone  room,"  which  is  nothing  more  than  a  cellar-room 
upstairs,  with  the  walls  neatly  whitewashed.  Here  it  was  that 
the  slaves  slept  in  days  of  yore.  They  showed  us  where  once 
was  a  little  staircase  for  the  slaves  to  use.  so  that  they  might 
go  up  and  down  without  disturbing  their  betters.  Now  both 
stairs  and  slaves  are  gone,  but  the  "Old  Hadley  House"  still  re- 
mains as  it  was  a  century  and  a  half  ago 

On  the  -Mbany  Post  Road,  near  the  southwestern  corner  of 
Van   Cortlandt   Park,  stands  the  Thirteenth   Mile-Post,  slanting 


20 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


like  the  Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa,  and  seemingly  about  to  fall. 
Another  old  house  standing  just  below  the  "Old  Hadley  House," 
was  built  by  the  Va..  Cortlandts  as  a  residence  for  their  miller. 
"My  father  only  moved  twice,"  said  an  old  man  to  me.  one 
day.  "Once  when  he  set  up  housekeeping  in  this  new  house  the 
Van  Cortlandts  built  for  him.  and  once  when  he  was  carried  out 
after  his  death.     Now  how  old  do  you   think  I   am?"  he  asked. 


Old  Hadley  House,  Mosholu 

with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye.  "Well,  sir,  if  I  live  to  see  the  thir- 
tieth of  next  February.  I'll  be  eighty-five  years  old!  Fooled  you 
all,  didn't  I?"  he  added.  Then  it  suddenly  dawned  upon  us 
that  there  was  no  thirtieth  of  February,  and  we  left  without 
finding  out  how  old  he  really  was. 

Also  on  the  Old  Albany  Post  Road,  just  norlh  of  Rivcrdale 
Lane,  is  another  old  homestead  that  shows  evidence  of  its  Dutch 
architecture.  Looking  down  from  the  height  and  viewing  the 
little  abode  outlined  on  all  sides  by  grassy  lawns  and  tall  trees, 
we  can  feel  that  we  are  transported  bodily  back  to  the  times 
of  the  sturdy  Hollanders,  when  Indians  were  hiding  behind 
every  rock. 

A  short  distance  above,  the  Old  Albany  Post  Road  is  merged 


into  Yonkers  Broadway,  and  near  the  top  of  the  hill  the  Yonkers 
line  is  reached  and   Bronx  Borough  ceases. 

Returning  towards  Kingsbridge  we  come  upon  the  residence 
of  the  late  Dr.  Varian,  one  of  the  best  known  residents.  Here 
he  had  lived  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  would  tell  me  many 
interesting  tales  about  the  past.  In  the  early  days  of  his  prac- 
tice he  would  ride  to  patients  from  Dobbs'  Ferry  on  the  north 
lo  I  loth  Street  on  the  south,  often  crossing  the  Hudson  River 
in  a  small  boat  to  visit  people  in  New  Jersey.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  was  a  strong  Abolitionist,  and  in  the  days  of  the  riots 
it  was  his  custom  to  make  his  professional  calls  armed  not  only 
with  a  large  revolver,  but  with  a  double-barrelled  shotgun  as 
well. 

One  of  the  finest  collections  extant  of  Revolutionary  relics 
is  to  be  found  at  the  house  of  Dr.  John  Parsons,  at  Kingsbridge. 
Besides  the  interesting  muskets,  many  of  which  have  seen  actual 
service,  is  a  case  of  pistols,  claimed  to  be  those  used  by  Hamilton 
and  Burr,  The  one  used  by  the  latter  is  designated  by  a  mark. 
Originally  they  were  of  the  flint-lock  style,  but  with  the  intro- 
duction of  percussion  caps  they  were  accordingly  changed.  The 
descent  through  the  line  of  successive  owners  has  been  distinctly 
traced.     It   reads  as  follows: 

"These  pistols  were  the  property  of  General  Oliver  De 
Lancey,  the  grandfather-in-law  of  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  and 
were  used  in  the  duel  in  which  Aaron  Burr  killed  General 
Hamilton.  The  one  with  the  tag  attached  is  the  one  used  by 
Burr  on  that  occasion.  The  pistols  came  down  through  the 
De  Lancey  family  to  T.  J.  De  Lancey,  Esq.,  and  after  his  death 
were  given  by  his  widow  to  Dr.  'Wm.  A.  Varian  of  Kingsbridge. 
In  i8q4  Dr.  Varian  presented  them  to  Dr.  John  Parsons  of 
Kingsbridge.    New   York   City." 

My  mother  has  often  told  me  that  Hamilton's  eldest  son, 
then  an  old  man,  used  to  visit  at  my  grandfather's  country  place 
in  Morrisania  in  1862.  As  the  afternoon  advanced  the  old  gentle- 
man would  grow  sleepy,  and,  coming  to  my  mother,  would  say, 
plaintively : 

"Read  to  me  a  little,  my  dear.  I  feel  just  like  going  to 
sleep." 


Christ  Episcopal  Church.  Rivcrdale  and  Alamo  A'venucs 


CHAPTER  VIII 


VAN  CORTLANDT  PARK 


The  Van  Cortlandt   Mansion — The  Death  of   Captain  Rowe — The  Rhinelander  Sugar  House  Window — The 

Van  Cortlandt  Mills     The  Old  Burying  Ground — Van  Cortlandt  Lake — The  Van  Cortlandt 

Vault — Vault  Hill — The  Indian  Field — Redoubts  Overlooking  Kingsbridge 


Who  has  not  heard  of  the  famous  stone  mansion  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  great  Van  Cortlandt  Park,  once  an  old  Dutch 
farmhouse,  and  now  guarded  in  the  safe  custody  of  the  Colonial 
Dames?  One  visit  to  it,  one  examination  of  its  many  treasures 
is  sufficient  to  carry  one  back  to  the  old  times  "when  history 
was  warm  in  the  making." 

The  numerals  engraved  on  the  stone  front  distinctly  show 
the  time  of  erection,  ■  1748.  A  still  earlier  structure  stood  a 
little  to  the  southeast,  nearer  the  lake,  but  this  was  taken  down 
in  1825.     The  records  show  that  it  was  built  in  1700. 

For  a  brief  time  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  Wash- 
ington occupied  this  house,  and  in  1783  lodged  there  ni  one  of 
the  second  story  rooms  the  night  before  his  triumphal  entry  into 
the  City  of  New  York  at  the  close  of  the  war.  A  whole  chapter 
might  be  devoted  to  the  quaint  and  interesting  curiosities  con- 
tained in  this  old  house.  It  has  been  furnished  as  one  might 
expect  it  to  have  been  during  the  old  historic  days,  with  high 
canopied  bedsteads  and  innumerable  other  relics  of  olden  times ; 
and  in  the  kitchen  may  still  be  seen  the  old  fashioned  utensils  of 
Colonial  days,  while  the  cavernous  fireplace,  with  its  great  glow- 
ing log  form  a  most  picturesque  background. 

In  the  pages  of  history  we  turn  to  the  following  exciting 
incident  in  which  the  Van  Cortlandt  mansion  plays  an  important 
part : 

"On  Wild  Boar  Hill  the  American  water  guard  were  wont 
to  watch,  to  intercept  traders  on  their  way  down  the  Hudson  to 
the  British  lines.  A  company  of  light  dragoons  is  approaching. 
Among  them  rides  Captain  Rowe,  of  the  Yaegers.  This  is  his 
last  tour.  He  is  engaged  to  an  accomplished  Harlem  lady,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Fowler,  but  alas  for  him  and  the  lady  he  loves !  Sud- 
denly there  is  a  sharp  report  and  the  captain,  reeling  in  his 
saddle,  falls.  With  disciplined  severity  the  Yaegers  make  cap- 
tives of  the  water  guard,  but  the  captain  has  received  a  mortal 
wound.  'J'hey  dispatch  a  messenger  to  bear  to  the  affianced 
lady  the  sad  news  of  her  lover's  severe  wound.  Tenderly  the 
pale  captain  is  conveyed  down  the  private  road  in  Tippett's 
Valley.  They  halt  to  obtain  a  drink  of  water  at  the  farmhouse 
of  Frederick  Post,  a  few  rods  northwest  of  the  present  stone 
bridge  which  arches  the  railroad  near  the  Lincoln  Park  station. 
Then  they  resume  their  sad,  southward  way.  When  they  arrive 
at  the  Van  Cortlandt  mansion,  the  dying  officer  faintly  speaks 
a  few  words  to  his  broken-hearted  bride-elect,  is  exhausted  by 
the  effort,  and  lies  in  her  arms,  a  bleeding  corpse." 

"O  that  some  sweet  bird  of  the  South 
Might  build  her  nest  in  the  cannon's  mouth ; 
Till  the  only  sound  from  its  rusty  throat 
Would  be  a  wren's  or  a  blue  bird's  note." 


Just  to  the  northeast  of  the  old  mansion  is  a  portion  of  the 
ancient  "Rhinelander  Sugar  House,"  once  the  dreaded  down- 
town prison  of  so  many  multitudes  of  patriots.  As  it  stands 
to-day  it  is  one  of  the  tiniest  and  most  picturesque  of  our  ancient 
relics,  yet,  strange  to  say,  one  of  the  most  recently  erected. 

It  is  nothing  more  than  a  small,  grated  window,  its  solid 
iron  bars  securely  anchored  in  a  stone  casement,  and  the  whole 
surrounded  by  an  irregular  mass  of  stones  and  bricks.  Yet, 
stone  for  stone,  brick  for  brick,  and  iron  for  iron,  it  stands  just 
as  it  stood  in  Revolutionary  times,  when  hordes  of  American 
prisoners  strove  to  press  their  faces  against  those  self-same  bars 
in  their  wild  struggles  to  obtain  a  few  breaths  of  pure  outside 
air !  '- 

The  last  remaining  trace  of  the  historic  Sugar  House  at  Rose 
and  Duane  Streets,  Manhattan,  it  is  all  that  is  left  of  the  ancient 
British  military  prison,  the  rest  of  which  was  torn  down  in 
1892.  This  old  window,  which  stood  on  the  Rose  Street  side, 
was,  about  three  years  ago.  reinoved  to  the  Bronx  and  re-erected 
near   the   \'an   Cortlandt   mansion. 


Van  Cortlandt  Mills  and  Lake.  Van  Cortlandt  Park 

Following  down  the  picturesque  lane,  lined  on  either  side 
by  tall  trees,  we  come  to  the  site  of  the  two  old  Van  Cortlandt 
Mills.  One  of  these,  built  in  1700,  had  "ground  corn  for  both 
the  friends  and  foes  of  American  independence."  The  other, 
erected  about  the  same  time,  also  did  efficient  service  for  both 
hostile  parties,  being  used  as  a  saw  mill,  to  cut  up  the  logs 
used  for  building  tents,  roads  and  bridges. 

Closely  adjoining  the  first  Van  Cortlandt  house  built  in  1700 
and  destroyed  in  1825,  as  we  have  seen,  was  an  old  burying 
ground.  It  is  due  north  of  the  very  lower  portion  of  Van 
Cortlandt  Lake.  Small  though  it  be,  it  is  the  last  resting  place 
of   many   of   our   best   known   families,   including   the  prominent 


NEW  YORK  STATE  NATIONAL  GUARD  IN  CAMP  ON  THE  PARADE  GROUND  IN  VAN  CORTLANDT  PARK 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


23 


Berrians.  To  the  east  is  a  second  collection  of  tombstones, 
where  the  negro  slaves  were  interred.  It  is  said  that  negroes 
were  always  interred  in  "the  back  yard  of  a  cemetery."  The 
cutting  through  of  the  Putnam  Branch  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad  has  sadly  interfered  with  this  little  graveyard,  as  have 
also  other  subsequent  improvements. 

While  speaking  of  Van  Cortlandt  Lake,  it  seems  a  pity  to 
inform  the  young  people,  who  "glide  upon  its  smooth  surface 
in  summer,  gathering  white  water  lilies  in  their  hands,  and  in 
winter  gathering  red  roses  on  their  cheeks,"  that  it  is  not  a  real 
lake  at  all,  but  was  made  in  1700  by  throwing  a  little  embank- 
ment across  Tippett's   Brook. 

To  the  northeast  of  the  Van  Cortlandt  mansion,  on  the 
heights  known  as  Vault  Hill,  is  situated  the  old  Van  Cortlandt 
vault,  for  generations  the  burial  place  of  the  Van  Cortlandt 
family.  In  its  dark  recesses  the  records  of  New  York  City — 
Augustus  Van  Cortlandt  was  then  City  Clerk — lay  in  safety  for 
a   while,   even   escaping   the   ever-watchful    eyes   of   the   British 


colonel  of  the  Legion  Dragoons,  had  a'  very  narrow  escape  dur- 
ing the  pursuit.  While  striking  at  an  Indian  he  lost  his  bal- 
ance, thus  falling  from  his  charger.  Fortunately  for  him,  his 
dusky  foe  had  just  discharged  his  musket  and  had  no  bayonet. 
About  forty  were  either  killed  or  desperately  wounded,  including 
the  famous  chieftain  Nimham  and  his  son. 

The  old  chief,  in  calling  to  his  people  to  fly,  said  "that  he 
was  old  and  would  die  there."  He  had  wounded  Simcoe,  one 
of  the  British  commanders,  but  was  killed  by  Wright,  his  orderly 
Hussar.  The  bodies  of  perhaps  forty  of  the  Indians  were  buried 
in  this  "Indian  Field  of  Van  Cortlandt  Park,"  a  level  plateau 
on  the  old  Mile  Square  Road. 

"  The  time  is  now  at  hand  which  must  probably  determine 
whether  Americans  are  to  be  freemen  or  slaves,"  is  a  memorable 
sentence  in  an  order  delivered  to  the  Americans  at  Kingsbridge 
in  1776.  In  June  of  that  year  Washington  had  inspected  with 
great  thoroughness  the  region  around  Kingsbridge.  Finding 
seven  places   wsW  fitted   for   defence,  he  promptly  gave   orders, 


Van  Cortlandt  Vault 


spies.  Five  years  later,  George  Washington  himself  stood  on 
the  sloping  terraces  of  Vault  Hill,  superintending  the  lighting  of 
the  many  lines  of  camp  fires  that  so  successfully  deceived  the 
British,  while  the  rest  of  his  army  was  speeding  towards  York- 
town  in  order  to  join  General  Lafayette. 

Go  up  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Van  Cortlandt  Park's 
eleven  hundred  acres.  There  you  will  find  a  plot  of  land  styled 
the  "Indian  Field  of  Van  Cortlandt  Park."  Here  lie  the  re- 
mains of  a  band  of  Stockbridge  Indians,  who  died  fighting  on 
the  side  of  the  Colonists.  We  read  that  the  Indians  fought 
most  bravely,  pulling  several  of  the  redcoats  from  tlieir  horses. 
But,  overwhelmed  by  superior  numbers,  they  were  obliged  to 
flee  over  Tippett's  Brook  and  down  through  the  Van  Cortlandt 
woods  to  the  heights  beyond,  where  quite  a  number  found  re- 
fuge   behind    the    trees    and    rocks.     Tarlcton,    the    lieutenant- 


as  he  "esteemed  it  a  pass  of  the  utmost  importance  in  order  to 
keep  open  communication  with  the  country."  Two  Pennsylvania 
regiments  were  at  work  at  fortifying,  while  bodies  of  militia 
were  far  from  idle  as  fast  as  they  arrived.  In  July,  the  British 
ships  of  war,  "Rose"  and  "Phenix,"  came  sailing  up  the  Hudson, 
entirely  unaware  of  the  batteries  that  had  just  been  placed  on 
Cock's  Hill  and  Tippett's  Hill.  When  they  anchored  off  Spuyten 
Duyvil,  a  number  of  guns  opened  fire,  and  as  we  are  told  "did 
great  execution."  In  every  circle  great  anxiety  was  felt  lest 
Kingsbridge  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  British. 

A  bird's-eye  view  may  be  taken  of  the  fortresses  that  were 
erected  overlooking  the  valley  of  Kingsbridge,  in  addition  to  the 
ones  on  Tippett's  and  Cock's  Hills.  Before  their  completion  the 
English  had  succeeded  in  uniting  their  forces  from  the  north 
with   thuse  that  already  held   Manhattan   Island. 


24 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Following  is  a  list  and  location  of  the  forts: 

No.  I — On  the  grounds  of  the  late  Peter  Strang,  overlook- 
ing the  Hudson  and  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek.  No  traces  of  this 
are  now  visible. 

No.  2 — A  circular  redoubt  on  Spuyten  Duyvil  Hill,  the  walls 
of  which  are  yet  to  be  seen.  It  was  the  American  Fort  Swart- 
wout  and  was  erroneously  called   Fort  Independence. 

No.  3 — On  the  easterly  crest  of  Spuyten  Duyvil  Hill,  styled 
Fort   Prince   Charles  by  the  British. 

No.  4 — The  American  Fort  Independence,  which  was  per- 
haps the  most  important  of  all.  Its  location  was  where  the  house 
of  William  O.  Giles  now  stands,  on  the  former  farm  of  General 
Richard  Montgomery.  We  find  that  several  si.x-pounders  were 
dug  up  on  its  site.     This  fort  had  a  very  commanding  position 


between  the  Albany  Post  Road  and  the  Boston  Post  Road.  Near 
by  is  Fort  Independence  Avenue. 

No.  5 — .\  square  redoubt  north  of  the  Claflin  stables,  on 
the  old  Tetard  farm,  the  walls  of  which  are  yet  standing. 

No.  t'l — A  short  distance  west  of  the  present  road  to  High- 
bridge,  its  site  being  occupied  by  a  house  once  owned  by  John 
B.  Haskin. 

No.  7 — Of  this  no  trace  remains.  All  that  is  known  is  that 
it  stood  on  the  Cammann  estate. 

No.  8 — On  land  now  occupied  by  Gustav  Schwab's  house, 
and  extending  over  to  the  property  of  H.   W.  T.  Mali. 

The  King's  Battery  is  yet  preserved,  on  the  grounds  of  N.  P. 
Bailey,   from   whom   Bailey  Avenue  derives   its   name. 


National  Guard  in  Camp  in  Van  Cortlandt  Park 


I 


-iC.Koevoets.  N  Y 


'^^^^^'^  r^bi^fijAA^^ 


CHAPTER  IX 


GENERAL  MONTGOMERY 


His  Farm  at  Kingsbridge — His  Will — Lady  Ranelagh,  His  Sister — Rev.   John  Peter  Tetard — The  Old  Archway- 


While  in  the  last  few  pages  we  have  strayed  a  little  from  the 
strict  limits  of  Van  Cortlandt  Park,  we  may  now  turn  to  one 
of  the  most  interesting  characters  of  early  Kingsbridge — General 
Richard  Montgomery.  Those  were  certainly  strange  days,  when 
we  learn  that  the  Grand  Jury  brought  a  presentment  against  a 
young  couple  "for  sitting  together  on  the  Lord's  Day  under  an 
apple   tree." 

In  1772  a  captain  in  the  British  army  was  sent  over  to 
America.  Later  he  resigned  his  post,  and,  purchasmg  a  large 
tract  of  land  on  Kingsbridge  Heights,  devoted  himself  to  farm- 
ing, his  favorite  pursuit.  He  was  Richard  Montgomery,  de- 
stined to  rise  in  the  American  army  to  the   rank  of  General. 

Shortly  afterwards  something  happened  to  him,  as  clippings 
from  the  following  letters  will  show.  Perhaps  it  was  not  en- 
tirely unconnected  with  w-arfare,  but  let  the  reader  judge  for 
hmiself : 

Kingsbridge,   May   20.    1772. 

Sir — 1  have  ventured  at  last  to  request  that  you  will  consent 
to  a  union  which  has  to  me  the  most  promising  appearance  of 
happiness,  from  the  lady's  uncommon  merit  and  amiable  worth. 
Nor  will  it  be  an  inconsiderable  addition  to  be  favored  with  the 
title  of  son,  should  1  be  so  fortunate  as  to  deserve  it. 

I  am,  sir,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

RICHARD  MONTGOMERY. 

The  coveted  answer  ran  as  follows : 

Claremont,  21st  June,   1773. 

Sir — Since  Mrs.  Livingston  and  I  heard  of  your  intentions, 
we  have  made  such  inquiries  as  have  given  a  great  deal  of  satis- 
faction. We  both  approve  of  your  proposal  and  heartily  wish 
vour  union  may  yield  you  all  the  happiness  you  seem  to  expect. 

I   remain,   with  due  respect  your  most  humble  servant, 
ROBERT  R.  LIVINGSTON. 

Two  months  later,  we  are  glad  to  add,  the  wedding  took 
place,  and  the  happy  couple  found  a  most  ideal  home  in  their 
"King's  Bridge  farm."     In  1775,  Montgomery  wrote  to  his  wife: 

"If  you  can  be  spared,  and  wish  to  make  a  trip  to  New 
York,  and  wilt  not  stay  too  long,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  you." 

As  I  write,  a  copy  of  General  Montgomery's  will  lies  on  the 
table  before  me.  After  his  sudden  death  at  Quebec,  it  was  found 
among  his  papers  by  Benedict  Arnold,  and  carefully  preserved. 
Among  the  items  it  is  interesting  to  note  the  following: 

"I  give  to  my  sister.  Lady  Ranelagh,  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Ireland,  my  estate  at  King's  Bridge,  near  New  York." 

It  also  adds: 

"My  dear  sister's  large  family   want  all   I  can   spare." 

At  the  end  we  find  these  words : 

"My  brothers  will  accept  of  what  alone  I  have  in  my  power 
to  give — my  warmest  wishes  for  their  happiness." 

That  Lady  Ranelagh  came  over  and  lived  on  her  brother's 


King's  Bridge  farm  is  attested  by  the  ruins  of  an  old  house, 
still  to  be  seen  close  to  the  Albany  Post  Road.  Dr.  John  Par- 
sons, of  King's  Bridge,  who  now  owns  this  historic  site,  has  told 
me  that  he  would  gladly  have  preserved  the  old  mansion,  had 
there  been  anything  to  work  upon,  but,  unfortunately,  there 
was   nothing. 

Among  the  witnesses  to  General  Montgomery's  will  was 
the  Rev.  John  Peter  Tetard,  one  of  his  nearest  neighbors  and 
most  intimate  friends.  Mr.  Tetard's  house  stood  almost  oppo- 
site to  General  Montgomery's,  on  the  old  Boston  Post  Road  and 


r 

^ 

1 

mm 

m^^ 

&        7, 

^'ontgcmery  Collage 

was  built  about  1776.  In  the  neighborhood  of  that  year  h« 
opened  a  French  boarding  school,  probably  tlie  first  of  its  kind 
near  New  York  City.  When  the  Revolution  broke  out  in  all 
its  fury ,  both  Montgomery  and  Tetard  entered  the  Continental 
ranks,  the  former  as  an  officer  and  the  latter  as  his  chaplain. 

On  the  Tetard  grounds,  formerly  known  as  Tetard's  Hill, 
there  once  stood  a  most  unique  stone  archway,  variously  styled 
"The  Old  Bakery,"  and  "General  Washington's  Powder  Maga- 
zine." Some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  call  it  "The  Dominie's 
Secret  Wine  Cellar."  It  was  probably  part  of  an  old  powder 
magazine  used  by  the  British  in  Revolutionary  days,  but  its  real 
purpose   remains   unknown. 

While  passing  this  locality  a  short  time  ago,  I  was  rather 
astonished  to  see  an  immense  sign  that  read : 

"THIS   PROPERTY    FOR   SALE 
APPLY  TO 

RICHARD    MONTGOMERY." 

My  first  thought,  on  reading  these  lines,  was  that  I  had  been 
transported  backward  over  a  century  and  a  quarter.  Surely  the 
strange  coincidence  in  the  names  fully  justifies  this  natural  im- 
pression. 


o 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  OLD  BOSTON  POST  ROAD,  OR  BOSTON  AVENUE 


The  "Negro  Fort' 


-The  Isaac  Varian  Farm   House — The    Williams'  Bridge — The  Old  Williams'  House — The 
Havens  House — The][Hustace-Cash  House 


This  ancient  higlnvay,  dating  from  1672,  as  we  have  seen, 
branched  from  the  Boston  Post  Road  at  Kingsbridge,  and  ex- 
tended northeast  over  the  hill,  past  the  houses  of  Dominie 
Tetard  and  Richard  Montgomery.  Just  beyond  Montgomery's 
residence,  as  we  have  noted,  stood  the  redoubtable  Fort  Inde- 
pendence, overlooking  the   now  peaceful   Spuyten   Duyvil   valley. 


Isaac  Varian  Homestead,  Van  Cortlandt  Avenue 

Branching  almost  to  the  east,  close  to  an  old  house  marked 
"Betts,  1776,"  this  ancient  highway  is  now  lost  in  the  vast  extent 
of  the  new  Jerome  Park  Reservoir.  After  crossing  the  present 
Jerome  Avenue,  we  find  on  the  early  maps  that  it  passed  to  the 
northward  of  the  "Negro  Fort."  There  is  to-day  a  stone  struc- 
ture, about  on  this  site,  squarely  and  solidly  built,  that  may  have 
been  the  "Negro  Fort"  of  early  days. 

After  crossing  the  old  Williamsbridge  Road,  now  being 
widened  into  the  Mosholu  Parkway,  the  highway  passes  in  front 
of  the  Isaac  Varian  Homestead,  almost  in  the  shadow  of  the 
Williamsbridge  Reservoir.  With  stone  walls  that  look  as  if 
they  would  last  for  centuries,  and  bearing  the  appearance  of  a 
miniature  fortress,  the  mam  part  of  this  house  was  built  in 
1776,  while  the  older  wing  dates  from  1770.  On  the  old  maps  it 
is  styled  "Valentine,   1776." 

I  have  said  that  it  locked  like  a  fortress;  it  was  one.  Go 
back  to  January,  1777,  when  the  whole  region  was  swarmnig 
with  hostile  bands.  Encamped  in  this  old,  old  stone  mansion 
was  a  strong  force  of  the  redcoats.  A  second  detachment  lay 
under  cover  of  the  "Negro  Fort."  Carefully  and  stealthily  a 
band  of  Americans  was  advancing  from  dififerent  directions  on 
Fort  Independence.  Just  at  this  moment  two  British  cavalrymen 
were  reconnoitering  along  the  line  of  the  old  Colonial  Road  (  Bos- 
ton Post  Road),  above  Williamsbridge.  Suddenly  they  caught 
sight  of  the  approaching  Americans. 


"The  Rebels!  The  Rebels!"  they  cried,  as  tliey  dashed 
back  up  the  hill.  The  horse  of  one  falling,  the  rider  was  prompt- 
ly made  a  prisoner,  while  the  other  fairly  flew  over  the  road  to 
give  the  alarm.  From  every  door  and  window  of  the  old  Varian 
Homestead  poured  the  British,  only  to  be  joined  by  the  fugitive^ 
from  the  "Negro  Fort."  Close  behind  them  followed  the  Ameri- 
cans, chasing  them  along  the  old  Boston  Post  Road,  and  never 
pausing  until  they  were  safe  within  the  protection  of  the  walls 
of  Fort  Independence.  The  report  of  this  affair  that  readied 
General  Vv'ashington  and  was  forwarded  to  Congress,  was  that 
Fort  Independence  had  been  destroyed  and  its  garrison  cap- 
tured. Unfortunately  this  was  too  good  to  be  true,  as  subse- 
i|uent  accounts  showed.  Fort  Independence,  it  appeared,  was 
by  far  too  hard  a  nut  for  our  boys  to  crack. 

There  is  yet  another  tale  that  may  be  told  about  the  old 
Isaac  Varian  Homestead.  In  1776,  lying  in  the  fields  and  woods 
adjoining  were  about  four  hundred  cannon,  good  and  bad,  of 
all  sizes  and  conditions.  When  tlie  order  came  to  get  them 
ready  for  service,  it  was  found  that  they  had  been  "spiked." 
Some  miscreants  had  secretly  been  driving  rat-tail  files  into  their 
touch-holes  and  plugging  their  openings  with  big  stones. 
Twenty  shillings  was  the  cost  to  the  army  for  each  gun  to  have 
the  spikes  removed,  and  at  the  end  of  two  months  only  eighty- 
two  were  fit  for  service  again.  In  excavating  for  the  residence 
of  William  Ogden  Giles,  on  the  site  of  did  Fort  Independence, 
several    Revolutionary    cannon    are    reported    to    have    been    un- 


Old  Williams'  House,  Willi.imsbridgc 

e;;rthcd.  and  while  passing  in  front  of  the  old  Van  Cortlir^dt 
mansion  recently,  I  had  pointed  out  to  me  two  well  rusted  fieltl- 
pieces.  both  of  which,  I  was  told,  were  securely  spiked. 

In    descending    the    hill    towards    Williamsbridge,    the   semi- 
circular   remains    of   an    American    redoubt,    styled   on    the   map 


2& 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


"American  Fort,  1776,"  may  yet  be  seen  just  inside  the  fence  of 
Woodlawn  Cemetery.  It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  breastworks 
thrown  up  by  that  intrepid  American  leader,  GL-neral  Heath. 
The  present  bridge  is  the  fourth  at  the  same  spot,  the  third 
being  an  old  fashioned  covered  wooden  structure. 

The  Boston  Post  Road,  after  going  practically  through  the 
Williamsbridge  reservoir  and  passing  several  ancient  houses  whh 
old-fashioned  fireplaces,  crossed  William's  Bridge  itself,  and  after 
a  short  distance  took  a  northeasterly  direction,  becoming  lost 
in  the  modern  "gridiron"  streets  of  what  is  known  as  Williams- 
bridge.  The  old  Williams  house  stood  close  by,  a  quaint  old 
structure  which  has  disappeared  in  the  widening  of  White  Plains 
Road.  Near  by,  and  once  fronting  on  this  Boston  Post 
Road,  is  the  Hustace-Cash  house,  standing  almost  in  the  middle 
of  22ist  Street.  This  is  one  of  the  quaintest  abodes  in  the  bor- 
ough, with  its  slanting  roof,  the  house  being  built  partly  of  stone 
and  partly  of  wood. 

Another  old  house  is  situated  near  the  intersection  of  Gun 
Hill  Road  and  White  Plains  Road,  on  the  southeast  corner. 
Standing  at  a  peculiar  angle  with  every  surrounding  street,  it 
is  sometimes  erroneously  styled  the  Williams  House,  and  it  is 
extremely  hard  to  photograph,  unless  one  gets  around  behind  it 
and  looks  upward. 

At  the  corner  of  White  Plains  Road  and  222(1  Street.  Wil- 
liamsbridge, I  believe  is  yet  standing  one  of  the  landmarks  of 
the  region — the  old  Havens  House.  We  may  well  pause  to  glance 
at  the  many  relics  that  this  old  house  contains.  There  is  an 
old  chair  said  to  have  been  presented  to  an  old  settler  by  General 
Washington,  and  bequeathed  by  him  to  Mr.  Havens.  Mrs. 
Martha  C.  Havens,  who  with  her  daughter  lives  on  the  premises, 
is  the  widow  of  Captain  William  C.  Havens  and  the  adopted 
daughter  of  James  Clinton,  whose  father  was  the  first  Governor 
of  New  York.  There  is  a  most  interesting  collection  of  shells, 
formerly  belonging  to  De  Witt  Clinton,  that  have  never  been 
touched  since  he  first  arranged  them.  We  also  note  a  silver 
medal,  presented  by  the  City  of  New  York  to  De  Witt  Clinton, 
inscribed : 

"Erie  Canal  Commenced  4th  July,  1817 ; 
Completed  28th  October,  1825." 

It  is  recorded  that  the  box  in  which  this  medal  is  kept  was 
made  out  of  a  portion  of  the  "Seneca  Chief,"  the  first  canal  boat, 
while  another  prize  is  a  handsome  mahogany  bedstead,  in  which 
Commodore    Perry    died. 

At  228lh  Street  and  White  Plains  Road  stood  Washington's 
Headquarters,  torn  down  about  twenty  years  ago,  as  it  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  street.  It  was  known  as  the  "Shingled  House." 
Reports  tell  us  that  the  piano  at  Washington's  Headquarters  at 
Newburg  was  Mrs.  Havens'  instrument  when  she  was  a  young 
lady  in  the  Clinton  family. 


The  name  Hustace  is  spelled  in  a  great  number  of  ways — 
Hustead,  Hustis  and  Hustace,  although  Valentine's  Manual  of  the 
Corporation  of  tlie  Citj'  of  New  York  gives  it  as  Hustead,  we 
liave  adopted  the  Hustace  spelling.  In  conclusion  we  may  state 
tliat  the  old  Havens  house  never  had  but  two  owners — Augustus 
Hustace  and  Martha  Havens. 

Originally  the  "Hustace-Cash"  house  was  the  residence  of 
Augustus  Hustace  who  owned  all  the  broad  acres  that  were 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Seton's  falls  and  the  Schieffelin  domain, 
on  the  west  by  the  Bronx  River,  on  the  north  by  229th  Street 
and  on  the  south  by  216th  Street,  the  latter  Deing  the  northerly 
boundary  of  the  Williams  farm,  and  which  comprised  the  greater 
part  of  the  original  village  of  Wakefield.  Upon  the  sale  of  his 
.\ugustus  Hustace,  who  owned  all  the  broad  acres  that  were 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Seton's  Falls  and  the  Schieffelin  domain, 
the  most  elevated  portion  on  what  is  now  232d  Street,  and  at 
his  death  it  was  purchased  by  Francis  Crawford,  the  well  known 
Prohibitionist.  The  original  farm  house  is  still  contained  in  the 
building  which  was  remodeled  by  the  Squire's  son,  William  A., 
who  lately  sold  it  to  Mr.  Crawford  by  whom  it  was  still  further 
improved  as  at  present.  Through  the  old  Hustace  acres  the 
Kingsbridge  Road  wound  in  a  devious  way,  crossing  tlie  present 
White  Plains  Avenue  in  several  places. 

Passing  further  to  the  north,  we  learn  of  several  immense 
trees,  obliterated  by  the  widening  and  straightening  of  White 
Plains  Road.  Where  this  road  joins  Demilt>  Avenue,  was  to  be 
seen,  in  the  centre  of  the  roadway  on  the  eastern  side  a  magnifi- 
cent black  walnut  tree,  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall.  The  inter- 
esting story  of  this  tree  follows : 

"In  the  early  days  when  what  is  now  styled  White  Plains 
Road  was  then  known  as  the  Kingsbridge  Road  to  Bedford, 
the  county  seat,  the  owner  of  the  farm,  who  by  the  way,  was 
a  relative  of  the  Paulding  who  captured  Major  Andre,  planted 
a  small  black  walnut  tree  for  each  of  the  thirteen  colonies.  They 
all  thrived,  but  as  this  section  developed,  they  had  to  give  way 
to  the  march  of  progress.  The  widening  of  the  roadway  has 
rendered  necessary  the  removing  of  the  last  three  of  the  thir- 
teen original  trees.  When  the  saws  were  put  to  work,  the 
trees  measured  three  feet  eight  inches  at  the  butt,  and  they  were 
found  to  be  perfectly  sound,  while  the  rings  in  the  wood  indi- 
cated the  truth  regarding  the  antiquity  of  the  trees." 

In  its  ancient  days  the  Old  White  Plains  Road  is  said  to 
have  crossed  the  present  one,  between  Gun  Hill  Road  and  the 
city  line,  no  less  than  seven  times. 

Such  seems  the  weight  of  authority  about  the  most  im- 
portant landmarks  in  the  northern  portion  of  Williamsbridge. 
-■Kbout  225th  Street  the  Old  Boston  Post  Road  branched  towards 
Eastchester,  not  joining  the  present  Boston  Road  until  at  a  point 
near  New  Rochelle. 


^^ 


CHAPTER  XI 


BOSTON  ROAD 


Name  of  Harlaem— The  Ferry  and  Rates  of  Ferriage— The  Three  Harlem  Bridges  and  Rates  of  Toll— Boston 

Road — The  Gouverneur  Morris  Tree— The  Old  School  House— Mill  Brook—  Charlotte  Temple's  Home — 

Extracts  from  Washington's  Diary  -Madam  Knight's  Experiences 


By  this  term  we  mean  the  present  Third  Avenue,  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  early  "Eastern  Post  Road."  It  crossed  the 
Harlem  River  near  the  Harlem  Bridge,  proceeding  northeasterly 
to  New  Rochelle,  where  it  joined  the  early  Post  Road  previously 
mentioned. 

When  the  original  Dutch  settlers  began  to  tlock  to  the  hills 
and  valleys  of  "Harlaem,"  the  first  thing  they  did  was  to  look 
around    for    a    suitable    name.     Immediately    a    great    dissension 


peared   on  the  steam   railroad   cars:     "New    York   and    Harlaem 
Railroad." 

In  the  year  1666,  when  the  sleepy  residents  of  Harlaem  were 
comfortably  settled  and  enjoying  life  around  their  immense  fire- 
places, with  long-stemmed  pipes  in  their  mouths,  and  all  accus- 
tomed to  going  to  bed  at  four  o'clock  every  afternoon,  someone 
made  the  startling  announcement  that  beyond  the  broad  river 
that  flowed  past  their  doors  was  to  be  found  the  most  beautiful 


Boston  Road  at  Spencer's  Corners,  near  Williamsbridge 


arose,  eacli  stout  burgher  insisting  that  the  spot  should  be  called 
after  his  own  native  town  in  old  Holland.  Finally  they  decided 
upon  a  most  happy  expedient;  they  resolved  to  style  the  place 
"Harlaem,"  for  the  simple  reason  that  none  of  them  had  come 
from  that  village,  and  as  a  result,  no  one  could  object.  Such, 
we  learn,  is  the  origin  of  the  name  which  for  a  long  time  ap- 


farming  land  imaginable,  just  the  site  for  their  favorite 
"boueries."  This  was  enough.  For  once  they  hastily  rose  to 
the  occasion.  They  must  have  a  ferry  at  once  to  carry  them 
across  to  those  fair  shores  where  their  "boueries"  were  to  be. 

The  site  selected  was  about  126th  Street  and  the  East  River, 
where  the  old  "Harlaem  Road"  terminated.     The  peculiarly  slant- 


30 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


uig  and  irregular  boundary  lines,  which  even  to-day  are  found 
in  this  section  of  Harlem  and  which  are  so  at  variance  with  all 
existing  streets  and  avenues,  and  form  such  a  bclc-iioir  alike  to 
title-searchers  and  surveyors,  are  lasting  evidences  of  the  former 
existence  of  this  early  highway. 

A  ferry  meant  a  ferryman,  and  in  1667  Johannes  Verveelen 
was  duly  installed,  with  a  gigantic  negro,  called  Matthys,  as  his 
assistant.  He  was  allowed  to  furnish  food,  drink  and  lodgings 
to  the  weary  wayfarers  he  ferried  across,  but  not  a  drop  to  the 
Indians. 

Here  are  some  of  the  curious  rales  that  he  charged  for 
carrying  travelers  from  Ilarlaem  to  the  Bronx  shore: 

"For  every  passenger,  2  pence  silver  or  six  pence  wampum ; 
for  every  ox  or  cow  that  shall  be  brought  into  his  ferry-boat, 
8  pence  or  24  stivers ;  and  cattle  under  a  year  old,  6  pence  or  18 
stivers  wampum;  all  cattle  that  are  swum  over  pay  but  J4  price. 

"He  is  to  take  for  diet,  every  man  for  his  meal,  8  pence  or 
24  stivers  wampum;  every  man  for  his  lodging,  2  pence  a  man 
or  6  stivers  wampum ;  every  man  for  his  horse  shall  pay  4  pence 
for  his  night's  hay  or  grass,  or  12  stivers  wampum,  provide!  the 
grass   be  in  fence.  "Signed, 

"THO:    DE   LAVALL,    Mayor. 

■■Dated  July  3,  1667." 


A  distinguished  clergyman,  who  in  1777  traveled  through  this 
section,  has  written  the  following  graphic  description : 

"Amid  the  appearance  of  desolation  nothing  struck  me  uiore 
forcibly  than  the  sight  of  the  highroad.  Not  a  single,  solitary 
traveler  was  seen  from  week  to  week,  or  from  month  to  month. 
The  world  was  motionless  and  silent  except  when  one  of  the 
unhappy  people  ventured  to  the  house  of  a  neighbor  no  less 
unhappy,  or  a  scouting  party  alarmed  the  inhabitants  with  the 
expectation  of  new  injuries  or  sufferings.  The  very  tracks  of 
the  carriages  were  grown  over,  and  when  they  were  discernible, 
resembled  the  faint  impressions  of  the  chariot  wheels  of  Hercu- 
laneum.  I  strongly  realized  for  the  first  time  the  import  of  that 
picturesque   declaration  in  the  Song  of  Deborah : 

'"In  the  days  of  Shamgar,  the  son  of  Anath,  in  the  days  of 
Jael,  the  hig'hways  were  unoccupied,  and  the  travelers  walked 
through  by-paths.  The  inhabitants  of  the  villages  ceased.  They 
ceased  in   Israel." 

In  1790,  however,  Lewis  Morris,  of  Morrisania,  was  author- 
ized by  the  Legislature  to  construct  a  bridge  from  Harlem  across 
the  river  to  Morrisania.  He  sold  the  privilege  to  a  Mr.  Coles, 
who,  about  1795,  built  the  first  Harlem  Bridge,  an  exceedingly 
antiquated  looking  affair,  which  nevertheless  did  noble  service 
for   perhaps    seventy   years,   when    the   second    one    was   erected. 


.> 

A 


i    it.'  >*     .    \^9 


4.  S 

m 

P^ 

'5i@»i 

-^  ^js^rz  ■ 

Uiu 

■Am 

33 

-*-^" 

Mott  H.ivcn  Reformed  Church,  known  as  the  Old  Stone  Church.  Third  Avenue  "formerly  Eoston 
Road)  and    146th  Street 


In  the  early  days  of  public  accounts,  we  read: 

"June  IS,  1667 — To  4%  pints  rum  and  15  cans  measured 
beer,   used   in   the  agreement   with   Verveelen f  20. 

"Feb.  18,  1678 — To  I  .^nker  good  beer,  dispensed  when  Do. 
Nieuwenhuysen  was  here  to  ordain   the  Deacon f  7:   10. 

"Sept.    9,    1688 — To    rum    at    his    funeral f  7." 

In  the  vestry  book  of  an  ancient  parish  is  to  be  found  this 
curious  old  entry : 

■'March  13,  1759 — To  Ebenezer  Kniffin,  for  ;l.  gallon  Rum 
for  ye  burying  of  Patrick  Holoday " 

A  short  time  after  the  Revolution,  when  the  scattered  resi- 
dents of  Morrisania  had  settled  comfortably  to  peace,  the  plan 
of  a  bridge  across  the  Harlem  River  began  to  be  discussed. 
During  the  war  there  was  not  the  slightest  need  for  such  a 
structure,  as  Morrisania  and  the  neighboring  regions  formed  a 
portion  of  the  dreaded  "Neutral  Ground." 


This  was  such  a  substantial  iron  structure  that  people  declared 
its  only  fault  was  that  it  contained  too  much  iron.  In  its  turn 
it  was  removed  only  a  few  years  ago  to  make  room  for  the 
gigantic  bridge  that  to-day  spans  the  Harlem  River  at  this  point. 
The  Laws  of  1808  give  the  following  rates  of  toll  which 
early  travelers  had  to  pay  when  crossing  Harlem  Bridge : 

Every   four-wheeled  pleasure   carriage  and  horses 375^  cts. 

Every  two-wheeled  pleasure  carriage  and  horses 19  cts. 

Every  pleasure  sleigh  and  horses 19  cts. 

Every  common  wagon  and  horses 12H  cts. 

Every  common  sled  and  horses I2j<>  cts. 

Ox  cart  and  oxen 12'.^  cts. 

Every  one-horse  cart  and   horse 9  cts. 

Every    man    and    horse 9  cts. 

Every  dozen  hogs,  sheep  or  calves 6  cts. 

Every    foot    passenger 3  Cts. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


3t 


Troops  with  their  stores,  artillery  and  carriages,  were  passed 
free. 

Hunt  as  one  will  through  the  old  records,  there  is  no  men- 
tion at  all  of  the  rates  charged  to  bicycles,  automobiles  or  even 
policemen.     This  must  have  been  an  oversight. 

In  the  same  year  that  the  first  Harlem  Bridge  was  built,  the 
Legislature  decided  to  lay  out  a  road,  through  Morrisania,  to 
connect  with   the  main  turnpike  at   New  Rochelle.     Once  more 


stage  coach  is  still  quite  good  enough  for  me,  even  though  the 
farmers  do  have  to  come  to  its  rescue  on  almost  every  trip,  and 
lift  it  bodily  out  of  the  mud  and  set  it  on  all  fours  once  more!" 
Some  distance  above  Harlem  Bridge,  a  woodland  private 
lane  branched  off,  leading  to  the  historic  residence  of  Gouverneur 
Morris  on  the  Harlem  Kills.  As  a  boy  I  clearly  remember  see- 
ing the  double  line  of  ancient  cherry  trees  that  once  flanked  its 
sides.     Where  arc  those  cherry  trees  to-day?     Swallowed  up  in 


Last  of  the  Morris  Trees 


Mr.  Coles  appears  on  the  scene  as  the  contractor,  and  in  1797, 
after  seven  years  were  spent  in  making  eight  miles  of  road,  the 
Legislature  finally  declared  it  open  as  a  public  highway. 

If  we  could  imagine  an  ancient  denizen  of  times  of  yore, 
standing  and  watching  the  incessant  stream  of  carriages,  wagons 
and  automobiles  now  rattling  bj',  and  gazing  at  those  marvelous 
cars  that  ring  a  bell  whenever  he  looks  at  them,  and  eyemg 
suspiciously  that  mystifying  railway  up  in  the  air,  he  would  in 
his  agony  of  surprise  shriek  out : 

"Give  me  back  my  rural  Boston  Road  with  its  woods  and 
fields   and   its    majestic    weeping   willows!     The    lumbering    old 


the  immense  multitude  of  apartment  houses  that  have  sprung 
up  like  mushrooms  in  their  place. 

What  is  styled  the  "last  of  the  Morris  trees"  was  located  near 
Willis  Avenue,  Mott  Haven,  and  a  photograph  taken  over  forty 
years  ago  shows  it  even  then  lo  have  been  a  grizzled  and  ancient 
veteran. 

About  iS7th  Street,  east  of  Third  Avenue,  and  close  to  the 
tracks  of  the  Port  Morris  Railroad,  there  stood  until  recently  the 
tiniest  little  school  house,  almost  literally  as  old  as  the  hills. 
Under  its  low  thatched  roof  the  children  of  peasants  and  gentry 
alike  gathered  to  receive  their  early  education.     There  the  daugh- 


32 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


ters  of  the  soil  met  on  equal  terms  the  sons  of  the  Morrises, 
whose  splendid  mansions  still  remain  as  orname.nts  to  the  fast 
changing  vicinity. 

"The  mosses  of  a  century  seem  to  have  gathered  on  the 
long  slope  of  its  roof,"  wrote  a  talented  author,  some  years  be- 
fore the  destruction  of  the  little  school,  "and  it  appears  in  every 
part  to  be  slowly  withering  to  decay,  like  a  dried  leaf  on  a 
November  oak.  Most  of  the  little  ones  who  crept  and  danced 
along  by  country  paths  to  the  pedagogue  who  flourished  a  good 
birchen  rod  there,  have  grown  old  and  tottered  back  to  Mother 
Earth's  embrace,  but  the  frail  little  temple  of  learning  has  sur- 
vived them  and  still  shelters  life  and  love  under  its  mosses." 

At  what  is  now  i6oth  Street,  Boston  Road  made  a  sharp 
turn  to  the  right,  to  cross  a  little  brook,  whose  waters,  once 
clear  and  crystal,  babbled  merrily  along  over  their  pebbly  bed 
under  a  double  line  of  stately  weeping  willows.  While  this 
sounds  far  from  a  description  of  what  I  remember  Mill  Brook 
to  be,  yet  it  is  strictly  correct.  Many  wonder  where  the  old 
stream  received  its  name.  On  its  banks  in  early  days  once  stood 
a  large  sawmill,  and  we  find,  back  in  the  old  histories,  that  it 
was  styled  "The  Saw  Milf  Brook." 

Near  Tremonf,  not  far  from  the  same  Mill  Brook,  is  said 
to  have  been  the  home  of  the  celebrated  Charlotte  Temple.  Only 
a  pile  of  stones  served  to  designate  the  site.  "Alas,  poor  Char- 
lotte !  The  tears  that  have  been  shed  over  thy  tragic  fate  would 
easily   make   another   such    rivulet !" 

From  163d  Street,  that  venerable  tliornughfare  Boston 
Road,  extends  up  the  hill,  skirting  what  was  once  the 
"Village  of  Morrisania,"  up  hills  and  down  dales,  until  it  joined 
the  original  Boston  Post  Road  near  New  Rochelle. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  early  travelers  did  not  fall  in  love 
with  what  they  found  in  this  region.  In  1692,  Colonel  Heathcote 
wrote :     "When    I    first    arrived     ...     I    found    it    the    most 


heathenish  country  I  ever  saw  in  all  my  life,  where  the  inhabi- 
tants  called  themselves   Christians." 

General  Washington,  while  on  his  way  homeward  from 
New  England,  writes  in  his  diary  the  following:  "The  badness 
of  these  roads  having  been  described  as  I  went,  I  shall  say 
nothing  of  them  now.  The  road  for  the  greater  part,  indeed 
the  whole  way,  was  very  rough  and  stoney,  but  the  land  strong, 
well  covered  with  grass,  a  luxuriant  crop  of  Indian  corn.  The 
farms  are  very  close  together,  and  are  separated  by  fences  of 
stone,  which  indeed  are  easily  made,  as  the  country  is  inuiicnsc- 
ly  stony.  The  road  is  hilly  and  trying  to  wheels  and 
carriages." 

"Pretty  strong  language  this,"  some  one  has  observed,  "for 
the  calm  rnd  benignant  Father  of  his  Country.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  the  road  tried  his  patience  as  strongly  as  it  tried  his  car- 
riage." 

It  is  not  out  of  place  here  to  quote  from  the  journal  of 
Madame  Knight  and  see  what  she  has  to  say : 

"We  hasted  along,  walking  and  leading  our  horses  neer  a 
mile  together  up  a  prodigios  High  Hill,  and  descending  Moun- 
tainos  passages  that  almost  broke  my  heart  in  ascending  before. 

"They  told  me  there  was  a  singing  Quaker  lived  there,  says 
the  woman,  'are  you  singing  Quakers?'  'Yea,'  says  they;  'then 
take  my  squalling  Brat  of  a  child  here  and  sing  to  it,'  says  she, 
'for  1  ha\e  almost  split  my  throat  with  singing  to  him  and  can't 
get  the  rogue  to  sleep.' 

"I  was  shewn  up  a  pair  of  stairs  which  had  a  narrow  pass- 
age which  was  almost  stopped  by  the  Bulk  of  my  Body.  Never- 
theless, being  exceeding  weary,  down  I  laid  my  poor  Carkes 
(never  more  tired)  and  found  my  covering  as  scanty  as  my 
Bed  was  hard.  My  poor  bones  complained  bitterly,  not  being 
used  to  such  Lodgings,  and  poor  I  made  but  one  Grone  which 
was  from  the  time  I  went  to  bed  to  the  time  I  Riss,  which  was 
about  three  in  tlie  morning.  Setting  by  the  Fire  till  Light." 


Morris  High  School,  Boston  Avenue  and   I66th  Street 


CHAPTER  XII 


GOUVERNEUR  MORRIS  AND  OLD  MORRISANIA 


^Richard  Morris     Gouverneur  Morris — The  Gouverneur  Morris  Mansion — Anecdotes — The  Lewis  Morris  Mansion 

-Morrisania  Almost  the  Capital  of    America 


About  the  year  1670  the  fouiulatioiiN  i>f  the  immense  Morris 
estate  were  laid  when  Captain  Richard  Morris,  a  British  mer- 
chant from  Barbadoes,  bought  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his 
brother  Lewis,  the  former  "Broncksland."  He  had  serv  "d  in 
Cromwell's  army,  and  after  his  stay  in  Barbadoes  had  drifted 
to  our  shores.  A  few  years  later,  we  read,  both  Richard  and  his 
wife  died,  leaving  behind  them  an  infant  son,  Lewis,  who  in 
after  years  became  possessed  of  about  1,920  acres  of  land,  and 
was  made  the  first  Lord  of  the   Manor  of  Morrisania. 

The  story  is  told  that  his  tutor,  a  pious  old  Quaker,  while 
once  engaged  in  meditation  in  the  woods,  heard  a  voice,  as  he 
supposed  from  Heaven,  directing  him  to  go  and  spread  the 
gospel  among  the  Indians.  The  old  man  was  actually  on  the 
point  of  starting  when  he  discovered  that  the  mysterious  voice 
was  that  of  young  Lewis  Morris,  who  had  climbed  into  a  tree 
where  he  thought  his  tutor  would  be  likely  to  pass. 

In  tlie  year  1752  Gouverneur  Morris  began  his  remarkable 
career.  When  only  2"]  years  of  age,  he  was  summoned  to  at- 
tend Washington,  spending  three  long  months  in  conference  with 
his  chief  at  Valley  Forge.  A  few  years  later,  on  being  thrown 
from  his  carriage,  his  leg  was  so  severely  injured  that  it  was 
amputated,  an  operation  that  modern  surgery  declares  to  have 
been  entirely  unnecessary.  A  clergyman  once  sought  to  con- 
vince him  that  the  loss  of  his  limb  was  really  a  blessing  in  dis- 
guise, when  Mr.  Morris  laughingly  replied :  "My  dear  sir,  you 
argue  so  handsomely  and  point  out  so  clearly  the  advantages  of 
being  without  legs,  that  I  am  almost  tempted  to  part  with  the 
other." 

In  his  old  mansion  formerly  standing  near  the  foot  of  St. 
Ann's  Avenue,  could  be  seen  the  marks  made  by  his  wooden  leg  as 
he  went  up  and  dow-n  the  stairs.  And  it  is  said  that  this  historic 
piece  of  wood — described  as  merely  a  rough  piece  fitted  to  the 
limb — is  carefully  preserved  as  one  of  the  treasured  relics  of  the 
family. 

The  wf.r  being  over,  Gouverneur  Morris  received  the  honor 
of  being  appointed  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of 
France,  remaining  there  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  after  al- 
most every  one  of  the  diplomatists  from  other  countries  had  left 
the  scene.  "For."  he  said,  "it  is  not  for  me  to  desert  my  post 
in   the  hour  of  difficulty." 

When  Lafayette  was  imprisoned  liy  tlie  Prussians.  Morris 
generously  supplied  him  with  funds  whicli  were  afterwards  re- 
turned to  him  by  the  United  States  Government.  And  when 
Lafayette  came  to  America  on  his  noted  visit,  one  of  the  first 
persons  he  came  to  was  Gouverneur  Morris  at  his  home  at  Mor- 
risania. 

Mrs.  John  Jay  once  wrote :  "On  Wednesday,  when  the 
President    was   away,    Mrs.    Washington    called    on   me,   and   on 


1  hursday,  after  an  early  breakfast  of  our  own,  we  went,  agree- 
ably to  invitation,  to  breakfast  at  General  Morris's,  Morrisania." 

A  noted  Englishman  was  once  the  guest  of  Judge  William 
Jay,  and  together  they  made  a  tour  of  calls  on  many  prominent 
families.  After  visiting  the  Schuylers,  Van  Cortlandts  and  V,t 
Rensselaers,  t^hey  came  to  call  upon  Gouverneur  Morris. 
Scarcely  had  they  entered  the  spacious  grounds  when  they  un- 
expectedly came  upon  a  man  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  without  coat 
or  vest,  his  trousers  tucked  up,  a  scythe  over  his  shoulder,  the 
perspiration  streaming  down  his  face  and  his  head  crowned 
with  an  old  straw  hat  with  a  hole  in  the  top.  It  was  Gouver- 
neur Morris  himself !  Small  wonder,  then,  that  we  are  told 
that  Morris  could  lead  the  field  with  his  scythe  as  well  as  re- 
cite  whole  verses   of   Virgil   by  heart. 

The  picturesque,  vine-laden  mansion  of  that  time  is  said 
to  iiave  been  erected  in  1789,  comprising  but  one-third 
of  the  original  structure  so  tastefully  modelled  after  a  celebrated 
French  chateau.  Of  his  dwelling  Morris  once  wrote :  "I  have 
a  terrace  roof — and  by  the  by  I  will  send  you  a  receipt  of  how 
to  make  one — of  130  feet  long,  from  whence  I  enjoy  one  of  the 
finest  prospects,  while  enjoying  the  most  salubrious  air." 

It  is  long  since  I  visited  the  old  house,  but  I  have  heard 
many  interesting  tales  about  it.  In  the  library  stood  his  private 
desk,  whose  secret  recesses  contained  a  mysterious  drawer,  where 
784  livres  were  concealed,  which  had  been  intrusted  to  him  by 
King  Louis  XIV,  to  aid  in  the  escape  of  himself  and  his  family 
from  Paris.  As  Morris  was  unable  to  assist  him,  the  money 
was  returned  to  the  Duchess  d'AngouIeme,  the  daughter  of  the 
unfortunate   King. 

On  all  sides  of  ihe  old  mansion  spacious  halls  and  mas- 
sive staircases,  with  walls  two  feet  thick.  It  has  been  aptly 
stated  that  in  every  one  of  the  thirty-two  rooms  you  can  swing 
a  cat   without  injuring  in  the  least  either  the  walls  or  the  cat. 

Within  almost  a  stone's  throw  of  the  Gouverneur  Morris 
Mansion,  Lewis  Morris  erected  his  own  residence,  now  de- 
stroyed. One  incident  about  this  ancient  house  will  perhaps  al- 
ways be  remembered.  When  Lewis  Morris  affixed  his  signature 
to  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  he  was  only  too  well  aware 
that,  anchored  within  easy  firing  distance  of  his  splendid  man 
sion,  were  the  hostile  warships  of  the  British  fleet,  ready  at  any 
moment  to  begin  the  work  of  destruction.  But  sign  he  did. 
and  the  British  did  not  see  their  way  clear  to  reducing  his  house 
to  a  mass  of  ruins. 

How  many  are  there  of  us  who  know  that  Morrisania — the 
Morrisania  of  the  Morrises,  and  afterwards  styled  "Old  Mor- 
risania— cante  within  an  ace  of  being  chosen  as  the  all-important 
Capital  of  America?  About  1790  a  petition  was  forwarded  by 
Lewis    Morris    to    Congress,    urging    in    very    strong    terms    the 


34 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


selection  of  Morrisania  as  a  seat  for  the  new  American  govern- 
ment. Among  the  other  advantages  it  was  stated  that  "there 
were  more  fighting  men  within  a  sweep  of  thirty  miles  around 
Morrisania  than  perhaps  within  the  same  distance  around  any 
other  place  in  America.  Persons  emaciated  by  sickness  and 
disease,"  it  said,  "there  shortly  recover  and  are  speedily  rein- 
stated in  health  and  vigor."  And  lastly:  "Other  places  contain 
many  negro  inhabitants,  who  not  only  do  not  fight  themselves,  but 
by  keeping  their  masters  at  home,  prevent  them  from  fighting 
also." 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  hard-hearted  Congress  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  these  pleadings,  choosing  another  site  nearer  the 
waters  of  the  Potomac.  But  we  of  the  Bronx  cannot  help  think- 
ing how  nice  it  would  read  : 

"Morrisania  on  the  Harlem,  the  Capital  of  America." 

The  title  to  Morrisania  is  most  interesting,  but  perhaps  more 
so  to  lawyers  than  to  the  world  at  large.  A  few  of  the  most 
salient  points,  however,  may  be  quoted : 

"William,  or  Wilhelm  Kieft,  Dutch  Governor,  by  patent  dated 
October  20,  1644,  granted  to  Arent  Van  Curlear,  tlie  land  form- 
erly in  the  tenure  of  Jonas  Bronk-K,  called  by  the  Indians 
Ranachque,  and  by  the  English  Bronckx  Land,  lying  on  the 
Main  to  the  East,  and  over  against  Harlem  town,  near  Hell 
Gate  and  a  greater  creek  or  river  which  divides  it  from  Man- 
hattan's Island,  containing  about  500  acres  or  250  morgens  of 
land." 

.Many    deeds    follow,    one    of    which    is    in    Dutch,    all    b.'ing 


formerly  in  tlic  possession  of  the  late  Gouverneur  Morris.  Sam- 
uel Edsall  and  wife  convey  the  same  premises  on  June  4,  1668, 
for  140  pounds,  to  Richard  Morris.  Lewis  Morris  remained  in 
possession  of  the  premises  until  1673,  when,  the  Dutch  taking  the 
place,  his  family  was  forced  to  leave  the  land.  In  1674  the  place 
was  surrendered  and  Colonel  Lewis  Morris  took  possession  again. 

On  February  7,  1684,  six  Indians  signed  a  deed  of  confirma- 
tion, in  I  be  presence  of  six  witnesses,  of  the  same  premises  to 
Colonel  Morris.  This  was  also  in  the  possession  of  Gouver- 
neur Morris. 

"Morrisania  remained  but  sparsely  settled  for  years,"  says 
an  early  writer.  "During  the  Revolution  its  forests  formed 
secure  hiding  places  for  the  Loyalist  refugees,  and  its  thick 
coverts  abounded  in  wolves.  It  remained  in  the  family  of  its 
ancient  owners  until  the  first  advent  to  its  fields  in  1848.  An 
association  then  purchased  200  acres  of  its  northern  part  and 
liegan  a  village.  At  that  time  there  were  but  three  houses  on 
the  purchase.  At  first  it  was  called  the  New  Village,  but  as  it 
grew  it  assumed  the  name  of  Morrisania.  while  Bronck"s  origi- 
nal  property  was  known   as   "Old   Morrisania." 

Only  a  short  time  ago  Mrs.  Augusta  Morris  de  Peyster  and 
.\ugustus  Newbold  Morris  sold  a  portion  of  the  old  Fleetwood 
Park  Race  Course,  a  section  that  has  been  in  the  possession  of 
the  Morris  family  since  1668,  the  conveyance  at  that  time  repre- 
senting an  adjustment  of  the  English  grant,  the  Dutch  grant  and 
pii   Indian   deed. 


patriotic  Celebration  at  the  Gouverneur  Morris  Mansion,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Reception  of  the  Liberty  Bell  from  Faneuil  Ha!l 


CHAPTER  XIII 


MORRISANIA  VILLAGE 


The  One  House  that  Dates  from  the  Period  when  Morrisania   Was  Bought — The  Old  Stone  Gate  House  and 

the    Jennings  Old  Homestead —Anecdotes     The   "Huckleberry  Road" — The  Old  Stages — Tfce 

Wm.  H.  Morris  Mansion     The  Morris  Farm  House     The  Georgi  House — The  Mott 

House — Other  Old  Houses—  Robert  Bonner's  Advertisement     The  Old  Spy  House 


Passing  to  a  later  date.  1848.  Gouverneur  Morris  the  Second 
divided  up  a  portion  of  his  vast  estate,  offering  it  for  sale  in  lots 
of  an  acre  each.  He  wished  to  form  an  ideal  village.  At  pres- 
ent there  is  but  one  house  known  to  be  standing  in  all  the  200 
acres  that  was  in  existence  when  Morris  was  interviewed  by  the 
men  who  wished  a  suburban  Eden  for  a  home. 

It  is  a  small,  square  stone  structure,  evidently  a  farm  build- 
ing on  the  Morris  farm,  just  west  of  Third  Avenue,  below  167th 
Street.  I  have  been  told  that  it  was  originally  a  gate  house  to 
the  William  H.  Morris  mansion,  and  probably  built  in  1816,  or 
earlier,  when  Fordham  Avenue  was  the  most  prominent  artery 
of  travel  in  this  neighborhood.  It  has  but  one  room  on  each 
floor,  each  with  two  windows,  fronting  towards  the  south,  now 
closed  by  the  erection  of  a  shed  on  that  side.  The  laths  are  of 
oak,  hand-hewn,  curiosities  in  themselves.  A  second,  recently 
torn  down,  was  an  ancient  stone  house,  covered  with  brown 
stucco  on  the  front,  standing  on  the  west  side  of  Boston  Road, 
south  of  Jefferson  Place.  Its  proper  title  was  the  Jennings  Old 
Homestead,  although  it  was  also  styled  the  Drovers'  Inn  and  the 
Old  Stone  Jug.  The  Jennings  family  has  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  the  War  of  1812,  the  Mexican  and  the  Civil  Wars. 
.Mr.  Jennings  himself  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Morrisania. 
The  old  h(.use  was  one  of  this  locality's  most  ancient  landmarks. 


Old  Stone  Gate  House,  Morrisania 

as.serted  tu  be  over  150  years  old.  At  one  time  it  was  occupied 
by  memb.^rs  of  the  De  Lancey  family,  while  in  the  rear  the  great 
barn  has  also  recently  been  demolished,  with  its  massive  b-ind- 
hewn  beams,  and  shingles  twenty-eight  inches  long.  I  have  had 
given  me  one  of  the  hinges  of  the  barn  doors,  thirty-one  inches 


long,    weighing    eight    pounds,    and    containing   five    great    hand- 
forged  spikes,  the  largest  I  have  ever  seen. 

In  examining  the  Jennings  old  homestead,  I  discovered  that 
there  were  several  doors  and  windows,  one  arch-shaped,  on  the 
side,  showing  that  it  must  have  once  stood  by  itself,  with  these. 


Jennin}i;s'  Old  Homestead     (Old  Stone  Jug) 

openings  leading  to  the  open  air.  The  greater  part  of  the  lath- 
are  hand-hewn,  and  in  one  place  is  a  most  curious  stat^  of 
affairs — the  stone  walls  are  papered  and  at  some  later  date  they 
put  up  cleats  and  laths  and  paper  directly  over  the  original  paofv. 

An  old  resident  of  this  time-worn  abode  told  me:  "About 
1841  we  moved  to  the  Drover's  Inn,  living  in  it  many  year* 
■|"hat  was  seven  years  before  'Morrisania'  came  into  existence. 
Way  up  in  the  garret  there  were  lots  of  bullet  holes,  which  musf 
have  been  made  during  the  Revolution,  for  1  have  no  idea  h'jw 
long  ago  it  was  built.  Come' to  think  of  it,"  she  added,  laugh- 
ing, "1  am  not  sure  whether  those  were  bullet  holes  or  bnmbU- 
bee  holes.     They  looked  as  if  they  might  have  been  either." 

Morrisania — for  a  long  time  called  the  "New  Village,  e\en 
on  the  time  tables  of  the  Harlem  Railroad — possessed  at  lli:it 
period  all  the  delights  of  the  true  country.  We  are  told  that 
there  were  fire-flies  of  inunense  size  that  would  flit  through  thf 
air  of  a  summer  night,  of  which  the  glare  of  the  old-time  street 
lamps  was  but  a  feeble  imitation.  An  Irishman  met  rmc  of  the 
Morrisania  turtles  out  for  a  stroll,  and  announced  that  he  had 
just  seen  "a  strange  animal  with  a  saddle  on  his  back,  that  swal- 
lowed his  head  with  his  mouth." 

Both  Harlem  and  New  Haven  trains  used  to  dash  along 
at  a  fearful  rate  of  speed,  regardless  of  life  and  limb,  so  that 
Morrisania  soon  became  well  known  for  its  long  list  of  railroad 


PRONG-HORNED   ANTELOPE. 


COFVKICHT,    1900,    BY   THE   NEW    VOKK    ZUUUIGICAL   SOCIETY. 

YOUNG    FEMALE   WOODLAND   CARIBOU. 

SPECIMENS  OF  ANIMALS  IN  THE  BRONX  ZOO 


AT  HIS  NOON-PAY  MEAL. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


3? 


disasters.  One  peculiar  accident  may  be  mentioned,  fortunately 
not  fatal.  Two  trains  were  approaching  in  opposite  directions, 
when  a  village  farmer  tried  to  drive  a  big  herd  of  cows  acres'! 
the  tracks.  Nothing  could  persuade  the  cows  to  hurry.  Crash 
went  both  trains  into  the  drove!  Result:  "Nine  cows  killed, 
eleven  cars  wrecked  and  piled  up  in  a  manner  that  beggars  de- 
scription, and  that  could  not  have  been  done  by  all  the  mechanics 
in  the  universe !" 

One  of  the  curiosities  of  Morrisania  was  the  "Huckleberry 
Road,"  an  ancient  horse  railway  that  in  1892  became  the  more 
modern  and  ever  extending  Union  Railway.  Old  residents 
are  never  tired  of  telling  of  the  peculiar  experiences  they  went 
through  in  "Huckleberry"  times.  Getting  out  in  the  mud  on  a 
dark  night  to  help  lift  the  car  on  the  track  was  looked  upon  as 
a  common  experience.  One  man  told  me  that  when  the  car 
unexpectedly  stopped,  the  passengers  got  out  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  and  found  that  the  horse  had  fallen  down  in  the  water 
between  the  tracks,  which  was  deep  enough  to  drown  him !  In 
winter  they  would  put  straw  in  the  cars  as  the  best  method  of 
keeping  the  passengers'  feet  warm. 

Previous  to  the  advent  of  the  horse  car  a  great,  lumbering 
stage  coach  would  creep  slowly  along  to  Harlem  Bridge,  where 
travelers  would  take  either  the  Third  Avenue  horse-cars  or 
steamboats  to  carry  them  down  town.  One  instance  is  related 
of  this  stage.  While  passing  the  house  of  an  old  resident,  the 
servant  came  rushing  out,  crying:  "Please  wait  a  few  minutes. 
Mr.  Blank  is  just  finishing  shaving  and  wants  to  go  down  town." 
And  the  stage  waited. 

The  multitudes  of  apartments  that  are  springing  up  on  all 
sides  are  leaving  but  little  of  old  Morrisania  itself.  On  the  high 
ground  wes^  of  Webster  Avenue  still  stands  the  great  square 
mansion  of  William  H.  Morris,  erected  in  1816.  Just  to  the 
east  is  a  smaller  stone  erection  said  to  have  been  a  school  house. 
Almost  on  the  same  sites  stood  the  old  wooden  house,  built  by 
James  Morris,  with  dormer  windows,  whose  date  was  about 
1795,  while  a  short  distance  to  the  west  is  one  of  the  quaintest 


Wm.  H.  Morris  Mansion,  Morrisania 

of   Structures,    the    Morris    farm    house,    built    about    1792.     The 
caretaker  of  the  large  mansion  told  me  that  ever  since  an  occa 
sion  when  burglars  broke  into  it,  there  has  been  an  underground 
communication  between  the  two,   to  be  used   in  case  of  sudden 
emergency. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  "New  Village"  was  sold  by  Gouver- 
neur  Morris  the  Second  to  a  company  of  prospectors  for  about 
$34,600.  Of  the  original  200  acres  purchased,  forty-three  were 
taken  for  streets  and  avenues,  the  remainder  being  divided  into 
167  lots  of  one  acre  each,  thus  averaging  about  ten  dollars  for 


each  city  lot.     Quite  a  difference  from  to-day's  prices,  but  fifty- 
seven  years  have  wrought  miracles. 

What  was  known  as  the  old  Georgi  house,  that  stood  on  the 
Morris  farm  before  it  was  divided  into  acre  plots,  was  located 
just  west  of  Fordham  (Third)  Avenue  between  l62d  and  l53d 
Streets.  I  just  remember  seeing  it  partially  burned  when  it 
faced  oil  163d  Street  or  old  First  Street.  Afterwards  it  was 
moved  so  as  to  front  on  l62d  Street.  Originally  it  was  used  as 
a  hotel,  facing  the  old  race  track  of  the  Morrises,  traces  of 
which  were  visible  in  1849.  About  seven  years  ago  it  was  torn 
down  to  r.iake  room  for  a  row  of  gigantic  apartment  houses. 


Morris  Farm  House 

Another  old  house,  the  fifth  to  be  built  in  the  Village  of 
Morrisania,  just  south  of  the  Georgi  house,  was  erected  by  th» 
late  De  Witt  C.  Mott.  Formerly  standing  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Third  (Fordham)  Avenue  and  i62d  Street  (Union 
Place),  irs  situation,  far  below  the  present  level  of  the  avenue, 
showed  v/hat  the  early  grade  used  to  be.  It  used  to  stand  on 
"Lot  No.  2  of  the  Village  of  Morrisania"  and  has  since  been 
moved  around  the  corner  and  now  fronts  on  i62d  Street,  sti.U 
being  occupied  by  Mr.  Mott's  son,  Frank  P.  Mott,  Superintend- 
ent of  Station  R.,  N.  Y.  P.  O.,  who  has  lived  there  for  fif^y-six 
years. 

On  "Lot  No.  I,"  a  great  change  has  taken  place.  The  new 
Court  House  is  taking  the  place  of  the  ancient  "Hammer's 
Hotel,"  a  typical  country  tavern  half  a  century  ago,  with  its  old 
porch  in  fiont  for  guests  to  sit  and  rest  in  old-fashioned,  hard- 
seated  chairs.  To  the  west  of  this,  beyond  what  was  known  as 
the  "Dry  Bridge,"  stood  the  old  "Town  Hall,"  although  south 
of  the  true  limits  of  Morrisania.  It  has  recently  been  torn 
down  and  a  new  police  station  has  been  erected  on  the  site. 

Almost  opposite,  the  De  Graaf  or  IngersoU  residence,  built 
about  fifty  years  ago,  stands  on  the  lofty  heights  of  Grove  Hill. 
From  its  roof  the  whole  surrounding  country  could  be  seen, 
including  the  famous  Crystal  Palace  in  the  far  distant  Forty- 
second  Street.  On  the  north  side  of  163d  Street  the  Schnorer 
Club  House  is  a  conspicuous  landmark,  built  in  the  early  fifties. 
It  was  formerly  the  handsome  residence  of  George  Hand,  and 
afterwards  the  home  of  Judge  Welsh. 

In  the  rural  district  of  West  Morrisania,  the  well  known 
Robert  Bonner,  proprietor  of  the  "New  York  Ledger,"  had  his 
home,  and  in  his  barns  was  stabled  the  famous  racer  "Dexter." 
Mr.  Bonner,  however,  did  not  fancy  the  location,  and  so  he 
offered  the  place  for  sale,  sending  an  advertisement  to  the  "New 
York  Sun."  Mr.  Dana,  the  editor,  replied  that  he  could  not 
print  it  on  his  advertising  pages,  but  would  like  to  use  it  in  his 


38 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUCJH 


editorial  columns,  and  pay  well  for  it,  too.  It  ran  in  part  as 
follows  : 

"I  h'.-reby  offer  for  sale  my  country  seat  at  West  Morrisania, 
where  I  have  lived  for  the  last  three  summers  and  do  not  think 
I  can  live  much  longer.  Now.  I  offer  for  sale  a  real  curiosity — 
somethin.?  rare — the  exact  spot  where  fever  and  ague  may  be 
found.  I  warrant  it  to  be  there.  Three  of  my  children  have  it. 
my  gardener  has  it,  my  groom  has  the  sure  symptoms,  and  I 
have  a  sufficient  inkling  of  it  myself.  Besides  the  fever  and 
ague,  the  estate  consists  of  a  fine  double  house  surrounded  by 
trees.  These  trees  furnish  a  fine  harbor  for  mosquitoes  that  do 
not  seem  sufficiently  affected  by  the  fever  and  ague  to  prevent 
their  biting.  I  bought  it  to  please  my  wife;  I  leave  it  to  please 
the  whole  family.  Terms  cash.  I  am  afraid  any  security  on  it 
would  get  the  fever  and  ague  and  become  shaky.  I  want  to  get 
away  as  fast  as  De.xter  can  carry  me.  P.  S. — The  town  authori- 
ties are  making  alterations  in  the  street  adjoining.  If  they  drain 
the  place  as  well  as  they  do  the  pockets  of  the  landholders,  it 
may  become  healthy !" 

A  little  north  of  the  limits  of  Morrisania  Village,  on  the 
westerly  side  of  Boston  Road,  opposite  Bristow  Street,  stood  an 
old  house,  the  wing  to  which  was  attached  when  the  thorough- 
fare was  widened.  This  wing  formerly  stood  on  the  other  side 
of  Boston  Road,  just  this  side  of  the  Southern  Boulevard,  and 
is    said   to   have   been   the   dwelling,   in   Revolutinnary   days,   of  a 


spy,  who  in  the  garb  of  a  British  peddler,  passed  at  will  acros= 
the  English  lines,  thus  gaining  valuable  information  to  the  .\mcri- 
can  cause.  A  short  distance  beyond,  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  Southern  Boulevard  and  the  Boston  Road,  is  still  to  be  seen 
another  ai.cient  home,  the  old  Hunt  house,  where  Washington 
IS  reported  to  have  passed  one  night,  evidently  in  close  confer- 
ence with  the  spy,  whose  identity  was  known  to  him  alone.  I 
was  recently  driving  near  by  with  an  old  resident  who  had  not 
been   in  the   district   for  years. 

"What  has  become  of  the  old  Spy  House?"  he  asked, 
anxiously,  as  we  passed  the  spot.  I  told  him  u  had  been  moved 
about   a  quarter  of  a   mile   further   south. 

"I  am  so  glad  it  is  still  in  existence,"  was  his  reply.  "I 
could  not  bear  to  think  of  anything  happening  to  my  friend  the 
old  Spy  House."  And  only  recently  this  old  landinark  has  been 
torn  down,  revealing  a  mass  of  hand-split  shingles  used  in  its 
construction. 

There  is  a  rumor  that,  when  the  early  residents  of  Morris- 
ania became  especially  elated  over  the  future  of  their  village,  the 
large  bull  frogs  in  the  marshes  on  the  west  side  of  the  railroad, 
would  seem  to  croak  out  loud:  "A  BIG  THING!  A  BIG 
THING!  A  BIG  THING!"  But  when  their  spirits  fell,  and 
some  of  the  settlers  threatened  to  return  to  the  city  in  disgust, 
once  mo/e  would  be  heard  the  voices  of  the  frogs,  saying:  "I 
UON'TSEEIT!     I  DON'T  SEE  IT!     I  DON'T  SEE  IT," 


Old  Lady  Washinjsrton  Engine   Coinpa 


Wailiington  Avenue 


CHAPTER  XIV 


CROTONA  PARK 

The  Indian  Pond — Old  Fordham  Avenue— The  Bathgate  Homestead — Fairmoont — The  Old  Shingle-Sided 

House— "The  Rush" 


For  many  years  this  part  of  the  Bathgate  estate  lay  in  its 
original  condition,  except  as  it  was  laid  out  into  meadows  or 
fields.  A  portion  was  known  as  the  "real  woods."  Its  155  acres 
were  accjuired  hy  the  city  as  a  public  park  and  since  then  it  lias 
been  one  of  the  prettiest  of  our  metropolis's  playgrounds.  'I'hc 
many  evidences  of  glacial  action,  the  interwinding  roads  and 
paths,  and  the  broad  meadows  so  suitable  for  athletic  sports  are 
to-day  the  rendezvous  of  multitudes.     The  well   known   "Indian 


Old  Third  Avenue 

Pond."  so  popular  both  in  summer  and  winter,  is  one  of  its 
chief  attractions.  At  the  lower  end  tlic  low  ground  has  been 
filled  in,  making  a  level  and  well  patronized  athletic  field. 

Just  beyond  the  western  boundary  extends  our  noisy,  bust- 
ling Third  Avenue,  once  a  quiet  farm  road  through  the  Morris 
estate.  On  the  westerly  side  of  this,  below  Wendover  Avenue, 
stood  the  white,  old-fashioned  Bathgate  homestead,  now 
having   yielded   to   the   usual   advance   of   city   flats.     It   is   said 


that  the  Wendover  Avenue  station — within  sight  of  which  Con- 
gressman Wendover  had  his  residence — was  placed  almost 
directly  at  their  duor  because  the   Bathgates   would  on  no  other 


^'-C- 


■^■'^^m'i 


i  ^  ©;.v.?i 


Bath}!;ate  Homestead 

condition  give  their  consent  to  the  construction  of  the  elevated 
road.  A  few  trees  of  the  old  Bathgate  apple  orchard  may  still 
be  seen,  but  this  is  the  only  trace  remaining  of  the  family,  sav- 
ing  two  houses  on  the  Boston   Road. 

On  the  old  maps  this  highway  is  styled  Fordham  Avenue. 
It  seems  indeed  a  great  pity  that  this  name  was  not  retained, 
as  Third  Avenue  is  a  sort  of  "sui  generis,"  being  the  only  num- 
bered avenue  corresponding  with  the  New  York  avenues  that 
we  find  in  the  Bronx. 

On  the  high  ground  north  of  Crotona  Park  lies  the  old 
village  of  Fairmount,  almost  as  it  used  to  be  fifty  years  ago, 
its  fine  old-fashioned  residences  being  "kissed  by  the  sun  long 
before  it  reaches  Fremont."  Just  north  of  Tremont  Avenue, 
about  where  Clinton  Avenue  is  cut  through,  stood  an  exceed- 
ingly old  house,  its  shingled  sides  betokening  its  great  age.  But, 
look  as  you  will,  no  trace  of  the  old  house  is  now  visible,  nor 
can  one  find  the  "Rush,"  once  a  well  known  skating  pond  on 
whose  smooth  surface  thousands  used  to  glide  in  the  crisp, 
frosty  weather. 


i  ->^<.y  "^  -^  B  '"-^  Ji.vv'aM.  J^'*.*~-   y 


JAMES    BUCKHOUT 


CHAPTER  XV 


WEST  FARMS  AND  THE  BRONX  RIVER 


West  Farms — The  Bronx  River — Anecdotes — The   Walker  Mansion— The   De  Lancey  Block  House — Uncle 
Daniel  Mapes'  Temperance  House— The  Old  Ford — The  Hassock  Meadow — Old  Patents 


Bronx  Park,  West  Farms  and  the  Bronx  River  are  so  closely 
interwoven  that  it  is  hard  to  dissociate  them,  one  from  the 
other. 

In  earlier  days  Boston   Road  did  not  enter  West  Farms  by 


One  wag  fitly  remarked,  a  nnmlier  of  years  ago,  that  he 
was  not  only  in  the  country,  but  in  the  sleepy  old  town  of  West 
Farms,  whose  inhabitants  had  been  stationary  for  a  hundred 
years,  never  forgetting  anything  and  never  learning  anything  new. 


-^; 


New  Beck  Memorial  Church,  West  Farms 

the  same   direct   route   that   is   used   now.     Just    beyond   the   car  Many  of  the  Morrisanians  were  declared  to  have  been  up  and  in 

barns  it  turned  to  the  north,  following  tlie   general   line  of  the  the   city  in  the  morning  and   at  th«ir  places   of  business  before 

present  Bryant  Street  until  Tremont  Avenue  was  reached,  when  those  drowsy  West  Farmers  had  done  yawning  after  their  first 

it  branched  to  the  right  towards  West  Farms  centre.  morning    nap !     Whenever    their    business    demanded    that    they 


42 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


bhoiild  go  to  West  Farms,  they  always  felt  a  sense  of  drowsi- 
ness come  over  them  on  their  return,  with  an  irresistible  desire 
to  go  to  bed.  Indeed  some  joker  has  ventured  to  say  that  Wash- 
ington Irving  really  wrote:  "West  Farms"  instead  of  "Sleepy 
Hollow"  in  his  tale  of  Rip  Van  Winkle,  and  that  the  substitu- 
tion of  "Sleepy  Hollow"  was  simply  a  mistake  of  the  printer ! 

After  many  windings,  the  River  Bronx  narrows  down  and 
passes  through  West  Farms.  Numerous  tales  are  told  about 
this  river,  which,  were  it  not  for  the  niill-dams,  would  be  noth- 
mg  but  a  narrow  silvery  stream.  The  poet  Coleridge  styles  it 
"the  noble  Bronx."  We  hear  of  an  order  commg  from  the 
British  War  Office,  directing  its  warships  to  proceed  at  once 
up  the  Bronx  and  attack  the  Yankee  ships  supposed  to  be  in 
hiding  above.  How  far  they  got  is  not  known,  for  a  tug  has 
difficulty,  even  at  high  tide,  in  reaching  West  Farms.  Another 
story  that  is  too  good  to  be  missed  is  the  report  that  an  Eng- 
glish  commander  sent  to  his  home  office  the  dispatch:  "We 
have  crossed  the  Bronx  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man  !"  Why, 
there  are  plenty  of  places  where  one  can  easily  ford  the  stream 
by  jumping  from  stone  to  stone! 

One  of  the  earliest  landmarks  of  West  Farms  was  the 
great  Walker  mansion,  north  of  the  West  Farms  public  school. 
It  is  now  destroyed,  but  in  its  prime  it  was  described  as  "an 
old-fashioned,  English-looking  place,  with  its  tall  shrubbery  of 
venerable  box  and  massive  hedge  rows."  Indeed  the  school 
house  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  apple  orchard  of  the  Walker 
family,  while  the  timbers  of  the  old  mansion  are  declared  to 
have  been  hewn  of  live  oak.  "In  front  still  stand,  in  towermg 
majesty,  the  two  finest  elms  that  Westchester  County  ever  pro- 
duced." Gone  is  the  old  house,  and  only  one  venerable  elm  is 
left,  now  reduced  to  a  bare  skeleton,  to  guard  the  spot  with 
jealous  care. 

There  was  a  British  block  house  about  on  the  site  of  the 
present  "Peabody  Home."  It  was  erected  by  Colonel  De  Lancey 
as  a  protection  for  his  outposts  at  Morrisania,  and  until  the 
unexpected  arrival  of  Aaron  Burr  with  an  efficient  force,  had 
withstood  all  attacks  of  the  Americans.  Though  but  tw-enty-one 
years  of  age  at  that  time.  Burr  was  appointed  by  Washington  and 
rendered  incalculable  service  in  suppressing  lawlessness  in  the 
Neutral  Ground.  At  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night  he  was 
on  hand,  accomplishing  wonders  in  his  line,  so  much  so  that 
Parton  wrote :  "The  effects  produced  were  magical.  Not  an- 
other house  was  plundered,  not  another  family  alarmed  while 
Colonel  Burr  commanded  in  the  Westchester  regions.  The  mys- 
tery and  swiftness  of  the  detection,  the  rigor  and  fairness  with 
which  the  marauders  were  treated,  overawed  the  men  whom 
three  campaigns  of  lawless  warfare  had  corrupted,  and  re- 
stored confidence  to  the  people  who  had  passed  their  lives  in  ter- 
ror." 

The  greatest  achievements  of  Colonel  Burr's  men  w'a> 
the  complete  annihilation  of  the  De  Lancey  Block  House  at 
West  Farms,  "a  feat  performed,  like  Wayne's  storming  of 
Stony  Point,  without  firing  a  musket."  At  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  Burr  arrived  with  his  followers,  sending  ahead  forty 
men,  "who  rushed  past  the  sentinels,  placed  the  ladders  against 
the  fort,  mounted  them,  hurled  the  combustibles  with  slow 
matches  attached  into  the  port-holes,  and  then  threw  the  hand- 
grenades  inside.  Almost  instantly  the  fort  was  on  fire,  and 
every  man,  except  a  few  who  escaped,  surrendered.  Not  an 
American  was  injured." 

Another  interesting  landmark  of  West  Farms  has  recently 
been  moved  to  a  new  locality.  This  was  the  original  buildmg 
of  the  Peabody  home,  on  the  easterly  side  of  Boston  Road  at 
the    corner    of    Clover    Street.     Its    small    windows    and    long 


piazzas  all  betokened  that  it  had  been  a  hostelry  in  by-gone 
days,  and  so  it  was — "Uncle  Daniel  Mapes'  Temperance  House." 
1    think.   Iinwever,    that    the    same    old   house   altered   and   com^ 


Uncle  Daniel  Mapes'  Temperance  House,  West  Farms 

plclely  changed  is  standing  a  few  blocks  to  the  west,  while 
a  fine  new  brick  building  has  been  erected  for  the  Peabody  Home. 

About  two  blocks  north,  Kingsbridge  Road  joins  Boston 
Road,  while  close  by  a  bridge  leads  across  the  Bronx  just  south 
of  the  falls.  How  many  are  there  crossing  the  span  at  Tre- 
mont  Avenue,  amid  the  confusion  of  trolley  cars,  who  realize 
that  this  bridge  near  Kingsbridge  Road  was  once  the  only  way 
to  reach  Westchester  and  points  beyond?  In  the  woods  south 
of  the  falls  can  be  traced  the  route  of  the  disused  roadway  that 
crossed  the  Bronx  by  ford  at  this  point.  In  other  words,  sup- 
pose we  lived  in  the  old,  old  times  on  Manhattan  Island  and 
wished  to  travel  to  Westchester,  we  should  have  to  journey  slow- 
ly up  the  whole  length  of  the  island,  cross  the  King's  Bridge  or 
perhaps  the  Farmer's  Bridge,  and  then  branch  southeast,  up 
Breakneck  Hill,  through  Fordham,  down  to  West  Farms,  and 
cross  the  Bronx  by  this  still  rural  lane  before  we  reached  our 
destination  ! 

Somewhat  to  the  west  of  the  old  village  of  West  Farms, 
and  south  of  the  present  Tremont  Avenue,  lay  the  historic 
"Hassock  Meadow,"  iiientioned  in  many  of  the  early  deeds.  By 
the  filling  in  of  the  new  Crotona  Parkway,  which  adjoins  the 
Southern  Boulevard  towards  the  east,  the  greater  part  of  this 
quaint   meadow  has   disappeared.     We  find  it  also  mentioned  as 


Johnson's  Tavern,   West  Farms 

one  of  the  boundaries  of  the  "West  Farms"  in  the  early  deed  of 
1664,  in  which  Edward  Jessup  and  John  Richardson,  two  of  this 
borough's   first    landed   proprietors,   purchased   from  the   Indians 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


43 


a  large  tract  uf  land,  afterwards  called  West  Farms,  and  de- 
scribed in  the  records  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at 
Albany  as  follows : 

"Westchester,  March  the  I2th,  1(104. 
"These  may  certify  whom  it  may  concern  that  wee,  Sli.AW- 
NEROCKETT.  WAPPAMOE,  TUCKORE,  WAWAPE- 
COCK,  CAPPAKAS.  QUANUSCOE,  SHEQUISKE,  PASSA- 
CHEM  and  HARRAVVOCKE  have  aliened  and  sold  unto  Edward 
Jessup  and  John  Richardson,  both  of  the  place  aforesaid,  a 
certain  tract  of  land,  honnded  on  the  east  by  the  River  Aque- 
hung  or  Bronckx,  to  tlie  midst  of  the  river ;  on  the  northward 
by  the  trees  markt  and  by  a  piece  of  Hassock  Meadow;  west- 
ward by  a  little  brook  called  Sackwrahung;  southward  by  the 
sea,  with  a  neck  of  land  called  Quinnahung,  with  all  the  mead- 
ows, uplands,  trees  and  whatsoever  else  besides  be  upon  ye  said 
.parcel  of  lands  ....  quietly  to  possess,  enjoy  the  same  from 
us  our  heires  and  successors  .  .  .  and  for  their  cattle  to  range 
in  the  Wood  so  Farre  as  they  please. 

"Wee    have    sett    to    our    hands,    the    day    and    yeare    above 
written. 

Wappamoe,  Shawnerockett, 

Wawapekock,  Tuckore, 

Shaquiske.  Passachem, 

Harrawocke,  Cappakkas. 

Quanuscoe, 
Signed  in  presence  of, 

Edward  Waters, 
Richard    Ponson, 
Nathan  Bayly. 
(Their  marks  were  set,  to.") 


Old  Spy  House  near  West  Farms 

In  order  to  make  matters  sure,  this  old  deed  was  two  years 
later  confirmed  by  two  patents,  obtained  by  Jessup  and  Richard- 
son, separately,  that  of  the  former,  secured  from  Governor 
Nichols,  reading  in  part  in  these  words : 

"Richard  Nichols,  Esq.,  Governor  under  his  Royal  High- 
nesse,  James,  Duke  of  York,  etc.,  to  all  his  Territoryes  in 
America,  To  all  whom  these  Presents  shall  come  Sendeth  Greet- 


Whereas  there  is  a  certaine  Parcell  or  Tract  of  Land  within 
this  Government  .  .  .  (here  follows  a  description,  in  which  the 
llasscock  Meadow  jilays  a  prominent  part)  .  .  .  Know  Yee  that 
by  venue  of  tlic  Commission  and  ."Kuthorily  given  unto  me  liy  his 
Royal  Highnesse,  the  Duke  of  Yorke,  1  have  thought  fitt  to  rati- 
fy Confirme  and  Grant  unto  Edward  Jessop  aforesaid  .  .  .  the 
Moyety  or  one  halfe  of  all  the  Woods.  Meadows,  Pastures  or 
Marshes  thereunto  belonging  .  .  . 

"Given  under  my  hand  and  Scale  at  Fort  James  in  New 
Yorke  the  25th  day  of  Aprill,  in  the  i8th  yeare  of  his  Majesties 
Reigne,  and  in  the  Veare  nf  ciur  Lord  God,  1666. 

RICHARD  NICHOLLS." 


Hassock  Meadow 

As  for  the  white  oak  tree,  "ye  corner  tree  of  Jessup  and 
Richardson,"  which  marked  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of 
the  Patent,  it  is  thought  to  have  stood  just  south  of  the  Home 
for  Incurables,  on  the  east  side  of  the  present  Third  Avenue, 
between  Tremont  and  Fordham.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  Indian 
deed  to  Lewis  Morris  and  marked  the  important  point  where 
the  three  patents  of  Morrisania,  Fordham  and  that  of  Jessup 
and  Richardson  joined.  On  an  old  map,  this  section  south  of 
the  Home  for  Incurables,  and  just  below  where  the  old  Quarry 
Road  climbed  up  the  steep  rocky  hill,  is  styled  the  "Oak  Tree 
Plot,"  showing  that  possibly  the  celebrated  oak  tree  stood  with- 
in its  limits. 

In  referring  to  the  "Hassock  Meadow,"  one  who  has  lived 
for  many  years  in  the  "West  Farms"  once  told  me :  "I  thought 
they  would  never  be  able  to  fill  in  Tremont  Avenue  through  this 
Hassock  Meadow,  as  load  after  load  disappeared  in  its  swampy 
grasp.  And  as  for  the  Hassocks,  there  they  are  to  this  day  so 
plentiful  that  I  told  some  one  that  he  had  better  kneel  down 
and  say  his  prayers  on  them  !" 

The  east  branch  of  the  Subway  terminates  abruptly  at  i8oth 
Street,  which  also  marks  the  southerly  point  of  Bronx  Park. 
About  this  neighborhood  are  grouped  a  number  of  highly  inter- 
esting sites  that  may  more  appropriately  be  described  under  the 
heading  of  Bronx  Park. 


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CHAPTER  XVI 


BRONX  PARK 


Dc  Lancey's  Mills— Lydig's  Mills— De  Lancey's  Pine— Johnson's  Tavern— The  Zoological  Park— Bronxdale— The 

Lofillard  Estate — The  Botanical  Gardens 


Tlie  very  first  striking  spectacle  tliat  greets  the  visitor  to 
this  charming  locahty  is  the  silvery  stream  that  dashes  over  the 
embankment  just  above  the  old  fording  pLace,  and  about  on  a 
line   with    i8ist   Street. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  river,  close  to  this  spot  were  all 
the  lands  of  the  famous  De  Lanceys,  the  mills  themselves  stand- 


Lydig's  Mills 

ing  nearly  opposite  the  foot  of  the  present  i8ist  Street.  No  re- 
mains of  them,  unfortunately,  are  now  visible,  as  they  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  the  flames  about  1845,  being  entirely  of  wood,  save  for  the 
foundations.  Even  the  stones  of  this  foundation  were  washed 
away  by  the  rush  of  water  when  the  dam  broke,  as  it  has  done 
several  times  since  the  fire.  De  Lancey's  Mills  were  comprised 
under  one  building,  and  have  been  described  as  both  a  "neigh- 
borhood" saw  and  grist  mill.  They  were  run  by  "overhead" 
water  power,  being  so  close  to  the  dam. 

On  the  other  or  west  side  of  the  river,  a  short  distance 
further  from  the  dam,  were  the  old  Lydig's  Mills.  The  build- 
ings were  constructed  about  a  year  after  the  fire  of  1845,  and  a 
little  further  down  the  stream  than  De  Lancey's  Mills.  This  re- 
quired a  race-way  to  bring  the  water  to  the  three  overhead 
water-wheels,  which  were  afterwards  replaced  in  part  by  tur- 
bine wheels.  When  this  property  was  taken  as  a  portion  of 
Bronx  Park  the  mills  were  torn  down,  but  the  foundations  still 
exist,  and  a  view  of  the  falls  through  the  archway — now  ruined — 
formed  one  of  the  prettiest  vistas  in  the  whole  of  Bronx   Park. 

Lydig's  Mills,  we  are  told,  formed  also  one  building,  and 
ground  grist  for  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  also  grain  brought 
from  the  then  distant  City  of  New  York  by  means  of  sloops  up 
the  Bronx  River. 

Although  both  De  Lancey's  and  Lydig's  Mills  have  vanish- 
ed, there  still  remains  one  relic  of  the  past,  close  to  the  site  of 
the  De  Lancey  mansion,  which  stood  on  tflie  east  shore  of  the 
Bronx  and  is  said  to  have  been  the  great  rendezvous  of  Loyal- 
ists living  in  the  region.     One  of  the  De  Lancey  family,   Peter 


by  name,  lived  at  West  Farms  and  became  known  by  the  title 
of  "Peter  of  the  Mills."  Among  his  sons  was  James,  high 
sheriff  from  1770  to  1/77,  and  the  famous  Colonel  of  the  West- 
chester Light  Horse,  also  known  as  "De  Lancey's  Horse"  that 
proved  such  a  terror  to  the  Americans  of  the  vicinity.  After 
the  Revolution,  when  the  patriots  reigned  supreme,  he  moved  to 
Nova  Scotia,  dying  there  as  a  refugee. 

Another  son  was  Oliver  De  Lancey,  also  of  West  Farms, 
a  lieutenant  in  the  English  Navy,  who  resigned  his  command 
sooner  than  fight  against  his  own  land,  and  after  returning  to 
this  country,  lived  the  rest  of  his  life  at  Westchester. 

The  famous  relic  of  the  past  to  which  we  have  just  referred, 
is  the  sturdy  De  Lancey  pine,  a  veritable  monarch  of  the  forest, 
towering  to  a  height  of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and 
quite  dwarfing  all  its  surrounding  brothers.  To  all  appear- 
ances it  is  almost  as  robust  and  strong  as  when,  in  the  days 
long  gone  by.  Colonel  De  Lancey  built  under  the  very  shadow 
of  its  immense  branches  that  elegant  mansion  of  his,  now  long 
since  razed  to  the  ground. 


Dc  Lancey's  Pine 

One  single  glance  .U  the  De  Lancey  pine  seems  to  carry  one 
back  to  the  woodland  days  when  the  surrounding  forests  were 
full  of  wild  beast.s.  Once  again  is  this  magnificent  tree  a  neigh- 
bor to  the  savage  cries  of  animals,  only  this  time  they  come  from 
the  New  York  Zoological  Park,  and  the  noises  are  rapidly  becom- 


46 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


ing  more  varied  and  much  louder  than  ever  they  were  in  early 
days.  When  all  other  animals  are  silent,  the  peculiar  and 
penetrating  cry  of  the  sea-lion  re-echoes  through  the  woods. 

"Where  gentle  Bronx  clear  winding  Hows 

The  shady  banks  between ; 
Where  blossomed  bell  or  wilding  rose 

Adorns  the  brightest  green ; 
Memorial  of  the  fallen  great, 

The  rich  and  honored  line. 
Stands   high  in   solitary  state, 

De  Lancey's  Ancient   Pine. 

"There  once  at  early  dawn  arrayed, 

The  rural   sports  to  lead. 
The  gallant  master  of  the  glade 

Bedecked  his  eager  steed. 
And  once  the  lightfoot  maiden  came, 

In   loveliness   divine, 
To  sculpture   with  the  dearest   name 

De  Lancey's  Ancient   Pine. 

"But  now  the  stranger's  foot  explores 

De  Lancey's  wide  domain. 
And  scarce  one  kindred  heart  restores 

His  memory  to  the  plain. 
And  just  like  one,  in  age  alone. 

The  last  of  all  his  line, 
Bends  sadly  where  the  waters  moan, 

De   Lancey's    Ancient    Pine." 

Almost  directly  opposite  De  Lancey's  Pine  stood  until  re- 
cently, a  quaint  old  building,  on  the  east  side  of  Boston  Road  at 
its  intersection  with  Kingsbridge  Road.  This  was  Johnson's 
Tavern,  -m  inn  of  olden  times,  where  both  man  and  beast  were 
wont  to  be  refreshed,  it  being  the  last  place  where  the  stage- 
coach changed  horses  on  its  way  from  Boston  to  New  York. 
"The  Mill"  seems  to  haye  been  the  best  customer  of  all,  for  it 
was  apparently  the  practice  for  the  millers  to  furnish  their  em- 
ployees with  stimulants  gratis,  in  order  to  secure  their  best  ser- 
vices. 

Here  i."^  a  bona-fide  extract,  quaint  spelling  and  all,  from  the 
old   tavern  ledger: 

S  E  T  H    R  A  M  O  N  D'  S    DAY    BOOK. 
At  the  Old  Tavern  at   West   I-'arms. 

.\pril    1815.  £   s  d 

John  Embrie,   to   i    Gug o  o  6 

James    Hill,    to    i    lb    shugar o  i  3 

Elvin    Doty,    to    sider o  o  9 

Hugh    Wallace,    to    ^-2    lb    Candals o  i  o 

Philip   Hunt,   to   I    Gil   Gin o  o  6 

To   Paper   Mill,   One   Quart   Spirits o  2  6 

James    Briggs,    to    String o  i  o 

John  Strech,  to  Yz  pt  gin,  2  loafes o  2  9 

John  Lounsbury,  to   i    Oz  Tobaco o  o  3 

Hugh   Wallis,   to    i   lb   Ghees o  i  4 

James  Stone,  I  Qt  Eggcider o  i  6 

To    the    Mill,    i    Qt    Gin 030 

The   Mil,   to   i   Qut  Gin 030 

John   Embrie,   to    i    Teapot. .  . .' o  2  6 

Do  I    Qt   Eggcider o  i  3 

Do  I    Gil    Sp 006 

Do  I    Qt.    Sp 026 


Above  "Johnson's  Tavern"  the  River  Bronx  widens  into  a 
genuine  lake,  and  is  a  famous  place  both  for  boating  in  the 
gentle  summer  days  and  for  skating  when  the  ice  has  reached  the 
regulation  four  inches.  Nearly  half  a  mile  above  the  falls  is  still 
plainly  to  be  seen  the  spot  where  the  roadway  in  days  of  yore 
turned  to  the  right  down  to  the  water's  edge,  there  to  be  met  by 
a  corresponding  road  on  the  other  side.  Here  was  the  ancient 
fording  place,  and  the  houses  that  once  stood  inside  the  park 
limits  of  Bronxdale,  formerly  fronting  on  the  old  highway  lead- 
ing from  the  ford,  used  afterwards  to  stand  with  their  backs  to 
Boston  Road,  and  the  effort  to  make  a  front  out  of  a  rear 
prospect  often  resulted  in  the  most  striking  effects. 

The  New  York  Zoological  Park  has  only  to  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated.  It  is  located  in  what  was  the  old  Lydig  estate, 
and  many  thanks  are  due  to  the  Lydigs  for  their  thouglitfulness 
in  leaving  the  great  forest  trees  that  add  so  much  to  its  pictur- 
esqueness  and  beauty.  Before  the  Zoological  Park  was  laid  out, 
I  have  often  driven  through  these  dense  woods,  following  noth- 
ing but  a  scracely  perceptible  trail.  When  the  snows  fell,  and  I 
had  to  rely  on  the  trees  themselves  as  guides,  urging  the  horse 
over  the  hard  crust,  I  felt  that  I  must  indeed  be  miles  and  miles 
away  from  New  Y'ork  City's  sights  and  sounds. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  to  describe  the  animals ;  the  crowds 
that  visit  the  park  are  best  qualified  to  do  that,  from  the  huge 
Kadiak  bear  of  Alaska  down  to  the  diminutive  prairie  dogs 
whose  tiny  heads  appear  at  the  entrance  of  their  burrows,  looking 
every  way  to  scent  any  possible  danger. 

If  we  follow  up  the  Boston  Road,  above  the  ancient  fording 
place,  a  few  steps  will  bring  us  to  one  of  the  glacial  curiosities,  a 
round  hole  worn  in  the  solid  rock  by  the  ice  as  it  passed,  cen- 
turies ago,  over  this  region.  Descending  the  hill,  over  the  bridge 
across  the  Bron.x,  from  which  one  of  the  loveliest  prospects  of  the 
river  can  be  obtained,  one  comes  to  the  old-fashioned  hamlet  of 
Bronxdale.  This  unique  settlement  was  styled  "The  Bleach" 
as  the  Boltons  had  extensive  bleacheries  there,  which  were  re- 
moved to  West  Farms  after  the  city  stepped  in  and  bought  the 
property  for  a  park.  Old  Mr.  Bolton  was  entitled  "the  Patriarch 
of  the  Bleach,"  and  there  were  many  quaint  cottages  built  in  the 
English  fa.shion  and  populated  "with  its  curious  stock  of  Lan 
cashire  folk."  One  of  tliese,  with  its  low  sloping  roof  and 
whitened  walls,  standing  at  the  intersection  of  Pelham  Parkway 
and  Snuff  Mill  Lane,  reminds  the  spectator  quite  forcibly  of  the 
lower  town  of  old  Quebec. 

Gone  are  all  the  Bleach  Mills  and  the  queer  houses  that 
sheltered  their  employees.  In  the  mind's  eye,  one  can  see  the 
pleasing  image  made  by  their  picturesque  appearance  and  tall, 
tapering  chimneys,  mirrored  in  the  clear  waters  of  the  Bronx. 
The  solid  old  Bolton  homestead,  once  standing  on  a  lane  of  its 
own,  just  south  of  Pelham  Parkway,  was  aljout  two  years  ago 
razed  to  the  ground.  .\  very  large,  thirty-room  gray  stone 
house,  erected  by  James  Bolton,  the  "Patriarch,"  in  1820,  it  was 
so  well  built  that  dynamite  was  actually  required  to  destroy  it. 
Several  jf  the  tiny,  diamond-shaped  beveled-glass  window  panes 
were  still  in  the  house  at  the  time  of  its  destruction,  and  it 
seems  a  great  pity  that  such  a  substantial  building  could  not 
have  been  preserved  as  city  property. 

Bronx  Park,  properly  speaking,  consists  of  but  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  Y'et  the  official  statement  is  that  it  comprises 
661  acres.  This  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  lie  between  the  Zoological  Park  and  the  Botani- 
cal Garden,  and  are  reserved  strictly  and  entirely  for  park  pur- 
poses. 

The  magnificent  Lorillard  estate  might  indeed  deserve  a 
whole  chapter,  but  we  can  spare  but  a  few  word^  for  it.     When 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


47 


old  Pierre  Lorillard  built  his  great  stone  mansion,  now  used  as 
the  Forly-first  Precinct  Police  Station,  and  shortly  to  be  given 
up  to  the  uses  of  those  connected  with  the  park,  he  certainly 
"builded  better  than  he  knew."  I  have  been  all  over  the  great 
house,  then  deserted,  and  have  admired  the  elegant  but  plain 
style   that   characterizes   the   Lorillard   buildings.     Some    say   the 


Lorillard  Snuft  M.ll.  Bronx  Park 

house  has  sixty  rooms,  others  assert  that  it  contains  ninety. 
From  a  careful  outside  scrutiny  of  all  its  various  extensions  and 
wings,  one  might  easily  think  the  latter  estimate  correct. 

A  little  to  the  southeast  are  the  Lorillard  private  stables,  in 
appearance  far  more  resembling  a  picturesque  chapel  than  a 
stable.  Old  Mr.  Lorillard's  famous  "Acre  of  Roses,"  with 
whose  fragrant  petals  he  used  to  perfume  his  snuff,  has  been 
transformed  into  the  beautiful  "Old  Fashioned  Flower  Garden." 
with  its  glittering  green  houses  and  brilliant  blossoms,  its  nar- 
row roads  and  artistic  stone  grottos.  This  lovely  nook  is  one  of 
the  gems  of  the  Botanical  Gardens. 

South  of  this  we  come  to  the  famous  Lorillard  Snuff  Mill, 
with  its  thick  stone  walls,  standing  on  the  very  brink  of  the 
river.  It  is  now  a  general  store  house  and  work  shop  for  the 
Park  Department,  but  when  I  visited  it  a  few  years  ago,  the  old 
water  wheels  and  other  machinery  were  still  in  distinct  evidence. 
Still  south  of  this  stood  another  older  wooden  mill  with  a  tall 
chimney,  now  destroyed.  A  splendid  macadamized  road  leads 
northward  from  tTiis  old  Snuff  Mill,  close  to  the  river's  bank. 
This  tine  roadway  is  built  directly  over  the  long  sluiceway  that 
in  times  past  led  the  waters  to  the  mill  and  enabled  Mr.  Lorillard 
to  gain  fame  and  fortune  out  of  his  investment.  Evidently  this 
romantic  place  was  once  used  for  rowing,  as  I  have  seen  the 
remains  of  steps,  probably  used  to  descend  to  row-boats  when 
the   estate   was   in   its   glory. 

Following  this  road  you  hear  the  distant  rumble  of  the 
"Lorillard  Falls,"  after  you  have  passed  through  perhaps  the 
most  picturesque  portion  of  the  whole  park — the  "Gorge."  Here 
the  Bronx  River  dashes  through  a  narrow,  rock-bound  chasm, 
the  walls  of  which  tower  in  some  places  to  the  height  of  nearly  one 
hundred  feet.  At  the  northern  end,  almost  feeling  the  dash 
of  the  spray  from  the  falls,  stood  what  was  called  the  "Studio." 
a  most  romantic  little  building,  with  Gothic  windows,  set  with 
diamond-shaped  panes.     A  studio  it  might  indeed  have  been,  and 


none  could  have  been  more  delightfully  located,  but  from  the  large 
tanks  contained  in  its  basement  and  from  its  vicinity  to  the 
water,  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  to  have  more  likely  been  a 
picturesque  laundry.  I  took  a  photograph  of  it  one  afternoon 
and  as  it  was  before  the  bridge  was  built  and  also  while  there 
was  a  sluiceway  on  the  easterly  shore,  I  was  obliged  to  scramble 
down  the  steep  rocks  of  the  "Gorge,"  and  have  the  camera 
lowered  to  me  afterwards.  But  when  they  destroyed  this  beauti- 
ful  "Studio"  I  felt  as  if  my  labors  had  not  been  in  vain. 

High  above  the  falls,  on  the  west  shore  of  the  river,  and 
covering  a  large  area,  is  the  great  Forest  Congress  known  as 
"The  Hemlocks."  One  is  instantly  struck  with  the  want  of 
underbush,  so  prevalent  in  these  woods  in  general.  But  this 
serves  only  to  make  "The  Hemlocks"  more  beautiful.  In  sum- 
mer they  are  grand ;  hardly  a  ray  of  sunshine  can  penetrate 
through  the  dense  mass  of  branches.  But  in  winter,  when  the 
snow  lies  deep  on  the  ground  and  clings  to  each  individual  twig, 
often  weighing  the  lower  ones  to  the  ground,  the  effect  is  in 
deed  wonderful.  Woe  betide  the  unhappy  person  that  happens 
lo  be  underneath  when  a  sudden  wind  shakes  the  branches.  He 
is  apt  to  emerge  from  "The  Hemlocks"  looking  for  all  the 
world  like  a  perfect  snow  man. 

You  are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  beautiful  Botanical  Gar- 
dens. Passing  through  the  many  trails  that  the  Lorillards  laid 
out  through  this  entrancing  wilderness,  and  following  the  ser- 
pentine "Beaver  Swamp  Road,"  one  comes  to  the  magnificent 
Botanical  Museum,  with  its  splendid  approach,  built  of  snow 
white  stone.  A  little  below  this  rise  the  charming  crystal  domes 
of  the  "Glass  House,"  with  its  wealth  of  palms.  An  idea  of 
the  size  of  this  building  may  be  obtained  when  we  realize  that 
the  total   floor  area  is  nearly  one  acre.     Its  length  reaches  over 


Lorillard  Studio,  Bronx  Park 

five   hundred   feet,   while   the   great   central   dome   is  over  eighty 
feet   high.     Taken  all   in  all,   it   is   a   veritable   glimpse  of   fairy 
land,  especially  so  when  the  sun   is  redecled   from   the  polislied 
glass  surfaces,  and  shining  roofs. 

They  are  building  a  bridge  just  beyond  the  lake  thai  lies 
east  of  "The  Hemlocks"  and  north  of  that  romantic  path  on  the 
east  shore  of  the  Bronx,  known  very  fitly  as  "Lovers'  Lane." 
Above  h;re  a  densely  shaded  roadway  leads  through  the  upper 
part  of  the  park,  past  a  second  new  bridge,  to  Williamsbridge. 


^^ 


CHAPTER  XVII 


THE  BRONX  ABOVE  BRONX  PARK 


Source  of  the  Bronx — The  "Hermitage" — "Washington's  Gun  House — Indian  Rock — Valentine  Farm  House — 

Woodlawn  Cemetery — Adelina  Patti's  House 


"More  artists  yet?  More  writers  yet?  Even  so,  oh,  Bronx 
the  long  suffering!  How  many  of  the  trihe  have  already  come 
unto  you  and  sketched  you  and  painted  you  in  oils  and  water 
colors,  and  written  poems  and  rhapsodies  upon  you?  Better 
count  the  brown  leaves  on  the  floor  of  the  hemlock  grove  or  the 
bubbles  that  sparkle  and  lireak  bencatli  the  falls." 


west  shore  of  the  Bronx,  and  finally  pouring  its  waters  intj  the 
Williamsbridge  Reservoir. 

A  story  is  told  that  when  the  embankment  at  West  Farms 
was  constructed  to  raise  the  waters  for  the  use  of  Lydig's  Mills, 
it  had  to  be  so  high  as  to  form  the  artificial  lake  that  extended  for 
al)out  a  mile,  even  under  tlie  bridge  at  Bronxdale.      Then,  whm 


A  Scene  on 

How  many  have  asked :  "Where  is  tlie  source  of  the 
Bronx?"  On  the  slopes  of  Bear  Ridge,  near  Pleasantville,  there 
is  said  to  be  a  single  spring  that  sends  one-third  of  its  flow  to 
form  the  Bronx,  one-third  to  swell  the  Byram  and  the  remaining 
third  through  Dark  Valley  into  Kisco  River  and  the  Croton. 
At  Kensico  the  long  aqueduct  commences,  commonly  known  as 
the  "pipe  line,"  reaching  from  the  Kensico  Reservoir,  along  the 


Bron.^  River 

Mr.  Bolton  wanted  water  power  for  his  own  niills,  he  was 
compelled  to  build  a  dam  sufiiciently  high  to  throw  the  waters 
back  so  far  as  to  interfere  with  Mr.  Lorillard's  plans  and  ideas. 
This  l)eautiful  stretch  of  water  is  known  as  Silver  Lake.  Mr. 
Lorillard.  after  surveying  the  situation,  adopted  another  course. 
He  built  his  mill  at  a  sufficient  distance  from  his  house,  and 
then  erected  the  long  mill  race  that,  as  we  have  seen,  forms  such 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


49 


a  delightful  driveway.  But  all  these  three  mill  owners  had  no 
doubt  their  own  secret  opinion  of  each  other. 

There  is  one  spot  that  should  be  in  Bronx  Park,  but  is  in- 
stead just  above  it.  This  is  the  "Hermitage,"  and  is  described 
as  an  indispensable  appendage  to  the  charms  of  Bronx  Park. 
He  who  knows  Bronx  Park,  it  is  said,  must  also  know  the 
Hermitage,  or  find  his  knowledge  sorely  incomplete.  No  doubt 
you  have  seen  it  from  the  windows  of  the  train  half  a  hundred 
times — a  plain  little  cottage  with  gable  ends,  and  a  lot  of  lat- 
ticed summer-houses  grouped  around  it.  High  on  the  peak  of 
the  house  a  flag  flies,  standing  out  flat  and  stiff,  though  not  a 
breath  of  air  is  blowing.  No  wonder;  it  is  not  an  ordinary 
flag,  but  one  of  stiff,  solid  metal,  that  at  all  times  flaunts  to 
earth  and  sky  its  colors.  With  the  table  cloth  snowy  white, 
the  china  spotlessly  clean  and  the  fare  such  as  would  satisfy  an 
epicure,  one  who  knows  has  said  that  he  who  cannot  regale 
himself  with  satisfaction  and  keen  delight  at  this  quaint  out-of- 
the-way  spot,  nor  appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  Bronx  River 
flowing  at  his  very  feet,  had  better  betake  himself  elsewhere. 

In  speaking  of  this  river,  a  writer  has  said : 

"The  Bronx  is  a  river  that  requires  a  special  education  for 
its  navigation.  It  winds,  it  twists,  it  turns,  it  doubles  upon  it- 
self, it  spreads  out  into  a  pond,  it  contracts  to  a  mere  thread  of 
water;  in  fact  it  is  the  most  capricious  and  absurd  little  water- 
course on  the  face  of  the  civilized  globe!" 

Then  this  author  goes  on  to  quote : 

"Kee  ay  ploorong,  Mahree? 


Washington  Gun  House 

"Mais,  m'sieu,  c'est  Toto  qui  pleure,  parce  qu'il  a  tviste  la 
tail  a  la  chatte,  et  puis  papa  lui  a  fetchee  des  gifles." 

He  also  adds:  "That's  what  the  beautiful  language  of  France 
conies  to  on  the  banks  of  the  winding  Bronx  I" 

On  the  westerly  side  of  the  Bronx,  just  above  McLean 
.\venue,  stands  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  region — the  old 
Hyatt  homestead,  otherwise  known  as  Washington's  Gun  House. 
Its  remarkably  quaint  appearance,  at  an  oblique  angle  to  the 
present  streets,  at  once  attracts  the  observer.  On  an  old  map 
it  is  close  to  Hyatt's  Lane,  an  early  thoroughfare  that  ran  through 
this  region. 

"You  can  see  its  sides  are  [lunctured  by  bullets  fireil  by  the 
buys  during  the  Revolution,"  was  what  the  old  resident  told  me, 
while  showing  me  through  his  antique  abode.  "Here  it  was  that 
General  Washington  stored  his  guns,  and  this  is  why  that  place 
over  there" — pointing  to  the  heights  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Bronx — "was   called   Washingtonville." 

Perhaps  the  most  curious  place  of  all  was  the  unique  "smoke 
room."  on  the  western  side  of  the  old  house.  The  stove  pipe 
from  the  kitchen  stove,  we  learned,  did  not  lead  into  the  great 
fire-place.  It  discharged  its  smoke  into  an  intervening  chamber 
known  as  the  "smoke  room,"  in  which  the  hams  were  thoroughly 
smoked  up  (as  also  were  we)  before  the  fumes  found  their  way 


to  the  immense  chimney.  It  was  one  way  of  accomplishing  the 
purpose,  but  rather  a  strange  one.  A  friend  who  visited  the  old 
place  a  short  lime  ago  told  me  that  he  found  the  old  "smoke 
room"  had  entirely  disappeared,  and  that  the  kitchen  was  en- 
larged and  the  big  fireplace  opened  directly  from  it. 

An  ancient  resident  was  recently  visited  who  told  many 
tales  of  this  section  as  he  remembered  it,  years  ago.  In  his  early 
boyhood  this  whole  region  was  literally  a  wilderness,  it  being 
asserted  that  beyond  the  Van  Cortlandt  Mansion  the  dwellings, 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  see  from  the  highest  point  of  land, 
could  easily  be  counted   on  one's  fingers. 

"Wall,  young  feller,  when  I  was  a  boy  the  only  roads  'round 
here  were  the  Mile  Square  Road  and  Gun  Hill  Road,  and  if  we 
wanted  to  get  across  the  Bronx  and  didn't  care  to  go  way  up 
to  Hunt's  Bridge,  why  we  pulled  off  our  boots,  if  we  had  any, 
and  waded  across  the  Bronx  near  Indian  Rock. 

"Where  is  Indian  Rock,  do  you  say?  Why,  young  feller, 
that  is  the  big  flat  rock  near  the  Harlem  Railroad,  just  across 
there  opposite  the  old  Hyatt  Homestead,  and  I  am  sorry  to  see 
the  old  house  going  to  pieces.  But  those  New  York  people  don't 
place  any  vally  on  these  old-timers. 

"We  used  to  skate  a  good  deal  on  the  Bronx  when  the  old 
mill  dam  backed  the  water  way  up  to  Hunt's  Bridge  (they  call 
it  West  Mount  Vernon  now)  and  we  had  a  good  stretch  of  ice 
to  spread  ourselves  on.  I  was  as  much  to  hum  on  the  ice  as  old 
1  lyatt's  ducks  was  on  the  water. 

"Ill  the  thick  woods  where  the  receiving  vault  of  Woodlawn 
Cemetery  is  now,  was  our  meeting  place  for  a  race  on  the 
Bronx,  because  there  was  a  good  cider  cellar  there,  and  we'd 
have  a  couple  o'  hookers  'fore  we'd  go  for  a  spin.  Our  skating 
was  done  moonlight  nights  and  Sundays.  The  only  church  was 
old  St.  Paul's  at  Eastchester,  and  that  was  a  leetle  too  far  to 
walk,  unless  we  was  fortunate  enough  to  have  farmers'  daughters 
to  escort.  And  when  the  old  coach  came  rumbling  twice  a  week 
from  Harlem  over  Cole's  Bridge  on  the  way  to  Bedford  we  boys 
used  to  get  together  at  Barker's  to  get  the  news  from  the  city, 
and  when  I  look  back  to  those  times  I  can't  help  thinking  how 
the  present  generation  would  have  laughed  at  our  gawkiness !" 

■The  eld  Valentine  farm  house,  which  according  to  this  au- 
thority, stood  where  the  receiving  vault  of  the  beautifully  laid  out 
Woodlawn  Cemetery  is  to-day,  never  dreamed  that  it  would  be 
in  the  midst  of  New  Y''ork  City's  most  popular  burying  place. 
About  1863  inquiries  were  made  in  regard  to  the  various  owners 
of  the  farms,  and  to-day  the  heavy  growth  of  timber  has  yielded 
to  the  skill  of  the  landscape  gardener,  and  we  have  a  fine  resting 
place  for  the  dead,  where  are  66,000  interments,  including  many 
of  the  country's  most  illustrious  heroes,  such  as  David  Glascoe 
Farragut  and  Lieutenant  De  Long.  This  latter's  body,  with  those 
of  his  comrades,  was  brought  from  the  Arctic  regions  and  in- 
terred on  Chapel  Hill  Avenue.  Two  of  the  handsomest  mauso- 
leums are  those  of  Jay  Gould,  said  to  be  the  finest  in  this  coun- 
try, and  modelled  after  the  Parthenon  at  Athens,  and  that  of 
Collis  P.  Huntington.  Nor  must  we  omit  to  mention  the  large 
plot  on  "Rutgers  Avenue,  filled  with  bodies  from  the  cemetery 
of  the  old  Rutgers  Street  Church,  all  the  tombstones  being  laid 
flat  on  the  ground. 

Woodlawn  Cemetery  is  fast  becoming  the  pride  of  the  metro- 
polis, so  many  and  so  splendid  are  its  monuments.  While  the 
opening  of  Webster  Avenue  did  away  with  the  pretty  little  lake 
near  the  northeastern  entrance,  yet  the  $20,000  station  of  the 
Harlem  Railroad  is  certainly  a  decided  improvement  and  one 
that  has  come  to  stay. 

Located  in  the  very  northernmost  portion  of  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx  is  a  place  associated  with  one  of  the  world's  foremost 


50 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


prima  donnas,  Adelina  Patti.  It  was  early  in  the  fifties  that  her 
father  and  mother,  brother  and  sisters  came  to  the  shores  of 
America,  eventually  moving  to  Wakefield  or  Washingtonville. 
On  a  site  across  the  Bronx  from  the  old  Hyatt  homestead,  on 
the  corner  of  what  is  now  Matilda  Street  and  Becker  Avenue. 
Mr.  Patti  purchased  a  plot  of  ground,  erecting  on  it  a  two-story 
brick  house,  with  a  piazza  in  front.  He  is  described  as  having 
been  a  tall  man  with  intensely  black  eyes,  never  being  seen  without 
a  black  cap  which  had  the  appearance  of  being  much  too  small 
for   his   Iiead.     The    house   where    Patti    enjoyed    her    childhood 


days  is  :till  standing  at  date  of  writing.  She  was  a  slim  young 
girl  of  perhaps  nine  years  when  her  family  moved  to  Wakefield. 
"She  was  usually  bareheaded,  with  curls  flying  about  in  the  wind 
as  she  skipped  through  the  fields  as  light  as  a  bird,  and  her 
little  feet  seemed  made  only  for  dancing.  The  hands  which 
have  since  sparkled  with  precious  stones  to  the  value  of  half  a 
million  dollars,  in  every  country  on  our  globe,  at  that  time  patted 
the  brown  earth  into  shape  with  supreme  unconsciousness  of  the 
future."  Indeed  it  is  true,  as  some  one  has  said:  "There  is  not 
a  corner  of  our  Bronx  where  some  noted  person  has  not  lived !" 


3otanical  Museum  in  Broiut  Park 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


EDENWALD 


Seton  Falls — Indian  Hiding  Place — Indian  Fortifications — Seton  Cave — Seton  Mansion 


"Oh,  give  me  a  home  'mid  the  vales  of  rare  Edenwald; 
No  parks  formed  by  man  with  thy  woodlands  compare ; 
Nor  fountains  e'er  built  or  exquisitely  chiseled. 
Equals   old   Seton   Falls,   'mid   the  green  bowers   there." 


to  visit  the  lovely  glades  of  the  section  known  as  Edenwald,  lying 
between  Eastchester,  Mount  Vernon  and  Woodlawn. 

What  other  park  in  our  vast  city  can  boast  of  a  double  silvery 
cascade  like   that   of   Seton    Falls,    wbere,   in   their    rocky   defile, 


Not  s(i  long  ago  a  friend  from  the  South  said  she  did  not 
know  that  there  were  any  woods  in  New  York  City.  Outside  of 
the  park  lands  there  is  no  more  convincing  argument  of  tlie 
presence   of   dense    forests,    right    in    our   great    metropolis,   than 


Seton  Falls  Cave 

one  can  not  but  liken  tiieir  beautiful  spray  to  the  celebrated 
Bridal  Veil  of  the  Yoscmite?  Where  can  one  find  a  more 
mysterious  "Indian  Hiding  Place,"  just  below  the  falls,  with  its 
narrow  opening  through   which  several  men  can  creep,  one  at  a 


52 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


time,  and  remain  as  completely  hidden  from  any  pursuers  as 
though  thousands  of  miles  away? 

A  short  distance  below,  in  a  strange  and  curious  rock-bound 
semi-circle,  half  natural,  half  wrought  by  the  hand  of  man,  are 
the  celebrated  "Indian  Fortifications."  To  crouch  down  and 
hide  behind  these  is  to  command,  without  being  seen,  a  perfect 
watch  on  any  enemy  trying  to  steal  up  the  narrow  gorge  through 
which  flows  Rattlesnake  Brook  in  its  descent  through  the  dense 
mass  of  foliage. 

And  the  cave — what  words  are  able  to  describe  its  unique 
wonders?  Picture  to  yourself  an  immense  cavern  in  a  precipi- 
tous ledge  of  rock,  large  enough  to  form  a  whole  room,  indeed 
perhaps  two  rooms,  of  our  up-to-date  flats.  Into  this  cave  I 
found  it  an  easy  matter  to  lead  a  large  horse,  turn  him  around 
and  pose  him  for  his  photograph.  The  remnants  of  many  a 
fire  are  distinct  evidence  that  it  is  a  favorite  nook  for  picnic 
parties.  Weary  of  the  constant  roar  of  this  double  cascade  of 
Rattlesnake  Brook  and  possibly  apprehensive  of  the  approach 
of  a  band  of  stealthy  Indian  ghosts  from  their  "Hiding  Place,'' 
no  doubt  many  visitors  have  selected  the  depths  of  the  cave 
as  a  safe  recess  to  kindle  a  cheery  fire  and  eat  their  luncheon. 


Emerging  from  this  cave,  you  are  in  the  midst  of  the  forest 
primeval.  I  remember  once  asking  a  man  how  he  thought  tlic 
cave  came  to  be  there.  His  answer  was :  "It  was  growmg 
there!" 

On  one  side  of  the  cave  is  a  narrow  flight  of  stone  steps. 
Iniilt  into  the  solid  wall,  leading  directly  behind  old  "Seton  Hall," 
on  the  grounds  of  which  I  have  seen  a  most  strange,  vault-like 
cavern.  This  old-fashioned,  squarely-built  "Seton  Hall"  stands 
on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Seton  mansion,  long  since  destroyed. 
In  appearance  it  resembles  very  strongly  the  old  Hamilton 
Grange,  the  former  residence  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  on  Con- 
vent Avenue,  Manhattan.  This  whole  area  of  beautiful  Eden- 
wald  is  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  woodland  nooks  in  our  entire 
borough,  even  rivalling  Bron.x  Park's  glades  in  its  wonderful 
lieauiy. 

"Just  give  me  a  cottage  near  the  old  Seton  Mansion, 
Surrounded  by  trees  and  by  Nature's  sweet  lawn ; 
Where  the  fall  of  the  waters  will  hush  me  to  slumber 
And  the  song-bird's  sweet  lay  will  awake  me  at  dawn.' 


A  Boat  Club  Scene  on  the  Harlem 


CHAPTER  XIX 


PELHAM  BAY  PARK 


Anne  Hutchinson— Thomas  Pell     Haunted  Cedar  Knoll— Glover's  Rock— Battle  of  Pell's  Point— Old  Ferris  House 


"New  York  wants  and  should  have  immediately  a  grand 
park  with  a  water  front  on  Long  Island  Sound ;  one  which  should 
he  the  people's  own,  a  resort  for  picnics  and  excursions,  a  place 
where  they  could  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  hoating,  bathing,  fishing, 
riding,  etc."  Such  were  the  words  in  the  petition  of  the  act 
under  which  Pelham  Bay  Park  was  formed.  The  Commission 
in  part  reports:  "A  large  park  on  Long  Island  Sound,  well 
situated  and  picturesque,  accessible  both  by  land  and  by  water, 
swept  by  the  healthful  breezes  of  each,  a  park  which  may  be 
approached  by  steamboats  and  all  manner  of  vessels,  where  the 
people  can  roam  in  freedom,  well  shaded  by  native  trees,  seems 
as  necessary  to  our  city,  as  it  is  to  be  at  the  same  time  so  beauti- 
ful, original  and  heaUhful." 

As  a  result  we  now  have  this  beautiful  park,  in  area  1,756 
acres,  including  picturesque  rock-bound  bays  and  inlets,  with  a 
shore  line  of  over  nine  miles,  including  land  which  is  simply 
unsurpassed  by  any  park  in  the  world  for  purposes  of  public 
recreation.  One  portion,  with  an  extent  of  over  four  hundred 
acres,  reaches  out  into  the  Sound  in  the  form  of  a  peninsula, 
"presenting  a  picture  of  great  beauty  and  diversity.  Along  the 
shore  line  of  this  park  are  large  tracts  of  woodland,  abounding 
in  stately  trees  centuries  old,  forming  natural  groves,  which 
were  formerly  the  spacious  grounds  of  some  of  our  wealthy 
residents." 

With  the  risk  of  repeating  what  has  been  already  said 
about  these  early  residents,  we  may  mention  that  this  region  was 
purchased  from  the  Indians  in  1639  and  named  "Vreeland,"  or 
the  "Land  of  Peace."  On  the  Hutchinson  River,  or  Eastchester 
Creek,  not  far  from  Split  Rock,  was  the  dwelling  and  plantation 
formerly  referred  to,  of  the  noted  Anne  Hutchinson.  When 
the  Puritans,  who  had  banished  her  from  New  England,  learned 
of  her  death,  they  remarked  that  "the  Lord  hath  made  a  woful 
example  of  a  wicked  woman !" 

In  the  year  1654,  Thomas  Pell  became  one  of  the  first  sel- 
lers. For  the  large  tract  that  he  purchased  from  the  Indians,  he 
paid:  "2  gunns,  2  kettles,  2  coats,  2  adzes,  2  shirts,  i  barrel  of 
cider  and  C  bitts  of  money."  One  version  is  that  the  immense 
oak  tree  under  which  Lord  Pell  signed  his  treaty  with  the 
Indians  is  still  standing,  as  strong  and  vigorous  as  ever  in  front 
of  the  great  stone  Bartow  mansion,  to  the  northeast  of  Bartow 
Station.  The  other  version  is  that  the  old  tree  is  now  destroyed, 
and  that  a  well  known  and  prominent  gentleman  in  New  Rochelle 
has  a  small  portion  of  this  tree  as  a  souvenir.  According  to  the 
first  authority,  the  Society  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution 
erected  a  fence  around  the  tree  and  placed  a  suitable  inscription 
upon  it. 

Passing  to  a  few  interesting  ghost  stories,  we  inay  relate  the 
following: 

"If  you  want  to  see  the  most  awful  ghosts  you  can  possibly 


imagine,"  advised  an  old  woman,  who  had  lived  all  her  days  in 
Pelham,  "you  must  wail  until  the  moon  is  full  and  then  hide 
yourself  near  the  "Haunted  Cedar  Knoll.'" 

"And  where  is  this  haunted  place?"   she  was  asked. 

•'You  know  the  Boston  Post  Road.  I  guess  it  runs  clear 
through  to  old  Boston.  Well,  the  Pelham  Priory  is  on  that 
road — it's  the  finest  old  house  hereabouts.  Just  across  from 
the  Priory  is  a  knoll  covered  with  rocks  and  cedar  trees.  That's 
the  place." 

"Have  you  ever  seen  ghosts  there?" 

"Sure,  certain,  I  seen  them.  I  was  a  young  girl  then,  and 
that  was  a  long  time  ago.  It  was  so  frightful  that  I  never 
dared  go  back  again.  They  were  Indian  ghosts,  you  see,  and 
their  cries  and  yells  just  made  your  blood  stop  running. 

"Yes,  there  was  some  wind,  but  I  know  what  sort  of  noises 
the  wind  can  make.  Nothing  like  those  I  heard.  There  were 
more  than  a  score  of  them,  and  they  had  no  heads,  unless  you 
count  the  heads  which  they  were  carrying  in  their  hands,  which 
couldn't  have  been  of  much  use  to  them.  They  formed  in  a  big 
ring  and  began  to  dance.  First  each  headless  ghost  danced  by 
himself.  Then  they  threw  the  heads  in  the  centre  of  the  ring 
and  danced  around  them.  After  they  got  tired  they  picked  up 
the  heads  again — I've  always  wondered  if  some  of  them  might 
have  picked  up  the  wrong  heads — and  in  a  minute  they  were 
gone.     All  that  I  saw,  myself ! 

"My  grandmother  told  me  how  the  Indians  came  to  haunt 
the  cedars,  but  I  can't  swear  it's  the  true  story.  Once  there 
were  two  tribes  that  were  very  good  friends — the  Siwanoys  and 
the  Laaphawachkins— at  least  that's  what  the  names  sounded 
like.  One  of  the  Si's  killed  one  of  the  Laapshaws  in  a  quarrel. 
Then  the  Laapshaws  robbed  some  of  the  Si's  graves  in  return. 
So  there  was  a  bloody  feud.  They  fought  a  deadly  battle  on 
the  knoll,  and  the  Laapshaws  were  all  dead.  The  others  cut  ofif 
their  heads  and  left  them  there  for  the  squaws  to  bury— and  that 
is  the  whole  story." 

The  Phantom  Fire  Ship  plays  an  important  part  in  the  early 
legends  of  Pelham,  although  this  mysterious  craft  is  said  to 
have  been  seen  at  various  places  along  the  Sound  from  Hell 
Gate  to  Gardiner's  Island. 

Below  is  the  thrilling  Pelham  account: 
"When  the  buccaneers  infested  the  Sound  they  captured  a 
ship,  and  leaving  a  big  white  horse  aboard,  tied  to  the  foremast, 
set  fire  to  it  and  sailed  away.  Strange  to  say,  the  fire  burned 
without  smoke  and  without  destroying  anything.  It  even  burned 
life  into  the  murdered  crew-,  enabling  them  to  move  about  the 
decks.  The  horse  alone  was  frightened,  and  sparks  flew  as  he 
pawed  at  the  foremast. 

"When  the  fiercest  storms  blow,  this  remarkable  craft  is 
driven  here  and  there  with  the  wind,  leaving  behind  a  trail  of 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH     " 


55 


sparks.  Even  the  waves  dash  back  from  her  red-hot  sides,  and 
for  the  moment  are  turned  to  tiame.  The  tiery  sailors  run  about 
the  decks  and  even  chmb  into  the  rigging,  which  is  the  color 
of  molten  iron." 

Such  is  the  account  of  the  Fire  Phantom  that  was  seen  when 
the  old  residents  were  boys,  and  which,  unfortunately,  the  later 
comers  have  never  been  able  to  behold. 

Crossing  the  old  Pclham  Bridge  over  Hutcliinson  River,  a 
half  mile's  walk  brings  us  to  Bartow  Station  and  the  City  Island 
Road.  If  we  turn  dow-n  this  ancient  highway  we  shall,  after  a 
series  of  windings,  reach  the  new  bridge  that  spans  the  waters  to 
City  Island,  but  our  attention  is  first  arrested  by  a  gigantic 
bowlder  on  the  right,  adorned  with  a  prominent  tablet.  It  reads 
thus: 

GLOVER'S    ROCK. 

In  memory  of  the  550  patriots,  who,  led  by  Colo- 
nel John   Glover,  held  General  Howe's 
army  in  check  at  the 

BATTLE    OF    PELL'S    POINT, 

October  18,  1776, 

Thus  aiding  General  Washington  in  his  retreat 

to  White  Plains. 

"Fame  is  the  perfume  of  heroic  deeds." 

Erected  by  Bronx  Chapter  of  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

Daughters    of    the    American    Revolution. 

October  18,  1901. 

For  a  goodly  part  of  the  Revolution,  Westchester,  the  "home 
of  peace,"  was  in  the  very  heart  of  the  conflict.  Leaving  about 
two  thousand  troops  on  Manhattan  Island,  Lord  Howe  embarked 
with  the  remainder  of  his  forces  for  Throgg's  Neck.  With  his 
characteristic  indolence,  he  remained  here  for  six  days,  foiled 
by  a  mere  handful  of  patriots  under  the  command  of  Hand  and 
Frescott. 

October  18,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  saw  him  re- 
embark  and  proceed  by  water  for  Pell's  Point.  Here  he  was 
encountered  by  a  force  of  the  Colonials  under  Colonel  John 
Glover.  On  the  British  side  were  drawn  up  almost  the  whole 
British  army;  on  the  American  side  were  only  four  skeleton  legi- 
inents,  all  from  Massachusetts.  Thus  we  have  the  4,000  of  the 
British  against  the  750  of  the  Americans.  Glover's  own  regi- 
ment was  variously  styled  the  "Fishermen's"  or  the  "Amphibious" 
regiment. 

In  the  diary  of  President  Stiles  of  Yale  College  we  find : 

22  October — Camp  at  Mile  Square, 

Eastchester. 

"Friday  morning  the  l8th  we  were  alarmed,  and  the  enemy 
landed  at  Rodman's  Point,  a  place  about  four  miles  from  our 
encampment." 

Colonel   Glover  thus  writes : 

"I  went  on  the  hill  with  my  glass  and  discovered  a  number 
of  ships  in  the  Sound  under  way  (and)  the  (small)  boats,  up- 
ward of  200,  all  filled  w'ilh  troops  ...  I  would  have  given  a 
thousand  worlds  to  have  had  General  Lee  or  some  other  experi- 
enced officer  present  to  direct  or  at  least  approve."  He  adds : 
"It  was  very  lucky  that  he  acted  without  orders  (for)  the 
enemy  had  stole  a  march  one  and  a  half  miles  on  us." 

The  resistance  at  Pell's  Point,  says  some  one,  was  char- 
acterized by  a  pertinacity  of  purpose  and  a  stubbornness  of  hand- 


to-hand  fighting  which  kept  Washington's  main  army  practically 
intact.  The  correct  location  of  the  scene  of  battle  is  determinable 
by  two  widely  separated  points — the  bridge  over  the  Hutchinson 
River  and  Glover's  Rock.  The  first  is  identified  by  the  allusion 
of  Colonel  Glover  to  a  "run  of  water,"  and  to  the  bridge  planks 
taken  up  in  the  morning.  The  short  piece  of  road  from  Wolf's 
Lane  to  the  bridge  is  low  now  and  might  well  have  been  a  cause- 
way in  1776.  Well  attested  tradition  identifies  Glover's  Rock, 
as  do  the  cannon  balls  found  there  when  the  street  railway  was 
being  constructed. 

The  advance  guard  of  only  forty  men  succeeded  in  holding 
the  British  in  check  until  Glover  "disposed  his  own  men  to  ad- 
vantage," behind  trees  and  stone  walls,  all  the  time  pouring  a 
fierce  and  effective  fire  on  the  advancing  Redcoats. 

Thus  the  unequal  battle  was  kept  up  for  practically  all  day. 
After  several  hours  the  patriot  forces  were  forced  to  retire  by  the 
overwhelming  numbers  of  the  enemy.  In  the  morning,  while 
waiting  for  the  British  to  appear,  after  their  advance  guard  had 
fallen  back  towards  the  main  body,  our  men  were  waiting  sadly 
for  their  breakfast,  their  hunger  being  whetted  by  the  sharp 
October  air. 

According  to  Draper  it  required  three  minutes  to  load,  prime 
and  aim  the  flint-lock  musket.  President  Stiles  says :  "Our 
men  behaved  like  soldiers,  conformed  to  the  orders  of  their 
officers,  and  retreated  in  grand  order.  It  is  said  that  once  one 
of  our  men  leaped  over  the  wall  and  took  a  hat  and  canteen  from 
a  captain  who  lay  dead  on  the  ground  they  had  retreated  from. 
This  captain,  we  read,  was  a  member  of  the  "King's  Own" 
regiment,  and  was  not  killed,  as  stated,  but  fatally  wounded. 

"Our  troops  were  as  calm  and  as  steady  as  though  expecting 
a  shot  at  a  flock  of  pigeons.  When  the  general  (Glover)  gave 
orders  to  retreat,  it  was  obeyed  with  the  greatest  possible  re- 
luctance.' 

As  the  Shore  Road  was  not  in  existence  at  that  time,  there 
must  have  been  some  connection  between  the  City  Island  Road 
and  the  Split  Rock  Road.  Along  this  roadway  the  Americans 
retreated,  pouring  volley  after  volley  into  the  advancing  English 
lines.  The  heavy  "Tower"  muskets,  the  long  squirrel  rifles  and 
the  light  fowling  pieces  are  all  called  into  service.  They  march 
slowly  up  the  Split  Rock  Road,  along  Wolf's  or  Collins'  Lane, 
where  the  ground  is  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  retreaters. 
They  pass  the  Pell,  or  Hay  House,  crossing  the  Hutchinson 
River,  where  they  are  compelled  to  wade,  the  flooring  having 
been  torn  away. 

Clambering  up  they  are  on  the  rocky  heights  beyond,  re- 
joining the  comrades  of  Glover's  regiment,  who  come  to  their 
assistance  with  their  artillery,  the  British  being  brought  to  a 
stop  by  the  heavy  firing  from  the  field  pieces. 

In  this,  which  has  been  styled  the  most  important  action  of 
the  year,  the  Americans  lost  only  six  killed,  while  twenty  were 
wounded.  The  Redcoats'  loss  is  variously  estimated  at  between 
800  and  1,000.  Such  was  the  resistance  of  Colonel  Glover  that 
Howe  made  no  effort  to  cross  the  stream.  According  to  Colonel 
Glover:  "After  fighting  all  day  without  victuals  or  drink,  we 
lay  all  night,  the  heavens  above  us  and  the  earth  beneath  us, 
which  was  all  we  had,  having  left  our  baggage  at  the  old  encamp- 
ment we  left  in  the  morning." 

The  next  day  they  were  forced  to  continue  the  retreat  to 
Mile  Square,  well  knowing  that  the  delay  they  had  caused  to 
Howe  was  immensely  valuable  to  Washington,  who  was  enabled 
to  reach  White  Plains  by  the  25th.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
gallantry  of  Glover,  they  might  have  effectively  intercepted  Wash- 
ington in  his  march  northward,  with  dire  results  to  him. 

We  may  quote  for  a  moment  from  Lee's  orders : 


56 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


"Mile  Square,  Oct.  19,  1776. 
"Gen'l  Lee  returns  his  warmest  thanks  to  Colonel  Glover 
and  the  Brigade  under  his  command,  not  only  for  their  gallant 
behaviour  yesterday,  but  for  their  prudent,  cool,  orderly  and 
soldierly  conduct  in  all  respects  ...  All  the  wounded  to  be 
immediately  sent  to  Valentine's  Hill  at  the  second  Liberty  Pole, 
where  Surgeons  should  repair  to  dress  them.  " 

From  Washington  came  the  following: 

"Headquarters.  Oct.  21,  1776. 
"General  Orders. 
"The  hurried  situation  of  the  General  the  last  two  days 
having  prevented  him  from  paying  that  attention  to  Colonel 
Glover  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  were  with  him  in  the 
skirmish  on  Friday  last,  their  merit  and  good  behaviour  deserved, 
he  flatters  hiinself  that  his  thanks  though  delayed  will  neverthe- 
less be  acceptable  to  them  as  they  are  offered  with  great  sin- 
cerity and  cordiality." 


Earthworks  had  been  thrown  up  on  the  place  where  the  Presby- 
terian Church  now  stands,  and  the  old  mill  by  the  creek  had  been 
fortified.  The  British  were  repulsed  and  what  would  have 
been  a  serious  set-back  to  the  .^.tnerican  cause  was  prevented. 

"Had  Lord  Howe  realized  that  by  isolating  this  portion  of 
the  Colonial  army  he  could  have  prevented  its  joining  the  main 
army  at  W illiamsbridge,  it  is  safe  to  say  he  would  never  have 
takL-n  his  twenty-eight  boat-loads  of  Hessians  to  New  Rochelle. 
.^s  it  was,  Washington  was  enabled  to  join  the  two  armies,  and 
the  patriots  still  had  a  fighting  chance.  The  ruins  of  the  old 
mill  are  still  to  be  seen,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  day  a 
fitting  memorial  will  be  placed  to  commemorate  this  battle  of 
Westchester  Creek." 

Leaving  this  region  for  the  present  and  returning  to  Pel- 
ham  Bay  Park  we  may  note  the  Pell  family  burying  ground, 
close  to  the  Bartow  mansion.  Cut  into  the  granite  posts  are 
the  following  inscriptions : 


PcII  Burying  Ground 


According  to  one  authority  Lord  Howe  was  using  as  his 
headquarters  the  old  stone  and  wood  farmhouse,  now  destroyed, 
at  the  extreme  end  of  Clason's  Point.  Others  say  that  he 
lodged  at  the  I'erris  house,  situated  in  what  is  now  known  as 
the   Westchester  Country   Club  grounds. 

"While  the  family  was  at  breakfast  on  October  12.  1776,"  we 
read,  "the  British  troops  disembarked,  and  Lord  Howe  and  his 
officers  rode  up  to  the  house.  Into  the  house  rode  the  company, 
some  of  the  officers  even  attempting  to  ride  up  the  stairs.  The 
hoofmarks  of  the  horses  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  hall  and  on 
the  staircase  (the  present  owner  having  laid  a  hardwood  floor 
over  the  old  one.)  The  wife  of  James  Ferris,  as  she  enter- 
tained these  enemies,  conveyed  news  of  their  plans  to  Washing- 
ton, part  of  whose  army  was  encamped  on  the  other  side  of 
Westchester  Creek.  This  information  was  procured  by  her  color- 
ed butler,  who  waited  on  them  at  table.  Consequently  when  the 
British  gave  battle  they  found  that  the  Colonials  were  prepared. 


Post  No.  I— Royal  Patent,  Oct.  6,  1666,  Duke  of  York  to 
Thomas   Pell,   First  Lord  of  the  Manor. 

Post  No.  2 — Indian  Grant  of  Pelham  Manor  to  Thomas 
Pell,  November  14,  1654. 

Post  No.  3 — Royal  Patent,  October  25,  1687,  James  11.  to 
John   Pell,   Second  Lord  of  the  Manor. 

Post  No.  4— Pelham  Bay  Park,  1884.  Erected  1891  by  de- 
scendants of  Benjamin  Pell,  grandson  of  Thomas  Pell,  Third 
Lord  of  the  Manor. 

In  intaglio,  on  each  post  is  the  crest  of  the  Pell  family,  a 
"Pelican  Gorged."  On  two  old  headstones  we  find  these  in- 
scriptions : 


Her  Lyes 

ISEC    PELL 

D.  Dec.   14  NO   1748- 


^ 


'^?^^^^^^c-c^  CX^h--t:^^^y^--zn^-^^ 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


57 


Is  Her 

the  body  of 

Joseph   Pell 

Eged  31 

D  1752. 


The  other  graves  are  those  of  Susannah,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Drake,  who  died  in  1763;  Phoebe,  widow  of  Joseph  Pell,  who 
died  in  1790;  Salom  Pell,  who  died  when  one  year  old,  in  1760, 
and  John,  son  of  James  and  Phoebe  Bennett.  The  larger  stone 
within  the  enclosure  was  erected  in  1762  and  is  inscribed : 

"This  stone  is  placed  here  in  token  of  respect  for  the  mem- 
ory of  .  .  .  several  of  the  descendants  of  John  Pell,  who  was 
born  in  the  year  1643  and  died  in  the  year  1700  ....  the 
nephew  of  Thomas  Pell,  the  first  proprietor  of  the  Lordship  and 
Manor  of  Pelham,  born  in  the  year  1603  and  died  in  the  year 
1669." 

In  regard  to  this  little  graveyard,  David  Pell  Secor  says : 
"There  were  other  interments  there  some  forty  years  ago,  when  I 
visited  the  farm  of  Robert  Bartow,  in  Pelham,  and  I  am  sorry 
to  say  I  found  the  graves  of  some  of  the  Pell  family  ploughed 
up  and  the  headstones  set  up  against  a  stone  wall  in  the  field 
where  the  graves  were.  Others  of  the  Pell  family  are  buried  on 
City  Island,  in  New  Rochelle,  and  in  St.  Paul's  Churchyard  in 
Eastchester,  as  well  as  in  Greenwood  Cemetery  and  in  New 
York  City." 

The  old  roadway  that  extends  from  Pelham  Road  north- 
westerly towards  Prospect  Hill,  is  known  as  the  Split  Rock  Road 


PcU  Mansion 

or  Collins  Lane.  It  was  along  this  that  the  Americans  retreated, 
as  we  have  seen,  making  their  last  stand  at  the  Split  Rock  itself. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  lane  stands  the  old  Collins  Mansion,  or 
Joshua  Pell  House,  pre-Revolutionary  in  its  date.  Many  a  de- 
licious meal  have  I  enjoyed  in  its  old-fashioned  dining  room,  and 
I  regret  most  deeply  to  see  the  ancient  place  falling  to  pieces. 

Traces  of  this  old  lane  are  visible  even  through  the  streets 
of  Prospect  Hill.  Undoubtedly  Wolf's  Lane  is  a  continuation 
of  the  same  along  which  the  Revolutionists  retreated.  At  the 
foot  of  the  hill  is  the  finest  Pell  Mansion  of  all,  now  remodelled 
and  modernized.  Around  it  rises  a  splendid  collection  of  magnifi- 
cent pine  trees,  shading  the  ancient  columns  on  either  side  of 
the  doorway  and  the  unique  lattice  work  forming  a  pretty 
balcony  just   above.     On  the  opposite   side  is   plainly  visible   the 


elegant  coat  of  arms  of  the  Pell  family,  set  firmly  in  the  stone 
wall,   "Pelican  Gorged." 

.Another  old  mansion,  close  to  the  corner  of  Wolf's  Lane 
and  Boston  Road,  one  of  the  most  attractive  residences  of 
Secor  Hill,  is  also  declared  to  have  been  the  home  of  one  of 
the  Pells.  One  account  is  that,  while  his  troops  were  slowly 
but  surely  driving  the  patriots  before  them.  Lord  Howe  and  his 
officers  lunched  within  its  walls.  To  have  the  British  officers 
on  the  place  was  bad  enough,  but  when  they  seized  on  the  very 
last  turkey  of  the  people  living  there,  it  became  too  much  for 
human  nature  to  bear. 

According  to  one  of  the  documents  of  the  City  History  Club, 
this  lunch  was  eaten  in  the  golden  shade  of  what  even  then  must 
have  been  a  group  of  grand  old  chestnuts.  A  well  known  his- 
torian visited  this  spot  with  me  in  the  spring  of  1902,  and  pointed 
out  a  magnificent  chestnut,  whose  boughs  have,  many  of  them, 
fallen  off  since  then,  the  tree  being  one  of  the  largest  of  its 
kind  to  be  found  north  of  the  mountains  of  Tennessee.  Standing 
quite  close  to  the  original  Boston  Post  Road,  it  is  not  far  from 
the  large  stone  Pell  Mansion.  On  the  morning  of  October  23, 
1776,  so  this  authority  tells  us,  this  section  witnessed  probably 
the  finest  military  pageant  which  it  ever  beheld.  Howe,  about 
to  pursue  Washington  towards  White  Plains  had  decked  his 
troops  in  their  very  best  Sunday  uniform.  The  Hessians  under 
Knyphausen  were  clad  in  green,  making  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the 
bright  scarlet  of  the  British.  Perliaps  10,000  men  were  drawn 
up  for  this  review. 

When  the  sun  reached  the  noon  mark  in  the  clear  heavens, 
the  party  stopped  for  lunch  under  the  branches  of  this  "Howe 
Chestnut,"  and  as  has  been  aptly  expressed,  "well  may  we  hope 
that  the  pleasantry  of  this  occasion,  to  which  so  many  prominent 
Loyalists  had  been  invited,  was  not  marred  by  the  lack  of  man- 
ners of  Count  'Von  Knyphausen,  who,  though  a  gallant  general, 
was  a  trifle  deficient  in  table  etiquette." 

A  curious  fact  comes  from  the  same  source.  In  the  au- 
tumn of  1876  two  gentlemen  were  talking  over  these  historic 
events  under  the  same  old  tree,  just  a  century  after  Howe  and 
his  comrades  feasted  beneath  its  spreading  branches.  Drawing 
an  immense  pistol,  one  of  the  men  said : 

"This  is  the  weapon  carried  by  my  grandfather  while  with 
General  Howe  when  they  lunched  under  these  very  trees.  Now 
I  want  to  present  you  with  this  derringer  as  a  memento  of  the 
anniversary  of  that  parade." 

The  Pelham  Manor  House,  about  whose  site  many  questions 
have  been  asked  me,  is  said  to  have  stood  not  far  from  the  present 
Bartow  Mansion,  although  another  authority  places  its  site  at 
the  extreme  end  of  Pelham  Neck.  One  of  the  grandest  marine 
prospects  can  be  seen  close  to  that  fine  old  stone  homestead,  the 
Ogden  Mansion,  on  Twin  Islands.  To  reach  it  one  has  to  pass 
between  the  white  stone  gates  on  the  road  leading  towards  New 
Rochelle,  and  pass  over  Hunter's  Island.  On  the  crest  of  this 
picturesque  spot  is  located  the  old  Iselin  Mansion,  supposed 
to  have  been  erected  by  Mr.  Hunter,  after  whom  the  island 
was  named.  In  1800  we  know  it  was  the  property  of  a  Mr. 
Henderson,  a  surgeon  in  the  British  army.  On  the  southeast  side 
of  this  island  stands  the  sentinel  "Mishow,"  a  great  Indian  rock, 
and  on  the  east  is  the  "Gray  Mare,"  also  a  well  known  boulder. 

About  1885,  so  we  arc  told,  there  were  two  persons  still 
living,  one  in  New  Rochelle,  who  heard  the  cannonade,  and  the 
other  in  Pelham,  who  witnessed  the  firing  between  the  American 
gunboats  and  the  British  warships  in  an  engagement  which  took 
place  off  Pelham  and  New  Rochelle  in  August,  1814.  What 
saved  the  Americans  was  their  superior  knowledge  of  the  many 
rocks  and   reefs  hereabouts. 


58 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


The  story  is  extant  that  one  of  the   Schuylers,  who  resided  mg   in   and   out   of   these   dangerous   reefs,   ran    full   on   a   large 

at  Pelham,  was  upset  in  his  boat  not  far  from  City  Island.    When  flat  rock. 

picked  up  by  a  passing  craft  he  was  calmly  sitting  on  the  bottom  "Why,    Captain,"    remonstrated    the    indignant    rest    of    the 

of  the   boat,   smoking   his   pipe,   which   in   some  manner  he   had  party,  "We  thought  you  knew  every  rock  in  the  Sound." 

managed   to   keep   alight.  "So  I  do,"  came  the  answer.     "And  this  here  is  one  of  thi 

Another  tale  is  related  of  some  navigators,  who  while  sail-  very  worst." 


Scenes  of  the  Seasons  in  the  BronjE 


CHAPTER  XX 


CITY  ISLAND 


Ancient  Horse  Cars — Marshall  Mansion — City  Island  Bridge — General  History  of  the  Island — Macedonia  Hotel 


"A  gem  of  the  Ocean."  Thus  is  City  Island  described  by 
the  same  person  who  goes  on  to  state  his  experiences  on  a  trip 
to  the  island  from  Bartow   Station. 

"  'All  aboard  !'  The  cry  struck  my  ear,  and  looking  at  what 
there  was  to  board,  1  spied  what  I  took  to  be  a  pet  playthi;ig 
left  by  Noah  on  Mt.  Ararat  after  the  Flood — a  sort  of  bo.x  on 
wheels  with  tin  geegees  to  pull  it.  This  then  was  the  car,  and 
I  swung  aboard.  We  made  magnificent  progress,  at  the  rate  of 
at  least  sixteen  miles  in  seventeen  hours.  About  half  way  to 
the  bridge,  I  was  astonished  to  see  the  driver  leave  his  horses 
to  jog  along  by  themselves  and  walk  into  the  car.  I  thought 
he  was  sick  and  needed  a  rest,  but  no.  He  sang  out :  'Fares, 
please,'  and  proceeded  to  collect  them." 

If  the  same  man  had  seen  the  older  cars,  with  their  single 
horse,  that  jogged  painfully  at  a  snail's  pace,  he  would  have 
been  more  than  ever  surprised. 


imagine  you  are  miles  away  from  the  great  City  of  New  York 
instead   of  being  practically   in   its   northernmost   corner. 

It  is  said  that  City  Island  was  so  named  because  a  colony 
was  settled  there  intended  to  ri\al  the  present  City  of  New- 
York,  then  a  tiny  group  of  houses.  Now  what  a  wonderful 
difference  there  is ! 

If  we  try  to  seek  the  first  inhabitants  of  this  "Pearl  of  the 
Sound"  we  have  to  turn  to  the  Sewanoe  tribe  of  Indians,  who 
occupied  the  shore  from  Hell  Gate  on  the  south  as  far  as  Nor- 
walk  on  the  north.  They  are  also  quoted  as  dwelling  in  the 
whole  country,  now  the  eastern  part  of  old  Westchester  County, 
from  the  source  of  the  Croton  down  to  the  Bronx. 

Even  to-day  the  seafaring  inhabitants  support  themselves 
partly  on  what  they  find  in  the  countless  shells  that  line  the 
coast.  In  the  very  same  manner  ib.e  Indians  of  old  made  their 
living,    thus    giving   to    the    spot    the    name    of    the    "Islands    of 


Old  City  Island  Bridge 


But  City  Island  ought  indeed  to  Ije  thankful.  It  has  now 
a  bridge  to  connect  it  with  the  main  land.  In  early  days  there 
was  only  a  ferry,  nay,  even  so  recently  as  i868.  Close  to  the 
bridge  stands  the  immense  "Colonial  Inn,"  the  fine  old  Marshall 
Mansion,  surrounded  by  beautifully  graded  lawns  and  shade 
trees.  The  old  bridge,  which  was  so  narrow  that  even  one  of 
the  tiny  bob-tailed  horsecars  could  scarcely  pass  a  team,  has 
been  removed  to  make  way  for  the  much  more  roomy  structure 
that  now  spans  the  waters.  A  lingering  remnant  of  the  old 
creation  still  remains,  as  if  loath  to  leave  the  spot  to  which  it 
was  brought  after  serving  as  the  original  Harlem  Bridge. 

Go  down  City  Island's  "Main  Street,"  and  you  will  find 
yourself  transported  as  if  to  an  isle  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean. 
Yachting  and  fishing  are  the  main,  indeed  we  might  say  the 
only,  pursuits.  Boats  of  every  kind  are  drawn  up  on  all  sides. 
Almost  every  one  you  meet   wears  the   same  nautical   air.     You 


Shells."  Before  the  nam?  City  Island  was  gi\en  to  this  place, 
it  was  styled  Minneford's  or  Minnefor's  Island,  a  title  supposed 
to  have  been  derived  from  an  old  Indian  Sachem  who  once  held 
sway  there. 

When  witchcraft  was  ranked  among  the  list  of  crimes,  two 
unfortunate  persons  had  sought  City  Island's  shores  as  a  sup- 
posedly safe  refuge.  But,  as  we  are  told,  "the  wave  of  fanati- 
cism which  had  swept  through  New  England,  reached  this  spot, 
and  on  October  2,  1665,  Ralph  Hall  and  Mary,  his  wife,  were 
arraigned  for  trial  at  the  Court  of  Assizes  in  New  York,  upon 
suspicion  of  witchcraft."  We  learn  that  they  were  brought  to 
trial  for  "murder  by  means  of  witchcraft."  As  a  result  both 
pleaded  not  guilty,  but  the  jury  found  that  there  was  something 
"suspicious  by  the  evidence  of  what  the  woman  is  charged  with, 
but  nothing  considerable  of  value  to  take  away  her  life.     But  in 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


61 


reference  to  tlie  man  we  find  nothing  considerable  to  charge  him 
with." 

For  three  dreary  jears  the  two  lived  in  a  little  hut  on  the 
lonely  shores  of  "Minneford's  Island."  Then,  finally  they  were 
acquitted,  "there  having  been  no  direct  proof  of  witchcraft."  Ac- 
cording to  the  records,  this  was  the  first  case  of  witchcraft  to  come 
before  the  authorities  in  the  Province  of  New  York. 

Then  gradually  developed  the  idea  of  founding  a  city  on 
these  shores  to  equal  the  far  distant  City  of  New  York.  This 
latter  place  seemed  all  very  well  in  its  way,  but  its  location  was 
far  down  on  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  Island.  Such  were 
the  dreams  of  Philip  and  Benjamin  Palmer,  who  had  spent 
their  life  from  childhood's  days  on  Throgg's  Neck,  opposite 
the  island.  Here  was  a  spot  that  would  completely  solve  the 
perplexing  problem.  No  more  risks  to  run  in  passing  through 
the  whirling  maelstrom  and  dangerous  rocks  of  Hell  Gate.  There 
was  plenty  of  safe  anchorage  and  refuge  from  storms.  Even 
a  plan,  or  map,  was  gotten  out  and  an  advertisement  prepared, 


The  money  for  building  a  bridge  to  the  mainland  could  not 
be  raised  and  at  last  the  project  for  building  a  city  to  rival 
New  York  was  abandoned.  As  for  Palmer,  his  circumstances 
became  so  reduced  that  Aaron  Burr  started  a  subscription  which 
resulted  in  keeping  him  from  abject  poverty  until  his  death. 

After  the  completion  of  the  iron  Harlem  Bridge,  the  original 
structure  was  removed  to  City  Island,  about  1873,  and  the  old- 
fashioned  ferry  was  at  last  abandoned. 

Minneford  Avenue  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  thorough- 
fares of  this  little  island  kingdom.  On  a  side  street,  fronting 
the  waters  of  the  Sound,  is  a  quaint  relic  of  one  of  the  prizes 
of  the  gallant  Stephen  Decatur.  When  I  visited  the  spot  last, 
the  house  had  been  newly  painted,  thus  obliterating  a  sign  which 
proclaimed  in  large  letters  the  unique  history  of  the  spot. 

In  the  first  place  are  the  large  characters  "MACEDONIA 
HOTEL."  On  the  north  side  is,  or  perhaps  we  had  better  say, 
was,  this  inscription : 

"This  house  is  the  remains  of  the  English  Frigate  Macedonia. 


Macedonia  Hotel 


showing  forth  in  glowing  terms  the  advantages  of  the  place. 
Real  estate  began  to  boom.  A  broad  avenue — now  Main  Street — 
was  laid  out  and  about  four  thousand  lots  were  planned.  Mr. 
Palmer  himself  was  offered  as  high  as  300  and  even  1,000  pounds 
for  the  most  desirable  portions. 

Then  the  sky  darkened.  In  1776  the  British  fleet  had  ar- 
rived in  New  York  harbor,  and  the  island  residents  realized 
their  extreme  danger,  so  far  away  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 
As  for  Palmer  and  his  w'ife,  they  waited  there  a  few  days  too 
long,  and  were  all  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy,  where  he  was 
"badly  treated  and  continually  refused  permission  to  leave." 
Finally  he  obtained  this  permission,  going  lo  New  York,  where 
he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

During  the  Revolution,  although  the  place  was  closely 
guarded  by  British  warships,  we  learn  with  pride  that  the 
American  whaleboats  did  not  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  dart 
out  and  attack  the  enemy,  no  matter  what  size  their  ships  were. 

After  the  war.  Palmer's  troubles  were  by  no  means  over. 
Because  he  had  obeyed  orders  from  some  one  in  the  King's 
service,  he  discovered  that  his  land  had  been  seized,  and  his  peti- 
tions for  the  return  of  his  possessions  proved  unsuccessful. 


captured  on  Sunda.v,  October  25,  by  the  United  States  Fri- 
gate United  States  Commanded  by  Cap't  Stephen  Decatur,  U.  S. 
N.  The  action  was  fought  in  Lat.  24'  N.,  Long.  29'  30"  W. 
That  is  About  600  Miles  N.  W.  of  tlie  Cape  de  Verde  Islands, 
Ofif  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  and  Towed  to  Cow  Bay  in  1874." 

Thus  we  have  a  striking  example  of  a  ship  on  dry  land. 
Nay,  it  is  not  only  a  ship,  but  half  ship  and  half  house.  Ninety 
odd  years  ago,  when  the  old  "Macedonia"  was  in  the  full  glory 
of  its  youth  as  a  frigate-of-war  in  the  English  Navy,  sailing 
near  the  Canary  Islands,  it  became  a  prize  of  war  of  the  daring 
and  intrepid  Decatur.  In  this  way  one  of  the  finest  warships  of 
the  British  Navy  became  the  property  of  the  L^nited  States,  in 
more  senses  than  one. 

Without  even  a  change  of  name,  this  almost  new  frigate 
began  a  most  remarkable  career  under  the  stars  and  stripes. 
She  did  splendid  work  in  battling  with  the  Algerian  pirates  in 
the  far  distant  Mediterranean.  In  the  Mexican  War  she  helped 
capture  the  stronghold  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  in  1847  she  aided  to 
carry  a  most  welcome  cargo  of  food  to  the  starving  people  of 
Ireland.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  the  Macedonia  per- 
formed noble  service  as  a  transport  of  troops. 


62 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Finally  in  1874  she  was  condemned  by  the  government  and 
towed  to  Cow  Bay,  Long  Island,  where  an  enterprising  City 
Islander  bought  her,  took  her  across  the  Sound  on  her  last 
cruise,  and  erected  the  best  part  of  her  where  she  now  stands. 
The  inscription  on  her  sides  is  said  to  have  been  obtained  from 
the  War  Department,  so  it  may  be  taken  as  authentic. 

A  visit  to  the  old  ship  is  full  of  interest.     On  all  sides  can 

be  seen  the  immense  stanchions,  bristling  with  the  massive  iron 

rings   to    which    the    ancient   cannon    were    once    fastened.     The 

.roof,  being  the  old  cabin,  is  curved,  and  opening  from  the  sides, 


like  tiny  cubby-holes,  are  the  officers'  staterooms.  These  are 
neatly  furni>hed  with  beds,  giving  the  place  a  most  homelike  and 
occupied  air.  The  hooks  from  which  the  British  tars  and  their 
American  successors  hung  their  hammocks  are  plainly  in  evi- 
dence, while  in  the  roof  can  be  seen  the  great  round  opening 
through   which  the  giant   mast  once  passed. 

Around  the  corner  from  the  "Macedonia  Hotel"  is  City 
Island's  burying  ground.  This  is  said  to  have  given  to  the  hotel 
the   name  of  the   "Dead   Quiet." 


City  Island  Car 


CHAPTER  XXI 


THE  BATTLE  OF  WESTCHESTER  CREEK 


General  Account— Extract  from  General  Heath's  Memoirs— The  Old  "Westchester  Path— Old  Milstons 


We  have  seen  how  General  Howe  had  conveyed  his  army, 
after  a  trip  up  the  East  River  and  the  Sound,  to  Throgg's  Neck, 
about  where  tlie  present  Havemeyer  place  is  situated.  This  was 
on  October  12,  1776.  In  August  of  the  same  year,  a  portion  of 
hij  fleet  had  been  sent  forward  to  explore,  and  had  proceeded  as 
far  as  City  Island.  They  embarked  at  Pelham  Neck  and  were 
driven  back  to  their  ships  by  a  detachment  of  the  Westchester 
militia.  In  the  first  part  of  the  next  month  Washington  and 
Heath  held  a  consultation  at  Kingsbridge.  As  the  British 
plans  were  not  plain.  Heath  took  no  chances.  Besides  forming 
a  chain  of  videttes  along  the  East  River  and  Sound  from  Hell 
Gate  to  Throgg's  Neck,  he  broke  up  all  the  roads  leading  to 
Kingsbridge  in  order  to  render  them  impassable  for  the  British 
wagons  and  cannon.  One  strategic  point  he  picked  out — the 
causeway  at  Westchester  wliich  connected  tlie  mainland  with 
Throgg's  Neck.  Here  was  an  old  mill ;  the  bridges  over  the 
sluiceway  and  overflow  would  be  two  advantageous  points  for  an 
army  to  cross.  A  large  pile  of  cordwood  placed  there  seemed 
to  form  an  almost  natural  breastwork,  a  number  of  picked  rifle- 
men being  placed  behind.  Another  force  was  placed  further  up 
near  the  marshes. 

Fearless  of  danger,  the  British  who  liad  landed  at  Throgg's 
Neck  advanced  towards  the  causeway.  Almost  before  they  were 
aware  of  it  the  planks  at  the  old  mill  were  ripped  up,  and  a 
volley  from  behind  the  woodpile  greeted  them.  "The  unerring 
aim  of  .'\merican  rifles  checked  the  veterans  of  European  battle 
fields,  and,  just  as  preconceived,  the  left  flank  at  the  head  of  the 
creek  was  attacked.  Prescott.  with  his  men  who  had  fought  at 
Bunker  Hill,  re-inforced  the  men  at  the  woodpile  and  the  cause- 
way." 

Earthworks  were  hastily  thrown  up  liy  forces  near  the  old 
causeway,  while  both  sides  maintained  a  skirmish  fire.  Two  days 
later  Howe  brought  forward  his  heavy  cannon,  commencing 
the  erection  of  a  fortification  on  a  large  scale  near  where  the 
Westchester  Presbyterian  Church  now  stands.  After  a  few  days 
Howe  withdrew  his  guns  and  his  troops,  seeking  to  form  a  union 
with  the  Hessians  near  New  Rochelle,  a  feat  which  was  accom- 
plished, as  we  have  seen,  after  the  desperate  struggle  with  Glover 
and  his   Marblehead   regiment  on   Pelham   Neck. 

An  extract  from  General  Heath's  Memoirs  shows  the  pains- 
taking way  in  which  he  recorded  the  daily  events.  Page  70  is  as 
follows : 


Heath's  Memoirs. 


Oct.,  1776. 


iith — There  was  confiderable  movement  among  the  Britifli 
boats  below.  This  afternoon.  General  Waihington's  pleafure 
boats,  coming  down  the  river  with  a  frefh  breeze,  and  a  topfail 
hoiftcd.  was  fuppofed.  by  the  artillerifts  at  Mount  Wafhington,  to 
be  one  of  the  Britifh  tenders  running  down.     A  12  pounder  was 


difcharged  at  her,  which  was  fo  exactly  pointed,  as  unfortunately 
to  kill  three  Americans,  who  were  much  lamented.  The  fame 
day,  leveral  of  Gen.  Lincoln's  regiments  arrived,  two  of  which 
were   pofted   on   the    North   River. 

I2th— Early  in  the  morning  80  or  90  Britifh  boats,  full  of 
men,  ftood  up  the  found  from  Montrefor's  Ifland.  Long-Hland. 
&c.  The  troops  landed  at  Frog's  Neck,  and  their  advance  pufhed 
forwards  towards  the  cauleway  and  bridge  at  Weft-Chefcer  mill. 
Col.  Hand's  riflemen  took  up  the  planks  of  the  bridge,  as  had 
been  directed,  and  commenced  a  firing  with  their  rifles.  The 
Britifh  moved  towards  the  head  of  the  creek,  but  found  here 
alfo  the  Americans  in  poffeffion  of  the  pass.  Our  General  imme- 
diately (as  he  had  allured  Col  Hand  he  would  do)  ordered 
Col.  Prefcott,  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill,  with  his  regiment,  and 
Capt.  Lieut.  Bryant  of  the  artillery,  with  a  3  pounder,  to  re- 
inforce the  riflemen  at  Weft-Chefter  cauTeway;  ....  to  the 
check  and  difappointment  of  the  enemy.  The  Britifh  encamped 
on  the  neck.  The  rifleiuen  and  Yagers  kept  up  a  fcattering  popp- 
ing at  each  other  acrofi'  the  marfh :  and  the  .\mericans  on  thei.- 
fide.  and  the  Briti.rli  on  the  other,  threw  up  a  work  at  the  end  o-' 
the  caufeway.  Capt.  Bryant,  now  and  then,  when  there  was  an 
object,  faluted  the  Britifh  with  a  field-piece." 

Nowadays  there  are  many  different  routes  to  choose  from, 
in  traveling  from  New  York  to  New  England.  In  days  of  yore 
there  was  but  one.  styled  the  "Old  Westchester  Path,"  leading 
from  Manhattan  Island,  through  the  Bronx  to  Eastchester,  and 
thence  along  the  Sound  through  Greenwich  and  perhaps  to 
Stamford  and  beyond. 

To  locate  this  "Old  Westchester  Path"  is  indeed  an  herculean 
task,  as  almost  every  authority  locates  it  differently.  One  thing, 
however,  they  all  agree  on,  that  it  had  its  origin  in  an  ancient 
Indian  trail  through  the  primeval  forest,  this  early  path  becom- 
ing the  first  highway  for  the  daring  white  settler.  It  is  said  that 
Kingsbridge  Road,  from  Kingsbridge  to  Eastchester  and  beyond, 
later  developed  into  the  Boston  Post  Road,  was  laid  out  along 
the  crooked  lines  of  the  celebrated  "Old  Westchester  Path." 

The  earliest  inhabitants,  both  Dutch  and  English,  were  very 
familiar  with  its  mysterious  twistings  and  turnings  long  before 
such  things  as  established  villages  were  known.  As  early  as 
1666  it  was  called  "Ye  Common  Path." 

Its  course  was  denoted  by  marked  trees  through  the  dense 
wilderness  and  even  to-day  we  find  maps  on  record  showing 
these  landmarks,  and  more  than  one  farm  is  "bounded  and  de- 
scribed" in  deeds  still  in  existence  on  one  side  or  the  other  by 
the  "Old   Westchester   Path." 

A  few  years  ago,  we  are  told,  a  surveyor  had  occasion  to 
trace  out  through  the  fields  a  section  of  the  "Old  Westchester 
Path."  All  went  well  at  first,  but  soon  a  difliculty  arose.  A 
certain  "white  oak  stump"  was  missing.     Search  as  they  would. 


64 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


it  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  The  men,  on  the  point  of  despair, 
were  about  to  give  up  the  attempt  when  some  one  of  them  sug- 
gested going  to  the  other  end  of  the  survey  and  measuring  back- 
wards. This  plan  was  adopted  and,  lo !  and  behold,  they  came 
joyfully  upon  the  rotting  remains  of  the  white  oak  stump,  buried 
many  feet  below  the  surface.  Thus  was  established  an  import- 
firmly  set  against  the  pole,  where  it  still  reads: 

In  T732  the  first  stage  coach  came  rumbling  along,  presum- 
ably following  the  line  of  the  "Old  Westchester  Path,"  on  the 
"Road  from  Sodom  to  Gomorrah,  which,  being  interpreted, 
means  from  Boston  to  New  York."  We  learn  that  this  coach 
was  an  extremely  slow  traveler,  and  was  fourteen  days  on  the 
journey,  carrying  the  news  to  and  fro  once  a  month.  In  1672, 
Governor  Lovelace  established  a  post  which  should  "sett  forth 
from  this  citty  of  New  York  monthly  and  thence  travail  to 
Boston,  from  -Whence  within  that  month  bee  shall  return  again 
to  this  citty  .  '^%,  ■  ■  all  persons  paying  the  post  before  the 
bag  be  sealed  upT'*' 

In  the  days  when  Benjamin  Franklin  was   Postmaster  Gen- 


eral of  the  Colonies,  he  established  a  weekly  mail,  even  through 
the  winter  months.  Shortly  afterwards  he  started  out  on  a 
thorough  tour  of  inspection,  erecting  milestones.  On  the  various 
post  roads  these  stones  may  be  seen  to  this  day,  weather-beaten 
and  old,  which  are  said  to  have  been  erected  by  Franklin  him- 
self. Following  Boston  Road,  the  tenth  mile  stone  may  be  seen 
at  the  corner  of  i68th  Street,  against  a  telegraph  pole.  When  a 
large  flat  was  erected  on  this  corner  and  the  old  milestone  seemed 
in  danger,  a  public  spirited  citizen  stepped  forward  and  had  . 
firmly  s3t  against  the  pole,  where  it  still   reads: 

ID  Miles 

from 
City  Hall. 

Following  up  this  old  highway,  the  thirteenth  mile  stone  was 
about  half  a  mile  beyond  Bronxdale,  but  the  widening  of  White 
Plains  Road  seems  to  have  done  away  with  it.  Next  comes  the 
fifteenth  mile  stone,  about  half  a  mile  this  side  of  Eastchester, 
still  standing  on  the  west  side  of  the  ruad. 


Old  Mill  at  West'Farms 


CHAPTER  XXII 


THE  DEVIL'S  STEPPING  STONES 


jrhe  Satanic  Legends — The  Old  Ferris  Houses — The  Spy  Tree  and  Its  Legends — The  Paul  House— Kelly's  Old 
j  Homestead — Thwaites'  Old  Homestead — "The  Drovers'  Inn" — The  Adee  Cemetery 


:        One  of  the  most  fantastic  legends  to  which  this  part  of  the 

jcountry  can  lay  claim  is  known  as  "The  Devil's  Stepping  Stones." 
||jiist  this  side  of  Eastchester,  among  the  rocky  fields,  stands  a 
lliiige  boulder  deeply  marked  with  the  impression  of  the  right 
lliuman  foot.  Another  remarkable  footprint,  pointing  in  the  same 
jldirection,  is  to  be  found  not  far  from  Fort  Schuyler,  while  still 
||a  third  impression  can  be  seen  across  the  Sound  on  Long  Island. 
Now  the  key  to  this  startling  mystery  lies  in  an  old  Indian  tra- 
dition that  the  Arch  Fiend  in  days  of  old  set  up  a  claim  to  this 
||  section  of  what  was  then  Westchester  County  as  his  own  special 
^property.  Beaten  at  last  by  the  Indians,  he  was  compelled  to 
imake  a  hasty  retreat,  leaping  easily  from  Eastchester  to  Fort 
iSchuyler.  Here  he  was  confronted  by  the  waters  of  the  Sound, 
but  fortunately  he  spied,  in  his  distress,  a  long  line  of  rocks,  on 
Iwhich,  with  remarkable  agility,  he  crossed  over  to  Long  Island, 
there  making  use  of  the  series  of  boulders  that  still  bear  his 
Satanic  imprint. 

I  This  line  of  dangerous  rocks  in  the  Sound  is  known  as  "the 
Stepping  Stones,"  on  one  of  which  the  "Stepping  Stone  Light" 
shines  forth,  a  familiar  beacon  to  warn  all  mariners  who  travel 
by  night. 

Prior  to  this  time,  rumor  has  it  that  not  so  much  as  a 
boulder  was  to  be  seen  in  Westchester  County,  while  Long  Island 
was  thickly  strewn  with  them.  In  his  towering  rage  at  his 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  redskins,  the  Evil  Spirit,  so  the  le- 
gend runs,  hastily  collectea  every  rock  on  the  island  in  piles 
near  Cold  Spring,  and  vented  his  spite  by  hurling  them  at  his 
distant  enemies  across  the  Sound.  Thus  we  find  the  lower  part 
of  old  Westchester  County  fairly  bristling  with  boulders  of  all 
sizes,  while  Long  Island  is  quite  the  reverse — all  owing  to  the 
Devil's   tantrum ! 

For  still  a  second  explanation  of  the  mysterious  footprints, 
we  must  turn  back  to  a  legend  of  the  Stone  Age,  when  the  people 
tirmly  believed  that  could  they  but  cut  off  the  Devil's  tail,  he 
would  feel  so  deeply  disgraced  as  immediately  to  leave  the 
region. 

Accordingly  they  chose  two  of  their  strongest  wielders  of 
the  mighty  stone  axes  to  undertake  the  task.  Great  was  their 
joy  on  coming  upon  the  object  of  tlieir  search,  fast  asleep,  with 
his  tail  neatly  tucked  under  him.  They  could  not  cut  off  his 
tail  without  waking  him;  so  they  quietly  chopped  off  his  cloven 
hoofs  and   as   quickly   disappeared. 

When  the  individual  in  question  awoke  from  his  sleep,  he 
was  indeed  amazed  to  find  that  a  human  foot  had  grown  on  his 
right  leg.  while  his  other  possessed  neither  hoof  nor  foot.  With 
haste  and  speed  he  at  once  proceeded  to  leave  such  a  dangerous 
locality  by  means  of  a  series  of  tremendous  leaps,  jumping  only 


upon  the  rocks  we  have  described.  The  one  redeeming  feature 
of  this  marvelous  legend,  says  some  one,  is  that  it  explains  the 
absence  of  the  cloven  hoof  in  the  footprints  on  the  boulders,  as 
well  as  the  fact  that  the  impressions  are  all  made  by  the  right 
foot — the  only  one  left  him ! 

In  speaking  of  these  remarkable  "Stepping  Stones,"  Wash- 
ington Irving  says :  "I  will  say  nothing  of  the  Devil's  Stepping 
Stones,  by  which  the  Arch  Fiend  made  his  retreat  to  Long  Island. 
Neither  will  I  say  anything  of  the  black  man  in  a  three-cornered 
hat,  seated  in  the  stern  of  a  jollyboat,  whom  it  is  said  that  old 
Peter  Stuyvesant  once  shot  with  a  silver  bullet." 

Winding  and  twisting  in  its  course,  the  old  Pelham  Road 
extended  from  Westchester  to  Pelham.  The  upper  part  of  it 
forms   a   section  of  the   level   Eastern   Boulevard,   passing  quite 


Spy    Tree,  Pelham   Road 

close  to  the  new  Athletic  Grounds  of  Pelham  Bay  Park.  Within 
a  stone's  throw  of  Westchester  Creek  the  Middletown  Road 
branches  off,  on  the  south  side  of  which  is  the  ancient  Ferris 
Homestead,  the  newer  one,  with  its  imposing  row  of  columns, 
being  on  the  northern  side  of  the  roadway. 

Perhaps  half  way  between  Westchester  and  Pelham  Bridge 
stands  one  of  our  most  historic  oaks,  the  famous  "Spy  Tree." 
Reports  state  that  it  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  east  of  the  Rock-y 
Mountains,  and  together  with  one  or  two  others  it  is  classed  as 
the  last  remaining  vestige  of  the  vast  primeval  forest  that  once 
covered  this  entire  section  of  Westchester  County.  What  a 
magnificent  race  of  giants  they  must  have  been  ! 

History  tells  us  that  during  the  long  struggle  of  the  Revo- 
lution, a  British  spy,  captured  in  the  neigh'Dorhood,  was  brought 
to  this  gigantic  tree  and  summarily  hanged  from  one  of  its 
branches.     I   well  remember  seeing  the  noble  branch   on   which 


(,(, 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


the  luckless  spy  met  his  fate.  The  historians  relate  that  it  was 
withered  by  the  curse  of  him  who  perished  there  so  ignomini- 
ously.  Since  that  time  many  a  "Skinner"  has  been  taken  to  the 
same  spot  and  as  quickly  met  his  death.  A  coil  of  rusty  tele- 
graph wire,  hanging  from  this  fated  limb,  was  pointed  out  to  the 
credulous  as  the  identical  noose  from  which  the  unfortunate 
spy  and  the  "Skinners "  were  suspended  over  a  century  ago ! 

Tradition  tells  strange  tales  of  this  old  tree  and  its  sur- 
roundings. Near  by  was  once  a  well,  of  such  renown  that  every- 
body from  far  and  near  used  to  come  to  draw  the  clear,  cold 
water.  One  evening,  many  years  ago,  two  young  girls  started 
with  their  pails  to  walk  to  this  old  well,  and  when  close  to  the 
"Spy  Tree,"  they  saw  a  strange  form  approaching,  "dressed  in 
a  military  coat  with  an  overcape  after  the  style  of  the  overcoats 
worn  by  the  officers  towards  the  close  of  the  last  century. 
Nearer  and  nearer  the  figur'.-  came — he  was  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  girls,  when  suddenly  he  vanished  into  thin  air  before  their 
eyes !" 

On  another  occasion,  as  we  are  told,  an  old  farmer  vC'as 
one  evening  driving  down  the  winding  Pelham  Road,  with  a  load 
of  produce  for  the  New  York  market.  As  he  drew  near  the 
"Skinners'  Oak,"  the  same  strange  man  was  seen  approaching, 
clad  in  the  same  antique  military  cape.  Believing  himself  about 
to  be  attacked,  the  old  farmer  clutched  his  whip  more  firmly,  but 
as  the  figure  approached  closer  he  became  paralyzed  with  fear. 
The  strange  apparition  reached  out,  touched  the  wagon  and 
putting  his  hand  on  it,  walked  quietly  alongside  until  the  'Spy 
Tree"  was  reached,  when  he,  as  before,  vanished  into  air. 

One  more  thrilling  tale  comes  to  us  of  this  haunted  oak, 
happening  on  one  Thanksgiving  Eve  in  "ye  olden  tyme."  Three 
men,  mounted  on  horses  of  blooded  Westchester  stock,  were 
riding  madly  along  on  the  way  to  their  homes  in  City  Island. 
Suddenly,  while  approaching  the  old  tree,  their  horses  with  one 
accord  came  to  a  dead  stop.  Voice,  whip,  spur  proved  of  no 
avail.  The  poor  animals  were  literally  trembling  in  every  limb, 
as  if  spying  something  frightful  in  the  darkness  beyond  which 
their  riders  could  not  see.  After  many  fruitless  efforts  to  make 
their  steeds  pass  the  spot,  the  despairing  horsemen  removed 
some  stones  in  the  wall,  and  leading  their  horses  through,  made 
a  long  detour  around  the  place  where  the  tree  was,  reaching 
the  road  again  some  distance  beyond.  Then,  mounting  once 
more,  they  galloped  onward  toward  their  homes. 

The  natural  question  is:  What  made  the  horses  behave  so? 
A  well  versed  authority  states  that  it  could  not  have  been  be- 
cause the  men  had  stopped  at  some  road  house.  "For  the  horses 
and  not  the  men  saw  the  ghosts.  And  it  is  far  easier  to  believe 
in  spirits  of  any  kind  than  to  believe  the  horses  were  inebriated. 
There  is  no  record  of  any  kind  to  prove  that  men  of  those  days 
were  generous  enough  to  treat  their  horses  as  well  as  this 
supposition  would   imply." 

North  of  the  "Spy  Tree"  is  an  ancient  abode,  standing  well 
back  from  the  road,  and  known  as  the  "Old  Paul  House." 
Whatever  history  is  connected  with  the  quaint  white  structure  I 
have  been  unable  to  obtain.  To  the  south  of  the  "Spy  Tree" 
stood  an  early  homestead,  said  to  have  been  built  in  1735.  A  well 
sweep  of  antique  appearance,  just  across  the  road,  has  given  rise 


iij  the  belief  that  the  inspiring  poem,  "The  Old  Oaken  Bucket" 
was  composed  here,  and  a  long  newspaper  item  is  to  this  effect 
probably   written   by   some  misinformed   correspondent. 

History  tells  of  a  spy,  captured  during  the  Revolution  ir 
Westchester  County  and  brought  before  General  Putnam.  Gov 
ernor  Tryon,  the  British  commander,  wrote  to  Putnam,  threaten 
mg  dire  vengeance  should  the  spy  be  executed.  As  a  reply.  Put 
nam  wrote  the  following : 

"Sir :  Nathan  Palmer,  a  lieutenant  in  your  King's  service 
was  taken  in  my  camp  as  a  spy;  he  was  tried  as  a  spy;  he  wa' 
condemned  as  a  spy,  and  you  may  rest  assured,  sir,  that  he  shal 
be  hanged  as  a  spy. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c., 

ISRAEL  PUTNAM. 
"P.   S. — Afternoon.     He  is  hanged." 

Two  old  houses  on  the  Boston  Road  may  well  claim  our  at 
lention.  One  was  "Thwaite's  Old  Homestead,"  just  south  of  Pel 
ham  Parkway  and  near  Bear  Swamp  Road,  in  Bronxdale.  Tt 
glance  at  this  old  house  was  to  appreciate  its  antiquity.  Accord 
ing  to  Mr.  Thwaite,  it  was  built  in  1799,  and  the  relentless  ad 
vance  of  the  widened  White  Plains  Road  has  wiped  it  out  o 
existence,  as  it  ha  sdone  with  others  of  Bronxdale's  relics.  Tin 
second  is  a  "Drovers'  Inn,"  described  as  commanding  an  extensivi 
view  of  the  Sound.  There  is  a  strange  old  house  at  the  tip-top  o 
the  hill,  about  a  mile  this  side  of  Eastchester,  that  would  seen 
to  answer  this  description.  It  does  not  look  exactly  like  : 
dwelling,  and  is  perhaps  the  identical  "Drovers'  Inn"  mentionet 
in  tlie  old  records. 

To  leach  this  old  hostelry  by  following  Boston  road,  on( 
has  to  pass  within  sight — if  one  has  sharp  eyes — of  the  ok 
Underbill  Burying  Ground,  just  beyond  Spencer's  Corners.  Ir 
addition  to  the  sepulchral  looking  vault,  there  are  many  head 
stones  here,  some  of  them  in  an  exceedingly  neglected  condition 
I  have  been  told  that  it  is  on  the  Adee  property  and  that  t..i 
Underbills  purchased  it  fiom  the  Indians. 

Following  are  some  of  the  inscriptions : 


Clarina.  . .  .  •  ■ 

Who  departed  this  life 

Febry   18,   1795. 

Aged  IS  months. 


Nathaniel  Underbill. 
June  27,   1775. 


Annie, 

Wife  of  John  Underhil 

-■6  August,   1786 


"^SK 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


FORT  SCHUYLER  AND  SCREVEN'S  POINT 


Fort  Schuyler     Hart's  Island — Zerega's  Point — Screven's  Point — Castle  Hill  Mansion — The  Wilkins  House 


Protecting  the  access  bj'  water  to  New  York  City  by  means 
of  the  Sound,  are  two  lines  of  defences,  Willett's  Point  on  the 
Long  Island  shore  and  Fort  bchuyler  on  our  side.  The  fort  is 
at  the  extreme  end  of  Throgg's  Neck,  where  stands  a  warning 
lighthouse,  and  is  reached  by  one  of  the  most  beautiful  drives 
in  this  part  of  the  country — a  broad  roadway  lined  on 
either  side  with  the  most  magnificent  trees,  and  serving  to  reach 
many  most  elegant  mansions  m  the  neighborhood.  Located  about 
four  miles  southeast  of  the  Vv  estchester  Railroad  Station,  it  is 
now  the  most  remotely  situated  military  post  in  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx,  and  until  1895,  when  a  regular  post  office  was  estab- 
lished at  Westchester  and  a  free  delivery  service  put  into  opera- 
tion, all  mail  matter  for  the  fort  had  to  be  sent  by  carriage 
from  Old  Westchester   Village,  night  and  morning. 

Until  the  recent  erection  of  a  telephone  and  telegraph  line 
connecting  all  the  government  posts  in  the  v.cinity,  there  was  no 
direct  means  of  communication  with  the  outside  world,  except 
by  toiling  to  Westchester,  or  waiting  for  the  official  steamer, 
the  "General  Meigs,"  which  made  daily  trips  around  the  city. 

The  reservation  proper  includes  about  ninety  acres.  Near 
the  beginning  of  this  reservation  is  a  narrow  causeway,  where  at 
high  tide  the  waters  of  the  Sound  used  to  How  over  the  roadway 
very  freely,  so  low  was  its  level. 

Three  large  disappearing  guns  have  been  erected  on  the 
reservation,  affording  quite  a  contrast  to  the  almost  obsolete 
outfit  of  the  rest  of  the  fort.  When  I  visited  the  place  several 
years  ago,  in  company  with  an  old  Civil  War  veteran,  he  pointed 
out  to  me  the  "Columbiads"  and  "Re-inforced"  cannon  that  were 
apparently  its  only  means  of  defence.  Years  before  I  had  looked 
with  awe  into  the  mouths  of  the  mortars,  alinost  expecting  them 
to  go  ofl:  at  any  minute.  The  subterranean  "bomb-proof"  cham- 
bers always  had  a  fascination  for  me,  as  did  the  old  draw  bridge 
that  could  be  drawn  up  at  a  minute's  notice,  after  the  manner 
of  a  medieval  castle.  Should  an  enemy  succeed  in  passing  this 
drawbridge,  he  would  have  to  pass  through  a  grim  tunnel,  on 
each  side  of  which  were  narrow  slits  for  the  gunners  to  aim 
their  rifies,  and  direct  plenty  of  cold  lead  towards  the  invading 
foe. 

So  much  for  the  approach  by  land.  While  the  water  at  the 
causeway  is  shallowness  itself,  there  is  very  deep  water  off  the 
fort  dock,  to  reach  which  one  has  to  turn  to  the  right  after 
passing  beneath  the  tunnel,  and  go  through  another  archway, 
close  to  a  barred  window,  evidently  the  "guard  room"  of  the 
place.  If  any  hostile  ships  approached  in  years  past,  the  guns 
would  have  probably  made  short  work  of  them.  Were  they  to 
come  to-day,  the  disappearing  guns  would  no  doubt  get  in  their 
deadly  work. 

From  the  extreme  end  of  the  point,  the  Sound  makes  a  sharp, 
almost    right-angled    turn,    and    the    view    from    here    is    simply 


superb.     On  a  clear  day.  Long  Island,  Pelham  Bay  and  the  dis- 
tant shores  of  Hart's  Island  come  into  marked  prominence. 

"This  fort,  built  more  than  sixty  years  ago,  is  a  fine  speci- 
men of  the  military  architecture  of  that  period.  In  shape  it 
tesembles  a  blunt  wedge,  having  seven  sides  about  300  feet 
in  length  at  the  west  end,  and  the  other  six  forming  the  two 
tapering  sides  to  the  wedge,  the  point  of  which  is  at  the  end 
of  Throgg's  Neck.  At  each  angle  there  is  a  projection  which 
might  be  compared  to  a  bay  window,  in  which  provision  is  made 
for  mounting  cannon,  and  in  each  of  the  two  forward  sections 
of  the  side  walls  there  are  about  eighty,  in  two  tiers,  also  pro- 
visions for  mounting  guns  on  top. 

"Once  a  week  the  old  cannon  are  cleaned  out  and  oiled,  and 
the  carriages  shifted  and  oiled  to  prevent  rust.  This  moving 
of  the  guns  takes  up  much  of  the  time  of  the  little  garrison, 
which  consists  of  two  batteries  of  the  Fifth  Artillery,  comprising 
about  150  men." 

After  crossing  the  causeway,  one  comes  upon  the  ruins  of 
the  old  hospital,  a  relic  of  the  Civil  War,  when  this  was  quite 
an  important  place  for  military  convalescents.  It  had  been  long 
disused  and  was  finally  destroyed  by  fire.  A  friend  once  told 
me  that  during  the  Civil  War  he  happened  to  walk  by  the 
sentries  and  find  himself  inside  the  fortifications  of  Fort  Schuyler. 
Escape  by  land  he  could  not,  so  he  tried  by  water.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  a  government  boat  was  receiving  soldiers,  and  in  the 
confusion  he  managed  to  get  on  board,  thus  making  a  sudden 
and  unexpected  retreat  from  the  fort. 

Throgg's  Neck,  as  the  crow  flies,  is  just  thirteen  miles  from 
the  New  York  City  Hall.  Three  miles  above,  and  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  the  northern  end  of  City  Island,  is  situated  Hart's 
Island,  an  important  military  post.  The  United  States  flag  can 
always  be  seen  flying  from  the  small  collection  of  buildings  that 
are  grouped  together  on  this  island.  In  connection  with  Throgg's 
Neck  we  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  elegant  Havemeyer  and 
Huntington  mansions  that  are  such  orna^nts  to  this  region. 
The  former  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  the  vicinity, 
having  been  built  by  Abijah  Hammond  about  the  year  1800. 
Close  to  the  lane  dividing  these  two  estates  may  be  seen  on  the 
Havemeyer  land  a  quaint  oid  house,  once  owned  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Roberts,  of  Roberts'  College,  Constantinople,  while  opposite, 
near  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Huntington,  rises  a  beautiful  cedar 
of  Lebanon,  said  to  be  the  finest  in  North  America. 

The  next  point  below  is  Zerega's,  or  Old  Ferry  Point, 
a  corruption  from  Ferris  Point.  On  the  rural  and  narrow  lane 
leading  to  Zerega's  Point,  just  beyond  the  handsome  brick  Catho- 
lic Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum,  stands  perhaps  the  oldest  house  in 
the  whole  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  the  ancient  Ferris  Mansion. 
Erected  in  1687,  its  antique  appearance  betokens  its  great  age. 
Fronting  the  south,  it  has  been  added  to,  so  that  the  more  modern 


Old  Mott  Haven  Canal,  loofcina:  South  from   144th  Street 


OldMott  Haven  Canal,  looking  North  item  J  36th  Street 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


69 


jiart  appears  llic  nldcsl.  lis  t-arly  luiniu  was  "(irove  Siah's,"  from 
its  Colonial  owner,  Jn^iah  limit,  wliosf  fallu'r.  Tliomas  lliml, 
received  it  in  palcnl  from  (;o\crniir  Niculls.  In  this  way  the  ohl 
grange  and  surromiding  lands  pasM-d  iiUn  tin-  possession  of  Mr. 
Ferris,  and  we  may  add  that  a  more  truly  beautiful  section 
rarely  exists  in  our  extensive  borough.  .\n  old  maj)  shows  the 
Lorillard  Mansion  on  the  extreme  end,  while  the  Zercga  Mansion 
is  a  little  further  back.  Both  of  these  seemed  protected  by  a  sign  : 
"No  Trespassing!"  One  of  these,  probably  the  Lorillard  Man- 
sion, was  said  to  have  been  of  Revolutionary  origin,  and  met  its 
doom  by  the  flames  a  few  years  ago.  It  is  now  replaced  by  a 
very  handsome  structure. 

Adrian  Block,  on  his  voyage  of  exploration  of  the  East 
River  and  Long  Island  Sound,  was  undoubtedly  the  first  white 
man  to  see  the  wigwams  of  the  Sewanoes  in  plain  view  of  the 
summit  of  Castle  Hill,  about  where  the  Screven  place  now  stands. 
Even  after  the  departure  of  the  red  men,  and  until  this  very  day, 
the  spot  bears  the  same  historic  name.  Castle  Hill.  During  the 
years  of  the  Revolution,  and  on  the  maps  for  many  years  after- 
wards, the  place  was  the  property  of  Gouverneur  Morris  Wil- 
kins,  and  I  have  learned  that  it  had,  a  short  time  ago,  passed 
into  the  possession  of  the  Portchester  Railroad.  Almost  hidden 
by  the  surrounding  trees  stands  the  old  mansion,  "Castle  Hill," 
for  many  years  the  abode  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  Wilkins,  rector  of 
St.  Peter's  Church,  Westchester,  a  respected  member  of  the 
Colonial  Assembly,  and,  it  must  be  added,  a  most  sincere  and 
outspoken  Tory.  His  residence  became  the  refuge  of  three  other 
Loyalist  clergymen,  who  found  their  own  parishes  too  patriotic 
for  them. 

One  of  these  was  the  Rt.  Rev.  Samuel  Scabury,  also  for  a 
time  rector  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  the  first  bishop  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  in  America,  who  had  made  the  long 
voyage  over  to  England  in  order  to  be  ordained.  During  the 
Revolution,  Dr.  Scabury  wrote  a  most  remarkable  series  of 
pamphlets,  each  one  fairly  ablaze  with  Loyalist  doctrines,  which 
so  aroused  the  ire  of  the  Americans,  that  the  worthy  bishop  was 
captured  while  in  New  Haven  and  publicly  paraded  through  the 
streets.  On  finding  the  proof  of  his  authorship  insufficient,  they 
allowed  him  to  return  to  Westchester  and  the  enraged  populace 
contented  themselves  with  burning  all  of  his  documents  that  they 


could  lay  hands  on.  after  decorating  them  well  with  tar  and 
feathers.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Wilkins  came  very  near  being  seized  as 
the  writer  of  these  papers,  but  succeeded  in  proving  an  alibi.  As 
a  climax,  some  one  else  steipcd  in  and  laid  claim  to  the  author- 
ship, to  whom  the  British  government  granted  a  handsome  pen- 
sion, while  Dr.  Seabury,  the  real  originator,  never  received  so 
much  as  a  farthing,  and  came  near  losing  his  life  at  that. 

Dr.  Seabury  and  his  friends  were  compelled  to  keep  in  the 
closest  hiding  while  at  Castle  Hill.  For  a  long  time  none  of 
Ihem  dared  stir  from  the  dark  recesses  of  an  old  chimney-corner 
where  food  was  lowered  to  them  through  an  improvised  trap 
door.  So  ingeniously  constructed  was  their  refuge  in  the  old- 
fashioned  chinnicy  that  they  managed  to  escape  detection  in  spite 
of  the  thorough  and  persevering  searches  that  were  constantly 
made  for  them  throughout  the  old  mansion. 

The  names  of  the  other  clergymen  were  Drs.  Cooper  and 
Chandler.  From  a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Seabury  we  learn  that 
the  charge  brought  against  them  was  "that  they  have,  in  con- 
nection with  the  society  and  the  British  Ministry,  laid  a  plan 
for  enslaving  .America." 

The  secret  chamber  in  which  the  three  men  hid  was  one 
that  the  builders  had  left  unfinished  by  the  side  of  the  chimney. 
The  room — if  room  it  may  be  called — is  extremely  deep  and 
narrow,  extending  to  the  bottom  of  the  chimney  in  the  cellar, 
with  an  entrance  through  a  trap  door  in  the  floor  of  the  room 
overhead.  As  we  have  said,  although  the  house  was  repeatedly 
searched  and  surrounded  for  some  time,  this  secret  room  re- 
mained undiscovered.  Afle-  a  week  the  prisoners  escaped  through 
a  subterranean  passage,  connecting  the  cellar  with  the  creek 
about  a  hundred  feet  away.  Not  very  long  ago  some  workmen, 
in  digging,  came  upon  an  underground  passage,  which  according 
to  all  signs,  must  have  been  the  very  one  through  which  the  three 
clergymen  made  good  their  escape. 

"It  is  hard  to  realize  now,"  says  some  one,  "when  the  country 
is  being  rapidly  changed  by  tne  erection  of  blocks  of  brick  houses 
and  other  buildings,  that  Westchester  was  ever  sufficiently  wild 
to  have  been  the  scene  of  such  acts  of  savagery  as  are  recorded 
in  history,  and  it  would  be  well  to  mark  the  spots  of  most  inter- 
est before  the  encroaching  city  obliterates  all  the  traces  which 
iinw  remain." 


CALirORNI.V.N    -LA-LI'jN; 
A  Scene  in  Bronx  Park 


CLINTON  AVENUE  AND  I70th  $TREET.  SEVENTEEN  YEARS  AGO 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


PORT  MORRIS  AND  "THE  HUSSAR *♦ 


Riker's  Island — Two  Brother  Islands — Various  Accounts  of  the  Lost  "Hussar' 


I  Passing  by  for  the  moment,  Hunt's  Point  with  all  its  interest- 

ing historical  associations  and  memories,  we  come  to  Port  Morris, 
at  present  mostly  occupied  by  gas-tanks  and  manufacturing  in- 
dustries. 

Off  in  the  Sound  lies  Riker's  Island,  a  dreary  looking  waste 
in  the  water,  increased  in  size,  I  understand,  by  the  fillings  from 
the  Street  Cleaning  Department.  To  the  south  lie  the  "Two 
Brothers,"  two  islands,  on  the  more  northerly  of  which  are  situ- 
ated the  City  Hospitals,  while  the  southern  island  has  lately  been 
used  as  an  athletic  field,  being  reached  by  steamer  from  Port 
Morris. 

"There  are  alwiut  half  a  dozen  treasure-ships  off  our  shores,'' 
says  a  New  York  diver,  in  relating  his  experiences.  "The  best 
known  hereabouts  is  the  British  frigate  'Hussar,'  which  struck 
(in  the  vicinity  of  North  Brother  Island  and  Port  Morris)  in 
1780.  She  went  down  with  107  men  on  board  and.  it  is  said, 
a  great  amount  of  gold  coin  intended  for  the  British  forces. 
This  vessel  has  been  worked  for  treasure  smce  1818.  Parties 
have  operated  with  a  diving  bell,  have  grappled  with  ice-longs 
and  in  fact  have  endeavored  in  ways  as  numerous  as  they  were 
ridiculous,  to  raise  the  titasurc.  But  I  never  heard  of  anything 
of  value  being  obtained  since  1819,  when  her  guns  and  upper 
sheathing  were  brought  up — except  the  anchor,  and  I  raised  that 
a  few  years  ago.  There  lies  the  'Hussar'  just  where  she  sank, 
only  she  has  worked  herself  a  nest  thirty  feet  beiow  the  bed  of 
the  Sound,  and  if  there  was  any  treasure  aboard  her,  it  is  there 
still.  H  there  is  any  truth  in  the  story  that  comes  down  from 
1780  the  waters  are  eddying  over  a  treasure  of  two  hundred 
thousand  pounds." 

Almost  exactly  on  the  spot  where  search  was  made,  a  while 
ago,  for  the  bodies  of  the  victims  of  the  "General  Slocum," 
has  this  long  hunt  taken  place.  It  has  involved  the  outlay  of 
over  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  involving  the  shattering  oi 
many  a  reputation.  Not  until  ten  years  ago  has  the  State 
Department  ended  the  quest  by  "exploding  the  myth." 

Reaching  New  York  from  England  on  September  13,  1780, 
came  this  famous  "Hussar"  with  a  cargo  of  a  large  sum  of  money 
in  copper,  silver  and  gold  coin.  The  English  forces  in  the 
Colonies  had  not  been  paid  for  a  long  time,  and  this  money  was 
i;i  still  llieir  complaints.  Another  British  vessel,  the  "Mercury," 
had  also  left  England  with  three  hundred  and  eighty  thousand 
pounds,  and  the  conclusion  was  that  this  had  been  transferred  to 
the  "Hussar."  About  this  period  there  were  rumors  extant  that 
New  York  City  was  about  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans, 
and  therefore  the  "Hussar"  received  orders  to  sail  up  the  Sound 
to  Newport.  It  never,  however,  got  beyond  North  Brother 
Island,  vhere  it  sank  on  the  23d  of  November.  1780.  conveying 


the  impression  that  the  treasure  had  gone  to  the  bottom  with  the 
ill-fated  ship. 

Then  followed  the  numerous  attempts  to  secure  the  supposed 
prize.  "The  only  treasure  connected  with  the  sinking  of  the 
'Hussar,'  "  says  some  one,  "is  the  money  that  has  been  expended 
in  trying  to  recover  it."  The  methods  employed  were  certainly 
as  original  and  novel  as  they  were  unsuccessful.  One  man  re- 
covered from  the  wreck  fifteen  guineas,  and  a  number  of  relics, 
including  some  beer  mugs,  inscribed  "George  III,  Rex,"  and  a 
cannon  now  in  the  museum  at  Worcester,  Mass.  I  have  in  my 
collection  a  mass  of  rust,  brought  from  the  same  place,  fully 
three  inches  in  diameter,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  a  bullet  about 
an  inch  through  the  centre. 

Finally  Secretary  Gresham  investigated  the  matter,  and  a  re- 
port in  the  Admiralty's  Office  was  searched.  The  logs  of  the 
"Mercury"  and  the  "Hussar"  were  closely  examined,  neither  of 
these  containing  the  least  mention  of  any  treasure.  In  the  books 
of  the  Exchequer  it  wis  found  that  the  largest  sum  of  money 
sent  to  this  country  at  any  one  time  during  the  Revolution  was 
fifty  thousand  pounds,  and  that  was   sent  to  Charleston. 

In  the  Admiralty  Office  proper  was  discovered  a  report, 
written  by  Fletcher  Betts,  an  officer  of  the  "Hussar,"  giving  a 
complete  description  of  the  disaster  and  adding  that  there  was 
twenty  thousand  pounds  in  gold  aboard  the  "Hussar,"  but  two 
days  before  it  sunk  the  money  was  delivered  to  the  Commissary 
General  at  New  York,  and  that  Betts  himself  assisted  in  trans- 
fering  the  gold. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  long  tradition  of  sunken  treasure, 
which  has  cost  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  and  nmch 
bitter  disappointment. 

As  one  of  the  divers  was  exploring  the  bottom  of  the  Sound 
in  his  search  for  the  hapless  victims  of  the  "General  Slocum,"  he 
was  amazed  at  coming  across  the  remains  of  an  old  anchor  and 
some  water-worn  fragments  of  its  "chair."  "On  her  way  up  the 
Sound,  she  struck  on  Pot  Rock,"  we  are  told,  "and  her  captain 
made  for  North  Brother  Island,  just  as  the  coiumander  of  the 
'Slocum'  did,  but  the  vessel  foundered  before  he  could  get  it  on 
the  shelving  edge  of  the  island." 

Another  authority  states  that  lately  a  gang  of  Italians 
at  work  on  the  New  York  Central  Railroad's  new  Power  House 
at  145th  Street  and  the  Sound,  dug  up  a  strange  looking  little 
barrel,  and  when  they  found  it  was  empty,  they  hurled  it  to 
where  a  policeman  happened  to  be  standing.  Picking  it  up,  he 
rubbed  the  dirt  off,  and  discovered  it  to  be  a  spruce  wood  can- 
teen, with  the  date  "1778,"  and  in  another  place  was  the  fig- 
ure "2."  The  supposition  is  that  some  shipwrecked  soldier  from 
the  ill-fated  "Hussar,"  once  the  owner  of  this  canteen,  might  have 
sought  refuge  in  the  fort  that  was  formerly  situated  on  the  site 
of  the  new  power  plant  of  the  New  Y'ork  Central  Railroad. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


LEGGETT'S  LANE  AND  WESTCHESTER  TURNPIKE 


Leggett's  Lane — The  Dater  Mansion — The  Dennison-White  Mansion — The   Revolutionary   Cave — Oak  Point- 
The  Whitlock-Casanova  Mansion — Westchester  Turnpike — Janes  &  Kirtland  Iron  Foundry — 
Si.  Ann's  Church — The  Pocahontas  Branch  Railroad — The  "Great  Eastern" — 
Bensonia  Cemetery — The  Benson  Mansion 


Directly  above  North  Brother  Island  is  Leggett's  Point,  and 
near  here  was  the  terminus  of  that  delightfully  picturesque 
country  lane,  variously  styled  "Leggett's  Lane,"  "Dennison's 
Lane,"  and  "White's  Lane."  It  started  at  the  old  Westchester 
Turnpike,  a  few  feet  north  of  Prospect  Avenue,  winding  its  way 
almost  due  south  to  the  handsome  residences  on  the  shores  of  the 
Sound.  In  former  years  it  was  a  perfect  bower  of  interwinding 
tree  branches.  Now,  when  a  few  days  ago,  I  sought  to  find  this 
spot,  it  was  so  lost  by  the  many  buildings  that  have  grown  up 
around  as  if  by  magic,  that  only  a  few  trees  and  scattered  frag- 
ments of  a  once  beautiful  "nigger-head"  stone  wall,  remained 
to  mark  its  course. 

One   old    house   is   left,    the    Dennison-White    residence,    the 


Leggett's  Lane 

Dater  Mansion  having  recently  been  destroyed.  This  latter  was 
a  grand  old  stone  structure  facing  the  water,  betokening  in  its 
stately  appearance  all  its  former  grandeur,  but  now  used  as  tlie 
home  of  a  market  gardener ! 

The  Dennison-White  house  was  situated  in  "Longwood 
Park,"  its  entrance  being  about  opposite  the  site  of  Philip 
Dater's.  The  old  mansion  itself,  whose  sides  were  so  conspicu- 
ously blocked  out  in  checker-board  squares,  is  still  preserved  as 
the  handsome  "Longwood  Club  House,"  and  Longwood  Avenue, 
near  by,  is  named  from  the  same  source. 

Imagine  a  beautiful,  woodland  estate,  with  acres  of  grassy 
lawn,  varied  here  and  there  by  miniature  forests  and  glens. 
Within  a  stone's  throw  ran  the  densely  shaded  lane,  along  which 
I  have  been  told  the  British   forces   marched,   in  days  of  yore. 


When  I  last  visited  this  site,  so  familiar  to  me  in  times  past, 
great  trees  were  fast  being  felled  and  blocks  of  houses  had 
sprung  up.  so  that  it  would  require  the  practiced  skill  of  a  truly 
old  inhabitant  to  tell  where  the  original  lane  wound  through  its 
terraced  banks. 

A  few  years  ago,  instead  of  the  red-coated  soldiers,  a  daily 
army  of  excursionists  tramped  along  this  leafy  lane  on  hot 
summer  days  on  their  way  to  reach  a  water  resort.  Then  it  was 
that  the  ceaseless  throng  became  an  eyesore  to  the  residents  of  the 
old  mansion,  and,  claiming  that  the  lane  was  a  private  and  not 
a  public  way,  they  sought  to  bar  popular  progress  by  erecting 
gates  across  the  roadway.  "But  no,"  said  those  wise  in  the 
law.  "For  twenty  years  this  has  been  an  open  road,  and  you 
cannot  close  it  now."  Thus  did  the  Oak  Point  excursionists  win 
the  day. 

Close  to  the  winding  lane,  under  a  grove  of  immense  forest 
trees,  was  situated  some  years  ago  a  little  cave  almost  hidden 
by  the  green  turf.  In  its  dark  recesses  once  lay  a  pile  of  human 
Ijones,  ghastly,  gruesome  and  white.  During  the  Revolution  there 
was  a  sharp  skirmish  hereabouts  between  the  Americans  and 
the  British,  with  the  unfortunate  result  that  the  former  were 
only  "almost  successful."  In  their  hasty  flight  they  carried  their 
dead  with  them,  until  the  little  cave  was  reached,  when  they 
halted  just  long  enough  to  hide  the  bodies  in  its  black  interior. 
An  old  resident  recently  told  me  that  man"  years  ago  she  had 
often  visited  the  place  and  seen  the  white  bones,  which  a  phy- 
sician who  had  examined  them,  declared  were  genuine  human 
bones. 

There  was  once  an  cptning  in  the  "Haw-Haw"  fence,  that 
led  to  the  old  lane,  but  such  streams  of  people  used  to  come  to 
see  the  strange  curiosities  that  the  owner  of  the  place  did  away 
with  the  entrance,  and  filled  up  the  cave  for  self  protection,  leav- 
ing but  a  mound  to  mark  the  spot. 

Now  the  query  is :  Will  the  laborers  find  the  bones  when 
they  dig  up  the  ground  where  the  cave  was,  as  they  seem  sure 
soon  to  do?  Were  the  bones  taken  away  when  the  cave  was 
filled  in,  or  are  they  there  still?  What  will  the  contractor  say 
if  his  men  come  upon  a  pile  of  human  relics?  In  a  very  short 
time  this  question  will  be  answered,  and  we  shall  sec  whether  the 
workmen  will  bring  to  light  the  remains  of  some  of  our  Revo- 
lutionary ancestors! 

From  here  towards  the  Sound,  the  winding  lane  crossed  the 
present  Southern  Boulevard,  ending  near  the  old  Arnold  Man- 
sion. I  have  heard  that  there  was  a  Revolutionary  house  at  this 
place,  pp.ssibly  the  Leggett  Mansion.     At  any  rate,  they  have  all 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


73 


vaiiislied  now.  "Arnold's  Point."  afterwards  Oak  Point,  that 
well  known  resort  for  bathers  and  excursionists,  now  forms  tlie 
busy  freight  yards  of  the  New  Haven  Railroad  Company. 

Another  stately  edifice  has  not  survived  the  general  destruc- 
tion. This  is  the  immense  Whitlock  or  Casanova  Mansion,  which 
rose  like  a  sentinel  above  the  surrounding  regions.  B.  M.  Whit- 
lock, its  former  owner,  carried  on   an   extensive  trade   with   the 


as  if  by  magic,  only  to  close  again  in  the  same  manner.  A  lady 
who  had  been  an  invited  guest  at  this  chateau  told  me  that  one 
Sunday  morning  Mrs.  Whitlock  wished  to  drive  with  her  to 
church.  They  did  not  go.  for  out  of  the  fifty-six  horses  on  the 
estate,  the  servants  w^ere  using  every  one  of  the  carriage  horses 
for  their  own  purposes ! 

Just  before  the  Civil  War  an  entire  regiment  from   (icorgia 


Site  of  Old  Revolutionary  Cave 


j    Southern  States,  and  selected  this  spot,  then  an  ideal  one,  for  a 
||   country  residence.     A  magnificent  forest  surrounded  it,  and  only 
'    the  top  of  the  great  central  dome  was  visible  above  the  trees, 
i  Many   wonderful    stones   have   been   told    to    me   about   this 

I    palatial  abode.     Three  years  it  was  in  building,  being  completed 
about   1859,   some  of  the  elaborate   decorations   having  been   im- 


Casanova  Mansion 

ported  from  France.  Solid  gold  knobs  were  on  the  massive 
front  doors.  Long  drives  wound  through  the  grounds.  As  a 
carriage  approached  the  immense  gates,  the  horses  would  step 
on  some  hidden  spring,  and  suddenly  the  gates  would  fly  open 


was  entertained  at  his  mansion  by  Mr.  Whitlock.  the  men  en- 
camped in  tents  on  the  lawn,  and  the  officers  having  possession 
of  the  spare  rooms  in  the  house.  With  the  Rebellion,  we  learn 
that  financial  distress  came  to  the  family  and  Mr.  Whitlock  was 
obliged  to  sell  his  beautiful  residence,  which  passed  into  the 
hands  of  a  distinguished  Cuban,  Senor  Casanova,  and  the  place 
was  styled  "Castello  de  Casanova." 

Through  the  courtesy  of  the  owners  I  made  a  tour  of  in- 
spection through  the  old  house,  taking  an  entire  afternoon  for 
exploration.  The  great  front  doors  were  thrown  open  for  us  to 
enter,  and  we  read  at  our  feet  in  inlaid  tiling  the  legend,  "SOYEZ 
LE  BIENVENU,"  and  were  confronted  on  all  sides  by  the  most 
beautiful  polished  white  marble.  Perhaps  the  most  charming 
apartment  of  all  was  the  "Louis  XVI  Room,"  a  dazzling  blaze  of 
blue,  white  and  gold.  Or  was  the  finest  room  the  one  built 
under  the  great  dome  at  the  top,  evidently  intended  for  a  ball 
room,  but  resembling  a  chapel,  in  that  it  is  lit  by  the  most  jewel- 
like stained  glass  windows?  Another  apartment,  also  highly 
unique,  was  the  room  in  wdiich  the  great  safe  stands.  We  only 
discovered  it  by  accident,  as  it  is  lighted  by  oval  panels,  that 
closely  resemble  wood,  until  we  entered  through  a  secret  doorway 
and  found  they  were  of  opaque  glass. 

Much  doubt  has  been  cast  upon  these  underground  cham- 
bers, and  I  could  scarcely  believe  they  were  there  myself  until 
1  wandered  through  them,  almost  tumbling  into  the  well  that  evi- 
dently supplied  the  house  with  drinking  water.  At  every  point 
we  met  some  strange  and  novel  sight.  The  extravagantly  en- 
amelled door  knobs  that  we  found  lying  on  the  floor  were  indeed 
jewels  in  themselves.     We  rang  bells  that  sounded  far  away  in 


74 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


the  lower  part  of  the  house.  No  servant  responded,  however, 
for  the  one  resident  was  outside  and  did  not  keep  any  "help." 
So,  whoever  wanted  to  be  surrounded  by  luxury,  by  everything 
that  taste  can  desire  or  money  can  buy — all  in  the  past  tense, 
should  have  paid  a  visit  to  this  magnificent  Casanova  Mansion. 

The  old  Westchester  Turnpike  branched  from  Third  Ave- 
nue (Boston  Post  Road)  at  isoth  Street,  and  wended  its  way 
to  the  Village  of  Westchester.  Purdy's  grocery  store,  for  so 
many  years  a  landmark  of  the  entire  section,  which  stood  at  the 
corner,  has  yielded  its  place  to  one  of  our  great  department 
stores.  After  crossing  what  was  formerly  Mill  Brook,  the  road 
passes  on  the  right  hand  the  remains  of  the  extensive  Janes  & 
Kirtland's  iron  foundry,  which  in  its  day  wrought  many  famous 
pieces  of  iron  for  different  parts  of  the  country.  Examples  of 
the  work  follow :  The  iron  work  for  the  dome  of  the  Capitol  at 
Washington,  and  it  is  said  that  when  this  order  was  secured, 
so  large  was  the  undertaking  that  the  firm  moved  its  factory 
to  the  then  wilderness  of  Westchester  County,  in  1858.  where  it 
erected  a  large  brick  edifice,  3.300  feet  square;  they  also  did  work 
for  the  Treasury  Department,  the  General  Post  Office  at  Wash- 
ington and  the  Patent  Ofiice ;  also  the  iron  railing  on  the  old 
Brooklyn  Bridge  approaches,  the  iron  bridge  across  the  lake  in 
Central  Park,  which  was  cast  in  ten-ton  pieces.  China,  South 
America,  Cuba,  Hawaii,  Mexico  and  Haiti  claim  mythological 
pieces,  dogs,  deers  and  lions,  all  cast  by  this  firm.  The  immense 
fountain  for  the  City  of  Savannah,  considered  one  of  the  most 
notable  examples  of  ironwork  in  America,  was  also  their  work 
which  in  later  years  gave  up  the  manufacture  of  ornamental 
and  architectural  pieces.  It  may  be  stated  here  that  the  dome 
of  the  Capitol  at  Washington  weighed  10.000,000  pounds,  and 
took  three  years  to  manufacture. 

Reaching  St.  Ann's  Avenue,  if  we  go  about  a  mile  southward, 
we  come  to  St.  Ann's  Church,  a  Gothic  structure  built  by  Gouver- 
neur  Morris  the  second,  and  containing  in  its  burial  plot  tlie 
grave  of  his  father.  The  church  ilself,  we  learn,  has  a  memorial 
to  the  memory  of  Mrs.  Gouverneur  Morris,  who  was  a  lineal 
representative  of  the  illustrious  Pocahontas,  of  Virginia.  The 
little  branch  road  running  from  Port  Morris  to  the  Harlem 
Division  at  Melrose,  is,  for  some  reason  or  other,  styled  the 
Pocahontas  Branch. 

But  speak  not  of  this  as  an  obscure  freight  raih'oad.  We 
read  that  it  once  boasted  of  four  passenger  trains  a  day  to  and 
from  Port  Morris.  Over  this  line  the  passengers  of  the  "Great 
Eastern"  were  brought  to  New  York  City,  at  the  time  of  the 
■first  arrival  of  the  vessel  at  our  shores,  her  captain  having  chosen 
the  course  down  Long  Island  Sound  instead  of  coming  up  New 
York  Bay.  Finally  he  feared  passing  through  the  dreaded  mael- 
strom of  Hell  Gate,  and  brought  his  huge  craft  at  last  to  anchor 
in  the  deep  waters  off  Port  Morris. 


Following  St.  Ann's  Avenue  northerly  from  Westchester 
Avenue,  we  come  to  a  tiny  burying  ground,  almost  bisected  in 
years  past  by  the  change  of  direction  of  St.  Ann's  Avenue.  This 
was  Old  Bensonia  Cemetery,  or  as  the  old  deeds  phrase  it,  the 
"Morrisania  Cemetery  at  Bensonia."  Once  a  beautifully  kepi 
rural  graveyard,  it  is  now  in  a  hardly  conceivable  state  of  deso- 
lation, only  eight  of  the  many  trees  remaining  that  once  were  its 
pride. 

A  mysterious  fact  is  related  in  connection  with  this  little 
enclosure.  I  have  been  told  that  when  A.  T.  Stewart's  body  was 
stolen  from  its  resting  place,  it  was  buried  for  several  days  in 
the  quiet  seclusion  of  little  Bensonia  Cemetery,  where  it  lay  un- 
noticed while  the  family  received  a  grim  message  from  the  rob- 
bers in  the  form  of  an  irregularly  shaped  piece  of  cloth,  which 
when  compared  with  that  torn  from  the  lining  of  the  coffin,  was 
found  to  fit  exactly. 

After  a  time,  when  the  officers  of  justice  began  to  follow  up 
the  thieves  too  closely,  a  notice  was  sent  to  the  Stewart  family, 
offering  to  surrender  their  prey  on  payment  of  a  certain  sum  as 
ransom.  The  place  for  tlie  body  to  be  given  back  was  men- 
tioned, being,  as  near  as  I  can  place  it,  on  the  old  Pelham  Avenue, 
a  short  distance  east  of  Bronxdale,  one  of  the  loneliest  places  in 
the  whole  region.  At  midnight  a  certain  relative  of  the  family 
was  to  drive  to  the  solitary  scene  in  a  covered  wagon,  which  he 
did,  being  stopped  on  the  wayside  by  successive  masked  senti- 
nels on  horseback,  who.  seeing  that  he  was  alone,  directed  him 
to  proceed.  At  midnight  he  reached  tlie  appointed  spot,  the 
money  he  had  brought  was  counted  out  by  the  flicker  of  lanterns, 
the  body  placed  in  the  wagon  and  the  young  man  dispatched  on 
his  long  and  weird  Iiomeward  drive,  reaching  his  destination  just 
as  dawn  was  breaking  over  the  great  city. 

1  Iiave  learned  that  Bensonia  Cemetery  has  been  condemned 
by  the  city  as  a  public  park,  and  trust  that  steps  will  be  imme- 
diately taken  towards  this  purpose.  The  name  of  this  section 
arises  from  B.  L.  Benson,  who  owned  considerable  land  in  the 
vicinity,  and  lived  in  the  old  fashioned  house  with  graceful 
columns  that  used  to  stand  at  the  nortliwest  corner  of  West- 
chester Road  and  Carr   (St.  Ann's)   Avenue. 

From  here  Westchester  Road  continues  its  course,  once  a 
quiet  country  turnpike,  now  a  noisy  city  street,  utilized  by  trolley 
cars  on  the  surface  and  by  the  Rapid  Transit  trains  thundering 
overhead.  An  old  map  gives  a  toll  gate  and  house  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Prospect  Avenue,  on  McGraw's  Hill,  but  no  traces 
of  this  now  remain. 

Passing  by  Fox  Corners,  the  road  reaches  the  Bronx  River, 
where  a  fine  bridge  has  been  erected.  From  here  it  climbs  the 
hill,  passing  the  beautiful  "Wilmont,"_  the  former  home  of  the 
Watson  family,  and  afterwards  passing  quite  close  to  "Black 
Rock,"  which  lies  imbedded  in  the  marshes. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


TREMONT  AND  FORDHAM 


Ancient  Bathgate  Avenue  House — Historical  Tremont — Jacob  Lorillard  Residence — Old  Stenton  Mansion — Old 

Powell  Farm    House — Rose  Hill  Farm  House     Fordham  Heights  Cemetery — Poe  Cottage 

— Dutcn  Reformed  Church — Ancient  Manor  of  Fordham 


On  Randal's  Map  of  the  property  of  Gouverneur  Morris  is 
to  be  found  "an  old  stone  house,"  built  at  a  different  angle  with 
the  streets  and  avenues.  The  map  is  dated  1816  and  shows  things 
quite  different  from  what  they  are  now.  This  "Old  Stone  House" 
stood  on  the  westerly  side  of  Bathgate  Avenue,  at  a  strange  slant 
with  the  avenue  itself.  A  gentleman  once  told  me  that  when  ho 
came  to  Tremont,  half  a  century  ago,  this  house  really  looked 
older  than  it  did  a  few  years  ago.  The  reason  of  its  being 
erected  without  regard  to  the  existing  streets  was  because  it  was 
built  to  face  the  south.  Now  that  Bathgate  Avenue  has  been 
widened  the  old  stone  house  is  no  more. 

The  former  police  station,  which  was  perched  on  top  of  the 
rocks,  on  Bathgate  Avenue,  just  above  Tremont  Avenue,  now  the 
site  of  the  new  and  highly  modern  police  station,  was  in  old  days 
a  school  house,  and  a  fine  play  ground  the  little  Tremonters  used 
to  have,  as  the  grounds  extended  as  far  west  as  Washington 
Avenue. 


Old  Bathgate  Avenue  Houkc 

Half  a  century  ago.  we  read.  Mount  Hope  was  all  country 
fields,  and  from  Tremont  to  West  Farms  it  was  all  farm  land. 
To  the  north,  near  ijSlh  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  is  "Oakley 
Grove,"  one  of  the  oldest  landmarks  in  the  Bronx.  Miles 
Oakley,  from  whom  the  place  derives  its  name,  was  a  vestry- 
man in  St.  Peter's  Church,  Westchester,  in  1702,  becoming  in  1730 
the  second  Mayor  of  Westchester. 

Following  up  Fordham  (Third)  .-\vcnue,  a  short  distance 
brings  us  to  the  Old  Quarry  Road,  a  small  section  of  which  still 
exists  east  of  Third  Avenue,  while  the  remainder,  leading  slant- 
wise towards  the  southwest,  crossed  the  Harlem  Railroad  at 
about  I7gth  Street.  Thence  it  ascended  Mount  Hope  Hill  diag- 
onally, taking  a  turn  to  the  northwest,  and  lastly  climbing  tlie 
justly  named   "Sijake   Hill,"   reached   Macomb's  Road  almost   in 


front  of  "Mount  Fordham,"  the  late  Lewis  G.   Morris's   stately 
residence. 

In  the  triangle  formed  by  this  Quarry  Road,  the  old  Fordham 
Road  and  Kingsbridge  Road,  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  mas- 


Powell  Farm  House 

sive  buildings  of  the  Home  for  Incurables,  still  stands  the  old 
residence  of  Jacob  Lorillard,  which  is  the  present  home  of  the 
Medical  Superintendent  of  the  Home  for  Incurables.  Close  by 
is  the  site  of  the  celebrated  "Oak  Tree  Slump."  to  which  refer- 
ence has  previously  been  made. 


Stenton  Mansion 

On  Washington  Avenue,  near  Pelhani  .\venue,  stand  two 
ancient  houses,  well  worthy  of  description.  One  is  the  Colonial 
Mansion  on  the  old  Stenton  Estate,  where  Washington  and  his 
men    once    stopped    while   passing   through    the    Harlem   Valley. 


76 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


All  nld  l)ani.  close  l)y,  where  General  Washington's  liorses  were 
stabled,  was  destroyed  by  fire  about  four  years  ago.  Directly 
north  of  the  Stenton  Mansion  is  the  venerable  Powell  Farm 
Mouse,  now  over  loo  years  old,  once  the  residence  of  the  Rev. 
William  Powell,  rector  of  St.  Peter's  Chnrch,  Westchester, 
which     is    regarded    as    the    oldest     house    in     Fordhani.     Manv 


Bcrnan  C'mctcry.  Fordhani  Heights 

wonderful  gho.st  stories  concerning  this  spot  have  been  told  me 
liy  a  former  occupant,  while  on  the  kitchen  floor  is  said  lo  be  a 
mysterious  blood  stain  that  will  not  wash  out  in  spite  of  all 
attempts.  This  old  abode  stands  with  its  back  to  Washington 
Avenue,  and  I  have  heard  that  a  private  road  once  wound  its  way 
down  to  Kingsbridge  Road  near  the  Home  for  Incurables. 

Facing  Washington  Avenue  are  the  extensive  and  lieautiful 
grounds  of  St.  John's  College,  on  Rose  Hill,  said  to  have  been 
once  the  residence  of  the  celebrated  Motte.  On  these  premises, 
until  about  two  years  ago,  stood  a  very  antique  house,  used  as  the 
College  Infirmary.  It  was  the  Rose  Hill  Manor  Farm  House, 
having  been  built  before  1692.  One  authority  asserts  that  it  w-as 
Washington's  headquarters,  while  another  states  that  he  so- 
journed at  what  now  is  Nolan's  Hotel,  Fordham  Square.  The 
latest  reports  inform  us  that  St.  John's  College  is  now  known  as 
"Fordham  University,"  while  the  main  college  building,  an 
ancient  stone  structure  with  antique  cupola,  was  the  original 
Rose   Hill    Manor   House   itself. 


Poe   Cottage 

Following  Kingsbndgc  Road  lo  the  crest  of  the  hill,  we 
find  that  Fordham  Road  turns  off  sharply  to  the  west.  A  short 
distance  along  this  latter  highway,  which  was  also  known  as 
Fordham  Landing  Road,  stands  the  old  Peter  'Valentine  Farm 
House,  now'  enlarged  into  the  pretty  residence  of  the  late  John 


B.  Haskin.  Crossing  the  old  Croton  .Aqueduct,  beyond 
Macomb's  Road,  we  come  to  the  much  neglected  Berrian  Ceme- 
tery, at  the  corner  of  Sedgwick  Avenue.  The  cutting  through  of 
this  last  named  avenue,  together  with  the  widening  of  Fordham 
Road,  sliced  off  a  good  part  of  the  little  burying  ground.  I  have 
been  told  that  part  of  a  coffin  was  at  one  time  seen  projecting 
from  the  steep  slope.     .Among  the  inscriptions  we  find: 


Oliver   Cromwell 
died  in   1818. 


John  Berrien 
d.    Jan.    30,    1836. 


Peter  Valentine 
d.  .April  22.   1840. 


Nicholas  Berrien, 
March  10,  1846. 


Samuel    Berrian, 
May   27,    1785- 


If  we  continue  directly  along  Kingsbridge  Road,  we  shall 
soon  pass  a  tiny  cottage  on  the  east  side,  which  from  1846  to 
1849  was  the  abode  of  that  wonderful  literary  genius,  Edgar  Allan 
Poe.  'Very  fitly  has  it  b.een  described  as  "no  more  than  a  little 
paint  bo.K,  shingled  on  the  sides  as  well  as  on  the  roof."  I  have 
seen  one  of  the  original  shingles,  an  immense  specimen,  hand- 
.--plit  and  fully  three  feet  long. 

Several  of  Poe's  works  were  written  at  this  Fordham  home. 
".A  short  distance  back  of  the  cottage  there  is  a  rocky  elevation, 
crowned  with  cedars  and  tradition  asserts  that  this  was  a  favorite 
haunt  of  Poe's.  Here  it  was  that  he  wove  in  his  brain  the  ideas 
which  found  expression  in  'Eureka,'  'Annabel  Lee,'  'For  Annie,' 
and  'Ulalume,'  all  of  which  were  written  while  he  lived  at  Ford- 
ham. .Another  favorite  resort  of  his  was  the  Aqueduct  pathway, 
leading  from  High  Bridge  to  Fordham." 

His  masterpiece,  "The  Raven,"  luany  statements  to  the  con- 
trary notwithstanding,  was  written  in  an  old  house  on  Riverside 
Drive,  near  Eighty-fourth  Street.  On  the  rocks  behind  the  Ford- 
ham cottage,  overlooking  the  grounds  below,  are  said  to  be  the 
remains  of  a  British  battery  of  Revolutionary  days. 

Here  is  an  interesting  reminiscence  of  Poe:  Two  ladies 
came  to  the  Jacob  Lorillard  Mansion,  not  so  long  ago,  saying  that 
they  used  to  live  there  many  years  since  and  that  Poe  came  there 
one  evening  while  the  f'dl  moon  was  flooding  everything  with 
its  majestic  beauty,  and  recited  there  for  the  first  time  his  master- 
I'iece  "The  Raven." 

One  who  visited  the  cottage  as  a  messenger  boy,  has  said : 
"On  my  first  visit  Mrs.  Poe  was  sitting  in  the  sun  on  the  little 
forch,  wrapped  in  wh  it  appeared  to  be  a  counterpane.  At  my 
next  visit  she  was  on  a  couch,  covered  with  a  man's  overcoat, 
for  the  weather  was  '-hilly  and  the  house  was  cold.  I  remember 
that   while  I  was  waiting  for  Poe,  his  wife  coughed  and  I   saw 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  [BOROUGH 


H 


him  uiiK-e  at  the  souiul.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
in  their  'Kingdom  by  the  Sea'  both  of  them  were  tired  and 
hungry."  Another  visitor  tells  us  that  when  she  called  there 
Poe  had  climbed  into  a  tree  to  pick  cherries,  and  his  wife  was 
standing  on  the  ground  underneath,  to  catch  the  fruit  in  her 
apron.  "He  was  a  very  nice  lookmg  young  man."  she  said, 
"and  very  agreeable,  llis  wife  had  come  out  into  the  fresh  air, 
and  to  dig  m  the  ground  and  get  well.  But  she  was  too  thin  and 
weak   to  dig." 

In  January,  1847,  poor  Virginia  Poe,  the  beautiful  "Annabel 
Lee,"  died  and  was  buried  from  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
still  standing  on  the  Kingsbridge  Road,  about  half  a  mile  be- 
yond the  cottage.  Her  remains  were  first  interred  in  tlie  Valen- 
tine family  vault,  and  in  1878  they  were  removed  to  Baltimore 
to  be  placed  beside  those  of  her  husband. 

"The  sunsliine  and  fresh  air  and  isolation  and  freedom  of 
their  I'ordham  home  were  as  much  for  her  sake  as  for  his  own." 
"The  liny  cottage  had  an  air  of  taste  and  gentility  tliat  must 
have  been  lent  to  it  by  the  very  presence  of  its  inmates.  So  neat, 
so  poor,  so  unfurnished,  and  yet  so  charming  a  dwelling  I  never 
saw  !  ' 

The  last  minister  of  the  Fordham  Dutch  Reformed  Church 
previous  to  the  Revolution  was  the  Rev.  Dom.  John  Peter  Tetard, 
the  chaplain  to  General  Montgomery.  The  original  structure  was 
erected  in  1706  on  the  farm  of  James  Valentine,  more  lately 
occupied  by  Moses  Devoe.  The  latter's  residence  is  said  to  have 
been  the  old  Dutch  Church  parsonage.  In  1801  a  second  struc- 
ture was  built,  and  still  later,  the  present  church,  the  following  in- 
scription on  one  foundation  wall  of  the  second  building  being 
preserved  in  the  "new"  cl'.urch: 


while  still  another  inscription  is  taken  from  a  stone  in  the  Valen- 
tine house  adjoining  the  site  of  the  old  church: 


I.  V.  S. 
1706. 


I          H.  M.  K.,  1704.  I 

^ f ' 

At  the  intersection  of  the  Kingsbridge  and  Fordham  Roads, 
and  opposite  the  former,  stood  an  ancient  house  with  its  side 
to  the  street.  An  old  resident  told  me  that  this  was  of  Revo- 
lutionary origin,  and  that  in  its  glory  it  stood  apart,  not  shut 
in  by  the  houses  that  now  enclose  it  on  both  sides.  For  many 
years  it  was  the  residence  of  General  Morris.  A  second  old 
abode,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Kingsbridge  Road,  and  a  little 
further  on,  stands  high  in  the  air,  through  the  grading  and 
widening  of  Kingsbridge  Road  on  the  one  side  and  the  opening 
of  Valentine  Avenue  on  the  other.  It  is  said  to  have  been  built 
about  the  same  time  as  the  Poe  Cottage,  and  in  its  rooms  lived,  as 
I  have  been  told,  one  who  furnished  Poe  with  the  bare  necessi- 
ties of  life,  thus  keeping  him  from  starvation,  when  everything 
else  failed  him. 

The  Manor  of  Fordham  was  at  the  foot  of  old  Break  Neck 
Hill,  just  south  of  Kingsbridge.  It  lay  between  the  lands  of  Van 
der  Donck  and  Bronck,  being  purchased  principally  from  the  In- 
dians by  Jan  Arcer,  or  John  Archer,  between  1655  and  1671.  In 
1669  a  ferry  was  located  at  the  growing  settlement  of  Fordham  on 
Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek.  After  a  while  Archer  had  built  up  a 
fine  estate  of  over  a  thousand  acres.  A  purchase  in  1669  made 
him  the  sole  owner  of  lands  as  far  south  as  Highbridge,  the  con- 
sideration being:  "ij  coats  of  Duffels,  one  halfe  anchor  of 
rume,  two  cans  of  brandy-wine,  with  several  other  matters  to  ye 
value  of  60  guilders  wampum." 

This  Colonial  settlement  of  a  dozen  houses  must  not  be 
confused  with  the  Foidhani  of  later  times,  as  no  traces  of  its 
buildings  now  remain. 


E 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


BRIDGES  OF  THE  BRONX 


Bridges  Crossing:  from  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  to  Manhattan  Island — Their  Various  Histories  and 

Points  of    Interest 


It  has  been  suggesled  that  tlie  Harlem  Ri\'er  be  filled  up, 
thus  ceasing  to  exist,  but  nevertheless  mighty  bridges  are  still 
being  constructed  over  it,  each  congested  with  traffic  a  few  years 
after  completion. 

Old  King's  Bridge,  of  which  mention  has  already  been  made, 
comes  first  in  the  list.  It  was  erected  in  1693  under  a  franchise 
for  99  years,  granted  to  Frederyck  Philipse  or  Flypsen,  to  build 
and  maintain  a  bridge  at  his  own  expense  and  to  collect  "easy  and 
reasonable  tolls."  The  original  bridge  was  constructed  a  little 
to    the    east    of    the    present    one,    remaining    in    the    hands    of 


I  he  railroad  bridge  at  Spuyten  Duyvil  was  authorized  in 
1846  and  is  chiefly  used  by  freight  trains  of  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad.  Near  this  .spot  the  grand  Hendrick  Hudson 
Memorial  Bridge  will  soon  be  built,  connecting  the  heights  of 
Manhattan  with  those  of  the  Bron.x,  its  driveway  forming  a 
continuation  of  the  Spuyten  Duyvil  Parkway,  and  overlooked  by 
one  of  the  Bronx's  oldest  houses,  the  solidly  built  "Bernan 
Farm  House,  now  changed  and  added  to,  by  a  wealthy  resident. 
Between  the  King's  and  Farmers'  Bridges  stands  the  New 
Broadway    Bridge,   built   only   a    few   years   ago,    and    a   perfect 


Washington  Bridge 


Philipse's  descendants  down  until  after  the  Revolution,  when 
It  was  forfeited  to  the  State  because  of  the  fact  that  the  family 
were  Loyalists. 

Those  having  occasion  to  cross  this  early  bridge  protested 
strongly  against  the  payment  of  tolls,  so  much  so,  that  another 
bridge  was  built,  which  is  still  in  existence  near  the  old  Manor 
of  F'ordham.  It  was  erected  in  1759,  and  variously  styled  the 
Farmers,'  Free,  or  Dyckman's  Bridge.  Close  to  King's  Bridge 
stood  an  old  mill,  that  made  use  of  the  water  power  to  turn 
its  wheels. 


example  of  its  type.  .\t  Fordham  Heights  used  to  be  a  small 
foot-bridge,  which  fell  to  ruin  many  years  ago.  On  its  site 
we  learn  the  Broadvvay  Bridge  over  the  Ship  Canal  is  to  be 
located,  after  being  floated  down  from  its  present  position  by  a 
gigantic  engineering  feat 

Next  we  come  to  that  triumph  of  mechanical  art,  the  grace- 
ful Washington  Bridge,  which  words  can  scarcely  describe.  A\- 
most  every  Bronxite  knows  it  by  heart.  We  may  only  remark 
that  it  was  two  years  in  building,  being  opened  to  public  use  in 
1889,  and  that  its  entire  length  is  2,375  feet. 


80 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  Washington  Bridge,  rise 
the  graceful  arches  of  High  Bridge,  only  intended  for  pedestrians, 
as  between  the  foot-walk  and  the  arches  are  three  immense  wate^ 
conduits.  When  completed  in  1849,  it  had  only  two  conduits 
each  three  feet  in  diameter,  but  about  1863  the  side  walls  of  the 
bridge  were  raised  and  a  third  pipe,  seven  feet  six  inches  in 
diameter,  was  laid  above  the  other  two. 

This  grand  bridge,  with  its  fifteen  semi-circular  arches,  is 
one  of  the  sights  of  the  region,  the  arches  at  the  crown  giving 
a  height  of  100  feet  above  high  water.  It  has  a  total  length 
of   I.4S0  feet. 

"Various  plans  were  proposed  for  tlie  aqueduct  at  this 
point,"  some  one  writes,  "and  in  1837  a  contract  was  actually  let 
and  work  started  on  a  rock  fill,  with  an  arch  at  the  centre  eighty 
feet  wide  and  thirty  higii,  the  intention  being  to  lay  the  water 
pipes  on  top  of  the  embankment  and  cover  them  with  earth." 
Luckily  the  government  saw  very  quickly  the  error  of  this  plan, 
wliich    would  have   efifecti\ely   barred   tlie    Harlem   as  a   navigable 


About  the  year  1813  we  learn  that  Macomb  obtained  a  grant 
to  erect  a  dam  across  the  Harlem  from  Bussing's  Point,  on  the 
southerly  side,  to  Devoe's  Point  on  the  Westchester  shore,  thus 
practically  forming  a  mill  pond  from  this  point  to  Kingsbridge. 
There  was  a  stipulation,  however,  "that  it  should  be  so  constructed 
as  to  allow  the  passage  of  boats  .  .  .  and  that  Macomb  should 
always  have  a  person  in  attendance  ....  The  rent  was  the 
same  as  for  the  mill  at  King's  Bridge,  and  Macomb  and  his  suc- 
cessors levied  toll  on  all  vehicles  and  persons  passing  over  this 
bridge." 

But  were  the  residents  of  both  sides  of  the  river  going  to 
stand  this  unauthorized  toll-bridge?  No,  indeed!  A  number  of 
prominent  residents,  including  the  Morrises,  the  Valentines  and 
the  Devoes  met  together  and  decided  that  even  the  opening  in 
the  dam  did  not  afford  sufficient  navigation  of  the  river. 

Then  a  strange  thing  happened.  A  vessel  laden  with  a  cargo 
from  a  neighboring  state  ascended  the  river  and  demanded  pass- 
age through  the  dam.     Lewis  G.  Morris  built  a  dock  about  half 


High 
stream,  and,  refusing  to  allow  the  continuance  of  the  work, 
stepped  in  and  caused  the  erection  of  the  bridge  as  it  now 
exists.  Of  course  they  used  a  quantity  of  solid  frame,  or  "false- 
work" in  the  construction,  and  one  of  the  old  houses  in  Morris- 
sania  is  built  in  part  ou:  of  these  very  timbers.  Between  High 
and  Washington  Bridges  is  the  spot  where  the  new  Crotona  Aque- 
duct crosses  after  the  fashion  of  a  siphon,  a  fine  gatehouse  being 
erected  on  both  sides. 

After  passing  the  bridge  of  the  Putnam  Division  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railrotd,  erected  about  1877,  we  come  to  the 
handsome  new  Macomb's,  or  as  it  is  now  styled,  "Central" 
Bridge.  In  1800  the  M;.yor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  ceded 
to  Alexander  Macomb  "all  that  certain  piece  or  parcell  of  land 
covered  with  water  .  .  .  beginning  at  the  west  side  of  Kings- 
bridge  .  .  .on  the  north  side  of  the  creek  of  water  called 
Spuyten  Duyvil."  Here  he  built  the  tidal  grist  mill  west  of  the 
bridge,  a  landmark  that  in  1855  was  still  standing.  Macomb, 
however,  failed  to  carry  out  his  agreement  to  keep  a  passage- 
way open  along  the  course  of  the  creek. 


Bridge 

a  mde  north  of  Highbridge  (thus  giving  rise  to  the  name  Morris 
Dock,  recently  changed  to  Morris  Heights)  and  had  chartered 
this  vessel,  the  "Nonpareil,"  carrying  a  load  of  coal  for  de- 
livery at  Morris  Dock.  One  exening  about  the  year  1839,  the 
"Nonpareil"  reached  the  dam  at  full  tide  and  Mr.  Morris  de- 
manded that  the  passageway  be  opened.  As  this  request  was 
not  granted,  a  number  of  small  boats  appeared  with  about  100 
men  on  board,  and  with  their  assistance  Mr.  Morris  was  not  long 
in  forcibly  tearing  out  a  portion  of  the  dam,  thus  admitting 
the  vessel  to  float  across.  This  taught  a  much  needed  lesson, 
for  from  that  time  a  draw  was  always  maintained  in  the  dam 
rendering  the   Harlem   free   to  navigation. 

In  the  words  of  Chancellor  Walworth  we  find:  "The  Har- 
lem River  is  an  arm  of  the  sea  and  a  public  navigable  river; 
it  was  a  public  nuisance  to  obstruct  the  navigation  thereof,  with- 
out authority  of  law." 

In  1858  authority  was  given  for  New  York  City  and  West- 
chester County  to  erect  the  first  regular  bridge,  which  bore  the 
name  of  Macomb's  Dam  Bridge,  while  others  called  it  the  Cen- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


81 


Iral  Bridge.  The  Commissioners  were  directed  to  tear  down  the 
old  Maconib's  dam,  and  see  that  the  river  was  widened  to  its 
full  capacity.  About  i8gi,  Macomb's  Dam  Bridge  was  moved 
a  short  distance  up  the  river  to  make  room  for  the  erection  of 
the  splendid  new  steel  structure  vvliich  was  thrown  open  to  the 
public  about  1895. 

Next  in  order  is  the  145th  Street  Bridge,  while  below  this 
comes  the  Madison  Avenue  Bridge,  completed  in  1884,  and 
now  sadly  inadequate  for  the  large  body  of  traffic  that  daily 
crosses  it.  A  short  distance  below  is  the  immense  Park  Avenue 
Bridge,  with  its  four  tracks  crossed  by  innumerable  trains,  a 
wonderful  improvement  over  the  old  railroad  bridges  that  stood 
in  its  stead. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  two  previous  struc- 
tures crossing  the  Harlem  River  at  Third  Avenue.  The  present 
gigantic  erection,  with  its  two  sidewalks,  two  roadways  and  two 
spaces  for  trolley  cars,  almost  equals  the  railroad  bridge  in  im- 
portance.    The  early  bridge  was  known  as  Cole's  Bridge,  while 


the  title  of  Harlem  Bridge  has  also  clung  to  it.  Of  great  im- 
portance to  Bronxites  is  the  Second  Avenue  Bridge,  crossed  by 
a  steady  stream  of  electric  trains  and  a  few  pedestrians. 

To  relieve  the  pressure  of  traffic  over  the  Harlem  or  Third 
Avenue  Bridge,  there  is  yet  another  one,  connecting  Willis  Ave- 
nue on  the  Bronx  side,  with  First  Avenue,  on  Manhattan  Island, 
the  most  southerly  in  the  series  of  links  "extending  over  to  the 
main." 

Teams,  foot-passengers,  trolley  cars  and  trains  are  con- 
stantly passing  over  these,  always  on  the  alert  for  the  signal  to 
open  the  draw.  A  number  of  tugs  have  adopted  the  excellent 
plan  of  having  their  funnels  hinged,  to  be  swung  back  when 
passing  along  the  Har'em  River.  May  the  time  soon  come  when 
all  shall  have  adopted  this  device,  and  we  can  view  the  splendid 
trains  of  the  New  Yark  Central  Railroad,  that  have  come  from 
Chicago  on  time  to  a  dot,  enter  the  Grand  Central  Station  on 
schedule  time,  without  being  "held  up"  by  a  few  mud  scows, 
towed  by  some  diminutive  tug  with  a  tall  smoke  stack ! 


Some  of  the  Attractive  Spots  in  the  Broria 


< 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 


PARKS  OF  THE  BRONX 


History  and  Description  of  the  Parks  and  Parkways  of  the   Bronx 


Although  we  have  spoken  of  some  of  the  largest  and  ninsl 
important  parks  of  this  borough,  there  are  many  smaller,  yet  in 
themselves  complete,  vvhich  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  omit. 

Take    the    beautiful    Claremont    Park,    for    example,    among 


Zborowsfci  Mansion 

whose  grassy  lawns  and  tall  trees  arises  that  grand  white  struc- 
ture, the  Zborowski  Mansion,  the  General  Headquarters  of  the 
Bronx  Department  of  Parks.  Erected  in  1859,  as  the  large  raised 
figures  declare,  it  is  one  of  our  handsomest  buildings.  On  an- 
other side  are  the  figures,  "1676,"  evidently  the  date  of  a  previous 
building  on  or  near  the  same  spot.  One  ornamental  feature  is 
very  conspicuous — the  raised  sculptures,  in  the  white  marble, 
underneath  the  piazza  roof,  representing  different  classical  groups 

A  strange  tradition  was  current  among  the  Zborowskis  that 
because  of  a  curse,  no  male  member  of  the  family  would  die  in 
his  bed.  We  find  that  Martin  Zborowski  died  in  his  chair, 
stricken  with  paralysis ;  Elliott  Zborowski  was  killed  by  a  New 
Haven  train;  Francis  Zborowski  was  drowned  near  Williams- 
bridge  ;  Max  Zborowski  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse,  and 
lastly  Elliott  Zliorowski,  nephew  of  the  other  Elliott  and  last 
of  his  line,  was  killed  on  April  i,  1903,  at  Nice,  by  being  thrown 
from  his  auto  car. 

As  a  resume,  showing  how  many  other  parks  the  Bronx  can 
boast  of,  we  may  mention  the  following : 

Franz  Sigel  Park,  along  the  line  of  the  old  Buena  Vista  Ridge 
Road,  now  Mott  Avenue,  extends  as  far  north  as  158th  Street. 
A  little  to  the  north,  on  i62d  Street,  near  Mott  Avenue,  can  be 
seen  one  of  the  glacial  curiosities  of  the  Bronx,  a  huge  boulder, 
extending  out  into  the  sidewalk  and  covered  with  a  mass  of 
vines.  Closer  to  this  park,  formerly  known  as  Cedar  Park,  is  the- 
beautiful  Heine  Fountain, 


Washington  Bridge  Park  is  another  charming  bit  of  green, 
under  and  adjoining  the  Bronx  approach  to  this  noble  bridge. 

On  the  steep  slopes  of  the  hill,  at  what  was  and  should  still 
be  called  Fordham  Heights,  is  the  slanting  University  Park, 
close  to  the  University  grounds,  and  extending  down  to  Cedar 
-Avenue.  .  Just  above  this,  to  the  north  of  Fordham  Road  (also 
stj'led  Fordham  Landing  Road.  Berrian  Landing  Road  and 
erroneously  High  Bridge  Road)  is  the  tiny  Fordham  Park,  while 
to  the  eastward  lie  the  shaded  St.  James  Park  (just  north  of  the 
beautiful  St.  James'  Church)  and  Poe  Park,  opposite  Poe's  former 
home,  to  which  it  was  proposed  to  move  the  picturesque  little 
Poe  Cottage. 

.At  Fordham  Station  is  a  beautifully  kept  spot  of  ground  close 
to  Webster  Avenue,  named  Rose  Hill  Park,  so  called  in  honor 
of  the  Rose  Hill  Manor  or  Farm  House  that  stood  on  the  St. 
John's  College  grounds.  A  charming  bit  nf  land,  with  immense 
ledges  of  rock  that  give  a  striking  echo,  on  Mount  Hope 
Hill,  is  appropriately  christened  "Echo   Park." 

There  are  three  to  be  considered  yet,  and  the  list  of  im- 
pr(i\cd   park-,   in   the   Bronx   tint   possess  names   will   be  complete 


Gen.    Franz    Sigel 

These  are  Melrose  I-'ark,  close  to  Melrose  Station,  which,  a  short 
time  ago,  was  a  most  barren  waste,  and  Macomb's  Dam  Park, 
underneath  the  northern  approach  of  Centra!  Bridge.  It  is  well 
that  the  old  name  "Macomb's  Dam"  is  in  some  manner  perpet- 
uated tor  linn-  to  come. 


84 


HISTORY  OF   BRONX  BOROUGH 


The  last  in  this  series  is  St.  Mary's  Park,  to  the  east  of  St. 
Ann's  Avenue  at  149th  Street.  There  was  once  a  fine  lake  here 
for  skaters,  while  on  the  hills  are  still  left  many  of  the  splendid 
mansions  of  olden  time,  which  have  long  been  a  pride  to  the 
neighborhood. 

With  the  larger  parks  described  in  the  earlier  part  of  this 


work,  we  find  that  the  grand  summary  of  named  and  existing 
parks  amounts  to  3,8:50  acres,  while  those  without  names  count 
up  to  fifteen  acres,  and  including  the  four  parkways  of  211  acres, 
the  total  area  of  pirkland  in  the  Bronx  includes  over  4,000 
acres — truly  a   good   showing! 


'  *';  -  ■  ~i 


The  Heine  Monument.    16  1st  Street  and  Mott  Avenu? 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


RAILROADS 


General  Description  and  History  of  the  Railroads  of  the  Bronx  from  Early  Days  to  the  Present 


"The  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad,"  says  an  old  Gazet- 
teer, "commences  near  the  City  Hall  in  New  York  and  extends 
north  ...  to  the  Harlem  River,  a  distance  of  eight  miles ;  thence 
across  the  river  into  Westchester  County.  This  company  was 
first  chartered  in  1831,  while  in  1840  it  was  authorized  to  extend 
its  road  from  the  Harlem  River  through  the  County  of  West- 
chester. The  track  is  now  finished  to  William's  Bridge,  where 
it  crosses  Bronx  River,  a  distance  of  i^y'z  miles  from  the  City 
Hall." 

In  1855  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad  issued  its  fourth 
time  table,  quite  a  notable  contrast  to  the  documents  of  to-day. 
Tllie  stations  were  City  Hall,  Thirty-second  Street,  Yorkville, 
Harlem,  Mott  Haven,  Melrose,  Morrisania,  Fordham,  William's 
Bridge,  etc.  The  longest  distance  was  between  Morrisania  and 
Fordham,  but  there  were  "flag  stations"  at  Central  Morrisania 
(.Claremont   ParkJ    and   Upper   Morrisania    (.Tremont). 

The  old  Morrisania  station  was,  1  believe,  destroyed  after 
the  depression  of  the  tracks;  the  old  Central  Morrisania  station 
stands  on  the  easterly  side  of  Park  Avenue,  just  north  of  I72d 
Street,  while  the  former  Tremont  station  was  used  as  a  hall 
for  the  Suburban  Club,  at  tlie  southwestern  corner  of  Park 
Avenue  and  176th  Street.  The  old  Fordham  station  was  merely 
an  engine  house  transformed  into  a  station.  While  being  pulled 
down,  the  large  door  where  the  locomotives  used  to  enter  was 
plainly  visible. 

The  fuel  used  for  feeding  the  engines  and  heating  the  cars 
was  wood,  and  this  caused  the  engine's  pipes  to  freeze  in  cold 
weather,  so  that  the  reason  given  for  the  frequent  delays  was : 
"We  had  to  thaw  out !" 

Above  William's  Bridge  there  was  but  a  single  track  for 
the  Harlem  trains,  alongside  of  which  was  another  for  the  New 
Haven  trains.  Great  was  the  excitement  when  races  between 
the  two  lines  took  place,  and  it  is  recorded  that  the  Harlem  road 
used  to  have  an  engine  with  a  single  driving  wheel  that  was 
never  beaten  by  any  of  the  New  Haven  locomotives ! 

What  a  change  does  this  present  to  the  famous  "Harlem 
Branch"  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad,  with  its  four 
tracks  to  Woodlawn,  and  the  fast  trains  of,  not  only  the  Harlem 
Branch  but  the  New  York  Central  proper,  and  t;he  New  York, 
New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroads  flying  over  the  partly  de- 
pressed and  partly   elevated   sections ! 


Another  division  of  the  New  York  Central— the  Putnam 
Branch— connects  with  the  Elevated  Road  at  issth  Street,  and, 
crossing  the  Harlem  River,  runs  parallel  with  the  New  York 
Central  to  Kingsbridge,  where  it  extends  due  north  to  Van 
Cortlandt.  Here  the  Yonkers  branch  climbs  the  rocky  hills  of 
■Van  Cortlandt  Park,  while  the  main  line  continues  due  north. 

Great  improvements  are  promised  by  the  New  York  Central, 
as  it  proposes  to  make  a  shorter  line  between  Kingsbridge  and 
Spuyten  Duyvil,  eliminating  about  seven  dangerous  grade  cross- 
ings. 

The  Suburban  service  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  and 
Hartford  Road  connects  with  the  Elevated  Railway  at  Harlem, 
extending  through  the  eastern  portion  of  our  borough.  It  is 
the  best  route  for  reaching  Westchester  and  Bartow  (Pelham 
Bay  Park  and  City  Island).  Its  terminus  is  New  Rochelle, 
where  it  joins  the  main  line.  The  immense  volume  of  freight 
that  is  daily  hauled  over  these  tracks,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
fast  Federal  and  Colonial  Express  passenger  trains  that  run  be- 
tween Boston  and  Washington,  have  led  the  company  to  dis 
cuss  plans  of  making  this  Harlem  River  Branch  a  six-track 
road,  and  doing  away  with  all  grade  crossings  and  steep  grades 
that  are  such  a  trial  to  the  freight  engineer. 

The  famous  "Huckleberry  Road,"  was  one  of  the  character- 
istics of  the  olden  time,  its  horse  cars  running  so  slowly  that 
it  was  an  easy  task  to  alight  and  pick  huckleberries  without  so 
much  as  waking  the  slumbering  driver  or  the  plodding  horses. 
To-day  the  brilliantly  lighted  cars  of  its  successor,  the  Union 
Railway  Company,  are  striving  to  keep  pace  with  the  fast  ad- 
vancing tide  of  population.  Compare  a  tiny  bob-tail  car  of  the 
old  Huckleberry  Road  with  one  of  the  glittering  new  monsters 
of  the  Union  Railway,  and  one  would  seem  to  be  placing  side 
by  side  a  pigmy  and  a  giant.  Some  of  the  old  cars  are  said  to 
have  found  their  way  to  the  City  Island  line,  and  this  fact 
seems  quite  probable. 

With  the  advent  of  the  Suburban  Elevated  Road,  a  great 
impetus  was  given  to  the  growth  of  this  section.  Once  upon  a 
time  the  road  ran  one-car  trains.  Now  the  long  string  of  seven 
cars  rumbles  over  the  structure,  up  to  Bronx  Park,  the  present 
terminal.  The  branch  of  the  Subway  Extension  has  at  the 
present  writing  been  opened  to  West  Farms  and  Bronx  Park, 
with  a  tunnel  under  149th  Street  and  the  Harlem  River  to  Lenox 
Avenue,  Manhattan. 


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CHAPTER  XXX 


HUNT'S  POINT 


The  Vyse  Mansion — The  Old  Hunt  Inn — Foxhurst — The  Failc  Estate — The  Spofford  Mansion — The  Leggett 

Cemetery — The  Baretto  Mansion     The  Hunt  Cemetery — Joseph  Rodman  Drake — 

The  Hunt  Mansion — Lafayette  Lane 


In  earlier  Jays,  the  old  West  Farms  Road,  after  passing  the 
residence  of  that  veteran  practitioner,  Dr.  Freeman,  climbed  the 
hill  towards  the  south,  passing  on  its  right  one  of  this  borough's 
most  picturesque  mansions.  The  whole  surrounding  district  is 
known  as  the  "Vyse  Estate"  in  honor  of  the  owner  of  the  tract 
whose  earlier  proprietor  was  Thomas  Richardson.  Countless 
houses  now  stand  where,  a  few  years  ago,  clustered  a  perfect 
bower  of  trees  with  a  stately  colonnaded  mansion  in  their  midst. 
The' once  extensive  grounds  were  a  model  of  rural  beauty. 
Grottos,  aviaries,  statues,  conservatories  abounded  everywhere, 
thus  giving  rise  to  the  appropriate  naine  "Rocklands."  Where 
the  broad  Intervale  Avenue  now  extends  was  once  a  deer  park, 
with  its  wire  enclosure,  while  five  miles  of  beautifully  graveled 


Old  Hunt  Inn 

roads  wound  in  and  out  through  the  estate — just  the  thing  for 
bicycles — only  there  were  none  at  that  time ! 

Last  to  disappear  was  the  Vyse  Mansion  itself,  exemplify- 
ing in  its  graceful  Corinthian  colunms  the  true  Southern  style 
of  architecture.  An  old  gentleman  once  told  me  that  on  the 
ground  floor  was  the  dining  hall,  underneath  that  the  kitchen, 
a  cellar  still  below,  while  further  down  yet,  three  stories  under- 
ground, was  a  dark  and  gloomy  sub-cellar,  no  doubt  a  storage 
place  for  the  choicest  of  wines. 

What  boasted  to  be  the  very  oldest  building  in  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx  was  the  "Old  Hunt  Inn,"  otherwise  known  as  the 
"Fox  Farm  House."  It  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  West 
Farms  Road,  the  old  thoroughfare  down  to  Hunt's  Point,  a 
short  distance  below  Home  Street,  near  where  167th  Street  now 


crosses.  Through  the  negligence  of  some  tramp  or  other  irre- 
sponsible person,  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  Easter  Day,  1892. 
The  main  portion  was  built  of  old-fashioned  split  shingles,  filled 
in  with  brick,  while  a  low  sloping  roof  and  a  wing  of  stone 
added  to  the  picturesque  effect.  Close  by  was  a  smaller  build- 
ing which  an  old  resident  told  me  was  used  as  a  smoke  house. 

1660  is  given  as  the  date  of  erection,  the  land  on  which 
it  stood  forming  part  of  the  thousand  acres  granted  in  1660  by 
Governor  Nicholls  on  behalf  of  the  Duke  of  York  to  Edward 
Jessup  and  John  Richardson,  who  had  bought  it  from  the 
Indians.  Both  of  these  men  died  soon  afterwards  without  male 
issue,  Jessup's  daughter  marrying  a  Mr.  Hunt  and  Richardson's 
daughter  a  Mr.  Leggett.  Both  of  these  Hunt  and  Leggett 
families  were  among  the  earliest  residents  in  this  section.  The 
large  tract  of  land  was  divided  between  the  Hunts  and  Leggetts, 
and  the  land  lying  to  the  west  of  the  West  Farms  Road  went  to 
the  Hunts,  the  Leggetts  having  other  property,  including  land 
on  the  east  side  of  the  road. 

According  to  early  accounts  the  Hunts  built  the  place  for  a 
residence,  soon  afterwards  turning  it  into  an  inn.  On  an  old 
document  we  see  that  in  1661  John  Hunt  was  licensed  to  sell 
beer  there  at  threepence  a  pint.  In  a  short  time  the  inn  became 
well  known,  and  within  its  walls  Colonel  Oliver  De  Lancey,  com- 
mander of  the  Loyalist  forces  in  Westchester  County,  together 
with  a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  made  it  their  rendezvous  to 
meet  the  officers  of  the  British  troops  in  Queens  County  and  go 
fox  hunting.  The  Colonel  himself  was  Master  of  the  Hounds, 
the  fox  being  started  at  the  junction  of  West  Farms  Road  and 
Westchester  Turnpike. 

For  this  reason  the  point  became  known  as  "Fox  Corners." 
I  always  thought  that  this  name  was  derived  from  the  I'ox  family, 
but  it  seems  that  the  fox  hunts  were  in  vogue  long  before  this 
family  came  into  possession.  On  the  stylish  coaches  that  ran 
from  New  York  through  this  region,  the  name  "Fox  Corners" 
was   always   conspicuously   displayed. 

History  tells  us  that  the  old  house  was  no  longer  used  as 
an  inn  after  1700,  although  the  Hunts  still  lived  there.  In  1816 
the  Leggetts  purchased  it  from  the  Hunts,  and  it  was  afterwards 
used  as  a  farm  house.  During  the  last  two  years  of  its  exist- 
ence it  was  not  used  at  all.  Towards  the  middle  of  the  last 
century  the  old  house  in  some  way  caught  fire,  and  when  the 
big  chimney  was  pulled  down  in  order  to  rebuild  it,  several  most 
interesting  relics  were  discovered,  hidden  in  the  chimney  wall. 
Among  these  was  a  inusket,  so  decayed  as  to  fall  to  pieces  at 
the  touch;  also  a  slipper  of  the  style  worn  in  the  time  of  King 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Edward  VI.,  having  a  chain  from  the  toe  to  be  attached  to  the 
knee  of  the  wearer.  These  are  all  preserved  as  treasures  in  the 
Tiffany  family,  who  are  descendants  of  the  original  Leggelts 
There  is  also  a  packet  of  letters  addressed  to  the  Leggetts  and 
bearing  the   date    1750. 

In  the  angle  between  West  Farms  Road  and  Westchester 
Turnpike  stands  one  of  our  very  finest  old-time  mansions,  the 
squarely    built,    stately    "Foxhurst."     Those    now    living    in    this 


The  Locusts,  Hunt's  Point  Road 

grand  old  residence  are  the  descendants  of  nine  generations  wlio 
have  been  born  and  spent  their  lives  on  this  early  patent,  which 
was  granted  to  their  ancestors  as  far  back  as  1681  "Foxhurst" 
itself  was  built  sixty-six  years  ago  by  William  W.  Fox  for  his 
country  residence.  Indeed  at  that  time  New  York  City  did  not 
extend  much  beyond  Fourteenth  Street.  What  would  the  peo- 
ple of  those  days  say  if  they  could  hear  us  talking  about  242J 
Street?  At  the  time  when  Mr.  Fox  built  his  house,  167th  Street, 
which  passes  just  to  the  rear  of  the  mansion,  was  nothing  but 
a  country  lane  leading  through  green  fields  to  Boston  Road.  At 
about  the  centre  of  the  present  Fox  Estate  stood  the  old  stone 
"Fox  Barn,"  at  the  present  intersection  of  167th  and  i69lh 
Streets.  When  I  saw  it  not  long  ago,  scarcely  more  than  two 
dozen  stones  remained  to  mark  tlie  spot.  These  stones  used 
in  its  construction,  came  from  tlie  old  "House  of  Refuge,"  in 
Madison   Square,   New   York  City. 

Almost  directly  in  front  of  the  Fox  Mansion  can  be  seen 
the  old  line  of  the  Hunt's  Point  Road,  where  it  turned  eastward 
crossing  the  grounds  of  the  late  Richard  M.  Hoe,  towards  Hunt's 
Point.  To  passers  by  it  would  appear  that  this  "Foxhurst"  is 
located  in  a  specially  selected  site;  facing  the  sharp  point  of  the 
former  triangle  where  Westchester  Turnpike  and  West  Farms 
Road  now  meet.  Yet  I  have  been  told  that  when  Mr.  Fox 
sought  a  place  for  his  residence,  the  owner  said  to  him  :  "Thee 
can  have  the  old  orchard  between  the  roads!" 

To  Mr.  W.  W.  Fox,  New  Yorkers  owe  far  more  tlian  is 
generally  known.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  introducing 
gas  and  water  into  the  city,  being  president  of  the  first  gas 
company  in  America  as  well  as  one  of  the  original  Croton  Water 
Commissioners.  No  better  man  could  Governor  Marcy  pos- 
sibly have  appointed  on  this  Commission.  His  name  may  be 
found  carved  in  the  solid  granite  of  the  graceful  High  Bridge, 
and  long  may  it  remain  there ! 

Right  here  it  may  be  noted  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Aldermen,  held  over  a  year  ago,  a  resolution  was  unanimously 
adopted,  bestowing  the  name  of  "Fox  Square"  on  the  little  park 
in  front  of  the  Fox  Mansion,  in  recognition  of  the  many  services 
of  Mr.  W.  W.  Fox. 


A  single  visit  to  this  grand  old  "Foxhurst"  is  enough  to 
convince  one  that  it  is  as  splendid  within  as  it  is  massive  with- 
out. Indeed  a  whole  modern  apartment  might  easily  be  placed 
in  the  spacious  hallway !  Near  the  front  door  is  an  antiqu' 
carved  chest  brought  over  by  the  Puritans  in  1630.  while  the  re- 
ception room  contains,  among  the  many  other  curiosities,  a 
strangely  shaped  Algerian  sword,  that  probably  has  seen  service 
on  the  plains  of  far  distant  Africa. 

Close  to  the  winding  and  shaded  Hunt's  Point  Road  arc 
many  majestic  mansions,  probably  soon  to  disappear  from  sight 
for  evermore.  After  crossing  the  railroad  bridge,  one  comes  to 
an  ancient  house,  erected  before  the  Revolution,  and  styled  "The 
Locusts."  It  is  on  the  extensive  Faile  estate,  where  the  late  E. 
G.  Faile,  an  importer  of  tea  and  sugar,  erected  about  1832  the 
stately  mansion  still  standing  on  the  high  bluff,  with  its  im- 
posing row  of  Doric  columns,  which  has  always  been  a  land- 
mark to  those  passing  up  and  down  the  Sound.  Later  on  Mr 
Faile  increased  his  holdings  to  one  hundred  acres.  "Woodside" 
was  the  appropriate  name  given  to  the  "Faile  Manor,"  and  it  is 
said  that  among  the  chief  attractions  on  the  velvety  lawn  was 
a  flock  of  peacocks,  while  still  to  be  seen  near  the  "Manor 
House"  is  a  cedar  of  Lebanon,  now  dead  two  years,  a  gift  from 
a  United  States  Consul.  When  Mr.  Faile  made  his  first  pur- 
chase here,  in  1832,  the  old  house  known  as  "The  Locusts,"  was 
of  course  there,  and  he  turned  it  into  a  sort  of  a  private  school, ' 
the  tutor.  Walter  Chisholni,  formerly  a  teacher  in  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  family,  having  been  summoned  from  Scotland  by  Mr. 
Faile  to  take  charge  here. 

A  great  lover  of  horses,  Mr.  Faile  used  to  import  them  from 
Porto  Rico  in  sailing  vessels,  each  horse  costing  about  $1,000  to 


ifaJL 


Sign.uurcs  of  Tliomas  and   L  lizabeth  Hunt 

bring  to  Woodside.  He  kept  three  especially  fast  horses  to  use 
in  driving  to  Chambers  Street  every  morning,  returning  thence 
at  niglit.  Leaving  Woodside  at  seven,  he  would  drive  down 
the  old  Boston  Road,  across  the  Harlem  Flats,  never  failing  to 
reach   Iiis   Chambers    Street   warehouse   punctually   at   nine. 

We  learn  that  Mr.  Faile  was  born  and  brought  up  at  his 
father's  estate  near  Eastchester,  almost  opposite  the  Fifteenlli 
Mile-Stone,  the  estate  consisting  of  200  acres  on  both  sides  of 
Boston  Road,  even  extending  as  far  east  as  the  Old  Mill  Lane. 
On  the  old  maps  may  yet  be  seen  the  outline  of  a  part  of  the 
"G.  Faile  Estate,"  bordering  on  the  road  that  led  to  the  old  town 
dock  of  Eastchester. 

By  following  the  winding  and  beautifully  shaded  Hunt's 
Point  Road,  to  a  spot  just  in  front  of  the  Colonial  looking 
Spofford  Mansion — ^also  built  by  the  Fox  family,  and  near  the 
site  of  an  old  Leggett  house — we  come  to  a  spot  where,  a  num 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


89 


ber  of  years  ago,  was  discovered  tlie  tiny  Leggett  burying  ground. 
Among  the  remains  of  ten  bodies  tliat  were  exhumed  and  re- 
interred  in  St.  Peter's  Church  yard,  Westchester,  was  that  of 
Mayor  Leggett  of  Westchester.  Several  old  coffin  nails  were 
discovered,  also  William  Leggett's  sleeve  buttons,  various  pieces 
of  homespun  linen  and  tufts  of  women's  hair.  Most  curious 
of  all  was  a  set  of  brass  coffin  nails,  once  the  inscription  of  the 
lid,  clinging  to  a  few  pieces  of  rotting  wood.  Although  six 
feet  below  the  surface  they  were  as  bright  as  when  placed  in 
the  ground,  and  read : 

WILLIAM  LEGGETT, 
AGED  7i  YEARS. 

A  short  distance  further  down  Hunt's  Point  Road,  close  to 
the  old  gates  of  the  Barretto  estate,  we  come  to  a  stone  wall  that 
marked  the  old  division  between  the  "Planting  Neck,"  called  by 
the  Indians  "Quinnahung,"  and  Hunt's  Point  proper.  To-day 
all  is  merged  in  the  name  "Hunt's  Point,"  but  formerly  the  dis- 
tinctions were  clearly  drawn. 

Beyond  the  stone  wall,  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  road,  is 
a  spring,  near  which  stood  the  two  houses  of  Edward  Jessup  and 
John  Richardson,  the  first  settlers  in  this  region.  Just  above 
this,  branching  to  the  west  may  be  traced  the  ancient  "Cherry 
Lane,"  formerly  leading  to  the  old  Leggett  Dock,  with  a  branch 
towards  the  location  of  an  old  Leggett  house.  These  were 
pointed  out  to  me  a  short  time  ago  by  one  of  the  oldest  residents 
of  the  vicinity. 


Signature  of  Thomas  Hunt,    Tr. 

On  a  slight  elevation  back  from  Hunt's  Point  Road,  used  to 
stand  the  old  Barretto  Mansion,  one  of  the  famous  landmarks  of 
the  region.  A  friend  who  had  resided  there,  once  showed  me 
through  it,  dwelling  especially  upon  the  thick  and  solid  inside 
blinds,  which  when  closed  made  the  old  house  a  veritable  fort- 
ress, claiming  that  it  was  proof  both  against  the  bullets  of  the 
foe  and   the   daming  darts   of  the   Indians. 

One  who  lived  in  West  Farms  speaks  thus  of  Mr.  Baretto : 
"Here  comes  Francis  J.  Barretto,  tall,  majestic,  dignified,  yet  ur- 
bane, a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  his  snow-white  hair  stand- 
ing above  his  dark  brow.  Lovely  as  is  his  'dcmcurc'  by  the 
waters  of  the  Sound,  scarce  a  day  passes  but  he  must  visit  the 
village  over  which  he  exercises  a  sort  of  fatherly  care." 

Beyond  where  the  Hunt's  Point  Road  turns  to  the  left  is 
"a  modest  shaft,  half  hidden  by  the  tangle  of  bushes  and  wild 
flowers  that  border  the  road,  marking  the  grave  of  a  poet  who 
knew  and  loved  our  own  neighborhood  in  the  early  days  when 
all  was  country-like  and  the  city  far  away — Joseph  Rodman 
Drake." 

Among  the  relics  from  the  Old  Hunt  Inn  was  discovered 
a  pane  of  glass  in  one  of  the  windows,  on  which  were  written 
with  a  diamond  the  names  of  "Joseph  Rodman  Drake"  and 
"Nancy  Leggett."  joined  at  the  end  with  a  bracket  and  the  word 
"Love."  This  has  been  most  carefully  preserved.  Drake  him- 
self says: 


"Yet  I  will  look  upon  thy  face  again, 

My  own  romantic  Bronx,  and  it  will  be 
A   face  more  pleasant   than   the  face  of  men. 

Thy   waves  are  old  companions ;   I  shall   see 
A  well  remembered  form  in  each  old  tree. 

And  hear  a  voice  long  loved  in  thy  wild  minstrelsy." 

"There  we  find  located  the  grave  of  a  man  who,  of  all 
others  in  this  country,  should  have  a  noble  monument  erected  to 
him  by  a  patriotic  people.  Yet  there  his  remains  lie  in  the 
solitude,  neglected,  almost  forgotten.  Monuments  are  raised 
amid  the  acclaim  of  the  people  and  the  booming  of  cannon  to 
poets  who  have  been  born  on  foreign  shores,  but  Joseph  Rod- 
man Drake  lies  in  an  almost  unknown  grave." 

Born  in  New  York  in  1795,  he  decided  to  study  medicine, 
but  never  practiced  it  to  any  extent,  as  his  health  failed  and  he 
was  obliged  to  go  South,  returning  a  few  years  before  his 
death.     The   simple   inscription   on  his   monument   reads: 

Sacred 

to  the  memory 

of 

Joseph   R.   Drake,  M.   D., 

who  died  Sept.  21st, 

1820 

aged  25  years. 

"None  knew  him  but  to  love  him. 

Nor  named  him  but  to  praise." 

The  last  two  lines  are  taken  from  the  well  known  poem  by 
Drake's   life-long   friend  and   companion,   Fitz-Greene   Halleck. 

"Even  in  the  desolate  old  cemetery  we  realize  some  of  his 
poetic  phrases;  we  feel  the  breeze  'fresh  springing  from  the 
lips  of  morn ;'  we  see  the  humbird  with  'his  sun  touched  wings ;' 
we  hear  the  carol  of  the  finch  and  the  'winding  of  the  merry 
locust's  horn'  above  the  grave  where  the  poet  rests.  As  we  look 
out  upon  the  landscape  flooded  with  sunshine  and  domed  by 
a  cloudless  sky,  we  are  reminded  of  other  summer  days,  when, 
in  its  happier  state,  this  spot  was  a  grateful  resting-place  in  his 
walks  afield ;  then  we  think  of  that  last  sad  summer,  of  the 
early  autumn  day  when  loving  hands  laid  him  here  for  the  last 
long  sleep,  and  of  the  sorrow-stricken  Halleck  protesting,  as  he 


Hunt  Mansion 

went    forth   from   this   place:     'There   will   be   less   sunshine   for 
me  hereafter,   now   that  Joe   is   gone.' " 

Drake  placed  a  very  modest  estimate  on  his  works,  and  it 
is  believed  that  but  a  small  portion  of  them  have  been  pre- 
served. While  lying  on  his  death-bed,  a  friend  inquired  of  him 
what  to  do  with  his  poems.  "Oh,  burn  them,"  he  replied.  "They 
are  quite  valueless." 


90 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


As  the  last  official  maps  show  tliat  it  is  purposed  to  run  a 
street  directly  through  this  burying-grouud,  it  is  proposed  to 
lay  out  a  "Joseph  Rodman  Drake  Park."  and  at  a  recent  hearing 
before  the  official  board  many  prominent  people  were  present 
and  spoke  strongly  in  its  favor. 

"It  is  a  sacred  spot,"  said  a  prominent  resident,  "where  even 
the  most  exalted  personage  in  the  land  could  profitably  pause 
a  while  in  silent  meditation,  as  did  Lafayette  when  he  re-visited 
our  country  in   1824." 

In  an   unmarked  grave,   says   an   aulliority.   within   the   lines 


They  should  be  permitted  to  sleep  on,  in  their  honored  gray 
'with  all   their   country's  wishes   blest.'" 

Another  historic  park  is  laid  out  for  a  breathing  plai 
directly  opposite,  where  are  buried  the  remains  of  the  slav 
of  the  early  residents,  and  the  body  of  "Bill,"  the  colored  pil 
of  the  ill-fated  "Hussar,"  which,  as  we  have  seen,  went  asho 
on   North   Brother   Island   in   1780. 

Crossing  the  bridge  just  beyond  the  Hunt  Cemetery,  \ 
find  a  series  of  mounds  said  to  have  been  thrown  up  when  Lo 
Howe's  vessels  were  in  the  neighborhood.     The  remains  of  the 


vt»iV« 


Joseph    Rodman    Drake's    Monument 


of  Whittier  Street,  have  lain  since  1666  the  remains  of  Magistrate 
Edward  Jessup.  We  may  also  name  a  few  more  of  the  graves 
in  this  little  enclosure:  Thomas  Hunt  the  third,  the  father  of 
the  patriot,  Thomas  Hunt  the  fourth;  Thomas  Hunt  the  fourth, 
the  revered  patriot  and  peaceful  Quaker,  who,  like  Adams,  Jef- 
ferson and  Monroe,  died  on  July  Fourth.  This  man,  so  the 
same  authority  tells  us,  was  the  friend  of  Washington,  upon 
whose  courage  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  country  our 
great   leader    implicitly    relied. 

"This  little  cemetery  is  also  the  final  resting  place  of  veter- 
ans of  the  various  Colonial  wars  and  of  Continental  soldiers, 
also  members  of  the  Hunt,  Leggett,  Willett  and  allied  families. 


may   still   be   seen,  a  short  distance  below   the  bridge,   among 
clump  of  trees,  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  road. 

One  who  visited  the  spot  about  twenty  years  ago  gives  tl 
following  interesting  description :  "A  few  miles  from  Harle 
is  a  road  leading  frotn  West  Farms  to  the  Great  Planting  Nee 
upon  which  are  many  ancient  and  modern  country  seats.  C 
these  perhaps  the  most  ancient  stands  at  the  southern  extremi 
of  the  Neck  on  an  estate  which  for  almost  200  years  has  bet 
known  as  Hunt's  Point.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of  Thom; 
Hunt  by  marriage  with  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Edward  Jessu 
one  of  the  first  patentees.  The  old  mansion,  erected  in  168 
occupies  a  charming  situation  overlooking  the  Sound  and  Flusl 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


9t 


ing  Bay.  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Bronx  River,  celebrated  in 
song  by  Joseph  Rodman  Drake.  The  Hunt  family  continued 
to  own  and  occupy  the  property  until  several  years  ago.  when  it 
passed  into  other  hands.  During  its  occupation  by  the  Hunts 
a  small  tract  of  rising  ground,  comprising  less  than  an  acre,  was 
used  by  tliem  as  a  burial  place." 

On  the  modern  maps  is  shown  in  large  letters :  "Lafayette 
Avenue,"  branching  ofif  at  right  angles  from  the  Hunt's  Point 
Road.  The  reason  for  this,  as  told  me  by  one  of  the  best  au- 
thorities, is  because  Lafayette  once  traveled  over  this  section. 
In  1824.  while  on  his  way  from  Boston  to  New  York,  his  course 
was  down   through   Westchester   and   along   Hunt's    Point   Road 


from  Fo.x  Corners,  presumably  to  stay  at  one  of  the  Leggett 
houses,  George  Fox  being  one  of  the  marshals  of  a  deputation 
of  New  York  citizens  to  meet  and  escort  him. 

"Lafayette  Lane"  was  the  country  road,  now  widened,  which 
extended  in  front  of  what  was  known  afterwards  as  the  Faile 
House,  leading  from  the  Hunt's  Point  Road  down  the  hill 
through  Mr.  Leggett's  fields,  across  the  rural  gorge  spanned  by 
the  "Kissing  Bridge"  to  a  point  north  of  the  present  "Longwood 
Club  House,"  reaching  Westchester  Turnpike  near  Longwood 
Avenue.  From  this  point  Lafayette  must  have  journeyed  down 
across  the  old   Harlem  Bridge  towards   New  York  City. 


Hunt  House.  Boston  Road 


CHAPTER  XXXI 


JEROME  PARK  RESERVOIR 


Jerome  Park — Old  Bathgate  Houses — Remains  of  Old  Redoubt — Old  Croton  Aqueduct — Jerome  Park  Reservoir- 
Polo  Club  House 


Ten  years  ago  we  should  have  headed  this  chapter  simply 
"Jerome  Park.  "  fo-day,  however,  we  must  say  "Jerome  Park 
Reservoir,"  the  tower  of  the  High  Pressure  Pumping  Station 
which,  about  300  feet  above  sea  level — is  a  landmark  for  many 
miles  around. 

Within  the  limits  of  the  future  Jerome  Park  Reservoir  were 
several  relics  of  the  past,  to  omit  which,  would  render  this 
history  incomplete.  Oldest  of  all  was  the  ancient  Boston  Post 
Road,  which  seemed  to  be  fated  to  lie  in  the  path  of  the  city's 
water  supply,  as  it  is  destroyed  in  great  part  by  both  the  Jerome 
Park  and  Willianisbridge  Reservoirs.  As  we  have  seen,  this 
early  highway  was  built  about  1672,  and  I  can  just  remember 
its  running  through  the  place  where  steam  shovel  and  steam  drill 
are  now  hard  at  work.  From  here  the  roadway  extended  east- 
ward to  Willianisbridge,  where,  on  the  high  grounds,  a  large 
section  is  gouged  out  of  it  by  the  Willianisbridge  Reservoir. 

In  the  racing  days  of  Jerome  Park,  great  crowds  came  from 
the  city  to  see  the  speeding.  The  Grand  Stand  was  crowded, 
the  great  Club  House  and  ball  room  were  a  scene  of  brilliant 
gayety.  Where  is  that  ball  room  now?  Moved  quite  a  distance 
to  the  north,  and  for  a  long  time  used  as  a  power  station  for  the 
reservoir  and  now  nothing  of  it  remains  but  the  lower  part  of  the 
chimney,  the  rest  having  been  demolished  by  dynamite ! 

An  old  road,  branching  off  from  the  Kingsbridge  Road  close 
to  the  Dutch  Reformed,  or  "Manor  Church,"  led  to  the  north 
through  the  reservoir,  until  the  Boston  Post  Road  was  reached. 
Near  this  were  two  fine  old  Bathgate  houses,  one  of  which  is 
still  standing,  while  the  other,  situated  upon  a  high  hill,  has 
long  since  been  eaten  away  by  the  steam  drills  and  shovels.  The 
latter  was  the  homestead  of  J.  Bathgate,  formerly  shaded  by  a 
number  of  most  picturesque  pine,  spruce  and  elm  trees.  An  old- 
fashioned  mansion,  ov^r  130  years  old,  it  was  surrounded  by 
three  distinct  groups  of  three  trees  each.  A  long  disused  well 
at  the  rear,  with  heavy  logs  on  top  covered  with  two  feet  of 
earth,  was  only  discovered  by  the  merest  chance  while  driving 
a  stake.  It  was  about  50  feet  deep,  sunk  into  the  solid  rock, 
with  a  curious  recess  at  the  bottom,  into  which  pieces  of  wood 
would  float  and  disappear  from  sight.  In  later  years  the  man- 
sard roof,  as  well  as  the  wing  were  added.  Each  room  had  its 
own  fireplace,  while  the  kitchen  could  boast  of  ancient  iron  bolts 
for  holding  a  crane,  with  a  wooden  board  above,  having  the 
words : 

J.  BATHGATE, 

evidently  inscribed  with  a  branding  iron.  Nor  must  we  omit 
to  mention  that  the  window  seats  in  the  dining-room  furnished 
unmistakable  evidence  of  a  solid  stone  foundation  at  least  eigh- 
teen inches  thick. 


At  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  new  reservoir  is  an  old  .. 
fort  or  redoubt.  While  standing  within  it,  I  could  quite  plainly  J 
make  out  its  shape.  Although  not  shown  on  a  "made-up"  map  1 
of  this  region  during  the  early  days,  it  was  alternately  occupied  1 
by  the  American  and  English  forces,  being  quite  close  to  Fort  In- 
dependence. J 

In  the  lower  ground  below  this  old  breastwork  were  dis-  ) 
covered  five  gold  guineas,  of  the  reigns  of  George  II.  and  III.  j 
Near  them  was  a  crumbling  skeleton  and  a  long  bayonet  bent  into  \ 
a  parabolic  shape.  It  is  thought  that  the  guineas  belonged  to 
some  officer,  and  had  been  originally  in  a  purse,  which  had  long  1 
since  decayed.  They  are  in  wonderfully  perfect  condition,  the  j 
milling  being  clear  in  every  detail.  That  they  are  guineas,  and 
not  sovereigns,  adds  greatly  to  their  interest. 

As  the  reservoir  covers  a  territory  that  was  fought  over 
and  over  again  during  the  first  years  of  the  Revolution,  the 
recent    excavations    have    brought    to    light    chain    shot,    cannon 


Bathgate  House 

balls  and  musket  bullets,  numerous  bayonets,  a  number  of  rusted 
knife  and  sword  blades,  skulls  and  skeletons,  and  the  remains  of 
soldiers,  American  and  British,  who  lost  their  lives  in  the 
skirmishes  of  that  historic  period. 

In  general  outline,  the  299  acres  of  the  new  reservoir  re- 
semble a  lady's  hand  mirror,  with  the  handle  toward  the  south. 
At  the  north  end  enter  the  two  aqueducts,  the  old  one,  finished  in 
1842,  and  the  new  one,  completed  in  1890.  The  first  one,  which 
had  carried  water  from  the  Croton  River  to  the  City  of  New 
York,  was  in  the  main  above  ground,  being  an  oval  shell  of 
brickwork,  crossing  the  Harlem  at  Highbridge.  One  of  the 
commissioners  appointed  for  the  building  of  this  older  aqueduct 
by  Governor  Marcy,  as  we  have  seen,  was  W.  W.  Fox,  former 
owner  of  the  Fox  estate.  To  make  sure  that  the  work  was 
properly   done,   he   walked   the   entire   distance   inside,   makmg  a 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


93 


personal  inspection  of  everything  and  it  can  well  be  said  that 
of  all  the  names  carved  on  the  High  Bridge,  none  deserves  a 
more  prominent  place  than  his.  This  old  aqueduct,  although 
broken  in  many  places,  is  still  existing  inside  the  reservoir  at 
the  present  writing.  I  once  imitated  Mr.  Fox's  example,  in  a 
very  limited  sense,  but  after  walking  about  twenty-five  feet  in 
the  darkness,  I  hurriedly  retraced  my  steps  and  made  for  the 
light  of  day.  It  is  said  that  the  "Croton  Maid,"  a  little  vessel 
especially  built  for  that  purpose  and  holding  four  persons,  was 
placed  in  the  aqueduct  at  its  upper  end  on  June  22.  1842.  when 
the  water  ■yi'as  admitted,  and  thus  the  tiny  boat  made  her  novel 
voyage  to  the  Harlem  River. 

Far  underground,  the  much  larger  new  Croton  Aqueduct 
carries  the  waters  in  place  of  the  old,  and  when  the  Jerome 
Park  Reservoir  is  completed  both  will  be  in  operation,  while 
further  to  the  east  the  Bronx  Aqueduct  from  Kensico  Lake 
will  be  a  third  supply  for  the   Bronx. 

When  finished  the  big  reservoir  will  be  divided  into  two 
sections  by  a  wall  running  practically  north  and  south,  thus 
forming  two  reservoirs,  side  by  side.  In  order  to  have  this 
dividing  line  rest  on  solid  rock,  it  is  far  from  being  straight. 
On  top  of  the  wall  run  the  old  aqueduct  and  the  new  one,  the 
former  being  about  to  be  destroyed,  as  it  is  no  longer  needed, 
since  it  is  to  be  incorporated  in  the  division  wall. 

Perhaps  the  best  idea  of  this  enormous  work  is  at  present 
to  be  gained  from  what  is  known  as  "Gate  House  No.  5."  There 
are  also  a  number  of  smaller  gate  houses  around  the  reservoir 
to  supply  different  sections  of  this  region.  This  Gate  House  No. 
5,  I  have  been  told,  will  cost  $750,000.  At  this  place,  the  gate 
chambers,  divided  by  great  brick  arches,  are  described  as  re- 
sembling cloisters,  in  the  dim  cold  light  that  comes  from  the 
manholes.  I  have  climbed  down  the  perpendicular  iron  ladders 
to  the  bottom  of  this  gate  house,  and  have  passed  from  chamber 
to  chamber.  I  have  also  seen  the  viaduct,  strongly  resembling 
High  Bridge  on  a  small  scale,  which  when  the  work  is  done 
and  the  water  admitted  will  be  almost  submerged.  It  is  a  via- 
duct in  every  sense,  as  it  is  intended  merely  as  a  bridge  to 
walk  to  "Shaft  21"  of  the  new  aqueduct,  which,  when  all  is 
complete,  will  be  opened  and  its  waters  allowed  to  fill  the  gigan- 
reservoir.  On  the  top  of  this  "Gate  House  No.  5"  is  a 
large  number  of  immense  brass  stopcocks,  resembling  capstans, 
to  operate  the  heavy  iron  gates  used  to  shut  off  and  let  on 
the  water  as  it  arrives  through  the  aqueduct. 

Several  interesting  computations  have  been  made,  as  fol- 
lows: Beginning  with  3,730,000  cubic  yards  of  earth  excava- 
tion and  3,165,000  yards  of  solid  rock,  adding  392,000  cubic  yards 
of  masonry,  53,000  tons  of  bricks  and  3.550  tons  of  iron  pipes 
and  castings,  we  would  have  a  train  of  11,000,000  horses  and 
carts,  forming  a  procession  41,666  miles  long,  almost  enough 
to  go  twice  around  the  world.  The  total  weight  of  this.  14.000.- 
000  tons,  if  loaded  on  cars,  would  number  742.500  cars,  reaching 
6,214  miles.  If  divided  into  trains  of  45  cars  each,  16,500  engmes 
would  be  required  to  haul  it.  One  authority  adds  that  the  rock 
to  be  taken  out  is  alone  about  equal  in  quantity  to  that  which 


was  put  into  the  Great  Pyramid  of  Egypt  when  it  was  finished. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  division  wall  is  the  West  Basin,  at 
present  almost  finished.  I  have  often  stood  in  what  is  to  be 
the  East  Basin,  now  a  foramidable  chaos.  Engines,  trains  of  dirt, 
and  gravel  and  Italians  innumerable  swarm  on  all  sides.  Steam 
shovels  are  hard  at  work  eating  away  the  banks.  When  I  was 
once  there  this  iron  monster  had  encountered  a  rock  ledge,  and  it 
was  necessary  lor  the  steam  drills  to  work  night  and  day  to  keep 
ahead  of  it.  Far  to  the  north  the  engineer's  house  seems  to 
overlook  the  whole  work.  The  Oak  Ridge  Club  House  used  to 
stand  in  the  western  half,  but  this  has  been  cut  into  two  sections, 
and  it  now  stands  on  Sedgwick  Avenue,  west  of  the  reservoir. 

Among  the  most  wonderful  sights  I  have  ever  seen  is  the 
series  of  blasts  that  are  fired  twice  a  day.  Standing  in  front 
of  the  once  elegant  Polo  Club  House,  a  magnificent  view  of  them 
may  be  obtained  as  they  go  off,  with  a  volume  of  sound  like  the 
roar  of  artillery.  On  one  occasion  I  saw  the  whole  of  a  hillside 
slide  down  at  once,  a  huge  cloud  of  dust  immediately  concealing 
the  whole  from  view. 

Originally  a  sugar  box  farm  house,  this  Polo  Club 
House  was  enlarged  and  remodeled  by  James  Gordon 
Bennett  into  a  magnificently  designed  building  when  Jerome 
Park  was  in  the  zenith  of  its  popularity.  I  have  visited 
many  old  houses  in  the  Bronx,  but  I  do  not  hesitate  to 
say  that  this  one  shows  the  greatest  evidence  of  its  former 
elegance.  The  beautiful  ball  room,  with  its  gorgeous  chandelier, 
the  massive  oaken  door,  the  oak  stair  cases  and  stained  glass 
windows  all  betoken  the  sumptuous  lavishment  of  wealth.  At 
present  writing  the  outlook  is  not  so  promising.  The  never- 
satisfied  steam  shovel  has  approached  to  within  a  few  feet  of 
the  building,  and  the  gigantic  forest  trees  that  once  surrounded 
the  entrance  are  being  hewn  down  one  by  one.  Standing  upon 
an  "island"  of  its  own,  it  seems  that  the  day  has  far  passed  for 
any  possibility  of  its  being  removed,  so  the  beautiful  mansion, 
with  all  its  associations  of  the  past,  will  probably  be  destroyed 
not  long  hence.  The  day  before  I  visited  this  polo  club  house. 
I  happened  to  be  at  the  old  "Foxhurst"  Mansion  at  Fox  Corners, 
erected  in  1840.  "I  sincerely  hope  this  stately  old  mansion  will 
be  here  for  many  years  to  come,"  I  said  to  a  gentleman  residing 
there,  who  knows  the  Bronx  almost  by  heart.  "No.  indeed."  he 
responded.  "Its  days  are  almost  at  an  end.  If  the  Westchester 
and  Boston  Railroad  is  built,  it  will  go  in  at  the  front  door  and 
out  the  rear  door !" 

When  Jerome  Park  was  in  vogue  as  a  race  track,  the  main 
carriage  entrance  was  at  what  is  now  Jerome  Avenue  and  198th 
Street.  There  was  a  large  gateway  with  two  iron  gates.  When 
work  was  begun  on  the  reservoir  about  1896  this  structure  was 
moved  up  to  Jerome  Avenue  and  Boston  Post  or  the  Colonial 
Road.  The  original  huge  figures  on  the  gateway  were  "1866." 
With  the  new  order  of  things,  the  first  "6"  was  turned  upside 
down  so  as  to  read  "l8g6,"  and  it  seems  a  great  pity  that  the 
whole  gateway  should  have  to  disappear  after  so  many  years 
of  service. 


r'lmii^'"""'!'"""^"^""^'-"""^^ 


OLD  MAP  OF   ORIGINAL  WEST  FARMS 


V;' 


CHAPTER  XXXII 


THE  BLACK  SWAMP  AND  HIGHBRIDGEVILLE 


The  Mysterious  Black  Swamp — The  Old  Cromwell  House — The  Townsend  Poole  Cottage — Featherbed  Lane- 

The  De  Voe  Residence — Andrew  Corsa 


The  old  lane  that  led  from  the  Zborowski  to  the  Stebbins 
Mansions  did  not  run  in  a  straight  direction — far  from  it.  It 
made  a  regular  "U"  of  itself,  so  as  to  avoid  what  has  recently 
puzzled  engineers  and  contractors — the  famous  "Black  Swamp." 
I  had  been  told  of  the  loss  of  a  number  of  Mr.  Zborowski's 
blooded  cattle  at  night,  and  I  have  heard  of  school  children  who 
had  occasion  to  pass  this  way.  arriving  at  school  with  their 
clothing  a  mass  of  mud,  but  I  was  entirely  imaware  of  the 
cause.  Situated  in  the  dense  thickets  behind  Claremont  Park, 
its  name  has  clung  to  it,  ever  since  the  time  of  the  Indians,  who 
superstitiously  regarded  it  as  tlie  resort  of  evil  spirits.  When 
the  early  settlers  found  to  their  dismay  that  its  depths  engulfed 


summoned,  who  gave  the  following  report:  "We  find  two  thin 
ledges  of  hard,  stony  earth,  the  first  ten,  and  the  second  si.xty 
feet  below  the  surface.  Water  fills  the  spaces  between  these 
ledges,  while  beneath  the  lower  ledge  is  a  deep  cavity  which  the 
drills  and  measuring  lines  cannot  fathom."  It  was  the  sudden 
collapsing  of  these  ledges  that  caused  the  masses  of  filling  to 
sink  out  of  sight  so   unexpectedly. 

Various  are  the  explanations  of  this  strange  phenomenon. 
Some  think  there  is  a  swift  underground  river  emptying  into 
the  Harlem,  a  full  mile  away,  or  into  Long  Island  Sound,  three 
miles  distant,  which  carries  off  with  mighty  force  everything 
thrown  into  it.     In   .South   America  there  is  a   lake  without  any 


The  Bl.ick  Sw.imp 


llieir  cattle  whenever  they  came  near  it.  they  carefully  surround- 
ed its  area  with  a  rough   fence. 

For  many  years,  even  centuries,  it  lay  forgotten,  until  the 
city  authorities  sought  to  open  Morris  Avenue  through  this 
harmless  looking  pond.  What,  then,  was  the  amazement  of 
the  contractor  to  find  that  60,000  cubic  yards  of  filling  had  sud- 
denly sunk  out  of  sight  into  the  quiet  surface  of  this  remarkable 
pit!  At  last,  however,  the  work  seemed  to  bring  good  results 
and  the  earth  was  filled  in  to  the  required  level.  But  ne.xt  morn- 
ing smiles  were  suddenly  turned  to  dismay.  Every  particle  of 
new  earth  had  disappeared  as  if  by  magic  into  the  mouth  of  the 
mysterious    swamp !     A    party    of    expert    engineers    was    hastily 


nutlet,   while  one   readily   recalls  the   unaccountable  mysteries  of 
the    Great    Salt   Lake,    the    Caspian    and    the    Dead    Seas.     Sub- 
terranean human  beings  are  fancifully  described  in  Bulwer  Lyt- 
ton's  novel,  "The  Coming  Race,"  and  Jules  Verne  in  his  "Jour 
ney  to  the  Center  of  the  Earth." 

This  old  lane,  as  we  have  seen,  terminated  at  the  squarely 
built  residence  of  Mrs.  Stebbins,  which,  standing  on  the  high 
crest  of  land  overlooking  Cromwell's  Creek,  has  fallen  a  prey 
to  the  pitiless  flames,  while  Cromwell's  Creek  is  slowly  but  surely 
being  filled  in.  but  the  old  Cromwell  Farm  House,  to  the  east 
of  Jerome  Avenue,  below  167th  Street,  is  still  an  object  of 
curiosity.     The   oldest   part   of   this   abode   has   stood   there   for 


96 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


I4S  years,  according  to  the  residents.  It  once  fronted  on  a 
slanting  roadway,  long  since  closed,  a  portion  of  which,  formerly 
(and  properly)  styled  Marcher  Avenue,  mounts  the  steep  hill 
towards  Highbridgeville. 

There  is  an  interesting  story  about  this  Cromwell  House, 
recently  told  me  by  an  old  resident  of  the  vicinity.  In  days 
long  gone  by,  the  occupants  of  the  old  building  used  to  rise  every 


CromwcU  Farm  House 

night  at  midnight  and  fire  off  a  shot  gun  to  frighten  away  the 
fJocks  of  wild  geese  whose  weird  cries  rendered  sleep  impossible. 

On  the  later  maps  Cromwell  Avenue  will  come  very  near,  if 
it  does  not  go  directly  through,  the  venerable  Cromwell  House. 
If  so,  our  borough  will  lose  one  of  its  very  oldest  landmarks, 
though   comparatively   unknown. 

Macomb's  Road  once  led  from  De  Voe's  Point  at  Macomb's 
Dam  Bridge,  following  the  line  of  Jerome  Avenue  and  branching 
from  it  at  about  170th  Street.  Gradually  it  ascended  the  hill, 
past  the  quaint  Townsend  Poole  Cottage,  built,  according  to  the 
figures  in  the  stonework,  in  1782.  To  read  these  figures  is 
doubly  difficult.  First  they  are  written  backward,  and  again 
they  are  obscured  by  a  mass  of  thick  vines.  Inside  this  tiny 
abode  was  quartered  the  little  band  of  Esquimaux,  brought  here 
by  Lieutenant  Peary  several  years  ago.  I  once  called  upon  them, 
but  as  I  knew  no  Esquimaux  and  they  no  English,  our  conversa- 
tion was  carried  on  by  means  of  signs  and  gestures. 

To  the  north  of  this  cottage  Featherbed  Lane  crosses  Ma- 
comb's Road.  The  strange  name  given  to  this  lane  is  accounted 
for  in  two  ways ;  one  because  the  farmers'  wives  once  spread  a 


Townsend  Poole  Cottage 

large  number  of  feather  beds  on  the  lane,  to  enable  a  band  of 
Americans  to  escape  silently  from  their  foes,  while  the  second 
was  supposed  to  be  a  piece  of  sarcasm  because,  the  lane  was 
once  so  extremely  rough  and  bristled  with  all  kinds  of  stones. 
Here  are  the  two  stories ;  the  reader  may  take  his  choice. 

On    Jessup    Place,    a    short    distance    east    of    Washington 
Bridge,  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  this  vicinity — the  ancient 


De  Voe  residence,  tlie  section  on  which  it  stands  having  been 
in  the  possession  of  the  family  since  1694.  The  large  De  Voe 
farm  was  divided  by  Charles  De  Voe,  Sr.,  into  three  sections 
for  his  three  sons,  giving  his  daughters  certain  sums  of  money. 
Thus  the  old  house  on  Jessup  Place,  built  in  1804,  was  on  the 
northern  of  the  three  sections,  and  has  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  present  occupant,  Mr.  John  H.  De  Voe.  The  family  is 
of  Huguenot  origin,  the  original  spelling  being  De  Veaux.  Other 
methods  are  Devoe,  De  Voor,  De  Vau,  De  Vos,  De  Vore,  De 
Voore,  Du  Fower,  and  De  Four,  with  many  other  variations. 

Mr.  De  Voe's  wife  is  a  descendant  of  the  famous  Andrew 
Corsa,  the  last  of  the  Westchester  guides,  who  lived  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  w-hat  is  now  the  Southern  Boulevard  and 
Webster  Avenue.  Although  hidden  behind  the  many  newer 
buildings,  the  old  well  was  still  discernible,  which  stood  close  to 
the  Andrew  Corsa  house.  The  white  building  just  south  of  the 
well  stood  practically  on  the  site  of  the  older  one,  and  Mr.  De 
Voe  well  remembers,  when  a  boy,  talking  to  Andrew  Corsa  him- 
self and  accompanying  him  on  walks. 

On  the  back  of  an  early  document  signed  by  Stephanus  Van 
Cortlandt,  we  find  that  a  "certain  neck  of  land  joining  the  Har- 
lem River,  beginning  at  a  certain  spring  or  run  of  water  to  the 


De  Voe  Cottage 

south  of  Crabb  Island,  which  is  the  southeast  corner  of  the  land 

of  John  Archer's so  round  lo  Harlem  River which  parcel 

of  land,  containing   184  acres was  sold  to   Ffrederick  Devon 

for  the  sum  of  14  pounds."     This  was  in  the  year   1694. 

Andrew  Corsa  was  born  in  1762,  at  Rose  Hill,  within  the 
limits  of  St.  John's  College,  afterwards  removing  to  a  farm 
almost  directly  opposite,  where  in  1852  he  died.  He  performed 
inestimable  services  for  the  patriot  cause,  and,  the  youngest  of 
all  the  Westchester  Guides,  was  the  last  to  die.  "Minutely 
acquainted  with  the  passes  around  Kingsbridge,  Fordham 
and  Morrisania,  his  services  were  anxiously  sought."  One 
incident  in  his  exciting  career  may  be  related :  When 
the  allies  were  passing  over  the  high  ground  near  Mor- 
risania, and  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy,  the  fire  which 
the  British  artillery  opened  upon  them  from  Randall's  Island 
and  Snake  Hill  (Harlem),  from  the  batteries  at  Harlem  and 
from  the  warships  in  the  river,  was  most  terrible  and  incessant. 
Urging  his  horse  forward  at  full  speed,  he  rode  for  safety  be- 
hind the  old  Morrisania  Mill.  Looking  back,  he  saw  Washing- 
ton, Rochambeau  and  the  other  officers  riding  calmly  along  under 
fire  as  if  nothing  unusual  was  occurring.  Ashamed  at  having 
given  way  to  an  impulse  of  fear,  he  at  once  galloped  back, 
resuming  his  place  in  the  order  of  march.  The  commanding 
officers,  with  peals  of  laughter,  were  very  cordial  in  welcoming 
him  back  and  commending  his  courage. 


v^ 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 


PLACES  OF  MORE  RECENT  INTEREST 


Old  Mansions  and  Families  in  Bronx  Borough — The  Stenton  Willow — Annexation  in  1874 — Annexation  in  1895 — 
The  Concourse    White  Plains  Road  Widening — Westchester  Avenue  Widening — The  Bronx  as  a 
Separate    County — The  Port    Chester  Railroad — The  Subway,  Existing  and   Planned — 
Coming  Improvements  of  the  Harlem  Railroad — A  Wonderful  Prophecy  Fulfilled 


A  well  known  family  moved  into  the  Bronx  on  the  day 
ihe  first  shot  was  fired  at  Fort  Simipter,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Civil  War.  They  are  still  living  in  the  same  homestead, 
although  many  other  families  can  lay  claim  to  a  longer  stay 
here.  Great  was  the  difficulty  they  experienced  in  getting  to 
:ind  from  the  city,  especially  during  the  time  of  the  famous 
"Draft  Riots."  Even  in  peaceful  times  the  light  of  a  flickering 
lantern  was  necessary  whenever  they  left  home  after  dark. 
Twice  has  the  avenue  been  graded  in  front  of  their  house,  and 
there  is  yet  quite  a  perceptible  grade,  on  which  horses  slip  and 
slide  in  icy  times. 

While  speaking  of  grading  avenues,  I  recall  a  splendid  stone 
castle  in  the  district  generally  known  as  East  Morrisania,  which, 
when  I  last  visited  it,  was  reached  by  a  steep,  winding  roadway. 
Ihe  latest  news  that   I   have  heard  from  this  place  is  that  it   is 


Fox  Mansion 

left  forty  feet  in  the  air  by  the  cutting  down  of  a  neighboring 
avenue.  But  all  clouds,  they  say,  have  their  silver  lining.  Dur- 
ing the  late  coal  strike,  their  bin  was  completely  empty,  their 
steam  furnace  stone  cold,  yet  every  radiator  was  well  heated  and 
the  house  as  warm  as  anyone  could  wish.  How  was  this  mira- 
cle wrought?  you  will  ask.  Simply  by  making  an  arrangement 
with  the  contractor  in  charge  of  grading  the  avenue,  who  con- 
nected the  steam  pipes  of  the  house,  apparently  useless,  with  his 
large  stationery  boiler,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  the 
tale  the  house  was  as  warm  as  toast! 

In  looking  over  some  papers,  I  came  upon  a  map  published 
in  i860  and  another  dated  1868,  showing  that  wealthy  residents 
had  established  many  country  homes  in  our  borough.  From  thes< 
I   have   gathered   a    few   memoranda   of   the   handsome   country 


seats,  together  with  the  names  of  the  residents :  <'Ranaque,"  B. 
G.  Arnold,  on  the  end  of  Oak,  formerly  Arnold's  Point;  "Cosey 
Nook,"  W.  M.  Allen;  "Castello  de  Casanova,"  Yglesias  Casa- 
nova; "Blythe,"  Francis  J.  Barretto ;  "Elmwood,"  P.  N.  Spofford; 
"Springhurst,"  G.  S.  Fox;  "Greenbank,"  C.  D.  Dickey;  "Sunny 
Slope,"  (one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  substantially  built  man- 
sions in  the  Bronx),  P.  A.  Hoe;  "Woodside,"  E.  G.  Faile; 
"Ambleside,"  J.  B.  Simpson  and  W.  Simpson;  "Brightside," 
Colonel  R.  M.  Hoe,  inventor  of  the  "Rotary  Printing  Press," 
(also  known  as  the  "Lightning  Press;"  he  was  the  brother  of  the 
former  resident  of  "Sunny  Slope;")  "Foxhurst,"  formerly  the 
residence  of  Mr.  H.  D.  Tiffany,  and  "Rocklands,"  T.  A.  Vyse, 
formerly  the  home  of  Thomas  Richardson.  All  these  from 
"Blythe"  forward  stood  on  or  near  the  old  Hunt's  Point  Road, 
.ind  are  at  the  time  of  this  chronicle,  still  in  existence. 

Going  back  to  the  days  when  Mr.  B.  M.  Whitlock  dispensed 
free-handed  hospitality  at  Casanova,  some  one  has  said  that 
"among  the  guests  he  noted  the  head  of  Jordan  L.  Mott's  Foun- 
ilry  (after  whom  Mott  Haven  was  named),  Mr.  Janes  and  Mr. 
kirtland,  Mr.  Jason  Rogers,  the  locomotive  builder,  Samuel  M. 
Purdy,  Esq.,  the  'Nestor  of  the  Westchester  Bar,'  Mr.  Lewis  G. 
.VIorris,  Mr.  William  Watson,  of  Wilmont,  a  prominent  linen 
merchant,  and  also  representatives  of  the  Secor,  Lorillard  and 
Pell  families."  The  host,  it  is  stated,  seemed  to  place  no  value 
nn  money  on  these  occasions.  During  the  early  struggles  of 
Cuba  against  the  galling  yoke  of  Spain,  Senor  Casanova,  not  un- 
mindful of  his  native  land,  used  to  store,  so  the  story  goes,  in 
the  subterranean  passages  beneath  his  stone  castle,  hidden  muni- 
lions  of  war,  waiting  favorable  opportunity  for  shipment,  to  aid 
Ihe  struggling  Cubans,  several  expeditions  being  secretly  fitted 
out  in  the  cove  near  the  Castle.  Indeed,  several  ships  were  said 
to  have  stolen  in  and  out  of  the  little  natural  harbor  in  front  of 
the  Castle,  and  freighted  with  war  supplies,  weighed  anchor  for 
the  shores  of  Cuba.  Here,  we  learn,  the  "Virginius"  took  aboard 
her  cargo  just  before  her  capture  by  the  Spaniards. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  last  Cuban  insurrection  the  house  was 
again  filled  with  revolutionists.  When  war  was  declared  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Spain,  the  grand  old  castle  was 
closed  for  the  last  time,  and  Senor  Casanova  left  the  United 
States  forever,  dying  soon  afterwards.  Within  a  short  time 
the  house  was  sold  to  a  real  estate  company,  and  its  early  glory 
has  departed  forever. 

Following  up  the  old  Leggett's  Lane,  we  come  to  the  ruins 
sf  Philip  Dater's  immense  stone  mansion  on  the  left,  modelled 
after  the  plan  of  Foxhurst,  with  the  exception  that  it  had  a 
gable   roof   and    Foxhurst    a    square   roof.     On    the   right   once 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


m 


opened  the  gates  of  Mr.  S.  B.  White's  residence,  whose  artisti- 
cally laid  out  grounds  were  known  as  Longwood  Park. 

Towards  West  Farms  we  note  three  old  mansions  on  the 
right  hand  side  of  Boston  Road,  just  beyond  the  Southern  Boule- 
vard. The  first  two  are  known  as  the  Walker  houses,  while  the 
last,  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Bolton,  bears  the  name  of 
"Minford   Place,"   after   former   owner,   Thomas   Minford. 

A  very  old  house  stands  near  the  northeasterly  corner  of 
Rodman  Place  and  Longfellow  Street,  just  south  of  the  oM 
fire-engine  house,  while  on  Main  Street,  about  opposite  Rodman 
Place  another  ancient  structure  still  stands,  built  directly  on  the 
road.  In  earlier  years  it  was  noticed  that  the  panes  of  glass  in 
the   windows    were   of   the   old-fashioned,   handmade    style,    with 


|[  Macomb  Mansion 

||  a  curious  bulb  in  the  middle,  where  the  glass  maker  severed  his 

1  "string"   of  glass   used   in   its   manufacture.     Across   the    Bron.x, 

I  not  far  from  West  Farms  Station,  is  another  solid  stone  editice. 

IJ  the  Wilson   Mansion,   almost   identically   resembling   that   which 

'  stands  a  little  north  and  further  back  from  the  road  than  the  old 
house  with  the  queer  panes  of  glass,  but  its  name  does  not  ap- 

[  pear  on  any  map  I  have  seen. 

,:  Passing  to   the   Washington   Bridge   section,   "Rocky   Cliff," 

the  home  of  Mrs.  Marcher,  is  given  on  the  maps,  while  east  of 

!  Macomb's  Road,  just  above  Featherbed  Lane,  is  shown  "Rose 
Hill,"  the  residence  of  J.   D.   Poole.     Opposite  the  western   end 

li  of  Featherbed  Lane,  its  extensive  grounds  descending  to  the 
stately  Washington  Bridge,  is  the  beautiful  "Villa  Boscobel,"  the 
magnificent  mansion  of  the  late  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Ogden.  Quite  a 
distance  to  the  north,  and  west  of  old  Macomb's  Road,  with  the 
new  Aqueduct  Avenue  crossing  the  lawn,  and  south  of  the  nar- 
row lane  leading  down  to  what  was  known  as  Morris  Dock, 
stands  "Mount  Fordham,"  with  its  graceful  arches  in  front,  the 
former  home  of  Lewis  G.  Morris.  Close  by  is  "Fairlawn,"  the 
title  well  describing  the  place,  where  Hugh  N.  Camp  lived  for 
many  years.  The  fine  stone  residence  overlooking  the  old  Berk 
ley  Oval,  was  "Elmbrook,"  occupied  by  Mrs.  Dashwood,  accord- 
ing to  the  maps.     To  the  north,  on  the  New  York  University 

:  grounds,  is  the  former  residetice  of  H.  W.  T.  Mali,  while  south 
of  old  Fordham  Road,  near  the  little  graveyard  is  shown  "Rose- 
land,"  once  the  home  of  Mr.  O.  Camman. 

On  the  north  side  of  Fordham  Road,  west  of  the  old-fashioned 
residence  of  the  late  Moses  Devoe,  a  winding  drive  leads  into 
the  grounds  of  the  stately  Webb  Academy.  North  of  this  tail 
building  is  a  much  smaller  one,  also  on  the  Academy  grounds,  the 
old  residence,  if  we  may  credit  the  map,  of  Leonard  W.  Jerome, 
after  whom  Jerome  Park  was  named.  Following  Sedgwick  Ave- 
nue still  further  up,  we  note  the  fine  Claflin  mansions  on  the 
oast  side,  now  closed  and  locked  up.  Following  a  shady  drive- 
way that  leads  north  from  Kingsbridge  Road,  we  come  to  "Ridge- 
lawn,"  formerly  occupied  by  the  Rev.  R.  W.  Dickenson.  Just 
above  the  Poe  Cottage,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  handsome  white 
house  of  the  late  Judge  Tappan,  the  road  leads  to  Williamsbridge, 


much  carved  into  city  streets  in  its  upper  region,  but  known  m 
the  section  north  of  Judge  i'appan's  by  the  appropriate  title  of 
"Lovers'  Lane,"  owing  to  the  thickness  of  the  foliage  on  either 
side.  I  may  mention  here  to  those  interested,  that  I  know  of 
three  of  these  lanes,  and  1  think  I  have  told  the  story  of  two  of 
them,  but  the  third  I  utterly  refuse  to  divulge. 

A  very  old,  shingled  house  stands  on  the  corner  of  Kings 
bridge   Road   and   Marion   Avenue,   whose  once  extensive  estate 
has  been  greatly  cut  into  by  modern  houses. 

On  the  easterly  side  of  Washington  Avenue,  between  Kings- 
bridge  Road  (Third  Avenue)  and  Pelham  Avenue,  in  front  of 
the  old  Stenton  Mansion,  are  the  remains  of  a  venerable  willow 
tree,  over  300  years  old.  North  of  Fordham  Station,  on  the 
present  Webster  Avenue,  with  its  side  to  the  street,  is  to  be  seen 
an  exceedingly  old  house,  according  to  the  maps,  the  old  Jacob 
Berrian  residence.  Passing  to  Mount  St.  Vincent,  we  find,  just 
north  of  Riverdale,  the  beautiful  castle  lately  occupied  by  Edwin 
Forrest,  styled  "Font  Hill"  and  now  owned  by  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul.  The  old  castle,  built  of  stone, 
presents  a  striking  example  of  the  "English  castellated"  style.  It 
has  six  towers,  the  highest  called  the  "Flag  Tower,"  the  whole 
commanding  magnificent  views   of  the   Hudson   River. 

Four  other  early  country  seats  may  be  mentioned :  "Grey- 
stone,"  the  fine  residence  of  W.  E.  Dodge,  and  "Oaklawn,"  the 
home  of  W.  W.  Thompson.  Making  a  long  leap  to  East- 
chester,  the  handsome  home  of  the  late  G.  Faile  is  still 
on  the  old  maps,  while  the  Colonial-like  mansion  on  the  City 
Island  Road,  styled  "Hawkswood,,"  bears  the  name  of  L.  R.  Mar- 
shall. These  last  two  have  already  been  described  in  their  proper 
places. 

On  the  few  preceding  pages  I  have  endeavored  to  pick  out 
some  of  the  old-time  mansions,  showing  that  our  borough  was  a 
favorite  location  for  this  class  of  homes.  That  these  are  only  a 
drop  in  the  bucket  may  well  be  urged,  but  they  have  been  selected 
as  types  of  that  period  before  Bronx  Borough  "was  spoiled  by  the 
locomotive,  the  summer  cottage  and,  worse  than  all,  the  land 
speculator." 


Washington  Avenue  and  173d  Street.  Before  Widening 

Statistics  are  generally  regarded  as  a  bore,  and  very  seldom 
read,  but  it  may  prove  interesting  to  know  the  centres  of  Bronx 
population  that  were  annexed  to  the  City  of  New  York  in  1874, 
as  furnished  by  the  Hon.  Louis  F.  Hafifen : 

Mott  Haven,  West  Morrisania,  Belmont,  North  New  York, 
Highbridgeville,  Adamsville,  Wilton.  Claremont,  Prospect  Hill, 
Port  Morris,  Inwood,  Fordham.  Springhurst,  Morris  Heights, 
Wardsville,  East  Morrisania.  Fordham  Heights,  Monterey,  Ben- 
sonia.  Mount  Eden,  Union  Hill,  Carr  Hill,  Mount  Hope,  Cedar 
Hill,  Woodstock,  West  Tremont,  Bedford  Park,  Grove  Hill, 
Central  Morrisania,  Mount  Pleasant,  Forest  Grove,  South  Ford- 


I 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J03 


ham,  Williamsbridge,  Eltona,  Upper  Morrisania,  Woodlawn,  East 
Morrisania,  Treniont,  Kingsbridge,  Melrose  South,  Fairmount, 
Spuyten  Duyvil,  Melrose,  East  Tremont,  Riverdale,  North  Mel- 
rose, West  Farms,  Mosholu,  Morrisania,  South  Belmont  and 
Mount  St.  Vincent. 

This  territory,  long  known  as  the  "Annexed  District,"  was 
bounded  by  the  Harlem  River  and-  Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek  and 
the  Hudson  on  the  west,  by  the  Yonkers  line  on  the  north,  the 
Bronx  River  on  the  east,  and  the  Harlem  Kills  on  the  south. 
The  story  is  told  that  about  the  year  1869,  a  bill  was  prepared 
to  annex  the  towns  of  West  Farms,  Morrisania,  Westchester  and 
Mount  Vernon  to  New  York,  when  some  one  jumped  to  his  feet 


land,  Seton  Homestead,  Bronxdale,  Jacksonville,  South  Mt.  Ver- 
non, Bronxwood  Park,  Jerome,  South  Washingtonville,  Cherry 
Tree  Point,  Laconia,  Stinardtown,  City  Island,  Locust  Point, 
Throgg's  Neck,  Clason's  Point,  Ludlow  Island,  Cornell's  Neck, 
Middletown,  Unionport,  Morrell  Park,  Van  Nest.  Edenwald, 
Morris  Park,  Wakefield,  Ferry  Point,  Olinville,  Washingtonville, 
Givan  Homestead,  Fort  Schuyler,  Park  Versailles,  Westchester, 
Pelham  Neck,  Goose  Island,  Pennyfield,  Williamsbridge,  Hart's 
Island,  Rodman's  Neck,  and  Wright's  Island. 

One  of  the  most  important  public  improvements  now  under 
construction  is  the  "Grand  Boulevard  and  Concourse,"  a  superb 
driveway   to   be   nearly  200  feet   wide.     The   following   brief   dc- 


y^fe-'e^^'-"^/ 


Map  of  "  Bronctxncck  "     Showing  Patents  of  Lewis  Morris,  Sr.,  and  Jcsup  and  Ricliardson 


in  the  Senate  and  gave  notice  that  he  would  present  a  bill  "to 
annex  the  City  of  New  York  to  the  town  of  Morrisania." 

For  many  years  the  Park  Department  had  control  of  the 
streets  of  the  newly  Annexed  District,  which  was  known  as  the 
23d  and  24th  Wards,  the  line  of  division  running  just  north  of 
old  Eighth  or  170th  Street.  With  the  creating  of  a  new  depart- 
ment, that  of  Street  Improvements,  going  into  efifect  January  I, 
1891,  many  marked  changes  for  the  better  were  seen  on  all  sides. 

About  the  year  1883  a  large  acreage  of  parks  was  added  to 
the  city,  which  has  already  been  described.  In  1895  a  large 
number  of  towns  and  villages  was  annexed  to  the  city,  the  list 
(also  furnished  by  President  Louis  F.  Haffen)  being  as  follows: 
Bartow,    High    Island,    Schuylerville,    Baychester,    Hunter's    Is 


scription  may  be  given.  It  commences  at  i6ist  Street  and 
Walton  .Avenue,  near  the  Heine  Fountain,  thence  running  north- 
erly, embracing  Mott  Avenue  to  165th  Street.  Here  it  curves  to 
the  right  to  177th  Street  and  Morris  Avenue.  From  this  point 
its  course  is  northerly  to  Ryer  Avenue  and  i82d  Street,  thence 
northerly  and  embracing  Ryer  Avenue  to  Fordham  Road.  From 
this  point  it  runs  northerly,  embracing  Anthony  Avenue  to  what 
was  known  as  Potter  Place,  and  finally  its  course  is  again  north- 
erly to  Mosholu  Parkway,  which  it  reaches  just  east  of  Jerome 
Avenue. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  a  description  of  the  splendid  driveway 
that  is  to  extend  northward  through  this  borough  of  ours,  and 
whose  construction  is  well  under  way.     There  are  many  excava- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


105 


tions  to  be  made  along  the  line,  as  well  as  high  stone  walls 
to  be  built.  When  completed  it  is  stated  that  it  will  be  the 
most  magnificent  thoroughfare  in  the  world.  Sometimes  on  the 
surface,  sometimes  elevated,  this  wonderful  driveway  will  prove 
a  boon  to  everyone  in  the  Bronx.  At  its  beginning  (at  i6ist 
Street),  it  is  planned  to  build  a  viaduct  over  to  the  Central 
Bridge,  in  order  to  render  it  more  accessible  from  the  south. 

Another  improvement  of  gigantic  proportions  is  the  widen 
ing  and  straightening  of  White  Plains  Road.  In  former  days 
there  was  scarcely  room  for  one  trolley  track,  with  a  sufficient 
space  on  each  side  for  vehicles.  With  this  great  undertaking 
completed,  we  have  seen  two  tracks  in  the  centre  and  plenty  of 
room  on  each  side.  In  other  words  we  have  witnessed  "the 
transformation  of  the  old  Vs'hite  Plains  Road  into  a  metropolitan 
avenue." 

Then  turn  for  a  moment  to  the  "Southern  Westchester 
Turnpike"  from  the  Bronx  River  to  Westchester,  What  a  hope- 
less confusion  it  was  at  the  time  of  my  last  visit !  The  single 
trolley  track  started  bravely  from  Westchester,  passed  S't 
Peter's  Cemetery  which  had  several  feet  taken  from  its  frontage, 
and  finally  rescbed   Clason's   Point   Road,   where   it  gave  up  the 


is  planned  to  start  at  i32d  Street  and  extend  to  the  Connecticut 
line  at  Portchester,  passing  through  the  easterly  portion  of  our 
borough.  The  demonstrations  that  have  been  shown,  the  special 
trip  to  .•\lbany  to  further  its  interests,  are  all  fresh  in  the  minds 


Poe   Cherry  Tree 

task,  leaving  the  hapless  passengers  to  walk  about  a  mile  across 
ilie  Bronx  to  Home  Street,  where  the  Westchester  Avenue  car■^ 
met  them  once  more.  It  has  taken  a  long  time  to  build  th.- 
two  bridges  near  this  point,  one  across  the  Bronx  and  the  other 
over  the  railroad  tracks,  but  at  present  writing  both  are  com- 
pleted. 

"Nothing  succeeds  like  success,  and  success  in  this  instance 
will  be  a  great  stride  forward,  bringing  in  its  wake  substantial 
developments  which  now  lie  dormant."  Had  the  writer  of 
these  lines  that  portion  of  the  Bronx  in  view  which  is  still 
untouched  by  the  fast  advancing  methods  of  rapid  transit? 
Whether  the  new  lines  be  elevated  or  depressed,  they  will  cer- 
tainly prove  a  wonderful  advantage  to  the  outlying  districts  of 
our  borough,  and  may  perhaps  be  a  help  to  those  who,  as  Felix 
Oldboy  tells  us,  have  lived  all  their  lives  in  this  city  and  yet 
have  never  seen  the  City  Hall. 

An  idea  that  has  claimed  much  attention  is  the  formation 
of  Bronx  Borough  into  a  separate  county,  the  great  advantages 
to  be  obtained  from  having  a  full  quota  of  county  officers  right 
in  our  midst  being  apparent  to  every  one  who  stops  to  consider. 

We  are  looking  forward  to  the  advent  of  the  Portchester 
Railway,  "the  greatest  boon  the  Bronx  has  ever  known,"  which 


Exempt  Firemen  on  Par.nde 

of  Bron.v  citizens.  Attention  must  also  be  called  in  the  W'esl- 
chester  and  Boston  Railroad,  the  work  of  which  is  well  under 
progress. 

A  section  of  the  elevated  part  of  the  "Subway."  cuiinecting 
with  the  old  Suburban  road  at  1491I1  .^tret-t  and  Third  .\venue.  i-- 
.11  present  writing  in  us^  and  is  much  patronized  by  residents 
through  whose  district  it  passes.  With  the  tunnel  under  the 
harlem  River  at  I49tli  Strett  in  active  service,  there  is 
had  through  connection  with  the  "Subway"  on  Manhattan,  and 
cars  are  run  directly  thrcnigh  to  the  City  Hall  and  below. 
F'"ven  now  there  is  a  call  for  a  new  "Sulnvay"  mi  Jerome  Ave- 
nue, and  when  the  Harlem  road  is  electrified,  and  there  are 
lour  tracks  from  Woodlawn  to  White  Plains,  and  when  the 
firand  Central  Station  improvements  are  completed,  we  may 
confidently  expect  a   through   service   from   White   Plains   to   the 


Winter  Scene  in  Crotona  Park 

lower  end  of  Manhattan,  with  possibly  a  change  of  cars  al 
Forty-second  Street.  This  would  greatly  relieve  the  crowded 
condition  of  the  Third  Avenue  line  and  be  of  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage to  those  living  out  of  reach  of  the  new  "Subway." 

One  who  wrote  the  history  of  Morrisania  Village  in  1871 
makes  a  truly  remarkable  prophecy,  which  he  believed  would 
come  true  fifty  years  from  that  time.     Strange  to  relate,  many  of 


z 

o 
en 

a: 

u 

X 
H 


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to 

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X 

I- 

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z 
o 

b 

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to 
z 

o 
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z 

3 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J07 


his  predictions  are  already  things  of  the  past. 
lows: 


An  extract  fol- 


"He  who  undertakes  to  write  a  history  half  a  century  hence 
will  have  a  task  to  perform  quite  different  from  the  present 
sketch  (The  History  of  Morrisania  Village  in  1871).  He  will 
tell  his  readers  that  the  erection  of  the  first  house  in  Morrisania 
was  not  the  commencement  of  a  single  village  only,  but  the  be- 
ginning of  a  series  of  densely  populated  sections  which  may  be 
seen  in  the  towns  of  West  Farms,  Westchester,  Eastchester,  &c. 
He  will  speak  of  the  numerous  facilities,  cheap  and  quick,  for 
reaching  the  lower  end  of  the  city;  of  numerous  viaduct  railways 
starting  from  a  point  above  the  Harlem  River  and  running  to 
and  converging  at  the  Battery ;  of  the  Harlem  River  lined  with 
docks. 


"He  will  speak  of  the  lower  end  of  Westchester  County  as 
the  homes  of  the  toiling  thousands  who  earn  their  bread  in  that 
part  of  the  citv  Iving  below  the  Harlem  River;  of  the  spacious 
grounds  and  stately  mansions  of  the  wealthy  who  have  made  thii 
portion  of  the  county  their  dwelling  places;  of  magnificent 
drives,  boulevards  and  parks  such  as  the  world  has  never  seen; 
of  a  population  within  fifteen  miles  north  of  the  Harlem  River 
as  large  as  that  then  in  the  city  south  of  it;  of  our  town  as  one 
of  the  densely  populated  wards  of  the  city;  of  the  Harlem  River 
as  being  what  the  Thames  is  to  London,  the  dividing  water  line 
between  two  portions  of  a  great  city  connected  by  numerous 
bridges,  and  of  Morrisania  as  forming  the  center  of  this  division. 
Call  this  a  dream  if  you  will,  but  he  who  shall  write  a  faithful 
history  of  our  town  fifty  years  hence  will  record  it  as  an  ac- 
complished fact !" 


i^ii  iiiiiiiiiiiiii 

ft^v4 

1  ■  *  " 
J.,-  ■  ■.     * 

^/-■';7«-.$-Vr-..llt.    .     .fpr 

•\'--'t  ..x'^ 

**■■'-■ 

.1    '" .    -- 

i 

Specimen  of  American  Bison  at  the  Zoo  in  Bronx  Park 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ARCHITECTURE  IN  THE  BRONX 


The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Houses  of  Divine  Worship  Shown — Commendable  Progress  in  Developing^  Religious 

Interests  in  the  Borough 


In  aiKJlher  chapter  of  this  volume  the  early  days  of  the 
church,  with  its  varying  vicissitudes,  are  narrated.  The  destroy- 
ing hand  of  Time  has  been  lenient  in  its  dealings  with  the 
houses  of  worship,  which  were  erected  during  the  days  when 
General  Washington  and  Lord  Howe  were  wrestling  for  the 
supremacy  and  this  portion  of  the  colony  was  the  scene  of  strife 
between  the  advancing  and  retreating  hosts  of  both  armies. 

From  trustworthy  records  among  the  olden  archives,  the 
sanctity  of  the  church  buildings  was  a  matter  of  little  conse- 
quence to  the  invading  Hessians  and  old  St.  Paul's  at  East- 
chester  was  alternately  the  scene  of  bacchanalian  revelry  on  the 
part  of  the  invading  army  or  its  walls  resounded  with  the  groans 
;.nd  lamentations  of  the  wounded. 

The  first  edifice  erected  in  1675,  was  a  frame  structure 
which  stood  about  where  the  present  horse  sheds  stand.  It  was 
burned  to  the  ground  in  1690,  and  the  present  edifice  erected  in 
1603,  and  again  burned  during  the  Revolution.  Through  the 
thoughtfulness  of  some  of  the  devout  worshippers  of  the  old 
church,  the  Bible,  the  prayer  book,  and  the  bell  had  been 
secreted  in  one  of  the  buildings  of  the  Vincent  homestead,  now 
the  Halsey  home,  a  short  distance  to  the  south  of  the  church, 
and  the  venerable  rector  of  the  church.  Rev.  Wm.  S.  Coffey,  at 
the  present  writing  points  with  pardonable  pride  to  these  price- 
less treasures  which  still  perform  their  allotted  task  after  the 
trials  of  the  early  colonial  days. 

Contemporaneous  with  St.  Paul's  was  St.  Peter's  at  West- 
chester, which  also  went  through  the  fiery  ordeal  not  unscathed. 
The  present  structure,  however,  does  not  bear  much  resemblance 
to  the  original  structure  that  witnessed  the  gathering  of  the 
faithful  in  the  days  when  means  of  communication  were  very 
circumscribed. 

St.  .\nn's  P.  E.  Church,  located  in  the  extreme  lower  end 
of  the  borough,  within  sight  of  the  Gouverneur  Morris  Mansion, 
completed  the  total  of  houses  of  worship  in  what  is  now  Bron.x 
Borough,  excepting  one  small  dwelling  which  was  occupied 
by  the  followers  of  William  Penn  and  which  was  situated  in  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  borough. 

That  the  ecclesiastical  growth  of  the  Bron.x  has  been  in 
keeping  with  the  growth  in  population  is  apparent  to  the  most 
casual  observer.  Whereas  at  the  opening  of  civilization  in  this 
section  the  number  of  edifices  could  be  easily  counted  upon  the 
fingers  of  one  hand,  and  scattered  over  a  territory  that  was 
practically  isolated,  to-day  on  every  hand  the  spires  of  churches 
of  every  denomination  rear  themselves  skyward,  bearing  out 
the  assertion  that  this  borough  is  fast  becoming  a  rival  of  her 
sister  borough — Brooklyn — as  the  city  of  churches. 

The  followers  of  John  Wesley  may  well  feel  proud  of  the 


progress  they  have  made  in  the  erection  of  houses  of  worship  in 
this  section.  The  Willis  Avenue  M.  E.  Church,  situated  at 
Willis  Avp'me  and  141st  Stree',  the  Mo<*  Avenue  M.  E.  Church, 
Mott  Avenue  and  isoth  Street,  and  Olin  M.  E.  Church,  on 
White  Plains  Avenue,  near  218th  Street,  are  very  striking  exam- 
ples of  church  architecture  and  are  a  credit  to  the  enterprise 
of   this  borough. 

The  activity  shown  by  the  Methodist  denomination  has 
Liorne  excellent  results  as  may  be  seen  by  the  numerous  edifices 
that  are  an  ornament  to  the  borough. 

The  Roman  Catholics  in  the  Bronx  have  shown  much 
energy,  and  the  panorama  of  the  borough  is  dotted  in  all  direc- 
tions with  the  spires  of  the  churches  that  point  skyward. 

Among  the  earlier  churches  of  this  denomination  St.  Augus- 
tine's, at  167th  Street  and  Franklin  Avenue,  the  Church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception,  at  150th  Street,  west  of  Melrose  Ave- 
nue, St.  Raymond's  at  Westchester,  and  St.  Mary's  at  White 
Plains  Avenue  near  215th  Street,  may  be  justly  considered  the 
pioneers.  They  have  largely  been  added  to  in  numbers  in  keep- 
ing with  the  development  of  the  borough,  and  among  the  most 
prominent  for  their  architectural  appearance  might  be  noted  the 
following : 

St.  Jerome's,  at  138th  Street  and  Alexander  Avenue,  which 
presents  an  imposing  appearance.  Connected  with  it  is  a  paro- 
cliial  school  in  which  an  excellent  curriculum  prevails. 

The  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  isoth  Street 
and  Melrose  Avenue,  is  a  monument  to  the  zeal  of  its  members. 
Beside  the  church  proper  it  has  a  parochial  school  and  a  com- 
modious hall  for  the  use  of  the  men's  club,  wherein  lectures,  en- 
tertainments and  other  functions  are  held. 

St.  Joseph's  Church  on  Bathgate  Avenue,  near  177th 
Street,  is  another  edifice  that  holds  the  attention  of  the  passerby 
owing  to  its  spire  which  is  visible  from  many  parts  of  the  bor- 
ough. 

The  new  edifice  of  the  Presbyterians  of  West  Farms  is  the 
result  of  the  munificence  of  the  late  Charles  Bathgate  Beck,  who 
bequeathed  $100,000  for  its  construction  as  a  memorial  to  his 
mother.  Jeannette  Beck.  It  is  situated  at  i86th  Street  and  Vyse 
Avenue,  and  the  style  of  architecture  is  pure  French  Gothic, 
and  the  material  is  Indiana  limestone. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  and  its  manse,  located  on 
East  225th  Street  just  east  of  White  Plains  Avenue,  is  another 
example  of  the  progressiveness  of  Williamsbridge,  and  is  a  credit 
to  that  section. 

The  Church  of  the  Reformation  (Evangelical  Lutheran)  at 
Wilkins  Place  and  Jennings  Street,  is  one  more  of  the  recent 
striking  additions  to  the  ecclesiastical  structures  of  the  Bronx. 


Temple  Hand  in-Hand,   I45th  Street.  East 
of    Willis  A'vcnuc 


First  German  M,  E.  Church.  Elton  Avenue  and    1 58th  Street 


Trcmont  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  Washington  Ave 
near   (74th  Street 


St.  Raymond's  R.  C.  Church,  Westchester 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


m 


The  Emmanuel  English  Lutheran  Churcli,  at  137th  Street 
aiid  Brown  Place,  is  another  attractive  edifice  built  of  Tuckahoe 
marble. 

Olin  M.  E.  Church  on  White  Plains  Avenue,  opposite  218th 
Street,  is  the  finest  appearing  structure  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
borough.  Built  upon  a  rising  knoll  the  massiveness  of  the 
structure,  and  the  varj'ing  colors  of  the  Indiana  limestone  of 
which  is  constructed,  at  once  attract  the  attention  of  the  passer- 
by. 

Bethany  Presbyterian  Church  on  East  137th  Street,  near 
Willis  Avenue,  is  a  fine  example  of  the  liberality  of  the 
members  of  that  denommatioii  which  has  resulted  in  the  erection 
of  an  edifice  that  is  a  credit  to  the  neighborhood. 


146th  Street  is  another  attractive  feature  in  ch  irch  architecf.re 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  borough. 

St.  George's  Episcopal  Church  at  219th  Street,  west  of 
White  Plains  Avenue,  is  the  most  recent  acquisition  to  church 
architecture  in  that  section.  It  is  located  in  what  was  formerly 
a  part  of  the  extensive  parish  of  St.  Paul's  at  Eastchester. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  churches  in  the  Bronx,  the 
arrangement  being  in  alphabetical  order  in  the  respective  denom- 


BAPTIST. 

Alexander  Avenue,  corner   East   141st   Street. 
Ascension,  i6cth  Street,  near  Park  Avenue. 


St.  John's  German  Evangelical  Letheran  Church,  Fulton  Avenue 


The  North  New  York  Congregational  Church,  in  143d  Street, 
near  Willis  Avenue,  is  the  most  recent  specimen  of  church  archi- 
tecture which  redounds  to  the  credit  of  the  lower  Bronx. 

The  Alexander  Avenue  Baptist  Church  is  another  recent  ad- 
dition to  the  handsome  edifices  which  indicates  the  progressiveness 
of  the  borough. 

St.  Stephens  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  at  238th  Street  and 
■Verio  Avenue,  a  handsome  edifice,  which  was  started  as  a  mis- 
sion, has  proven  a  valuable  acquisition  in  that  section  of  the  city. 

The   Mott   Haven  Reformed   Church   at  Third   Avenue  and 


Beth  Eden,  Webster  Avenue  and  189th  Street. 

Eagle  Avenue,  Eagle  Avenue,  near  163d  Street. 

Emmanuel,  215th  Street  and  White  Plains  .\venue. 

Eton  Hall,  1058  Dawson  Street. 

Mt.  Pleasant,  765  Courtlandt  Avenue. 

Pilgrim,  Boston  Road  and  \'yse  Avenue. 

Third   German,   1127   Fulton   Avenue. 

Tremont,  176th  Street  and  Tremont  Avenue. 

Trinity,  Park  Avenue  and  2isth  Street,  Williamsbridge. 


•:5^:7^y,'''^T^;'r; 


Claremont  Park  Congregational  Church 


St.  Margaret's  P.  E.  Church 


Olin  M.  E.  Church.  Williamsbridge 


St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Bathgate  Ave., 
near  I77th  Street 


North  New  York  Congregational  Church 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


113 


CONGREGATIONAL. 
Bedford   Park,  20m   Street  and  Bainbridge   Avenue. 
Christ,  Topping  Avenue  and   i7Sth  Street. 
Claremont    Park,    Webster    Avenue   and    167th    Sireet. 
Forest  Avenue,  Forest  Avenue  and  i66th  Street. 
Longwood  Avenue.  Beck  Street. 
North  New  York,  143d  Street,  near  Willis  Avenue. 
Trinity,   Washington    Avenue   and    176th    Street. 

DISCIPLES  OF  CHRIST. 
Second    Church    of    Disciples   of   Christ,    169th    Street,    near 
Franklin  Avenue   and    Southern   Boulevard   and    167th    Street. 

EVANGELICAL   LUTHERAN. 
Bethany,  10  Teasdale  Place. 
Enunanuel,   Brown   Place  and    1,37th   Street. 
Golgothe,  887  Tinton  Avenue. 

Gustavus  Adolplnis,  Brown  Place  and  137th  Street. 
Reformation,  Wilkins  Place  and  Jennings  Street. 
-St.  John's,   13-13   Fulton  Avenue. 
St.    Luke's,    Van    Nest. 
St.   Matthews,  626  East   T56tli   Street. 
St.   Paul's,   i8ist   Street  and   Third  Avenue. 
St.  Paulus,  156th  Street,  near  Westchester  Avenue. 
St.   Peter's,  Williamsbridge. 
St.  Peter's,  626  East   i6ist   Street. 
St.    Stephen's,   LTnion   Avenue,   near    165th    Street. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL. 

Bronxdale,  Boston  Road. 
j         Centenary,  Washington  Avenue  and   i66th  Street, 

Elton  Avenue,  Elton  Avenue  and  158th  Street. 

F'ordham,  2503   Marion  Avenue. 
I         Grace,     White     Plains     Avenue,     between     241s      and    J42'l 
•  Streets. 

Morris  Heights,   Sedgwick  Avenue. 

Mott  Avenue,  Mott  Avenue  and   150th   Street. 

Mt.  Hope,  1881  Morris  Avenue. 

01  in,   White   Plains  Avenue  and  216th   Street. 

Prospect  Avenue,  Prospect  .'\venue  and  Macy  Place. 

St.   John's,   Fulton   Street,  between  239th  and  240th   Streets. 

St.  Stephen's,  Kingsbridge. 

Tremont,  Washington   Avenue  and   178th   Street. 

Treniont   German,   Bathgate   Avenue,   near   175th    Street. 

Trinity,  Main   Street,  City  Island. 

Westchester,  West  Farms  Road,  Westchester. 

Willis  Avenue,  Willis  Avenue,  corner  141st  Street. 

Woodlawn,    237th    Street,    near   Kepler    Avenue. 

PRESBYTERIAN. 

Bedford   Park,   Bainbridge  Avenue  and  200th   Street. 

Bethany,   137th  Street,  near  Willis  Avenue. 

Intervale,   Intervale   Avenue   and    Home   Street. 

First  Morrisania,  17  Ritttr  Place. 

First  Williamsbridge,  225th  Street,  east  of  White  Pl.iins 
.\venue. 

Riverdale,   Riverdale. 

Throgg's  Neck,  Ft.  Schuyler  Road,  Westchester. 

Tremont,   Washington   Avenue. 

Woodstock,  East  165th  Street  and  Boston  Road. 

West  Farms,   1246  East   i8oth   Street. 

University  Heights,  New  York  Ll^niversity,  L'niversity 
Heights. 


United,  East  187th  Street  and  Lorillard  Place. 

Van  Nest  Park,  Morris  Park  Avenue  and  Lincoln  Street. 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL. 

Advocate,  tSist  Street  and   Bathgate  Avenue. 

Atonement,  Webster  Avenue  and  175th   Street. 

Christ,   Riverdale. 

Emmanuel,  681  East   155th  Street. 

Grace,  Main  Street,  City  Island. 

Grace,  Vyse  and  Tremont  Avenues. 

Holy  F'aith,  870  East  i66th  Street. 

Holy   Nativity,   Vyse   Avenue,   near   Freeman   Street. 

Mediator,  Kingsbridge  Avenue^  Kingsbridge. 

St.  .A.lban's,  Summit  Avenue,  near  165th  Street,  Highliridge. 

St.  Ann's,  St.  Ann's  Avenue  and  East   140th  Street. 

St.  David's,  642  East  160th  Street. 

St.  Edmund's,  Morris  Avenue  and   177th  Street. 

St.  George's,  2igth  Street  and  Park  Avenue,  Williamsbridge. 

St.  James',  Jerome  A\'enue  and  St.  James  Place. 

St.   Margaret's,  Dawson  and  156th   Streets. 

St.  Martha's,  Van  Nest. 

St.  Maiy's,  Alexander  Avenue,  near  I42d  Street. 

St.  Paul's,  Washington  Avenue  and  170th  Street. 

St.   Peter's,  Westchester  Avenue,  Westchester. 

St.  Simeon's,  163d  Street,  near  Morris  Avenue. 

St.  Stephen's,  Verio  Avenue  and  238th  Street,  Woodlawn. 

Trinity.  East   164th   Street,  near  Boston  Road. 

REFORMED  EPISCOPAL. 
St.  Paul's,  236th  Street  ,near  Verio  Avenue,  Woodlawn. 

REFORMED. 

Anderson  Memorial.  Cambreling  Avenue  and   183d  Street. 

Comforter,  509  East   i62d   Street. 

Fordham,   Kingsbridge   Road   and  Jerome   Avenue. 

Melrose    (German),   Elton   Avenue   and    is6th    Street. 

Mott  Haven,  Third  Avenue  and   I46lh   Street. 

St.   Paul's    (Evangelical),  874   East    141st    Street. 

Union,  Ogden  Avenue  and   169th   Street. 

West  Farms,  Boston  Road  and  East   179th   Street. 

Belmont  Cong.,  Crotona  Avenue  and  East  iSolh  Street. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC. 

Chapel  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Hart's  Island. 

Holy  Family,   Ninth  Street,  corner  of  Avenue  C,  LTnionport 

Holy  Spirit,  Burnside  Avenue,  corner  of  .A.queduct  Avenue. 

Immaculate  Conception,  635  East  150th  Street,  near  Mel- 
rose Avenue. 

Immaculate  Conception,  Maple  and  Olin  Avenues,  Williams- 
bridge. , 

Our  Lady  of  Solace,  Van  Nest. 

Our  Lady  of  Mercy,  Webster  Avenue  and  East  190th  Street. 

'^-cr'-d  Heart,  Shakespeare  Avenue,  near  East  i6gth  Street. 

■^t.  .\ngela,  Morris  Avenue  and  163d  Street. 

.St.  Anselm's,  Beach  Avenue,  near  East  I52d  Street. 

St.  Anthony,  loio  East  i66th  Street. 

St.  Augustine's,  East  167th  Street,  corner  Fulton  Avenue, 

St.  Francis  of  Rome,  Fulton  Street,  between  236th  and 
237' h  Streets,  Wakefield. 

St.  Jerome's,  Alexander  -Avenue,  corner  of  i.^Sth  Street. 

St.  John  Chrysostom's,   167th  Street,  near  Hoe  Avenue. 

St.   John's,  291 1   Kingsbridge  Avenue. 

3t,  Joseph'.s,  7943  Bathgate  .Avenue. 


)J4 


HISTORY  OF   BRONX  BOROUGH 


C  ATH  OLIC— Continued. 

St.  Lawrence,   Park  Avenue,  corner  of  East   184th   Street- 

St.  Luke's,  East  138th  Street  and  Cypress  Avenue. 

St.  Martin  of  Tours,  East  i82d  Street,  corner  of  Grote 
Street. 

St.  Margaret's,  Riverdale. 

St.  Mary's,  White  Plains  Road  and  2i5lh  Street,  Williams- 
bridge. 

St.  Mary's  Star  of  the  Sea,  Main  Street,  City  Island. 

St.  Philip  Neri,  Anthony  Avenue,  opposite  202d  Street. 


St.  Raymond's.  West  Farms  Road,  Westchester. 
St.    Thomas   Aquinas.    1277   Tremont   Avenue. 
St.  Valentine's,  221st  Street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  .\ve- 
nues,  Williamsbridge. 

HEBREW. 

Temple  Hand-in-Hand,  East  145th  Street,  between  Brook 
and  Willis  Avenues. 

Adath  Israel,  East  169th  Street,  between  Third  and  Franklin 
Avenues. 


Perspective  View  of  the  Reformed  St.  Pai4's  Cfiurcti,  14  1st  Street.  St.  Ann's  and  Trinity  Avenues 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Some  of  the  Pastors  of  Bronx  Churches 


116 


REV.  WILLIAM  HOWARD  KEPHART,  pastor  of  the 
North  New  York  Congregational  Church,  143d  Street,  near  Wil- 
hs  Avenue,  will  complete  the  ninth  year  of  his  ministry  there, 
this  fall  of  1905.  He  came  here  from  Plymouth  Church,  Bing- 
hamton,  N.  Y.  He  was  born  October  i,  1864,  at  Middletown, 
Md.  In  1873,  ;.t  8  years  of  age,  he  moved  to  Altoona,  Pa.,  and 
attended  the  public  schools  there  in  his  boyhood.  Later  he  took 
a  four  years'  course  and  graduated  from  Wittenberg  College, 
i  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  after  a  three  years'  course,  graduated  also 
from  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  in  1889.  Mr. 
Kephart  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Club  of  New  York 
and  of  the  Manhattan  Associat'ion  of  Congregational  Ministers. 
He  was  chosen  Moderator  last  spring  of  the  State  Associa- 
tion of  Congregational  Churches,  a  fact  indicative  of  his  popu- 
larity and  abilities.  He  is  a  member  of  the  F.  and  A.  M.  and  has 
been  honored  with  the  thirty-third  degree  and  also  Grand  Chap- 
lain of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  married,  June  16,  1893,  Miss 
Mary  Wood.  His  only  child,  Cliarlcs,  a  boy  of  II  years,  died  in 
1903. 

ALVAH  EDWARD  KNAPP  was  born  at  Pierrepont,  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  on  August  17,  1863.  After  having 
studied  in  the  local  schools,  he  took  a  preparatory  course  in 
Kalamazoo  College,  Kalamazoo,  Mich. ;  a  college  course  in 
Colgate  University,  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  receiving  the  degree  of 
B.  A.,  and  a  theological  course  in  Tlieological  Seminary  of 
Colgate  University,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  D.  He  is  well 
known  in  the  Baptist  denomination,  and  has  resided  in  the 
Bronx  about  six  and  a  half  years.  While  his  politics  are  gen- 
erally Republican,  he  is  not  a  partisan,  and  has  never  held  a 
political  otifice,  being  identified  too  closely  with  his  calling.  In 
the  various  gatherings  of  the  Baptist  denomination  he  has  been 
honored  by  being  selected  as  Moderator  of  the  San  Diego  (Cal.) 
Baptist  Association;  Vice-President  and  Director  of  Southern 
California  Baptist  Convention ;  President  Southern  New  York 
Baptist  Association ;  is  Treasurer  of  the  Permanent  Council  of 
Baptist  Churches  of  New  York  City  and  vicinity;  a  member  of 
the  Executive  Board  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Missionary 
Society;  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Social  Union;  The  Fort 
nightly  (a  Bronx  literary  society),  and  the  Bronx  Society  of 
Arts  and  Sciences.  He  married  Lillie  Gertrude  Doak,  of  Marble- 
head;  Mass.,  on  June  17,  1890,  the  result  of  the  happy  union 
being  one  child,  Alva  Gertrude  Knapp,  now  living.  Rev.  Mr. 
Knapp  has  met  with  great  success  in  the  field  of  his  labor  at 
the  Tremont  Baptist  Church,  whose  activity  has  resulted  in  great 
good  to  the  community.  Mr.  Knapp,  while  in  California,  was 
captain  and  chaplain  in  the  Ninth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  First 
Brigade,  National  Guard  of  California. 

REV.  GEO.  NIXON. — Not  only  among  members  of  his 
denomination  and  faith  is  he  known,  but  throughout  all  the  dis- 
trict in  which  he  has  ministered  so  long  and  faithfully  as  pastor, 
as  a  man  among  men,  a  true  citizen,  gentleman  and  Christian, 
such  is  our  subject.  He  is  a  New  Yorker,  born  Nov.  7,  1834, 
at  54  Dey  Street  (now  the  heart  of  the  business  quarter  of  Man- 
hattan), 71  years  ago.  At  19  he  graduated  from  the  Free 
.\cademy  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  the  following  year 
matriculated    at    Princeton    Theological    Seminary,    whence    he 


graduated ;  three  years  later  April,  1858,  was  licensed  to  preach 
Presbyterian  faith  and  doctrine.  Thence  his  pastorate  has  .een 
continuous  to  date.  He  received  a  call  to  the  West  Farms 
Presbyterian  Church  in  October,  1858,  and  was  ordained  Nov.  ic, 
1859,  by  the  Second  Presbytery  of  New  York,  Under  his 
ministration  its  membership  increased.  He  married  Oct.  9,  1867, 
Miss  Mary  Isabella  Deacon,  daughter  of  Robert  Deacon,  Post- 
master of  Kingston,  Canada.  They  have  had  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  are  living — Charles  A.,  Florence  D.  and  Blanch 
Ogden ;  the  deceased  are — Robert  Ogden,  Isabella  E.,  Marie 
Haines,  George  and  Reginald  Heber.  He  has  four  grandchildren, 
the  issue  respectively  of  his  son,  Chas.  Alexander  (a  daughter 
Ruth  Evelyn),  of  his  daughter,  Isabella,  deceased,  (Sidney 
George  and  Beatrice),  and  his  daughter  Blanche  E.  (Marie 
Isabel).  "A  patriach  in  Israel"  so  to  speak,  "with  from  25  to 
130."  In  1861,  during  the  Civil  War,  he  was  commissioned 
chaplain  in  the  army,  but  was  disqualified  for  physical  disa- 
bility. He  has  been  pastor  of  the  Tremont  Presbyterian  Church 
to  date.  He  was  elected  moderator  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of 
New  York  in  1863,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Westchester  in  1874,  and 
is  now  moderator  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York.  He  was 
commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  at  Cleveland  in  1875,  and 
again  in  1898.  In  July,  1900,  he  celebrated  his  25th  anniversary 
as  pastor  in  Tremont.  In  1861  he  entered  the  Masonic  Order. 
He  affiliated  with  Guiding  Star  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  in  1878,  and 
was  chaplain  in  Royal  Arch  Phoeni.x  Chapter  No.  2  for  seventeen 
years.  Miss  Isabel!  Evelyn  married  Mr.  Thomas  C.  Bent,  March 
4,  1896,  Miss  Blanche  Ogden  married  Mr.  Henry  C.  Farrand 
June  30,  1904,  and  Charles  married  Miss  Carrie  Probanzana  of 
New  York  City  on  July  31,  1901. 

PASTOR  HUGO  RICHTER  was  born  in  Germany  in  the 
year  1850.  After  serving  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  he  came  to 
the  United  States.  Having  finished  his  theological  studies,  he 
was  for  a  number  of  years  assistant  to  the  Rev.  Pastor  J.  F.  C. 
Hennicke  in  New  York  City.  From  here  he  went  to  Martins- 
ville, near  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  then  came  back  to  Brooklyn, 
where,  in  January,  1882,  he  planned  his  first  congregation  in  the 
Bronx,  the  St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
of  East  Morrisania.  The  frame  church  which  was  built  the 
same  year  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Roman  Catholics,  is 
situated  in  East  150th  Street  between  Tinton  and  Robbins  Ave- 
nues. Under  one  of  the  successors  of  Pastor  Richter,  the  St. 
Paul's  congregation  has  built  a  new  stone  church  in  East  is6th 
Street  between  Westchester  and  Union  Avenues.  For  nine 
years  Pastor  Richter  extended  his  services  in  the  interests  of 
the  congregation  by  assembling  German  Lutherans  for  church 
and  Sunday  school  services.  He  also  conducted  a  German- 
English  parochial  school  for  six  and  a  half  years.  In  the  year 
1890  he  started  a  Sunday  school  in  a  hall  in  East  I42d  Street 
near  Alexander  Avenue.  In  a  few  months  the  Second  German 
Evangelical  Lutheran  St.  Peter's  Congregation  was  founded. 
He  now  held  services  in  botli  churches  until  April,  1891,  when 
he  resigned  his  first  office  to  a  Brother  Lutheran.  This  allowed 
him  to  devote  all  his  time  and  energy  to  his  new  congregation, 
so  that  in  1893  they  had  gathered  a  sufficient  sum  to  buy  a 
house  and  lot,   a  chapel  being  built  in  the   rear   of  the   house. 


REV.  WILLIAM    HOWARD    KEPHART 


REV.    ALVAH    EDWARD    KNAPP 


REV.    GEORGE    NIXON 


PEV.    HUGO    RICHTER 


REV,    A,    ARTHUR    KINO 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


117 


There  the  church  services  are  still  held.  In  1902  the  congregation 
bought  a  plot  in  140th  Street  between  Willis  and  Brook  Ave- 
nues for  the  sum  of  $16,320,  upon  which  the  now  church  edifice 
and  parsonage  are  erected. 

REV.  EDWARD  GEORGE  CLIFTON,  D.D.,  is  the  founder 
and  rector  of  St.  David's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  at  642 
10  646  East  i6oth  Street,  which  was  dedicated  February  26,  1903, 
with  a  service  in  which  the  most  prominent  clergy  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  this  city  assisted.  Dr.  Clifton  has  earned 
reputation  as  a  most  energetic  and  worthy  pastor.  He  was  born  ' 
at  St.  Kitts,  British  West  Indies,  February  4,  1865,  and  was  edu- 


REV.    EDWARD    GEORGE    CLIFTO,    N  DD. 

cated  for  his  profession  in  the  West  Indies,  Newfoundland  and 
New  York  City.  He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  twenty- 
fix-e  years  ago.  On  August  13,  1885,  he  married  Miss  Ida  Rogers, 
who  has  proven  a  most  worthy  helpmeet  to  him.  He  is,  of  course, 
the  moving  spirit  in  many  organizations  of  his  congregation.  He 
lias  espoused  Republican  party  principles,  but  is  nowise  active  in 
politics.  His  little  church  has  been  the  recipient  of  many  beauti- 
ful memorial  gifts  and   is   thriving  handsomely. 

A.  ARTHUR  KING,  D.D.,  pastor  of  Emmanuel  English 
Lutheran  Church,  located  on  the  corner  of  Brown  Place  and  East 
137th  Street,  Bronx,  was  born  February  16,  1868,  at  Easton,  r'a. 
Dr.  King  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Easton,  Pa. ; 
Newburg  (N.  Y.)  Academy;  the  Moravian  College,  at  Nazareth, 
i   Pa.,  after  which  he  entered  the  Lutheran  institution   at   Gettys- 

Iburg,  Pa.,  graduating  from  the  Theological  Seminary  in  the  year 
1894.  Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  received  a  call  to  the 
'"irst  Lutheran  Church  of  Glen  Gardner,  N.  J.,  where  he  served 
as  pastor  until  he  came  to  New  York  to  organize  the  church 
of  which  he  is  now  pastor.  Through  his  untiring  efforts  the 
congregation  increased  in  membership  and  in  October,  1902,  he 
I  succeeded  in  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  beautiful  marble 
structure  in  which  the  congregation  is  now  worshipping.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  national  affairs,  but  a  staunch  Democrat  on 
local  matters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Dr.  King 
married    Miss   Alice    A.    Reimer    October   9,    1894,    immediately 


after  her  graduation  from  Irving  Female  College,  Mechanicsburg, 
Pa.  The  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  Arthur  Reimer 
King. 

REV.  GUSTAV  11.  TAPPERT,  pastor  of  St.  Paul's  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church  at  156th  Street,  near  Westchester  Ave- 
nue, is  a  native  of  Ilameln,  Germany.  He  was  educated  for  his 
calling  in  the  old  country.  Ten  years  ago  he  came  here  to  the 
Bronx.  He  began  his  ministrations  at  150th  Street  and  Rob- 
bins  Avenue,  and  continued  there  three  years.  Then  the  pres- 
ent edifice  was  built.  Meanwhile,  his  congregation  has  increased 
fully  seventy-five  per  cent,  and  now  has  something  like  250  mem- 
bers. Dr.  Tappert  credits  his  success  largely  to  the  work  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  church  and  to  the  co-operation  of  the 
Ladies'  Aid  Society  and  the  Young  Men's  and  Young  Ladies' 
organizations  of  the  church.  The  Sunday  school  of  this  church 
is  in  a  specifically   flourishing   condition. 

REV.  GEORGE  JOSEPH  MELANCTHON  KETNER  is 
the  able  and  eloquent  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Reformation, 
situated  at  Jennings  Street  and  Wilkins  Place,  a  church  with  a 
congregation  of  too,  and  steadily  increasing,  which  is  now  about 
three  j'ears  old.  Mr.  Ketner  was  born  October  17,  1868,  in 
Etna,  Pennsylvania.  After  the  usual  course  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  place,  he  took  a  course  in  the  Pennsylvania 
College  and  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1892.  Choosing 
the  ministry  then  for  his  vocation  in  life,  he  entered  the  Theo 
logical  Seminary  at  historic  Gettysburg  and  received  his  de- 
gree there  in  1895,  thence  accepting  a  call  to  his  first  pastorate 
at  New  Chester,  Pa.  Lie  remained  there  three  years  and  was  then 
called  to  Davis,  W.  Va.,  where  he  spent  three  years  also,  and 
was  then  invited  here.  He  married  in  December,  1895,  Miss  Su- 
sie B.  Warren,  of  the  Keystone  State.  They  have  two  children, 
Ruth  and  Warren.  Mr.  Ketner's  affiliations  are  almost  wholly 
of  and  with  the  church.    He  is,  however,  a  member  of  two  clubs, 

REV.  FRED'K  WM.  BOESE,  pastor  of  the  Elton  Avenue 
German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  is  one  of  the  borough's 
venerable  shepherds,  "a  patriarch  in  Israel,"  presiding  over  one 
of  the  oldest  and  largest  Protestant  congregations  of  the  Bronx, 
a  church  founded,  in  fact,  in  1853.  Mr.  Boese  has  been  its  min- 
ister for  the  past  six  years.  For  30  years  before  that  he  had 
various  charges  of  the  Eastern  German  Conference,  none,  how- 
ever, pleasanter  or  happier  than  this.  Rev.  Boese  was  born  in 
Germany  September  24,  1839.  When  he  came  to  America  in  1864, 
he  was  converted  in  the  old  Second  Street  Church,  New  York 
City.  He  was  educated  in  part  in  the  old  country  and  in  part 
at  the  German  Theological  Seminary  of  Berea,  Ohio.  He  left 
that  institution  in  1865  to  take  his  first  congregational  charge. 
That  was  the  Callicoon  Circuit  in  New  York  State,  his  second 
charge  was  the  New  Y^ork  City  Port  Mission.  Others  were 
held  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  Boston,  Mass.,  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  other  places.  He  married  in  1869, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Gerken,  who  died  in  1884.  Remarried  in  1885 
Wilhelmina  Rey.  The  surviving  children  of  the  first  wife  are 
John  Henry  F.,  and  William  H.  J.  H.  F.  Boese  is  minister  of  the 
German  M.  E.  Church  of  Long  Island  City  and  Dr.  William 
Boese  is  a  physician  of  Lebanon  Hospital  in  the  Bronx.  One 
child   of   second   wife   died   in   infancy. 

REV.  DR.  FRANK  MONTROSE  CLENDENNIN,  rector 
of  St.  Peter's  P.  E.  Church,  Westchester,  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  September  17,  1S53,  and  was  educated  at  Columbian 
LTniversity,  Princeton.  He  has  occupied  his  present  pastoral 
position  since  1887,  and  as  pastor  of  his  flock  is  devoted  to  his 


REV.    C.    H.    MILLER 


REV.    F.  M.    CLENDENIN 


REV.     FREDERiK    W.     EOESE 


REV.    GEORGE    JOSEPH    MELANCTHON    KETNER 


REV.    GUSTAV   A.    TAPPER! 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


IJ9 


duties.  Hi-  is  a  intnnber  of  the  City  and  New  York  Clubs.  He 
n.'arried,  April  23,  i8gi,  at  the  age  of  38,  Miss  Gabrielle,  daugh- 
ter of  the  distinguished  founder  of  the  New  York  "Tribune." 
i  lorace  Greeley. 

REV.  GEORGE  HENRY  iMlLLER.— A  well  known  and 
highly  respected  Bronxite  is  the  Rev.  George  H.  Miller,  pastor 
of  the  German  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Melrose,  corner  of 
ICast  156th  Street  and  Elton  Aven'ue,  and  this  not  for  his  high 
calling  alone,  but  his  personal  character.  He  was  born  in 
Drooklyn,  January  g,  1864,  and  was  educated  in  part  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  borough,  and  in  part  by  private  tutors, 
under  whom  he  studied  literature,  the  classics  and  modern 
languages,  until  at  16  years  of  age  he  entered  Bloomfield  Semi- 
narv.  New  Jersey,  from  wdiich  institution  he  graduated  in  1S87. 


at  the  age  of  23.  He  then  took  up  the  ministry  as  a  vocation, 
for  which  he  had  been  fitting  himself,  and  had  pastoral  charge 
of  the  Fifth  German  Presjyterian  Church,  Moore  Street,  Brook- 
lyn, from  1887  to  1S91.  in  the  latter  year  he  accepted  a  call 
from  his  present  charge,  which,  organized  in  1852,  is  one  of 
lilt  oldest  congregations  in  the  borough,  and  here  he  has  re- 
mained during  the  fourteen  years  since,  a  term  which  in  itself 
speaks  for  his  acceptability  and  popularity.  In  1887  he  married 
Miss  Catherine  Hucke.  He  is  the  father  of  three  children  liv- 
ing, Paul,  Elsa  and  George,  and  of  two  dead,  Hans  Herbert  and 
Kurt.  Politically  he  has  espoused  Democratic  principles,  but 
he  has  not  interested  himself  actively  in  politics,  leaving  that 
task  rather  to  the  laity,  though  he  has  not  neglected  the  duties 
imposed  on  good  citizenship. 


Bcnsonia  Cemetery,  f 'rmerly  loratcd  .it  the    Kmction  ol  ^t.  Ann';  and  hSrook  Avon 


HTT! 


L..- 


,..,:•«  -fr     •a-ss^V 


Bird's-Eyc  View  of  the  New  York  Catholic  Protectory 


Induitriai  Building,  Male  Department 


CHAPTER  XXXV 


CATHOLIC  EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS 


New  York  Catholic  Protectory— Its  Aims,  Influence  and  Work — Uisuline  Academy— St.  John's  University  at 

Fordham — 3acred  Heart  Academy — Manhattan  College 


Perhaps  no  instituUun  has  hatl  a  grcaKr  miluciice  in  mold- 
ing tlie  career  ol  many  a  man  or  woman  man  the  New  York 
Cathohc  Protectory  at  Westchester.  Conceived  by  Archbishop 
John  Hughes,  tliiougli  llie  laljors  of  the  Brothers  of  the  Chris- 
tian Schools,  with  the  aid  of  many  prominent  men  who  songht 
lo  save  wayward  niveniles  from  the  snares  of  the  great  city,  ihe 
Hinvenient  took  a  decided  shape  on  February  ii,  1M03,  when  the 
I'reliminary  steps  were  taken  to  organize  for  the  puipose  of  sav- 
nig  the  waifs  who  nightly  might  be  seen  hanging  over  the  grat- 
ings of  the  downtown  newspaper  pressrooms,  thinly  clad  and 
emaciated,  seeking  lo  nurse  the  vital  spark  of  life  liy  ihc  genial 
heat  arising  from  the  engine  room  beneath  the  pavements.  1  hese 
"gamins"  of  the  streets,  as  the  Parisian  terms  them,  are  de- 
nominated by  some  as  outcasts,  while  the  more  charitable  term 
them  destitute  children. 

On  April  14,  1803,  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York 
granted  a  charter  to  "The  Society  for  the  Proteciiou  of  Desti- 
uue  Komaii  Catholic  Children  111  the  City  ot  New  iork,  em- 
poweimg  me  corporation  to  take  and  receive  into  us  care  cmldren 
under  tne  age  01  fourteen  years  who,  by  conseiu  m  wniiiig  of 
tiieir  pare;its  or  guardians,  may  be  intrusted  to  u  lor  protection 
ur  reformation;  children  between  seven  and  fourteen  years  ot 
age  who  may  be  committed  to  the  care  of  the  corporation  as 
Idle,  truant,  vicious  or  homeless  children,  by  oruer  of  any 
magistrate  in  the  city  empowered  to  commit  for  any  such  cause; 
ciiuuren  01  the  liKe  ages  who  may  be  transferred  to  such  cor- 
poration at  the  option  of  the  commissioners  of  public  charities 
and  correction;  the  corporation  to  place  the  children  m  its  care 
at  suitable  employment  and  cause  them  to  be  instructed  m  suit- 
able branches  of  useful  knowledge,  with  discretion  also  to  "bind" 
them  out. 

Like  all  truly  great  religious  and  benevolent  enterprises, 
the  beginning  of  the  present  Protectory  was  on  a  somevvnat  limited 
scale  in  its  inception,  but  the  urgent  need  for  this  work  soon 
caused  enlargement  of  the  buildings  wherein  the  aims  of  the 
corporation  were  carried  on. 

As  the  early  years  of  this  benevolence  rolled  around  the 
necessity  of  removing  the  institution  from  the  city  became  ap- 
parent, owing  to  the  Inrk  of  room,  and  accordingly  on  June 
9,  1865,  114  acres  of  farm  land  at  Westchester,  with  barns  and 
outhouses  were  purchased  for  $40,000,,  and  soon  was  begun  the 
erection  of  a  spacious  brick  building  to  accommodate  from  600 
to  800  destitute  boys,  and  the  following  year  a  building  of  equal 
proportion  was  begun  for  the  housing  of  the  girls  which  the 
Brothers     had  taken  under  their  charge. 

"Idleness  is  the  mother  of  all  mischief,"  has  been  truly  ob- 
served by  students  of  human  nature,  and  here  in  this  thriving 
hive   of  industry   the   various   trades   are    taught   which   in   after 


years  enable  the  iiimales  to  battle  in  the  strt.ggle  of  life  fully 
equipped  to  enter  Uie  various  channels  that  are  open  io  the 
thrifty. 

Among  the  various  pursuits  which  arc  taught  by  competent 
inslructors  are  printing,  stereotyping,  tailoring,  slioemaking,  bak- 
ing, carpentering,  blacksmithing,  chair  caning,  wheelwrighting, 
machinist,  farming  and  gardening.  About  800  pairs  of  shoes 
a  day  is  the  output  of  the  shoe  factory,  while  the  other  branches 
of  industry  make  a  commendable  showing. 

The  boys  of  the  institution  have  a  fire  department  which  has 
proved  oi  invaluai)le  assistance  at  various  times,  notably  on 
July  25.  iS;5,  \>lien  the  liuilding  occupied  by  the  girls  was  de- 
stroyed by  hre.  the  llanies  were  confined  to  that  one  of  the 
many  buildings  winch  form  a  part  of  this  miniature  city. 

The  needs  of  such  a  large  population  as  are  housed  in  the 
buildings  of  the  Protectory  required  the  establishment  of  an  in- 
firmary for  those  who  needed  medical  attention,  and  the  segre- 
gation of  sick  ones  from  the  others,  and  in  1878  a  well  appointed 
hospital  was  in  existence. 

Ample  recreation  grounds  have  been  provided  for  both  the 
larger  and  smaller  inmates,  for  those  in  charge  fully  recognize 
the  truth  of  the  old  saw  "All  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a 
dull  boy" — and  it  might  be  added,  girl. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  Protectory  Band?  This  aggrega- 
tion of  musicians  has  won  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  musical 
world  through  the  artistic  manner  in  which  it  renders  the  works 
of  the  great  composers.  On  many  great  public  occasions  these 
juveniles  have  vied  with  the  famous  bands  in  holding  the  at- 
tention of  their  vast  audiences  with  great  credit  to  themselves 
.•ind  their  band  master. 

As  this  sketch  has  already  outgrown  the  proportions  in- 
tended, we  will  condense  into  a  few  paragraphs  some  of  the 
principal    happenings    from    1885    to    the    present    year    of    grace 

1905. 

Owing  to  the  ever-increasing  number  of  children  committed 
lo  the  care  of  the  institution,  it  was  found  necessary  to  open 
new  class  rooms,  dormitories  and  recreation  centres.  These 
were  supplied  according  as  they  were  needed,  so  that  to-day 
classification  is  about  as  perfect  as  it  can  very  well  be. 

In  1897  a  large  chapel  and  assembly  hall  were  erected 
for  the  male  department,  each  of  which  can  accommodate  2,500 
boys.  The  hall  is  used  for  all  public  exercises  and  exhibitions, 
and  as  a  place  where  the  inmates  can  receive  their  parents  and 
friends  on  visiting  days.  The  chapel  is  of  the  Gothic  style  of  ar- 
chitecture, and  is  a  lasting  monument  to  friends  and  benefactors. 
The  beautiful  marble  altars  and  handsome  organ  are  the  gifts 
of  the  late  Mr.  Bryan  Lawrence. 

A   large   industrial   building   was   also   erected   in   which   are 


,N.Y.G.P.  PHOTO  GLA55. 


SCHOOL  BUILDING 
[.Drill      2.  Phv;-ci.n's  Office.      3.  FandRoom.     4.  Orchicstia.l '5,  Rciding  Room 


rat     I 


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CdAPCL  A/\D  .45SEA\BL^'  flALL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


123 


housed  the  different  trades  carried  on  in  tlie  institution.  These 
new  buildings  relieved  the  congestion  found  in  some  departments. 

Since  the  days  the  doors  of  the  Protectory  opened  to  the 
friendless  and  wayward  children  of  New  York  City  and  the 
counties  adjacent,  it  has  sheltered,  cared  for  and  educated  more 
than  .jo.ooo  boys  and  girls.  It  may  be  added  here  that  this  has 
not  been  done  solely  at  public  e.xpense.  Many  imagine  that  the 
Protectory  buildings  have  been  erected  and  the  institution  sup- 
ported from  State  and  city  fimds.  To  those  we  would  say  that 
up  to  date  the  Protectory  has  received,  outside  of  State  and  city 
moneys,  from  private  charitable  sources  the  princely  sum  of  two 
millions  of  dollars. 

The  very  few  deaths  and  the  slight  amount  of  sickness  oc- 
curring in  the  institution,  year  after  year  since  the  opening,  are 
due  to  the  sanitary  excellence  of  the  grounds  and  buildings,  to 
the  food  and  the  healthful  recreation;  to  the  large  and  well- 
ventilated  dormitories;  and  to  the  watchful  and  intelligent  care 
of  the   Brothers.   Sisters  and  corps  of  able  physicians. 

For  many  years  some  of  the  boys  discharged  from  the  Pro- 
tectory, having  no  proper  homes  to  go  to,  drifted  into  the  cheap 


When  a  boy's  character  is  firmly  established  and  he  is  earning  a 
sufficient  sum  to  enable  him  to  board  in  respectable  families,  he 
leaves  St.  Philip's  and  goes  to  his  newly-found  home.  It  is 
then  only  that  he  faces  the  stern  realities  of  life. 

From  the  beginning  the  Christian  Brothers  have  directed  the 
destinies  of  the  Protectory,  and  to  this  body  of  self-sacrificing 
men  aided  by  the  board  of  managers,  composed  of  prominent 
Catholic  gentlemen,  the  wonderful  success  of  the  work  is  solely 
due. 

Rev.  Brother  Teliow  was  the  first  director,  and  to  him  fell 
the  always  arduous  labor  of  organizing  the  various  elements  of 
which  the  institution  was  composed.  This  work  could  not  have 
fallen  in  better  hands.  Brother  Teliow  took  hold  with  firmness, 
skill,  zeal  and  a  determination  which  no  obstacles  could  with- 
stand, and  which  resulted  in  placing  the  Protectory,  almost  from 
its  inception,  abreast  of  all   similar  institutions. 

His  immediate  successors.  Rev.  Brothers  Stephen,  Hugh. 
.\drian,  and  Candidus,  all  men  of  experience  and  ability,  car- 
ried on  the  work  as  planned  by  him,  and  devoted  themselves 
loyally  to  the  care,  maintenance  and  education  of  their  charges. 


M.iin  Entrance  Irom  Wi-stctlGster  Avenue 


lodging  ami  boarding  houses  of  the  city,  where  they  adopted 
habits  of  idleness,  formed  dangerous  associations,  and  eventually 
a  few  found  their  way  into  penji  institutions.  it  was  dis- 
couraging to  see  the  young  boy,  after  years  of  careful  training 
and  tuition,  take  the  downward  path  so  early  in  life.  The  small- 
ness  of  the  wage  he  had  received  had  as  much  to  do  with  this  as 
any  other  cause. 

To  .stem  this  tide  of  evil.  St.  Philip's  Home  for  Industrious 
Boys  was  established  in  1901  at  415  and  417  Broome  Street.  Man- 
hattan. The  home  is  a  branch  of  the  Protectory,  and  is  conducted 
by  the  Christian  Brothers.  The  arrangement  and  government 
are  as  near  as  possible  those  that  prevail  in  a  well-regulated 
family.  The  boys  are  placed  on  their  honor  and  dealt  with  in  a 
gentlemanly  way.  Positions  are  obtained  for  them,  and  from 
their  earnings  a  small  sum  is  required  for  thtir  maintenance. 
The  boys  aie  encouraged  to  economize;  taught  how  to  purchase 
the  articles  they  require;  and  to  distinguish  necessities  from 
luxuries.  This  makes  the  boy  self-reliant,  habituates  him  to  self- 
support,  and  induces  him  to  achieve  success  on  his  own  merits. 


In  1885  the  reins  of  goveninient  fell  to  the  hands  of  Rev 
Brother  Leontinc,  who  brought  to  his  new  post  of  duty  a  zeal 
and  enthusiasm  unsurpassed,  and  under  w-hom  the  Protectory 
became  the  leading  institution  of  ils  kind  in  the  world.  Bro. 
Leontine  remained  in  power  until  his  death.  April  2,  1904,  and 
was  succeeded  by  the  present  director,  Kev.  Brother  iienry.  ,\t 
the  time  of  his  appointment  Bro.  Henry  was  no  stranger  to  the 
spirit,  genius  and  workings  of  the  instituiion,  nor  to  tlie  means 
and  methods  employed  to  raise  it  to  its  present  exalted  standard  ot 
efficiency  and  usefulness.  During  the  three  years  prior  to  Bro. 
Leontine's  death,  he  was  the  able  assistant  and  close  friend  of 
the  late  Superior  whose  magnificent  plan  of  government  he  en- 
ergetically carried  out.  Like  his  lamented  predecessor,  he  has 
the  force  and  strength  of  character  needed  to  govern  the  great 
and  peculiar  army  of  boys  committed  to  his  care,  combined  with 
that  kindness  and  sweetness  of  disposition  to  secure  and  hold 
their  esteem  and  affection.  Under  his  wise  and  prudent  guidance, 
the  Protectory  is  sure  to  continue  its  beneficent  work  of  the 
education   and   training   of   neglected   youth.      His   kindness   and 


The  Catholic   Protectory  Band 


Sacred  Heart   Academy 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J25 


charity  are  not  confined  to  boys  of  the  Catholic  faith.  These 
virtues  are  equally  displayed  towards  those  of  the  Protestant 
and  Hebrew  beliefs.  Letters  testifying  to  this  come  to  him 
daily  from  non-Catholic  parents. 

Here  is  one  from  a  Hebrew  gentleman  in  Savannah,  Ga., 
imder  date  of  August  g,  1905:  "My  brother,  who  has  just  re- 
turned from  New  York,  tells  me  of  the  good  reports  you  gave 
him  of  my  son,  and  also  the  marked  improvement  he  saw  in 
him.  I  thank  God  for  this,  and  you  also,  my  good  and  noble 
Brother;  for  it  is  through  your  good  counsel  to  my  son  that  our 
heavenly  Father  is  causing  this  great  good  to  be  accomplished. 
God  grant  that  ere  he  leaves  you,  you  will  so  inculcate  your  own 
goodness  into  him  that  he  will  never  more  go  astray." 

This  rapid  sketch  of  the  origin,  progress  and  development  of 
the  New  York  Catholic  Protectory  indicates  but  some  of  the 
main  features  of  the  workings  of  the  institution,  which  seeks 
the  welfare  and  comfort  of  those  whose  lot,  if  neglected,  might 
lie  destitution,  misery  and  crime,  and  whose  protection  and  ele- 
vation is  the  saving  of  that  most  impressionable,  interesting  and 
beautiful   object    of   enlightened    and    civilized    life — the    child. 

SACRED  HEART  ACADEMY.— The  Religieuse  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  who  have  recently  purchased  the  property  in  the 
Bronx  known  as  the  Ogden  estate  or  Bo.scobel  Villa,  belong  to 
an  order  which  first  came  to  New  York  from  Louisiana  in  1841, 
at  the  invitation  of  Archbishop  Hughes,  whose  zeal  for  education 
led  him  to  visit  the  Venerable  Mother  Baret  in  Paris  and  beg  for 
a  colony  of  her  daughters  to  undertake  the  training  of  young 
ladies  in  his  episcopal  city.  For  this  purpose  he  offered  a  house 
formerly  occupied  by  the  school  of  Mme.  Chegary  in  Houston 
Street,  to  which  a  band  of  religieuse  soon  came  under  the  guidance 
of  Mother  Aloysia  Hardey  and  Mother  Galitzin,  niece  of  the 
famous  Russian  Prince  and  Missionary,  Father  Demetrius 
Galitzin,  who  labored  successfully  in  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
name  is  still  held  in  veneration.  The  school  was  transferred  in 
1844  to  114  Bleecker  Street,  whence,  owing  to  the  growth  of  the 
city,  it  removed  later  to  West  Fourteenth  Street  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1854,  to  49  West  Seventeenth  Street,  where  for  over  fifty 
years  it  has  been  recognized  as  a  centre  of  education  and  good 
works.  But  as  business  has  more  and  more  taken  possession  of 
that  part  of  the  city,  it  seemed  desirable  to  move  higher  up  town, 
and  after  long  consideration,  the  religieuse  decided  to  accept  the 
very  advantageous  offer  of  the  estate  before  mentioned  on  Uni- 
versity Heights,  where  they  have  opened  a  day  school. 

FORDHAM  UNIVERSITY— HISTORICAL  STATEMENT. 
The  formal  opening  of  Fordham  College  took  place  in  June 
24,  1841.  The  following  September  the  doors  were  thrown  open 
to  half  a  dozen  students,  but  before  the  close  of  the  academic 
year  the  number  had  been  considerably  increased.  The  insti- 
tution was  founded  by  Archbishop  Hughes,  and  was  for  five  years 
under  the  direction  of  the  secular  priests,  with  Dr.  McCloskey, 
the  first  American  cardinal,  as  its  first  president.  The  steady 
growth  of  the  college  soon  rendered  it  advisable  to  apply  for 
articles  of  incorporation;  and  on  April  10,  1846,  the  act  of  incor- 
poration was  passed,  whereby  St.  John's  College  was  raised  to 
the  rank  of  a  university,  with  the  power  "to  confer  such  literary 
honors,  degrees,  or  diplomas  as  are  usually  granted  by  any  uni- 
versity, college  or  seminary  of  learning  in  the  United  States." 
About  this  time  Archbishop  Hughes,  the  founder,  decided  to 
entrust  the  management  of  the  college  to  some  religious  order 
devoted  to  educational  work,  and  for  this  purpose  he  opened 
communications  with  the  Jesuits  who  had  charge  of  St.  Mary's 
College,  Kentucky,  with  the  result  that  the  following  year  the 


faculty  of  St.  Mary's  succeeded  the  secular  priests  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  college.  Since  then  the  work  has  been  carried 
on  solely  by  the  Jesuits. 

BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS. 

The  college  grounds  extend  over  seventy  acres.  The 
picturesque  country  for  miles  around,  the  notably  healthy  cli- 
mate, the  vast  reaches  of  lawn  and  rich  farm  lands  surrounding 
the  college  buildings  present  an  ideal  rural  scene  and  afford  the 
seclusion  necessary  for  a  seat  of  learning.  But  those  who  ad- 
mire our  extensive  campus  and  lawns  and  farm  lands  and  noble 
trees,  may  not  be  aware  that  our  city  rental  for  the  last  ten 
years  alone  amounts  to  $50,66,^52.  Hence,  during  these  years 
an  average  of  over  $5,000  has  been  annually  paid  to  the  city  au- 
thorities in  assessments  and  taxes.  The  city's  bill  against  the 
college  for  the  current  year's  improvement  of  property  in  the 
vicinity  is  $6,293.09.  The  coming  few  years  promise  to  be 
equally  prolific  in  extraordinary  taxes.  This  yearly  outlay  to- 
gether with  the  'interest  on  our  debt,  which  was  contracted  in 
former  building  operations,  must  be  met  by  the  income  derived 
from  our  students'  tuition  fees.  Our  sole  endowment,  if  such 
it  may  be  called,  is  represented  by  the  twelve  scholarship  funds 
permanently  established.  And  the  few  and  small  unconditioned 
donations  received,  and  gratefully  acknowledged  whenever  the 
opportunity  offers,  do  not  as  yet  compare  favorably  with  the 
annual  or  monthly  records  of  other  both  denominational  and 
secular  educational  institutions  of  equal  size.  Between  the  years 
1865  and  1870,  $10,147  was  donated  for  the  construction  of  Senior 
Hall,  and  in  1891,  for  the  new  Faculty  Hall,  a  friend  contributed 
$15,000. 

There  are  nine  university  buildings.  Five  of  these  build- 
ings are  used  for  purpose  of  instruction,  accommodation  of  resi- 
dent students,  etc.,  the  remaining  four  being  the  University 
Chapel,  the  Faculty  Hall,  Armory  Hall  and  the  offices  for  the 
directors  of  the  university. 

THE  NEW  ROSE  HILL  MANOR. 
This  structure,  erected  in  1838,  and  the  oldest  building  of 
any  importance  now  at  Fordham,  was  so  designated  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  the  old  Rose  Hill  Manor — the  original  build- 
ing of  the  estate — which  dated  back  to  ante-revolutionary  days. 
Formerly,  the  entire  work  of  the  college  was  carried  on  within 
its  walls ;  but  in  i860,  when  the  purchase  of  St.  John's  Hall  was 
effected,  some  of  the  classes  were  transferred.  In  the  new  Rose 
Hill  Manor  are  now  located  the  executive  offices  of  the  university, 
including  the  president's  office,  the  offices  of  the  vice-president, 
the  trea.surer  and  the  registrar ;  also  the  tastefully  decorated  re- 
ception rooms. 

ST.  JOHN'S  HALL. 
St.  John's  Hall,  originally  the  diocesan  seminary,  was  long 
used  as  a  science  hall,  but  the  marked  growth  of  the  college 
necessitated  the  erection  of  other  buildings.  Accordingly,  in 
1885  it  was  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  of  the  small  boys. 
The  hall  in  its  present  arrangement  contains  three  spacious 
dormitories,  two  parlors,  a  reading  room,  a  study  hall,  and  a 
music  room.  Careful  and  abundant  provision  has  been  made  for 
heat,  light  and  ventilation.  The  extensive  playground  facing 
the  Botanical  Gardens  in  Bronx  Park  affords  ample  opportuni- 
ties for  all  kinds  of  physical  exercise. 

THE  COLLEGE  CHAPEL. 
Adjoining   St.   John's   Hall   is   the  College  Chapel.     One  of 

the  handsomest  edifices  of  its  kind  in  New  York,  it  is  of  Gothic 


X 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


127 


architecture,  is  richly  frescoed  and  contains  six  valuable  stained 
glass  windows.  These  were  at  first  intended  for  St.  Patrick's 
Cathedral,  but  as  they  did  not  fit,  they  were  handed  over  to  the 
church  at  Fordham.  They  represent  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and 
tlie  four  Evangelists.  The  coloring  is  as  soft  and  fresh  to-day 
as  ever.. 

SENIOR  HALL. 
Senior  Hall.  136  feet  by  60  feet,  was  erected  in  1865.  better 
to  accommodate  the  growing  school,  and  to  relieve  the  crowded 
rooms  of  the  other  buildings.  It  is  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the 
students  of  the  college  department.  The  first  floor  contains  the 
recreation,  the  reading  and  the  billiard  rooms.  On  the  second 
floor  are  situated  the  lecture  rooms  of  the  college  classes.  The 
three  upper  stories  are  reserved  for  the  private  apartments  of  the 
students.     Immediately   adjoining  is   the   college  campus. 

SCIENCE  HALL. 
This  building,  123  feet  by  50  feet,  is  of  blue  stone  trimmed 
with  white  marble.  It  contains  the  boilers  and  the  electric  plant 
for  lighting  the  college,  the  students'  library,  the  lecture  rooms 
for  physics  and  chemistry,  the  general  and  private  laboratories, 
the  cabinet  and  the  museum.  The  building  was  begun  in  1885 
and   was   finished    in    1886. 

JUNIOR  HALL. 
Junior  Hal!  is  almost  the  exact  counterpart  of  Senior  Hall. 
It  was  built  in  1889,  and  is  140  feet  by  60  feet.  The  large  play- 
ground in  the  rear,  the  class  rooms,  the  study  hall,  the  dormitory, 
the  students'  rooms,  etc.,  are  reserved  for  the  exclusive  use  of 
the  high  school  students.  Here,  too,  is  the  office  of  the  com- 
mandant; also  that  of  the  chief  disciplinarian. 

FACULTY  HALL. 
Like  Junior  and  Senior  Halls  this  building  is  made  of  blue 
stone  with  white  marble  trimmings.  It  was  completed  in  1891. 
It  has  five  stories,  is  170  feet  by  50  feet,  and  contains  the  stu- 
dents' refectory,  and  the  rooms  of  the  faculty.  It  also  contains 
a  smaller  chapel  for  the  students,  ys  feet  by  50  feet,  two  stories 
high,  and  adorned  with  three  beautifully  carved  altars  and  an 
altar  screen,  and  with  thirteen  precious  stained  glass  windows. 
The   daily   services    are    usually   held   here. 

ARMORY  HALL. 
This  building  is  a  two-story  structure.  The  basement  is 
built  of  concrete  and  is  fitted  up  according  to  army  regulations 
for  target  practice.  The  large  room,  extending  the  length  of 
the  main  floor,  is  the  armory  proper.  On  the  floor  above  is  a 
class  room,  where  a  course  of  lectures  on  discipline,  military 
hygiene  and  etiquette,  military  history  and  kindred  subjects  is 
regularly   given. 

COLLEGE  HALL. 
College  Hall  is  the  latest  addition  to  the  college  buildings. 
I.'  faces  the  south  and  is  a  four-story  structure,  built  of  brick 
and  trimmed  with  terra  cotta  mouldings.  Its  length  is  140  feet 
and  its  width  69  feet.  The  main  corridor  leads  to  eight  class 
rooms,  each  of  which,  twenty-seven  feet  square,  is  fitted  up  with 
all  the  latest  appliances  of  modern  schoolrooms,  and  tastefully 
finished  in  quartered  oak.  The  second  floor  contains  the  audi- 
torium, extending  throughout  the  length  of  the  building,  occu- 
pying the  full  sweep  of  two  stories  with  the  height  of  42  feet, 
ind  having  a  seating  capacity  of  one  thousand.  It  has  a  spa- 
cious stage  and  twelve  adjoining  dressing  rooms.     The  gallery 


entrance  on  the  fourth  floor  has  a  seating  capacity  of  four  hun 
dred.    The  basement  contains  a  large  play  room,  with  bath  and 
boiler   rooms    adjoining. 

COURSES  OF  STUDY. 

The  university  includes  three  departments — the  Department 
of  Philosophy  and  Arts,  the  Department  of  Medicine  and  the 
Department  of  Law.  In  tlie  Department  of  Philosophy  and 
Arts  are  included  the  academic  departments  of  the  classical  and 
non-classical  courses.  These  courses  cover  four  years  and  lead, 
the  former  to  the  degree  of  A.B.,  the  latter  to  that  of  B.S.  The 
classical  course  embraces,  besides  the  Latin  and  Greek  classic 
and  English  history,  one  modern  language,  mathematics,  chem- 
istry, geology,  astronomy,  mechanics  and  a  thorough  training  in 
physics  and  philosophy.  The  optional  studies  are  calculus,  ana- 
lytical chemistry,  physics,  higher  laboratory  work,  modern 
languages,  biology,  pedagogics.  The  non-classical  course  is  in- 
tended for  those  who  desire  a  sound  education  without  the  study 
of  Latin  and  Greek  classics.  Latin  and  Greek  are  replaced  by 
additional  studies  in  modern  languages,  science  and  mathematics. 
The  optional  studies  are  the  same  as  in  the  classical  course. 

The  medical  school  offers  a  four-year  course  leading  to  the 
degree  of  M.D.  The  standard  of  the  school  is  based  upon  one 
year  of  college  work.  All  candidates  must  present  a  medical 
students'  certificate  of  the  regents  of  the  University  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  showing  that  the  candidate  has  completed  at  least 
the  freshman  year  in  a  college  registered  by  the  regents  as  main- 
taining a  satisfactory  standard.  The  Science  Hall,  to  which  an 
addition  has  been  made,  will  temporarily  answer  the  purposes  of 
a  medical  building.  It  will  contain  large  and  well-lighted  lecture 
rooms,  chemical,  histological  and  bacteriological  laboratories,  and 
a  dissecting  room.  Special  attention  is  called  to  the  advantages 
possessed  by  the  students  in  having  the  Fordham  Hospital  situ- 
ated on  the  grounds. 

The  course  of  the  law  school  covers  a  period  of  three  years 
and  leads  to  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  Candidates  must  have  com- 
pleted a  satisfactory  high  school  course.  The  lecture  rooms, 
debating  hall  and  library  are  situated  on  West  i6th  Street,  be- 
tween Fifth  and  Sixth  Avenues.  Prominent  lawyers  and  judges, 
authorities  on  their  special  subjects,  have  consented  to  give 
courses  of  lectures  during  the  year. 

High  School  Department — -The  High  School  Department  of 
the  classical  course  extends  over  four  years,  the  studies  being  so 
graded  as  to  form  a  preparation  for  the  college.  That  of  the 
non-classical  department  covers  a  like  period.  Though  this  de- 
partment does  not  undertake  to  instruct  the  student  in  actual 
business  practice,  all  that  is  absolutely  necessary  for  commercial 
purposes  can  be  learned. 

Grammar  Department — There  are  three  classes  in  this  de- 
partment, arranged  for  those  students  who  are  not  old  enough, 
or  not  far  enough  advanced,  to  enter  the  high  school  department. 
Such  students  are  supposed  to  have  reached  in  their  previous 
studies  the  second  highest  grade  of  the  public  grammar  school. 
The  course  embraces  reading,  writing,  spelling,  grammar,  ele- 
mentary composition,  history,  geography  and  arithmetic. 

LIBRARIES. 
The  college  library  contains  40,000  volumes,  among  which  are 
counted  rich  collections  of  works  on  history,  and  of  periodical 
literature.  It  possesses,  also,  the  famous  Gambosville  library, 
which  for  works  on  ancient  and  modern  art  is  the  largest  and 
most  valuable  collection  in  the  country.  Besides  the  college 
library,    there    is    also    the    circulating    library,    containing    over 


RIVER  PARK  ^ 

ST.  Vincent's  po\ 


ACADEMY    MT.ST.VIMCENT 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J29 


10,000  volumes,  specially  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  students. 
Connected  with  it  is  a  large  and  attractive  reading  room,  sup- 
plied with   all  conveniences   for  consultation  and  private   work. 

COLLEGE  SOCIETIES. 
The  Sodalities — These  organizations,  the  object  of  which  is 
to  inculcate  a  special  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  are  justly 
held  to  be  important  and,  as  the  experience  of  the  past  has 
abundantly  proved,  very  eftective  adjuncts  in  developing  the 
moral  character  of  the  students.  Each  hall,  therefore,  has  its 
own  sodality.  Membership  is  not  of  obligation;  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  strictly  limited  to  those  who  by  their  general  moral  de- 
portment give  evidence  that  they  will  be  a  credit  to  the  sodality. 
The  Parthenian  Sodality  of  Senior  Hall  was  established  in  1837. 

Senior  Debating  Society — This  society  was  organized  in  1854. 
Its  object  is  to  accustom  its  members,  by  means  of  debates  and 
literary  compositions,  to  speak  with  ease  and  fluency  on  useful, 
interesting  and  timely  subjects.  Membership  is  limited  to  the 
senior,  junior  and  sophomore  classes.  The  society  meets  once 
a  week.  In  April  a  formal  public  debate  is  held,  to  which 
friends  and  relatives  are  invited.  Of  the  past  members  those  who 
have  attained  eminence  are,  amongst  others,  the  present  Arch- 
bishop, the  President  of  the  Bronx,  the  Presiding  Judge  of  the 
Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York,  the 
Commissioner  of  Street  Openings,  a  leading  member  of  the 
Faculty  of  City  College,  prominent  representatives  of  the  bench 
and  the  bar  and  many  well  known  in  medical,  educational  and 
political  circles. 

Junior  Debating  Society,  composed  of  the  members  of  the 
freshman  classes,  is  designed  as  a  preparation  for  the  Senior 
Debating  Society.     Meetings  are  held  every  fortnight. 

St.  John's  Dramatic  Association,  closely  connected  with  the 
debating  societies,  is  the  dramatic  association.  Its  aim  is  to 
acustom  its  members,  by  means  of  dramatic  reading  and  repre- 
sentations, to  appear  in  public  with  ease  and  grace.  The  new 
auditorium  will  afford  greater  facilities  for  the  attainment  of  this 
desirable  end. 

The  "Fordham  Monthly" — This  magazine  is  conducted  by  a 
board  of  student  editors.  Its  purpose  is  to  foster  literary  effort, 
to  chronicle  the  news  of  the  university  and  to  keep  the  alumni 
in  touch  with  the  projects  and  successes  of  their  alma  mater. 

Fordham  College  Athletic  Association — This  association  was 
organized  to  encourage  and  promote  athletic  sports.  It  is  a 
member  of  the  Intercollegiate  Association  of  Amateur  Athletes 
of  America. 

NEEDS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY. 

Without  endowment,  and  with  scant  benefactions  to  assist 
it  in  its  noble  work,  scarcely  $30,000  has  been  donated  within  the 
past  twenty-five  years.  Fordham  College,  thanks  to  the  resolute 
labors  of  its  directors,  has  grown  to  a  university.  The  many 
improvements  necessitated  by  the  increase  of  students  have  con- 
siderably augmented  the  debt  already  incurred.  The  faculty, 
therefore,  make  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  friends  of  the  college 
and  to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  work  of  education  to  assist 
them  with  funds  for  the  liquidation  of  the  debt,  the  erection  of 
buildings  and  the  endowment  of  the  various  departments  of  the 
university. 

Chief  among  the  wants  of  the  college  are  the  following:  A 
medical  school,  which  would  consist  mainly  of  lecture  rooms, 
dissecting   room,   library,   museum,   laboratories,   etc. 

ACADEMY  MOUNT  ST.  VINCENT.— Bronx  Bor- 
ough has  perhaps  no  more  delightful  spot  than  the  hillsid*  on 


the  Hudson,  crowned  by  the  stately  towers  of  a  far-famed  con- 
vent school,  the  Academy  Mount  St.  Vincent.  The  surround- 
ings well  befit  a  home  sacred  to  the  Muses ;  for,  in  a  ramble 
through  the  spacious  grounds,  one  sees  in  pleasing  succession 
woodland,  lake,  isle  and  embowered  grotto,  orchards,  meadows, 
gardens,  farm  lands,  pine-grove,  ravine  and  brooklet,  lawns, 
courts,  terraces;  and,  scattered  tastefully  here  and  there,  shrines, 
rustic  arbors,  fountains  and  statuary.  "We  are  now  treading 
the  Via  Angelorum,"  writes  a  pilgrim  to  the  Mount,  "and  al- 
ready the  massive  academy  buildings  have  come  into  sight.  A 
sudden  turn  in  this  road  of  many  windings,  and  presto !  fairy- 
land— enchanted  castle  and  all  bursts  upon  our  view.  We  rub 
our  eyes;  even  we  who  have  known  and  loved,  since  childhood's 
days,  these  dear  old  haunts  and  scenes.  A  first  view  can  never 
do  justice  to  the  details  that  here  invite  the  eye,  details  that 
vary  endlessly  with  changing  lights  and  hours  and  seasons.  *  *  * 
The  autumn  sky  stretches  above  us,  a  dome  of  palpitating  blue 
with  masses  of  silver  cloud-palaces  rising  above  the  summits  of 
the  distant  mountains.  The  Palisades  are  tapestried  in  crim- 
son, gold  and  purple,  while  down  the  beautiful  Hudson  moves  a 
stately  river  steamer."  (Vide,  "A  Famous  Convent  School,"  by 
Marion  J.  Brunowe,  New  York.  The  Meany  Co.)  Hudson 
River  trains  from  the  Grand  Central  reach,  in  less  than  half 
an  hour,  the  Mount  St.  Vincent  station  on  the  academy  grounds. 
"Fonthill  Castle,  a  romantic  looking  pile  of  half  Norman, 
half  Gothic  architecture,  intercepts  the  view  on  the  left.  Set 
like  a  gem  in  the  midst  of  these  scenes,  it  lends  an  old-world 
charm  to  the  surrounding  landscape.  (En  passant — This  Castle 
contains  a  fine  museum,  its  chief  treasure  being  one  of  the 
choicest  and  richest  mineral  collections  in  the  State.)  On  our 
right  the  stately  academy,  now  wholly  in  view,  stands  in  poten- 
tial grandeur,  gazing  serenely  down  from  its  many  windows 
upon  the  spacious  campus ;  the  curved  terraces  aglow  with  sal- 
vias, asters  and  hydrangeas ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  upon  its 
greatest  pride  and  joy,  a  bevy  of  young  girls,  who  have  just 
come  forth  to  recreate  in  the  favorite  tennis-court.  Snatches 
of  gay  chatter  and  peals  of  melodious  laughter  attest  the  happi- 
ness mirrored  in  the  bright  faces,  making  one  long  to  join  in 
their  pleasant  sports.  Another  party  is  starting  in  a  wagonette 
for  a  drive,  the  objective  point  of  which  is  the  Bronx  Horti- 
cultural Gardens.  *  *  *  Places  of  historic  interest  abound  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mount  St.  Vincent  and  furnish  the  reason  for 
many  a  charming  little  pleasure  and  educational  trip.  The 
Phillipse  and  Van  Cortland  Manors,  Sunnyside  and  Sleepy  Hol- 
low are  within  driving  distance,  besides  much  of  the  lovely  coun- 
try on  the  Hudson  so  enchantingly  portrayed  in  the  pages  of 
Irving;  Tappan  Zee  with  its  memories  of  Andre  ;  in  fact,  all 
Westchester  County  so  rich  in  Revolutionary  scenes  and  mem- 
ories." But  now  a  word  as  to  the  origin  of  the  school.  Its 
founders  were  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  the  daughters  of  Mother 
Elizabeth  Bayley  Seton.  The  work  was  planned  under  the  au- 
spices of  the  most  Reverend  John  Hughes,  first  Archbishop  of 
New  York,  one  who  was  not  only  an  illustrious  prelate,  but  a 
great  patriot,  and  who,  although  a  foreigner  by  birth,  yet  ranks 
among  the  makers  of  America.  (Vide  "Most  Reverend  John 
Hughes,"  by  Rev.  Henry  A.  Brann,  D.D.,  in  the  series,  "Makers 
of  America,"  N.  Y.,  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co. ;  also  Hassard's  Life  of 
Archbishop  Hughes,  N.  Y.,  Appleton  &  Co.)  Mother  Seton  is  an 
interesting  figure  in  the  history  of  pedagogy,  for  her  aims  and 
methods  prove  her  to  have  been  an  early  worker  in  the  field  of 
higher  education  for  young  women.  More  than  a  century  ago  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  that  sparkles  below  the  academy  terrace,  in 
the  fair  City  of  New  York,  grew  up  the  young  girl,  the  noble 
woman  whose  influence  made  this  beautiful  home  of  education  a 


130 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


possibility.  Generous  hearted,  high-minded,  wonderfully  gifted, 
the  daughter  of  an  aristocratic  family,  Elizabeth  Seton  through 
sorrow,  trial  and  perplexity  was  led  into  the  Catholic  Church. 
From  childhood  she  had  felt  a  strong  attraction  to  the  work  of 
charity,  but  with  the  light  of  faith  there  came  into  her  heart  a 
new  yearning,  an  irresistible  desire  to  devote  herself  to  the 
work  of  Christian  education ;  and  what  she  accomplished  for 
this  in  the  space  of  a  few  short  years,  in  spite  of  almost 
insurmountable  obstacles,  seems  little  short  of  the  miraculous. 
With  a  few  chosen  spirits,  who  like  herself,  desired  to  consecrate 
themselves  to  the  work  of  education,  she  opened  at  Emmitsburg, 
Maryland,  in  1810,  the  first  Catholic  boarding  school  for  girls  in 
the  United  States.  In  1817  she  sent  a  little  band  of  her  spiritual 
daughters  to  the  City  of  New  York,  there  to  work  in  behalf  of 
charity  and  education.  In  that  year  the  sisters  opened  an  or- 
phanage in  Prince  Street.      [This  institution  is  still  in  existence, 


encamped  across  the  island  from  the  East  River  to  the  Hudson, 
about  a   mile  and  a   half  below."     [Vide   "Elizabeth   Seton,"  by  I 
Agnes   Sadlier,    N.    Y.,    D.   &   J.    Sadlier.]     In   this   house,   smid  , 
these   surroundings   the   work   went   on   for   some   twelve   years,  1 
but  the  metropolis  in   "seven  league  boots"  was   striding  north- 
ward, and  the  municipal  authorities  desiring  to  purchase  the  con- 
vent property,  the   Sisters  had  to  seek  a  home  elsewhere.     The 
"Old    Mount"    was    soon    to    become    tradition.     "The    Mother 
Superior    who   governed    the    community    at    the    time,    and   her  1 
advisory  board,  bought  for  the  new  Mount  St.  Vincent  the  estate 
of  the  late   Edwin   Forrest,   the  noted  tragedian,   situated   about 
ten  miles  to  the  northward,  in  Westchester  County,  on  the  shore  | 
of  the   Hudson.     The   actor  had   named   the  place   "Font   Hill," 
after  the  vast  domain  and  famous  palace  of  the  author  of  "Vat- 
hek;"  and  had  built  on  it  a   Norman  castle  which  was  but  just 
completed  when   difficulties  arose  between  himself  and  his  wife, 


FONTHILl.  CASTLE 


and  in  its  present  quarters  on  Fordham  Heights  shelters  some 
800  children.]  Parochial  schools  and  academies  sprang  up  as 
the  demand  required,  and  finally  in  1847  came  the  foundation  of 
the  Convent  School  of  Mount  St.  Vincent.  An  estate  was  pur- 
chased which  was  then  five  miles  from  the  heart  of  the  city.  It 
included  a  dwelling  on  an  eminence  at  109th  Street  and  Fifth 
Avenue,  a  spot  known  as  McGowan's  Pass  and  now  an  interest- 
ing section  of  Central  Park.  "Hard  by  are  still  to  be  seen," 
remarks  a  recent  writer,  "the  remains  of  a  fortification  which 
was  constructed  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  which  was 
serving  as  the  advanced  post  of  the  American  Army  when  it 
evacuated  New  York  City  and  fell  back  to  Kingsbridge,  after 
the  disastrous  battle  of  Long  Island.  Old  General  Israel  Putnam 
commanded  the  post  at  McGowan's  Pass,  and  in  the  building 
afterwards  purchased  by  the  Sisters,  General  Washington,  no 
doubt,  often  conferred  with  him,  and  from  the  high  grounds 
about  it,  surveyed  through  his  glass,  the  British  troops  that  lay 


which  resulted  in  lhe:r  separation.  The  castle  still  remains,  a 
thing  of  beauty,  especially  in  summer,  when  its  gray  stone 
walls  and  battlements  are  thrown  into  strong  relief  by  the  mass 
of  green  foliage  about  it,  affording  a  picturesque  home  for  the 
Reverend  Chaplain,  and  accommodation  for  the  ecclesiastical 
visitors  who  tarry  over  night  at  the  "Mount"  as  the  Sisters'  home 
is  familiarly  called.  On  a  sort  of  natural  terrace,  above  and  to 
the  north  of  this  castle,  a  great  building  of  red  brick,  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  length  and  sixty  feet  in  depth,  was  erected  for  the 
housing  of  both  community  and  academy;  and  in  1859  (fifty 
years  after  Mother  Seton  began  her  foundation  at  Emmitsburg) 
the  New  York  Sisters  removed  thither.  The  school  grew  so 
rapidly  that  in  1865  a  large  wing,  projecting  eastward  one  hun- 
dred feet  beyond  the  main  building,  was  added  on  the  south.  In 
1884  a  corresponding  wing  was  added  on  the  north  to  give  room 
[Vide,  "Elizabeth  Seton,"  Agnes  Sadlier]  for  the  overflowing 
novitiate,  and  the  training  school,  wher?  the  young  daughters 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


131 


of  St.  Vincent,  at  this  writing,  one  himdred  in  number,  are  being 
carefully  prepared  for  what  Archbishop  Carroll  prophesied  would 
be  their  chief  work  in  this  country — the  imparting  of  a  Christian 
education  to  the  young.  The  entire  building,  now  four  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  feet  in  length,  is  of  the  Byzantine  style  of  archi- 
tecture, and  is  surmounted  by  a  central  tower  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  in  height,  fruui  which  thrice  a  day  for  half  a  century 
a  sweet-toned  bell  has  sent  far  and  near  through  the  stillness 
the  sound  of  the  Angelus.  Midway  between  these  wings  and 
parallel  with  them,  the  exquisite  beautiful  Romanesque  chapel 
projects  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  from  the  main  building." 


Ch.^pcl,  Mount  St.  Vincent 

The  equipment  of  the  interior  of  the  academy  is  little  short  of 
ideal.  Atrium,  parlors,  corridors,  airy  sleeping  apartments,  well 
appointed  baths,  gynu'.asium,  recreation,  dining,  music  and  lec- 
ture halls,  class  rooms,  library,  studio,  chapel ;  all  are  planned, 
not  only  with  a  view  to  health  and  comfort,  but  as  an  object 
lesson  in  the  aesthetics  of  simplicity.  Besides  junior  and  gram- 
mar departments  and  those  of  art  and  music,  there  are  well 
planned  academic  courses  in  English,  science  and  language,  in 
accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  Educational  Board  of 
New  York  State.  At  present  the  freshman  course  of  college 
work  is  also  given  and  more  advanced  classes  are  in  contempla- 
tion. The  Sisters  of  Charity  were  incorporated  as  a  teaching 
body  in  1849,  and  later  on   Mount  St.  Vincent   received  its  char- 


ter from  the  Legislature.  The  end  aimed  at  in  the  training  of  the 
student  is  that  of  all  true  education,  a  triple  one,  the  develop- 
ment of  body,  mind  and  heart,  above  all  the  formation  of  char- 
acter. The  young  girls'  teachers,  the  guides  of  her  daily  life, 
endeavor  to  persuade  her  that  to  be  noble,  true  and  good,  is  better 
than  to  have  all  possible  material  possessions.  In  fine,  the  eflfort 
is  made  to  combine  wisely  for  her  benefit,  modern  educational 
methods  with  those  traditional  principles  that  are  a  precious 
heritage  of  the  ages.  To  this  end,  when  it  becomes  necessary,  the 
pupil  is  reminded  that  her  enthusiasm  for  study  must  not  lead 
her  to  neglect  the  social  graces,  that  self  reliance,  although 
a  most  desirable  quality,  should  not  be  permitted  to  degenerate 
into  an  exaggerated  individualism,  that  a  so-called  career  is 
sometimes  purchased  at  too  dear  a  price ;  namely,  the  sacrifice  of 
those  beautiful  qualities  that  shed  a  lustre  on  the  lives  of  so 
many  daughters,  wives  and  mothers  of  the  olden  time;  and 
finally,  that  according  to  its  mood,  the  world  may  smile  at,  en- 
courage or  applaud  the  strenuous  woman,  but  that  it  will  ever 
continue  to  worship  the  gentillissima. 

A  SHORT  SKETCH  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  URSU- 
LINES  AND  OF  THEIR  ACADEMY  AT 
BEDFORD  PARK. 
Early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  .Angela  Merici,  an  Italian 
maiden,  assisted  by  several  zealous  companions  of  high  rank 
in  the  society  of  their  day,  established  an  institute  for  the  edu- 
cation of  female  youth.  Angela  placed  her  order  under  the  pro- 
tection of  St.  Ursula,  the  famed  princess-saint  of  Britain;  hence 
llif  name  of  "Ursuline,"  which  represents  nearly  four  centuries 
of  heroic  labor  in  the  field  of  Christian  education.  The  first 
Ursuline  Convent  in  America  was  that  founded  in  1639,  at 
Quebec,  by  Mother  Mary,  of  the  Incarnation.  Other  Ursuline 
communities  settled  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  the 
number  at  present  exceeding  forty,  each  counting  several  branches 
in  its  organization.  The  Ursulines  now  at  Bedford  Park  came 
from  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1855.  They  purchased  a  tract  of  about 
nine  acres  at  East  Morrisania,  and  built  there  a  convent  and 
academy.  In  the  course  of  time  the  location  became  unfavorable 
to  their  work  and  their  present  charming  site  at  Bedford  Park 
was  secured.  The  imposing  building  known  as  Mount  St. 
Ursula  Academy  was  erected  and  the  Sisters  and  their  pupils 
took  possession  on  April  23,  1892.  The  course  of  study  at  the 
academy  includes  eight  years  of  elementary  study,  followed  by 
four  full  academic  years,  with  advantages  for  higher  study  at 
option.  The  old  convent  having  been  purchased  by  a  Jewish 
syndicate,  was  remodeled  and  converted  into  what  is  now  called 
ll-e  Lebanon  Hospital. 

MANHATTAN  COLLEGE,  NEW  YORK.— 'ITiis  famous 
institution  of  learning,  conducted  by  the  Christian  Brothers,  had 
a  modest  beginning  back  in  the  forties.  Down  in  Canal  Street, 
close  to  the  Church  of  St.  Vincent,  it  held  its  first  session  in 
September,  1849.  Even  in  that  remote  period  Canal  Street  was 
a  busy  thoroughfare;  and,  though  differing  in  some  respects 
from  the  Canal  Street  of  to-day,  there  was  a  close  resemblance 
in  its  long  lines  of  laden  vehicles  and  its  hurrying  throngs  of 
business  people.  The  noise,  the  traffic,  the  congested  character 
of  the  locality  were  borne  with  for  a  time,  but  at  last  those 
who  were  entrusted  with  the  welfare  of  the  school  were  com- 
pelled to  look  out  for  a  site  better  adapted  to  the  scholastic  wants 
of  the  new  institution.  The  desirable  site  was  found  far  away 
from  the  bustle  and  throbbing  excitement  of  the  great  city  on 
the    breezy    and    woody    heights    of    Manhattanville.     Now,    sur- 


Ursulinc  Academy,  Bedford  Park 


Mfinhattan  College*  New  Yorfe 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


133 


rounded  by  oaks  and  elms  and  looking  out  unimpeded  on  the 
waters  of  the  Hudson,  the  new  school  opened  its  portals  in 
September,  1853,  under  the  title  of  the  Academy  of  the  Holy 
Infancy.  The  first  ten  years  were  a  period  of  pedagogical  ac- 
tivity crowned  by  a  steady  and  gratifying  prosperity.  The  insti- 
tution had  by  this  time  a  fine  local  habitation  and  a  name  honor- 
ably known  in  educational  circles.  Its  growth  was  organic  and 
its  development  so  rapid  that  in  1863  the  Regents  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  State  of  New  York  granted  it  a  charter  under 
the  corporate  title  of  Manhattan  College  in  the  City  of  New 
York.  Among  the  warm  supporters  of  its  early  collegiate  years 
we  find  the  names  of  L.  Silliman  Ives,  Henry  L.  Hoguet,  John 
E.  Dcvelin  and  Edward  C.  Donnelly.  Whilst  among  those  who 
were  called  to  shape  its  destinies  were  such  educators  as  Brother 
Patrick,  Brother  Paulian  and  Brother  Tustin.  The  applied 
sciences  received  academical  recognition  in  1888,  when  a  de- 
partment of  civil  engineering  was  opened  in  De  Le  Salle  Insti- 
tute, Central  Park  South,  with  the  eminent  scholar  and  engineer, 
Brother  C.  Paulian  as  principal.  To  the  usual  degrees  in  arts 
were  now  added  similar  honors  in  civil  engineering,  and  from 
that  day  to  the  present,  Manhattan  has  been  graduating  able 
and  successful  engineers  as  she  had  always  been  graduating  men 
distinguished  in  the  other  professions.  The  continual  advance 
of  the  city  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  island  robbed  Manhat- 
tan at  last  of  its  leafy  surroundings  and  academic  seclusion. 
The  grand  old  mansions  of  the  Develins  and  Donnellys  that 
stood  as  landmarks   in   Harlem   have  been   razed  and   the  very 


knolls  in  which  they  stood  have  been  leveled  in  order  to  make 
room  for  the  ubiquitous  apartment  houses;  while  the  grinding 
and  pounding,  the  rumble  and  clatter  of  the  elevated  part  of  the 
"Subway"  hard  by,  grate  on  the  ear  all  day  long  and  even  far 
into  the  hours  of  the  night.  The  spot  which  was  an  eligible 
and  magnificent  site  in  1853  became  unsuitable  and  wholly  inade- 
quate fifty  years  later,  in  1903.  Accordingly,  a  new  location  was 
looked  for  and  ultimately  found  at  Van  Cortlandt  Park  West. 
There  it  is  proposed  to  erect  the  new  Manhattan  on  an  elevated 
plateau  that  commands  a  full  sweep  of  the  horizon,  looking  down 
on  the  lakes  and  golf  links  of  the  park  on  the  one  side  and  on 
the  Hudson  and  the  Palisades  on  the  other.  This  move  brings 
the  college  away  from  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  into  the  Bor- 
ough of  the  Bronx.  Plans  for  the  buildings  are  in  course  of 
preparation  (Sept.,  1905)  and  it  is  confidently  expected  that 
work  will  be  begin  early  next  spring  to  be  vigorously  pushed 
on  to  completion.  Besides  recitation  rooms,  library  and  reading 
rooms  for  the  arts  department,  there  will  be  in  addition  to  the 
equipments  for  civil  engineering,  laboratories  for  mechanical  and 
electrical  engineering,  as  well  as  complete  steam  and  electric 
plants.  Adequate  provision  will  also  be  made  for  the  many 
wants  of  the  business  department,  so  that  with  its  advent  to  its 
new  home  in  the  Bronx,  Manhattan  College  will  begin  a  new 
chapter  in  its  history,  as  well  as  a  new  era  in  the  grand  educa- 
tional work  which  it  has  been  doing  in  the  Empire  City  for  the 
last  half  a  century. 


E 
o 
X 


o 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 


MUNICIPAL,  MEDICAL,  CHARITABLE  AND  BENEVOLENT  INSTITUTIONS  AND  SOCIETIES  IN 

THE  BOROUGH  OF  THE  BRONX 


By  Dr.  Gustave  H.  E.  Starke,  Member  New  York  County  and  State  Medical  Associations,  American  Medical 
Association,  and  the  Medical  Society  ot  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx 


In  1890  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  contained  about  forty 
practicing  physicians  within  its  area  to  a  population  of  210,000. 
In  igos  the  directory  pubhshed  by  the  J\ew  iork  Stale  Medical 
Association  contains  the  names  and  addresses  of  two  hundred 
and  seventeen  by  actual  count,  and  adding  tliose  that  have 
settled  in  the  Bronx  since  us  last  publication,  undoubtedly 
brings  that  number  now  close  up  to  three  hundred,  to  a  popu- 
lation estimated  by  the  Board  of  health  to  July  1,  1905,  of 
294,939,  which  figures  are,  however,  more  apt  to  be  below,  than 
above,  the  actual  number.  At  the  date  first  above  written  there 
uas  not  a  single  bed  nor  a  hospital  in  the  borough  for  accident 
or  emergency  cases,  all  such  cases  having  to  be  sent  to,  or  called 
for,  from  the  Harlem  Reception  1-lospital,  located  in  East  120th 
Street.  Now  we  have  three  hospitals  for  such  cases,  with  650 
beds,  and  two  more  nearing  completion,  increasing  the  capacity 
10  1,100  beds  when  finished.  In  addition  there  are  three  hospi- 
tals for  chronic  invalids  and  one  for  contagious  diseases,  which 
have  been  established  for  some  years,  bringing  the  entire  num- 
ber of  beds  for  all  cases  up  to  2,330  for  the  entire  borough. 

Medical  societies  for  the  discussion  of  scientific  subjects 
and  friendly  intercourse  among  physicians  there  were  none 
(iiior  to  1893,  excepting  the  Yonkers  Medical  Society,  which 
held  monthly  meetings  in  the  houses  of  the  various  members, 
giving  one  an  opportunity  to  drive  to  Yonkers,  through  dark 
and  muddy  country  roads,  to  return  home  in  the  "wee  sma" 
lifurs  of  the  morning.  Now  we  have  a  representative  Medical 
Society  of  over  one  hundred  members,  which  holds  meetings 
once  a  month  and  is  within  easy  reach  of  everybody. 

The  number  of  drug  stores  within  the  Bronx  Borough  in 
i8go  could  be  counted  upon  the  fingers  of  both  hands,  now  there 
is  one  to  about  every  four  physicians. 

The  Health  Department  previous  to  1896,  was  represented 
by  two  physicians  to  investigate  and  report  upon  every  case  of 
contagious  disease  reported  to  the  department  within  the  bor- 
ough. For  this  purpose  it  was  divided  into  two  districts,  the 
eastern  extending  from  the  Harlem  River  on  the  south  to  the 
city  line  at  Woodlawn  on  the  north,  and  east  from  Jerome 
avenue  to  Long  Island  Sound.  The  last  representative  for  this 
district  before  the  Health  Department  staff  was  increased  was 
Dr.  Wm.  J.  O'Byrne,  who  also  acted  as  special  diagnostician  for 
this  territory,  but  including  on  the  south  down  to  90th  Street. 
On  the  west  side  extending  west  of  Jerome  Avenue  to  the 
city  limits.  Dr.  Parsons,  of  Kingsbridge,  performed  similar 
services.  For  their  arduous  labors  these  gentlemen  were  paid 
$1,500  each  per  annum.  To-day  our  Health  Department  for  the 
Bronx   consists   of   one    Assistant    Sanitary   Superintendent   at  a 


salary  of  $3,500  per  annum,  one  Assistant  Registrar  of  Vital  Sta- 
tistics at  $3,000  per  annum,  four  Sanitary,  seven  Medical  and 
two  Food  inspectors,  one  Veterniarian,  one  Laboratory  Assist- 
ant, six  Disinfectors  and  seven  School  Inspectors,  besides  clerka 
and  other  help,  making  the  entire  number  of  employees  about 
forty,  at  a  yearly  salary  list  aggregating  about  $47,000,  exclu- 
sive of  free  diphtheria  antitoxin,  free  vaccinations  for  the  poor 
and  during  small  pox  epidemics,  the  summer  corps  of  phy- 
sicians to  visit  the  tenements  during  hot  weather  and  treat  the 
poor  gratis ;  about  twenty  board  of  health  stations  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  anti-oxin  and  the  collection  of  diphtheria,  typhoid 
and  malarial  cultures,  or  the  sputum  of  tubercular  patients,  for 
diagnostic  purposes,  rent  or  any  other  running  expenses.  So 
that  the  salary  list  does  not  by  any  means  cover  all  the  city 
spends  in  looking  after  the  health  of  its  inhabitants.  The  local 
branch  of  the  department  is  now  located  at  1237  Franklin  Ave- 
nue, and  was  opened  early  in  the  year  1898. 

The  health  of  the  Bronx  compares  as  favorably  as  any 
other  borough  composing  the  City  of  New  York.  The  statistics 
of  the  Board  of  Health,  though,  show  a  larger  mortality  rate 
for  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  than  others  which  is  easily  ac- 
counted for  by  the  number  of  institutions  for  chronic  invalids, 
which  alone  comprise  880  beds,  where  they  are  gathered  from 
all  over  the  city  and  come  here  to  die.  It  has  been  calculated 
that  27  per  cent,  of  the  deaths  taking  place  in  the  Bronx  should 
be  distributed  over  the  city  at  large  to  place  the  local  death  rate 
of  its  residents  at  its  true  level. 

The  death  rate  of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx  follows  below, 
from  the  records  since  the  establishment  of  the  Branch  Depart- 
ment of  the  Board  of  Health  in  the  Bronx  since  1898: 

Year.  Manhattan.  Bronx 

1898  19.16  per  1,000  21.22  per  1,000 

1899  18.54  22.81 

1900  20.q8  21.58 

■1901  20.58  2J.56 

1902     19.40  20.21 

1903     19-312  16.76 

1904     21.82  21.75 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  year  1903  had  an  excep- 
tionally low  mortality  rate  for  the  Bronx  in  spite  of  its  handi- 
cap and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  la  grippe,  pneumonia  and 
other  epidemic  diseases  raged  just  as  much  as  in  other  years. 
It  may  probably  be  partly  accounted  for  by  a  cool  summer, 
which  greatly  decreased  infant  mortality,  systematic  school  in- 
spection for  the  prevention  of  contagious  diseases  among  school 


■J  ,    ; 


St.    Joseph's  Hospital,  East  143d  and  t44th  Streets  and  Brook  and  St.  Ann's  Avenues 


Colored  Orphan  Asylum,  RJverdale  Avenue 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


137 


children,  and  a  generally  improved  sanitary  condition  as  re- 
gards street  cleaning,,  the  disposal  of  refuse,  tenement  house  in- 
spection and  the  more  scattered  areas  of  new  buildings  giving 
each  its  share  of  fresh  air  and  sunshine  and  the  absence  of  over- 
crowding, such  as  exists  on  the  lower  East  Side,  which  is  as 
yet  a  stranger  to  this  district. 

The  large  increase  in  t]ie  death  rate  for  tlie  year  1904  is 
caused  by  the  Slocum  disaster,  which  happened  in  this  borough, 
and  as  the  deaths  occurred  here  they  were  charged  against  this 
borough,  though  the  majority  lived  in  Manhattan. 

The  first  hospital  to  be  established  by  the  city  and  open  to 
the  general  public  for  accident  and  emergency  cases  in  the 
Bronx  was  the  Fordham  Hospital,  in  1892,  then  on  Valentine 
Avenue,  near  Kingsbridge  Road,  as  a  branch  of  Bellevue  Hospi- 
tal and  containing  twenty-five  beds.  In  i8g8  an  increased  popu- 
lation made  such  demands  upon  its  capacity  that  removal  to 
more  commodious  quarters  at  Aqueduct  Avenue  and  St.  James 
Place  became  necessary,  where  twenty  more  beds  were  added. 
The  latter  place  has  since  outgrown  its  usefulness  and  new 
quarters  are  being  erected  by  the  city  on  Southern  Boulevard  and 
Crotona  Avenue,  at  a  cost  of  half  a  million  dollars,  with  room 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  beds,  suitable  quarters  for  doctors, 
nurses,  etc.,  in  auxiliary  buildings,  giving  the  Bronx  a  thoroughly 


cases  for  all  creeds,  color  or  nationality.  An  ambulance  service 
was  added  in  1901  to  cover  the  territory  from  I4gth  to  170th 
Streets.  In  1904  owing  to  the  larger  demands  made  upon  it. 
its  capacity  was  gradually  increased  to  two  hundred  beds.  It 
is  another  example  of  the  splendid  philanthropy  of  our  Jewish 
population  in  looking  after  the  sick  and  helpless,  being  sup- 
ported principally  by  \aluntary  subscriptions  and  donations.  It 
is  open  to  free  and  pay  patients  alike,  and  also  has  a  free  dis- 
pensary connected  with  it. 

Riverside  Hospital  at  North  Brother  Island  was  opened  in 
1885  in  charge  of  the  Board  of  Health  exclusively  for  con- 
tagious diseases,  which  cannot  be  safely  isolated  at  home,  or 
which  are  received  from  the  Quarantine  Department  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  It  is  arranged  on  the  pavilion  plan,  of 
which  there  are  ten,  with  accommodations  for  350  patients.  At 
the  present  time  it  is  used  for  cases  of  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria, 
measles  and  tuberculosis,  but  during  the  smallpox  epidemic  of 
1900  to  1902  it  was  used  for  the  isolation  of  patients  suffering 
with   that   disease  only. 

Another  hospital  now  being  constructed  is  the  new  St. 
Fraiicis,  taking  in  the  entire  block  from  I42d  to  143d  Streets 
and  Brook  and  St.  Ann's  Avenues,  with  its  main  and  auxiliary 
buildings.     The    buildings    are    fireproof    and    dignified    in    ap- 


Lincoln  Hospital,    14 1st  Street  and  Concord  Avenue 


up-to-date  and  modern  establishment  for  all  requirements.  The 
ttrritory  covered  by  their  ambulance  extends  from  170th  Street 
east  to  City  Island  and  the  city  limits  on  the  north  and  west. 

Though  the  Lincoln  Hospital  and  Home  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  formerly  the  Colored  Home  and  Hospital,  located  at  East 
i-Ust  Street  and  Concord  Avenue,  west  of  the  Southern  Boule- 
vard, was  incorporated  in  1845,  it  was  restricted  for  colored 
people  until  1901,  when  it  was  opened  to  the  general  public  and 
an  ambulance  service  added  in  1902,  to  cover  the  territory 
south  of  149th  Street  to  the  Harlem  River,  east  and  west.  It 
maintains  a  general  hospital  for  the  medical  and  surgical  treat- 
ment of  pay  and  free  patients,  without  distinction  of  race,  creed 
or  color,  having  separate  buildings  for  consumptive  and  ma- 
ternity patients,  and  a  detached  pavilion  for  infectious  diseases, 
h  provides  a  home  for  the  support  and  comfort  of  aged,  infirm 
and  destitute  colored  persons  of  both  sexes ;  a  home  for  in- 
curables, and  a  training  school  for  colored  nurses  was  estab- 
lished in  1898.  The  buildings  have  a  capacity  of  four  hundred 
beds.  It  is  supported  by  voluntary  subscriptions,  donations, 
bequests,  endowed  beds  and  municipal  grants. 

Lebanon  Hospital  at  Westchester  and  Cauldwell  Avenues, 
formerly  the  Ursuline  Convent,  was  opened  to  the  public  on 
Washington's  Birthday  in   1893,  with  twenty-five  beds,  for  acute 


pearance.  The  work  is  piogressing  rapidly,  and  there  is  offered 
the  assurance  that  the  buildings  will  be  ready  for  occupancy  in 
the  early  part  of  1905.  The  cost  involved  is  considerable  for  a 
charitable  hospital,  most  of  it  being  defrayed  by  the  voluntary 
contriVutions  of  the  poor.  It  is  to  take  the  place  of  the  old 
Fifth  Street  Hospital  and  is  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  St. 
Francis  of  the  Poor,  by  whom  the  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  adjoin- 
ing is  also  run.  The  new  hospital  will  accommodate  about  350 
patients. 

St.  Joseph's  Hospital  for  Consumptives  in  East  143d  to 
I  14th  Streets  from  Brook  to  St.  Ann's  Avenues,  was  established 
in  1882  and  is  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Poor  of  St.  Francis. 
It  has  a  capacity  of  four  hundred  beds,  exclusively  for  those 
afflicted  with  tuberculosis,  and  is  supported  by  voluntary  sub- 
scriptions and  donations  entirely.  It  fills  a  long  felt  want  in  .so 
far  that  very  few  hospitals  care  to  receive  this  class  of  patients, 
and  here  they  are  taken  in  and  cared  for  from  all  over  the  city — 
a  most  noble  and  charitable  work  for  which  the  Sisters  deserve 
much  credit.  Though  a  Roman  Catholic  institution  it  is  open 
to  all  creeds  and  nationalities,  and  also  has  a  ward  devoted  to  the 
care  of  babies  and  children. 

Seton  Hospital  at  Spuyten  Duyvil  was  incorporated  in  1892 
and  opened  in  1895  for  consumptives  only,  by  Sister  Mary  Irene 


m 


HlSYORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  under  whose  management  it  is  run. 
It  has  an  annex  for  women  and  children  and  accommodates  200. 
li  has  a  most  beautiful  location,  overlooking  the  Hudson  and 
Harlem  Rivers  amid  invigorating  surroundings. 

The  Home  for  Incurables  on  Third  Avenue,  between  iSist 
and  184th  Streets,  occupying  some  ten  acres  of  ground,  is,  as 
its  name  implies,  for  patients  of  both  sexes  suffering  from  in- 
curable diseases  other  than  contagious  or  infectious,  ami  nm  in- 
sane. It  was  incorporated  in  1866  and  opened  the  same  year. 
It  has  accommodations  for  280  patients,  and  with  additions  in 
buildings  now  under  way  will  be  able  to  house  over  300,  of  which 
the  free  and  endowed  beds  number  about  one-third.  It  has  its 
own  chapel,  sunlight  parlors,  library,  smoking  and  billiard  room 
for  men,  a  separate  building  for  its  medical  superintendent  and 
pleasant  grounds  for  outdoor  recreation. 

Other   benevolent    and   charitable    institutions   in    the    Bronx 


tion  or  reformation;  those  between  7  and  16  years  of  age  coni- 
mitted  as  idle,  truant,  vicious  or  homeless  by  order  of  a  police 
magistrate ;  and  those  of  a  lilce  age  transferred  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Charities.  The  boys  receive  a  general  school 
education  and  are  taught  trades,  among  which  the  following  may 
be  mentioned:  Printing,  electrotyping,  bookbinding,  shoe, 
brush,  harness  and  paper  box  making,  tailoring,  chair  caning, 
bricklaying,  plumbing,  telegraphy,  photography,  music,  baking, 
farming,  gardening,  blacksmithing,  wheehvrighting,  carpenter- 
ing, electric  lighting,  painting  and  drawing.  The  girls  also  re- 
ceive a  school  education  and  are  taught  hand  and  machine  sew- 
ing, embroidery,  typewriting  and  telegraphy,  cooking,  laundry 
work  and  music.  The  work  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Brothers  of 
the  Christian  Schools,  who  act  as  teachers  and  instructors,  and 
perform  the  various  other  duties  connected  with  the  institution. 
Webb's  Academy  and   Home  for   Shipbuilders   is  located  at 


Scton  Hospital, 

are  the  American  Female  Guardian  Society  and  Home  for 
Friendless  Girls;  occupying  the  beautiful  site  opposite  McComb's 
Dam  Park,  overlooking  the  Harlem  River  and  the  upper  section 
of  Harlem,  on  Woodycrest  Avenue  and  i6ist  Street,  opened  in 
1902.  This  society  aims  to  save  from  degradation  friendless 
and  neglected  children.  These  children,  after  being  legally 
surrendered  to  the  Society,  are  transferred  by  adoption  to  Chris- 
tian families  after  careful  investigation.  Sewing,  cooking  and 
other  industries  are  taught  them  while  inmates  of  the  Home. 
Their  building  impresses  one  with  its  solidity  and  is  thoroughly 
modern  in  every  respect. 

The  New  York  Catholic  Protectory  at  Westchester,  founded 
in  1863,  but  not  built  until  1865  at  its  present  location,  is  one  of 
the  largest  institutions  in  the  Bronx,  and  quite  a  city  in  itself. 
The  grounds  have  an  area  of  115  acres,  and  the  various  build- 
ings afford  accommodations  for  2,500  children.  It  takes  care  of 
three  classes:  those  under  14  years  of  age  intrusted  for  protec- 


at  Spuytcn  Duyvil 

I'ordliam  Heights  at  an  elevation  of  150  feet  overlooking  the 
Harlem  River  and  the  surrounding  country.  It  was  founded 
ly  Mr.  Wm.  Henry  Webb,  a  wealthy  shipbuilder,  whose  name 
it  bears,  and  by  whom  it  was  endowed  for  the  purpose  of  afford- 
ing free  relief  and  support  to  the  aged,  indigent,  or  unfortunate 
men  who  have  been  engaged  in  building  hulls  of  vessels,  or 
marine  engines,  together  with  the  wives  or  widows  of  such ; 
also  to  furnish  to  any  young  man,  a  native  or  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  who  may  upon  examination  prove  himself  com- 
petent and  of  good  character,  a  gratuitous  education  in  the  art. 
science  and  profession  of  shipbuilding  and  marine  engine  build- 
ing, both  theoretical  and  practical,  together  with  board,  lodging 
and  necessary  implements  and  materials  while  obtaining  such 
education.  The  erection  of  the  building  was  commenced  in 
1891,  and  the  entire  property,  with  the  building  fully  completed 
and  furnished,  involving  a  cost  of  nearly  half  a  million  dol- 
lars,   was   formally   presented   by    Mr.    Webb   to   the   trustees   on 


HISTORY  OF  BRONXIBOROUGH 


J3^ 


May  5,  1894,  together  with  an  endowment  of  vahiable  property 
deeded  to  tlie  institution  for  its  maintenance  in  perpetuity.  The 
building  and  grounds  occupy  about  fourteen  acres ;  its  guests 
arc  some  80,  and  boys  learning  the  trade  about  40.  The  fact 
tliat  the  demand  for  graduates  from  Webb's  Academy  is  far 
iu  excess  of  the  supply,  shows  the  reputation  which  the  institu- 
tion has  already  acquired,  and  vindicates  the  judgment  of  the 
founder. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum,  adjoining  Webb's' 
Home  and  Ship-building  Academy  on  the  north,  and  occupying 
about  thirty  acres  of  ground,  was  formally  opened  in  April,  1902, 
having  previously  been  located  in  Manhattan.  It  takes  care  of 
orphans  ranging  in  age  from  three  to  ten  years,  of  which  they 
have  about  750  in  their  charge,  and  furnishes  them  with  a  school 
education  under  the  supervision  of  the  Board  of  Education. 
They  have  two  large  buildings,  350x150,  with  wings,  and  their 
location  is  unsurpassed,  being  on  an  eminence  and  overlooking 
both  the  Harlem  and  Hudson  Rivers,  as  well  as  Highbridg? 
Park,  the  Speedway  and  the  northern  section  of  Manhattan. 
Some  of  our  most  promiiient  and  eminent  men  are  among  its 
officers  and  managers. 


overlapping  of  relief.  It  has  a  mercantile  agency  for  informa- 
tion concerning  the  charitable  enterprises  of  the  city,  both  genu- 
ine and  fraudulent,  and  also  concerning  applicants  for  charitabl; 
relief.  Every  department  of  its  work  is  completeljy  severed  from 
all  questions  of  religious  belief,  politics  or  nationality,  and  no 
person,  representing  the  society  in  any  capacity,  is  allowed  to 
use  the  position  for  the  purpose  of  proselytisin.  This  society 
obtains  relief  for  those  who  are  found  to  be  in  need,  and  covers 
the  entire  boroughs  of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx  with  its  dis- 
trict conmiittees. 

The  Peabody  Home  for  Aged  and  Indigent  Women  at  2064 
Boston  Road,  corner  I7gth  Street,  was  founded  and  incorpo- 
rated in  1874  for  the  purpose  its  name  implies,  being  a  free  and 
non-sectarian  home  supported  by  voluntary  subscriptions,  and 
cares  for  white  women  over  65  years  of  age  who  are  residents  of 
the  City  of  New  York.  In  igoi  a  new  building  was  put  up  in 
modern  style  for  its  inmates,  of  whom  there  are  about  35,  with 
sun  parlor,  chapel  and  other  conveniences.  It  is  supported 
entirely  by  voluntary  subscriptions. 

The  Philantliropin  Hospital  on  Olin  Avenue,  Williamsbridge, 
is  another  monument  to  the  munificence  of  the  kind  hearted  and 


Lebanon  Hospit.il,  Westchester  Avenue 


The  Hebrew  Infant  Asylum,  located  on  Eagle  Avenue,  near 
163d  Street,  was  opened  in  1895,  with  accommodations  for  150 
children,  and  has  already  outgrown  its  usefulness,  since  it  cannot 
receive  all  that  make  application  for  admittance.  Negotiations 
have  been  entered  into  by  its  managers  for  the  acquisition  of  a 
large  piece  of  property  at  194th  Street  and  Aqueduct  Avenue, 
for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  new  asylum  to  accommodate 
400  inmates.  The  ages  of  the  children  range  from  one  month  to 
six  years  and  they  are  a  lively  and  healthy  lot  of  youngsters. 
The  asylum  was  originally  conceived  and  started  by  Mrs. 
Esther  Wallenstein,  now  deceased,  and  occupies  an  ol<l  land- 
mark, the  old  De  Graaf  mansion. 

The  Charity  Organization  Society  also  maintains  a  branch 
in  the  Bronx,  taking  in  the  territory  of  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-fourth  Wards,  west  of  the  Bronx  River,  with  offices 
at  489  Courtlandt  Avenue.  This  society  is  a  clearing  house  of 
registration,  information  and  associated  action  among  all  the 
charities  of  the  city.  It  is  an  exchange  or  centre  of  intercom- 
munication between  the  churches  and  charitable  agencies,  thus 
fostering  harmonious  co-operation  and  checking  the  evils  of  the 


liberal  citizenship  of  New  York  City,  who  saw  the  necessity  for 
an  institution  in  a  rapidly  developing  section  which  was  in  urgent 
need  of  ready  means  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  the  poor  in  a 
section  that  was  without  means  of  proper  relief. 

The  Yerkes  Hospital  will  be  another  of  the  striking  illustra- 
tions of  the  development  of  the  Bronx.  By  the  will  of  the  late 
traction  magnate,  Charles  T.  Yerkes,  the  pet  project  of  himself 
and  wife  will  find  its  realization  in  the  erection  of  the  most  costly 
and  elaborately  appointed  hospital,  endowed  with  a  sum  that  will 
place  it  beyond  all  fears  as  to  its  maintenance.  The , possibilities 
and  needs  of  this  fast  growing  territory  attracted  the  attention 
of  its  donors,  and  they  have  thus  erected  a  monument  that  will 
keep  them  in  remembrance  long  after  their  ashes  shall  have 
mingled   with   Mother   Earth   beyond  all   recognition. 

Another  philanthropic  act  by  which  the  Bronx  has  benefited 
is  the  gift  of  H.  H.  Rogers,  another  multi-millionaire,  who  has 
decided  to  erect  a  haven  for  the  less  fortunate  of  God's  creatures, 
where  the  pangs  of  suffering  will  be  minimized  and  relief  extended 
without  stint.  It  is  said  that  in  the  pursuit  of  worldly  wealth  the 
better  instincts  of  man  become  blunted  to  the  pain  and  anguish 


J40 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


of  the  poorer  classes.  J'liis  has  been  repudiated  by  the  brilliant 
acts  of  some  of  the  richest  men  and  woinen,  who,  of  their  abund- 
ance have  wisely  placed  their  wealth  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of 
the  less  favored  at  the  time  when  relief  is  most  needed. 

The  sweet  spirit  exhibited  by  Miss  Helen  Gould,  who  without 
ostentation  generously  uses  her  wealth  in  making  life's  journey 
less  burdensome,  flatly  gives  denial  to  the  universal  saying  that 
the  rich  are  devoid  of  feeling  for  those  who  in  the  battle  of  life 
have  failed  to   reach  the   upper  plane. 

The  Nazareth  Branch  of  Seton  Hospital  is  devoted  to  chil- 
dren, and  is  quite  an  important  adjunct  of  this  beneficence. 

At  Palisade  Avenue  and  261st  Street,  a  notable  addition  to  the 
charities  of  the  Bronx  has  been  recently  added,  viz.,  the  Colored 
Orphans'  home.  The  engraving  gives  a  good  representation  of 
this  addition  to  the  Bronx's  notable  buildings,  the  expenditure 
for  the  construction  of  the  same  being  about  $300,000.  This 
charity  was  formerly  located  in  Manhattan,  but  the  tide  of  popu- 
lation has  forced  this  and  kindred  public  institutions  up  into  the 
Bronx,  where  the  surroundings  are  calculated  to  make  it  the 
nucleus  of  other  like  benevolent  objects. 

MEDICAL  SOCIETIES. 
Prior  to  1893  there  was  no  medical  society  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Bronx  Borough,  excepting  as  previously  stated.  With 
the  gradual  increase  of  population  and  the  advent  of  more  phy- 
sicians the  organization  of  a  medical  society  for  the  discussion 
of  scientific  subjects  and  the  reports  of  rare  and  interesting 
cases  became  necessary,  and  in  the  year  above  written  Dr.  Frank- 
lin D.  Skeel  called  some  five  or  six  of  his  colleagues  to  his 
house  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  medical  society,  from  which 


the  Doctors'  Club  originated.  At  first  the  meetings,  which  were 
held  once  a  month,  were  held  at  the  various  members'  houses, 
imtil  there  were  too  many  to  be  accommodated,  after  which 
various  halls  were  rented  for  the  meetings.  In  1900  it  was 
thought  advisable  to  change  its  name  to  "The  Medical  Society 
of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,"  and  it  was  duly  incorporated  with 
31  charter  members.  Its  meetings  are  held  every  second  Wed- 
nesday of  the  month  at  the  Metropolis  Theatre  Building,  and  its 
membership  has  increased  to  over  100  members,  and  it  is  the 
representative  medical  body  of  the  borough.  Its  officers  for  the 
year  1904  are  as  follows : 

President — Dr.  Gustave  H.  E.  Starke. 
First   Vice-President — Dr.    Henry   Roth. 
Second  Vice-President — Dr.  Wm.  A.  Boyd, 
Secretary — Dr.  Albert  C.  Geyser. 
Fin.incial  Secretary — Dr.  I.  M.  Heller. 
Treasurer — Dr.  E.  A.  Wilkens. 

Board  of  Trustees — Dr.  Wm.  J.  O'Byrne,  Dr.  E.  Broquet, 
Dr.  C.  G.  Kirchhof,  Dr.  G.  H.  E.  Starke,  Dr.  W.  G.  Eynon. 

The  Bronx  Medical  Association  was  organized  in  December, 
1905,  with  fifty-one  charter  members,  including  the  prominent 
physicians   of   the  Bronx.     The   officers  of  the  Association  are : 

President — Dr.  A.   F.  Brugman. 
First   Vice-President— Dr.    W.    J.    O'Byrne. 
Second  Vice-President — Dr.   S.  D.   Close. 
Recording  Secretary — Dr.  F.  L.  Donlon. 
Corresponding   Secretary — Dr.   J.   J.    Smith. 
Financial   Secretary — Dr.   W.   A.   Boyd. 
Treasurer— Dr.   E.   A.  Wilkins. 


Nazareth  Branch  of  Seton  Hospital,  Spuylen  Duyvil 


GUSTAVE   H.    E.    STARKE,    M.D, 


142 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Some  of  the  Leading  Medical  Men  of  the  Bronx 


GUSTAVE  H.  E.  STARKE.  M.D.,  was  born  in  Berlin, 
Germany,  in  1859,  and  came  to  this  country  shortly  after  the 
signing  of  the  peace  protocol  of  the  Franco-German  war  in 
1870,  but  returned  again  to  his  native  town  in  1880,  for  the 
purposes  of  study.  Though  a  native  of  Germany,  he  is  a 
thorough  American  in  heart  and  thought.  Graduating  from  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  New  York  University  in  1889,  he 
has  practiced  his  profession   in   the   Bronx   ever  since. 

THOI\'IAS  DARLINGTON,  M.D.— Dr.  Darlington  has 
achieved  fame  all  over  the  country  as  the  Commissioner  of 
Health  for  New  York  City.  Dr.  Lederle  had  done  much  for 
the  Department  before  Dr.  Darlington  assumed  office,  in  fact 
he  was  known  as  the  most  capable  commissioner  of  the  Low 
administration.  It  is  no  small  distinction,  therefore,  that  the 
leputation  of  this  important  department  has  been  notably  en- 
hauiced    under    the    direction    nf    Hi-.     Darlinston.      Not    a    single 


THOMAS    DARLINGTON,     M.D. 

good  man  has  been  dismissed,  and  the  appointments  during  the 
pa.st  two  years  have  been  made  almost  entirely  upon  merit.  In 
fact.  Dr.  Darlington  has  had  the  rare  judgment  to  surround 
himself  with  capable  men,  who  are  devoted  to  him  because  of  his 
simple  and  sterling  qualities,  his  enthusiasm  and  high  purpose 
to  achieve  the  very  finest  results.  He  was  appointed  by  Mayor 
George  B.  McClellan  on  January  i,  1904,  and  because  of  his 
record,  reappointed  to  office  on  January  i,  1906.  Dr.  Darlington 
has  been  identified  with  the  Bronx  for  a  long  time.     His  resi- 


dence has  been  at  Kingsbridge,  where  he  is  known  widely  as  a 
public  spirited  citizen.  Born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  what  was 
formerly  called  VVilliamsburgh,  he  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  New  York  City,  aiid  the  Newark,  N.  J.,  High  School 
Later  he  took  a  special  three  years'  scientific  and  engineering 
course  at  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  followed  by  a 
three  years'  course  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of 
New  York,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1880.  He 
practiced  medicine  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  from  1880  to  1882;  then 
removed  to  Kingsbridge,  N.  Y.,  where  he  practiced  until  1888. 
At  that  time,  partly  owing  to  ill  health,  and  partly  in  the  spirit 
of  adventure,  he  went  to  Arizona  Territory,  where  he  had 
many  interesting  frontier  experiences.  Having  completely  re- 
gained his  health,  he  returned  to  Kingsbridge  in  1891,  where  he 
has  practiced  ever  since.  Among  other  distinctions  may  be  men- 
tioned the  following;  He  was  District  Physician  in  the  Seventh 
District,  Newark,  during  the  year  1882;  Visiting  Physician  at 
St.  Michael's  Hospital,  Newark,  from  1880  to  1882;  Surgeon 
tt;  the  new  Croton  Aqueduct  Corporation,  New  York,  from  1885 
to  1888,  and  to  the  Harlem  Canal  Improvement  Works  during 
the  year  1888;  Surgeon  to  the  Copper  Queen  Mining  Consolidated 
and  other  mining  companies,  and  to  the  Arizona  and  South- 
eastern Railway  Co.  from  1888  to  1891.  He  has  for  many  years 
been  a  member  of  the  Congress  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
hold  annually  in  Washington.  Dr.  Darlington  is  connected  with 
the  following  medical  societies :  The  New  York  County  and 
State  Medical  Association,  the  County  and  State  Medical  Society, 
ihe  ,\merican  Medical  Association,  the  Academy  of  Medicine, 
the  Harlem  Medical  Association,  and  the  Medical  Association  of 
Greater  New  York.  He  is  also  Vice-President  of  the  American 
Climatological  Society,  Visiting  Physician  to  the  New  York 
Foundling  H0spit.1I,  the  Fordham  Hospital.  St.  John's  Riverside 
Hospital,  Seton  Hospital  for  Consumptives,  and  consulting  phy- 
sician to  the  French  Hospital.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Colonial  Wars,  the  Archdeaconry  of  New  York  City,  the 
rilden  Club,  the  New  Y'ork  Athletic  Club,  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Jefferson  Club. 
For  several  years  Dr.  Darlington  was  Chairman  of  the  Local 
School  Board  of  Kingsbridge,  succeeding  Col.  Goulden,  the 
present  Congressman.  His  work  on  the  board  was  so  keenly 
enthusiastic  and  so  absorbing  that  he  endeared  himself  to  teach- 
ers and  pupils  alike,  by  his  helpful  co-operation  and  valuable  ad- 
vice. He  was  married  March  9,  1886,  to  Miss  Josephine  Alice 
Sargent.  He  has  two  children,  Clinton  Pelham,  born  March  10, 
1887,  and  Dorothea,  born  October  26,  1888.  Numerous  articles 
from  his  pen  have  been  published  in  the  "Medical  Record,''  New 
York,  including  one  on  "Pneutnonia,"  and  the  "Effects  of  High 
Explosives,  Dynamite  and  Nitro  Glycerine  on  the  Human  Sys- 
tem." His  article  on  "Tunnel  Poisoning,"  the  result  of  persona! 
investigations,  was  published  in  Wood's  Reference  Handbook  of 
llie  Medical  Sciences.  "The  Climate  of  Arizona  and  the  Effect 
of  Hot  and  Dry  Climates  in  Disease,"  read  before  the  Congress 
of  American  Physician;  and  Surgeons,  was  issued  in  1891.  He 
has  also  written  for  the  "Y'outh's  Companion"  and  "Scientific 
American,"  and  supplied  editorials  on  hygienic  matters  to  the 
"Mail  and  Express"  and  other  newspapers.  As  has  been  stated, 
Dr.  Darlington's  predecessor  made  a  notable  success  in  his 
administration  of  the  Department  of  Health.  Dr.  Darlington,  in 
a  large  ininded  way,   accepted  all  the  wise  methods   wliich   Iiis 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


(43 


predecessor  had  initiated,  and  with  unflagging  zeal  nutiatcd  new 
iiKlhcxls  and  large  constructive  enterprises  which  tended  to  per- 
fect the  equipment  of  the  Department,  and  to  minister  to  the 
heiihh  and  comfort  of  the  people  of  New  York  City.  The  plants 
at  Riverside,  North  Brother  Island,  Kingston  Avenue,  Brook- 
lyn, and  Willard  Parker,  Manhattan,  were  rendered  more  effi- 
cient by  extensive  repairs  on  old  buildings,  and  the  erection  of 
several  new  pavilions  and  administrative  buildings.  Another 
miportant  structure  begun  and  completed  during  Dr.  Darling- 
ton's administration  is  the  new  Chemical  and  Bacteriological 
Laboratory,  which  is  elaborately  and  beautifully  equipped  for 
the  purpose.  The  preparatory  work  has  already  been  started 
for  the  new  Borough  office  in  Brooklyn,  which  will  cost  about 
$250,000.  Still  another  beautiful  building  which  does  credit 
to  the  present  Commissioner  is  the  Nurses'  Home  at  Kingston 
Avenue,  Brooklyn.  The  Department  of  Health  of  New  York 
City  has  always  led  the  world  in  its  work  for  the  prevention  and 
cure  of  tuberculosis.  Following  the  tradition  of  the  office,  Dr. 
Darlington  has  been  particularly  active  in  the  care  of  this  dread 
disease.  On  March  l,  1904,  the  Tuberculosis  Clinic  was  opened 
at  967  Sixth  Avenue.  This  is  but  the  beginning  of  a  system  of 
clinics  to  be  established  all  over  the  city  for  the  treatment  and 
care  of  tubercular  patients.  In  addition  to  the  elaborate  im- 
provements in  the  building  and  facilities  for  tuberculosis  pa- 
tients at  Riverside,  a  beautiful  tract  of  land  has  been  purchased  at 
Otisville,  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  for  incipient  cases.  This  land  is 
admirably  adapted  for  the  purpose  of  a  sanatorium,  lying  as  it 
docs  1,000  to  1.400  feet  above  sea  level.  It  represents  success 
after  many  failures,  success  after  continued  opposition  on  the 
part  of  local  boards,  railways,  local  newspapers,  against  the 
establishment  of  a  tuberculosis  sanatorium.  To  Dr.  Darlington 
alone  is  due  the  credit  of  achieving  this  splendid  success,  for 
it  required  on  his  part  the  most  patient  and  persistent  eiiforts. 
Upon  this  site  the  Commissioner  proposes  to  construct  a  sana- 
torium which  will  be  a  model  of  its  kind  throughout  the  world. 
Two  Commissions  have  been  appointed  during  Dr.  Darlington's 
administration,  which  serve  to  indicate  the  interest  he  takes  in 
advanced  medical  science,  namely,  the  Commission  to  investigate 
Cerebro-Spinal  Meningitis,  and  the  Commission  to  investigate 
Acute  Respiratory  Diseases.  Tliese  commissions  were  composed 
of  the  most  eminent  physicians  and  bacteriologists  in  the  city. 
The  report  of  the  Commissioner  to  Mayor  McClellan  on  the 
filtration  of  the  city's  water  supply  is  another  illustration  show- 
ing the  large  grasp  that  he  has  on  the  city's  most  important 
needs.  The  care  with  which  the  vast  milk  supplies  of  the 
Greater  City  is  guarded,  the  energy  which  is  employed  to  stamp 
out  every  incipient  outbreak  of  typhoid,  the  zeal  with  which  tlie 
Commissioner  has  undertaken  to  make  New  York  the  most 
sanitary  city  in  the  country,  the  magnificent  work  done  under  his 
direction  by  the  corps  of  medical  inspectors  in  the  schools,  in 
preventing  the  spread  of  contagious  disease  and  in  removing  and 
correcting  the  physical  defects  of  school  children,  indicate  the 
immense  field  of  effort  of  this  tireless  worker  for  the  city's  good 

EMIL  llEUEL,  M.D.,  who  is  of  German  parentage,  the 
.son  of  Dr.  Franz  and  Mrs.  Adelheid  Heuel,  was  born  in  New 
York  City  in  the  early  sixties.  He  has  one  brother.  Dr.  Frank 
Heuel,  and  two  sisters,  Mr.q.  Theodore  (Elizabeth)  Schumacher 
and  Miss  Adelet  Heuel.  Dr.  Emil  Heuel  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  in  the 
New  York  College  of  Pharmacy  and  the  University  of  the  City 
of  New  \ork,  Medical  Department.  He  received  the  'Valentine 
Mott  medal,  class  of  1882,  and  was  graduated  on  March  I2,  1883. 
His  American  post-graduate  medical  education  was  received  in 
the  clinics  of  the  medical  departments  pf  the  University  of  the 


City  of  New  York,  Bellevue  Hospital,  Charity  Hospital,  the  New 
York  Lying-in  Hospital,  the  New  York  Orthopaedic  Hospital 
and  Dispensary,  the  Manhattan  Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat  Hos- 
pital and  St.  Joseph's  Hospital.  His  foreign  post-graduate  medi- 
cal education  was  received  in  the  hospitals  of  Moabit,  La  Charite 
and  St.  Augusta's  Spital,  at  Berlin,  and  in  tlie  hospitals  of  Lon- 
don and  Paris.  By  profession  he  is  a  physician  and  surgeon, 
his  specialty  being  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  ear,  nose, 
throat  and  lungs.  He  was  assistant  to  the  surgical  and  ortho- 
paedic lectures  and  clinics,  and  assistant  surgeon  to  the  Ortho- 
paedic Dispensary  and  Surgical  Clinic,  New  York  University 
Medical  College,  assistant  attending  surgeon  to  the  New  York 
Orthopaedic  llospital  and  Dispensary,  district  visiting  physician 
New  York  Lying-in  Hospital,  ambulance  surgeon  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital, assistant  attending  surgeon  to  the  Throat  Department  Man- 
hattan Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat  Hospital,  and  visiting  surgeon 
to  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  from  1889  to  1904.  He  is  a  fellow  of  the 
American  Medical  Association ;  of  the  American  Electro-therapeu- 
tic Association ;  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  of 
the  American  Academv  of  Sciences.     He  is  a  member  of  the  New 


EMlL    HEUEL,    M.D. 
CoiiyrlKlited,  IM! 

York  State  Medical  Association,  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  of  the  New  York  County  Medical  .-Association,  of  the 
New  York  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Harlem  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, of  the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  of  the  New 
York  Physicians'  Mutual  Aid  Association,  of  the  Medical  Society 
of  the  Greater  City  of  New  York,  of  the  Medico-Surgical  Society, 
of  the  Medical  Association  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and 
of  the  Otological,  Rhinological  and  Laryngological  Sections  of 
the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine.  He  was  secretary  of  the 
Aledical  Society  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  secretary  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Council,  vice-president  and  president  of  the 
American  Electro-therapeutic  Association,  honorary  medical  dele 
gate  for  the  Government  of  Honduras  to  the  International  Con- 
gress of  Hygiene,  Washington,  D.  C.,  honorary  medical  member 
of  the  International  Association  for  the  Suppression  of  'Wars, 
and  honorary  member  of  the  International  Congress  of  Physio- 
therapy. He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club  and  the  Nassau  Boat  Club,  of  which 
club  he  is  also  a  trustee.  He  was  late  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  fire,  health  and  police  protection  of  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  late  member  of  the  New  York  Turn  'Verein,  and  of  the 


HENRY    RUHL.   M.D. 


CARL  WURM,   M.D. 


W.  A.    RANDEL,    M.D 


ISRAEL  CONE  JONES,    M.D. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


145 


Arion  Society  of  New  York.  He  received  the  decoration  of  the 
Order  of  the  Bust  of  Bolivar  from  the  Government  of  Venezuela. 
He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite 
Bodies;  of  the  Lodge  of  Perfection,  N.  Y.  A.  A.  S.  R. ;  of  the 
Council  of  Princess,  N.  Y.  A.  A.  S.  R. ;  of  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix. 
N.  Y.  A.  A.  S.  R.;  of  Consistory  of  N.  \.  A.  A.  S.  R. ;  of  the 
Mecca  Temple  (Shrine,)  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S. ;  Thirty-second  Dc; 
gree  Mason,  of  Chancellor  Walworth  Lodge,  No.  271,  F.  and  A. 
M. ;  of  Ivy  Lodge,  No.  167,  K.  of  P.,  and  of  the  United  Lodge, 
-No.  I ;  American  Association  of  Masters  and  Pilots  of  Steam 
Vessels.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Thomas  Hunter  Association  of 
Grammar  School  No.  35  and  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  is  an  electrical  expert 
and  a  licensed  master  and  pilot  of  steam  vessels  of  the  United 
States.  He  has  never  held  any  political  office.  He  is  interested 
in  out-door  sports,  athletics  and  yachting.  He  was  married  Sep- 
tember 29,  1887,  to  Miss  Josephine  Elizabeth  Stein,  daughter  of 
Mr.  Conrad  Stein.  He  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Jo.sephine  Heuel. 

HENRY  RUHL,  M.D.— One  of  the  most  esteemed  and 
popular  physicians  in  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Germany  Decem- 
ber 3,  1847.  He  received  his  general  education  in  Germany,  but 
on  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  he  entered  Bellevue  College 
and  graduated  from  there  in  1873.  Entering  actively  into  gen- 
eral practice,  Dr.  Ruhl  through  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
■■^L^teria  Medica"  and  his  successful  adaptation  to  the  diagnosis 
of  remarkable  cases  that  came  from  time  to  time  before  his 
observation,  soon  brought  him  into  prominence  not  only  amongst 
the  medical  profession,  but  more  particularly  among  the  older 
residents  of  the  Bronx ;  his  success  in  his  practice  became  phe- 
nomenal, and  it  is  more  than  possible  that  his  clientage  among 
the  older  residents  succeeds  to  a  great  extent  more  than  that 
of  any  other  of  the  older  physicians  in  the  community.  Dr. 
Ruhl  married  in  1878,  Miss  Annie  Lauer,  a  young  lady  of  high 
social  standing  and  of  an  old  Bronx  family.  A  staunch  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  he  never  held  any  public  office,  outside  of  his 
profession.  He  has  served  as  the  visiting  physician  to  Fordhara 
Hospital,  a  member  of  the  Local  School  Board  in  the  Bronx, 
a  member  of  the  New  York  Medical  Society,  and  the  United 
States  Medical  Society.  Two  sons  and  three  daughters,  all 
living,  contribute  largely  to  the  domestic  comforts  of  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Ruhl,  whose  children  are  accomplished  in  all  the  rudi- 
ments of  music  and  the  classics.  Dr.  Ruhl,  while  somewhat 
advanced  in  years,  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  development  and 
advancement  of  all  public  improvements  in  the  Bronx,  and  does 
not  hesitate  to  do  building  on  his  own  account  at  numerous 
points  where  he  is  the  owner  of  improved  properties. 

CARL  WURM,  M.D.,  at  the  age  of  12  years  came  to  the 
United  States  from  Mengeunghausen,  Germany,  where  he  was 
born  November  8,  1862.  After  receiving  a  course  of  private 
teaching  he  entered  the  New  York  College  of  Pharmacy,  and 
received  his  diploma  in  1881.  A  drug  clerk  for  a  couple  of 
years,  he  opened  a  drug  store,  and  in  the  meantime  found  time 
to  take  a  regular  course  of  medicine  at  Bellevue  College,  where 
after  close  application  to  his  studies,  he  graduated  in  1891,  came 
to  the  Bronx,  and  entered  into  general  practice.  A  Democrat  in 
politics,  he  has  never  held  or  sought  public  office,  but  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  the  American  Na- 
tional Medical  Society,  and  the  Schnorer  Club.  On  May  25,  1887, 
he  married  Lenora  Lauer,  of  the  Bronx.  Two  children  are  the 
result  of  this  union,  Lenora,  14  years  of  age,  and  Jarl,  Jr.,  11. 
Dr.  Wurm  has  advanced  rapidly  in  his  profession,  and  not  only 


commands  a  large  practice,  but  is  very  highly  regarded  by  the 
medical  profession,  as  one  of  the  most  promising  and  successful 
physicians  in  the  Bronx. 

EDMUND  E.  SPECHT,  M.D.,  of  1277  Washington  Ave- 
nue, is  a  member  of  the  Bronx  Medical  Society,  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  New  York  Coimtv  M^d^ral  Society, 
was  attached  to  the  French  Hospital  in  Manhattan  and  for 
the  past  fourteen  years  with  (he  Harlem  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital. 


EDMUND    E.    SPECHT,    M.D. 

r.orn  in  New  York  City  on  October  23,  1863,  and  in  1896  mar- 
ried Miss  Georgina,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  A.  D.  Elmer,  and 
granddaughter  of  Dr.  William  Elmer.  Two  children  are  th:-  re- 
sult of  this   union,  viz.,  Edmund   Elmer  and   Agatha  Georgia. 

WILLL^M  A.  RANDEL,  M.D..  was  born  at  Troy,  New 
York,  on  the  17th  of  October,  1876.  At  an  early  age  he  went  with 
his  parents  to  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  where  he  resided  until  1898, 
when  he  made  his  home  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  is 
a  graduate  of  the  University  and  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College  of  the  Class  of  1899,  and  has  been  practicing  medicine  in 
this  Borough  since  that  date.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Medical 
Society  uf  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx;  the  New  York 
County  Medical  Society;  the  Medical  Association  of  the 
Greater  City  of  New  York  and  the  New  York  Phy- 
sicians' Mutual  Aid  Association.  Dr.  Randel  is  instructor 
of  diseases  of  the  ear  at  the  New  York  Post  Graduate 
Medical  School,  and  is  attending  physician  at  the  Bronx  Eye 
and  Ear  Infirmary,  Nose,  Throat  and  Ear  Departments.  On 
June  15,  1904,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Catherine  Bohne, 
a  young  lady  well-known  in  the  Bronx,  having  lived  with  her 
parents  on  138th  street  for  a  number  of  years.  Doctor  and  Mrs. 
Randel  are  members  of  the  Alexander  Avenue  Baptist  Church, 
and  are  much  interested  in  the  religious  as  well  as  the  general 
welfare  of  the  Bronx. 

ISRAEL  CONE  JONES,  M.D.,  an  eminent  physician  in 
the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Colchester,  Conn.,  July 
19,  1851,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  since  1875.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Melrose  Public  School,  Chickering  Academy 
and    the    Miami     Medical     College    of    Cincinnati,    Ohio.     Dr. 


NATHAN    BRISTOL    VAN   ETTEN.     M.D. 


GEORGE    H.MCGUIRE,     M.D. 


SOLOMON  CARRINGTON  MINOR,   M.D. 


JOHN   PARSONS,   M.D, 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


147 


Jones  is  considered  and  known  as  one  of  the  most  advanced 
and  distinguished  practitioners  in  the  great  borough;  his  prac- 
tice is  large  and  lucrative,  and  his  success  in  the  treatment  of 
stubborn  cases  has  advanced  his  position  and  standing  as  a  phy- 
sician of  the  highest  order.  On  June  13,  1877,  he  married  Miss 
Henrietta  Jones  and  has  three  talented  sons,  Arthur  Cone  Jones, 
Ralph  Mason  Jones  and  Harry  Brush  Jones ;  he  is  a  Republican 
in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Academy  of 
Medicine,  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  New  York,  Empire 
State  Society  and   Sons  of  the  American   Revolution. 

WILLIAM  AINSLIE  GOODALL,  eininent  physician  and 
surgeon  of  the  Bronx  for  the  past  seventeen  years,  was  born 
at  Gall,  Canada,  Province  of  Ontario,  in  1862.  He  graduated 
at  the  University  of  Toronto  and  Victoria,  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  of  Ontario,  Kings  and  Queens  College  of 
Physicians,  Dublin,  in  1883.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Medical 
Council  of  New  South  Wales,  Victoria,  Queensland,  New  Zea- 
land, South  Australia,  Cape  Colony  and  Natal,  South  Africa, 
lie  married  May  11,  1902,  Miss  Elizabeth  Anderson,  of  this  city. 
Dr.  Goodall  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  most 
successful  practitioners  north  of  the  Harlem  River.  His  ser- 
vices are  called  into  the  most  serious  and  intricate  cases  and  in 


WILLIAM    AINSLIE    GOODALL,    M.D. 
1 

consultations  with  his  fellow  physicians  his  judgment  and  de- 
cisions are  received  with  the  highest  consideration.  He  has 
extraordinary  energy  and  great  perceptive  faculties,  combined 
with  the  knowledge  of  his  profession,  not  only  as  a  physician, 
but  in  surgery  has  brought  his  valuable  services  into  such  favor 
that  his  large  list  of  patients  among  the  residents  of  the  Bronx 
and  its  environs  pays  the  highest  tribute  to  his  genius  as  one 
of  our  foremost  physicians.  Dr.  Goodall  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order,  the  Schnorer,  West  Morrisania  and  Canadian 
Clubs,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  Loyal  Benefit  Association,  County 
Medical,  the  County  Medical  Association  and  the  Medico-Surgical 
Society  and  North  Side  Board  of  Trade. 

GEORGE  H.  McGUlRE.  M.D.,  a  prominent  and  ^uccess- 
ful  physician  and  a  native  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was 
l:urn  in  Mnit  Haven,  August  11,  1862,  and  graduated  from  PuIj- 
lic  School  No.  60  in  1876,  and  the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the 


College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  where  he  also  graduated,  and 
m  1883  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  LTniversity  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
Born  in  the  Bronx,  and  having  acquired  a  thorough  medical 
education  and  fortified  with  his  thorough  knowledge  of  "Materia 
Medica,"  he  returned  from  his  successful  studies  to  his  home  in 
the  Bronx  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  where 
he  immediately  met  with  great  success.  His  advancement  was 
rapid,  and  his  position  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  physicians 
of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  is  so  well  established  that  his  fel- 
low disciples  of  Esculapius  regard  him  as  a  grand  factor  in 
their  honorable  profession.  In  politics  Dr.  McGuire  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  1902  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Twenty-third 
Local  School  District,  and  served  as  chairman  of  the  board  dur- 
ing the  year  of  1904.  On  July  14,  1903,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Florence  P.  O'Sullivan,  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  and 
has  one  son,  George  H.  McGuire,  Jr.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  and  attends  the  Church  of  the  Immacu- 
late  Conception,   150th    Street   and    Melrose   Avenue. 

WILHELM  WEINBERGER,  M.D.,  one  of  the  prominent 
physicians  of  the  Bronx,  was  bom  in  Vienna,  Austria,  in  1869. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Commercial,  Real  and  Obergymnasium 
of  Vienna,  graduating  with  honors  in  the  class  of  1888.  Serving 
his  allotted  time  in  the  .Austrian  Infantry,  he  attained  his  degree 
of  M.D.   frnm  the  University  of  Vienna  in   1894.  and   was  pro- 


WILHELM    WEINBERGFR.     M.D. 

moted  to  assistant  surgeon,  being  assigned  to  the  Garrison  Hos- 
pital at  Fort  Komorni,  Hungary.  The  following  two  years  were 
devoted  to  professional  work  in  the  hospitals  of  Vienna,  Berlin 
and  London.  To  attain  a  more  extended  field  for  the  exercise  of 
his  profession,  he  came  to  New  York  in  January,  1896,  and  located 
in  the  Bronx  at  252  Willis  Avenue,  where  he  has  been  practicing 


1 

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C.    E.    BARTON.    M.D. 


D.    J.    QUIRK,    M.D, 


CHARLES  GEORGE  KIRCHHOF.   M.D, 


APOLPH    VON    PUERING.    M   D, 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


149 


medicine  ever  since.  His  standing  in  the  great  Borough  of  the 
Bronx  among  his  professional  colleagues  and  the  leading  citi- 
zens, among  the  latter  of  whom  he  has  a  very  large  clientage,  is 
of  the  highest  character,  as  a  learned  and  thorough  "disciple  of 
Aesculapius."  Dr.  Weinberger  married  Miss  Helen  Steinam, 
whose  family  connections  on  the  West  Side  of  New  York  City  are 
very  prominent.  Dr.  Weinberger  has  the  degree  of  M.  Sc.  of  the 
New  York  University,  was  physician  to  the  out-door  department 
of  the  Mount  Sinai  Hospital,  admitting  physician  of  the  Monte- 
fiore  Hospital,  is  a  member  of  the  German  Medical  and  Bronx 
Medical  Societies,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  a  large  number  of 
prominent  social  clubs  of  the  Bronx. 

DR.  NATHAN  BRISTOL  VAN  ETTEN,  physician  and 
surgeon,  of  600  Tremont  Avenue,  the  Bronx,  was  born  at 
Waverly,  N.  Y.,  June  22,  1866.  His  education  was  obtained  in 
the  Port  Jervis  schools,  at  Cornell,  and  in  the  Bellevue  Hospi- 
tal Medical  College.  Whatever  advantages  these  schools  could 
give  in  the  profession  he  has  had.  He  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  Bronx  fourteen  years  and  is  regarded  by  the  public  and 
his  brethren  of  the  profession  as  a  highly  successful  practitioner. 
He  lives  in  a  style  confirming  the  general  opinion  of  his  pros- 
perity. He  married,  May  17,  1893,  Miss  Josephine  Swinton  and 
has  two  children,  both  daughters.  He  is  a  Kappa  Alpha  man,  a 
Phi  Alpha  Sigma  member  and  a  communicant  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  at  Fordham.  In  politics  his  faith  is  Republican. 
He  belongs  to  three  organizations  of  the  profession,  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Society,  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society  and 
the   Bronx   Borough   Medical   Society. 

JOHN  PARSONS,  M.D.,  of  Kingsbridge,  New  York  City, 
is  a  son  of  Hiram  Addison  Parsons,  of  Kings  Borough,  New 
York,  and  Lucy  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Parsons,  of  Bloomfield, 
Conn.  He  is  ninth  in  descent  from  Sir  Thoinas  Parsons,  of 
Great  Milton,  Oxfordshire,  England,  and  seventh  from  Deacon 
Benjamin  Parsons,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Springfield,  Mass. 
On  the  maternal  side  he  is  descended  from  Peter  Brown,  one 
of  the  Mayflower  Pilgrims  in  1620.  He  was  born  at  Kings 
Borough,  N.  Y.,  April  12,  1842,  and  in  boyhood  attended  the  local 
schools,  both  public  and  private,  and  also  the  Kings  Borough 
Academy.  He  also  pursued  a  course  at  the  Gloversville  (N.  Y.) 
Seminary.  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  G.  J. 
Newton,  at  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  and  continued  it  under  Dr.  J. 
H.  Schorn,  at  West  Galway,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  Albany  (N.  Y.) 
Medical  College.  He  was  graduted  from  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  on  February  10,  1864, 
from  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  with  the  honorary  degree,  on 
March  4,  1868,  and  from  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College 
Ulow  a  part  of  New  York  University)  on  March  i,  1875,  receiv- 
ing from  the  last  named  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
From  the  Albany  Medical  College  Dr.  Parsons  entered  the 
United  States  Army  as  a  medical  cadet.  He  was  under  General 
Grant  at  the  siege  and  surrender  of  Vicksburg,  and  also  served 
in  the  Southwest,  in  the  Northwest,  and  in  Eastern  Tennessee. 
After  the  war  he  practiced  medicine  for  six  years  in  Kansas 
and  was  there  Vice-President  and  President  of  the  Kansas  State 
Medical  Society  and  a  representative  in  the  Legislature.  In  1871 
he  established  himself  in  his  present  home  at  Kingsbridge,  New 
York  City,  where  he  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  for 
many  years  a  vestryman  of  the  Church  of  the  Mediator.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  held  the  rank  of  Medical  Cadet,  U.  S.  A.,  Acting 
Assistant  Surgeon,  U.  S.  A.,  and  Assistant  Surgeon,  United 
States  Volunteers.  He  was  made  a  Brevet  Captain  of  United 
States  Volunteers  "for  faithful  and  meritorious  services."  He 
was  for  a  time  executive  officer  of  the  McDougall  General  Hospi- 


tal, at  Fort  Schuyler,  N.  Y.,  and  chief  medical  officer  on  Hart's 
Island,  N.  Y.  He  was  Vice-President  and  President  of  the 
Kansas  State  Medical  Society,  and  ha«  been  Secretary,  Vice- 
President  and  President  of  the  Yonkers  Medical  Association. 
He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Jenkins  Medical  Society,  a 
Fellow  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine  and  original  Fellow  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Association,  and  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  New  York  County  Medical 
Association,  the  Westchester  Medical  Association,  the  Public 
Health  Association,  the  Physicians'  Mutual  Aid  Association,  and 
other  organizations.  He  is  Medical  Director  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Director  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  a  Regent  in  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knickerbocker  Athletic  Club  and  the  Army  and  Navy 
Club.  His  address  is  No.  2882  Bailey  Avenue,  Kingsbridge,  New 
York  City. 

SOLOMON  CARRINGTON  MINOR,  M.D.,  a  resident  of 
the  Bron.x  from  November  15,  1893,  to  the  present,  a  prominent 
physician  of  the  borough,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  Conn., 
June  4,  1850.  He  attended  the  Waterbury  High  School  in  his 
youth,  and  graduated  from  it  in  July,  1864.  Later  he  took  a 
course  at  Williston  Academy,  Vt.,  for  a  year.  He  also  attended 
Parker  Academy,  Woodbury,  Conn.,  and  Phillips  Academy, 
Andover,  Mass.,  from  which  he  graduated  June,  1868.  He  took 
the  classical  course  at  Yale  from  1868  to  1870,  withdrawing  in 
the  latter  year  because  of  illness  and  taking  up  his  studies  there 
again  from  1871  to  1873.  From  Yale  he  graduated  with  the  B. 
A.  degree  and  then  taught  school.  After  fifteen  years  in  that 
vocation  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  New  Y'ork  Uni- 
versity and  graduated  a  M.D.  in  1892.  He  served  then  a  full 
term  as  interne  at  Bellevue  Hospital  on  the  surgical  side.  From 
1873  to  1889,  when  he  was  engaged  as  a  school  teacher,  he  was 
principal  of  the  High  School  Naugatuck,  Conn.,  in  1873-74;  prin- 
cipal of  the  Union  City  School,  Naugatuck,  1874-76,  and  principal 
of  Greenville  School,  Norwich,  Conn.,  1877-89.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  following  organizations :  The  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  New  Y'ork  State  and  County  Medical  Association, 
the  New  York  County  Medical  Society,  the  Medical  Association 
of  Greater  New  York,  the  Harlem  Medical  Association,  the 
Society  of  Alumni  of  Bellevue  Hospital,  the  East  Side  Medical 
Association,  the  New  York  Physicians'  Mutual  Aid  Association, 
and  the  Medical  Society  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  early  presidents  and  the  incorporation  of  which 
was  arranged  during  his  incumbency.  He  is  one  of  the  medical 
examiners  for  the  Prudential  Insurance  Company  of  Newark, 
N.  J.  In  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Apostolic 
Church  in  West  Fifty-seventh  Street,  Manhattan.  Dr.  Minor 
married,  June  30,  1877,  one  of  his  associate  teachers  of  Nauga- 
tuck, Conn.  They  have  had  three  children,  but  two  are  dead. 
One  daughter,  Mabel  Theodora,  survives. 

DENNIS  JOSEPH  QUIRK,  M.D.,  a  resident  of  our  bor- 
ough since  the  year  1893,  was  born  in  Galway,  Ireland,  in  the 
year  1848.  He  arrived  in  Manhattan  with  his  parents  in  the 
year  1850  and  is  proud  of  an  adopted  American  citizenship  be- 
ginning at  two  years  of  age.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Public  School 
No.  19,  Peter  Cooper  night  school  (chemistry  and  physics)  and 
he  qualified  as  a  licentiate  in  pharmacy  in  the  year  1871.  He 
continued  in  the  profession  of  pharmacy  till  he  graduated  from 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  City  of  New  York  in 
the  year  1879.  During  his  career  as  a  pharmacist  he  was  the 
proprietor  of  two  pharmacies,  one  in  the  Seventeenth  Ward,  the 
other  in  the  Eighteenth  Ward,  Manhattan.  The  doctor  is  a 
careful    diagnostician,    painstaking    and    sympathetic    with    his 


THOMAS    HAYES    CURTIN.    M.D. 


GERALD    SHIEL.   M.D. 


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ARTHUR    J.    O   LEARY,     M.D. 


WILLIAM    L.     KANTOR,     M.D. 


HISTORY  OF 'BRONX  BOROUGH 


J5I 


patients  and  gave  special  attention  to  diseases  of  women  and 
children.  Since  his  residence  in  the  Bronx  he  has  qualified 
as  an  "Examiner  in  Lunacy,"  and  is  making  a  special  study  of 
diseases  of  the  mind  and  nervous  system.  He  is  a  member  of 
United  Council,  Manhattan,  and  is  the  medical  officer  of  the 
members  residing  in  the  Bronx.  Although  the  doctor  has  never 
held  political  office,  he  has  taken  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  the 
civic  matters  of  our  borough,  noteworthy  and  which  are  of 
record  is  the  "Lorelei,"  the  "Terrace  Way"  (165th  Street)  and 
in  the  matter  of  Roundsman  Hass,  of  Tremont  station,  who  re- 
ceived a  medal  and  certificate  of  honorable  mention  for  bravery. 
Personally  and  socially,  affectation  cuts  no  figure  with  the  doctor. 
He  is  democratic  and  natural  in  his  manner,  a  good  conversa- 
tionalist, versatile  and  is  well  read  in  English  and  German 
literature ;  a  lover  of  the  game  of  chess  and  in  temperament 
optimistic,  always  looking  at  the  cheerful  side  of  life;  alert, 
witty  and  pleasantly  sympathetic  and  possesses  a  large  fund  of 
metropolitan  reminiscences  which  he  takes  great  pleasure  in 
relating.  His  home  life  is  complete  in  the  consortship  of  his 
wife,  Mary  L  Byrne,  of  Manhattan,  whom  he  married  in  the 
year  1883,  and  who  bore  him  one  son,  Albert  (deceased)  and 
who  possesses  the  responsively  sympathetic  and  generous  nature 
of  her  forbears,  and  who  is  the  worthy  chatelaine  of  his  home 
and  office  life.  The  doctor  resides  in  Boston  Road,  near  165th 
Street. 

HENRY  ROTH,  M.D.,  assistant  attending  surgeon  of 
Lebanon  Hospital,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  February 
[2,  1872,  at  Szomolnok,  Hungary,  and  was  educated  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  gymnasiums,  or  College  of  Rozsny's,  Hungary, 
.^fter  coming  to  the  United  States,  ■  he  entered  the  medical 
department  of  the  New  York  University  in  1890,  and  in  1893 
graduated   therefrpm    with    the    degree    of    Doctor    of    Medicine. 


HENRY^ROTH,    M.D. 

This  latter  year,  after  leaving  the  university,  he  was  made  the 
resident  physician  of  Lebanon  Hospital  and  served  as  such  for 
two  years.  He  has  been  in  private  practice  ever  since.  Since 
i8g8  he  has  been  assistant  attending  surgeon  of  Lebanon  Hos- 
pital, Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  the  management  of  that  institution    as  a  surgeon  and 


physician  of  ability.  In  private  practice  he  is  esteemed  highly 
for  his  superior  medical  knowledge,  his  gentlemanly  courtesy, 
his  sympathetic  feelings,  and  words  of  encouragement  for  the 
sufferer.  Dr.  Roth  has  lived  in  the  Bronx  since  1888,  and  on 
October  28th,  1902,  married  Miss  Rebecca  Low ;  he  has  one 
child,  Lester  Roth.  Dr.  Roth  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  New  York  State  Medical  Association,  New 
York  County  Medical  Association,  New  York  County  Medical 
Society,  New  York  Medico-Surgical  Society,  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  Harlem  Medical  Society, 
Society  of  Alumna  of  Lebanon  Hospital,  and  in  1903  was  elected 
first  vice-president  of  the  Medical  Society,  Borough  of  the 
Bronx. 

JOHN  E.  COMFORT,  M.D.,  was  lor  over  thirty  years  one 
of  the  most  prominent  physicians  and  best  known  citizens  in  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx,  where  he  settled  in  1868,  at  once  identi- 


JOHN    E.    COMFORT,    M.D. 

tying  himself  with  all  its  interests  and  becoming  a  most  useful 
factor  in  its  growth.  He  was  born  on  October  6th,  1837,  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  graduating  in  1864  from  the  Albany  Medical 
College,  and  on  January  19th,  1865,  he  joined  the  United  States 
Army  as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  Si.xtieth  New  York  State 
Volunteers,  serving  under  General  Sherman,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  at  President  Lincoln's  well  known  "muster  out"  in 
July,  1865.  Three  years  later  he  came  to  reside  in  Franklin 
Avenue,  where  soon  afterwards  he  built  the  house  where  his 
family  still  live  and  which  at  that  time  was  within  the  limits  of 
Westchester  County.  In  1875  he  received  the  appointment  of 
sanitary  inspector  of  the  New  York  Board  of  Health,  being  rated 
as  one  of  the  best  officers  the  board  ever  possessed.  At  the 
expiration   of  twelve  years  he   resigned  this  position  to  devote 


WILLIAM  J.  AUSTIN.  'CHIEF    CLERK    IN    BRONX    CORONERS'    OFFICE. 


ALBERT    F.     3CHWANNECKE.     PH.C   ,     CORONER. 


ROBERT    FRANCIS    MC  DONALD,    M.D.,    CORONER. 


MlSTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


t53 


himself  exclusively  to  his  practice,  then  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
whole  vicinity.  While  he  numbered  among  his  patients  many  of 
the  oldest  and  wealthiest  families  in  the  Bronx,  he  always  found 
time  for  the  innumerable  charities  and  kindnesses  which  will 
long  be  remembered  by  the  poor.  For  many  years  he  served  as 
senior  warden  in  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Church  in  Washington 
Avenue,  where  he  was  a  systematic  and  efficient  worker,  and 
during  the  whole  of  his  life  in  the  Bronx  he  was  known  as  the 
skillful  physician  and  the  consistent  Christian.  His  death,  which 
occurred  on  May  29th,  1901,  has  left  a  void  which  never  can  be 
entirely  filled. 

CHARLES  EDWARD  BARTON,  M.D.,  a  very  successful 
physician,  who  has  been  doing  active  practice  in  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx  since  1890,  was  born  in  the  Town  of  Union  Vale, 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated  from  the  Poughkeepsie 
(N.  Y.)  High  School  in  1873,  and  finally  from  the  New  York 
University  Medical  College  with  the  class  of  1890.  Dr.  Barton 
has  won  innumerable  victories  over  complicated  diseases  among 
his  patients,  and  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished practitioners  in  the  Bronx.  He  is  practical  and  method- 
ical in  all  of  his  undertakings,  and  his  success  reflects  great 
credit  upon  the  honorable  profession  he  so  ably  represents.  On 
July  2,  1877,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Kate  E.  Caldwell,  and  the 
union  has  been  blessed  with  si.x  children,  viz. :  Jessie  L.  Barton, 
Julia  S.,  Charles  F.,  and  Howard  A.  Barton,  all  living ;  two 
died  in  infancy,  Julia  M.  and  Mabel  Barton.  Dr.  Barton  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  North  New  York  Congregational 
Church ;  he  is  a  member  of  Adelphic  Lodge,  148,  K.  of  P.,  and 
the  Bronx  Medical  Society. 

ADOLPH  VON  DUERING,  M.D.,  is  one  of  the  leadhig 
physicians  of  the  Bronx.  He  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice and  personally  has  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances,  particularly 
among  that  numerous  and  influential  German  element  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  borough  to  which,  by  birth,  he  belongs.  Dr.  Von 
Duering  hails  originally  from  Hamburg.  He  was  bom  there 
March  28,  1852.  He  came  to  this  country,  however,  quite  young 
and  prepared  himself  for  his  profession  in  the  university  and 
hospitals  of  the  City  of  New  York.  The  Bronx  has  been  his 
residence  place  now  nearly  20  years.  Politically  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  but  the  claims  of  his  profession  prevent 
him  from  taking  in  politics  any  very  active  part.  He  is  a  mar- 
ried man,  but  has  no  child.  His  home  and  office  are  at  552  East 
iSSth  street. 

CHARLES  GEORGE  KIRCHHOF.  M.D.,  son  of  Peter 
and  Mary  Elizabeth  Kirchhof,  was  born  March  22,  1861,  at 
Seventh  Avenue  and  Nineteenth  Street,  New  York,  and  has 
lived  in  the  borough  since  1865.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
in  his  youth,  and  later  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York;  also 
the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  from  which  he  received 
his  degree  in  medicine,  March  13,  1884.  It  is  twenty-one  years 
since  then  and  he  has  practiced  steadily  since.  For  eight  years 
of  that  time  he  was  attending  physician  at  the  Dispensary  for 
Outdoor  Poor  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards, 
under  the  Board  of  Charities  and  Correction,  and  for  the  past 
six  years  Has  been  food  inspector  in  the  Department  of  Health. 
The  doctor  is  a  member  of  numerous  organizations,  professional 
particularly.  He  belongs  to  the  American  Medical  Association, 
a  national  body;  to  the  New  York  State  and  County  Medical 
Societies,  to  the  New  York  Pliysicians'  Mutual  Aid  Association 
and  the  Medical  Society  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  of  which 
he  is   an   ex-president.     He   is   also   a   member   of   the   General 


Alumni  Association,  New  York  University,  of  Willard  Lodge, 
714,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  August  Freutel  Stiftung,  Aurora  En- 
campment, No.  53,  Knights  of  St.  J.  and  M.,  the  K.  O.  S.  B.  C, 
.-Aurora  Liederkranz,  the  Bronx  Club,  Tammany  Hall  General 
Committee,  the  Wampanoag  Democratic  Club,  Allegheny  Demo- 
cratic Club  and  member  Executive  Committee  United  General 
Democracy.  Dr.  Kirchhof  has  been  married  twice.  His  first 
wife,  whom  he  married  September  21,  1885,  was  Louise  Stark 
(died  May  23,  1894),  of  the  Bronx.  By  her  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, Charles  George,  Jr.,  and  Louise,  who  are  living,  and 
Philip  William  deceased.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Celia  Sim- 
mons, of  Jersey  City,  November  27,  1898. 

GERALD  SHEIL,  M.D.,  was  born  in  the  Town  of  Mor- 
risania,  now  known  as  part  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  on 
April  6,  1873.  He  studied  in  St.  Jerome's  School  and  also  in 
Public  School  No.  83,  from  both  of  which  he  graduated  in  1887 
and  1888  respectively,  finishing  his  classical  course  at  St.  Francis 
Xavier's  College.  In  1891-94  he  was  a  student  in  the  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  now  a  part  of  the  New  York  Uni- 
versity, and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
in  1894.  The  next  two  years  were  spent  as  house  surgeon 
in  Fordham  Hospital  and  in  1896  he  began  private  practice  in 
the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  in  which  he  has  since  continued.  He 
was  a  visiting  surgeon  in  the  out-door  department  of  the  Harlem 
Hospital  in  1897-98  and  in  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  in  1898-1900. 
In  January,  1904,  he  was  appointed  assistant  sanitary  superin- 
tendent of  the  Health  Department  in  full  charge  of  the  sanitary 
conditions  and  health  regulations  for  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
which  office  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York 
County  and  State  Medical  Associations,  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  the  Throgg's  Neck  Country  Club,  the  Borough  Club. 
Brownson  Catholic  Club,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Foresters  of 
.America,  Mott  Haven  Athletic  Club,  Tammany  Hall  General 
Committee  34th  District,  Wampanoag  Democratic  Club,  Eugene 
J.  McGuire  Association.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
is  unmarried.     His  address  is  348  Willis  Avenue. 

THOMAS  HAYES  CURTIN,  M.D.,  a  leading  physician 
and  surgeon  of  the  Bronx,  resident  at  1187  Boston  Road,  with 
offices  at  787  Tremont  Avenue,  was  born  in  County  Carlow,  Ire- 
land, but  was  brought  to  this  country  when  six  years  of  age. 
He  is  30  now,  but  has  had  a  world  of  experience  professionally. 
He  has  been  coroners'  physician  since  1899  and  is  visiting  phy- 
sician to  St  Joseph's  Hospital  at  present.  He  is  the  author  of 
many  papers  on  medical  subjects,  two  of  which,  at  least,  have 
greatly  interested  the  profession,  viz. :  "Gunshot  Wounds"  and 
"Medical  Aspect  of  the  Slocum  Disaster."  Dr.  Curtin  attended 
Public  School  49  in  his  boyhood,  passed  through  its  various 
grades  and  then  attended  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  is  a 
member  of  Bronx  Lodge  of  Elks,  the  "Friends  of  Erin,"  and  thr 
Bunker  Hill  Club.  Professionally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  State 
Medical  Association,  the  County  Medical  Association,  the  Bronx 
Medical  Society,  the  Celtic  Medical  Society  and  tlie  Alumni  of 
St.  Vincent's  Hospital.  He  married,  June  18,  1902,  Miss  Lornia 
A.  Morahan.     They  have  one  child,  Thos.  H.,  Jr. 

ALBERT  F.  SCHWANNECKE.— This  gentleman,  for 
thirty-eight  years  a  resident  of  the  city,  living  for  twenty-five 
years  at  781  Jackson  avenue,  Bronx,  was  one  of  the  successful 
candidates  for  office  at  the  recent  municipal  election.  He  was 
elected  coroner  on  the  Republican  and  Municipal  Ownership 
ticket  and  is  accounted  by  those  who  know  him,  and  their  names 


WILLIAM     T.     KLIME.     M.D. 


HENRY    WOLLNER,     M.D. 


1 

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MAURICE  J.  SILVERMAN,   M.D. 


FRANK    M.    VAN    ORDEN,    M.D. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J55 


are  legion,  a  very  proper  man  for  the  place.  Mr.  Schwannecke 
is  by  profession  a  pharmacist.  He  has  been  engaged  also  as 
Bronx  snperintendeiit  and  manager  of  the  American  Surety 
Company  of  New  York.  In  politics  he  has  been  an  independent 
Republican.  His  religious  affiliations  are  with  the  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  born  in  Brunswick,  Germany,  in  1859,  but  was 
brought  up  and  educated  in  New  York  City  in  the  public  schools 
and  f>echner's  German-American  Institute  and  Pharmacy.  He  is 
a  club  man  and  has  scores  of  friends  among  all  parties.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  Bronx  Club,  the  Union  Republi- 
can Club,  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  the  "Huckelberry  In- 
dians" and  fhe  Red  Bank  Yacht  Club.  This  is  his  first  public 
office  and  it  came  to  him  practically  unsought.  Mr.  Schwan- 
necke is  a  man  of  family,  a  taxpayer  and  property  owner.  He 
married  in  1880,  twenty-five  years  ago,  Miss  Dora  A.  Recker. 
Their  union  has  been  an  uncommonly  happy  one.  They  have 
five  children,  three  daughters  and  two  sons,  by  name  Antonia. 
Frederick  A.,  Georgia,  Henrietta  and  Clarence.  Theirs  is  an 
old-fashioned  family  and  their  home  an  ideal  old-time  home. 

ROBERT  FRANCIS  McDONALD,  son  of  Joseph  M.  Mc- 
Donald and  Catherine  E.  Roby,  was  born  in  New  York  City 
September  25,  1879.  A  graduate  of  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  he  entered  the  Cornell  University  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  June,  igoi,  with  high  honors.  For  two 
years,  January,  1902,  to  January,  1904,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
house  staff  of  Gouverneur  Hospital,  which  is  connected  with 
the  Bellevue  and  allied  system,  and  which  cares  for  the  sick  and 
injured  of  the  lower  East  Side.  He  is  at  present  assistant  at- 
tending surgeon  to  the  out-patient  department  of  Bellevue  Hospi- 
tal. He  is  assistant  examiner  for  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company,  member  of  the  Gouverneur  Hospital  Alumni  Society 
and  of  the  Phi  Alpha  Sigma  Fraternity.  He  is  interested,  as  far 
as  his  practice  will  permit,  with  outdoor  pursuits,  being  an 
enthusiastic  golfer  and  tennis  player,  member  of  social  athletic 
organizations  and  of  that  well  known  organization,  the  Brownson 
Caiholic  Club.  Dr.  McDonald  was  a  candidate  for  coroner  in 
the  Bronx  in  1905  on  the  Republican  ticket,  receiving  the  en- 
dorsement of  the  Municipal  Ownership  League,  and  was  elected 
by  a  plurality  of  about  7,000  votes. 

ARTHUR  J.  O'LEARY,  M.D.,  was  born  in  the  Borough 
of  Manhattan  on  the  23d  of  November,  i858.  He  was  educated 
ai  Manhattan  College,  On-the-Hudson,  graduating  in  1886.  He 
entered  the  Medical  School  of  the  University  of  New  York  in 
the  same  year  and  graduated  in  1889.  In  1890  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  faculty  of  Man- 
hattan College.  He  was  an  interne  of  the  Harlem  Hospital  for 
one  year,  and  in  1890  opened  an  office  at  1262  Boston  Road  in 
the  Bronx,  and  started  his  practice.  In  January,  1898,  he  was 
appointed  by  Nathan  Strauss,  then  President  of  the  Board  of 
Health,  as  Assistant  Register  of  Records  in  the  Health  Depart- 
ment. He  is  the  attending  physician  of  Manhattan  College  and 
the  Corpus  Christi  Monastery  at  Hunt's  Point.  Dr.  O'Leary's 
political  inclinations  are  Democratic,  and  he  is  a  very  popular 
member  of  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club  and 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  of  which  fraternity  he  is  the  examin- 
ing pliysician.  He  married  Miss  Anna  E.  O'Rorke,  October 
28,  1891,  and  is  the  father  of  three  .-hildren;  Anna,  Arthur  and 
Isabel.  Dr.  O'Leary  has  one  of  the  finest  practices  in  the  Bronx 
and  in  his  personal  life  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  cordial 
of  men.  Together  with  his  many  duties  his  personal  popularity 
and  his  extreme  practice  he  is  a  man  in  great  demand. 


EDWARD  T.  HIGGINS,  at  present,  and  since  1904,  a 
police  surgeon,  lias  been  living  in  the  Bronx  for  fifteen  of  his 
thirty  years,  ile  was  a  student  of  Xavier  College,  of  St.  John's, 
Fordham.  and  a  graduate  of  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  Col- 
lege.    He   was   Coroner's   Physician   in   Manhattan   from   1901   to 


EDWARD    niuolNS,    M.D. 

1904.  He  lives  at  737  East  I45lh  Street.  He  is  a  Democrat  and 
member  of  the  VVampanoag  and  Borough  Clubs,  and  an  at- 
tendant at  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  He  married, 
November  23,  1898,  Miss  Etta  McGuire.  They  have  one  child, 
Edward   Harrington   Higgins. 

WILLIAM  L.  KANTOR,  M.D.,  of  746  East  i42d  Street, 
was  born  in  Russia  in  1866,  and  was  educated  for  his  profession 
partly  there  and  partly  here.  He  took  his  B.  A.  degree  at  the 
gymnasium  at  Tuganrog,  Russia,  in  1885,  and  that  of  LL.C,  at 
the  University  of  Moscow  in  l8go.  He  graduated  also  from  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Columbia  University  in 
1895.  He  has  been  located  in  the  Bronx  five  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Bronx  Borough  Medical  Association,  the  East 
Side  Medical  Association,  and  the  New  York  County  Medical  So- 
ciety; also  of  the  Foresters  and  the  Masonic  Order.  Decem- 
ber 25,  1889,  he  married  Miss  Kate  Gordon.  They  have  two 
children,  both  boys.  The  elder  John  Leonard,  now  15,  is  a 
freshman  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

DR.  WILLIAM  T.  KLINE,  physician  in  charge  of  the 
Tuberculosis  Sanitarium  of  the  Department  of  Health  on  North 
Brothers  Island,  was  born  in  New  York  i„ity  in  1874.  After 
attending  the  public  school,  he  attended  the  College  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  and  graduated;  he  then  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Co- 
lumbia University,  and  graduated  in  1895,  receiving  the  "Hoosen 
Prize  Diploma"  of  examination  honors.  In  1896  he  passed  the 
required  State  examination,  carrying  off  the  honors  of  the 
"People's  Seal"  on  license  of  regents,  an  honor  highly  prized 
by  the  disciples  of  Esculapius.  He  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  house  staff  of  Fordham  Hospital,  and  graduated  therefrom 
January  1st,  1897.  This  latter  year  he  commenced  private  prac- 
tice  in   the    Bronx,   and   since   then   had  built   up   a    large   and 


AUGUST    J.  FREUTEL.    M.D. 


LEOPOLD    F.    W.    HAAS,    M.D. 


JULIUS    L.    AMSTER,    M.D. 


C.  LUDWIC    AMBOS,    M.D. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J57 


lucrative  practice.  Appointed  in  fall  of  1897,  in  Department 
of  Health  to  the  office  of  medical  inspector,  and  later  as 
bacteriologist  which  he  held  until  October,  1904,  to  accept  his 
present  responsible  position,  that  is,  physician  in  charge  of  the 
Tuberculosis  Sanitarium  on  North  Brothers  Island,  where  he 
intends  to  remain  until  October,  1905,  when  he  will  resume 
his  private  practice,  carrying  with  him  the  confidence  of  his 
brother  officials  of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  the  gratitude  of 
many  hundreds  of  suffering  humanity,  whom  he  attended  in 
his  official  capacity,  and  through  knowledge  and  skill,  returned 
them  to  health  and  happiness.  Dr.  Klein  is  a  member  of  St. 
Jerome's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club 
and  the  Greater  New  York  Medical  Society,  and  is  unmarried. 
He  maintain  his  office  and  residence  at  No.  712  East  138th 
Street. 

HENRY  WOLLNER,  M.D.,  the  well-known  and  popular 
physician  in  charge  of  St.  Joseph  Hospital,  Borough  of  the 
Bronx,  was  born  June  13,  1870,  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  attended 
the  public  and  high  schools  of  his  native  place  and  entered  the 
New  York  University,  where  he  graduated  with  distinguished 
honors.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  since  1896,  and 
has  built  up  a  large  and  influential  practice  among  the  leading 
families  of  the  borough.  He  is  highly  regarded  by  the  patients 
at  St.  Joseph's  Hospital,  where  his  services  are  highly  appre- 
ciated, and  commended  by  the  medical  profession  in  the  Bronx. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society,  Borough  of  Bronx,  the 
New  York  County  Medical  Society  and  the  New  York  Phy- 
sicians'  Medical  Aid  .Association. 

DR.  MAURICE  J.  SILVERMAN,  of  273  Alexander  Avenue, 
in  the  Bronx,  though  a  Russian  by  birth,  born  in  Kiev  September 
18,  1862,  has  been  so  long  identified  with  the  Bronx  as  to  be  like 
a  native.  He  settled  here,  in  fact,  in  1884,  twenty-one  years  ago, 
when  he  was  a  young  man  of  22.  Here  also  he  married  and 
made  his  home ;  here  his  patients  live  and  his  interests  are 
centered.  Dr.  Silverman  is  a  graduate  of  both  grammar  and 
high  schools  in  Russia,  and  holds  the  diploma  of  New  York 
University  Medical  College.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Association,  the  Harlem  Medical  Associa- 
tion, the  Bronx  and  the  Eastern  Medical  Association,  and  has 
a  lucrative  practice.  He  married  in  1896,  Miss  Sadie  Samuels. 
They  have  one  child,  a  daughter. 

FRANK  M.  VAN  ORDEN,  M.U.,  one  of  the  most  prom- 
iM'ng  physicians  in  the  Bronx  for  the  past  four  years,  was  born 
January  18,  1870,  at  Spring  Valley,  N.  Y.  He  was  educated  at 
Old  Rutgers  College,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  and  received  the 
degree  of  A.  B.,  in  1893,  and  was  further  honored  with  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  in  1897.  The  same  year  he  became  a  member  of 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York  City  and 
in  1899  for  distinguished  services  rendered  to  the  J.  Hood  Wright 
Memorial  Hospital  of  this  city,  received  a  diploma.  On  May 
6,  1903,  Dr.  Van  Orden  married  Miss  Maebelle  Alberta  Baird, 
of  Syracuse,  a  lady  of  culture  and  of  a  distinguished  family.  In 
politics  he  is  democratic,  and  an  active  member  of  the  following 
associations,  fraternities  and  societies,  viz. :  Rutgers  Alumnia 
Association,  J.  Hood  Wright  Hospital  Alumnia,  Delta  Upsilon 
Fraternity,  Bronx  Medical  Society,  Medical  Association  of  the 
Greater  City  of  New  York,  the  New  York  Physicians'  Mutual 
Aid  Association  and  an  active  and  distinguished  member  of 
Harlem  Lodge,  No.  457,  F.  and  A.  M.  With  all  the  classic 
honors  conferred  upon  this  promising  disciple  of  Esculapius,  in 
his  own  personality  he  is  of  the  manor  born  and  gives  promise 
to  become  famous  in  his  laudable  profession. 


DR.  BERNARD  WILLIAM  JUNGE,  prominent  in  his  pro- 
fession as  a  physician  in  the  Bronx  since  April,  1891,  was  born 
at  Barkow,  Mecklenberg,  Germany,  October  5,  1869.  He  entered 
the  public  school  of  his  native  place  and  after  graduation  in 
1S84,  was  sent  by  his  parents  to  that  famous  Allgemeine  Gerdbe 
Schule,  Hamburg,  Germany,  where  he  distinguished  himself  by 
carrying  away  well  merited  honors  in  his  class.  He  then  came 
to  the  United  States,  settled  in  the  Bronx  and  in  order  to  per- 
fect his  studies  conchisively.  entered  Wayne  College  at  Rochester, 
N.  v.,  and  took  a  thoroiigli  American  medical  course,  graduated 


BERNARD    WILLIAM    JUNCE,    M.D. 

With  the  highest  honors  of  his  class;  returned  to  the  Bronx, 
where  he  commenced  practice,  and  stands  in  the  category  of  his 
fellow  physicians  as  one  who  is  so  proficient  in  his  profession 
that  he  is  considered  in  moments  of  peril  a  safe  and  sound 
counsellor  for  consultation.  Dr.  Junge  is  a  sterling  Democrat 
in  politics,  has  never  sought,  nor  would  he  accept  public  office, 
lie  is  a  member  of  the  Bronx  Medical  Society  and  of  J.  C.  J. 
Society  of  the  Medical  Universities  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  In  April 
1S91,  he  married  Sophia  Eickert,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and 
through   this   union   has   one   daughter,   a   bright   and   intelligent 

AUGUST  J.  FREUTEL,  M.D.,  was  born  in  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx  November  27,  1876.  He  graduated  from  Public 
School  No.  85,  and  entered  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  Col- 
lege in  New  York,  after  which  he  entered  the  Albany  Medical 
College  of  the  Union  University  at  Albany,  N.  Y. ;  after  gradu- 
ation he  served  as  interne  in  the  Mothers'  and  Babies'  Hospital 
in  New  York.  He  started  his  practice  in  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx  and  has  through  his  increasing  devotion  to  his  chosen 
profession  acquired  a  very  lucrative  and  extensive  practice.  He 
is  examining  physician  for  the  Masonic  Life  Association  of 
Western  New  York,  and  for  the  Ladies  of  the  Maccabees  of  the 
World.  Dr.  Freutel  is  absolutely  non-partisan  in  politics  and 
has  never  sought  any  public  office  or  appointment.  He  has  de- 
voted all  his  time  to  his  ever  increasing  practice,  with  the  result 
that  he  now  ranks  among  the  foremost  physicians  of  the  North 
Side.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  Wieland 
Lodge,  714,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Bronx  Tent,  702,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  and 
the  American  Medical  Association.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  men 
in  social  circles  and  is  looked  to  by  the  people  of  the  Bronx  as  a 


JULIUS    ADLER,     M.D. 


AERAHAM     LUSTCARTEN,     M.D. 


LUCIUS    WALLACE    HOW,   M.D. 


JOSEPH    AUGUSTUS    MULHOLLAND,    M.D. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J59 


man  of  lofty  and  admirable  qualities  and  is  generally  esteemed 
by  his  professional  co-workers.  He  maintains  his  office  and  resi- 
dence at  5,33  Bergen  Avenue. 

DR.  LEOPOLD  F.  W.  HAAS,  a  prominent  physician  of 
the  Bron.x  for  the  past  eight  years,  was  born  in  Jersey  City, 
N.  J.,  December  22,  1874.  After  a  public  school  education  at 
his  native  city,  he  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
where  he  graduated  with  distinguished  honors  in  1894,  re- 
ceiving that  well  merited  degree  of  B.  S.  After  receiving  the 
latter  honors,  he  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  Columbia  University,  and  graduated  in  1898.  In  1900 
and  1904,  this  strenuous  student  of  Materia  Medica,  between 
periods  of  his  studies,  taught  in  the  public  schools,  and  was 
connected  with  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  city  from  1900  to 
1904.  He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
Bronx,  the  New  York  County  Medical  Society,  tlie  New  York 
State  Medical  Association,  the  popular  and  select  Longwood 
Club  and  Wieland  Lodge,  No.  714,  F.  and  A.  M.  His  father.  J. 
J.  Haas,  born  in  Germany,  came  to  this  city  a  very  young  man, 
and  for  30  years  has  been  connected  with  the  well  known  firm 
of  D.  S.  Haas  &  Co. 

C.  LUDWIG  AMBOS,  an  active  physician  of  the  Bronx  for 
the  past  four  years,  whose  residence  and  office  are  located  at 
1583  Washington  Avenue,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Speyer, 
Germany,  February  26th,  1873.  At  the  Speyer,  Germany, 
Seminary  he  obtained  a  preparatory  education,  and  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1886.  Alone  and  depending  upon  his 
own  resources,  he  secured  a  position  as  drug  clerk,  and  in  the 
evenings  while  not  engaged,  he  attended  evening  high  school. 
In  1891  he  entered  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  graduated 
therefrom  in  1893.  In  i8g6  he  entered  Cornell  Medical  College, 
and  in  igoo  graduated  with  honors.  Dr.  Ambos  has  filled  several 
positions  of  trust  since  his  advent  into  the  Bronx  as  a  dis- 
ciple of  Esculapius.  He  is  very  conservative  in  his  methods, 
but  notwithstanding  this,  he  is  popular  among  his  large  clientage, 
and  is  rapidly  gaining  a  very  important  position  among  his 
medical  brctliren  in  the  Bronx. 

DR.  JULIUS  ADLER,  one  of  the  skilled  and  popular  phy- 
sicians in  the  Bronx,  residing  at  688  East  143d  Street,  is  a  native 
of  Weisskirchen,  Austria,  born  July  4,  1868.  He  has  been  prac- 
ticing in  the  Bronx  for  the  past  four  years,  and  for  several  years 
engaged  in  practice  in  Manhattan.  He  graduated  from  the  gym- 
nasium of  his  native  city,  then  studied  medicine  for  five  years  in 
the  famous  University  of  Vienna  and  graduated  at  Baltimore.  The 
doctor  has  Democratic  leanings,  but  is  not  an  active  politician. 
He  married  in  1896  Miss  Fannie  Jurist  and  has  one  child,  a  boy. 

DR.  ABRAHAM  LUSTGARTEN,  prominent  as  a  physician 
and  a  leading  citizen  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in 
Russia,  September  3d,  1879.  After  coming  to  the  United  States 
he  attended  Cornell  University  Medical  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated with  distinctive  honors.  His  practice  in  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx  has  met  with  such  signal  success  that  his  superior 
qualifications  as  a  pllysician  are  regarded  by  his  extensive 
clientage  and  the  medical  profession,  as  showing  the  highest 
order  of  ability  and  knowledge  of  his  hoiTOrable  profession.  In 
his  attendance  upon  the  suffering,  and  in  relieving  their  distress, 
no  matter  how  painful  or  serious  the  case,  he  brings  his  remark- 
able skill  into  requisition  with  such  firmness  and  yet  in  such  a 
gentle  manner  as  to  endear  him  to  those  who  are  fortunate  enough 


tc  engage  his  professional  services.  As  Attending  Surgeon  to 
the  Out-Door  Department  of  Lebanon  Hospital,  he  has  won  the 
hearts  of  imnumerable  sufiferers  for  his  great  skill  in  restoring 
thefn  to  their  original  health.  Dr.  Lustgarten  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  Bronx  for  the  past  twenty-three  years;  in  national  affairs 
he  is  a  Republican,  but  in  state  matters  he  uses  his  judgment  in 
supporting  whom  he  may  regard  as  the  best  man.  Lie  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  East  Side  Physicians'  Association,  Eastern  Medical 
Society  of  the  Bronx,  the  New  York  County  Medical  Society, 
American  and  Alumni  Association  of  Lebanon  Hospital,  Wood- 
stock Circle,  Independent  Order  of  Heptasophs,  Examining 
Physician,  and  a  great  many  other  fraternal  organizations. 

LUCIUS  WALLACE  HOW,  M.D.,  is  a  practicing  physician 
and  court  stenographer,  resident  in  the  Bronx  for  the  last 
twelve  years.  He  was  born  in  Buffalo,  June  16,  1850,  and  is  a 
graduate  of  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
He  has  been  the  Attending  Physician  at  the  Manhattan  Dis- 
pensary, and  is  official  stenographer  of  the  Municipal  Court, 
l-irst  District  of  the  Bronx,  and  for  two  years  was  the  official 
stenographer  to  the  Committee  on  Privileges  and  Elections  of 
the  New  York  Assembly.  He  was  the  official  stenographer  of 
the  famous  Lexow  graft  investigating  committee.  Dr.  How 
belongs  to  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the  Taxpayers' 
Alliance,  and  the  Improvement  League  of  the  Forty-fourth 
Aldermanic  District,  of  which  latter  organization  he  was  the 
Secretary  for  the  three  years  following  its  inception,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Committee  to  the  present  time,  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Bronxwood  Park  Improvement  League.  He  is  a 
member  also  of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  the  Masons,  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution  (a  fact  indicative  of  his  descent  an<J 
breeding),  and  of  the  "Society  of  Little  Yates."  He  was  married 
September  10,  1879,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Wyman,  and  has  one 
son,  Harry  W.  by  name. 

JOSEPH  AUGUSTUS  MULHOLLAND,  M.D.— Though 
less  than  ten  years  established.  Dr.  Mulholland,  of  2582  Marion 
."Avenue,  has  been  one  of  the  most  successful  practitioners  in  the 
Bronx.  His  is  a  growing  reputation.  He  was  born  in  Mechanics- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  in  1878,  buL  has  lived  in  the  borough  since  he  was 
a  boy  of  12.  He  was  educated,  primarily  in  private  schools,  and 
academically  at  St.  John's  College,  Fordham,  that  thorough  go- 
ing institution  which  is  the  pride  of  the  Bronx.  From  it  he 
passed  to  Cornell  Medical  College,  Manhattan,  took  the  full 
course  and  graduated  in  1897.  Appointed  to  Gouverneur  and 
Fordham  Hospitals  as  house  surgeon  and  physician.  Dr.  Mul- 
holland has  so  far  eschewed  politics  and  sought  no  office.  The 
private  station  in  his  preference.  He  is  unmarried  as  yet,  giv- 
ing his  whole  heart  and  soul  to  the  profession.  Some  little  re- 
laxation he  takes,  however,  in  the  organizations  to  which  he  be- 
longs, chief  among  them  the  Fordham  Club,  Cornell  Club,  Roya' 
.Arcanum  and  Knigfhts  of  Columbus. 

JULIUS  HAMMER,  M.  D.,  of  foreign  birth,  but  Americn^ 
rearing,  education  and  professional  development.  Dr.  Hammer 
is  one  of  the  most  successful  and  distinguished  medical  practi- 
tioners of  the  Bronx.  A  young  man,  too,  comparatively  speak 
ing,  having  been  born  a  little  more  than  30  years  ago,  that  is  to 
say,  October  3,  1874.  He  is  of  Russian  birth,  like  so  many 
other  of  our  New  Yorkers  of  to-day,  with  an  education  in  part 
received  in  the  "gym"  at  Odessa,  Russia,  in  part  here  in  New 
York,  a  product,  as  some  might  have  it,  of  both  the  old  world 
and  the  new,  a  cosmopolitan  in  short,  exemplifying  the  good 
of  botli  the  Oriental  and  Occidental  schools  and  world,  and  mod- 


SIMON    HARRY    GREENE,   M.D. 


JULIUS    HAMMER,    M.D. 


SAMUEL  SCHULHOFER.    M.D. 


HENRY  WAHN,   M.D. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


161 


ern,  from  whatever  point  of  view.  Dr.  Hammer  studied  at  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  the  Medical  Department  of 
Columbia  University  of  New  York,  and  'graduated  there.  He 
came  to  this  country  seventeen  years  ago,  in  1889.  He  has  lived 
in  the  Bronx  and  built  up  a  reputation  meanwhile  for  five  years. 
He  has  taken  the  post  graduate  course  in  the  Lying-in  Hospital, 
assisted  Dr.  Gotthiel  in  the  Dermatological  Division  of  the 
Out-Door  Department  of  Lebanon  Hospital,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  New  York  State  Pharmaceutical  Association,  the  New 
York  County  Medical  Society  and  the  Physicians'  Mutual  Aid 
Society.  He  is  medical  examiner  of  the  Loyal  Association,  mem- 
ber of  Pima  Lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Colfax  Coun- 
cil, Royal  Arcanum,  Excelsior  Council,  Loyal  Association,  and 
other  fraternal  organizations.  He  is  a  man  of  family,  married 
now  some  eight  years.  His  wife  was  Miss  Rose  Robinson. 
They  have  two  sons,  Armand,  aged  seven,  and  Victor,  four  years 
old. 

SIMON  HARRY  GREENE,  M.D.— Among  the  younger 
members  of  the  medical  profession  Dr.  Greene  is  well  known. 
He  was  born  in  Troy,  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  on  May  4,  1878,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  City  and  at 
the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  entered  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1897,  and 
graduated  therefrom  in  jgoi.  After  leaving  the  University  he 
entered  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  as  an  interne,  and  remained 
until  he  moved  to  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  in  September,  1901, 
where  he  immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  The 
Doctor  has  built  up  a  large  practice,  and  is  known  as  a  pains- 
taking and  careful  surgeon  and  physician.  He  is  on  the  stafi 
of  the  Surgical  Dispensary  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  a  Fel- 
low of  the  Penrose  Medical  Society  of  Philadelphia,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  College  fraternity,  the  Bronx  Medi- 
cal Society,  the  Medical  Society  of  the  Greater  City  of  New 
York,  and  medical  examiner  for  the  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics.  The  Doctor  resides  and  has  his  office  at 
No.  830  East  164th   Street. 

HENRY  WAHN,  M.D..  was  born  February  25.  1872.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
City.  He  then  took  the  Board  of  Regents  examination,  which  he 
successfully  passed.  In  1894  he  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  Y'ork,  graduating  therefrom 
in  1898.  receiving  the  degree  of  M.D.  For  the  past  nine  years 
Dr.  Wahn  has  practiced  his  chosen  profession  in  Bronx  Borough. 
His  office  is  located  at  638  Eagle  Avenue.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  County,  the  State  and  the  Bronx  Borough  Medical 
Associations.  He  was  married  on  May  24,  1903,  to  Miss  Mary 
Ginnane.     They  have  one  child,  Henry  Wahn,  Jr. 

DR.  SAMUEL  SCHULHOFER,  of  709  Union  Avenue,  is 
one  of  the  yonuger  clement  of  professional  men  in  the  Bronx, 
who  is  fast  rising  into  prominence.  Time  was  when,  as  Disraeli 
expressed  it,  it  was  an  atrocious  crime  in  the  estimation  of  some, 
to  be  young,  but  the  much  discussed  Osier  theory  shows  how 
opinion  has  changed  in  this  matter.  Truth  is,  there  is  probably 
a  middle  ground,  some  men  develop  earlier  than  others.  And 
at  all  events  the  "moss-back."  whatever  age  he  is,  is  relegated 
nowadays  to  obscurity,  and  this  is  the  day  the  young  man  gets 
his  opportunity.  The  young  physician  we  know  has  better 
chances  now  to  "age"  himself,  as  it  were,  than  formerly ;  there 
are  a  hundred  hospitals,  dispeasaries  and  schools  now  where 
there  was  one  a  few  generations  ago.  Dr.  Schulhofer  we  have 
said,  is  one  of  the  younger  element,  he  is  27.  A  New  Yorker 
by  birth,  born   here   in   1878.     He   graduated   from   the   Medical 


Department  of  Columbia  (the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons) in  1900,  and  served  the  usual  probation  at  Lebanon  Hospi- 
tal, ending  in  1902.  At  the  present  time  he  is  physician  to  the 
medical  department  of  the  Outdoor  Dispensary,  and  admitting 
physician  to  Lebanon  Hospital,  a  place  significant  of  his  ability 
and  acquirements.  He  is  a  member,  of  course,  of  the  Bronx 
Medical  Society,  and  is  enrolled  among  the  Lebanon  Alumni. 

GEORGE  ASKER  STRADER,  M.D.,  chief  of  staff  at  the 
Metropolitan  Hospital,  was  born  at  Geneva,  Illinois,  in  1873,  and 
was  educated  at  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  and 
later  graduated  from  tlie  old  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.     Dr.  Strader  is  the  son  of  John  I.  Strader  and 


Doctor  Geo.  A.  Stradcr's  Resicfcncc 

Edna  A.  Strader  nee  Wilson,  well  known  citizens  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.  Since  he  commenced  practice  he  has  advanced  rapidly  in 
his  profession  and  occupying  the  dignified  and  important  position 
he  does,  as  chief  of  the  medical  staff  at  the  Metropolitan  Hospi- 
tal, indicates  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  pronounced  abilities 
are  held  by  the  medical  profession. 

J.  LEWIS  AMSTER,  M.D.,  of  No.  2092  Bathgate  Avenue, 
corner  of  East  180th  Street,  Bronx,  was  born  in  New  York  City 
■on  January  26,  1879.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  and 
graduated  with  high  honors,  later  entering  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  where  he  showed  marked  proficiency  in  his 
studies.  Having  as  a  youth  a  predilection  for  the  study  of 
medicine,  he  entered  the  medical  department  of  Cornell  Univer- 
sity in  189S,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1902.  He  was  on  the 
House  Staff  of  the  Lying-in  Hospital  and  subsequently  became 
House  Surgeon  of  St.  Mark's  Hospital.  He  llien  entered  into 
the  practice  of  medicine  very  successfully,  and  having  now 
attained  recognition  and  position  among  his  colleagues,  he  has 
secured  a  lucrative  practice.  He  is  a  skilful  surgeon,  as  well 
as  an  able  physician.  Dr.  .Amster,  as  a  member  of  several  cl".bs 
and  societies,  is  widely  known  in  social  as  well  as  professional 
circles.  He  is  a  member  of  Wyoming  Lodge,  432,  F.  and  A.  M. ; 
Bronx  Lodge,  871,  B.  P.  O.  .Elks:  Bronx  Borough  Medical 
Society;  Cornell  Medical  Alumni  Association;  St.  Mark's  Hos- 
pital Medical   Alumni ;  FZastern  Medical   Society,  etc. 


piiHiiiP 


Thi;   Melrose   Turn   Virein 


The  Schnorcr  Club 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 


CLUBDOM  IN  THE  BRONX 


|iome  of  the  Principal  Social  and  Political  Organizations — Jefferson — Schnorer — Fordham — Brownson — Chippewa 
— Longwood — Bronx — Union  Republican — North  Side  Republican— Mohawk — Wampanoag — 
Mott  Haven — Men's  Club  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 


As  the  borough  of  the  Bronx  emerged  from  its  chrysalis 
'bndition  of  rural  simplicity  and  developed  into  the  most  pro- 
iressive  borough  of  the  Greater  New  York,  it  was  but  natural 
iiat  it  should  imitate  old  Manhattan  in  the  matter  of  club  life. 
Irue  to  the  instincts  which  residence  in  the  second  largest  city  in 
llie  civilized  world  is  bound  to  inculcate,  ihe  North  Siders 
Ihturally  formed  themselves  into  organizations  for  the  amuse- 
iient.   instruction,    development    and    political    aspirations    of   the 


members.  The  result  has  been  that  the  Bronx  now  possesses 
a  variety  of  clubs  that  will  compare  favorably  with  any  city  in 
the  Union. 

The  Jefferson  Club,  with  quarters  at  155th  Street  and  Court- 
landt  Avenue,  is  not  only  a  political,  but  a  social  one  as  well, 
and  was  the  conception  of  Borough  President  Louis  F.  Haffen. 
The  membership  includes  the  leading  lights  among  the  followers 
of  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  its  functions  are  noted  for  their  record- 


.^jw^^^ 


^   "    ^HKl  ^^fflH  "Tl 

Br."*    I,      filsri^        «lF>        jffflk  ■ 


4,^//./,X'- 


The  Proposed  Building  cf  the  Jefferson  Club. 


mSiWi 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


165 


lircaking  attendance.  The  membership  has  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  build  a  new  home  to 
properly  house  the  club,  which  numbers  many  of  the  most  promi- 
nent business  men  in  the  community. 

Among  the  recent  acquisitions  to  Bronx  clubdom  the  Long- 
wood  Club,  located  at  Beck  and  156th  Streets,  has  assumed 
quite  an  importance.  The  idea  of  organizing  this  club  origi- 
nated with  George  F.  Johnson,  a  prominent  Bronx  real  estate 
ioperator,  who  perceived  the  advantages  that  would  accrue  to  the 
[section  which  he  has  done  so  much  to  develop  by  instituting  a 
(home  where  the  neighborhood  could  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the 
Ibowling  alleys,  gymnasium,  billiard  tables  and  other  accessories 
iof  a  first-class  club  as  well  as  the  entertainments,  receptions, 
Idances,  smokers,  at  a  moderate  cost  for  membership.  The  move 
imcnt  has  been  a  complete  success,  and  resulted  in  the  general 
£r,-iii(l    of   the    community. 


The  Bronx  Clvib 

I        The   Bronx    Club,   located  at    uOi    and    uOj    branklin   Ave 
|nue.  is  another  prominent  social  organization  which  has  become 
jlavorably   known   on  the   North   Side,  owing  to   the   prominence 
jof  its  members  in  the  social,  political  and  business  life  of  the  lx)r- 
jough. 

The  efiicers  tpf  the  Bronx  Club,  which  has  become  quitf 
prominent,  arc:  William  Ebling,  president;  Joseph  P.  Hennessy. 
first  vice-president ;  Thomas  B.  Paton,  second  vice-president ; 
John  A,  Flcischniann,  third  vice-president;  William  Schwegler, 
jsccretary;  William  F.  Jhill,  financial  secretary;  William  D. 
lAustin,  assistant  secretary,  and  John  II.  J.  Ronner,  chairman  of 
jlho  board  of  directors. 

The  Melrose  I  urn  Verein,  located  on  Courtlandt  Avenue. 
(near  isoth  Street,  is  an  organization  devoted  to  physical  culture, 
which  has  attained  a  world-wide  reputation  for  its  many  credit- 
able victories  in  various  contests  in  the  United  States.  With  a 
well-equipped  gymnasium  and  competent  instructors,  it  conducts 
'an  institution  that  has  done  much  tn  add  to  llie  physical  develop- 
ment of  the  rising  generation. 

I'  The  Brownson  Catholic  Club,  as  its  name  indicates,  is  a  so- 
cial-religious organization  which  has  done  much  good  in  the 
circle  in  which  it  operates.  It  is  housed  in  its  own  quarters  on 
lEast  146th  Street  near  Third  Avenue,  where  the  cornerstone  of 
)thc  handsome  structure  was  laid  on  Sunday,  April  26.  190.?. 
I  The  Fleetwood  Park  Club  was  the  conception  of  Robert 
jBonner,  the  noted  publisher  and  horseman,  and  did  much  for  the 
Idevelopment  of  the  road  horse.  With  the  death  of  Mr.  Bon- 
jncr,  who  never  stopped  to  consider  the  price  of  a  fast  trotter, 
)and  the  advancing  tide  of  population,  the  club  had  to  forsake  its 


iroltmg  track  just  west  of  Webster  Avenue,  between  103d  and 
lO/ih  .streeis,  and  only  a  portion  of  the  track  is  still  visible  at 
this  writing,  while  the  clubhouse  itself,  doomed  ere  long  to  de- 
iiruction,  seems  incongruous  among  the  two  and  three-family 
residences  with  which  it  is  daily  being  hemmed  in. 

Among  the  well  known  social  clubs  of  the  Bronx  is  the 
Schnorer  Club,  located  on  a  rising  knoll  on  East  163d  Street  and 
Eagle  Avenue.  This  organization  has  attained  quite  a  reputa- 
tion from  the  various  functions  which  have  been  given  under  its 
auspices,  that  have  been  participated  in  by  prominent  public  of- 
ficials not  only  of  the  city  of  New  iork,  but  of  other  municipali- 
ties. The  membership  of  this  club  includes  many  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  the  borough  and  is  in  a  very  flourishing  condi- 
tion. The  clubhouse  is  a  very  attractive  structure,  and  is  fully 
equipped  with  everything  that  tends  to  the  enjoyment  of  its 
membership,  including  a  cuisine  that  has  won  commendation. 

St.  Mary's  Club,  located  on  151st  Street  west  of  Melrose 
vvenue,  is  an  organization  composed  of  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Iminaculatc  Conception,  which  adjoins  the  club's 
i;uarters.  The  purpose  of  this  club  is  purely  of  a  social  nature, 
and  the  hall  is  fitted  up  with  all  the  paraphernalia  conducive  to 
making  the  club  attractive. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  Club,  as  it  is  now  known,  was  or- 
ganized July  4,  1887,  under  the  name  of  Sacred  Heart  Dramatic 
i'ociety  with  a  membership  of  eighteen.  Rev.  J.  Keitz,  then 
rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  to  which  the 
society  was  attached,  appointed  Rev.  Paul  Huber  as  spiritual 
director,  whose  duties  are  the  same  as  those  of  chaplain.  Other 
spiritual  directors  appointed  since  the  club  was  organized  were 
kev.  Fathers  Tewes,  Gutbcrlet,  Suirni,  Schoenhardt  and  Hild. 
Shortly  after  organization  the  society  changed  its  name  to  that 
of  St.  Mary's  Literary  and  Dramatic  Association,  under  which 
name  it  was  incorporated  and  was  foremost  in  dramatic  work  in 
this  vicinity  and  held  very  many  successful  entertainments.  In 
1904  the  n;  me  again  was  changed  to  that  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic 
Club,  by  which  title  it  is  to-day  widely  known  as  the  oldest 
and  leading  Catholic  club  of  this  borough.  In  1903  Rev.  Father 
H.  J.  Otterbein,  present  rector  of  the  parish,  decided  that  a  new 
club  house  was  necessary  and  through  his  efforts  and  good  will 
the  building  was  started  the  latter  part  of  that  year.  The  club 
house  is  a  handsome  three-story  structure  of  brick  and  stone, 
handsome];,'  furnished  and  equipped  with  all  modern  and  up- 
to-date  ideas.  In  the  basement  there  are  two  fine  Brunswick- 
Kalke  bowling  alleys,  as  well  as  needle  and  shower  baths,  etc. 
Ground  lloor  consists  of  parlor  and  large  gymnasium  equipped 
with  all  kinds  of  appliances  to  suit  anyone  with  athletic  tenden- 
cies. Located  on  the  second  floor  there  are  billiard  and  pool 
tables,  card  room  and  a  large  sitting  room.  On  the  third  floor 
there  is  a  well  furnished  up-to-date  library  and  reading  room. 
The  membership  consists  of  single  and  married  men  and  anyone 
wishing  to  join  must  be  21  years  of  age.  Initiation  fee  is  $3 ; 
and  dues  are  50  cents  a  month.  The  officers  and  trustees  of  the 
ciub  are  as  follows:  Rev.  Chas.  Burger,  spiritual  director; 
Adam  J.  Hecht,  president ;  John  Kupfer,  first  vice-president ; 
Jacob  Blacsser,  second  vice-president;  John  Pfluger,  treasurer; 
Chas.  Maeder,  financial  secretary ;  Edward  Jacques,  correspond- 
ing secretary;  Geo.  Berliner,  recording  secretary;  James  F.  Ber- 
man.  Jr.,  first  librarian;  Anthony  Stadta,  second  libarian ;  Wil- 
liam Rieger.  dramatic  director;  Bernard  Schilling,  sergeant-at- 
arnis.  Bonrd  of  Trustees — Rev.  Chas.  Burger,  president;  .Adam 
J.  Hecht,  Jacob  Blaesser,  Frank  Geisler,  John  Kupfer,  L.  Met- 
terer,  Jos.  Reichert,  Ed.  Jacques,  Geo.  Pfluger,  Christ.  Stumpf. 
Edward  Geneckler. 

The  Morris  Park  Club  House,  the  conception  of  the  Mor- 
ris   Brothers,   for  the   improvement   of   thoroughbreds,   has   been 


166 


HISTORY  OF    BRONX  BOROUGH 


the  scene  of  many  exciting  races  both  on  the  Hal  and  hurdle. 
The  days  of  this  club,  hcwever,  are  numbered,  as  the  growth  of 
the  borough  in  that  section  demands  the  extension  of  the  street 
system  through  the  tract  of  land  upon  which  the  Messrs.  Morris 
have  spent  millions  in  grading  the  grounds  for  racing  purposes, 
and  under  the  auspices  of  the  Westchester  Racing  Association 
drew  immense  crowds  of  visitors  when  the  races  authorized  by 
ihe   American  Jockey   Club  were  being  run. 

The  Morris  Park  track  was  the  outcome  of  the  condemna- 
tion of  the  Jerome  Park  track  by  the  city  for  reservoir  pur- 
poses, and  now  its  own  existence  is  doomed,  owing  to  the  en- 
croachments of  the  railroads  and  the  ever-increasing  tide  of 
population  that  is  converting  the  farm  lands  into  homes  for  the 
thrifty. 

At  both  Morris  Park  as  well  as  Jerome  Park  the  Ameri- 
can turf  has  received  an  .npetus  in  its  development  which  has 
led  to  the  investment  of  millions  in  the  propagation  of  racing 
studs,  and  eventually  led  to  the  man  of  wealth  investing  large 
sums  in  establishing  his  own  private  equipment  to  relieve  the 
strenuosity  of  business  life. 

The  Fordham  Club,  located  in  the  West  Bronx,  is  another 
of  the  prominent  organizations  that  have  attained  notoriety.     The 


membership  embraces  some  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  uppe' 
portion  of  the  Bronx,  who  are  a  power  both  ia  political  an) 
civic  life.  The  club's  quarters  are  located  on  Fordliam  Roa' 
and  Morris  Avenue.  , 

Of  the  clubs  in  the  lower  section  of  the  borough  the  fore 
most  in  social  activities  are  the  Wampanoag  at  Willis  Avenu 
and  143d  Street ;  the  North  Side  Republican  Club,  at  I42d  Streei 
and  Third  Avenue,  occupying  the  upper  part  of  three  building;' 
and  fitted  up  with  billiard  rooms  and  every  convenience  tendiu; 
to  make  club  life  congenial ;  the  Union  Republican  Club,  al 
Boston  Road  and  165th  Street,  located  in  the  former  residenc 
of  ex-Senator  William  Cauldwell ;  the  Osceola,  the  Mott  Haveil 
Athletic  Club,  the  Mohawk  Athletic  Club,  the  Men's  Club  of  th' 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church;  the  West  Morrisania  Club,  be^id 
a   host   of  others. 

In  the  Annexed  District,  as  the  territory  north  and  east  0 
the  Bronx  River  is  designated,  the  spirit  of  clubdom  has  hac 
full  sway.  The  most  noted  in  the  territory  is  the  Chippew; 
Club,  at  Throggs  Neck,  under  the  patronage  of  Deputy  Com 
missioner  Thomas  H.  O'Neil.  The  membership  includes  nearl; 
every  one  of  any  prominence  in  the  district,  and  its  influence  i 
much   felt   during  political   campaigns. 


■■  ••■.-« 

i      i                                                 T^^ 

■^;^^2fl 

Hh[ 

|^^^^^BHHB[niii^iiM|BjK^JH|^^^^^^| 

The  Fordham  Club 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 


CIVIC  BODIES  IN  THE  BRONX 


North  Side  Board  ot  Trade — Twenty-third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association — Taxpayers'  Alliance- 
Improvement  League 


Realizing  that  concerted  acuon  on  the  pan  of  iis  progrebsivc 
titizens  was  needed  in  order  to  properly  auvance  the  niterests  ot 
ihe  Borough  ot  Ihe  Bronx,  a  number  of  the  torcmost  citizens 
gathered  and  discussed  tlie  advisability  of  forming  an  organiza- 
tion which  should  be  known  as  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade. 
1  he  result  of  these  deliberations  culminated  in  the  formal  organ- 
ization of  this  representative  body  on  March  b,  1904,  when  the 
constitution  and  by-laws  to  govern  the  body  were  finally  adopted. 

The  objects  for  which  the  organization  were  formed  were  so 
consonant  with  the  desires  and  hopes  of  tlie  progressive  citizens 
that  from  the  initial  meeting  the  movement  was  an  assured  suc- 
cess. 

In  all  proposed  improvements  tending  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  borough  this  truly  representative  body  of  business  men  has 
played  an  important  part,  in  many  instances  taking  the  initiative, 
while  in  other  cases  where  the  other  bodies  of  taxpayers'  associa- 
tions have  taken  the  first  steps  to  secure  public  improvements 
this  body  has  ciheerfuUy  and  freely  given  its  aid  in  furtherance 
of  all  measures  that  would  tend  to  the  development  of  the  bor- 
ough of  which  all  North  Siders  entertain  such  fond  hopes. 

Many  problems  confronted  this  body  which  would  have 
daunted  less  sanguine  individuals,  but  it  seemed  that  opposition 
only  accentuated  the  desire  to  succeed,  and  the  results  have  been 
very  flattering. 

Its  influence  in  connection  with  that  of  other  civic  bodies  re- 
sulted in  the  running  of  continuous  trains  over  the  elevated  rail- 
road, and  eventually  the  extension  of  the  system  northward  to  its 
present  terminus  at  Bedford   Park. 

The  Rapid  Transit  question  has  been  a  matter  of  great 
moment  to  this  organization,  for  its  members  fully  realized  that 
with  more  rapid  and  frequent  transit  facilities  assured  the  bor- 
ough, the  tide  of  population  would  not  diminish  in  volume  but, 
on  the  contrary,  be  largely  increased.  The  wisdom  of  this  cam- 
paign lias  been  demonstrated  by  the  phenomenal  growth  which 
has  resulted  from  the  institution  of  improved  transit  facilities. 

In  every  movement  that  tends  to  the  advancement  of  the 
interests  of  the  Borough,  live  committees  appear  before  the  city, 
State  and  National  legislatures  to  urge  the  adoption  of  measures 
lending  to  the  beneficial  growth  of  this  portion  of  the  great  city 
with  a  persistency  of  purpose  that  has  resulted  in  favorable  action 
being  taken  thereon  by  the  authorities. 

OFFICERS  AND  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 
President — Olin  J.  Stephens,  444  East  138th  Street. 
Secretary — Charles   E.    Reid.   office.    149th    Street  and   Third 
Avenue. 


Treasurer — Charles  VV.  Bogart,  135th  Street  and  Third  Ave- 
nue. 

Vice-Presidents. — Ernest  Hall,  Henry  L.  Morris,  Joseph  A. 
Goulden,  Henry  A.  Gumbleton,  Adolph  G.  Hupfel,  John  F. 
Sleeves,  John  J.  Amory,  Charles  A.  Berrian,  John  Claflin.  Louis 
F.  Hafifen. 

Executive  Committee — 'ierm  Expiring  1907 — Louis  F.  Haf- 
fen,  Anthony  McOwen.  Wm.  W.  Niles,  Dr.  Israel  C.  Jones, 
Charles  VV.  Bogart,  Ernest  Hall,  Seward  Baker ;  term  expiring 
igo8 — ^Joseph  A.  Goulden,  Hermann  G.  Friedmann,  Louis  A. 
Risse,  Robert  Davis,  Fred'k  W.  Hottenroth,  Martin  Walter,  Al- 
phonse  Weiner;  term  expiring  iqog — Matthew  Anderson,  Wil- 
liam J.  Williamson.  John  J.  Fo.x,  Charles  W.  Stoughton,  John 
De  Hart,  .\rthur  Knox,  Wesley  H.  Trimmer. 

HONORARY  MEMBERS. 

Rev.  Henry  M.  MacCracken,  Chancellor  New  York  University, 
University  Heights. 

Rev.  George  A.  Pettit,  former  President  St.  Johns  College, 
Fordham. 

William    T.    Hornaday.    Director   Zoological    Park,   Bronx    Park. 

Dr.    N.    L.   Britton,   Director    Botanical   Garden,   Bron.\    Park. 

James  W.  Wardrop.  Secretary  Merchants'  Association,  Pitts- 
burg, Pa. 

George  L.  Rives,  Corporation  Counsel,  32  Nassau  Street. 

Major  David  Wilson,   Second  Battery,  671   East   138th  Street. 

MEMBERS  EX-OFFICIO. 
Charles  Kuntz,  .Alderman  38th  District,  482  Brook  .Avenue. 
Philip  Harnischfeger.  Alderman  39th   District,    i68th   Street   and 

Third  Avenue. 
Francis  J.   O'Neil,  .Alderman  40th   District,    1217   Bryant   Street. 
William  E.  Morris,  Alderman  41st  District,  Tremont  and  .Arthur 

Avenues. 
Thomas  J.  Mulligan.   Alderman  44th   District,   Prospect    ferrace. 

Williamsbridge. 
Thomas   D.    Dinwoodie.   Alderman    43d    District.    Pelhani    Road. 

Westchester. 
Arthur  H.  Murphy,  .\ldernian  42d  District.  875    Tremuiu    \\ciuk'. 
.Albert  .F.  Schwannecke,  Coroner,  Third  and  Tremont  .Avenues. 
Robert  F.   McDonald,   M.D.,   Coroner.  Third  and  Tremont   .\ve 

nues. 
Frank  Gass,   Register,   Avenue   B   and   Tenth   Street,   LInionport. 
John  A.  Hawkins,  Senator  21st  District,  601   East   139th   Street. 
Charles   Campbell.    Assemblyman    34th    District,   899    East    i.?otli 

Street. 


i68 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


John  P.  Cohalan,  Assemblyman  35th  District,  1042  Macy  Place. 
William  W.  Pentield,  Justice  First  Municipal  Court,  Wakefield. 
John    M.    Tierney,    Justice    Second    Municipal    Court,    Bedford 
Park. 

MEMBERS. 

AbranisoM,  Joseph   C,   Lawyer,  99   Nassau   Street. 

Acker,  Isaac,  Butcher,  Sx  West  127th  Street. 

Adams,  Ciiarlcs  L.,  Lumber,   149th  Street  and  Harlem   River. 

-Mien,  John  PL,  Manufacturer,  370  Gerard  Avenue. 

Allen,  P'rederick   11.,  ].-awyer,  O3   Wall   Street. 

Alexander,  Richard,  Real  Estate,  Marble  Hill,   Kmgsbridge. 

Amory,  John  J.,  Gas  Engine  &  Power  Co.,  Morris  Heights. 

.Anderson,   Matthew,   Real   Estate,  2632    Ihird  Avenue. 

Ashtield,   A.    E.,   Insurance,  67    West   J2sth   Street. 

Baker,   Sev/ard,   Attorney,   West  P'arms   Road,   Westchester. 

Bambey,  John,  Banker,  i4Sth  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Barnard,   Everett  L.,  Attorney,  35   Mt.   Morris   Park  West. 

Bartelstone,  Aaron,   Glass  and  Paint,  4179    ihird  Avenue. 

Bartelstone,  Oscar,   Glass  and  Paint,  4179  Third  Avenue. 

Barry,  John  J.,  Real  Estate,  793  East   167th  Street. 

Beal,  William  R.,  Central  Union  Gas  Co.,  i  West  I2ist  Street. 

Berrian,  Charles  A.,  Real  Estate,   141   Broadway. 

Bird,  George  \V.,  Bron.x  Business  Institute,  2804  Third  Avenue. 

Bogart,  Charles  V\'.,   Banker,   135th  Street  and    Third  Avenue. 

Booth,  William  11.,  Carriages,  Boston  Road  and   i8ist  Street. 

Borgstede,  John  G.,  Real  Estate,  3273    Third  Avenue. 

Braun,   P'rederick,   Manufacturer,  475   East    153d   Street. 

Brady,  John  J.,   Lawyer,  99  Nassau   Street. 

Bnggs,  Josiah  A,,  Chief  Engineer,  177111  Street  and  Third  A\e- 
nue. 

Brown,  William  R.,  Port  Morris  Land  Co.,  141  Broadway. 

Burgoyiie,  Stephen,  Real  Estate,  486  East   143d  Street. 

Barnard,   Henry    H.,   Lumber,   Mott   and    Park    Avenues. 

Bell,  Hal,  Lawyer,  346  Broadway. 

Bedell,  Arthur  G.,  Publisher,  i7Sth  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Best,  Samuel  J.,  Builder,  700  East  144th  Street. 

Bell,  John  J.,  Building  Material,  137th  Street  and  Gerard  Ave- 
nue. 

Britton,  Dr.  N.  L.,  Director,  Botanical  Garden,  Bronx  Park. 

Becker,  Dr.   Clayton,   Banker,   Park  and  Tremont  Avenues. 

Brogan,  Charles,   Builder,  540  West  ii2i;h   Street. 

Boyd,  Dr.  William   A..,  Physician,  346  Willis  Avenue.. 

Baker,  Harold  W.,   Printer,   17  Cedar   Street. 

Bolton,   William   H.,    Secretary,    177th   Street  and   Bron.x   River. 

Bailey    Piano  Co.,  Manufacturers,  Canal  Place  and  138th  Street. 

Birchall,  William  H.,  Manufacturer,  177th  Street  and  Bron.x 
River. 

Brener,  Samuel,  Real  Estate,  148th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Becker,  Adolph,  Provision  Dealer,  2690  Third  Avenue. 

Bush,  John   H.,   Coal  and  Ice,  Westchester. 

Baisley,  George  P.,  Contractor,  Fordham  Road  and  Grajid  Ave- 
nue. 

Carr,  Frank  A.,  Merchant,  139th  Street  and  Morris  Avenue. 

Carvalho,  J.  S.,  Lumber,  149th  Street  and  Harlem  River. 

Caterson,  Robert,  Monuments,  Woodlawn. 

Chabot,  Theodore  J.,  Department  Store,  isoth  Street  and  Third 
Avenue. 

Claflin,  John,   H.   B.   Clatlin  &  Co.,  Church  and   Worth   Streets. 

Cox,  Walter,  Lawyer,   180  Broadway. 

Crostic,  E.  A.,  Dentist,   140th  Street  and   Third   Avenue. 

Cantwell,  John  M.,  Real  Estate,  3  Cedar  Avenue. 

Cowan,  Joseph,  Hotel,  Clason  Point. 

Close,  Seth  D.,  Physician,  636  East  143d  Street. 


Cohen,   Isidor  L.,   Lumber,   137th   Street  and   Fifth  Avenue. 

Culver,  Weeks  W.,  Lawyer,  614  East  138th  Street. 

Crane  &   Sturgis,   Civil   Engineers,   765   Tremont   Avenue. 

Cantrell,  Herbert  J.,  Real  Estate,  Jerome  Avenue  and  Fordham 
Road. 

Daub,  William,  Superintendent,  Lebanon  Hospital, 

Darlington,    Thomas,   Physician,   Kingsbridge. 

Davies.  J.   Clarence,  Real  Estate,  524  Willis  Avenue. 

Davis,  Albert  E.,  Architect,  494  East  138th  Street.. 

Davis,  Robert,   Furnaces,  545  East   148th   Street. 

Davis,  John  C,   Furnaces,   545   East    148th   Street. 

Davis,  George  G.,  Furnaces,  545  East  148th  Street. 

De  Hart,  John,  Architect,   1039  Fox  Street. 

Dienst  &  Co.,  A.  P.,  Hardware,  140th  Street  and    Third  Avenue. 

Doll,  Jr.,  -f^nthony.  Pianos,  Southern  Boulevard  and  Trinity 
.\venue. 

Dodge  &  Morrison,  .\rchitects,  82  Wall  Street. 

Decker,  Frank,  Tinsmith,  071   East  135th  Street. 

l.'elany,  John  T.,  Lawyer,  206  Broadway. 

Duffy,  Thomas  F'.,  Stoneware  Drain  Pipe.  FourtJi  Avenue  and 
138th  Street. 

Donovan,  Jr.,  James  J.,  Collector,  I77tli  Street  and  Third  Ave- 
nue. 

Donlin,  George    T.,   Clergyman,  230  .\le.\ander  Avenue. 

Ebling,  William,  Retired,  194  Riverside  Drive. 

Eaton,  Bradley  L.,  Lumber,   138th   Street  and  Fourth  Avenue. 

F^asterbrook,  H.  C,  Demist,  728  Tremont  Avenue. 

Eustis,  John  E.,  Lawyer,  80  Broadway. 

Fellows,   H.  G.,  Merchant,  Westchester  and    Tliird  Avenues. 

Fox,  John  J.,  Undertaker,   lyio  Bathgate  Avenue. 

Friedmann,    H.    G.,   Attorney,  31    Nassau    Street. 

F'urlong,    Richard,    Roofer,   459    East    I35lh    Street. 

Picker,  Robert  M..  Broker,  79O  East   148th   Street. 

Fulle,  John,  Real  Estate,  883  East  169th  Street. 

Freudenmacher.  Philipp,  Mason  and  Builder,  567  East  iS4t!i 
Street. 

Falk,  Louis,  Architect,  2785  'Third  Avenue. 

Fayen,  J.   F.,  Mutual  Milk  Co.,  602-608  East   I42d   Street. 

Fuiike,  Edmund,  Dye  Works,  West  Farms  Road. 

Fisher,  Robert  C,  Marble,  139th  Street  and  Locust  Avenue. 

Fox,  M.  Evving,  Manufacturer,  136th  Street  and  Rider  Avenue. 

Geiszler,  Martin,  Manufacturer,   136th  Street  and  Rider  .\venue. 

Gareiss,  Jr.,   August,   Cashier,   1018  East   i68th   Street. 

Gumbleton.  Henry  A.,  Secretary  to  Borough  President,  177th 
Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Goodall,  William  A.,  Physician,  563  East   158th  Street. 

Gotshall,   William   C,   Railroad   President,   76   William   Street. 

Goulden,  Joseph  A.,  Penn  Life  Insurance  Co.,  180  Broadway. 

Gwyer,  Eugene  E.,  Manufacturer,  I50t?h  Street  and  River  Ave- 
nue. 

Gormsen,  Harold  V.,  Builder,  141st  Street  and  Rider  Avenue. 

Goodsell,  Nelson,  Telephone  Co.,  616  East  150th   Street. 

Goldman,    Samuel   P.,  Lawyer,  87   Nassau   Street. 

Gass,  Frank,  Real  Estate,  Unionport. 

Haffen,  John,  Dollar  Savings  Bank,  644  East  iS2d  Street. 

Haflfen,  Louis  F.,  Borough  President,  177th  Street  and  Third 
Avenue. 

Hager,  Fred.  W.,  Band  Master,  953  Trinity  Avenue. 

Haebler,  Theodore,  Brewer,  St.  Ann's  Avenue  and  is6th  Street. 

Hall,  Alfred,  Steel  Engraver,  Beech  Avenue  and   141st  Street. 

Hall,  Ernest,  Attorney,  1087  Boston  Road. 

Harden,  William  H..  Real  Estate,  524  Willis  Avenue. 

Hall,  H.  B.,  Steel  Engraver,  990  Trinity  Avenue. 

Harrington,  M.  J.,  Contractor,   114  East  Twenty-third  Street. 


II 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


m 


Heintz,  John  C,  Eichler  Brewing  Co.,  ifigtli  Street  and  1  hinl 
Avenue. 

Hiers,   William    F.,   Cashier,   350   Alexander   Avenue. 

Hirshkind,  Max.  Clolliing,  32  South  Fourth  Avenue.  Ml.  \ernon. 

Hennessy,  J.   P.,  Lawyer,  Boston   Road  and   169th   Street. 

Holmes,   D.    B.,   Lawyer,   290   Broadway. 

Hottenroth,  Fred.  W.,  Attorney,   lOo   Broadway. 

Hupfel,  Adolph  G.,  Brewer,   lOist  Street  ami    Third  Avenue. 

1-lowe,  Lucius  W.,  Stenographer,  Bronxwood  Park,  Williams- 
bridge. 

Harper,  Harry,   Paint   Supplies,  2698  Third  Avenue. 

Hitchcock,  Fred.  R.,  Fish  Market,  2726  Third  Av-enue. 

How,    Lucius    W.,    .Stenographer,    Bronxwood    rarK,    Willianis- 

Haiss,  George,  Coal  Handling  Manufacturer,  Rider  Avenue  and 
141st  Street. 

Hildreth,  J.  Homer,  Lawyer,   138th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Haggerty,  James  J.,  Real  Estate,  Freeman  Street  and  Southern 
Boulevard. 

Hally,  Charles   V.,   Real   iislale.    1014  East   I75ih   Street. 

Hertz,   Eii'.anuel,  Lawyer,  320   Broadway. 

Heaney,  P.  J.,  Masons'  Materials,  176th  Street  and  West  Farms 
Road. 

Ireland.  Augustus  .\.,  Assistant  Superintendent,  2806  Third 
Avenue. 

Jones,  Dr.    Israel   C.   Superintendent,   Home   for  Incurables. 

Johnson,  Frederick,  Real  Estate,  Prospect  and  Westchester  .Ave- 

Judge,  J.  Taiigney,  Inspector,  2804  Third  Avenue. 

Jackson,   Frederick  W.,  Commissioner,   Throgg's  Neck. 

Jones,  Joseph  FL,  Builder,  950  Ogden  Avenue. 

Kiiiitz,  Louis,  Real   Estate,  883   East  169th   Street. 

Keating,   William   H.,   Real  Estate,   White   Plains  Avenue. 

Keil,    Francis,    Hardware    Manufacturer,   683    East    163d    Street. 

Kellar,  George  W.,  Wholesale  Butcher,  970  Prospect  Avenue. 

Kieshng,  Charles,   Printer,  623  East   l4Slh   Street. 

Knoeppel,  John   H.,  Upholsterer,   1345   Franklin  Avenue. 

Kountze,   Luther,  Banker,   120  Broadway. 

Kupka,   .Yuguat,   Cut   Stone,   139th   Street   and   Walnut   Avenue. 

King,  James  M.,  Florist,  748  Tremont  Avenue. 

Kienle,  Charles  H.,  Printer,  45  Rose  Street. 

Knox,   Herbert  A.,  Lawyer,    198   Broadway. 

Knox,  Arthur,  Lawyer,   198  Broadway. 

Kelly,  Andrew  J.,  Insurance,   148th   Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Kearns.   Phillip  J.,  Contractor,  440  East  Ninety-first  Street. 

Kephart,  William  H.,  Clergyman,  683  East  143d   Street. 

Keppler.    Tobias   .\.,  Attorney,  280  Broadway. 

Krappc,   Walter  J.,   Pharmacist,  2835   Third   Avenue. 

Knoeppel,  Harold  C,  Lawyer,  5  Beekman  Street. 

Lawson,  Ch.nrles  B.,  Piano  Manufacturer,  Seventeenth  Street  and 
Seventh  Avenue. 

Levinson,  Leo.  Painters'  Supplies,  528  Willis  Avenue. 

Levy,  Charles  S.,  Westchester  Clothing  Co.,  2714  Third  Avenue. 

Levy,  Louis  E.,  Bostonian  Department  Store,  164th  Street  and 
Third  Avenue. 

Lipps,  Jr.,  Henry,  Contractor.  115  Elliott  .Avenue,  Williams- 
bridge. 

Livingston,   Phillip,  .'\ttorney,  141   Broadway. 

Lorenze,  Ji.,  A.  H.,  Inspector,  972  East  175th  Street. 

Lawrence,  Richard  W.,  Manager  Aeolian  Co.,  362  Fifth  Avenue. 

Liebertz.  Joseph.  Banker,  148th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Levy.  Herman  J..  Real  Estate.  116  We^t  135th  Street. 

Lowenstem,  .\lbert  L..  Real  Estate.  356  Fordham  Road. 

Leitner,  Jacob.  Real   testate.  Prospect  and  Westchester  Avenues. 

Leitner,  Joseph.  Real  Estate.  Prospect  and  Westchester  Avenues. 

Lowe,  William  R.,  Real  Estate,  221  West  1 16th  Street. 


MacMilian,    Samuel,   Builder,    105    Havemeyer    Building. 
Marshall,   Fielding   L.,   Attorney,   32   Nassau   Street. 
Martin,  Edwin  K.,  Real  Estate,  290  Broadway. 
Marx,  Samuel,  Dry  Goods,  677  East  140th  Street. 
Matthewson,   Douglas,   Attorney,   Borough   Building. 
McGuire,  Eugene  J.,  Hotel  Proprietor,  608  East  138th  Streel. 
M.Ow-en,    Viuhony,  Real  Estate,  515  Wales  Avenue. 
McLaughlin,   Walter,   Real  Estate,  3418  Third  Avenue. 
McQuay,  B.  Frank,  Real  Estate,  148th  Street  and  Third  .\\ciuuv 
Meyerhoff,    Charles    A.    D.,    Editor,    149th    Street    and     liergcii 

Avenue. 
Meyer,  Henry,  Coal,  137th  Streel  and  Rider  Avenue. 
Montgomery,   William   R.,    Banker,   765   Tremont   Avenue. 
Morris,   Dave  H.,   Broker,  68  Broad  Street. 
Morris,    Alfred    H.,    Broker,    68    Broad    Street. 
Morris,   Henry   L.,   Attorney,    16   Exchange    Place. 
Morris,  Fordham,  Attorney,  45  East  Thirtieth  Street. 
Mon,  Jordan  L.,  iron  Works,  2122  rifth  Avenue. 
Mohr,    William    F".,    Furniture    Manufacturer,    135th    Street    ami 

Willow  Aveitue. 
McDowell,  James.  FVeight   Agent,   Harlem  River   Station. 
Malcolm,    Thomas   D.,   Builder,  River   Avenue  and   i67lh   Streel. 
Mapes,    Charles    A.,    City    Surveyor,    148th    Street    and    Third 

Avenue. 
Morrison,  W.  T.,  Manager,  Edison  Co.,  634  East   149th   Street. 
Moran,  D.  W.,  Stone  Dealer,  562  Burnside  Avenue. 
Marco,  B.  B.,  Marco  Brothers,   138th  Street  and   Rider  .\venue 
McEvily,  John,  Master  Plumber,  857  Tremont  Avenue. 
Maher,    Edward   A.,    President    Union    Railroad    Co..    204    F.a'-i 

128th  Street. 
McLaugnlin,  Hugh  E.,  Civil  Engineer,  800  Pelham  Avenue. 
Mellert,  Fred.  M.,  Builder,  176th  Street,  near  Prospect  .^vchik- 
Mitchell,  H.  R.,  Chief  Clerk,  183d  Street  and  Southern    Boule 

yard. 
Minor,  Charles  F.,  Banker,  148th  Street  and  Third  .Avenue. 
Morgenthau,  Henry,  Real  Estate,  20  Nassau  Street. 
Mapes,    Ernest   S.,   Merchant,   1920  West  Farms  Road. 
Mehltretfer,   Charles   F.,   Real   Estate,   1962   Clinton   .Vvenue. 
.McAndrew,    William,    Principal,   2724   Kingsbridge     Terraie. 
.Melson,   William,  Iron  Works.  718  East   165th   Street. 
Niles.  William  W..  Attorney,  11  Wall  Street. 
Ott,   George,   Retired,   35   Kelly   Street. 

O'Conmell,   Edward   B..   Tile  Contractor,   929   East    151SI    Street 
Oliver,   l-'rancis   V.   S.,  Attorney,  220  Broadway. 
Oppenheimer,  Milton  E.,  Real  Estate,  206  Broadway. 
O'Rourke,  George  A.,  Builder,  148th  Street  and  Bergen  .\vciuie. 
O'Hara,  Peter  S.,  Real  Estate,  200th  Street  and  Webster  .\veiine 
Phelps,  Walter  E.,  Lawyers'    Title  Co.,  2792    Third   .Vveiuu-. 
Peck,  William  D.,  Attorney,  80  Broadway. 
Perlhefter,  John   P.,   Retired,  49   East   Thirteenth   Street. 
Pfiueger,   Charles   H.,   Signs,   106  Lincoln   Avenue. 
Fiser,  Abramson,  Furniture.  150th  Street  and  Third  .-\vciuk-. 
Press,   T.    Channon,   Attorney,    10   Wall    Street. 
Phelps,  Walter  C.,   Secretary,  350  Alexander  Avenue. 
Perry,  Frank  S.,  Lawyer,  765  Tremont  Avenue. 
Polak,   Edward,   Real   Estate,  40.30  Third  Avenue. 
Price,  George,  Real  Estate,  728  East  138th  Street. 
Parker,  Andrew  D.,   Attorney,  220  Broadway. 
Quinn,  Thomas  J.,  Builder,  883  East  i66th  Street. 
Queripel,  Henry  J.,  Vice-President,  119  East  124th   Street. 
Raymond.    George    B..    Sewer    Pipe,    Third    Avenue    and     1381!' 

Street. 
Reeber,  John  J..   Merchant,   2595   Third  Avenue. 
Keid,   Charles  E.,   Insurance,  634  East   i4gth   Street. 


MO 


History  of  bronx  borough 


Reinhardt,  George  N.,  Grain,  697  East  i62cl  Street. 

Risse,  Ixrnis  A.,  Engineer,  599  Mott  Avenue. 

Robitzek,  Gustav,  Coal,  136111  Street  and  Rider  Avenue. 

Rogers,  Allred  M.,  Dry  Goods,  143d  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

Rosenberg,   Joseph,   Printer,  556   East   141st    Street. 

Rosenberg,  Henry,   Metropolis  'J  healre,    i42d   Street  and   Third 

Avenue. 
Rothermel,  Albert  N.,  Architect,  688  East  149th  Street. 
Rosenquest,   Eugene,   Electric  Eight   Co.,  Westchester. 
Rossman,  Jonas  A.,  Plumber,   II   East  Twenty-second  Street. 
Rowse,  Charles  A.,  Photographer,  143d  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 
Rice,  Andrew,  Shoes,  2697  Third  Avenue. 
Rogge,  John  L.,   Civil   Engineer,  694   East  140   i   Street, 
keville,   Patrick  J.,   Superintendent  Buildings,   177th   Street   and 

Third  Avenue. 
Rogers,  Jason  S.,  Contractor,  990  Tinton  Avenue. 
Ricca,  Hugh   P.,   Piano  Manufacturer,  883   Southern  Boulevard. 
Rcichard,   Charles,   Clerk,  630  East   149th   Street. 
Rogers,    George    H.,    Civil    Engineer,    138th    Street    and    Third 

Avenue. 
Saward,  Frederick  E.,  Editor,  41   Park  Row. 
Schaefer,   Edward   C,   President   Germania   Bank,    155th    Street 

and  Third  Avenue. 
Schaeffeler,  Joseph,   Builder,  318   Blast  Thirteenth   Street. 
Schilling,  Francis  A.,  Botanical   Garden,   Bronx  Park. 
Silleck,  Harry  G,  Lumber,  Foot  East  135th  Street. 
Singhi,  H.  W.,  Builder,  184th  Street  and  Jerome  Avenue. 
Smith,   \V.   Stebbins,   Attorney,  720  East   ib7th   Street. 
Smith,  John  T.,  Real  Estate,  671  East  135th  Street. 
Soltmann,    E.    G.,    Drawing    Materials,    125    East    Forty  second 

Street. 
Stark,  George,  Lumber,  Gerard  .Avenue  and  138th  Street. 
Steeves,  John  F.,  Lumber,  Mott  and  Park  Avenues. 
Stem,  Benjamin,  Dry  Goods,  32  West  Twenty-third  Street. 
Steiger,  Frederick,  Plumber,  i62d  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 
Stephens,  Olin  J.,  Coal,  444  East  138th  Street. 
Steurer,  Charles  D.,  Publisher,  149th  Street  and  Bergen  Avenue. 
Stoughton,  Charles  W.,  Architect,  96  Fifth  Avenue. 
Stonebridge,  George  E.,  Collector,  4143  Park  Avenue. 
Stutchbury.  W.  H.,  Manager,  405  East  144th  Street. 
Sicker,  Adolphus  T.,  Lawyer,  3608  Third  Avenue. 
Shipway,    John    H.,    Marble    Manufacturer,    Foiot    East    138th 

Street. 
Smith,  Clement  H.,  Real  Estate,  736  Tremont  Avenue. 
Surridge,    Jr.,    John    H.,    Restaurant,    177th    Street    and    Third 

Avenue. 
Staib,    Albert,    Piano    Action    Manufacturer,    134th    Street    and 

Brook  Avenue. 
Sheil,  Dr.  Gerald  V.,  Physician,  348  Willis  Avenue. 
Stonebridge,  William,  Real  Estate,  951  East  184th  Street. 
Stoeckel,  Rudolph  E.,  Drug  Chemicals,  2449  Third  Avenue. 
Scardefield,  Frank  H.,  Gold  Leaf  Manufacturer,  457  East  134th 

Street. 
Stephens,  Clinton,  Contractor   (Retired),  Clason  Point. 
Snyder,  H.  R.,  Title  Insurance  Co.,  '135  Broadway. 
Smith,  Edson  A.,  Druggist,  200  Broadway. 
Schaefer,   Henry  C,  Real   Estate,  759  Courtlandt  Avenue. 
Saulspaugh,  W.  S.,  Lumber,  723  Union  Avenue. 
Sullivan,  Michael  J.,  Lawyer,  148th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 
Sharrott,  Charles  F.,  Real  Estate,  2796  Third  Avenue. 
Simpson,  John  B.,  President  Estey  Piano  Co.,   1170  Broadway. 
Stryker,  Edward,  Teacher,  722  East  174th  Street. 
Storm,  Jules  P.,  Advertising  Agent,  189  Broadway. 
Schwarzler,  Albert  J.,  Builder,   1313  Brook  Avenue. 


Smith,  F.  Vinton,  Contractor,  125th  Street  and  Lexington  Ave- 
nue. 

Ten  Eyck,  William  H.,  Commissioner,  679  East   135th   Street. 

Tiffany,  Henry  D.,  Real  Estate  "Foxhurst,'  Westchester  Ave- 
nue. 

I'iflany,  George  F.,  Real  Estate,  Westchester  Avenue  and  South- 
ern Boulevard. 

Trimmer,   Wesley   H.,   Coal,   133d   Street,  near    Third   Avenue. 

Trull,  William  C,  Attorney,  206  Broadway. 

Traud,  William  T.,  Teacher,  3968  East  200th  Street. 

Traber,  A.   P.,  Manufacturer,  2151-2167  Prospect  Avenue. 

Toussaint,  Julius  F.,  A.storia  Realty  Co.,  60  Murray  Street. 

UUman,  Charles  L.,  Attorney,  502  Willis  Avenue. 

Van  Doren,  Louis  C,  Lawyer,  35   Nassau   Street. 

Von  Munsler,  Charles,  Real  Estate,  708  East  201st  Street. 

Von  Duering,  Dr.  A.,  Physician,  522  East  issth  Streei. 

Weiher,  William  H.,  Builder,  Cypress  Avenue  and  i3Sth  Street. 

Walter,  Martin,  Real  Estate,  706  Tremont  Avenue. 

Walworth,  John  C,  Walworth  School,  634  East  149th  Street. 

Warren,  Samuel,  Watson  Estate,  260  Church  Street. 

Webber,   Richard,    Packing   House,    155   Broadway. 

Weiffenbacli,  George  W.,  Attorney,  155  Broadway. 

Weiner,  .'Mphonse,  Jeweler,  2827  Third  Avenue. 

Wells,  James  L.,  Real   Estate,   141   Broadway. 

Westergreu,   H.   F.,   Metal  Works,  437   East   144th   Street. 

Wilco.x,  Franklin  A.,  Attorney,  I   Broadway. 

Wiegle,  Charles  H.,  Metropolitan  Dye  Works,  West  Farms. 

Williamson,  Wm.  J.,   Real  Estate,  2796  Third  Avenue. 

Williamson,  John  W.,  Hotel,  Westchester  and  Prospect  .'Vvenues 

Wilkens,  Ernest  A.,  Physician,  284  Alexander  Avenue. 

Winter,  Julius,   Pianos,   137th  Street  and  Southern  Boulevard. 

Wood,  Robert  C,  Banker,  30  Broad  Street. 

Wright  &  Son,  William  H.,  Builders,  2668  Briggs  Street. 

Watson,  J.  C,  Grain,  i3Sth  Street  and  Mott  Haven  Canal. 

Wahle,  Charles  G.  F.,  Magistrate,   1239  Franklin  Avenue. 

Wainwright,  William,  Builder,   1042  Macy  Place. 

Winter,  Charles  A.,  Manager  Bronx  Theatre,  150  East  107th 
Street. 

Weisker,  Jr..  B.  H.,  Real  Estate,  Jerome  Avenue  and  184th  Street. 

Wagner,  Constantin,  Manufacturer,  965  East  I32d  Street. 

Ward,  Levi  A.,  Corn  Exchange  Bank,  520  Willis  Avenue. 

Woods,   Lewis   H.,   Electrical   Contractor,  2357   Jerome   Avenue. 

Woods,  Frederick  J.,  Real  Estate,  Third  and  Tremont  Avenues. 

Wilkens,  Walter,  Real  Estate,  1105  Westchester  Avenue. 

Wright,  Henry,  Tile  Contractor,  584  East  148th  Street. 

Weber,  Charles  A.,  Real  Estate,  Third  Avenue  and  149th  Street. 

York,  Frank  S.,  Livery  Stables,  614  East  145th  Street. 

Zeltner,  William,  Zeltner  Brewing  Co.,  170th  Street  and  Third 
Avenue. 

Zoetbl,  Joseph   L.,  Attorney,  229   Broadway. 


Taxpayers'  Alliance 

Another  body  of  indefatigable  civic  workers  is  the  Taxpay- 
ers' Alliance,  which  is  the  recognized  parent  body  for  all  the 
numerous  neighborhood  organizations  of  the  horough,  it  being 
composed  of  representative  delegates  to  the  Alliance,  and  their 
familiarity  with  strictly  local  conditions  imparts  a  decided  im- 
port to  the  deliberations  of  the  parent  body. 

Its  influence  has  been  felt  in  the  halls  of  legislation  when 
measures  inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  taxpayers  have  been 
before  the  legislators. 


hlSlrORV  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


m 


Following  is  a  list  of  delegates  to  the  Taxpayers'  Alliance, 
January  i,  1906,  with  their  resiuence  and  post  office  address,  and 
the  associations   they   represent : 

23D   WARD   TAXPAYERS'   ASSOCIATION. 
F.  Landenberger,  1036  Union  Avenue;  Station  R. 
John  M.  Haften,  Secretary,  644  East  iS2d  Street;  Station  R. 
Sigmund  Feust,  Real  Estate,  718  East  138th  Street;  Station  R. 
Charles  Baxter,  Architect,  2580  Third  Avenue;  Station  R. 
A.    Hottenroth,   Lawyrer,    lOo   Broadway ;   Bedford   Park. 

Alternates. 
George  Fiencke,  Paints,  3006  Third  Avenue;  Station  R. 
E.  A.  Acker,  Lawyer,  287  Broadway;  Station  R. 
Philip    Freudenmacher,    Builder,    567    East    lS4th    Street. 
Thomas  F.   Coleman,  Real   Estate,   531   East  139th  Street;   Sta- 
tion R. 
A.  F.  Lawson,  Fire  Appliances,  261 1   Broadway. 

FORDHAM  CLUB. 
Joseph  A.  Goulden,  180  Broadway. 
Dr.  I.  S.  Balcom,  Physician,  587  Fordham  Road;  High  Bridge, 

Fordham. 
J.  A.  Donnelly,  Lawyer,  2751  Morris  Avenue;  Kirkside  Avenue, 

Fordham. 
W.  H.  Birchall,  Treasurer,  45  Broadway ;  West  Farms. 
John  J.  Fox,  Undertaker,   1908  Bathgate  Avenue;  Tremont. 
John   F.    Murray,    Manager,   270    West    Broadway;    I    Madison 

Avenue. 

BELMONT  ASSOCIATION. 

Emil  Ginsburger,  Architect,  729  Sixth  Avenue;  East  183d 
Street  and  Prospect  Avenue. 

jDhn  Robertson,  Builder,  Grand  Avenue,  near  184th  Street ; 
Prospect  Avenue,  near  183d  Street. 

Wm.  H.  Stonebridge,  Real  Estate,  951  East  184th  Street. 

P.  J.  Limbacher,  Painter,  2474  Cambreling  Avenue;  Fulton  Ave- 
nue, near  Pelham. 

Francis  Heine,  926  East   183d   Street. 

Chas.  Schaefer,  Clerk,  Third  Avenue,  corner  Tremont ;  Pros- 
pect Avenue,  near  183d  Street. 

George  Schrank,  Grocer,  Beaumont  Avenue,  corner  Elast  183d 
Street;   East  183d   Street. 

UNIONPORT  ASSOCIATION. 

M.  A.  Husson,  Real  Estate,  Clason  Point,  Westchester. 

Henry  Jarvis,  Twelfth  Street,  Unionport. 

Martin  Hoffman,  Liquors,  Avenue  B  and  Tenth  Street,  Union- 
port. 

C.  E.  Lawrence,  Painiter,  Avenue  D,  corner  Fourth  Street, 
Unionport. 

Martin  Dannenfelser,   Insurance,  Avenue  C,  Unionport 

Kasimer  Lofink,  Builder,  Avenue  A,  near  Seventh  Street;  Ave- 
nue B,  Unionport. 

Henry  Dannenfelser,  Eleventh  Street,  Unionport. 

August  H.   Diehl,  Avenue  C,  Unionport. 

WEST  MORRISANIA  CLUB. 

William  Oliver,  Secretary,  508  East  i6oth  Street ;  College  Ave- 
nue and  164th  Street. 

A.  Luhrs,  938  College  Avenue ;  College  Avenue  and  163d  Street. 

T.  J.  Harrison,  Roofer.  531  East  164th  Street. 

Otto  Marx,  Painter,  940  Morris  Avenue ;  College  Avenue  and 
164th  Street. 

Chas.  Neus,  526  East  164th  Street. 

J.  B.  LaTour,  Jr.,  836  Morris  Avenue. 


WEST  FARMS  ASSOCIATION. 
John  W.  Bolton,  Clerk,  Tremont  .Avenue  and  Bron.x  Road;  1777 

West  Farms  Road. 
H.  A.  Gumbleton,  Lawyer,  corner  Third  Avenue  and  Tremont ; 

Longfellow  Street  and  176th  Street. 
William  Gill,  Inspector,  Third  Avenue,  comer  Tremont  Avenue ; 

2007  Vyse  Avenue. 
Charles  McCaffrey,   12S6  East  178th  Street. 
Frank  Byrne,  2044  Boston  Road. 

WOODLAWN  ASSOCIATION. 
J.  C.  Vrecland,  Builder,  corner  East  239th  Street,  near  Katuuah 

Avenue. 
J.   B.   Powers,   Grand  Avenue,  Woodlawn. 
Michael    Redmond,    Contractor,   746    East    176th    Street. 
Peter  Celi,  Monuments,  East  233d  Street,  near  Verio  Street. 
Wm.  A.   Huntress,   Real  Estate,  Woodlawn,  Kingsbridge   P.   O. 

C.  W.   Schmidtke,  240th   Street,  near  Verio   Avenue. 

H.   H.   Schwarz,   Superintendent,   East  233d   Street,   Woodlawn. 
F.  R.  Dieting,  234th  Street  and  Verio  Avenue. 
J.  H.  Price,  East  236th  Street. 

WESTCHESTER  ASSOCIATION. 

Fredk.  Jackson. 

Aug.  M.  Fields,  Deputy  Commissioner,  Third  Avenue,  corner 
Tremont   Avenue. 

John  H.  Nichols,  Publisher,  West  Farms  Road,  Westchester. 

Hon.   Seward   Baker,   Lawyer,   West   Farms   Road,  Westchester. 

Rev.  F.  M.  Clendennin,  Westchester  Avenue,  corner  Glebe  Ave- 
nue. 

Alford  W.   Cooley,  Lawyer,  Main  Street,  Westchester. 

CITY   ISLAND   ASSOCIATION. 
Geo.  E.  Reynolds,  Dentist,  Main   Street,  City  Island. 
Orrin  I'".  Fordham,  Orchard   Street,  City  Island. 
Howard  L.   Horton,   Secretary,   Main  Street,   City   Island. 
William    Anderson,    Vet.    Surgeon,    Centre    Street,    City    Island. 
John  O.  Fordham,  Oyster  Bay  Avenue,  City  Island. 
Henry  S.  Pell,  Real  Estate,  Main  Street,  City  Island. 
Samuel  S.   Miller,  Cigars,  Main   Street,  City  Island. 

PROPERTY  OWNERS  OF  167TH  STREET  AND  VICINITY 
F.  Reinschmidt,  Tremont,  corner  Third  Avenue;   1235  Simpson 

Street. 
.Tohn  DeHart,  Real  Estate,  1039  Fox  Street. 
/.    Reinschmidt,    Cutter,    1 169    Simpson    Street;    1237    Simpson 

Street. 
J.  Sherry,  Civil  Engineer,  Third  Avenue,  corner  Tremont ;  Hall 

Place  and  165th  Street. 
P.   T.  Brady,   Fitter,  718  Trinity  Avenue;  713  Trinity  Avenue. 
W.   R.    Bowman,    Foreman,    mo   ILast    169th    Street;    Intervale 

Avenue  and  169th  Street. 
J.  McSherry.  Engineer,  1143  Intervale  .Avenue. 

BEDFORD  PARK  ASSOCIATION. 

Hon.  W.  W.  Niles,  Bedford  Park. 

J.  J.  Weeks,  Cutter,  Guiihill  Road,  near  Decatur  Avenue. 

H.  R.  Knopf,  Musical  Instruments,  Decatur  Avenue,  near  Scoti 

Street,  Bedford  Park. 
Louis    Mink,    Inspector,    Hull    Avenue,   near    Woodlawn    Road ; 

Hull  Avenue. 

D.  A.  McCormick,  Signal  Place,  Bedford  Park. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 

Williamsbriilgi' ; 


J72 

Marcus     D.     Cash,     Plumber,     221st     Slrrci. 

Baiiibridge  Avenue,  Bedford   Park. 
Hon.  William  Morris. 
P.  J.   McKinley. 

VAN    NEST   ASSOCIATION. 
.\ir.    O'Brien,    Conductor,    Kinsella    Avenue,    Van    .\esi. 
J.  J.  Dragnet,   Prniler,  Madison  Street,  Van   Nest. 
A.  G.  Schellnian.  Plumber,  Van   Nest. 
II.   V.   McCay,  Gartield  Street,  Van   Nest. 
Mr.  Jacobs,  Lincoln  Street. 
.\!r.    II.  Dominische,   Painter,  Louise  Street. 
William   Peters,  Real   Estate,  Morris   Park  Avenue. 

WESTCHESTER   IMPROVEMENT   ASSOCIATION. 
Dr.  Michael  E.  Devlin.  Teacher,  Avenue  B,  corner  iN'iiith  Street, 

Unionport. 
Harry  Harper,  Manager,  Guerlain   Place.   Westchester. 
Owen  F.  Dolan,  P.  O.  Address  Westchester. 
Andrew   Brown,   Real    Estate,   Lafayette   Street,  corner   Railroad 

Avenue,  Unionport. 
William    Henderson,    Superintendent,    Throgg's    Neck,    Eastern 

Boulevard. 

BOROUGH  CLUB,  HIGH  BRIDGE. 

Wm.    Hennessey,    689    East    184th    Street;    Jessup    Place,    High 

Bridge. 
J.    Harris    Jones,    Engineering,    560    West    151st    Street;    Ogden 

^^  venue. 
Fielding   L.   Marshall,  Lawyer.   Undercliff  Avenue. 
Wm.   G.  Verplanck,   Lawyer,    149   Broadway,   New   York  City. 

D.  A.   McLeod,   High   Bridge. 

Cha.s.  Hilton  Brown.  Lind  Avenue,  High  Bridge. 

CASENOVA  ASSOCIATION. 
F.  Muhfield,  11 17  Dawson  Street;  Station  R. 

E.  Babcock,    Commissioner,   720   East    167th    Street;    1115    East 

iS6th  Street,   Station   R. 
T.  Kane,  Carrier,  49  Kelly  Street;  Station  R. 
H.  W.  Olpp,  Manager,  1115  Dawson  Street;  Station  R. 
R.  Davis,  Roofer,  iiio  Dawson  Street;  Station  R. 

F.  Doehle,   1194  Dawson  Street;   Station  R. 

E.   Camp,   Treasurer,    1128   East    156th    Street;    1128   East    t56th 

Street. 

SPRINGHURST  ASSOCIATION. 
W.  M.  Browne,  Stenographer,  Hunt's  Point  Road,  near  Spofford 

Street,    Hunt's    Point. 
James  Nugent,  Springhurst. 
Rudolph  Hubbel,   Springhurst. 
Francis  J.   Mackay,   Springhurst. 
James    Day,    Sr.,    Foreman,    Garrison    Avenue.    Burnett    Place, 

Springhurst. 
John  Ahearn,  Sr.,  Springhurst. 

FORDHAM  ASSOCIATION. 
Aug.   Dreher,  Engraver,   1950  Clinton  Avenue. 
M.  L.  Stewart,  Cordials,  461  Kingsbridge  Road. 
W.  J.  Boyd,  Undertaker,  777  Tinton  Avenue. 
Henry  W.  Vogel,  Surveyor,  321  East  190th  Street. 
S.    H.    Mapes,    Carpenter,    Aqueduct    Avenue,    near    Hampden 

Street. 
Mark  Healy,  Real  Estate,  4220  Third  Avenue. 
Philip   J.    Kearns,    Treasurer   and    Contractor,    Concourse,    near 

East  183d  Street. 
M.  L.  Cregson,  Machines,  40  Kirkside  Avenue. 


MORRIS   HEIGHTS  ASSOCIATION. 
Samuel    McMillan,     President,    731     Treniont    Avenue; 
Fl  eights. 


Morris 


TREMONT  ASSOCIATION. 
Rufus  R.  Randall,  Real  Estate,  721   Tremont  Avenue. 
W.   T.   Matthies,  Lawyer,  741   Tremont  Avenue. 
R.   S.  Guernsey,  Lawyer,   171 1   Bathgate  Avenue. 
W.  W.  Osborne,  1945  Washington  Avenue ;  Valentine  .'vvenue. 
James    Riley,    Electrician,    1052    Fairmont    Place ;    Third    Avenue 

and  175th  Street. 
Wni.  A.  Cameron,  Real  Estate,   1001  Bathgate  Avenue. 

IMPROVEMENT  LEAGUE  OF  44TH  DISTRICl'. 

W.  H.  Keating,  Real  Estate.  Wliite  Plains  Road  and  226th 
Street,   Williamsbridge. 

Dr.  Geo.  P.  Shirmer,  Williamsbridge. 

A.    U.    Mayer,   Lawyer,    Williamsbridge. 

Dr.   Lucius   W.    How,   Bronxwood   Park,    Williamsbridge. 

John  Davidson,   Superintendent,  227th   Street,  Williamsbridge. 
bridge. 

M.  J.   Mack,   Surveyor,  Adee   Park,  Williamsbridge. 

Francis  Schackell,  Photographer,  Newell  .Avenue,  Williams- 
bridge. 

WAKEFIELD  ASSOCIATION. 

John  Jack,  235th  Street. 

Albert  Pearson,  Manager,  Matilda  Street,  near  Demilt  Avenue. 
Wakefield. 

Wm.  P.  McCarthy,  Teacher,  Fulton  Street,  Wakefield;  Williams- 
bridge. 

Robert  A.  Nolan,  Smith,  235th   Street,  Wakefield. 

J.  H.  Blumberg,  Druggist,  White  Plains  Road  and  Demilt  Ave- 
nue. 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  P..   Patterson,  2699  Decatur  Avenue. 

.VYSE  ESTATE  ASSOCIATION. 
P.  J.  Stumpf,  Coal,  1209  Hoe  Street. 
A.   H.  Bauman,  Clerk,  1296  Hoe  Street. 
J.  Blaesser,  1388  Vyse  Avenue. 
D.  H.  Olmstead,  Stable.  299  East  F'ifty-second  Street;   1219  East 

167th  Street. 
W.  C.   Stephens,   Police,   Eighty-fifth   Street   and   Si.xth   Avenue, 

Williamsbridge;  1294  Hoe  Street. 
Thomas  Heatley,  Jr.,  1421  Bryant  Street. 
C.   C.  Jorgensen,  Builder,  1283  Hoe   Street. 

FAIRMOUNT  ASSOCIATION. 
C     V.    Hally.    Manager,    1014    East    l7Sth    Street;    E;ist    175th 

Street,   Faimiount. 
Douglas  Mathewson,  Lawyer,  2085  Washington  Avenue;  Wash 

ington  Avenue  and  180th  Street. 

MAPES  ESTATE  ASSOCIATION. 
P.  A.  Harnett,  Commonwealth  .'\venue. 
Chas.  Donahue,  Commonwealth  Avenue. 
W.   H.  Parker,  Clerk.  145  Rosedale  Avenue. 
T.  M.  Harnett,  Commonwealth  Avenue. 
M.   M.   Briody.   Foreman,   172   Conimonw^ealth  Avenue. 
S.   Rydell.  Carpenter,  West  Farms  Road. 

EAST  TREMONT  TAXPAYERS'  ASSOCIATION. 
Chas.    Forbach,    1919   Prospect  Avenue. 
C.  McCrae,   1034  East  180th  Street. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


173 


J.   VV.   Campbell,   Real   Estate,  2003   Hoslon   Road;   West   Farms 

Square. 
Geo.  Dennerlein,  .\gcnt,   I79tli   Street,  near  Honeywell   Avenue; 

2036  Honeywell  Avenue. 
1  hos.  Jones,    Builder,  2130   Mapes  Avenue. 
Jno.  Vogel,  1197  East  178th  Street. 
C.  A.  McCrea,  1034  East  i8oth  Street. 
H.   Mahnkin,   Electrician,    i8ist    Street   and    Muhegan   .\venuc. 

HUGHES  AVENUE  ASSOCIATION. 
E.  C.   O'Gorman,  Artist,  2167  Hughes  Avenue. 

E.  J.    i  aroff. 

Mr.    KIces,    Patent    Medicines.   21(12    Hughes    .Vvcnue. 

Mr.    Habermann,    E.xpress,    1579   Bathgate   .Avenue ;    1  remont    P. 

H.  Heany.  Real  Estate,  770  Tremont  Avenue. 

J.  J.   Sheridan,  Clerk,  983   East   170th   Street. 

Mr.  Rhing. 

ONEILL   ESTATE   ASSOCIATION. 
.■Mbert  Belling,  Clerk,  177th   Street,  near  Westchester  .A.venue. 

F.  Frankenberg,   Carpenter,    178th    Street,   near   Watson    Street; 

178th   Street  and  Bronx   Park. 
Theo.   Berge,  178th  Street  and  Bron.x  Park  Avenue. 

EAST    MORRISANIA    PROPERTY    OWNERS'    ASSOCIA- 
TION. 
William   G.   Watter,  518  Wales   Avenue. 
Hennaiui  Justa,  Piano  Maker,  452  Wales  Avenue. 
Peter  Freiss,  536  Union  Avenue. 
Anthony  McOwen,  Builder,  515  Wales  Avenue. 

KINGSBRIDGE  ASSOCIATION. 

H.  H.  Browne,  Clerk,  Custom  House,  Sedgwick  and  Boston 
Avenues. 

James  H.   Kiernan,  Clerk,   1005  Crotona  Avenue,  Kingsbridge. 

,\.   S.    Hutchins,  Lawyer,  253  West  loist  Street. 

C.  R.   Meyer,   Surveyor.  Woodlawn   Road  and  Decatur  Avenue. 

Richard  Alexander.  Real  Estate,  Marble  Hill.  Kingsbridge;  mem- 
ber of  Real  Estate  Spr.,  City  of  New  York. 

I'hos.   D.   Tighe,    15   Gouverneur    Place. 

THROGGS  NECK  ASSOCIATION. 
James  B.   Kelly.  Carpenter.  Elliott  Avenue,  near  Eastern  Boule- 
vard. Throgg's  Neck. 
William  Henderson.  Jr.,  Builder,  Eastern  Boulevard. 
F.   VV".  Jackson,  Throgg's  Neck. 
S.  Duncan  Marshall,  Country  Club,  Throgg's  Neck. 
William    Cokely,    Throgg's    Neck. 

FOX   ESTATE   .VND  VICINITY. 
Jnlm   Stevens,  Piano  Maker,  37^1,  College  Avenue;   1372  Stebbins 

Avenue. 
Thns.   Riley.   Carpenter,  2372  Wilkins  Place.- 


Otto   Vogei,   1310   Stebbins  .\venue. 

Geo.  Waller,  1385  Bristow  Street. 

Nic.  W.  Ryan,  Contractor,  1444  Boston  Avenue. 

Jos.  Parley,  Real   Estate,  1396  Boston  Avenue. 

Jas.  Tailer,  1068  Jennings  Street.. 

1'.  E.  Grace  and  Wm.  Butler,  cx-ofticio  members. 

James  Moore,  1166  Simpson  Street. 

J.  J.  Sailer,  Cambreling  Avenue  and  E^st  i8oth  Street. 

J.  Morrow,  1325  Bristow  Street. 

PROIECTIVE  ASSOCIAilON,  MAPES  ESTATE 
P.   H.  McDonough,  St    Lawrence  Avenue. 
C.   .\.   Rochell,  61   St.   Lawrence  Avenue. 
J(lni  Riesenniacher,  St.  Lawrence  Avenue. 
John   Slater.   Commonwealth   Avenue  and   West    Farms   Road 
J.   W.  Unever.  St.  Lawrence  Avenue. 
E.    Mayer,    Commonwealth    Avenue. 
Michael  Carey,   St.  Lawrence   .\venue. 


The  Twenty-third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association  is 
another  one  of  the  progressive  civic  bodies  of  the  Bronx.  Com- 
posed of  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  lower  sections  of  the  bor- 
ough, it  watched  with  a  scrutinizing  eye  every  move  that  has 
tended  to  enhance  the  growth  of  the  Bronx.  While  it  has 
striven  earnestljy  for  every  measure  that  would  tend  to  benefit 
the  masses,  it  has  shown  a  bitter  opposition  to  that  which  would 
benefit  a  few  at  the  expense  of  the  masses. 

The  Itnproxenient  League  of  the  Forty-fourth  .Vldernianic 
District  is  another  of  the  prominent  property  owners'  associa- 
tions that  has  proven  of  great  benefit  to  the  territory  in  which 
it  is  located.  Being  within  the  zone  where  the  greatest  public 
improvements  are  destined  to  take  place,  it  has  proven  a  bulwark 
against  the  rapaciousness  of  those  who  would  gloat  in  the  prac- 
tical extinction  of  the  humble  citizen  for  the  benefit  of  the  more 
aflfluent.  The  gallant  fight  it  made  on  the  map  question,  saving 
thousands  of  property  owners  from  practical  confiscation  of  their 
holdings,  its  long  and  unwearied  fight  on  the  White  Plains 
avenue  widening ;  its  advocacy  of  the  laying  out  of  several  wide 
streets  from  Webster  avenue  east  to  the  Sound  as  the  preliminary 
to  systematic  sewer  construction  proves  conclusively  that  it  has 
the  interests  of  the  people  in  that  section  at  stake. 

It  is  indeed  a  cheering  sight  when  property  owners  are 
seen  to  combine  as  one  man  in  the  urging  of  needed  improve- 
ments or  the  opposing  of  schemes  for  the  enrichment  of  a  few 
at  the  expense  of  the  many.  "In  union  there  is  strength"  has 
had  a  striking  illustration  in  the  gathering  together  of  the  peo- 
ple in  the  various  sections  in  order  to  have  a  voice  in  public 
matters,  and  is  sufficient  guarantee  that  the  citizenship  of  the 
Bronx  is  fully  alive  to  its  duties,  and  that  the  future  of  the 
borough  is  no  uncertain  quantity  in  political  economics. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 


THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  THE  BAR,  IN  THE  BOROUGH  OF  THE  BRONX,  IN  THE  CITY  OF 

NEW  YORK 


By  H.  Gerald  Chapin,  Professor  of  Law,  Fordham  University,  Editor  "  The  American  Lawyer,"  Law  Editor 
"The  American  Banker"  and  "The  Business  Man's  Magazine,"  Etc. 


"Let  our  alliance  be  combined, 

Our  best  friends  made,  and  our  best  means  stretch'd  out ; 

And  let  us  presently  go  sit  in  council. 

How  covert  matters  may  be  best  disclosed 

And  open  perils  surest  answered." 

— Shakespeare. 

To  the  situation  of  this  borough  which,  anomalous  among  the 
five  units  comprising  New  York  City,  is  deprived  of  advantages 
flowing  from  a  separate  county  government,  must  largely  be 
ascribed  the  late  development  of  the  esprit  de  corps,  which 
manifests  itself  in  the  formation  of  bar  associations.  Where 
the  courts  are,  there  will  the  lawyers  be  found,  and  possessmc; 
none  but  an  interior  tribunal  to  which  resort  might  be  ha  1, 
many  members  of  our  bar  found  it  pretcable  to  establish  their 
offices  within  the  proverbial  "stones  throw  of  the  Americn 
"Salle  des  pas  perdus"  in  City  Ha'l  Park.  It  is  therefore  in  no 
wise  surprising  that  the  "Associati  m  of  the  Bar  of  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx  in  tlie  City  of  New  York,"  to  give  its  official 
title,  should  date  its  existence  only  from  the  year  1902. 

In  the  spring  of  that  year  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  otficc 
of   Seward  Baker,  at  which  the  organization  of  the   new  body 


was  perfected.  From  the  first  the  movement  was  successful. 
Fifty-one  charter  members*  signed  the  roll,  the  association  was 
incorporated,  well  appointed  rooms  were  secured,  and  equipped 
with  an  excellent  working  library. 

Article  II  of  the  Constitution  shows  us  the  objects  which 
the  organizers  had  in  view.  They  are.  it  is  declared,  "to  bring 
ii!lo  closer  union  the  members  of  the  bar  residing  in  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx,  to  increase  their  power  of  maintaining  the  honor 
and  dignity  of  the  profession,  and  their  efficiency  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  justice,  and  to  cultivate  social  intercourse  among 
itj  menibeis,  particularly  with  a  view  of  securing  for  the  Bor- 
ough of  the  Bronx  its  due  recognition  and  representation  in 
legal  matters  pertaining  to  this  borough,  and  in  which,  as  a 
borough,  we  are  especially  and  particularly  interested,  and  to 
secure  and  maint;iin  a  library  for  the  use  of  its  members." 

Respecting  qualifications  for  membership,  a  fraternal  policy 
was  adopted.  lAthough  the  association  was  formed  by  Bronx 
lawyers  and  in  a  sense  is  local,  it  is  nevertheless  declared  by 
Article  III  that  "any  person  in  good  standing  who  is  a  member 
of  the  bar  residing  or  practicing  in  the  City  of  New  York,  may 


*The  following  comprise  the  charter  members : 
Allen,   Augustus   H.,   Southern   Bojlevard,    Bedford    Park. 
Andrews,  W.  Edson,  729  Tremont  .^veiuie. 
Baker,  Seward,  Westchester,  New  Y'ork  City. 
Bergman,  Robert  H.,  571  East  is6th  Street. 
Berry,  Joseph  I.,  2543  Valentine  Avenue. 
Brady,  John  J.,  2395  Valentine  Avenue. 
Breen,  Matthew  P.,  308  Alexander  Avenue 
Brown,  Chris.  Hilton,   167th  Street  and  Lind  Avenue. 
Butts,  Arthur  C,  1004  Trinity  Av:nue. 
Chapin,  H.  Gerald.  East  149th  Street  and  Bergen  Avenue. 
Clarke,  George  W.  M.,  165th  Street  and  Clay  Avenue. 
Clocke,  T.  Emory,  11 99  Boston  Road. 
Cohalan,  John  P.,  982  Macy  Place. 
Cooley,  Alford  Warriner,  Westchester,  N.  Y. 
Davis  Henry  K.,  164th  Street  and  College  Avenue 
Davis,  John,  539  East  143d  Street. 
Dunn,  John  P.,   ig2d  Street  and  Creston  Avenue. 
Eustis,  John  E.,  Morris  Heights. 
Friedmann,  Hermann  G.,  31  Nassau  Street. 
Furthman,  Charles  A.,  285  .Mexander    wenue. 
Gumbleton,  Henry  A.,    1280  Woodruff   Street. 
Hall,  Ernest,   1039  Boston  Road. 
Hallock,  Charles  P.,  2087  Boston  Road. 
Hildredth,  J.  Homer,  606  East  136th  Street. 
Hottenroth,  Adolph  C,  Mosholu  Parkway  and  Decatur  Avenue. 


Hottenroth,   Frederick   W.,  981    Jrrospect   .Avenue. 

Knoepple,   Harold  C,  543  East  139th  Stref. 

Knox,  Arthur,  478  Mote  Avenue. 

Mathewson,  Douglas,  765   Tremont  Avenue 

Matthies,   .v'illiam  T.,  2001  Anthony  Avenue. 

Millard,  Charles  W.,  25  Broad   Street. 

Millard.  William  J.,  1585  Washington  Avenue. 

Miller,  Cyrus  C,  Aqueduct  Avenue,  University  Heights. 

Miner,  E.   Daniel,   1150  Forest  Avenue. 

Mitchell,  Richard  H.,  1216  Washington  Avenue. 

Niles,  Wm.  W.,  Woodlawn  Road,  .Bedford  Park. 

O'Ryan,  John  F.,  1043  Boston  Road. 

Overington,  Harry,  2706   Third  Avenue. 

Pierce,  Wm.  H.,  1865  Monroe  Avenue. 

Power,  Timothy,  Silver  Street,  Westcheste- 

Purroy,  Henry  D.    (Deceased). 

Salter,  A.   Oldrin,  Creston   Avenue  and   I9i<l   Street. 

Sherman,   Henry  H..    1006   Trinity   Avenue. 

Smith,  W.   Stebbins.   Brook  Avenue,  near   163d   Street. 

Steinmuller,  Geo.   A.,  t78th  Street  and  Concourse 

Talmage,  John  B.,  294  Willis  Avenue. 

Van  Doren;  Louis  O.,  295  Alexander  Avenue. 

Wahle,  Charles  G.  F.,  1239  Franklin  Avenue. 

Warner,  Wilfred  H.,  183d  Street  and  Loring  Place. 

Weiffenbach,  George  W.,  31  East  130th  Street. 

Wray,  Stephen,   1883  Vyse  Street. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


175 


become  a  member  by  vote  of  the  association  on  recommendation 
of  the  Committee  on  Membership,  as  herein  provided,  on  sub- 
scribing to  this  constitution  and  paying  the  admission  fee  and 
dues  herein  provided.  Members  of  the  Bar  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  in  good  standing,  may  also  become  members  of  this  asso- 
ciation, though  not  residing  or  practicing  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  and  have  all  the  privileges  of  the  same,  except  that  of 
voting." 

Monthly  meetings  are  held  (except  during  the  summer), 
which  rarely  adjourn  without  the  discussion  and  adoption 
of  some  plan  for  the  advancement  of  the  borough's  interest. 
Two  matters  deserve  special  mention.  The  association  has  per- 
sistently urged  the  immediate  erection  of  a  court  house  in  the 
Bronx.  In  this  respect  its  efforts  have  been  crowned  with 
success,  since  the  work  of  construction  is  now  going  forward 
upon  the  new  building  at  i6ist  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

The  second  project  undertaken  is  as  yet  uncompleted.  At 
three  sessions  of  the  Legislature  a  bill  prepared  by  a  committee 
of  the  association  has  been  introduced,  which  if  passed,  will 
operate  to  erect  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  into  a  separate  county, 
equipping  it  with  all  the  machinery  of  justice  which  such  an 
entity  enjoys.  Having  committed  itself  to  the  measure  with  a 
full  realization  of  its  importance,  a  campaign  of  education  will 
continue  to  be  waged  until  autonomy  is  secured. 

Nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  it  was  the  Bar  Association 
which  secured  proper  local  representation  among  the  city  magis- 
trates. Three  such  judicial  officers  living  in  this  borough, 
qualified  to  accept  bail  (Hon.  Matthew  P.  Breen,  Hon.  Seward 
Baker,  Hon.  Charles  G.  F.  VVahle^.  have  been  appointed. 
Thus  the  manifest  hardship  of  requiring  all  persons  arrested  in 
a  community  of  over  three  hundred  thousand,  to  avail  themselves 
of  rights  constitutionally  secured  only  at  needless  expense  of  time 
and  travel,  has  been  removed. 


While  the  Legislature  is  in  session,  a  careful  examination  is 
made  of  proposed  legislation  and  such  bills  as  involve  matters 
of  interest  to  the  profession,  or  affect  the  welfare  of  the  borough, 
are  reported  by  the  Committee  on  Amendment  of  the  Law,  to  the 
association  for  action. 

W.  Stebbins  Smith,  the  first  president,  having  been  elected 
unanimously  for  three  successive  years,  retired  in  1905,  and  the 
office  was  tilled  by  J.  Homer  Hildreth  at  the  annual  meeting  in 
January  of  that  year.  In  igo6  Mr.  Hildreth  succeeded  himself, 
having  again  been  the  choice  of  all  the  members. 

The  first  secretary,  Charles  P.  Hallock  (now  one  of  the 
vice-presidents,  the  other  being  Arthur  C.  Butts^  after  likewise 
serving  three  successive  terms,  retired  and  the  position  is  now 
held  by  Henry  K.  Davis.  Augustus  H.  Allen,  the  first  treasurer, 
was  succeeded  by  Wilfred  H.  Warner. 

There  are  four  permanent  committees,  which  at  the  present 
time  are  composed  of  the  following  members : 

E.xecutive — Louis  O.  Van  Doren,  Ernest  Hall,  John  J.  Brady, 
Adolph   C.    Hottenroth. 

On  Membership — Douglas  Malhewson,  W.  Stebbins  Smith, 
Stephen  Wray,  Peter  A.  Hatting. 

On  Amendment  of  Law — William  E.  Morris,  H.  Gerald 
Chapin,  John  P.  Cohalan,  Michael  J.  Sullivan. 

Grievance — William  T.  Matthies.  George  A.  SteinmuUer, 
Weeks  W.  Culver,  Charles  A.  Furthman. 

The  association  now  carries  upon  its  rolls  the  names  of  eighty- 
one  members  of  the  bar,  nearly  all  of  whom  reside  within  the  limits 
of  this  borough.  Though  comparatively  young  in  years,  it  has 
been  productive  of  much  good  and  to  it  the  citizens  of  the  Bronx 
are  measurably  indebted.  If  sincerity  of  purpose  and  earnestness 
of  effort  count  for  aught,  it  is  destined  to  a  career  of  usefulness 
and  honor.* 


*Since  the  charter  roll  was  signed,  the  following  have  been 
admitted : 

Amend,  Alfred  J.,  1230  Tinton  Avenue. 
Barnard,  E.  L.,  15  William  Street. 
Bell,  Hal,  Morris  Heights. 
Culver,  Weeks  W.,  614  Ean   138th  Street. 
Earley,  Cornelius  J.,  680  East  136th  Street. 
Eckley,  Earnest  R.,  377  East  176th  Street. 
Frey,  Gustave,  3391  Third  Avenue. 
Friess,  Louis  G.,  Woodycrest  Avenue  and  163d  Street. 
Gaynor,   James   Edward,   Bailey   Avenue,    Kingsbridge. 
Goodhue,  Isaac  W.,  i6oth  Street,  near  Park  Avenue. 
Griffin,  Anthony  J.,  803  Cauldwell  Avenue. 
Hatting,  Peter  A.,  592  East  141st  Street. 
Hennessy,  Joseph   P.,   1265   Boston  Road. 
Henning,  Arthur  A.,  Clinton  Avenue,  near   179th   Street. 


Hynes,  John  J.,  181  Broadway. 

Josephson,  Max  D.,  2031  Valentine  Avenue. 

Kelly,  Francis  X.,  265  Broadway. 

Ketchum,  E.  Van  Rensselaer,  Woodycrest  Ave.  and  165th  St. 

I.angbein,  J.   C.  Julius,  302  Broadway. 

Levin,  Louis  H.,  967  Cauldwell  Avenue. 

Love,  George  A.,  630  East  149th  Street. 

McLaughlin,  J.  Fairfax,  Jr.,  Pelham  Ave.,  near  Lorillard   Plac 

Morris,  William  E.,  2780  Pond  Place. 

Morrison,  Archie  B.,  684  E^st  143d  Street. 

Scanlan,  Michael  J.,  49  Cham'bers  Street 

Schulz,  (Jeorge  M.  S.,  38  Park  Row. 

Schaeffler,  Frank,  Grote  Street  and  Cambreling  Avenue. 

Scoville,  Addison  B.,  765  Tremont  Avenue. 

Sullivan,  Michael  J.,  148th  btreet  and  Third  Avenue. 


.    'j^ES^^^^^i 

^<^^^^                ,^^^1 
-^^^^1 

^^^H 

^^^H 

■ 

HON.  CHARLES    C.    F.    WAHLE 


CHAPTER  XL 


REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE  BAR 


Some  of  the  Prominent  Members  of  the  Legal  Fraternity  of  the  Bronx 


HON.  CHARl.LiS  G.  V.  WAIIl.l';  \\:is  linni  in  New 
>ork  City  on  Marcli  J4,  i8(i().  Ills  fatlur  was  (.'ail  L>.  I'". 
W'alllo,  a  veteran  i<{  Ihc  Ci\il  \Va\-.  well  known  in  (liimni 
veteran  circles  in  New  Vurk  City,  lie  attcntUd  the  public 
schools,  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  ami  the  University 
Law  School.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of  l^redenck  11.  Metis,  at 
one  time  a  partner  of  former  Secretary  of  the  Na\y,  William 
C.  Whitney,  and  was  later  admitted  to  the  har.  In  1890  Mayor 
Grant  appointed  him  School  Inspector  I'nr  ihe  h'll'.li  Inspection 
District  of  the  City  of  New  'I'ork.  lie  led  the  llisi  liyhi  for  the 
introduction  of  electric  lighting  in  schools  in  his  disiiict  in  the 
City  of  New  York,  succeeding  in  calling  to  his  assistance  such 
men  as  Charles  F.  Chandler,  the  late  Professor  Morion,  of  the 
Stevens  Institute  of  Technology,  ihi.if.  Cross,  of  the  Massachn- 
setts  Institute  of  Technology  of  I'.oslon,  Vviii.  kieeinan,  of  Wash- 
ington, and  others.  In  l8yi  he  was  app'jinted  one  ol  the  (.oni- 
niissioners  of  Accounts  of  the  City  of  New  York  l>y  Mayo;  Grant, 
the  salary  of  the  otiticc  being  $5,000;  he  was  at  the  time  jnsi  J5 
years  of  age,  and  so  far  as  the  records  of  the  City  of  New  ^'ork 
show,  was  the  youngest  man  who  was  ever  the  executive  lieail  ol 
one  of  the  numicipal  departments  of  the  City  of  New  York,  lie 
was  re-appointed  to  ihe  ol'tice  by  Mayor  Gilroy.  During  his  m- 
ruMiheiicy  of  Ihe  olliee  of  C'->innussioner  of  Accounts,  he  con- 
fluctoil  a  pidilie  in\estigalion  intcJ  the  accounts  and  luelbods  of 
the  Park  Department,  and  succeeded  in  e.\|)osing  a  corrupt  .sys- 
tem of  management  in  various  branches  of  the  park  system, 
which  resulted  in  the  enforced  resignation  of  many  of  the  super- 
intendents, and  the  flight  from  the  city  of  the  chief  gardener, 
ilic  reforms  which  have  since  been  instituted  in  the  Park  De- 
partment, are  the  result  of  that  administration.  He  was  the 
secretary  of  the  committee  having  in  charge  the  Columbian  cele- 
bration in  tlie  City  of  New  York,  and  was  appointed  by  Mayor 
Gilroy  a  member  of  the  committee  to  represent  the  city  at  the 
Manhattan  Day  celebration  at  the  Chicago  celebration.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the 
Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  Tammany  Society  and  .\na- 
wanda  Club.  He  is  the  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  German  Democracy  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  had 
charge  of  the  recent  Democratic  political  campaign  among  Ger- 
mans in  the  City  of  New  York.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Licdcrkranz,  of  which  organization  he  has  been  one  of  the  board 
of  directors  and  trustee,  of  the  German  Press  Club,  of  which 
organization  he  was  for  many  years  the  chairman  of  the  finance 
committee,  the  German  Scientific  Society  of  New  York,  and 
other  German  social  and  charitable  organizations.  He  was  one 
of  the  counsel  who  successfully  appeared  for  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  Tammany  Hall  in  its  fight  to  exclude  William  S. 
Devcry  from  that  body,  is  vice-chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
millcc  nf  Tamiuany  llall,  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  Gen 


end  Coiumittee  of  Tammany  llall  for  Ihe  Thirty-fifth  Assembly 
District,  and  one  of  the  vicc-picsidents  of  the  Jefferson  Tammany 
Club  of  the  Thirty-fifth  .\s-enibiy  District.  In  addition  to  'bis, 
in  matters  local  to  the  Bronx,  he  is  a  nuniher  of  the  Sehnorer 
Club,  North  Side  Board  of  irade,  i'.;ir  Association  of  ihe 
Bronx,  a  vestryman  of  the  Protestant  p4iiscopaI  Church  of  llu- 
Holy  I-'aith,  president  of  thj  General  Church  Club  of  the  I',  i;. 
Church  in  ihe  I'.ionx,  and  is  a  member  of  other  organizations. 
Mr.  W'ahle  was  married  to  Miss  Morence  Katberine  P.udil,  of 
Sag  llarbor,  who.  with  lleir  f^iur  ehildnn  oecniiy  .1  handsome 
home  at  1239  I'r.iiiklin  \\eiiiir.  (hi  the  is|  of  May.  loo,^,  he 
was  appointed  a  Cny  .Ma.ui^li  ale  ol  Ihe  Cily  of  New  ^'o^k.  for 
Ihe   hirst   Division. 

HON.  Si':W7\.KD  I'.AKKR.— Judge  Baker's  sloiy  is  one 
which  Ihe  iioor.  .•ispiriii,n  youth,  dependent  on  his  own  rewarded 
elTorls,  may  lake  lo  heart.  He  is  a  shining  CNaiuple  o: 
what   may   he   accon'|phshcd   bj'   industry   and    persisteney,      lie    is 


0 


w 


JUDGE     SEWARD 


country  born  and.raised.  He  hails  from  Clove,  Uulehess  t'omuv. 
There  he  first  saw  the  light,  December  30,  1S5.3.  His  larly  op 
porlunities  were  limited.  His  education  was  received  in  the 
public  schools  of  Poughkeepsic  and  his  first  employment  was  .is 
clerk  in  a  law  office.  From  that  he  carved  his  way  to  a  hisjh 
place  in  the  profession,  not  without  difficulty  and  sacrifice, 
however.  He  studied  law  wdiilc  engaged  in  the  offices  of  Milton 
.\.  Fowler  and  later  John  Hasket's,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 


JUDGE    MATTHEW    P.     EREEN 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


179 


in  Brooklyn  in  the  70' s.  Even  then  he  was  obliged  to  stick  to  his 
clerical  employment  in  the  daytime,  while  he  attended  to  his 
clients  as  he  could,  at  night.  He  spent  over  nine  lyears  in 
Poughkeepsie  and  other  places,  thus  slowly  making  his  way. 
Then  he  removed  to  the  Bronx  in  1885,  and  between  a  daylight 
practice  in  New  York  and  an  evening  practice  in  Westchester 
Village,  managed  to  forge  ahead.  His  strenuous  efforts  at  last 
began  to  bear  fruit ;  gradually  he  attained  recognition  and  stand- 
ing, so  that  the  old  sacrifices  were  no  longer  necessary.  Eventu- 
ally he  came  to  be  one  of  the  most  distinguished  practitioners 
hereabouts.  He  has  been  attorney  for  the  Dock  Board  and  was 
appointed  judge  in  1903.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
member  of  the  Republican  Club  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  of 
the  Bronx,  and  the  Bar  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
He  belongs  also  to  the  Bronx  Board  of  Trade,  the  Dutchess 
County  Club  of  New  York  and  other  organizations.  He  is 
chiefly  devoted,  however,  to  his  official  duties  and  to  his  home. 
He  married,  October  25,  1876,  Miss  Helena  C.  Anthes,  of  Pough- 
keepsie.   They  have  one  child,  Mrs.  James  Elgar  of  the  Bronx. 

MATTHEW  P.  BREEN,  one  of  our  city  magistrates,  is 
an  old  resident  of  the  Bronx.  He  has  been  identified  for  a 
number  of  years  past  with  the  progess  of  this  section  of  the 
city,  in  several  capacities,  public  and  private.  One  of  his  best 
achievements  was  laying  the  foundation  of  our  magnificent  park 
system.  That  he  is  the  author  of  this  splendid  system  is  not 
open   to   question.     The   legislative    records    establish   that    fact. 

The  history  of  the  public  parks  of  the  Bronx  is  sufficiently 
interesting  to   warrant  a  brief  synopsis  from  authentic  sources. 

Mr.  Breen  was  elected  to  the  State  Assembly  of  1882,  repre- 
senting substantially  what  is  now  the  Bronx,  but  then  popu- 
larly known  as  the  Annexed  District,  constituting  the  Twenty- 
fourth  Assembly  District,  and  embracing  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-fourth  Wards  of  the  city.  It  had,  at  that  time,  a  popu- 
lation of  about  fifty  thousand. 

In  introducing  the  following  resolution  in  the  Assembly, 
for  the  creation  of  our  parks,  and  which  was  successfully  car- 
ried through  by  Mr.  Breen,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  author 
of  the  resolution  then  made  a  prediction  which  has  since  been 
amply   fulfilled. 

In  the  Assembly  Journal  of  1882,  pages  135-141  (Legislative 
Session  of  February  14,  1882),  will  be  found  this  important 
record : 

"Mr.  Breen  offered  for  the  consideration  of  the  House  a 
resolution  in  the  words  following: 

"Whereas,  that  portion  of  the  City  of  New  York  known 
as  the  Annexed  District,  comprising  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-fourth  Wards,  affords  unusual  facilities  for  the  con- 
struction of  public  parks  and  it  is  desiialilf  in  anticipation  of  tlie 
growth  and  wants  of  a  great  city,  that  a  suitable  location  be 
selected  for  the  same,  while  yet  land  is  unimproved  and  can  be 
purchased  for  a  comparatively  small  sum  of  money;  and 

"Whereas,  the  history  of  public  parks  demonstrates  that 
they  are  not  only  the  great  preservers  of  the  health  and  vigor 
of  communities,  but  largely  enhance  the  value  of  real  estate  in 
their  vicinity,  thus  at  once  benefitting  the  owners  and  bringing 
an  increased  income  to  the  public  treasury;  and 

"Whereas,  while  there  exists  a  general  desire  for  the  con- 
struction of  public  parks  in  said  district,  a  large  difference  of 
opinion  has  arisen  as  to  the  most  desirable  location  for  the 
same; 

"Therefore,  in  order  that  this  Assembly  may  be  fully  ad- 
vised as  to  the  necessity,  proper  location  and  extent  of  the  same, 
in  the  light  of  information  derived  from  those  most  intimately 


acquainted  with  the  topography  and  characteristics  of  said  dis- 
trict,  be  it 

"Resolved,  that  the  Mayor,  the  Commissioner  of  Public 
Works,  ;he  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Department  of  Taxes  and  Assessments  of  the  City 
of  New  York  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  and  named  as 
a  special  commission  to  inquire  into  the  subject  of  the  advisa- 
bility of  public  parks  for  said  district  and  that  portion  of  West- 
chester County  adjacent  to  said  district,  and  they  are  hereby 
empowered  to  send  for  such  persons  and  papers,  without  ex- 
pense to  the  State,  as  they  or  a  majority  of  them  may  deem 
proper  for  the  purpose  of  inquiry  and  investigation  in  relation 
to  the  foregoing  matters,  and  that  they  report  in  writing  to  this 
Assembly,  within  thirty  days  after  the  passage  of  this  reso- 
lution, their  conclusions: 

"First.  As  to  the  necessity  and  advisability  of  the  proposed 
parks. 

"Second.  In  relation  to  the  best  location,  extent  and  prob- 
able cost  of  the  same. 

"Third.  Regarding  any  other  facts  or  recommendations  in 
connection  with  the  subject,  to  aid  this  Assembly  to  frame  such 
legislation  as  will  best  serve  the  welfare  and  interests  of  the 
people  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  adjacent  districts." 

The  above  resolution  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  the  House, 
and  a  certified  copy  thereof  was  transmitted  to  the  Mayor  of  the 
City  of  New  York  and  his  associates  on  said  commission. 

The  commission  reported  its  conclusions  to  the  Assembly 
on  April  4,  1882,  to  be  found  in  Assembly  Document  No.  67, 
(Session  of  April  5,  1882)  : 

"Report  of  the  commission  appointed  in  relation  to  public 
parks  in  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  portions  of  Westchester  County. 

"New  York,  April  4,  1882. 
"To  the  Honorable,  the  Assembly  of  the  State  of  New  York: 

"Gentlemen — The  commission  appointed  by  your  Honorable 
Body  to  report  as  to  the  advisability  of  public  parks  for  the 
Annexed  District,  comprising  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty- 
fourth  Wards  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  that  portion  of 
Westchester  County  adjacent  to  said  District,  beg  to  report  that, 
in  their  opinion,  it  would  be  desirable  to  lay  out  a  park  or  parks 
in  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards  of  the  City  of 
Xew  York  and  adjacent  district,  but  that  the  time  given  for 
the  examination  of  the  matter  is  entirely  inadequate  to  enable 
them  to  form  any  fixed  opinion  as  to  where  the  proposed  park 
or  parks  should  be  located,  or  what  the  cost  of  the  property  to  be 
required   would   be. 

"The  commission  is  further  of  opinion  that  whatever  park 
or  parks  might  be  established  in  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty- 
fourth  Wards  or  adjacent  territory,  should  be  established  only 
in  case  the  property  could  be  secured  at  a  moderate  valuation 
and  the  adjoining  owners  would  be  willing  to  submit  to  an 
assessment  for  a  fair  proportion  of  the  cost  of  acquiring  the 
land   in   the   shape  of  an  assessment   for   improvements. 

"The  commission  further  recommend  that  in  case  the  in- 
habitants of  that  portion  of  Westchester  County,  which  lies  be- 
tween the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards  and  Long 
Island  Sound  should  desire  annexation  to  the  City  of  New  York, 
the  matter  is  worthy  the  consideration  of  the  Legislature  in 
connection  with  the  question  of  parks. 

(Signed)       W.  R.  GRACE, 
Mayor. 

HUBERT   O.   THOMPSON, 
Commissioner  of  Public  Works. 


180 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


WILLIAM  SAUER, 

President  Board  of  Aldermen. 

THOMAS  B.  ASTEN, 

President  Dept.  Taxes  and  Assessments." 

It  will  be  seen  that  by  this  official  report  of  its  chief  officers, 
the  City  cf  New  York  became  committed  to  the  proposition  in 
favor  of  parks. 

Mr.  Biecn,  however,  did  not  stop  at  this.  Having  gained 
this  vantage  ground,  he  subsequently  offered  another  resolution 
of  a  similar  character  (also  to  be  found  in  the  legislative  rec- 
ords), appointing  a  committee  of  five  members  of  the  Assembly 
to  proceed  to  the  annexed  district,  to  examine  into  the  subject 
and  report  their  conclusions.  On  this  comtnittee  Mr.  Breen 
served  as  chairman,  one  of  his  associates  being  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  then  serving  his  first  ternj  in  the  Assembly.  This 
committee's  expenses  were  paid  by  the  State.  With  stenogra- 
pher, sergeant-at-arms  and  other  officials,  the  committee  came 
into  our  territory,  and  accompanied  by  many  prominent  men, 
they  visited  several  sections,  including  the  ones  now  occupied  by 
Van   Cortlandt,  Crotona,  Bronx  and   Pelham  Bay  parks. 

The  committee  made  three  separate  visits  to  our  district  and 
finally  made  its  report  to  the  Assembly,  strongly  favoring  the 
project  of  public  parks. 

Following  these  proceedings,  Mr.  Breen  introduced  a  bill 
appointing  another  commission  to  select  and  locate;  for  we  find, 
at  page  1464  of  the  Assembly  Journal,  this  record: 

"Mr.  Breen  offered  for  the  consideration  of  the  House 
a  resolution  in  the   following  words: 

"Resolved,  that  Assembly  Bill  No.  808,  entitled  'An  Act 
for  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  select  and  locate  lands 
for  public  parks  and  a  parade  ground  in  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-fourth  Wards  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  in  the 
vicinity  thereof,'  now  on  the  order  of  third  reading,  have  now 
its  third  reading." 

The  speaker  put  the  question  whether  the  House  would 
agree  to  said  resolution  and  it  was  determined  in  the  affirma- 
tive. 

These  reports  and  the  bills  based  thereon  formed  the  ground- 
work for  the  legislation  of  the  years  1883  and  1884,  whereh} 
the  public  parks  of  the  Bronx  were  established.  The  expen^(■ 
of  this  work,  however,  was  paid  in  full  by  the  city,  without 
assessment  on  adjoining  owners,  as  suggested  by  the  first  com- 
mission, headed  by  Mayor  Grace.  Perhaps  it  was  this  sug- 
gestion of  assessment  on  adjoining  owners  that  induced  Mi. 
Breen  to  form  another  legislative  commission  with  fpore  just 
and   liberal   views. 

It  IS  remarkable  that  Theodore  Roosevelt,  who  to-day  13 
the  central  figure  in  the  civilized  world,  was  one  of  the  pro- 
jectors of  the  system  of  public  parks  in  the  Bronx,  including 
its  Zoological  and  Botanical  Gardens,  destined  to  be  the  greatest 
in  the  world. 

If  Judge  Breen  did  nothing  else,  the  establishment  of  the 
parks  should  entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  the  people  of  the 
Bronx.  But  he  has  other  things  to  be  recorded  to  his  credit. 
We  like  to  keep  strictly  to  records.  It  relieves  of  any  sus- 
picion of  being  over-partial.  Every  man  is  entitled  to  his  rec- 
ord— if  it  he  bad,  he  must  bear  the  brunt ;  if  it  be  good,  fair 
play  demands  that  it  shall  be  so  recorded. 

We  will  not  go  into  details  of  what  Judge  Breen  did,  sut)- 
sequently,  in  connection  with  other  worthy  men,  to  rescue  the 
district  from  misrule  under  the  old  Park  Department,  and  the 
establishment  of  the  Department  of  Street  Improvements  and 
the  election  ot  Louis  J.  Heintz. 


We  think  tlial  the  reproduction  of  the  following  resolution, 
presented  to  him  in  1890,  tells,  in  a  concrete  form,  the  complete 
story: 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  joint  committee  of  the  several  tax- 
payers' associations  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth 
Wards  of  the  City  of  New  York,  held  at  headquarters,  163d 
Street,  near  Third  Avenue,  on  Friday  evening,  December  12, 
1890,   the   following   resolutions   were   unanimously   adopted ; 

"Resolved,  that  the  thanks  of  this  committee  be  and  the 
same  are  hereby  most  heartily  tendered  to  the  Hon.  Matthew  P. 
Breen,  the  attorney  and  counsel  of  the  joint  committtee  of  the 
several  taxpayers'  associations  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twentj- 
fourth  Wards  for  the  exceedingly  laborious  and  efficient  services, 
gratuitously  rendered  by  him,  during  the  last  two  years  on  be- 
half of  'The  People's  Bill,'  creating  the  office  of  Commissioner 
of  Street  Improvements  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth 
Wards,  in  intelligently  presenting  the  complaints  and  grievances 
of  our  residents  and  skillfully  conducting  the  examination  of 
the  same  before  the  Special  Committee  of  the  State  Senate 
charged  with  the  investigation  of  our  local  affairs,  in  the  thought- 
ful preparation  of  the  necessary  legal  measures  for  introduction 
in  both  branches  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  in  ably  advocating 
the  same  before  the  standing  committees  of  that  body  and  be- 
fore the  Governor. 

"Resolved,  that  we  cheerfully  record  the  fact  that  the  suc- 
cessful enactment  of  'The  People's  Bill,'  a  measure  so  essential 
to  the  progress  and  welfare  of  this  portion  of  our  city,  is  largely 
diK'  t;>  ,he  uiidaunlt'd  courage,  zealous  perseverance,  skillful  man- 
agement and  patriotic  motives  of  Hon.  Matthew  P.  Breen,  and 
that  his  course  in  the  matter  is  worthy  of  the  highest  commenda- 
lion. 

"Resolved,  that  these  resolutions  be  suitably  engrossed  and 
presented  to  Mr.  Breen,  and  that  a  copy  of  the  same  be  furnished 
to  the  press  of  the  city. 

LOUIS  J.  HEINTZ,  Chairman. 
JAMES  L.  WELLS,  Treasurer. 
JOHN    OSBORN,  JR.,   Secretary." 

These  resolutions  were  presented  to  Mr.  Breen,  who  had 
declined  to  accept  a  fee  of  five  thousand  dollars  for  these  public 
services,  which  was  subscribed  for  him  by  the  persons  interested 
in  the  above  movement. 

The  joint  committee  of  the  taxpayers'  associations  above 
referred  to  was  composed  of  the  following  well  known  gentle- 
men; Louis  J.  Heintz,  James  L.  Wells,  Matthew  P.  Breen, 
Hugh  N.  Camp,  John  Clatlin.  John  H.  Knoeppel,  James  R. 
Angel,  Ferdinand  Bolimcr,  Jr.,  Louis  Eickwort,  B.  R.  Guion. 
Jolm  Cotter.  W.  11.  Schott,  Louis  A.  Risse,  Arthur  C.  Butts, 
John  Eichler,  W.  H.  Carpenter,  A.  F.  Schwannecke,  Henry 
Bracken,  Jolin  Osljorn,  Jr.,  John  N.  Einra,  Richard  D.  Hamil- 
ton, Adolph  Hupfel,  John  Haffen,  Charles  Jones,  William  Eb- 
ling,  William  G.  McCrea,  Gustavus  A.  Robitzek,  C.  H.  Woehl- 
ing,  John   McMahon,   George   Chappell. 

Judge  Breen  was  born  in  County  Clare,  Ireland,  on  Decem- 
ber 4,  184s,  the  son  of  an  eminent  civil  engineer.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Royal  University  of  Dublin  and  in  i866  came  to 
New  York,  where  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Hamilton 
W.  Robinson,  late  Chief  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas. 
In  due  time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in  1871  opened  an 
office  of  his  own.  He  soon  secured  a  large  and  profitable  clien- 
tage. Early  in  his  career  he  became  interested  in  politics  as  » 
Democrat  of  independent  and  anti-boss  proclivities  and  was 
one  of  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred  which  organized  the 
County  Democracy  of  1880,  and  which  proved  to  be  a  formidable 
rival  of  Tammany,  yet  he  continued  to  be  the  personal  friend  of 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


i8l 


John  Kelly,  the  Tammany  leader  of  those  days.  For  six  years 
he  filled  the  office  of  chairman  of  the  School  Board  of  the  Sev- 
enth Ward. 

In  1890  after  long  and  carefnl  research,  Judge  Breen  pub- 
lished a  large  volume  entitled  "Thirty  Years  of  New  York 
Politics." 

It  is  a  coherent  study  of  political  doings  in  this  city  from  the 
rise  of  the  Tweed  ring  to  the  present  day.  Written  with  assured 
authority  of  personal   observation  and   knowledge,   it  reveals   in 


JUDGE    JOHN     M.    TlEkNEY 

a  most  interesting  manner  the  interior  workings  of  the  "ma- 
chines" under  the  direction  of  Wm.  M.  Tweed,  John  Kelly  and 
Richard  Croker.  It  has  had  an  extensive  circulation  and  seems 
assured  of  permanent  rank  among  records  and  studies  of  munici- 
palities. 

Judge  Breen  is  married  and  has  six  cliildren.  He  resides 
in  the  Bronx  and  has  a  handsome  summer  home  at  Sea  Gate, 
New   York   Harbor. 

HON.  JOHN  M.  TIERNEV.— As  resident  of  the  borough 
from  boyhood,  and  the  incumbent  of  a  position  keeping  him 
much  in  the  public  eye,  our  subject  may  certainly  claim  a  very 
considerable  measure  of  distinction  in  this  locality.  He  has  been 
Justice  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Second 
District  of  the  Bronx,  smce  January  i,  1898,  which  office,  it  is 
agreed  on  all  sides,  he  has  administered  since  with  good  judg- 
ment and  sound  sense,  as  well  as  knowledge  of  the  law,  conscien- 
tiously and  capably.  Judge  Tierney  was  born  in  the  City  of 
New  York  October  14.  i85o.  He  came  to  the  Bronx  to  live  in 
1869.  As  a  youth  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  was  an 
apt  and  diligent  pupil.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Erastus 
New,  of  New  York,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  the  profession, 
after    the    customary   examination,    in    1882,    soon   after   he   had 


attained  his  majority.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  drifted  into  pub- 
lic life  early.  He  has  been  Associate  Counsel  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment, and  Counsel  also  for  the  Department  of  Buildings. 
He  is  president  of  the  Jefferson  Tammany  Club,  and  a  member 
of  the  Tammany  Society,  Democratic,  Fordham,  and  Tallapoosa 
Clubs.  He  belongs,  of  course,  to  the  Bar  Association  of  the 
Bronx;  also  to  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade  and  Taxpayers' 
.Alliance ;  also  to  the  Schnorer  Club,  that  famous  Bronx  social 
organization,  and  the  Brownson  Club ;  also  to  the  Friendly 
Sons  of  St.  Patrick,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  Friends  of  Erin 
.-^iud  Bronx  Lodge,  No.  871,  B.  P.  O.  E.  Judge  Tierney  is  a 
man  of  family.  He  was  married  February  12,  1889,  to  Miss 
Frances  J.  Kennedy.  They  have  one  child,  Frances  Henrietta, 
born  August  31,   1891. 

WALL.'\CE  S.  ERASER,  well  known  as  an  attorney  of 
standing  and  importance  in  New  York,  has  his  home  at  No.  570 
East  i4Sth  Street  in  the  Bronx,  and  there,  as  a  resident  for  five 
years  or  more,  takes  an  active  interest  and  part  in  public  mat- 
ters. Mr.  Fiaser  was  born  in  New  York  at  No.  255  Second 
Street.  November  20,  1856.  Fie  comes  from  an  old  Knicker- 
bocker   familv.   and    is   a   descendant    of   David   Van    Arsdale   of 


WALLACE    S.    FRASER 

Revolutionary  fame,  who  on  the  historic  evacuating  day  hauled 
down  the  British  flag  in  New  York  City  and  replaced  it  with 
the  American  endjlein.  When  a  boy,  Mr.  Eraser  attended  the 
public  schools  in  the  section  of  the  city  in  which  he  was  born, 
and  graduated  therefrom  in  1873  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Then 
desiring  to  learn  the  plumbing  business  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Alfred  Ivcrs,  whose  place  of  business  was  vv'here  the  Metro- 
]:olitan  Life  Building  is  now,  the  same  in  which  he,  Mr.  Eraser 
himself,  has  his  suite  of  offices.  A  year  or  so  later  in  1874,  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  his  father,  Charles  Eraser,  a  highly  re- 


HON.    WILLIAM     MC  CREA 


HON.    RICHARD    N.    ARNOW 


HON      ARTHUR    C.    BUTTS 


WILLIAM    STEBBINS    SMITH 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


183 


spected  practitioner  of  that  era,  locrited  at  No.  124  Bowery,  in 
the  Butchers  and  Drovers'  Bank  Building.  His  certificate  as  law 
clerk  was  otfidally  filed  November  6,  1874.  In  this  capacity  he 
continued,  except  for  some  months  of  illness,  many  years.  He 
was  law  clerk  under  his  father  until  Che  latter's  death  in  1887, 
and  was  managing  clerk  then  under  his  brother,  John  C.  Fraser, 
who  had  succeeded  his  father  in  1898,  until  his  brother's  illness, 
which  incapacitated  him  from  business,  and  whose  death  occurred 
in  1905.  Since  1898  Mr.  rrascr  has  continued  his  practice  with 
marked  success  up  to  the  present  time.  He  has  made  many 
warm  and  influential  friends,  and  has  been  associated  with 
many  prominent  lawyers  and  law  cases.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat like  his  father  before  him,  but  has  devoted  himself  largely 
to  his  profession,  and  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  office.  In 
the  1905  Municipal  election,  Mr.  Fraser  received  the  Tammany 
Hall  nomination  for  coroner  and  was  on  the  same  ticket  with 
Jerome  F.  Healy,  the  labor  man  from  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly 
District.  There  were  two  tickets  against  Mr.  Fraser,  the  Re- 
publican and  the  Municipal  Ownership  League;  the  Republican 
candidate  against  Mr.  Fraser,  being  on  both  tickets,  was  elected. 
Mr.  Fraser  ran  ahead  of  his  associate,  Mr.  Healy,  an  indication 
of  his  great  popularity.  Mr.  Fraser  is  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
fourth  District  General  Committee,  North  Side,  and  has  acted 
as  chairman  of  numerous  Tammany  committees;  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  Eugene  J.  McGuire  Association  and  of  the  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Harlem  Rowing 
Club,  and  the  Mott  Haven  Athletic  Club,  manifesting  his  devotion 
to  athletics.  In  1889  he  married.  The  only  child  surviving  his 
first  wife  is  Wallace  S.  Fraser,  Jr.  In  1900  he  married  again, 
this  time  to  Miss  Amelia  L.  Reynolds.  They  have  two  children. 
Marion  S.  and  Wesley  J.,  both  li\ing. 

RICHARD  N.  ARNOW  was  born  March  20,  1851,  in  East- 
chester,  now  a  part  of  the  city.  He  is  therefore  in  his  54th  year 
and  has  lived  in  the  borough  all  that  time.  He  went  to  school 
here,  grew  up  and  studied  law,  married,  held  office  and  pursued 
his  career  all  within  the  confines  of  the  district.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  the  year  1S85.  In  March,  1896,  Governor 
Morton  appointed  him  to  the  position  from  which  he  derives  his 
title,  viz..  Justice  of  the  Municipal  Court,  First  District,  Borough 
of  the  Bronx.  His  term  expired  the  following  year.  Judge 
Arnow  married  August  15,  1878,  Miss  Helen  Secor.  Thev  have 
had  one  child,  Norma,  now  the  wife  of  Albert  Duryea. 

WILLIAM  G.  McCREA,  ex-Judge  and  Counsellor  at  Law, 
of  90  West  Broadway,  though  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  city  forty  years.  He  was  brought  up 
here,  in  fact,  and  received  his  education  at  Public  School  No. 
14  and  in  the  New  York  College.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  has  been  on  the  bench  here  as  Civil  Justice  of  the  Tenth 
District  Court,  City  of  New  York.  He  belongs  to  the  Columbia 
and  Stuyvesant  Yacht  Clubs,  to  the  Bron.x  and  the  Democratic 
Clubs,  and  was  for  five  years  president  of  the  Schnorer  Club 
succeeding  in  that  office  the  late  L.  J.  Heintz.  He  was  secretary 
also  of  the  Citizens'  Local  Improvement  party  when  Heintz  was 
nominated  to  office  as  commissioner. 

JOHN  HOMER  HILDRETH,  Counselor  at  Law.— The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  has  long  made  his  home  in  and  been  identified 
with  the  Bronx.  He  is  a  man  of  clean  reputation  and  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  learned,  able  and  reliable  members  of  the 
New  York  Bar.  Mr.  Hildreth  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  but 
has  lived  in  New  York  City  thirty-eight  years  and  witliin  the 
Bronx  upwards  of  thirty,  years.  He  prepared  for  college  at  the 
Wesleyan   Academy   near    Springfield,    Mass.,   and   graduated   at 


the  Columbia  College  Law  School,  this  city,  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Law,  in  1869.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  soon 
after  in  both  the  Supreme  and  United  States  Courts,  and  in  a 
few  years  achieved  an  enviable  name  and  position  in  the  pro- 
fession. He  is  now  president  of  the  Bronx  Borough  Bar  Asso- 
ciation, a  preferment  significant  in  itself  of  his  standing  both 
in  the  profession  and  among  his  brethren.  Though  a  Republican 
in  politics,  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  that  party, 
he  has  never  held  orfice.  In  1882,  however,  he  was  its  standard 
bearer  in  a  fight  for  election  to  the  Assembly  in  the  Twenty- third 
and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  but  was,  like  many  others,  defeated 
by   the   Cleveland    landslide  of   that   memorable  year.     He  is   an 


JOHN    HOMER    HILDRETH 

active  member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  Masonic  orders,  and  a  vestryman  of  St.  Ann's  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church.  He  is  likewise  a  member,  by  virtue  of 
his  ancestry  and  electioni,  of  the  New  England  Society  in  Uie 
City  of  New  York ;  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Geographical 
Society,  and  the  Bar  Association  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Mr. 
Hildreth  has  been  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Fannie 
J.  Benner,  with  whom  he  intermarried  in  1867;  the  maiden  name 
of  his  second,  with  whom  he  united  in  1882.  was  Miss  Cora  J. 
Birch.  He  is  the  father  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are 
dead.  Two  sons,  the  eldier  of  whom,  Homer  \V.,  is  a  clergy- 
man, and  two  daughters,  survive. 

HON.  ARTHUR  C.  BUTTS,  a  distinguished  attorney,  resi- 
dent in  the  Bronx,  has  served  in  the  State  Legislature  and  is  at 
present,  as  for  seven  years  past.  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel. 
Mr.  Butts  was  born  in  New  York  City  August  23,  1848.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  here  and  at  the  Delaware  Literary 
Institute,  Franklin,  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.  He  studied  law 
with  Senator  Henry  R.  Low  at  Monticello,  Sullivan  County,  this 


Iti 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


state,  and  in  New  \\>vk  Cily,  and  was  adnntted  to  the  bar  in 
1869.  He  began  practice  at  Monticello,  N.  Y.,  in  1870.  In  1872 
he  was  elected  special  county  judge  and  surrogate  of  Sullivan 
County.  He  was  counsel  there  for  many  persons  accused  01 
crime,  and  in  the  defense  of  prisoners,  in  four  trials  for  murder, 
succeeded  in  all  liut  one.  Tliat  was  the  case  of  Mark  Brown,  ni 
1875.  Said  the  judge  then  of  Mr.  Butts,  in  sentencing  the  ac- 
cused to  the  scaffold  :  "Whatever  conid  be  done  for  you  by  the 
skill  of  man  has  been  done.  Rarely  if  ever  has  there  been  heard, 
in  a  court  of  justice,  a  more  elnquent  plea  than  that  made  by 
your  counsel  in  your  behalf."  In  1884  Mr.  Butts  came  to  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  has  lived  in  the  Twenty-third  Ward, 
now  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  took  active  part  in  the 
movement  resulting  in  the  election  of  the  late  Louis  J.  Heintz, 
Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements  for  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-fourth  Wards.  He  was  one  of  counsel  for  the  Citizens' 
Committee  which  urged  the  passage  of  the  well  known  "People's 
Bill,"  creating  that  office,  and  in  1891  was  chairman  of  the  Execu- 
tive Conmiittee  of  the  Citizens'  Local  Improvement  party.  In 
1893,  1894  and  1S96  he  represented  the  Twenty-ninth  Assembly 
District  in  tlie  State  Legislature.  In  1894  he  secured  the  pass- 
age of  the  tive-cent  fare  bill,  providing  for  a  five-cent  fare  from 
the  City  Hall  to  the  terminus  of  the  "L"  road,  and  a  continuous 
ride,  without  change  of  cars  at  129th  street.  In  1894  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  of  the  Assembly  and  in 
1896  of  the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means.  In  1898  he  was 
appointed  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  and  served  four  years. 
In  1902  he  was  re-appoinied  to  that  position.  In  September, 
1904,  he  was  chosen  orator  of  the  day  for  the  celebration  of  the 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Village  of  Monticello.  He  is 
author  of  tlic  poim  published  by  Putnam's  entitled,  "Monticello, 
a  Picture  of  llie  Past." 

HO.N.  ADOLPH  C.  IIOTTENROTH  is  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  of  the  younger  element  of  professional  and  public 
men  in  Bron.x  Borough,  and  one  of  the  most  able  also — one  whom, 
too,  his  fellow  citizens  have  more  than  once  delighted  to  honor. 
He  has  been  an  adviser  and  valued  worker  in  behalf  of  its 
taxpayers'  associations  and  otlier  pulihc  bodies;  he  has  been  a 
member  of  council — a  working  member  accomplishing  some- 
thing; and  as  the  representative  of  his  people  in  the  State  Con- 
stitutional convention  has  shown  himself  wise  and  inlluential 
beyond  his  years.  He  is,  moreover,  a  hon.e  product,  so  to  speak, 
He  spent  his  early  life  in  1869  in  Melrose,  of  that  sturdy  Ger- 
man stock  which  so  largely  peoples  this  section.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  tlie  district  and  with 
it,  in  all  probability,  the  inspiration  which  has  made  him  the 
enthusiastic  advocate  and  champion  oi  its  claims.  Mr.  Hotten- 
roth  is  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  tihe  City  ot  New  York  and 
of  tlie  law  scliool  of  New  York  University.  He  began  practice 
as  a  member  of  the  law  hrm  uf  Gumbleton  &.  Hottenroth,  and 
soon  achieved  exceptional  prominence  in  tlie  profession.  In 
1893  he  was  elected  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  in  1895 
to  the  Municipal  Council.  As  counsel  and  an  active  member  of 
the  Twenty  third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association,  and  the 
Alliance  of  the  Taxpayers'  Association  of  the  Twenty-third  ancl 
Twentiy-fourth  Wards  he  fought  strenuously  for  the  following 
issues,  most  of  which  have  been  realized :  The  retention  of  the 
Department  of  .'street  Improvements,  the  making  of  the  Grand 
Boulevard  and  Concourse,  the  reduction  of  the  assessment  for 
the  widening  and  improvement  of  East  I49t;h  Street,  which 
established  a  precedent  for  the  reduction  by  the  Legislature  of 
the  assessments  on  161  st  Street  and  Washington  .'\venue;  fhe 
building  of  the  new  Third  .A^venue  Bridge  and  the  Willis  Avenue 


[bridge;  the  building  of  viaducts  over  the  tracks  of  the  Harlem 
Railroad  at  153d,  I56t'h  and  158th  Streets,  to  Cedar  Park, 
ami  Melrose  to  Webster  Avenues;  Rapid  Transit  and  Improve- 
ment of  our  Parks  and  Parkways ;  the  extension  of  the  Elevated 
Railway  system  as  provided  for  in  the  company'.':  charter;  re- 
duced fares  on  all  railways  or  railroads  operating  in  our  city; 
improved  streets  and  pavements;  the  final  and  speedy  completion 
of  the  street  system  of  the  entire  Borough  ot  the  tlron.x  at  the 
lowest  possible  assessment;  the  speedy  construction  ot  a  new 
bridg;  over  the  Harlem  River  at  F..-.9t  I4nth  Street ;  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Botanical  and  Zoological  Gardens  in  the  North  Side. 
Those  who  live  in  the  district  appreciate  tl-.eir  in'portance.  As 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  he  was  an  ardenf 
advocate  of  home  rule  for  cities;  fought  for  addilional  repre- 
sentation for  this  district  in  the  State  Senate  and  Assembly; 
opposed  monopolies  and  trusts ;  was  among  the  foremost  in 
opposition  to  an  attempt  to  ruin  Niagara  Falls  by  water  powe. 
promoters;  and  was  chosen  by  the  inin'orily  to  lead  the  fight  for 
canal  improvement.     The  fight  he  made  for  that  last  named  ini- 


HON.    ADOLPH    C.     HOTrENROTH 

provement,  railroad  opposition  notwithstanding,  was  memorable. 
"In  that  convention  of  five  months'  session;  indeed,  though  ont 
of  its  youngest  members,  he  won  the  respect  and  admiration  of 
all  its  miembers.  irrespective  of  party."  Mr.  Hottenroth  is  a 
man  of  family  and  the  father  of  three,  Adolph  Christian,  Viola 
Emilv,  and  .\nnette  Muriel, 

JOHN  J.  BR.^DY'. — It  seems  hardly  necessary  to  say  he 
has  served  the  public  long  and  ably  in  various  official  capacities, 
making  him  thus  one  of  the  best  known  men  of  the  borough.  He 
is  by  profession  an  attorney  and  counsellor  at  law,  and  has  been 
.Assistant  Corporation  Counsel,  Attorney  for  the  Department  of 
Street   Improvements,   Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth   Wards. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


I85 


Commissioner  of  Taxes,  ComiiiissiuiKT  •>{  ilie  Department  of 
Parks,  Bronx  Borough,  Commissioner  of  I'axcs  again  and  so 
forth,  in  one  and  all  displaying  exeeplional  application,  fitness 
and  capacity.  He  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  the  borough 
and  knows  its  ground  and  people  intimately.  Born  in  the  city 
.•\ugust  30,  1854,  lie  'i^s  lived  in  it  fifty-one  years.  His  prelimi- 
nary schooling  began  in  old  Pnlilic  School  No.  4,  situated  at 
what   is  now  the  corner  of   t'ield   Place  and   the   Grand   Boule- 


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JOHN    J.    BRADY 

vard  and  Conccmrse.  In  1S7J  lie  graduated  from  .St.  John's  Col- 
lege, l''ordhani,  and  taking  up  the  study  of  law,  was  admitted 
when  he  had  attained  his  majority.  Mr.  Brady  is  married.  He 
has  been  blessed  with  a  family  of  seven,  four  daughters  and 
three  sons,  all  of  whom  are  living.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I'ordham  Club,  the  principal  social  organization  of  the  Fordham 
District ;  of  the  "Schnorers."  which  has  more  than  merely  local 
reputation ;  of  the  Catholic  Club  and  Brownson  Club,  institutions 
identified  with  the  religious  faith  he  professes;  of  the  Irish 
Club,  tlie  Navajo  and  Democratic  Clubs,  the  latter  the  swell 
downtown  organization  of  the  party;  of  the  Elks,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Flibernians,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  others. 

W.  STEBBINS  SMITH,  attorney  and  counsellor  at  law 
of  the  Morrisania  District  of  the  Bronx,  is  the  son  of  Chauncey 
and  Hannah  Farler  Smith,  both  of  whom  belonged  to  old  West- 


chester County  families.  He  was  bora  at  White  Plains  in  the 
County  of  Westchester,  September  16,  1847,  and  was  educated 
at  a  private  school,  a  grammar  school  and  a  school  of  languages. 
He  was  also  given  a  practical  business  education,  and  graduated 
from  Columbia  College  Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  June  12,  1871.  Mr.  Smith  has  maintained  a  residence  in 
Morrisania —  now  a  name  only,  but  once  an  independent  settle- 
ment— for  the  last  fifty  years.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
but  has  held  public  office  only  once,  viz.,  when  he  was  appointed 
a  School  Inspector  by  Mayor  Strong,  and  re-appointed  by  Mayor 
Van  Wyck,  and  was  chosen  Chairman  of  the  Board.  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  Bronx, 
has  been  its  president  in  fact  from  the  beginning.  He  is  also 
a  charter  member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  a  member 
of  the  Alumni  of  Colutnbia  College  Law  School,  of  the  Tax- 
payers' Alliance,  and  of  the  Centenary  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  last  he  has  served  for  many  years  past  as 
president  of  its  Board  of  Trustees.  Mr.  Smith  was  married 
October  24,  1878,  to  Lillie  Jackson  and  has  had  three  children, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  a  daughter,  Grace  E.,  is  now 
living. 

HON.  JOHN  E.  EUSTIS,  lawyer,  was  born  at  Limerick, 
Jefferson  County,  New  York,  January  17,  1847 ;  his  father  moved 
to  Hammond,  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  the  same  year,  where  he  at- 
tended the  district  schools  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
During  his  boyhood  days  he  worked  on  the  farm  and  in  his 
father's  carriage  shop,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  Company  M,  20th  N.  Y.  Cavalry,  in  August,  1864. 
Me  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in 
June,  1865,  he  returned  home  where  he  resumed  his  duties  with 
bis  father  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two,  completing 
his  trade  as  a  wheelwright.  He  then  entered  the  academy  at 
Gouverneur,  N.  Y.,  which  be  attended  during  the  fall  terms  and 
in  the  winter  season  he  taught  school,  working  with  his  father 
during  the  spring  and  fall;  this  he  continued  to  do  for  three 
years  in  order  to  prepare  for  and  earn  money  to '  defray  the 
expenses  of  a  college  education.  In  the  fall  of  1871  he  entered 
VVesleyan  University  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  where  he 
took  a  scientific  course,  graduating  in  1874,  with  honors,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  B.  S.  During  his  course  in  that  institu- 
tion he  taught  school  two  winters  in  Cromwell  and  Middletown, 
earning  enough  to  pay  all  his  college  expenses  for  those  years. 
Ide  was  made  captain  and  stroke  of  the  crew  the  last  two 
years  of  his  college  course,  and  during  the  regatta  at  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  in  1873,  his  crew  finished  a  close  second  to  Yale, 
beating  out  Harvard  and  eight  other  contestants.  In  1874  at 
Saratoga  in  a  field  of  eleven  boats  with  an  entire  new  crew,  ex- 
cept himself,  his  crew  was  again  second,  Columbia  College 
crew  being  first.  In  the  fall  of  1874  Mr.  Eustis  went  to  New 
York  where  he  took  up  his  work  in  surveying.  He  was 
appointed  to  the  position  of  city  surveyor.  He  did  not  relax 
his  interest  in  nautical  sports;  he  became  a  member  of  the  At- 
lantic Boat  Club,  leading  the  amateur  crew  in  New  York  City, 
of  which  he  became  manager  and  was  made  captain  and  stroke 
and  rowed  in  all  races  for  several  years.  In  1875  he  won 
the  Four  Oar  Shell  race  at  Saratoga,  and  the  National  Four 
Oar  Association  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  which  was  held  one  week 
after  the  Saratoga  race.  In  the  fall  of  1875  he  entered  Colum- 
bia Law  School,  graduating  therefrom  in  1877.  During  his 
course  at  Columbia,  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  law  office  of  Olin, 
Rives   &   Montgomery.      In    the   autumn   of    1877    he   began   the 


186 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


practice  of  his  chosen  profession  on  his  own  account.  In  1881 
lie  formed  a  co-partnership  with  Herhert  Valentine,  which  was 
continued  for  one  year.  Mr.  Eustis  was  again  alone  until  1890, 
at  which  time  the  firm  of  Eustis,  Foster  &  Coleman  was 
tormed  for  the  general  practice  of  law;  the  duration  of  this  firm 
was  until  1899,  when  Mr.  Coleman  withdrew  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  assistant  corporation  counsel.  The  firm  is  now  Eustis 
&  Foster,  whose  offices  are  located  at  No.  80  Broadway.  Mr. 
Kustis  has  heen   an   honored    resident    of   Bronx    Borough   since 


HON.    JOHN    E.     EUSTIS 

1881.  In  politics.  luc;il.  lie  is  independent  ;  in  national  niatlers 
he  is  Republican.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Citizens' 
Union,  and  in  1897  he  was  its  candidate  for  president  of 
Bronx  Borough.  He  polled  a  very  satisfactory  vote,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  borough  is  a  great  Democratic  strong- 
hold. The  first  position  of  trust  held  by  Mr.  Eustis  was  that  of 
school  inspector  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards 
of  New  York  City,  having  been  appointed  by  Mayor  Edson  in 
18S2.  In  1883  he  was  appointed  school  trustee  for  the  Twenty- 
fourth  Ward  and  served  three  terms  until  1895,  when  the 
trustees  were  legislated  out  of  office.  He  was  immediately  made 
school  inspector  by  Mayor  Strong;  in  1896  he  was  appointed 
a  school  commissioner,  serving  until  1899.  In  1902  he  was  ap- 
pointed park  commissioner  by  Mayor  Low,  a  position  he  ably 
filled  during  that  administration.  During  his  incumbency,  be 
it  said  to  his  credit,  he  did  more  for  the  development  of  the 
park  system  in  the  Bronx  than  was  ever  done  under  any  prior 
administration.  He  laid  out  Melrose  Park,  the  I42d  Street  and 
Morris  Avenue  Park,  McKinley  Square,  McComb's  Dam, 
the  Colonial  Garden  in  Van  Cortlandt  Park  and  Echo 
Park,  besides  constructing  a  number  of  new  and  beauti- 
ful drives  through  Van  Cortlandt,  Pelhain  Bay  and 
Bronx     Park.     The     administration     of     his     office     was     con- 


ducted on  a  high,  dignified  basis,  and  in  a  manner  which 
would  eliminate  even  partisan  criticism.  When  he  turned  the 
department  over  to  his  successor  at  the  end  of  his  term  the  af- 
fairs of  the  office  were  in  perfect  shape.  Mr.  Eustis  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church;  the  Bronx  Republican  Club;  the 
N.  Y.  Bar  Association;  Bronx  Bar  Association;  the  !•".  &  A.  M. ; 
Lafayette  Post,  G.  A.  R. ;  is  chairman  of  the  local  board  of 
L'nited  Charities  Organization,  Bronx;  West  Side  Association; 
and  is  one  of  the  governors  of  the  New  York  Skin  and  Cancer 
Hospital.  On  September  21,  1881,  Mr.  Eustis  married  Miss 
-Minnie  Rutty.  .-Xfter  a  brief  illness  of  four  days  she  died  of 
pneumonia  on  January  6,  1S92.  Six  children  were  born  to  their 
union,  viz. :  John  R.  Eustis,  one  of  the  assistant  editors  of  the 
Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle;  Mary,  Sarah  E.,  Helen  F.,  Constance, 
and  Markwick  E.  On  May  31,  1894,  he  married  his  present 
wife,  Permeha  A.  Eustis;  one  daughter  and  two  sons  have 
been  added  to  his  household  by  this  union,  Nadine  Q.,  Elmer 
r.  and  Clinton  R.  Eustis. 

HON.  JOHN  P.  COHALAN,  lawyer,  of  277  Broadway,  re- 
siding at  1042  Macy  place,  has  been  living  here  sixteen  ye^ars.  lie 
was  born  in  Brooklyn  March  17,  1873,  and  was  educated  at 
W'allkill  Academy,  Middletown,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and  at 
Manhattan  College,  New  York  City.  He  is  a  Democrat,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Schnorer  and  Longwood  Clubs,  Catholic  Club  of  New 
Vork  City,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Bar  Association  of  the 
Bron.x  and  the  Catholic  Church.  He  is  a  man  of  family,  hav- 
ing married  October  5,  1898,  Miss  Margaret  J.  Kiernaii,  and  has 
four  children ;  one  daughter,  Margaret  Mary,  and  three  sons 
I  iniotliy  Kugene.  Tboni.is  l''lorence  :iiul  John  Patrick.  He  was 
■  K-eled   .Member  i>f  ihe   .\--senilily  in    Xcp\einber.    igoj. 

SMI  IH  WILLIAMSON,  attorney,  of  364  Alexander  Ave- 
nue. Bronx,  was  born  February  16,  1852,  at  New  Castle,  near 
Mount  Kisco,  Westchester  County,  New  York.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  school  at  New  Castle  and  subsequently  took 
a  special  course  of  instruction  at  the  Institute  of  Rev.  Andrew 
Schiland  at  that  place.  He  came  to  Morrisania  (now  Bronx 
Borough)  in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  in  1875  graduated  from  the 
Law  Department  of  the  New  York  University.  He  resided  m 
the  iniiiiediate  vicinity  of  his  office  from  180S  to  1896;  the  latter 
year  he  moved  his  family  to  White  Plains,  Westchester  County, 
N.  v.,  where  they  now  reside,  and  from  which  place  he  comes 
daily  to  his  place  of  business.  As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Williamson 
makes  a  specialty  of  the  examination  of  titles  and  the  loaning  of 
money  on  bond  and  mortgage.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
though  he  has  never  held  any  jjublic  office  and  has  no  aspirations 
in  that  direction.  For  twenty-five  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Willis  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Willis  Ave- 
nue and  141st  Street,  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  was  one 
of  the  officials  of  that  cluirch.  He  is  now  connected  with  the 
Memorial  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  White  Plains  and  is 
an  official  of  that  church.  Mr.  Williamson  was  married  April 
16,  1873,  to  Sarah  .\  ,  daughter  of  Frederick  Turner,  now  de- 
ceased. Two  children  have  been  born  of  that  union,  Marion  M.. 
now  the  wife  of  Francis  Underbill  Yoss,  of  Summit,  N.  J.,  and 
Lillian  M.,  who  resides  with  her  parents  at  White  Plains. 

THOMAS  CHANNON  PRESS.— The  subject  of  this 
sketch  has  had  a  varied  and  eventful  career,  not  only  in  Ireland, 
the  country  of  his  birth,  but  in  America.  Mr.  Press  was  born 
in  Belfast,  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  on  the  3d  of  March,  1863. 
He  received  his  early  education  at  the  Belfast  Model  School  and 
at  the  age  of   14  years  was  indentured  at  the  printing  business. 


History  of  bronx  borough 


JS7 


Scarcely  two  years  later  he  determineJ,  as  soon  as  his  seven 
years'  apprenticeship  was  concluded,  to  enter  journahsm  and 
[hereupon  commenced  his  preparation.  His  hours  as  a  compositor 
were  from  8  a.  m.  till  6 :45  p.  m.  daily  and  any  preparatory  work 
would  have  to  be  outside  these  hours.  Stenography  was  abso- 
lutely necessary,  and  before  long  he  was  an  expert  and  had 
received  a  teachers'  diploma  from  Isaac  Pitman's  Phonetic  Insti- 
tute, Bath,  England.  He  then  took  up  the  classical  course  in 
the  evenings  at  McTier's  Academy  and  subsequently  studied  for 
the  Royal  University  under  Mr.  Andrew  L.  Horner,  B.A.,  now 
King's  Counsel  at  the  Irish  Bar,  in  the  Assemblies  and  Queens 
Colleges,  Belfast.  He  realized  his  ambition  at  the  close  of  his 
seven  years'  apprenticeship  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  Irish  Journalists'  Association,  which  had  among  its  mem- 
bers some  of  the  most  brilliant  men  in  Ireland.  Seeking  a  wider 
field,  Mr.  Press  came  to  the  United  States  in  May,  1888,  and  after 
doing  some  press  work  in  the  City  of  New  York,  went  to  Denver, 
Colorado,  wliere  he  was  a  reporter  on  the  "Denver  Republican," 
and  afterwards  associate  editor  of  "Sports  Afield."  After  an 
interesting  experience  in  the  West  Mr.  Press  returned  to  New 
York  and  became  secretary  to  Mr,  John  D.  Crimmins,  and  while 
in  that  capacity  studied  law  in  the  evenings  at  the  Metropolis 
Law  School,  of  which  Surrogate  Thomas  of  New  York  County 
was  then  dean.  He  graduated,  was  one  of  the  class  speakers  and 
received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the 
University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  then  entered  the 
office  of  Mr.  Robert  Sewell,  senior  counsel  of  the  Mutual  Life 
and  a  year  later  was  admitted  to  the  New  York  Bar,  of  which 
he  has  been  a  practitioner  since.  On  the  15th  day  of  August, 
1894,  Mr.  Press  married  Miss  Leila  Slater,  sister  of  State  Sen- 
ator Samuel  S.  Slater,  and  after  residing  for  some  time  in  the 
Borough  of  Manhattan,  where  Mr.  Press  had  taken  considerable 
interest  in  Democratic  politics,  they  moved  to  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx  in  the  fall  of  1899.  There  are  two  children  by  the  mar- 
riage, Thomas  Channon  Press  and  Leila  Channon  Press.  Al- 
though prominent  socially  and  actively  interested  in  Democratic 
politics,  Mr.  Press  has  never  held  any  office.  He  is  an  Episco- 
polian  and  is  an  alumnus  of  the  New  York  University  Law 
School,  vice-president  of  the  Longwood  Club,  vice-president  of 
the  Jefferson-Tammany  Club,  president  of  the  Inter-Club  Bowl- 
ing and  Baseball  Leagues  of  the  Bronx,  member  of  the  Tammany 
Hall  General  Committee,  member  of  the  Schnorer  Club,  North 
Side  Board  of  Trade,  Greater  New  York  Irish  Athletic  Club, 
Worry  Not  Club,  Square  Club,  Astor  Lodge,  No.  603,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  of  New 
York  City,  N.  M.  J.,  thirty-second  degree  and  of  Mecca  Temple 
Mystic  Shrine. 

ROCELLUS  SHERIDAN  GUERNSEY,  author  and  lawyer, 
was  born  in  Westford  township,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  lo, 
1836,  son  of  Richard  and  Orillia  (De  Les  Dernier)  Guerasey, 
and  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation  of  John  Guernsie  or 
Garnsey,  one  of  the  founders  of  Milford,  Conn.,  in  the  New 
Haven  colony  in  1639;  also  of  Rev.  Jeremiah  Peck,  of  Water- 
bury,  Conn.,  noted  for  being  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  and  an 
instructor  in  the  New  Haven  colony.  The  branch  of  the  Guern- 
sey family  emanating  from  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  is  a  large 
one,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  statement  that  Richard  Guernsey 
had  ninety  cousins  on  his  father's  side  alone  from  the  fifteen 
children  of  John  and  Azubah  (Buel)  Guernsey  (Garnsey).  Mr. 
Guernsey  studied  law  in  Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  in  1853-4  and  in 
Rochester  in  1855-6,  in  Buffalo  in  1857-8,  and  came  to  New  York 
City  in  November,  1858,  where  he  continued  the  practical  study 
of  the  law,  and  in  June,  1859,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in 


.'\ugu.st  of  the  same  year  he  began  the  practice  of  the  law  in 
New  York  City  and  continued  it  until  the  present  time.  He  also 
resided  in  the  city  all  of  that  time.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of 
some  particular  branch  of  the  law  from  time  to  time  during  his 
practice,  and  has  participated  in  many  noted  cases  and  in  many 
of  public  importance.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  since 
the  spring  of  1878  and  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  borough,  particularly  since  the  summer  of  1894, 
when  he  partly  withdrew  from  his  former  active  professional 
work  and  applied  himself  to  public  matters  in  various  ways.  He 
has  never  held  any  public  office.  In  1883  he  built  the  residence 
in  Bathgate  Avenue,  where  he  now  resides,  near  East  174th 
Street,  with  his  wife  and  daughter.  His  office  address  is  58  Pine 
Street,  Manhattan.  He  has  always  reverted  to  literature  and 
the  study  of  science  and  history  as  a  means  of  diversion  from 
his  professional  labors  and  to  recuperate  from  overwork.  He 
always  has  a  "hobby"  to  work  on.  He  has  read  many  papers 
before  various  literary,  national  and  scientific  associations  and 
has  contributed  many  articles  for  journals  and  magazines  upon 
legal,  scientific,  historical  and  literary  subjects  during  the  past 
forty-six  years,  many  of  which  have  been  re-printed  in  pamphlet 
form,  including  "Juries  and  Physicians  on  Questions  of  In- 
sanity,"   ri-ad    bcfrirc    the    New    York    Medico-Legal    Society    in 


ROCELLUS    SHERIDAN    GUERNSEY 

November,  1872;  "Municipal  Law  and  its  Relation  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  Man,"  1874;  "Medico-Legal  Sciences,"  "The  Examina- 
tion of  Titles  to  Land  in  England  and  in  the  United  States," 
"Law  Reform  in  Pleadings,"  1873;  "Suicide,  History  of  the 
Penal  Laws  Relating  to  it,"  "Ecclesiastical  Law  in  Hamlet,"  read 
before  the  New  York  Shakespeare  Society  in  1885,  of  which  he 
was  then  first  vice-president;  "Ta.xation  and  Its  Relation  to  Capi- 
tal and  Labor,"  1897;  "Utilitarian  Principles  of  Taxation  and 
Their  Relation  to  Altruism,"  a  serial  in  twelve  numbers  in  the 


LOUIS    A.    VAN  DOREN 


SMITH    WILLIAMSON 


T.    CHANNON    PRESS 


HON.    JOHN  P.    COHALAN 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J89 


Sanitarian,  1901-2.  The  foundation  of  his  manner  of  considering 
and  treating  the  subject  of  taxation  is  to  show  how  municipal 
taxation  may  be  directed  and  extended  to  effect  beneficial  reforms. 
He  claims  and  discusses  those  questions  from  the  standpoint  of 
a  system  which  has  the  maxim  of  "the  greatest  good  to  the 
greatest  number,"  with  which  term  all  readers  of  Bentham  and 
Spencer  are  familiar.  He  argues  that  these  utilitarian  princi- 
ples of  ta.xation  have  the  same  starting  point  that  all  moral  and 
enlightened  municipal  laws  have ;  that  taxation  and  revenue  from 
it  should  be  to  conserve  individuals  in  life,  liberty  and  the  pur- 
suit of  wealth,  and  the  enjoyment  that  arises  from  it,  should  be 
applied,  appropriately,  to  the  particular  conditions  existing,  or 
to  which  it  is  aimed.  Without  some  humanitarian  end  in  view 
in  the  law  imposing  taxes,  there  is  no  check  to  the  operation  of 
legislation  in  its  efforts  to  obtain  revenue  for  public  uses.  The 
distribution  of  the  greatest  amount  of  happiness  may  be  con- 
sidered to  be  for  the  general  welfare  and  greatest  good  ot  a 
community — permanent  good,  as  distinguished  from  momentary 
pleasure.  The  prime  necessaries  of  life,  those  of  the  most  com- 
mon and  extensive  use,  should  be  taxed  at  the  minimum,  and 
luxuries  at  the  maximum.  The  tax  on  land  and  dwelling  places, 
and  on  food,  water  and  clothing  should  be  made  as  little  as  con- 
ditions will  allow.  Public  improvements  should  also  be  made 
with  the  end  in  view  of  "the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  num- 
ber." The  few  should  not  be  taxed  for  the  benefit  of  the  many, 
nor  the  many  for  the  benefit  of  the  few.  Among  the  dozen  sub- 
jects then  discussed  are  "Taxation  for  Protection  of  Human 
Life,"  "Taxation  of  Water,"  "Taxation  and  the  Tenement  House 
Problem,"  and  sanitary  appliances,  generally,  in  connection  with 
food,  light,  air,  and  their  effect  on  health,  longevity,  and  the  de- 
\  elopnient  of  man.  The  utilitarian  principles  of  taxation,  Mr. 
Guernsey  asserts,  can  be  applied  in  as  complete  a  system  as  can 
the  science  of  government,  both  of  which  should  be  in  harmony 
with  the  economic  needs  and  social  conditions  of  a  community 
or  state,  and  the  system  applied  to  a  community  with  an  appro- 
priate end,  in  view  with  a  regard  to  its  effects — other  than  econo- 
mic ;  that  there  is  a  natural  law  in  the  business  world  as  well  as 
in  the  physical  and  moral  world ;  that  in  each  case  these  laws 
will  follow  the  line  of  the  least  resistance,  and  will  be  oppressive 
when  not  appropriate..  In  his  essay  on  Taxation  and  its  Rela- 
tion to  Capital  and  Labor  he  says :  "Some  of  the  wisest  princi- 
ples and  keenest  observers  have  said,  the  greatest  good  to  the 
greatest  number  is  the  foundation  of  legislation  and  of  morals. 
It  is  as  broad  as  humanity  and  as  deep  as  justice  and  as  eternal  as 
ilic  heavens — the  great  commandment  of  the  religion  of  humanity. 
The  near  approach  to  this  in  a  nation  fhows  the  degrees  of  civili- 
zation that  it  has  reached.  Let  our  state  and  national  law  unite 
and  co-operate  in  this  and  the  result  will  be  sublime !"  He  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Historical  Association  and  a  trustee  of 
the  American  Scenic  and  Historic  Preservation  Society.  In  1874 
111  a  paper  read  before  the  New  York  Genealogical  and  Bi'ographi- 
cal  Society  he  first  suggested  that  the  names  of  all  those  that 
fought  for  the  growth  and  establishment  of  the  nation  should 
be  preserved  and  commemorated.  He  said:  "Military  heroism  is 
not  confined  to  leaders  of  armies  and  titled  warriors.  Of  the 
latter  thousands  of  volumes  have  been  written.  They  do  not 
need  me  to  advocate  their  memory.  But  the  names  of  the  almost 
unknown  braves  who  have  fallen  in  the  ranks  in  their  country's 
cause — they  'that  have  known  the  cross  without  the  crown  of 
glory' — are  yet  to  be  rescued  from  oblivion,  and  their  names 
should  be  placed  in  every  public  library  in  the  United  States.  The 
memory  of  the  heroes  of  the  war  for  our  national  independence 
should  properly  claim  our  first  attention.  They  were  all  heroes 
that  fought  in  tliat  war,  and  they  were  men  who  knew  their  duties 


and  'their  rights,  and,  knowing,  dare  maintain.'  The  'lives,  the 
fortunes,  and  the  sacred  honor'  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  would  have  been  of  no  avail  without  these  brave 
and  patriotic  soldiers.  What  can  be  a  more  noble  and  appro- 
priate offering  and  patriotic  exhibition  at  the  coming  celebration 
of  the  centennial  anniversary  of  our  national  independence  than 
that  each  state  furnish  a  roll  of  its  men,  both  rank  and  file,  who 
fought  to  establish  our  National  Government?  I  would  also  add 
all  those  who  have  since  fallen  or  fought  in  our  country's  battles. 
Nothing  can  be  more  noble  and  appropriate  on  that  occasion  than 
this!  I  ask  your  influential  co-operation  to  carry  out  this  de- 
sign. Every  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society  in  this  land, 
as  well  as  every  Historical  Society,  should  exert  its  influence  and 
lend  its  aid  in  this  effort. 

"New  York  has  never  been  behind  in  furnishing  patriotic 
men  to  fight  our  national  battles ;  thereiore  we  should  not  now 
hesitate  to  have  placed  upon  record  the  names  and  deeds  of  her 
numerous  sons." 

The  subject  was  discussed  in  the  journals  of  the  day  and  it 
was  undoubtedly  the  origin  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  many 
patriotic  societies,  and  has  led  to  the  publication  of  the  rolls  of 
Revolutionary  soldiers  in  many  Stales.  Among  his  historical 
writings,  the  most  notable  of  which  is  "New  York  City  and 
Vicinity  During  the  War  of  1812-15,"  in  two  large  volumes, 
which  appeared  in  1889  and  1895.  For  this  work  the  City  Com 
mon  Council  gave  him  a  vote  of  thanks  in  1896.  In  1902  he  read 
a  paper  before  the  New  York  Historical  Society  on  "Religious 
Liberty  in  Colonial  New  York." 

Among  his  publications  in  book  form  are  "Mechanics'  Lien 
Laws  of  New  York  City,"  (1873)  ;  and  "Key  to  Story's  Equity 
Jurisprudence,"  (1875).  A  bibliography  of  his  writings  con- 
tains more  than  forty  titles,  besides  his  articles  that  have  not 
been  published  in  book  or  pamphlet  form  and  others  that  have 
not  been  printed.  He  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  New 
York  Medico-Legal  Society,  and  has  read  many  papers  before  it. 
He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  New  York  Shakespeare 
Society  in  1885.  He  organized  the  New  York  State  Taxpayers' 
Association  in  1894,  and  is  now  chairman  of  that  body.  He  has 
for  many  years  been  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Taxa- 
tion and  Assessments  of  the  Taxpayers'  Alliance  of  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx,  and  corresponding  secretary  of  that  body,  and  has 
made  many  important  reports  on  matters  that  have  been  before 
it  for  consideration.  He  has  been  since  1894  active  in  all  move- 
ments to  reform  national,  state  and  municipal  taxation  and  has 
written  much  on  those  subjects.  Was  one  of  the  promoters  of 
the  New  York  State  Franchise  Tax  Law  of  1899,  and  ever  vigi- 
lant in  efforts  to  enforce  it. 

The  authority  for  the  franchise  tax  law.  he  contends,  is 
founded  upon  the  principle  that  public  ownership  of  property 
gives  legislative  control  of  its  use,  which  in  most  cases  of  public 
utilities  is  preferable  to  municipal  ownership  for  purposes  of 
revenue  for  profit  over  the  cost  of  operation.  He  still  has  the 
fervor  and  enthusiasm  of  his  youth  and  his  efforts  are  likely  to 
continue  for  many  years  to  come  and  his  knowledge  of  men  and 
public  matters  and  his  acquirements  will  be  further  available  for 
the  public  benefit  in  the  lines  he  has  chosen  and  in  which  he 
seems  to  be  particularly  adapted. 

LOUIS  O.  VAN  DOREN.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  son  of  the  late  Charles  A.  Van  Doren  and  Anna  Wood 
Smith,  his  wife,  and  was  born  in  the  City  of  New  York  on  Sep- 
tember 21,  1863.  Upon  his  father's  side  he  is  descended  from 
the  Van  Dorens  who  came  from  Holland  in  1639  and  settled  on 
Long   Island,   where   one   of  them,   the   Rev.   William   H.   Van 


190 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Doren,  was  the  first  minister  of  the  gospel  on  that  island.  The 
branch  of  the  family  from  which  our  subject  is  descended  early 
left  Long  Island  and  settled  in  the  County  of  Freehold  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey.  They  were  active  patriots  in  the  Revo- 
lution and  were  soldiers  under  Washington.  Twelve  Van 
Dorens  were  in  Col.  Van  Cleefs  regiment  in  the  Revolutionary 
Army  at  the  fierce  and  important  battle  of  Monmouth.  Upon 
his  mother's  side  Mr.  Van  Doren  is  descended  from  a  Quaker 
family  who  came  over  with  William  Penn  and  settled  in  Bucks 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  by  the  same  line  is  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  first  Colonial  governors  of  New  Jersey.  His  father, 
the  late  Charles  A.  Van  Doren,  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
Bronx  as  early  as  1853.  His  father's  brother,  the  late  Dr.  Mat- 
thew Dikeman  Van  Doren,  married  a  daughter  of  Jordan  L. 
Mott.  At  that  time  the  Bronx  was  just  beginning  its  growth. 
The  great  estate  of  Gouverneur  Morris  was  almost  intact,  and 
most  of  the  Bronx  was  divided  into  large  holdings.  Jordan  L. 
Mott  bought  a  large  parcel  of  land  from  Gouverneur  Morris 
running  westerly  of  Third  .Avenue,  then  known  as  Boston  Road, 
and  seeing  with  prophetic  vision  the  future  growth  of  the  Bronx, 
Mr.  Mott  laid  down  the  foundations  of  his  great  iron  business 
at  the  southern  end  of  his  purchase  and  dividing  the  balance 
up  into  lots  was  the  first  man  to  advertise  lots  for  sale  at  low 
prices  and  by  broadside  advertisements.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  Molt  Haven  and  Mr.  Mott  interested  his  son-in-law,  Dr. 
Van  Doren,  in  the  new  community  of  Mott  Haven  and  through 
him  the  late  Charles  A.  Van  Doren.  Charles  A.  Van  Doren,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  tliis  sketch,  was  a  lawyer  of  learning  and 
ability,  a  Master  of  Arts  of  the  University  of  New  York  and  an 
accomplished  scholar  and  was  for  many  years  Mr.  Jordan  L. 
Mott's  chief  counsel.  His  residence  at  i4S;h  Street  and  Third 
Avenue  was  a  pretty  country  villa  and  from  it  l4Sth  Street  was 
originally  named  Villa  Place.  St.  Paul's  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  at  146th  Street  and  Third  Avenue  was  designed  by  the 
Rev.  William  T.  Van  Doren,  another  brother,  and  constructed 
upon  his  designs  and  with  funds  raised  by  him  and  he  was  its 
first  pastor.  There  is  a  touch  of  romantic  history  attached  to 
the  old  residence  of  Charles  A.  Van  Doren.  He  was  an  Abo- 
litionist and  later  and  always  a  Republican,  and  during  the  war 
was  assistant  quartermaster  general  in  charge  of  New  York  City 
with  General,  afterward  President,  Arthur ;  both  being  on  the 
staflf  of  Governor  Morgan.  Before  the  war  there  was  a  con- 
stant stream  of  escaping  slaves  fleeing  from  the  South  towards 
New  England,  Canada  and  freedom,  and  as  their  goings  were 
secret  it  was  in  current  phrase  said  that  they  made  their  jour- 
neys by  the  "Underground  Road."  There  was  nothing  under 
ground  about  their  road,  strictly  speaking.  They  travelled  by 
night  and  towards  New  England  and  naturally  choose  the  Bos- 
ton Road  or  highway  to  Boston  as  their  way.  These  escaping 
slaves  were  passed  from  one  sympathizer  to  another,  being  taken 
in  at  the  dead  of  night  and  refreshed,  and  if  necessary,  held 
over  until  with  the  coming  of  another  night,  they  could  safely 
resume  their  journey.  Charles  A.  Van  Doren  did  not  hesitate 
to  give  these  escaping  slaves  the  hospitality  of  his  residence  and 
the  old  house  was  one  of  the  "stations,"  so  called,  of  the 
legendary  "Underground  Road."  At  the  height  of  the  move- 
ment of  the  escaping  slaves  his  residence  often  contained  some 
of  these  fugitives  and  guarded  them  safely  from  discovery  and 
pursuit.  Mr.  Louis  O.  Van  Doren  was  brought  up  to  the  law. 
After  early  tuition  at  home  he  entered  old  Grammar  School  No. 
60,  then  presided  over  by  Jonathan  D.  Hyatt,  and  he  graduated 
therefrom  in  1878  and  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  After  a  five  years'  course  in 
that  institution  Mr.  Van  Doren   was  graduated  therefrom  with 


the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  the  class  of  1883,  and  taking 
up  the  study  of  the  law  was  admitted  to  practice  by  the  General 
Term  of  the  Supreme  Court,  in  the  First  Department,  in  the 
month  of  October,  1885.  Ever  since  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
Mr.  Van  Doren  has  been  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  and  has  achieved  a  standing  therein  among  the  well 
known  trial  lawyers  and  practitioners  in  court.  Since  1886  he 
has  been  concerned  in  the  formation  of  many  large  corporations. 
He  was  counsel  and  director  of  the  Middlesex  Valley  Railroad 
Company;  attorney  for  bondholders  in  the  matter  of  the  de- 
faulted bonds  of  the  City  of  Superior,  Wisconsin ;  counsel  for 
the  Reno  Oil  Company  of  Reno,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
successful,  after  a  protracted  litigation  lasting  three  years,  in 
restoring  that  property  to  its  rightful  owners ;  formed  the  cor- 
poration for  which  was  constructed  the  new  Marie  Antoinette 
Hotel  and  has  been  for  years  counsel  for  the  large  land  com- 
pany which  owns  Edgemere,  Long  Island.  In  the  leading  case 
reported  in  169  N.  Y.,  page  367,  Mr.  Van  Doren  obtained  in  the 
Court  of  Appeals  a  decision  of  great  importance  to  the  general 
public  in  holding  that  owrers  of  mortgages  could  not  exact 
bonuses  as  a  condition  for  extending  them.  Mr.  Van  Doren 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  public  affairs  of  the 
Bronx.  He  is  a  member  of  the  North  Side  Republican  Club 
and  was  for  two  years  its  president.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Union  Republican  Club.  For  ten  years  past  he  has  been 
counsel  for  St.  Ann's  Church  of  Morrisania,  one  of  its  vestry- 
men, and  of  late  years  a  warden  of  that  church.  He  has  also 
acted  as  counsel  for  St.  Mary's  Church  of  Mott  Haven.  Mr. 
Van  Doren  belongs  to  the  Holland  Society  of  New  York,  the 
Alumni  Association  in  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the 
Edgemere  Association  of  Queens  County,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  Bar  Association  of  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx  and  is  chairman  of  its  Executive  Committee,  and  he  is  a 
shareholder  and  member  of  the  New  York  Law  Institute.  Louis 
O.  Van  Doren  has  been  one  of  the  earnest  and  consistent  advo- 
cates of  the  creation  of  county  government  in  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx.  He  was  one  of  the  authors  of  the  bill  for  that 
purpose,  introduced  in  the  Legislatures  of  1904  and  1905,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  General  Conference  Committee  of  Dele- 
gates from  all  associations  in  the  Bron.x,  which  in  1904  advo- 
cated before  the  Legislature  the  passage  of  that  bill.  He  mar- 
ried in  1894  Isabel  Yancy  Neufville,  daughter  of  Benjamin  K. 
Neufville,  Esq.,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  has  two 
children. 

HON.  J.  C.  JULIUS  LANGBEIN. 
From  Drummer  Boy  to  Judge. 
This  gallant  drummer  boy  hero  of  the  Civil  War 
is  now  and  has  been  for  the  past  fifteen  years  a  resident  of  the 
Bronx.  He  was  born  in  Germany  on  the  29th  day  of  September, 
1845.  When  he  was  two .  years  old  his  parents  came  to  this 
country  and  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city 
of  New  York.  At  the  early  age  of  14  years,  on  the  4th  day 
of  May,  1861,  he  enlisted  as  a  drummer  in  the  famous  fight- 
ing regiment  known  as  the  Ninth  New  York  Volunteer  In- 
fantry (Hawkins  Zouaves.)  The  official  records  in  the  Adjutant- 
General's  office  at  Washington,  D.  C,  show  him  to  be  the 
youngest  drummer  boy  from  the  State  of  New  York  and  the, 
third  youngest  in  the  United  States.  He  soon  became  so  pro- 
ficient on  the  drum  and  in  attention  to  duty  that  he  was  often 
detailed  to  act  as  Drum  Major.  He  believed  in  the  old  adage 
of  "whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well,"  which 
adage  he  has  followed  ever  since.     He  served  during  the  en- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J9I 


tire  term  of  service  of  that  figluing  regiment  and  was  in  every 
battle  in  which  it  was  engaged,  among  which  were  the  follow- 
ing, viz. :  Big  Bethel,  capture  of  Forts  Clark  and  Hatteras,  Roa- 
noke Island,  Camden  or  South  Mills,  South  Mountain,  Antie- 
tam.  Fredericksburg  and  the  siege  of  Suffolk.  For  personal 
bravery  at  the  battle  of  Camden  or  South  Mills,  N.  C,  fought 
April  19,  1862,  he  was  mentioned  in  general  orders  and  granted 
a  furlough  of  thirty  days  to  visit  his  parents.  On  this  furlough 
be  took  with  him  the  following  handsome  letter  from  his  com- 
manding officer  which,  with  much  pride,  his  aged  mother  high- 
ly prizes  to  this  day : 

Camp    Reno,    Roanoke    Island,    N.    C,    .\pril    21,    1862. 

Mrs.  Langbein :  Dear  Madam — It  is  impossible  to  send 
your  son  home  on  a  furlough  witliout  a  word.  I  must  say  that 
as  a  boy  lie  is  good  and  as  a  soldier  he  is  excellent.  Beyond  ail 
things  I   riust  speak  well   of  his  bravery  anil   altentioti   to   duties 


HON.    J.    C.    JULIUS    LANGBEIN 

on  the  field.  iJiirnii;  ibe  last  battle  lie  was  al  bis  post  during  the 
heaviest  of  the  fire  and  behaved  like  a  gallant  little  fellow.  You 
should  be  proud  of  such  a  son,   for  we  all   are. 

With  iiiiicb   respect,  I  am  yours  truly, 

G.  A.  C.  B.\RNETT, 
1st  Lieut,  gtb  N.  Y.  Vols.,  Comd'g  Co.  B. 
At  the  battle  of  Aiitietam  fought  September  17,  1862,  the 
little  drummer  boy  had  a  horse  shot  under  him  while  crossing 
the  famous  stone  Vnidge,  now  known  as  "Burnside's  Bridge;" 
at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  fought  December  1,3.  1862,  his 
drum  was  riddled  with  bullets  and  at  the  siege  of  Suffolk,  in 
April,  1862,  the  tassel  of  his  fez  was  shot  off  by  a  Confederate 
sharpshooter.  Being  the  youngest  and  smallest  of  the  drum 
corps  and  feminine  in  appearance,  with  a  girlish  face  and  figure, 
he  was  known  by  all  his  comrades  as  "Jennie,"  a  nickname  that 


was  given  to  him  by  one  of  the  men,  who  said  the  lad  looked 
like  a  sweetheart  of  his  by  that  name  in  the  North,  and  this 
naine  he  was  known  by  and  called  during  the  entire  term  of 
service  of  the  regiment.  At  the  battle  of  Camden  or  South 
Mills  already  mentioned,  "Jennie"  performed  an  act  of  heroism 
and  bravery  for  which  in  later  years  he  received  a  "medal  of 
honor"  from  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  This  was  a 
hotly  contested  engagement  in  which  the  regiment  charged  up- 
on the  enemy's  works  as  it  had  done  at  Roanoke  Island,  on  the 
8th  of  February,  of  the  same  year,  and  did  afterwards  at  the 
battle  of  Antietam,  losing  in  that  charge  6s  per  cent,  of  its 
command.  In  the  charge  at  Camden  or  South  Mills,  Adjutant 
Thomas  L.  Bartholomew,  of  "Jennie's"  company,  and  who  had 
promised  his  mother  to  keep  special  watch  over  the  boy,  and 
between  whom  and  the  little  drummer  boy  the  closest  comrade- 
ship existed,  was  struck  down  in  the  charge  by  an  exploding 
shell,  which  dazed  him,  and  wandering  aimlessly  about  he  was 
making  for  the  Confederate  line;  at  this  moment  "Jennie,"  for- 
getful of  his  own  danger,  showed  the  stuff  of  which  he  was 
made;  he  rushed  upon  the  field  and  amid  the  smoke  and  din  of 
the  battle,  the  screaming  shot  and  shell  and  the  whistle  of  the 
bullets,  caught  his  officer  as  he  was  falling  in  his  delirium,  and 
managed  to  partly  carry  and  partly  lead  him  to  one  of  the 
L'nion  rifle  pits  in  the  rear  where  he  gently  laid  him  down, 
revived  him  by  a  drink  of  water  from  his  canteen  and  rushed 
away  to  find  the  regimental  surgeon,  with  whom  he  soon  ar- 
rived. Lieut.  Bartholomew,  who  is  still  alive  and  who  often 
visits  "Jennie"  from  his  Connecticut  home,  in  speaking  of  the 
incident  says:  "I  felt  the  doctor  pushing  his  fingers  into  my 
wound;  he  felt  in  and  around  it,  and  then  I  heard  him  tell  'Jen- 
nie' it  was  no  use,  that  I  was  nearly  dead,  that  it  would  not  be 
worth  while  to  move  me,  and  to  leave  me  where  I  was  as  all 
hope  was  gone."  But  the  brave  little  drummer  boy  would  not 
desert  bis  friend  and  comrade;  he  was  not  strong  enough  to 
carry  the  lieutenant  and  so  he  got  Charley  Wiley,  the  big 
strapping  drum  major,  and  together  they  carried  the  uncon- 
scious officer  to  a  house  near  by  used  as  a  Union  hospital ; 
says  Bartholomew,  "I  Iiave  never  asked  'Jennie'  how  he  managed 
the  matter,  but  this  I  know  that  he,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
sa\ed  my  life,  and  I  have  always  been  ready  and  anxious  to 
acknowledge  my  remembrance  and  gratitude  of  this  noble  and 
heroic  act  of  his."  Upon  his  return  from  the  army  in  May, 
iS,j3.  he  entered  "Bisbee's  Collegiate  and  Military  Academy"  at 
Poughkeepsie,  New  Y^ork,  and  after  being  graduated,  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1868.  His  brother,  ex- 
Senator  George  F'.  Langbein,  and  he  formed  a  partnership  under 
the  firm  name  of  "Langbein  Brothers,"  which  soon  became  one 
of  the  leading  law  firms  in  the  city  of  New  Y'ork.  The 
brothers  wrote  a  work  in  1872  known  as  "Langbein's  District 
Court  Practice,"  and  so  well  and  favorably  has  this  work  been 
received  liy  both  bench  and  bar,  that  a  second,  third,  fourth  and 
fifth  edition  became  necessary  and  the  book  has  ever  since 
been  and  is  now  the  standard  of  law  and  practice  in  the  Muni- 
cipal Court  in  the  city  of  New  Y'ork.  "Jennie"  is  also  the 
author  of  "The  .'\inerican  Flag,  Its  Origin  and  Ilistory;"  "The 
Colors  of  the  Ninth  New  Y''ork  Volunteers  (Hawkins  Zouaves)" 
and  also  a  contributor  to  several  law  and  military  magazines. 
N'v'hen  the  survivors  of  the  obi  rcgiinciU  organized  into  a  militia 
tegiment,  "Jennie'  enlisted  as  a  private  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged as  captain  after  serving  seven  years.  He  is  also  promi- 
nent in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic;  has  been  commander 
of  several  posts,  delegate  to  Department  and  National  Encamp- 


192 


HISTORY  OF   BRONX   BOROUGH 


mcn(s  and  Adjutant  General  of  the  department  of  New  York. 
Some  of  the  toasts  that  he  has  responded  to  at  the  annual  re- 
unions of  the  regiment  are  as  follows :  "Our  Empire  State ; 
celebrated  for  its  extensive  dimensions,  its  enormous  wealth  and 
the  number  of  his  people.  It  furnished  more  men  to  the  army 
than  any  other  State  but  one,  and  the  pluckiest  drummer  boy;" 
"Our  Sheep-skin  Betters ;  the  devils  wlio  would  not  let  us  sleep 
in  the  morning,  but  always  called  us  too  late  for  breakfast." 
The  Penn  Yan  Yates  County  .Advertiser,  in  1879,  in  speaking 
of  the  encampment  of  the  Grand  .\rmy  of  the  Republic  of  the 
State  of  New  York  said :  "At  these  reunions  Judge  Lang- 
bein  is  either  called  upon  for  a  speech  or  to  beat  the  drum,  and 
as  an  instance  of  his  proficiency  in  the  latter,  he  responded 
to  the  following  toast:  'The  drum;  a  noisy  meaningless  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  tlic  novice,  Init  full  of  stirrinii,  intel- 
ligent accents  in  the  hands  of  the  artists.'  The  Judge  took 
a  drum  from  one  of  the  bands,  and  gave  several  of  the  princi- 
pal army  calls,  commencing  with  the  sick  call  and  ending  with 
the  long  roll;  all  of  wliich  were  finely  and  faithfully  rendered." 
In  1877.  the  people  of  the  old  22d  Assembly  District  sent  the 
little  dnnnmcr  boy  to  the  Legislature,  where  he  made  a  brilliant 
record  and  was  noted  for  his  fearlessness  and  llic  iiideiieiidcnce 
of  his  actions.  Speaker  Sloan  said  of  him  tb.il  lie  had  the 
confidence  of  the  members  so  much  that  it  must  lie  a  very  bad 
bill  that  .Assemblyman  Laiigbein  could  not  get  through  the  House. 
Ill  1S70  he  was  returned  by  a  larger  majo.-ity.  and  made  the 
same  fearless  and  independent  record,  particularly  cliampioning 
the  interests  of  the  police,  firemen  and  school  teachers.  Hut  the 
people  wanted  to  honor  "Jennie''  still  further  and  place  him  on 
the  bench  as  a  Judge,  to  which  position  he  is  eminently  fitted, 
and  so  in  the  fall  of  1S79  he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Seventh 
Judicial  District  Court.  His  judicial  record  gave  universal 
satisfaction  and  he  was  often  mentioned  in  flattering  terms  by 
judges  and  members  of  the  bar  fnr  lii^  ability,  fearlessness 
and  judicial  uprightness.  He  served  as  a  School  Trustee  of  the 
Twenty-third  Ward  (Bronx  Borough)  and  is  at  present  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  the  Twenty-fifth  School  District 
CBron.x  Borough)  and  secretary  of  the  board.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  General  Committee  of  Tnnimaiiy  Hall  of  the 
Thirty-fifth  Assembly  District,  a  member  nf  the  Jefferson  Club 
of  that  district,  a  member  of  "E.  .\.  Kimball"  Post.  No.  100, 
Department  of  New  York,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  in 
which  he  has  held  various  offices  of  honor  and  trust,  and  is  a 
Master  Mason  of  Hope  Lodge,  No.  244,  F.  and  A.  M.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  North  Side  Board  nf  Trade  in 
1894  and  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  .Association  of  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx.  About  three  years  ago  he  joined  the  "Medal  of 
Honor"  Legion  of  the  United  States  of  .America,  and  at  the  first 
encampment  of  that  order  at  which  he  attended  was  elected 
Junior  Vice-Commander  thereof;  the  following  year  Senior 
\^icc-Conimander  and  now  by  the  death  of  General  Estes  has 
become  its  Commander.  Ex-Judge  Langbein  is  of  low  stature 
and  finely  and  compactly  built,  has  a  very  striking  personality 
and  is  quick,  active  and  energetic  in  his  movements;  he  has  a 
lar.gc  head  and  a  fine  expansive  brow  with  a  mental  development 
of  unusual  strength.  Had  nature  in  distributing  her  gifts  made 
him  a  little  taller,  few  men  would  have  excelled  him  in  personal 
appearance.  His  complexion  is  light,  with  blue  eyes  that  are 
remarkable  for  their  fullness  and  brilliancy:  his  features  are 
linely  cut  and  he  has  a  mouth  and  chin  that  denote  much  quiet 
energy,  determination  and  vigor  of  character.  Few  rnen  have 
held  so  many  positions   of  honor  and  trust  more   faithfully  or 


intelligently,  but  whether  as  Soldier,  Legislator  or  Judge,  "Jen- 
nie's" head  has  always  remained  as  level  as  it  was,  when,  as  a 
drummer  boy  during  the  dark  days  of  the  rebellion,  he  faced  - 
the  deadly  hail  of  shot  and  shell  without  a  tremor  or  without 
fear.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  betw-een  the  United 
States  and  Spain,  the  gallant  Judge  at  once  offered  his  services 
ii;   the   following  terse  and  patriotic  letter: 

City   of   New   York,   March   26th,   1898, 
C   Whitney  Tillinghast.  Esq., 

Adjutant-General,    State   of   New   York, 

Dear  Sir — In  the  event  of  war  being  declared  between  the 
I'liited  States  and  Spain,  I  hereby  offer  my  services.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  brief  account  of  my  military  record:  Enlisted  May 
4th,  1861,  in  the  Ninth  New  York  Volunteers  (Hawkins  Zou- 
aves), and  was  honorably  discharged  May  4,  1863,  by  reason  of 
"expiration  of  term  of  service."  Served  seven  years  in  the  First 
Infantry,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  and  was  honorably  mustered  out  as 
captain.  Am  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in 
good  standing.  The  Congress  of  the  United  States  awarded  to 
me  a  "Medal  of  Honor,"  for  most  distinguished  gallantry  in 
voluntarilv,  under  a  heavy  fire,  going  to  the  aid  of  a  wounded 
officer  at  the  battle  of  Camden  or  South  Mills,  North  Carolina, 
April  II).  1862."  The  motto  of  the  gallant  regiment  in  which  i 
li.id  the  honor  to  serve  during  the  rebellion  \va^  'loujours 
I'ret,'  ('Always  ready.')  To  that  motto,  I  am  ag:iin  ready  to 
respond  in  defense  of  the  L'nion  and  the  flag. 

I    lia\e    the    honor    to    be 

Respect  fully  yours. 
J.   C.  JULIUS  LANGBEIN, 
No.   5   Beekman   Street,   or   1424   Washington   .\vciiiie.    Bor- 
ough of  th.e  Bronx,  New  York  City." 

Till 
letter: 


following   is   the   .Adjutaut-General's   reply   to   the  above 
"General    1  leadqinrters. 


St;ite   of   New    "S'ork. 
".Vdjutant-General's    Office. 

.Mbaiiy,    March    28,    189S, 
.Mr.  J.   C.   Julius  Langbein. 

Temple  Court.  5-9  Beekman  .Street.  New  York  City. 
".Sir — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your 
cominunication  of  March  26th,  offering  j'our  services  in  the 
event  of  war  with  Spain,  and  I  am  advised  by  the  .Adjut.int- 
General  to  inform  you  that  the  same  has  been  placed  on  file  for 
consideration,   should   a   call    for   volunteers   be  made 

Respectfully, 
FRED.  PHISTERER, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General." 
the  Civil  War  were  called  njion, 
were  not  required,  and  so  he  has 
remained  faithful  to  his  piactice  at  which  he  plods  as  energeti- 
cally and  faithfully  as  when  he  was  first  admitted  to  the  bar.  \l 
the  encampment  of  the  "Medal  of  Honor"  Legion,  held  at 
Asbury  Park,  N.  J.,  September  20th,  1905,  he  was  unanimously 
elected  Commander. 

ROBERT  H.  BERGMAN,— The  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
spent  all  his  life  on  the  North  Side.  Mr.  Bergman  was  born 
.May  28,  1S71,  at  Morrisania,  and  at  an  early  age  entered  l!ie 
public  school  from  which  he  graduated  with  honors  at  the  age 
of  14.  When  14  years  old  he  began  the  study  of  law;  subse- 
quently he  entered  the  law  school  of  the  University  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  from  which  he  graduated  with  enviable  honors  in 
iSy2,   with   ihe   degree  of  LL.   B.     In    1893  he   was   admitted    tu 


.'\s    no    "Veterans"    of 
Judge    Langbein's    services 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J9 


the  bar  by  the  Appellate  Division  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  the 
First  Department  and  a  year  later  began  the  active  practice  of 
law  on  his  own  account.  His  ability,  legal  skill  and  sound 
judgment  have  gained  for  him  a  large  practice  among  prominent 
real  estate  owners  and  financial  institutions.  For  six  years  he 
has  been  counsel  for  the  New  York  &  Suburban  Co-operative 
Building  &  Loan  Association,  and  numbers  among  his  clients 
many  of  the  leading  real  estate  operators  of  the  borough.  His 
familiarity  with  the  growth  of  the  borough  and  the  passing  of 
titles  to  real  property,  together  with  his  experience  in  the  ex- 
amination of  abstracts  and  other  questions  affecting  titles  have 
made  his  professional  services  especially  valuable  in  such  cases. 
In  addition  to  real  estate  law  Mr.  Bergman  conducts  a  general 
practice  in  all  departments  of  commercial  law.  in   which  he  has 


ROBERT    H.    BERGMAN 

.tIso  been  very  successful.  He  has  a  suite  of  offices  in  his  modern 
five-story  building,  3221  Third  Avenue,  New  York  City.  Mr. 
Bergman  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Twenty- 
third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association  to  which  he  belongs, 
and  has  always  materially  assisted  in  promoting  its  aims  and 
purposes  and  guiding  its  plans  of  operation.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Melrose  Turn  Verein.  In  fraternal  and  social  organiza- 
tions Mr.  Bergman  has  also  taken  a  lively  interest  and  some- 
limes  a  prominent  part.  He  is  a  member  of  Guiding  Star  Lodge 
No.  713,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  Sylvan  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons 
and  Mystic  Shrine.  In  the  Royal  Arcanum  he  is  a  member  of 
Suburban  Council  No.  1354,  belongs  to  the  Society  of  Medical 
Jurisprudence  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  is  a  member  and  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Bron.x  Borough  Bar  Association. 

HEMAN  GERALD  CHAPIN,  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
NovemT)er  27,  1875.  family  of  Puritan  stock,  tracing  its  de- 
scent on  the  one  side  from  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin.  who  in  1630 
left  Wales  for  the  Massachusetts  Colony  and  on  the  other  from 


I'homas  Jerrolds  (later  clianged  to  Gerald),  a  Scotch  Cove- 
nanter, who  settled  in  Vermont.  Educated  at  Halsey  Collegiate 
School  and  New  York  (LL.B.  and  Prizeman)  and  University 
Law  Schools  (LL.M.).  Admitted  to  the  bar  March  I,  1897. 
Married  April  7,  igoo,  Mary  Campbell  Kno.x,  daughter  of  J. 
Armoy  Knox,  founder  of  "Texas  Siftings."  Was  the  associate 
editor  of  the  University  "Law  Review,"  and  is  editor  of  "The 
American  Lawyer"  and  law  editor  of  "The  American  Banker," 
and  of  "The  Business  Man's  Magazine  and  the  Bookkeeper."  Is 
a  professor  in  Fordham  University  School  of  Law,  author  of 
"Banking  Forms,"  and  an  edition  of  the  Negotiable  Instruments 
.^ct,  the  Law  of  Associations,  of  Citizenship  and  of  Domicile, 
these  last  three  appearing  in  the  Cyclopedia  of  Law  and  Proce- 
dure ("Cyc")  ;  as  well  as  of  numerous  magazine  articles.  Was 
joint  author  with  Charles  F.  Bostwick,  of  "Minute  Book  of  New 
York  Corporations"  (two  editions).  Is  member  of  the  Associa 
tion  of  the  Bar  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  Twenty-third 
Ward  Property  Owners'  Association  and  other  public  bodies. 

HON.  HAL  BELL,  who  resides  at  Morris  Heights,  Bronx, 
was  born  at  Shelbyvillc,  Kentucky,  where  his  family  were 
sojourning.  His  father,  the  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Bell,  D.D.,  was  a 
native  of  Orange  Co.,  this  State,  and  his  mother,  Sophia  Brown 
Walworth,  a  native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  The  family  went  to 
California,  where  Mr.  Bell's  father  became  a  power  in  develop- 
ing religious  and  educational  influences  in  that  state.  Later 
they  returned  to  New  York.  He  is  related  to  Chancellor  Wal- 
worth and  to  William  Bradford,  the  first  Governor  of  Plymouth 
Colony,  who  came  over  in  the  Mayflower.  His  relations  took 
prominent  part  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  in  the  Civil  War. 
Mr.  Bell  attended  the  public  schools  of  this  city ;  graduated  from 
Hamilton  College  and  from  the  Law  School  of  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, and  ever  since  has  practiced  law  and  lived  in  New  York 
City.  In  1897  he  was  Assistant  District  Attorney  when  Hon. 
Wm.  M.  K.  Olcott  administered  the  office  under  appointment 
of  Gov.  Black  upon  the  death  of  the  then  District  Attorney, 
Col.  Fellows,  in  which  position  Air.  Bell  made  a  marked 
impression  for  his  ability  as  a  public  prosecutor  and  his  fairness 
and  justice.  In  1900  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  from  the 
29th  Assembly  District,  by  the  largest  majority  vote  ever  given 
up  to  that  time  in  that  district.  During  the  winter  of  1901  he 
served  on  the  most  important  Assembly  Committees,  such  as  the 
Judiciary,  Commerce  and  Navigation  and  Federal  Relations. 
His  work  in  the  Assembly  was  notable  and  he  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  body.  His  constituency  desired 
him  to  continue  as  Assemblyman,  but  he  declined  a  re-election 
on  account  of  professional  engagements;  a  Civil  Service  Com- 
missioner in  1904  and  at  present  one  of  the  State  Inheritance 
Transfer  Tax  Appraisers.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican,  but 
always  takes  a  fair  view  of  public  questions.  A  member  of  the 
Republican  Club  of  the  City  of  New  York,  of  the  Society  of 
Medical  Jurisprudence,  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the  Psi 
Upsilon  Fraternity,  the  Bronx  Bar  Association,  etc.  Mr.  Bell 
has  won  an  enviable  position  as  a  lawyer  and  advocate ;  and 
is  widely  known  as  an  orator  both  on  the  lecture  platform  and 
in  political  campaigns.  He  delivered  the  oration  on  June  8, 
1901,  at  Mt.  Hope  Cemetery,  at  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone 
of  the  71st  Regiment  Monument  to  the  soldiers  of  that  regiment 
lost  in  the  Cuban  W^ar,  which  is  regarded  as  a  masterpiece  of 
patriotic  eloquence ;  and  has  written  a  lecture  on  Lincoln  which 
is  declared  by  competent  judges  to  be  the  best  estimate  of  Lin- 
coln's wonderful  career  and  character  that  has  yet  been  pro- 
duced. Many  of  his  political  addresses  have  been  printed  and 
broadly  distributed.  He  has  been  guilty  of  some  poetic  effu- 
sions  for   which   his   friends   have   forgiven   him.     One,   for   ex- 


H.  GERALD  CHAPIN 


II 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J95 


ample,  "Our  Country's  Flag,"  has  been  set  to  music — a  patriotic 
song  of  highest  merit  and  enthusiastically  received  by  the  peo- 
ple wherever  heard.  The  latest,  entitled  "Saviour  Divine,"  is 
now  being  musically  arranged  in  the  expectation  that  it  will 
prove  a  great  religious  song.  It  is  a  secret  among  his  acquaint- 
ances that  he  is  writing  a  novel  soon  to  be  published,  which  it 
is  believed,   will  be  singularly   interesting  and   successful. 

HON.  PETER  J.  EVERETT  is  conspicuous  in  Bronx- 
Democratic  councils.  He  is  an  active  man  politically,  belongs 
to  a  number  of  the  party  organizations,  and  has  been  honored 
by  his  fellow  citizens  of  the  Thirty-fifth  District  with  a  seat  in 
the  State  Assembly.  He  is  an  attorney  by  profession,  with 
offices  at  No.  4  Warren  Street,  downtown,  and  has  been  a  resd- 
dent  of  the  borough  over  ten  years.  He  was  born  June  29,  1873, 
in  this  city.  Having  taken  the  public  school  course  and  gradu 
ated.  he  chose  the  law  for  his  profession,  and  entering  the  Co- 
lumbia College  Law  School,  was  graduated  in  1891  at  the  early 
age  of  18.  He  began  practice  on  reaching  his  majority,  and 
soon   achii'vi'd    ^in-ce>;s.     Elt    belnnCTs   to   the  Jefferson   Club,   the 


HON.  PETER    J.    EVERETT 

Schnorers,  the  Eagles  and  other  organizations ;  is  popular  and 
capable,  with  a  record,  both  in  public  and  private  life,  that  com- 
mends him  as  one  of  the  most  promising  young  men  of  the  dis- 
trict. He  is,  in  short,  one  of  those  of  whom  we  are  more  than 
likely  "to  hear  from  hereafter."  Mr.  Everett  married,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1897,  Miss  Katherine  Martin.  They  have,  however,  no 
children. 

CHARLES  AUGUST  FURTHMAN,  LL.B.,  son  of 
Charles  August  and  Meta  (Cooper)  Furthiuan.  of  English  and 
German  descent,  was  born  in  New  York  on  January  16,  1872. 
His  father  died  in  August,  1883.  and  thereafter  he  was  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until 
January,  1888,  when  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Harry  Overing- 


ton  of  New  York,  as  an  office  boy.  He  remained  in  that  office 
until  January,  1900,  working  his  way  up  to  the  place  of  Manag- 
ing Clerk.  Meantime  he  attended  the  Harlem  evening  high 
school  in  1888-91,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  graduated  from 
it,  having  taken  during  his  course  prizes  in  mathematics  and  the 
first  prize  in  Latin.  He  then  entered  the  New  York  evening 
high  school,  took  prizes  in  Latin  and  first  honorable  mention 
in  political  economy  and  in  debating,  and  was  graduated  with 
honors  in  1894.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  entered  the  Law  School 
of  New  York  University.     In  his  Junior  year  he  won  honorable 


C.    A.    FURTHMAN 

mention  for  the  Elliott  F.  Shepard  Scholarship.  He  received 
honorable  mention  in  his  Senior  examination,  and  was  graduated 
with  honors,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws,  in  June,  1896. 
in  February,  1897,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  by  the  Appellate 
Division  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Since  January  2,  1900,  he  has 
been  engaged  in  practice  on  his  own  account,  with  offices  in  the 
Smith  Building.  He  was  married  in  October.  1903,  to  Anna  Belle 
Willis,  daughter  of  Mr.  Isaac  T.  Willis.  His  home  is  at  No. 
680  East  134th   Street,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,   New  York   City. 

CHARLES  PRESTON  HALLOCK,  attorney  for  the  Bronx 
Borough  Bank,  is  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  this  part  of  the 
country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Bar  Association  and 
is  vice-president  of  the  Bronx  Borough  Bar  Association,  and  has 
an  extensive  general  practice.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 
town  of  Riverhead,  Suffolk  County,  N.  Y.,  May  4,  1868,  and  is 
the  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Phoebe  J.  Hallock.  His  preliminary 
education  was  obtained  at  the  district  school  and  at  Riverhead 
Union  School,  and  in  the  Northville  and  Franklinville  Academies, 
Later  he  graduated  from  Williams  College  with  the  degree  of 
A.B.,  and  from  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of  New  York; 
from  the  latter  in  1893  as  LL.B.  and  the  valedictorian  of  his 
class.  That  same  year  he  came  here  to  live.  He  has  forged 
rapidly  to  the  front  and  has  achieved  social,  professional  and 
political  prominence.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fordham  Club  and 
a  director  of  the  Throggs  Neck  Country  Club,  and  Phi  Delta 
Phi.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  County  Com- 
mittee for  several  years.  He  is  clerk  and  deacon  also  of  Trinity 
Congregational   Church.     He   married   September  3,    1895,   Miss 


ni 

R^         ^^^^1 

;  1^  ■  T.      ^_ja^^^H 

y^ 

i^^^^^H 

HON.    HAL    BELL 


MICHAEL    J.    SULLIVAN 


PHARLES    PRESTON    HALLOCK 


HENRY    A.  GUMBLETON 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


197 


Jennie  A.  Young,  a  daughter  of  J.  Halsey  Young,  and  a  sister 
of  J.  Addison  Young,  present  District  Attorney  of  Westchester 
County.     They  have  live  children  living,  two  girls  and  three  boys. 

DAVE  HENNEN  MORRIS,  born  in  New  Orleans  in  187J, 
is  a  son  of  Jolin  A.  Morris  of  Westchester,  New  York,  famous 
as  a  sugar  planter,  horseman  and  capitalist.     The  Morrises  aie 
of  old  English  ancestry,  with  a  Revolutionary  strain.     An  Eng- 
lish preacher,  the  Rev.  John  Morris,  was  chaplain  to  the  Duke 
of  Bedford  in  the   middle   of   the   eighteenth  century,   and  held 
the   livings    of    Milton,    Bryant   and    VVoburn    in    Hertford   and 
Bedfordshire.     The   mother   of   our   subject   was   a    daughter  of 
Justice  Hennen   of  Louisiana,   and   a   brother   of   Dave   Hennen, 
author  of  "Hennen's  Digest,"  after  whom  Dave  Hennen  Morris 
was    named.     Mr.    Morris  s    early    education    was    obtained    in 
France  and  Gtrniany,  and  under  private  tutors  in  America.     Ho 
entered    Harvard    in    iSyo,    but,    owing    to   illness,    was   obliged 
to   suspend   his   studies   and   spend   a  year   in   travel,   and   later, 
still  not  being  vveil  enougli  to  continue  at  Harvard,  he  took  in- 
stead a  special  course   in   the   New   York  Homeopathic   Medical 
College  and  became  one  of  the  surgical  assistants  at  Hellniutii 
House.     Some  time  later  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  New 
York  Medical   College   and   Hospital   for  Women,   a   department 
of  New    York   University;   and   in   1892  he   found  himself   well 
enough  to   return  to    Harvard.     He   was  a  member  while  there 
of  the  "Dickey,"   Alpha   Delta   Phi,   "Pudding,"    and  other   clubs 
and  received  a  "Delta"  prize  in  his  sophomore  year,  for  geneial 
excellence.     He   was   married,   as  a  junior,   to  Alice   Vanderbilt 
Shepard,  daughter  of  Col.  Elliott  F.  Shepard,  of  the  New  York 
"Mail  and   Express."    He  kept  house  in  Cambridge  during  his 
senior  year  and   graduated   magna   cum   laude  in   i8g6.     Subse- 
quently he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  a  graduate  of  the  New 
York  Law  School,  and  has  been  practicing  ever  since.     He  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  politics  at  the  family  home  in  West- 
chester.    He  was  nominated  for  Senator  there  in  the  last  Bryan 
year,  but  was  defeated.     He  is  a  partner  with  his  brother  in  the 
well   known  racing  firm   of  A.    H.  &  D.   H.   Morris,   which   has 
inherited  the   celebrated   Morris   "all   scarlet"    colors,   first  made 
famous  by  the  great  Barbarity  mares,  "Remorseless,"  "Ruthless," 
"Relentless"    and    "Regardless,"    three   generations   ago    by   their 
grandfather,    Francis    Morris.     He    is   the    manager   also   of   the 
Morris   Park   Race  Track  property,   instituted  by   his   father  for 
the    New    York   Jockey   Club,   the    fashionable   track   for   many 
years,  but  now  about  to  be  abandoned  for  real  estate  improve- 
ment.    He  manages  also  the  Morris  Building,  and  is  interested  in 
the  family  holdings  in  New  Orleans,  consisting  of  the  St.  Charles 
Hotel,   the   "Cora,"   "Morris,"   "Hennen"   and  other  office  build- 
ings.    He   owns   with   his   brother   the   Morris   Ranch   in   Texas, 
devoted    to    cotton,    cattle,    thoroughbred    horses    and    angoras, 
which,  with  its  cotton  press  and  gin,  flouring  mills,  school,  pre- 
paratory to  the  university,  church  service,  liquor  prohibition  and 
other  features,   may   well   be   described   as   a   model   cornmunity. 
A    musical    virtuoso,    he    was    concert    master    of    the    Pierian 
Sodality    at    Harvard ;    professional    musicians,    with    whom    he 
plays,  come  to  his  house  cnce  a  week.     He  is  a  yachtsman,  was 
part  owner  of  the  "Cora,"  maintains  a  Louisiana  hunting  preserve, 
"Mt.  Hennen,"  has  bred  and  raced  horses  that  have  won  such 
stakes    as    the    "Belmont,"    "Realization,"    "Metropolitan"    and 
"Withers,"    was   a   pioneer   automobilist,   one   of  the   first   mem- 
bers in  fact  of  the  Automobile  Club  and  niow  is  president,  and  a 
participant  in  the   sport  when  the   machines  were  crude  indeed. 
He  has  been  acting  chairman  of  the  race  committee  and  one  of 
the  governors  of  the  club   for  years.     He  belongs   also  to  the 
Metropolitan  Club,  the  University,  the  Racquet  and  other  New 
York  social  organizations,  and  has  been  "Rex"  or  king  of  the 


world  renowned  New  Orleans  Mardi  Gras-  Carnival.  He  is  the 
father  of  four  children,  three  boys  and  a  girl,  and  lives  in 
modest  style  at  269  West  Seventy-second  Street,  New  York,  or 
at  his  summer  home  at  Bar  Harbor. 

GUSTAVE  FREY',  a  member  of  the  bar,  and  a  practicing 
attorney  for  the  past  four  years  in  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New 
Y'ork  City  July  24,  1879.  After  graduating  at  Grammar  School 
No.  25,  on  East  Fifth  Street,  of  New  York  City,  he  entered  the 


GUSTAVE    FREY 

old  Gunther  School  of  Social  Economics,  and  received  the  equiva- 
lent there  of  a  high  school  graduation.  Choosing  the  law  as  a 
profession,  he  entered  the  New  York  University  and  in  1900 
graduated  therefrom,  receiving  the  degree  of  L.  C.  B.  In  politics 
Mr.  Frey  has  been  classified  as  a  Republican.  Although  not 
taking  any  active  part  in  political  afifairs,  he  has  never  failed  to 
individually  support  a  Republican  administration.  He  has  never 
taken  unto  himself  a  life  partner,  but  is  absolutely  wedded  to 
his  own  profession,  in  which  he  has  gradually  and  by  close  ap- 
plication to  his  duties,  enrolled  on  his  books  a  large  and  influ- 
ential clientage,  especially  amongst  the  German  residents  of  this 
borough. 

HENRY  A.  GUMBLETON.— This  gentleman,  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  Democratic  ranks  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and 
an  official  during  part  of  that  time,  a  member,  too,  of  many  or- 
ganizations of  the  borough,  hardly  needs  an  introduction.  He 
was  born  September  14,  1846,  in  New  York  City,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  Free  Academy,  and  in  the  Col- 
lege of  the  Cily  of  New  Y'ork.  He  graduated  from  Columbia 
College  Law  Scl'.col  in  1879,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
borough  for  twenty  years.  He  was  County  Clerk  from  1876  to 
1S70  and  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Assessors  in  1883  and  1884. 
At  present  he  is  secretary  to  Louis  F.  Haffen,  President  of  the 
borough,  a  position  next  the  diief,  considering  the  growth  and 
development  now  poing  on,  of  no  small  importance.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Democratic  Club  and  the  Taumiany  Society,  the 
far  l.iuKd  Schnorers,  the  Columbian  Order  and  other  organiza- 
tions. 

FREDERICK  WILLIAM  HOTTENROTH,  an  able  and 
well  known  young  lawyer,  with  a  well  established  practice,  was 
born  in  New  York  City  on  September  10,  1879,  and  has  resided 


D.    HENNEN    MORRIS 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J99 


In  tlie  Bronx  since  his  early  youth.  After  graduating  from  the 
public  schools  and  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  he 
attended  the  New  York  Law  School.  Upon  admission  to  the 
bar,  he  became  affiliated  with  his  brother,  Hon.  Adolph  C. 
Ilottenroth,  a  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  A.  C.  &  F.  W. 
Hottenroth,  for  the  general  practice  of  law.  They  have  been 
especially  successful  in  corporation,  municipal  and  real  estate 
law,  and  proceedings  for  the  taking  of  property  for  public  use. 
Politically  a  Democrat,  his  interest  in  the  cause  has  been  evi- 
denced by  well  received  speeches  in  favor  of  the  party  and  its 
candidates.  Professional,  political  and  social  interest  are  mani- 
fested in  his  club  life,  he  being  a  member  of  the  Jefiferson, 
Schnorer,  West  Morrisania  and  Bronx  Automobile  Clubs,  the 
Bar  Association  of  the  Bronx,  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade 
and  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association,  in 
both  of  which  latter  he  is  a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee. 
As  secretary  of  the  Henry  F.  A.  Wolf  Company  and  of  the 
Sandrock  Realty  Company  he  is  brought  closely  in  touch  with 
real  estate  interests.  He  has  occupied  successively  the  positions 
of  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  United  States  Title  Guaranty 
and  Indemnity  Company.  His  marriage  on  April  15.  1903,  to 
Marguerite  Liebertz,  was  one  of  the  brilliant  social  affairs  of  the 
Bronx.  They  have  two  daughters,  Helene  Kathryn  and  Con- 
stance Marion. 

J,  WILSON  BRYANT,  one  of  the  most  successful  mem- 
bers of  the  Bar  of  Bronx  Borough,  was  born  at  Saratoga 
Springs,  N.  Y.,  August  4,  1871.  'l"he  name  of  Bryant  is  well 
known  and  highly  esteemed  throughout  the  borough.  In  1874 
the  father  of  this  biographical  sketch  settled  in  Mott  Haven 
and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  carriages,  meeting  with 
success  from  the  start.  J.  Wilson  Bryant  came  with  his  father 
to  the  Bronx  at  the  early  age  of  three  years  and  received  his 
early  education  at  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  entered  the 
new  grammar  school  No.  85,  and  by  close  application  soon  be- 
came leader  of  his  class  and  was  graduated  in  1889.  In  the 
same  year  he  entered  the  Law  School  of  Columbia  College,  and 
took  up  the  study  of  the  law  under  Professor  Dwight,  graduat- 
ing therefrom  in  1892  with  the  degree  of  LL.B.  He  was  popu- 
lar with  his  associates  in  college  and  became  historian  of  his 
class.  After  leaving  Columbia  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
ex-Judge  James  R.  Angel,  and  in  1892,  after  a  thorough  exami- 
nation, he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court,  De- 
partment of  New  York  City,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
He  then  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Angel  &  Bryant,  which 
continued  until  Judge  Angel's  death  in  October,  1899,  since 
which  time  Mr.  Bryant  has  been  constantly  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  Mr.  Bryant  has  been  counsel  in  several 
extraordinary  cases  of  litigation,  the  inost  important  of  which 
was  the  celebrated  Kittell  bankruptcy  case  before  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court ;  the  Wilson  Trusts,  Otto  Guardianship 
cases  and  Donohue  Litigation  before  the  Court  of  Appeals,  in 
all  of  which  he  earned  an  enviable  reputation  for  legal  ability, 
energy  and  tact.  Mr.  Bryant  is  a  Past  Master  of  Lily  Lodge, 
No.  342,  F.  and  .\.  M. ;  Past  Chancellor  of  Adelphic  Lodge,  K. 
of  P. ;  representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge,  and  at  present 
Deputy  Grand  Chancellor  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Webster  Literary  Society;  the  Taxpayers' 
Alliance,  being  one  of  its  charter  members;  the  Craftsmen's 
Club  of  New  Y'ork;  Keystone  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Bedford  of 
Delaware.  Mr.  Bryant  has  his  offices  in  the  Bryant  Building, 
located  at  the  junction  of  Third  and  Morris  Avenues  and  139th 
Street. 


ARTHUR  HUWARU  WAUlCK.— Mr.  Wadick  is  a  success- 
ful attorney  and  counselor  .it  law,  and  a  resident  of  the  Bronx 
since  May,  18S1.  He  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Mary  Ann  Wadick, 
both  deceased.  He  was  born  in  Jer.scy  City,  New  Jersey,  De- 
cember 19,  1874.  He  received  his  education  in  the  Public  School 
of  Williamsbridge  and  the  New  \ork  University  Law  School, 
graduating  from  the  latter  school  in  the  class  of  1898  with  the 
degree  of  LL.  B.  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  nut  has  never  sought  office;  in 
religion  he  is  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Brownson  Catholic  Club.  He  married,  June  23,  1903,  Miss  Mary 
iMtz-Simons  MoUoy. 

HARRY  OVERINGTON,  one  of  the  lawyers  of  the  Bronx, 
was  born  in  the  borough  in  1858.  His  education  was  begun  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  district  and  finished  m  the  higher 
branches  at  New  York  University,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1879.  Upon  leaving  college  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Stanley 
Brown  Clarke,  16  Wall  Street.  There  he  remained  until  he 
established  himself  in  the  profession  in  the  Bronx.  His  offices 
are  in  the  Haffen  Building,  Willis  and  Third  Avenues  and 
148th  Street.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  real  estate  law  and  has 
a  large  and  profitable  practice.  At  one  time  he  was  the  Bronx 
manager  of  the  Lawyers'  Title  Insurance  Company,  but  retired 
from  that  position  in  1904.  Politically  he  is  classed  as  an  Inde- 
pendent Republican.  Air.  Overington  is  the  sixth  of  a  family 
of  seven  children.  He  married  Mary  McGuflfog,  of  New  York, 
in  1886.  By  her  he  had  two  children,  Jessie  and  Helen.  She 
died  in  1889,  and  his  mother  two  years  later.  In  1900  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Maude  A.  Miller.  By  this  second  union  he  has  one 
child,  born  in  1902,  and  named  for  her  mother.  His  father, 
Thomas  Overington,  who  lives  with  him,  though  well  advanced 
in  years,  at  81  is  still  hale  and  hearty.  He  is  a  well  known 
building  contractor,  to  whoin  is  to  be  credited  the  construction 
of  many  important  structures  in  New  York  and  vicinity;  ware- 
houses, office  buildings,  fine  residences,  schools,  churches, 
armories,  etc.,  among  them.  Half  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  church- 
es in  Harlem  were  built  by  him,  and  one  in  the  Bronx,  Bethany 
Church  at  137th  Street  and  Willis  Avenue. 

CHARLES  LEWIS  ULLMAN,  attorney  at  law  and  real 
estate  operator  and  broker,  of  502  Willis  Avenue,  with  offices  also 
on  lower  Broadway,  for  the  past  eight  years  has  been  a  resident 
of  Bronxwood  Park,  Williamsbridge.  He  has  been  established 
in  the  Bronx  since  the  fall  of  1892.  He  is  a  native  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  born  there  April  15,  1854.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation there  in  the  Eaton  Public  School,  and  in  Dr.  Thomas' 
Private  School,  later  taking  up  the  higher  branches  in  Felsen- 
ihal's  Scientific  .Academy,  Westville,  Conn.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  Yale  Law  School  in  the  class  of  1878,  and  has  been  an  active 
practitioner  since  then  as  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  and  New 
York  bars.  He  was  councilman  and  assistant  district  attorney 
and  for  many  years  a  trial  justice  of  the  peace  in  New  Haven. 
While  not  an  active  politician  here,  he  has  leanings  toward  the 
Social  Democracy.  In  the  last  presidential  election  he  voted  for 
Tom  Watson,  the  People's  Party  candidate.  Mr.  Ullman  is  a 
u'ember  of  a  number  of  organizations,  fraternal  and  social  ; 
chiefly  the  following  among  them :  K.  O.  J.  and  Harmonic 
clubs  of  New  Haven,  the  Thirteen  Club  of  New  York,  the  I.  O. 
li.  B.,  Odd  Fellows,  Masons  and  Red  Men.  In  religious  faith  he 
is  an  Israelite. 

MAURICE  J.  McCarthy.  Ph.  D.,  was  born  at  Dungarvan, 
County  Waterford,  Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  when  about 


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FREDERICK    WILLIAM    HOTTENROTH 


J.    WILSON     BRYANT 


PATRICK    HENRY    CLUNE 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


201 


twelve  years  of  age.  His  father,  Charles  McCarthy,  was  the 
well-known  dry  goods  merchant  of  that  town.  Through  his 
mother,  Mary  J.  CoUender,  he  is  a  cousin  of  the  famous  billiard 
and  pool  table  manufacturer,  Hugh  Collender,  of  the  Brunswick- 
Balke-Collender  Co.  He  was  educated  at  La  Salle  Academy 
and  afterwards  attended  the  College  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  where 
he  graduated  in  '99,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  took  the 
post-graduate  course  and  received  his  A.  M.  the  following  year. 
After  his  graduation  from  college  he  began  his  career  by  teaching 
in  our  public  schools,  being  appointed  to  P.  S.  61,  at  169th 
Street  and  Third  Avenue.  Whilst  he  was  teaching  he  took  a 
graduate  course  at  Fordham  University  and  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Philosophy.  During  his  four  years  as  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools,  he  found  sufficient  time  to  take  the  eve- 
ning course  at  the  New  York  Law  School,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1902,  and  in  the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  Seeing  that  a  brighter  future  was  in  store,  he  resigned  his 
position  as  teacher  and  began  the  practice  of  law.  During  his 
college  career  he  took  a  keen  and  active  interest  in  athletics.  He 
played  fullback  on  the  college  eleven  for  three  years  and  also 
played  on  the  baseball  team.  In  track  athletics  he  won  the  third 
prize  for  points  in  the  all-around  championship  of  the  college. 
Besides  taking  an  active  part  in  college  athletics,  he  devoted  liis 
energies  and  efforts  for  furthering  the  interest  of  sport  in  the 
Bronx.  During  the  years  '96  and  '99  he  played  fullback  on  the 
crack  eleven,  the  Dreadnaughts,  and  was  unanimously  elected 
captain  the  latter  three  years,  during  which  time  the  Dread- 
naughts,  under  his  management,  achieved  the  singular  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  strongest  team  in  New  York,  and  achieved  re- 
markable victories  throughout  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and 
Connecticut.  He  also  managed  the  baseball  team  for  two  years. 
After  his  graduation  from  college  his  love  for  athletics  was  so 
strong  that  he  did  not  abandon  the  sport,  but  put  into  practice 
what  he  learned  during  his  younger  career  and  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  Director  of  Track  Athletics  at  Fordham,  through 
Rev.  Father  Boyle,  S.  J.  The  "Fordham  Monthly,"  in  its  his- 
tory of  athletics,  relates  that  Mr.  McCarthy  took  a  very  hvely 
interest  ni  the  progress  of  the  candidates  and  under  his  coach- 
ing and  encouragement,  succeeded  in  developing  the  latent  talent 
of  athletics  in  Fordham,  and  after  devoting  himself  to  the  work 
of  coach  for  tive  years,  he  succeeded  in  bringing  this  branch  of 
athletics  in  the  college  to  its  present  high  standard  of  proficiency. 
The  Track  Association  took  the  responsibility  of  holding  an 
open  set  of  games,  an  enterprise  never  before  attempted  in  the 
history  of  the  college,  the  very  object  for  which  Mr.  McCarthy 
during  the  previous  years  was  devoting  his  energies  and  efforts 
to  accomplish.  Accordingly,  on  April  16,  1904,  Fordham  ran 
off  one  of  the  most  attractive  games  of  the  season.  During  his 
term  as  director  there  was  hardly  a  meet  held  that  the  Fordham 
members  did  not  carry  off  a  prize.  He  also  coached  the  St. 
Peter's  of  Brooklyn  in  football,  and,  as  the  Brooklyn  "Eagle" 
describes,  won  the  respect  and  admiration  of  those  under  his 
charge.  Turning  from  athletics,  he  is  much  interested  in  local 
affairs,  and  perceiving  that  the  growing  vicinity  of  Tremont  was 
badly  in  need  of  a  local  club,  he  organized  the  Star  Democratic 
Club,  which  organization  elected  him  as  their  president.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Catholic  Club,  Fordham  Club,  Xavier  Alumni, 
Fordham  Alumni,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Irish  American  Athletic 
and  the  Shrewsbury  Ice  Boat  and  Yacht  Clubs. 

JOHN  JOSEPH  HY.^IES,  Attorney  and  Counselor  at  Law, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  L'ronx  for  twenty-two  of  his  thirty- 
four  years.     He   has   his    lesidence   in   Fordham   and   his   offices 


at  181  Broadway,  down  town,  and  at  Third  Avenue  and  148th 
Street,  Bron.x.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  City  College  and  of  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  holding  the  degree  of  LL. 
B.  and  LL.  M.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  held  public 
office.  He  belongs  to  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  High  Bridge  Demo- 
cratic Club,  the  Fordham  Club,  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Property 
Owners'  A:;sociation,  the  Fligh  Bridge  Improvement  Association, 
the  "Friends  of  Erin"  of  the  Bronx,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the 
Bronx  Bar  Association,  the  Delta  Phi  and  the  Fraternity  Club. 
He  married,  April  23,  1903,  Miss  Minnie  Clarkson.  They  hav;: 
no  children. 

T.  EMORY  CLOCKE,  attorney,  of  2022  Boston  Road,  is 
the  son  and  partner  of  G.  DeWitt  Clocke,  a  lawyer  who  has 
been  practicing  in  New  York  since  1864.  Mr.  Clocke  himself 
was  raised  in  the  Bronx  and  was  an  attendant  in  his  youthful 
days  of  Public  School  No.  63.  He  was  admitted  to  City  Col- 
lege in  1889  when  he  was  14,  and  attended  Dwight  School 
during  18S9  and   1S90.     He  graduated  from  the  New  York  Uni 


T.    EMORY    CLOCKE 

versity  Law  School  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1896  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  the  following  year.  He  is  a  notary  and  a 
charter  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx  and  in  politics  an  Independent.  He  was  married,  August 
19,  1896,  to  Miss  Sadie  A.  Borland  and  resides  at  1199  Boston 
Road.  He  has  a  growing  practice  and  the  most  promising  pros- 
pects of   success. 

EVERETT  L.  BARNARD,  lawyer,  of  247  Broadway,  was 
until  recently  a  resident  of  the  Bronx,  and  still  retains  his  busi- 
ness interests  Here.  He  was  born  in  Calais,  Me.,  thirty  years 
ago,  and  is  a  graduate  of  Yale  University  and  Columbia  Law 
School.  He  has  been  a  New  Yorker  seventeen  years.  He  is  a 
Republican,  a  member  of  the  Yale  Club,  the  Elihu  Club  and  of 
one  or  more  of  the  college  fraternities,  of  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  the  Bar  Association  of  New  York  and  the  Bar  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Bronx,  and  is  a  man  of  family.  He  married  in 
1901  Thevina  Townsend.  They  have  two  children,  Lucy  and 
Louise. 

ANDREW  D.  PARKER,  a  lawyer,  born  in  New  York 
December   4,    1859,   and  a   resident   of   the   Bronx  about  all   his 


MAURICE    J.    MCCARTHY 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


203 


life,  is  treasurer  of  the  new  Port  Morris  wholesale  produce 
market  elsewhere  mentioned.  Mr.  Parker  is  a  graduate  of  the 
schools  of  New  York  and  has  the  sheepskin  of  Columbia  Law 
School.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  has  held  a  number  of  positions, 
among  them  the  following:  Private  secretary  to  the  Collector 
of  the  Port  of  New  York;  chairman  of  the  Federal  Board  of 
Livil  Service,  Police  Commissioner  of  New  Y'ork  and  assistant 
district  attorney. 

ANTHONY  JEROME  GRIFFIN,  born  in  New  York  City 
April  I,  1866,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  Cooper  Union  and  the  University  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  from  which  institution  he  received  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  Studied  law  in  the  otiice  of  General  D.  E.  Sickles  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  189J.  lie  began  his  career  as  a  civil 
engineer  and  surveyor  and  has  always  manifested  considerable 
aptitude  in  mechanics;  has  invented  several  devices  in  transpurta 
tion,  the  latest  being  in  connection  with  safety  devices  for  sub- 
marine vessels,  one  of  which  has  so  far  been  adopted  by  the 
United  States  Government.  He  has  resided  in  the  Bronx  since 
1895.  His  law  practice  has  been  largely  in  the  civil  branches, 
although  he  has  figured  conspicuously  in  some  important  crimi- 
nal proceedings.  His  experience  in  the  army  naturally  directed 
his  energies  to  military  law,  in  which  he  is  regarded  as  some- 
what of  an  expert,  and  has  acted  as  counsel  in  many  noted  mili- 
tary trials.  In  addition  to  this  ne  has  a  large  and  remunerative 
general  practice;  is  known  among  the  judiciary  and  the  members 
of  his  profession  as  a  careful,  painstaking  and  successful  advo- 
cate. In  1888  he  joined  the  Twelfth  Regiment  and  in  1891  he 
was  elected  second  lieutenant.  In  1895  he  was  elected  first  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Sixty-ninth  Regimenl.  In  1898  he  raised  Company 
F.  of  the  Sixty-ninth  Regiment  and  was  commissioned  captain 
of  the  company  on  May  2,  1898;  went  to  the  front  and  served 
with  the  regiment  during  the  Spannish-American  war.  Captain 
Griffin  has  been  considerable  of  a  bibliophile  and  accumulated  a 
library  of  over  three  thousand  volumes,  consisting  of  many  rare 
and  valuable  works  which  were  practically  entirely  destroyed  in 
the  conflagration  which  devastated  an  entire  block  on  Cauldwell 
Avenue  on  the  morning  of  the  blizzard  of  January  26,  1905.  In 
politics  Mr.  Griffin  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bar 
Association,  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club,  Cooper  Union  Alumni, 
New  \"ork  University  Alumni,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Royal 
Arcanum,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Old  Guard  Camp  of 
United  Spanish  War  Veterans.  On  October  23,  1895,  Mr.  Griffin 
married  Miss  Kathrcine  L.  Byrne.  I'liey  attend  St.  Peter  and  St. 
Paul's  Church  of  St.  Ann's  Avenue  and  reside  at  891  Cauldwell 
Avenue.     Mr.   Griffin's  law  offices  arc  at   140  Nassau  Street 

JOHN  FRANCIS  O'RYAN  was  born  in  New  York  City 
August  2ist,  1875,  the  son  of  Francis  O'Ryan,  an  instructor  of 
Latin  and  Greek.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Anna  Barry. 
Mr.  O'Ryan  hc;s  been  a  resident  of  the  Bron.v  from  the  time  he 
was  a  small  boy.  He  was  graduated  from  old  Public  School 
No.  61  in  the  class  of  1890,  receiving  the  Folz  medal  for  general 
proficiency  in  studies,  and  was  valedictorian  of  his  class  at 
graduation.  He  subsequently  spent  three  years  at  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  Y'ork  and  thereafter  studied  law  at  the 
University  Law  School.  While  at  college  Mr.  O'Ryan  was 
prominent  in  athletics  and  won  a  number  of  prizes  in  athletic 
contests.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1897.  Mr.  O'Ryan 
was  an  attorney  for  some  years  in  the  Law  Department  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  and  had  charge  in  that 
office  of  important  legal  matters  affecting  the  interests  of  that 
company  and  allied  corporations.     He  left  the  Law   Department 


of  the  Western  Union  Company  in  1899  to  form  with  J.  Arthur 
Corbin,  the  assistant  to  the  general  attorney  of  the  company,  the 
law  firm  of  Corbin  &  O'Ryan.  The  firm  has  a  large  general 
practice  with  offices  in  the  St.  Paul  Building  in  Manhattan.  In 
politics  Mr.  O'Ryan  is  a  Democrat  and  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  campaigns.  He  has  never  held  public  office  except  that 
for  a  short  time  he  served  as  private  secretary  to  the  late  James 
McCartney  while  Commissioner  of  Street  Cleaning.  Mr.  O'Ryan 
is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  the  Bronx,  the  Delta 
L'psilon  Club  of  New  York,  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  Military 
Service  Institute  of  the  United  States,  the  Knights  of  Coi'im- 
bus  and  other  organizations.  He  served  in  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment for  four  years  and  was  thereupon  commissioned  as  second 
lieutenant  in  the  Second  Battery  of  ArtilLry,  National  Guard  of 
this  Stale,  lie  is  now  first  lieutenant  of  the  battery  which  is 
quartered  in  the  Bron.x.  He  has  written  some  extensive  trea- 
tises on  military  subjects  w.iich  ha\e  appeared  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Military  Service  of  the  United  States.  He  has  also  written 
a  legal  digest  of  telegraph  cases.  He  is  an  expert  horseman  and 
pistol  shot.  In  1902  Mr.  O'Ryan  married  Jeannette  Holmes,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  John  F.  Holmes  of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
O'Ryan   have   two   children. 

RANDALL  COMFORT  was  horn  in  this  district  when 
it  was  the  old  Town  of  Morrisania.  In  1892  he  graduated  with 
Innors    from    Columbia    College.     .'Vfter    making   a    tour    of    the 


RANDALL    COMFORT 

greater  part  of  Europe,  he  eiUercd  the  New  York  Law  School, 
three  years  subsequently  receiving  his  diploma  as  attorney  and 
counselor  and  becoming  a  member  of  the  New  Y'ork  Bar.  In 
addition  to  his  professional  duties,  he  has  given  much  of  his 
time  to  literature,  making  a  specialty  of  examining  and  photo- 
graphing  historical    subjects.     Finding   the   upper  part   of   Man- 


WILLIAM    J.   MILLARD 


HARRY     OVERINGTON 


CHARLES    LEWIS    ULLMAN 


J.    J.    HYNES 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


205 


hattan  Island  friiilful  in  relics  of  tlie  past,  he  has  devoted  a 
part  of  his  leisure  in  carefully  exploring  its  many  antiquities, 
occasionally  giving  the  results  of  his  works  to  the  public  press, 
or  through  the  medium  of  lectures  to  the  various  historical  and 
civic  societies  of  New  York  City.  He  has  contrived  to  inter 
est  his  fellow  citizens,  as  they  have  never  before  been  interested. 
in  this  his  favorite  work,  showing  to  them  that  they  had  in  their 
midst  many  charming  reminiscences  of  ante-Revolutionary  days. 
which  had  hitherto  been  overlooked  or  entirely  forgotten.  In 
the  Bronx,  amid  the  cascades  and  deep  recesses  of  its  large  parks 
he  has  discovered  old  Indian  caves  and  fortifications  and  has 
given  them  a  local  habitation  and  a  name.  While  not  forgetting 
the  manor  houses  of  tlie  Morris  family,  he  has  sought  to  bring 
into  prominence  the  earlier  homes  and  haunts  of  Bronck  and 
his  fellow  burghers,  the  first  settlers  of  the  wild  forests  north 
of  the  "Harlem"  River.  In  a  few  words  he  has  made  his  own 
section  of  Greater  New  York  historical. 

PETER  ASHWIN  SHIEL.— Prominent  as  a  successful  and 
able  lawyer  throughout  the  Boroug'h  of  the  Bronx,  and  the  Alder- 
man of  the  Forty-fourth  Aldermanic  uistrict,  was  born  at  Ford- 
ham,  New  York  City,  May  31,  1874.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Williamsbridge  Public  School  and  Manhattan  College  and  New 
Vork  Law  School.  As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Shiel  is  a  careful  and 
judicious  counsellor.  His  practice  is  general  and  owing  to  his 
great  success  in  securing  his  trial  and  other  cases,  he  has  built 
up   a   large   and    influential    clientage,    besides   commanding    the 


PETER    ASHWIN    SHIEL 

respect  and  confidence  of  the  judges  before  whom  he  appears. 
."Vi  a  representative  of  the  people  in  the  city  legislative  board 
he  was  an  active  and  vigorous  worker  for  the  rights  of  the 
people,  and  for  the  advancement  of  all  public  improvements,  par- 
ticularly for  such  legislation  that  applies  to  the  progress  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Shiel  is  a  lojal  Democrat  and  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  'i'hrough  his  constant 
agitation  and  perseverance  an  extension  of  the  Rapid  Transit 
system  has  been  adopted  on  White  Plains  Avenue  through  Wil- 
liamsbridge and  Wakefield. 


JOHN  DAVIS,  the  second  son  of  Thomas  Davis  and  Isa- 
bella Mercer,  was  born  on  July  3,  1859,  on  his  father's  farm 
near  Hillsborough,  County  Down,  Ireland,  which  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  his  family  for  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  John  Davis,  who,  with  two  brothers,  emi- 
grated to  Ireland  from  Wales  in  or  about  the  year  1650  and 
settled   in  County  Down.     Thomas  Davis,  the   Irish  patriot  and 


JOHN    DAVIS 

poet  of  the  Young  Ireland  Party,  was  a  descendant  of  one  of 
these  brothers.  John  Davis  attended  the  Maze  School  and  com- 
pleted his  education  in  1876  at  the  Boys'  School,  Hillsborough, 
working  in  the  meantime  on  his  father's  farm.  He  had  been 
destined  by  his  parents  from  childhood  for  the  ministry  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  but  the  illness  and  subsequent  death  of 
his  father  prevented  the  fulfillment  of  this  design,  and  on  Janu- 
ary I,  1877,  he  entered  the  ofiice  of  W.  H.  Milligan  &  Co.,  a 
manufacturing  house  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  where  he  remained  until 
August,  1882.  On  the  19th  of  the  same  month  he  sailed  for  the 
United  States  of  America,  landing  in  New  York  City  ten  days 
later,  and  on  the  loth  of  September  he  secured  a  clerical  posi- 
tion with  a  mercantile  house.  On  November  i,  1886,  Mr.  Davis 
accepted  the  offer  of  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  office  of  Root  & 
Strong,  attorneys  at  law,  the  firm  comprising  Hon.  Elihu  Root, 
present  Secretary  of  State ;  Theron  G.  Strong,  Samuel  B.  Clark 
and  Charles  F.  Mathewson.  Here  he  remained  until  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  firm,  when  he  became  managing  clerk  for  the  law 
firm  of  Strong,  Harmon  &  Mathewson,  a  position  which  he  re- 
tained until  the  partnership  was  dissolved  on  October  i,  1898, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  practicing  alone.  In  the  meantime 
he  had  studied  law,  and  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  on  No- 
vember 24.  1803.  In  March.  i88g,  he  changed  his  place  of  resi- 
dence from  Manhattan  to  that  part  of  the  Bronx  which  is  now 
known  as  the  Thirty-eighth  Aldermanic  District,  where  he  still 


tkNhST    R.   ECKLEY 


ANTHONY    J.    GRIFFIN 


JOHN    FRANCIS    O  RYAN 


EVERETT    L.    BARNARD 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


207 


resides.  While  he  is  a  general  legal  practitioner,  Mr.  Davis  has 
devoted  himself  very  largely  to  practice  in  the  Surrogate's 
Court  and  to  real  estate  business,  and  through  honesty,  indus- 
try and  sound  common  sense  has  acquired  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  clientele,  recruited  to  a  great  extent  by  his  neighbors 
in  the  Bronx,  who  have  learned  to  place  reliance  on  his  judg- 
ment and  to  follow  with  confidence  his  advice  in  business  mat- 
ters. In  politics  Mr.  Davis  is  a  Democrat,  with  independent 
views.  He  has  been  for  some  time,  and  is  at  present,  chair- 
man of  the  Citizens'  Union  organization  of  the  Thirty-eighth 
.■\ldermanic  District,  and  is  recognized  as  an  advocate  of  the 
non-partisan  administration  of  municipal  afifairs,  but  he  has  never 
run  for  or  held  a  public  office.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Bar  Association  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  a  member  of  the 
City  Club  of  New  York,  of  Suburban  Council  of  Royal  Ar- 
caninu.  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  of  the  Longwood  Club.  He 
cares  little  for  social  functions,  his  principal  recreations  being 
golf  in  sunnner  and  bowling  in  winter.  He  is  a  Presbyterian  in 
faith,  but  attends  the  North  New  York  Congregational  Church. 
He  is  married,  and  has  four  children,  Thomas  G.,  a  medical 
student  at  Cornell  University;  John  and  Isabella  Mercer,  stu- 
dents at  the  Morris  High  School,  and  Franklin  S.,  who  is  in 
the  graduating  class  of  Public  School  No.  31,  Borough  of  the 
Bronx. 

MICHAEL  J.  COONEY,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  West- 
chester X'iilage,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Ireland 
.^pril  ig.  1865.  He  was  graduated  at  the  law  school  of  the 
University  of  New  ^'ork  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  State 
of  New  York  in   igoi.     For  the  past  nineteen  years  he  has  been 


MICHAEL    J.    COONEY 

a  resident  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx;  he  has  built  up  a  very 
large  and  successful  law  practice.  He  has  always  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  political  matters,  and  has  always  been  active  and 
prominent  in  local  politics.  In  1904  he  received  his  party's 
nomination  for  Alderman  and  after  an  exciting  and  at  the 
same  time  gentlemanly  canvass  was  defeated  by  a  small  margin. 
ilis  competitor,  h'rank  Gass,  has  been  in  office  since  annexation 
Always  a  sterling  Democrat,  he  is  one  of  the  active  members 
of   the   well    known    Chippewa    Club.     On    March   6,    1892,    Mr. 


Cooney  married  Miss  Veronica  Hallett  and  has  two  children, 
Genevieve  and  Raymond  Cooney.  By  his  pleasing  personality 
,\Ir.  CtMjney  has  made  himself  very  popular  in  the  community, 
and  as  a  successful  advocate  he  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the 
most  promising  attorneys  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 

FREDERICK  HOBBES  ALLEN,  attorney,  formerly 
Corporation  Counsel  of  Pelham  Manor,  and  now  president  of  the 
village,  has  been  a  resident  there  about  twelve  years  and  is 
one  of  the  notables  of  that  vicinity.  He  is  a  son  of  Hon.  Elisha 
11.  Allen,  who,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  January,  1883,  was 
Minister  Plenipotentiary  at  Washington  from  the  Hawaiian  Is- 
lands and  Dean  of  the  Diplomatic  Corps  at  the  National  Capitol. 
Mr.  Allen  himself  was  born  at  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  forty-four 
years  ago.  He  was  sent  to  school  in  his  youth  in  Switzerland 
and  Germany  and  graduated  from  Harvard  with  the  degrees  of 
-A.M..  and  LL.B.  During  his  father's  term  of  service  he  acted 
as  Secretary  of  Legation  and  charge  d'affairs.  On  his  father's 
death  he  came  to  New  York  to  practice  law.  He  is  chairman 
of  the  Democratic  Committee  of  Westchester  County.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Country  Club  of  Westchester,  the  Union,  Demo- 
cratic, Knickerbocker  and  Reform  Clubs  of  New  York,  and  to 
the  Society  of  the  Colonial  Wars  and  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 
He  married,  June  30,  1892,  Miss  Adele  Livingston  Stevens,  of 
New  York.     They  have  six  children,  two  boys  and  four  girls. 

WILLIAM  J.  MILLARD,  attorney,  of  1585  Washington 
avenue,  Bronx,  has  been  an  assistant  corporation  counsel  since 
1898.  He  was  born  in  Chester,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
prepared  for  college  at  the  Yonkers  High  School.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Columbia  University — the  regular  academic  course — 
in  1894  with  honors,  and  from  the  New  York  Law  School  in 
1898.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  that  same  year.  Mr.  Millard 
has  lived  here  nine  years.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  member  of 
the  Jefferson  Tammany  Club  of  the  35th  Assembly  District,  a 
charter  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  the  Bronx,  a  mem- 
ber I  if  the  Psi  Upsilon  College  Fraternity,  the  Masonic  Order, 
and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  ol  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
He  was  married  April  25,  1899,  to  Miss  Edna  L.  Kirk.  His 
down  town  offices  are  in  119  Nassau  Street. 

HON.  WILLIAM  EPHRAIM  MORRIS,  of  Fordham. 
in  the  Bronx,  is  an  ex-Assemblyman  of  the  State  and  City 
Alderman,  and  as  an  old  campaigner  in  public  affairs  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  figures  of  the  borough.  He  is  the  son  of  the 
late  William  E.  Morris,  a  well  known  comedian  who,  for  many 
years,  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Morris  Brothers,  proprietors 
and  managers  of  several  theatres  in  Boston,  Pittsburg  and  St. 
Louis.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1858,  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city,  and  subsequently  attended  the  Law 
School  of  the  New  York  University,  class  of  '86.  At  the  age 
(if  17  he  was  enrolled  in  Troop  "M,"  Seventh  Regiment,  U.  S. 
Cavalry,  commanded  by  Gen.  George  A.  Custer;  participated  with 
Reno's  Battalion  in  the  battle  of  the  Little  Big  Horn  (Cluster 
Massacre),  June  25  and  26,  1876,  incurring  therein  a  gunshot 
wound  of  the  left  breast.  He  also  participated  in  the  campaign 
against  the  Nez  Perces  in  1877,  serving  under  Gen.  Nelson  A. 
Miles.  He  is  past  National  Commander  of  the  Regular  Army 
and  Navy  Veterans,  and  a  first  Lieut,  of  the  69th  Regiment,  N. 
G.  S.  N.  Y'. ;  also  of  Fordham  Council,  No.  1412,  Royal  Arcanum, 
and  Aerie  No.  40,  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  this  State  in  1886,  and  has  practiced  law  in  this 
city  continually  since  then.  He  represented  the  35th  Assembly 
District   in  the  Legislature  of   1900,  and  among  other  measures 


HON.  WILLIAM    EPHRAIM    MORRIS 


THOMAS    C.    PATTERSON 


FREDERICK    HOBBES    ALLEN 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


209 


introduced  and  secured  the  passage  of  a  bill  appropriating  $10,000 
to  pay  the  employees  of  this  city  who  served  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war  their  per  diem,  or  other  wages,  while  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States.  The  major  portion  of  said  appro- 
priation was  paid  to  residents  of  the  Bronx.  He  advocated  the 
passage  of  the  bill  to  make  the  Borough  Presidents  members 
of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  also  all  measures 
in  the  interest  of  organized  labor,  and  opposed  the  Mortgage 
Tax  Bill  and  the  bill  to  tax  savings  bank  accounts.  Mr.  Morris 
settled  in  New  York  twenty-seven  years  ago,  and  has  had  his 
home  in  the  Bronx  for  ten  years.  He  is  a  staunch  and  devoted 
Democrat,  a  man  whose  opinions  have  weight  in  the  party  coun- 
cils. He  married  December  7,  1879,  Miss  Sarah  Kench  and 
has  one  son  living,  Wm.  E.,  Jr. 

AUGUST  P.  WAGENER  is  one  of  the  best  known  lawyers 
in  the  metropolitan  district.  He  was  born  in  the  City  of  Phila- 
delphia April  5,  1850.  At  an  early  age  he  moved  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  educated  and  began  the  practice  of  the  law  in 
1870.  Mr.  Wagener  lived  for  many  years  on  the  East  Side, 
where  he  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and  made  many 
warm  friends,   wliich  he   still   retains.     He  moved   to  the   Bronx 


AUGUoT    P.     WACE.JER 

in  iijoo  and  opened  a  branch  law  office  at  No.  297  Alexander 
Avenue.  His  main  office  is  situated  at  49-51  Chambers  Street, 
where  he  remains  every  day  until  5  p.  m.  Mr.  Wagener  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  Republican  politics  and  in  1892  ran  for 
Congress  against  the  late  S.  S.  Cox,  and  although  polling  a  large 
vote  was  defeated.  Mr.  Wagener  is  considered  a  careful  and 
conscientious  attorney  and  held  in  high  regard  by  the  members 
of  his  profession. 

MICHAEL  J.  SULLIVAN,  lawyer,  and  a  member  of  the 
local  school  board  for  District  23,  has  held  with  credit  other  of- 
ficial positions.     He  was  an  attache  of  the  Tenth  District  Court, 


under  Judge  McCrea  for  six  years,  and  was  assistant  district  at- 
torney of  New  York  County  three  years.  He  was  bom  and 
brought  up  and  went  to  school  here,  and  has  been  a  man  of  note 
in  his  profession  for  a  lengthy  period.  He  was  born  March  30. 
1868.  In  his  youth  he  attended  the  Christian  Brothers  schcwl  in 
the  old  town  of  Morrisania  and  St.  Jerome's  school  at  138th 
Street  and  Alexander  Avenue,  and  he  graduated  from  St. 
John's  College,  Fordham,  in  1888.  He  graduated  from  the  Nevi- 
York  Law  School,  Columbia  College,  in  1889,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  the  same  year.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus',  the  Catholic  Benevolent  Association,  the  Brownson 
Catholic  Club,  Schnorer  Club,  and  the  Bronx  Bar  Association. 
On  July  3,  1895,  he  married  Miss  Addie  A.  McGrath.  They  have 
two  children  living,  a  boy  and  a  girl  and  one  dead. 

ERNEST  R.  ECKLEY,  attorney,  of  43  Wall  Street,  Man- 
hattan, is  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  with  large  real  estate  interests 
of  speculative  character  in  that  borough.  Although  now  a  highly 
successful  practitioner  and  business  man  besides,  his  start  was 
not  eflfected  without  heavy  personal  sacrifice.  In  1892  while 
reading  law,  he  acted  as  night  operator  in  the  Tremont  Tele- 
phone Exchange  and  at  the  same  time  was  clerk  during  the  day 
for  his  present  law  partner,  G.  M.  Brooks.  Mr.  Eckley  was 
born  March  3,  1874.  He  attended  the  Brandin  Graded  School 
up  to  1892  and  then  began  to  study  law  in  the  New  York  Law 
School.  In  189s  he  took  the  examination,  received  his  degree, 
was  admitted  and  began  practice.  In  1904  he  joined  the  Bronx 
Bar  Association.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Eckley  School,  Brook- 
lyn, treasurer  of  the  Eckley  Dental  Supply  Co.,  and  a  trustee 
of  the  Mt.  Hope  M.  E.  Church.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics; 
as  yet,  unmarried. 

THOMAS  C.  PATTERSON.— Mr.  Patterson  is  more  or 
less  actively  identified  with  politics  in  the  Bronx,  though  not  an 
office  holder.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  Tammany 
Hall,  the  Jefferson  Club  and  other  party  organizations.  He  is  a 
lawyer,  and  as  such  a  member  of  the  Bronx  Bar  Association, 
and,  among  other  bodies,  is  enrolled  in  the  Gentlemen's  Sons' 
Club,  the  Cortlandt  Bowling  Club,  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  M. 
E.  Church.  Mr.  Patterson  was  born  December  18,  1862,  in 
Brantford,  Canada.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  High  School  at 
Point  St.  Charles,  Montreal,  Canada,  and  of  New  York  Uni- 
versity, class  of  i8qG.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx 
about  six  years.  He  has  been  twice  married — to  Miss  Helene 
Lane,  April  12.  1882,  who  died  in  1891,  and  on  October  18,  1893, 
to  Miss  Frances  M.  Durschany.  By  his  first  marriage  he  has  one 
child  living,  Herbert  Cecil ;  by  the  second,  three,  Thos.  Conrad, 
Henry  Lawrence  and  James  Andrew.  Mr.  Patterson  was  First 
Lieutenant  Conip.Tny  C,  12th  Regiment,  N.  G..  N.  Y.,  and  received 
many  medals  for  sharpshooting;  he  also  possesses  the  State 
Sharpshooters'  badge — a  high  distinction.  This  badge  was 
awarded  in  1891.  He  saw  active  service  in  the  late  Buffalo  rail- 
road strike.  Mr.  Patterson  is  an  inventor,  and  an  expert  in 
patent  causes,  and  has  several  inventions  in  the  Patent  Office 
pending  at  the  present  time.  Two  of  his  inventions  which  have 
been  granted  are  the  cruller  and  doughnut  cutting  machine  and  a 
machinists'  lathe — both  being  in  general  use. 

SIDWELL  S.  RANDALL.— Sidwell  S.  Randall  was  born  at 
Albany  in  the  year  1838.  In  1854  he  came  to  New  York  with 
his  father,  who  for  fifty  years  was  identified  with  the  educational 
interests  of  the  State  and  for  a  long  time  was  City  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools  in  New  York  City.  Sidwell  S.  Randall  studied 
law  with  Henry  Bennett  in  1S56.  but  other  pursuits  occupied  his 
time  and  attention  until  about  1879,  when  he  entered  Columbia 
College  Law  School  under  the  tuition  of  Professor  Dwight  and 


210 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


was  formally  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  following  year.  Long 
before  this  he  came  to  Morrisania,  and  foreseeing  its  future 
growth  and  having  a  firm  belief  that  this  borough  would  in  time 
rival  Brooklyn  in  population,  he  entered  heart  and  soul  into 
every  local  improvement  that  would  further  its  interests.  Though 
successful  in  lowering  the  rates  of  fare  on  the  Harlem  Railroad, 
he  felt  that  the  true  solution  of  cheap  and  frequent  transit  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the  city  would  be  better  pro- 
moted by  the  Elevated  Railway,  and  so  he  gave  his  strongest 
efforts  in  that  direction.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  and  a  strong 
advocate  of  the  New  York  and  Portchester  Railroad,  having  no 
doubt  of  its  ultimate  success  in  securing  a  right  of  way  through 
the  Bronx.  Earnestly  opposing  the  plan  of  making  the  Harlem 
River  a  ship  canal,  Mr.  Randall  maintains  that  this  stream  should 
be  filled  up  so  as  to  make  Bronx  Borough  a  component  part  of 
Manhattan  Island.  Latterly,  when  his  profession  permits,  he 
has  occupied  his  leisure  time  in  strong  efforts  to  secure  a  sys- 
tem of  small  parks  throughout  every  section  of  this  city  in  order 


cessful  one  for  liis  clients;  he  is  highly  esteemed  by  the  judiciary  i 

of  tlie  upper  and  lower  courts,  for  the  masterly  manner  in  which  ' 

he  presents  his  case  and  his  briefs,  and  is  also  popular  with  the  j 

nicnilicrs    of   the    bar   for   his    eminent    talents,    his    gentlemanly  I 


SIDWELL    S.    RANDALL 

to  make  Greater  New  York  the  most  beautiful  as  well  as  the 
largest  city  in  America.  For  forty-four  years  he  has  resided  on 
Franklin  Avenue,  near  McKmley  Square,  where  he  has  seen 
that  part  of  the  city  change  from  farm  lands  to  one  of  the  most 
thickly  settled  portions  of  Greater  New  York. 

HAROLD  CHARLE.S  KNOEPPEL.— A  young  and 
talented  lawyer,  was  born  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  Augu.^f 
0,  1875,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York  and  New  York  University  Law  School.  He  commenc-d 
practice  in  1897,  and  since  that  time  his  practice  has  grown 
rapidly,  until  the  present  time,  his  clientage  includes  a  large 
number  of  our  most  prominent  business  men,  both  of  the  Brorrx 
and  Manhattan.     He  is  a  painstaking  advocate  and  a  very  suc- 


HAROLD  CHARLES  KNOEPPEL  \ 

c(iurle'~y    and    ihc    well    earned    success    lie    has   obtained    in    his  ' 
profession.     Mr.   Knoeppel   is  a   Democrat   in  politics,   but  never 

sought    for   or   l-.eld   any   public   office;   he   is   a    member   of  the  , 

Masonic    Order,   the    Royal    Arcanum,    the    Schnorcr    Club,   and  ' 

ihe    Bronx   Bar   Association.     On    September   24,    1899,   he  m.'ir-  i 

ried    Miss    Elizabeth    11.    Brinckmann    and    lias    three    children,  | 


CORNELIUS    J.   EARLEY.    LL.B. 

Louisa  E.,  Harold  J.  H.  ;ind  Edward  A.  He  resides  at  8ofi 
Southern  Boulevard.  Borough  of  the  Bron.x  and  has  law  offices 
at   s    Beekman   Street,   New   York   City. 

CORNELIUS  J.  EARLEY,  LL.B.,  son  of  John  and 
Kaiharinc  ( Dougherty)  Earley,  of  Irish  descent,  was  born  at 
Flizalielhport,    New   Jersey,   on    .'\pril    17,    1S70,   and    was   gradl]- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


211 


ated  from  De  L-a  Salle  Institute,  New  York,  June,  1888.  He 
studied  law  at  the  Law  School  of  New  York  University,  where 
he  was  a  meniher  of  field  chapter  of  the  Greek  fraternity  Phi 
Delta  Phi  and  was  graduated  in  May.  iSgi,  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws  and  was  first  honor  of  his  class,  there  heing 
fifty-seven  graduates.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  entered  the 
office  of  Hon.  William  J.  Lardner,  Deputy  Attorney  General 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age  on  April  7,  1893.  From  October,  1893, 
until  May  t.  t8-)5.  he  was  .Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  of  the 


JOHN    p.    DUNN 

City  of  New  York,  under  Hon.  William  H.  Clark.  Since  the 
latter  date  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  private  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  is  one  of  the  counsel  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
Chancery  office  and  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Archdiocese  of  New 
York.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  was  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  General  Committee  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Assembly 
District,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  during  the  years  1897  and  1898. 
lie  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Club.  Knights  of  Columbus, 
the  Brownson  Club,  Tallapoosa  Club,  Hron.x  Democratic  Club 
and  Bronx  Bar  Association.  Mr.  Karley  has  been  very  success- 
ful as  a  jury  trial  lawyer  in  the  hij;her  cciurts,  having  won  a 
number  of  important  cases  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  involving 
large  verdicts.  He  has  been  especially  successful  in  libel  and 
damage  litigation.  He  was  married  on  June  21,  1898,  to  Miss 
Rose  Marie  McDevitt.  and  they  have  five  children,  Gladys, 
Jack,  Eunice,  Cornelius,  Jr.,  and  Bernard  J.  Earley.  His  city 
home  is  at  No.  680  East  136th  Street,.  Bronx  Borough,  New 
York  City;  his  summer  home  is  at  Blue  Point,  Great  South  Bay, 
Long-   Island,   and   hi<   office  at   J71    P.roadway.   New    York   Cily. 


WILLIAM  G.  MULLIGAN,  prominent  lawyer  of  Bronx 
Borough,  was  born  at  E.Kctcr.  Otsego  County,  N.  Y..  March  5, 
1862.  After  a  careful  jireparation  for  college  he  entered  Hamil- 
ton College.  Clinton.  N.  Y.,  graduating  therefrom  with  high 
honors  in  the  class  of  '86,  being  awarded  the  McKinney  prize 
in  declamation  and  debate.  In  1892  Mr.  Mulligan  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  New  York  University  Law  School,  being  selected 
as  the  valedictorian  of  his  class.  For  the  past  twelve  years  he 
has  been  a  successful  practitioner  of  the  legal  profession,  in 
Bronx  Borough.  Mr.  Mulligan  is  a  consistent  Democrat,  al- 
though he  has  never  sought  or  held  office,  preferring  to  devote 
his  attention  and  time  to  his  chosen  profession.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Democratic  v^lub ;  Theta  Delta  Phi  Club 
and  of  St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church.  On  June  27,  1892, 
Mr.  Mulligan  married  Agnes  K.  Murphy,  daughter  of  Captain 
William  Jay  Murphy,  U.  S.  Army.  Mrs.  Mulligan  is  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful real  estate  operators  in  the  Bronx.  She  ahso  possesses  a 
bright  legal   mind  and   has  been   unusually  successful  as  a  law- 


WILLIAM    G.    MULLIGAN 

yer.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  their  happy  wedlock,  viz: 
.Agnes,  Virginia,  .Alethea,  Eileen,  (deceased)  and  AUeine. 
Mr.  Mulligan  is  one  of  the  solid,  substantial  citizens  of  Bronx 
Borough  and  is  universally  respected  and  esteemed  for  his 
many  sterling  qualities.      His  office   is   at   727   Tremont   .A. venue. 

JOHN  P.  DUNN,  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  was  born  July  2,  i860,  in  New  York  City. 
He  graduated  from  Public  School  No.  64  in  1875  and  then  en- 
tered St.  John's  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1880. 
After  taking  a  post  graduate  course  he  received  the  degree  of 
A.M..  from  his  college  and  then  entered  the  law  offices  of  Morgan 


212 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


J.  O'Brien,  now  presiding  justice  of  tlie  Appellate  Division,  First 
Department,  New  York  Supreme  Court.  He  received  his  degree 
of  LL.B.  from  Columbia  College  Law  School  in  1885,  and  after- 
wards was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  was  appointed  Assistant  Sec- 
retary of  the  Fire  Department  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1887 


and  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel  in  1889.  He  organized  the 
Bureau  of  Street  Openings  in  1893  a"d  has  been  the  head  of  that 
bureau  ever  since.  He  is  president  of  the  Fordham  Club  and  a 
member  of  the  Manhattan,  Catholic,  Graduates  and  Schnorer 
Clubs. 


The  Original  Building  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Trcmont 


Bronx  BOROUGH  in 


View  of  Trcmont  in   1854 


CHAPTER  XLI 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


The  Personal  History  of  Many  of  Those  Who  Have  Been  and  are  Prominent   in  the    Life   of    the   Bronx    and 

Have  Aided  in  its  Development 


JOSIAH  ACKERMAN  BRIGGS,  Civil  Engineer  and  Sur- 
veyor, is  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  under 
the  President  of  the  Borough.  This  ofifice  he  has  held  since 
1902.  Other  important  posilions  which  have  beer^  his  are 
the  following :  Surveyor  and  Assistant  Engineer  Department 
of  Public  Parks,  1879  to  1891  ;  Chief  Engineer,  Construction 
Department,  Street  Improvements  of  Twenty-third  and  Twenty- 
fourth  Wards,  1895  to  1898 ;  Chief  Engineer  of  Highways,  Bor- 
ough of  the  Bronx,  1898  to  1902.     Mr.  Briggs  was  born  in  West 


I^P^H 

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,^^^^Hh      ^^^^^^^        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 

^^KxV\^'    '          '  ^v^p                                         M 

mm           k 

1... 1 

JOSIAH    ACKERMAN     ERIGCS 

Farms.  He  was  educated  in  public  and  private  schools  of  the 
borough  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  Manor  of  Fordham,  of  the  American  Society 
of  Civil  Engineers,  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the 
Fordham  Club,  Jefferson  Club,  Schnorer  Club  and  Royal  Ar- 
canum. He  married,  March  15,  1876,  Miss  Julia  Wheatly. 
They  have  had  six  children,  of  whom  four,  one  boy  and  three 
girls,  are  living. 


SAMUEL  CLARENCE  THOMPSON,  civil  engineer  by 
profession,  at  present  Engineer  of  Highways  in  the  Bronx, 
was  born  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  April  4,  1851.  He  attended  various 
schools  in  the  old  Bay  Stite,  among  them  the  District  School 
and  Peters  High  School  at  Southboro ;  and  the  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College  at  Amherst,  and  also  got  there  his  profes- 
sional experience  and  training.  In  1883  he  came  here,  and  has 
since  held  a  number  of  important  places  on  the  engineer  staff 
of  the  metropolis.  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  of  the  Municipal  Engineers,  City  of 
New  York,  of  the  Phi  Sigma  Kappa  fraternity,  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  Royal  Arcanum,  Loyal  Legion,  and  F.  and  A.  M.  He 
married.  May  s,  1875,  Alice  Louisa  Fairchild.  They  have  two 
children,  Louis  Clarence  an  I  Elsie  Viola. 

JOSIAH  H.  FITCH,  the  Assistant  Principal  Engineer  of 
the  Bron.x,  was  born  June  i6th,  1863,  in  New  York  City,  in  the 
old  Ninth  Ward.  After  his  primary  education  at  public  school 
No.  35,  he  took  a  three  years'  classical  course  at  the  College  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  leaving  to  enter  the  school  of  Mines  of 
Columbia  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  188.4.  After 
leaving  Columbia  College,  he  was  appointed  as  an  axeman  on 
the  new  Croton  .Aqueduct,  and  remained  for  six  years  at  this 
important  work,  having  been  advanced  to  assistant  engineer  be- 
fore he  resigned  in  1890  to  accept  an  important  position  offered 
to  him  as  engineer  by  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  He  was  as- 
signed to  look  after  the  pump  stations,  pipe  lines,  storage  tanks, 
and  surveying  throughout  the  entire  oil  belt,  which  comprised 
West  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  until  1892,  resigned,  and  accepted  a  position  with  the 
Rapid  Transit  Commission  as  Engineer,  and  after  serving  two 
years,  was  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Street  Improve- 
ments as  Computer,  from  which  position  he  was  promoted 
eventually  to  Assistant  Engineer.  In  August,  1900,  Mr.  Fitch 
was  appointed  engineer  in  charge  of  sewers  of  the  Bronx,  but 
in  1902  he  resumed  the  old  title  of  Principal  Assistant  Engineer, 
which  the  gentleman  holds  to-day.  In  1901,  the  temporary 
system  of  sewerage  at  Van  Nest  was  practically  in  his  charge, 
and  to  his  practical  ability  in  his  profession,  that  model 
sewerage  system  of  the  prosperous  community  is  recorded.  Mr. 
Fitch  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Columbia  Col- 
lege Alumni,  Royal  Arcanum,  Jefferson  Club,  Schnorer  Club, 
and  attends  the  Presbyterian  Church.  On  December  31,  1890, 
he  married  Annie  F.  Walker  of  this  city;  the  gentleman  is  held 
in  high  esteem  by  his  superior  officers  in  the  Municipal  Depart- 
ment, and  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  able  engineers  of  the 
Borough. 


SAMUEL  CLARENCE  THOMPSON 


JOSIAH    H.  FITCH 


MICHAEL  HECHT 


"IHOMAS  J      BYRNE 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


2(5 


MICHAEL  IIF.CHT,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  tlie  Build- 
ing Uepartmenl,  Horougli  of  llie  Bronx,  was  l>orn  in  Melrose, 
November  22,  1868,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Immaculate  Coii- 
ception  school,  isist  Street  and  Melrose  Avenue.  He  learned 
the  plumbing  trade  and  advanced  rapidly,  until  in  1889  he  en- 
tered business  for  himself,  and  became  a  master  plumber  and 
contractor,  doing  an  extensive  business  and  was  virtually  one  of 
the  leading  experts  in  his  business.  He  has  accomplished  a 
great  deal  of  the  finest  sanitary  plumbing  ever  performed  in 
the  Bronx,  and  a  large  number  of  the  best  residences  and  build- 
ings bear  testimony  to  his  excellent  work.  On  January  i,  igo2, 
he  was  appointed  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Buildings,  which 
position  he  has  filled  with  credit  to  the  department,  exhibiting 
rare  judgment  and  executmg  his  multifarious  duties  with  prompt- 
ness, and  in  every  instance  according  to  the  rules  and  laws 
governing  the  Building  Department.  He  is  very  popular  with  all 
the  inspectors  and  employees  of  his  department,  and  the  builders 
of  the  Bronx,  all  of  whom  esteem  him  highly  for  his  gentlemanly 
deportment,  his  strict  attention  to  his  duties,  and  his  constant 
desire  to  conduct  his  business  in  a  manner  that  reflects  credit 
on  his  department.  In  February,  1893,  Mr.  Hecht  married  Miss 
Matilda  Grube,  an  estimable  and  accomplished  lady,  and  has  two 
children,  viz. :  Michael  J.,  and  Jean  B.  D.  Hecht.  He  has  been  a 
Tammany  Hall  Democrat  since  his  majority,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  K.  of  C,  B.  P.  O.  Elks,  the  Schnorer 
and  Tallapoosa  Clubs,  besides  a  large  number  of  social  clubs 
and  organizations. 

THOMAS  J.  BYRNE  is  well  known  throughout  the  Bronx 
as  Superintendent  of  the  Bureau  of  Public  Buildings  and  otfices 
for  the  borough,  and  as  formerly,  for  four  years.  Deputy  Com- 
missioner of  Sewers,  in  which  capacities  he  has  amply  demon- 
strated his  efficiency  as  a  public  official.  Mr.  Byrne  is  49  years 
old  and  is  a  native  of  this  borough.  He  was  born  at  137th 
Street  and  Mott  Avenue,  and  was  brought  up  and  educated 
in  the  borough.  He  is  a  public  school  man,  in  fact,  a  product 
of  the  free  educational  institutions  of  New  York.  He  is  a 
Democrat  and  a  member  of  numerous  organizations,  political 
and  fraternal;  the  C.  B.  L.,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Eagles, 
Schnorers,  "Merry  Five,"  Democratic  Club,  Allegheny  and 
Chippewa  Clubs  among  them.  He  married  in  1880,  and  is  the 
father  of  a  family  of  nine. 

I'REDERICK  GREIFFENBERG,  the  well  known  topo- 
graphical engineer  of  the  municipal  department  of  the  Bronx, 
uas  born  at  Eppinger,  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany, 
December  9,  18,17.  He  was  educated  at  the  Polytechnic 
University  at  Carlsruhe,  Germany.  Since  May  6,  1871,  he  has 
served  continuously  in  connection  with  the  surveys  and.  improve- 
ments of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  and  served  as  principal  as- 
sistant topographical  engineer  from  1898  to  1902  under  the  Board 
of  Public  Improvements  in  direct  connection  with  topographical 
work  for  Greater  New  Y'ork.  A  member  of  the  Society  of  the 
former  students  of  the  German  Universities  and  a  member  of 
that  society  of  the  Municipal  Engineers  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  he  is  one  of  whom  the  entire  civil  engineer  staff  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx  entertains  the  highest  respect  for  his 
ability  in  his  profession  and  his  general  courtesy  to  them,  his 
fellow  members  of  the  honorable  and  distinguished  profession. 
The  gentleman  is  a  bachelor,  wedded  only  to  the  good  work 
that  he  is  performing  for  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 

CHARLES  HALLETT  GRAHAM,  the  engineer  in  charge 
of  sewers  for  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Harlem, 


.\\ir\\  10,  1863.  Afler  graduating  from  Grammar  School  No. 
68,  he  took  a  two  years'  course  at  the  College  of  the  City  of 
New  Y'ork,  and  in  1879  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Park  De- 
partment as  a  volunteer  assistant,  and  in  a  short  time  was 
regularly  appointed  as  an  assistant  in  the  Engineer  Corps  of  said 
Department  and  engaged  in  topographical  and  construction  work 
until  1891,  when,  as  an  assistant  engineer,  he  was  assigned  to 
duty  under  Mr.  Louis  F.  Haffen  in  the  new  parks  of  the  Bronx. 
In  1892  he  was  transferred  to  work  under  Mr.  A.  Kellogg,  the 
Engineer  of  Construction,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  Riverside 
Drive  improvements.  In  1893  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
preparation  of  plans,  contracts  and  specifications  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  Harlem  River  Speedway,  and  in  1894  was  given 
independent  and  exclusive  charge  of  this  important  work.  In 
1895  he  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Haffen  to  the  position  of  assistant 
engineer  in  the  Department  of  Street  Improvements  of  the 
Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  and  was  assigned  as 
acting  superintendent  of  maintenance,  and  in  addition  to  the 
duties  of  superintendent  he  performed  valuable  services  in  the 
investigation  of  contracts  for  the  construction  of  sewers  at  VVil- 
liamsbridge  entered  into  by  the  village  commissioners,  and  dis 
entangled  the  difficulties  by  preparing  new  plans,  contracts  and 
specifications  to  meet  the  suggestions  embodied  in  the  opinions 
of  the  Corporation  Counsel,  and  remained  in  charge  of  the  new 
contract  work  during  the  year  1896.  Early  in  1897  he  was  ap- 
pointed General  Superintendent  of  Maintenance  and  was  con- 
tinued as  such  in  the  Department  of  Highways  under  the  new 
charter  from  1898  to  1902.  In  1902,  President  Haffen  advanced 
him  to  the  position  of  engineer  in  charge  of  sewers  for  the 
Borough.  In  1886,  Mr.  Graham  was  married  and  has  one 
daughter.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  Fordham  Council,  Roiyal  Arcanum,  the  Jefferson 
Club,  and  a  member  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  Thirty-fifth 
Assembly    District. 

PHILIPP  AUGUSTUS  RYAN,  Assistant  Superintendent 
of  the  Park  Department,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at 
Williamsbridge,  New  York,  November  13,  1866,  and  attended 
the  pubhc  schools  of  Williamsbridge  until  graduation.  Push  and 
energy  with  unimpeachable  integrity  was  the  sole  capital  of  Mr. 
Ryan,  when  he  started  out  to  meet  the  world  and  reach  the  ladder 
ol  success.  His  first  employment  was  picking  pickles  at  $3  per 
week.  Being  of  a  placid  nature,  after  a  long  struggle  at  the 
pickle  business,  he  sought  employment  with  the  authorities  of 
Woodlawn  Cemetery  and  served  there  for  five  years  as  a  florist. 
Leaving  the  Woodlawn  Cemetery,  he  was  employed  as  a  coach- 
man by  Mrs.  W.  W.  Niles,  an  estimable  and  wealthy  lady,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  four  years.  Being  frugal  in  his  habits, 
he  had  saved  sufficient  means  to  enable  him  to  go  into  the  hotel 
business  at  Williamsbridge,  in  which  he  his  been  very  success- 
ful, and  is  highly  esteemed  by  the  citizens  of  his  native  place. 
In  June  last  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Superintendent  of  Parks 
for  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  is  one  of  the  most  active  and 
industrious  officers  of  this  department.  Mr.  Ryan  has  the  con- 
fidence of  his  superior  officers  in  the  department,  and  also  of 
the  large  number  of  employees  of  whom  he  has  charge.  His 
activity  and  close  application  to  his  duties  and  his  fitness  for 
the  position  he  occupies  gives  promise  to  advance  him  higher 
up  in  the  near  future.  He  is  the  ion  of  Patrick  Francis  and 
Catherine  Ryan,  who  were  both  born  at  Holy  Cross,  Tipperary, 
Ireland.  In  politics  Mr.  Ryan  is  a  thorough  Democrat;  belongs 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  Cliurch  and  is  a  member  of  the  well 
known  Chippewa  Club. 


NATHANIEL    LORD    BRITTON 


CHARLES    HALLETT    GRAHAM 


PHILIPP    AUGUSTUS    RYAN 


FREDERICK  GREIFFENBERG 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


2J7 


NATHANIEL  LORD  BRITTON  was  born  at  New  Dorp, 
Staten  Island,  January  15th,  1859,  the  eldest  son  of  Alexander 
Hamilton  Britton  and  Harriet  Lord  Britten,  and  a  member  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  of  Staten  Island.  He  was  educated 
in  public  and  private  schools,  at  the  Staten  Island  Academy  and 
at  the  School  of  Mines  of  Columbia  College,  where  he  was  a 
classmate  of  the  Hon.  Louis  F.  Haffen,  graduating  in  1879 
with  the  degree  of  Engineer  of  Mines;  his  friends  attribute  his 
administrative  ability  to  the  engineering  training  there  received, 
l.e  accepted  the  same  year  the  position  of  assistant  in  the  De- 
partment of  Geology  aitd  Natural  History  in  Columbia,  under 
llie  distinguished  Professor  John  S.  Newberry,  and  served  in 
mis  capacity  until  1887,  when  he  was  made  Instructor  iiii 
liotany,  being  promoted  to  Adjunct  Professor  in  1890,  and  Pro- 
fessor of  Botany  in  1891 ;  he  discharged  the  duties  of  this  chair 
luuil  1896,  when  he  was  called  to  his  present  work  as  Director- 
lu-Chief  of  the  New  York  Botanical  Garden  in  Bronx  Park, 
which  has  been  wholly  developed  unuer  his  charge,  aided  by  the 
wisdom  and  liberality  ot  its  distinguished  board  of  managers 
and  by  the  cordial  cooperation  of  the  Park  Department,  so  that 
11  has  already  become  the  largest  and  most  noteworthy  institu- 
uon  of  its  kind  in  America  and  one  of  the  most  important  m  the 
world.  Proiessor  Britton  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosopliy  by  his  alma  mater  in  1881,  and  during  his  con- 
nection witn  Columbia  served  as  an  aid  on  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  and  as  an  assistant  on  the  geological  survey 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey;  he  wrote  a  voluminous  report  on 
llie  plants  of  New  Jersey  in  i88x  and  another  in  1891,  both  of 
which  were  published  by  the  survey,  and  he  is  the  author  of 
over  one  hundred  scientihc  papers,  published  in  various  journals 
and  in  the  proceedings  of  learned  societies ;  his  magnum  opus, 
the  "Illustrated  Flora  of  the  Northern  States  and  Canada,"  pre- 
pared jointly  with  Judge  Addison  Brown,  was  published  in  three 
royal  octavo  volumes  containing  over  four  thousand  illustra- 
tions of  plants,  from  1896  to  1898,  and  is  the  standard  reference 
work  on  its  subject;  his  "Manual  of  the  Flora  of  the  Northern 
States  and  Canada,"  for  the  use  of  schools,  containing  over 
1.000  closely  printed  pages,  published  in  1901,  is  now  passing  to 
a  second  edition.  During  Dr.  Seth  Low's  presidency  of  Co- 
lumbia, Dr.  Britton  served  on  many  important  committees  and 
was  secretary  of  the  Faculty  of  Pure  Science  from  its  founda- 
tion in  1892  until  he  resigned  the  chair  of  Botany  to  lake  up 
his  work  in  the  Bronx;  at  this  time  the  Trustees  of  Columbia 
University  elected  him  to  the  honorary  title  of  Emeritus  Pro- 
fessor, and  at  the  celebration  of  the  150th  anniversary  of  the 
foundation  of  King's  College,  at  Columbia,  October  31,  1904,  lie 
was  awarded  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science,  the 
highest  distinction  that  a  university  can  bestow  upon  one  of  its 
alumni  devoted  to  any  branch  of  science.  He  is  a  member  of 
many  scientific  societies,  of  the  Century  Association  and  a 
trustee  of  the  Bronx  Free  Library.  Dr.  Britton  has  travelled 
widely  in  Europe  and  America,  visiting  all  the  more  important 
botanical  gardens,  parks  and  museums,  and  studying  the  plants 
both  wild  and  cultivated.  Since  the  great  public  greenhouses 
were  built  in  Bronx  Park  he  has  made  several  trips  to  the  West 
Indies,  and  secured  many  specimens  to  aid  in  building  up  the 
large  collections  for  public  education.  He  was  married  in  1886 
lo  Elizabeth  Gertrude  Knight,  who  has  since  been  his  companion 
and  aid  in  all  his  scientific  work,  and  who  is  well  known  as  an 
accomplished  botanist. 


CLARENCE  TISDALE  STEELE  has  been  for  the  past 
sixteen  years  associated  with  the  musical  interests  of  the  Bronx. 
He  was  born  in  Brooklyn  and  received  his  early  education  at 
the  Adelphi  Academy  and  graduated  from  the  High  School  in 
Jersey  City.  His  musical  studies  were  pursued  in  this  city  and 
in  Boston.  Mr.  Steele  is  best  known  as  a  teacher  of  sight  sing- 
ing in  connection  with  his  public  school  work  in  the  Bronx, 
where  for  sixteen  years  he  has  directed  the  music  in  the  schools 
of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards  and,  having  been 
a  student  of  pedagogy  as  well  as  music,  has  attained  a  high  meas- 
ure of  success  in  his  work.  One  feature  of  his  school  work 
which  has  won  the  good  will  and  confidence  of  the  teachers  in  this 
district,  has  been  his  constant  adherence  to  the  practice  of  giving 
model  lessons  in  the  class-rooms,  even  while  claiming  the  title 
of  supervisor.  Mr.  Steele  is  a  Huent  writer  and  composer,  and 
has  written  the  words  and  music  of  many  of  our  school  songs 
and  a  valuable  collection  ol  rote  songs  for  primary  grades  as  well 
as  much  music  of  other  descriptions,  several  of  his  part-songs 
being  widely  sung  throughout  the  country.  As  a  teacher  of  the 
art  of  sight  singing  Mr.  Steele  stands  nr  the  foremost  ranks; 
many  of  the  singers  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  church  choirs 
owe  their  training  in  that  line  to  his  efforts.  As  a  choral  di- 
rector Mr.  Steele  s  work  is  authoritative  and  convincing,  and  as 
a  lecturer  his  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  natural  adapta- 
bility enables  him  to  present  to  a  general  audience  musical  sub- 
jects in  such  a  manner  as  to  hold  the  interest  of  his  hearers 
throughout.     His  lectures  on  tlie  "Art  of  Sight   Singing,"  "The 

History  of  the  Oratorio, i'he  Development  of  the  Part-Song," 

and  "The  Old  Songs  and  the  New,"  the  last  two  of  which  have 
been  delivered  on  numerous  occasions  in  this  city,  are  very  in- 
teresting. They  are  always  illustrated  by  excellent  talent,  in- 
cluding a  well  chosen  quartette  of  soloists,  and  Mr.  Steele,  who  is 
the  possessor  of  a  fine  tenor  voice,  also  adds  to  the  effective- 
ness by  his  singing. 

JAMES  R.  L.  DALY,  M.D.,  is  a  life  long  resident  of  the 
Bronx  and  is  one  of  its  most  successful  practitioners.  Pie  was 
born  here  in  New  York  thirty  years  ago — to  be  exact,  on  May 
24,  1875.  Dr.  Daly  is  a  graduate  of  Manhattan  College  and  of 
the  University  and  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  and  as 
a  resident  physician  on  the  staff  of  Seton  Hospital  for  Consump- 
tives, and  the  Mothers'  and  Babies'  Hospital,  has  had  special 
opportunities  and  advantages.  He  is  regarded  as  a  man  of 
splendid  qualifications,  one  thoroughly  equipped  in  the  matter 
of  experience  and  natural  ability  for  the  profession  he  is  in. 
His  knowledge  of  practical  surgery  was  obtained  during  the 
four-year  period  in  wliich  he  was  engaged  in  the  outdoor  depart- 
ment of  Lebanon  Hospital.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  diseases 
of  women  and  obstetrics,  a  line  in  which  he  has  been  particularly 
successful,  to  which  he  has  devoted  special  study  and  practice, 
and  from  which  he  has  derived  no  small  reputation.  Dr.  Daly, 
we  may  add,  is  a  member  of  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club  and  a 
fourth  degiee   Knight  of  Columbus. 

JOHN  J.  HICKEY,  the  standard  bearer  of  the  John  J. 
Hickey  Association  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  one  of  the 
largest  Democratic  organizations  in  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly 
District,  was  born  in  Ireland  March  15,  i860.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  wlien  very  young  and  was  educated  at  the  Chris- 
tian Brothers  Scliool  in  New  York  City.  For  twenty  years  he 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx,  engaged  in  the  hotel  business, 
and  has  been  extraordinarilv  successful,  so  much  so,  that  he  has 


CLARENCE    TISDALE    STEELE 


JAMES    R.    L.     DALY.     M.D. 


JOHN    J.    HICKEY 


CHARLES    DOLL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


2J9 


accumulated  a  large  amount  of  valuable  real  estate  and  is  there- 
fore a  heavy  taxpayer  to  the  municipality.  His  success  may  be 
attributed  to  the  close  application  he  has  always  given  to  his 
business  aflairs,  his  unquestionable  executive  ability,  his  genial 
and  courteous  manners  and  his  faculty  of  knowing  how  to  pro- 
vide properly  for  the  large  patronage  he  has  always  enjoyed. 
Outside  of  managing  his  large  and  lucrative  business,  Mr. 
Hickey  has  for  years  been  an  important  factor  in  the  politics  of 
the  Bronx.  As  president  of  the  organization  that  bears  his  natiie, 
with  a  membership  of  over  800  substantial  citizens,  he  wields 
a  very  potent  influence  in  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party 
at  our  municipal,  state  and  national  elections ;  and  while  he  has 
not  y€t  ever  held  any  puljlic  office,  his  loyalty  to  the  party  and 
the  organization  will  certainly  be  recognized  in  the  near  future 
to  one  so  deserving  of  all  the  honors  they  may  bestow  upon  him. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club  (Fifth  Avenue),  the 
Jefferson  Club  and  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee  of  the 
Thirty-fifth  Assembly  District,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians, 
the  Bunker  Hill  Club,  the  Elks,  the  William  R.  Hearst  Na- 
tional Democratic  Club,  the  Kildare  Men's  Association,  and  the 
Wine,  Beer  and  Liquor  Dealers'  Association  of  the  Thirty-sixth 
District,  Bron.x.     Mr.  Hickey  was  married  .\pril  ji,    1882. 

AUGUST  KUPKA  was  born  in  what  is  now  Manhattan  Bor- 
ough, New  York  City,  October  .^o,  1873.  His  father  was  a  cabinet 
maker,  a  native  of  Silesia,  Germany,  and  his  mother,  also 
German,  was  born  in  Hanover.  August  was  the  oldest  of  five 
children.  He  received  a  public  school  education  which  was 
practically  completed  before  he  was  14,  at  which  time  he  began 
work  in  a  piano  factory.  Thus  early  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, he  supported  his   widowed   mother  and  younger  sisters. 


AUGUST  KUPKA 

But  having  a  decided  commercial  bent,  he  managed  to  save 
enough  from  his  meager  stipend  to  pay  for  his  tuition  in  a 
course  of  double  entry  bookkeeping,  which  he  took  in  the  eve- 
nings, and  shortly  after  secured  a  position  with  a  wall  paper 
house  at  a  modest  salary.  After  a  short  time  he  left  this  place 
and  filled  various  positions  of  trust,  finally  accepting  one  in  the 
stone  cutting  trade,  which,  however,  he  resigned  soon  to  accept 
a  better  in  the  same  line.     Here,  with  one  of  the  largest  con- 


cerns of  the  trade,  his  income  grew  accordingly.  Having 
selected  a  calling  to  his  liking,  he  made  every  effort  to  become 
as  proficient  as  possible  in  his  chosen  field.  He  took  advantage 
of  the  many  opportunities  afforded  by  the  Harlem  Evening  High 
School,  the  Cooper  Union  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  and 
Art,  and  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  becoming  effi- 
cient in  various  branches,  such  as  stenography,  for  which  he 
received  a  medal ;  and  his  drawings  were  displayed  among  the 
honor  work  in  the  classes  of  Cooper  Union  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
In  1899  on  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  he  was  with,  he  entered 
into  a  co-partnership  with  two  of  his  associates  as  Oethinger, 
Dannemann  &  Kupka.  This  firm  established  extensive  works 
at  Port  Morris  in  the  Bronx,  and  has  since  filled  many  extensive 
contracts  for  cut  stone  work  upon  churches,  power  houses,  office 
buildings,  apartments,  clubs,  public  schools,  theatres,  hospitals, 
railroad  stations,  fine  residences,  etc.  Mr.  Kupka,  we  may  add, 
is  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  always  affiliated   with   that   body. 

CHARLES  DOLL,  at  present  chief  bookkeeper  of  the 
India  Wharf  Brewing  Company,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in 
the  old  Tenth  Ward,  March  15,  1865,  and  graduated  from 
Public  School  No.  7.  He  began  at  the  age  of  13  with  the 
Schwarzschild  &  Sulzberger  Company  at  a  compensation  of 
three  dollars  a  week  and  remained  in  their  employ  for  eighteen 
years.  His  ability  and  close  attention  to  business  was  so  mark- 
ed that  his  salary  was  gradually  increased  until  it  reached 
$2,600  per  annum.  He  was  then  only  22  years  of  age.  His 
services  with  the  Schwarzschild  &  Sulzberger  Company 
pany  involved  a  period  of  hard  and  continuous  work  and  it 
was  only  by  slow  degrees  that  he  managed  to  force  himself  to  the 
front  and  become  one  of  the  firm's  most  trusted  employees, 
handling  over  five  million  dollars  yearly  without  giving  a  bond. 
He  left  the  employ  of  the  Schwarzschild  &  Sulzberger  Company 
in  1894  to  become  the  chief  bookkeeper  in  the  India  Wharf  Brew- 
ing Company,  which  position  he  holds  to-day.  Mr.  Doll  has 
foreseen  the  growth  in  the  Bron.x;  he  moved  up  from  Yorkville 
in  the  above  year  and  through  his  keen  foresight  has  been  very 
successful  in  investing  in  Bronx  property,  which  he  believes  is 
still  in  its  infancy.  He  and  his  family  are  Lutherans,  and  in 
politics  is  a  staunch  Democrat.  On  May  2,  1886,  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Schneider,  daughter  of  Peter  Schneider,  one  of 
the  ok!  settlers  of  the  Bron.x. 

JOHN  DA"VIDSON,  architect  and  the  last  president  of  the 
Village  of  Williamsbridge,  previous  to  its  annexation  to  New 
iork  City,  was  li-irn  in  Scotland.  February  22,  1855,  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  country.  He  came 
ic  New  \  ork  City  in  1S81  and  for  twenty  years  has  been  a 
resident.  As  an  architect  and  general  superintendent  of  build- 
ings, Mr,  Davidson  has  acquired  a  large  and  successful  business 
to  which  he  devotes  his  personal  attention;  besides  being  a  pub- 
lic spirited  citizen,  he  has  always  manifested  deep  interest  in  the 
development  and  growth  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bron.x.  In 
wortliy  pulilic  improvements  he  has  always  been  one  of  the  ad- 
vanced guard  to  aid  and  assist  in  its  consummation  by  giving  his 
time  and  mean.s  in  its  advocacy.  His  efforts  in  this  latter  di- 
rection proving  so  successful  on  numerous  occasions  that  his 
fellow  citizens  of  the  old  Village  of  Williamsbridge  recognized 
his  abilities  and  his  sterling  worth  and  elected  him  a  trustee,  also 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Health,  a  member  of  the  Local  School 
Board   for   two   terms,   and   finally  elected   him   president   of   the 


JOHN    DAVIDSON 


JOHN    A.    STEINME7Z 


ROBERT    INGRAHAM    BROWN 


SAMUEL    BRENER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


22t 


village.  On  October  g,  1883,  he  married  Miss  Anna  Campbell 
Cameron  and  had  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  viz. : 
John  B.,  Enwert  G.  B.,  Colina  M.,  Mary  C,  Bessie  E.  F.,  Anna 
D.,  Willie  S.  P.,  Flora  and  a  baby  boy,  both  of  the  latter  being 
deceased.  Mr.  Davidson  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  held 
the  different  public  offices  heretofore  mentioned  through  the 
voice  of  his  party.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Williamsbridge,  belongs  to  Hebron  Lodge,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  President  of 
the   Improvement   League   of   the    Forty-fourth    District. 

J.  CLARENCE  DAVIES,  real  estate  agent,  of  149th  Street 
and  Third  Avenue,  and  156  Broadway,  has  done  as  much  as  any 
man  toward  the  upbuilding  and  development  of  the  Bronx,  in 
which  district  hi,"^  transactions  have  been  unusually  extensive 
and  we  may  add,  highly  profitable  for  his  clients.  He  has  been 
one  of  the  most  active  men  in  his  line,  and,  as  such  has  achieved 


J.    CLARENCE    DAVIES 

a  high  business  rtputation.  He  is  38  years  old  and  lias  followed 
this  occupation  since  he  was  20.  He  was  born  in  New  York 
City  in  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  David  Davics,  a  New  York  mer- 
chant, is  of  the  fifth  generation  of  his  family  bnrn  in  New  York, 
and  is  a  nephew  of  the  lale  L.  J.  Phillips,  a  prominent  real 
estate  man.  He  attended  Public  School  No.  69  and  later  the 
College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  leaving  the  latter  to  take  a 
place  in  manufacturing  busmess.  Then  he  travelled  a  few  years 
and  in  1889  embarked  in  real  estate  with  results  as  hereinbefore 
mentioned.  Mr.  Davies,  we  have  said,  is  a  man  of  uncommon 
energy.  He  belongs  to  more  than  a  dozen  organizations  and  still 
finds  time  from  his  regular  business  to  participate  actively  in  their 
management.  How  he  finds  time  for  it  all  is  a  question.  He  is 
President  of  the  Association  of  Bronx  Real  Estate  Brokers,  and 
(tiso  one  of  the  Governors  and  Treasurer  of  the  Real   Estate 


Board  of  Brokers.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
North  Side  Board  of  Trade  and  serves  on  two  of  its  committees. 
He  belongs  to  the  City  Club,  the  Reform  Club,  the  Century  and 
Harmonic  Clubs,  the  Atlantic  Yacht  Club,  Clubs  of  Fordham 
and  Bedford  Park,  the  Bronx  Club  and  Schnorer  Club,  the 
^Vestchester  Golf  Club  and  Amateur  Billiard  Club  and  the  Nort'- 
Jersey  Country  Club.  He  is  a  member  also  of  the  Metropolitan 
?vluseum  of  Art,  the  Horticultural  Society,  the  Zoological  Society, 
Free  Craftsman  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  many  other  clubs  and  associations.  He  married 
October  22,  1902,  Rosalie  Loewi.  Besides  his  Bronx  office  af 
Third  Avenue  and  149th  Street,  he  has  a  branch  in  the  borough 
at  Jerome  and  Burnside  Avenues,  as  well  as  Westchester  and 
Prospect  Avenues. 

JOHN  A.  STEINMETZ.— This  popular  young  real  estate 
operator  was  born  at  West  Farms,  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  His  father,  Adam  Steinmetz,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  West  Farms,  and  for  many  years  was  known  as  the 
most  prominent  baker  of  that  section.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  learned  the  trade  of  baker  and  was  employed  by  his 
father  and  became  one  of  the  experts  in  that  line.  Later  Mr. 
Steinmetz  entered  the  wholesale  grocery  business  and  was  suc- 
cessful for  six  years,  in  fact  his  success  was  far  more  than  he 
expected  he  would  meet  with.  Being  ambitious  and  wanting  to 
make  a  record  for  himself  he  entered  the  real  estate  field  at 
West  Farms  and  in  three  months  sold  fourteen  flats,  besides 
building  a  large  number  of  smaller  houses  and  lots,  is  certainly 
gratifying  to  say  the  least.  He  handles  all  kinds  of  property 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  two-family  houses.  In  addition  to  real 
estate  he  negotiates  loans  and  manages  estates,  and  also  makes  a 
feature  of  insurance.  In  1894  Mr.  Steinmetz  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Borger,  of  Fordham,  N.  Y.  They  reside  at  West  Farms, 
where  the  Steinmetz  family  have  made  their  home  for  over  fifty 
years.  Socially  Mr.  Steinmetz  is  very  popular  and  belongs  to  Wie- 
land  Lodge,  F.  and  .\.  M.,  and  Odd  Fellows,  Morrisania  Lodge 
171,  as  well  as  several  business  and  social  organizations. 

ROBERT  INGRAHAM  BROWN,  retired,  now  a  resident 
of  Mount  Vernon,  was  in  his  day  one  of  the  most  active,  ener- 
getic and  progressive  residents  of  what  is  now  Bronx  Borough. 
He  was  in  the  real  estate  business  and  was  predecessor  of  the 
well  known  real  estate  firm  of  R.  I.  Brown's  Sons.  Mr.  Brown 
was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1824  and  there  went  to  school.  He 
came  to  New  York  at  14.  His  first  employment  was  in  the 
marble  business,  which  he  mastered  under  his  uncle  and  re- 
mained in  until  the  early  6o's.  During  the  Civil  War  he  was 
attached  to  the  Provost  Marshal's  office  in  New  York  City. 
Just  after  the  war  in  1867  he  located  in  the  old  town  of  Morris- 
ania. Here,  in  old  Fifth,  now  167th  Street,  between  Washington 
.'.nd  Railroad  Avenues,  he  opened  a  real  estate  office.  This  bu-i- 
ness  he  conducted  with  success  until  1893,  when,  at  70  years  of 
age,  he  retired.  He  is  now  81.  He  was  married  in  1848  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  C.  Raymond,  a  granddaughter  of  Jos.  Skillman,  and  is 
the  father  of  seven  children,  three  daughters  and  four  sons,  of 
whom  three,  one  daughter  and  two  sons,  survive.  Mr.  Brown 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Centenary  M.  E.  Church,  i66th 
Street  and  Washington  Avenue,  a  great  many  years.  His  sons, 
Walter  E.  and  Wm.  I.,  who  succeeded  him  in  business,  have 
a  large  and  important  patronage.  They  represent  the  Mutual 
Life  Company's  interest  in  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth 
Wards,  the  Wm.  H.  Morris  estate,  and  other  large  owners  and 
investors,  a  large  number  of  estates,  owners  and  investors. 


RICHARD    MUNCH 


EMIL    VON    HERMANNI 


GEORGE    PALEN 


CHARLES    ALBERT    WEBER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


223 


SAMUEL  BRENER,  a  Russian  by  birth,  born  in  thnt 
countr)'  in  1882,  but  brougbl  up  from  boyhood  in  New  York,  is 
one  ol  the  prominent  real  estate  men  and  builders  of  tlic  Bronx. 
!lis  place  of  business  is  in  the  Smith  building,  at  Third  Avenue 
and  148th  Street.  He  has  lived  here  ttt'enty-two  years,  since 
lie  was  a  year  old.  He  went  to  school  here,  in  fact,  Mr.  Brcner 
is  something  of  a  politician.  He  is  a  Republican,  a  member  of 
ihe  Republican  Club  and  of  the  Republican  District  Committee. 
He  is  also  a  Mason. 

RICHARD  MUNCH,  real  estate  broker  by  profession.  He 
was  born  in  Bremen,  1871,  was  educated  in  Germany  and  came 
to  America  in  1891.  He  was  associated  with  the  late  August 
Hermanni  in  the  real  estate  business,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Hermanni  &  Munch,  and  is  now  carrying  on  the  same  business 
with  the  former's  son.  Eniil  Hermanni,  under  the  same  firm 
name,  at  362  Willis  Avenue.  He  is  treasurer  of  the  corporation, 
German  Real  Estate  Company  and  as  such  and  as  member  of  the 
real  estate  firm  of  Hermanni  &  Munch,  transacts  an  extensive 
real  estate  business. 

EMIL  VON  HERMANNI  is  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  Borough  of  Manhattan,  July  17, 
i88,l,  graduated  from  New  York  City  Public  School  No.  ig, 
studied  at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  i8g8  to  1901,  and 
at  the  Law  School  of  New  Y'ork  University  1901  to  1904.  He 
graduated  therefrom  June,  1903,  with  degree  of  LL.B.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  November,  1904,  and  has  carried  on  an 
active  independent  law  practice  since.  He  is  president  of  the 
corporation  of  'German  Real  Estate  Co."  and  in  this  capacity, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  real  estate  firm  of  Hermanni  &  Munch, 
of  362  Willis  Avenue,  controls  substantial  and  steadily  growing 
real  estate  interests. 

GEORGE  PALEN,  an  enterprising  real  estate  operator  in 
the  Bronx,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Port  Morris  Market, 
at  134th  Street  and  East  River,  and  is  president  of  the  companv 
operating  it.  This  market  is  located  at  the  ferry  to  College 
Point  and  North  Beach,  and  between  the  trolley  and  New  Haven 
Railroad  tracks.  It  is  intended  to  be  a  wholesale  produce  market 
for  the  service  of  Bronx  Borough  and  adjacent  parts  of  Long  Is- 
land, Harlem  and  Washington  Heights.  It  has  stores  for  produce 
merchants,  stands  for  150  wagons,  and  the  usual  concomitants 
of  hotel,  restaurant,  etc.  It  was  opened  for  business  July  12  last, 
and  has  been  a  success  from  the  start.  Mr.  Palen  has  other 
large  interests  here  besides  this.  He  is  a  New  Y'orker,  born 
here  in  1847,  and  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  New  York. 
He  is  a  Democr;it,  but  he  mingles  little  in  politics.  He  leads  also 
in  a  social   way  a   very  quiet  life. 

CHARLES  .-\LBER1"  WEBER,  real  estate  and'  insurance 
broker,  auctioneer  and  appr-iiser,  of  633  East  149th  Street,  Bronx, 
has  a  most  substantial  standing  in  that  line,  and  enjoys  a  lu- 
crative business.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in  June,  1875,  ^"d 
has  lived  in  the  borough  some  twenty  years  now,  from  early 
youth  in  point  of  fact.  He  is  a  public  school  product,  and 
an  example  of  a  man  who  has  made  his  way  by  his  own  ef- 
forts. He  is  a  commissioner  of  deeds  and  notary  public,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Association  of  Bronx  Real  Estate  Brokers  and  the 
Bron.x  Auctioneers'  .Association,  and  belongs  to  the  Clifton 
Bowling  Club,  and  Suburban  Council  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  national  affairs,  but  an  independent  in 
city  and  state  politics,  and  "heart  and  soul  for  the  Bronx."  He 
is.  we  may  add,  one  of  the  bachelor  contingent  of  business  men 
of  the  Bronx  still. 


MAX  H.  NEWM.A.N,  real  estate  man  and  auctioneer,  with 
a  fine  and  profitable  patronage,  is  a  native  brought  up  in  New 
York  and  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city.  He  entered 
this  line  of  business  immediately  on  leaving  school,  and  has  been 
in  it  ever  since.  He  was  connected  with  L.  Reiter  at  Westchester 
and  Jackson  .Avenues,  some  eight  years  and  has  been  in  it  alto- 
gether over  ten  years.  He  is  27  years  old,  still  a  bachelor  and 
devoted  to  business.  He  eschews  politics  and  belongs  to  but  one 
organization  of  importance,  that  is  Shakespeare  Lodge  of  Masons. 
No.  750.  His  place  of  business  is  at  Westchester  and  Jackson 
Avenues,  in  which  vicinity  he  operates  extensively, 

LAWRENCE  KRONENBERGER.— One  of  the  most  active 
dealers  in  real  estate,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Zetzen- 
heim,  Rhine  Hessen,  Germany,  on  June  lo,  1872,  and  graduated 
from  the  public  schools  of  the  latter  place.  For  some  time  after 
his  graduation  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  vineyard,  cultivat- 
ing and  raising  grapes,  quite  an  industry  in  Zetzenheim.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1888,  rolled  up  his  sleeves  and  com- 
menced the  battle  of  life.  In  1890  his  first  venture  was  the 
butcher  business,  which  he  conducted  with  his  brother  up  to  1893, 
then  removed  to  the  Bronx  and  started  in  business  as  a  wine 
merchant  in  partnership  with  his  brother.  During  that  time 
he  suffered  many  hardships;  he  continued,  however,  until  1899, 
when  he  and  his  brother  dissolved  partnership.  The  three  years 
that  followed  brought  great  financial  and  property  losses,  at 
times  he  was  without  money.  In  1902  he  finally  succeeded  and 
immediately  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  again  on  his 
ow-n  account  in  the  Bron.x.  He  was  bound  he  would  succeed, 
after  having  lost  all  his  savings.  In  all  of  his  undertakings  he 
was  eminently  successful;  as  a  real  estate  agent  he  has  the  con- 
fidence of  an  extensive  clientage,  among  which  are  numbered 
many  of  the  largest  builders,  owners  of  estates  and  wealthy 
investors  in  improved  and  unimproved  properties.  His  business 
methods  are  very  systematic,  void  of  cumbersome  details,  but  up- 
to-date  in  every  particular.  He  executes  his  orders  for  his 
clients  with  promptness  in  all  of  its  details;  keeps  his  appoint- 
ments and  seldom  fails  to  accomplish  the  desired  results  for 
them.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  upon  this 
latter  he  has  made  himself  a  brilliant  reputation  in  the  Bronx, 
besides  building  up  a  large  and  remunerative  business.  In  estab- 
lishing the  "Bronx  Realty  Exchange,"  with  main  office  located 
in  McKinley  Square  and  a  branch  at  1021  Boston  road,  he  gave 
a  vigorous  impetus  to  his  business;  accomplishing  large  results 
for  his  customers.  He  carries  a  vast  amount  of  both  improved 
and  unimproved  properties  for  investors,  who  always  obtain 
through  him  profitable  results.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  independent  in  politics.  Mr.  Kronenberger  married 
Miss  Christina  Amann,  of  the  Bronx,  and  has  one  very  promis- 
ing son,  Lawrence  Frederick. 

LEOPOLD  HUTTER  is  a  well  known  figure  at  auction 
sales  of  realty.  He  has  made  a  big  fortune  by  speculating  in 
realty,  particularly  in  the  Bronx,  and  not  speculation  altogether, 
for  his  judgment,  based  upon  information  acquired,  is  seldom 
at  fault.  He  was  a  butcher  formerly  and  first  embarked  in  this 
line  in  Y'orkville,  which  was  daring  enough  according  to  the 
opinion  of  that  day,  but  the  next  year,  when  in  '83,  he  began 
operating  in  the  then  far  away  wilderness  of  the  Bronx,  his 
friends  voted  him  mad.  It  took  no  long  time,  however,  to 
controvert  them.  In  four  years  he  had  aniasse<I  a  fortune  in 
this  dubious  Bronx  dirt.  .And  so  he  has  gone  on  Inlying  upon 
his    own    judgment,    with    confidence    in    the    forward    march    of 


MAX    H.    NEVMAN 


LAWRENCE    KRONENBERGER 


LEOPOLD    HUTTER 


GEORGE    PROVOST    FOGAL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


225 


New  York  and  thus  made  himself,  so  it  is  said,  a  millionaire. 
Mr.  Hutter  is  a  Bohemian  by  birth,  63  years  old.  He  came  to 
this  country  in  1866,  when  he  was  24,  and  began  life  in  the  new 
land  as  a  butcher's  boy  at  $1  a  week.  Here  he  remained  for 
thirteen  months  and  then,  with  more  nerve  than  capital  (a 
quality  which  by  the  way,  he  has  shown  he  possesses  in  large 
measure)  he  started  a  place  for  himself.  So  successful  was 
he  that,  in  a  few  years,  about  the  time  he  began  to  interest 
himself  in  real  estate,  he  had  seven  stores.  But  by  no  means 
a  rude  and  unlettered  character  though  so  fortunate,  is  he.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  his  native  city.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow  and  lives  in  style  on  West  Fiftieth 
•Street  in  the  fashionable  heart  of  Manhattan.  He  is  a  bowler, 
a  sharpshooter  and  a  liberal  contributor  to  charities.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  Lebanon  Hospital  in  the  Bronx,  and  has 
been  its  treasurer  from  the  beginning  to  date.  He  has  been 
married  twice  and  has  children  by  both  wives,  two  by  each,  three 
daughters  and  a  son.  Finally,  he  is  a  Democrat  of  lifelong 
conviction,  but  has  never  held  office,  or  for  that  matter,  wanted 
it. 

GEORGE  PROVOST  FOG.A.L,  one  of  the  oldest,  that  is 
to  say  longest,  established  real  estate  men  of  the  Bronx,  has 
distinction  also  as  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  this  part  of 
the  city.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1828  and  has  been  living 
in  the  Bronx  since  1862,  a  matter  of  forty-three  years.  He  began 
that  year  as  a  merchant  of  this  section,  and  remained  in  that 
line  for  eight  years.  He  had  at  the  time,  three  different  stores 
in  these  parts.  In  1872,  thirty-three  years  ago,  he  abandoned 
merchandising  and  went  into  real  estate,  a  line  in  which  he  has 
remained  ever  since.  Needless  to  say,  he  has  seen  many  changes 
in  that  period,  vastly  for  the  better  in  the  main,  toward  which 
betterment  he  has  contributed  in  his  time  his  full  share.  Mr. 
Fogal  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  and  in 
the  old  Broadway  College.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.     He  married  Adeline  Cur- 

i        lis  in   1863,  and  is  the  father  of  eight  children,   seven  of  whom 

I       are   living — five    daughters    and    two    sons. 

I  HERBERT  WILLIAM  CLARK,  real  estate  operator,  was 

born  in  New  York  City  January  6,  1876.     He  received  his  pre- 

)       liminary  education  in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  entered 

!  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  later  Centenary  Col- 
legiate Institute.  After  leaving  college  in  1894,  Mr.  Clark  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  paper  boxes  with  his  father  and 
brother.  The  partnership  was  continued  until  1897,  at  which 
time  the  firm  incorporated  under  the  name  of  T.  B.  Clark  Com- 
pany, of  which  Herbert  William  Clark  became  secretary.  In 
1900  the  establishment  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  cor- 
poration went  out  of  business.  Mr.  Clark,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  then  engaged  in  the  thread  business  which  he  continued 

I  until  1902,  at  which  time  he  began  as  a  real  estate  operator  at  i6ist 
Street  and  Third  Avenue.  His  increasing  business  soon  com- 
pelled him  to  seek  larger  quarters;  he  then  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent location,  No.  3164  Third  Avenue.  Mr.  Clark  has  negotiated 
a  number  of  extensive  real  estate  transactions  in  the  Bronx  and  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  operators  in  this  section  of  New 
Vork.  Being  possessed  of  a  pleasing  personality  as  well  as 
high  integrity,  and  a  correct  method  of  doing  business  has  won 
him  many  friends.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  grandson  of  the  late  George 
W.  Ditchett,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  old  town  of  Morrisania, 
and  a  large  real  estate  operator  in  this  section  in  his  day. 

CHARLES  F.  MEHLTRETTER,  real  estate  and  insurance 
agent,  with  brokerage  a  specialty,  of  1962  Clinton  Avenue,  near 


Tremont,  is  a  grandson  of  Charles  Mehltretter,  who  was  in  busi- 
ness many  years  ago  as  a  custom  shoe  manufacturer  at  Broad- 
way and  Astor  Place.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Adelbert 
Weiner,  was  a  builder  who  constructed  the  first  house  built  for 
lease  by  the  great  Astor  estate.  He  himself  is  a  New  Yorker 
born  and  bred ;  in  fact,  he  has  lived  here  always,  except  a  few 
years  spent  abroad  at  school.  He  was  born  at  Broadway  and 
Astor  place  in  1875.  He  attended  at  first  the  public  school 
on  Twelfth  Street,  between  Fifth  and  Si.xth  Avenues,  and  then 
St.  John's  College  at  Fordham  and  graduated  at  the  gymnasium 
at  Winzburg,  Bavaria.  He  is  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the 
Bronx  Board  of  Real  Estate  Brokers  and  Auctioneers,  of  the 
East  Tremont  Taxpayers'  Association,  of  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus and  Golden  Star  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  U,  North  Side  Lodge, 
.V.  O.  U.  W.  Mr.  Mehltretter  is  one  of  the  successful  operators 
in  Bronx  real  estate.  Christmas  day,  1892,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Caroline  T.  Krueger,  daughter  of  C.  I.  Krueger.  Mr. 
Mehltretter  has  been  identified  with  the  real  estate  market  for 
the  last  ten  years. 

CLEMENT  HADDEN  SMITH,  real  estate  operator,  and 
a  prominent  man  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  September  25,  1872, 
at  Cuddebackville,  Orange  County.  New  York,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  district  schools.  About  nine  years 
ago  Mr.  Smith  located  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and 
erected  what  might  be  termed  the  first  modern  office  building, 
(the  Smith  Building),  which  is  even  now  the  finest  structure 
of  that  character  in  the  borough,  and  will  stand  for  many  years 
to  come  as  a  monument  to  him.  Mr.  Smith  is  reckoned  as  one 
of  the  best  posted,  as  well  as  one  of  the  highest  authorities  in 
tlie  local  real  estate  field.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  values 
lias  brought  him  clients  from  all  sections  of  the  country.  His 
high  standing  in  this  community  is  a  guarantee  that  requires 
no  further  recommendation.  In  politics  Mr.  Smith  is  a  staunch 
Republican,  although  not  an  office  seeker,  his  time  being  fully 
occupied  with  his  ever  increasing  business  affairs.  On  June 
6,  1894,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alice  B.  Mat- 
thews. Two  children,  J.  Hadden,  Jr.,  and  Dorotha  Moore 
Smith,  have  been  born  to  the  union.  Mr.  Smith  is  located  in 
business  at  No.  726  Tremont  Avenue.  Socially,  as  well  as  in 
business  circles  Mr.  Smith  has  many  friends.  It  has  been  his 
motto  in  business  matters  to  always  treat  the  competitor  in  the 
fairest  manner  possible.  He  is  not  a  club  man,  preferring  to 
spend  his  leisure  moments   in  the   family  circle. 

LOUIS  F.  KUNTZ,  a  prominent  Real  Estate  Broker  of 
llie  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  the  borough.  He  is  the 
son  of  the  late  Major  Louis  F.  Kuntz,  former  owner  of  the 
J.  &  L.  F  .Kuntz  Brewing  Co.,  at  i68th  Street  and  Third  Avenue, 
now  known  as  the  North  Side  Brewing  Co.  Mr.  Kuntz  was 
educated  at  Grammar  School  No.  61.  He  selected  real  estate 
operations  as  his  profession,  and  has  applied  himself  diligently 
to  the  business,  and  is  at  present  one  of  the  active  real  estate 
brokers  in  the  Bronx.  His  clientele  represents  a  large  number 
of  our  leading  citizens,  among  which  are  numerous  investors, 
owners  and  managers  of  extensive  properties.  His  office  is 
thoroughly  equipped  with  all  facilities  necessarily  required  of  a 
first  class  real  estate  office,  and  his  sales  and  purchases  invari- 
ably proved  remunerative  to  the  buyer  or  seller.  Mr.  Kuntz  com- 
ing from  such  a  highly  respected  and  well  known  family  of  the 
Bronx,  who  for  years  were  among  the  foremost  brewers  in  the 
community,  occupies  an  enviable  position  among  the  citizens  of 
the  Bronx.  He  is  active  and  industrious  and  a  worker  in  his 
profession.     In  October,  1900,  he  married  Miss  Laura  C.  Sielken, 


HERBERT    W.     CLARK 


CHARLES    F.    MEHLTRETTER 


CLEMENT    HADDEN    SMITH 


LOUIS    F.    KUNTZ 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


227 


of  the  Bronx.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  Ijut  never  held  or 
aspired  to  any  pnblic  office,  devoting  his  business  life  to  his 
profession,  and  talces  a  great  interest  in  all  questions  and  actions 
taken  for  the  improvement  and  development  of  the  Bronx.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade. 

JOSEPH  HARRIS  JONES.— The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  the  early  sixties.  He  is  a  member  of 
a  characteristic  Irish  family  as  to  numbers — eight  boys  and  four 
girls — six  of  the  boys  thinking  well  enough  of  the  United  States 
to  make  their  homes  here.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  started  out 
to  seek  his  fortune  and  at  once  saw  the  advantages  of  railroad 
financing,  so  he  became  conductor  on  a  bus  in  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land. It  was  in  Liverpool  rhat  the  foundation  of  his  building 
experience  was  laid,  he  being  for  some  time  in  the  employ  of 
his  uncle,  who  was  a  prominent  builder  in  that  city.  He  arrived 
in  New  York  in  1883.  For  ten  years  succeeding  this  time  he 
was  in  the  employ  of  one  of  the  largest  firms  who  make  a  -"pe- 


JOSEPH    HARRIS    JONES 

cialty  of  structural  iron  work  for  buildings.  He  took  up  his 
residence  in  the  Bronx  in  1885,  in  the  days  when  it  was  not  only 
the  privilege  but  the  duty  of  the  passengers  to  assist  in  lifting 
the  forward  eiid  of  the  "Old  Huckleberry"  on  the  track,  while 
the  ladies  were  requested  to  go  "to  the  other  end,  please."  In 
1893  he  was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  L.  Morell  of  this  city.  Mr. 
Jones  has  two  daughters  (both  living),  Grace  Percival  and 
Elizabeth  Frances.  Mr.  Jones  has  for  many  years  devoted  his 
energies  to  building  in  the  Highbridge  section,  his  reason  for  the 
selection  of  this  location  being,  to  use  his  own  words,  on  the 
principle  that  "Nothing  is   too  good   for  the   Irish." 

JOHN  F.  NORMOVLF,  the  prominent  ;ni(l  active  real 
estate  agent  of  West  Fanns,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan- 
uary 20,    1864.   and   was   educated   at   Gramiriar   School    No,   62, 


After  his  graduation  he  sought  the  real  estate  business  as  a 
future  profession,  and  has  gained  wonderful  proficiency  in  the 
business.  His  methods  employed  have  been  and  are  of  the 
tnost  systematic  character,  and  give  universal  satisfaction  to  his 
large  clientage.  Ever  alert  for  the  interest  of  his  customers, 
he  is  indefatigable  in  his  energies  to  secure  for  them  excel- 
lent remuneration  from  their  investments.  Thoroughly  con- 
versant with  properties  and  values  in  all  localities  of  the 
Bronx,  and  keeping  constantly  on  his  books  the  cream  of 
Bronx  and  other  properties,  and  having  a  practical  knowledge 
of  all  appraised  values,  he  is  largely  sought  by  investors  for 
information  and  advice  as  to  their  purchases  and  holdings.  As 
a  real  estate  enc\'clopedia,  Mr.  Normoyle  stands  second  to  no 
other  real  estate  operator  or  agent  in  the  great  Borough  of  the 
Bronx.  His  knowledge  is  invaluable  to  those  who  seek  it,  and 
it  is  highly  appreciated  by  those  who  have  received  and  used  it. 
In  1889  Mr.  Normoyle  married  Miss  L.  Green,  of  New  York 
City,  a  well  connected  and  highly  accomplished  young  lady, 
the  result  of  this  union  being  five  children,  Mary  (deceased), 
Clara.  Eugene,  John  F.,  Jr.,  and  Anthony  Normoyle.  Mr.  Nor- 
moyle has  i;o  social  or  political  affiliations  ;  he  is  strictly  a  real 
estate  agent,  attending  to  the  wants  and  business  affairs  of  his 
clients,  and  after  business  hours  devotes  his  time  with  his  happy 
and  interesting  family  at  home.  He  is  a  genial  and  courteous 
gentleman,  and  among  his  business  associates  is  admired  for  his 
strict    integrity   and    thorough    business   qualifications. 

GEORGE  J.  STRICKER.— As  a  real  estate  operator,  fire 
insurance  agent  and  man  of  affairs,  the  name  at  the  head  of  this 
biographical  review  is  highly  esteemed  and  respected.  Mr. 
Strieker  comes  from  good  sturdy  German-Bavarian  stock.  His 
father,  Jacob  Strieker,  was  born  in  (joUheim,  Rheinpfalz,  Bavaria, 
and  came  to  America  in  1840  and  settled  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
where  he  engaged  in  the  bakery  business  and  by  close  attention 
'  to  every  detail  he  soon  made  a  name  for  himself,  and  better 
still,  a  competence.  He  resided  in  the  city  of  churches  for  fifty 
years.  Mr.  Strieker  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Rung,  of  Bamberg, 
Rheinpfalz,  Bavaria.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, 
George  J.  Strieker  being  the  oldest  of  the  sons.  The  subject 
of  this  biography  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  re- 
sided, and  received  his  early  education  in  the  private  schools 
of  that  city.  After  leaving  school  young  Strieker  entered  the 
importing  wholesale  drygoods  house  of  Levi  Bros,  in  Greene 
Street,  New  York  City,  where  he  remained  for  eighteen  years, 
making  his  home  on  Jersey  City  Heights.  Being  ambitious 
and  desiring  to  improve  his  condition  and  get  into  business 
tor  himself,  he  decided  to  give  up  his  position  with  the  Levi 
Jjros.  and  in  April,  1803,  moved  to  the  Bronx,  where  he  opened 
a  real  estate  office  at  .?o.|8  Third  Avenue,  and  remained  there  for 
nine  years.  His  business  prosperity  increased  until  he  had  to 
move  into  larger  quarters  which  he  found  at  3050  Third  Ave- 
nue, where  he  now  is,  and  where  he  does  a  general  real  estate 
business,  handling  a  large  amount  of  Bronx  property.  As  a 
fire  insurance  agent  he  stands  among  the  best  in  the  borough. 
Mr.  Strieker  has  charge  of  some  very  large  estates,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  Wicks  block  oit  Third  Avenue, 
between  156th  and  is/th  Streets.  On  November  23,  1882,  Mr. 
Strieker  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Barbara  Wick,  of 
the  well  known  Wick  family,  of  Manhattan  (Yorkville).  The 
fruits  of  their  union  are  two  sons,  George  J.  and  Harold  Strieker. 
Mr.  Strieker  is  a  member  of  Wieland  Lodge,  No.  714,  F.  and 
A.  M.  He  is  popular  socially  and  is  always  willing  to  do  hi?\ 
.share  to  advance  the  development  of  the  Bronx. 


JOHN    F.    NORMOYLE 


GEORGE    J.    STRICKER 


WALTER    WHEWELt 


THOMAS    T.     URE^^ 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


229 


WALTER  WHEWELL,  actually  and  successfully  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  of  the  Bronx,  Manhattan  and  all  the 
Boroughs  of  the  Greater  City,  was  born  August  31,  1876,  at  Man- 
chester, England.  In  his  teens  he  came  to  New  York  City  with 
his  parents,  some  22  years  ago,  and  graduated  at  Public  School, 
(old  63)  at  173d  Street  and  Third  Avenue.  After  leaving  school 
he  chose  the  real  estate  business  as  a  profession.  Carefully  and 
cautiously  he  entered  into  the  business,  and  by  close  application 
10  all  its  details,  he  became  after  a  few  years  experience,  a  master 
of  its  many  and  most  intricate  surroundings.  As  a  successful 
operator  for  his  large  clientage,  he  stands  second  to  none  in  his 
favorite  profession.  A  steadfast  Republican  in  politics,  he  has 
never  courted  political  favors  or  ascendencies.  As  a  public 
spirited  citizen,  he  has  always  identified  himself  with  every  pub- 
he  enterprise  that  meant  progress  for  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 
His  latest  move  in  this  direction  was  to  organize  the  Real  Estate 
Brokers  of  the  Bron.v  into  an  association  for  self-protection,  and 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Bronx  property  owners. 

THOM.\S  T.  UREN. — A  prominent  builder  and  real  estate 
dealer,  was  born  at  the  Village  of  Carnhill  Green,  near  Cam- 
borne, Cornwall,  England,  May  14,  1862.  His  father,  John 
Uren,  was  a  tunnel  inspector  on  the  Great  Western  Railway 
under  that  famous  chief  engineer,  Sir  Robert  Brunei.  Mr.  Uren 
attended  school  until  he  was  15  years  of  age,  when  he  was  en- 
gaged as  an  office  boy  by  a  well  known  solicitor  of  Newport, 
Monmouthshire,  whom  he  served  for  a  short  period  and  then 
entered  into  the  produce  business  and  from  the  age  of  17  to  20 
years  was  a  traveling  salesman  in  South  Wales  in  that  line.  On 
May  16,  1882,  he  sailed  from  Newport  to  visit  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Henry  S.  Harry,  then  living  in  Melrose,  the  Bronx.  After  a 
voyage  of  nine  days  a  collision  with  an  iceberg  occurred  which 
obliged  the  mariners  to  put  into  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  where 
he  arrived  on  May  28  and  left  there  June  18,  arriving  here  June 
24.  In  1885  Mr.  Uren  was  employed  by  a  firm  of  prominent 
builders  to  superintend  their  construction  work  and  entered 
zealously  into  this  industry.  At  this  period  he  contracted  on  his 
own  account  with  John  Brown,  of  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  to  build  the 
Calvary  M.  E.  Church  at  East  Orange,  N.  J.,  which  he  com- 
pleted, and  the  following  year  built  the  mason  work  of  Calvary 
M.  E.  Church  at  129th  Street  and  Seventh  Avenue,  New  York 
City.  In  1887  he  constructed  eight  houses  on  Ninety-seventh 
Street,  and  in  1891  built  the  Bedford  Park  Congregational  Church. 
In  the  past  fifteen  years  Mr.  Uren  has  been  one  of  the  most 
active  builders  of  the  great  city.  He  has  built  properties  of 
large  value  in  various  localities  of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx 
and  has  aided  largely  in  developing  the  rapid  improvements  of 
the  borough.  His  active  pursuit  at  present  is  involved  princi- 
paly  in  real  estate  matters,  the  buying  and  selling  of  properties, 
in  which  he  is  considered  one  of  the  leading  experts  in  the 
Greater  City.  Mr.  Uren  married  May  17,  1888,  Miss  Lydia 
Weber,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Regina  Weber,  of  Liberty,  Sulli- 
van Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  had  one  son,  William  Walter,  who  died 
April  16,  18&9.  In  politics  he  is  democratic  in  local  affairs. 
but  independent  in  national,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Jefferson 
Tammany  Hall  Club  of  the  3Sth  District.  Mr.  Uren  is  associ- 
ated in  business  with  Mr.  Kurz  at  No.  3025  Third  Avenue,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Kurz  &  Uren,  who  are  known  to  have  the 
largest  and  most  influential  clientage  in  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Uren 
was  a  first  cousin  of  the  late  John  R.  Thomas,  one  of  America's 
leading  architects,  who  died  suddenly  at  the  Thousand  Islands 
in  August,   1901,  and  who  designed  the  Hall  of  Records,  con- 


sidered to  be  one  of  the  city's  most  beautiful  buildings.     This 
building  was  only  one  of  the  beautiful  edifices  designed. 

WILLIAM  F.  A.  KURZ. — One  of  the  youngest,  most  suc- 
cessful and  influential  real  estate  brokers  in  the  Bronx,  is  a 
native  of  the  borough ;  born  July  20,  1873,  and  was  educated  at 
Grammar  School  No.  62.  His  father  was  the  senior  contractor 
for  Brewster  &  Co.,  the  famous  manufacturers  of  carriages, 
where  young  Kurz  joined  and  assisted  him  in  the  conduct  of 
his  large  responsibilities  until  his  father's  death.  Ambitious  and 
imbibed  with  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  he  went  to  North  Caro- 
lina and  with  sufficient  means  became  a  builder,  erected  several 
houses  in  the  Southern  Pines,  in  which  he  still  retains  large  in- 
terests. After  meeting  w-ith  elated  success  in  the  former,  his 
first  enterprise,  he  returned  to  his  native  home,  the  Bronx,  and 
entered  actively  into  the  real  estate  business.  His  success  from 
the  start,  some  seven  years  ago,  has  been  marked  as  invincible. 
He  perhaps  has  on  his  books  the  largest  German  clientage  of 
.iny  other  operator  north  of  the  Harlem  River.  He  has  de- 
veloped large  property  interests  in  the  center,  as  well  as  in  all 
tbe  various  sections  of  the  Bronx  for  his  large  and  influential 
clientage.  Owners  of  large  estates  and  investors  in  Bronx 
realty  are  in  constant  consultation  with  Mr.  Kurz,  to  whom  they 
rely  to  intrust  the  care,  management  and  development  of  their 
large  holdings.  Mr.  Kurz  married  in  October,  1893,  Miss  Minnie 
A.  Junge,  a  refined  and  accomplished  young  lady  from  Couders- 
port.  Cotter  County,  Pemisylvania,  and  has  an  interesting  family 
of  two  children,  namely,  Charles,  deceased,  and  Marguretta, 
living.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church ; 
he  belongs  to  Aberdeen  Lodge,  No.  484,  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  South- 
ern Pines,  N.  C,  Royal  Arcanum,  Suburban  Council,  Alpha 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  182,  North  Carolina,  the  Schnorer  Club 
and  is  a  member  of  the  E.\ecutive  Committee  of  the  Twenty-third 
Ward  Property  Owners'  Association.  His  offices  at  3025  Third 
.\venue  are  admirably  situated  in  the  business  centre  of  the 
Bronx  and  are  fitted  up  with  every  convenience  necessary  for 
the  transaction  of  his  important  affairs;  also  a  member  of  Asso- 
ciation of  Bronx  Real  Estate  Brokers  and  Commissioner  of 
Ways  and  Mean-.  On  January  i  he  formed  a  partnership  witii 
Thos.   T.   Uren. 

JAMES  EDWARD  C.\LLAX,  a  noted  real  estate  dealer 
at  No.  807  Treniont  Avenue  and  a  resident  of  the  Borougli  of 
the  Bronx  for  the  past  thirty-eight  years,  was  born  in  New  York 
City  May  25,  1857.  He  graduated  from  Public  School  No.  55, 
and  is  an  undergraduate  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York.  In  1867  he  came  to  the  Bronx  with  his  parents,  who 
took  up  their  home  in  Tremont,  where  he  still  resides  and  tran- 
sacts his  business.  After  entering  into  the  real  estate  business 
he  formed  an  extensive  acquaintance  and  by  his  striking  per- 
sonality, his  remarkable  business  ability  and  successful  efforts 
in  behalf  of  his  numerous  clients  he  gradually  approached  the 
position  he  occupies  at  present  as  one  of  the  active  and  most 
flourishing  real  estate  brokerage  and  insurance  agents  in  the 
Bronx  Borough.  Mr.  Callan  is  a  practical  and  thorough  real 
estate  broker ;  he  is  conversant  with  values  in  all  parts  of  the 
Bronx  and  Manhattan ;  is  an  expert  appraiser  of  improved  or 
Muimproved  properties,  ;incl  through  this  important  knowledge  be 
names  among  his  clients  a  large  number  of  our  best  and  wealthy 
citizens.  While  his  political  tendencies  are  democratic,  he  has 
never  been  very  active  in  politics,  having  strictly  confined  him- 
self to  the  building  up  of  his  large  and  successful  real  estate 
business. 


WILLIAM    F.    A.     KURZ 


J  \MES    EDWARD    CALUAN 


GEORGE    FOX    TIFFANY 


JACOB    LEITNER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


23J 


Jacob  LEITNER,  one  of  the  prominent  factors  in  real 
estate  matters  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Austria,  November 
6,  i86g.  After  receiving  a  thorough  public  school  education 
in  Europe,  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1886  and  set- 
tled in  New  York  City,  where  lie  at  once  familiarized  himself 
with  the  real  estate  business,  and  also  made  himself  perfectly 
familiar  with  all  matters  of  public  interest  pertaining  to  muni- 
cipal and  national  affairs.  His  close  application  to  such  im- 
portant matters  brought  him  in;to  public  notice  in  the  year 
igo2,  when  as  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
received  the  nomination  of  his  district  as  alderman,  and  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority  over  his  Democratic  opponent.  Mr. 
Leitner  served  his  term  as  Alderman  and  then  retired  from 
active  participation  in  political  affairs,  devoting  his  wliole  time 
to  real  estate,  in  which  he  has  been  so  successful  that  he  is 
ranked  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  operators  of  the  profes- 
sion in  that  long  category  of  eminent  real  estate  men  of  the 
Bronx.  The  gentleman  is  a  member  of  Centennial  Lodge,  No. 
453,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  has  no  other  society  or  club  connection>.-. 
He  is  a  bachelor,  conservative  in  his  business  affairs,  but  in  the 
meantime  a  man  of  the  hour  and  amazingly  successful  in  all 
matters   entrusted   to   him   by  his   clients. 

GEORGE  FOX  TIFFANY  is  tenth  in  lineal  descent  from 
one  of  the  original  patentees  of  West  Farms.  In  1661  John 
Richardson,  with  Edward  Jessup,  purchased  this  tract  from  the 
Indians  and  subsequently  the  patent  was  confirmed  to  them  by 
the  English  Crown.  John  Richardson's  daughter,  Elizabeth 
Richardson,  married  Gabriel  Leggett  and  inherited  much  of  the 
land  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Springhurst  and  on  both 
sides  of  the  road  leading  from  Hunt's  Point  to  the  village  at 
West  Farms.  From  her  Mr.  Tiffany  is  descended.  He  is  the 
son  of  Henry  D.  Tiffany  and  was  born  on  June  10,  1867,  at  the 
Fox  Homestead,  so  long  the  country  home  of  his  grandparents, 
William  W.  Fox  and  his  wife,  Charlotte  Leggett.  This  house 
is  situated  at  the  junction  of  West  Farms  Road  and  what  is 
now  called  Westchester  Avenue,  but  which  was  formerly  known 
as  the  "Old  Westchester  Turnpike.''  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
therefore  belongs  to  the  Bronx  by  both  tradition  and  interests. 
He  was  educated  mainly  at  the  Harrington  School,  Westchester, 
New  York  City,  and  St.  Paul's  School,  Concord,  New  Hamp- 
shire. His  business  is  that  of  a  real  estate  broker  and  appraiser, 
and  his  extended  experience  while  watching  the  development  of 
the  Bron.x  Borough,  especially  in  the  laying  out  and  building  up 
of  the  locality  surrounding  the  Fox  Estate  has  given  him  ad- 
vantages in  foresight  and  appraisals  not  easily  acquired  by  new- 
comers in  the  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  non-partisan  in  politics,  believing  in 
the  right  man  for  the  right  place.  He  has  identified  himself 
with  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Bronx  Board  of 
Real  Estate  Brokers.  He  is  a  golfer,  having  been  the  originator 
of  the  Westchester  Golf  Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Transit 
Rod  and  Gun  Club,  all  of  these  being  Bronx  organizations. 

MISS  iMARY  M.  HENNING,  the  only  lady  that  is  a 
representative  and  active  real  estate,  fire  and  plate  glass 
insurance  broker  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  with  office  and 
residence  on  Avenue  C,  between  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth 
Streets,  Unionport,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  February  15, 
1861,  attended  the  sisters  schools,  and  is  an  undergraduate  of 
the  Ursuline  Academy.  The  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  Mag- 
dalena  Henning,  old  and  highly  respected  residents  of  the 
Bronx,   she  was   carefully   raised  and  received  the  constant  at- 


tention of  her  parents  as  to  her  educational  affairs,  which 
covered  the  entire  curriculum  of  classical  and  business  knowledge. 
So  thoroughly  was  the  latter  accomplished,  that  in  1903,  Miss 
Henning.  ambitious  to  test  her  abilities,  chose  the  real  estate 
business  as  her  profession,  and  with  confidence  in  herself  to 
succeed,  she  announced  to  the  community  that  she  was  ready 
and  open  for  business.  In  a  very  short  time  she  made  herself 
manifest  among  the  property  owners,  managers  of  estates  and 
investors ;  with  more  than  unusual  ability  she  soon  had  a 
roster  of  choice  properties  in  the  best  locations  that  she  could 
offer  to  her  clients  at  prices  that  invited  immediate  and  profit- 
able investment.  At  the  end  of  the  three  years,  she  was  de- 
lighted to  discover  that  her  labors  had  not  been  in  vain,  that 
she  had  built  up  a  solid  and  substantial  foundation  for  her 
business  in  the  future,  and  that  her  greatest  hopes  had  been 
realized ;  she  was  a  success,  and  had  become  known  throughout 


MISS    MARY    MAGDALENA    HENNING 

the  Bronx  Borough  and  Manhattan,  as  one  of  the  most  active, 
industrious  and  successful  brokers  north  of  the  Harlem  River. 
Her  clientage  increased  rapidly  until  at  the  present  time  her 
office  is  a  hive  of  industry  and  her  sales  far  exceed  many  of  the 
older  firms  in  the  borough,  who  have  from  four  to  five  as- 
sistants engaged  with  them  to  carry  on  the  business.  Single- 
handed  and  alone.  Miss  Henning  manages  and  directs  her  own 
afiairs,  except  when  obliged  to  be  absent  from  her  office  to 
look  after  important  details,  her  mother,  a  lady  of  culture  and 
refinement,  assumes  charge  of  her  office  affairs  and  with  the 
same  business  methods  employed  by  her  daughter.  In  property 
values.  Miss  Henning  has  become  an  expert,  and  has  that  won- 
derful faculty  of  locating  and  securing  houses  and  plots,  that 
appeal  to  the  investor  or  purchaser  as  such  that  will  rapidly  ad- 
vance   in    value,    either    for    improvement    or    investment.      Re- 


FREDERICK    SCHMIDT 


JAMES    F.    MEEHAN 


WILLIAM     H.     STONEBRIDGE 


CHARLES    A.     BAXTER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


^ 


Imineralive  properties  is  what  Miss  Henning  carries  upon  her 
hooks,  and  for  this  reason  her  cHents  arc  so  numerous,  and 
llicy  have  ahsokUe  confidence  in  her  judgment.  Owners  of 
estates  and  indivickial  property  owners  are  in  constant  con- 
sultation with  lior,  and  are  only  t(X)  willing  to  intrust  the  sale 
of  their  holdings  to  her  excellent  care.  Miss  Henning  has  been 
a  resident  of  Unionport  for  the  past  13  years  and  is  highly 
respected  and  honored  by  the  whole  community  for  her  culture 
and  refinement,  her  great  business  qualifications,  and  her  stric 
integrity  in  all  of  her  busines  transactions.  Besides  her  large 
real  estate  business,  she  is  actively  engaged  in  the  fire  and  plate 
glass  insurance,  representing  the  very  best  and  leading  com- 
panies in  the  country,  is  a  notary  pul)lic,  attends  to  the  execution 
of  legal  and  pension  papers.  The  lady  is  a  member  of  the 
Churcli  of  the  Holy  Family,  Companion  uf  the  Foresters  of 
America,  the  Legion  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  was  treasurer 
for  three  years  of  the  St.  Rose  of  Lima  Sodality  of  St.  Joseph's 
Church  on  Eighty-seventh  Street,  Manhattan.  Her  father, 
Henry  Henning,  is  a  native  of  New  York  City,  and  her  mother, 
Mary  Magdelena  Henning,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany.  Miss 
Henning  is  also  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Women's  Benevolent 
Legion. 

CHARLES  A.  BAXTER,  architect  and  builder,  of  the 
Bronx,  and  a  prominent  man  of  that  region  for  years,  can  boast 
of  a  life  of  many  vicissitudes.  A  romance  in  itself,  which  it  is 
unnecessary  to  color  or  embellish,  this  life  story  of  his;  a  tale 
of  many  lands,  of  tropical  and  war  time  adventure,  eveti  the 
bare  skeleton  of  which  is  interesting  indeed.  Mr.  Baxter  is  70 
years  old.  He  was  born  in  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  in  1835,  and  was 
educated  partly  in  the  Louisiana  High  School  there,  and  partly 
in  Calcutta  College,  East  Indies.  In  early  life  he  took  service 
with  the  East  India  Company  as  an  officer  of  engineers.  He 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  Crimean  war  under  British  colors, 
and  was  in  the  Sepoy  war  of  1855  and  '56.  In  1857  he  took 
part  in  the  second  Chinese  war,  but  having  sworn  allegiance  to 
the  Queen  and  declined  to  fight  under  her  banner,  he  was  sen- 
tenced to  fifteen  years  penal  servitude  at  Palupina.  He  served, 
however,  only  six  weeks  of  that  sentence.  Then  he  was  released 
and  ordered  to  garrison  at  Fort  William.  Thereafter  he  was 
actively  engaged  in  that  rebellion  as  a  commissioned  lieutenant 
of  engineers.  He  also  served  in  the  second  Chinese  rebellion, 
which,  however,  lasted  only  three  months.  His  next  commission 
was  in  command  of  a  coast  survey  schooner;  then  he  was  sent 
to  Madagascar  to  punish  raiding  savages ;  then  he  contracted 
with  the  Portuguese  government  to  build  a  coolie  barracoon  a 
thousand  feet  square,  and  this  singularly  enough,  was  his  very 
first  real  architectural  employment.  Next  we  find  him  in 
Havana  duplicating  this  structure;  next  in  Montevideo  in  the 
Argentine  engaged  in  a  rebellion.  Next  again  in  1859,  in 
Mexico,  surveying  for  the  government  in  the  engineer  corps, 
and  in  that  capacity  first  reaching  the  Bronx  as  a  purchasing 
agent  and  buying  reflectors  from  a  company  still  in  existence. 
At  this  time  he  bought  also  for  himself  a  double  house  and  six- 
teen lots  at  Twelfth  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue  from  Rev.  Dr. 
Jones.  Returning  now  to  Mexico  he  found  the  Juarez  revolu- 
tion under  way.  He  built  a  soldier's  barracks  in  Vera  Cruz  for 
the  Mexican  government  about  this  time,  but  being  driven  out 
by  the  revolutionists,  was  engaged  by  Admiral  Ammen  of  the 
United  States  Navy  as  civil  engineer.  January,  1861,  found  him 
in  Havana  again,  engineering  and  building  for  the  Chinese  Pinto 
Co.  The  civil  war  of  the  North  and  South  now  coming  on. 
Admiral  Schofield,  United  States  Consul  General  there,  after 
making  him  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  because  of  his  Southern 


birth,  gave  him  transportation  to  New  York.  From  there  he 
went  to  Washington  and  was  detailed  to  Cairo,  111.,  there  to 
assist  in  the  construction  of  floating  batteries.  In  July,  '62,  he 
was  appointed  to  temporary  service  with  Farragut's  fleet  and 
was  in  all  its  actions  on  to  Mobile  Bay,  for  a  few  months  in 
command  of  the  "Genesee'  sloop  of  war.  Here  he  was  dis- 
charged for  disabilities  and  sent  North  to  die.  This,  however, 
he  declined  to  do,  and  six  weeks  after  was  drilling  recruits  in 
the  Navy  Yard.  Soon  after  that  he  was  assigned  as  executive 
officer  of  the  steamer  "Emma  Henry,"  the  fastest  m  the  service, 
and  was  sent  to  join  Gordon's  fleet  at  Havana,  there  to  demand 
of  the  Spanish  authorities  the  Confederate  ram  "Stonewall  Jack- 
son." They  gave  it  up  and  it  was  taken  to  Key  West.  He  re- 
signed from  the  naval  service  in  1866  and  returned  to  civil  life 
as  an  architect  and  engineer  at  Wall  and  William  Streets;  at  the 
same  time  taking  up  a  residence  on  Washington  Avenue  in  the 
Bronx.  He  was  the  first  to  start  then  the  building  up  of  North 
New  York  with  forty-two  buildings  under  way  at  one  time.  He 
has  led  a  very  active  life  and  taken  much  part  in  public  con- 
cerns along  lines  particularly  of  public  improvement.  He  is 
chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward 
Property  Owners,  and  holds  the  same  office  in  the  South  Bronx 
.■Xssociation.  He  is  president  also  of  the  Building  Trades'  Em- 
ployers' Association  of  the  Bronx  and  chairman  of  the  East 
Side  Rapid  Transit  League.  He  is  vice  national  commander 
of  the  Army  and  Navy  Union  of  the  United  States,  first  na- 
tional president  of  the  Veterans'  Protective  Association,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  the  Association  of  Veterans  of  Farra- 
gut's fleet,  belongs  to  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  Doric  Lodge, 
K.  and  A.  M.  His  son,  Chas.  H.,  Jr.,  is  also  a  well  known 
Bronxite.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  public  schools,  of  a  business 
college,  of  the  Technical  Department  New  York  University,  and 
has  studied  law  and  been  admitted  to  tlie  bar,  and  is  now  a 
prominent  architect  and  contractor. 

FREDERICK  SCHMIDT,  decea.sed,  who  during  hib  life- 
time was  one  of  the  foremost  contractors  in  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx,  was  horn  in  Havaria,  (iermany,  September  21,  1846,  and 
died  on  Novenil)er  4,  1902.  At  the  age  of  six  years  Mr.  Schmidl 
emigrated  to  America  with  his  parents,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
deatli  was  one  of  the  citizens  of  this  borough  who  had  resided 
longest  within  its  confines,  about  fifty-one  years.  He  built  up  a 
large  and  successful  business  as  a  general  contractor,  and  did 
more  than  any  one  man  to  improve  and  build  up  this  section  of 
New  York  City.  The  affairs  of  his  estate  are  still  successfully 
conducted  by  his  widow,  ably  assisted  by  her  son,  William 
Schmidt,  at  No.  824  Westchester  Avenue.  Mrs.  Schmidt  is  re- 
garded as  a  clever  business  woman  and  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful in  the  securing  of  many  large  city  contracts.  During 
his  lifetime,  Mr.  Schmidt  was  a  staunch  Democrat,  although  \n 
never  sought  or  desired  to  hold  any  public  office.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  many  organizations,  among  which  were 
the  Foresters  of  America,  Knights  of  Pythias,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Exempt  Firemen,  was  the  oldest  member  of  the  Hornet  Social 
Club,  and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  On  November 
^6,  1867,  iic  nrirried  .Mis-.  Wilhelmina  Seitz.  Nine  children 
were  born  to  the  union,  si.x  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  William, 
Minnie,  Andrew,  George,  Anna  J.,  and  Catherine.  The  deceased 
;'.rc  Charles.  Friedic,  Frederick  A.  Mr.  Schmidt  was  one  of  the 
most  highly  respected  citizens  residing  in  the  Bron.x.  He  was 
a  self-made  man,  possessed  of  those  sterling  qualities  which  al- 
ways leave  their  mark.  He  was  honorable  to  a  fault,  and  it  was 
due  to  these  high  traits,  which  he  so  closely  adhered  to,  that  was 
largely  responsible  for  his  success  in  life. 


!»!'  }f'*i    i  ,jt,      ■■"^'  "*     " 


MANHANSET    APARTMENT    HOUSE.    ERECTED    BY    JAMES    F.    MEEHAN 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


235 


JAMES  F.  MEEHAN,  architect  and  builder,  was  born  in 
New  York  Citv  Noveiuber  i8,  187.^,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  Christian  Brothers  Schiml,  grachiating  therefrom 
in  1885.  After  completing  his  academic  course  he  decided  to  take 
up  the  profession  of  an  architect,  and  entered  upon  a  course  of 
study  in  the  public  schools,  attending  the  night  sessions  during 
the  years  of  l8go  to  1894.  By  close  application  and  diligence  he 
mastered  every  detail  of  that  profession,  and  rose  by  degrees 
from  a  subordinate  post  to  that  of  a  successful  architect  and 
builder.  Ten  years  ago  Mr.  Meehan  became  a  resident  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx.  Being  a  keen  observer  of  real  estate 
values,  and  quickly  grasping  what  the  future  of  the  borough 
might  be  he  began  making  investments,  entermg  the  field  of 
building  operations.  Foresight,  together  with  well-directed 
energy,  has  proven  the  wisdom  of  his  judgment.  During  the 
past  ten  years  Mr.  Meehan  has  constructed  more  than  fifty  mod- 
ern apartment  houses  in  the  Bron.x.  At  present  he  is  building  on 
the  old  Macy  homestead  site  one  of  the  finest,  high-class  apart- 
ment structures  ever  erected  in  the  borough,  and  the  first  one 
in  which  elevator  service  has  been  installed,  the  cost  of  which 
will  be  about  $150,000.  Mr.  Meehan  occupies  a  position  differ- 
ent from  the  average  builder,  being  a  practical  architect  and  de- 
signer, and  during  the  construction  of  his  work  every  part  is 
under  his  supervision,  which  in  itself  is  a  positive  guarantee  of 
substantial  workmanship  and  quality  of  material.  Politically, 
Mr.  Meehan  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  but  not  an  office-seeker,  pre- 
ferring lo  be  a  worker  in  the  ranks.  He  is  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  of  the  Catholic  Church.  He 
is  president  of  the  James  F.  Meehan  Building  and  Construction 
Company,  and  vice-president  of  the  Bronx  Borough  Realty  and 
Construction  Company.  In  November,  1895,  Mr.  Meehan  married 
Catherine  Keating,  of  New  York  City.  Four  children,  James 
F.,  Jr.,  Lillian  and  Francis  (deceased),  and  Helen  (living),  have 
been  born  to  the  union.  The  family  reside  in  a  comfortable 
home  at  No.  1123  Hewitt  place,  the  interior  of  which  at  once 
suggests  culture  and  refinement.  Mr.  Meehan  is  a  type  of  the 
self-made  man  which  always  leaves  its  impress  for  good  in  the 
community.  He  is  a  typical  American,  patriotically  devoted  to 
his  country  and  the  best  interests  of  its  citizens,  and  always 
ready  to  lend  his  aid  to  the  advancement  of  any  good  cause. 

EDWARD  J.  CAHILL,  a  prominent  builder  of  the  Bronx, 
was  born  in  New  York  City  on  July  14,  1857,  and  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  city.  He  has  resided  in  the  borough 
for  the  past  nine  years,  and  is  one  of  its  most  active  builders, 
and  during  this  period  has  accomplished  much  towards  the  ad- 
vancement and  progress  of  the  borough.  In  1877  Mr.  Cahill 
married  Miss  Sarah  F.  Tew,  the  happy  union,  resulting  in 
seven  children,  viz. :  Loretta  Becker,  Viola,  Edward  J.,  Jr., 
Arthur,  Lucy  and  Alva  Cahill,  who  are  all  living,  and  Charles 
F.  Cahill  deceased.  M,r.  Cahill  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  is 
prominently  identified  with  the  Tammany  Hall  Democratic  Club 
of  Van  Nest.  The  gentleman  is  well  known  throughout  the 
Bronx  as  one  of  its  most  enterprising  citizens,  and  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  being  exceedingly  active  in  promoting  the  growth 
and  advancement  of  all   public  improvements. 

WILLIAM  H.  STONEBRIDGE,  an  active  and  successful 
real  estate  operator,  is  a  native  of  the  Bronx,  where  he  was 
born  in  East  139th  Street,  on  March  15,  1872.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Public  Schools  Nos.  61  and  64,  Morrisania,  Fordham, 
and  choose  real  estate  dealing  as  his  profession,  in  which  he 
has  remained  to  the  present  time,  enjoying  the  confidence  of  a 


large  number  of  property  owners  and  trustees  of  estates  both 
in  the  Bronx  and  Manhattan.  He  was  the  first  recruit  from  the 
Bronx  who  became  a  member  of  that  crack  artillery  company 
known  as  the  Second  Battery,  N.  G.,  S.  N.  Y.  Always  a 
staunch  Republican,  though  never  holding  or  aspiring  to  public 
office,  he  has  connected  liimself  prominently  with  a  few  of 
the  leading  organizations  of  the  Bronx  for  advancing  its  prog- 
ress and  general  stability.  He  is  active  in  the  councils  of  the 
Taxpayers'  Alliance,  the  Taxpayers'  Association,  the  Highway 
Alliance,  the  Union  Republican  Club,  and  the  Belmont  Repub- 
lican Club.  He  is  a  highly  respected  member  of  the  Anderson 
Memorial  Reformed  Church,  being  one  of  its  first  members  and 
officers.  He  is  also  one  of  the  charter  members  and  organizers  of 
the  Bronx  As.sociation  of  Real  Estate  Brokers  and  Auctioneers. 
He  has  been  closely  identified  with  all  public  improvements  in 
the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  his  presence  at  all  the  hearings 
before  the  Local   Boards  has  become  proverbial.     On   November 


S.    H.    GAINSBORG 

19,  1902,  he  married  Miss  Harriett  A.  Levers,  of  Huntingdon. 
Canada.  Mr.  Stonebridge  devotes  his  leisure  hours  to  his  home, 
enjoying  the  domestic  peace  and  comforts  of  hi'S  family,  which 
includes  William  L.,  his  only  child. 

S.  H.  GAINSBOi^CJ  came  to  New  Y'ork  from  Lima,  Peru, 
S.  A.,  in  1891,  with  his  wife  and  seven  children,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  import  and  e.xport  business.  Immediately  he  started 
to  operate  in  real  estate  in  this  city  and  Westchester  County  and 
made  the  same  success  of  it  as  he  had  done  in  South  America.  He 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  m 
White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  and  laid  it  out  in  villa  plots  under  the 
name  of  "Silver  Lake  Park."  He  constructed  a  complete  water 
system,  established  a  fire  department,  etc.,  built  houses,  in  fact. 


THOMAS    D.    MALCOLM 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


237 


he  did  not  spare  any  money  to  make  that  tract  of  land  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  spots  in  White  Phiins  and  Westchester  County. 
Everything  which  he  promised  to  do,  when  he  first  opened  the 
property,  was  fulfilled,  for  Mr.  Gainsborg's  word  is  as  good  as 
gold.  Mr.  Gainsborg  besides  making  these  achievements  in 
Silver  Lake  Park,  became  well  known  tlirongh  his  being  the  orig- 
inator of  the  first  trolley  line  in  White  Plains,  which  has  been  the 
embryo  of  a  trolley  system  which  now  extends  all  over  West- 
chester County,  and  which  practically  connects  the  Sound  with 
the  Hudson.  The  first  line  was  started  between  White  Plains 
depot  and  Silver  Lake  Park.  It  was  indeed  no  easy  matter  to  do 
that,  as  Mr.  Gainsborg  had  to  contend  with  local  residents  who 
did  not  wish  to  have  iheir  street  spoiled  (.as  they  termed  it) 
liy  trolley  cars;  however,  his  zeal  and  energy  finally  enabled  him 
to  succeed  in  accomplishing  this  undertaking.  Through  this 
medium  White  Plains  is  one  of  the  biggest  street  railroad  centers 
Mr.  Gainsborg  is  at  present  president  of  the  Bankers'  Realty  & 
Security  Company,  who  purchased  last  year  a  tract  of  land  be- 
tween Middletown  Road  and  Eastern  Boulevard.  He  is  under- 
taking the  improvement  of  this  property  in  an  "A  No.  I  way,' 
having  all  the  necessary  equipments  which  go  to  make  an  aristo- 
cratic section.  The  success  of  that  section  is  quite  obvious  since 
Mr.  Gainsborg  is  interested  in  that  locality.  He  belongs  to  a 
great  many  prominent  clubs  and  is  also  a  high  member  of  the 
.Masonic  organization.  He  has  eight  children,  all  of  whom  are 
well  known  in  the  musical  world,  and  are  members  of  prominent 
clubs.  lie  is  preparing  plans  at  present  to  build  a  magnificeni 
house  for  himself  and  family  on  the  Eastern  Boulevard  in 
I  reniiiul    Terrace. 

rilO.MAS  D.  MALCOLM,  one  of  the  must  enterprising 
and  foremost  builders  in  the  Bronx,  was  born  on  August  4,  i860, 
at  Strathinglo,  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  and  educated  in  the  public 
scliools  of  the  latter  place.  On  his  entrance  to  the  United  States 
he  at  once  became  an  active  contractor  and  in  a  few  years  had 
ilc\ek)ped  himself  into  an  important  factor  as  a  contractor  of  the 
lir.-t  rank  ni  supplying  cut  stone  for  a  large  number  of  the  most 
iiiipi>rtain  and  expensive  structures  erected  in  our  city,  such  as 
ilie  Century  Building,  the  City  Hall  improvement  ,and  a  large 
number  of  great  apartment  structures  on  the  West  Side,  which 
stand  as  permanent  monuments  to  his  integrity,  his  artistic  skill 
and  mechanical  ingenuity.  For  si.xteen  years  Mr.  Malcolm  has 
been  one  of  the  most  active  and  industrious  builders  in  the 
Bron.x.  He  was  the  first  that  had  the  stamina  and  courage  to 
inaugurate  the  erection  of  apartment  houses  in  the  Bron.x,  which 
was  considered  by  well  known  experts  in  realty  to  be  a  rash 
movement  and  utterly  an  unprofitable  undertaking.  Not  daunted 
he  applied  himself  faithfully  to  his  work  and  with  such  success 
that  in  all  of  his  several  undertakings  shrewd  investors  eagerly 
watched  his  progress  and  relieved  him  of  his  holdings  at  the 
completion  of  his  work  at  his  own  prices.  Inspired  by  his  suc- 
cess he  kept  in  motion  rapid  improvements  in  various  districts 
of  the  Bronx  and  has  to  his  credit  the  erection  of  innumerable 
buildings,  all  of  which  have  instantly  found  a  ready  market. 
The  Strathden  at  Westchester  and  P!erL;eii  .\venues,  which  is 
I07.\96,  and  that  massive  and  imposing  structure,  the  Strathalleii, 
at  154th  Street  and  Melrose  Avenue,  50x100,  both  the  most 
modern  high  class  apartments  in  that  valuable  center.  At  the 
present  time  this  enterprising  builder  is  constructing  a  six-.«tory 
high  class  modern  apartment  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Melrose 
Avenue  and  i6oth  Street,  occupying  an  area  of  49x100  feet  and 
on  the  south  side  of  i6oth  Street,  21  feet  east  of  Melrose  Avenue, 
a  five-story  house,  occupying  a  lot  50x100  feet,  accommodating 
twenty-one  families.     Like  all  the  other  properties  that  Mr.  Mal- 


colm has  constructed,  these  latter  are  up-to-date  in  every  im- 
provement and  artistic  skill  required  in  the  work  of  first  class 
properties.  On  December  24,  1883,  Mr.  Malcolm  married  Miss 
.\nnie  Bissett,  the  result  of  this  union  being  three  children, 
Gilbert,  Aleck  and  Thomas,  one  living  and  two  deceased.  In 
politics,  which  rarely  disturbs  the  equanimity  of  Mr.  Malcolm, 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  organization  nf 
Employees,  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the  Twenty-third 
Ward  Property  Owners'  Association  and  the  Jefferson  Club. 
His  family  and  himself  are  members  of  the  Brethren  Baptist 
Church  and  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  its  pastor  and 
congregation.  On  River  Avenue,  off  Jerome  Avenue,  between 
167th  and  l68th  Streets,  Mr.  Malcolm  erected  a  handsome  pri- 
vate residence,  which  he  presented  to  his  estimable  wife  as 
one  of  the  many  laurels  he  has  won  by  his  ability,  his  probity 
and  strict  integrity  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men.  Being 
only   of   middle  age.   e(|uiiiped    with    all    llie   resources   of  one   who 


.lOHN    G.    BORGSTEDE 

has  by  his  own  industry  and  natural  ability  pushed  himself  to 
ilie  front  rank  of  his  honorable  profession  and  successful  in 
all  his  undertakings,  Mr.  Malcolm  is  one  of  the  few  men  in  the 
.s^reat  Borough  of  the  Bronx  that  has  inrelibly  stamped  his  im- 
press upon  its  progression  and  will  be  known  and  held  as  one  of 
its  first  citizens. 

JOHN  G.  BORGSTEDE,  president  of  Ferncliffe  Cemetery 
and  real  estate  operator,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  September 
I,  1867.  His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools, 
after  which  he  took  a  thorough  course  at  Packard's  Business 
College.  After  leaving  college,  Mr.  Borgstede  started  in  busi- 
ness as  an  entry  clerk  in  the  house  of  L.  Franke  &  Co.,  Silk 
Importers,  of  No.  no  Grand  Street,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  nine  years.     In   1891   he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 


THOMAS    J.    JENKINS 


EDWARD    J.    CAHILL 


CUSTAVE    EULENSTEIN 


JOHN    FREES 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


239 


on  his  own  account,  opening  an  office  at  207  East  Fifty-fourth 
Street,  with  a  branch  in  the  Twelfth  Ward  Bank  Building  in 
125th  Street  for  the  handhng  of  Bronx  property.  In  1896,  Mr. 
Borgstede  opened  his  present  offices  at  No.  3273  Third  Avenue, 
discontinuing  his  down  town  branches.  Owing  to  the  extensive 
real  estate  operations  carried  on  by  him,  he  employs  a  large 
office  force  for  the  transaction  of  his  affairs.  In  the  selection 
of  his  forces  Mr.  Borgstede  invariably  requires  that  they  shall 
at  all  times  be  courteous  and  polite.  Mr.  Borgstede  is  a  con- 
sistent Republican,  always  standing  for  good  government.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Union  Republican,  the  Schnorer  and  Ford- 
ham  Clubs,  the  North  Side  Republican  Club,  Taxpayers'  As- 
sociation, Bethany  Lutheran  Church ;  a  member  of  the  North 
Side  Board  of  Trade,  being  one  of  the  charter  members,  and  a 
trustee  of  the  North  Side  Savings  Bank.  On  September  18, 
1889,  Mr.  Borgstede  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Josephine 
S.  Klenke.  They  have  five  children,  all  daughters,  respectively : 
Sophia  A.  H.,  Anna  J.,  Louise  E.,  Dorothy  J.,  and  Mildred  E. 
Mr.  Borgstede  is  distinctively  a  self-made  man.  The  high  posi- 
tion he  has  attained  in  both  business  and  social  walks  of  life  are 
entirely  due  to  the  correct  principles  he  has  employed  since  boy- 
hood. 

WILLIAM  SCHMITZ  was  born  in  Germany  in  1850. 
Being  the  son  of  a  railroad  contractor  and  builder,  he  received 
a  good  school  education,  and  was  associated  with  his  father 
for  several  years.  After  his  father's  death,  he  followed  up  that 
business  to  1880.  In  1881  he  came  to  New  York  City,  worked 
for   several    firms,   and   in    1893    started   in   business   for   himself 


WILLIAM    SCHMITZ 

under  the  firm  name  of  Schmitz  &  Eulenstein.  and  for  the  past 
twelve  years  has  been  engaged  in  the  building  business  in  the 
Bronx,  where  he  has  erected  many  buildings  in  various  parts  of 
the  Borough,  and  has  a  good  name  among  his  colleagues  in  the 
trade.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Building  Trade  Employers'  As- 
sociation of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  of  the  K.  O.  S. 
Bowling  Club. 

GUSTAVE    EULENSTEIN,    of    the    prominenit    firm    of 
Bronx   builders.    Schmitz    &    Eulenstein,    was    born    in    Germany 


in  i860.  He  came  to  New  York  City  in  1882,  and  was  engaged 
as  foreman  by  prominent  builders  of  this  city.  He  entered  into 
partnership  with  W.  Schmitz,  known  for  years  past  as  Schmitz 
&  Eulenstein,  Builders  and  Contractors.  Mr.  Eulenstein  has  the 
reputation  that  the  buildings  he  erects,  when  completed,  are  easily 
disposed  of  owing  to  the  reputation  of  his  firm  for  first  class 
construction.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wieland  Lodge,  an  active 
member  of  the  K.  O.  S.  Bowling  Club,  and  of  the  Aurora 
I.iederkranz. 

JOHN  FREES,  a  prominent  Bronx  builder  and  old  time 
resident  of  this  section,  was  born  in  Germany,  February  14th, 
1841.  He  received  a  common  school  education  in  his  native 
town  and  came  to  the  New  World  in  1857  when  he  was  but 
sixteen  years  of  age.  He  came  immediately  to  the  section  now 
known  as  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  was  engaged  with 
his  brothers  in  the  building  business  for  about  eleven  years. 
He  then  severed  connections  with  his  brothers  and  entered  the 
field  alone  as  a  building  contractor  in  1868.  From  the  beginning 
his  undertaking  was  marked  with  success  and  during  his  ex- 
tended career  he  has  built  many  of  the  representative  buildings 
of  the  Bronx.  At  the  present  time  he  holds  a  prominent  posi- 
tion among  the  representative  builders  of  this  section.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Property  Owners'  As- 
sociation and  a  trustee  of  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank.  He  married 
in  186,3  Katherine  Lanzer  and  has  a  family  of  eight  children, 
three  daughters  and  five  sons,  each  of  whom  are  equipped  with 
lucrative  professions.  Mr.  Frees  was  the  pioneer  builder  of  the 
Melrose  section  of  the  Borough.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in 
securing  many  of  the  public  improvements  which  that  part  of 
the  borough  now  enjoys. 

THOMAS  J.  JENKINS,  an  architect  and  builder,  forty- 
five  years  resident  in  the  Bronx,  and  long  successfully  engaged 
in  that  line  of  business,  has  been  interested  in  his  time  in  more 
than  one  important  project.  Just  now  he  is  one  of  the  principals 
in  the  establishment  of  the  new  Port  Morris  Wholesale  Produce 
Market  at  the  ferry  foot  of  134th  Street,  which  has  been  recently 
opened  for  business  and  promises  to  be  a  success  and  great  con- 
venience also.  He  is,  in  fact,  the  secretary  of  the  company 
operating  it.  He  is  a  Democrat  but  not  often  forward  politically, 
business   chiefly   and   strictly   absorbing   his   attention. 

PHILLIP  FREUDENMACHER.  one  of  the  most  succes- 
ful  and  substantial  mason-builders  and  general  contractors  of  the 
Bronx,  and  head  of  the  firm  of  Phillip  Freudenmacher  &  Son,  is 
located  at  567  East  iS4th  Street,  near  Courtlandt  Avenue.  Mr. 
Freudenmacher  was  born  in  Bavaria  March  28,  185 1,  and  at- 
tended school  there.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  borough 
nearly  twenty*  years.  He  built  the  first  synagogue  in  the  Bronx, 
the  "Hand-in-Hand ;"  the  Fairfax  Building,  Mt.  Vernon;  the 
Ricca  Piano  Factory  at  134th  Street  and  Southern  Boulevard 
and  other  important  structures.  He  is  well  known  and  ranks 
high  among  the  German  element  of  the  borough.  He  is  a 
member  of  a  number  of  organizations,  the  following  among 
them  are :  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  Twenty-third  Ward 
Property  Owners'  Association,  Jefferson  Tammany  Club,  Schnor- 
er Club.  .Arion  Liedertafel  Singing  Society,  of  which  he  is  treas- 
urer and  was  builder  of  their  hall:  the  Melrose  Turn  Verein, 
."Vrion  and  other  bowling  clubs,  the  Odd  Fellows,  Masons  and 
St.  Matthew's  German  Lutheran  Church,  also  the  Building  Trades 
Employers'  Association  of  the  Bronx,  which  originated  with 
him.     Mr.   Freudenmacher  married  the  2jst  day  of  September, 


CHARLES  KNAUF 


MRS.  CHARLES  KNAUF 


ARTHUR  W.  WALL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


24t 


1872,  Miss  Helena  Hof,  also  a  native  of  Bavaria.  They  have 
five  living  children  and  several  deceased.  His  son  is  engaged 
in  business  with  him. 

FREDERICK  M.  MELLERT,  well  known  in  the  Bronx  as 
a  successful  builder  and  contractor,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
May  17,  1859.  After  graduating  from  the  public  schools  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  old  New  York  clothing  firm,  Brown- 
ing, King  &  Co.  as  a  clerk  in  1879.  His  aptitude  for  business 
and  his  cleverness  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the  firm  wer^' 
promptly  recognized  by  them;  when  after  a  few  years  of  active 
service  as  a  clerk,  they  advanced  him  to  the  position  of  buyer 
of  trimmings.  This  position  he  maintained  successfully  for 
over  15  years,  until  1898.  Being  of  a  progressive  nature  and 
recognizing  the  very  great  future  of  the  Bronx,  he  then  entered 
upon  a  field  to  which  he  had  given  many  years  of  quiet  study, 


FREDERICK    M.    MELUERT 

viz.;  the  construction  of  buildings.  From  the  start,  to  the 
present  time,  Mr.  Mellert  has  been  successful  in  all  of  his  under- 
takings, which  have  been  on  some  occasions  of  stupendous  pro- 
portions. A  staunch  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  held  only 
one  public  office,  when  he  was  appointed  a  commissioner  of 
condemnation  proceedings  for  the  taking  of  property  for  the 
city  on  Park  Avenue  West.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union  Repub- 
lican Club,  of  the  Fordham  Club,  a  trustee  for  over  14  years 
of  a  very  successful  building  and  loan  association,  president 
of  the  Monroe  Bowling  Club  and  a  few  other  popular  associa- 
tions. Those  who  know  Mr.  Mellert  thoroughly  consider  his 
word  as  good  as  his  bond.  September  22,  1884,  he  married 
Emma  M.  Bernhardt  of  Manhattan,  and  has  three  children,  viz. ; 
Frederick  H.,  Bertha  L.,  and  Emma  J. 

CHARLES  KNAUF,  builder  and  promoter  of  Van  Nest 
Park,  in  the  Bronx,  has  certainly  exhibited,  during  his  career 
there,  the  qualities  that  command  success.     Mr.  Knauf  was  born 


in  Albany  County,  this  state,  October  21,  1858.  At  s  years  of 
age  he  was  taken  to  Rensselaer  County,  and  there,  at  Castleton, 
was  sent  to  school.  His  youth  was  passed  with  his  parents  on  a 
farm ;  he  remained  on  the  old  place,  in  fact,  until  he  was  31 
years  old.  He  then  came  to  New  York  City  and  was  first  em- 
ployed by  John  Clark,  president  of  the  Ridgewood  Ice  Co.,  for 
five  years.  He  had  full  charge  of  one  depot,  and  it  was  in  this 
capacity  that  he  first  visited  the  scene  of  his  present  activities, 
progressive  Van  Nest.  He  began  there  by  purchasing  two  lots, 
and  building  himself  a  house.  He  had  worked  at  carpentering 
about  a  year  and  was  induced  to  enter  the  building  line  by  H.  P. 
Rose,  and  although  he  commenced  under  rather  trying  circum- 
stances, he  has  made  of  it  an  unqualified  success.  He  has  built 
since  over  200  houses,  all  of  them  sold,  and  has  more  under 
way,  and  has  earned  fairly  the  name  of  a  wise,  as  well  as 
enterprising  man.  Mr.  Knauf  has  a  farm  near  the  old  place  in 
Rensselaer  and  occasionally  visits  it  for  relaxation.  He  is  a  man 
of  family,  having  married  Miss  Bertha  Fernekes,  of  the  Bronx, 
in  1884,  and  has  one  daughter,  who  is  married.  He  sticks 
closely  to  business  and  is  identified  with  but  a  single  organization, 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

NILS  OLSEN,  a  practical  builder  of  the  Bronx,  was  born 
in  Sweden  September  15,  1861.  He  was  educated  at  the  public 
school  of  his  native  country,  and  attended  a  full  course  of  in- 
struction at  the  Trade  School  of  his  locality,  after  which  he 
served  a  full  apprenticeship  to  the  builders'  trade.  He  emi- 
grated to  this  country  in  1884,  worked  at  his  trade  as  journey- 
man and  in  a  short  time  was  advanced  to  the  position  of  fore- 
man and  superintendent  of  construction.  He  has  visited  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  United  States  and  Alaska,  and  returning  to 
the  Bronx  in  1890,  he  commenced  operations  as  a  builder  on  his 
(jwn  account,  and  has  been  eminently  successful  in  all  of  his 
important  operations.  Mr.  Olsen  has  never  manifested  any  in- 
terest in  political  affairs,  but  is  an  active  member  of  Wyoming 
Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  the  Building  Trades  Employers' 
.\ssociation,  and  a  member  of  the  Westchester  Exempt  Fire- 
men's Association.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Margarctt  Doell 
I  lecember  19,  iSgi.  has  two  children  living,  Anna  M.  and  NiK 
W.  Mr.  Olsen  is  thoroughly  domestic  in  his  tastes  and  a  reader 
of  all  the  works  of  the  great  masters. 

ARTHUR  W.  WALL,  the  youngest  real  estate  operator 
and  builder  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New 
York  City  on  December  16,  1882,  and  was  educated  at  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  the  New  York  Preparatory  School.  After  his 
graduation  preparation  for  the  battle  of  life,  he  chose  real  estate 
and  building  as  a  profession,  and  applied  himself  so  diligently 
to  his  work  that  at  the  age  of  21  years  he  built  a  magnificent 
ti\e-story  apartment  house  on  the  north  side  of  iSSth  Street,  near 
Elton  Avenue,  and  at  the  present  time  is  erecting  two  six-story 
apartment  houses,  50x100  each  on  the  north  side  of  is8th  Street, 
100  feet  west  of  Elton  Avenue,  which  will  supersede  in  beauty 
of  architecture  and  modern  improvements  most  of  the  many 
similar  structures  now  being  erected  in  the  borough.  In  his 
real  estate  operations  he  has  been  wonderfully  successful  by 
finding  and  disposing  of  to  his  numerous  clients  at  good  prices 
to  the  seller,  and  exceedingly  remunerative  figures  to  the  former. 
Mr.  Wall  is  one  of  the  most  active  young  men  in  the  Bronx. 
He  individually  superintends  the  construction  of  his  buildings, 
giving  his  orders  to  the  various  mechanics  like  an  old  veteran, 
inspects  every  particle  of  material  that  goes  into  the  work,  and 
unhesitatingly  sends  back  any  of  the  latter  that  proves  defective, 
or  in  any  manner  not  to  be  of  the  first  and  best  quality.  There 
arc   few  men   in   the   Bronx  that  have  developed  and  exhibited 


242 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


such  extraordinary  talent  for  the  business  in  so  short  a  period 
as  Mr.  Wall,  and  it  is  predicted  of  him  that  his  future  will  be 
the  most  brilliant  and  successful  of  the  active  young  men  of 
to-day,  who  are  investing  their  means  and  lending  their  best 
energies  to  develop  and  beautify  the  present  great  borough.  Mr. 
Wall  belongs  to  the  Republican  Club  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Dis- 
trict. 

JULIUS  FIGLINOLO,  contractor  and  builder,  w-as  born 
at  Rome,  Italy,  July  lo,  1862,  where  he  received  his  early  edu- 
cation and  training.  Julius  Figlinolo  is  essentially  a  self-made 
man,  having  by  necessity  had  to  shift  for  himself.  Julius  was 
alwavs  of  a  romantic  nature,  and  artistic  to  a  hi^h  decree.     In 


latest  apartment  house,  Villa  Court,  situated  at  733  Union  Ave- 
nue, is  a  credit  to  that  beautiful  thoroughfare,  and  conceded  by 
builders  and  architects  to  be  one  of  the  most  perfectly  ap- 
pointed in  the  borough.  On  the  same  avenue  he  erected  Nos. 
717  and  715,  and  many  others  in  different  parts  of  the  city. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  building  the  magnificent  stables  of 
C.  K.  G.  Billings,  the  gas  magnate  of  Chicago,  at  igsth  Street 
and  Fort  Washington  Avenue.  Mr.  Figlinolo's  own  residence 
at  719  Union  Avenue  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  in  the  Bronx, 
and  the  artistic  side  of  his  nature  is  shown  in  the  architecture 
and  in  the  Italian  gardens  which  practically  surround  the 
house.  He  has  imported  lemon  and  fig  trees  from  Italy  and  de- 
lights  in   their  culture  and   preservation.     In    1SS6  and   again   in 


JULIUS    FIGLINOLO    AND    FAMILY 


early  youth  one  of  his  fondest  dreams  was  to  visit  the  land  of 
the  Stars  and  Stripes;  night  after  night  he  would  dream  of 
.America,  that  wonderful  country  across  the  seas.  In  1882  his 
dreams  were  realized;  he  saved  enough  money  to  pay  his  pas- 
sage, and  when  he  landed  in  New  York  had  twenty  dollars  left 
lo  begin  life  in  his  new  Arcadia.  Young  and  ambitious,  this 
sturdy  son  of  sunny  Italy  looked  around  for  something  to  do, 
and  soon  found  it  in  the  building  trade,  which  he  had  studied 
in  his  native  place.  The  Bronx  was  a  good  field  for  his  opera- 
lions,  and  believing  in  its  future  made  up  his  mind  to  settle  in 
the  borough  and  make  it  his  home.  Mr.  Figlinolo  has  built  a 
large   number  of  flats   and   private  houses   in   the   Bronx.     His 


1892  he  spent  his  vacations  in  his  native  land,  visiting  en  route 
Paris,  France,  and  other  continental  cities.  He  studied  the  ar- 
chitecture of  the  various  capitals  of  Europe  and  spent  several 
weeks  touring  through  France,  Naples,  Milan,  Venice,  and  re- 
newing old  friendships  and  acquaintances  in  Rome,  the  eternal 
;ity ;  returning  to  America,  architecturally  invigorated  and  re- 
freshed, but  in  his  Italian  heart  a  better  American  than  ever, 
In  1890  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Livea  Desanda,  of 
Naples,  Italy.  They  have  been  blessed  with  three  children., 
Elizabeth,  Amelia  and  Antonio.  Mr.  Figlinolo  has  made  many 
warm  friends  in  the  Bronx,  and  is  rated  as  one  of  its  substan= 
tial    and   progressive   citizens. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


243 


THOMAS  JOSEPH  QUINN,  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  practical  builders  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born 
in  New  York  City  February  24,  1872,  and  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools.  The  son  of  Andrew  and  Mary  Quinn,  a  well 
known  family  in  the  city  of  the  highest  respectability  and  stand- 
ing, they  carefully  trained  their  son  to  become  a  useful  and  up- 
right citizen.  After  his  graduation  he  received  a  position  with  the 
famous  dry  goods  house  of  H.  B.  Claflin  &  Co.,  and  there  re- 
ceived  that   methodical   business  training  that  has   characterized 


THOMAS    JOSEPH    QUINN 

his  successful  career  so  pronounced  by  his  masterful  building 
operations  in  the  Bronx.  After  three  years  service  with  Claflin 
&  Co.,  he  gave  four  years  of  valuable  time  as  purchasing  agent 
for  Naughton  &  Co.,  a  responsible  position,  meeting  with  signal 
success  in  the  latter  venture.  In  1900  he  realized  tliat  in  the 
building  trade  there  was  an  unusual  opening  for  one  of  strict 
executive  requirements  and  special  adaptability  to  all  its  intri- 
cate details.  From  the  start  his  success  has  been  phenomenal. 
Confining  himself  strictly  to  the  erection  of  modern  private 
houses  containing  all  the  latest  and  most  improved  appliances  for 
purchasers,  beautiful  in  architecture  and  substanliality  con- 
structed under  the  requirements  of  the  building  laws.  On  Jack- 
son .\venue  and  ]66lh  Street  he  built  thai  beautiful 
row  of  two-story  privates  and  also  the  entire  row  of 
similar  beauties  on  Forest  Avenue.  These  magnificent 
houses  attracted  such  general  attention  from  their  striking 
architecture,  their  substantial  construction  and  their  thorough 
equipment  with  every  modern  appliance  that  Mr.  Quinn 
had  them  all  sold  in  many  cases  before  they  were  completed,  to 
private  individuals  anxious  to  secure  in  advance  of  their  finish, 
such  desirable  property.  Mr.  Quinn  has  confined  himself  strictly 
to  this  pattern  of  private  houses  and  has  built  for  himself  an 
enviable  reputation  in  the  Bronx  as  among  its  foremost  and  com- 


petent builders.  He  was  married  Aflgust  8,  1900,  to  Miss  Amy 
McDonnell,  a  highly  accomplished  young  lady  of  New  York 
City,  and  daughter  of  James  and  Marion  McDonnell,  a  well  known 
family  of  New  York  City;  the  result  of  this  happy  union  being 
two  interesting  and  promising  children,  James  and  Andrew 
t^uinn,  both  living.  Mr.  Quinn  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church;  he  has  no  affiliations  with  politics; 
belongs  to  no  societies  or  organizations,  devoting  his  time  to  the 
conduct  of  his  large  building  interests  and  to  his  family  interests 
in    his    pleasant   home. 

CHRISTIAN  VONDRAN.— The  well  known  house  mover 
of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Germany,  July  25, 
1840,  where  he  received  his  early  education.  He  came  to  this 
city  in  1863,  and  for  two  years  worked  as  a  laborer.  In  1866 
he  engaged  in  business  as  a  carpenter,  having  learned  the  trade 
in  Germany,  and  in  1870  he  went  into  business  for  himself  as 
a  house  mover,  which  profession  he  has  sucessfully  conducted 
tor  the  past  thirty-four  years.  Among  the  notable  perform- 
ances in  house  moving  that  Mr.  Vondran  successfully  carried 
out,  may  be  mentioned  the  following :  The  old  William  H.  Webb 
homestead  at  Fordham  Heights,  a  building  97  feet  front  by  log 
teet  deep;  the  Children's  Home  at  Spuyten  Duyvil,  90x27,  moved 


CHRISTIAN    VONDRAN 

292  feet.  Built  the  Brothers'  and  Sisters'  House  for  St.  Mary's 
Catholic  Church,  dug  the  cellar  and  furnished  sand  and  stone  for 
the  above.  Moved  a  three-story  brick  and  two  four-story  brown 
stone  houses  located  on  north  side  of  149th  Street,  between  Mott 
■ind  Walton  Avenues.  In  1900  moved  the  old  Morgue  at  Belle- 
vue  Hospital,  after  several  other  experts  had  declined  the  work. 
This  latter  he  moved  100  feet  and  turned  it  around.  Moved 
the  buildings  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Westchester  and  Third 
.\venues,  owing  to  the  widening  of  the  street.  Mr.  Vondran  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Chippewa  and  Talla- 


PHILLIP    FREUDENMACHER 


C.    C.     HOTTENROTH 


^^|ggg^gMnganw^B||; 

iMl^Br^  ....    ^3Ik     ^kv 

F,    VINTON     SMITH 


TIMOTHY    J.     KELLY 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


245 


liiin<;.-i  Clubs,  and  tlie  Building  Trades  Employers'  Association. 
Ik-  was  married  June  19,  1866,  to  jMiss  Catherine  Gorman,  of 
iIk'  Urnnx.  and  has  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  Adam,  John, 
Alexander  II.,  Henry  H.  and  Francis  Vondran.  The  four  sons 
are  associated  with  Mr.  Vondran  in  his  large  and  active  busi- 
ness. 

CHRISTIAN  C.  HOTTENROTH.— In  these  days  of  changt 
and  stress  the  lives  and  personality  of  some  of  our  most  valua- 
l,le  citizens  are  little  known.  They  come  and  go  about  their 
business,  doing  their  duty  as  (hey  see  it  by  their  families,  their 
friends  and  neighbors,  the  community  and  country,  appreciated 
at  their  true  worth  only  in  that  small  knot  of  business  or  social 
acquaintance  in  which  they  move.  Tliis  class  constitutes  in  the 
Bronx,  as  everywhere,  a  main  stay;  such  a  character  we  have 
at  all  events  in  our  subject,  nearly  fifty  years  a  resident  of  thi,'. 
city,  and  now  at  67  years  of  age — nigh  three  score  and  ten — 
approaching  the  patriarchal  stage.  Mr.  Jlottenroth  was  born  in 
Allendorf,  Hessel-Cassel,  Germany,  Dec.  ii,  iSjh.  There,  too, 
in  his  youth  he  went  to  school,  and  was  employed  for  a  time  in 
the  Burgomaster's,  or  as  we  have  11,  tlie  Jiayor  s  office.  On  his 
arrival  here  in  1857  he  engaged  111  the  harness  business  and 
followed  it  successfully  many  years.  In  1890  he  embarked  in 
the  real  estate  business  in  the  bron.x,  with  a  location  near  the 
Harlem  Bridge.  Later  he  acquired  the  property  now  occupied 
by  him  for  the  same  purpose  at  J56J  iliird  ^'s.venue,  juncliun  of 
Morris  Avenue  and  138th  Street,  ite  owns  there  also  a  piece  of 
property  wliich  is  in  one  particular  unique,  it  is  probably  the 
smallest  piece  in  the  five  boroughs  upon  which  taxes  are  regu- 
larly assessed,  and  paid.  This  piece  of  property  is  18  by  17  by  8 
inches,  a  triangle  only  72  inches  square!  How  it  came  about  is 
a  long  story  that  may,  however,  be  summed  up  in  this:  In 
X874  Air.  Ilo'ttenroth  bought  the  southwest  corner  of  Third 
.\vemie  and  139th  Street.  In  1880  Morris  Avenue  was  opened 
from  I  bird  .\veiiue  to  i56tli  btreet.  A  change  of  grade  was 
made  also  on  Third  Avenue  from  Harlem  River  north  to  147th 
Street.  By  these  improvements  there  was  left  a  very  small  gore, 
just  about  enough  in  fact  on  which  to  plant  a  60-foot  flag-pole. 
Mr.  Hottcnroth  was  never  half  compensated  for  the  damage 
done  his  property ;  and  it  was  the  fact  that  he  failed  to  find  a 
lawyer  competent  to  secure  it  for  him  that  decided  his  son,  the 
■.veil  known  attorney,  .'\.  C.  Hottenroth,  in  the  choice  of  a  pro- 
fession. Mr.  Hottenroth,  senior,  succeeded  the  North  Side  Real 
Estate  Bureau  at  the  old  location  at  the  i'bird  Avenue  Bridge, 
His  present  location  is  an  exceedingly  promising  one.  It  is  a 
great  transfer  point  for  t.^ie  surface  lines  and  there  is  strong- 
probability  that  a  subway  station  will  be  placed  there  as  well. 
He  first  came  to  the  Bronx  to  live,  settling  in  Melrose  in  1869. 
He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  success  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  was  captain  of  his  district  in  1885,  but  he  has  always 
been  satisfied  with  a  place  in  the  ranks  and  has  never  aspired  to 
public  office.  He  married  in  Tune,  1863,  Miss  Catherine  Sandrock, 
also  a  native  of  Allendorf.  She  has  borne  him  five  children, 
three  daughters,  Emily  (Mrs.  Clark j,  Anna  (Mrs.  Grossman), 
and  Julia  (Mrs.  Goosen),  and  two  sons,  Adolph  C,  the  lawyer 
referred  to  above,  and  Frederick  W.,  who  is  a  partner  of  his 
brother  at  160  Broadway. 

TIMOTHY  J.  KELLY,  of  Williams  &  Kelly,  builders  and 
architects  and  real  estate  men  of  Van  Nest  Park,  is  a  native 
of  Hunt's  Point,  and  a  young  man  just  past  his  majority.  He 
has  exhibited,  however,  a  character  and  judgment  beyond  his 
years.  He  has  been  in  business  for  himself  for  some  time  and 
with  his  partner  has  drawn  many  plans  and  filled  contracts  for 
numerous    Van    Nest    structures.       Mr.    Kelly    attended    a    while 


Public  Schools  No.  65  and  15;  also  the  public  night  schools;  he 
has  taken  a  course  of  architecture,  too,  in  the  correspondence 
schools,  and  for  a  time  was  an  attendant  at  Cooper  Union.  But 
his  chief  qualification  for  business  is  marked  native  ability,  that 
combines  with  an  untiring  energy  and  youthful  vigor.  He  takes 
a  lively  interest  also  in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chippewa 
Tammany  Club  and  vice-president  of  the  Muggleston  Associa- 
tion and  belongs  to  the  Thos.  O'Neill  Association ;  also  to  the 
Van  Nest  Property  Owners'  Association,  the  Catholic  Church  of 
Van  Nest  and   the   Knights  of  Columbus. 

F.  VINTON  SMITH,  President  of  the  F.  V.  Smith  Com- 
pany, wdio  succeeded  the  old  firm  of  Thilemann  &  Smith,  was 
born  on  the  corner  of  Thirteenth  Street  and  Second  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  on  September  14,  1862,  and  was  educated 
at  old  Grammar  School  No.  40,  on  Twenty-third  Street  between 
Second  and  Third  Avenues.  He  entered  the  contracting  busi- 
ness, and  has  for  several  years  been  one  of  the  most  active  in 
this  line,  among  the  largest  concerns  engaged  in  the  business. 
As  organizer  and  president  of  the  F.  V.  Smith  Contracting  Co., 
he  has  opened  more  streets,  and  executed  more  public  improve- 
ments in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  than  any  similar  firm  engaged 
in  the  business.  He  is  popular  with  the  municipal  authorities 
and  his  large  number  of  employees,  and  applies  himself  diligently 
to  the  supervision  of  his  large  business  affairs.  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
sturdy  Democrat  in  politics,  but  has  never  aspired  to  public 
office.  Fie  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  New  York, 
the  Harlem  Club,  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  and  is  an  at- 
tendant of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  127th  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue. 

JOHN  JACOB  REEr.EK.  the  original  and  during  his  life, 
the  most  famous  second-hand  building  material  operator  in  liar 
km,  and  throughout  the  Greater  New  York,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1806.  When  he  came  to  the  LTnited  States,  he  was 
thoroughly  ef|nip])ed  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  a  .stranger  in  a 
strange  land.  He  had  learned  the  carpenter  trade  in  his  native 
home,  and  after  arriving  here  devoted  his  attention  to  this  latter 
pursuit.  .Struggling  along  in  the  early  periods  of  forty  years 
ago,  Mr.  Rcebcr  applied  himself  carefully  and  vigorou.sly  to  his 
trade  profession,  and  through  his  practical  mechanical  ideas 
and  the  proper  e.xecution  of  his  work,  he  gained  the  confidence 
of  his  emploj'ers.  Prudent  and  economical  in  his  methods  of 
life,  he  finally  concluded  to  enter  business  on  his  own  account  as 
a  builder.  From  the  start  his  enterprises  were  successful  and 
continued  so  until  1870,  when  he  conceived  the  grand  idea  of 
entering  into  a  new  feature  of  the  city,  namely,  on  account  of 
the  large  demand  for  properties  to  be  removed  for  larger  and 
greater  improvements,  he  saw  the  opportunity  for  purchasing 
and  tearing  down  the  old  sites,  storing  the  material  taken  there- 
from in  what  might  be  termed  and  is  now  known  as  a  second- 
hand lumber  yard,  and  offering  for  sale  to  builders,  carpenters, 
contractors  or  the  public  at  large,  almost  everything  in  the 
shape  of  second-hand  building  material.  At  the  time  he  entered 
into  this  business,  he  took  with  him  into  partnership  his  son, 
John  Jacob  Reeber,  Jr.,  who,  in  connection  with  his  father,  were 
the  real  and  original  founders  of  the  second-hand  building  ma- 
terial business  in  the  metropolis.  Mr.  Reeber  had  a  very  strik- 
ing personality.  Flis  physique  was  of  the  most  robust  character, 
his  method  of  conducting  business  was  systematic  in  all  of  its 
details,  his  habits  were  based  upon  the  highest  ideals  of  con- 
sistency, and  were  governed  under  his  rule  of  christian  discipline. 
His  business   methods   were  so  well  established  and  so  unalter- 


JOHN    JACOB    REEEER 


JONAS    WEIL 


"^^V     »air> 


SIDNEY    R.    WALKER 


CHARLES    ALBERT    BERRIAN 


HISTORY.OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


247 


ably  impressed  upon  those  with  whom  he  had  business  trans- 
actions that  his  integrity  was  never  questioned.  A  grand  figure 
in  the  commercial  interests  of  our  metropoHs,  he  passed  away 
quietly  and  peacefully,  leaving  behind  him  a  heritage  of  honor 
and  glory  to  his  name  and  to  the  large  and  well  known  family, 
who  still  conduct  the  great  business  he  founded  in  connection 
with  his  son  John  J.,  Jr.,  and  who  are  to-day  known  and  re- 
spected as  among  the  first  citizens  of  Manhattan  and  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Reeber  was  in  politics  a  Democrat,  but 
never  aspirea  to  any  public  office ;  he  was  a  prominent  member 
of  St.  John's  Church  at  30th  Street  and  Seventh  Avenue,  and 
at  his  death  left  ten  children  who  revere  his  memory,  and  are 
named  as  follows :  Joseph,  Frank,  John,  Jacob,  George,  and 
William  Reeber;  Elizabeth,  Many,  Lena,  Louise  and  Katy  Reeber. 
After  his  lamented  death,  the  business  was  left  to  his  two  sons, 
George  A.,  and  William  Reeber,  who  are  at  present  conducting 
it  upon  the  same  plan  and  systematic  government  originated  by 
tlieir  father,  and  his  son  Jolm  J.,  Jr.,  and  upon  which  they  have 
attained  such  success  that  the  house  of  J.  Reeber  &  Sons,  stands 
at  the  head  in  front  rank  of  second-hand  building  material  of 
the  Greater  New  York. 

JONAS  WEIL,  senior  member  of  the  real  estate  firm  of 
Weil  &  Mayer,  was  born  in  Emmendinger,  Baden,  Germany,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1861.  His  father,  Ephraim  Weil,  was 
highly  respected  in  the  community  for  his  integrit)',  religious 
fervor  and  straightforwardness.  He  gave  his  son  a  good  educa- 
tion, inculcating  in  his  mind  the  principles  he  practised.  Backed 
by  these  and  his  own  indomitable  spirit,  he  started  in  connectiuu 
with  other  enterprises  in  the  real  estate  line.  As  the  business  in- 
creased Mr.  Weil  was  liberal  in  his  donations  to  charity,  so  at 
■present  it  is  an  exception  not  to  find  his  name  in  the  list  of  some 
deserving  charity  in  this  city.  In  his  contributions  he  makes  no 
distinction — he  gives  to  both,  Jewish  or  Christian.  Every  year 
he  sends  to  the  Mayor  of  his  native  town,  as  well  as  to  the 
president  of  the  Jewish  congregations,  large  sums  of  money,  and 
engraved  resolutions  of  thanks  have  been  presented  to  him  by 
the  recipients  of  his  benevolence.  Emmendinger  has  conferred 
upon  him  the  title  of  Honorary  Citizen.  In  memory  of  his 
father  he  erected  a  synagogue  in  East  Sixty-seventh  Street,  be- 
tween Third  and  Lexington  Avenues,  which  bears  his  name.  It 
is  an  edifice  worthy  -even  of  Greater  New  York.  In  lliis 
synagogue  there  is  also  a  Hebrew  free  school  with  about  250 
pupils,  many  of  whom  are  poor,  but  are  well  taken  care  of.  He 
is  the  centre  around  whom  the  uptown.  Jewish  orthodox  move- 
ments gravitate.  Some  time  ago,  with  his  brother,  Samuel  Weil, 
and  his  brother-in-law,  Ferdinand  Sulzberger,  he  contributed  a 
considerable  part  of  the  money  for  the  foundation  of  an  orphan 
asylum  in  Baden.  His  highest  ambition  has  been  realized  in 
the  founding  of  Lebanon  Hospital,  to  which  he  gave  $10,000  in 
money,  and  donated  the  property,  valued  at  $15,000,  upon  which 
the  Training  School  for  Nurses  has  been  erected.  This  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  finest  of  its  kind,  with  all  modern  improve- 
ments and  containing  forty-five  rooms  and  a  large  hall  for  lec- 
tures, etc.  Aside  from  the  above  donations,  Mr.  Weil  gives  his 
undivided  attention  and  energy  to  soliciting  outside  aid  for  the 
welfare  and  maintenance  of  this  institution,  of  which  he  is  the 
president.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Zichren  Ephraim  Syna- 
gogue, of  which  his  son-in-law,  Rev.  Dr.  Benard  Drachman,  is 
the  spiritual  head.  His  home  is  in  East  Seventy-fifth  Street, 
near  Madison  Avenue,  and  contains  everything  cultured  taste 
and  desire  for  real  family  life  could  require.  Mr.  Weil  has  two 
sons,  Benjamin  and  Louis,  who  are  bright  business  men,  and 
are  members  of  the  firm  of  Weil  &  Mayer. 


SIDNEY  R,  WALKER  real  estate  operator,  of  743  East 
141st  Street,  is  a  life-long  resident  of  the  Bronx,  and  knows  its 
property  interests  from  "A  to  Izzard."  He  was  born  here  Sep- 
tember 7,  1872.  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
City  CoUe.^e.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Club,  the  Borough  Club  and  the  Almirantis;  also  of  the 
Brownson  Catholic  Club,  and  is  at  present  a  member  and  chairimn 
cf  the  Borough  Board  of  Education.  He  married,  September 
nS,  1897,  Miss  Agnes  M.  Kehoe.  They  have  three  children,  Sid 
ney  R.,  Jr.,  Joseph  S.  and  .^gnes  M. 

CHARLES  ALBERT  BERRIAN  has  been  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  New-  York  City  since  1870,  and  is  espe- 
cially an  expert  on  realty  values  in  the  23d  and  24th  Wards — the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  subdivided  many  of  the  old  farms  in 
this  section,  and  disposed  of  them  as  building  lots.  During  the 
past  ten  years  he  has  been  almost  exclusively  engaged  in  making 
appraisals  of  property  values  either  for  the  city  of  New  York  or 
for  private  owners.  His  services  to  the  city  include  the  con- 
demnation of  property  for  the  Jerome  Park  Reservoir,  as  well  as 
properties  for  the  Grand  Boulevard  and  Concourse,  the  famous 
avenue  and  driveway  projected  on  a  scale  surpassing  anything 
existing  in  any  other  city  in  the  world.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Republican  County  Committee  of  New  York  County  for 
several  years,  and  frequently  has  been  a  delegate  to  county,  city 
and  State  conventions.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Conven- 
tion which  nominated  Governor  Morton,  and  of  the  City  Con- 
vention which  nominated  Mayor  Strong.  He  has  held  the  office 
of  LTnited  States  Custom  House  Auctioneer  under  President  Har- 
rison's administration,  and  continues  to  hold  it  to  the  present 
time.  He  was  for  two  years  president  of  the  Fordham  Club,  and 
is  now  chairman  of  its  executive  committee.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  Club  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  Union 
Republican  Club  of  the  Bronx ;  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade, 
rnd  the  Auctioneers'  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York;  di- 
rector of  the  Bronx  Borough  Bank,  and  trustee  of  the  recently 
organized  Bronx  Savings  Bank,  and  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Creston  Company  (real  estate)  ;  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  for  thirty-five  years.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City. 
January  30,  1845,  the  son  of  the  late  Philip  H.  Berrian  and 
Phebe,  daughter  of  Captain  John  Marshall.  His  father,  who  was 
long  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  New  York  City,  was 
a  resident  of  Fordham,  as  was  his  grandfather,  Charles  Berrian. 
The  first  of  his  ancestors  to  settle  at  Fordham,  Nicholas  Berrian, 
was  one  of  the  sons  of  Cornelius  Berrian,  who,  in  1727,  bought 
Berrian  Island.  He  was  the  son,  in  turn,  of  John  Berrian  and 
Ruth  Edsall,  and  grandson  of  Cornelius  Jansen  Berrian  and 
Junnetie  Stryker.  The  family  is  of  French  Huguenot  anteced- 
ents, hailing  from  Berrien,  Department  of  Finisterre,  France. 
They  were  driven  to  Holland  by  religious  persecution,  and  from 
the  latter  country  Cornelius  Jansen  Berrian  immigrated  to  New 
.Amsterdam,  settling  in  Flatbush,  L.  I.,  as  early  as  l66o.  He  was 
deacon  and  town  official,  and  in  1683  commissioner  to  levy  a 
special  tax  by  appointment  of  the  New  York  Colonial  Assembly. 
Mr.  Charles  A.  Berrian  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at 
Farnham  Preparatory  Institute,  Beverly.  N.  J.  He  became  clerk 
in  a  banking  house  in  New  York  City,  and  for  several  years  was 
secretary  of  the  Ashburton  Coal  Company.  During  the  next 
three  years  he  held  the  office  of  Deputy  County  Clerk  of  Suffolk 
County.  New  York.  He  was  married,  January  30,  1867,  to  Susan 
.Almy,  daughter  of  Stephen  C.  Rogers,  of  Huntington,  L.  I., 
where  the  family  had  been  seated  for  many  generations.  Mr. 
Rogers  was  for  seventeen  years  Supervisor  of  his  town,  and  for 
three  years  County  Clerk  of  Suffolk  County,  New  York.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Berrian  have  two  daughters,  Maria  Augusta,  wife  of 


^^^^Hti^.       ^ 

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II 

MATTHEW    ANDERSON 


WILLIAM    G.    WATT 


THOMAS    GREENLEES 


WILLIAM    GREENLEES 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


249 


James  B.  Sheldon,  of  Brooklyn,  and  Sarah  Rogers,  wife  of  VVil 
iiam  B.  Smith,  of  New  York. 

WILLIAM  SIMPSON,  one  of  the  most  active  contractors 
and  builders  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  March,  1874,  and  was  educated  at  the  pubhc  schools, 
and  studied  mechanical  drawing  at  the  Peter  Cooper  Institute, 
and  arcliitecture  at  Munton's  School  of  Architecture.  In  1896, 
he  commenced  business  for  himself  as  a  builder  and  general 
contractor;  having  been  thoroughly  trained  for  this  character  of 
work,  he  entered  vigorously  into  it,  and  has  been  successful  in  all 
of  his  ventures  and  undertakings.  He  built  the  three-story, 
twenty-room  frame  house,  50x150,  on  Melrose  and  Belmont 
Avenues,  a  five-story  Hat  house  at  164th  Street  and  College  Ave- 
nue, and  a  large  store  at  119th  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  50x90, 
two  stories.  In  his  general  contracting  business,  he  has  aided 
largely  in  the  development  of  the  great  Borough,  and  in  the  mean- 
time has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  advancement  of  all 
public  improvements.  An  enterprising  citizen,  he  has  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  all  with  whom  lie  has  had  business  rela- 
tions. Mr.  Simpson  was  married  in  June,  1900,  and  has  two 
children,  Raymond  and  Wilhelmina  Simpson.  He  is  an  active 
member  of  the  Building  Trades  Employers'  Association,  and 
Gavel  Lodge,  F.  A.  M. 

MATTHEW  ANDERSON.— Prominent  among  those  in  the 
Bronx  who  have  been  active  in  advancing  the  progress  of  the 
great  district  beyond  the  Harlem  River,  is  Mr.  Matthew  Ander- 
son, widely  known  and  held  in  much  esteem  for  his  high  standard 
of  integrity  and  strict  business  principles.  Mr.  Anderson  was 
born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  March  I,  1841,  coming  to  this  country 
when  a  boy,  and  residing  in  New  York  and  vicinity  ever  since. 
He  was  a  pupil  in  the  old  Ninth  Street  public  school,  Manhat- 
tan, and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  took  up  the  leather  business 
as  a  vocation  with  the  firm  of  Thos.  Scott  &  Sons,  remaining 
with  them  until  1863,  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
He  then  embarked  in  the  oil  business,  and  was  connected  with 
several  large  firms  in  the  manufacture  of  refined  oil,  continuing 
in  that  line  until  1870.  That  year  he  returned  to  the  leather 
trade  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  following  it  up  to  1875,  when  he  moved 
back  to  New  York  and  settled  in  the  Bronx.  From  that  time 
until  1883  he  was  engaged  in  several  industrial  pursuits,  and  in 
that  year  began  in  the  real  estate  business,  a  line  he  has  pursued 
very  successfully  ever  since.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  discern 
the  great  future  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  and  one  of  the 
first  to  take  advantage  of  its  growth  and  possibilities.  He  has 
devoted  himself  strictly  to  business,  and  has  the  management  of 
several  large  estates,  taking  entire  charge  of  properties,  rents,  and 
collects,  negotiates  loans  on  bond  and  mortgage,  and  is  the  regu- 
lar broker  for  a  number  of  capitalists.  Mr.  Anderson  has  been 
a  notary  for  the  past  eighteen  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and  in  1886  was  an  active  member  of 
the  "Reformed  Men's  Temperance  Union,"  also  of  the  Reform 
Club,  giving  much  of  his  valuable  time  to  those  organizations. 
He  was  one  of  the  seven  organizers  of  the  "North  Side  Board  of 
Trade,"  and  has  continued  an  executive  officer  of  that  body, 
and  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  all  its  undertakings.  He 
is  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Association  of  Bronx  Real 
Estate  Brokers,  and  is  its  treasurer.  Aside  from  the  above  or- 
ganizations, he  is  affiliated  with  other  local  movements.  In  1891 
he  was  tendered  the  nomination  for  Alderman  of  the  23d  Ward 
on  the  Prohibition  ticket,  but  declined  the  honor.  In  1893  he  ran 
for  Street  Improvement  Commissioner  against  Louis  J.  Heintz. 
He  is  an  independent  in  politics.     He  was  also  vice-president  of 


the  Mott  Haven  Improvement  Association,  and  through  his 
energy,  after  a  number  of  years,  the  Mott  Haven  Canal  was 
closed.  Mr.  Anderson  has  been  married  twice;  his  first  mar- 
riage was  to  Miss  Fannie  E.  Wygant,  in  1889.  by  whom  he  had 
no  issue.  The  second  was  to  Miss  Louise  E.  Brintnall,  in  1892. 
Four  children  were  the  offspring  of  this  union,  William  B., 
Adrienne  L.   (deceased),  Matthew  A.  and  Robert  E. 

WILLIAM  G.  WATT,  real  estate  agent  and  insurance 
broker,  with  offices  located  at  106  East  125th  Street,  Manhattan, 
is  a  native  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  and  a  graduate  of  the  New  York 
public  schools.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city  for  the  past 
forty-five  years,  and  has  resided  in  the  Bronx  for  twenty  years. 
He  is  a  Republican  politically,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  politics.  In  IQ05  he  received  the  nomination  from  the 
Republican  and  Citizens'  Union  for  Alderman  in  the  38th  Alder- 
manic  District,  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  Is  a  inember  of  the  Re 
publican  Club,  and  ha.s  Iiecn  identified  with  the  organization  for 
many  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mohawk  Athletic  Club, 
the  leading  athletic  body  of  the  Borough,  and  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Bronx  Board  of  Real  Estate  Brokers.  He  is  a  widower 
without  children.  Mr.  Watt  was  an  instructor  in  the  male  de- 
partment New  York  Catholic  Protectory — Industrial  branch — 
some  eighteen  years.  He  is  now  superintendent  and  managei 
of  the  Suburban  Land  Improvement  Company,  and  is  largely 
interested  in  other  Bronx  property.  He  is  also  secretary  of  the 
Mount  Morris  Co-operative  Building  and  Loan  Association.  Mr 
V/att,  as  the  name  indicates,  is  of  Scotch  descent,  and  very  proud 
of  it.  He  is  the  son  of  Archibald  Watt,  of  Dalkeith.  His 
mother,  Mrs.  Margaret  Watt,  has  been  one  of  the  largest,  most 
enterprising  and  most  persistent  buyers  of  borough  property,  and 
events  have  certainly  justified  her  faith  and  judgment  of  it. 

THOMAS  GREENLEES,  building  contractor,  of  the  Bronx, 
located  at  Fourth  Avenue  and  219th  Street,  Williainsbridge, 
is  a  brother  of  Wm.  Greenlees,  of  the  same  line.  They  were 
forinerly  in  partnership,  but  dissolved.  Both  have  been  emi- 
nently successful  apart.  Mr.  Thomas  Greenlees  was  born  in 
Renfrewshire,  Scotland,  in  1854,  and  was  sent  to  school  in  the 
parish  of  Lochwinnoch.  He  was  apprenticed  to  carpentry  in  the 
old  country,  and  landed  here  twenty-five  years  ago  a  finished 
mechanic.  Not  long  after  that  we  find  him,  with  the  connyness 
of  his  race,  embarked  in  business  on  his  own  account ;  result, 
prosperity  as  we  have  stated.  Mr.  Greenlees  built  the  Mile  Squair 
Reformed  Lutheran  Church  at  Yonkers  in  1899;  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Family  at  Unionport  in  1897;  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Williamsbridge  in  1904;  the  residence  of  Jos.  Buehler, 
on  Park  Avenue,  in  1902,  and  has  constructed,  in  Williamsbridge 
and  surroundings,  over  300  residences  and  cottages.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  Westchester  Exempt 
Firemen's  Association.  On  January  29,  1885,  he  married  Miss 
Mary  A.  Crawford.  They  have  five  children  living,  three  girls 
and  two  boys. 

WILLIAM  GREENLEES,  who,  as  a  builder  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale,  has  contributed  much  to  the  development  of  the 
Bronx,  was  born  in  Scotland  forty-six  years  ago.  He  learned  his 
trade  there,  mastering  it,  as  required  in  the  old  country,  to  the 
minutest  details- — even  to  cabinet-making,  which  is  a  separate 
branch  of  the  business  here  entirely.  He  came  to  this  country 
twenty  years  ago.  and  settled  in  the  Bronx  in  1889.  At  first  he 
worked  at  the  trade  by  the  day.  but  when  he  moved  to  this 
Borough  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  and,  taking 


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ALBERT    ROTHERMEL 


JOHN    FLEMING 


PETER    STEPHEN    O   HARA 


JOHN    L.    0  HARA 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


25t 


contracts  in  the  Bronx,  soon  met  with  uncommon  success.  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  1892,  and  each  one  going  it  alone, 
they  have  found  the  field  ample  for  both.  Our  subject  has  found 
his  specialty,  one  and  two-family  houses,  a  particularly  profitable 
line.  Mr.  Greenlees  lives  in  good  style  in  the  VVoodlavvn  sec- 
tion of  the  borough.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  there,  and  treasurer  of  its  building  fund.  He  belongs 
to  Woodlawn  Council,  Royal  Arcanum,  and  has  been  its  treasurer 
ever  since  it  started  in  1902.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  "Clan 
McKenzie."  In  politics  he  is  an  independent.  He  married,  in 
1894,  Miss  Isabella  Lawrence,  a  young  lady  of  the  Bronx.  They 
have  one  child,  a  girl,  Marion  Isabella.  In  1903  Mr.  Greenlees, 
having  attained  what  may  be  regarded  a  liberal  measure  of  for- 
tune in  his  business,  took,  with  his  family,  an  extended  tour 
through  Europe,  visiting,  of  course,  the  old  home,  and  meeting 
there  his  brothers  and  sisters,  while  he,  for  his  part,  renewed  old 
friendships  and  acquaintance,  a  pleasure,  indeed,  on  both  sides, 
after  so  long  an  absence. 

ALBERT  ROTHERMEL,  born  in  Yorkville  January  29, 
1874,  but  a  resident  of  the  Bron.x  for  ten  years  past,  has  been 
cne  of  the  leading  architects  and  speculative  builders  of  the 
borough.  He  attended  Public  School  No.  37  as  a  boy,  and  took 
a  High  School  course  in  architecture  at  Kaiserslantern  and  Karls- 
ruhe, Germany.  He  studied  the  building  art  also  at  the  New- 
York  Trade  School  and  under  several  of  the  leading  architects 
of  New  York  City.  Mr.  Rothermel  is  also  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business,  which,  in  fact,  is  his  principal  occupation,  at  68t; 
and  688  East  149th  Street,  His  place  there  is  new  and  one  of 
the  most  complete  in  this  part  of  town.  He  makes  a  specialty 
of  tools,  cutlery,  builders'  and  shelf  hardware,  and  is  building  up 
a  handsome  trade.  Mr.  Rothermel  belongs  to  the  Schnorer  and 
Bronx  Clubs;  the  Arion  Society;  the  Manhattan  Club,  and  to 
the  Lebanon  Hospital  Association.  He  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Bronx  Borough  Benedicts  January  29,  1902,  taking  for  bet- 
ter half  on  that  occasion  a  lady  of  Chicago,  Miss  Tessie  Wos- 
stick.  This  union  has  proven  an  exceptionally  happy  one.  Two 
children,  Albert  and  John,  are  the  fruits  of  it. 

JOHN  FLEMING,  a  well  known  contractor,  was  born  in 
the  County  of  Kerry,  Ireland,  1856.  At  the  age  of  16  he  emi- 
grated to  this  city  full  of  ambition,  pluck  and  energy,  which 
he  exercised  to  such  an  extent  that  in  a  few  years  he  became  one 
of  the  most  successful  contractors  in  the  country.  In  the  year 
1880  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Charles  A.  Brown,  under 
the  firm  name  of  the  "Fleming-Brown  Contracting  Co."  The 
operations  of  the  firm  were  very  extensive  and  profitable  in 
the  Bronx  and  in  other  parts  of  Manhattan  Island.  In  1903 
this  partnership  terminated,  Mr.  Fleming  continuing  the  busi- 
ness with  ofiices  at  155  Broadway,  where  he  is  in  touch  with 
large  corporations  and  financiers,  who  require  important  work 
to  be  done  by  an  experienced  contractor.  Mr.  Fleming  married 
Margaret  Tiernan,  daughter  of  Francis  Tiernan,  a  highly  re- 
spected citizen  of  Long  Island  City.  Two  sons  were  born  of 
this  marriage,  David,  deceased,  and  John,  who  was  born  in  1886, 
resides  with  his  father  at  the  family  residence,  1225  Lexington 
.\venue.  New  York  City,  Mrs.  Fleming  having  died  in  1898.  In 
politics  Mr.  Fleming  is  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
Club;  also  a  member  of  the  General  Committee  of  the  13th 
.\ssembly  District,  Tammany  Hall,  the  .Mc;onr|uin  Club,  Chico- 
pee  Club  and  various  other  organizations. 

ALBERT  P.  MESSINGER,  one  of  the  most  noted  real  estate 
operators  and  owners  in  the  Bronx,  began  in  that  line  about 
fifteen   years  ago,   and   has   meanwhile   acquired    some   very   fine 


properties.  He  lives  in  a  style  becoming  his  fortune,  in  one  of 
the  handsome  homes  on  Palisade  Place,  Morris  Heights,  one  of 
the  most  picturesque  residence  parts  of  the  metropolis.  Mr.  Mes- 
singer  was  born  in  New  York  in  1842,  and  though  now  past 
three  score,  exhibits  an  appearance  of  health  and  strength  that 
would  be  creditable  to  a  man  many  years  younger.  This  fact  he 
ascribes  to  his  early  experience  and  training  in  athletics.  He  w;is 
once  a  celebrated  gymnast,  well  known  both  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  but  abandoned  that  line  some  thirty  years  or  more  ago, 
to  take  up  a  business  calling.  Mr.  Messinger  is  a  product  of  the 
New  Y'ork  public  schools.  He  married  Miss  Dora  Harf,  of  New 
York,  in  1902,  and  has  one  child  by  a  former  wife,  a  daughter. 
He  has  been  resident  in  the  Bronx  about  three  years.  Though 
not  specially  active  politically,  he  subscribed  to  Democratic  prin- 
ciples and  policies. 


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ALBERT    P.    MESSINGER 

JOHN  L.  O'HARA,  real  estate  agent  of  the  Bedford  Park 
district  of  the  Bronx,  is  one  of  the  firm  of  O'Hara  Bros., 
auctioneers  and  appraisers,  and  leading  real  estate  men  of  that 
vicinity.  They  began  five  or  six  yeais  ago  there  and  have 
earned  a  great  reputation  as  hustlers  and  experts.  They  give 
special  attention  to  the  district  north  of  177th  Street,  and  not 
only  to  property  interests  there,  but  to  the  w^ell  being  of  the 
whole  section — to  taxes,  street  improvements,  rapid  transit, 
schools,  even  to  matters  of  amusement  and  charity.  They  make 
a  specialty  of  handling  real  estate  and  real  estate  interests,  as 
loans  for  instance,  in  the  Bronx  and  Westchester.  Mr.  John 
L.  O'Hara,  junior  in  the  firm,  is  25  and  unmarried.  He  was 
born  in  Manhattan,  but  came  to  the  Bronx  in  early  youth.  He 
is  a  graduate  of  old  Fordham  School  64,  and  of  the  Evening  High 
School  at  125th  Street,  Harlem;  also  of  Brooklyn  Law  School  of 


JOHN    F.    GHEE 


BENJAMIN     FRANKLIN     MC  QUAY 


MARTIN    L.    HENRY 


GEORGE    PRICE 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


253 


St.  Lawrence  University,  receiving  his  B./^.,  and  Member  of 
Bar;  also  of  Fordham  College,  of  whose  alumni  and  Brooklyn 
Theta  Phi  fraternity  he  is  a  member.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Bedford  Park  Association  and  the  Bronx  Board  of  Real 
Estate  Brokers,  and  Superintendent  of  Lectures  for  the  Board 
of  Education.  He  is  a  very  busy,  forceful  and  energetic  young 
man,  in  short,  \vhen  Mr.  J.  L.  O'Hara  started  in  real  estate 
business  on  the  Southern  Boulevard,  near  Webster  Avenue,  it  was 
a  one-story  building  and  his  determination  was  that  he  would 
either  own  or  not  own  the  100x114  feet  plot  with  three-story 
buildings  on  the  same,  and  in  which  he  has  successfully  captured 
his  prize,  overthrowing  all  obstacles.  He  then  moved  to  2971 
Webster  Avenue  and  200th  Street,  which  is  his  main  office,  and 
Diie  can  always  find  his  office  open  every  day  from  7  :30  a.  m.  to 
10  p.  m. ;  also  on  Sundays  for  accommodation  to  prospective 
investors.  As  well  as  local  interests  in  the  Bronx,  he  has  an 
office  in  51  Chambers  Street  and  for  the  benefit  of  Manhattan 
c|)erators,  which  are  extensive.  He  is  heavily  interested  in  insur- 
auce  matters  as  well.  One  of  his  whole  ambitions  was  to  have  "1: 
Bedford  Park  one  of  the  largest  up-to-date  halls,  for  parties  and 
assemblages  of  all  descriptions  and  to  be  held  under  his  watchful 
eye,  so  as  to  make  it  a  grand  success.  This  hall  is  centrally- 
located  on  the  south  side  of  200th  Street  and  Webster  Avenue 
Bedford  Park.  His  main  forethought  was  how  can  the  public 
reach  the  same  from  Manhattan,  Bronx  or  Westchester  County ; 
for  instance,  from  Manhattan  by  either  subway  to  I4gth  Street 
and  Third  Avenue  Elevated  to  Bronx  Park  in  thirty-five  min- 
utes; also  from  Yonkers  by  trolley  in  thirly-five  minutes  and 
Mount  Vernon  or  New  Rochelle  in  thirty  minutes,  being  a])le 
to  accommodate  a  friend  from  Yonkers  to  meet  at  his  hall,  and 
a  friend  from  Manhattan,  having  equal  time  for  both  to  come 
and  go  to  their  homes.     This  hall  will  accommodate  1,500  people. 

PETER  STEPHEN  O'HARA  is  the  senior  member  of  thc- 
firm  of  O'Hara  Bros.,  live  and  busy  real  estate  men  of  Bedford 
.Park  and  vicinity.  He  is  a  lawyer,  also,  chiefly  engaged  in  real 
estate  practice.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Fordham  Public  School  No. 
64,  of  the  Evening  High  School  in  Harlem,  and  of  St.  John's 
College,  a  member  of  the  Fordham  Club,  Taxpayers'  Alliance  and 
the  Bedford  Park  Taxpayers,  the  Bronx  Real  Estate  Brokers' 
.Association,  and  Fordham  College  Alumni  and  member  of  Nortli 
Side  Board  of  Trade.  He  is  30  years  old,  a  native  of  Man- 
hattan, but  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  from  boyhood,  and  is  un- 
married. He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Jeffer- 
son Club  and  of  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee.  His 
firm  has  made  a  great  success  of  their  business.  They  are  ap- 
praisers and  auctioneers  and  general  sales  and  rental  agents  and 
brokers,  handling  acreage  in  Westchester  and  tracts,  improved 
and  unimproved,  anywhere  in  the  Bronx,  though  their  business 
is  chiefly  in  the  district  north  of  Tremont.  They  have  the  man- 
agement of  more  than  twenty  estates,  embracing  interests  of  $1,- 
500,000  or  more,  most  of  it  income  property.  They  are  modern 
and  progressive  and,  realizing  the  influence  of  improvements  on 
real  estate  values,  are  agitators  steadily  for  schools,  fire  houses, 
street  opening,  rapid  transit,  public  pleasure  grounds  and  all  that. 
They  have  been  foremost,  in  fact,  in  the  development  of  their 
part  of  the  city.  They  have  two  offices,  a  real  estate  and  law 
office  at  51  Chambers  Street,  Manhattan,  established  in  1894;  an 
office  at  Webster  Avenue  and  200th  Street,  north  of  the  elevated 
station. 

CHARLES  B.  COULTER,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
lawyers  and  real  estate  agents  of  the  Bronx,  and  the  son  of 
the  laic  Alexander  il.  Coulter,  a  well  known  and  highly  respected 


Litizen,  and  Lvdia  A.  Coulter,  a  lady  of  high  social  standing, 
was  born  in  New  York  City  on  March  23,  1863.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  City  and  also  by  pri- 
vate tutors.  Having  been  properly  prepared,  he  entered  the 
New  York  University  Law  School,  where  he  graduated  with 
honors  and  immediately  thereafter  commenced  the  practice  of 
law,  which  he  has  successfully  conducted  and  up  to  this  period 
has  been  identified  with  a  large  number  of  important  legal  and 
ital  estate  litigations,  in  which  he  has  been  remarkably  success- 
ful. Always  a  close  and  industrious  student,  watchful  and 
zealous  of  his  clients'  interests,  with  a  keen,  calculating  and  pene- 
trating mind,  lucid,  descriptive  and  characteristically  eloquent  in 
his  pleadings,  or  briefs  before  the  courts,  he  has  secured  the 
confidence  of  the  judiciary  and  his  fellow  members  of  the  bar. 
As  a  real  estate  lawyer  and  active  agent  for  the  sale  and  ex- 
change of  properties  ho  stands  pre-einineiil  aniDUg  his  colleagues 


CHARLES    E.    COULTER 

and  his  large  clientage  tor  his  thorough  legal  acumen,  his  devo- 
tion to  his  clients  and  his  uprightness,  strict  integrity  and  his 
great  success  in  estalilishing  the  justice  of  his  cause.  Mr. 
Coulter  is  personally  identified  with  the  management  and  de- 
velopment of  the  widely  known  Arthur  Manor  home  site  tract, 
located  at  Scarsdale,  Westchester  County.  Investors  who  pur- 
chase real  estate  from  him  have  the  advantage  of  his  legal 
attainments,  which  is  of  great  advantage  to  them.  He  is  by  blood 
related  to  the  well  known  Ferris,  Lent  and  Seymour  families  of 
the  upper  Bronx  and  Westchester  County,  who  have  always 
taken  rank  as  among  the  leading  families  of  Westchester.  Mr. 
Coulter  has  no  affiliations  with  political  societies  or  organiza- 
tions, and  has  never  aspired  to  political  favors,  having  devoted 
his  whole  life  since  his  graduation  to  his  legal  and  real  estate 
affairs,  which  he  has  conducted  so  successfully.     He  has  a  strong 


254 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


and  striking  personality,  is  genial  and  courteous  in  his  manners, 
vigorous  and  eloquent  in  his  pleadings,  legal  and  correct  in  his 
diagnosis,  a  lawyer  of  unquestioned  ability  and  an  ornament  to 
his  profession.  Mr.  Coulter  maintains  offices  both  in  the  Bronx 
and   Manhattan. 

MARTIN  L.  HENRY,  one  of  the  most  active  and  success- 
ful real  estate  operators  of  the  Bronx,  who  came  to  New  York 
City  twenty-seven  years  ago  with  a  capital  of  $250,  has  residcu 
in  this  borough  for  the  past  twelve  years;  his  capital  when  he 
removed  here  was  about  $1,000.  He  is  now  rated  worth  up- 
wards of  $100,000,  and  has  an  exceedingly  handsome  business  at 
1948  Bathgate  Avenue,  in  which  vicinity  he  operates  largely. 
Mr.  Henry  was  born  at  Henryville,  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  and 
is  an  example  of  the  self-made  man.  His  career  illustrates  also 
the  success  of  the  country  boy  in  town.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  where  he  was  born,  the  usual  four  months'  country  term 
a  year,  and  discontinued  attendance  at  eighteen;  yet  he  was 
able  to  pass  the  examinations  held  by  the  county  superintendent, 
and  taught  the  winter  terms  in  Monroe  County  until  he  was 
twenty-six.  Then  he  came  to  New  York  and  was  employed  by 
the  Second  Avenue  Railroad  for  two  years ;  then  was  appointed 
to  the  postal  service,  and  has  remained  in  it,  despite  his  large  out- 
side interests,  to  this  day,  a  matter  of  some  twenty-five  years. 
Mr.  Henry  is  a  Republican,  a  man  of  family,  and  identified  with 
the  Baptist  Church.  In  the  year  1880  Mr.  Henry  married  Miss 
Mary  E.  Keller,  of  Mountain  Home,  Pa.,  who  died  in  1886  after 
a  brief  illness,  being  survived  by  two  daughters.  Katie  E.  and 
Laura  F.  On  July  24.  1888,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Catherine 
Long,  of  Priceburg,  Monroe  County,  Pa.,  and  daughter  of  the 
late  Captain  Long  of  that  State.  The  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  son,  Martin  S.  S.  Long  Henry,  who  is  in  his  fifteenth 
year. 

GEORGE  PRICE,  real  estate  agent,  auctioneer,  broker  and 
appraiser,  of  728  East  l.^Sth  Street,  was  born  in  Birmingham. 
England,  December  29,  i860,  but  was  brought  up  and  attended 
school  in  New  York  City.  He  was  a  pupil  as  a  boy  of  Granmiar 
School  No.  l~,  at  East  Eighty-seventh  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue. 
He  has  been  living  in  the  borough  and  successfully  engaged  in 
business  here  about  twelve  years.  Mr.  Price  has  long  been  an 
active  man  in  the  Republican  party.  He  was  the  first  secretary 
and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Hell  Gate  Republican  Club.  He 
has  been  in  the  postal  service  and  has  had  also  considerable 
journalistic  experience.  He  was  publisher  of  the  New  York 
"Leader,"  and  for  nearly  two  years  edited  the  salt  water  depart- 
ment of  the  "Amateur  Sportsman,"  under  the  nom  de  flume 
"Salt  Water."  He  is  a  member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of 
Trade,  the  Association  of  Bronx  Real  Estate  Brokers,  and  the 
Auctioneers'  Association,  and  is  a  director  of  the  North  New 
York  Cooperative  Building  &  Loan  Association.  Also  vestry- 
man of  St.  Ann's  P.  E.  Church,  director  of  the  General  Church 
Club  of  the  Bronx,  organizer  and  president  for  four  years  of  the 
Men's  Club  of  St.  Ann's  Church  and  past  president  of  Ivy 
Lodge,  Sons  of  St.  George.  Mr.  Price  married  July  i,  1886, 
Miss  Josephine  Bond.  They  have  four  children,  two  girls  and 
two  boys. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  McQUAY,  real  estate  agent  and 
manager  of  estates,  located  in  the  Smith  Building,  148th  Street 
and  Third  Avenue,  was  born  at  Connicville,  Va.,  July  25,  1873. 
He  was  educated  at  the  public  school  of  his  native  place  and 
after  graduating,  entered  mercantile  life  in  Harrisonburg,  Va. 
Ten  years  ago  he  came  to  this  city,  located  in  the  Bronx  and 
chose   real   estate   as  his    future   profession.     During   this   period 


he  has  managed  a  great  number  of  important  transactions  for 
realty  owners  of  Bronx  and  other  properties,  and  has  acted  as 
manager  of  a  large  number  of  important  estates.  He  is  in  active 
touch  with  a  majority  of  the  most  influential  property  owners 
and  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  one  of  the  most  active  real 
estate  offices  in  the  Bronx.  On  March  2,  1901,  Mr.  McQuay 
married  Miss  Grace  Bleecker  Bache.  of  New  York  City.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  Rockingham  Union 
No.  27,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Knights  of  Honor,  also 
member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade.  Mr.  McQuay  was 
one  of  the  original  promoters  of  the  Association  of  Bronx  Real 
Estate  Brokers  and  served  as  temporary  chairman  of  that  body. 
On  December  20,  1904,  the  association  was  permanently  organized 
and  Mr.  McQuay  was  unanimously  elected  secretary  and  chair- 
man of  ways  and  means  committee. 

JOHN  F.  GHEE,  one  of  tlie  must  active  and  prosperous 
contractors  at  Westchester,  was  born  at  Bronxdale,  Westchester, 
N.  Y.,  November  20,  1864,  and  was  educated  there.  Entering  into 
business  life  he  chose  the  contracting  as  his  future  profession, 
and  through  his  more  than  ordinary  natural  talents,  has  made 
hnnself  a  reputation  of  the  highest  order,  for  his  genial  quali- 
ties, his  practical  knowledge  of  the  business,  and  the  absolute 
performance  of  his  agreements  with  his  large  and  influential 
clientage.  He  is  the  largest  and  most  active  dealer  of  West- 
chester and  vicinity  in  broken  stone,  building  stone,  ashes  and 
sand,  which  he  supplies  to  purchasers  in  any  quantity  and  per- 
forms his  agreements  in  a  satisfactory  manner  to  all  wlioni 
may  be  concerned.  Mr.  Ghee  is  a  gentleman  of  very  strikmg 
personality  and  being  a  native  to  the  manor  born  of  Westchester 
he  occcpies  a  position  of  high  standing  in  his  community  and 
ranks  as  one  of  its  first  and  most  enterprising  citizens.  On 
September  16,  1885,  Mr.  Ghee  married  Carrie  B.  Rogers, 
an  estimable  and  refined  lady,  the  daughter  of  Abraham  and 
-Mary  B.  Rogers.  The  result  of  this  happy  uiiiim  was  two 
children,  Ethel  M.  and  George  N.  Ghee,  both  of  whom  are 
living.  The  son  of  George  B.  and  Eleanor  Ghee,  John  F.  Ghee, 
was  raised  and  educated  by  his  parents  up  to  that  high  stand- 
ard of  moral  worth  that  prevailed  so  universally  among  the 
older  citizens  of  Westchester  County  years  ago.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Church,  the  Masonic  Order,  Wyoming 
Lodge,  492,  F.  &  K.  M.,  Westchester,  the  Chester  Hill  1.  O.  O.  F.. 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Chippewa  and  the  Merry  Five  Clubs. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  never  aspired  to  political 
honors.  He  is  essentially  domestic  in  his  habits  and  although 
one  of  the  busiest  contractors  in  Westchester,  spends  his 
leisure  hours  at  his  home  on  Poplar  Street,  Westchester,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  attractive  properties  in  the  old  village,  where 
he  enjoys   the  society  of  his   worthy  and  happy  family. 

AUGUST  HOEBERMANN  is  one  of  the  successful  mason- 
builders  of  this  borough.  During  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been 
a  ])rominent  figure  in  the  building  boom  which  has  made  the 
Bronx  the  cynosure  of  the  United  States.  He  has  been  largely 
identified  with  the  construction  of  many  of  the  noted  structures 
of  the  borough,  which  bear  evidence  of  conscientious  construc- 
tion. Mr.  Hoebeririann  was  liorn  in  New  York  City  in  1859,  but  his 
youth  and  part  of  his  early  manhood  were  spent  in  Germany, 
where  he  was  educated.  He  returned  to  this  country  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  and  at  once  entered  into  building  on  his  own 
account.  On  March  I,  1896,  he  married  Miss  Sophie  Meyer,  and 
from  this  union  has  resulted  five  children.  Charles,  Caroline. 
Louis,  Elizabeth,  and  August.  Jr.  Notwithstanding  his  activity 
in  building  operations,  Mr.  Hoeliennann,  like  a  good  citizen,  has 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


255 


found  time  to  keep  in  loucli  with  pnlilic  mntters  and  has  played 
a  conspicuous  part  in  political  affairs,  and  everything  that  would 
tend  to  the  development  of  the  borough  has  secured  his  hearty 
cooperation.  In  municipal  matters  he  has  been  largely  identified 
with  every  movement  that  had  as  its  object  in  view  purity  in  of- 
ficial management,  and  has  made  many  sacrifices  in  the  effort  to 
obtain  that  desired  end.  In  everything  which  he  has  undertaken 
be  has  shown  a  zeal  that  is  liighly  commendable. 

THE  AMERICAN  REAL  ESTATE  CO.— It  requires 
imagination  to  handle  real  estate  successfully  as  well  as  to  wri'e 
stories,  paint  pictures  or  carve  statues.  The  mind  of  the  suc- 
cessful operator  must  not  only  knovi'  the  past  and  master  the 
present,  but  it  must  also  be  capable  of  projection  into  the  future. 
It  must  deal  not  only  with  the  realities  of  to-day,  but  with  the 
possibilities  of  to-morrow;  it  must  not  only  consider  those 
things  which  are  seen,  but  must  weigh  and  measure  the  vaster 
potentialities  of  those  things  which  are  not  seen.  Si.K  years  ago 
far-seeing  eyes  in  the  management  of  the  American  Real  Estate 
Company,  the  oldest  and  one  of  the  most  successful   real  estate 


chase  of  land  along  the  route  of  the  new  line,  made  even  before 
the  awarding  of  the  contracts  for  construction.  To-day  with 
the  new  road  , in  full  operation,  with  the  ever  increasing  de- 
mand for  room  by  the  rapidly  growing  population  sweeping  to 
the  northward  and  crowding  upon  it,  the  convincing  tribute  of  tre- 
mendously increased  value  is  paid  to  the  quality  of  imagination 
in  real  estate  operation.  There  is  much  of  sentiment  as  well  as 
banjkable  value  covering  these  two  old  estates,  so  soon  to  be 
swallowed  up  in  the  great  city's  relentless  onward  march.  On 
these  rolling  hills  and  tree  covered  slopes  the  Indian  tribes 
found  favorite  abiding  place  when  the  first  white  men  raised 
the  flag  of  New  Amsterdam  on  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  Is- 
land, and  by  the  chiefs  of  these  friendly  tribes  the  original 
deeds  to  the  first  owners  were  signed.  There  were  many  more 
years  of  peace  for  this  beautiful,  untamed  wilderness,  broken 
(inly  by  the  lapping  of  the  waves  on  the  keel  of  a  canoe  in  the 
placid  Bronx  or  the  reverberations  of  a  musket  shot  through 
ihe  great  trees  as  some  hunter  sought  his  prey.  Then  came 
another  day,  the  day  of  the  new  republic  and  its  eager  activi- 
ties, of  the  growth  of  a  great  city  on   Manhattan  Island  and  of 


Two-family  Houses  under  Construction  by  the  American  Real  Estate  Company,  on  Faile  Street,  in  the  Hoc  Tract 


corporations  in  New  York,  found  virgin  soil  for  investment  in 
the  Hoe  and  Simpson  estates,  a  tract  of  eighty-six  acres  on  the 
south  side  of  Westchester  Avenue,  the  one  east  and  the  other 
west  of  Southern  Boulevard,  extending  eastward  to  the  Bronx 
River.  The  on  rushing  tides  of  population  from  the  south 
were  yet  far  from  its  boundaries.  Transportation  facilities 
were  slow  and  inadequate,  but  the  Rapid  Transit  Commissioners 
of  New  York  were  slowly  bringing  into  finished  form  the  stu- 
pendous plan  of  the  great  Subway,  with  an  elevated  branch 
bisecting  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  and  skirting  these  two 
estates  along  Westchester  Avenue.  'I'he  moment  was  at  hand 
for  the  seeing  eye  and  thinking  mind  to  master  the  logic  of  the 
situation.  First,  the  Subway  must  be  built.  Second,  it  must 
naturally  be  near  to  these  properties.  Third,  rapid  transit  from 
these  properties  must  vastly  increase  their  value.  It  all  seems 
simple  enough  now,  and  in  the  light  of  the  events  of  the  past 
year  the  marvel  is  that  more  real  estate  operators  did  not  see 
or  solve  this  plain  equation.     Yet  this  was  the  only  notable  pur- 


busy,  struggling  pioneers  in  the  great  business  growth  of  the 
new  nation  seeking  respite  from  its  storm  and  stress  in  the 
peace  and  beauty  of  untouched  Nature.  Here,  among  others, 
came  Richard  Hoe,  and  out  of  his  printing  press  fortune  he 
built  for  himself  a  spacious  mansion  and  surrounded  it  with  a 
magnificent  country  estate.  From  the  upper  windows  of  his 
splendid  home  the  owner  could  look  across  acres  of  hilly  wood- 
land and  grass-grown  valley,  up  and  down  the  winding  Bronx, 
out  to  the  great  Sound  and  the  populous  islands  at  the  South. 
For  many  years  this  hospitable  home  was  a  center  of  social 
life  and  interest  and  the  picturesque  estate,  beautiful  as  God 
had  made  it,  became  even  more  attractive  under  the  arts  of 
man.  Around  it  were  other  great  tnanorial  estates,  the  ele- 
gant country  homes  of  the  new-rich  New  Yorkers.  Tbough 
soon  to  be  but  a  thirty  minutes'  run  over  the  Subway  to  the 
City  Hall,  the  journey  of  the  country  gentleman  from  home 
lo  office  was  a  matter  of  hours  in  those  early  days.  By  carriage 
or  coach   the  trip   was   made  across  what  is  now  the  Borough 


SAMUEL    MATTHEW    PIPER 


E.     B.    0  CONNELL 


NATHAN    F.    VOUGHT 


HENRY    H.    VOUGHT 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


257 


of  the  Bronx  to  the  village  of  Mott  Haven  on  the  Harlem  River, 
where  a  peripatetic  steamer  bore  him  to  the  dock  at  the  foot 
of  Wall  street.  Then  came  the  steam  cars,  and  the  skirmish 
line  of  the  great  army  of  people  marshalled  for  the  day's  work 
in  the  busy  city  below ;  and  the  exclusive  country  gentleman 
sought  regions  more  remote  where  the  on-rush  of  men  and 
things  of  the  work-a-day  world  could  not  crowd  or  disturb 
him.  To-day  these  once  attractive  acres  are  living  in  another 
of  their  seven  ages.  The  great  trees  which  were  once  their 
pride  and  crowning  glory  have  been  felled ;  the  whole  surface 
of  the  rolling  land  stripped.  Paved  streets,  sewers,  water  and 
gas  mains  have  cut  and  scarred  its  once  fair  face,  and  the 
naked,  unadorned  rocks  stare  back  at  the  spectator.  The 
transition  from  suburban  to  urban  property  has  come.  As  sub- 
divided, tliere  are  now  in  this  tract  about  i.ooo  building  lots, 
in  the  direct  line  of  building  improvements  and  in  the  center 
of  the  greatest  trading  activity  the  real  estate  market  has 
known  in  years.  When  one  considers  that  the  purchase  price 
of  this  property  by  the  American  Real  Estate  Company  in  1899 
was  appro.\imately  $1,000,000,  and  then  figures  on  lot  values 
to-day  in  this  vicinity,  he  can  appreciate  the  value  of  that 
glimpse  behind  the  curtain  six  years  ago  to  the  expert  operators 
who  direct  this  company.  Within  thirty  days'  time  between 
this  purchase  and  the  signing  of  the  contract  for  the  Subway 
the  character  and  value  of  this  entire  tract  changed  from  coun- 
try to  city  property.  To-day  this  region  is  especially  favored 
from  a  transit  standpoint.  In  addition  to  the  Subway,  there  are 
two  well  equipped  surface  lines  on  Westchester  Avenue  and 
Southern  Boulevard,  and  the  rapid  transit  branch  of  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  ur  Hartford  Railroad  skirts  the  American 
Real  Estate  Company's  holdings  on  the  east  and  south,  with 
a  station  at  Hunt's  Point,  close  at  hand.  This  road  is  now  be- 
ing rebuilt  to  a  six-track  line,  with  four  tracks  to  be  devoted 
to  electric  rapid  transit.  The  physical  features  of  this  large 
tract  make  it  an  ideal  location  for  residences  and  apartment 
bouses.  It  is  situated  on  an  elevation  above  the  Bronx  River, 
thus  protected  from  the  intrusion  of  such  business  as  the  river 
may  bring,  and  favored  with  excellent  sanitary  conditions  as 
well  as  attractive  surroundings.  What  the  next  stage  in  its 
history  is  to  be,  the  unagination  can  more  easily  conceive. 
Here  will  rise  block  after  block  of  great  apartment  houses,  some 
of  them  with  stores  on  the  street  floor,  long  rows  of  five-story 
Hat  buildings,  two-famiiy  houses  and  doubtless  many  private 
residences.  Already  the  marvelously  growing  population  of  the 
great  city— 200,000  a  year — is  crowding  about  its  border  eager 
for  adiTiission.  The  operator  and  the  engineer  have  done  their 
work.  Now  comes  the  builder,  then  the  tenant ;  and  every  sug- 
gestion of  the  forest  primeval,  the  Indian's  haunts,  the  pioneer's 
trail,  the  suburban  home  will  he  l)uried  under  monuments  of 
masonry,  and  all  the  memories  and  traditions  of  other,  shall  we 
say  better,  days,  lost  in  the  madding  crowd. 

SAMUEL  MATTHEW  PIPER,  president  O'Connell-Piper 
Co.,  the  most  prominent  contractors  in  marble  and  tiling  at 
present  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Quincy,  Illi- 
nois, March  26,  1866,  and  after  finishing  at  the  public  school  at 
Charleston,  Illinois,  he  was  sent  to  the  famous  De  Pauw  Uni- 
versity at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  where  he  graduated  with  honors. 
Leaving  the  University,  he  entered  into  the  wholesale  lumber 
business  at  St.  Louis  and  acted  as  purchasing  agent,  travelling 
all  over  the  pineries  of  the  Great  Northwest  and  the  Southern 
States,  meeting  with  unprecedented  success  in  all  of  his  larger 
transactions.     He  then  concluded  to  establish  himself  in  business 


on  his  own  account,  and  purchased  a  cotifin  manufactory  for  $50,- 
000,  paying  down  $1,000  m  cash,  and  assuming  the  payment  of 
the  balance,  which  he  accomplished  through  his  practical  busi- 
ness methods,  his  enterprise  and  indefatigable  energy.  In  1898 
Mr.  Piper  organized  the  Piper  Carriage  Co.  of  St.  Louis,  in 
which  they  were  specialty  builders  of  surreys  and  spring  wagons, 
and  for  a  few  years  met  with  extraordinary  success,  having  a 
large  demand  for  his  vehicles  throughout  the  entire  South  and 
West ;  so  firmly  was  his  company  intrenched  and  so  general 
was  the  demand  for  their  goods  that  a  number  of  gentlemen 
formed  a  syndicate,  to  whom  the  Piper  Co.  sold  out  their  ex- 
tensive plant  to  the  above.  In  the  spring  of  1904  Mr.  Piper  came 
to  New  York  City  and  immediately  formed  the  present  co- 
partnership with  Mr.  E.  B.  O'Connell,  who  for  the  past  thirteen 
years  has  been  identified  with  the  marble  and  tile  business  in  the 
Bronx.  Immediately  Mr.  Piper  made  his  strong  personality 
and  business  push  felt.  The  marble  works  were  entirely  recon- 
structed, an  additional  store  building  was  erected,  and  machinery 
of  the  best  and  most  modern  manufacture  was  set  up  in  the  new 
building,  and  every  other  convenience  necessary  for  shaping  and 
finishing  of  marble  was  added  to  the  plant,  which  places  it  in 
the  front  rank  and  at  the  head  of  this  character  of  industry  in 
the  Bronx.  These  improvements  permit  his  firm  to  take  con- 
tracts for  all  kinds  of  interior  marble  work,  as  well  as  slate,  tiling 
and  mosaic.  At  present  Mr.  Piper  has  contracts  for  furnishing 
with  marble  and  tiling  many  of  the  most  important  buildings  in 
the  City  of  New  York.  In  politics  Mr.  Piper  is  a  Republican ; 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  of  Tuscan  Lodge, 
No.  369,  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  was  married  Janu- 
ary 17,  1894,  to  Miss  Ruby  Shotwell,  a  highly  cultivated  lady, 
of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  has  two  children,  James  and  George, 
both  living.  Through  Mr.  Piper's  advent  into  the  Bronx  the 
great  and  growing  borough  has  received  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  men  of  the  present  day. 

NATH.^N  F.  VOLIGHT,  architect  and  Iniilder,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Voughl  Brothers,  whose  fine  suite  of  offices  are 
located  at  No.  112  West  Forty-second  Street,  New  York  City, 
was  born  Noveniljer  28,  1858,  at  Cornwall-on-Hudson.  His 
education  received  its  foundation  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
place  of  nativity,  graduating  from  the  high  school.  In  1874  he 
took  up  the  study  of  architecture,  as  well  as  that  of  law.  For 
the  past  eighteen  years  Mr.  Vought  has  been  a  resident  of  Bronx 
Borough.  In  1891  the  present  firm  Vought  Brothers,  builders 
and  architects,  established  a  large  mill  in  the  Bronx,  a  plant 
which  they  still  own  and  operate.  For  many  years  the  firm 
have  been  active  in  buying  and  selling  real  estate  throughout  the 
Boroughs  of  Manhattan  and  Bronx  and  with  each  succeeding 
year  their  business  has  enjoyed  a  steady  increase.  Their  build- 
ing operations  have  been  extensive,  among  some  of  the  more  im- 
portant recent  structures  are  the  new  French  Hospital  in  West 
Thirty-fourth  Street;  Miss  Osborne's  new  building,  Nos.  24  and 
26  East  Forty-sixth  Street ;  Schinasi  Brothers'  handsome  stables 
in  West  looth  Street;  Mr.  Middleton  Burrow's  mansion  at  36 
East  Thirty-eighth  Street ;  Mr.  Payne  Whitney's  country  house 
at  Manhassett,  L.  I. :  Mr.  Winthrop  Rutherford's  house  at 
Allamnchcy,  N.  J. ;  Ralph  Preston's  home  at  Jericho,  L.  I. ; 
Arnold  B.  Hewes'  residence  at  No.  26  West  Seventy-second 
Street,  and  many  others  of  a  similar  class.  The  firm  have  made 
many  influential  friends,  and  stand  at  the  pinnacle  in  their 
profession.  They  are  progressive  and  public  spirited  and  have 
always  been  foremost  in  adopting  new  and  modern  ideas  in 
everything  connected  with  architecture  and  building.  Mr. 
Vought,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a  member  of  the  Building 


CHARLES    WAKEFIELD    TARBOX 


MICHAEL    VARIAN 


WILLIAM     HONAN     KEATING 


MARTIN     WALTER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


259 


Trades'  Club,  United  Republican  Club,  Parish  Club  and  Congre- 
gational Club.  In  politics  he  is  an  Independent  Republican.  He 
has  never  sought  or  held  any  political  office.  "Frank"  Vought, 
the  name  he  is  generally  known  by,  has  been  a  devotee  to  ath- 
letic sports,  the  same  as  his  brother,  and  has  won  laurels  as  an 
amateur  oarsman  and  has  some  thirty  or  forty  medalions  emble- 
matic of  his  ability  as  a  sprinter.  Being  an  active  and  sharp 
business  man  and  having  studied  law,  he  has  been  sought  after 
by  his  political  friends,  who  are  unable  to  induce  him  to  accept 
nomination.  On  October  26,  1886,  he  married  Miss  Nellie  Lee- 
ming;  three  children,  all  living  have  blessed  the  union.  The 
children  are  Margaret,  aged  18  years:  Emma  E.,  aged  13  years, 
and  Florence,  aged  5  years.  Margaret  and  Emma  are  pupils 
of  the  Normal  College. 

HENRY  H.  VOUGHT,  senior  member  of  the  well  known 
firm  of  Vought  Brothers,  architects  and  builders,  was  Ixirn  at 
Cornwall-on-Hudson,  July  19,  1853,  where  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools,  and  graduated  from  the  high  school.  After  com- 
pleting his  higher  school  studies  Mr.  Vought  took  up  the  study 
of  architectural  building,  a  profession  in  which  he  excels.  In 
1891  with  his  brother,  Nathan,  he  embarked  in  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Vought  Brothers,  architects  and  builders.  The 
high  reputation  the  firm  have  made  is  by  no  means  of  a  local 
character.  Their  name  and  fame  has  spread  to  all  parts  of  the 
country,  especially  among  a  clientele  who  go  in  for  the  erection 
of  splendid  town  and  country  houses.  He  is  an  ardent  sports- 
man and  an  excellent  marksman  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all 
sports  of  an  athletic  nature.  He  has  an  enviable  record  as  an 
amateur  wrestler,  but  like  all  successful  business  men  he  was 
compelled  to  "sacrifice  his  talent  to  his  art."  Mr.  Vought  is  a 
member  of  the  Building  Trades'  Club  and  of  the  Red  Men.  He 
was  married  October  21,  1882,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Brown.  Six 
children,  Henry  H.,  Jr.,  Franklin  Douglas,  Chancey  De  Witt. 
May,  Ethel  and  Sheldon,  have  been  born,  all  of  whom  are  living 
Mr.  Vought  has  resided   in  Bronx  Borough   since   1889. 

LOUIS  FALK,  architect,  of  2785  Third  Avenue,  was  born  in 
this  city  and  has  lived  in  it  fifty-five  years.  He  went  to  school 
here,  too,  at  the  old  public  school  at  i6gth  Street  and  Third  Ave- 
nue. He  began  business  in  his  profession  as  far  back  as  1S59, 
and  can  point  to  many  substantial  buildings  that  were  planned 
by  him,  all  over  the  borough,  more  particularly  in  the  neighbor- 
hood where  he  has  been  so  long  established.  Fordham,  too, 
affords  not  a  few  specimens  of  superior  work  designed  by  him. 
Mr.  Falk  is  Past  Master  of  Wieland  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
Past  Grand  of  Goethe  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  has  been  treasurer 
of  the  latter  for  the  past  twenty-six  years.  He  is  an  Exempt 
Fireman,  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  faith.  He 
married,  April  22,  1861,  Miss  Margaret  Koenig.  One  child  of 
theirs,  a  daughter.  Margaret  F.,  is  living. 

MARTIN  WALTER,  born  in  New  York  City  November  2, 
1856,  is  the  son  of  Martin  Walter  and  Elizabeth  Rich,  daughter 
of  Martin  Rich,  of  Wurtenburg,  Germany.  His  father  and  grand- 
father were  born  in  Guetzenbrigk.  ."Msace,  of  an  old  family  of 
soldiers.  Mr.  'Walter  was  brought  to  this  country  by  his  mother 
when  two  years  of  age,  and  resided  in  New  York  City,  until  his 
death.  The  son  passed  through  Grammar  School  No.  63,  of 
the  Twelfth  Ward,  and  then  entered  the  grocery  business  in 
the  Harlem  store  of  Paulsen  &  Bamman.  This  was  in  1874. 
After  remaining  in  the  store  as  a  clerk  for  six  years  he  entered 
into  an  equal  partnership  with  Mr.  Paulsen  in  a  branch  store 
which  was   established   at   Tremont.     The  firm   name   was  origi- 


nally Jacob  F.  Paulsen  &  Company,  but  was  subsequently  chang- 
ed to  Paulsen  &  Walter.  The  entire  business  connected  with 
this  store  was  under  the  exclusive  management  of  Mr.  Walter. 
The  firm  also  speculated  heavily  in  real  estate  on  the  North 
Side,  and  were  very  successful.  They  were  the  first  to  lay  out 
lots  at  Mount  Hope,  taking  as  their  first  piece  some  sixteen  acres 
of  farm  land,,  on  which  vegetables  had  been  raised  for  market 
at  time  of  purchase.  In  twelve  months  time  this  entire  tract  had 
been  disposed  of.  Other  pieces  of  land  were  bought,  attended 
by  the  same  success.  Mr.  Walter  subsequently  sold  out  his  in- 
terest in  the  grocery  business  and  he  has  since  been  engaged 
exclusively  in  real  estate  enterprises.  He  has  been  very  successful, 
lie  is  exceedingly  popular,  and  is  known  for  his  enthusiastic 
advocacy  of  measures  looking  to  public  improvements.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  E.xecutive  Committee  of  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  and  takes  great  interest  in  its  affairs.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Taxpayers'  Alliance,  as  well  as  of  several  fra- 
ternal organizations,  is  a  member  of  Guiding  Star  Lodge,  No. 
5&5,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  a 
member  of  Mecca  Femple.  C)dd  Fellows,  Royal  .•\rcanum  anH 
.■\ncient  Order  of  LInited  Workmen,  and  a  director  of  the  Tre- 
mont Building  &  Loan  Association  since  its  institution,  and  was 
formerly  a  director  of  the  Bronx  Borough  Bank,  but  is  now 
connected  with  the  Tremont  Branch  of  the  Hamilton  Bank,  lo- 
cated on  Tremont  Avenue  in  an  office  building  which  he  erected 
in  1903,  and  was  the  first  office  building  in  this  locality.  A  Re- 
liublican  in  national  politics,  he  is  known  as  an  advocate  of 
home  rule  in  local  affairs,  and  gives  the  Democratic  municipal 
administration  the  credit  of  being  the  best  government  under 
which  any  cosmopolitan  city  can  thrive  and  be  of  the  most  good 
and  benefit  to  its  community,  advocating,  however,  that  integrity 
.md  justice  should  govern  the  populace  and  not  any  party.  He 
lias  long  maintained  that  Port  Morris  must  eventually  become 
the  shipping  center  of  Manhattan  Island,  basing  this  opinion  upon 
the  gradual  movement  of  these  interests  northward  and  the  lack 
of  proper  facilities  at  any  point  further  south,  as  well  as  upon 
the  advantages  afforded  by  the  short  connection  between  the 
Hudson  and  the  Sound.  On  June  18,  i8gi,  Mr.  Walter  wa; 
married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Nergenah,  a  large  stock 
raiser  of  Chapin,  111.     They  have  one  daughter  and  a  son. 

THE  VARIANS. — The  name  of  Variau  in  this  country 
outdates  the  Constitution,  for  it  is  nearly  two  centuries  since  its 
first  appearance.  Isaac  Variau,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  the 
United  States,  was  a  butcher  at  New  York  City  in  1720,  and  for 
how  long  before  that  date  he  had  been  a  resident  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic  is  not  known.  His  close  friendship  with  the 
Dutch  settlers  of  the  Colony  of  New  York  and  his  marrying  the 
daughter  of  Daniel  DeVoe,  leads  his  decendants  to  believe  that 
he  came  from  Holland,  although  the  name  appears  to  be  of 
I'rench  origin.  The  Varian  homestead  stood  for  many  years 
at  Twenty-sixth  Street  and  Broadway.  Here  were  born  the  six 
children  that  established  the  name  of  Varian  in  the  historical, 
political,  social  and  business  life  of  the  city  and  state.  The 
youngest  son,  named  after  his  father,  Isaac,  purchased  in  1792 
from  the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church  a  farm  of  over  260 
acres,  paying  about  $7,500.  It  was  located  at  what  is  now  Wil- 
liamsbridge,  Bronx  Borough,  extending  from  the  Bronx  River 
westward  over  the  heights  across  what  is  now  Jerome  Avenue, 
and  the  New  Reservoir.  The  old  homestead,  which  was  on  the 
farm  at  that  time,  is  still  standing  on  its  original  site,  overlook- 
ing Mosholu  Parkway,  which  was  built  through  the  valley  and 
woodland  of  the  estate  .some  years  ago  and  is  still  being  im- 
proved. This  old  house  became  the  home  of  the  second  Isaac 
Varian   shortly   after   his   purchase,   and   here   he   raised   a   large 


AUGUST    HOEBERMANN 


WM.    T.    HAVEY 


GEORGE    J.     MCCAFFREY 


LOUIS    FALK 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


26J 


I'amily,  from  which  most  of  Uk-  Westchester  County  and  Bronx 
V'arians  trace  their  ancestry.  Michael  Varian,  whose  portrait 
we  puhhsh,  was  one  of  his  sons,  and  the  one  who  was  fortunate 
inoiigh  to  secure  the  old  homestead  and  part  of  the  old  farm  by 
purchase  from  the  heirs  in  1829.  Michael  Varian  was  born  in 
November,  1808.  His  mother  was  Jane  Betts.  Upon  the  death 
of  his  father,  when  he  was  a  boy  of  twelve,  he  went  to  New 
York,  and  was  employed  with  Gilbert  Coutant  in  the  grocery 
business  until  his  return  at  the  age  of  21,  when  he  secured  the 
nld  farm.  From  that  date  until  of  recent  years  he  devoted  him- 
self to  farming.  He  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Jesse  Huestis. 
He  died  at  the  old  homestead  in  April,  1893,  at  the  age  of  85, 
leaving  a  daughter  Mrs.  Martha  Archer,  and  three  sons,  Michael, 
Isaac  and  Jesse  H.  Varian,  all  now  living  except  Mrs.  Archer,  who 
died  in  1901.  llis  grandchildren  numbered  eight,  five  of  whom 
(  Emma,  Wilbur,  Harris,  Lulu  and  Chester)  were  born  at  the  old 
homestead,  making  the  fourth  generation  to  reside  there.  Edger- 
ion,  Pcrser  and  LeRo}'  were  not  so  sentimentally  fortunate.  Of 
ilie  grandchildren,  the  most  foremost  at  the  time  of  this  writins; 
is  Wilbur  L..  who.  by  his  activity  in  real  estate  operations  in  the 
Bedford  Park  section  nf  the  liorougli  is  keeping  the  name  of 
his  paternal  founders  of  that  section  i)rominently  before  the 
|iublic  eye,  and  views  with  pride  the  development  of  the  acres 
lliat  have  descended  from  generation  to  generation. 


WM.    A.     HUNTRESS 

WM.    .\.    IIL'NTRESS. — Im-oiu   long    residence,    and   a   con- 
nection formerly   with  the  police  force,   Mr.   Huntress  is  one  of 
ji    the  best-known  men  in  these  parts.     He  was  born  in  the  Eleventh 

I  Ward,  New  York  City,  on  Christmas  Day,  1851.     He  is  of  old 

II  Bronx  stock;  his  ancestors  once  owned  extensive  tracts  of  land 
'  hereabouts  which  was  acquired  from  the  Indian*.  Thtse  lands, 
i   however,   have   long   since  passed   out   of   the   possession   of   the 

family,    though    the    record    of    them    and    traditions    concerning 


liiem  still  exists.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  old  publ'c 
school  at  Fifth  and  Stanton  Streets,  away  down  town.  At  four- 
teen he  was  apprenticed,  as  an  orphan,  to  the  ship-caulking  trade. 
Uurin.g  the  Civil  War,  though  still  only  a  youth,  he  enlisted  and 
served  with  the  40th  New  York  Volunteers  all  through  the  last 
campaign  of  that  war.  Returning  home  in  1865,  he  secured  em- 
ployment on  the  Third  Avenue  Railroad,  on  which  he  was  con- 
ductor later  for  about  ten  years.  In  1882  he  resigned  his  place 
and  went  on  the  police  force.  He  served  twenty-one  years  and 
was  then  retired.  He  was  Wardman  during  this  term  of  service 
for  many  years.  After  his  retirement  he  spent  some  time  in 
travel  over  the  United  States :  then,  in  October,  1903,  he  opened 
up  in  his  present  line — the  real  estate  business — of  which  he  has 
made  a  pronounced  success.  He  has  been  always  an  independent 
in  politics,  and  has  held  aloof  from  political  and  social  organiza- 
tions, his  preference  being  for  home  life.  Fie  married,  July  10, 
18S2,  Miss  .^nnic  A.  Cooper.  Their  union,  though  childless,  has 
been  a  very  happy  one. 

WILLIAM  I-IONAN  KEA'IING,  one  of  the  notables  of  the 
WiUiamsbndge  section  of  the  Bronx,  is  also  a  prominent  figure 
in  the  wholesale  grocery  district  of  -.ew  \  ork.  He  was  born  at 
h-ilrush,  County  Clare,  Ireland,  September  27,  1858,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  national  schools  and  uy  the  Christian  Brothers  of  the 
Emerald  Isle.  He  came  to  tliis  county  in  1880  and  was  at  first 
employed  by  the  house  of  Acker,  Merrall  &  Condit,  long  leaders 
of  their  line.  Later  he  took  up  the  commission  sales  business 
and  has  since  been  identified  with  another  big  house  of  the  trade, 
the  house  of  Austin,  Nichols  ijt  Co.  Sixteen  years  ago,  when  he 
moved  to  VVillianisbridge,  it  was  a  village  on  the  border  of  New 
\ork.  He  identified  himself  with  its  government,  with  special 
attention  to  its  finances  and  improvement,  and  shortly  became 
one  of  its  most  influential  residents.  Many  betterments  there 
in  the  shape  of  grading,  drainage,  etc.,  were  inaugurated  by  him 
and  his  associates  in  the  local  or  town  government  prior  to  the 
annexation  of  the  place  by  New  iork.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  board  which  gave  the  Union  Railroad  its  franchise  with  a 
clause  for  a  five-cent  fare,  a  proviso,  at  that  time,  of  special 
importance  to  the  residents  thereabouts.  His  interest  in  the 
schools  had  recognition  also  at  the  hands  of  Mayor  Strong,  who 
appointed  him  School  Inspector  of  the  Thirty-fifth  District  after 
annexation.  Mr.  Keating,  of  course,  holds  Williamsbridge  the 
ideal  place  to  live  in,  and  has  exemplified  his  faith  in  it  by  in- 
vesting heavily  himself.  In  Williamsbridge  and  Wakefield  his 
appraisals  are  in  demand  by  investors  and  financial  institutions. 
He  signified  his  judgment' and  independence  also  in  the  rental  of 
his  properties  by  giving  the  preference  to  families  with  children 
wherever  he  can.  Politically  Mr.  Keating  is  usually  a  Democrat. 
He  is  pronounced  for  tariff  reform  and  municipal  ownership. 
He  is  a  member  of  numerous  organizations,  social,  fraternal  and 
religious,  among  others  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  Royal  Arcanum, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  Red  Men,  Emerald  Association  of  the  Bronx,  Irish 
Club  of  New  York  and  St.  Mary's  R.  C.  Church.  He  belongs  also 
to  the  Williamsbridge  Improvement  League,  Taxpayers'  Alliance 
and  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  and  he  is  a  airector  of  the  North 
Side  Savings  Bank.  He  married  Miss  Agnes  Kennedy  in  1881. 
He  is  an  accomplished  musician,  frequently  performing  on  the 
piano  in  public  for  charity's  sweet  sake.  They  have  been  blest 
with  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  three  sons  and  fo  ir 
daughters.  It  is  Mr.  Keating's  rule  to  have  them  attend  at  first 
the  local  public  school  and  then  send  them  for  the  higher  branches 
to  nearby  academies  and  colleges.  His  eldest  son  is  a  graduate 
of  Fordham  University  and  two  others  are  students  there  now. 
His  daughters  attend  the  Ursuline  Academy  and  St.  Angela's 
College  at  New  Rochelle.     A  feature  of  his  real  estate  develop- 


262 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


ment  is  a  business  block  on  Wbite  Plains  Avenue,  between  22^\h 
and  226th  Streets,  comprising  fourteen  stores,  each  store  a  differ- 
ent line  of  business. 

VVM.  T.  HAVEY. — Mr.  llavey  is  a  resident  of  Williams 
bridge.  He  is  Democratic  Captain  of  the  Eighth  Election  Dis- 
trict and  Secretary  to  the  buperintendent  of  the  Tenement 
iiouse  Department  of  the  city,  Bronx  branch.  Mr.  Havey  was 
born  in  Eastchester,  then  separate  but  now  a  part  of  Greater 
New  York,  December  22,  1871.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  public 
schools,  and  having  finished  his  course  in  them  immediately 
sought  employment.  This  he  found  in  the  real  estate  business, 
a  line  with  which  he  is  identified,  in  his  official  capacity.  He  be- 
longs to  a  family  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  repre- 
sentative of  Williamsbridge,  and  is  a  popular  and  well  thought 
of  young  man.  He  is  a  staunch  Democrat  and  a  good  Catholic. 
Besides  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee  he  is  enrolled  in 
the  Democratic  Club  of  the  Annexed  District,  the  Chippewa  Club 
and  other  local  organizations.  Having  been  born  and  broughi 
up  here,  he  naturally  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  progress  of 
the  borough,  of  that  part  particularly  over  which  he  exercises 
political   supervision. 

CHARLES  WAKEFIELD  TARBOX.— Mr.  Tarbox,  hav- 
ing been  in  the  real  estate  business,  extending  from  the  Bat- 
tery to  Yonkers.  for  about  the  last  quarter  oi  a  century  and 
long  a  city  appraiser  in  condemnation  proceedings — a  position 
need  we  say,  of  great  responsibility — is  well  and  widely  known 
throughout  the  entire  city.  He  is  also  of  note  as  a  worker  in 
the  Democratic  cause,  his  initial  work  in  this  line  having  been 
exerted  with  great  influence  and  his  whole  energy  toward  the 
election  of  former  Mayor  William  R.  Grace.  He  has  fought 
for  the  election  of  good,  honest,  capable  men  to  public  office, 
though  never  an  office  holder  himself.  He  has,  in  fact,  refused 
nominations  to  ofilice  several  times.  Mr.  Tarbox  was  born  June 
8,  1850,  in  the  lower  part  of  this  city,  but  removed  during  his 
infancy,  and  now  lives  on  the  same  property  which  was  pur- 
chase from  Gouverneur  Morris  in  1849,  by  his  father,  the  late 
Hiram  Tarbox,  who  was  one  of  the  original  settlers  in  the 
Tremont  section.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  on  his  mother's 
side  of  Paul  Davenport,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Connecti- 
cut, where  the  colony  of  New  Haven  was  founded  by  his 
brother,  John  Davenport,  and  also  a  descendant  of  Samuel 
Adams,  of  Revolutionary  fame  and  John  Adams,  who  was 
second  president  of  the  United  States,  and  also  of  John  Quincy 
.'\dams,  who  was  sixth  president  of  the  United  States  and  son 
of  John  Adams.  The  name  of  Davenport  has  been  continuous 
for  several  generations  down  to  Mr.  Tarbox's  grandmother, 
Abigail  Davenport,  who  married  Seth  Clark,  of  Connecticut. 
On  his  father's  side  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  noted  General 
Greene,  also  of  Revolutionary  fame  and  who  was  considered 
next  to  General  Washington.  Mr.  Tarbox  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  New  York  as  a  boy  and,  after  the  usual  course, 
graduated  from  them,  secured  employment  and  started  to  carve 
out  a  career.  He  was  energtic  and  as  he  is  to-day,  a  hard  work- 
er, very  self-reliant  and  may  be  called  self-made.  He  took  up 
engineering  for  instance,  was  his  own  tutor,  mastered  it  thor- 
oughly, and  made  it  a  means  of  success.  He  has  been  an  in- 
ventor of  no  mean  ability,  his  first  invention  having  been  pro- 
duced at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and 'others  perfected  up  to 
the  present  day.  amounting  to  upward  of  150  mechanical,  elec- 
trical and  other  applicances.  His  genius  seems  to  have  been  a 
gift  or  to  have  been  hereditary  as  his  father  was  a  mechanical 
genius  and  one  of  the  founders  of  what  is  now  the  American 
Waltham  Watch  Company,  he  having  conceived  the  idea  of 
producing   watch   movements  by  machinery  instead  of  by  hand. 


Mr.  Tarbox  married  in  June,  1S89,  Miss  Margaret  Behrens. 
1  hey  liave  one  child,  Miss  Elsa  Davenport  Tarbox.  Mr.  Tar- 
bo-\  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club  of  the  City  of  New 
York ;  of  the  Schnorer  Club,  and  also  the  Fordham  Club.  He 
IS  a  director  in  the  Provident  Savings  Loan  Investment  Com- 
pany of  this  city  and  has  been  connected  as  a  trustee  and  other- 
wise, with  several  institutions  in  this  and  other  cities.  He  re- 
sides at  1877  Washington  avenue,  this  city.  Mr.  Tarbox  has  a 
brother  who  has  lived  in  Boston  for  the  past  30  years,  and  is 
noted  as  a  structural  engineer.  He  served  in  the  Civil  War, 
partly  under  General  Ellsworth,  and  reenlisted  under  other 
generals  during  the  war.  After  his  discharge  (1865)  he  pro- 
ceeded to  St.  Louis  and  was  engaged  upon  one  of  the  greatest 
engineering  feats  in  those  days,  the  construction  of  the  Eads 
bridge.  Two  sisters,  who  formerly  resided  on  the  old  prem- 
ises with  Mr.  Tarbox,  Sr.,  now  reside  in  Boston.  Miss  Mary 
C.  Tarbox  was  engaged  in  educational  pursuits  and  is  well 
known  in  those  circles.  Mrs.  Lee,  formerly  Miss  S.  E.  Tarbox. 
was.  before  her  marriage,  deeply  interested  in  the  same  voca 
tion   as  her   sister. 

FRANZ  BRAUN  (deceased)  was  one  of  those  whose  enter- 
prise directed  in  manufacturing  and  industrial  channels  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  development  and  progress  of  the  borough 
He  died  December  4.  1900.  after  thirty-five  years  residence  here 
at  the  age  of  si.xty-three.  He  was  twenty-eight  when  he  came  to 
this  city  from  Germany,  and  after  an  experience  in  various  lines 
he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  embroidery.  Mr.  Braun 
himself  was  not  a  politician ;  he  was  of  an  independent  dis- 
position and  character,  but  he  interested  himself  in  many  popular 
movements  and  exerted  himself  in  behalf  of  the  improvement 
and  development  of  the  district.  The  bridge  crossings  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railroad  was  a  particular  hobby,  and  it  was 
through  his  efforts  that  these  were  built.  His  logical  arguments 
in  these  efforts  before  the  Mayor  and  Board  still  linger  with 
those  who  knew  him.  He  gave  his  adherence  to  the  23d  Ward 
Property  Owners'  Association  and  helped  make  it  an  influential 
body.  He  never  sought  office,  but  he  heartily  favored  everything 
for  the  good  of  the  community  in  which  he  had  his  business  and 
home,  and  contributed  freely  time  and  money  therefor  whenever 
called  upon. 

JAMES  P.  SONNEBORN,  one  of  the  Mount  Hope  pri- 
mary school  boys,  of  whom  there  are  a  large  number  of  them 
occupied  in  all  the  divisions  of  professional,  mercantile  r"iil 
financial  pursuits  at  the  present  day  and  who  completed  their 
education  at  the  old  Tremont  Public  School  No.  61.  stands 
preeminent  in  his  rank  as  a  great  and  grand  factor  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Bronx,  in  a  locality  that  fifteen  years  ago 
was  almost  a  wilderness.  In  1888  James  P.  Sonneborn,  having 
learnt  the  "art  preservative  of  all  arts,"  left  the  printing  business 
and  going  almost  to  the  extreme  end  of  Greater  New  York  at 
that  period,  opened  a  real  estate  office  at  Bedford  Park.  The 
latter  place,  so  well  known  at  present,  was  almost  an  entire 
nonentity,  so  far  as  its  existence  was  concerned  in  1888.  It  was 
absolutely  a  farming  community  and  its  lands  were  nothing  more 
or  less  than  farms.  However,  by  the  means  adopted  in  the  con- 
struction, formation  and  other  systematic  methods  devised  and 
planned  out  by  Mr.  Sonneborn  for  the  proper  conduct  of  his 
business  and  also  to  develop  rapidly,  if  possible,  the  improve- 
ment of  this  elegant  section  of  our  great  city,  his  energy,  in- 
dustry and  his  absolute  integrity  has  been  the  means  of  bringing 
the  large  number  of  substantial  citizens  who  have  already  lo- 
cated there  and  its  growth  is  more  than  largely  due  to  his 
long,  unceasing  and  untiring  efforts  to  make  Bedford  Park  what 
it   is  to-day,  one   of  the  finest,   healthiest   and   most   picturesque 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


263 


places  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  There  is  not  a  record  of  any 
transaction  sncli  as  transfer,  mortgage,  assessment  or  anything 
pertaining  to  real  estate  transactions  in  Bedford  Park  that  Mr. 
Sonncborn  has  always  kept  a  complete  record  at  his  office  and 
his  records  are  open  for  public  inspection,  and  having  the  repu- 
tation of  lieing  the  ".\ndre\v  H.  Green"  of  Bedford  Park,  as  the 
former  was  to  our  "Greater  New  York."  he  is  unquestionably 
worthy  of  distinction  in  this  complete  and  authentic  history  of 
the  Bron.x.  Mr.  Sonneborn's  father,  F.  William  and  his  mother, 
Harriet  L..  were  sturdy  people  who  inspired  into  tlie  mind  of 
their  son  the  principles  upon  which  the  success  in  his  business 
has  been  his  "Alma  Mater.  In  1885  Mr.  Sonneborn  married 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Van  Vechten  and  Phebe  Elting,  of  Tremont. 
Mr.  Sonneborn  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Bedford  Park  Taxpayers'  Association.  Pros- 
pective buyers  who  are  seeking  investment  or  financial  interests 
in  the  direction  of  Bedford  Park  for  remunerative  returns  should 
consult  with  this  active  and  reliable  real  estate  dealer  whose 
jiortrait   appears  on  a  succeeding  page. 

JAMES  JOHN  McGUIRE.  a  successful  real  estate  man, 
former  justice  of  the  peace  and  trustee  of  Wakefield  Village,  an 
old-time  volunteer  fireman  and  live  man  generally,  was  born  in 
Albany,  November  3,  1844.  He  attended  school  there,  and  when 
the  Civil  War  came  on  enlisted.  He  was  teamster  in  the  service 
at  Hilton  Head,  Charleston,  in  the  Quartermasters'  Department, 
and  came  home  after  eighteen  months.  He  had  a  brother, 
Charles,  by  the  way,  also  in  that  war  in  command  of  vessels, 
with  a  roving  commission,  who  was  the  captor  of  privateers  and 
blockade  runners  in  Cuban  and  other  tropic  waters.  On  his 
return  he  took  a  position  with  ihe  Wheeler  &  Wilson  Sewing 
Machine  Company  as  collector,  which  place  he  held  for  nearly 
thirty  years.  For  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  Bronx.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  two  terms,  trustee  of 
Wakefield  before  annexation,  and  is  a  member  of  the  X'etersn 
Firemen's  Association.  He  belongs  to  the  Chippewa  Club,  and 
as  long  ago  as  1857  was  a  page  in  the  Assembly.  His  connection 
with  Democratic  politics,  in  short,  has  been  long  and  intimate 
Judge  McGuire  married,  in  1868,  Miss  Mary  M.  Cannon,  a  lady 
of  the  Twentieth  Ward,  New  York.  They  have  six  children 
living  and  one  dead.  Of  those  living  four  are  sons  and  two  are 
daughters. 

HENRY  SCOFIELD  PELL  was  born  in  City  Island, 
Borough  of  the  Bronx,  on  September  25,  1856.  He  received 
a  public  school  education  at  City  Island,  and  at  a  comparatively 
early  age,  embarked  in  the  business  of  buying  and  selling 
real  estate.  Mr.  Pell  proved  to  be  an  adept  to  the  real  es- 
tate business  and  was  and  is  a  very  successful  broker.  With 
the  northward  march  of  the  progress  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
("ily  Island  became  a  field  of  agitation  for  many  public  im- 
provements and  he  becatue  very  active  in  propagating  for  im- 
provements and  was  found  ever-ready  to  take  up  the  burden 
of  his  neighbor,  whenever  his  services  were  required  to  per- 
form such  services.  This,  together  with  his  admirable,  man- 
ly (pialiiies,  made  him  a  large  factor  in  the  afifairs  of  City 
L'land.  He  is  an  advocate  of  Democracy  and  in  1893  he  be- 
came the  clerk  of  the  New  York  State  Assembly.  He  filled 
his  office  in  an  admirable  manner  and  was  many  times  lauded 
b\  the  press  for  his  proficiency.  He  is  a  member  of  the  City 
Island  Council,  1844,  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  still  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business 

LOUIS  REITER,  real  estate  broker  and  insurance  agent, 
of  Westchester  and  Jackson  Avenues,  has  been  resident  and 
established  in  business  in  the  borough  seventeen  years  and  owns 


the  Reiter  Building  at  aliove  address.  He  is  naturally  one  of 
the  best  known  men  in  his  line.  He  has  been  one  of  the  most 
successful  also.  He  is  a  Bavarian  by  birth,  a  native  of  Hoch- 
stadt,  now  41  years  old.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Government 
High  School  at  the  famous  Wagnerian  town  of  Bayreuth.  Mr. 
Reiter  is  a  Republican,  a  Mason  and  Knight  of  Pythias,  and 
represents,  as  Bronx  manager,  American  Central  Fire  Insurance 
Co.,  Scottish  Union  &  National  Fire  Insurance  Co.  and  Phila- 
delphia Casualty  Co.  He  married  in  January,  1888,  Miss  Ray 
Cower.     They  have  three  children. 

DANIEL  ALLYNG  REXFORD,  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Molloy,  Rexford  &  Co.,  prominent  among  the  largest  con- 
tractors on  the  Atlantic  coast,  at  present  engaged  in  the  great 
improvement  of  widening  White  Plains  Road  in  the  Bronx, 
was  born  January  i,  1857,  at  Norwich.  New  York.  After  at- 
tending the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  he  was  sent  to 
the  Hopkins  Grammar  School  at  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
and  was  prepared  there  to  enter  Leicester  Military  Academy  at 
Leicester,  Massachusetts,  where  he  graduated  with  honors, 
and  thereupon  chose  the  profession  of  contractor  as  a  business, 
and  has  continued  at  the  same  successfully  both  in  Canada  and 
the  United  States  since  1873,  principally  being  engaged  in  the 
erection  of  public  works,  railroads  and  power  plants,  many  of 
them  among  the  largest  and  most  important  in  both  countries. 
In  politics  Mr.  Rexford  has  always  been  a  consistent  Republi- 
can, although  he  has  never  held  any  public  office.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregationalist  Church,  and  is  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  Chenango  County  Society,  of  New  Y'ork  City, 
and  the  Crescent  Athletic  Club  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y'.  Mr.  Rexford 
attends  to  the  financial  interests  of  the  firm,  besides  giving  a 
great  deal  of  his  attention  to  the  development  of  its  manifold 
interests,  which  extend  to  various  parts  of  the  country.  The 
contract  for  widening  White  Plains  Road  was  granted  the  firm, 
not  so  much  from  the  fact  that  they  were  the  lowest  bidders, 
but  largely  from  the  fact  of  their  thorough  reliability  and  the 
satisfactory  results  the  city  would  derive  therefrom.  Mr.  Rex- 
ford is  as  popular  as  he  is  widely  known.  He  is  public-spirited, 
unselfish  and  is  highly  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  have 
the  honor  of  his  acquaintance. 

JAMES  MATHEW  MOLLOY.  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Molloy,  Rexford  &  Co.,  general  contractors,  was  born  at 
Chester,  Pennsylvania,  June  3,  1844.  He  was  educated  at  the 
local  schools  of  his  native  place,  after  which  he  entered  busi- 
ness as  a  contractor  in  building  railroads,  bridges,  opening  of 
streets  and  sewers  of  various  municipalities.  In  his  connec- 
tion with  the  present  firm,  he  acts  as  the  general  superin- 
tendent and  supervisor  of  all  construction  work,  and  is  widely 
know-n  as  one  of  the  most  successful  managers  of  men  and 
work  of  this  character  on  the  roster  of  American  contractors. 
A  gentleman  of  large  and  vigorous  frame,  thoroughly  equipped 
with  all  the  fundamental  principles  and  resources  of  his  voca- 
tion, kindhearted  and  generous  to  his  large  army  of  employees, 
he  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  capable  of  executing  more 
work  according  to  plans  and  specifications,  than  any  other  of 
our  largest  contractors,  as  the  widening  of  the  White  Plains 
Road  bears  ample  testimony.  In  politics.  Mr.  Molloy  is  a 
Democrat,  but  has  never  sought  or  held  public  office.  He  is  a 
Roman  Catholic  and  a  meinber  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

JOHN  F.  COGAN,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Molloy,  Rexford 
&  Co.,  the  prominent  contractors,  was  born  in  New  Y'ork  City, 
December   23.   i860.     After  attending  the   public   schools   he  en- 


DANIEL    ALLYNO    REXFORD 


JAMES    MATHEW    MOLLOY 


JOHN  F.  COGAN 


MICHAEL  SEXTON 


« 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


2(,S 


lered  Mount  St.  Mary's  College  at  Emmetshui-g,  Maryland,  and 
graduated  therefrom  in  June,  1880.  V\cting  under  the  same  im- 
pulses that  governed  the  other  members  of  his  firm,  he  com- 
menced his  business  career  as  a  contractor,  and  with  but  limited 
inerins.  hut  plenty  of  pluck  and  indomitable  courage,  forced  his 
way  to  the  front  rank  of  bis  profession.  Eminently  successful 
in  all  of  his  undertakings,  he  became  an  active  partner  with 
Molloy.  Re.xford  &  Co.,  and  assumes  large  responsibilities  in 
the  management  of  the  firm's  extensive  operations.  In  his  busi- 
ness relations  with  financiers  and  large  corporations,  he  ex- 
hibits the  highest  order  of  intelligence  appertaining  to  his  vo- 
cation, which  is  sustained  by  the  many  victories  he  has  won 
over  competitors,  for  the  construction  of  railways,  bridges, 
streets,  sewers  and  other  important  works  thrcjughout  the 
United  States  and  the  Canadas.  Mr.  Cogan,  in  politics,  is  a 
Democrat  of  the  Jeffersonian  type;  has  never  held  or  sought 
public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
belongs  to  no  societies,  clubs  or  organizations,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

MlCll.VEL  SEXTON,  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Molloy, 
Rexford  &  Co.,  general  contractors,  was  born  in  Ireland,  June 
4.  1847.  lie  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  i860,  settled  in 
Virginia,  where  he  was  properly  educated.  He  commenced 
business  as  a  contractor  with  very  limited  means  and  by  dint 
of  untiring  energy  and  close  application  to  his  business,  he 
met  with  remarkable  success.  In  the  Southern  and  New  Eng- 
land Stales,  he  has  built  railroads,  and  for  various  muni- 
cipalities has  widened  streets  and  perfected  their  sewerage  sys- 
tem. Mr.  Sexton  is  a  valuable  contingent  to  the  famous  firm  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  and  in  the  position  he  occupies  is  one 
of  its  most  acti\e  members.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the  Knights  of 
Columbus. 

THOS.  F.  O'RORKE,  of  692  Union  Avenue,  the  Bronx,  is 
one  of  the  solid  men  of  the  borough — the  owner  of  valuable 
property.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  discern  what  lay  in  the 
future  for  that  part  of  the  country,  and,  as  he  deserves,  has 
profited  by  his  discernment.  We  can  say  of  him  also  without 
offense  that  he  is  a  fighting  character.  He  has  fought  his  way 
up  from  poverty  to  afHuence  He  has  fought  as  a  soldier  in  war- 
time; he  fought  his  way  also  as  a  policeman,  fought  to  a  final 
victory  for  order  and  peace  in  "Battle  Row,"  where  he  was 
stationed,  earning  thereby  the  sobriquet  of  the  "Mayor"  of  that 
delectable  district.  He  fought  even  that  strenuous  personage 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  when  the  President  was  just  an  ordinary 
police  commissioner,  and  is,  like  enough,  the  only  man  that  ever 
had  the  better  of  him.  Mr.  O'Rorke  is,  as  the  name  implies,  of 
Irish  extraction,  and  proud  of  it.  He  was  raised  as  a  boy  in 
New  Haven  and  went  to  school  there.  The  Civil  War  came  on 
and  he  enlisted.  He  was  accepted  as  a  drummer  boy,  but  in 
his  very  first  battle,  at  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  true  to  his  fighting 
proclivities,  discarded  the  drum  for  a  musket.  He  served  through- 
out the  war,  and  was  an  orderly  on  Hancock's  staff,  and  made 
his  escape  from  the  Confederates  while  they  were  taking  him  to 
Libby  Prison,  .\fter  the  war,  in  1870,  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Freedmen's  Bureau,  and  in  that  capacity  served  as  far  South 
as  Corpus  Christi  and  Brownsville,  Texas.  In  1874  he  was  ap- 
pointed on  the  New  York  police  force,  and  after  a  service  of 
twenty-one  years,  during  which  he  was  distinguished  for  courage 
and  attention  to  duty,  was  retired.  He  was  known  even  then  as 
one  of  the  wealthiest  men  on  the  force,  the  possessor  of  a  for- 
tune gained,  not  as  now  by  grafting  methods,  but  by  economy 


and  native  shrewdness.  He  first  came  into  the  Bronx  to  live  in 
1900.  His  investments  now.  including  several  apartment  houses, 
are  said  to  total  fully  $250,000.  Mr.  O'Rorke  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  a  Catholic  in  religion.  He  married  in  1872  Miss 
Margaret  A.  Ryan.  She  died  in  1895.  leaving  six  children  living — 
one  son  and  the  rest  girls.  He  married  again,  in  1895,  a  Miss 
Catherine  Netley.     By  her  he  has  one  child,  a  boy,  Thomas  V. 

WILLI.A.M  C.  BERGEN,  real  estate  operator,  of  21 10  .\n- 
thony  Avenue,  was  born,  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  March  9,  1861, 
where  he  received  an  education  at  the  public  schools.  For  the 
past  twenty-three  years  Mr.  Bergen  has  resided  in  Bronx  Bor- 
ough. When  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  was  employed  as 
gardener  by  J.  B.  Brown,  of  Morris  Heights,  and  the  late  ex- 
Mayor  Franklin  Edson  of  the  same  place.  He  also  served  in  a 
like  capacity  for  other  well  known  people.  Later  he  entered 
the  police  department.  In  1886  Mr.  Bergen,  when  at  the  age 
of  forty-five  years,  retired  from  the  force  after  a  faithful  ser- 
vice coveung  a  periua  ot  nearly  twenty  years.  Durmg  luai 
period  he  was  attached  to  the  Central  Park  station  for  twelve 
years.  For  two  years  he  was  detailed  by  Park  Commissioner 
iMcMillan  as  detective  tor  all  the  parks  of  the  Bronx.  Vv  lien 
the  amalgamation  ot  the  Greater  i\ew  York  police  force  took 
p. ace,  ne  was  assigned  to  the  Forty-first  Precinct  (Bronx  ParK 
siation.)  The  last  four  years  of  his  service  he  was  attached  to 
the  I  wenty-fifth  Precinct  in  East  bixty-seventh  Street.  for 
ten  years  prior  to  Ins  retiring  from  public  duty,  Mr.  Bergen  be- 
c.me  interested  in  real  estate  transactions,  and  during  that 
period  ODtained  a  practical  knowledge  ot  building  construction, 
which  served  him  well  later  on.  After  his  retirement  from  the 
force  he  liegan  to  speculate  in  Bronx  real  estate  as  well  as  en- 
gaging in  constructnig  high  class  private  and  two-family 
Qwellings.  He  has  had  phenomenal  success,  and  is  to-day  one 
ot  the  heaviest  real  estate  operators  and  builders  in  this  bor- 
uugh.  In  the  construction  of  his  buildings,  Mr.  Bergen  has 
tile  well-earned  reputation  of  using  only  first-class  materials, 
this  being  easily  proven  from  the  speedy  sale  of  all  the  houses 
he  erects.  '1  he  following  is  a  partial  list  of  some  of  the  opera- 
tions carried  on  by  Mr.  Bergen:  Six  brick  dwellings  at  176th 
Street  and  Topping  Avenue;  five  brick  dwellings  at  173d  and 
179th  Streets  and  Topping  Avenue;  seven  frame  dwellings  at 
179th  Street  and  Cliton  Avenue;  three  brick  dwellings  at  i8ist 
Street  and  .'\nthony  Avenue;  twelve  frame  dwellings  at  Bain- 
bridge  Avenue;  three  brick  dwellings  at  Bainbridge  Avenue 
and  I92d  Street;  five  frame  dwellings  at  Marion  Avenue  and 
197th  Street;  five  frame  dwellings  at  Valentine  Avenue  and 
202d  Street ;  forty  to  fifty  frame  dwellings  at  Mosholu  Park- 
way and  Perry  Avenue ;  one  mansion  of  twenty  rooms  for 
James  Cunnion.  Mr.  Bergen  holds  many  high-class  parcels  of 
real  estate  in  the  finest  sections  of  the  Bronx,  which  he  is  hold- 
ing for  advancement  in  values.  Among  some  of  his  holdings 
are  the  following:  176th  Street  and  Fulton  Avenue,  opposite 
Crotona  Park;  two  corner  plots  corner  of  Grand  Concourse 
and  i8ist  Street;  corner  I76lh  Street  and  Morris  Avenue;  cor- 
ner of  176th  Street  and  Topping  Avenue:  corner  of  17.3d 
Street  and  Topping  Avenue,  and  many  others.  The  latest 
acquisitions  to  his  holdings,  and  one  of  which  he  is  rightly 
proud,  is  the  purchase  of  the  three-acre  plot,  where  he  was 
first  employed  by  J.  R.  Brown,  who  at  that  time  paid  him  the 
enormous  salary  of  twenty  dollars  per  month.  This  plot  con- 
tains about  fifty  city  lots  and  has  been  part  of  the  Camp  estate 
for  about  thirty  years.  Mr.  Bergen  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Arthur  H.  Murphy  Association,  Fordham  Club. 
Elks.  Knights  of  Columbus  and  a  member  of  the  Jefferson  Club. 
On  June  6,   1900,  Mr.   Bergen   married   Miss   Mary  L.   O'Toole, 


WILLIAM     C.     BERGEN 


JAMES    P.     SONNEBORN 


JAMES    JOHN    MC  GUIRE 


THOS.    F.    0   RORKE 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


267 


daughter  of  James  O'TooIc.  a  prominent  l'>ronx  builder,  wlio 
eoii'Strueied  the  Municipal  Building,  the  Bronx  Building,  and 
many  other  important  structures,  both  public  and  private.  Mr. 
Bergen  has  three  children,  viz. :  James,  Loretta  and  Anna.  He 
is  a  self-made  man  and  his  friends  are  legion.  His  entire  career 
has  been  governed  through  honorable  motives,  and  as  a  good 
citizen  he  ranks  among  the  best  in  the  Bronx. 

JOHN  H.  METZLER  was  born  in  West  Forty-second 
Street,  New  York  City,  July  20,  1848.  and  came  to  Melrose  with 
his  parents  in    tS~,\.     He  was  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the 


JOHN     H.    r^.ETZLER 

L'lOiiK  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurrid  0:1  J muary  6, 
1902,  when  the  Bronx  lost  one  of  its  most  enterprising  caizeis. 
Mr.  Metzler  was  known  far  and  wide  for  his  unquestionable 
ability  and  sterling  integrity.  During  the  early  years  of  his  life 
he  attended  Public  School  No.  61,  of  Morrisania,  and  at  eleven 
years  of  age  he  went  to  work  as  a  grocery  clerk.  After  working 
six  years  as  clerk  he  went  to  work  for  his  father,  John  P.  Metzler. 
who  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and  learned  his  trade,  which 
equipped  him  thoroughly  for  the  enterprising  work  he  performed 
successfully  in  after  years.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
however,  he  concluded  to  open  a  grocery  store,  which  he  did. 
and  was  succeeding  very  well  for  a  few  years  when  a  disastrous 
hre  destroyed  his  store  and  crippled  him  financially  so  that  hf 
dropped  the  grocery  business  and  entered  into  the  employ  of  Mr. 
E.  Gustaveson,  a  prominent  builder  of  that  period,  being  foreman 
and  superintendent  for  about  fifteen  years.  In  1888  he  started  in 
the  building  and  construction  business  on  his  own  account,  which 
marked  the  era  of  the  first  forward  movements  in  the  building 
up  of  the  Bronx — at  which  he  continued  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  Mr.  Metzler  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Miss 
Eva  Vielbig.  of  Melrose,  to  whom  he  was  married  in  1871,  and 
who  died  in  October.  1881.  There  were  five  children  of  this 
imion.  three  of  whom  are  now  living,  two  daughters  and  a  son. 


ill  1883  .Mr.  .Met?ler  married  the  second  wife,  Miss  Annie  M. 
Smith  (still  living)  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  highly 
respected  families  of  West  Farms.  There  were  two  children 
of  this  uiiiiin.  a  daughter  and  a  son,  both  living.  In  politics  Mr. 
Metzler  was  a  Kepulilican,  but  never  sought  political  favors. 
He  was  one  of  the  old  volunteer  firemen  of  Melrose,  belonging 
to  Engine  Company  No.  5.  and  was  also  a  menilier  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  West  Farms.  In  the  death  of  Mr.  Metzler,  which  was 
seriously  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him,  the  Bronx  lost  a  pro- 
gressive man  who  had  kept  in  advance  of  the  era  of  improvements 
ill  which  he  was  interested.  His  son,  Harry  Metzler,  has  been,  and 
1^  ninv,  conducting  the  business  on  the  same  lines  as  his  father. 

HARRY  METZLER.  carpenter  and  builder,  of  2143  Map^s 
'  venue,  was  born  in  the  Bronx  August  6,  1878.  He  lives  in  a  fine 
old  home  built  by  his  father,  who  was  also  a  builder  and  con- 
tractor. Our  subject  was,  in  his  youth,  a  pupil  of  Public  School 
N'o.  61,  but  left  it  at  fourteen  to  go  to  work  for  his  father, 
and  so  continued  up  to  the  time  of  the  old  gentleman's  death  in 
1002.  Then  he  succeeded  to  the  business  and  took  up  Bronx 
real  estate  operations  also  "on  the  side."     He  has  been  more  than 


HARRY    METZLER 

measurably  succe-sful  ami  has  splendid  prospects  ahead.  In 
politics  and  socitly  and  all  that.  Mr.  Metzler  takes  but  little 
interest.     He  is  rnmarried  and  belongs  to  but  one  organization. 

JOHN  CUNNINGHAM  RODGERS.  JR..  the  youngest  and 
most  prominent  and  successful  contractor  in  Greater  New  York, 
was  born  at  La  Chien,  Canada,  June  14,  1879.  He  graduated  a 
the  public  schools  and  is  an  undergraduate  of  St.  John's  College, 
Fordham.  He  hails  from  a  distinguished  family,  his  father, 
John  C.  Rodgers,  being  one  of  the  most  influential  contractors 
of  municipal  work  in  the  Greater  New  York.  While  a  member 
of  the  powerful  firm  of  John  C.  Rodgers  &  Co.  he  has  developed 
such  a  trait  of  push  and  energy  on  his  own  individual  account 
that  he  was  awarded  the  contract  by  the  municipality  of  the 
Bronx  to  widen  Westchester  .-Vvenue  from  the  Bron.x  River,  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  important  improvements  that  the  borough 
has    provided    for    during    the    year    1904.     This    work    was    en- 


JOHN  CUNNINGHAM    RODGERS,    JR. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


269 


tered  into  at  once  energetically  by  Mr.  Rodgers  and  notwith- 
standing its  enormous  proportions  and  its  herculean  task,  Mr. 
Rodgers  has  accomplished  and  performed  astonishing  results  with 
the  work.  His  progress  has  been  so  rapid  that  the  taxpayers 
and  property  owners  of  the  community  are  mure  than  delighted 
with  the  energy  and  ability  of  the  young  contractor,  who  gives 
fair  promise  of  completing  the  great  improvement  before  the 
contract  limit.  Mr.  Rodgers  is  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholiv 
Church,  belongs  to  no  societies  or  organizations,  giving  his 
entire  time  to  the  prosecution  of  his  large  contracting  interests. 
He  was  married  April  4,  i8gg,  to  Miss  Sophia  Frances  Rodgers, 
a  young  lady  liighly  esteemed  in  social  circles  for  her  culture 
and    refinement. 

FREDERICK  DAMM,  the  well-known  contractor  and  house 
mover  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Denmark.  Sept.  i6th,  1865,  and 
was  educated  there.  In  1885  he  came  to  the  Bronx,  and  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  contracting  of  removing  houses  from  one 
locality  to  another,  and  has  become  the  leading  representative 
of  that  branch  of  business  throughout  the  Borough.  He  has 
consummated  a  large  number  of  difficult  tasks  in  the  house- 
moving  line,  where  others  of  his  competitors  have  signally  failed, 
and  for  this  reason  he  has  made  for  himself  a  reputation  that 
has  extended  over  Greater  New  York.  Mr.  Damm  married 
lanuary  26,  1896,  Miss  Glockntr,  who  died  June  26,  1905.  leaving 
two  children,  Rena  and  Emma,  both  of  whom  are  living.  In 
politics  Mr.  Damm  has  always  been  a  consistent  Democrat,  but 
has  never  aspired  to  political  honors.  He  belongs  to  no  socie- 
ties, clubs  or  organizations,  but  has  a  score  of  influential  friends 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  the  Bronx,  and  is  admired  for 
his  substantial  business  habits,  his  staunch  integrity,  and  the 
promptness  with  which  he  fulfills  his  agreements. 

WM.  T.  AUSTIN,  residing  at  760  Plast  140th  Street,  is 
Chief  Clerk  in  the  Coroner's  office,  TrenTOut.  Mr.  Austm  was 
born  .^pril  8,  1868,  in  England,  Great  Britain,  and  was  educated 
at  (Jueens  College,  South  America.  He  came  to  this  country  at 
the  age  of  17  in  1885  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  borough  for 
fifteen  years,  'fliough  born  abroad  of  an  English  father,  his 
mother  was  an  American.  Flis  wife  is  a  sister  of  Coroner  Mc- 
I'onald  and  a  daughter  of  Col.  Joseph  McDonald,  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War  and  members  of  Lafayette  Post,  G.  A.  R.  Mr. 
.\ustin  was  before  he  took  office  an  insurance  man  and  account- 
ant. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  is  Captain  of  the  57th 
District  organization  of  that  party.  He  is  active  in  the  North 
Side  Republican  Club  and  is  a  member  of  the  Brownson  Catho- 
lic Club  and  the  Royal  Arcanum.  He  married,  July  20,  1892, 
as  mentioned  above.  Miss  Mary  C.  McDonald.  They  have  four 
children  living,  Catharine  H.,  Marie  S.,  Wm.  T.,  Jr.,  and  Flor- 
ence R. 

LYDIA  A.  SCOFIELD.  widow  of  the  late  Charles  Scofield, 
was  born  in  City  Island  August  4,  1846,  and  during  her  early 
youth  attended  the  local  public  school ;  her  education  was  com- 
pleted at  the  Bolton  School,  located  at  Pelham  Manor  and  at 
Bedford.  Westchester  County.  Mrs.  Scofield,  before  her  mar- 
riage was  Miss  Lydia  A.  Pell,  sister  of  Henry  S.  Pell,  the  well 
known  real  estate  operator  of  City  Island.  The  Pell  family  is 
looked  upon  as  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected  of  that 
part  of  the  borough,  where  they  settled  many  years  ago  and  have 
been  identified  right  up  to  the  present  time  with  the  upbuilding 
of  City  Island.  Mrs.  Scofield  has  operated  extensively  in  Bronx 
real  estate,  and  has  been  very  successful,  showing  in  every  instance 
a  marked  ability.  She  has  one  son,  I-"letcher  P.,  who  resides  in 
the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  where  she  also  resides  at  the  present 
time. 


PHILIP  J.  KEARNS,  of  the  well  known  contracting 
firm  of  Cunningham  &  Kearns.  main  offices,  438  East  Ninety- 
first  Street,  was  born  in  Yorkviile,  on  the  8th  day  of  August, 
1870.  In  1873,  his  parents  moved  to  the  Bronx  and  he  has 
resided  in  that  section  continuously  since  such  date,  acquiring 
his  early  education  in  both  parochial  and  public  schools.  Mr. 
Kearns'  highly  successful  career  in  his  chosen  field  of  business, 
contracting,  rests  on  the  foundation  he  laid  by  acquiring  a 
practical  knowledge  of  the  details  of  the  separate  branches  there- 
of. A  mention  of  the  following  contracts,  accomplished  or 
under  way,  will  give  some  idea  of  his  high  reputation  for 
thorough  workmanship  and  of  his  ability  for  shrewd  calcula- 
tion on  bid  specifications :  I'he  Bungay  outlet  sewer,  where 
skill    alone    overcame    difficulties;    paving    Westchester    .\venue. 


PHILIP    J.    KEARNS 

from  Third  Avenue  to  Southern  Boulevard,  both  in  the  Bronx; 
in  Manhattan,  sewer  on  Fifth  Avenue,  from  Washington 
Place  to  Fifty-ninth  Street,  and  outlet  sewers  the  entire  length 
of  West  and  South  Streets;  regul.ting  of  Delancey  Street 
(Bowery  to  Clinton  Street  entrance  Williamsburg  Bridge); 
construction  of  the  Brooklyn  Plaza  of  said  bridge  and  the  re- 
paving  of  Elm  Street,  Manhattan,  and  Kent  Avenue  (Broadway 
to  Hewes  Street)  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Kearns  has  ever  been  a 
staunch  Democrat,  but  never  an  office  seeker,  and  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Jeiiferson  Club  and  the  Tammany  General  Com- 
mittee. In  club  life  he  holds  membership  in  the  Taxpayers' 
Alliance,  Schnorer  Club,  New  York  Athletic  Club,  Knights 
of  Columbus.  Contractors'  Association.  Elks  and  vra.s. 
a  charter  member  of  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club.  Mr.  Kearns 
is  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  unostentatiously  provides  liberally 
to  the  maintenance  of  its  many  charities.  On  October  3,  1894, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Honora  Veronica  White,  and  five 
children,  four  of  them  sturdy  boys,  grace  Mr.  Kearns'  home 
near   183d   Street  on  the   Grand   Concourse  and   Boulevard. 


A'JGU::iUJ    A.    IRUUAND 


FRANZ    BRAUN 


FREDERICK     DAMM 


LOUIS    REITER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


271 


EDMUND  BARRV  O'CONNELL  was  horn  in  New  York 
City ."^  in  the  old  Nineteenth  Ward,  on  January  22.  1875.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  Cathedral  Parochial  School  and  in 
Grammar  School  No.  74,  Manhattan.  Early  evincing  a  desire 
to  learn  architecture,  he  took  a  special  course  in  that  study 
at  Columbia  College.  Mr.  O'Connell  is  the  senior  partner  in 
the  well  known  firm  of  O'Connell-Piper  Company,  extensive 
marble  and  tile  contractors,  at  Concord  Avenue  and  151st  Street. 
Bronx.  During  his  thirteen  years'  residence  in  the  Bronx,  Mr. 
O'Connnll  has  won  an  enviable  reputation  for  probity  and  good 
citizenship  in  both  business  and  social  circles.  He  is  a  member 
of  St.  Roch's  Catholic  Church,  as  well  as  numerous  Catholic 
nrganizations.  On  April  21,  1903,  he  married  Catharine  H. 
Ryan,  and  two  daughters,  Sarah  Marie  and  Elizabeth  C,  make 
their   home   life   cheerful. 

AUGUSTUS  A.  IRELAND,  is  Assistant  Superintendent  ol 
the  Tenement  House  Department,  Bron.x  Branch,  and  one  of  the 
active  Democrats  of  the  borough.  He  is  a  native  born  in  New 
York  City  (Manhattan)  November  19,  1867,  and  a  resident  of 
the  Bronx  since  his  12th  year.  He  is  a  product  of  the  public 
schools  and  was  formerly  until  1904  engaged  in  the  brokerage 
business  in  Wall  Street.  He  belongs  among  others  to  the  follow- 
ing clubs  and  associations  of  the  district :  The  Tallapoosa 
Club,  Ix)uis  F.  llatfen  Association,  West  iVlorrisania  Club,  Mel- 
rose Turn  Verein.  the  Elks,  the  Schnorer,  etc.  He  married 
September  .30,  1892,  Miss  May  .A.  Haffen,  daughter  of  John 
Haffen.     They  have  two  children  living.  John  M.  and  Augustus  P. 

THOMAS  BOWNE  WATSON,  comractor  and  stevedore, 
was  born  October  28.  1S68,  in  the  Bronx,  w-hcn  that  section  (of 
what  is  now  one  of  the  boroughs  of  New  Y'ork  City)  was  a 
part  of  Westchester  County.  He  attended  the  public  schools, 
and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  graduated  therefrom  with  high  honors. 
After  leaving  school  he  .secured  employment,  and  in  1903  went 
into  his  present  business  on  his  own  account.  He  was  success- 
ful from  the  start,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  substantial  citizens 
of  Bronx  Borough.  Mr.  Watson  has  built  up  an  extensive  busi- 
ness as  a  general  contractor  and   stevedore.     His   main  office   is 


located  at  Fordham  Road  and  Gerard  .\venue.  Politically,  Mr. 
Watson  is  a  ■^taimch  Democrat.  He  is  extremely  popular  and 
has  a  large  circle  of  influential  friends  who  have  repeatedly 
urged  him  to  become  a  candidate  for  Alderman  and  Assembly- 
man. His  extensive  business  has  always  prevented  him  from 
accepting.      He    is    a    prominpnt    member    of    Chippewa    Club. 


THOMAS    BOWNE    WATSON 

Thomas  H.  O'Neil  Association;  he  was  an  Exempt  Fireman, 
and  is  the  standard-bearer  of  the  Thomas  B.  Watson  Association. 
He  is  also  an  influential  member  of  St.  Peter's  Church  of  West- 
chester. On  July  12,  1899,  Mr.  Watson  married  Miss  Daisy  M. 
Lane.  Four  children  blessed  the  union,  George  W.  and  Israel 
Honeywell,  living:  Daisy  and  Dorothy,  deceased.  Mr.  Watson  is 
the  last  descendant  of  the  old  and  well-known  Watson  family 
of  Westchester.  His  father  was  a  captain  of  one  of  the  Ericson 
monitors  during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a  brave  man  and  saw 
service   throughout   the   entire    period   of   strife. 


CHAPTER  XLII 


IN  THE  PUBLIC  EYE 


Some  of  the  Men  Who  Have  Figured  in  Developing  the  Borough,  and  Have  Attained  More  Prominence  Than 

is  Accorded  Most  Men 


LOUIS  F.  HAFFEN.— A  little  more  than  fifty-one  years 
ago,  on  November  6,  1854,  Louis  F.  Haffen  was  born  in  the 
Village  of  Melrose,  tueii  pait  ot  the  manor  of  iViorrisania  and 
within  the  precincts  01  the  old  township  of  West  i-arms  (after- 
wards, in  1S56,  the  town  of  Morrisania)  and  the  County  of  VVest- 
cnester.  What  is  now  a  busy,  crowded  and  prosperous  section 
01  the  Borough  ot  the  Uronx  was  then  a  rural  township  with  a 
meagre  population  scattered  in  small  hamlets  or  having  its 
homes  on  the  many  farms  which  extended  from  the  Harlem 
Kiver  northward  to  Yonkers  ana  v^hite  Flains.  Mr.  Half  en  is 
ot  a  family  which  has  no  small  distinction  in  the  borough  as 
pioneers  in  its  business,  social  and  religious  life,  and  is  of  that 
sturdy  substantial  (jerman  and  Irish  stock,  which  figures  in- 
Hueinially  in  the  population  of  our  borough  and  city.  The  vil- 
lage school  was  located  on  Uenman  btreet,  now  isoth  Street, 
between  Melrose  and  Courtlandt  Avenues.  It  was  here  that 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  commenced  the  scholastic  and  pro- 
fessional training  which,  combined  with  personal  qualities  ^t  the 
highest  order,  has  made  his  public  career  by  far  the  mos.  dis- 
tinguished and  useful  in  the  history  of  the  evolution  of  the  old 
Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards  into  the  present  popu- 
lous Borough  of  the  Bronx.  From  1866  to  1868  he  was  a  pupil 
in  the  old  Melrose  Public  School,  a  modest  frame  structure 
which  stood  on  Third  Avenue  in  the  vicinity  of  157th  or  158th 
Streets.  In  the  fall  of  1868,  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  Mr. 
Haflfen  entered  St.  John's  College,  then  as  now,  located  at  Ford- 
ham.  Two  years  later  he  began  a  course  of  study  at  Niagara 
University.  In  1872  he  returned  to  St.  John's  and  in  1875  gradu- 
ated from  the  college  w-ith  the  degree  of  .A-.B.  Having  decided 
to  become  a  Civil  Engineer,  Mr.  Haffen  began  to  equip  himself 
for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  by  entering  the  School 
of  Mines  of  Columbia  College,  the  present  School  of  Science 
of  Columbia  Lhiiversity.  With  the  full  honors  of  the  scientific 
course  he  graduated  from  the  School  of  Mines  in  1879.  In  the 
meantime,  St.  John's  College,  now  Fordham  University,  be- 
stowed upon  him  the  degree  of  A.M..  and  he  was  again  honorci', 
by  his  alma  mater  last  year  (1905)  when  the  degree  of  LL.D. 
was  conferred  upon  him.  With  characteristic  energy  Mr.  Haffen 
lost  no  time  in  entering  upon  the  active  work  of  his  profession. 
.■\fter  two  years  of  home  practice  and  study,  in  the  fall  of  1881 
he  emigrated  to  Colorado  and  .spent  a  busy  twelve  months  in  the 
Rocky  Mountain  country  and  other  sections  of  the  far  West. 
His  labors  as  a  mining  and  civil  engineer  carried  him  to  w-hat 
were  then  almost  unexplored  sections  of  the  western  country 
between  lower  California  and  Washington  Territory.  In  1882, 
that  he  might  begin  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his  native 
city,  Mr.  Haffen  returned  to  New  York  and  established  himself 
as  a  Civil  Engineer.  One  year  later,  in  April,  1883,  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  municipality  as  an  engineer  in  the  Park  De- 


partment. From  1890  to  1893  he  was  engineer-in-charge  and 
superintendent  of  the  new  panes  in  the  Twenty-third  and  1  wenty- 
fourth  Wards  and  aujacent  territory,  now  the  Borough  of  tne 
Bronx.  On  May  i,  1893,  Louis  I',  fiaffen  began  his  remarkable 
career  as  executive  and  administrator  of  the  territory  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  north  and  east  of  the  Harlem  River.  On  that  day 
Mayor  Gilroy  appointed  him  Commissioner  of  Street  Improve- 
ments for  the  Iwenty-third  and  Twenty- fourth  Wards  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  untimely  demise  of  Louis  J.  Heintz.  In 
tUe  tali  ot  i8gj  Aiayor  Cilioys  act  was  confirmed  by  the  people, 
who  by  a  large  majority  elected  Mr.  Halftn  for  the  unexpired 
term  as  Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements.  'Ihe  recital  of 
Louis  F.  Haffen's  public  career  since  that  time  constitutes  the  his- 
tory of  the  t.xtraordinaiy  development  and  progress  of  the  great 
North  Side.  He  served  as  Commissioner  of  Street  Improve- 
ments until  the  end  of  1897,  when  the  Department  went  out  of 
e.xistence  to  give  way  to  the  borough  government  created  by  the 
Greater  New  York  Charter,  which  went  into  effect  January  1, 
i8g8.  In  1897  ^^^-  Haffen  was  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years 
as  first  Piesident  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bron.x.  In  November, 
1501,  he  was  re-elected  for  a  leiin  of  two  years;  in  1903  again 
re-elected  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  in  1905  once  more  re- 
elected, this  time  for  a  four-year  term,  which  began  January  i, 
igo6,  and  will  expire  December  31,  1909.  Twenty  years  ago  Mr. 
Haffen  was  happily  married.  Nine  children,  si.x;  of  whom  sur- 
vive, have  been  born  to  him  and  his  wife.  His  residen-ce  is  at 
524  East  i62d  Street,  near  the  Melrose  Depot.  His  present  home 
IS  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  village  home  where  he  first  saw 
the  light  of  day.  Except  for  the  year  spent  in  the  West  in  the 
early  practice  of  his  profession,  Louis  F.  Haffen  has  lived  every 
day  of  his  life  in  the  Bronx  and  the  only  home  he  has  known 
has  been  within  the  precincts  of  the  old  village  of  Melrose.  It  is 
no  occasion  for  wonder  that  the  name  of  Louis  F.  Haffen  is  a 
household  word  to  the  people  of  the  Bronx.  The  citizenship 
which  bestows  the  highest  honor  upon  the  community  in  which 
we  live  is  concerned  less  with  schemes  of  gain  and  profit  than 
witli  broad  plans  of  government  and  development  that  make  New 
York  a  better  place  for  the  millions  to  live  in  and  thereby  aug- 
ments the  happiness  of  the  masses  whose  energy  and  ability 
create  the  wealth  and  true  greatness  of  the  city  and  whose  homes 
must  be  within  its  borders.  Measured  by  this  standard  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  is  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
really  successful  men  of  the  metropolis.  His  true  proportions  as 
an  administrator  and  his  achievements  as  the  master  mind  of 
ihe  development  of  the  Bronx  will  be  appreciated  in  ever  in- 
creasing measure  with  the  lapse  of  time  and  the  accumulation 
of  years  and  generations.  During  his  successive  terms  of  oflSce 
as  Commissioner  and  Borough  President,  the  Bronx  has  grown 
from  a  conglomeration   of  scattered  villages  to  a  great  thriving 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


273 


city    whose    ultimate    extent    in    population,    wealth,    area    and 
power  no  man  can  foresee  or  describe.     Not  less  than  $40,000,- 
000  have  been   expended  in  public  improvement  and  assessment 
work  during  the  official  incumbency  of  Louis  F.  Haffen.     Since 
he    was    placed    at   the    head   of    the    local    government    in    1893 
the  population  of  the  territory  within  the  Bronx  has  multiplied 
several    times   and    is    now    larger    than    the    population   of   any 
one  of  several  States.     In  the  laying  out  and  grading  and  pav- 
ing of  streets  and   boulevards ;   the  establishment  of  vast  sewer 
systems ;  solving  problems  of  rapid  transit  and  dock  and  water 
facilities;    advancmg   the   educational    interests   of   the   borough; 
initiating  and  carrying  to  a  consummation  public   improvements 
of    every    sort,    including    bridges    and    viaducts,    public    baths, 
parkways,   the   boulevard    and   concourse,   borough   court   house, 
and   others   too    numerous    for    specific   mention,    the    record    of 
President    Haffen's    borough    administration    is    unique    in    the 
annals  of  municipal  government.     It   may  be  said   i:i  truth  and 
moderation  that   the  city   north   of  the   Harlem  is  the  crowning 
monument    of    his    achievements.      In    the    political    life    of    the 
borough,  Mr.  Haffen  has  necessarily  been  a  factor  of  the  largest 
dimension.      For   many  years  he   was   the  acknowledged   Demo- 
cratic leader  in  llie    fhirty-fifth  Assembly  District  and  only  re- 
cently has  he  laid  that  responsibility  down.     As  a  party  leader 
his  influence  has  always   been  on  the  side  of  good  government 
and    honest    politics    and    to    this    fact    is    due    in   no    small    de- 
gree  his   hold    upon    the    confidence    and    respect    of   his    fellow 
citizens.     They  support  him  irrespective  of  party   when  a  candi- 
date  for  office.      In   no   election   since    1893   have  they   failed   to 
give  him  the  victory.     Not  once  but  many  times  his  record  has 
been  submitted  to  the  people  for  their  judgment  and  always  the 
verdict   has    been    one    of    emphatic    approval.      While    a    strong 
partisan  in  matters  that  are  purely  political  in  character,  he  re- 
gards local   government   as    wholly  outside   the   sphere   of  party 
politics.      To    the    Democratic    convention    which    last    fall    re- 
nominated   him    for    Borough    President,    he    expressed    himself 
in  this  vigorous  language:     "It   is  my  intention  that  there  shall 
be    no    misunderstandnig    between    you    as    the    delegates    of    a 
great  political  party  and   myself  as  the  candidate  you  have  se- 
lected for  the  office  of  President  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 
Un  all  proper  political   and  party  questions  I  am,  as  you  know, 
a  partisan.      No  more  sincere  or  sterenuous  advocate  exists  oi 
the  American   idea   that   in   the   conduct   of   State   and   National 
affairs   strong   and    vigorous   political   parties   are   absolutely   es- 
sential to  the  success  and  permanency  of  representative  govern- 
ment.    Questions   of  economics  and  of   radically  different  theo- 
ries of  government  are  involved   in   State  and  nation,  and  they 
call    for   the   application   of   principles   purely   political    in   origin 
and  in  character.     But  I  know  of  no  political  principle  that  can 
have   any    proper    or    legitimate    relation    to    the    administration 
of  the  local   affairs   of  the    Borough   of   the   Bron.x   of   the   City 
of    New    York.      In    accepting    your    nomination    I    do    so    with 
the  distinct  understanding  that,  should  I  be  re-elected  President 
of  the  Borough,  I  will  not  be  the  agent  or  the  representative  of 
any  political   faction  or  party,  but  I  shall  be  the  servant  of  all 
the  people  and   all   the  taxpayers   of  the   Bronx,   irrespective  of 
their    party    affiliations    or    political    creeds.      The    interests    of 
every  taxpayer  and  resident  in  the  borough  will  receive  prompt 
and  equal   consideration.     Whether  a  citizen  owes  allegiance  to 
the  Republican  party  or  to  the  Democratic  party,  or  whether  he 
affiliates   with    any   other   political   organization,   he    has   a   right 
equal   to  the  right  of  every  other  citizen  to  be  heard  and  con- 
sidered  on   all  questions  of  local  administration.     Good  admin- 
istration of  borough  affairs  is  not  a  matter  of  politics  or  parti- 
sanship, but  of  conserving  the  welfare  of  the  entire  community 
by  meeting   the   just   and   righteous   demand   of   the   people   for 


honesty,  efficiency  and  economy  in  the  conduct  of  their  local 
government.  The  aim  of  a  borough  government  must  be 
an  upright  and  clean  administration.  An  administration  that 
will  attract  and  encourage  local  industries,  and  invite  the  in- 
vestment of  capital  and  the  incoming  of  new  population;  that 
will  provide  adequate  school  facilities,  rapid  and  comfortable 
transportation ;  streets  well  paved,  well  lighted  and  well  cleaned ; 
proper  supervision  of  building  operations  that  the  health  and 
safety  of  occupants  may  be  safeguarded ;  the  construction  of 
sewers  and  extension  of  water  mains;  the  opening  of  streets 
and  boulevards  and  building  of  bridges,  and  the  erection  and 
maintenance  of  public  baths.  In  a  word,  the  carrying  out  of 
public  improvements  of  every  sort  that  a  wise  and  far-sighted 
policy  may  approve  and  the  resources  of  the  city  and  borough 
permit.  Politics  and  partisanship  have  no  proper  place  in 
such  a  scheme  of  local  government.  The  guiding  principles 
must  be  honesty,  efficiency  and  economy,  and  if  I  am  to  be 
president  of  the  borough,  politics  and  partisanship  will  not  be 
allowed  to  either  intrude  or  control.  One  pledge  I  make  and 
only  one.  That  pledge  is  to  give  the  best  there  is  in  me  and  all 
my  time,  ability  and  thought  to  a  conscientious  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  the  great  office  of  President  of  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx."  The  spirit  of  independence  and  sincerity  with  which 
this  declaration  vibrates  is  the  key  to  President  Haffen's  con- 
ception of  his  duty  as  chief  executive  of  the  borough  and  the 
foundation  of  his  career  in  the  public  service.  Louis  F.  Haf- 
fen is  a  constructive  force  in  the  community.  He  is  an  unpre- 
tentious, honorable,  high-minded  citizen.  His  stern  honesty 
and  sterling  worth  are  everywhere  acknowledged,  and  the 
residents  and  taxpayers  of  the  Bronx  know  that  at  the  Muni- 
cipal building,  as  president  of  the  borough,  there  presides  over 
the  local  government  an  intelligent  and  incorruptible  citizen, 
who  by  the  personal  qualities  of  honesty,  courage,  experience 
and  efficiency,  meets  every  requirement  of  the  high  position 
he  fills. 

RICHARD  H.  MI  PCHELL,  Assistant  Corporation  Counsel 
in  charge  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  McKeesport,  Pa.,  in  1870 
He  was  educated  at  the  Morrisania  Public  School,  then  known 
as  Grammar  School  No.  61.  at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  where  he  graduated  in  1888,  and  at  Columbia  University 
Law  School  in  i8go  and  1891,  and  in  June  of  the  latter  year  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  associated  himself  with  Morgan  &  Ives, 
a  well-known  law  firm  of  New  York  City,  and  soon  after  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  with  Rollin  M.  Morgan,  with  whom 
he  has  since  continued  in  partnership.  The  firm  of  Morgan  & 
Mitchell  has  during  the  last  ten  years  taken  charge  of  much 
important  litigation,  and  both  members  of  the  firm  have  been 
very  active  in  public  affairs.  Mr.  Mitchell  is  the  younger  son 
of  Dr.  James  B.  Mitchell  and  Emma  Henry  Mitchell.  He  is  a 
descendant  of  Irish  and  German  ancestors,  his  grandfather, 
James  Henry,  having  been  a  native  of  the  town  of  Colerain,  County 
of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  and  he  is  also  related  to  the  Eckfeldt 
family,  of  whom  Adam  Eckfeldt  was  an  appointee  of  President 
Washington  in  the  United  States  Mint.  He  has  lived  for  the 
last  twenty-eight  years  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  in  the  part 
formerly  known  as  Morrisania,  and  since  l8go  has  been  well 
known  as  a  Democrat  and  a  strong  adherent  of  Tammany  Hall. 
In  1897  he  was  elected  Member  of  Assembly  from  the  35th 
Assembly  District  by  a  majority  of  1,462  votes,  and  the  follow- 
ing year,  1898,  he  was  elected  Senator  by  a  majority  of  6,606. 
He  remained  in  the  Senate  during  the  years  1899  and  1900. 
serving  during  that  time  on  the  Judiciary  Committee  and  the 
Coinmittee  on  Privileges  and  Elections.     In  February,  1904,  Cor^ 


274 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


poration  Counsel  Delany  selected  Senator  Mitchell  as  one  of  his 
assistants  and  placed  him  in  charge  of  the  Corporation  Counsel's 
Office  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  In  the  early  part  of  1904 
some  of  Senator  Mitchell's  friends  enlisted  his  interest  in  a 
movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  political  and  commercial 
interest  of  Puerto  Rico.  A  very  strong  association  was  formed 
in  this  city,  known  as  the  Puerto  Rican  American  League,  and 
Senator  Mitchell  has  been  chosen  President.  Mr.  Mitchell  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  Democratic  Club,  New  York  Yacht  Club,  Larchmont 
Yacht  Club.  Fordham  Club,  Schnorer  Club,  Jefiferson  Tammany 
Club,  Pennsylvania  Society,  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick.  Kane 
Lodge,  No.  454,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Jerusalem  Chapter,  Coeur  de  Lion 
Commandery,  Wasliington  Club,  Pawnee  Club,  League  of  Ameri- 
can Wheelmen.  Bar  Association  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
Taxpayers'  Alliance,  Alumni  Association  of  College  of  City 
of  New  York,  and  Bronx  West  Side  Association.  Mr.  Mitchell 
resides  at  1216  Washington  avenue,  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
New  York   City. 


HON.    J.    A.    GOULDEN 

HON.  J.  A-  GOULDEN  was  born  in  Adams  County.  Penn- 
sylvania, near  the  famous  battlefield  of  Gettysburg  His  early 
life  was  devoted  to  teaching.  He  served  in  the  Civil  War.  For 
many  years  he  was  prominent  in  public  affairs  in  the  City  of 
Pittsburg.  Pa.  He  was  one  of  the  managers  of  the  State  Re- 
formatory and  a  member  of  the  Democratic  State  Central  Com- 
mittee from  Western  Pennsylvania.  Locating  in  New  York 
City  in  1889,  lie  soon  became  a  leader  in  public  affairs.  As  a 
Commissioner  of  Education,  and  as  President  of  the  Taxpayers' 
.Mliance,  which  he  organized,  he  became  known  throughout,  not 
only  the  city,  but  the  Stale.  Through  his  activity  many  new 
schools    were    built,    and    numerous    public    improvements    insti- 


tuted. His  friends  in  the  schools  are  legion,  and  his  services  , 
at  all  public  functions  much  sought  after.  He  was  the  first 
chairman  of  the  Local  School  Board  of  the  Twenty-fifth  District 
and  the  head  of  the  combined  boards  of  the  Bronx.  He  re- 
signed to  take  a  seat  in  Congress,  to  which  he  was  elected  by  a 
majority  of  13,567.  The  City  Hall  in  Manhattan  and  the  Capitol 
at  Albany  have  frequently  heard  his  voice  pleading  the  wanti" 
of  the  people  of  the  City  of  New  York.  For  several  years  he 
has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home  at  Bath, 
N.  Y.  His  presence  in  Washington  has  been  felt  and  his  speeches 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  have  been  favorably  received. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Committee  on  Merchant  Marine 
and  Fisheries.  His  untiring  energy  and  forceful  character  are 
well  known.  His  residence,  where  he  has  lived  for  fifteen  years, 
is  on  Creston  Avenue,  near  iSplh  Street,  Fordham.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  following  clubs :  Military  Service,  Catholic, 
Brovvnson,   Schnorer,    Pawnee,   Fordham  and  Jefferson. 

LOUIS  .ALOYS  RISSE,  former  Chief  Topographical  En- 
gineer of  Greater  New  York,  was  born  in  France,  and  came 
to  this  country  when  17  years  old.  He  was  first  employed  by 
the  New  Y'ork  &  Harlem  Railroad,  and  afterwards  by  the  New 
York  Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad  on  the  projected  Spuyten 
Duyvil  &  Port  Morris  Branch  Railroad.  He  was  also  engaged 
on  a  preliminary  surxey  of  a  railroad  between  Portchester  and 
Ridgefield.  Conn.  In  1868-1871,  he  made  a  map  of  Morrisania 
which  territory  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  under  a  Special  Com- 
mission enacted  by  Act  of  Legislature;  1871-1874  he  was  engaged 
in  surveying  and  mapping  the  territory  in  Westchester  County 
annexed  to  the  city  in  1874.  After  annexation  he  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  Engineer  in  the  Park  Department,  and  in  1880 
was  made  Superintendent  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth 
Wards.  On  January  ist,  1891,  he  was  appointed  Chief  Engineer 
by  the  late  Louis  J.  Heintz,  the  first  Commissioner  of  Street 
Improvements  of  that  territory,  and  it  was  during  Heintz's  ad- 
ministration that  Mr.  Risse  mapped  and  laid  out  the  final  street 
system  of  that  part  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth 
Wards  lying  west  of  the  Bronx  River.  He  conceived  and  laid 
out  the  Grand  Boulevard  and  Concourse,  as  one  of  the  features 
I  if  that  system  and  thus  established  the  missing  link  between  the 
park  system  of  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx.  In  1895  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Commissioner  Louis  F'.  Haffen,  Chief  Topographical 
Engineer  and  Engineer  of  Concourse,  and  during  that  ad- 
niinistralion  made  a  complete  topographical  survey  of  the  terri- 
tory annexed  in  1895  and  lying  east  of  the  Bronx  River.  He 
also  ina<le  a  map  showing  a  complete  street  and  park  system  of 
that  section  on  modern  and  progressive  lines.  This  map  was 
linally  approved  and  adopted  after  numerous  public  hearings. 
In  1898.  the  year  of  consolidation,  he  was  appointed  Chief  Topo- 
graphical Engineer  of  Greater  New  Y'ork  by  the  Board  of 
Public  Improvements  and  in  1899  made  the  famous  Topographi- 
cal Map  of  Greater  New  York  which  was  shown  at  the  Paris 
Exposition,  and  for  which  Mr.  Risse  received  the  first  prize. 
On  this  map  is  shown  for  the  first  time,  a  tentative  park  and 
street  layout  of  all  the  territories  in  the  five  boroughs.  In  1900, 
Mr.  Risse  was  selected  to  represent  the  city  of  New  Y'ork  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  and  was  also  appointed  by  the  Commissioner 
General  of  the  United  States  at  that  E.xposition  as  a  member  of 
the  International  Jury  of  Engineers.  In  1902,  when  the 
Greater  New  Y'ork  charter  was  amended  by  abolishing  the  Board 
of  Public  Improvements,  Mr.  Risse  retired  as  a  public  official, 
and    has    since   continued    in    his    prufessiou    will)    offices   in    the 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


275 


Park  Row  Building.  Last  Spring  Mr.  Risse  was  selected  to 
superintend  the  installation  of  the  New  York  City  Exhibits  in 
the  City  Building  at  the  World's  Fair  in  St.  Louis,  and  during 
the  Summer  traveled  extensively  in  Europe,  where  he  was  sent 
to  examine  and  report  upon  subjects  in  connection  with  the 
future  improvements  in  this  country.  Mr.  Risse  is  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  Club,  Bronx  Club,  Schnorer  Club,  North  Side 
Board  of  Trade,  Municipal  Art  Society,  the  American  Scenic 
and  Historical  Preservation  Society,  French  Benevolent  Society, 
and  others.  His  wife's  name  is  Marion  D.  Risse.  Number  of 
children  five,  three  living  and  two  deceased.  Names  of  living 
children ;  .\loys  C.  Risse,  Aimee  A.  Lord,  Charles  E.  Risse ; 
names  of  deceased :     Aloysius  G.,  and  Armand  L. 

FRANK  GASS.  Register  of  New  York  City  and  real  estate 
operator  of  Unionport,  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  that 
line  and  best  known  resident  of  that  part  of  the  borough,  is  a 
German  by  birth,  but  has  been  in  this  country  more  than  thirty- 
three  years,  and  in  the  Bronx  over  twenty.  He  was  born  in  Kers- 
bach,  Bavaria,  in  1850.  He  went  to  school  over  there  and  to 
college  at  Bambera,  Bavaria,  and  served  his  time  there  to  the 
confectionery  business.  After  he  came  to  this  country  in  1872, 
he  took  up  painting  and  decorating  for  a  living  and  put  in 
several  years  at  it,  on  Second  Avenue  in  Harlem.  In  1889  he 
moved  to  Unionport  and  went  into  th-e  real  estate  line  at  that 
place  in  1890.  In  1892  he  organized  the  Taxpayers'  Association 
there  and  in  1893  the  Hose  Company  of  Unionport.  of  which  he 


FRANK    GASS 

was  foreman  till  exempted.  In  1897  he  was  elected  Alderman 
from  his  district  and  was  re-elected  three  times.  He  served  in  all 
eight  years.  He  is  a  Tammany  Democrat  and  member  of  the 
Chippewa  Club,  a  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow,  and  Exempt  Fireman 
and  a  member  of  the  Westchester  Manncrchor.  He  married  in 
1873,  Katherine   Billhofer,  but   has  no  children. 


OLIN  JAMES  STEPHENS,  president  of  the  North  Side 
Board  of  Trade,  was  born  in  New  York  City  October  30,  1859. 
He  attended  the  public  school  and  graduated  from  No.  60.  He 
then  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  is  an 
undergraduate  of  this  well  known  institution.  In  1878  he  was 
employed   by  his  father,   James   Stephens,  in  the  coal  business, 


OLIN    J.    STEPHENS 

which  the  latter  established  in  1853  at  129th  and  130th  Streets, 
immediately  west  of  Third  Avenue.  In  January,  1872,  this  busi- 
ness was  removed  to  its  present  location  in  138th  Street,  now 
Borough  of  the  Bronx.  In  1888  Mr.  Stephens  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  father  and  at  the  latter's  death,  which  occurred 
on  May  23,  1904,  he  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  Mr. 
Stephens'  father  was  the  pioneer  coal  merchant  of  Harlem  and 
was  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  the  latter.  He  was  a  public- 
spirited  gentleman  and  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the 
entire  community.  His  business  grew  up  with  the  rapid  rise 
and  growth  of  Harlem  and  he  always  maintained  the  position  of 
being  the  largest  and  most  successful  coal  merchant  of  the 
]lace,  which  is  the  fact  to-day.  Since  his  son,  Olin  J.  Stephens, 
succeeded  to  the  business,  he  has  followed  out  the  precepts  of 
his  father  and  is  recognized  by  the  trade  and  the  residents  of 
Bronx  Borough  as  the  head  and  front  of  the  coal  business. 
His  coal  yards,  located  on  138th  Street  and  the  Mott  Haven 
Canal,  Bronx  River,  near  Westchester  Avenue,  West  Farms, 
Webster  Avenue,  Bedford  Park,  are  perfect  in  construction  and 
are  supplied  with  every  modern  convenience  for  the  receiving 
and  discharging  of  the  black  diamonds.  The  first  steam  shovels 
ever  used  in  the  Bronx  were  put  in  by  Mr.  Stephens,  three  of 
them  in  all.  each  having  a  capacity  of  hoisting  fifty  tons  an  hour. 
Tlie  yards  have  a  storage  capacity  of  10,000  tons,  and  at  the 
proper  seasons  of  the  year  are  filled  with  the  best  grades  of  coal. 
About   fifteen   barges   are   required   to   transport   the   coal   sold. 


JOHN     H.     J.     RONNER 


History  of  bronx  borough 


til 


I'Vom  forty  to  fifty  teams  and  one  hundred  men  are  employed  to 
handle  the  Inisiness  transacted  liy  Mr.  Stephens;  its  magnitude 
may  be  reahzed  when  it  is  considered  that  over  125,000  tons  of 
coal  are  delivered  from  these  yards  to  the  residents,  factories 
and  buildings  of  the  Bronx  and  Manhattan.  Mr.  Stephens  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  since  1869;  he  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  a  member  of  St.  Ann's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  a 
life  member  of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Botanical  Garden,  the  New  York  Zoological  Society, 
the  Lothenian  Club,  a  hunting  and  fishing  organization  of  Canada, 
president  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  and  vice-president 
of   the   Nassau    Boat   Club. 

CHARLES  STOLiGHTON.--The  family  of  which  Charles 
Stoughton  is  a  member  traces  its  descent  through  collateral 
branches  in  England  back  to  the  Norman  conquest,  and  in  New 
F.ngland  from  1634,  at  which  time  certain  members  came  to 
ihis  country  and  took  part  in  the  founding  of  the  Massachusetts 


CHARLES    STOUGHTON 

Bay  colony,  settling  in  what  is  now  Dorchester,  from  wdience 
a  part  removed  to  the  Connecticut  River,  where  they  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  of  Windsor.  Froin  Wind- 
sor one  branch  of  the  family  moved  further  up  the  Connecticut 
River  to  the  village  of  Gill,  Massachusetts,  where  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  i:i  the  early  part  of  the  last  century.  There 
he  lived,  with  three  brothers  and  two  sisters,  until  early  man- 
liood,  when,  leaving  the  farm,  he  traveled  extensively  for  those 
primitive  da|ys,  on  business  enterprises  of  his  own  choosing, 
which  took  him  through  New  England  and  into  New  York 
State,  through  the  Southern  States  also,  and  as  far  as  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  the  Isthmus.  Ten  years  of  this  period  were 
.spent  by  him  in  business  in  New  Orleans,  from  which  place  he 
finally  returned,   in   1854,  to  reside  in   New  York,  wliere  he  has 


continued  to  live.  In  the  late  sixties  he  came  with  his  family 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
what  was  then  the  town  of  Morrisania;  and  the  northern  bor- 
ough has,  since  then,  formed  his  home.  At  the  time  of  his  com- 
ing to  this  section  there  was  little  indication  of  the  great  march 
ipf  the  future  city  northward,  nor  had  that  spirit  which  was 
content  in  earlier  years  to  have  the  out-of-town  side  of  City 
Hall  built  of  cheaper  stone  than  the  front,  yielded  place  to 
any  comprehensive  idea  of  the  growth  of  a  greater  metropolis 
of  which  the  Harlem  River  should  divide  the  center.  As  a  gen- 
eral theory  every  one  knew  that  the  city  would  extend  north- 
ward along  the  island,  and  that  the  suburbs  would  increase  on 
the  main  land.  But  this  idea  did  not  influence  the  practical 
schemes  of  even  the  luost  far-sighted  men  farther  than  to  in- 
cline them  to  hold  their  suburban  property  for  a  rise ;  largely 
because  the  means  of  transit  from  the  city  were  so  futile,  and 
because  no  one  could  include  in  his  working  formulas  the  pos- 
siljilities  of  communication  which  are  making  the  growth  of  the 
larger  city  possible,  for  a  new  generation.  At  such  a  time  as 
this,  with  the  field  of  opportunity  open  and  very  little  occupied, 
ar.d  with  all  the  possibilities  of  development  unknown,  which 
have  long  since  materialized  and  are  now  becoming  common- 
place experiences,  the  subject  of  this  review  turned  his  atten- 
tion and  energies  to  the  latest  possibilities  of  the  waterways 
of  the  northern  end  of  the  city  wdiich  as  yet  had  been  entirely 
unused  for  commerce,  although  the  far-sighted  De  Witt  Clinton 
had  discussed  them,  and  there  had  been  in  earlier  years  some  in- 
clTective  legislation  for  their  improvement.  In  undertaking  this 
his  view  embraced  the  use  of  the  Harlem  River  and  the  Kills 
as  a  water  route  from  the  Hudson  River  to  the  Sound  and 
ihcnce  outward  to  the  ocean,  avoiding  thus  the  enforced  use 
nf  the  Sandy  Hook  channel  with  its  tidal  limitation;  and 
adding  enormously  to  the  available  dock  room  of  the  city 
along  the  northern  shores.  It  involved  the  strategic  value  of 
Port  Morris  and  adjacent  shores  in  affording  suitable  railway 
connections  for  the  tran-shipment  of  passengers  and  freights — 
even  now  not  existing  in  Manhattan — and  the  advantage  of 
I  he  direct  passage  for  freight  boats  serving  this  tran-shipment, 
from  the  Hudson  River  to  the  Sound.  He  further  called  at- 
liiclii)n  to  the  possible  and,  in  fact,  inevitable  use  of  the  Sound 
pnrt  and  the  Souixl  itself  in  connection  with  the  railways,  by 
tne  existing  trans-Atlantic  steamship  companies,  and  by  new 
ones,  and  he  showed  that  this  would,  in  effect,  create  a  new 
continental  route  so  far  as  the  city  is  concerned,  between  the 
East  and  West.  Pursuing  this  idea,  on  the  twelfth  of  October, 
1876,  he  called  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  at  his  home,  and  is- 
sued a  missive,  expressing  the  essential  proposition  which  he 
was  to  amplify  in  subsequent  papers.  The  invitation  stated  as 
the  intent  of  the  meeting,  the  solving  of  the  following 
problems :  "First.  Is  Port  Morris  the  central  point  in  our  city, 
in  the  world's  great  highway,  from  Europe  to  New  York,  Chi- 
cago, San  Francisco,  Japan  and  China,  if  connected  by  steam- 
ships and  railway?  Second.  Could  or  would  a  steamship  in  a 
round  trip  from  the  said  point  or  port,  to  and  from  Europe, 
save  a  day  of  twenty-four  hours,  rather  than  from  and  to  Jer- 
sey City  or  the  North  River,  thereby  lessening  the  steamship's 
expense  some  $1,000?  Third.  Could  a  company  of  travellers 
of  ID,  50  or  100  persons,  in  urgent  haste  from  one  continent  to 
the  other  continent,  or  further  on  by  the  said  route,  save  a  day 
in  time,  also  twenty  or  more  dollars  in  expense  each,  in  such 
a  route  and  trip?  Fourtn.  Could  the  passage  ticket  by  such  a 
European  route  be  reduced  ten  to  fifteen  dollars      Fifth.     Could 


LOUIS    ALOYS    RISSE 


HlSTORY,.OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


279 


corn  be  sent  to  Port  Morris  and  shipped  to  Europe  fully  one 
cent  a  bushel  cheaper  than  b3'  any  other  route,  also  wheat  and 
all  kinds  of  products  that  go  forward  for  the  world's  con>- 
suniption  be  sent  with  corresponding  less  expense,  and  a  quick- 
ness of  time,  and  merchandise  be  returned  in  like  manner  at 
less  expense  for  our  great  continent  than  any  other  route  By  the 
desire  of  many,  C.  S." 

The  questions  thus  propounded  were  answered  in  the  af- 
firmative by  the  gentlemen  who  attended  this  and  subsequent 
meetings  and  who  were  themselves  the  pioneers  in  that  public 
spirit  and  in  those  enterprises  which  inaugurated  the  develop- 
ment of  the  present  borough.  But  to  every  enterprise  that  suc- 
ceeds it  is  necessary  for  some  one  to  give  to  it  unstinted  time 
and  energy  to  push  it  as  he  would  his  own  business ;  and  this 
he  alone  did  and  has  done  through  most  of  the  intervening 
years,  while  the  government  engineers  have  trifled  with  it,  and 
while  it  lias  been  sported  with  from  time  to  time  by  ambitious 
statesmen.  He  prepared  memorials  to  Congress,  and  went  from 
man  to  man  for  signatures,  travelling  as  far  as  Chicago  for 
them ;  he  presented  them  in  person  in  Washington  for 
introduction  by  the  senators  or  representatives;  he  fol- 
lowed them  up  by  printed  statements  addressed  to  citizens 
and  to  tlie  members  of  Congress,  setting  forth  the  ad- 
vantages to  accrue  to  commerce  from  the  use  of  these 
waters  and  the  port,  and  indicating  tlie  means  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  improvement,  and  also  the  obstacles  that 
would  have  to  be  removed.  In  this  long  campaign  many  other 
citizens  have  freely  assisted,  signing  memorials,  attending  meet- 
ings and  appearing  before  congressional  committees,  and  the 
magnitude  of  the  undertaking,  or  rather  the  subtle  adverse  in- 
fluences in  its  way,  became  apparent  in  considering  the  length 
of  time  that  has  elapsed  since  its  active  inception,  nearly  a 
generation  ago.  Their  efforts  at  first  met  with  immediate  suc- 
cess. A  Congress  not  noted  for  liberality  appropriated  $400,000 
for  the  improvement  of  the  Harlem  River,  and  after  a  long  de- 
lay in  applying  it,  work  was  commenced.  There  was  then  every 
reason  for  its  immediate  completion,  which  as  other  enterprises 
are  carried  out  in  this  city,  should  have  been  a  matter  of  a  year 
or  two  at  most;  and  the  Harlem  Kills  Canal  should  in  like 
manner  have  been  taken  up  by  the  government  and  finished 
witlhn  a  reasonable  time.  On  the  contrary  both  works  are 
almost  as  far  as  ever  from  the  possibility  of  their  intended 
use.  Those  only  who  have  advocated  some  work  great  enough 
to  absorb  their  utmost  resources  of  power  and  endurance  and 
who  have  given  up  all  other  interests  while  striving  for  its  ac- 
complishment through  many  years,  until  it  has  become  for  them 
the  main  issue  of  their  existence,  can  realize  the  devotion  to  a 
large  conception  which  has  sustained  these  years  01  unavailing 
effort   extending   at    last   nearly   to   the   limit   of  life. 

LOUIS  J.  IIEINTZ  (deceased)  has  been  dead  these  ten 
years,  but  the  fact  that  his  name,  character  and  services  are  still 
frequently  recalled  over  that  North  Side  which  he  championed 
and  whose  favorite  son  he  was,  shows  plainly  how  deep  and  last- 
ing the  impress  was  he  made.  He  was  only  thirty  when  he  died ; 
he  was  rich,  and  might  have  taken  life  at  ease;  but  he  was  enter- 
prising, aggressive  and  public-spirited,  and  threw  himself  instead 
into  the  work  of  upbuilding  and  developing  the  community  in 
which  his  lot  was  cast.  From  one  of  the  numerous  obituaries 
published  at  the  time  of  his  death,  March  12,  1893,  we  take  the 
following  account  of  his  life:  He  was  born  in  Manhattan,  at 
54th  Street,  near  Tenth  Avenue.  His  father  died  when  he  was  a 
hoy,  and  after  his  school  days  were  over  he  entered  the  brewery 


of  his  uncle,  and  thoroughly  mastered  the  business.  He  was  sec- 
retary and  treasurer  of  the  John  Eichler  Brewing  Company,  and 
married  the  daughter  of  the  millionaire  brewer,  Ebling.  He 
was  president  of  the  Brewers'  Board  of  Trade  of  New  York  and 
vicinity,  and  was  identified  with  other  important  interests.  It 
was,  however,  in  his  public  career  that  he  cut  the  most  distin- 
guished figure.  His  admirers  still  hold  that,  as  a  man  of  the 
people,  he  would  have  risen,  had  he  lived,  to  high  political  station. 
Until  he  came  to  the  front  misgovernment  had  been  very  much 
the  lot  of  the  "Annexed  District."  He  it  was  who  succeeded, 
after  much  opposition  at  Albany,  in  getting  through  an  act  pro- 
viding a  separate  board  of  improvements  for  the  district.  Under 
this  statute  the  district  obtained  the  power  to  have  its  own  depart- 
ment of  street  cleaning  and  improvement.  Toward  the  expense 
incidental  to  the  passage  of  this   bill   he   contributed  out  of  his 


LOUIS    J.    HEINTZ 


own  pocket  .Uberally.  This  action  in  lielialf  of  the  taxpayers  of  the 
23d  and  24th  Wards  was  appreciated ;  he  was  selected  as  the 
proper  man  himself  to  put  the  law  in  motion,  was  nominated 
accordingly  as  the  first  Street  Commissioner,  was  endorsed  by 
the  Taxpayers'  Association,  the  County  Democracy  and  the  Re- 
publicans, and  triuniphantly  elected.  His  administration — of 
which  it  was  said  that,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  he  did  more 
even  than  the  public  could  reasonably  expect — -was  interrupted 
by  his  sudden  taking  off.  His  death  was  due  primarily  to  a 
cold  contracted  during  a  trip  to  Washington  for  the  Cleveland 
inaugural  ceremonies.  He  was  taken  down  while  in  the  capital, 
and  was  brought  home  for  treatment.  An  operation  for  appen- 
dicitis performed  upon  him  was  unsuccessful,  and  he  failed  to 
recover  from  the  effects  of  it.  He  was  a  member  of  many  or- 
ganizations. He  founded  the  famous  Schnorer  Club,  and  was  its 
president  five  terms.  He  belonged  to  the  Produce  Exchange, 
the   Central    Turn   V'ercin,   the   Lexington   Democratic   Club,    th.e 


280 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


.Vlarmonie  Singing  Society,  the  Morrisania  Liedertafel,  tl'.c 
Arion,  the  German  Press  Club,  and  many  more.  He  is  buried  in 
Woodlawn.  Remembering  his  devotion  to  their  interests,  the 
people  of  the  Bronx  still  mourn  his  loss.  Some  day,  perhaps, 
Ihey  will  give  him  a  public  memorial — for  certainly  he  well 
deserves  it. 

JOHN  H.  J.  RONNER,  Register  of  the  County  of  New 
York,  was  born  in  i860,  in  New  ^ork,  withm  riHe  shot  of  tne 
new  Hall  of  Records.  He  attended  the  public  scliools  and  a 
German-American  Academy.  Later  he  established  a  successful 
'business  in  the  manufacture  of  office  fixtures  Having  a  taste 
for  politics,  he  became  the  Tammany  flail  leader  in  the  23d 
Ward,  of  which  he  had  become  a  resident  and  where  he  was 
exceedingly  popular  as  a  young  man.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  famous  Schnorer  Club,  its  first  president  and 
president  for  five  terms.  He  also  organized  the  Powhatan  Tam- 
many Club.  When,  m  1890,  L^uis  J.  Heintz,  whose  campaign 
he  managed,  was  elected  Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements 
for  the  23d  and  24th  Vvards,  Mr.  Roniier  became  the  Deputy 
Commissioner;  and  under  his  personal  direction  the  new  system 
of  street  improvements  was  begun  and  carried  forward  which 
has  had  such  beneficial  results  for  Bronx  property  owners. 
Upon  Mr.  Heintz's  death  in  1893  Mr.  Ronner  resigned  his  posi- 
tion and  resumed  his  private  business.  More  recently  he  or- 
ganized the  Bronx  Club,  which  has  an  exceptionally  large  mem- 
bership and  a  fine  club  house ;  and  its  public  entertainments  have 
been  notable  in  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Ronner  has  served  fully 
four  years  as  Register  of  New  York  County.  The  ability  which 
he  displayed  as  Deputy  Commissioner  has  been  also  displayed 
in  the  Register's  office.  His  public  service  has  given  universal 
satisfaction.  The  office  was  never  so  well  administered.  Law- 
yers, title  companies  and  persons  interested  in  real  estate  gen- 
erally, unite  in  praising  the  manner  in  which  the  work  of  the 
Register's  office  has  been  conducted.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  Church,  is  of  German  parentage,  and  is  un- 
married. There  are  few  men  in  public  life  who  have  not  been 
subjected  somehow  or  somewhere  to  criticism ;  but  Mr.  Ronner 
setms  to  be  an  exception  to  the  rule.  Everybody  who  knows 
him — and  he  has  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances — speaks  well  of 
him  as  a  genial  and  capable  man.  He  is  popular  in  his  home 
section,  and  possesses  emphatically  the  confidence  of  his  neigh- 
bors. He  is  also  well  known  and  highly  esteemed  throughout 
the  city.  He  is  a  noted  organizer  of  me(i,  and  renowned  for  his 
earnestness  and  for  his  careful  application  to  any  cause  which 
he  espouses. 

JONATHAN  D.  HYATT'S  name  is  a  familiar  one  in  the 
Bronx — familiar  to  the  children,  to  grown-ups  and  the  public 
generally.  He  is  a  retired  schoolmaster,  but  this  brief  state- 
ment hardly  expresses,  to  those  unacquainted  with  the  man,  his 
real  place  and  standing  in  the  community.  The  fact  is,  he  re- 
tired last  year,  1904,  after  a  continuous  service — "long  and  hon- 
orable" as  the  phrase  is,  truly — of  forty-seven  years  as  principal 
in  the  public  schools.  This  year  he  is  80  years  old.  When  he 
retired  thousands  gathered  to  do  honor  and  pay  respect  to  the 
teacher  and  the  man  and  he  was  the  recipient  of  valuable  gifts — 
sets  of  scientific  books,  a  costly  arm  chair,  scientific  instruments, 
a  loving  cup,  testimonials  to  his  character  and  ability.  His  long 
and  honorable  connection  with  the  public  schools  of  New  York 
City  began  in  1857,  when  he  was  appointed  to  Public  School  No. 
2  of  the  Union  Free  School  District  of  the  towns  of  Morrisania 
and  West  Farms.  This  school  was  later  known  as  No.  63,  and  is 
now  No.  4,  the  Bronx.  For  twenty  years  he  was  principal  of  old 
Public  School  No.  60,  College  Avenue  and  145th  Street.     During 


the  Civil  War  he  was  principal  of  the  old  Melrose  School,  Third 
Avenue,  near  is6th  Street,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Draft  Riots  the 
rioters  passed  his  school  one  recess  and  carried  off  all  the  older 
boys,  who.  however,  escaped  later  and  returned  to  school.  When 
the  present  building,  known  as  Public  School  No.  9,  the  Bronx, 
was  opened  in  June,  1889,  he  became  its  principal,  and  has  re- 
mained at  the  head  until  1904.  Louis  Haflfen,  President  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx ;  Theodore  Thompson,  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  Sidney  R.  Walker,  Chairman  of  the  Local  School 
Board,  were  once  pupils  of  Mr.  Hyatt.  Mr.  Hyatt  is  thoroughly 
modern  in  his  ideas.  He  did  away  with  corporal  punishment 
in  his  schools  forty  years  ago.  Manual  training,  nature  study 
and  cooking  lessons  were  branches  whose  value  he  early  perceived, 
and  after  they  were  introduced  into  the  schools  he  used  to  take 
his  teachers  to  his  house  every  Saturday  and  instruct  them  in 
the  chemistry  of  foods.     He  also  took  them  on  excursions  into 


JONATHAN    D.    HYATT 

the  country  for  the  study  of  nature.  His  school  building  not 
'neing  provided  with  suitable  quarters  for  the  teaching  of  cookery 
,md  manual  trainmg,  he  made  application  for  extensions,  and 
these  were  added  10  his  school  plant.  Notwithstanding  his  exact 
ing  duties  as  principal  of  a  great  public  school,  Mr.  Hyatt  has 
still  found  time  for  advanced  scientific  studies.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  New  York  Microscopic  Society,  and  its 
president  for  several  years.  In  1879  he  was  elected  fellow  of  the 
Royal  Microscopical  Society  of  London.  He  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  the  New  York  Mineralogical  Club 
and  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 
His  work  as  an  original  investigator  has  received  world-wid': 
recognition.  His  most  important  contributions  to  knowledge  are 
his  series  of  articles  on  the  structure  and  anatomy  of  the  bee, 
which  embodied  the  result  of  original  researches  covering  a 
period  of  five  years.  His  work  referred  principally  to  the  mouth 
and  sting  It  is  said  to  be  the  first  correct  investigation  along 
these  lines,  and  has  proved  of  inestimable  value  to  bee  growers 
throughout  the  world.  Mr.  Hyatt  was  born  of  Quaker  stock  in 
Stanford,  Dutchess  County.  N.   Y.,  on  July  4.   1825.     His  father 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


28} 


was  James  Hyatt,  his  mother  Sarah  Deuel,  who  lived  to  the 
good  ripe  age  of  loi  years.  His  ancestors  came  from  England 
nnd  settled  in  Dorchester.  Mass.,  in  1633.  Thomas  Hyatt, 
one  of  them,  removed  from  there  to  Stamford,  Conn.,  in 
1656.  Others  of  the  family  migrated  to  Flushing,  L.  I.,  and 
Mamaroneck,  and  some  also  settled  in  Dutchess,  Westchester  and 
Putnam  Counties.  State  records  show  that  twenty-six  Hyatl.> 
fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  Professor,  as  they  call 
him,  lives  in  a  handsome  cottage  in  New  Rochelle.  He  married 
in  1854,  Sarah  A.  N.,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Grant  Heyer. 
They  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Lucy,  now  Mrs.  V.  C.  Barlow. 
He  has  been  all  his  life  long  a  consistent  Republican,  though 
never  a  politician.  He  voted  for  Fremont  in  1856,  and  has  sup- 
ported the  national  ticket  of  his  party  ever  since. 

JOHN    BAMBEY.— There    is    perhaps    no   other    branch    of 
finance   or  banking   which    requires   so    high    a   standard   of   ex- 


JOHN     BAMBEY 

ecutive  ability  and  keen  judgment  as  a  trust  company.  As 
a  vocation  it  appeals  especially  to  young  men,  which  is  well 
exemplified  in  the  management  of  the  Bronx  Branch  of  the 
Knickerbocker  Trust  Company."  Mr.  John  Bambey,  the  man- 
ager, by  virtue  of  bis  position  and  connection  with  other  moneyed 
interests  and  institutions,  is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the 
Bronx.  Like  so  maiiy  notable  men  of  the  borough  ( those,  in 
fact,  that  have  been  foremost  in  its  financial  development  and  up- 
lifting) be  is  still  comparatively  a  young  man.  He  was  born 
May  18.  1873,  and  is  therefore  not  yet  thirty-three.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the  City  of  New 
^■nrk.  ^Ir  B-Tibpv  is  as=ncinted  with  a  number  of  large  and 
successful  corporations.  He  is  treasurer  and  trustee  of  the 
North  Side  Savings  Bank,  president  and  director  of  the  Mott 
Haven  Apartment  Company,  president  and  director  of  the 
Willis    Realty    Company,    director    of    the    United    States    Title 


(Guaranty  and  Indemnity  Company,  director  of  the  Sound  Viev/ 
Land  and  Improvement  Company,  and  a  member  of  the  North 
Side  Board  of  Trade.  He  figures  in  fraternal  affairs  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Benevolent  Lodge  No.  28,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  Suburban 
Council,  No.  1654,  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  affiliated  socially 
with  the  Arion  Society,  and  that  famous  organization  for  good 
fellowship,   the   Schnorers   of   the   Bronx. 

GEORGE  J.  GROSSMAN  is  a  man  of  prominence  in  the 
Bronx,  both  in  the  business  world  and  in  public  life.  He  is  the 
president  of  the  United  States  Title  Company,  and  is  in  touch 
with  other  important  interests,  real  estate  and  financial.  Though 
not  now  actively  identified  with  politics,  he  has  held  high  office. 
In  1899  he  was  Bronx  representative  in  the  House  of  Assembly 
in  Albany.  There  he  made  a  record,  not  only  thoroughly  "clean," 
but  businesslike  and  effective.  Mr.  Grossman  is  a  native  of  the 
city;  he  was  born  here  in  New  York  (Manhattan)  April  14, 
1862.  He  is  of  that  sturdy,  reliable  old  German  stock  which 
has  contributed  so  largely  to  the  population  and  progress  of  the 
Bronx.  He  came  to  this  borough  to  live  some  twenty  years 
ago,  not  very  long  after  he  had  finished  his  course  in  the  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York.  He  married  here  also,  March  25, 
i885.  Miss  Matilda  Wilkens.  mother  of  his  two  sons,  Mortimer 
M.  and  Wallace  G.  Grossinan. 


EDWARD    H.    HEALEY 

EDWARD  H.  HE\LEY,  the  founder  of  the  Union  Repub- 
lican Club  and  its  guiding  spirit  is  very  prominent  in  political 
circles.  He  is  leader  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly  District  and 
mjoys  the  confidence  of  his  political  confreres,  as  is  attested 
by  the  excellent  showing  he  made  in  the  last  municipal  cam- 
paign, standing  third  in  percentage  in  the  city.  In  1905  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Higgins  to  a  responsible  position  undei 
the  excise  law. 


GEORGE   J.    GROSSMAN 


HISTrORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


283 


August  MOEBUS,  the  well  known  ex-Park  Commissioner 
of  the  r.roiix.  was  l)orn  in  New  Vurk  City  March  ,?,  1850.  Re- 
ceiving his  early  education  in  the  puhlic  schools,  he  entered 
Maine's  famous  business  college,  and  graduated  therefrom  with 
honors,  having  taken  a  full  and  thorough  commercial  course. 
Securing  a  lucrative  position  in  a  broker's  office,  and  serving 
four  years,  he  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  a  wholesale 
paper  warehouse  which  he  occupied  for  two  years,  and  resigned 


AUGUST    MOEEUS 

to  serve  the  United  States  Government  as  assistant  agent  of  the 
Revenue  Department.  Resigning  this  position,  he  was  employed 
by  A.  Hupfel  &  Sons,  the  prominent  brewers  of  the  Bronx,  as 
collector,  and  in  a  few  years  was  advanced  to  the  position  of 
cashier.  In  this  position  he  exhibited  qualities  of  such  ability  that 
his  opinions  and  advice  upon  numerous  financial  and  economical 
questions  affecting  the  business  interests  of  the  brewery  was  ac- 
cepted, and  generally  proved  to  be  correct.  In  1903  he  organized 
the  Schlater  Embroidery  Co.,  in  which  he  is  to-day  one  of  its 
nwst  prominent  factors.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  and  one  of  the 
unswerving  kind,  having  always  manifested  a  deep  interest  in 
political  affairs  Mr.  Moebus  has  received  several  honors  from 
his  party,  and  his  political,  as  well  as  his  high  standard  of  in- 
tegrity, has  been  endorsed  and  approved  by  his  constituents  on 
various  occasions  when  his  party  called  upon  him  to  serve  the 
people  by  accepting  a  public  trust.  For  instance  in  1889,  he  was 
urged  to  accept  the  nomination  for  Alderman,  in  order  to  save 
the  party  from  numerous  defeats  it  had  sustained  in  his  Alder- 
manic  district  for  several  terms  previous.  He  accepted,  and  was 
elected  over  two  other  nominees.  Votes — (3d  term)  renomin- 
ated in  the  fall  of  1890  by  1268  votes,  elected  by  1084,  renominated 
in  the  fall  of  1891,  but  suffered  defeat.  He  was  elected  leader  of 
his  district  by  Democratic  General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall 
in  1896,  and  continued  as  leader  until  the  fall  of  1902,  and  dur- 
ing the  administration  of  Mayor  Van  Wiyck  was  appointed  by 
the  latter  as  Park  Commissioner  of  the  Bronx,  and  served 
honorably  and  faithfully  during  the  whole  term  of  the  Mayor, 
froiu  1898  until  1902.  Mr.  Moebus  is  a  member  of  the  N.  Y.  A. 
C,  the  Allegheny  Democratic  Club,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Knights  of 
Honor,  a  brave  man  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  a  member  of  the 


Masonic  Order,  also  of  the  Melrose  Turn  Verein,  Union  Lieder- 
tafel  and  many  other  societies.  On  September  26,  1881,  he 
married  Miss  Clara  .Schlater,  of  Manhattan,  and  has  five  promis- 
ing children,  all  living,  viz. :  Charles  A.,  Sophia,  August  C,  Lil- 
lian and  Nettie. 

HON.  HENRY  C.  SCHRADER— Hon.  Henry  C.  Schrader 
Commissioner  of  Parks  in  the  Bronx  Borough,  was  bom 
and  educated  in  Germany  in  1853.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1869,  and  removed  into  the  Bronx  in  1872,  and  was  em- 
ployed by  the  celebrated  firm  of  Fleishman  &  Co.  He  represented 
their  interests  above  the  Harlem  River  for  several  years,  where 
lie  established  the  foundation  of  their  famous  business.  In  1884 
he  became  connected  with  the  John  Eichler  Brewing  Co.,  and 
was  very  successful  as  outside  agent  for  this  large  and  popular 
brewing  establishment.  In  1900  he  became  identified  with  vari- 
ous other  financial  and  business  interests.  In  the  real  estate 
business  he  was  an  active  promoter,  with  offices  in  the  Park  Row 
Building,  where  he  becaiue  an  active  and  important  factor  in 
real  estate  transactions  throughout  the  Boroughs  of  Manhattan. 


HON.    HENRY    C.    SCHRADER 

Mr.  Schrader  is  a  member  of  and  was  for  five  years  President 
of  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  leading  social  organization  of  the 
Bronx.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Arion  Liedertafel  since  1879; 
is  a  charter  member  of  the  Tallapoosa  Club,  a  member  of  the 
German  Press  Club,  and  of  Wieland  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  has  been  District  Deputy  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In 
politics  he  has  always  been  a  staunch  and  loyal  Democrat,  a 
faithful  adherent  of  Tammany  Hall,  a  member  of  the  German 
Democracy  since  1879,  and  from  the  leadership  of  John  Kelly 
in  Tammany  Hall,  down  to  that  of  the  present  leader,  Charles 
1".  Murphy,  he  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  organization 


284 


HISTORY  OP  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Democrats  in  the  party;  was  vice-chairman  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee of  the  Thirty-fourth  Assembly  District.  North  Side.  In 
1882,  he,  with  other  prominent  citizens  of  the  Bronx,  organized 
the  first  taxpa,yers'  association  from  which  has  sprung  the  pre- 
sent Taxpayers'  Alliance,  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  power- 
ful organizations  in  the  Bronx.  A  resident  of  the  Borough  of 
the  Bronx  for  the  past  33  years,  and  but  recently  honored  for 
his  valuable  services  and  loyally  to  the  Democratic  party,  by 
his  appointment  as  Park  Commissioner  by  Mayor  George  B. 
McClellan,  which  has  received  the  approval  of  the  people  of  the 
Bronx,  and  the  Democratic  party  of  Greater  New  York.  On 
March  2$,  1880.  Mr.  Schrader  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha 
Siemes,  a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  and  has  two  children, 
Henry  C,  Jr.,  and  Lulu  11.  As  Park  Commissioner  of  the 
Bronx,  with  his  well  known  executive  ability  and  his  large  ex- 
perience as  a  thorough  business  man,  the  people  of  the  Bronx 
are  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  wise  selection  for  this  im- 
portant position  made  by  the  mayor. 

PATRICK  J.  REVILLE,  Borough  Superintendent  of  Build- 
ings, is  a  native  of  New  York  City.  He  is  still  a  young  man, 
but  with  a  record  of  useful  service  in  public  and  private  life 
that  places  him  among  the  prominent  and  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Reville's  success  in  business  and  as 
a  public  official  in  charge  of  one  of  the  most  important  depart- 
ments of  our  borough  government,  affords  another  proof  that 
the  very  best  endowment  for  a  young  man  who  in  America 
must  carve  his  own  fortune  is  pluck,  integrity,  industry  and 
good  common  sense.  After  graduating  from  the  public  schools 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  prepared  himself  for  his  chosen  pro- 
fession of  builder  and  architect  by  pursuing  a  course  of  special 
study  in  architectural  drawing  at  the  Bronx  evening  school. 
From  this  school  he  graduated  with  high  honors.  Among  the 
distinctions  and  prizes  he  won  was  the  much  coveted  Beal  Medal 
for  architectural  drawing  and  general  excellence  in  technical 
studies.  Immediately  after  leaving  school  Mr.  Reville  began 
his  career  as  a  builder  and  mason  and  achieved  a  success  sc. 
marked  that  very  few  of  our  citizens  have  been  more  closely 
identified  with  the  great  building  operations  which  have  accom 
panied  the  remarkable  development  of  the  Bron.x  within  the 
past  fifteen  years.  For  several  years  Mr.  Reville  filled  the  re 
sponsible  position  of  superintendent  for  the  well  known  con- 
tracting firm  of  Thomas  Cockrill  &  Son.  While  connected 
with  Cockrill  &  Son,  he  supervised  the  construction  of  many 
public  school  buildings,  besides  a  number  of  apartment  houses 
and  business  structures.  In  the  late  nineties  Mr.  Reville  went 
into  the  contracting  business  on  his  own  account  and  his  en- 
ergy and  fidelity  to  every  obligation  met  with  merited  success. 
He  built  the  rectory  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul's  Church,  the  Bar- 
ry apartment  houses  on  the  northeast  corner  of  167th  Street 
and  Fulton  Avenue ;  the  Kingston  apartment  houses  and  many 
similar  structures  in  the  Bronx  and  Manhattan.  When  in  1892 
the  American  Building  Company  was  awarded  the  contract  to 
erect  the  American  Bank  Note  Building  on  Library  and  Fourth 
Streets,  Philadelphia  (one  of  the  best  specimens  of  fire-re- 
sisting buildings  in  the  LTnited  States),  Mr.  Reville  accepted  an 
offer  to  take  charge  of  the  work  as  superintendent  and  for 
nearly  a  year  he  was  engaged  on  this  enterprise.  Mr.  Re- 
ville's training  and  experience  fitted  him  most  admirably  for  the 
post  of  Borough  Superintendent  of  Buildings.  His  appoint- 
ment was  announced  by  President  Haffen  in  1903,  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy caused  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  M.  J.  Garvin,  and  was 
approved  by  the   entire  community   as   an   ideal   selection   for  a 


most  responsible  position.  As  superintendent  of  buildings,  Mr. 
Rexille's  administration  is  characterized  by  a  conscientious  and 
efficient  discharge  of  his  public  duties.  Builders  and  property 
owners  conmiend  him  for  his  fair  and  impartial  methods  and 
for  the  promptness  with  which  the  business  of  his  department 
is  transacted.  The  Bronx  boom  of  the  past  eighteen  months 
has  more  than  doubled  the  operations  of  the  Building  Bureau, 
but  so  well  is  the  superintendent's  staff  of  clerks,  examiners  and 
inspectors  organized,  that  the  augmented  volume  of  business 
is  handled  without  irritating  delays  and  in  a  manner  which 
merits  the  praise  that  is  bestowed  by  the  architects  and 
builders  of  the  borough.  During  1904,  2,336  plans  were  filed 
will]    the   bureau   for   new   buildings   and    alterations,   of  an   ag- 


PATRICK    J.     REVILLE 

pregate  estimated  cost  of  $23,923,418.  This  is  by  far  the  largest 
volume  of  building  business  in  the  history  of  the  Bronx,  and  not 
a  reasonable  complaint  has  been  heard  of  favoritism,  delay  or 
obstruction  in  passing  on  the  plans  or  in  applying  the  building 
laws  and  ordinances.  Superintendent  Reville  brings  to  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  a  combination  of  rugged  honesty,  rare  ex- 
ecutive ability  and  practical  knowledge  of  architecture  and 
building  that  greatly  facilitates  the  vv-ork  of  his  department  and 
accounts  in  a  large  degree  for  his  success.  An  evidence  of  the 
esteem  in  which  Superintendent  Reville  is  held  was  afforded 
when  on  Tuesday  evening,  January  31,  he  was  the  guest  of  honor 
at  a  banquet  given  at  the  Hotel  Astor  by  the  architects  and 
builders  of  the  Bronx,  and  was  presented  with  a  massive  silver 
service  as  a  token  of  appreciation  of  the  impartiality,  integrity 
and  efficiency  which  characterize  his  administration.  Mr.  Re 
ville  is  married  and  is  a  resident  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly 
District.  Without  being  in  the  ordinary  sense  a  politician  he 
is  a  Democrat  of  the  Jeffersonian  type,  who  believes  in  his 
party  and  in  every  legitimate  way  labors  for  its  success.     He  is 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


285 


a  memuer  of  the  Brownson  Club,  Bronx  Council.  K.  O.  C, 
Jefferson  Club,  Bricklayers'  Union  No.  33,  'g8  Club,  Elsmcrc 
Club,  Bricklayers  and  Masons  International  Union,  Schnorer 
Club,  Tilden  Democratic  Club  and  the  Tammany  Hall  General 
Committee    of    the   Thirty-fifth    Assembly    District. 

GEORGE  VON  SK.A-L.  residing  at  uSi;  Prospect  Avenue, 
was  born  in  Silesia,  Germany,  July  30,  1854,  and  was  educated  al 
the  Royal  Military  Academy,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1871. 
He  served  in  the  army  as  second  lieutenant  until  1877.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1877,  he  came  to  America  where  he  taught  languages, 
After  obtaining  a  good  knowledge  of  English  he  got  employment 
at  a  bookkeeper  in  a  woodenware  house  in  Manhattan,  and  re- 
mained in  that  occupation  until  1885.  In  1881  he  moved  up  to 
the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  From  1885  to  1888  he  was  employed 
in  a  large  export  and  import  commission  house,  and  later  on 
went  with  a  Japanese  importer  of  silks.  He  became  attached  to 
the  editorial  staff  of  the  "New  Yorker  Staats  Zeitung,"  and  in 
1899  was  made  managing  editor.  He  was  employed  in  that 
capacity  until  his  appointment   ])y  Mayor  McCIellan  to  the  office 


GEORGE    VON    SKAL 

of  Commissioner  of  Accounts  in  March,  1906.  In  1885  he 
moved  from  the  Bronx  to  Staten  Island,  later  removing  to  Man- 
hattan, where  he  resided  until  1905,  when  he  purchased  his  present 
residence  in  Prospect  Avenue,  in  the  Bronx,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  of  independent  proclivities. 
In  social  life  he  is  active,  being  a  member  of  the  German  Liter- 
ary Society  of  Morrisania,  Arion  Society,  Liederkranz,  Eichen- 
kranz.  New  York  Turn  Verein,  German  Press  Club — of  which 
be  was  president  four  years — honorary  member  of  the  German 
Society,  Columbia  University,  the  German  Veterans'  Society, 
the  Staten  Island  Council,  R.  A.  On  August  4,  1881,  he  married 
Miss  Johanna  Minholz,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  the  result  of  the 
imion  being  two  children,  George  and  Richard.  Mr.  Von  '  Skal 
has  written  many  essays  on  American  conditions  for  the  German 
people  both  here  and  abroad — in  papers,  magazines,  and  short 
stories.  Fie  has  recently  published  a  collection  of  short  stories 
iiy  himself,  which  he  called  "Flashlights,"  and  which  is  now 
running  through  a  .second  edition.  At  present  he  is  writing  a 
book  on  the  United  States,  the  American  people,  and  American 
politics   for   Germans. 


JAMES  BUCKHOUT,  educator  and  one  of  the  famous 
principals  of  the  public  schools  in  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New 
York  City  November  14,  1833.  He  attended  school  in  the  Mott 
Haven  district,  walking  back  and  forth  for  three  miles  from  his 
home,  finally  entered  the  New  York  State  Normal  School,  Al- 
bany, where  at  the  age  of  19  he  graduated  with  high  honors, 
e.xcelling  in  mathematics  and  chemistry,  and  immediately  went 
to  Poughkeepsie,  where  for  two  years  he  taught  school.  In 
1854  he  came  to  the  Bronx  and  was  appointed  principal  of  the 
old  Fordham  District  School,  where  he  successfully  taught  until 
1875,  and  was  then  placed  in  charge  of  School  No.  65  at  West 
Farms,  where  he  remained  until  his  sudden  death  from  pneu- 
monia, which  took  place  April  28,  1904,  after  only  a  five  days' 
illness.  In  his  death  Westchester  County  lost  one  of  its  most 
popular  and  brilliant  educators.  His  manly  physiciue,  gentle 
voice,  generous  heart,  but  firm  and  resolute  character,  coupled 
with  his  great  success  as  an  educator  is  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  hundreds  of  his  old  pupils  who  have  grown  to  manhood  and 
womanhood  and  now  occupy  positions  of  trust  and  conducting 
business  in  the  mercantile  branches  of  the  Bronx.  His  father 
and  grandfather  were  both  born  in  New  York  City  and  came 
with  them  to  Westchester  County  in  1835,  securing  for  farm 
purposes  a  tract  of  land  bounded  on  the  east  side  of  Webster 
Avenue  and  by  179th  Street  and  Burnside  Avenue  on  the  north, 
which  is  now  Monroe  Avenue  on  the  West  and  176th  Street  on 
the  South.  The  old  hoiuestead,  a  two-story  frame  building  of 
twelve  rooms,  was  located  in  Echo  Park.  Professor  Buckhout 
was  a  devout  man  and  attended  the  Tremont  M.  E.  Church.  He 
was  married  November  22,  1864,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Fisher,  now 
his  estimable  widow,  who  survives  him.  There  were  seven  chil- 
dren of  this  marriage,  viz. :  Maria,  now  Mrs.  Brenkerhofif, 
James.  Frank  C,  William  H.,  Abbie  L.  now  Mrs.  E.  W.  Mans- 
field; Charles  S.,  who  died  January  19,  1881,  five  and  a  half  years 
old,  and  Sadie  E.,  now  Mrs.  Eugene  Stevens.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Ihe  Botanical  Society,  charter  member  of  the  North  Sile 
Board  of  Trade  and  a  Knight  Templar.  The  homestead  occu- 
pied by  the  professor  at  615  Tremont  Avenue,  where  his  family 
still  resides,  is  a  two  and  one-half  story  building,  colonial 
architecture,  contains  twenty  rooms,  the  first  story  being  of 
granite  and  its  dimensions  40x60.  was  designed  by  his  son,  who 
is  one  of  the  most  promising  architects  in   the  Bronx. 

HON.  JOHN  B.  HASKIN.— Among  the  political  leaders 
of  Westchester  County  a  prominent  place  must  be  given  to 
the  late  John  B.  Haskin,  who  was  descended  from  a  long  line 
of  true  American  ancestry.  His  grandfather,  Benjamin  F.  Has- 
kin, was  a  native  of  Sheffield,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born  in 
1767,  and  removed  when  a  young  man  to  Poughkeepsie,  where 
he  entered  a  store  as  clerk  and  became  partner.  He  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Gilbert  Cromwell,  who  lived  at  Nine 
Partners,  and  removing  to  New  York  became  largely  connected 
with  shipping  interests  and  the  owner  of  several  vessels.  His 
children  were  Henry  B.,  Benjamin  F.,  a  sea  captain,  who  set- 
tled in  Peru,  where  his  descendants  are  still  found;  William 
E.,  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  who  died  in  1884;  Harriet,  wife 
of  Collins:   Maria,  wife  of  Graham;  Janj 

Caspar  Trumpy,  now  living  at  Greenwich.  Conn. ;  and  Caroline, 
wife  of  William  Brown,  of  Yonkers,  who  died  in  1885.  Henry 
R.  Haskin,  the  oldest  son,  was  born  October  27,  1794,  and  died 
January  24,  1848.  He  was  educated  at  St.  Mary's  College,  Mary- 
land; was  a  midshipman  in  the  war  of  1812;  was  with  Commo- 
dore Chauncey  at  the  battle  of  Sackett's  Harbor,  and  was 
wounded  there.  He  was  a  man  of  good  education  and  ability 
and  established  business  in  a  store  on  Varick  Street,  New  York 


ROBERT    C.    WOOD 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


287 


City.  In  1816  he  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Bussing, 
who  lived  near  VVilliamsbridge,  and  was  a  descendant  of  Aaron 
Bussing,  who  came  from  Holland,  and  settled  at  Harlem.  He 
was  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  the  Manor 
of  Fordham,  which  he  left  to  his  two  sons,  Johannes  and 
Petrus.  It  remained  in  the  hands  of  their  descendants  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  a  portion  of  it  now  is  Bedford 
Park.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were  Henry  R.,  who 
died  in  California ;  John  B.  and  William  E.,  treasurer  of  the 
Board  of  Excise  in  New  York  City.  After  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Haskin,  Mr.  Haskin  was  married  a  second  time  to  Anna, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  Lowe,  and  they  had  two  children — 
Harriet,  wife  of  R.  Ridgely  Wheatley,  of  New  York,  and  Ben- 
jamin F.,  a  member  of  the  Excise  Board  of  New  York, 
who  died,  ,  greatly  lamented  by  his  many  friends,  March 
I.  1884.  John  B.  Haskins,  the  second  son,  was  born  at  the 
m.Tnsion   house   in   Fordham,   August   27,    1821,   the   place   of   his 


HON.    JOHN    B.    HASKIN 

birth  being  now  a  portion  of  Woodlawn  Cemetery.  His  mother, 
whose  name  he  never  failed  to  mention  in  terms  of  the  ut- 
most respect  and  affection,  was  a  woman  of  great  energy  and 
determuiation,  qualities  which  she  transmitted  to  her  son.  His 
early  education  was  received  at  the  public  schools,  and  when 
fourteen  years  old  he  entered  the  law  office  of  George  Wilson. 
His  natural  quickness  and  ability  were  such  that  in 
four  years  he  was  sufficiently  expert  to  take  charge  of 
the  law  office  of  John  M.  Bixby.  From  his  earlier  days 
he  was  brought  in  constant  contact  with  politics  and  politicians, 
and  having  passed  the  requisite  examination  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  May  16,  1842,  his  certificate  being  signed 
by  Hon.  Samuel  Nelson,  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
Five  years  later  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  civil  jus- 
tice and  held  court  at  the  corner  of  Bowery  and  Third 
Street,  continuing  in  this  position  until  1849,  when  the  office  was 
abolished.  He  seemed  naturally  destined  for  active  political 
ilfc,  and  his  influence  and  ability  were   soon   felt  in  the  coun- 


cils of  his  party.  Fortunately  for  himself  and  the  public,  he 
was  not  a  man  to  be  bound  by  party  trammels  or  to  be  the  ob- 
sequious slave  of  party  rule.  In  1848  Mr.  Haskin  removed  from 
New  York  and  settled  at  Fordham,  near  the  scenes  of  his  early 
childhood.  The  Democracy  of  his  native  county  had  to  some 
cxient  escaped  the  corrupting  influences  which  had  made 
the  party  in  New  York  a  disgrace  to  the  city  and  State.  Here 
he  came  in  contact  with  a  class  of  politicians  who  were 
more  able  to  appreciate  his  true  position  and  ready  to  join 
their  forces  to  his  own.  In  1850  he  was  elected  Supervisor, 
and  was  re-elected,  and  one  of  his  many  acts  for  the  public 
benefit  was  his  successful  efTort  to  erect  a  free  bridge  over  the 
tiarlem  River.  In  1853  he  was  appointed  corporation  attorney 
and  held  office  until  1856.  In  that  year  he  was  electeu  iviember 
of  Congress  for  the  Ninth  District  on  the  regular  Democratic 
ticket.  It  was  soon  evident  that  he  was  not  the  man  to  sit  in 
the  back  seat.  His  first  speech  attracted  at  once  the  atention  of 
the  House,  being  made  in  opposition  to  the  attempt  of  Alexander 
H.  Stephens  to  disgrace  Admiral  Hiram  Paulding  for  causing 
the  arrest  of  the  noted  filibuster,  William  H.  Walker.  This 
speech  marked  Mr.  Haskin  as  one  of  the  accomplished  orators 
of  the  House.  In  the  fierce  political  strife  which  followed  the  at- 
tempt to  introduce  slavery  into  the  territory  of  Kansas,  he  took 
at  once  a  prominent  position,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  raise 
his  voice  against  the  Lecompton  fraud,  among  the  most  active  of 
the  adherents  of  Senator  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  an  untiring 
organizer  of  the  Democrats  in  the  House  against  the  administra- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  course,  a  man  who  ventured  to  kick  over 
the  traces  of  party  discipline  was  speedily  denounced  as  a  traitor 
to  his  party,  but  his  opposition  to  James  Buchanan  has  been 
more  than  justified  by  the  impartial  verdict  of  history.  In  1858 
Mr.  Haskin  was  an  independent  candidate  for  Congress,  his  op- 
ponent being  Gouverneur  Kemble,  of  Cold  Spring.  This  was 
probably  the  most  exciting  political  contest  ever  witnessed  in 
the  district,  and  resulted  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Haskin  by  a 
majority  of  thirteen  votes.  His  nature  showed  itself  when  he 
stated  from  his  seat  in  Congress,  "I  come  here  with  no  party 
collar  on  my  neck."  His  independence  was  too  plain  to  be  mis- 
understood, and  an  attack  upon  him  in  the  personal  organ  of 
President  Buchanan  was  nurtured  by  him  in  an  able  speech  on 
the  floor  of  the  House,  in  which  his  position  and  relation  to  the 
Democratic  party  were  fully  explained.  "I  am  a  Democrat — 
a  Democrat  in  essence,  in  substance,  and  not  in  mere  form; 
Democracy,  according  to  my  reading,  is  the  rule  of  the  people 
under  the  laws."  In  the  Thirty-sixth  Congress  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  public  printing  and  organized  the  re- 
search into  current  corruption  known  as  the  "Covode  Investiga- 
tion." Among  his  most  intimate  friends  was  Senator  Brod- 
crick,  of  Califorjiia,  who  had  been  his  early  schoolmate,  and  the 
friendship  then  begun  continued  until  the  day  when  the  Senator 
fell  the  victim  of  a  duel  occasioned  by  political  animosity. 
It  devolved  upon  Mr.  Haskin  to  deliver  a  fitting  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  his  friend,  which  was  a  masterpiece  of  pathetic  elo- 
quence. His  last  speech  in  Congress  was  delivered  February  23, 
i85i.  It  was  a  characteristically  bold  and  clear  review  of  the 
agitation  which  led  to  the  great  crisis  in  our  history;  expressed 
his  belief  that  the  perilous  condition  of  the  countrj'  was  direct- 
ly traceable  to  the  conduct  of  President  Buchanan,  and  con- 
tained a  scathing  denunciation  of  the  treasonable  acts  of  his 
cabinet.  During  the  course  of  the  war  a  weaker  man  in  his  po- 
sition would  have  been  a  "copperhead,"  but  in  Mr.  Haskin  the 
Union  found  a  strong  supporter.  In  1863  he  was  elected  super- 
visor of  the  town  of  West  Farms,  and  conducted  with  suc- 
cess the  measures  for  raising  troops  and  assisting  the  govern- 
ment in  its  efforts  to  subdue  rebellion.     Prominently   identified 


288 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


with  all  local  improvements,  his  most  active  efforts  were  devoted 
to  the  LStablishiiient  of  the  public  school  in  his  district  on  a 
sure  foundation.  In  the  face  of  bitter  opposition  on  the  part 
of  many  of  the  wealthy  men  in  the  vicinity,  he  succeeded  in  pro- 
curing the  erection  of  the  present  school  building  at  Webster 
Avenue  and  Welsh  Street,  Kordham,  at  a  cost  of  $70,000,  which 
must  ever  remain  a  monument  to  his  energy  and  public  spirit. 
Mr.  Haskin  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Peier  Valentine,  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  county.  Their 
children  are  Elizabeth,  wife  of  L.  V.  Welsh;  Emma,  wife  of 
Colonel  J.  Milton  Wyatt ;  John  B.,  Jr.;  Adele  Douglass,  wife 
of  Joseph  Murray ;  and  Mary.  The  estate  of  Mr.  Haskin,  at 
Fordham,  though  now  a  part  of  the  great  city,  has  not  yet  lost 
its  rural  beauty.  Here,  surrounded  by  all  that  could  make  life 
enjoyable,  he  passed  his  life  in  the  society  of  his  family  and 
friends.  The  visitor  found  there  as  his  host  one  who  wa-  thor- 
oughly versed  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  and  whose  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  politics  and  politicians  made  the  name  "Tuscarora 
Haskin"  one  of  the  best  known  in  Westchester  County.  As  a 
politician  .Mr.  Haskin  was  remarkably  successful,  but  the  secret 
of  his  success  and  inlluence  may  be  stated  in  a  few  words.  Ut- 
terly fearless  in  the  expression  of  his  views,  his  friends  knew 
him  as  one  upon  whom  they  could  depend,  while  his  enemies 
found  in  him  a  man  who  could  neither  be  frightened  nor 
cajoled.  A  weak  politician  of  an  inferior  grade  will  truckle  to 
his  adversaries  and  strive  to  conciliate  by  unworthy  means.  Mr. 
Haskin  was  the  type  of  politician  who  boldly  defied  his  oppo- 
nents and  challenged  them  to  a  contest  which  they  generally 
had  the  prudence  to  avoid.  Among  the  notable  instances  of  his 
traits  may  be  mentioned  his  fearless  letter  to  the  authorities  of 
St.  John's  College  of  Fordham,  representatives  of  a  power  tc 
which  weaker  politicians  would  have  yielded  with  obsequious 
reverence,  while  his  bold  and  scathing  rebukes  of  many  of  the 
prominent  politicians  of  the  present  lime  are  too  well  known 
to  require  mention,  and  his  firm  self-reliance  has  shown  by  its 
success  the  truth  of  the  saying  "They  can  conquer  who  be- 
lieve they  can." 

MATTHEW  J.  HARRINGTON,  a  prominent  politician 
and  business  man,  was  born  in  New  York  City  on  April  11,  1867, 
and  received  a  public  school  education,  aftei  which  he  started 
business  life  as  an  inspector  for  the  Law  Telephone  Company, 
which  was  absorbed  by  the  Metropolitan  Telephone  Company 
and  which  is  now  known  as  the  New  York  Telephone  Company. 
He  remained  in  their  employ  for  a  long  time.  He  discovered 
himself  to  be  the  possessor  of  a  rare  talent  which  fitted  him  for 
a  stage  life,  which  he  followed  successfully  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  well  liked  and  looked  up  to  by  his  professional 
associates  and  in  May,  1894,  to  better  their  conditions  and  to 
put  a  check  on  unscrupulous  managers,  he  organized  the  Actors' 
National  Union  of  America.  In  1895  he  was  elected  the  general 
organizer  of  the  United  States  for  the  American  Federation  of 
Labor.  He  resigned  in  1896  to  become  the  head  of  the  Labor 
Bureau  of  the  Republican  National  Committee.  There  Mr. 
Harrington  showed  himself  to  be  worthy  of  his  trust.  He  put 
the  department  through  a  thorough  reorganization  and  his  good 
work  was  in  no  small  way  responsible  for  the  result  of  the  presi- 
dential elections  of  1900  and  1904.  Early  in  1897  he  became 
the  manager  of  the  Legate  Stone  Company,  which  had  its  yards 
and  headquarters  in  the  Port  Morris  section  of  the  Bronx.  Four 
years  later  he  entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  C.  D.  Coram 
in  the  business  of  general  contractor.  In  February.  1903,  Mr. 
Coram  retired  and  Mr.  Harrington  reorganized  the  business  and 
formed  a  corporation  known  as  the  Harrington  Contracting  and 
Supply  Company,  of  which  he  is  now  the  president.     Mr.  Har- 


rington did  a  large  portion  of  the  cement  work  on  the  new  sub- 
way system  and  is  recognized  to  be  an  expert  on  cement  as  well 
as  being  an  adept  in  all  the  details  pertaining  to  that  line  of 
business.  He  is  also  identified  with  several  other  business  enter- 
prises. Mr.  Harrington  is  very  popular  and  prominent  in  poli- 
tics. In  igoo  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  State  Senator 
from  the  Twenty-first  Senatorial  District,  New  York,  on  the  Re- 
publican ticket  and  was  defeated  only  after  a  very  close  and 
exciting  contest  in  a  Democratic  stronghold.  In  the  same  year 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  Republican  Speakers'  League 
of  the  United  States,  an  organization  with  a  membership  of 
several  thousand,  representing  every  section  of  the  country.  Dur- 
ing the  1905  election,  Mr.  Harrington  did  some  strenuous  work 
in  behalf  of  Mayor  McClellan  and  President  Haffen.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Carrie  F.  O'Brien  on  the  12th  of  October,  1896,  by 
whom  he  became  the  father  of  two  children.     Both  died  in  in- 


MATTHEW    J.    HARRINGTON 

fancy.  Mr.  Harrington  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Roch's  Church 
and  St.  Roch's  Lyceum,  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade, 
K.  and  P.,  the  Bunker  Hill  Club  and  the  Republican  Club  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  .Assembly  District.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx  for  over  eight  yaers  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  everything  that  is  propagated  for  the  public  welfare. 
He  is  a  man  of  exceptional  qualities  and  has  never  been  known 
to  break  a  promise. 

ROBERT  C.  WOOD  is  a  banker  and  broker  of  the  Wall 
Street  district,  established  at  30  Broad  Street.  He  lives  in  the 
Bronx — in  fact,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  borough  about  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  in  New  York  Dec.  7,  i85g,  and  received  his 
early  schooling  in  private  institutions.  He  passed  his  academic 
years  at  Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey,  and  proceeded  from  there 
to  Harvard  University,  where  he  received  his  degree  in  1892. 
Since  then  he  har>  been  engaged  in  business  as  aforesaid.     Mr, 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


289 


Wood  is  a  bachelor.  He  gives  his  allegiance  to  the  Democratic 
party  in  politics,  though  he  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  oflice. 
He  belongs  to  the  Schnorers.  the  Fordhani  and  other  Bronx 
organizations,  to  the  Democratic  Club,  the  Manhattan  Club  down 
town,  and  to  a  number  of  other  organizations. 

JOHN  H.  KNOEPPEL,  a  noted  business  and  pitblic  man 
of  the  Mott  Haven  district  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  this  city 
in  1848.  He  was  educated  in  Public  School  No.  i,  Mott  Haven, 
wliicli,  at  the  time,  pursued  a  course  of  study  almost  equivalent 
to   the    present    high    school    course.      Mr.    Knocppcl    is    of    Peter 


JOHN    H.    KNOEPPEL 

.Schneider's  Sons  &  Co.,  231  and  2;};}  Fourth  Avenue,  leaders  in 
that  line  here  with  trade  all  over  the  Union.  He  is  a  Bronx 
pioneer,  having  settled,  with  his  parents,  in  that  section  as  long 
ago  as  1850.  A  Republican  on  national  issues,  he  is  accorded 
the  following  non-partisan  public  services :  As  a  member  of  the 
".Joint  Committee"  took  prominent  part  in  arousing  public  senti- 
ment in  favor  of  abolishing  the  control  of  the  Department  of  Pub- 
lic Parks  over  the  public  improvements  in  the  Twenty-third  and 
Twenty-fourth  Wards  (Bronx),  and  in  lodging  its  powers,  so 
far  as  they  related  to  these  wards,  in  the  hands  of  Commissioner 
of  Street  Improvements;  was  one  of  the  leading  speakers  before 
the  Legislative  Committee  in  1889  and  1890  on  that  subject,  re- 
sulting in  the  passage  of  Chapter  545,  Ltws  of  1890,  which  pro- 
vided for  the  election  of  a  Commissioner  of  Street  Improve- 
ments; was  the  chairman  of  the  Citizens'  Local  Improvement 
Parly,  resulting  in  the  election  in  i8go  of  its  candidate,  Louis  J. 
lleintz  as  the  first  Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements;  is 
the  author  of  many  laws  affecting  the  public  welfare  of  the 
Bronx,  notably  that  for  the  Willis  Avenue  Bridge;  that  for  the 
laying  out  of  the  Grand  Boulevard  and  Concourse;  that  provid- 
ing for  discontinuing  and  closing  streets,  alleys,  lanes,  etc.,  this 
later  law  being  more  generally  known  as  the  "Strip  Bill,"  because 


it  also  provided  for  the  disposition  of  strips  of  land  that  were 
left  lying  in  front  of  property  when  the  lines  of  old  streets  were 
changed.  Mr.  Knoeppel  has  held  no  public  office,  except  that 
of  commissioner  in  condemnation  proceedings  of  the  Grand 
Boulevard  and  Concourse,  and  this  appointment  he  was  only  in- 
duced to  accept  at  the  g^ricral  request  of  the  citizens  of  the 
Bronx.  Mr.  Knoeppel  is  a  member  of  the  Schnorer  and  Ford- 
ham  Club,  and  the  North  Side  Republican  Club,  the  Melrose 
Furn  Verein,  the  F.  and  A.  M..  and  Knights  of  Honor.  He 
was  married  in  1871  to  Miss  Louise  M.  liornberger.  They  have 
been  blest  with  four  children,  all  boys. 

EUGENE  J.  McGUIRE.— Who  docs  not  know  Eugene  Mc- 
(juire?  Not  to  know  of  him  in  the  Bronx  argues  one"s-self. 
to  say  the  least,  "unknown."  Not  a  Democrat  at  all  events,  in  or 
out  of  the  organization  liut  knows  him;  nobody,  man,  woman  or 
child  in  the  Thirty-fourth  District.  North  Side,  but  can  tell  you 
he  is  leader  there,  though  he  holds  no  official  position  himself. 
The  private  station  for  him,  for,  though  a  leader.  Mr.  McGuire 
does  not  court  notoriety.  Briefly,  then,  a  word  concerning  him. 
He  was  born  in  Harlem  in  1864 — say  forty  years  ago.  He  at- 
tended public  school  in  that  division  of  the  city,  and  having 
graduated  therefrom,  went  dirLClly  into  busmess.  At  present  he 
is  proprietor  of  the  cafe  at  O18  East  138th  Street,  one  of  the 
popular  resorts  of  the  Bronx.  He  has  lived  in  the  borough 
about  eight  years.  Fie  is  a  man  of  family,  with  a  wife,  Mrs. 
Ellen  Rose,  whom  he  married  in  July.  1903,  and  three  children, 
Edward  and  Jenne  stepchildren,  and  Florence.  He  belongs,  of 
course,  ro  a  number  of  or.gani/ations,  ihe  Eugene  J.  AIcGuire  Asso- 
ciation,   which    is    named    after    him    and    fnr    wlrch    he    stands 


EUGENE    J.    MC  OUIRE 

sponsor,  and  the  Executive  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall,  the 
Elks  and  the  Eagles,  the  Schnorer  Club  of  the  Bronx,  the  Mott 
Haven  Athletic  Club,  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club  and  many 
more.  Many  and  varied  are  the  requisites  of  leadership.  It  is 
a  position  not  ea.sy  to  attain  and  difficult  to  hold.  He  must 
be  shrewd  who  accepts  it  we  know  ;  a  man  of  brains,  courage, 
energy — tireless  in  point  of  fact :  a  good  fellow  withal,  obliging, 
generous,  self-sacrificing.  .-Xbove  all  he  must  have  the  friend- 
ship, confidence  and  respect  of  his  following.  And  it  must  be 
because  he  possesses  these  very  qualifications  for  leadership  that 
Eugene  J.  McGuire  is  what  he  is. 


290 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


MICHAEL  JOHN  GARVIN,  architect,  of  3307  Third  Ave- 
nue, is  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Ann  Garvin,  natives  of  Ireland, 
both  now  deceased.  He  himself  was  born  at  Grove  Hill,  Mor- 
risania,  January  31,  1861,  and  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of 
the  city.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  borough  public  schools,  and  of 
Manhattan  College.  After  leaving  school  he  was,  for  some 
time,  connected  with  Joseph  M.  Dunn,  who  had  been  with  Ren- 
nick  &  Sands,  architects  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral.  Mr.  Garvin 
has  been  secretary  to  the  President  of  the  Borough  and  was  the 
first    Commissioner  of    Puiildings   for   the    Hrnnx.     He   was   also 


MICHAEL    JOHN    GARVIN 

the  architect  of  the  Bronx  Borough  Public  Buildings.  He  is  a 
Tammany  Hall  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Jefferson,  Schnorf' 
and  Tallapoosa  Clubs,  the  Elsmere  Bowling  Club,  the  Bunker 
Hill  -Association,  the  "Gentlemen's  Sons,"  the  Brownson  Catholic 
Club,  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Property  Owners'  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Twenty-third  Ward.  He  married,  September,  1894. 
Miss  Catherine  Cronk  and  has  two  children,  both  sons. 

FREDERICK  FOLZ,  deceased  banker  of  the  Bronx,  was 
for  fully  twenty-five  years  before  his  demise,  which  occurred  in 
1901,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  this  section  of 
Greater  New  York.  He  was  of  notfe  particularly  among  the 
German  stock  of  this  borough,  as  a  worker  for  its  material  de- 
velopment, and  as  a  School  Trustee  gave  much  of  his  time  to  the 
cause  of  education.  He  was  born  in  New  York  and,  as  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  public  schools  himself,  took  great  pride  in  them.  He 
was  a  staunch  Democrat,  active  in  the  party  councils  and  partv 
organization,  and  had  been  a  resident  of  this  part  of  the  city 
since  1866.  His  sudden  death  occurred  while  driving  with  his 
wife  near  Coblcskill,  N.  Y.,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of 
IQOI  ;  the  cause  was  apoplexy.  He  was  a  Director  of  the  Ger- 
mania  Bank  at  the  time  of  his  death.  A  widow,  who  was  Miss 
Susannah  S.  Kirkham  before  their  marriage,  and  five  children. 
William,  Arthur.  Eleaiiore,  Madeline,  and  Henry,  survive  him. 

CHARLES  EISHLEY  MINOR.— A  lesson  there  is  for  as- 
[liring  youth — a  very  excellent  example  of  opportunity  embraced 
and  success  achieved  early  in  life,  in  the  career  of  the  Bronx 
banker,  Mr.  Charles  Fishley  Minor,  a  gentleman  still  on  the 
sunny  side  of  30,  yet  holding,  not  one  alone,  but  a  number  of 
responsible  places.  Mr.  Minor  was  born  July  14,  1878,  making 
him,   at   this   writing,   not   long   past   27.     He   was   educated   in 


London  at  Kimberley  House  Schools  and  Stockwell  College,  and 
there  received  that  thorough  old  country  schooling  which  has 
stood  him  in  such  good  stead,  and  doubtless  been  an  important 
factor  in  his  advancement.  Mr.  Minor  began  his  business  career 
as  a  youth  in  a  sporting  goods  house.  He  abandoned  that  line 
to  accept  a  position  as  private  secretary.  This  place  he  held 
until  February,  1899,  and  then  resigned  it  to  enter  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Knickerbocker  Trust  Co.  at  66  Broadway.  Here 
practically  his  experience  of  financial  concerns  began.  In  July, 
1900,  hardly  a  year  and  a  half  later,  at  the  age  of  22,  he  was 
offered  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  of  the  Washington  Bank 
here  and  accepted  it.  In  January,  1902,  he  was  elected  cashier 
of  that  institution,  and  when,  in  February,  1903,  the  Washington 
Bank  was  taken  over  by  the  Knickerbocker  Trust  Co.,  to  be 
operated  as  its  Bronx  Branch,  he  was  retained  as  assistant  man- 
ager, which  post  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Minor  is  besides  treasurer 
of  the  Willis  Realty  Co.,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Mott 
Haven  Apartment  Co.,  assistant  manager  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Safe  Deposit  Co.,  Bronx  Branch,  first  vice-president  of  New 
York  Chapter  American  Institute  of  Bank  Clerks,  a  member  of 
the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  and  has  been  a  notary  public 
since  1903.  He  is  a  bachelor  and  affiliated  as  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal   Church. 

W.  R.  MONTGOMERY,  manager  of  the  Tremont  and 
Seventh  Avenue  branches  of  the  Hamilton  Bank  of  New  York 
City,  established  in  1888,  and  one  of  the  strongest  financial  in- 
stitutions in  Greater  New  York;  both  of  the  above  branches 
were  opened  by  Mr.  Montgomery.  The  substantial  business  of 
the  Hamilton  Bank  and  the  high  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery is  held  for  his  activity  and  conservatism  in  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx,  speak  for  themselves. 

GEORGE  F.  A.  OLT,  from  School  No.  60,  College  Avenut 
and  145th  Street,  under  the  tutelage  of  that  famous  Principal 
Jonathan  D.  Hyatt,  to  the  general  management  of  the  Bronx 
Branch  of  the  Germania  Bank,  capital  $1,000,000,  we  find  George 
F.  A.  Olt  an  example  of  what  pluck,  energy,  strict  integrity  and 
close  application  to  duty  will  accomplish.  Born  October  23,  1873, 
a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for  thirty-one  years,  Mr.  Olt  undoubtedly 
was  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune.  After  leaving  the  fostering 
care  of  Principal  Hyatt  it  the  age  of  13,  he  entered  the  employ 
of  that  well  knoun  firm,  Wilson,  Adams  &  Co.,  one  of  the  larg- 
est dealers  in  lumber  of  Greater  New  York.  In  1887  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Charles  Field  Griffin  &  Co.,  on  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Forty-second  Street,  and  in  1890  became  associated  with  the 
Germania  Bank,  of  which  he  is  now  the  general  manager  of  the 
Bronx  branch.  The  Germania  Bank  is  one  of  the  strongest 
financial  institutions  in  the  city.  It  first  opened  business  in  May, 
1869,  at  185  Bowery.  In  1876  it  moved  its  premises  to  215 
I'owery,  and  in  1890  its  success  was  established  and  its  officers 
erected  the  large  and  handsome  building  it  now  occupies  at  Nos. 
190,  192  and  194  Bowery.  In  July,  1904,  a  branch  was  opened  at 
First  Avenue  and  Seventy-seventh  Street,  and  in  June,  1904,  the 
Bronx  branch  was  opened  at  155th  Street  and  Third  Avenue  and 
i\Ir.  Olt  made  its  general  manager.  On  June  10,  1901,  Mr.  01: 
married  Qiarlotte  A.  Lerch,  only  daughter  of  John  Lerch,  a  well 
known  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  the  Bronx.  The  gentleman 
has  never  aspired  to  any  political  or  social  prominence,  althougii 
he  is  a  member  in  high  standing  of  Architect  Lodge,  No.  519,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  and  Suburban  Council,  No.  1354.  Royal  Arcanum. 
Since  the  opening  of  the  branch  of  the  Germania  in  the  Bronx, 
Mr.  Olfs  striking  personality,  his  well  known  financial  ability 
and  his  practical  business  methods  have  secured  to  the  institu- 
tion an  extraordinary  amount  of  patronage  in  the  line  of  sub- 
stantial  deposits.  •.    _ 


W.     R.    MONTGOMERY 


FREDERICK    FOLZ 


OEORGE    F.    A.    OLT 


CHARLES    FISHLEY    MINOR 


CHAPTER  XLIII 


MANUFACTURING  AND  INDUSTRIAL  ENTERPRISES 


The  Bronx  a  Center  of  Commercial  Activity — Marvelous  Growth  Shown  in  the  Leading:  Channels  of  Manufactures 


CENTRAL  UNION  GASLIGHT  COMPANY.— It  is 
fitting  that  in  the  history  of  the  borough  should  be  told  the 
doings  of  its  industries.  The  growth  of  a  community  and  its 
progress  depend  in  no  little  degree  upon  the  push,  energy  and 
broad  minded  policies  of  the  men  at  the  head  of  its  great  cor- 
porations. And  this  is  especially  true  of  such  as  administer  to 
the  necessities  of  the  public  at  large — to  its  transportation  and 
lighting  facilities.  The  growth  of  the  lower  end  of  Westches- 
ter County  is  in  a  large  measure  due  to  the  organization  of 
the  Westchester  County  Gas  Light  Company.  This  company 
was    incorporated   June   30,    1859,   and    secured    a   charter    which 


continuous  supply  of  gas  to  the  consumers  of  its  district;  the 
"Gas  Company"  therefore,  is  one  of  the  very  oldest  of  incorpo- 
rated companies  now  doing  business  in  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx.  It  has  had  as  officers  and  directors,  as  well  as  stock- 
holders, men  whose  names  have  been  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  old  county,  and  later  of  the  wards  and  borough.  Its 
first  president  was  Robert  Campbell,  and  its  first  secretary  J. 
D.  Corlies.  About  1866  the  company  secured  the  services  of 
Mr.  William  R.  Beal,  as  secretary.  Later  Mr.  Beal  became  presi- 
dent and  for  many  years  continued  to  be  the  president  and  man- 
ager of  the  company.     L'nder  his  direction  and  energetic  over- 


Central  Union  Gaslight  Company's  Cffice  Building,   142d  Street  and  Alexander  Avenue 


was  filed  with  the  Secretary  of  State  July  18,  1859.  The  five 
men  mentioned  as  directors  are  as  follows:  Benjamin  M.  Whit- 
lock,  James  M.  Rogers,  Charles  Bathgate,  John  M.  Beck. 
Robert  Campbell.  The  object  of  the  corporation,  as  mentioned 
in  its  charter,  is  "For  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  and  sup- 
plying gas  for  lighting  the  streets  and  public  and  private  build- 
ings in  the  town  of  Morrisania,  or  in  any  or  all  other  towns 
of  the  said  County  of  Westchester,  under  the  regulations  of 
the  said  company."  Beginning  the  erection  of  a  gas  plant 
as  soon  after  incorporation  as  possible,  the  new  and  en 
ergetic  company  was  speedily  supplying  gas  to  the  community. 
In  all  the  years  that  have  followed  since  its  inception,  this 
company   and    its    successors    have    furnished    an    unfailing    and 


sight  the  company  rapidly  built  up  a  reputation  in  the  gas 
fraternity  for  efficiency  and  progressiveness.  It  has  always 
been  foremost  in  the  march  of  improvements,  not  only  within 
its  own  works  and  office,  but  in  the  outside  community  as  well. 
Not  only  has  it  striven  to  secure  business  in  all  the  settled 
streets,  but  it  has  continually  pushed  out  its  mains  into  outly- 
ing territory,  inviting  the  erection  of  houses  and  stores  by  its 
presence  with  the  needed  and  necessary  supply  of  light  and 
fuel.  It  may  be  justly  said  that  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Bronx 
is  largely  owing  to  this  energy  and  foresight  in  providing  an 
advance  supply  of  gas.  In  1875,  when  the  town  of  Morrisania 
and  West  Farms  were  annexed  to  the  City  of  New  York,  the 
name    of   the   company,    "Westchester    County   Gas    Light    Com- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


293 


paiiy,"  became  ubsolete,  and  it  was  changed  by  order  of  the 
Supreme  Court  to  "The  Central  Gas  Light  Company  of  New 
York  Cily."  '1  his  name  was  given  because  the  territory  then 
supplied  by  its  mains,  viz.,  the  Twenty-third  Ward,  was  longi- 
tudmally  considered  the  centre  of  New  York  City.  '1  hi^  name 
llie  company  bore  until  August,  1S97,  when  it  was  again 
changed  to  the  one  it  now  bears,  "Central  Union  Gas  Com- 
pany." rile  company  has  for  nia.iy  years  pursued  a  very  lib- 
eral policy  in  connection  with  the  rental  and  loan  of  gas 
ranges,  as  well  as  selling  them  upon  the  instalment  plan  to  its 
consumers.  '1  his  feature  has  proven  popular  with  the  company's 
many  customers  who  have  availed  themselves  of  it  and  has  re- 
sulted in  a  substantial  increase  in  the  use  of  gas  for  fuel,  with 
a  corresponding  advantage  to  the  consumers.  In  view  of  the 
present  epoch  of  high  prices  for  everything  we  eat,  wear  and 
enjoy,  in  rents,  breadstuffs  and  clothing,  it  is  refreshing  to  look 
down  through  the  ledgers  of  the  gas  company  and  note  the 
.steadily  decreasing  prices  which  they  have  asked  for  their  pro- 
duct ;  the  original  cost  of  five  dollars  per  thousand  cubic  feet, 
makes  the  present  price  of  one  dollar  seem  modest  indeed.  In 
no  other  necessity  of  daily  living  has  there  been  so  marked  a 
reduction.  The  officers  of  the  company  at  present  are :  James 
Jourdan,  president;  Charles  G.  Francklyn,  vice-president; 
Walter  C.  Phelps,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Arthur  H.  Hall,  as- 
sistant secretary. 

WILLIAM  R.  BEAL.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  Newark.  New  Jersey,  Mav  13.  1838.  Mis  talher.  Joseph  Rey- 
nolds, a  gentleman  by  birth  and  education,  and  his  mother,  Eliza- 
beth Austin,  came  to  this  country  from  England  about  1830. 
When  eight  years  old  he  was  an  orphan  with  three  sisters,  two 
older,  one  an  invalid,  and  a  younger  brother;  without  an  inherit- 
ance or  relatives  in  America,  he  was  compelled  to  be  a  bread- 
winner at  an  tarly  age.  Such  success  as  Mr.  Beal  has  won  is 
largely  due  to  the  devotion  and  self-sacrifice  of  his  older  sisters, 
to  his  rare  fortune  in  being  for  a  time  under  the  influence  of  a 
great  educator,  gentleman  and  friend,  John  Lockwood,  Jr.,  prin- 
cipal of  Grace  Church  School,  Newark,  in  the  early  fifties,  and 
to  the  good  offices  of  an  eminent  business  man,  churchman  and 
philanthropist  of  the  same  city  and  date,  Jeremiah  C.  Garth waitc. 
President  of  the  Newark  Gas  Light  Company,  etc.  Such  helps, 
with  the  liabil  nf  haril  work  during  the  long  hours  every  day, 
with  enforced  economy  for  a  definite  purpose  outside  one's  own 
needs,  and  a  usually  cheerful  spirit,  are  valuable  aids  in  laying 
a  foundation  for  success  in  life.  Mr.  Beal  graduated  from  Grace 
Church  School,  and  was  awarded  first  and  only  prize.  After 
about  two  years  of  si.xteen  hours  work  per  day  in  a  grocery 
store,  ho  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Newark  Gas  Light 
Company  for  a  time.  He  was  then  employed  to  assist  the  con- 
tractor for  building  the  gas  works  at  Elizabeth.  New  Jersey.  In 
'"'^55.  vvhen  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  made  a  contract  for  two 
years  with  this  contractor  to  superintend  the  business  of  the 
Yonkers  Gas  Light  Company,  fie  managed  this  business  with 
success  for  eleven  years  and  left  it  in  a  very  prosperous  con- 
dition. W'hile  in  Yonkers,  he  started  the  movement  which  led 
to  the  Iniilding  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  of  which  he  was  made  a 
vestryman  before  attaining  legal  age.  Here,  in  1863,  he  married 
Eleanor  Louise  Bell.  In  the  same  year  he  went  with  the  i/lh 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  N.  G.,  in  the  service  of  the  Government  dur- 
ing the  Gettysburg  raid.  He  is  a  member  of  Alex.  Hamilton 
Post,  G.  A.  R.  In  the  early  fall  of  1866,  Mr.  Beal  drove  from 
Yonkers  through  Melrose  and  North  New  York  to  the  gas  works 
at  Port  Morris.  .-\t  that  date  Courtlandt  .'\venue  was  fairly 
well    built    up    with    small    houses.    l)iU    along   the   balance   of   the 


route  there  was  little  but  open  fields.  Port  Morris  was  known 
as  Stony  Island,  but  was  connected  with  the  mainland  by  a  nar- 
row causeway.  The  gas  plant  was  small,  and  situated  some 
distance  from  the  Sound.  As  so  little  of  the  indifferent  apparatus 
at  the  works  was  in  use,  it  was  plain  that  the  business  was  con- 
ducted at  a  loss.  The  general  effect  of  the  trip  upon  most  minds 
would  have  been  of  depression  and  discouragement.  But  one 
could  see  from  the  high  land  along  the  route  the  improvement.^ 
upon  Manhattan  Island,  and  it  called  for  little  of  good  judgment 
and  of  venturesome  spirit  to  determine  that  all  this  new  and  un- 
occupied country  must  share  in  the  prosperity  of  the  great  city 
of  the  country,  then  already  assured.  Mr.  Beal  saw  in  the 
single-handed  control  of  the  gas  business  an  opportunity  to  aid 
in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  district.     The  capital  of  the 


WILLIAM    R.    BEAL 

Westchester  County  Gas  Light  Company  at  that  date  was  $80,- 
000;  its  district  included  the  towns  of  Morrisania  and  West 
Farms.  The  manufacturing  apparatus  was  poor,  the  main  pipes 
were  in  such  a  bad  condition  that  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  gas 
made  was  lost,  and  the  price  to  consumers  was  $5.00  per  thou- 
sand cubic  feet.  The  capital  of  the  company  was  increased, 
necessary  improvements  were  made,  the  price  to  the  public  re- 
duced, and  the  business  largely  increased  and  put  upon  a  self- 
sustaining  basis.  The  company  succeeded  in  securing  proper 
legislation  to  enable  the  lighting  of  the  streets  of  the  district, 
Kiid  in  this  way  was  enabled  to  lay  pipes  into  new  neighborhomU 
and  make  them  attractive  to  home-seekers  employed  in  the 
neighboring  cily.  I'^or  many  years  all  the  profits  of  the  company 
were  put  into  its  property,  and  while  a  strictly  conservative 
policy  was  adopted  and  maintained  down  to  the  sale  of  the 
company,  its  dealings  with  its  consumers  were  always  character- 
ized by  the  most  liberal  methods.  The  Central-Union,  when 
sold    to    the    New    .-\nisterd,ain    Gas    Company    had    a    capital    of 


JOHN     EICHLER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


295 


$500,000,  and  outstanding  certificates  of  indebtedness  of  $^25,000. 
Its  plant  was  in  tlie  liighest  state  of  efiiciency.  Much  of  its 
apparatus  was  designed  by  Mr.  Beal — this  description  of  ap- 
paratus has  been  generally  adopted  in  the  United  States.  Its 
product  was  sold  for  $1.00  per  thousand  cubic  feet.  The  recent 
investigation  of  gas  and  electric  matters  in  New  York  City 
elicited  the  fact  that  the  company  sells  its  gas  to  the  parent  com- 
pany at  a  lower  rate  than  is  charged  by  any  other  company  in 
the  system — a  convincing  proof  of  the  efficiency  of  its  works. 
The  company  was  sold  for  cash  to  the  New  Amsterdam  Gas 
Company,  which  created  and  sold  $3,500,000  5  per  cent  bonds  and 
made  $3,500,000  capital  stock.  The  bonds  have  always  sold  at 
a  premium.  The  stock  remained  in  the  treasury  of  the  company, 
and  has  passed  with  the  company  into  the  control  of  the  Con- 
solidated Gas  Company.  Mr.  Beal  organized  and  built  the  works 
of  the  Northern  Union  Gas  Company,  and  was  for  many  years  a 
director,  and  for  several  years  president  of  this  company.  While 
managing  the  business  of  the  Central  Gas  Light  Company,  Mr. 
Beal  was  interested  in  the  work  of  the  American  Gas  Light  As- 
sociation, served  as  a  member  of  its  council  and  as  its  president, 
and  is  now  a  trustee  and  treasurer  of  its  educational  fund.  The 
management  of  a  company  so  closely  in  touch  with  the  interests 
and  prosperity  of  a  community  as  is  a  gas  company  compels 
identification  with  most  of  the  serious  efforts  to  advance  the 
growth  of  the  town,  and  to  make  it  an  attractive  place  to  live 
in.  The  records  show  Mr.  Beal  to  have  been  active  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Bank  and  of  the  Wash- 
ington Bank,  now  Bronx  Branch  of  the  Knickerljocker  Trust 
Co.,  of  botli  of  which  he  was  a  director.  He  was  a  trustee  of 
the  Twenty-third  Ward  Public  School,  and  for  a  few  years 
chairman  of  the  board,  and  is  donor  of  the  "Beal  Medal"  to 
several  of  the  schools.  He  was  Chairman  of  the  Building  Com- 
mittee of  St.  Mary's  P.  E.  Church  when  its  church  building  was 
erected,  and  of  St.  Ann's  Church  when  its  fine  chapel  was  built. 
One  of  the  organizers  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  he 
has  always  been  one  of  its  vice-presidents.  He  purchased  the 
land  and  organized  the  William  R.  Beal  Land  Improvement  Com- 
pany; recent  sales  of  lots  on  this  property  amount  to  more  than 
half  a  million  dollars.  Mr.  Beal  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Union,  and  was  its  Vice-President  until 
its  work  was  taken  on  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion and  became  the  Union  Branch.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  branch.  Raised  in  Lily  Lodge,  he  is  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  Gavel  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.  Mr.  Beal  resigned  his 
position  in  the  Central  Union  Gas  Company  a  year  or  two  after 
the  expiration  of  his  contract  with  its  new  owners.  He  is  now 
living  in  Harlem,  where  he  is  a  Warden  and  Treasurer  of  Holy 
Trinity  Church,  a  Trustee  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  and  until  re- 
cently of  the  Empire  Savings  Bank.  He  is  a  past  president  of 
the  Harlem  Club,  president  of  three  gas  and  electric  companies, 
a  director  of  several  other  companies,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
several  clubs  and  other  organizations. 

WILLL\M  F.  HIERS,  prominently  identified  with  the  West- 
chester County  Gas  Light  Co..  now  Central  Union  Gas  Co.,  for 
a  great  number  of  years,  and  well  known  by  all  old  residents 
in  Tremont  and  West  Farms,  hails  from  old  revolu- 
tionary stock,  and  of  a  very  patriotic  family.  His  grand- 
fathers were  Isaac  Pitcher  and  Olendrick  Obiers,  continental 
.soldiers  wlio  ser\  ed  under  Washington  during  the  entire  revo- 
lutionary war  of  1776.  His  own  father,  Capt.  Garret  Hiers, 
served  his  country  during  the  Mexican  war,  also  war  of  1812, 
and  the  gentleman  hitnself  served  three  years  in  the  great  civil 


war  of  our  own  country.  His  own  son,  Wm.,  Jr.,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  late  war  with  Spain  and  is  at  present  connected  with  the 
United  States  Navy.  Mr.  Hiers  was  born  at  Matawau,  N.  J., 
October  22,  1843.  He  was  educated  at  the  Trenton  Academy, 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  and  in  1862  joined  the  army.  Coming  home  at 
the  closing  of  the  war,  he  took  a  position  of  trust  with  Duncan, 
Sherman  &  Co.,  prominent  bankers  of  the  city.  In  1869  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  Westchester  County  Gas  Co.  and  has 
remained  ever  since  one  of  their  most  trusted  and  confidential 
associates.  He  has  filled  very  important  positions  with  the 
company,  the  first  being  that  of  secretary,  but  owing  to  defective 
hearing,  probably  the  result  of  his  civil  war  service,  he  resigned 
in  1889  and  was  created  cashier  and  chief  bookkeeper  of  the  con- 
cern, a  position  he  retains  at  present.  Fraternally  and  soci;'Uy 
he  belongs  to  Mecca   Temple   and   Old   Gavel   Lodge,  F.   and   A. 


WILLIAM     F.     HIERS 

M.,  and  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  candidate  raised 
in  the  latter  lodge  April  29,  1870.  Like  many  of  the  older  resi- 
dents of  the  Bronx  he  is  a  member  also  of  the  Schnorers, 
Suburban  Council,  Royal  Arcanum,  Adelphic  Lodge,  148, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  North  Side  Board  of  Trade.  Or; 
January  17,  1871,  he  married  Miss  Anna  E.  Houston.  Her 
father  was  editor  of  the  New  York  "Herald"  in  1848  and  well 
known  in  Washington,  being  one  of  the  best  stenographers  in  the 
United  States.  He  has  five  sons,  William  F.  J.,  now  in  the 
United  States  Navy,  Harry  H.,  confidential  man  w'ith  the  firm 
of  Robert  Crooks  &  Co.,  of  this  city,  Eugene  Houston,  cm- 
ployed  in  the  City  Department  of  the  Municipal  Government, 
Reynolds  Beal  and  Garrett,  wdio  go  to  Leonia  High  School. 
all  worthy  sons  of  a  noble  sire.  Died  February  26,  1886.  Was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  State.  Served  in  Legis- 
lature but  refused  candidate  of  Governor.  Was  connected  with 
the  New  Jersey  State  Pilot  Commission  for  many  years  until 
his  death.  W^ar  Governor  Joel  Parker  was  his  personal  friend 
and  companion  from  boyhood. 

JOHN  EICHLER.— When  this  well  known  and  highly 
esteemed  citizen  of  the  Bronx  passed  away  every  newspaper  in 
New  York  paid  a  tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory.  ■  John 
Eichler   was   a   self   made   man ;    he   built   up   and   established   a 


ADOLPH    G.    HUPFEL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


297 


great  business  by  his  own  energy  and  perseverance;  he  was  a 
man  of  ;he  people;  he  knew  tlieir  wortli  and  trusted  them  and 
they  trnsltd  him;  he  toiled  willi  ihcm  in  the  ranks  and  when 
fortune  snhied  upon  him  iic  slill  remained  their  friend.  Mr. 
Eicliler  was  born  at  Rolhenburg,  liavaria,  October  20,  1829, 
and  after  leaving  school  entered  the  brewery  of  Wollf  &  Olt  in 
his  native  place,  where  he  served  his  apprenticeship,  after 
ivhicli  he  went  to  the  VV'ertheim  brewery  in  Baden,  and  later  to 
ihe  Hazen  brewery  in  Berlin,  where  he  mastered  every  detail  of 
tiie  business  and  becanpe  an  expert  in  his  chosen  field.  At  the 
age  of  29  years  young  Eichler  s.iiled  for  America,  landing  in 
New  York  in  1853,  where  he  secured  employment  as  brewmaster 
in  the  Franz  Ruppert  Brewery  (known  then  as  the  Turtle  Bay 
Ihewery).  The  industrious  young  brewer  worked  hard  and 
saved  his  money  and  in  1861.  with  Mr.  M.  Solman  as  partner, 
went  into  business  for  himself.  In  a  short  time  Mr.  Eichler 
acquired  Mr.  Solman's  interest  and  continued  the  business  until 
1865,  when  he  bought  the  Kolb  brewery,  which  was  located  on 
the  present  site  of  the  magnificent  establishment  now  operated 
l)y  the  John  Eichler  Brewing  Co.,  at  Third  Avenue  and  169th 
Street.  W  hen  Mr.  Eichler  purchased  the  present  jilant  it  was 
a  very  small  afifair  and  hardly  worthy  of  the  name  of  a  brewery, 
but  by  hard  work  and  ho.iest  business  methods  he  met  with 
.luparallcled  success  from  the  start,  though  he  had  to  overcome 
great  financial  difliculties  wnich  would  have  staggered  nine  men 
out  of  ten,  liiit  as  his  sales  increased  and  the  business  grew, 
I'.e  was  encouraged  to  greater  efforts  and  finally  laid  the  corner- 
stone of  his  innnense  fortune.  Mr.  Eichler  never  stood  slill,  he 
was  continually  improving,  building  and  adding  on  to  his  hold- 
ings. Every  new  invention  and  improvement  found  a  p'.ace  in 
the  John  F.ichlcr  brewery  and  to-day  the  John  Eichler  Brewing 
Company's  plant  is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  best  equippL"d  in 
Ihe  United  States.  When  ^Ir.  Eichler's  health  began  to  fail  in 
1888.  be  consented  to  the  organization  of  a  stock  company  to 
be  known  as  the  John  Eichler  Brewing  Company,  with  himself 
PS  president,  Jacob  Siegtl  is  vice-president  and  treasurer,  Louis 
J.  ileintz  as  secretary  and  John  C.  Heinlz  as  trustee  for  the 
stockholders.  In  1890  when  la  grippe  made  its  first  appearance 
in  New  York,  Mr.  Eichler  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  attacked 
by  it,  and  he  never  fully  recovered  from  its  effects.  This,  with 
a  general  i>reakin,g  down,  is  thought  to  have  been  the  cause  of 
bis  deatli,  which  occurred  at  Gollheim.  Rheinphalz,  Bavaria, 
August  4,  1892.  Mr.  Jacob  Siegel,  Mr.  Eichler's  brother-in-law, 
went  to  Germany  and  brought  back  the  retnains  for  burial  in 
the  family  plot  in  Woodlawn.  In  1857  Mr.  Eichler  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Siegel,  of  Gollheim,  Rheinphalz, 
Bavaria,  who  proved  a  worthy  helpmate  and  a  valuable  adviser 
in  building  up  one  of  the  principal  business  enterprises  of  the 
Bronx,  and  during  his  last  illness  .she  nursed  and  w;itclie(l  over 
him  night  and  day,  never  permitting  anyone  to  take  her  place 
at  'lis  bedside.  Mr.  Eichler  was  a  proniinent  member  of  many 
social  and  busines.s'  organizations  who  miss  his  friendship  and 
generous  co-operation.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  States 
Brewers'  Association  and  also  of  the  Brewers'  Board  of  Trade 
of  New  York  and  vicinity,  the  Brewers'  Exchange,  the  New 
York  Produce  Exchange,  Die  Dentsch-Gesellschaft,  the  Lieder- 
kranz,  Arion  Society,  Beethoven  Maennerchor.  the  Eichenkranz. 
Freiemaurer  Sangerbund,  the  Schnorer  Club,  Morrisania 
Maennerchor,  Harmonie  .Singing  Society,  Wieland  Lodge,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  and  Ivy  Chapter,  F.  and  A.  M.,  New  York  Inde- 
pendent Schuetzen  Verein,  the  Morrisania  Schuetzen  Verein, 
Rhein  Pfalzer  Maennerchor  and  the  Five  O'Clock  Club  of 
Morrisania.  Everyone  of  the  above  organizations  took  appro- 
priate action  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Eichler's  demise  and  in  most 
cases  attended  the  funeral  in  a  body.     Tlie  life  of  John  Eichler 


is  a  lesson  in  economies  and  shows   what  may  be  accomplished 
by   industry,   frugality   and    honesty. 

THE  HUPFEL.S. — .Vmimg  the  pioneers  in  the  brewing 
industry  wiiich  has  made  the  llronx  noted,  the  Hupfels  were 
among  the  foremost,  and  the  founder.  Anton,  has  prov^'U 
that  that  which  is  bred  in  the  bone  is  sure  to  manifest  itself 
in  the  flesh,  as  his  sons  have  creditably  carried  on  the  business 
which  he  founded,  ,\nd  now  has  become  one  of  the  prominent 
ones  north  of  the  Harlem  River.  The  buildings  occupied  by 
this  industry  have  stood  so  long  on  St.  Ann's  Avenue  and  161  st 
Street,  that  thev  have  become  known  as  landmarks  in  the  Bro.i.v. 


ANTON    HUPFEL 

Adolph  G.  Hupfel  was  bom  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  receiving 
his  education  in  public  and  private  schools,  coming  to  the  Bronx 
in  1863.  By  political  affiliation  he  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never 
held  or  sought  a  political  office.  Among  the  organizations  of 
which  he  is  an  active  member  may  be  mentioned  the  New  York 
Produce  Exchange;  ex-President  Brewers'  Board  of  Trade; 
Associated  Brewers ;  Trustee  and  Treasurer  State  Brewers  and 
Maltsters ;  ex-Director  of  the  Union  Railway ;  North  Side 
Board  of  Trade ;  New  York  Botanical  Society ;  Wieland  Lodge. 
No.  714,  F.  and  A.  M.  ;  Freundschaft  Lodge,  No.  4,  Improved 
Order  of  the  Knighis  of  Pythias;  Melrose  Turn  'Verein;  Arion 
Liedertafel ;  Central  Turn  Verein  ;  German  Hospital ;  Deutsche 
Ciesellschaft ;  Terrace  Bowling  Club;  Manhattan  Club;  Demo- 
cratic Club,  and  Schnorer  Club.  On  May  13,  1873,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Magdalena  Kuntz.  and  four  children.  Catherine  G.. 
.Adolph  G.,  Jr.,  Antoinette  G.  and  Otto  G..  all  living,  have 
bles.sed   this    union. 

GEORGE  EHRET'S  HELL  GATE  BREWERY.— The 
Hell  Gate  Brewery  was  established  by  George  Ehret  in  the  year 
(866 ;    hence,   at   a   time    when    the   annual    production    of    malt 


GEORGE    EHRET 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


299 


liquors  had  increased  to  5,115,140  barrels.  He  had  then  just  at- 
tained the  age  of  thirty-six  years,  the  date  of  his  birth  being 
April  6,  1835.  Nine  years  before  the  establishment  of  this  brew- 
ery, Mr.  Ehret  came  to  America  (1857)  to  join  his  father,  who 
had  emigrated  from  Germany  in  August,  1852.  Mr.  Ehret,  being 
a  thoroughly  practical  brewer,  strictly  devoted  to  his  callmg, 
had  not  long  to  serve  in  the  brewery  of  A.  Hupfel  before  he 
rose  to  the  foremanship  and  gained  the  full  confidence  and 
friendship  of  his  employer.  When  he  made  known  his  intention 
to  start  a  brewery  for  himself,  Mr.  Hupfel,  a  man  of  generous 
instincts  and  philanthropic  disposition,  at  once  promised  and, 
at  the  proper  time,  gave  his  support  and  assistance  to  the  new 
enterprise.  The  site  selected  by  Mr.  Ehret  for  his  brewery  was 
at  that  time  of  a  decidedly  rural  character.  It  was  opposite 
a  dangerous  passage  in  the  East  River  which  had  been  desig- 
nated "Hell  Gate."  From  this  fact  Mr.  Ehret  decided  to  name 
his  brewery  "The  Hell  Gate  Brewery."  The  building  in  which 
he  began  brewing  was  erected  under  his  supervision  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  block,  between  Ninety-second  and  Ninety-third 
Streets  and  Second  and  Third  Avenues,  and  its  interior  appoint- 
ments were  completed  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1867.  This 
building  is  no  longer  standing.  It  was  succeeded  by  another 
in  1871,  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  establishment  that  now 
covers  the  greater  part  of  an  entire  block.  It  is  at  present 
almost  hidden  by  the  over-towering  brewery  buildings  which 
have  sprung  up  around  it  in  the  course  of  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  a  full  view  of  it  can  only  be  gained  from  the  quadrangular 
yard,  of  which  it  forms  the  interior  side,  the  buildings  flanking 
ir.  being  the  offices  and  the  storehouse,  both  fronting  on  Ninety- 
second  Street.  Mr.  Ehret,  from  the  very  beginning,  aimed  at  the 
brewing  of  a  beer  as  nearly  like  the  best  quality  of  Munich  lager 
as  the  difference  between  our  water  and  that  of  the  River  Isar 
would  adm.it.  How  well  he  succeeded  in  this  way  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  popularity  which  his  beer  attained  in,  a  few 
years.  As  has  been  said,  he  began  brewing  immediately  after 
the  completion  of  his  plant.  At  the  beginning  of  January,  1867, 
the  first  brew  was  stored  in  the  cellars ;  in  March  of  the  same 
year,  his  wagons,  freighted  not  only  with  kegs,  but  also,  met- 
aphorically speaking,  witli  all  his  expectations  and  anxietiec, 
left  his  yards  for  the  first  time  to  serve  his  new  customers. 
Five  years  after  that  time  he  sold  35,512  barrels;  seven  years 
later,  74,497  barrels;  and  in  1874  he  produced  and  sold  101,150 
barrels — a  quantity  which  thirty  years  ago  was  manufactured  by 
but  very  few  of  the  largest  establishments.  This  growth  wns 
then  all  the  more  remarkable,  because  Mr.  Ehret's  operations 
had  suddenly  been  checked  for  a  considerable  time  on  account 
of  a  fire  which,  on  the  19th  of  September,  1870,  destroyed  the 
greater  part  of  his  brewery,  including  books  and  papers.  It  is 
owing  to  this  fact  that  we  are  unable  to  give  the  quantities  of 
beer  brewed  during  the  four  years  preceding  the  fire.  The 
year  1870  may  be  called  the  second  starting  point  in  the  growth 
of  Hell  Gate  Brewery.  In  a  certain  sense  the  fire  was  not  an 
unmixed  evil,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  demand  lor 
Ehret  beer  was  fast  outgrowing  the  capacity  of  the  original 
plant,  necessitating  a  considerable  extension  of  the  premises  and 
buildings,  and  many  additions  to  the  machinery  and  other  ap- 
pointments. As  stated  above,  the  amount  of  beer  produced 
and  sold  by  the  Hell  Gate  Brewery  in  the  year  1874  amounted 
to  101,150  barrels;  in  1880  the  production  amounted  to  220,096 
barrels,  an  increase  in  six  years  of  over  one  hundred  per  cent. 
Ten  years  after,  in  the  year  i8go,  the  production  amounted  to 
412853  barrels,  making  another  increase  of  almost  one  hundred 
per  cent,  for  the  decade.  In  the  year  1900  the  production  was 
601,000  barrels,  showing  an  increase  of  forty-six  per  cent.  This 
is  a  record  to  be  proud  of,  and  one  that  has  seldom  been  equalled 


HI  the  history  of  brewing.  This  immense  production  has  been 
attained  without  any  forced  efforts  to  open  new  channels  out- 
side of  the  limits  of  the  State  of  New  York;  although,  natur- 
ally enough,  whenever  a  demand  was  shown  to  exist  in  outside 
markets,  Mr.  Ehret  endeavored  to  supply  it,  and  thus  established 
a  number  of  agencies.  The  home  demand  always  proved  so 
great  that  the  idea  of  engaging  in  an  extensive  export  trade  be- 
yond the  sea  could  not  be  entertained,  save  in  conjunction  with 
plans  for  a  further  enlargement  of  the  brewery  premises  and 
increase  in  equipment. On  approaching  the  brewery,  one  is  im- 
pressed with  the  unusually  large  dimensions  of  the  grounds 
upon  which  the  buildings  are  erected.  In  a  smaller  city  thi.''. 
would  not  be  anything  worthy  of  note,  but  in  New  York,  and 
especially  in  that  part  of  it  to  which  we  refer,  where  scantness 
of  territory  and  an  immense  and  ever-growing  population  render 
necessary  the  utmost  economy  in  the  utilization  of  space  (much 
to  the  detriment  of  architectural  beauty),  such  extended  premises 
as  those  we  speak  of  cannot  fail  to  make  an  impression.  The 
grounds,  extending  from  within  a  short  distance  of  Third  Ave- 
nue to  Second.  Avenue,  and  from  Ninety-first  to  Ninety-fourth 
Streets,  comprise,  inclusive  of  stables  and  storage  buildings  on 
Second  Avenue,  between  Ninety-first  and  Ninety-third  Streets, 
seventy-five  city  lots  or  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  thousanl 
five  hundred  square  feet.  The  main  building,  an  imposing  struc- 
ture, surmounted  by  a  graceful  clock  tower,  fronts  on  Ninety- 
third  Street,  extending  southward  to  a  considerable  depth;  it  is 
flanked  on  either  side  by  lower  wings  which,  in  point  of  archi- 
tecture and  symmetrical  proportions  harmonize  perfectly  with 
the  principal  facade.  Ornamental  gables,  rising  from  the  cor- 
nices of  every  building,  enhance  the  impression  of  uniformity 
which,  next  to  utility,  was  manifestly  one  of  the  prime  objects 
of  the  architect. 

THE  EBLINGS.— For  half  a  century  the  name  of  Ebling 
has  been  prominent  in  social  as  well  as  business  circles  in  New 
York,  and  no  history  of  the  Bronx  would  be  complete  without 
a  sketch  of  the  men  who  have  done  so  much  to  make  this  bor- 
ough one  of  the  greatest  sections  of  one  of  the  greatest  cities 
of  the  world.  In  the  early  thirties  in  the  little  town  of  Shorns- 
heim,  near  Worrstadt,  Germany,  the  brothers  were  born  and 
there  received  their  early  education  and  training.  Philip  Eb- 
ling came  to  America  in  1850  and  engaged  in  the  wine  and 
vinegar  business  as  an  importer  and  distributor,  and  three  years 
later  was  joined  by  his  brother  William.  Both  brothers  worked 
long  and  hard  in  a  little  establishment  in  Thirty-ninth  Street, 
and  soon  became  known  as  shrewd  business  men.  About  this 
time  German  emigration  was  in  full  swing  and  every  steamer 
brought  to  our  shores  hundreds  of  sturdy  men  and  women  who 
have  since  become  honorable  citizens  of  our  great  republic.  It 
was  during  this  period  that  lager  beer  brewing  took  its  place 
among  various  American  industries.  The  Ebling  brothers  see- 
ing the  possibilities  of  this  business,  and  being  of  a  saving  and 
economical  nature,  soon  accumulated  enough  capital  to  purchase 
the  beautiful  piece  of  property  known  in  the  early  days  as  Au- 
rora Park,  now  a  part  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  where 
they  established  in  1868  the  Ebling  Brewery.  Time  has  proven 
the  wisdom  of  their  course,  and  to-day  their  establishment 
stands  as  a  worthy  memorial  to  their  business  acumen.  Fortune 
smiled  upon  the  brothers  year  after  year  and  their  fame  and 
business  grew  until  they  found  themselves  among  the  great 
brewers  of  the  United  States.  The  Ebling  Brewery  is  one  of 
the  most  attractive  group  of  buildings  of  their  kind  in  the 
Bronx,  and  at  the  present  time  cover  a  frontage  of  608  feet, 
with  a  depth  of  200  feet ;  they  are  built  of  plain  red  brick  and 


300 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


are  of  a  composite  style  of  architecture.  The  breweries,  malt 
houses,  ice  houses,  etc.,  are  equipped  with  the  latest  modern 
inventions  known  to  the  art  of  beer  brewing.  The  output  to- 
day numbers  between  150.000  to  200,000  barrels  of  beer  per 
year.  The  quality  of  the  Ebling  beer  is  always  kept  at  the  high- 
est standard  of  excellence.  It  was  the  purity  of  their  beverage 
that  made  Philip  and  William  Ebling  famous.  In  December. 
1891,  Philip  Ebling  bought  his  brother's  interest  in  the  brewery 
and  with  other  members  of  the  family  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business.  The  present  officers  of  the  Ebling 
Brewery  are  as  follows:.  William  Ebling,  president;  Louis  M. 
Ebling,  vice-president ;  Theo.  Hoebler,  secretary-treasurer. 
Philip  Ebling  in  i860  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Katharine 


PHILIP     EBLING 

Baum.  of  Mainz.  Three  sons  and  two  daughters  were  born  to 
them  (Philip,  Jr.,  deceased),  William  and  Louis,  and  Louise 
and  Pauline  Ebling.  On  October  12,  1895,  Philip  Ebling,  after 
an  illness  of  several  months  was  taken  away,  loved  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  knew  him.  After  William  Ebling  retired 
from  the  brewing  business  he  interested  himself  in  real  estate 
matters,  and  was  the  first  one  in  the  Bronx  to  undertake  the 
erection  of  a  steel  skeleton  building,  the  dry  goods  house  of 
Lyons  &  Chabot,  150th  Street  and  Third  Avenue.  During  the 
last  few  years  Mr.  William  Ebling  has  spent  much  of  his  time 
in  travel,  and  at  the  present  time  resides  in  a  comfortable  man- 
sion at  the  corner  of  East  163d  Street  and  Prospect  Avenue, 
where  he  enjoys  the  society  of  his  children  and  friends.  Philip 
and  William  Ebling  belonged  to  all  the  social  clubs  and  organi- 
zations of  the  Bronx,  and  were  members  of  the  United  States 
Brewing  Association,  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  of  the  Produce 
Exchange  of  New  York  City.  Philip  Ebling.  Jr.,  son  of  Philip 
Ebling,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Ebling  Brewing  Company, 
was  born   and   educated   in    New   York   City,   and   died    Septem- 


WILLIAM    EBLING 


her  the  26th,  1896.  in  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  He 
studied  the  brewer's  art  and  liecame  an  expert  and  a  practical 
brewer  and   maltster,   and   at   the  time  of  his   death   was   superin- 


PHILIP    EBLING,    JR. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


301 


lendent  of  the  breweries  and  malt  houses  of  the  Ebliiig  Brew- 
ery, and  for  over  a  year  was  the  acting  president  of  the  coin- 
panv.  1  lis  unexpected  death  was  a  shock  to  his  family  and 
friends,  lie  was  a  young  man  of  great  promise  and  was  highly 
esteemed  in  the  Bronx.  Socially  he  was  popular,  and  no  func- 
tion was  considered  complete  without  his  presence.  He  was  a 
member  of  Wieland  Lodge,  No.  714,  F.  and  A.  M.,  the  K.  O.  S. 
Howling  Club,  the  Schnorer  Club,  Aurora  Liederkranz,  and  the 
Melrose  Turn  Verein.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Lager 
Beer  Brewers'  Board  of  Trade  of  New  York  and  vicinity  and 
the  Brewmasters'  Association.  Mr.  Ebling  was  of  a  kindly 
nature  and  genial  disposition,  and  took  a  keen  interest  in  the 
liorough.  He  was  liberal  and  kind  to  the  employees  of  the 
lirewery,  and  always  took  an  interest  in  their  welfare.  He  left 
a  widow  and  one  daughter. 

NORTH  SIDE  BREWING  CO.— This  company  is  a  co- 
operative or  consumers'  brewing  company,  owned  and  controlled 
by  retail  liquor  dealers  and  is  the  direct  outcome  of  the  fact 
that  the  Central  Brewing  Co.  of  New  York,  of  which  the  founder 
of  this  company,  Mr.  Geo.  F.  Gminder,  was  the  first  vice-president 
from  its  inception  to  the  time  of  his  resignation,  which  occurred 
about    May,    1902,    was    averse    to    catering    and    supplying    the 


or  buying  a  plant  in  view  of  the  fact  that  at  this  time  there  werf 
several  plants  m  operation  in  the  Bronx  that  were  in  the  markel 
The  directors  discarded  the  idea  of  building  a  plant  and  imme- 
diately began  negotiations  with  the  trustees  of  the  Henry  Zelt 
ner  Brewing  Co.,  as  well  as  with  the  .^merican  Brewing  Co 
for  the  purchase  of  their  respective  plants.  After  considerable 
conferring  and  figuring  and  negotiating,  the  directors  finally 
made  a  contract  with  the  American  Brewing  Co.  to  purchase 
their  plant,  which  contract  being  ratified  by  the  stockholders 
of  both  companies  and  the  American  Brewing  Co.  did  by  deed 
dated  July  10,  1903,  convey  to  the  North  Side  Brewing  Co.  all 
its  right,  title  and  interest  to  all  its  real  estate,  machinery,  stock 
on  hand,  as  well  as  chattel  mortgages  and  outstanding  accounts; 
so  in  consequence  the  North  Side  Brewing  Co.  formally  tool- 
possession  and  began  business  July  10,  1903,  and  began  at  once 
to  make  a  product  which  the  company  put  on  the  market  about 
three  months  later,  or  to  be  exact,  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  1903, 
which  event  was  celebrated  by  a  great  procession  of  the  directors 
and  stockholders,  as  well  as  the  employees,  together  with  their 
horses  and  wagons  through  the  Bronx  Borough,  which  was  in 
part  gayly  decorated  to  celebrate  the  event,  and  which  wound 
up  by  a  reception  at  the  brewery,  which  was  very  largely  attended 
by   retail   liquor   dealers.     That   the    immense   space   allotted    fo' 


North     Side     Brewing     Co. 


Bronx  and  annexed  territory  with  its  product.  Mr,  Gminder 
being  a  resident  of  and  doing  business  in  the  Bronx,  conceived 
the  idea  of  organizing  a  co-operative  brewing  company  to  supply 
ll'.c  demand  for  ale  and  lager  to  the  retail  dealers  of  the  Bronx 
and  Westchester  County.  In  accordance  with  this  object  in 
view,  Mr.  Gminder  called  a  council  of  some  of  his  trusted 
fi  lends  in  good  standing  in  the  retail  liquor  business  and  an- 
nounced his  intennons.  which  were  seriously  considered  at  several 
conferences  and  took  root  by  the  appointment  of  a  committee 
on  organization,  which  after  some  weeks  of  deliberation,  brought 
in  a  repoit  requesting  the  formation  of  a  co-operative  brewing 
company,  to  be  located  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  and  to  get 
up  a  prospectus  and  send  a  copy  to  every  licensed  dealer  in  Man- 
hattan, the  Bronx  and  Westchester  County,  which  was  done 
with  such  gratifying  results  that  by  the  7th  of  August,  1902,  a 
company  had  been  formed  and  the  officers  and  directors  elected 
and  the  company  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
New  York  and  authorized  to  capitalize  for  $1,000,000,  and  was 
named  the  North  Side  Brewing  Co.  The  officers  and  directors 
for  the  ensuing  year  were  kept  busy  getting  subscriptions  to 
the  capital   stock  and  deciding  as  to  the  advisability  of  building 


the  reception  of  guests  proved  to  be  too  small,  the  product  di? 
pensed  on  this  occasion  was  of  such  quality  that  it  inspired 
confidence  with  the  trade  from  that  time  and  to  this  very  day 
it  has  the  just  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  finest  beers 
brewed.  The  result  being  the  North  Side  Brewing  Co.  is  slowly 
but  surely  coming  to  the  front ;  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  some 
of  our  unkind  competitors  have  by  all  the  means  at  their  com- 
mand tried  to  discourage  the  trade  from  becoming  interested 
in  the  enterprise,  but  in  spite  of  which  the  management  has 
been  able  to  show  a  steady  increase  of  business,  as  well  as  a 
healthy  financial  condition.  The  plant  owned  by  this  company 
was  originally  founded  by  the  Kuntz  family,  who  built  the  brew- 
ery in  1857  on  its  present  site.  It  occupies  about  one  and  a  half 
acres  of  ground  in  the  heart  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  having 
about  200  feet  front  on  Third  Avenue  and  running  about  350 
feet  on  168th  Street,  with  a  front  on  Fulton  Avenue.  Some  of 
the  original  buildings  of  the  Kuntz  Brewery  are  still  on  the 
ground,  but  the  majority  of  the  buildings  are  of  more  recent 
construction  and  quite  up  to  date.  The  machinery,  as  well  as 
the  buildings,  vats,  wagons,  etc.,  have  been  entirely  overhauled 
since    the    North    Side    Brewing    Co.    have   become   the   owners, 


KATHIAS  HAFFEN  (THE  ELDEp) 


JOHN  HAFFEN 


MAlHlAb  HAFFEN 


JOHN  M.  HAFFEN 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


303 


and  is  to-day  in  an  up-to-date  condition ;  as  well  as  the  product 
of  the  company  has  a  well  merited  reputation.  It  would  be 
well  to  note  here  that  in  consequence  of  the  very  reasonable 
purchase  the  company  has  made  in  acquiring  the  plant  at  the 
price  they  did,  the  company  concluded  and  did  reduce  their 
capital  stock  to  $500,000,  feeling  that  this  would  be  amply  suffi- 
cient to  carry  on  a  business  commensurate  with  the  size  of  the 
plant.  The  company  enjoys  good  patronage,  not  alone  from  its 
stockJiolders  but  from  the  trade  at  large,  and  is  destined  to  be- 
come one  of  the  leading  business  concerns  of  Bronx  Borough. 
The  success  of  the  North  Side  Brewing  Company  is  largely  due 
tn   the    individual    efforts    of    its    officers    who   have    given    their 


GEORGE    FREDERICK    GMPNDER 

devoted  time  and  energy  to  this  great  enterprise,  and  being 
backed  by  these  gentlemen  is  a  guarantee  of  a  continuous  suc- 
cess. The  officers  of  the  company,  who  are  serving  their  third 
term,  are  as  follows :  George  F.  Gminder,  President ;  John  J. 
Wager,  first  Vice-President;  William  Callahan,  second  Vice- 
President;  Christian  Georges,  Treasurer;  August  Welps,  Secre- 
tary. The  Board  of  Directors  are  as  follows :  George  F. 
Gminder,  4029  Third  Avenue,  hotel;  John  J.  Wager,  Alexander 
Avenue,  Yonkers,  General  Agent ;  William  Callahan,  145th  Street 
and  Eighth  Avenue,  cafe;  Christian  Georges,  15  Short  Street, 
Mount  Vernon,  Real  Estate;  August  Welps,  113th  Street  and 
Third  Avenue,  cafe;  Jacob  Pritz,  2179  Morris  Avenue,  hotel; 
Martin  Hoffman,  Tenth  Street  and  Avenue  B,  Unionport,  hotel ; 
Christian  Schlobohm,  I  Beuna  Vista  Avenue,  Yonkers,  hotel ; 
Thomas  F.  Brenner,  2926  Eighth  Avenue,  cafe ;  Joseph  Forest,  84 
Lawrence-  Street,  Manhattan,  cafe ;  Gaetano  Del  Bello,  242  New 
Main  Street,  Yonkers,  cafe;  John  P.  O'Connell,  Golf  Course,  Van 
Cortlandt  Park,  hotel;  William  Carroll,  155  Willoughby  Street, 
Brooklyn,  cafe;  Daniel  O'Snllivan,  2013  Boston  Road,  cafe. 

THE  HAFFENS,  SENIOR  AND  JUNIOR.— A  well 
known  name,  this  of  HafTen  in  the  Bronx.  The  name  of  one  of 
its  most  notable  public  characters,  the  President  of  the  Borough, 
and  in  that  particular  a  name  which  is  a  tower  of  strength.  The 
name  also  of  the  great  brewery  in  that  section  and  of  its  pro- 
prietors, father  and  son,  of  whom  especially  we  speak.  The 
Haffen  brewery  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  institutions  of  the 
Bronx.  Its  widespread  patronage  makes  the  name  practically  a 
"household  word."     It  was  founded  in   1856  by  Mathias  Haffen, 


first  of  the  name  in  this  country,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1814,  and  came  to  America  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  married  in  1845,  Miss  Catherine  Hays.  His  sons  and 
successors,  John  and  Mathias,  Jr.,  were  born  on  Long  Island  in 
1847  and  1850  respectively.  John  Haffen  married  Miss  Caroline 
Hoffman  in  1868,  and  his  son,  John  M.,  of  the  third  generation, 
was  born  in  Melrose  in  1872.  Mathias,  brother  of  John,  Sr., 
married  Mena  Schuman  in  1872;  John  M.  married  Miss  Bertha 
Helen  Eckert  in  1896;  so  much  for  the  family  tree.  In  1871 
John  and  Mathias  Haffen,  sons  of  the  founder  of  the  business, 
succeeded  to  the  brew'ery  as  the  firm  of  J.  &  M.  Haffen.  They, 
in  turn,  were  succeeded  by  the  J.  &  M.  Haffen  Brewing  Co.,  in 
1900,  John  Haffen  president,  John  M.,  his  son,  secretary,  and 
Mathias,  his  brother,  treasurer,  he  having  banking  interests 
requiring  his  attention.  He  has  been  president,  in  fact,  of  the 
Dollar  Savings  Bank  in  the  Bronx  ever  since  it  was  organized 
in  1889.  This  bank,  located  in  the  Haffen  building  at  2808  Third 
-Vvenue,  is  a  .savings  bank  and  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
banks  of   the   borough. 

GEORGE  FREDERICK  GMINDER,  president  of  the  North 
Side  Brewitig  Co.,  Third  Avenue  and  i68th  Street,  was  born 
here  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city  fifty-five  years.  His 
education  was  obtained  here  also  in  the  public  schools ;  in  fact, 
his  whole  business  life  and  career  has  been  spent  here.  He  is 
first  vice-president  of  the  National  Retail  Liquor  Dealers'  Asso- 
ciation, with  headquarters  in  Washington ;  is  a  member  of  Wie- 
land  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Freilgrath  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  Ranaque  Lodge  of  Red  Men.  Mr.  Gminder  was  the  chief 
promoter  of  the  well  known  Central  Brewing  Company  of  this 
city,  and  was  first  vice-president  for  three  years.  In  1903  he 
resigned  this  position  to  head  the  North  Side  Brewing  Company. 
This  company  is  based  on  the  co-operative  principle  and  is  de- 
signed to  be  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  this  State.  He  is 
not  active  politically  but  he  professes  himself  an  advocate  of 
the  protective  tariff.  He  has  never  held  public  office,  barring 
such  as  of  an  honorary  character,  as  delegate  to  National  and 
State  conventions ;  lieutenant  in  the  National  Guard ;  notary  pub- 
lic, etc.  He  married  Augusta  Edlich  in  June,  1887.  They  have 
no  children. 

JACOB  RUPPERT'S  ICE  PLANT.  NEW  YORK 
CITY. — One  of  the  most  instructive  and  interesting  sights  for 
the  visitor  to  New  York,  and  for  the  ice  man  in  particular,  is 
the  new  ice  factory  built  by  Mr.  Jacob  Ruppert,  located  between 
Lincoln  and  Alexander  Avenues,  and  facing  I32d  and  133d 
Streets.  Mr.  Ruppert,  universally  known  for  his  push,  energy 
and  sterling  business  qualities,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the 
manufacturing  of  ice  in  New  York  City.  As  early  as  1878  he 
realized  the  possibilities  of  the  ice  machine,  which  then  was  in 
its  infancy,  as  far  as  general  use  was  concerned,  although  the 
principles  upon  which  it  is  constructed  were  well  known  long 
before  that  time.  He  had  then  an  absorption  ice  machine  erected 
in  his  brewery,  which  he  later  on  replaced  by  compression  ma- 
chines, still  in  use  there.  About  ten  years  ago.  realizing  that 
the  natural  ice  would  sooner  or  later  be  superseded  in  all  large 
cities  by  ice  manufactured  according  to  hygienic  principles,  owing 
to  its  sanitary  qualities,  as  outlined  by  some  of  our  most  eminent 
scientists,  such  as  Prof.  Mitchel  Prudens  and  Prof.  Denton,  etc., 
Mr.  Ruppert  built  an  ice  plant  of  fifty  tons  capacity  on  Third 
Avenue,  to  which  he  afterward  added  a  second  plant  of  250  tons 
daily  output.  The  success  which  he  met  with,  and  the  constantly 
increasing  demand  for  his  Hygeia  ice,  stimulated  him  to  erect 
the  largest  plant  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  Anyone  connected 
with  ice  manufacturing  will  realize  the  amount  of  work,  time  and 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


305 


ability  it  takes  to  conceive,  design  and  build  a  plant  of  such 
gigantic  dimensions  as  the  one  in  question,  and  very  few  men  in- 
deed would  undertake  such  an  enterprise  single-handed,  as  Mr. 
Ruppert  did,  who  is  the  sole  owner  of  this  new  plant,  as  well  as 
the  one  pre.viously  mentioned.  It  required  considerable  prelimi- 
nary work  to  determine  the  nature  of  the  ground  which  was 
to  carry  such  enormous  weights,  to  drill  the  wells,  and  consider- 
ing all  this,  and  in  spite  of  delays  due  to  the  scarcity  of  iron 
in  the  market  at  the  time  when  the  progress  of  the  building 
mainly  depended  on  its  prompt  delivery,  the  factory  was  erected 
and  ready  for  occupancy  during  the  latter  part  of  May,  1900,  a 
monument  to  the  indefatigable  energy  of  Mr.  Ruppert  rarely 
excelled.  Mr.  Jacob  Ruppert  was  born  in  New  York  in  1842. 
He  learned  the  brewing  trade  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
started  to  build  a  business  of  his  own.  From  small  beginnings 
he  soon  developed  his  business,  and  through  strict  attention  to 
all  details  of  the  manufacturing  as  well  as  the  selling  of  the 
product  of  his  brewery,  he  increased  his  output  from  year  to  year, 
until  he  now  ranks  among  the  foremost  brewers  of  the  country. 
He  employs  a  large  force  of  men,  and  takes  a  very  active  part 
in  the  management  of  his  brewery,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  ice 
factories  and  numerous  other  enterprises  in  which  he  is  finan- 
cially and  otherwise  interested.  The  new  ice  plant  occupies  a 
five-story  steel  and  iron  cage  construction  building,  about  200 
feet  square.  The  provision  for  heavy  storage,  the  operation  of 
massive  machinery  on  the  upper  floors,  and  the  construction  of 
large  coal  bins  above  the  boilers,  have  developed  some  interest- 
ing features  in  the  design  and  structural  details.  The  estimated 
weight  of  the  building  and  contents  gives  the  following  unit 
loads  on  the  entire  lot  area  under  different  parts  of  the  building: 
Machine  house,  2,800;  freezing  house,  3,400;  boiler  house,  5,10a 
[inunds  per  square  foot.  The  l36;^xi72-foot  freezing  house  in 
separated  from  the  boiler  and  machinery  house  by  a  solid  brick 
wall,  into  the  thickness  of  which  are  built  steel  Z-bar  columns, 
with  12-inch  channel  ties  at  the  first,  second  and  third  floors. 
The  machinery  house  is  about  62x155  feet  in  plan,  and  has  four 
full  stories,  besides  the  basement  and  a  12-foot  deck  house  over 
part  of  the  flat  roof.  The  engines  are  set  on  concrete  founda- 
tions built  up  solid  from  the  pile  grillages.  The  roof  and  floors 
are  supported  by  twenty-two  steel  Z-bar  columns,  from  twenty- 
two  to  thirty  feet  apart,  in  three  longitudinal  rows,  thirty  feet 
ten  inches  apart  centers.  The  62x47  boiler  houfe  is  separated 
from  the  machine  house  by  a  heavy  brick  wall,  and  its  sixteen 
steel  Z-bar  columns  are  arranged  to  support  the  coal  bin  and 
boilers,  which  are  carried  on  a  system  of  special  beams  and 
girders.  The  coal  bin  is,  in  plan,  a  38x54-foot  rectangle,  and 
has  vertical  sides  from  fourteen  to  thirty-eight  feet  in  height. 
In  the  selection  of  the  many  and  various  machines  and  con- 
trivances necessary  for  his  factory,  Mr.  Ruppert  carried  out  the 
idea  of  having  nothing  but  the  best,  of  having  in  duplicate  such 
parts  of  the  plant  as  arc  liable  to  get  out  of  order,  and  having 
everything  of  ample  size.  The  breakdown  of  any  essential  part 
would  mean  a  loss  of  not  hundreds,  but  thousands  of  dollars, 
considering  that  when  fully  equipped  the  plant  will  turn  out 
1,000  tons  per  day.  The  steam  generating  plant  received  very 
careful  attention.  The  boiler  room,  which  is  62x47x27  1-2  feet 
high,  contains  on  the  lower  floor  four  boilers  built  for  a  working 
pressure  of  150  pounds  per  square  inch,  each  of  450-horse  power 
capacity,  and  are  equipped  with  mechanical  stokers  and  "Re- 
liance" safety  water  columns  of  polished  brass.  The  boiler  room 
also  contains  two  boiler  feed  pumps  of  the  compound  type.  One 
<if  these  pumps  is  of  ample  size  to  supply  all  the  water  necessary 
for  the  present   four  boilers,   and  also   for  the  additional   floor, 


which  may  be  placed  on  the  second  floor  of  the  boiler  house. 
The  other  pump  is  held  in  reserve,  ready  to  start  at  a  moment's 
notice,  should  anything  happen  to  the  one  in  use.  In  the  base- 
ment of  the  boiler  house  are  two  duplex  pumps  of  an  aggregate 
capacity  of  about  2,000,000  gallons  per  day.  They  are  held  as 
a  reserve  in  case  of  breakdown  of  any  of  the  larger  pumps,  and 
also  for  fire  protection.  There  are  two  doors  leading  from  the 
boiler  room  to  the  engine  room.  This  room  is  by  far  the  most 
niipressive  in  the  whole  building,  its  dimensions  being  62  feet 
wide,  155  feet  long  and  35  feet  high.  There  are  two  300-ton  and 
one  500-ton  refrigerating  machines  of  the  De  La  Vergne  double- 
acting  type,  with  the  well  known  oil  injection,  all  furnished  by 
the  De  La  Vergne  Refrigerating  Machine  Co.,  of  New  York 
City.  The  steam  ends  are  of  the  cross-compound  type,  provided 
with  registers  between  high  and  low  pressure  cylinders,  and 
situated  under  the  engine  room  floor.  The  above  company  also 
furnished  the  general  outfit  for  ice-making,  ammonia  condensers, 
etc.  These  machines,  while  of  an  enormous  size,  are  so  well  pro- 
portioned that  they  fully  harmonize  with  the  building,  and  pre- 
sent a  beautiful  sight  with  their  nickel  plated  laggings.  There 
is  enough  space  left  for  two  more  500-ton  machines  which  may 
be  added  shortly,  as  also  additional  freeznig  tanks  and  cold 
storage  rooms.  Next  to  the  wall  between  the  boiler  room  and 
engine  room  is  the  3,000,000  gallon  pump.  This  pump,  of  the 
crank  and  flywheel  type,  is  constructed  with  three  single-acting 
pumping  cylinders,  each  connected  to  a  Corliss  steam  cylinder. 
The  middle  steam  cylinder  is  the  high  pressure,  the  two  outside 
ones  the  low  pressure  cylinders.  A  reheater  is  placed  under 
the  steam  cylinders.  The  water  is  supplied  to  this  pump  through 
a  16-inch  cast-iron  pipe  connected  with  the  wells,  which  are 
located  under  the  western  part  of  the  ice  storage  room,  the 
water  of  which  is  used  for  ice  making,  and  also  a  third  connec- 
tion to  the  hydrant  system.  This  refers  to  the  two  pumps  under 
the  boiler  room.  It  was  necessary  to  put  in  these  connections  in 
order  to  be  protected  against  any  possibility  of  being  shut  ofl 
from  water  supply,  which  would  mean  a  total  shutting  down 
of  the  factory,  with  all  the  losses  connected  therewith.  Every 
practical  ice  man  knows  that  there  is  nothing  so  important  for 
the  proper  running  of  an  ice  plant  as  the  water  supply,  and 
for  this  reason  still  an  additional  safeguard,  in  the  shape  of  a 
3,000,000-gallon  pump,  was  installed  in  this  plant.  All 
these  pumps  are  of  the  compound  condensing  type.  In  front 
of  the  refrigerating  machines  and  alongside  of  the  south 
side  of  the  engine  room  are  the  two  dynamos.  Both  dynamos 
are  connected  to  a  mutual  switch  board  arranged  in  a  very 
tasteful  manner.  It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  building 
is  provided  throughout  with  electric  lights.  There  are  in  use 
500  incandescent  lights  and  65  arc  lights.  The  dynamos  also 
furnish  power  for  two  passenger  elevators,  each  requiring  about 
fifteen  horse  power,  and  furthermore,  the  power  for  the  coal 
crusher,  fifteen  horse  power,  and  the  conveyor,  eighteen  horse 
power.  Like  the  rest  of  the  machines,  the  engines  driving  the 
dynamos  are  compound  condensing.  In  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  engine  room  is  the  air  compressor,  furnishing  the  compressed 
air  for  the  pneumatic  hoists.  On  the  fourth  floor  are  the  two 
skimming  tanks,  from  which  the  water  passes  into  the  reboilers, 
and  from  there  to  the  storage  tanks,  all  in  the  usual  manner. 
The  ammonia  and  oil  forecoolers  are  also  erected  on  this  floor. 
The  freezing  tank  rooms  in  the  northern  part  of  the  build- 
ing, facing  133d  Street,  are  accessible  from  the  different 
parts  of  the  engine  house  building,  as  well  as  from  the  boiler 
house.  These  rooms  are  170  feet  wide  and  133  feet  long.  There 
are  three  such  floors.  Two  are  completed  and  in  full  operation ; 
the  third  is  readv  to  receive  the  six  additional  tanks  which  are 


306 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


necessary  to  complete  the  l,ooo  tons  per  day  outfit.  Each  floor 
contains  six  tanks  of  fifty-five  tons  capacity  each.  The  ice  cans 
are  of  standard  size,  11x22x44,  producing  300-pound  blocks.  The 
ice  storage  room  is  very  spacious,  being  of  the  same  dimensions 
as  the  room  above,  and  fourteen  feet  high ;  still  it  is  none  too 
large,  since  its  capacity  of  3.500  tons  is  only  three  and  one-half 
days'  output  when  the  plant  is  running  at  its  full  capacity.  The 
storage  room  is  provided  with  six  small  outlets,  and  two  doors 
to  the  loading  platform,  which  extends  over  the  entire  length  of 
the  storage  room  and  faces  133d  Street.  Here  again  Mr.  Rup- 
pert's  foresight  manifested  itself  very  plainly,  since  in  spite  of 
the  enormous  length  of  the  platform  it  is  not  one  foot  too  large 
to  handle  the  trade  during  the  early  rush  hours  of  hot  summer 
days,  where  the  ice  wagons  form  a  line,  extending  over  many  of 
the  adjacent  streets.  The  spectacle  presented  by  the  distribu- 
tion of  from  1,000  to  i.joo  cakes  of  ice  per  hour  is  a  sight  to 
gladden  the  heart  of  any  ice  man  accustomed  to  the  slow  and 
time-honored  method  of  loading  ice  from  the  barges  and  docks 
around  the  city.  Here  we  see  the  result  of  modern  engineering, 
art  and  enterprise,  in  the  transparency,  purity  and  uniformity  in 
weight  and  size  of  the  hygienic  ice,  contrasting  very  plainly  with 
the  natural  ice,  nearly  always  opaque,  and  very  often  from 
sources  of  doubtful  purity.  While  this  busy  scene  may  be  ob- 
served on  the  front  platform  of  the  building,  at  the  same  time 
railroad  cars  are  being  loaded  on  the  rear  platform,  adjoining 
the  engine  room,  to  supply  the  out-of-town  customers.  By  means 
of  a  simple  device  using  compressed  air.  ice  is  delivered 
into  the  cars  at  the  rate  of  one  ton  a  minute.  Some  idea  of 
the  size  of  this  great  plant  may  be  gained  from  the  initial 
charge  of  ammonia  required  to  start  it.  For  primarily  charging 
the  plant  30  cylinders  of  anhydrous  ammonia  were  required.  All 
other  supplies  were  of  proportionately  stupendous  quantity.  The 
plant  is  well  supplied  with  thermometers  throughout.  The  busi- 
ness end  of  the  factory  is  being  attended  to  by  Mr.  George  Kinkle. 
Jr.,  who  has  been  identified  with  many  highly  successful  enter- 
prises in  Montana,  and  who  for  a  number  of  years  was  manager 
of  the  Manhattan  Malting  Co.  of  Manhattan,  Montana.  Mr.  M 
Karlstrom,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  plant,  has  spent  most  of  his 
life  in  connection  with  the  manufacture  of  ice.  He  is  thoroughly 
efficient  in  his  work,  and  is  a  valuable  acquisition  to  Mr.  Rup- 
pert's  forces. 

PETER  KlRCIiHOl-  was  born  March  -'O,  1813,  to  Pete- 
Caspar  and  Anna  Maria  (nee  Miller)  Kirchhof  at  Neider- 
weisen,  Kress  Alzai,  Grossherzogthum,  Hessen-Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many. Peter  was  the  youngest  of  six  children  and  but  nine 
days  old  when  his  father  died.  His  mother  had  a  severe  strug- 
gle to  provide  for  her  family,  and  he  was  therefore  early  com- 
pelled to  seek  his  own  livelihood.  He  was  educated  at  a  small 
village  school  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  apprenticed  him- 
self to  the  brewing  and  distilling  business  in  the  town  of  Wen- 
delsheim.  Through  strict  attention  to  business,  he  advanced  to 
a  foremanship  in  tht  craft  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  From  Wen- 
dclsheim  he  travelled  to  Wellstein,  Saxe  Meiningen.  Strassburg, 
.Munich,  Wurzburg  and  Paris,  always  following  his  trade  and 
increasing  his  knowledge  and  experience.  On  September  5, 
1837,  he  arrived  in  America  by  the  ship  Wildilion,  after  33  days 
sail.  1S37  being  the  year  of  our  first  serious  panic,  he  found  it 
difficult  to  find  any  occupation.  His  first  work  here  was 
breaking  stone  along  the  line  of  the  Erie  Canal.  Some  weeks 
later  he  obtained  work  at  his  trade  in  Easton,  Pennsylvania, 
then  at  Nazareth,  but  through  dullness  of  business  had  to  seek 
another  fie'd  of  labor.  He  then  went  to  Charleston.  South  Caro- 
lina,  wnere   he   found   employment   in   a   chair    factorv-   at   good 


wages  for  the  time.     In  1839.  with  his  savings,  he  came  to  New  ] 
York  and  started  a  small  brewery  on  Seventh  Avenue,  between! 
Eighteenth  and   Nineteenth   Streets,     He   was  the  third  German  j 
brewer  in  the  city,  and  the  first  to  malt  his  own  barley.     In  1840 ( 
he   married   Elizabeth   Berringer,   to   whom  two   sons   and   three 
daughters  were  born.  Barbara  \"on  Hortig,  Maria  Manck.  Eliza- 
beth   Roland    (deceased),    Peter   J.,   and   Ferdinand    (deceased,) 
N'oveaiber   5,    1854,    his   wife   died,   and   on    November   28.    1855, 
he  married  his  present   wife,   Mary  Elizabeth  Korrel,  to  whomj 
four   sons  and   four   daughters   were   born;    Phillip    (deceased), 
Anna    R.    Betzeg,   Charles   G.,   William   B.,    Catherina    Elsenba^i 
W  ilhelmina    Ruehl.    Otto    E.,     (deceased),    and    Miss    Mathilda| 
Kirchhof.      Mr.     Kirchhof     had     thirty-nine     grandchildren,     of 
whom  thirly-three  are  living,  and  has  three  great-grandchildrer 
also  living.     While  living  in  Manhattan.  Mr.  Kirchhof  was  very' 
■.dive    in    the    Democratic    party    in    the    Sixteenth    Ward,    and 
never  left  that  party.     He  was  a  member  of  Co,  B,  Third  Hus- 
sars of  New  York,  irom   1845  to  1857.  doing  duty  during  Astor 


PETER    KIRCHHOF 

Place  riots.  He  was  also  an  active  member  of  the  Order  of  the 
Sons  of  Herman,  the  Deutsche  Brueder  and  Sons  of  William 
Tell,  besides  other  German  social  societies.  In  1S64  he  came  to 
the  Bronx,  where  he  bought  the  brewery  of  Chas.  Deiderman 
at  Westchester  and  Third  .\venue.  In  1866  he  built  Central 
Hall,  famous  for  many  years  as  headquarters  for  many  politi- 
cal associations.  Here  he  established  a  German  theatre,  which 
flourished  until  the  seventies.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the 
two  great  Turner  societies  of  the  Bronx,  the  Melrose  and  Ger- 
man-American. He  was  an  honorary  member  of  the  Arion  Lied- 
ertafel  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  United  States  Brewing 
Association.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Harmony  Bowl- 
ing Club  and  bowled  every  Tuesday  night  until  he  passed  his 
81  St   birthday,   when   through  an  attack  of  rheumatism,   he  had 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


307 


to  give  up  this  sport.  Since  the  ahove  was  put  in  type  Mr. 
Kirchhof  died,  on  December  s,  1905,  at  the  age  of  92  years, 
8  months  and  15  days,  the  day  following  his  golden  wedding 
celebration.  His  funeral  obsequies  were  attended  by  delegations 
from  all  the  organizations  with  which  he  was  connected,  and 
many  were  the  expressions  of  regret  at  his  demise,  e\en  though 
at  such  an  advanced  age. 

WILLIAM  P.  SCHMITT  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
laiuKiry  25,  1862.  Me  was  graduated  from  Grammar  Schmil 
No.  59,  and  subsequently  pursued  a  course  of  study  with  the 
view  of  entering  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis.  At  the  age 
of  17,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Central  Park  Brewery,  at 
the  solicitation  of  his  father,  who  was  then  largely  interested  in 
that  concern.  Having  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years, 
during  which  time  he  thoroughly  mastered  the  business  in 
(the  first  institution  of  its  kind  in  this  country),  and  in  1881 
became  its  first  graduate.  It  being  an  old  German  custom  for 
parents  to  send  out  their  sons,  after  serving  their  apprentice- 
ship, to  make  their  own  way  in  the  world,  Mr.  Schmitt's  father 
adopted  this  course,  and  the  son  was,  accordingly,  sent  out  to 
earn  his  own  livelihood.  After  five  years  of  varied  experience, 
during  which  time  he  traversed  the  United  States  from  the  At- 
lantic to  the  Pacific,  and  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico — 
having  been  in  almost  every  state  and  territory — he  returned 
home,  at  the  request  of  his  father,  to  become  brewmaster  in 
the  establishment  of  Schmitt  &  Scbwanenfluegel,  his  father  be- 
ing senior  partner.  In  1892,  Mr.  Schmitt  became  largely  in- 
terested in  a  brewery  in  the  West  Indies,  where  he  filled  the 
position  of  general  manager  for  a  number  of  years.  On  his 
return  to  New  York,  his  state  of  health  precluded  the  resump- 
tion of  his  former  position  of  brewmaster,  and  he  therefore 
became  interested  in  other  ventures,  notably  the  management 
of  his  tobacco  plantation  of  600  acres  in  Florida,  and  later  be- 
came proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Eufaula  "Sun,"  a  daily  and 
weekly  publication,  at  Eufaula,  Alabama.  He  was  also  active  in 
local  politics.  The  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  on 
May  4,  1897,  closely  followed  by  the  death  of  his  brother,  neces- 
sitated Mr.  Schmitt's  return  to  New  York  to  take  care  of  the 
former's  valuable  interests  in  the  business.  He  became  vice- 
president  and  brewmaster  of  the  concern,  in  which  capacity 
he  is  still  actively  engaged,  also  affiliating  with  the  Brewers' 
Board  of  Trade,  the  American  Brewing  Institute,  the  United 
States  Brewers'  Association,  the  Union  Brewers'  Association 
(of  which  he  was  treasurer  and  a  director),  the  Brewmasters' 
Association,  the  Original  Brewers'  and  Coopers'  Benevolent  As- 
sociation (an  organization  which  was  called  into  existence  by 
the  old  brewers,  in  the  6o's,  and  which  then  included  among 
its  members  some  of  our  old-established  and  most  successful 
brewers  of  the  present  time),  and  Mr.  Schmitt  succeeded  his 
father  as  treasurer  of  the  last-named  association,  serving  seven 
years— his  father  having  served  17  years  as  its  first  incumbent — 
and  is  now  an  honorary  member  and  trustee.  His  business 
training  is  evidence  of  his  qualifications  as  chief  executive  of 
the  Department  of  Parks  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  So- 
cially, Mr.  Schmitt  was  connected  for  years  with  the  German 
Liederkranz,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Arion  Society,  the  Demo- 
cratic Club,  the  Wyandotte  Club  (of  which  he  is  vice-presi- 
dent), the  Irish  Athletic  Club,  the  Central  Turn  Verein  (where 
he  was  active  in  the  fencing  section),  and  other  associations. 
He  has  been  a  tireless  worker  in  local  politics,  and  an  ardent 
admirer   and   loyal    supporter   of   Senator   Victor   J.    Dowling. 


FRANCIS  CRAWFORD  was  well  known  in  the  Bronx 
not  only  on  account  of  his  wealth  but  because  he  took  a  humane 
interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  progress  and  development 
of  the  region  he  loved  so  well.  He  was  gifted  with  unusual 
foresight  and  it  was  evident  from  the  result  of  his  life  work 
that  he  had  shown  good  judgment  in  developing  and  improving 
VVilliamsbridge  and  other  sections  of  the  Bronx.  He  worked 
indefatigably  to  secure  schools,  fire-houses  and  other  public 
inilities,  and  was  the  one  individual  most  active  and  instrumental 
in  the  building  and  equipping  of  the  Olin  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  one  of  the  finest  church  edifices  in  the  Bronx.  Mr. 
Crawford  was  of  good  Scotch-Irish  ancestry;  he  was  born  in 
County  Fermanagh,  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  on  January  15,  1840, 
and  was  the  only  child' of  George  Crawford  and  Ann  Little 
Crawford.  His  education  and  early  training  were  received  in 
his  native  place.  He  learned  the  grocery  and  leather  business 
luider  the  watchful  and  careful  eye  of  his  uncle,  Francis  Little, 
after  whom  he  was  named;  for  seven  years  he  served  that 
relative  faithfully  and  well,  and,  in  1863,  he  entered  into  business 
for  himself,  conducting  it  for  three  years;  but  not  being  satisfied 
with  the  success  he  attained,  he  concluded  to  sell  out  and  go  to 
.■Vmerica.  He  arrived  in  New  York  City  September  i,  1867, 
where  in  a  short  time  he  obtained  a  position  in  the  office  of  a 
real  estate  operator  with  whom  he  remained  for  two  years, 
becoming  expert  in  that  line.  In  1869  Mr.  Crawford  entered 
into  the  real  estate  business  for  himself,  not  merely  as  an  oper- 
ator and  speculator  but  as  a  builder  as  well.  In  his  commercial 
\entures  he  met  with  extraordinary  success  from  the  start  and 
erected  many  of  the  finest  private  dwellings  in  New  York  City. 
.Mr.  Crawford  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  building  up  of 
;hat  portion  of  the  city  west  of  Central  Park,  erecting  as  many 
as  twenty-six  large  and  costly  private  houses  on  West  Seventy- 
second  Street  alone.  He  was  a  generous,  philanthropic  and 
Christian  man,  fond  of  church  and  home,  and  always  a  friend 
of  the  needy.  He  enjoyed  reading,  and  was  particularly  well 
informed  on  the  Bible,  a  book  he  always  loved.  He  was  fond  of 
travel  and  made  many  trips  to  Europe,  the  Bahamas,  Bermuda 
and  other  places  of  interest  and  recreation.  Mr.  Crawford 
hated  strong  drink  in  any  form,  and  practised  what  he  preached. 
His  teachings  on  the  temperance  question  were  well  known  among 
his  friends  and  acquaintances  and  were  not  without  marked 
influence  in  bis  community.  In  politics  he  was  an  uncompromis- 
ing prohibitionist ;  he  was  a  member  of  the  National  and  State 
Committee  of  the  party,  and,  in  1896,  was  the  Prohibition  party 
nominee  for  State  Treasurer;  in  the  year  preceding  his  death 
he  was  that  party's  candidate  for  Comptroller  of  Greater  New 
York.  He  was  a  member  of  the  National  Temperance  Society 
and  chairman  of  its  finance  committee.  He  was  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Olin  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  for  twenty-six  years  was  the  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  of  that  church.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Dis- 
trict Stewards  of  the  New  York  East  Conference  and  of  the 
City  Church  Extension  Society.  He  also  served  as  member 
of  the  building  committees  of  the  Sixty-first  Street  and  the 
Olin  Methodist  Episcopal  churches.  For  several  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  in  Wakefield.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  the  Museiim  of 
Natural  History,  the  American  Geographical  Society,  the  New 
York  Zoological  Society  and  the  Bronx  Botanical  Society,  and 
other  associations.  Mr.  Crawford  resided  in  the  Bronx  since 
1876,  and  his  late  residence  on  232d  Street  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  that  vicinity.  The  house  and  grounds  show  his 
artistic  nature  and  affirm  the  love  that  he  possessed  for  his 
family,  whose  happiness  was  always  his  first  consideration. 
During  the  last  years  of  his  busy  life  he  suffered  from  a  compli- 


^^^  "vi^^^^^H 

^^.£^^1 

SIGMUND    FEUST 


FRANZ    FREDERICK    LAWRENCE    KIRCHOFF 


WILLIAM     R.     STRICH 


PAUL    M.    ZEIDLER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


309 


ration  of  diseases,  which  eventually  carried  him  away.  lie 
departed  this  life  May  31,  1902,  lieloved  and  respected  by  '.ill 
wlio  knew  hini.  Mr.  Crawford  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Margaret  Coalter.  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Coalter,  of 
Enniskiilen,  Ireland,  on  Feljruary  5.  1864.  Nine  children  blessei! 
the  union,  of  wliom  are  now  living  four  daughters  and  two 
sons.  Their  names  are  Elizabeth  A.,  wife  of  William  E.  Diller. 
M.D. ;  Mary  Emma,  wife  of  Willnir  L.  Varian ;  Frances  L.. 
wife  of  Robert  M.  Lowitz  ;  Sarah  G.,  wife  of  Daniel  M.  Hop- 
ping: James  C.  Crawford  and  Francis  G.  Crawford.  Mrs. 
Crawford  survives  her  husband  and  resides  at  the  family 
residence. 

SfGMUND  FEUST,  one  of  the  active  and  enterprising 
citizens  of  the  Bronx,  who  has  figured  conspicuously  in  the 
advancement  of  great  public  improvements  in  tlie  Great  Burough. 
was  born  in  Bavaria  61  years  ago.  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1863,  during  the  progress  of  the  civil  war.  In  1886  he 
came  to  the  Bronx,  and  has  been  one  of  its  most  foremost 
citizens  ever  since.  After  acquainting  himself  with  the  most 
needed  requirements  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  he  identified 
himself  with  every  movement  that  had  a  tendency  to  increase 
public  improvement  and  benefit  the  people  at  large.  His  efforts 
were  so  zealous,  that  his  spirit  of  enterprise  was  acknowledged 
by  the  public  men  of  the  borough,  and  he  was  made  secretary 
of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association,  and 
afterwards  President  of  the  South  Bronx  Property  Owners' 
Association.  While  occupying  these  positions,  he  did  herculean 
work  for  the  Bronx  people.  Senator  Guy  and  .\ssemblyman 
Butts  had  passed  through  the  Legislature  the  5-cent  street  car 
fare  bill  for  the  Bronx,  and  as  there  seemed  to  be  some  doubt 
whether  the  Governor  (Roswell  P.  Flower)  would  permit  the 
bill  to  become  a  law,  Mr.  Feust  called  for  and  had  a  large  public 
meeting  held,  in  wdiich  he  advocated  that  the  people  of  the 
Bronx  should  petition  the  Governor  to  sign  the  bill,  notwith- 
standing that  Grover  Cleveland.,  the  former  Governor,  had 
vetoed  a  similar  bill  during  his  administration.  Mr.  Feust, 
at  this  meeting,  succeeded  in  getting  up  a  monster  petition, 
which  was  sent  to  Governor  Flower,  and  he  made  the  5-cent 
bill  a  law.  Transportation  facilities  at  this  time  were  entirely 
inadequate,  and  in  order  to  secure  through  trains  for  the 
Bronx,  Mr.  Feust  caused  the  Property  Owners'  Association 
of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  to  retain  as  counsel  the  Hon.  A. 
C.  Hottenroth,  and  pay  liim  a  retainer  to  fight  the  roads,  and 
compel  them  to  give  the  Bronx  through  trains.  Hon.  Geo. 
F.  Grossman  was  the  plaintiflf  for  the  people,  but  the  suit 
was  won  by  Mr.  Hottenroth.  Before  one  of  these  meetings  he 
also  moved  and  caused  a  resolution  to  form  a  taxpayers'  al- 
liance, to  which  he  was  appointed  a  delegate.  Thus  was 
formed  the  first  nucleus  of  the  famous  Taxpayers'  Alliance 
of  the  Bronx,  whicli  has  developed  itself  into  one  of  the  strong- 
est and  most  influential  public  organizations  in  the  Borough. 
It  was  Mr.  Feust  who  made  the  first  move  to  have  the  surface 
cars  run  through  Morris  Avenue,  with  the  aid  of  that  public 
spirited  citizen,  Capt.  Charles  G.  Baxter.  Mr.  Feust  is  the 
champion  and  energetic  agitator  at  present  to  compel  the  surface 
railroads  to  charge  but  one  fare  (5  cents)  through  Manhattan 
and  the  Bronx.  Successful  in  all  his  public-spirited  enterprises, 
he  feels  assured  thai  in  the  near  future  he  will  secure  for  the 
people  a  5-cent  fare  throughout  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx.  The 
gentleman  has  won  his  laurels  as  one  of  the  most  public-spirited 
citizens  in  the  Bronx;  and  for  his  gallant  work  he  has  the  high- 
est approbation  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


STRICll  &  ZEIDLER.— To  those  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  history  of  .\mericau  piano  manufacture,  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  New  York  Ikjusc  of  Strich  &  Zeidler  partake 
of  the  phenomenal.  To  the  outside  world,  and  even  among 
those  who  should  be  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  true  state 
of  affairs  as  related  to  the  manufacture  of  pianos,  the  various 
members  of  the  piano  manufacturing  industry  are,  as  a  rule, 
classified  in  one  heterogeneous  whole.  In  other  words,  a  piano- 
maker  is  a  piano  maker,  regardless  of  the  precise  status  or  class 
ification  of  this  specific  product.  As  a  matter  of  absolute 
and  ascertained  fact,  however,  the  widest  kind  of  chasm  meta- 
phorically exists  between  piano  makers  who  confine  their  en- 
ergies to  the  production  of  ordinary  or  everyday  pianos — com- 
mercial or  medium  grade  pianos  as  they  are  technically  desig- 
nated— and  those  makers  wlii>.  imbued  with  high  ideals,  bend 
their  energies  and  talents  in  the  direction  of  producing  instru- 
ments of  the  highest  possible  distinction.  This  latter  condi- 
tion has  been  singularly  and  most  successfully  demonstrated  by 
the  members  of  the  distinguished  house  who  form  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  To  the  initiated,  the  rise  and  progress  of 
the  house  of  Strich  &  Zeidler  appears  almost  in  the  light  of  a 
romance.  Starting  in  to  manufacture  pianos  in  the  year  1889, 
equipped  by  natural  talents  and  training  of  the  highest  possible 
nature,  the  firm  of  Strich  &  Zeidler  astonished  the  most  expert 
authorities  in  the  American  piano  manufacturing  industry 
through  their  successful  efforts  to  manufacture  pianos  that 
would  stand  critical  comparison  with  the  leading  makes  in  both 
the  Western  and  Eastern  Hemispheres.  In  all  cardinal  features 
of  scientific  and  successful  piano  construction  the  Strich  &  Zeid- 
ler instruments  are  noteworthy  to  a  degree  bordering  on  per- 
fection. These  points  include  a  correct  scale  of  marvelous 
evenness  and  uniformity,  as  exemplified  in  both  Strich  &  Zeid- 
ler upright  and  grand  pianos,  ornate  and  symmetrical  case  de- 
signs, classic  in  outline,  and  individual  in  conception,  a  sym- 
pathetic, refined,  rich  and  musical  tone — resonant  to  a  degree — 
a  tone  that  is  the  accepted  standard  of  many  of  the  best  judges 
of  piano  tone  in  the  country,  together  with  a  rich  internal  and 
external  finish  which  has  proved  the  envy  of  scores  of  piano 
makers,  who  have  striven  religiously  to  attain  that  potent  de- 
sideratum of  high  grade  piano  manufacture — a  superior  finish. 
Much  could  be  said  and  written  relative  to  the  rare  individu- 
ality and  singular  excellence  of  construction  attained  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  Strich  &  Zeidler  product.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  both  in  cultured  homes  and  in  musical  salons,  also  in  the 
wider  domain  of  concert  work,  the  Strich  &  Zeidler  piano  has 
been  the  recipient  of  countless  endorsements,  many  of  which 
have  emanated  from  some  of  the  most  noted  musicians  in  the 
country.  In  the  Strich  &  Zeidler  factory  a  special  department 
is  devoted  to  the  production  of  grand  pianos,  and  another  de- 
partment is  given  over  to  upright  and  grand  pianos  of  special 
designs  and  artistic  finish.  In  both  these  important  branches  of 
specialized  piano  making  the  firm  of  Strich  &  Zeidler  has 
achieved  results  of  the  most  praisewortlly  and  far  reaching 
nature.  It  is  well  within  reasonable  bounds  to  state  that  in  the 
production  of  wood  sculpture,  as  applied  to  piano  case  decora- 
tion. Strich  &  Zeidler  have  created  a  series  of  chef  d'oeuvre  that 
have  not  been  surpassed,  if  indeed  equaled,  in  the  whole  range 
of  effort  made  in  that  particular  department  of  work.  Regard- 
ing one  of  these  beautiful  instruments,  a  celebrated  art  critic 
wrote  as  follows:  "As  a  specimen  of  what  can  be  accomplished 
in  wood  sculpture  in  the  decoration  of  a  musical  instrument, 
I  believe  the  equal  of  this  work  has  never  been  seen  m  this 
country,  and  I  think  it  sets  a  pace  for  a  new  era  in  piano  deco- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


3n 


ration  in  tlie  United  States  of  America."  One  of  the  instru- 
ments was  placed  in  tlic  Waldorf  Astoria  Hotel,  New  York 
City,  in  which  historic  hostelry  its  architectural  completeness 
created  favorable  expressions  of  admiration  from  countless 
guests  and  visitors,  among  whom  were  noted  connoisseurs. 
Another  of  these  art  pianos  was  exhibited  in  the  Wisconsin 
State  Building,  at  the  World's  Fair,  St.  Louis,  where  it  created 
:i  sensation  among  aesthetic  minds,  well  compefenl  to  pass  judg- 
ment on  the  higher  phases  of  piano  building.  At  the  termina- 
tion of  the  St.  Louis  World's  Fair,  the  following  letter,  from 
Vice-President  A.  J.  Lindeman,  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Wisconsin  State  Building,  was  received  by  Messrs.  Strich  & 
Zeidler  relative  to  this  masterpiece: 

St.\te   (IF   Wisconsin   Board   of   I\I.\n.\gers. 
VV.    D.    Hoard,    Fort    Atkinson,    Pres. 

.\.  J.  Lindemann,  Milwaukee,  Vice-Pres.  THE  FAIR  OPENS 
S.  A.  Cook,  Neenah.  Treas.  IN    APRIL,    1904. 

W.  H.  Flett,  Merrill. 
Wm.    A.    Scott,    Madison. 
R.    D.    Rood,    Stevens    Point,    Sec'y. 

of   the 

St.    Louis    World's    Fair. 

Messrs.    Strich   &   Zeidler,  Milwaukee.   Dec.   Sth.    1904. 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

Gentlemen — -It  is  the  expressed  desire  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  the  Wisconsin  State  Building,  to  record  their  appre- 
ciation of  the  courtesy  shown  by  your  house,  in  placing  on  ex- 
hibition in  your  building  at  the  St.  Louis  World's  Fair,  the 
magnificent  Strich  &  Zeidler  piano,  which  you  were  kind 
enough  to  loan  us.  Permit  me  to  assure  you  of  my  personal 
gratitude  in  this  matter.  The  instrument  is  truly  a  superb 
specimen  of  artistic  piano  making,  that  by  reason  of  its  archi- 
tectural grace  and  musical  superiority  has  evoked  warm  ex- 
pressions of  approval  from  countless  visitors  at  the  St.  Louis 
Exposition.  It  must  indeed  be  both  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege 
to  be  engaged  in  so  worthy  an  occupation,  as  is  exemplified  in 
the  beautiful  instruments,  bearing  the  honored  and  renowned 
name  of  Strich  &  Zeidler,  and  I  avail  myself  of  this  oppor- 
tunity of  wishing  you  the  highest  form  of  success  in  the  opera- 
tion of  your  valued  labors,  in  the  field  of  artistic  piano  man- 
ufacture. 

Yours  truly, 
State  of   Wisconsin    Board   of   Managers. 
[Dictated.]  By   A.    J.   Lindetnann, 

Vice-President. 

As  producers  of  grand  pianos  Strich  &  Zeidler  have 
achieved  a  reputation  of  national  significance.  Their  "Diminu- 
tive Grand"  is  considered  by  many  good  judges  to  be  the  best 
grand  piano  on  the  market,  dimensions  taken  into  considera- 
tion. It  may  also  be  mentioned  that  among  other  honors  con- 
ferred, the  Strich  &  Zeidler  instruments  were  awarded  a  di- 
ploma and  medal  at  the  Cotton  Slates  and  Industrial  Exposi- 
tion held  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  1895.  During  the  spring  of  the  pres- 
ent year,  Strich  &  Zeidler  in  order  to  more  adequately  take 
care  of  their  rapidly  growing  ti-ade,  moved  their  extensive 
plant  into  a  splendidly  equipped  new  factory,  situated  at  Alex- 
ander Avenue  and  l,32d  Street,  New  York,  having  a  capacity  of 
oxer  2.000  instruniients  per  year.  A  word  of  reference  and 
commendation  is  certainly  due  to  these  scientific  artisans,  who 
by  dint  of  earnest  work  and  prolonged  endeavor  have  so 
worthily  maintained  the  highest  traditions  of  the  art  industry 
they   so   worthily   represent.      William    R.    Strich,    whose   portra''. 


rqipoars  nn  page  ,?o<S,  was  Ijorn  in  New  York  City  in  1863.  He  was 
iiliicau-d  ai  I  he  Columbia  Grammar  School,  New  York,  and  subse- 
quently adopted  piano  making  as  a  profession,  gaining  his 
initial  experience  in  an  institution  that  is  undoubtedly  the  finest 
school  of  piano  making  in  the  world,  .\part  from'his  skill  as  a 
piano  maker,  which  has  been  so  completely  demonstrated  in  the 
Strich  &  Zeidler  product,  Mr.  Strich  has  demonstrated  finan- 
cial and  executive  abilities  of  a  high  order,  he  having  presided 
over  the  fiscal  department  of  this  enterprise  since  its  inception. 
Mr.  Strich  is  a  prominent  Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  German 
Liederkranz  Society  of  New  York.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
I'.ertha  V.  Zeller,  member  of  a  prominent  New  York  family. 
April  29,  1897.  Mr.  Strich  is  an  unostentatious  gentleman  of 
simple  tastes.  He  enjoys  the  friendship  of  scores  of  men 
prominent  in  the  commercial  world,  who  esteem  him  for  his 
robust  integrity  and  other  sterling  qualities.  Paul  M.  Zeidler, 
of  the  firm  of  Strich  &  Zeidler,  whose  portrait  is  shown  on 
page  308.  was  born  in  Germany,  November  7,  1862,  and  came  to 
this  country  at  an  early  age.  Mr.  Zeidler  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  York,  supplementing  his  scholastic 
career  by  pursuing  additional  studies  at  the  Cooper  Institute. 
He  is  a  prominent  Episcopalian,  and  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  On  June  7,  1894,  Mr.  Zeidler  married  Miss  Mar- 
garet Merlihan.  of  Guelph,  Ontario.  Canada,  two  children,  Paul 
Frederick  and  Florence  Margaret  having  blessed  the  union.  As  an 
expert  scale  draughtsman  and  an  all-round  piano  mechanic,  Mr. 
Zeidler  has  made  his  impress  upon  the  piano  making  industry  of 
America.  The  superb  Strich  &  Zeidler  upright  and  grand  scales, 
that  for  evenness  and  accuracy  are  scarcely  surpassed,  are  the 
direct  result  of  Mr.  Zeidler's  scientific  knowledge  and  intelligently 
directed  experimentation.  They  stand  as  a  living  monument  to 
his  genius.  Regarding  the  future  growth  and  achievements  of 
the  house  of  Strich  &  Zeidler,  it  requires  no  prophet  to  read 
the  horoscope,  and  it  is  but  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  bril- 
liant as  have  been  the  attainments  of  Strich  &  Zeidler,  their 
most  important  triumphs  are  yet  to  come.  The  history  of  the 
Strich  &  Zeidler  house,  to  date  alone,  sheds  lustre  on  the  en- 
tire American  piano  industry. 

JACOB  DOLL,  the  eminent  piano  manufacturer  and 
founder  of  the  firm  of  Jacob  Doll  &  Sons,  whose  extensive  piano 
manufactory  is  situated  on  the  Southern  Boulevard  and  Cy- 
press Avenue,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1849.  Forty  years  ago 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  made  a  heroic  and  success- 
ful struggle  as  a  maker  of  pianofortes.  His  methods  and  sys- 
tem employed  in  the  construction  of  his  instruments  are  and 
always  were  original  with  himself,  and  have  made  his  name 
famous  throughout  the  civilized  world.  His  instruments  are 
considered  in  all  countries  marvels  of  mechanism,  wonderful 
in  the  purity  of  their  tone,  and  perfect  in  finish  and  construc- 
tion. His  piano  player,  which  is  one  of  the  special  features  of 
Jacob  Doll  &  Sons,  is  so  completely  connected  with  the  piano 
proper  on  the  inside,  that  it  is  hidden  entirely  from  view,  and 
does  not  detract  from  the  beauty  of  the  instrument.  This 
piano  player  is  the  creation  of  Mr.  Doll  and  has  attained  such 
popularity  throughout  the  musical  centers  of  this  and  other 
countries,  that  the  firm  are  manufacturing  about  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  pianos  per  week,  and  they  e.xpect  at  an  early 
day  to  double  this  capacity.  The  name  of  Jacob  Doll  &  Sons 
is  synonymous  in  the  United  States  and  all  foreign  countries, 
as  their  instruments  have  the  confidence  of  all  musical  dealers 
and  musicians  for  their  substantial  and  perfect  construction. 
Mr.   Doll  has   four   sons   associated  with  him   in  business.     The 


J.    GEORGE    LAFFARGUE 


ALBERT    STAIB 


LOUIS    RICCA 


HUGO    F.    RICCA 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


313 


firni  was  incorporated  in  1904  as  ihc  Jacob  Doll  &  Sons  Piano 
Company.  The  factory  is  a  sulislantial  sevcn-slory  struclnre 
with  a  frontage  of  250  feet  on  the  Sonthcrn  Boulevard  and  150 
feet  on  Cypress  Avenue  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  with 
branches  at  No.  92  Fifth  Avenue,  Manhattan,  Otto  Doll,  man- 
ager, and  at  No.  197  Market  Street,  Newark,  N.  J.,  where 
I'Vederick  Doll  is  in  charge.  The  officers  of  the  company  are : 
Jacob  Doll,  president;  Otto  Doll,  vice-president;  Frederick 
Doll,  secretary;  George  Doll,  treasurer;  Jacob  Doll.  Jr..  assist 
ant  treasurer.  Jacob  Doll,  Sr.,  is  a  gentleman  of  very  strik- 
ing personality ;  he  is  affable  and  decidedly  pleasant  in  man- 
ner, and  is  considered  an  accomplished  man  of  affairs.  He 
is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  skillful  musical  mechanics  known  to 
the  piano  trade,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  great  reputation  he  has 
established    for  bis   inslruinenls. 

FRANZ     FREDERICK    LAWRENCE     KIRCIIOFF,     the 
manufacturer   of   the   popular   and   superior   Kirchoff  piano,   was 


and  is  practically  learning  under  his  tutelage  all  branches  of  the 
piano  trade. 

J.  GEORGE  LAFFARGUE,  a  native  of  France,  where  he 
was  brought  up  and  went  to  school,  is  one  of  those  extensive 
Bronx  piano  manufacturers  whose  numerous  works  line  South- 
ern Boulevard  from  the  Third  Avenue  Bridge  almost  to  Port 
Morris.  His  place  of  business  is  at  140th  Street  and  the  Boule- 
vard. It  is  operated  under  the  name  of  The  Laffargue  Co.,  Inc., 
with  Mr.  Laffargue  as  president,  and  Mr.  J.  Oktave  vice-presi- 
dent. It  is  an  imposing  institution,  employing  many  hands,  and 
a  factor  of  note  in  the  industrial  life  of  the  borough.  Mr. 
Laffargue  has  made  this  city  his  home  for  seventeen  years.  He 
is  not  much  of  a  politician  or  society  man,  but  belongs  to  one 
substantial  and   influential  order,  namely,  the   Masonic. 

LOUIS  RICCA,  the  well  known  Piano  Manufacturer  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Naples,  Italy,  in  1853,  and 
was  educated  at  the  Victor  Emanuel  Lyceum  in  his  native  coun- 


Jacob  Dol.'s 

born  at  Aachen,  Rhine  province.  Germany,  fifty-one  years  ago 
There  he  went  to  school  and  passed  his  boyhood,  and  mastered 
his  trade,  that  of  a  cabinet  maker,  and  learned  the  piano  trade 
thoroughly.  Coming  here  to  this  city  he  engaged  in  piano  manu- 
facture, was  employed  by  Decker  Bros,  and  spent  fourteen 
years  at  it  with  Steinway  &  Sons.  He  was  foreman  for  five 
years  with  the  latter  concern.  He  made  it  his  purpose  at  this 
time  to  perfect  himself  in  every  branch  of  the  trade.  Beginning 
on  his  own  account  four  years  ago,  he  started  the  manufacturing 
(if  pianos,  and  from  the  beginning  he  made  his  own  cases,  as  few 
piano  manufacturers  do.  He  does  a  wholesale  and  retail  busi- 
ness both,  and  sells  all  over  the  United  States.  When  he  began 
he  made  but  three  or  four  instruments  a  week ;  now  he  pro- 
duces ten  in  that  same  time.  Mr.  Kirchoff  was  married  first  in 
Germany  in  1879,  to  Miss  Hobertina  Scheeren.  He  has  three 
children  of  that  marriage  living,  two  daughters  and  a  son.  In 
1899  he  married  his  second  wife,  Josephine  Lennatz.  Her  son, 
Oscar,  who  is  a  music  engraver,  is  in  business  with  Mr.  Kirchoff 


Piano  Fac'ory 

try.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for  the  past  twenty- 
three  years,  and  is  highly  esteemed  for  his  business  activity,  and 
the  great  interest  he  manifests  in  the  rapid  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  Borough.  As  a  manufacturer  of  pianos,  he  has 
gained  unenviable  notoriety  for  the  excellent  character  of  the 
instruments  he  turns  out,  which  are  so  well  known  that  he 
sends  them  to  all  parts  of  both  continents,  where  they  are 
known  by  musical  critics  and  dealers  as  perfection  in  finish,  and 
imsurpassable  in  tone  by  any  other  similar  instrument  manu- 
factured here  or  elsewhere.  Mr.  Ricca's  manufactory 
is  one  of  the  best  equipped  in  all  of  its  appointments  of 
any  of  the  numerous  factories  in  the  Greater  New  York.  His 
building  is  large  and  imposing,  his  employees  are  practical  and 
skillful  musical  mechanics,  and  every  department  is  under  the 
vigilant  eye  of  Mr.  Ricca,  while  every  one  of  the  numerous  parts 
that  enter  into  the  construction  of  the  instrument  undergoes  the 
most  thorough  inspection  before  it  is  placed  in  its  proper  position. 


314 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Such  methods  coupled  with  his  superior  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness, accounts  for  the  great  favor  in  which  his  instruments  are 
held  wherever  introduced  or  purchased.  Mr.  Ricca  in  1877 
married  Miss  .\mclia  Cannavale  and  has  three  children,  Hu.s^o, 
Stephanie  and    Marguerette. 

HUGO  F.  RICCA,  son  of  Louis  Ricca.  the  prominent  piano 
manufacturer  and  associated  with  him  in  business  was  l)orn  at 
Naples,  Italy,  June  21st,  1878.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
about  1880,  and  was  sent  to  the  public  schools,  and  afterwards 
to  the  Chase  Preparatory  School,  and  from  thence  to  the  Poly- 
technic Institute  of  Brooklyn,  taking  the  Civil  Engineer  Course, 
where  he  graduated.  He  then  became  associated  with  his  father's 
business,  and  has  applied  himself  assiduously  to  aiding  in  develop- 
ing the  industry  from  its  small  beginning  up  to  the  vast  pro- 
portions that  it  occupies  at  the  present  time.  There  i*;  not  a 
detail  connected  with  the  manufacture  of  pianos  that  has  not 
been  mastered  by  young  Mr.  Ricca,  whose  aptitude  and  remark- 
able intelligence  fitted  him  for  the  responsible  position  he  as- 
sumed as  his  father's  associate  in  the  conduct  of  the  business. 
Mr.  Ricca  is  a  member  of  All  Saints  Church,  the  Harlem  Dem- 
ocratic Club,  the  Pleiades  Club,  and  the  Ronkonkoma  Driving 
Club.  He  is  not  married,  and  applies  all  of  his  excellent  talents 
and  time  during  business  hours  to  the  furtlu-r  progress  of  his 
large   and   successful   business. 

JOIIN  H.  LUDVVIG.  the  famous  piano  manufaclurcr.  ;i 
native  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  educated  at  the 
Melrose    public    school.      He    chose    ihe    trade    of    piano    making, 


JOHN    H.    LUDWIG 


and  after  a  few  years'  service,  became  one  of  the  most  expert 
mechanics  in  the  business  in  bench  work  and  piano  tuning. 
Conceiving  an  idea  to  manufacture  pianos,   Mr.   Ludwig   started 


in  busmess  for  himself  in  i8go,  when  the  first  Ludwig  Piano 
was  brought  into  existence,  forming  the  foundation  of  this  now 
famous  house,  which  employs  at  present  over  250  workmen,  and 
an  output  of  more  than  3,500  pianos  annually  has  been  reached. 
Artistic  development  at  the  least  possible  cost,  and  the  ad- 
vantages of  almost  faultless  manufacturing,  has  created  for  the 
Ludwig  piano,  among  all  the  principal  dealers  throughout  the 
United  States,  the  only  strictly  high  grade  piano,  sold  at  a 
reasonable  margin  above  the  cost  of  manufacture.  It  is  an 
instrument  whose  sale  is  exceeded  by  very  few  in  the  grei'i 
American  piano  industry.  Experts  have  agreed  that  it  has  some 
very  exclusive  features  which  are  improvements  of  great  value 
It  has  won  distinction  in  several  competitive  exhibits,  and  re- 
ceived a  high  award  at  the  Paris  Exhibition  of  1900,  and  received 
the  highest  award  given  to  pianos  at  the  Pan-American  Exposi- 
tion at  Buffalo  in  1901.  Hundreds  of  eminent  artists  and  musi- 
sians  have  endorsed  the  Ludwig  piano  in  terms  of  the  highest 
praise.  In  1897,  Ludwig  &  Co.  opened  up  a  number  of  retail 
branches,  forming  a  spec  ial  company  for  this  purpose  which 
are  under  the  direction  of  competent  men,  who  have  an  interest 
in  the  company.  These  ventures  have  been  eminently  success- 
ful, and  to  show  their  appreciation  of  their  employees'  zeal, 
has  stimulated  a  further  consistent  extension  by  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  old  partnership  firm  into  a  stock  company  for  the 
object  of  amalgamating  the  employees'  inteligence  with  their 
capital.  This  was  effected  by  giving  the  foreman  one-tenth  part 
interest  in  the  business,  to  exemplify  that  in  co-operation  there 
is  strength.  The  house  is  also  a  general  factor  for  the  sale  of 
the  piano  player,  known  as  "Claviola,"  which  was  awarded  the 
gold  medal  at  the  Pan-American  Exposition  at  Buffalo.  Mr. 
Ludwig  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York   .Athletic   Club,  and   the   Piano   Manufacturers'  Association 

ALBERT  STAIB,  manufacturer,  inventor  and  president  of 
the  Staib-Abendschcin  Co.,  manufacturers  of  piano  actions, 
was  born  in  Xcw  York  City,  May  i,  T863,  and  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools.  The  son  of  John  Staib,  a  veteran  and  emi- 
nent manufacturer  of  piano  actions  in  New  York,  he  was  taken 
l>y  the  latter  into  Decker's  Piano  Manufacturing  Co.  and  was 
liberally  and  practically  trained  in  piano  action  building,  in 
which  his  father  was  one  of  the  most  skilful  in  this  or  any 
other  couiUry.  In  1890  Mr.  John  Staib  organized  the  pres- 
ent Staib-.Aliendschein  Co..  as  its  president,  with  Mr.  George 
.'Abendscheir.  as  treasurer,  with  Mr.  G.  F.  Abendschein  the 
former'^  son,  as  secretary,  the  factory  being  located  at  Nos. 
.;J7  tn  -(53  West  Twenty-sixth  Street.  New  Y'ork  City.  On 
January  2(\  1892.  M)\  John  Staib,  the  founder  of  this  succes^- 
fjil  house,  died,  and  in  the  reorganization  of  the  company.  Mi. 
Allien  .Staili.  hi^  son,  was  elected  as  its  president  to  succeed 
liis  fall'.tr.  ill'-  meclianical  genius  of  the  father  was  in  thi-- 
instance  n'.uisniitted  Id  son  and  it  was  for  this  remarkable 
ability  he  was  chosen  as  the  head  of  the  large  and  progressive 
concern.  Finding,  during  the  years  1893  and  1894,  that  the 
capacity  of  their  factory  on  Twenty-si.xth  Street  was  inadequate 
to  meet  the  demands  of  their  rapidly  growing  business,  they 
built  a  new  six-story  brick  manufactory  at  the  corner  of  134th 
.Street  and  Brook  avenue.  New  York,  which  was  fitted  up  with 
all  the  latest  piano  action  machinery  for  uprights  and  grands, 
with  Mr.  ,\lbert  Staib's  inventions,  many  of  these  machines 
costing  thousands  of  dollars,  and  of  the  most  intricate  char- 
acter, performing  remarkable  and  accurate  work  in  the  con- 
struction  of  their  wonderful   piano  actions,  there  being  nothing 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


3J5 


in  this  country  to  excel  or  compete  with  them.  The  question 
of  their  advance  and  popularity  in  the  trade  is  shown  from 
the  fact  that  when  first  organized,  in  i8go.  they  made  up  to  the 
time  of  tlieir  removal  into  their  present  extensive  buildings,  in 
1895.  5,000  instruments  per  annum.  To-day  their  entire  output 
is  up  to  20,000  instruments  per  annum,  or  over  375  sets  per 
week,  which,  through  the  mar\ellous  facilities  they  employ-  in 
machinery  and  skilled  mechanics,  they  can  increase  at  their 
own,  option.  The  material  used  in  the  construction  of  their 
action  making,  is  of  the  best  that  can  be  procured,  and  one  of  the 
most  important  factors  that  enters  into  it  is  thoroughly  sea- 
soned lumber,  the  best  and  ■  most  carefully  selected  of  wdiich 
they  carry  constantly  in  stock,  240,000  feet  of  maple  at  their 
factory,  and  a  similar  number  of  feet  at  the  famous  mills  in  the 
Adirondack  Mountains,  receiving  the  necessary  air  cure. 
Manufacturing  both  grand  and  upright  actions,  their  work 
is  guaranteed  to  be  of  the  highest  grade,  combining  all  of  the 
most  modern   ideas   of  a  practical   nature.     The   mechanical   de- 


i'ronx,  he  is  known  as  one  of  its  first  citizens,  who  takes  an 
active  interest  in  every  public  improvement  that  has  a  tendency 
to  develop  its  growth  and  influence  in  the  constellation  of  the 
boroughs  that  go  to  make  up  our  Greater  New  York.  In  it  he 
has  been  an  independent  factor  in  developing  one  of  its  great 
industries,  and  now  at  the  prime  of  his  life  he  gives  promise 
to  maintain,  not  only  his  present  wonderful  status,  but  to  ac- 
complish  greater   and   grander   results   in   the    future. 

GEORGE  C.  DRESSEL.— The  Dressel  Railway  Lamp 
Works,  3866  to  3878  Park  Avenue,  was  organized  by  George  C. 
Dressel  in  the  year  1881,  under  the  firm  name  of  George  C. 
Dressel  &  Co.  The  founder  of  the  business,  whose  picture  ap- 
pears elsewhere,  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Germany,  in  the  year 
1828,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1849  in  a  slow  sailing  vessel ; 
the  fast  and  elegant  passenger  steamers  of  to-day  being  a  thing 
then  unheard  of.  Crossing  the  ocean  at  that  time  was  often  a 
journey  of  weeks.     After  spending  18  years  in  the  etnploy  of  the 


Dressel  Railway  Lamp  Works 


partment  of  the  concern  is  under  the  direct  supervision  of 
Mr.  Albert  Staib.  tlie  president,  wdio  is  so  well  qualified  for  the 
work,  and  which  he  supervises  in  every  detail.  The  finances 
are  attended  to  by  Mr.  George  Abendschein  and  the  general 
management  of  the  extensive  business  is  conducted  by  Mr.  G. 
v.  Abendschein.  By  the  conscientious  efforts  of  this  notable  in- 
dustry in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  a  grateful  patronage  from 
all  parts  of  the  United  States  has  been  their  reward,  for  which 
they  feel  grateful  and  will  endeavor  by  the  same  spirit  of  enter- 
prise and  practical  ability  to  retain  and  gain  new  clients  in  the 
future.  Mr.  Albert  Staib  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for 
the  past  ten  years;  in  politics  he  is  independent,  and  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the  Schnorer 
and  Longwood  Clubs.  On  January  23.  1886,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Ernestine  Wagner,  an  estimable  and  cultivated  young 
lady,  the  result  of  this  happy  union  being  three  daughters,  Edith 
P.,  Louisa  B.,  and  Minnie  C.  Staib,  and  resides  at  754  Prospect 
Avenue.  As  president  of  one  of  the  most  extensive  piano  ac- 
tion   manufacturing    concerns    in     the    great     Borough    of    the 


New  York  Central  &  lliuNim  River  Radroad  Company  as  an 
expert  mechanic,  he  resigned,  and  in  1881  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  youngest  son,  h'rcderick  W.  Dressel,  the  firm  being 
known  as  George  C.  Dressel  &  Co.  A  small  factory  was  erected 
on  the  north  side  of  173d  Street,  between  Washington  and  Park 
._. ,L.,  s.u,  Si.;iiC.s  a  or.e  of  the  landmarks  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  in  conipaiis.in  with  the  present  factory  it  can 
hardly  be  l)elieved  that  sucii  was  the  beginning  of  the  extensive 
business  now  carried  on.  The  first  product  of  manufacture  was 
a  practical  lunch  satclicl  suitable  for  railroad  men  and  mechanics. 
By  thrift  and  good  management  the  firm  soon  increased  their 
number  of  employees  and  .-tarted  the  manufacture  of  signal 
lamps.  This  proved  successful  and  the  business  grew  so  rapidly 
that  the  manufacture  of  lunch  boxes  was  discontinued  and  the 
entire  time  devoted  to  tlie  manufacture  and  improvement  of  all 
lamps  devoted  to  railway  lighting.  The  eldest  son,  Charles  H. 
Dressel,  in  1892,  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  which  soon  out- 
grew their  original  quarters  and  in  the  year  1893  additional  prop- 
erty was  acquired  on  Park,  then  V'anderbill,  .Avenue,  and  in  th'- 


\ 

%  ^JL 

\^^J§ 

V   ■ 

■  . 

GEORGE    C.    DRESSEL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


317 


following  year  the  present  factory  was  erected.  New  macliinery 
of  improved  design  was  purchased  and  by  the  mechanical  ability 
of  all  the  members  of  the  firm,  many  new  inventions  as  well  as 
numerous  improvements  were  made,  and  the  firm  soon  gained 
the  reputation  of  making  superior  lamps  both  as  to  quality,  dura- 
bility and  effectiveness.  In  addition  to  making  lamps  of  num- 
erous designs,  the  firm  next  commenced  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  locomotive  headlights  of  improved  patterns,  also  many 
styles  of  burners  patented  by  themselves,  and  many  of  the  vari- 
ous articles  manufactured  have  been  adopted  as  standard  by  the 
largest  railroads  of  the  United  States.  The  firin  was  incorpo- 
rated under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York  on  January  15, 
1895,  adopting  the  new  name  of  The  Dressel  Railway  Lainp 
Works,  with  George  C.  Dressel  president,  Frederick  \V.  Dressel 
vice-president,  and  Charles  H.  Dressel  secretary,  there  being  no 
change  of  officers  until  the  death  of  George  C.  Dressel,  president, 
July  3,  1899,  after  an  illness  extending  over  a  period  of  years. 
After  the  death  of  his  father,  Frederick  W.  Dressel  was  elected 
president  of  the  corporation  and  Charles  H.  Dressel  vice-presi- 
dent, these  positions  now  bting  held  by  them.  Owing  to  the 
rapid  increase  in  business  the  firm  found  it  necessary  to  increase 
the  directorship  and  in  1900  they  secured  the  services  of  Robert 
Black,  an  experienced  railroad  luan  and  for  many  years  road- 
master  of  the  Manhattan  Railway  Company  of  this  city,  he  having 
aided  in  the  construction  and  operation  of  the  entire  elevated 
railway  system,  resigning  Iiis  position  with  said  company  after 
a  continued  service  of  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  Black  not  only 
serves  the  firm  as  a  director  but  is  also  secretary  and  manager. 
'Ihc  products  of  the  firm  are  used  principally  in  this  country, 
but  in  recent  years  their  lamps  have  been  put  in  use  on  several 
railroads  in  Mexico,  Cuba  rnd  South  America;  locomotives  for 
use  in  China  and  Japan  have  also  been  equipped  with  their 
headlights.  In  recent  years  the  firm  has  extensively  experi- 
mented with  both  electricity  and  acetylene  gas  for  railway  light- 
ing and  are  frequently  called  upon  to  fill  orders  where  these 
systems  of  lighting  are  specified.  The  permanent  growth  of  the 
business  during  the  past  ten  years  has  made  the  present  quarters 
of  the  firm  inadequate,  and  plans  have  been  carried  out  lo 
enlarge  the  plant  to  more  than  double  its  present  capacity  which, 
when  completed,  will  greatly  increase  the  present  industries  by 
the  manufacture  of  electrical  goods,  navy  lanterns,  automobile 
lamps,  etc.  The  present  plant  consists  of  three  floors  and  base- 
ment. The  basement  is  used  for  the  storage  of  material  for 
manufacturing  purposes;  also  the  plating  and  burnishing  depart- 
ments are  here  located.  The  first  floor  is  utilized  as  machine 
shop,  press  room,  packing  and  shipping  department  and  offices. 
The  lighter  grades  of  work  are  done  on  the  second  floor,  such 
as  spinning,  assembling  and  japanning  departments.  Except  for 
the  l)ufting  and  polishing  departments  the  entire  third  floor  is 
used  exclusively  for  the  manufacture  of  locomotive  headlights. 
.Ml  work  is  so  systematized  that  each  department  is  conducted 
practically  as  a  separate  business ;  all  foremen  are  held  responsi- 
ble for  the  work  conducted  in  their  particular  department ;  each 
one  acting  entirely  independent  of  any  other.  In  accountmg, 
each  department  is  charged  with  the  labor  and  material  used 
therein  and  all  sales  are  credited  to  the  department  to  which  it 
belongs.  For  several  years  the  firm  has  operated  its  own  foun- 
dry, also  tinning  plant,  making  il  possible  to  construct  any  api! 
every  part  of  their  product  except  steel,  glass  and  sheet  metals. 
In  reality  there  are  several  hundred  styles  of  lamps  in  use  on 
railroads,  each  road  having  soine  system  of  lighting  that  would 
not  be  applicable  to  all.  This  necessarily  calls  for  many  styles 
and   colors   of  lenses  and   adds   grcaily   to  the   details  of  manu- 


facture. The  main  office  of  the  firm  is  in  the  factory  building, 
but  they  nave  found  it  necessary  to  open  a  brinch  office  in  the 
business  section  of  the  city  They  also  have  representatives  in 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco  and  Richmond.  It  is  recalled 
by  members  of  the  firm  that  only  a  few  years  ago  their  workmen 
were  able  to  rent  small  houses  with  gardens  on  land  now  used  as 
streets,  but  owing  to  the  tremendous  growth  of  the  city  in  this 
direction  this  is  simply  a  memory  of  the  past,  for  the  congested 
conditions  of  the  lower  part  of  the  city  is  now  fully  apparent 
in  this  locality.  Park  Avenue  is  now  a  recognized  locality  for 
many   factories  of  various   description. 

GEORGE  HAISS  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY.— 
Among  the  many  manufacturing  establishments  lately  established 
in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  is  the  George  Haiss  Manufacturing 
Company,  at  Rider  Avenue  and  141st  Street,  manufacturing  a  full 
line  of  Coal  Handling  Machinery,  including  the  Haiss  Improved 
Hoisting  Engines,  especially  adapted  to  coal  hoisting  demands 
and  requirement;  also  the  Haiss  Improved  Clani-Shell  Bucket 
and  all  the  other  machinery  necessary  to  complete  and  equip  a 
coal  handling  plant.  The  company  is  now  putting  up  a  large 
four-story  building,  fifty  by  one  hundred  feet,  with  its  length 
fronting  on  Rider  Avenue,  to  accommodate  tlie  constantly  grow- 
ing demands  of  the  business,  which  will  give  more  than  40,000 
square  feet  of  floor  surface  and  will  be  a  model  manufacturing 
plant  in  every  respect,  as  all  the  modern  improvements  will  be 
introduced  that  will  in  any  way  add  to  the  convenience  or  effi- 
ciency of  the  plant,  the  product  of  which  goes  to  every  part  ot 
the  United  States  and  Canada.  Most  of  the  coal  handling  plants 
of  the  Bronx  have  been  designed  and  erected  by  this  company, 
and  a  very  convincing  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  work  that  has 
been  done  can  be  had  by  standing  on  the  bridge  across  the  Mott 
Haven  Canal  at  138th  Street  and  looking  down  the  canal,  as 
all  the  coal  hoisting  and  handling  plants  there  were  designed  and 
erected  by  this  company.  The  inducement  that  prompted  the 
company  to  locate  in  the  Bronx,  was  due  to  the  superior  shipping 
facilities  afforded  here  and  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  there 
must  be  an  unparalleled  growth  and  development,  all  of  which 
has  been  and  is  being  realized.  Mr.  Haiss  early  realized  that 
there  was  great  room  for  improvement  in  the  machinery  neces- 
sary to  handle  coal  economically  and  set  about  to  perfect  and 
introduce  his  ideas,  adopting  for  his  motto,  "Nothing  is  good 
enough  that  can  be  made  better,"  and  the  success  that  has  crowned 
his  efforts  is  ample  evidence  that  he  was  right.  The  company 
takes  contracts  to  erect  and  equip  complete  coal  handling  plants 
all  over  the  country,  manufacturing  the  necessary  machinery  in 
the  shops,  and  buying  lumber  and  timber  from  the  nulls  in  the 
South  by  the  cargo,  enables  it  to  successfully  compete  with  any  in 
the  same  line  as  to  price,  and  when  there  is  added  the  personal 
supervision  and  careful  attention  to  all  the  minutia  of  detail  that 
is  given  all  along  the  line  from  the  start  to  the  finish  it  is  easily 
seen  that  merit  must  win  in  this  as  in  all  other  lines.  George 
Haiss  was  born  in  Bethel,  Sullivan  County,  New  York,  45  years 
ago,  and  was  the  third  son  of  Charles  and  Elizabeth  Haiss,  who 
lanie  from  Wurlemberg.  Germany,  in  1847.  and  were  among 
the  first  German  settlers  of  Sullivan  County.  His  early  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county.  In 
1878  he  came  to  New  York  and  became  identified  with  the  manu- 
facturing and  building  interests,  in  the  meantime  taking  up  the 
study  of  mechanical  engineering  as  business  would  permit  and 
which  he  is  still  continuing.  In  1886  he  became  connected  with 
the  coal  business,  at  that  time  known  as  Haiss  Brothers,  which 
he  followed  until  in  1892  seeing  the  need  of  improved  machinery 


CE3RCE    HAISS 


WILLIAM    TAYLOR 


OEORCE    HEY 


WILLIAM     H.     BRANDT 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


3J9 


to  liamllc  coal  economically,  and  licing  of  an  inventive  turn 
of  mind,  he  put  up  one  of  the  first  machines  for  handling  coal 
in  his  own  business.  Its  success  being  so  marked  he  retired 
from  the  coal  business  and  immediately  began  to  manufacture 
and  construct  a  line  of  coal  handling  machinery.  In  the  course 
of  his  business  he  has  invented  and  patented  more  than  a  dozen 
different  machines  and  devices  which  are  being  used  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  with  an  inventor  at  the  head  and  surrounded  with  a 
competent  stafif  of  engineers  the  company  is  one  of  the  up-to- 
date  concerns  of  the  Bronx. 

SCHIEFFELIN  &  COMPANY'S  LABORATORY.— For 
one  hundred  and  eleven  years  the  drug  house  of  Schieffelin  &  Co. 
has  stood  for  honorable  dealing;  without  interruption  generation 
after  generation  of  the  same  family  have  conducted  the  business 
and  maintained  its  high  reputation.  Founded  in  1794  by  Jacob 
Schieffelin,  it  was  continued  in  1S14  by  his  son,  Henry  Hamilton 
Schieffelin,  and  in  1849  by  his  son,  Samuel  Bradhurst  Schieffelin  ; 


more  so.  In  the  construction  one  of  the  principal  objects  has 
been  not  only  to  make  the  building  as  such  fire-proof,  but  to  make 
each  section  a  fire-proof  unit.  In  order  to  obtain  at  the  same 
time  a  large  floor  space  unobstructed  by  as  few  columns  as  pos- 
sible, a  peculiar  construction  became  necessary.  It  consists  of 
steel  columns  supporting  a  triangular  frame  work  of  steel  beams, 
which  are  braced  by  brackets,  thus  allowing  a  very  wide  span 
between  the  columns,  on  the  cantilever  system.  The  spaces  be- 
tween the  steel  beams  are  filled  in  solidly  with  a  concrete  of  Port- 
land cement.  Therefore,  as  there  are  no  openings  between  the 
floors,  and  as  the  partitions  are  made  of  rock  plaster  on  metal, 
if  any  fire  occurred,  it  would  be  confined  to  the  room  in  which 
it  started.  The  floors  are  all  graded  to  different  flush  outlets, 
and  the  sills  of  the  doors  are  raised  three  inches  above  the 
lloors,  so  that  no  water  can  overflow  from  one  floor  to  another 
and  thus  do  damage  which  might  not  be  occasioned  by  fire.  The 
window  frames  are  of  iron,  and  in  the  places  where  the  fire 
shutters   would  be   required  by  law   they   have  been   replaced  by 


Schietfclin  &    Company's  L.ibor.itory 


then  in  11865  by  his  son,  Wm.  Henry  Schieffelin,  and  in  1895  by 
his  son,  Wm.  Jay  Schieffelin,  in  each  case  in  partnership  with 
brothers  or  cousins.  The  warehouse  at  the  corner  of  William 
and  Beckman  Streets  was  built  by  the  firm  in  1854.  and  there 
the  commercial  part  of  the  business  is  transacted,  while  the 
manufacturing  is  done  in  the  laboratory  on  the  Southern  Boule- 
vard and  St.  Ann's  Avenue.  That  the  American  chemist,  engi- 
neer and  architect,  if  they  join  their  best  efforts,  can  accomplish 
-•omething  of  which  they  need  not  be  ashamed  when  compared 
with  the  very  best  the  old  world  has  produced,  is  demonstrated 
by  this  building.  A  chemical  laboratory  is  proverbially  an  in- 
stitution to  be  dreaded,  and  to  be  placed  under  ban  by  the  com- 
nuuiily  which  it  has  invaded.  The  pleasant  exterior  of  the  new 
building  does  anything  but  justice  to  the  traditional  popular  re- 
quirement of  such  an  institution.  The  general  style  of  the  build- 
ing is  perfectly  in  harmony  with  its  use,  and  at  the  same  time 
pleasing  and,  no  doubt,  to  most  persons  a  surprise.  If  the  ex- 
terior has  proven  unusual   and   interesting,   the   interior  is   even 


wired  glass  window  panes,  which  may  soften  and  crack  during 
the  course  of  a  fire,  but  which  never  will  break  out,  fall  in, 
i>r  warp,  and,  therefore,  are  most  effectual  in  confining  the  flames 
to  the  room  where  the  fire  may  be.  The  doors  in  the  building 
are  fire-doors  and  are  hung  with  counterpoised  weights,  connected 
by  a  fusible  connection,  which  melts  when  the  temperature  is 
raised,  and  allows  the  door  to  slide  shut.  There  are  three  fire- 
escapes  to  the  building ;  one  at  the  end  of  each  wing,  and  one 
at  the  back.  The  two  front  fire-escapes  are  of  stone,  and  are 
enclosed  in  brick  towers.  The  elevator,  dumb-waiter  and  chutes 
for  refuse  are  all  on  the  outside  of  the  building.  In  the  rooms 
where  naphtha,  ether,  or  other  inflammable  solvents  are  em- 
ployed, the  electric  lights  have  sleeves  of  rubber  and  are  on  one 
circuit,  controlled  by  a  switch  in  another  part  of  the  building,  in 
order  to  avoid  any  chance  of  a  spark.  The  floors  of  the  different 
departments  are  of  different  materials,  to  correspond  with  the 
varying  character  of  the  work  done.  Where  the  work  is  dry,  the 
floor   remains   of  concrete,   smooth  and  clean.     Where   water  is 


320 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


apt  to  be  split,  as  in  the  chemical  department,  the  bottle  washing 
room,  and  the  pharmaceutical  department,  the  floors  are  made  of 
asphalt.  In  the  acid  and  nitrous  ether  room  the  floor  is  of  blue- 
flag  stone  laid  in  oil  tar,  graded  to  an  earthenware  drain  pipe; 
and  where  much  oil  is  used  the  floor  is  iron.  There  are  a  num- 
ber of  drying  rooms,  both  hot  (steam  heated)  and  cold.  The 
mill  drying  room  is  situated  immediately  over  the  boilers,  where 
a  high  temperature  can  be  maintained.  The  work  in  the  labora- 
tory is  divided  into  departments,  namely,  the  Analytical  Depart- 
ment, Mill  Department,  Chemical  Department,  Extract  Depart- 
ment, Pharmaceutical  Department,  Pill  Department  and  the 
Wrapping  and  Shipping  Department.  The  analytical  department 
is  in  charge  of  two  chemists,  and  besides  analyzing  and  testing 
almost  everything  that  is  received  or  sent  out,  they  are  occupied 
with  research  and  experimental  work.  This  department  occupies 
one  end  of  the  large  building  on  the  second  floor,  covering  a 
space  of  50x30  feet,  divided  by  a  solid  oak  partition,  with  plate 
glass  top.  One  side  is  used  for  the  laboratory  work  proper,  for 
which  there  is  ample  apparatus  and  many  improved  fittings, 
such  as  centrifugal  machines,  suction  and  blast  pump;  steam 
water  baths,  drying  closets,  hood,  etc.  The  sink  and  drain- 
board  is  made  of  cherry  treated  while  in  the  drying  kiln  with 
two  applications  of  melted  parafiine.  The  electric  lights  in  this 
whole  department  are  on  movable  arm  brackets,  enabling  the 
light  to  be  put  in  any  position  desired.  In  the  adjoining  room  is 
an  excellent  library  of  works  on  chemistry,  a  file  of  current 
chemical  literature,  including  German  and  English  periodicals, 
improved  balances,  and  high  power  microscope;  all  on  a  working 
table  which  is  covered  with  plate  glass.  The  floor  of  this  depart- 
ment was  given  two  coats  of  paint  to  avoid  any  possibility  of  dust 
from  the  concrete.  There  is  also  a  dark  room  for  photographic 
and  polariscopic  work.  The  other  departments  are  fitted  with 
appliances  appropriate  for  their  work.  The  most  interesting  per 
haps  are  the  large  percolators  in  the  chemical  department,  and 
the  mammoth  mixer  with  a  capacity  of  two  thousand  pounds, 
and  also  the  copper  stills  in  the  extract  department.  The  above 
description  calls  attention  primarily  to  those  things  which  are 
peculiar  to  this  laboratory  rather  than  to  those  which  most 
laboratories  have  in  common.  It  seems  almost  unnecessary  to 
state  that  most  if  not  all  of  these  improvements  have  been  tried 
elsewhere.  It  is  the  bringing  together  of  all  that  have  proven 
successful  into  one  organic  whole,  as  it  were,  that  makes  the 
Schieffelin  Laboratory  so  interesting  and  instructive.  To  enum- 
erate the  chemicals  and  pharmaceutical  preparations  made  in  this 
laboratory  would  result  in  a  list  resembling  very  much  a  copy 
of  a  chemical  or  pharmaceutical  catalogue  and  would  be  of 
little  value.  Yet  it  will  be  of  interest  to  mention  the  chief  pro- 
ducts which  are  cocaine,  nitrous  ether,  pills  and  tablets,  fluid 
extracts  and  pharmaceuticals,  medicated  soaps  and  toilet  prepara- 
tions, fruit  juices  and  syrups,  efifervescing  salts  and  lithia  tab- 
lets and  powdered  drugs. 

WILLIAM  TAYLOR.— Our  subject  is  the  well  known 
superintendent  and  manager  of  the  Taylor  Textile  Manufactur- 
ing Co.,  Williamsbridge.  He  is  distinguished  among  business 
men  of  this  section,  as  the  founder  and  introducer  of  a  new 
industry ;  at  least  if  not  wholly  that  the  reviver  and  restorer 
of  it,  the  builder  up  of  an  institution  affording  means  of  liveli- 
hood to  a  large  number  of  hands.  A  man  of  large  and  varied 
industrial  experience,  not  alone  in  this  country,  but  in  France  and 
England  also,  this  story  is  interesting.  Briefly  it  is  as  follows' 
He  was  born  in  Calais.  France,  of  English  parents,  March  12, 
1855,  and  was  brought  up.  received  his  schooling  and  mastered 
his  trade  there.  His  father,  Samuel  Taylor,  was  born  in  Lan- 
cashire, England;  his  mother  was  .\nn  Dudnian  of  London,  Eng- 


land. His  father  was  a  lace  maker  in  France  (Calais),  when 
machine  lace  was  made  behind  locked  doors  and  the  workers 
went  to  and  from  their  labor  as  lords  of  the  manor  in  silk 
hats  and  were  very  secretive  as  to  their  occupation,  keeping 
strictly  to  themselves  when  away  from  work.  Then  as  now  we 
may  say  Calais  led  in  beauty  and  excellence  of  its  lace  product. 
There  our  subject  served  an  apprenticeship  with  such  well 
known  lace  firms  as  Hcwett  &  Buttler,  Daveniere,  Hall  Bros., 
Robert  West,  the  noted  prize  winner  in  all  our  expositions  of 
lace;  the  late  Topham  Bros.,  Darquer  &  Bacquet,  Robert  Maxton 
and  others.  He  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  lace  manu- 
facture in  all  its  details  at  an  early  age.  He  is  schooled  in  the 
manufacture  and  finishing  of  Band,  Braided,  Gimped  and  Bofiin 
Fining  Valenciennes,  Torchons,  Guipures,  Maltese,  Clunys, 
Blondes,  Hamburg  and  Brussels  Laces,  Waist  and  Fancy  Spot  and 
Sprig  Netts,  Russian  Point,  Chantilly  Lace,  Renaissance,  Wool 
Yak  and  other  laces,  and  is  expirt  in  the  setting  up  of  fine 
machinery  for  the  purpose,  master  of  all  the  minutest  details  for 
the  disposition  of  threads  to  obtain  the  best  results.  In  1877  he 
went  from  Calais  to  Nottingham.  While  there  he  married  Fran- 
cis Beesley,  daughter  of  Daniel  Gabriel  Beesley  and  Sarah  Bar- 
nett,  both  of  Beestou,  Nottinghamshire.  Thence  he  went  bai'k 
to  Calais  for  a  while,  but  after  two  years  returned  to  Notting- 
hamshire and  became  foreman  and  manager  for  G.  L.  Bales, 
lace  manufacturers,  in  H.  Simpsons  &  Co.  Factory,  New  Bas 
ford,  Nottingham.  He  set  up  and  re-arranged  this  plant  for 
the  more  perfect  manufacture  01  bottom  bar  Blond  and  Chan- 
tilly lace,  and  soon  made  such  improvements  as  to  commanl  a 
commission  on  the  production,  as  well  as  salary,  and  still  has 
the  highest  recommendations  from  this  firm.  During  the  ex- 
treme depression  of  trade  in  1892  he  left  Nottingham  and  came 
to  this  country  at  the  solicitation  of  American  friends  and  took 
charge  of  H.  S.  Hall's  lace  machinery  at  Jersey  City.  There 
he  made  very  evident  improvements  in  the  machinery'  as  shown 
in  an  improved  product  of  silk  veilings  and  Bordon  Laces.  In 
1894  he  went  to  Nottingham,  England,  and  to  France  for  H.  S. 
Hall  and  purchased  improvements  and  accessories  for  the  produc- 
tion of  Bottom  Bar  cross  band  and  Bordon  laces,  which  were  a 
great  success  and  found  a  ready  market.  In  October.  1897,  he  se- 
cured the  .Associated  Lace  Company's  Plant,  at  Williamsbridge.  X. 
Y.,  from  S.  Duden  and  leased  the  factory  for  ten  years.  The  plant 
and  factory  both  he  found  in  very  bad  condition.  It  took  much 
care  and  labor  to  put  them  in  order,  as  they  had  been  tied  up 
for  nine  or  ten  years,  and  had  never  before  been  properly  set 
up.  He  ran  the  business  alone  for  two  years,  and  in  spite  of 
much  adverse  prejudice  against  domestic  made  lace  (prejudice 
brought  about  by  so-called  experts  putting  into  the  market  goods 
very  nuicli  below  the  standard)  he  made  himself  a  name  for 
excellence  and  finish  in  his  produc'.  Gradtially  he  got  his  goods 
into  most  of  the  leading  houses  of  the  city,  many  of  whom,  by 
this  time,  were  beginning  to  realize  that  the  European  climate 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  production  of  good  lace,  but  that 
excellence  depended  instead  on  the  skill  of  the  operator.  En- 
couraged by  this  success  he  incorporated  in  1899  the  Taylor  Lace 
Company,  directors.  Mr.  W.  J.  Hull,  treasurer  and  secretary:  Mr. 
Wm.  Taylor,  president,  W.  E,  Mastcrton,  vice-president. 
In  1902  Mr.  Taylor  negotiated  the  whole  of  the  stock 
of  the  company,  which  was  incorporated  in  1899.  in  order  lo 
re-incorporate  under  the  name  of  ihe  Taylor  Textile  Mfg.  Co.. 
and  went  to  Europe  again  for  the  new  company,  composed  of 
Louis  Hamburger,  president;  Geo.  F.  Kleinberger,  vice-president; 
Ma.x  Steiner,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Wm.  Taylor,  superin- 
tendent and  manager;  Sidney  Traub,  director.  The  offices  are  at 
oi-Q.'!  Fifth  .\venue.  New  York.  Factory.  Bartholdi  Street,  Wil- 
liamsbridge, N.  Y.     While  the  factory  was  being  renovated  and 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


321 


improvements  being  made  for  heating,  lighting  and  labor  saving 
were  being  made  at  an  expense  of  several  thousand  dollars.  From 
that  time  to  this  business  has  more  than  doubled.  The  com- 
pany soon  succeeded  in  introducing  its  goods  to  the  trade  gen- 
erally in  this  country  and  Canada,  and  since  has  very  materially 
increased  its  business.  The  mill  is  now  employing  forty  hands 
and  is  turning  out  over  three  thousand  yards  of  fancy  silk  veils 
a  day,  besides  quantities  of  spotted  netts,  which  for  style  and 
perfection  of  manufacture  are.  second,  it  is  admitted,  to  none  in 
market.  Mr.  Taylor,  as  we  have  said,  has  lived  in  this  country 
thirteen  years,  five  years  of  that  time  in  Jersey  City  and  eight  at 
Williamsbridge.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  His  religious  affili- 
ations are  indicated  in  the  fact  that  he  is  a  trustee  and  Sunday 
school  teacher  of  Olin  M.  E.  Church  and  a  director  of  the  Wil- 
liamsbridge Branch  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  is  father,  by  his 
marriage  at  Nottingham  above  mentioned,  of  two  children, 
Frances  Eliza,  deceased,  and  William  Dudman,  now  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  lace  with  his  father,  acting  in  the  capacity 
of  assistant  manager. 


Babcock,  but  liaviug  superior  talent  in  the  construction  depart- 
ment of  his  work,  he  was  soon  sought  by  other  architects  to  give 
physical  forms  to  their  artistic  ideas.  His  first  great  work  was 
the  Leiand  Stanford  Mausoleum,  erected  in  1886,  costing  $250,- 
000.  marking  an  epoch  in  this  line  of  architecture,  for  from  that 
period  commenced  the  highly  expensive  work  which  has  since 
been  done  by  Mr.  Caterson  all  over  the  United  States.  In 
Woodlawn  alone  there  is  a  regular  village  of  mausoleums.  In 
the  strong  features  of  Mr.  Caterson's  work,  its  superior  con- 
struction, he  uses  only  the  heaviest  and  largest  of  stones,  so 
5s  to  have  as  few  joints  as  possible,  as  it  is  through  the  latter 
that  time  and  the  elements  make  the  strongest  inroads,  as  in  the 
steps  of  the  great  Collis  P.  Huntington  Mausoleum  in  Wood- 
lawn.  There  are  only  three  divisions,  each  having  its  section 
of  platform  steps  and  stringers  cut  in  one  piece ;  one  of  these 
pieces  weighs  seventy  tons.  With  only  three  joints  in  this 
long  approach  to  the  tomb  proper,  there  is  not  likely  to  be  the 
same  opportunity  for  frost  or  dampness — fruitful  sources  of  ruin 


Mausoleum  of  Collis  P.  Huntington,  erected  by  Robert  Caterson 


ROBERT  CATERSON,  the  mausoleum  and  monument  man- 
ufacturer of  Woodlawn,  Bron.x.  In  Woodlawn  Cemetery  some 
of  the  highest  ideals  in  the  Greek  art,  and  of  that  school  in  line, 
form  and  detail,  are  reproduced  upon  a  scale  so  magnificent 
as  to  present  the  best  possible  opportunity  for  study.  Here 
will  be  found  mainly  all  forms  of  the  classic  art,  expressin,;? 
every  thought  of  feeling  in  the  genius  of  Robert  Caterson, 
Greater  New  York  builder  of  monuments,  mausoleums,  and  hill- 
side vaults.  In  185s,  Mr.  Caterson  came  to  New  York,  and  lo- 
cating in  Brooklyn,  learned  the  stone-cutting  trade  near  old 
Greenwood  Cemetery.  His  first  work  as  a  journeyman  was  on 
ilic  State  Capitol  at  Columbia,  S.  C.  In  1869  he  came  to  Wood- 
lawn, which  then  had  but  few  monuinents  or  mausoleums  of  any 
note,  and  commenced  the  business  in  which  he  has  since  been 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  important  factors  throughout 
the  United  Stales.  During  his  apprenticeship  the  French  Lady's 
Monument  in  Greenwood  Cemetery  was  considered  the  best  in 
tins  country,  now  it  is  regarded  from  any  point  of  view  quite  an 
ordinary  achievement.  Using  first  his  own  designs  early  in  the 
8o's,  he  secured  the  services  of  an  eminent  architect,  Mr.  J.  T. 


and  decay — to  effect  a  lodgment  that  there  would  be  if  there 
were  seams  between  each  of  the  steps,  and  between  these  and 
the  stringers.  The  monument  of  the  late  vice-president  Hobart, 
made  also  by  Mr.  Caterson,  in  which  one  roof  stone  weighed 
forty-nine  tons  when  cut  (there  being  five  in  all)  took  a  week 
to  transport  it  to  Paterson,  N.  J.  With  the  Sanford,  Hunting- 
ton and  Hobart  monuments  and  mausoleiuns  among  Mr. 
Caterson's  notable  works  may  be  mentioned  the  Huntington  Me- 
morial Cliapel,  at  Huntington,  Conn.,  E.  Frank  Coe  in  Middle- 
field,  Conn.,  W.  B.  Curtis,  tlie  founder  of  the  New  York  Athletic 
Club,  (this  latter  magnificent  sarcophagus  being  subscribed  for 
by  the  athletic  associations  of  America)  ;  Wm.  C.  Hamilton  in 
Philadelphia,  Mr.  Bradley,  of  Bradley  &  Hubbard  at  Meriden, 
Conn ;  Mrs.  Vernon  K.  Stevenson  at  Nashville,  Tenn — the 
last  being  a  copy  of  the  sarcophagus  of  Napoleon  in  the  In- 
valides  at  Paris — and  its  replica  on  smaller  lines  for  Mr.  Weller, 
(of  Tafft,  Weller  &  Co.)  ;  also  the  Ehret  mausoleum  and  the 
Jeremiah  Coster  mausoleum.  For  years  Mr.  Caterson  sought 
lor  stone  which,  while  jiosscssing  the  excellence  of  the  Vermont 
and    Massachusetts    granite,    would    offer    some    variation    from 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


323 


sameness  of  color.  He  finally  determined  that  the  stone  of  the 
now  famous  granite  mountains  in  Burnett  County,  Texas, 
of  which  the  State  Capitol  at  Austin  was  built,  answered  the 
purpose,  and  he  therefore  purchased  the  whole  property  which 
embraces  the  mountain  hills,  over  ten  thousand  acres  in  granite 
lands,  and  2,400  acres  in  fee  simple.  The  stone  is  a  pink  granite, 
:.s  deep  in  color  as  the  Scotch,  and  as  heavy  as  any  other  stone, 
averaging  some  twelve  feet  to  the  ton.  The  mountain,  175  feet 
in  height,  is  encircled  at  its  top,  about  which  lies  the  extensive 
plant.  Mr.  Caterson  is  furnishing  the  United  States  govern- 
ment a  large  number  of  car  loads  a  day  of  the  granite,  and  the 
city  work  on  the  jetties  and  on  the  new  sea  wall  at  Galveston 
for  the  original  jetties,  and  the  Aransas  Pass  jetties  on  the  Gulf. 

C.  RIEGER'S  SONS. — The  leading  and  most  extensive 
manufacturers  of  office,  bank  and  bar  fixtures  in  Greater  New 
York,  whose  offices  and  factory  are  located  at  Nos.  702  and  704 


East  148th  Street  and  from  691  to  697  East  147th  Street,  near 
Third  Avenue,  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  The  foundation  of  this 
mammoth  establishment  was  founded  in  1870  by  Mr.  C.  Rieger, 
Sr.,  in  a  small  shop  at  No.  659  East  144th  Street  for  the  pur- 
pose of  manufacturing  furniture  on  a  small  scale,  employing  only 
from  six  tn  ten  men.  from  which  small  beginning  the  present 
cstablisnment  has  evolved,  placing  it  in  that  exalted  position 
which  no  similar  manufacturing  concern  throughout  Greater 
-Ww  York  enjoys  ai  prest-nl.  The  large  factories  run 
through  the  block  from  147th  to  148th  Streets,  occupying  floor 
space  to  the  amount  uf  40.000  square  feet,  employing  130  men 
and  numerous  side  Ime  shops,  under  the  direction  of  various 
sub-contractors,  who  employ  on  their  own  account  a  large  staff 
of  men,  practical  mechanics.  C.  Ricger's  &  Sons  were  the  first  to 
inaugurate  and  establish  this  business  in  the  Bronx  and  their 
success   has   been   so   marvellous    that    thev    are    recognized    and 


known  throughout  the  entire  country  as  the  most  practical  and 
progressive  manufacturers  of  office,  bank  and  bar  fixtures. 
Their  designs  are  all  original  and  the  cabinet  features 
of  their  work  for  beauty  in  designs,  for  mechanical  construction, 
substantiability  and  durability  in  service  has  made  for  C.  Rieger's 
Sons  an  imperishable  name  for  which  the  citzens  of  the  borough 
of  the  Bronx  are  justly  proud.  The  members  of  this  firm  are 
Christian  Rieger,  Jr.,  aged  42,  Charles  Rieger,  aged  40,  and 
Edward  Rieger,  aged  38. 

GEORGE  McKENZIE,  of  the  Van  Nest  Woodworking  Co., 
was  born  in  New  York  in  1S58,  educated  in  the  downtown  public 
schools,  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  sash,  door  and  trim  business 
or  as  an  architectural  draftsman  in  New  Y'ork  City  and  Bronx 
Borough  all  his  life.  He  started  in  this  part  of  the  city  fourteen 
years  ago  at  133d  Street,  near  Third  Avenue,  where  he  opened 
at  his  present  location  one  year  and  a  half  ago.  He  has  been 
fortunate  and  shared  in  the  prosperity  of  that  growing  part  of 
the  district.  As  an  old  resident  Mr.  McKenzie  is  well  and 
widely  known.  He  is  a  member  of  Marion  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  is  a  man  of  family,  with  a  wife  and  one  child 

ARCHIBALD  J.  McKENZIE,  secretary  of  the  Van  Nest 
Woodworking  Company,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  July  14, 
1866.  He  received  a  thorough  education  in  the  public  schools, 
graduating  therefrom  in  1883.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  school 
term  he  immediately  engaged  in  business  with  his  elder  brother. 
George  McKenzie,  Esq.,  who  was  at  that  time  located  in  125th 
Street  and  East  River.  In  1892  their  plant  was  entirely  destroyed 
by  fire,  the  firm  suffering  a  severe  financial  loss.  This  did  noi 
daunt  their  perseverance  or  energy.  They  immediately  secured 
a  larger  business  site  at  133d  Street  and  the  Southern  Bouelvard, 
in  The  Bronx,  where  they  erected  a  larger  plant  than  the  one 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  where  they  remained  for  fourteen  years. 
In  May,  1904,  the  company  found  it  necessary,  on  account  of 
iheir  increased  business,  to  again  make  a  change  and  secure 
larger  quarters.  They  erected  extensive  buildings  for  the  manu- 
facture of  sash,  doors,  blinds,  trim.  etc..  in  Van  Bure.n  Street. 
Van  Nest.  Recently  the  company  disposed  of  the  ground  to  the 
New  York.  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company.  The 
buildings  which  occupied  the  site  were  removed  to  the  present 
location,  Adams  and  Van  Nest  Streets.  Again  the  enormous 
growth  of  the  business  caused  the  company  to  erect  additional 
buildings  to  furnish  room  for  new  and  improved  machinery 
which  was  installed.  There  is  probably  a  no  more  complete 
plant  of  its  kind  anywhere  in  the  country  for  the  production 
of  building  materials.  The  company  are  well  known  through- 
out Greater  New  York,  and  their  products  are  sought  by  all  re- 
sponsible builders  who  use  first-class  building  material.  The 
establishment  easily  stands  first  in  the  Bronx  as  to  capacity, 
amount  of  business  done  and  quality  of  manufactured  products. 
'I"he  personal  standing  of  each  member  of  the  company  is  of  the 
highest,  both  commercially  and  socially.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  married  Miss  Anna  F.  Forschner,  October  11,  1903.  Two 
children  have  blessed  the  union,  Archibald  K.  and  Janet.  Mr 
McKenzie  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  well-known  Longwood 
Club  of  Bronx  Borough. 

ALEXANDER  CRUICKSHANK,  manufacturer,  and  a 
member  of  the  Van  Nest  Woodworking  Company,  was  born 
June  9.  t86o,  at  Aberdeenshire.  Scotland,  where  he  received 
a  common  school  education.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age.  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  the  Bronx,  where  he 
immcdiatelv   engaged    in   the    building   business   on   his   own   ac- 


324 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


count.  He  continued  in  ■  this  connection  for  sixteen  years, 
when,  in  1892,  he  became  the  partner  of  Mr.  Muirison,  a  well 
known  New  York  builder.  Their  partnership  was  continued 
until  he  became  a  member  of  the  above  corporation.  Mr 
Cruickshank  is  not  interested  in  politics  and  has  never  cared 
nor  sought  any  political  position,  preferring  to  devote  his  time 
and  attention  to  his  extensive  business  affairs.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  278.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  is  a  typical 
self-made  man,  possessing  all  the  sterling  traits  for  which  the 
Scotch  race  is  noted.  The  extensive  business  of  the  Van 
Nest  Woodworking  Comparty,  is  largely  due  to  the  energy  and 
push   of  Mr.   Cruickshank. 

M.  E.  WESTERGREN  (INCORPORATED.)— The  build- 
ing trades  are  at  all  times  interested  in  knowing  the  advances 
that  are  being  made  in  various  directions,  and  the  buyers  in 
every  line  have  more  than  a  mere  curiosity  in  t'.ie  expansion  and 
development  of  the  firms  in  that  particular  branch.  When  a 
man  knows  that  his  work  is  being  done  under  the  best  condi- 
tions— by  the  employment  of  the  latest  approved  appliances,  by 
skilful  hands  in  light  and  airy  factories— he  has  a  valuable 
guarantee   that   it    will   be   well    done.     For  these   reasons  a   de- 


,^.SHUTtf' 


M.     E.    WESTERGREN     (  INCORPCRATEd) 

scription  of  the  factory  and  plant  of  M.  E.  Westergren,  Inc.,  at 
Nos.  433,  435  and  437  East  144th  Street,  will  be  acceptable  read- 
ing to  the  building  trades.  Before  describing  the  building  and 
plant,  it  may  be  as  well  to  say  a  word  or  two  about  the  location.  It 
is  unquestioned  that  the  upper  part  of  New  York,  the  Twenty- 
third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  will  in  the  near  future  play  an 
important  part  in  the  Greater  New  York.  Judging  by  the  move- 
ment already  begun,  this  i'^  destined  to  lie  the  manufacturing^ 
centre  of  the  great  city.  It  was  in  recognition  of  this  fact 
that  Mr.  Westergren  bought  the  site  of  his  new  works  seventeen 
years  ago,  and  after  changing  the  grade  and  doing  other  things 
to  make  it  suitable,  erected  liis  building,  thereby  creating  an  im- 
portant addition  to  this  region.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say 
to  the  building  trades  of  New  York  that  the  business  of  M.  F. 
Westergren,  Inc.,  consists  in  manufacturing  cornices,  skylights, 
roofing  and  sheet  metal  work  of  every-  description,  and  they 
have  put  on  the  market  a  most  perfect  system  of  fireproof  doors, 
kalameined  windows  and  hollow  metal  windows  on  which  the 
concern  holds  several  patents.  Large  as  their  trade  has  been  in 
the  past  they  are  now  equipped  so  they  can  extend  it  almost 
without  limit.     The  building,  the  design  of  which  can  be  seen 


from  the  illustration  accompanying  this  article,  covers  the  whole 
of  a  plot  65x100;  it  is  five  stories,  and  was  planned  and  built 
by  Mr.  Westergren  himself.  Of  the  five  floors,  two  are  below 
the  street  level  of  144th  Street,  but  as  they  are  open  on  the  sides 
and  rear  they  have  ample  light,  and  are  as  convenient  for  manu- 
facturing purposes  as  the  three  above.  The  only  difficulty  was 
the  access,  which  was  readily  overcome  by  putting  in  an  elevatoi 
of  great  capacity,  9  by  20  feet,  large  enough  to  hoist  any  truck 
with  load  to  any  floor  in  the  building,  thus  avoiding  the  handling 
of  materials.  But  convinced  of  the  rapid  growth  of  the  business 
in  this  line,  Mr.  Westergren  had  the  building  built  strong  enough 
to  carry  two  more  stories,  having  the  sixth  story  girders  already 
m  position.  Having  had  experience  with  the  ordinary  factory 
building  it  was  decided  to  build  so  strong  that  no  danger  of 
overloading  could  arise,  and  so  material  of  unusual  strength  and 
size  was  used.  Each  of  the  five  floors  is  open  to  its  full  extent, 
except  m  one  or  two  minor  instances,  which  will  be  described 
later  on.  The  lowest  floor  contains  two  4S-horse  power  boilers 
with  engine,  etc.,  also  35-horse  power  motor;  glass  cutting  facili- 
ties and  a  blacksmith's  shop;  the  floor  above  that  a  machine 
shop,  storage  and  stabling  in  one  corner  for  eight  horses.  One 
part  of  the  ground  floor  is  divided  off  by  hardwood  and  glass 
I'artitions,  and  handsomely  furnished,  to  do  service  as  an  office 
and  private  room  of  the  proprietor.  The  rest  of  the  floor  con- 
tains part  of  the  fine  machinery  for  cutting  out  and  bending 
sheet  iron  and  metal  work.  On  the  next  floor  the  draughting 
room  is  located,  where  four  draughtsmen  are  engaged  preparing 
details  for  the  various  kinds  of  work;  this  draughting  room  also 
contains  a  fixed  easel  of  large  proportions  with  a  sliding  board 
and  rule  upon  it,  both  very  ingeniously  contrived  and  designed 
10  facilitate  the  expeditious  preparation  of  plans.  The  balance 
(if  this  floor  and  the  uppermost  floor  contain  a  number  of  fine 
machines,  including  draw  benches  for  kalameined  work,  circular 
saw,  mitre  cutters,  and  innumerable  small  machines  in  common 
use.  When  the  building  was  provided,  the  question  arose  as  to 
what  course  should  be  taken  to  properly  equip  it  with  machinery 
nf  a  modern  kind,  in  which  consideration  the  prime  object  was 
how  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  the  large  number  of  joints  that 
are  necessary  by  the  ordinary  method  of  making  sheet  metal, 
ibis  being  tlie  greatest  drawback  in  regard  to  strength  and  beau- 
ty. Realizing  this,  it  was  decided  to  have  a  machine  built  to 
cut,  bend  and  stamp  sheet  metal  to  a  length  of  13  feet,  thus  re- 
ducing the  number  of  joints  to  one-half.  The  most  important 
of  these  machines  is  a  press  of  enormous  size,  18  feet  long  and 
12  feet  hig'h.  The  weight  of  this  machine  is  some  50,000  pounds, 
and  the  pressing  power  600,000  pounds,  it  being  the  largest  ma- 
chine of  its  kind  ever  built.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  description 
that  this  is  a  perfect  plant  for  turning  off  cornice  and  skylight 
work  in  every  detail,  including  not  only  the  parts  in  zinc  and 
copper,  but  those  in  wood  and  iron  and  glass  also.  The  stock  of 
these  materials  always  on  harid  is  very  large.  While  this  shows 
that  they  can  execute  work  of  any  kind,  their  specialty  will  in 
the  future,  as  well  as  in  the  past,  be  the  erection  of  skylights,  for 
which,  perhaps,  they  have  100  different  kinds  of  mitre  cutters. 
by  which  they  are  able,  besides  turning  out  more  perfect  work, 
to  also  reduce  the  price  25  per  cent.  A  prominent  example  of 
their  work  in  this  line  is  the  skj'light  for  the  Siegel-Cooper  Co.'s 
building  on  Sixth  Avenue,  covering  some  14,000  square  feet, 
with  a  dome  forty  feet  square  and  thirty  feet  high.  This,  the 
largest  structure  of  its  kind  in  the  city,  was  erected  entirely  by 
themselves,  they  having,  as  before  stated,  the  facilities  to  con- 
struct their  own  wrought-iron  structure,  as  one  entire  floor  is  set 
apart  for  that  purpose.  Next  to  their  skylight  business,  they  are 
now  giving  a  great  deal  of  time  to  their  new  fireproof  door  and 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


325 


window  business,  especially  their  patented  hollow  metal  windows, 
for  the  construction  of  which  they  have  lately  put  in  a  number 
of  new  machines.  The  growth  of  this  branch  of  the  business 
has  been  so  rapid  that  it  will  be  necessary  shortly  to  enlarge 
their  already  extensive  facilities.  Several  of  the  largest  struc- 
tures in  the  course  of  erection  in  the  city  are  eciuipped  with 
these  windows,  and  shipments  have  been  made  as  far  as  the 
City  of  iVIexico.  These  being  their  specialties,  it  must  not  be 
inferred  that  they  are  in  any  way  neglecting  the  other  parts  of 
their  business,  as  the  many  large  contracts  lately  executed  by 
them  will  prove.  For  instance,  the  large  gilded  corona  on  the 
American  Surety  Building  is  their  work;  the  St.  Nicholas  Skat- 
ing Rink;  the  Ayer  Building;  the  large  apartment  house  on  St. 
Nicholas  Avenue  and  Seventy-fifth  Street ;  the  Clarkson  Mem- 
orial School  of  Technology  in  Potsdam,  New  York,  as  well  as 
many  important  contracts  now  under  way.  It  is  very  remarkable 
when  we  consider  the  amount  of  work  that  was  formerly  done 
in  this  line  by  any  one  firm,  that  this  concern  should  be  able 
to  handle  such  an  enormous  amount  of  work,  but  by  surrounding 
himself  with  a  staff  of  able  assistants,  as  clerks  in  the  office, 
draughtsmen  and  foremen  of  unusual  ability,  and  improving  on 
the  old  way  of  working  by  hand,  so  that  almost  everything  is 
done  by  steam  and  electricity,  Mr.  Westergren  is  able  to  under- 
take an  amount  and  kind  of  work  that  would  otherwise  be  im- 
possible. He  further  hopes  that  by  honest  dealings,  prompt- 
ness and  strict  attention,  to  accomplish  things  in  his  line  of 
business  heretofore  considered  beyond  reach. 

BERNHARDT  PETZOLDT,  manufacturer  of  embroideries 
at  6l0  East  T54th  Street,  in  the  Bronx,  has  been  established  here 
for  fifteen  years,  and  has  built  up,  during  that  time,  an  extensive 
business.     He  is  of  German  birth — born  in  Saxony  in  1852 — but 


BERNHARDT    PETZOLDT 

has  been  identified  with  this  district  for  nearly  a  generation. 
Mr.  Petzoldt  has  a  factory  equipped  with  imported  machinery, 
both  hand  and  shuttle  inachines,  chiefly  of  German  construction. 
He  has  engaged  skilled  operators,  and  employs  many  girls  as 
helpers.  He  makes  his  own  designs,  which  the  machine  works 
cut  automatically,  and  supplies  the  wholesale  trade  all  over  the 
country.  He  has  perfected  special  machines  of  his  own  to  meet 
the  wants  of  the  trade,  and  works  in  tweiitv-five  different  colors. 


He  pays  special  alfcnlion  to  the  matter  of  shipping,  packing  and 
incidentals.  He  is  a  thorough-going  business  man,  in  short,  and 
a  leader  in  this  industry.  Mr.  Petzoldt  married  in  1886  Miss 
Katy  Schotz.  They  have  three  daughters,  Pauline,  Lilly  and 
Tilly. 

GEORGE  HEY,  of  the  American  Silk  Label  Works,  169th 
Street  and  Park  Avenue,  :.3  a  highly  respected  resident  of  the 
Bronx,  esteemed  very  generally,  both  as  a  business  man  and 
citizen.  He  is  a  manufacturer,  employing  nearly  200  hands  in 
an  industry  which  he  himself  created.  He  has  been  a  school 
trustee,  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade  and  has  been  specially  active  in  the  work  of  upbuilding 
this  section.  Mr.  Hey  is  a  Bavarian  by  birth  and  is  now  in  his 
75th  year ;  but  he  has  lived  in  this  country,  east  and  west,  nearly 
sixty  years.  He  came  here  in  1847  and  crossed  the  plains  on 
foot  to  California  in  1850.  He  enlisted  in  the  California  Volun- 
teers in  1861  and  was  sent  out  from  there  to  fight  the  Indians. 
He  has  been  an  enterprising  business  man  of  New  York  since 
1866.  Certainly,  barring  the  accident  of  birth,  he  is  entitled  to 
call  himself  American.  Mr.  Hey  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  the  old  country.  He  was  16  when  he  came  to  Ameri- 
ca. He  spent  ten  years  before  the  war  piospecting  and  mining 
in  golden  California,  but  the  fortune  he  sought  there  was  In 
be  found  later  here.  Returning  from  his  frontier  experiences, 
in  which  he  served  under  Gen.  Wright  and  Col.  Fuhrman  in 
war  times,  he  first  joined  his  father  in  the  Goodyear  rubber 
comb  business.  In  1875  he  started  the  silk  label  works  at  38Q 
Broome  Street,  near  Mott,  with  five  looms.  In  1884  he  bought 
the  ground  and  built  his  present  factory,  equipping  it  with  twenty- 
one  looms.  It  has  more  than  100  now,  with  trade  all  over  the 
United  States,  in  Mexico  and  Cuba.  As  to  the  quality  of  its 
product,  medals  have  been  won  by  it  at  the  Centennial,  the 
Chicago  and  the  St.  Louis  Expositions,  at  the  last  named  a  gold 
one.  Mr.  Hey  was  school  trustee  in  the  Tenth  Ward  from  i88l 
to  1884.  Pie  belongs  to  Goethe  Lodge,  No.  629,  F.  and  A.  M., 
and  to  Colders  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  also  to  St.  Stephen's  Lutheran 
Church  in  the  Bronx.  His  father,  John  G.  Hey,  a  well  known 
German-American,  died  at  a  ripe  old  age  here  in  1880;  his 
mother  died  in  1869.  Of  his  three  sisters  only  one,  Mariana, 
survives.     The  others,  like  his  parents,  are  buried  in  Woodlawn. 

VINCENZO  PALUMBO.— Bom  in  Venosa,  Italy,  on  Au- 
gust 9,  1852,  of  wealthy  parents,  he  at  an  early  age  showed  mark- 
ed intelligence.  His  father  was  a  lawyer  and  held  responsible 
positions  in  the  province  of  Potenza.  At  the  age  of  four  years 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  demonstrated  that  his  talent  was  of  no 
mean  order,  for  at  the  Good  Friday  celebration  in  the  Cathedral 
Santa  Aiidrea  he  delivered  a  lengthy  oration,  and  again  at  the 
Feast  of  St.  Rocco,  September  19,  1856,  at  the  instance  of  His 
Excellency  the  Archbishop  of  Venosa.  In  his  fifth  year  he  could 
read  and  write  Italian  fluently,  and  completed  his  elementary 
education  under  the  instruction  of  Father  Saveria  Noon.  In  his 
tenth  year  he  left  school  rather  precipitately  owing  to  unwar- 
ranted chastisement  by  his  teacher,  in  return  for  which  he  in 
October,  1862,  shot  at  him  without  inflicting  any  serioMS  injury. 
He  was  apprehended  by  the  police,  and  taken  to  his  father, 
(iesualdo  Palumlm.  who  insisted  upon  his  retuniing  to  his  teacher, 
who  made  life  a  burden  to  him.  Again  running  away  from 
school,  he  was  placed  under  the  instruction  of  a  shoemaker, 
but  the  trade  being  distasteful  to  him,  he  again  ran  away.  The 
indulgent  father  then  put  him  to  work  minding  his  sheep,  but 
pastoral  duties  w'ere  not  to  his  liking  and  again  he  took  French 
leave.     His  mother's  love  finally  overcame  the  father's   will  and 


326 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Viucenzo  being  plead  with  selected  a  seminary  where  the  more 
advanced  studies  were  included  in  the  curriculum,  and  having 
passed  the  preliminary  examination  in  August,  1863,  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  a  higher  grade  in  November,  1864.  The  bent  of  his 
mind  seemed  to  be  the  acquirement  of  knowledge,  and  no  matter 
how  difficult  the  problems  that  arose  before  him,  he  attained  the 
end  sought,  and  in  November,  1865,  he  graduated  with  high 
honors  in  Italian,  French,  Latin,  Greek,  and  mathematics.  In 
January,  1866,  he  began  to  realize  his  expectations,  for  he  re- 
ceived an  important  appointment  in  the  seminary  where  he  had 
been  a  pupil.  The  salary  attached  to  the  position  he  refused, 
preferring  that  his  three  brothers,  Theo,  Nicola  and  Michael 
should  have  free  tuition  therefor.  In  1868  he  left  the  college  autl 
entered  the  pharmacy  of  Marangelli,  the  most  prominenit  chemist 
in  the  city,  in  order  to  perfect  himself  in  chemistry.  Here  he 
remained  until  1870,  using  every  minute  to  acquire  an  intimate 
knowledge   of   chemistry,    when    he    launched    forth    as    a   tutor, 


VINCENZO    PALUMBO 

having  sixty  boys  in  his  school.  In  May  of  that  year  he  ap- 
peared before  the  educational  authorities  at  Potenza,  and  hay- 
ing undergone  a  thorough  examination  as  to  his  qualifications 
and  proficiency  received  his  authorization  to  practice  the  pro- 
fession in  any  part  of  Italy.  It  must  be  stated  here,  that  the 
police  authorities  doubting  his  having  a  license  to  teach,  owing 
to  his  youth,  visited  the  school  where  he  soon  convinced  them 
that  he  was  duly  authorized  to  practice  under  his  license.  His 
first  love  affair  was  with  his  cousin,  but  the  earnest  opposition 
of  the  parents  of  both,  after  a  courtship  of  five  years,  resulted 
in  his  leaving  (he  city  and  beginning  a  pilgrimage  which  was 
quite  extended,  and  ended  at  Rome.  In  1875  he  received  the 
nomination  of  professor  in  the  Viggiano  College.  In  1876  he 
was  nominated  professor  at  Laurenziana.  with  a  larger  salary. 
Here    he    materially    improved    the    school    facilities,    and    also 


opened  a  drug  store.  In  1878  he  taught  school  for  six  months 
m  Barcelona,  Spain,  but  the  place  did  not  suit  his  tastes,  anj 
he  then  went  to  Marseilles,  France ;  from  there  he  next  went  to 
I'aris,  then  to  Liverpool  and  London,  and  finally  took  passage 
to  New  York  on  the  Inman  line.  He  arrived  in  New  'Vork  011 
December  .3,  1879,  and  began  teaching  at  42  Crosby  Street,  In 
1880  he  founded  "Progresso  Italo-Americano"  and  the  Italian 
Political  Independent  Club.  On  September  i,  1882,  he  opcncu  an 
Italian  exchange  at  .'54  Crosby  Street,  but  was  forced  to  close  it 
a  short  time  later  through  the  dishonesty  of  a  clerk.  After  iiui 
unfortunate  venture  he  was  compelled  to  take  up  teaching  again 
at  179  Marion  Street,  where  American  doctors,  lawyers  and  other 
professional  men  sought  his  services  in  order  to  become  pro- 
ficient in  the  Italian  language.  At  this  critical  period  Peter 
Cooper,  the  well  known  philanthropist,  Cardinal  McCloskey,  and 
General  Di  Cesnola,  manager  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art,  rendered  valuable  financial  assistance,  and  in  1882  he  estab- 
lished "La  Luce,"  which  proved  a  powerful  weapon  against  the 
dishonest,  and  rendered  aid  in  saving  Chiaro  Cignerale  from  the 
gallows  in  1894.  In  1895  he  exerted  himself  to  save  Maria 
Barbella  from  her  doom,  and  collected  a  vast  amount  of 
evidence  for  a  new  trial  which  resulted  in  saving  her.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1894,  he  waged  a  vigorous  warfare  on  the  padrones  who 
were  fattening  on  the  toil  of  his  ignorant  countrymen,  and  en- 
gineered changes  in  the  emigrant  laws  which  put  a  quietus  to  this 
baleful  practice.  Then  commenced,  in  1896,  his  fight  against  the 
Italian  money  brokers  who  had  been  extorting  sums  in  cxcesi 
of  the  legal  rate  for  acknowledging  their  signatures.  Plis  un- 
relentless  warfare  against  the  oppressors  of  his  nationality  re- 
sulted in  his  home  at  Mott  Avenue  and  149th  Street  being 
dynamited,  and  he  then  moved  to  New  Dorp,  Statcn  Island, 
where  he  speculated  in  real  estate  with  success.  Thereupon  he 
called  all  his  creditors  together  and  paid  in  full  all  claims  which 
he  had  incurred  during  his  adversity.  In  1902  he  was  selected 
by  Messrs.  Flagler  and  Goff  to  go  to  Florida  in  the  interests  of 
the  East  Coast  Railway,  and  made  a  thorough  exploration  of  the 
territory,  establishing  Italian  colonies  at  San  Augustine,  West 
Palm  Beach,  Eden,  etc.  I:i  August,  1902,  he  was  selected  bv 
Messrs.  Watson  &  Malone,  proprietors  of  a  gold  mine  in  West 
Virginia,  to  develop  the  same.  The  labor  troubles  at  Fairmont, 
Clarksburg,  Gipsy,  Morgantown,  Thomas,  and  other  places  were 
settled  through  his  judicious  exertions;  the  men  were  reconciled 
and  a  better  condition  of  affairs  between  laborers  and  capitalists 
inaugurated.  The  climate,  however,  not  agreeing  with  him,  he 
returned  to  New  York,  a  victim  of  dyspepsia.  Making  use  of 
his  knowledge  of  chemistry,  he  studied  the  various  herbs  grow- 
ing about  his  place  on  Staten  Island,  which  resulted  in  the  manu- 
facture of  "Sirena  Cordial."  to  destroy  this  disease.  liy  its  use 
on  himself  he  demonstrated  its  curative  properties,  and  then  sub- 
mitted it  for  testing  by  leading  laboratories  not  only  in  Americi 
but  Europe  as  well.  The  highly  flattering  testimonials  he  re- 
ceived for  its  efficacy  in  dyspepsia,  stomach  troubles,  and  rheu- 
matism, induced  him  to  manufacture  it  on  an  extended  scale  and 
consequently  he  formed  the  Strega  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  now  is  engaged  in  supplying  the  leading  pharmacists  with 
this  preparation  which  is  devoid  of  all  deleterious  substances,  and 
has  proven  a  boon  to  those  who  have  been  afflicted  with  this 
bane  to  health.  The  success  he  has  attained  in  this  direction 
iias  lieen  phenomenal,  and  hundreds  in  al!  walks  and  stations  of 
life  heap  benisons  upon  its  inventor. 

JOHN  L.\NZER. — The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  long  been 
a  resident  of  Bronx  Borough  and  has  seen  its  development  from 
a  rural  community  into  a  thriving  city.  Born  in  Germany  on  Au- 
gust 3,   1850,  at  an  early  age  he  came  to  this  country,  and  has 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


327 


\v.:uh-  his  hnnic  here  since  1858.  He  received  his  etkicalion  in 
ihe  Gernian-Anicrican  School,  and  after  he  graduated  he  ap- 
plied himself  to  the  sash  and  hlind  manufacturing  business.  In 
the  year  1875  he  started  quite  extensively  in  that  line  on  Third 
Avenue  near  149th  Street,  and  later  removed  to  more  commo- 
dious quarters  at  Third  Avenue  and  151st  Street.  He  also  had 
(juite  a  large  estaljlishment  in  Westchester  for  twelve  years.     He 


Pennsyh  ania.  lie  has  three  children,  Catharine,  (now  Mrs. 
Young),  William  J.,  Jr.,  and  John  A.  Brandt.  In  1895  Mr. 
lirandt  built  on  his  own  account  five  houses  at  Fifty-third  Street, 
Tenth  Avenue,  three  houses  at  148th  Street,  between  Tenth 
.Vvenue  and  Western  Boulevard,  and  I32d  Street,  between 
b'ourth  and  Madison  Avenues,  and  still  continues  on  in  the 
roofing  and   cornice   business  at   630   East    144th    Street. 


resides  at  627  East  155th  Street.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
but  never  has  held  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Schnorer 
Club,  Union  Maennerchor,  Tallapoosa  CIul),  and  Harlem  In- 
dependent Schutzen  Corps.  On  October  29,  1872,  he  married 
.Miss  Wilhelmina  Fuhr,  of  Manhattan,  the  result  of  this  union 
being  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  dead  and  five  living. 

WILLIAM  H.  BRANDT,  the  veteran  roofer  and  cornice 
manufacturer  of  the  Bron.x,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
September  25,  1847.  He  graduated  from  the  public  schools, 
and  at  the  opening  of  the  civil  war,  enlisted  as  a  drummer  boy 
in  the  Fifth  Regiment,  N.  G.,  of  New  York.  During  the 
threatened  occupation  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  by  General 
Lee,  he  served  there  with  his  regiment,  of  which  he  remained 
a  member  for  fourteen,  years.  Retiring  from  the  army,  he 
joined  his  father,  who  was  also  in  the  roof  and  cornice  busi- 
ness, and  learned  the  trade.  On  April  24th,  1869,  he  married 
Miss  Louise  Earth,  of  New  York  City,  and  started  business  on 
his  own  account  at  Crosby  and  Bleecker  Street,  and  in  1883,  he 
moved  the  business  to  the  Bronx,  where  he  has  met  with  ex- 
traordinary success.  In  1884  he  built  a  home  and  place  of 
business  on  the  corner  of  Third  Avenue  and  140th  Street,  but 
sold  this  property  in  1888,  and  purchased  No.  555  East  140th 
Street.  Mr.  Brandt's  services  as  a  roofer  and  cornice  manu- 
facturer, has  been  engaged  by  the  United  States  Government 
Light  House  Department  on  numerous  occasions.  He  superin- 
tended the  roofing  of  the  New  York  Po.st  Office  for  his  father, 
and  a  large  number  of  government  light  houses.  The  public 
school  house  at  Van  Nest,  the  public  school  house  at  176  Tremont 
Avenue,  and  over  500  of  the  most  prominent  residences  in  the 
Bronx,  have  been  exclusively  roofed  and  corniced  by  Mr. 
Brandt.  He  is  strictly  a  business  man,  no  affiliations  with  party 
afifairs,  clubs  or  organizations,  though  liberal  in  his  views  as  to 
matters  of  State  and  nation ;  is  a  member  of  the  Employers' 
Association.  He  lost  his  beloved  wife  August  22,  1899,  and 
in  April,  1904,  married  Miss  Mary  C.  Warring,  of  Philippsburgh, 


WHERE  THE  WORLD'S  BEST  INKS  ARE  MADE.— 
One  of  the  most  interesting  industries  carried  on  in  the  Bronx, 
though  probably  unknown  to  the  majority  of  its  inhabitants,  is 
represented  by  the  plant  of  the  Sigmund  UUman  Company  at 
140th  Street  and  Park  Avenue,  where  the  highest  grades  of 
printing  and  lithographic  inks  known  in  the  world  are  manu- 
factured in  astonishing  quantities.  This  enterprise  was  founded 
by  Mr.  Sigmund  Ullman,  still  the  active  head  of  the  company, 
in  1870,  when  he  began  the  importation  of  printing  and  litho- 
graphic inks  from  Germany,  although  he  had  for  a  number  of 
years  previously  been  an  importer  of  bronze  powders  and  metal 
leaf,  being,  in  fact,  the  first  one  to  engage  in  that  business  in  this 
country.  His  great  success  in  the  introduction  of  German  inks 
led  to  the  formation  of  a  partnership  between  Mr.  Ullman  and 
the  German  firm  with  whom  he  had  been  connected,  and  the 
German  printing  ink  industry  was  thus  transplanted  to  this 
country  by  the  erection  of  an  extensive  plant  in  Newark,  N.  J. 
This  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1897,  and  Mr.  Ullman  erected 
the  new  plant  at  146th  Street  and  Park  Avenue,  which  is  con- 
sidered the  model  printing  ink  factory  of  the  world.  Though 
built  on  only  ten  city  lots,  every  inch  of  space  is  so  well  utilized 
that  the  plant  has  double  or  triple  the  capacity  of  others  covering 
a  much  larger  area.  It  is  astonishing  to  visitors  to  see  the  neat- 
ness and  cleanliness  for  which  this  plant  is  noted,  especially  when 
it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  this  line  of  industry  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  very  dirtiest.  One  of  the  most  remarkable 
facts  in  connection  with  this  firm  is  that  while  Mr.  Sigmund 
Ullman  was  the  first  to  introduce  German  printing  inks  into  the 
United  States,  he  was  also  the  first  to  introduce  American 
printing  inks  into  Germany.  In  fact,  this  firm  has  so  revolu- 
tionized the  printing  ink  business  through  the  introduction  of 
their  doubletone  inks  and  ullnianines  that  in  every  part  of  the 
civilized  world  wherever  printing  is  done,  UUman's  printing  inks 
are  known  and  recognized  as  a  standard  of  excellence.  The 
plant  employs  for  power,  steam,  electricity  and  compressed  air. 
It  consists  in  not  only  of  an  ink  grinding  plant,  but  complete 
appliances  for  the  manufacture  of  varnishes,  dryers,  dry  colors, 
etc.,  which  are  the  raw  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  print- 
ing ink,  usually  bought  by  printing  ink  manufacturers.  The 
machinery  has  all  been  specially  devised  and  manufactured  for 
this  plant,  and  is  cooled  by  water  procured  from  specially  driven 
artesian  wells,  which  have  a  capacity  of  75,000  gallons  per  day. 
The  Sigmund  Ullman  Company  has  branches  downtown,  Chi- 
cago, Philadelphia,  Buffalo  and  Boston,  with  agencies  in  all 
the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States,  as  well  as  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  namely:  London,  Paris,  Berlin,  Stuttgart,  Ham- 
burg, Brussels,  Amsterdam,  Copenhagen,  Stockholm,  Christiana, 
Milan,  Lisbon,  Barcelona,  Madrid,  Constantinople,  Bombay,  Cal 
cutta,  Singapore,  Manila,  Shanghai,  Tokio,  Sydney,  Melbourne, 
Santiago,  Mexico  City,  Havana,  etc.  It  is  understood  that  this 
firm  now  contemplates  building  branch  factories  in  London, 
Paris  and  Berlin  in  order  to  properly  handle  the  ever-increas- 
ing European  business.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  more 
printers  through  the  world  use  Ullman's  inks  than  any  other 
brand. 


o 


u 

E 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


329 


THE  MUTUAL  MILK  AND  CREAM  CO.,  producers  and 
wholesale  dealers  in  tlie  finest  quality  of  daily  products,  have 
an  extensive  branch  office  in  the  Bronx  with  main  offices  at  Nos. 
322,  324  and  326  East  103d  Street.  They  supply  the  residents 
of  the  Bronx  with  the  pure  lacteal  fluid  to  a  greater  and  larger 
extent  than  any  similar  firm  in  the  Greater  City.  The  health 
of  every  community  is  of  the  greatest  importance  and  one  of 
the  first  essentials  to  that  end  is  the  purity  of  the  milk  and  cream 
which  is  consumed.  The  product  of  the  Mutual  Milk  and  Creain 
Company  is  gathered  from  the  choicest  sections  of  this  part  of 
the  country  and  a  rigid  inspection  is  made  of  all  dairies  where 
the  milk  is  taken,  sampled  and  tested  before  it  is  shipped  to 
New  York  City.  Tlie  company  was  incorporated  in  1898  and 
handled  about  1,300  cans  of  milk.  To-day  the  output  is  nearly 
3,000  cans.     The  Bronx  branch  is  situated  at  Nos.  602-60S  East 


I42d  Street,  where  the  company  has  erected  a  splendid  modern 
building,  and  equipped  it  with  every  device  for  the  sanitary  hand- 
ling of  its  milk  and  cream.  8he  milk  and  cream  arrives 
every  morning  from  the  Berkshires  on  the  Highland  Division  of 
the  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  ?uid  also  on  the  Harlem 
and  Putnam  Division  of  the  New  York  Central.  The  company 
employs  about  125  men  in  the  city  and  fully  as  many  more  in 
the  country,  where  the  milk  and  cream  is  taken.  The  officers 
of  the  company  are  as  follows:  Charles  Hank,  president;  John 
Krooss.  vice-president ;  Charles  Va^ihof,  Jr.,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer; J.  N.  Hannahs,  superintendent.  The  directors:  Charles 
Hank,  Charles  Vanhof,  Jr.,  J.  H.  Paul,  Val.  Geis,  R.  E.  Westcott, 
J.  Krooss,  J.  N.  Mannahs,  S.  Hopper,  H.  Arnstein,  M.  Hallman, 
M.  H.  Ullman,  The  company  has  recently  added  another  fea- 
ture to  its  large  business,  viz.,  a  sanitary,  pastureizing  and  bottling 
plant  at  No.  321   East  I02d  Street. 


Carnegie  Library,  Alexander  Avenue  and  140th  Sticet 


ALPHONSE    W.    WEINER 


JACOB    STAHL,    JR 


HENRY    ROSENBERG 


RICHARD    PURLONO 


CHAPTER  XLIV 


PROMINENT  MEN  OF  AFFAIRS 


Who  Have  Made  Their  Mark  in  the  Annals  of  this  Progressive  Borough 


JOHN  CHARLES  WALWOKTII.— Ihis  gentleman  is  dis- 
tinguished among  residents  of  tlic  Bionx  as  the  head  of  the 
Walworth  School,  634-638  East  i^gth  Stieet,  one  of  the  noted 
educational  insti'iitions  of  that  division  of  the  city.  He  is  presi 
dtnt  and  owner  of  that  cstabli:-hn"ent,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest 
schools  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States.  This  business  school 
has  equipped  for  the  Ixitlle  of  life  many  of  our  best  and  mo.^t 
successful  metropolitan  business  men.  The  Walworth  School  is 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  this  luiniugh.  if  not  in  New  York,  hav- 
ing between  four  and  five  hundred  students  yearly.  They  receive 
instruction  in  stenography,  typewriting,  bookkeeping,  penman- 
ship and  other  studies,  fitting  them  for  the  best  situations  in 
business   offices.     Mr.    Walworth    was   born   in   New   York   City, 


JOHN    CHARLES    WALWORTH 

.■\ugust  18.  1870.  He  rccLived  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  the  Willson  and  Walworth  College.  On  leaving 
school  he  adopted  teaching  as  a  vocation,  and  he  has  been,  as 
we  have  intimated,  highly  successful  in  it.  He  is  the  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Commercial  School  Principals'  Association 
of  New  \  ork,  of  which  association  he  was  the  founder.  He  is 
also  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Education  of  the  North  Side 
Board  of  Trade,  and  one  of  the  governors  of  the  First  Ward 
Republican  Club  of  New  Rochelle,  in  which  city,-  with  his  family, 
be  resides.  He  was  married,  in  1895,  to  Miss  Jessie  Viola  Mo- 
sher.  They  have  had  three  children,  Lemoine  C.  (deceased), 
Chester  A.  and  Mead. 


GEORGE  W.  BIRD,  the  energetic  and  successful  proprie- 
tor of  the  Bron.x  Borough  Business  Institute,  located  in  the 
hafifen  Building,  over  the  Dollar  Savings  Bank,  at  Third  and 
Vvillis  Avenues  and  148th  Street,  is  a  man  who  has  gone  through 
the  very  sort  of  experience  his  pupils  are  likely  to  encounter, 
and  thus  is  especially  fitted  to  pilot  them  into  business  ways. 
He  was  born  September  17,  1870,  in  the  old  Ninth  Ward  of 
New  York.  He  is  of  good  old  native  stock;  his  great-grand- 
father fought  ill  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Bird  passed  through  the 
public  schools  of  the  city  and  attended  the  College  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  but  was  obliged  to  leave  it  before  completing  his 
course  on  account  of  illness.  During  five  years  thereafter  he 
held  various  positions — salesman  in  a  dairy,  real  estate  agent,  in- 
surance agent  and  so  on  ;  but  having  little  taste  for  these  occu- 
pations he  decided  to  take  a  course  in  a  business  college.  He 
graduated  from  the  New  York  Business  Institute  in  1893,  and 
accepted  a  posiiion  wi.h  the  Liberty  Rubber  Shoe  Co.  of  New 
York.  Having  at  the  time  a  strong  desire  to  teach  stenography 
he  volunteered  his  services  at  night  in  the  school  from  which 
■.e  had  graduated,  free  of  charge.  1  his  he  did  lor  one  year 
and  then  was  employed  on  salary,  in  this  same  school,  for  both 
the  day  and  evening  sessions.  Here  he  continued  five  years. 
In  1900  there  was  not  a  business  school  of  any  kind  above  the 
Harlem  River  below  Yonkers  and  Mt.  Vernon.  Mr.  Bird  saw 
the  need  of  one  and  accordingly  established  himself  in  the  Smith 
Building,  next  door  to  where  he  now  is.  He  started  in  a  most 
humble  way  with  a  single  student  (and  that  a  free  scholarship), 
one  typewriler,  one  table,  fix  chairs  and  a  small  desk.  Capital 
for  it  being  lucking  he  did  but  little  advertising,  substituting  for 
it  a  personal  canvass.  Success  gradually  attended  his  efforts. 
The  first  year  he  graduated  27 ;  the  second  56 ;  the  third  100,  and 
the  fourth  140.  The  first  year  he  taught  typewriting  and  short- 
hand only,  but  the  second  he  was  obliged  to  introduce  book- 
keeping to  satisfy  the  demand.  His  school  has  been  built  up 
more  by  the  recommendation  of  graduates  than  through  adver- 
tising. It  employs  only  practical  teachers.  It  is  endorsed  by 
leading  business  men  and  educators  of  the  Bronx,  who  gladly 
employ  its  graduates.  Mr.  Bird  has  never  guaranteed  positions 
and  makes  few  promises,  endeavoring  simply  to  teach  thor- 
oughly ;  but  he  has  been  unable  sometimes  to  supply  the  demand 
on  him  for  help.  When,  in  September,  1902,  he  moved  into 
his  present  place,  a  whole  floor  was  fitted  up  especially  for  the 
business.  The  subjects  taught  are  shorthand,  typewriting,  office 
practice,  spelling,  bookkeeping,  penmanship,  business  corre- 
spondence, arithmetic,  rapid  calculation  and  commercial  law  and 
mechanical  drawing.  Mr.  Bird  is  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Trade  Needs  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  also  of  the 
Prospect  Avenue  M.  E.  Church.  He  married  in  1897,  Miss 
Fannie  L.  Lyon.  The  first  year  of  his  venture  in  the  school, 
his  wife  worked  with  him  hand  in  hand. 


GEORGE  GARDNER  ROCKWOOD 


GEORGE    W.    BIRD 


EDWARD     ROWAN 


RUDOLPH    E.    STOECKEL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


333 


JOSEPH  P.  LIEBERTZ,  formerly  Deputy  Commissioner 
of  the  Department  of  Street  Cleaning,  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
was  born  in  New  York  City  June  24,  1857.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  the  city  until  the  age  of  14,  when  he  entered 
into  the  employ  of  the  famous  jewelry  house  of  Tiffany  &  Co., 
where  his  services  were  so  valuable  to  the  firm.  He  was  in  the 
cashier's  aepartment,  which  position  he  retained  for  twenty-si '< 
years.  A  testimonial  to  his  ability,  fidelity  and  unimpeachable 
integrity   was   given   to   him   by   the   firm   after   he   tendered   his 


JOSEPH     P.    LIEBERTZ 

resignation  to  accept  the  position  of  Deputy  Commissiouer  of 
Street  Cleaning  in  1898,  where  he  served  with  strict  fidehty  until 
April,  190J,  when  he  accepted  his  present  position  with  the 
Knickerbocker  Trust  Co.,  at  149th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 
On  March  28,  1875,  Mr.  Liebertz  married  Miss  Annie  Francis 
Hart,  of  New  York  City,  the  result  of  tliis  union  being  seven 
children,  three  of  whom  are  decea.scd,  and  four  living,  viz:. 
Marguerite  A.,  Loretta  H..  William  J.,  and  James  F.  Liebertz. 
The  rise  and  progress  of  Mr.  Liebertz's  business  career  has  been 
marked  with  wonderful  success,  owing  to  the  close  application 
that  he  has  always  applied  to  all  of  the  many  positions  of  trust 
that  he  has  from  time  to  time  occupied.  Starting  in  with  Tif- 
fany &  Co.,  as  an  uncouth  lad,  he  directed  his  attention  to  the 
absolute  obedience  of  orders  from  his  employers,  and  as  he  grew 
up,  familiarized  himself  with  all  the  many  intricate  details  of  this 
great  establishment,  and  to  such  a  successful  issue  that  his 
abilities  and  masterly  qualifications  were  so  appreciated  by  the 
firm,  they  were  nnly  tcm  gratified  to  reward  him  with  the  highest 
jiosition  of  tru^t  in  the  greatest  jewelry  firm  i>n  tbi-^  contincm. 
These  spurs  were  wnn  by  hard  and  diligent  pursuit  and  by  faith- 
ful performance  of  all  duties  required  of  him.  In  connection 
with  his  important  duties  with  the  Knickerbocker  Trust  Co.,  Mr. 
Liebertz  is  Treasurer  of  the  Bronx  Ice  Consumers'  Co.,  Treas- 
urer  of   the   Sound    View   Land   and    Improvcnient   Co.,   Treas- 


urer of  the  Neptune  Bathing  Co.,  and  for  the  past  14  years 
financial  secretary  of  the  well  known  Schnorer  Club  of  the 
Bronx.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Augustine's  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  the  Democratic  Club  of  New  York  City,  and  the  Talla- 
poosa Club. 

HERMAN  BOTH,  manufacturer  of  awnings  and  shades, 
at  947  and  948  East  161  st  Street,  leader  in  that  line  in  the  bor- 
ough, is  a  native  of  Germany.  He  was  born  September  26, 
1845.  For  fourteen  of  his  earlier  years — during  the  war  and  a 
year  or  two  after  it — he  led  a  seafaring  life  on  a  sailing  vessel, 
but  abandoned  that  in  1872  and  then  took  up  the  sliade  and 
awning  line.  He  worked  at  that  until  1889  and  then  started 
in  business  on  his  own  account,  locating  himself  at  947  East 
161  st  Street  and  prospering  so  that  in  a  very  short  time  he  was 
compelled  to  enlarge  his  business,  which  he  did  by  taking  for  that 
purpose  948  East  l6ist  Street.  Mr.  Both  is  a  Democrat,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Jefferson  Club,  the  Woodstock  Pleasure  Club,  the 
Schleswig  Holstfin  Club  and  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  Church. 
He  married  April  12,  1872,  Miss  Elizabeth  Muhs  and  has  nine 
children  living.  Four  sons  are  engaged  with  him  in  the  business. 
I'his  is  the  twenty-ninth  year  of  his  residence  in  the  borough. 

AUGUSTUS  GARIESS,  JR.,  paying  teller  of  the  Harlem 
Savings  Bank,  and  general  appraiser  of  Bronx  real  estate,  was 
born  at  Harlem,  New  York  City,  on  February  25,  1867,  residing 
at  Bedford  Park,  Bronx,  and  was  educated  at  the  public  schools 
in  the  Bronx.  ,For  thirty-seven  years  he  has  been  a  resident 
I  if  the  Bronx,  and  is  widely  known  and  highly  respected  for  his 
integrity  and  usefulness  as  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  in  the 
borough.     Ills  business  qualifications  arc  of  the  highest  order  and 


AUGUSTUS    GARIESS,    JR. 

:.re  so  recognized  by  the  ofiicers  of  the  well  known  financial  insti- 
tion  for  whicli  he  is  the  paying  teller.  In  April.  1888,  Mr.  Gariess 
married  Miss  Barbara  Smith,  an  estimable  and  highly  cultured 
young  lady,  and  this  union  has  resulted  in  two  children,  namely : 
Augu.stus  and  Frederick  Gariess.  Mr.  Gariess  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  but  has  never  aspired  to  public  office.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  Harlem  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Sylvan 
Chapter,  Constantine  Commandery,  the  Mystic  Shrine,  North 
Side  Board  of  Trade,  and  the  Schnorer  Club. 


ANTON    RAOETTE 


ALBERT    L.    V/YMAN 


T.    GERALD    STEARNS 


T.     GERALD    STEARNS    IN    SEVENTH    REGIMENT    UNIFORM 


II 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


335 


MICHAEL  WOHN  was  born  in  New  York  City  August  6. 
1851,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  For  the  past 
twenty-three  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Bronx  Borough, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business.  Mr.  Wohn  is  a 
member  of  Guiding  Star  Lodge.  F.  and  A.  M.,  L  O.  O.  F..  A.  O. 
V.  W. ,  the  Schnorer,  .Arion  and  Liederlafcl  Clubs.  He  was 
married  August  26,  1871,  and  has  four  children,  viz. :  Margarelta, 
George,  John  and  Frederick,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

JOSEPH  CHARLES  LEE,  a  Boniface  of  the  Bronx  and 
a  native,  was  born  in  Hoflfman  Street,  Fordham.  April  19,  1864. 
He  attended  the  Primary  Public  School  No.  48  at  Hoffman 
Street,  Fordham  and  graduated  at  Grammar  School  No.  64  on 
Webster  Avenue,  Fordham.  He  afterwards  took  a  classical 
course  at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  His  profession 
Ims  always  been  lliat  of  "Mine  Host"  and  be  has  catered  to  the 
public  taste  for  a  great  many  years,  particularly  in  Fordham, 
where  his  hostelry  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  popular  .)f 
the  old  but  growing  centres  of  the  northern  part  of  the  Bronx. 
He  is  democratic  in  his  political  faith  and  is  a  member  of  a  large 
number  of  organizations,  religious,  social  and  political.  He  is 
prominently  identified  with  all  the  orders  of  the  Church  of  Our 
Lady  of  Mercy,  Fordham,  organizer  and  captain  of  the  Belmont 
Baseball  Club,  the  Belmont  Social,  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hiber- 
nians, the  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men,  the  Clan  na  Gael  So- 
ciety, Tallapoosa  Club,  Jefferson  Club,  Seneca  Club,  A.  Murphy 
Association,  P.  H.  Lennon  Association,  Liquor  Dealers'  Union 
and  Navajo  Club.  On  October  12,  i88g,  he  married  Mary  Jose- 
phine Cabin,  of  Ireland,  and  has  an  interesting  family  of  five 
children,  namely,  Joseph,  Patrick  Lee,  Ernest  Vincent,  Donald 
Kiissa  and  John  Francis.  Percy,  another  son,  died  a  few  years 
ago. 

FREDERICK  WILLIAM  McCULLOUGH,  the  general 
newspaper  distributor  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  of  all  the 
evening  editions  of  the  majority  of  the  afternoon  papers  of 
Greater  New  York,  was  born  in  New  York  City  February  2\. 
1873.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  in  a  butcher  and  grocery 
store  for  a  short  period  at  a  very  nominal  salary.  In  1889  he 
opened  a  news-stand  in  the  Bronx  for  the  sale  of  daily  papers. 
Naturally  a  hustler,  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  established  a 
large  patronage  of  local  purchasers,  and  an  exclusive  profitable 
delivery  route  of  both  morning  and  evening  editions.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  iSijo,  he  was  enterprising  enough  to  make  a  con- 
tract with  several  of  the  evening  paper  managers  of  Greater 
New  York,  to  take  absolute  control  of  the  distribution  of  their 
editions  throughout  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  This  turned  out 
not  to  be  very  easy  sailing  to  young  McCullough,  for  the  great 
.'\nierican  News  Company,  that  controls  all  of  the  various  pub- 
iications  of  the  country,  took  umbrage  at  the  bold  move  of  Mr. 
McCullough,  as  an  invader  upon  their  personal  rights,  and  euni- 
nienced  proceedings  against  him,  to  destroy  his  rights  and  privi- 
leges. They  endeavored  to  control  the  Bronx  distribution  of 
evening  editions;  the  fight  was  a  long  and  bitter  contest,  and 
was  met  with  a  firm  and  resolute  determination  by  young  McCul- 
lough, who  finally  defeated  the  wealthy  corporation,  and  is  now 
in  full  control  and  absolute  master  of  the  distribution  of  all  the 
evening  editions  of  the  New  York  papers.  Beginning  fifteen  years 
ago  as  a  news  dealer,  supplying  papers  in  a  small  area  of  terri- 
tory, between  1.53d  and  I4,vl  Street-,  from  Third  Avenue  to 
the  Sound,  it  now  extends  throughnnl  the  entire  Bronx.  Pluck, 
energy,  integrilv  and  a  determination  to  succeed,  has  been  the  cul- 
mination of  Mr,  McCullough's  success.     Unmarried,  he  has  re- 


sided with  his  mother,  Mrs.  Mary  McCullough,  at  No.  366 
Willis  /vvenue,  for  the  past  fourteen  years,  a  daughter  of  Wni. 
Coalter,  a  well-known  merchant  of  Enniskillen,  County  Fer- 
managh, Ireland.  His  father,  Wm.  G.  McCullough,  was  a  well- 
known  real  estate  broker  of  this  city,  died  several  years  ago,  was 
a  son  of  John  McCullough,  of  Bainbridge,  Ireland.  Two  sisters. 
Rebecca  and  Helen,  and  one  brother,  John  Scott  McCullough, 
constitute  the  family  of  this  enterprising  and  progressive  young 
man.  He  is  a  Methodist,  and  a  member  of  the  North  Side  Re- 
publican Club. 

RICHARD  FURLONG,  of  the  well  known  firm  of  Furlon-^ 
&  Furlong,  manufacturers  of  cornices  and  skylights  in  the  Bor- 
ough of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Long  Island  City  April  4,  i86,ij 
At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  came  to  the  Bronx,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  the  public  schools,  and  for  the  past  thirty  years  has 
I'een  a  resident  here.  Mr.  Furlong  started  in  liusintss  a  \ery 
young  man,  and  by  his  practical  methods  and  indefatigable  in- 
dustry has  increased  his  manufacturing  interests  to  such  an  ex 
tent  that  he  stands  at  the  head  of  the  roofing,  cornice  and  sky- 
light business  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  His  facilities  for 
executing  large  and  small  contracts  arc  so  complete  that  he  has 
the  entire  confidence  of  the  largest  builders,  construction  com- 
panies and  managers  of  estates  throughout  Greater  New  York  ; 
his  promptness  to  carry  out  all  contracts  made  by  him,  accordinj; 
to  specifications  and  plans,  and  to  furnish  the  best  material  em- 
ployed in  roofing,  cornice  work  or  skylights,  and  to  execute  the 
same  in  a  workmanlike  and  mechanical  manner,  has  made  for 
Mr.  Furlong  a  distinguished  reputation,  and  is  the  prime  cause  of 
his  rapid  success  in  the  business.  He  was  married  nn  June  u. 
1S92,  to  Miss  Alice  C.  Turnbull,  of  Westchester,  whose  family 
were  among  the  old  .'^ettlers  of  the  latter  place,  and  has  one 
child,  named  Richard  Roy.  Mr.  Furlong  has  no  political  affilia- 
tions, as  he  is  too  much  engaged  attending  to  the  numerous  de- 
tails of  his  extensive  business  affairs.  FIc  is  a  member  of  the 
Builduig  Trades  Employers'  organization,  the  Schnorer  Club, 
the  Merry  Imvc.  Masonic  Order,  Lily  Lodge,  No.  34J,  Iv  &  .A.  M.. 
Ivy  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Constantine  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  Mecca 
Temple  of  the  A.  A.  O.  M.  N.  S. 

HENRY  ROSENBERG,  sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
Metropolis  Theatre,  i\2d  Street  and  Third  Avenue.  Borough 
of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Westphalia,  Germany,  September  24, 
1853,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1866.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Baltimore  and  is  a  graduate  of  Peabody  Col- 
lege of  Baltimore.  In  1879  he  became  a  clerk  for  his  father, 
who  condatted  n  large  saddlery  and  harness  liusiness,  finalbi 
was  taken  into  partnership  and  after  his  father's  death  he  re- 
tired from  the  business  in  1889  and  came  to  New  York  City, 
where  he  entered  into  the  theatrical  business  as  treasurer  of  the 
Harlem  Opera  House,  and  after  six  months'  service  became  the 
general  manager  of  Oscar  Flammerstein's  entire  theatrical  enter- 
prises— the  Harlem  Opera  House,  Columbus  Theatre,  now  known 
as  Proctor's,  the  Olympia,  now  the  New  York,  and  the  Criterion 
Theatre.  In  the  fall  of  1899  Mr.  Rosenberg  concluded  to  enter 
into  business  on  his  own  account  and  turned  his  attention  to 
the  Metropolis  Theatre  in  the  Bronx,  wdiich  was  built  in  1896, 
and  for  one  year  following  all  of  its  production  were  absolute 
failures  as  an  attraction  to  the  public  and  it  became  a  literal  drug 
on  the  market.  Mr.  Rosenberg,  fully  aware  of  these  conditions, 
leased  the  theatre  and  opened  with  "Old  Kentucky,"  in  which 
be  scored  the  firs;  hit  made  during  the  theatre's  e.xi.stence.  The 
people  of  the  Bronx  and  all  the  suburban  villages  north  of  the 


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WILLIAM    ANTON    WALDEYER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


337 


Bronx,  realized  that  a  new  and  inspiring  representative  of  the 
drama  had  come  amongst  them,  who  was  equipped  with  the 
genius  of  a  thorough  and  practical  manager  who  would  elevate 
the  profession  he  advanced  and  would  resurrect  the  Metropolis 
Theatre  from  its  lethargy  into  one  of  the  leading  playhouses 
of  the  Greater  City.  In  igoo  Mr.  Rosenberg  purchased  the 
property  and  has  from  time  to  time  made  a  number  of  vahiable 
and  necessary  improvements.  The  theatre  proper  is  situated  on 
I42d  Street  and  Third  and  Alexander  Avenues,  with  an  en- 
trance on  both  of  the  latter  avenues,  and  twenty-four  exits 
leading  to  the  street ;  besides  there  are  large,  commodious  and 
elegantly  fitted  ball  and  lodge  rooms  and  underneath  the  ^ruc- 
ture  is  a  cloak  room,  rathskeller  and  restaurant,  a  perfect  boudoir, 
a  virtual  bower  of  roses,  fitted  up  in  a  style  that  for  its  cuisine  and 
attractiveness  is  second  to  no  other  of  the  famous  rathskellars  of 
Greater  New  York.  From  his  first  opening  in  "Old  Kentucky" 
his  success  has  been  unprecedented.  The  people  of  the  great 
borough  discovered  that  Mr.  Rosenberg  knew  how  to  please  and 
entertain  them  and  this  generous  public  has  responded  liberally 
to  his  untiring  efforts  to  give  them  continuously  the  best  talent 


secretary  of  the  Bruckner  Association;  a  member  of  the  Eugene 
McGuire  Association,  of  the  Osceola  Club,  the  Elsmere  Club,  the 
Eagles,  the  Elks  and  the  "Gentlemen's  Sons."  He  married,  in 
1895,  Miss  Minnie  Buxton.  They  have  three  children,  Edward, 
Harry  and  Helen. 

PHILIPP  HOFFMANN.— In  this  gentleman  we  have  a 
type  of  that  solid,  sturdy  and  substantial  German  element  of  the 
population  of  the  Bronx,  whose  industry  and  energy  has  con- 
duced so  much  to  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  borough, 
and  from  which  class  so  many  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  the 
district  have  come.  Mr.  Hoffmann  is  not  an  official  or  politi- 
cian ;  it  is  as  a  business  man  he  is  best  known.  He  has  been  a 
resident  seven  years,  successfully  engaged  during  that  time  in 
the  delicatessen  line.  His  place  of  business  is  at  746  Tremont 
Avenue.  He  was  born  in  Germany  January  8,  i860,  and  re- 
ceived his  schooling  there.  He  came  to  this  country  in  the  year 
1886.  He  married.  May  14,  1886,  Miss  Mary  Schuster.  They 
have  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  Emilie  and  Philipp.  He  is 
in  short,  a  representative  citizen  and  business  man. 


Metropolis  Theatre,    I42d  Street  and  Third  Avenue 


and  the  leading  order  of  plays  produced  on  the  stage  during 
the  regular  seasons.  His  rise  and  successful  progress  is  the 
result  of  his  great  executive  ability,  his  high  order  of  talent,  and 
the  practical  and  systematic  methods  he  employs  in  the  conduct 
of  his  theatrical  enterprises.  Among  the  profession  he  enjoys 
the  same  popularity  that  he  does  with  the  people  of  the  Bronx, 
and  he  is  so  highly  regarded  by  the  former  that  it  is  the  general 
feeling  amongst  them  that  he  is  one  of  the  brightest,  successful 
.•!iid  most  particular  stars  in  the  firmament  of  the  managerial  theat- 
rical profession  of  the  Greater  City.  Mr.  Rosenberg  was  married  in 
1881  to  Miss  Anna  Hammerstein  and  has  three  sons,  Leo,  Walter 
and  Jerome  Rosenberg.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  is 
an  active  member  of  St.  Cecil  Lodge,  No.  305,  F.  and  A.  M. 

EDW.'KRD  T.  HAUCK,  a  Bronxite  of  sixteen  years  stand- 
ing, hails  originally  from  the  peaceful  city  of  Brotherly  Love; 
in  other  words,  Billy  Penn's  town,  Philadelphia,  and  there  also 
he  attended  school.  He  is  proprietor  of  the  cafe  at  3042  Third 
Avenue  and  is6th  Street.     He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  live  one;  is 


JOHN  P.  GARNISS. — This  gentleman  has  been  a  resident 
of  New  York,  "off  and  on,"  as  the  saying  is,  since  1852,  a  mat- 
ter of  fifty-three  years.  He  has  lived  continuously  in  the  me- 
tropolis or  its  environs  forty-three  years  of  that  time,  and  in 
the  Bronx,  without  change,  since  1874.  To  say  that  he  is  well 
known  in  the  borough  seems,  under  the  circumstances,  a  matter 
of  supererogation ;  equally  so  to  add  that  he  is  a  man  higldy 
esteemed  and  respected.  Mr.  Garniss  was  born  May  28,  1842, 
in  Troy,  N.  Y.  He  first  came  to  New  York  City  as  a  boy  of  ten 
in  1852.  He  removed  as  a  youth  then  to  Hagerstown,  Md., 
then,  as  now,  a  place  of  distinction  as  an  educational  center,  and 
attended  the  Hagerstown  Academy  until  1859,  graduating  that 
year.  He  returned  to  this  city  about  three  years  later,  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Mt.  Vernon  soon  after.  From  1862  until 
1874  he  followed  the  sea.  In  1874,  as  we  have  said,  he  moved 
into  the  Bronx,  and  established  himself  in  his  present  occupation, 
that  of  undertaker  and  funeral  director.  Mr.  Garniss  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  but  has  never  held  office.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Tremont,  also  deacon  of 
the   same;   a   Free  Mason   of  Guiding  Star  Lodge  No.   .56.3;   an 


EDWARD    T.    HAUCK 


PHILIPP    HOFFMANN 


JOHN    P.    GARNISS 


WILLIAM     MCELLICOTT 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


339 


Odd  Fellow  of  Morrisania  Lodge  No.   171;  member  also  of  the      about  ten  years  and  then  for  four  years  was  Superintendent  for 


A.  O.  U.  W.,  Tremont  Lodge  No.  238,  and  of  the  Royal  Ar 
canum  at  Fordham,  Council  No.  1412.  He  married,  September 
21,  1&72,  Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Haight.  They  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, two,,  Louise  and  May.  now  dead,  and  one,  Florence  A, 
now  Mrs.   H.   M.  Jack'^fu,   living. 


JOHN  ADAM  MOEBUS,  undertaker  and  liveryman,  of 
698  Courtlandt  Avenue,  was  born  in  New  York  City  July  .y, 
1879.  He  has  lived  here  all  his  life,  is  a  public  school  graduate, 
and  supplemented  that  with  a  course  in  Walworth's  Business  In- 
stitute. He  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  a  politician,  confining  his  ac- 
tivities instead  strictly  to  business.  He  is  a  meni'ber  of  Napthali 
Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  of  the  Harmonic  Singing  Society,  and 
a  member  of  the  Association  of  Exempt  Firemen's  Sons  of  the 
23d  and  24th  Wards.  Mr.  Moebus  married.  May  10,  1900, 
Fredericka  Herdt.  They  have  had  two  children,  but  both  arc 
dead.  His  business  is  an  old  one;  he  is  his  father's  successor 
in  it. 

WILLL\M  McELLTGOTT,  Manager  Bronx  and  West- 
chester Agencies,  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society,  with  offices 
in  Smith  Building.  148th  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  is  a  man  of 
extensive  experience  in  his  line;  a  live  man  and  a  hustler.  His 
business  associates  know  him  as  a  conscientious  life  insurance 
underwriter,  and  a  strict  manager  of  agents.  He  has  been  living 
and  doing  business  in  the  Bronx  for  ten  years  or  more,  and  is 
a  member  of  many  clubs  and  society  organizations.  To  know 
him  is  to  respect  and  like  him.. 

CHARLES  KUNTZE,  who  was  elected  .Mderman  on  the 
M.  O.  L.  ticket  at  the  election  of  1905,  by  a  plurality  of  900  over 
Alderman  Dougherty,  and  3,300  over  John  H.  Watt,  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  M.  O.  L.  in  the  34th  District,  North  Side, 
and  one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  workers  in  that  move- 
ment. He  lives  at  732  East  146th  Street,  and  is  engaged  in  the 
painting  and  decorating  business  at  1733  Park  Avenue.  In  busi- 
ness, as  in  politics,  he  is  a  hustling,  energetic  and  self-made  man. 
Mr.  Kuntze  was  born  in  Germany  October  24,  1870,  but  came  to 
this  country  at  an  early  age — at  16  in  point  of  fact.  His  first 
employment  was  in  the  line  he  follows  at  present,  with  Z.  Parish, 
Wheeler  &   Co.,  Union   Sqaure.     He  remained   with   that   house 


the  J.  C.  Lyons  Buildmg  Co.,  and  then  embarked  in  business 
on  his  own  account.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  since 
1895.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  the  Schweitzer 
Mannerchor  and  the  Rheinischer  Saenger  Bund  and  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  M.  O.  L.  in  this  the  34th  District.  He 
married  in  1895,  Miss  Lena  Handler.  They  have  two  children 
living,  Elsa  and  Charles,  both  of  whom  are  attending  public 
school   No.  27. 

JAMES  CARRIGAN  is  general  superintendent  of  the 
l^nion  Railroad  Company.  He  has  been  forty  years  identified 
with  that  concern,  beginning  in  youth  as  driver  on  the  old  Har- 
lem Bridge,  Morrisania  and  Fordham  Railway  line,  and  rising  by 
liard  work  and  honest  service  through  the  various  grades  be- 
tween. He  was  born  in  Fordham  June  24,  1845.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  burg,  then  a  separate 
settlement.  He  has  had  a  residence  in  the  borough  during  an 
unbroken  period.  Politically  a  Democrat,  he  has  never  held 
('ffice,  but  has  taken  active  part  as  a  railroad  man  in  the  ad- 
\,-^ncement  of  the  borough.  As  a  resident  himself  of  Southern 
Boulevard  (No.  2335),  he  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  the 
•  ievelopment  of  the  transit  system  in  that  part  of  the  borough. 
He  married,  February  12,  1867,  Miss  Jane  Walker.  They  have 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  four,  Thomas  W.,  William,  Harry 
rind  Seraphnn,  are  living;  the  others,  Eftie,  Alexander  and  James, 
deceased.  Mr.  Carrigan  belongs  to  but  one  organization,  the 
fraternal  order  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W. 

HARRY  HEILMANN,  wholesale  butcher,  was  the  first  to 
open  an  independent  establishment — that  is,  to  enter  into  compe- 
tition with  the  combine — in  the  Bronx.  This  he  did  at  2863 
Third  Avenue  in  1893.  He  was  successful  in  this  venture  and 
now  has  trade  all  over  the  borough.  Mr.  Heilmann  is  a  native. 
He  was  born  here  in  New  York  in  1871.  His  father  was  in  this 
same  line  before  him — for  some  forty  years  or  more — and  built, 
long  ago.  the  first  uptown  slaughterhouse.  His  father-in-law 
built  the  first  brick  house  in  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Heilmann  is  an 
independent  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the 
Mohican  Club,  and,  as  we  have  hinted,  a  man  of  family.  He 
married,  March  23,  1897,  Miss  Amelia  Fritz.  They  have  had 
two  children,  one  of  whom,  George,  is  living;  the  other,  Edna, 
deceased. 

JACOB  SEABOLD,  who  was  clerk  in  the  Surrogate's 
oilice,  and  in  the  Building  Department,  Deputy  Commissioner 
of  Street  Cleaning,  under  Commissioner  Coleman,  and  Deputy 
Commissioner  of  Street  Improvements,  under  Commissioner 
Hafifen,  is  a  native  of  Yorkville,  but  was  a  resident  of  the 
Bronx  for  years.  He  was  born  in  1843  and  attended  the  public 
schools  in  his  youth,  and  the  Hudson  River  Institute.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Amsterdam  Club,  the  Central  Demo- 
cratic Club,  the  Harlem  Democratic  and  Osceola  Clubs  and 
ihc  Wawayanda  Fishing  Club  and  Knig-hts  of  St.  Patrick.  He 
married  September  I.  1870,  Miss  Catherine  Schaaf  and  has  two 
children   living,    Rosa   B..   and    Henry   W. 

FREDERICK  LOHBAUER,  the  famous  caterer  and  origi- 
nal proprietor  of  Lohbauer's  Park,  .Westchester,  who  died  Febru- 
ary 3,  1904.  was  born  August  9,  1853,  at  Mindershiem,  near 
Ludwigshafen,  Germany,  and  was  educated  there.  He  learned 
the  brewer's  trade  and  after  he  emigrated  to  New  York  City  he 
secured  the  position  of  brewmaster  with  John  F.  Betz,  whom  he 
served  so  faithfully  and  with  such  success  that  he  was  tendered 
a    large    increase   of    salary   by   the    well    known    brewer    Peter 


CHARLES    KUNTZE 


JAMES    CARRICAN 


JACOB    SEABOLD 


HARRY     HEILMANN 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Ul 


Buckel,  to  take  full  charge  of  his  establishment  as  brewmaster, 
which  he  accepted  and  for  a  long  term  served  in  this  capacity, 
increasing  largely  the  quality  and  tlie  strength  of  the  beer,  which 
gave  the  name  of  Buckel's  beer  such  an  impetus  that  Mr.  Buck- 
el's  trade  was  largely  and  most  profitably  developed.  In  1890 
he  came  to  Westchester  and  opened  a  hotel  at  Throgg's  Neck, 
and  in  1896  opened  the  well  known  resort  called  to-day  Loh- 
bauer's  Park,  in  its  desires  for  open  air  amusements,  picnics, 
shore  dinners  and  all   manner  of  summer  outings,   in  which  he 


FREDERICK    LOHEAUER 

recognized  that  the  people  of  the  great  city  were  so  familiar 
with  and  so  generally  interested  in.  It  was  at  this  time  that  he 
exhibited  his  superior  ability,  keen  judgment  and  practical  ideas 
in  the  selection  of  a  grand  location  that  would  be  free  from  all 
obstructions  as  to  the  interruption  of  his  guests  and  in  the  mean- 
time provide  them  with  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of 
the  salt  water  air  and  boundless  room  for  their  sports  and 
games,  with  all  other  privileges  so  much  desired  for  the  pleas- 
ures of  a  grand  outing.  He  therefore  leased  what  has  now 
become  famous  throughout  Greater  New  York  and  widely  known 
as  Lohbauer's  Park,  Westchester.  After  leasing  the  park  the 
Country  Club  commenced  proceedings  against  the  estate  to 
which  the  park  belonged  to  oust  Mr.  Lohbauer;  this  litigation 
continued  until  three  months  after  the  death  of  the  latter,  and 
was  decided  in  favor  of  the  estate,  which  left  Mr.  Lohbauer's 
widow  in  full  control  of  the  park,  which  she  continues  to  con- 
duct on  the  same  lines  as  her  husband  previously  did.  He  was 
a  gentleman  of  very  striking  personality,  endowed  with  wonder- 
ful executive  ability  and  generosity;  he  was  a  keen  student  of 
human  nature  and  was  known  to  all  the  thousands  of  people 
with  whom  it  was  his  business  to  come  in  contact  as  a  reliable, 
upright  and  matter-of-fact  business  man.  In  his  personal  friend- 
ships his  assistance  and  generosity  was  never  refused  as  hun- 
dreds of  his  prominent  friends  now  living  bear  testimony.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  of  the  City  Lodge,  No. 
408,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Heimath  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Eichenkranz, 
Mainzer  Carneval,  Westchester  Maennerchor,  Tallapoosa  Club, 
a  member  of  the  General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall  and  the 
Chippewa  Club,  besides  a  member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of 
Trade.  Mr.  Lohbauer  married  Miss  Madeline  Herman,  of 
Ludwigshafen,   Germany,   an   estimable   lady,   and   had    six   chil- 


dren, viz. :  John,  Elizabeth,  Clara,  Christopher,  Barbara  and 
Leonora,  four  of  whom  are  deceased  and  two  living.  His  mem- 
ory will  always  live  in  the  hearts  of  thousands  of  the  people  of 
the  Bronx  and  Greater  New  York  as  one  who  lived  as  an  honest 
and  upright  citizen  and  to  whom  they  owe  a  great  deal  for  his 
public  spirited  enterprise. 

MORRIS  YUKELSON,  of  4.16  Willis  avenue,  who  fur- 
nished many  of  the  views  in  this  work,  was  born  in  Lutzk, 
Russia,  July  29,  1878,  and  during  his  early  youth  attended  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town.  At  fourteen  years  of  age  he 
moved  to  Zietmer,  Russia,  and  completed  his  education  there 
in  the  high  school  and  went  as  high  as  the  sixth  class.  Two 
classes  more  would  have  fitted  him  for  any  university  in  that 
country,  but  his  patriotism  was  too  strong  for  him  to  continue 
his  studies,  so  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  was  made  corporal  and 
served  for  two  years  and  eight  months.  During  that  time  he 
won  distinction  as  a  sharpshooter  and  was  awarded  a  medal 
for  his  excellent  marksmanship.  On  September  i,  1899,  he 
was  honorably  discharged  from  service  and  immediately  ac- 
cepted an  office  in  the  Police  Department  in  Lutzk  as  clerk. 
This  position  he  held  until  April,  1900,  when  he  decided  to 
come  to  America.  On  the  1st  day  of  April  he  arrived  here,  and 
was  given  employment  by  a  photographer  in  Canal  Street, 
Manhattan.  This  business  he  understood  thoroughly,  for  he 
made  a  study  of  it  while  in  Europe,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
he  became  very  successful,  and  a  half  a  year  later  he  bought 
his  present  studio.  Mr.  Yukelson  has  only  been  in  the  Bronx 
for   three   years,    but    his    success    is   due   to   the   fact   that   his 


MORRIS    YUKELSON 

methods  are  clean  and  his  work  first-class.  His  patronage  ex- 
tends over  quite  a  territory.  Aside  from  his  inside  work,  he 
is  kept  busy  by  newspapers,  magazines,  lawyers,  real  estate 
men,  builders,  etc.,  and  all  '  recognize  his  ability  as  a  pho- 
tographer of  outside  views.  On  June  9,  1904,  he  married  Miss 
Rosa  Ocheroff,  of  Saratoff,  Russia,  who  was  then  living  in 
New  York  City.  One  son  has  been  born  to  them,  Leo,  who 
is  an  infant  six  months  old. 


WILLIAM    HENRY    ROWAN 


ROBERT    VOLBRACHT 


FREDERICK    KNECHT 


JOHN     J.     FOX 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


343 


FREDERICK.  OSTERMAX,  pniniiiunily  uk-iilihed  with 
many  of  the  progressive  features  of  Harlem  and  the  liroiix,  was 
born  December  21,  1S72,  in  Germany,  and  graduated  from  the 
pubUc  schools  of  his  birthplace.  At  the  age  of  ten  years,  he  de- 
veloped musical  talent,  and  in  order  to  earn  sufficient  means  that 
he  might  apply  himself  to  the  taking  of  violin  lessons,  in  which 
his  mind  and  tastes  were  practically  devoted,  he  assumed  the  role 
of  a  drunnmer  boy,  and  playing  with  a  band  in  this  capacity  for 
a  long  term,  earned  the  requisite  amount,  then  applied  his  studies 
to  the  violin  and  finally  became  an  accomplished  artist  as  a  vio- 
linist. In  August,  1886,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and 
worked  as  a  grocer's  clerk  for  three  years,  and  the  following  five 
years  tended  bar  at  ii6th  Street  and  Second  Avenue.  Having 
a  taste  for  commercial  work,  the  well  known  wholesale  stationery 
firm  of  Charles  Magnus  &  Sons,  of  5  and  7  Chambers  Street, 
recognized  his  abilities,  and  employed  him  for  a  long  term  as 
their  travelling  salesman.  At  the  age  of  20,  Mr.  Osterman 
opened  a  cafe  and  restaurant,  under  the  firm  name  of  Osterman 
&  Pfeifer  at  534  Pearl   Street.  New  York  City,  and  in  conjunc- 


FREDERICK    OSTERMAN 

lion  with  his  partner  continued  the  business  for  one  year  un- 
successfully. Failing  in  this  his  first  enterprise  he  was  obliged 
to  seek  employment  with  the  Brooklyn  City  Railroad  Company, 
and  served  one  year  as  a  conductor  on  that  road.  He  returned 
to  New  York  City  and  again  became  a  bartender,  serving  seven 
more  years  in  this  capacity,  when  he  made  hosts  of  friends  and 
became  widely  known.  Having  recuperated  his  fortunes,  he 
paid  off  all  of  his  creditors  of  the  restaurant  failure  100  cents 
on  the  dollar,  which  included  his  partner's  debts.  On  March  I, 
1901,  Mr.  Osterman  leased  the  premises  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  141st  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue,  on  his  own  account,  and 
has  since  conducted  his  hotel  with  signal  success.  His  place  of 
business  is  one  of  the  most  popularly  patronized  hotels  at  the 
north  end,  and  is  frequented  by  a  large  number  of  prominent 
citizens  of  the  Bronx,  who  are  on  intimate  terms  of  friendship 
with  him.  fte  is  also  the  sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
northeast  corner  of  Seventh  Avenue  and  I4.?d  Street,  one  of  the 
handsomest  and  most  gorgeously  fitted  up  cafes  to  be  found  along 


the  line  of  six  and  seven-story  apartment  houses.  In  l8i;_>  Mr. 
Ubtermans  popularity  had  become  so  general  that  the  Fred. 
Usierman  .Association  was  liirmed,  nominating  Mr.  Osterman 
as  its  standard  bearer.  Ihrce  hundred  members  attest  the 
popularity  ot  this  well  known  organization,  which  has  held  an- 
nual outmgs  every  year  since  it  was  organized,  and  which  is 
attended  by  hundreds  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  north  end  of 
Harlem,  and  numbers  from  the  Bronx.  The  organization  is  so- 
cial in  its  caste  and  character,  but  in  political  affairs  they  vote 
for  the  best  interest  of  the  city,  State  and  nation,  and  therefore 
wields  a  painful  influence  in  numicipal.  Stale  and  national  elec- 
tions. On  March  5,  1892,  Mr.  Osterman  married  Miss  Agnes 
Kraus,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Llizabcth  Kraus,  of  New  York 
City,  and  an  estimable  lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  the  result 
of  this  happy  union  being  one  daughter,  Lillian,  now  living, 
aged  10  years.  The  son  of  August  and  Meta  Osterman,  he  has 
a  very  strong  personality.  Young,  vigorous  and  essentially  a 
practical  business  man,  generous  in  his  nature  and  impulses,  he 
has  the  proud  distinction  of  having  overcome  the  varied  vicissi- 
tudes of  business  misfortunes  and  is  recognized  at  the  North 
End,  and  among  his  hosts  of  friends  in  the  Bronx,  as  one  of  the 
leading  examples  of  what  a  man  can  do.  and  become — a  positive 
success — who  employs  his  energies,  his  intellect  and  his  vigorous 
personality  in  the  development  of  his  business  enterprises.  Mr. 
Osterman  is  an  honorary  member  of  nearly  every  social  organi- 
zation of  the  North  End.  He  is  a  member  of  Herman  Lodge, 
No.  268.  F.  and  A.  M.,  Columbus  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  McKinley 
Lodge  of  Foresters,  the  Bronx  Aerie  of  Eagles,  President  of  the 
Henry  Racquet  Club  of  the  Twenty-third  Assembly  District,  mem- 
'ner  of  the  General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall,  Wm.  M.  Marcy 
Association.  Twenty-third  Assembly  District,  the  Fritz  Renter 
Company  No.  15,  the  New  York  Schutzenbund.  West  Harlem 
Quartette  Club,  active  member  of  the  Liquor  Dealers'  Associa- 
tion of  the  State  of  New  York,  Shewang  Tribe,  I.  O.  Red  Men, 
formed  the  first  Municipal  Ownership  Club  of  New  York  City, 
and  was  second  vice-president  of  the  United  Democratic  Club, 
and  member  of  the  John  Mooney  Association.  One  of  the  first 
citizens  of  his  locality,  popular  with  the  people,  and  with  a  large, 
extensive  and  influential  acquaintance  throughout  Harlem  and 
the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  Mr.  Osterman  gives  every  promise  to 
play  an  important  part   in   the   future  of  our  municipal   affairs. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  ROWAN.— Some  sixty-four  years  ago, 
in  a  two-story  frame  building.  No.  48  West  Twenty-fourth 
Street,  Wm.  H.  Rowan  was  born  and  here  spent  his  early  days 
In  his  tenth  year  his  father  purchased  properly  on  Findlay 
Street,  Melrose,  and  built  the  house  No.  683  East  i6oth  Street. 
At  the  Morrisania  village  school  he  was  an  excellent  student. 
and  left  it  in  the  year  1856  to  enter  the  office  of  the  West- 
chester County  "Journal,"  owned  and  edited  by  James  Stillman. 
His  next  move  was  to  the  office  of  Fulger  &  Turner,  118  John 
Street,  printers  and  engravers.  Always  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  politics,  he  started  to  tour  the  South  early  in  1861. 
When  in  Tennessee,  Fort  Sumpter  was  fired  on,  and  the  South 
was  ablaze  for  war.  A  Confederate  recruiting  officer  tried  to 
enlist  him  in  the  Confederate  service.  He  declined,  but  they 
had  obtained  his  name  and  personal  description,  and  entered 
them  on  a  list  that  he  never  saw.  He  left  the  South  and  re- 
turned to  Cincinnati  where  he,  with  others,  went  to  Camp 
Clay  and  volunteered.  Rowan  was  rejected,  failing  to  pass  the 
physical  requirement.  He  then  obtained  employment  in  the  of- 
fice of  the  "Cincinnati  Commercial."  After  a  time  he  moved  to 
the  capital  of  Indiana,  and  here  went  into  the  photographic 
business.     After  the   battle   of   Fort    Donelson   and    Island    No. 


344 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


10,  he  obtained  permission  and  went  into  Camp  Morton  (the 
old  fair  grounds),  containing  over  thirty  acres  of  ground,  whert 
4,500  Confederate  prisoners  were  encamped.  Here  he  mingled 
with  them  and  had  a  novel  experience  in  this  camp  and  made 
many  friends  among  the  prisoners,  many  of  whom  took  the  oath  of 
allegiance  and  became  loyal  citizens.  Many  of  the  pictures  seen 
in  the  public  prints  of  those  days  were  made  by  the  young  pho- 
tographer ;  some  of  these  have  been  offered  in  evidence  to  prove 
or  disprove  the  statement  that  the  prisoners  were  well  treated. 
During  the  Morgan  Raid,  when  Gen.  John-  Morgan  with  his  2,- 
000  mounted  men  raided  the  North,  Rowan  joined  .Mason's  com- 
pany of  minute  men,  a  company  ol  artillery,  which  was  disbanded 
as  soon  as  Morgan  was  captured.  Rowan  was  boarding  on  New 
York  Street  and  had  entered  his  name  in  Mason's  company 
on  the  original  roll  in  front  of  the  Bates  House,  i  hat 
same  night  after  the  public  meeting  was  over.  Rowan 
and  some  friends  went  over  to  the  Palmer  House.  While 
there  he  observed  a  tall,  dark  whiskered  man,  who  kept 
watching  him.  He  paid  little  attention  at  first,  but  when  about 
to  leave  for  home,  he  crossed  Washington  Street,  and  the  of- 
ficer followed  him.  Instead  of  going  north  he  turned  to  the 
east,  about  200  feet,  stepping  into  a  doorway  to  await  the  officer, 
who  approached  and  saluted.  As  soon  as  the  salute  was  re- 
turned, the  officer,  who  was  in  the  uniform  of  a  major  in  the 
U.  S.  Army  gave  a  whistle  as  a  signal  and  a  crowd  rushed  from 
the  Palmer  House,  shouting:  "Hang  him,  hang  the  rebel  spy, 
string  him  up  to  the  first  lamp  post!"  Before  the  major  could 
touch  his  pocket  Rowan  had  his  six-shooter  pointed  at  the  major 
demanding  an  explanation.  Perilous  as  the  situation  was,  the 
crowd  was  held  at  bay,  until  a  Iriend  in  the  crowd  appeared  who 
knew  the  young  photographer.  The  next  day  a  description  ot 
the  major  was  furnished  the  district  attorney,  who  had  the  major 
arrested  and  placed  on  trial  as  a  Confederate  spy.  He  was  sent 
to  Alton,  111.,  a  military  prison.  His  story  proved  to  be  a  fabu- 
cation.  He  excited  the  crowd  in  the  Palmer  House  by  telling 
tliem  that  Rowan  was  a  member  of  an  infantry  company  in  Te:i- 
nessee  in  1861,  and  this  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
the  Confederate  recruiting  officer  who  tried  to  induce  Rowan  to 
enter  the  Confederate  service  at  that  time.  He  had  remembered 
the  young  man  from  New  York,  who  had  not  been  able  to  recog 
nizc  the  Confederate.  After  the  Morgan  raid  he  followed  the  flag 
as  a  photographer,  taking  topographical  maps,  pictures  and  en- 
largements for  army  u.-se.  He  traveled  extensively  through  the 
southwest  and  his  pictures  of  camp  and  army  life  were  from  nega- 
tives taken  on  the  spot.  In  the  closing  days  of  the  war  he  was  hi 
the  Southwest,  where  he  recalls  Sherman's  raid  into  Mississippi, 
and  Banks'  unfortunate  Red  River  expedition.  His  actual  service 
was  less  than  go  days  and  yet  he  was  for  over  three  years  in  the 
war  zone.  Rowan  returned  to  New  York  in  1865,  broken  in 
health  from  the  effects  of  dysentery  and  typhoid  fever,  in- 
curred in  "Following  the  Flag,"  but  glad  to  get  back  to  dear  old 
New  York,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  now  owns  and  oc- 
cupies the  house  No.  687  East  l6oth  Street,  inheriting  the  prop- 
erty from  his  father.  Once  a  printer  always  a  printer,  and  after 
an  experience  in  early  life  as  photographer,  school  teacher,  com- 
positor and  reporter,  he  goes  back  to  his  first  trade,  printer  and 
press  contributor.  While  in  Indianapolis  he  became  personally 
acquainted  with  Benjamin  Harrison  and  members  of  his  fam- 
ily. When  introduced  to  Col.  Harrison  at  the  Camp  of  Instruc- 
tion at  Indianapolis,  Rowan  said :  "Colonel,  it  gives  me  much 
pleasure  to  meet  you.  My  father  was  a  Whig,  and  he  voted  for 
your  grandfather  for  president.  I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
voting  for  you  for  the  same  office."  The  graceful  compliment 
was  acknowledged,  and     William     Henry     Rowan     voted     and 


worked  hard  for  the  election  of  Benjamin  Harrison  for  president. 
jMr.  Rowan  is  well  known  as  a  contributor  to  the  public  press; 
also  as  a  writer  of  poetry  and  his  .sketches  "Taken  from  Life" 
have  been  widely  read.  He  is  the  author  of  "Folk  Lore  and 
Literature,"  and  prides  on  calling  himself  a  printer,  but  we  take 
pride  in  calling  him  the  "Printer  Poet  of  the  Bronx.  " 

ROBERT  VOLBRACHT  is  the  well  known  manufacturer 
of  hand-made  shoes  at  238  Canal  Street,  Manhattan.  Mr.  Vol- 
bracht  was  born  at  Elberfeld,  Prussia,  Aug.  i,  1848.  There  also 
he  received  his  schooling  and  acquired  an  education.  He  has 
been  resident  in  the  Bronx  since  1866,  and  having  been  more  or 
less  active  in  the  Democratic  ranks,  has  a  wide  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Schnorer  Club  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  and  is  affiliated  with  other  organizations  of  a 
social  and  fraternal  nature.  He  married  and  has  raised  a  family 
in  the  Borough  also.  April  27,  1869,  he  was  united  to  Miss 
Aliiia  Pfeiffer.  Five  children  are  the  fruits  of  that  union^ 
Guslav.  Harry,  Robert,  Jr.,  Charles,  and  Maud,  the  last-named 
married  to  Max  Sieghart  in  1904. 

HENRY  -\HR,  well  known  not  only  to  the  building  fra- 
ternity of  the  Bronx,  but  to  all  the  builders  of  Greater  New 
York  for  many  years  past,  was  born  September  ig,  1847,  at 
Baden,  Germany,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  school  of  the 
latter  place.  On  June  10,  1866,  after  the  closing  of  the  civil 
war,  Mr.  Ahr  arrived  in  the  City  of  New  York  and  entered 
into  the  iron  railing  business  on  Avenue  C,  between  Fifth  and 
Si.xth  Streets.  For  five  years  he  struggled  faithfully  to  secure 
a  foothold  in  this  important  branch  of  business,  at  that  time  the 


HENRY    AHR 

East  Side  of  the  city.  While  successful,  he  felt  that  his  interests 
required  greater  development  and  in  1871  he  transferred  his 
whole  interests  from  Avenue  C  to  the  Bronx  and  located  his 
shop  at  iS4th  Street  and  Third  Avenue.  After  being  located 
at  the  aforesaid  premises  Mr.  Ahr  discovered  that  he  was  con- 
fronted with  a  very  serious  problem.  It  was  not  a  theory,  but  it 
was  an  actual  condition  that  he  was  obliged  to  meet.  In  1871 
the  Bronx  was  but  little  more  or  less  than  an  open  country, 
which  gave  but  little  encouragement  to  merchants  or  manu- 
facturers   to    locate   there,   and   having    located    himself   he   con- 


WILLIAM    JACKSON    PRIME 


HISTORY  Of  BRONX  BOROUGH 


345 


eluded  to  rcniain  :ind  tight  ihu  battle  of  his  life,  which  his 
success  for  the  past  thirty-three  years  has  demonstrated  what 
can  be  accomplished  by  a  man  of  iron  nerve.  When  he  opened 
Uie  small  place  at  iS4th  Street  and  Third  Avenue  there  were 
only  a  few  orders  that  came  to  him  on  various  occasions  and 
owmg  to  his  absolute  poverty  he  was  obliged  to  deliver  the  orders 
on  an  improvised  hand  cart,  often  going  beyond  Tremont  Ave- 
nue, and  even  to  Fordham.  In  the  "lexicon  of  his  youth"  he 
never  knew  the  word  "Fail."  He  grew  up  with  the  Bronx  and 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens and  commands  the  largest  trade  in  the  iron  railing  business 
of  this  great  borough.  He  married  Barbara  Bomshire  in  1870, 
and  this  pleasant  union  resulted  in  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  deceased,  viz. :  John,  Caroline  and  Charles.  Those  living 
are  Kate,  Henry,  Adolph  and  Barbara.  His  estimable  wife  died 
October  7,  1899,  in  the  55th  year  of  her  age.  On  May  I,  1902,  he 
married  Emma  Uhl,  of  New  York  City.  A  Democrat  in  politics, 
but  not  a  partisan,  he  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  social  clubs 
such  as  the  K.  O.  S.  Bowling  Club,  the  Melrose  Turn  Verein,  the 
.Aurora  Liederkranz,  and  the  famous  Schnorer  of  the  Bronx. 
Mr.  Ahr's  manufacturing  establishment,  the  largest  in  the  Bronx, 
extends  from  696  to  700  East  148th  Street. 

PROFESSOR  THOMAS  J.  LONG,  the  most  noted  danc- 
ing master  of  the  Bronx,  and  one  of  the  most  capable  in  the 
me'tropolis,  is  proprietor  of  the  dancing  academy  at  the  Croton.i 
Casino,  at  975  East  i6gth  Street.  He  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  and  graduated  from  St.  Joseph's  Parish  School  there. 
He  has  been  established  in  this  part  of  the  city  about  five 
years,  and  has  made  his  establishment,  as  regards  popularity 
and  fashion,  the  Sherry's  of  the  borough.     He  was  at  the  Metro- 


PROFESSOR       :  ;.    LONG 

polls  Theatre  formerly,  and  there  in  his  school  instructed  up- 
wards of  S>ooo  pupils  in  the  terpsichorean  art.  He  teaches  all 
the  latest  styles  of  "tripping  the  light  fantastic,"  including  stage, 
ballet  and  ball  room  dancing  of  all  kinds.  He  has  been  in  the 
business  all  his  life  and  can  be  relied  on  as  thoroughly  com- 
petent. Mr.  Long  was  married  September  27,  1898,  to  Miss 
Hattie  Burritt,  of  Redfield,  New  York.  They  have  one  child, 
Janet  by  name,  living. 


JOHN  C.  CALVERl',  superintendent  of  Building  Construc- 
tion for  the  Isaac  A.  Hopper  Company,  of  New  York  City,  is  not 
only  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  that  line  in  the  Bronx,  but 
socially  and  politically  as  well.  He  is  one  of  the  most  active 
workers  in  the  Democratic  cause  in  the  borough,  though  he  has 
never  held  office,  and  as  such  has  a  host  of  friends  and  a  follow- 
ing  whose   name   literally    is   legion.      Mr.    Calvert   was   born    in 


JOHN    C.    CALVERT 

Piinghamton,  New  York,  about  forty  years  ago.  He  is,  in  short, 
in  the  golden  prime  of  middle  life.  As  a  youth  he  went  to 
school  here  in  old  Grammar  No.  56.  He  has  lived  in  the  Bronx 
about  thirteen  years.  He  is  the  standard-bearer  of  the  John  C. 
Calvert  Association  of  about  two  hundred  members ;  a  member 
of  the  Jefferson  Tammany  organization  and  of  the  John  C.  Cal- 
vert Association,  which  i.s  named  for  him.  He  also  belongs  to 
Bricklayers'  Union  No.  i7  J  to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  the 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Calvert  married,  in  1887,  Miss  Amelia  J. 
York.  They  have  hr^d  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living, 
I  wo  boys  and  four  girls.  The  names  of  the  children  are:  Thomas 
Calvert  and  Hazel  Calvert,  deceased;  Jas.  A.,  Wm.  W.,  Pansy  .\., 
Caroline,  Jennie  D..  Helen,  lixing. 

RUDOLPH  E.  STOECKEL,  dealing  in  drugs,  chemicals 
and  dye  stuffs  at  2449  Third  Avenue,  in  the  Bronx,  is  a  native 
of  New  York — the  old  city — but  has  lived  in  the  Bronx  from 
boyhood.  He  is  the  son  of  Andrew  Stoeckel,  who  came  to 
this  country  from  Germany  in  1835.  His  father  was  the  in- 
ventor of  the  veneer  shaving  machine  and  of  other  wood-working 
devices ;  he  established  the  Central  Saw  Mill,  which  is  still  exist- 
ant,  on  Elizabeth  Street,  about  the  year  1845,  and  retired  from 
Inisiness  and  settled  in  the  Bronx  on  Macomb,  now  Mott,  Avenue, 
in  1867.  He  died  in  1892  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  leaving  a  wife, 
mother  of  our  subject,  who  survived  likewise  to  tlie  advanced  age 
of  eighty.  Mr.  Stoeckel  himself,  as  we  have  said,  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  Bronx  for  a  lifetime.  He  attended  as  a  boy  the 
old  Mott  Haven  public  school,  and  took  a  course  also  at  Lynker's 
Commercial  College.  He  was  married,  too,  in  this  district — in 
1885 — to  Miss  Jennie  Cooper  Rowland,  of  West  Farms.  They 
have  five  children,  of  whom  three  are  living.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber   of    the    New    York    Athletic    Club    twenty-five    years.      He 


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MICHAEL    WOHN 


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JOSEPH    CHARLES    LEE 


FREDERICK    WILLIAM    MCCULLOUOH 


ARTHUR  ARCTANDER.  locateil  at  52:j  Bergen  Avenue, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  architects  in  ilie 
Bronx,  where  he  has  resided  for  more  than  thirty-seven  years, 
and  has  during  that  time  planned  more  than  200  building::: 
and  superintended  their  construction.  Among  some  of  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  residence  of  Henry  D.  Purroy,  the 
residence  of  Mathias  Haften:  St.  Jerome's  Ursuline  Academy: 
also  the  new  Ursuline  Academy  now  being  erected  at  l;!7th 
Street;  the  Post  Office  Building,  at  138th  street,  near  Willis 
Avenue;  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club,  at  East  14Gth  Sr-eet; 
clubhouse  of  the  Youthful  Bowling  Club,  at  East  i:JCth 
Street;  the  business  building  for  J.  Clarence  Davies  at  Vv'cst- 
cheiSter  and  Third  Avenues;  the  reconstruction  of  the  Piser 
Building,  the  bttsiness  building  at  Third  Avenue  and  Grove 
Street;  at  Third  Avenue,  near  \C,2(i  -Street;  at  2860  and  2.?G2 
Third  Avenue;  the  undertaking  establishment  of  .Jolin  H. 
Doherty.  at  the  southea^st  corner  of  Willis  Avenue  and  1  17th 
Street:  flats  for  .John  H.  Knoeppel.  at  139th  Street:  for  Mich. 
J.    Kelly,    at     13.5th    Street    and     Lincoln    Avenue:     Ohase    & 


O'Rourke,  College  Avenue  and  112d  Street;  Geo.  J.  Lyons, 
147th  Street,  near  Willis  Avenue;  private  residences  for 
Annie  Arctander,  at  139th  Street;  St.  Stanislaus  Roman 
Catholic  Chuirc'h,  at  East  Seventh  Street;  St.  Angela's  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church,  Morris  Avenue  and  163d  Street;  and 
residences,  flats,  reconstruction  of  buildings  for  stores  and 
business,  bowling  alleys  and  dancing  pavilions.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  erection  of  more  than  ten  other  buildings  pro- 
jected for  the  coming  year.  He  is  now  considCTed  one  of  the 
old  settlers  of  Morrisanla  and  has  talieu  prominent  pari  in 
the  Twenty^third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association  for  the 
improvemeint  of  our  district,  in  the  formiation  of  the  comiuis- 
sion  of  the  Twenty-third  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards,  in  the 
Jefferson  Club,  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club,  the  Arion  LieOer- 
tafel,  the  Concord  Bowling  Club,  the  Danisto  Veteran  S0'Ci<?ty, 
the  Scandinavian  Society  of  1S44,  the  Dana  Singing  Society, 
the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee,  and  is  well  known 
to  all  old  settlers  in  this  now  prominent  Borough  of  the 
Bronx. 


L 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


347 


belongs  to  the  Milfonl  (Conn.)  Yacht  Chib,  the  North  Side 
Board  of  Trade,  and  to  St.  Mary's  P.  E.  Chnrch  of  Mott 
Haven. 

FREDERICK  KNECHT,  tlie  popnhir  wholesale  wine  mer- 
chant of  the  Bronx,  was  horn  at  Wurteniberg,  Germany,  No- 
vember 24,  1865,  and  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place.  His  father  having  a  large  fruit-tree  nursery,  he 
assisted  him  in  its  conduct  until  1881,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  settled  in  New  York  City,  where  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  wine  business.  In  1893  Mr.  Knecht  engaged  m 
that  business  on  his  own  account.  In  1898  he  became  an  iin 
porter  of  the  very  best  brands  of  Rhine  wines,  and  sells  wholesale 
throughout  Greater  New  York,  all  suburban  towns,  and  outside 
of  the  State.  His  business  is  very  extensive,  and  his  brands  of 
wines  are  in  great  demand,  as  their  reputation  for  purity  has  for 
a  long  time  past  been  firmly  established.  Mr.  Knecht  adds 
monthly  to  his  already  large  importations,  opening  a  store  on 
F'ourth  Street,  between  Second  and  'J  bird  Avenues  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  fall  of  1894,  when  he  removed  to  the  Bronx,  lo- 
cating at  Third  Avenue  and  149th  Street.  In  February,  1904,  he 
removed  to  his  present  place.  No.  540  Bergen  Avenue,  ni  order  to 
meet  the  increasing  demands  of  his  extensive  trade.  He  was  mar- 
ried Feb.  2,  1892,  to  Miss  Augustus  Dunker,  a  lady  of  refinement 
and  culture,  and  has  four  children,  Johanna,  Marie,  Fred  and 
Alice.  Mr.  Knecht  is  a  member  of  Wieland  Lodge,  714,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  past  master;  Melrose  Turn  Verein ; 
Schnorer  Club;  Arion   Liedertafel  and  many  others. 

JOHN  J.  FOX,  a  self-made  man  of  Bronx  Borough,  was 
born  in  New  York  City  May  24,  1867.  liis  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools.  After  concluding  his  school  life, 
he  engaged  as  an  apprentice  in  the  blacksmith  trade,  a  vocation 
he  followed  for  a  period  of  six  years ;  during  that  period  he 
took  up  the  study  of  veterinary  work,  a  profession  in  which  he 
attained  considerable  success.  In  1895  Mr.  Fox  embarked  in  tlie 
livery  stable  business,  and  in  1897  added  an  undertaking  depart- 
ment thereto.  His  first  stable  was  located  at  No.  1888  Washington 
Avenue.  After  occupying  those  quarters  for  a  time  his  rapidly 
increasing  business  compelled  him  to  seek  a  more  extensive 
plant,  which  was  obtained  -jt  No.  1908  and  191Q  Bathgate  Ave- 
nue. He  occupies  the  entire  building,  four  stories  in  height, 
with  a  frontage  of  45  feet  and  a  depth  of  80  feet.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  important  businesses  of  its  kind  in  the  Bronx.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Fox  is  a  Democrat,  although  he  has  never  aspired  to 
hold  office.  Socially,  he  is  prominent,  being  a  member  of  a 
number  of  social  and  benevolent  organizations,  among  which 
are  the  Royal  Arcanum,  Loyal  Addition  of  Royal  .A.rcanum,  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men,  Fordham  Club,  North  Side  Board 
of  Trade,  Knights  of  Honor,  Brownson  Catholic  Club,  Benev- 
olent Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Knights  of  Columbus,  Catholic 
Benevolent  Legion,  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  Ancient  Order 
United  Workmen,  member  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee, 
Bunker  Hill  Club,  American  Irish  Historical  Society,  St.  Joseph's 
Church  (of  which  he  is  also  the  se.xton),  and  the  Taxpayers' 
Alliance.  On  May  24,  1894,  Mr.  Fox  married  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  former  tax  assessor  Henry  Bracken,  Esq.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  viz.:  John  J.,  Jr.,  Joseph, 
Henry  and  Thomas  (now  deceased),  and  Mary.  Mr.  Fox  is  a 
public-spirited  citizen  and  has  always  advocated  every  measure 
whereby  the  borough  would  be  benefitted.  He  has  always  con- 
tributed liberally  to  any  cause  worthy  of  recognition,  especially 
where  the  public  welfare  entered  into  the  question.  He  is 
esteemed  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 


JOHN  CIIAKLICK  HUME,  Civil  Engineer  acting  as  As- 
sistant Engineer  in  charge  of  street  openings  in  the  Bronx,  was 
born  at  Mainaroneck,  Westchester  County.  October  16,  1859. 
t-le  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  at  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  and  also  by  private  study.  He  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  borougli  eight  years.  He  is  a  working  Demo- 
crat and  member  of  the  Jefferson  Democratic  Club.  He  has 
never  held  an  elect  \e  office,  bill  has  been  engaged  on  coast 
;ni(l    li.irbiir    s■u■\cy^    at    NU w    York    since    1S8;.    and    continually 


JOHN    CHARLICK    HUME 

on  matters  pertaining  10  iniprovemenls  in  ihe  liron.x  under  the 
Public  Parks  Depaitnient,  under  Comniis.-Nioner  of  Street  Im- 
provements in  the  TweiUy-tiurd  and  Twenty-fourth  Wards, 
under  the  Board  of  Public  Improvements  and  under  President 
llaffen.  He  is,  in  fact,  the  acknowledged  authority  as  to  matters 
of  street  openings  in  the  borough.  Mr.  Hume  was  married, 
July  31,  1894,  to  Helen,  daughter  of  Magnus  Gross.  Democratic 
leader  and  one  time  editor  of  the  New  Y'ork  "Staats  Zeitung." 
They  have  two  children  living,  both   girls,  and  one.  a  girl,   dead. 

ALBERT  L.  WYMAN  was  born  May  26,  1877,  in  the  City 
of  New  York.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  New  York  State,  the 
first  four  years  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  and  the  next  four 
ni  Dundee,  Yates  County.  When  eight  years  old  he  moved  to 
Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  sixteen.  At  that 
age  his  ambitions  led  him  to  enter  the  Connecticut  Literary  In- 
stitution at  Suffield,  now  known  as  Suffield  Academy.  There 
he  studied  hard  and  obtained  excellent  standing.  He  won  prizes 
in  all  open  competitions  except  declamations.  He  won  first 
prize  in  extempore  speaking,  and  also  in  prize  debate,  and  second 
prize  in  English  composition,  his  subject  being,  "The  Utility  of 
the  Beautiful."  He  graduated  in  1897,  ranking  at  the  head  of 
his  class.  At  this  time  he  received  the  Charles  Austin  Latin 
prize,  awarded  to  graduates  having  the  highest  rating  in  Latin 
during  his  junior  and  senior  years.  He  was  also  president  of 
his  class.  From  Suffield  he  went  to  Colgate  University  at  Hamil- 
ton. X.  Y.,  where  he  joined  the  College  Glee  Club  in  his  fresh 
man  year  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi  Fra- 
ternity. He  spent  his  sophomore  and  junior  years  at  Trinity 
College,  Hartford,  where  he  not  only  attained  high  standing,  but 
also  acted  as  pastor  of  the  Sufiield   Baptist  Chapel  as  a  means 


HENRY    HAFFEN 


JULIUS    C.    WACHENHEIMER 


ALBERT    F.    VQLGENAU 


WILLIAM     DAUE 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


349 


of  self  support  while  at  college.  He  did  not  complete  his  college 
course,  interests  of  greater  importance  having  engaged  his  at- 
tention, and  he  returned  to  the  city  of  his  birth,  New  York  City. 
He  entered  into  business  with  zeal  and  intelligence,  and  acting 
on  the  principle  that  in  order  to  learn  modern  business 
methods  it  is  necessary  to  work  for  various  business  concerns, 
he  made  several  changes  in  business  connections  during 
the  first  few  years.  His  first  year  in  business  was  spent  in  the 
employ  of  the  B.  F.  Goodrich  Co.,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  one  of  the 
largest  manufacturers  of  rubber  goods  in  the  United  States, 
where  he  gained  a  thorough  itisight  in  up-to-date  business  meth- 
ods. He  also  connected  himself  with  the  Yawman  &  Erbe  Manu- 
facturing Co.  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  makers  of  filing  systems.  In 
December,  1904,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  "North  Side  News" 
as  office  manager  and  by  strict  attention  to  business  has  ad- 
vanced himself  to  the  position  of  associate  editor  of  the 
"American  Banker."  Mr.  Wyman  comes  from  Revolutionary 
slock,  the  Wymans  having  sailed  from  Green  Hall,  Sussex  Coun- 
ty, England,  in  1644,  and  settled  in  VVoburn,  Massachusetts.  There 
were  two  brothers,  Francis  and  Jonathan,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  being  descended  from  the  latter.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Wy- 
man's  great-great-grandfather  was  "one  of  those  present"  at  the 
historic  Tea  Party  in  Boston  Harbor,  and  certain  it  is  another  of 
his  forbears  gave  his  life  in  the  cause  of  liberty  on  the  field  of 
Lexington  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution.  Prior  to  this, 
Seth  Wyman  had  taken  an  active  part  in  the  Indian  wars  and  was 
killed  during  a  brush  with  the  savages,  who  gave  so  much  trouble 
to  early  Massachusetts  settlers.  Captain  John  Wyman  was  an- 
other conspicuous  figure  in  Colonial  days,  and  Admiral  George 
Dewey,  whose  brilliant  exploit  in  Manila  Harbor  in  i8g8  is  of 
historic  moment,  is  a  first  cousin.  Mr.  Wyman  seldom  talks  of 
family  affairs,  however,  as  he  believes  every  man  must  rest  on  his 
own  record,  and  make  or  mar  his  own  fortune. 

WILLIAM  DAUB,  born  September  26,  1846,  at  Nidda, 
Oberhessen,  Germany,  and  educated  at  the  public  school  of  the 
same  place,  at  the  age  of  14  years  entered  a  mercantile  house  in 
the  city  of  Ashafifenburg,  Bavaria,  and  was  with  the  house  until 
18  years  of  age.  The  following  three  years,  from  18  to  21,  he 
traveled  for  a  mercantile  house  in  Frankfurt  on  the  Main,  Ger- 
many. In  the  fall  of  the  year  1866,  at  the  age  of  21,  he  came  to 
America,  where  he  entered  a  retail  dry  goods  store  on  Avenue  A, 
corner  of  Seventh  Street,  as  clerk,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
In  1868  he  went  with  the  firm  of  Rothschild  Brothers,  later  V. 
II.  Rothschild  &  Co.,  one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  concerns 
in  America,  manufacturing  gents'  shirts  and  ladies'  waists, 
where  he  held  the  position  of  superintendent  and  manufacturer 
for  over  thirty  years,  until  the  year  1899,  when  the  firm  went 
out  of  business.  October  31,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Marian 
Lederer,  of  Putzlitz,  Austria,  and  five  children  were  born  to 
them,  three  boys  and  two  girls:  Milton,  Gabriella,  Maurice, 
Hyacinth,  and  Jerome.  In  the  summer  of  1882,  they  came  to  the 
Bronx  and  lived  in  their  own  home  at  No.  700  East  i4Sth 
Street,  up  to  the  time  Mr.  William  Daub  accepted  the  position 
of  superintendent  at  Lebanon  Hospital.  While  very  active  dur- 
ing the  day  in  business,  he  could  not  spare  very  much  time  for 
social  life,  but  found  time  enough  to  become  a  member  of  the 
Melrose  Turnverein,  and  from  1883  he  was  a  very  active  mem- 
ber and  is  up  to  the  present  day.  All  his  children  went  to  the 
Turnverein,  and  took  up  the  different  branches  of  studies  con- 
nected with  same,  namely,  drawing  and  German  instruction. 
His  children  were  all  educated  in  the  public  school  in  the  Bronx 
under  principals  J.  J.  Hyatt,  and  E.  J.  Clark.  Very  few  Jewish 
families  were  then  living  in  the  Bronx,  and  nothing  was  done 


for  religious  training  for  Jewish  children,  and  we  find  Mr. 
Daub  in  the  years  1883  looking  for  Jewish  children  every  Sunday, 
and  within  a  few  months  he  gathered  together  twenty-five  to 
thirty  children  and  began  their  religious  training  every  Sunday 
morning  from  9  to  12.  The  first  Sunday  school  room  used  was 
Kirchhofif's  Hall,  later  Turner  Hall,  then  North  Side  Republican 
Hall,  and  from  there  to  their  own  Temple  in  i4Sth  Street,  be- 
tween Willis  and  Brook  Avenues,  which  has  become  a  pillar  of 
light  to  the  Bronx  and  a  credit  to  its  organizers,  and  now  is  the 
place  of  worship  of  the  Temple  Hand-in-Hand,  the  first  Jewish 
Synagogue  in  the  Bronx,  of  which  Mr.  William  Daub  is  the 
organizer  and  has  been  president  for  many  years.  In  1895  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wm.  Daub  celebrated  their  silver  wedding  at  Loeffler's 
Hall,  148th  Street  and  Willis  Avenue.  On  this  occasion  we 
could  see  the  many  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daub  had  gained,  and 
by  the  beautiful  gifts  the  esteem  in  which  they  were  held. 
Mr.  William  Daub  is  a  member  of  Bethoven  Lodge,  No.  662, 
F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Palestine  Lodge,  No.  36,  I.  O.  O.  F.  T..  of 
Temple  Hand-in-Hand,  Grand  Lodge,  I.  O.  F.  S.  of  I.,  North 
Side  Board  of  Trade  and  Melrose  Turn  Verein,  and  has  been 
connected  with  the  Democratic  party  since  in  the  Bronx,  but 
never  looked  for  office.  April  i,  1901,  Mr.  William  Daub  was 
called  by  the  directors  of  Lebanon  Hospital  to  his  present  posi- 
tion as  superintendent  of  the  hospital,  which  he  has  filled  with 
honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction  of  the  board  of  trustees.  The 
people  of  the  Bronx  can  be  proud  that  one  out  of  their  midst 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  institution  who  knows  the  wants  and 
has  the  heart  to  give  it.  His  administration  during  the  last 
four  years  shows  how  much  wider  and  broader  the  field  of 
activity  of  the  institution  has  become,  and  what  the  right  man 
in  the  right  place  can  do.  The  ambulance  service  and  the 
numerous  other  modern  improvements  indicate  fully  their  use- 
fulness during  Mr.  Daub's  administration.  We  hope  that  for 
the  future  welfare  of  the  Lebanon  Hospital  that  Mr.  William 
Daub   will  be  the  superintendent  for  many  years  to  come. 

HENRY  H.AFFEN,  hailing  from  a  distinguished  family  of 
the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Courtlandt  Avenue  and  Elton  Street, 
August  22d,  1852.  He  received  his  first  intimation  of  the  alphabet 
from  that  famous  old  school  of  whom  Mrs.  Widows  was  the 
"Alpha  and  Omega,"  which  was  located  on  the  corner  of  Cottage 
Avenue  and  Mott  Street,  where  many  of  the  older  residents 
of  the  Bronx  attended.  In  1868  he  entered  St.  John's  College  at 
Fordham,  and  took  a  post-graduate  course.  Completing  his  edu- 
cation, he  entered  into  commercial  pursuits,  and  having  been 
"rocked  in  the  cradle  of  democracy,"  he  followed  the  footsteps 
of  Jeffersonian  principles,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  advance- 
ment of  his  party's  interests,  and  in  1880,  was  rewarded  for  his 
loyalty  to  the  organization  by  a  triumphant  election  to  the  Board 
of  Aldermen,  under  the  administration  of  Mayor  Cooper.  As 
.Alderman,  he  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Lights,  and 
signalized  his  position  by  introducing  and  passing  the  first 
ordinance  establishing  the  Edison  electric  light  system  for 
municipal  purposes.  Mr.  Haffen  married  June  i,  1881,  Miss 
Matilda  Henrietta  Stoller,  a  young  lady  of  estimable  family,  who 
was  born  in  New  York  City.  He  is  at  present  connected  with 
the  municipal  department  of  the  Bronx,  and  occupies  the  position 
of  Chief  Inspector  of  Highways.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Jeffer- 
son Club,  and  is  very  popular  among  his  colleagues  in  the  de- 
jiartment ;  energetic,  prompt,  active  and  attentive  to  the  dis- 
charge of  his  important  duties,  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  the 
large  army  of  employees  engaged  in  the  construction  and  re- 
pairing of  the  highways  of  the  Bronx, 


WILLIAM     DODCE    PULLIS 


HENRY    BRUCKNER 


ROBERT    F.    ZABRISKIE 


JACOB   WAEGELE 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


351 


JACOB  WAEGELE,  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  Bronx, 
and  largely  identified  with  its  progress,  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  June  29,  1871,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  latter  city.  After  his  graduation  he  learned 
ihe  painter's  trade  and  has  been  employed  in  the  municipal  de 
partment  of  the  borough  on  public  buildings  for  a  long  period. 
The  son  of  Jacob  and  Marie  Wagele,  he  was  carefully  edu 
cated  and  trained  to  be  self-reliant  and  progressive.  His  father 
was  a  hotel  keeper,  and  after  his  death  Mr.  Waegele  succeeded 
him  in  the  business,  which  he  still  successfully  conducts  at 
No.  3083  Third  Avenue,  known  as  Union  Hall.  Besides  being 
identified  with  the  public  buildings  of  the  Bronx,  he  has 
served  three  years,  in  the  painting  department  of  the  street 
cleaning  bureau  of  the  city.  On  February  20,  1890,  Mr. 
Waegele  married  Miss  Anna  Baur,  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  Baur,  of  New  York  City.  In  March,  1905,  the  Jacob 
Waegele  Association,  a  social  organization,  was  organized  in 
honor  of  Mr.  Waegele,  who  was  elected  its  standard  bearer, 
and  held  its  first  outing  in  June.  last.  The  organization  of 
which  he  is  the  leader,  has  a  large  membership,  and  numbers 
among  its  members  many  gentlemen  of  prominence  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Waegele  is  a  Democrat  in  politics, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Jefferson  Club,  the  Foresters  of  Ameri- 
ca and  the  U.  S.  Indemnity  Society.  He  is  well  and  familiarly 
known  to  all  the  public  men  of  the  borough,  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  its  progress  and 
advancement. 

BERNARD  BLUMENHAUER.— The  son  of  William  and 
Martha  Elizabeth  Blumenhauer,  the  former  one  of  the  most  re- 
spected citizens  in  the  Bronx,  and  also  one  of  its  leading  con- 
tractors, was  born  in  Germany,  February  8,  1873,  and  when  but 
seven  months  of  age,  was  brought  here  by  his  family,  from  his 
native  home  in  Germany.  Fie  attended  and  graduated  from  old 
Public  School  No.  62,  at  Melrose,  and  after  his  graduation,  like 
all  the  scions  of  German  families,  he  was  apprenticed  to  a 
trade,  in  order  that  he  might  properly  fit  himself  to  meet  and 
face  the  exigencies  of  the  world,  and  prepare  a  future  for  him- 
scelf.  His  respected  parents  had  him  apprenticed  to  the  iron 
structural  work,  and,  after  serving  his  full  time,  by  his  close 
application,  his  steady  habits  and  his  natural  ability,  he  was  grad- 
uated in  his  trade,  which  to-day  is  in  such  demand,  and.  perhaps, 
commands  from  those  skilled  mechanics  employed  in  it,  the 
highest  wages  paid  in  this  or  any  other  country  for  competent 
men.  However,  Mr.  Blumenhauer.  while  he  devoted  a  few 
years  to  his  accomplished  profession  as  a  structural  iron  worker, 
thought  of  another  business,  which  attracted  his  attention,  and 
after  careful  consideration,  entered  into  it  on  his  own  account. 
This  was  in  1903,  when  he  started  his  present  business  of  a  storage 
warehouse  and  vans  for  the  removal  of  families,  either  from 
the  city  or  country  or  for  the  storage  of  their  furniture  in  a 
secure  and  proper  manner.  Hailing  from  an  old  and  highly  re- 
spected family,  who  are  among  the  best  citizens  of  the  borough. 
Mr.  I'.luuH-nhauer  has,  by  his  energy  and  his  practical  metlnxK  nf 
conducting  his  business,  gained  a  large  and  a  growing  patronage, 
as  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  removal  of  furniture  and  the 
storage  warehouse  business  of  the  Bronx.  His  business  is  based 
and  applied  upon  business  principles,  and  herein  is  the  result 
of  his  success.  His  integrity  is  unquestioned,  and  it  is  of  such 
a  high  character  that  his  whole  popularity  is  based  upon  it. 
Young,  ambitious,  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for  thirty-one  years, 
he  has  built  for  himself  a  foundation  for  his  prosperous  business 
calling,  that  might  be  envied  by  the  numerous  moving  men  of 
the    Bronx,    who    are    his    competitors.      Mr.    Blumenhauer    was 


married  on  June  9,  1890,  to  Miss  Christina  Ruppert,  an  estima- 
ble young  lady  of  the  Bronx,  who  resides  now  in  the  same 
house  where  she  was  born,  and  the  result  of  this  happy  union 
was  one  child,  William,  a  very  promising  boy.  Mr.  Blumen- 
hauer and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church,  and,  personally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  following  clubs 
and  societies:  The  Housesmiths  and  Bridgemen's  Union,  the 
Jefferson  Club,  the  Elton.  Jr.,  Pleasure  Club  and  the  "Waube 
Tribe,"  Order  of  Red  Men.  One  of  the  first  citizens  of  the 
Bronx,  he  lends  his  influence  on  all  occasions  to  advance  the 
progress  and  prosperity  of  the  great  borough. 

JOHN  LERCH.  retired  jeweler,  and  one  of  the  best 
known,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  on  Madi- 
son Street,  near  Jackson.  He  received  a  conmion  school  edu- 
cation, having  attended  the  public  school  in  old  Mott  Haven, 
now  Morrisania.  His  father  purchased  property  in  the  Bronx 
in  1850,  where  he  operated  stone  quarries.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  has  resided  here  since  1851.  When  a  young  man  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  jeweler.  For  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  that  business  on  his  own  account  at  4  Maiden  Lane. 
later  removing  to  3013  Third  Avenue,  which  he  conducted  until 
1898.  when  he  retired  from  active  business,  carrying  with  him  a 
reputation  of  which  he  may  well  feel  proud  of.  Mr.  Lerch  is 
a  Democrat.  He  has  never  been  an  ofifice  seeker,  preferring  to 
give  attention  to  his  business  enterprises.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Reformed  Church,  156th  Street  and  Elton  Avenue, 
and  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  that  con- 
gregation, by  whom  he  is  universally  respected.  He  was 
joined  in  holy  wedlock  with  Miss  Sophia  Freutel ;  one  child 
was  born  to  this  union,  Anna  C,  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  George 
F.  A.  Olt.  general  manager  of  the  Bronx  branch  of  the  Ger- 
mania  Bank.  Mr.  Lerch  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school 
type  and  is  universally  beloved  and  esteemed  by  all  who  have 
the  honor  of  his  acquaintance. 

ROBERT  !•■.  ZABRISKIE,  of  456  East  146th  Street,  Bronx, 
has  conducted  a  prosperous  trucking  business  for  the  last  thirty 
years,  with  offices  at  61  Cliff  Street,  down  town,  and  135th 
Street  and  the  Mott  Haven  Canal  in  the  Bronx.  Mr.,  Zabriskie 
is  a  native  of  New  York,  40  years  old.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools  of  the  city.  He  has  lived  in  the 
Bronx  since  1875.  and  is  well  and  widely  known,  not  only 
through  his  business,  but  from  his  connection  with  many  or- 
ganizations, among  them  the  Schnorer  and  Allegheny  Clubs, 
the  "Merry  Five"  Association,  the  Loyal  Association  and  Subur- 
ban Council.  No.  1354.  Royal  .Arcanum.  He  is  an  attendant  of 
St.  Ann's  Church  and  a  thorough  Democrat.  He  was  married 
September  7,  1880,  to  Miss  Emily  Flildebrandt,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children,  all  living.  Rolicrt  F..  Jr.,  the  eldest.  Lillian  H. 
and  Gladys   N. 

JAMES  B.  COS  I'ELLO,  as  manager  of  the  Morris  Heights 
Hotel,  is  well  and  favorably  known  throughout  all  that  part  of 
the  city.  He  is  a  Scotchman,  born  in  Dumbarton,  and  educated 
m  the  board  school  there,  but  has  been  resident  in  New  York 
now  going  on  ten  years.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has 
never  aspired  to  office,  though  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Morris  llciglils  l\e|)ul)Iii.-;ni  Cluh  fur  five  or  six  years.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  the  T.  W.  Social  Club  and  is  patron  of  the  J.  B.  Cos- 
tello  Association,  which  is  named  for  him.  and  has  flourished 
about  two  years.  Mr.  Costello  is  the  father  of  five  children; 
but  one.  however,  is  living,  David,  a  little  one  three  and  a 
half  years  old.  the  idol  of  his  heart  and  apple  of  his  eye. 


352 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


ERNEST  T.  SULZER,  son  of  the  founder  of  Sulzer's 
Harlem  River  Park  and  Casino,  was  born  at  the  latter  place 
July  9,  1876.  At  this  period  Harlem  was  little  more  than  a 
village.  It  was  only  two  years  later  when  the  first  train  of 
the  elevated  railroad  was  run  to  125th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 
Then  commenced  the  building  boom  that  in  a  few  years  after- 
wards made  Harlem  a  populous  district,  and  with  this  boom 
commenced  the  career  of  what  is  known  far  and  wide  as  Sul- 
zer's Harlem  River  Park  and  Casino,  at  this  period  but  a  small 
and  unpretentious  hostelry,  whose  surroundings  were  nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  few  one-story  shanties,  goats  and  pigs  ga- 
lore, but  is  to-day  one  of  New  York's  most  famous  resorts  for 
amusements,  picnics  and  holiday  celebrations.  Nearly  all  of 
the  leading  societies  of  the  city  commemorate  their  anniversaries 
on  its  now  historic  grounds,  which  are  equipped  with  every 
facility  known  to  modern  amusement  architecture.  Mr.  Sulzer 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Harlem  and  was  finally  gradu- 
ated at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  joined  his  father 
in  the  m.''.nagement  of  the  park  and  casino  and  through  his 
practical  business  methods  has  brought  the  famous  concern 
into  the  great  repute  and  distinction  it  now  enjoys  among  the 
people  of  Greater  New  York.  As  one  of  the  oldest  parks  in  the 
city,  occupying  fully  four  city  blocks,  owned  by  and  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Sulzer  family,  with  one  of  the  largest  and 
finest  decorated  ball  rooms  in  the  world,  it  stands  preeminent 
as  the  great  amusement  center  of  the  metropolis.  In  politics 
Mr.  Sulzer  is  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club, 
the  Young  Men's  Democratic  Club,  the  Mohawk  Club,  Tammany 
Central  Club,  Down  Town  Tammany  Club,  Miami  Club,  Metro- 
politan Yacht  Club,  Harlem  Club,  New  Polo  Athletic  Club,  Franz 
Shubert  Mannerchor,  Liederkranz,  New  York  City  ScluUzen, 
United  German  Societies,  New  York  No.  40,  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  Lincoln  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M..  and  1.  O.  Odd  Fellows. 

E.  F.  PHELPS,  son  of  Hiram  and  Mary  A.  Phelps,  was 
born  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  October  23.  1853.  His  father  being 
a  sturdy  and  influential  farmer,  had  young  Phelps  educated  at 
the  public  school  of  Hadline,  a  nearby  town  of  East  Haddam, 
Conn.,  where  he  applied  himself  studiously  until  his  graduation, 
after  which  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  general  management 
of  their  extensive  farm,  until  his  father's  demise.  He  then  en- 
tered mercantile  life,  opening  a  large  market  for  supplying  the 
seashore  trade,  which  he  developed  into  a  large  and  profitable 
undertaking.  Disposing  of  his  business  for  a  satisfactory 
remuneration,  he  accepted  a  position  from  a  large  china  and  glass- 
ware house  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  as  its  general  manager  and  New 
York  buyer,  which  he  managed  successfully  for  some  time.  His 
aptitude  and  business  qualifications  for  the  latter  trade  attracted 
the  attention  of  a  prominent  and  old  established  wholesale  chir.a, 
glass  and  crockery  importing  firm  of  New  York  City,  who  se- 
cured his  services,  and  for  a  few  years,  he  travelled  through  the 
states  as  their  representative  and  established  for  them  a  large 
and  profitable  business.  Retiring  from  this  industry  with  the 
regrets  of  his  eninloyes,  he  entered  into  the  service  of  the  Man- 
hattan Railway  Company  of  this  city,  receiving  a  responsible 
position  in  the  mechanical  department,  which  he  conducted  suc- 
cessfully for  over  four  years,  but  owing  to  painful  injuries  re- 
ceived through  an  accident,  was  compelled  to  abandon  his  duties 
and  resigned.  After  recovering  from  his  injuries,  he  reentered 
commercial  life,  accepting  a  prominent  position  with  the  well 
known  piano  manufacturers,  Wheelock  &  Co.,  in  whose  service 
he  remained  for  over  four  years  as  one  of  its  most  active  and 
respected  employees.  The  Central  Gas  Company  of  the  Bronx 
had  eagerly  anticipated  an  opportunity  to  secure  the  services  of 
such   an  active  progressive  man   as   Mr.   Phelps,  and   when   ap- 


proached with  a  tempting  offer  by  them,  he  readily  assented  and 
gave  them  invaluable  service  for  nearly  three  years.  During  all 
this  period  of  active  participation  in  the  commercial  struggles 
that  he  so  successfully  managed,  Mr.  Phelps  had  always  con- 
sidered that  his  abilities  and  his  tastes  were  better  qualified  for 
the  handling  and  the  management  of  property  and  property 
interests,  than  any  other  vocation  he  miglit  engage  in.  This 
determination  was  so  firmly  established  in  his  mind  that  in  1891 
he  disposed  of  all  other  business  responsibilities  and  entered  into 
the  real  estate  business  as  a  broker  and  manager  of  estates,  and 
since  the  latter  period,  he  has  applied  himself  so  diligently  to 
his  work,  and  so  successfully  to  all  the  business  entrusted  to  him 
by  his  large  and  influential  clientage,  that  his  name  and  his  un- 
impeachable character  and  repvitation  is  so  firmly  and  so  favor- 
bly  established  throughout  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  and  Man- 
hattan, that  he  stands  second  to  none  in  the  list  of  eminent 
names  who  are  the  leading  real  estate  dealers  of  the  Greater 
City.  His  knowledge  of  properties  and  their  respective  values, 
combined  with  his  indomitable  push  and  energy  to  secure  for 
and  to  make  profitable  investments  for  his  clients  are  the  great 
characteristics  that  attract  the  attention  of  investors  and  own- 
ers, and  that  cause  so  many  of  them  to  place  their  purchases  or 
their  offerings  in  his  charge.  Mr.  Phelps  was  married  in  1900 
to  Miss  Annie  M.  Mullen,  of  Philadelphia,  and  has  one  son 
living  named  Spencer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  is  of  such  a  strenuous  nature  in  his  business,  that 
he  has  not  the  time  to  join  societies  or  organizations,  though 
his  inclinations  are  all  favorable  to  them.  He  is  an  old  and 
active  member  of  that  celebrated  organization  known  as  the 
"Governor's  Foot  Guard"  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  are  crowned 
with  the  same  lustre  attributed  to  the  "Ancient  and  Houor- 
ahles"  of  Boston. 

ALBERT  F.  'VOLGENAU,  secretary  at  present  to  the 
Fire  Commission,  and  an  ex-journalist,  formerly  connected  with 
the  dailies  of  the  city  and  the  Associated  Press,  is  a  Bronx  resi- 
dent this  past  four  years.  He  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  lived  for  a 
while  when  a  child  in  Buffalo,  and  up  to  the  time  he  moved  to 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  was  a  resident  of  Harlem.  He  is 
;i2  years  old  and  a  man  of  family.  He  was  married,  December 
23,  1900,  to  Miss  Grace  L.  Cloughen  of  Harlem.  They  have 
had  two  children,  but  one  is  dead.  Mr.  Volgenau  is  a  public 
school  graduate  and  Tammany  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Jefferson  Tammany  Club,  the  Tammany  General  Committee, 
the  Elks  and  Bronx  Press  Club. 

HENRY  HRL'CKNER  is  well  know-n  in  a  business  way  as 
a  mineral  water  manufacturer  at  668  East  i6ist  Street.  To  the 
public  at  large  his  name  is  familiar  as  that  of  a  man  prominent 
in  the  Democratic  organization,  after  whom  the  Henry  Bruckner 
Association  is  named,  and  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Assem- 
bly of  the  State,  which  met  at  Albany  in  iQOO,  that  of  one  who 
served  the  people  of  his  constituency  we  may  add,  faithfully, 
intelligently  and  efficiently.  As  why,  indeed,  should  he  not?  He 
had  everj'  qualification.  He  is  a  native  and  has  lived  here  all 
his  life.  lie  was  born  in  the  Bron.x  June  17,  1S71 — some  thirty- 
four  years  ago.  He  graduated  from  the  public  schools  of  the 
district  at  15  in  1886,  and  has  been  employed  or  engaged  in  busi- 
ness here  ever  since.  He  married  here  also.  Miss  Helen  A.  Zobel, 
November  17,  190.4,  and  is  the  happy  father  of  one  child,  Henry, 
jr.,  a  bouncing  boy.  Mr.  Bruckner  belongs  to  a  number  of 
organizations,  among  others  the  following:  Lily  Lodge,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  Metropolitan,  R.  A.  M.,  Constable  Commandery,  Mecca 
Temple,  Crescent  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Wanibi  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M., 
and  Court  Mott  Haven,  of  the  Foresters. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


353 


CHARLES  J.  REINHARDT,  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
and  important  storage  warehouse  proprietors  of  the  Bronx,  lo- 
rated  at  Wakefield,  was  born  at  the  latter  place,  on  Marcli  lo. 
1858,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  at  Mount  Ver- 
non. Growing  to  manhood  Mr.  Reinhardt  became  interested 
largely  in  public  affairs,  and  aided  materially  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Wakefield.  His  active  efforts  in  the  latter  direction 
were  rewarded  by  the  public,  who  elected  him  Commissioner 
of  Highways,  a  very  responsible  position,  during  which  time  he  ac- 
complished wonderful  results  for  the  benefit  of  the  village.  The 
son  of  Jacob  Frederick  and  Caroline  Reinhardt,  highly  re- 
spected citiizens  of  the  village,  he  was  raised  and  educated  by 
them,  to  become  what  his  whole  progress  in  life  has  proved,  an 
upright,  useful  and  progressive  citizen.  In  1903  Mr.  Reinhardt 
erected  his  present  large  and  commodious  storage  warehouse, 
with  a  residence  adjoining  thereto,  which  has  become  a  val- 
uable adjunct  to  the  upper  portion  of  the  Borough  and  acts 
as  a  great  convenience  for  the  large  and  growing  population 
north  of  Williamsbridge  and  adjacent  cities  and  villages.  The 
storage  warehouse  is  large,  commodious  and  fitted  up  with  the 
latest  modern  improvements,  providing  for  the  safekeeping 
of  valuable  furniture,  bric-a-brac,  and  other  valuable  house- 
hold furnishings.  His  vans  are  large,  and  of  the  latest  and  best 
patterns,  and  his  e.xtensive  business-  is  a  guarantee  of  his 
popular  methods  in  transacting  his  business  for  the  public  at 
large.  On  March  15,  1888,  Mr.  Reinhardt  married  Miss 
Freese,  a  lady  of  high  personal  attainments,  and  the  daughter 
of  Frederick  and  Josephine  Freese,  of  Wakefield,  the  result 
of  this  union  being  two  sons,  Charles  F.,  and  George  Reinhardt. 
both  of  whom  are  living.  With  a  striking  personality,  Mr.  Rein- 
hardt occupies  the  position  as  one  of  Wakefield's  first  citizens, 
and  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  its  most  popular 
business  men. 

FREDERICK  HALL,  dry  goods  merchant,  of  985  Tremont 
Avenue,  Bronx,  was  born  in  Denmark,  thirty-six  years  ago.  He 
has  been  located  in  this  borough  about  three  years.  He  came 
here  from  Manhattan,  and  is  more  than  pleased  with  the  change 
and  presages  great  things  for  the  borough  when  its  waste  places 
are  all  reclaimed,  built  up  and  settled.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  good 
Democrat  and  a  strong  Catholic.  He  married  September  5,  1896, 
in  the  Ninth  Ward,  Miss  Delia  Fay.  It  has  proven  a  happy 
match,  but  one  thus  far  unblessed  with  children. 

THOMAS  F.  KIERNAN,  born  in  Ireland  December  22. 
1846,  but  a  resident  of  this  city  for  thirty-five  or  thirty-six 
years,  is  one  of  the  best-known  denizens  of  the  borough.  He  is 
a  plastering  and  building  contractor,  a  good,  staunch  Democrat, 
and  member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Kiernan  married  in 
1871  Miss  Elizabeth  Brophy.  He  has  had  nine  children.  Of 
these  seven,  six  daughters  and  one  son,  are  living.  The  son, 
Thomas,  Jr.,  is  an  artist  on  the  staff  of  the  "North  Side  News." 
and  a  young  man  of  decided  talent  with  the  caricaturist's  pencil. 

W.  GUY  GARY,  D.  D.  S.,  formerly  located  at  No.  2929 
Third  Avenue,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Sheboygan. 
Wis.,  September  12,  1873,  and  during  his  early  youth  attended 
the  public  school  of  his  native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
finished  his  preliminary  studies  in  Manhattan.  Having  a  natural 
aptitude  for  a  professional  career,  he  chose  that  of  dentistry, 
and  after  having  successfully  passed  his  high  school  examination 
at  Syracuse,  N.  Y..  he  entered  the  College  of  Aural  and  Dental 
Surgery,    located    in    West    Forty-second    Street.      After    close 


^application  and  diligent  study  for  three  years  he  was  graduated 
in  igo2,  receiving  his  degree  D.  D.  S.  with  exceptionally  high 
honors,  being  elected  valedictorian  of  his  class.  His  successful 
career  began  immediately  upon  opening  a  dental  parlor  in  Man- 
hattan, and  after  one  year's  practice  in  that  borough  decided 
to  move  to  the  Bronx;  this  was  in  1903,  and  he  established  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  complete  dental  parlors  north  of  the 
Harlem  River,  locating  at  No.  2929  Third  .\venue.  It  was  not 
long  before  he  sought  one  to  share  his  success  and  incidentally 
assist  him  in  his  work.  A  partnership  was  decided  upon,  and 
in  1903  he  entered  into  same  with  Mrs.  Estelle  Sutton,  of  the 
llronx,  who  had  liad  twelve  years'  experience  in  this  profession, 
.•ind  was  instrumental  in  increasing  the  practice  to  what  it  is  to 
day.  Dr.  Gary's  specialty  was  that  of  porcelain  inlay  work, 
and  his  new  method  of  extraction  of  teeth,  which  rendered  the 
operation  painless  and  harmless  by  the  compounding  of  his 
own  original  prescription  for  local  anaesthesia  of  the  gums,  the 
use  of  which  gave  him  a  wide  reputation  in  his  particular  line 
uf  denial  work.  It  is  needless  to  say.  judging  from  the  large 
nalninayc.  thai   al!  olher  work  is  kept   up  to  the  highest  standard. 


W.    GUY    GARY.     D.D.S. 

.\flcr  a  brief  illness.  Dr.  Gary  died  in  December,  1905,  leaving 
.111  immense  practice  to  be  cared  for  by  his  widow,  formerly 
.Mrs.  Estelle  Sutton,  whom  he  married  on  August  31,  1904. 
nnil  her  busy  application  to  all  the  doctor's  affairs  and  her  knowl- 
edge of  the  business  enabled  her  to  continue  along  the  same 
lines  as  before.  On  May  i,  1906,  Mrs.  Gary  moved  to  a  more 
spacious  parlor  located  at  No.  2937  Third  Avenue,  where  she 
has  installed  everything  tending  to  the  comfort  of  the  patient, 
and  is  ably  assisted  by  two  competent  graduates.  In  politics 
Dr.  Gary  was  a  National  Republican,  but  locally  he  was  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party,  taking  a  deep  and  active  interest  in 
all  matters  pertaining  to  public  benefit ;  his  support  was  always 
liberally  given  when  desired.  He  had  many  influential  friends 
but  never  sought  political  favors,  nor  was  he  ever  an  oflire 
seeker.  He  was  a  member  of  Wyoming  Lodge,  No.  492  (senior 
deacon),  F.  and  A.  M.,  Ivy  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  at  Bronx  Temple. 
Secretary  of  the  Alumni  of  the  College  of  .'Kural  and  Dental 
Surgery,  a  member  of  the  Willis  Avenue  M.  E.  Church,  and  an 
enthusiastic  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Dr.  Gary  was  not 
survived   by  any  children. 


FRANK  ARMINGTON    SPENCER 


CAPTAIN     WILLIAM     H.    HODGINS 


CHARLES    J.    REINHARDT 


FREDERICK    HALL 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


355 


M.  OPPENHEIM,  the  leading  and  most  prominent  gents' 
furnishing  merchant  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born 
at  Hoffenheim,  Germany,  November  14,  1870.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  wliile  very  young  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  after  which  he  was  employed  in  a  gents'  furnishing 
store,  where  he  labored  incessantly  for  the  meagre  pay  of  $1.80 
per  week.  This  employment  was  continued  until  1897,  when 
he  opened  a  store  in  the  Bronx  on  his  own  account,  in  a  small 
way  and  by  his  industry  and  business  acumen  he  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  business  in  the  Bronx  that  is  recognized  by  the 
great  community  as  the  palace  of  fashion  in  men's  furnishing 
goods  of  every  description,  and  of  the  best  quality  manufactured 
by  the  leading  firms  of  the  United  States  and  Europe.  The 
rapid  growth  of  the  Bronx  and  the  large  and  substantial  patron- 
age received  by  Mr.  Oppenheim  required  further  development 
of  his  business,  so  that  in  1903  he  opened  one  of  the  largest  and 
finest  stores  in  Tremont,  known  as  No  764  Tremont  Avenue, 
his  main  and  original  store  being  located  at  No.  2777  Third  Ave- 
nue. For  seven  years  he  has  been  a  merchant  of  the  Bronx  and 
hr.s  the  entire  confidence  of  leading  citizens  of  the  borough,  who 


JOSEPH  EDWARD  CHAUVET,  D.  D.  S„  one  of  the 
nsost  progressive  residents  of  Bronx  Borough,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  August  22,  1869.  His  preliminary  education  was 
obtained  in  the  public  schools,  and  upon  completing  this  course, 
he  was  sent  to  Europe,  where  he  spent  two  years  mastering 
the  French  tongue.  On  his  return  he  entered  the  New  York 
College  of  Dentistry  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1889.  Dur- 
ing tlie  same  yenr  he  opened  an  office  in  the  Haskin  Build- 
ing and  entered  actively  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  is  at  present  located  at  Webster  Avenue  and  Kingsbridge 
Road.  Dr.  Chauvet  has  resided  in  Bronx  Borough  since  1887; 
before  that  he  lived  in  Manhattan.  He  is  a  member  of,  and 
has  held  office  in  the  Royal  Arcanum ;  he  belongs  to  the  Friday 
Afternoon  Bowling  Club,  and  he  is  a  prominent  inember  and 
one-time  official  of  the  Fordham  Club.  In  1889  Dr.  Chauvet 
became  a  member  and  acting  secretary  of  the  Bedford  Park 
Local  Improvement  Club.  The  object  of  this  organization  and 
of  its  auxiliaries  throughout  the  Bronx,  was  to  elect  to  office 
men  of  independent  politics  and  to  advance  the  interests  of 
the  borough   generally.     It   soon   came   to   be   an   influential   and 


extend  to  him  a  liberal  patronage  for  his  enterprise,  his  abso- 
lute integrity  and  gentlemanly  qualifications.  On  Thanksgiving 
Day,  1900,  Mr.  Oppenheim  married  an  estimable  and  highly  re- 
fined lady,  Miss  Julia  Bachrach,  of  this  city,  and  has  two  most 
promising  children,  Ernestine  and  Monroe.  One  of  the  youngest 
and  most  successful  merchants  in  the  borough,  keeping  up  with 
the  rapid  pace  of  advancement  and  improvement,  Mr.  Oppen- 
heim gives  promise  to  become  in  the  near  future  the  most  im- 
portant adjunct  of  its  mercantile  community. 

WM.  H.  ROBINSON,  plumber,  of  Victor  Street,  Van  Nest 
Park,  is  a  Philadelphian  by  birth,  47  years  old,  and  a  live  and 
successful  business  man.  He  was  brought  up  in  this  city  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  here.  The  Bronx  has  been 
his  place  of  residence  and  of  business  also,  for  about  ten  years, 
and  he  has  profited  by  its  unexampled  building  prosperity.  Mr. 
Robinson  married  in  1890,  Miss  Mary  Criramin.  They  have 
three  children  living  and  one  dead.  The  living  children  are : 
Mary  L.,  Willie  J.  and  Geo.  B.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Corona 
Club,  and  is  usually  of  Democratic  proclivities  politically. 


most  efficient  body.  Dr.  Chauvet  is  the  owner  of  the  celebrated 
Poe  cottage,  Kingsbridge.  He  is  a  Catholic  and  resides  in  the 
parish  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy.  Professionnllv  ;n-;d  socially,  he 
is  one  of  the  best  known  gentlemen  of  the  borough.  His  prac- 
tice is  a  lucrative  one.  He  counts  among  his  clientele  many  of 
the  prominent  people   of   this  part  of   the  city. 

EDGAR  GEORGE  INGRAM,  a  leading  dentist  of  the 
Bronx  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  was  born  at  London,  England, 
in  1871.  He  received  a  practical  education  in  England,  and 
after  coming  to  New  York  City,  entered  and  graduated  at  the 
head  of  his  class  in  the  New  York  College  of  Dentistry.  Dr. 
Ingram  has  a  very  large  practice  among  the  leading  families  of 
the  Bronx,  and  enjoys  the  confidence  both  of  his  patients  and 
his  numerous  colleagues  of  the  profession.  On  December  7, 
1892,  he  married  Miss  Ermina  Adelaide  Van  Iderstine,  and 
has  one  son,  Everett  Stanley.  The  doctor  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Tremont  Baptist  Church  and  occupy  a  high 
standing  among  the  devotees  of  this  well  known  house  of  wor- 
ship. 


JOSEPH    EDWARD    CHAUVET,    D.   D.   S. 


HARRY    B.     HA3KIN 


FRANK    S.     HOLAHAN 


FREDERICK    HITCHCOCK 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


357 


ALPIIONSE  GERMAN  CARON,  one  of  the  prominent 
undertakers  and  practical  enibalmers  of  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx,  was  born  at  Cherbourg,  France,  January  4,  1861,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  New  York  City  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
The  son  of  Joseph  Caron,  who  was  one  of  Europe's  most  famous 
clowns  and  pantomimists  and  his  mother,  who  was  a  premier 
(lanseuse  and  a  member  of  the  famous  Zanfretta  family,  he  wa^ 
trained  to  the  profession  and  his  professional  career  has  ex- 
tended over  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  thirty  years  of  it  at  least 
under  the  circus  tents,  was  the  only  habitation  he  knew.  He 
was  but  three  years  old  when  he  first  made  his  American  debut. 
With  his  father  and  brothers  they  came  with  the  original  Han- 
Ions,  and  "Al"  was  known  as  the  property  baby.  Their  coming 
to  tliis  country  was  the  signal  of  success  for  the  musteritig  of  all 
the  families'  circus  connections  from  half  the  capitals  of  Europe 
From  Austria,  Hungary,  England  and  South  America  flocked 
the  Martin  Eddys,  who  were  famous  clowns  and  showmen,  the 
entire  Zanfretta  family  who  were  dancers  and  patnmimists,  the 
Seagrists  who  were  clowns,  the  Ravels  of  the  Ravel  Pantomimie 
Company,  and  Marie  'Vanoni,  singer  and  mimic,  all  of  the  former 
being  related  by  blood  or  marriage  to  the  famous  Carons.  Mr. 
Caron  was  with  Barnuni.  Bailey  &  Hutchinson's  circus  for  six- 
teen  years,  with  Charine's  circus  travelling  through  Cuba  and 
all  South  American  States,  and  also  with  Sells  Bros.'  circus  for 
five  years.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  professional  life,  dis- 
covering that  he  was  becoming  too  stout  and  heavy  to  do  his 
famous  acts,  he  commenced  the  study  of  aijatomy  and  embalm- 
ing between  his  celebrated  trick  acts.  Securing  the  best  an- 
th'orities  and  authors'  standard  works  on  this  subject,  he  ap- 
plied himself  diligently  to  his  studies.  His  acrobatic  studies 
taught  him  a  great  deal  alx)Ut  anatomy,  and  after  a  serious  acci- 
dent he  concluded  to  withdraw  from  his  old  profession  and 
become  an  undertaker  and  embalmer.  His  careful  studies  en- 
abled him  to  secure  a  clear  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the 
business.  His  wife,  who  was  a  good  actress,  he  taught  to  be  a 
bareback  rider  and  one  day  her  horse  fell,  hurting  her  severely, 
and  it  was  then  that  Mr.  Caron  gave  up  the  business  and  started 
in  on  his  own  account  in  the  undertaking  business.  From  the 
start  his  success  has  been  equal  to  that  of  any  other  of  his 
colleagues  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  His  reputation  for 
attending  to  the  most  minute  details  of  his  calling  is  of  the  very 
highest  order  and  has  brought  to  him  a  large  clientage  of  the 
best  citizens  of  the  borough.  Systematic  and  methodical  in  all 
his  business  affairs  and  a  practical  professor  of  anatomy  his 
embalming  process  is  of  the  highest  order  and  is  practically 
acknowledged  to  be  deserving  of  the  highest  praise.  His  facili- 
ties for  conducting  funerals  and  his  methods  of  doing  so  are 
both  equal  to  any  other  first  class  undertaking  establishment  in 
the  borough.  He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Bleecker 
oud  Moll  Streets  and  finished  his  curriculum  at  Williamsliridge 
He  was  married  January  26,  1885,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Peterson,  who 
\.'as  a  proiTiinent  and  successful  actress.  Air.  Caron  is  a  promi- 
nent meinber  of  the  Catholic  Benevolent  Legion,  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  the  Forest'.TS  and  Old  Dutch  Fi  .e  .\ssociatibn.  and  oP',- 
of  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  Bronx,  who  has  made  it 
his  home  for  nearly  forty  years  and  who  aids  in  every  possible 
way  all  public  improvements  that  are  advantageous  to  the  great 
and  rapid  development  of  the  borough;  he  enjoys  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens  and  a  liberal  patronage  from  them,  as  an 
enterprising  and  reliable  umlcrlaker  and  embalmer. 

JOHN  NIMPHIUS.  owner  and  builder  of  the  extensive 
North  Side  Storage  Warehouse,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
October  i,  1857,  and  is  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  since  1859.  His 
father.   John    Nimphius,    was   an    old    and   well    known    resident 


of  the  Bron.x,  coming  to  New  York  in  1840  from  Germany,  and 
opened  a  bakery,  but  later  entered  the  grocery  business  at  149th 
J^treet  and  Third  Avenue,  where  he  resided  for  many  years. 
When  the  younger  Nimphius  left  school,  he  assisted  his  father 
for  a  few  years,  then  commenced  the  express  business  on  his 
own  account,  ami  retiring  in  1884.  became  connected  will", 
the  Custom  House  under  Cleveland's  administration.  He  was 
also  connected  with  the  Highway  Department  of  the  Bron.x 
frotn  its  inception.  His  general  activity  and  push  brought  him 
into  contact  with  a  large  number  of  the  most  eminent  mer- 
chants of  New  York,  for  whom  he  conducted  their  exclusive 
rind  extensive  trucking  business.  H.  B.  Ciaflin  &  Co..  Swecizer. 
Pembroke  &  Co.,  Halstead,  Haines  &  Co.,  Bates,  Reed  &  Cav- 
ley,  Dunham  Buckley.  George  Bliss  &  Co.,  John  Spellman  & 
Bros.,  and  this  business  he  held  for  a  number  of  years.  With 
all  of  his  large  business  interests,  Mr.  Nimphius  had  time  to 
devote  to  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department  of  the  Bronx,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  chief  engineers  up  to  the  period  of 
annexation.  In  1870,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hutzler,  of 
the  Bron.x,  and  has  now  a  happy  and  promising  family  of  si.x 
childivn,  namely,  William  G.,  Henry  .\..  Peter  J..  Jam^-. 
.\melia  and  Gertrude.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  has  never 
held  any  public  office,  but  is  a  member  of  the  Jefferson  Club, 
the  Schnorers,  Tallapoosa,  Bron.x  Borough  Club  and  Exempt 
Firemen's  Association.  In  1904,  Mr.  Nimphius  erected  that 
large  and  commodious  storage  and  warehouse  structure  from 
521  to  S25  Bergen  Avenue,  near  Third  Avenue  and  149th 
Street  The  building  is  six  stories,  with  a  frontage  and  depth 
of  50x100,  containing  six  hundred  rooms  for  storage  of  furni- 
ture and  other  valuables,  and  is  the  best  equipped  storehouse 
in  the  Bronx.  In  a  short  time  two  additional  stories  will  be 
added  to  the  structure,  making  it  the  largest  and  tallest  build- 
ing in  the  Bronx  at  the  present  writing.  The  rapid  growth 
of  the  Bronx  demands  increased  facilities  for  storage  pur- 
poses, and  Mr.  Niiuphiu-..  with  his  usual  enterprise,  has  prn 
vided   this   magnificeiu   liuilding. 

ALFRED  C.  CILMORE  is  engaged  in  the  upholslerin:^ 
line  at  1020  Boston  Road,  enjoying  there  a  highly  prosperous 
business.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  34  years  old,  a  resident 
of  the  borough  since  he  was  14.  He  has  never  held  any  politi- 
cal office — never  sought  one  for  that  matter — but  is  conspicuous 
in  church  and  Sunday  school  matters.  He  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Pro.spect  Avenue  and 
-Vlacy  Place,  has  been  connected  with  it,  in  fact,  for  the  last 
fourteen  years,  that  is  from  its  organization.  He  was  elected 
Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  that  congregation  six 
years  ago  and  still  retains  that  position.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber and  treasurer  of  the  Bronx  Sunday  School  Association  for 
some  years.  Mr.  Gilmore  is  a  widower.  He  nrarried  Julia 
Hankinson  in  1892,  and  has  two  boys,  Everett,  aged  11,  at  the 
present   time,    and   Julian.   9. 

JOHN  MONAGHAN,  clerk  of  the  Second  District  Muni 
cipal  Court,  under  Judge  Tierney,  has  lived  here  in  the  Bronx 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  i52d  Street,  near  Fourth  Avenue, 
m  February.  1862.  He  is  a  well  known  Democrat  of  the  Bronx 
and  a  member  of  the  principal  party  organizations  of  the  bor 
ough,  the  Tallapoosa.  Jefferson  and  others  among  them.  He 
belongs  also  to  the  Elks,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Bunker  Hill 
.Association,  and  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club.  He  has  been 
clerk  of  court  eight  years.  He  married  November,  1886,  Miss 
Mary  Campbell.  They  have  four  children,  Kate,  Josephine, 
.\rdell   and    Paul   Kruger. 


ALPRED  c.  a;:,MC 


JOHN  MOKACKAN 


*1!.    H.    R03;j.-S0N 


EEGAS    C-50SGE    DiGRAM 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


359 


HANDEL  VICTOR  PHASEY,  Bandmaster,  Composer,  Eu- 
phonion  Virtuoso. — Handel  Phasey  comes  from  a  celebrated 
family  of  English  musicians.  His  father,  the  late  Alfred  James 
Phasey,  was  the  inventor  of  the  euphonion,  and  held  the  exalted 
position  of  Musician-in-ordinary  to  her  late  Majesty  Queen 
Victoria.  His  brother,  Alfred,  was  soloist  in  Patrick  Gilmore's 
band  for  ten  years.  The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  was 
born  in  Banbury  (celebrated  for  its  cakes),  Oxford,  England,  in 
1S64;  therefore,  he  is  in  his  fortieth  year.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion at  Ardingly  College,  Sussex,  England,  and  his  father,  in- 
tending that  he  should  follow  a  commercial  life,  apprenticed 
him  to  William  Whiteley,  a  firm  similar  to  Macy's  and  Siegel- 
Cooper.  Mr.  Handel  at  once  joined  a  brass  band,  which  had 
been  formed  in  this  firm,  and  took  up  and  studied  the  euphonion 
and  brass  trombone;  after  eighteen  months  he  deserted  the 
firm  and  enlisted  in  the  Royal  Horse  Artillery  Band.  lie  was 
then  sent  to  the  military  training  school  of  music,  known  as 
Kneller  Hall,  and  after  two  years'  study  rejoined  his  regiment. 
He  made  a  great  reputation  as  an  euphonion  soloist,  and  soon 
forged  his  way  to  the  front  rank  of  his  profession.  He  held  the 
most  enviable  positions  in  England;  among  them  we  may  men- 
tion the  world-wide  known  Crystal  Palace  Orchestra,  under  the 
leadership  of  Sir  August  Manns.  Among  the  many  prominenl 
leaders'  batons  he  has  played  under,  we  may  mention  Sir  Arthur 
Sullivan,  Sir  A.  McKenzie,  Lieut.  Dan  Godfrey,  etc.  Mr.  Phasey 
toured  Canada  and  the  United  States  in  1898,  being  starred 
throughout  the  tour.  Both  the  Canadian  and  American  press 
were  unanimous  in  declaring  his  performances  highly  artistic. 
Mr.  Phasey  was  long  the  bandmaster  of  the  Royal  Artillery 
Band  at  Southend,  England,  holding  the  commissioned  rank  of 
lieutenant.  He  relinquished  this  position  to  become  Musical 
Director  of  Royal  Leamington  Spa,  Warwickshire.  The  band 
was  known  as  "Phasey's  Band."  Whilst  here  he  fulfilled  several 
engagements  at  garden  parties  given  by  the  celebrated  novelist, 
Marie  Corelli.  Mr.  Phasey  says  he  found  English  ways  too  slow 
for  him  (and  any  one  knowing  Mr.  Phasey's  hustling  nature  can 
readily  believe  him),  and  he  became  anxious  to  return  to  the 
land  of  his  adoption.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  mention  that  four 
of  the  Phasey  family  are  naturalized  American  citizens,  viz., 
Alfred,  Handel,  William  and  Reginald,  and  all  are  in  the 
musical  profession.  Mr.  Phasey  was  the  recipient  of  an  il- 
luminated address,  accompanied  by  an  ivory  gold-mounted  baton 
and  gold-enameled  medal  when  he  retired  from  his  Leamington 
engagement,  and  only  recently  the  great  musical  firm  of  Boosey 
&  Co.  presented  him  with  a  silver  euphonion.  Mr.  Phasey  has 
fulfilled  some  important  engagements  in  this  country  and  Canada, 
among  them  two  most  successful  concerts  at  Herald  Square 
Theatre,  WiUow  Grove  Park,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Toronto,  Mon- 
treal, Quebec,  Winnipeg,  etc.  The  New  York  "Herald"  said  of 
the  band  performances  at  Herald  Square  Theatre:  "No  higher 
compliment   can   be   paid   a   band   than   to   say  it   is   as   good   as 

Sousa's,  and  this  can  be  said  of  Phasey's He  much 

resembles  Victor  Herbert  in  appearance ;  therefore,  he  is  stout 
and  jovial  looking."  Mr.  Phasey  has  many  interesting  remini- 
scent anecdotes  which  he  tells  in  a  very  pleasing  manner,  caus- 
ing much  laughter.  He  is  a  host  in  himself,  and  I  found  that 
the  time  slipped  by  too  quickly  when  I  was  in  his  society.  He 
has  certainly  made  many  friends  in  the  Bronx  Borough  by  his 
band  performances  at  Claremont  Park,  and  his  most  cheerful 
acquiescence  to  the  great  demand  for  encores.  He  has  pur- 
chased a  nice  house  at  Clay  Avenue,  Bron.x,  where  he  enjoys  the 
cheerful  society  of  his  wife  and  three  children.     He  is  a  mem- 


ber of  many  New  York  clubs,  including  the  Schnorer,  B.  P.  O- 
Elks,  No.  I  Lodge,  Jeft'erson  Club,  Sons  of  St.  George,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  742,  Star  of  Cuba  Lodge. 

ARTHUR  BOEHMER,  architect,  has  won  distinction  among 
his  confreres  of  that  profession  as  a  man  of  European  educa- 
tion, culture  and  training,  and  as  one  who  has  given  special 
attention  to  the  artistic  side  of  the  work.  He  was  born  in  an 
art  center,  indeed,  and  schooled  there,  brought  up  in  an  atmos- 
pnere  of  art  in  fact,  an  inestimable  advantage  to  one  in  his  line. 
He  is  a  native  of  Dresden,  Germany,  and  was  educated  in  the 
high  school  there  and  at  the  Royal  Polytechnic  and  Royal 
Academy  of  that  city.  At  21,  having  served  his  time  as  a  soldier, 
as  all  the  German  youths  must  do,  he  went  from  Hamburg, 
where  he  had  been  stationed,  to  Paris,  and  entered  the  Ecole  des 
Beaux  Arts,  there  to  study  architecture.  He  graduated  from 
that  great  school  with  honors  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  24,  and, 
having  spent  a  year  travelling  through  France,  Italy,  Austria, 
Germany,  Holland  and  England,  returned  to  Dresden  and 
"buckled  down  to  business."  His  talents  were  readily  recog- 
nized, but  in  1885,  seeking  a  broader  field,  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  was  employed  for  several  years  at  Scranton, 
Pa.,  in  the  construction  of  factories.  In  1888  he  settled  in  New 
York  and  opened  an  office  down  town  at  Nassau  and  Liberty 
Streets,  with  a  branch  in  Tremont.  Here  he  has  competed  for 
such  work  as  the  Grant  monument  and  Hall  of  Records,  and 
has  drawn  plans  for  many  large  factories  in  the  South,  Southeast 
and  New  England  and  for  tenements,  apartments,  colleges,  etc., 
in  New  Y'ork  and  its  environs.  Mr.  Boehmer  is  an  accomplished 
linguist;  he  speaks  fluently  a  number  of  the  European  languages. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  unmarried  as  yet,  an 
independent  in  politics,  a  devotee  of  hunting  and  fishing  and 
very  fond  of  all  animals.  His  single  public  service  was  a  con- 
nection at  one  time  with  the  Board  of  Education. 

GEORGE  FIENCKE,  the  popular  treasurer  of  the  Twenty- 
third  Ward  Property  Owners'  Association,  who  started  in  busi- 
ness in  1871  at  124s  Broadway,  New  York  City,  as  decorator, 
was  born  May  12,  1839,  in  the  town  of  Luneburg,  Germany, 
where  he  received  an  ordinary  education.  In  1865  he  came  to 
New  Y'^ork  and  settled  in  what  is  known  as  the  Melrose  section 
of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  went  almost  immediately 
into  the  business  of  selling  paints,  wall  paper,  etc.,  and  was 
very  successful  from  the  beginning.  He  applied  the  major  por- 
tion of  his  time  to  the  welfare  of  his  business  and  very  soon 
became  an  authority  on  "How  to  Succeed."  He  is  prominent 
in  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Melrose  Turn  Verein, 
an  institution  of  increasing  popularity,  for  advancing  intellectual 
and  physical  welfare.  He  is  one  of  the  founders,  and  only 
treasurer,  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Property  Owners' 
-Association,  where  his  admirable  qualities  and  public  spiritedness 
caused  him  to  be  offered  the  office  of  treasurer  which  he  ac- 
cepted and  which  he  holds  at  the  present  day.  Mr.  Fiencke  has 
three   children :     Bettie,    George   and   Virginia. 

JAMES  P.  DUNN,  a  native  of  the  city,  42  years  old,  and 
a  graduate  of  Manhattan  College,  class  of  1878,  is  General  In- 
spector of  Water  Supply  for  Bronx  Borough,  which  position 
he  has  held  for  eighteen  years.  He  is  a  Democrat,  ten  years 
resident  in  the  borough,  a  member  of  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  and  the  Bruckner  Association.  He  is  a  married  man 
with  a  wife  and  seven  children,  of  whom  five  are  sons  and 
two  daughters.  His  wife  was,  before  their  marriage.  Miss  Mar- 
garet E.  Goss. 


HANDEL    VICTOR     PHASEY 


History  of  bronx  borough 


36  J 


Frederick  hitch  cock,  whose  ancestors  came  to 
Westchester  County  several  years  previous  to  the  American 
Revolutionary  war,  and  who  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  the 
county,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  January  i8,  i860,  and  was 
graduated  at  Public  School  No.  60.  His  grandfather,  Jeremiah 
Hitchcock,  owned  a  farm  and  inn  at  Bronxdale,  which  is  now 
in  possession  of  a  millionaire.  This  farm  consisted  of  about 
fifty  acres  and,  as  in  those  days,  was  laid  out  in  parcels.  During 
the  Revolutionary  war  Jeremiah  Hitchcock  sufifered  severely 
from  foraging  attacks  of  the  Hessians,  who  had  at  that  time 
invaded  his  neighborhood,  and  he  was  often  obliged  at  night 
time  to  sleep  out  under  an  old  oak  tree  which  stood  close  to 
a  stone  wall,  in  order  to  save  his  life.  This  tree  still  remains 
and  flourishes.  Mr.  Hitchcock's  father  was  born  on  this  prop- 
erty on  May  ~,  1835,  and  is  one  of  the  brightest  e.xamples  of 
the  older  residents  of  Westchester  County,  being  hale,  hearty 
and  vigorous  in  his  health,  both  mentally  and  physically.  The 
latter's  sister,  Margarette,  now  92  years  of  age,  is  living  in 
robust  health  at  Mount  Vernon  and  his  brother,  William  Fred- 
erick Ryer  Hitchcock,  at  Brooklyn.  After  his  graduation  he 
chose  to  enter  a  mercantile  life  and  after  an  experience  of  a  few 
years  in  the  fish,  meat  and  grocery  trade,  he  commenced  business 
on  his  own  account  in  1883  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his  large 
wholesale  and  retail  fish  and  oyster  business,  which  he  has  so 
successfully  conducted  at  No.  2726  Third  Avenue.  One  of  the 
largest  dealers  in  the  Bronx  and  one  of  its  most  active  business 
men,  he  has  become  popular  among  the  leading  residents  for  his 
genial  manners,  his  absolute  fairness  in  his  dealings  and  for  the 
tine  quality  and  perfection  of  the  sea  food  always  to  be  found 
at  his  market.  In  1896  he  organized  the  now  famous  Hitchcock's 
Fishmongers'  Association,  of  which  he  is  the  present  and  origi- 
nal standard  bearer.  The  association  has  a  large  membersliip 
and  holds  its  outings  annually,  which  are  attended  by  large 
numbers  of  Bronx  citizens  who  proclaim  it  one  of  tlie  must  popu- 
lar associations  of  the  great  borough.  He  is  also  a  prominent 
and  active  member  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade.  Mr. 
Hitchcock  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Margaret 
Smith,  of  the  Bron.x,  deceased,  and  his  second  marriage  to  Mis^ 
Hannah  Swartz,  of  the  Bronx ;  he  has  three  promising  and  in- 
teresting children.  May,  Elsie  and  Frederick  Hitchcock.  He  is 
the  son  of  George  and  Mary  Ann  Hitchcock,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Westchester  County,  the  father  who  is  at  present  nearly 
70  years  of  age,  is  hale  and  hearty,  while  the  mother  died  about 
thirty-eight  years  ago.  Mr.  Hitchcock  has  three  branch  stores, 
one  at  1897  Washington  Avenue,  Tremont,  the  second  at  Ford- 
ham  Square,  near  the  Fordham  Depot,  and  the  third  at  No.  8 
Palisade  Avenue.  Yonkers.  and  one  on  Main  street,  Westchester. 
From  these  distributions  he  supplies  the  very  best  families  of 
the  borough,  and  maintains  the  position  of  the  largest  fish  and 
oyster   dealer  north   of  the   Harlem   River. 

EDWARD  SMITH,  a  prominent  builder  and  contractor, 
whose  office  is  located  in  the  Hamilton  Bank  building  at  125 
East  125th  Street,  Harlem,  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  early  in 
youth  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents  who  located  in  New 
York.  He  attended  the  public  schools  when  a  boy,  where  he 
received  a  good  education.  For  the  past  eight  years  Mr.  Smith 
has  been  a  prominent  resident  of  Bronx  Borough.  He  is  en- 
gaged largely  in  the  work  of  erecting  high  class  apartment  build- 
ings in  the  upper  Harlem  district,  as  well  as  in  the  Bronx.  He  has 
recently  constructed  some  very  fine  ones  on  140th  Street  in 
ihe  fashionable  district  near  the  North  River.  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  but  not  active.  He  is  married  and  has 
four  children,  viz. :  Edward  M.,  Daniel  L.,  James  W.,  and  one 
daughter. 


L.  E.  LEVY  &  CO. — The  popular  dry  goods  firm  of  the 
Bronx  and  proprietors  of  the  Bostonian  store  at  Third  Avenue, 
corner  164th  Street,  which  they  opened  in  1901,  have  built  up  an 
extraordinary  business  at  the  Bostonian.  They  have  popular- 
ized themselves  ;imong  the  people  of  the  Bronx  and  adjacent 
villages  for  the  excellent  class,  quality  and  variety  of  the  goods 
they  carry  in  stock  and  the  moderate  prices  they  charge  for  the 
same.  Visitors  and  purchasers  who  enter  the  Bostonian  are 
amazed  at  the  perfect  system  employed  by  the  firm,  for  the 
trcneral  courtesy  of  the  employees  towards  them,  and  for  the 
afifable  treatment  they  receive,  whether  they  are  purchasers  or 
not.  These  methods,  so  often  lacking  among  the  retail  dry 
good  houses,  has  brought  an  avalanclie  of  trade  and  praise  from 
the  large  army  of  lady  purchasers  throughout  the  great  bor- 
ough. The  head  of  this  large  and  flourishing  dry  goods  em- 
porium is  Mr.  L.  E.  Levy,  the  senior  member,  whose  strong 
personality  and  practical  business  ideas  and  methods  are  con- 
spicuously noticed  in  every  department  of  the  Bostonian.  His 
treatment  of  fifty  employees  is  not  only  fatherly,  but  it  is 
of  such  a  business  nature  that  his  instructions  are  faithfully 
(.beyeii,  and  it  seeni>  In  them  a  pleasure  to  do  so.  Keen  and 
alert    to    the    wants    of   the    people,    he    has    established    for   his 


prosperous  house  a  reputation  second  to  no  other  similar  estab- 
lishment in  the  Bronx.  For  several  years  Mr.  Levy  conducted 
l)usiness  successfully  on  his  own  account  at  Willis  Avenue  and 
I37tii  Street.  The  Bostonian  Dry  tioods  Store  has  become  a 
walchword  aiiiuiit;  the  families  of  the  Bronx,  and  its  reputation 
for  square  dealing,  honest  prices,  goods  of  the  first  quality  and 
general  satisfaction  guaranteed.  The  Bostonian  store  is  a  credit 
to  the  large  and  rapidly  growing  mercantile  community  of  the 
borough  and  is  more  than   worthy  of  a  place  in  its  history. 

OWEN  JOSEPH  CLINTON,  the  "village  blacksmith,"  as 
he  is  known  throughout  Westchester — and  proud  of  it — is  the 
well  known  horse-shoer  ami  wheelwright  of  West  Farms 
Road.  He  was  born  in  County  Louth,  Ireland,  but  came  to 
this  country  and  settled  in  the  locality  he  is  in  now,  when  he 
was  10  years  old.  He  attended  school  in  Westchester,  started 
as  a  boy  in  his  present  line,  and  has  pursued  it  ever  since.  He 
is  a  good  Democrat  and  fervent  Catholic,  and  belongs  to  St. 
Raymond's  Church  and  the  Holy  Name  Society,  to  the  A.  O.  H. 
and  Knights  of  Columbus,  to  the  Foresters  and  Brotherhood  ot 
the  Union.  He  married  in  1875,  Margaret  Cosgrove,  and  again 
upon  her  death,  Mary  Jane  Lane.  Twelve  children,  fiuits  of 
these  two  unions,  nine  sons  and  three  daughters,  are  living. 


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PETER    GOETZ 


JOHN    THOMAS    JORDAN 


ALPHONSE    GERMAN    CARON 


JOHN    NIMPHIUS 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


363 


EDWARD  ROWAN,  proprietor  of  the  Dental  Depot  at 
837  East  163d  Street,  and  manufacturer  of  the  famous  "Decimal 
Gold  Foil"  preparations,  was  born  in  Canada,  in  1850,  where 
he  received  his  early  education.  He  came  to  New  York  City 
in  1872,  and  devoted  six  years  to  the  art  of  producing  chemically 
pure  gold.  In  1878  he  commenced  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, to  manufacture  goods  of  his  own  design,  which  were 
principally  the  Decimal  Gold  Foil  adapted  to  dental  purposes. 
So  complete  had  been  his  success,  that  for  the  past  twenty  years 
his  goods  have  been  the  standard  of  purity,  ease  of  manipulating, 
and  general  excellence  for  the  dental  profession.  As  a  refiner  of 
gold  for  dental  purposes,  his  reputation  is  world  wide,  and  the 
representative  practicing  dentists  of  the  present  day  could  not 
enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  having  absolutely  reliable  materials 
to  work  with  if  they  were  not  able  to  procure  gold  filling  ma- 
terial like  the  Decimal  Extra  Pliable  Gold,  manufactured  by 
Edward  Rowan.  For  five  years  he  sent  travelers  throughout 
the  United  States,  introducing  his  goods,  on  their  merits,  and 
with  such  marked  success,  that  in  1890  he  came  to  the  Bronx, 
and  built  his  present  plant,  whicli  he  owns  outright,  and  em- 
ploys a  large  number  of  people,  perfect  in  the  manufacture  of 
dental  filling  material,  who  have  constant  employment  with  him, 
owing  to  the  steady  demand  for  his  dental  gold,  whose  peculiarly 
excellent  qualities  make  them  very  desirable.  There  is  no  dull 
season  in  his  line  of  industry.  Tlie  machinery  required  to  per- 
fect the  manufacture  of  his  dental  materials  is  built  upon  the 
most  modern  improvements.  From  his  large  stock  he  is  in  a 
position  to  supply  quickly  the  requirements  of  his  already  large 
business,  which  not  only  includes  the  United  States  and  Europe, 
but  also  far  off  Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  Argentine  Republic. 
All  dentists  know  that  success  in  the  dental  profession  depends 
upon  the  use  of  the  purest  materials ;  the  purity  of  the  "Rowan" 
productions  and  the  skill  employed  and  required  in  their  pre- 
paration are  attested  to  by  the  steady  growth  of  his  enterprise, 
and  the  confidence  he  enjoys  from  the  leading  dentists  and  deal- 
ers in  dental  supplies  throughout  the  world.  The  variety  of  his 
manufacture  embraces  every  form  of  metallic  filling  gold,  from 
the  Untrimmed  Decimal  Gold  Foil,  to  that  acme  of  filling  gold, 
the  "Extra  Pliable  Decimal  Gold  Rolls."  For  33  years  Mr. 
Rowan  has  been  engaged  in  the  study  and  manufacture  of  the 
chemical  and  physical  properties  of  gold,  so  that  he  is  in  a 
position  to  produce  the  very  finest  goods.  Mr.  Rowan  was 
married  in  1878.  He  has  four  children:  Alfred  G.  Rowan,  the 
eldest,  who  is  with  his  father  at  present,  and  will  be  his  suc- 
cessor. The  development  of  this  important  industry  in  the 
Bronx,  which  exports  such  large  quantities  of  its  own  products 
to  all  parts  of  the  world  among  the  most  eminent  dealers  in 
dental  supplies,  is  a  distinguished  feature  that  but  few  of  our 
present  inhabitants  have  heretofore  been  made  acquainted  with. 
Mr.  Rowan,  as  the  manufacturer  of  the  "Decimal"  brands, 
stands  highest  in  the  order  of  merit  on  the  market  to-day. 

FRANK  ARMINGTON  SPENCER,  the  Chief  Clerk  of 
the  Labor  Bureau  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission  of  Greater 
New  York,  was  born  in  Boston.  Mass.,  October  11,  1856.  He 
received  his  primary  education  at  the  old  Allen  Street  School, 
and  took  a  post-graduate  course  at  the  old  famous  College  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  that  has  given  to  our  country  so  many 
famous  men  who  are  to-day  prominent  not  only  in  municipal, 
but  state  and  national  affairs.  Mr.  Spencer  has  been  a  bonafide 
resident  of  New  York  City  for  the  past  forty-two  years,  and  a 
resident  of  the  Bronx  for  the  past  eight  years.  During  his 
residence   in   the    Bronx,  as   a   Democrat,   he   identified   himself 


with  the  regular  organization  of  his  district  and,  owing  to  his 
activity  and  the  prominence  he  attained  through  his  personal 
ability  and  his  able  counsel  to  the  organization,  he  was  appointed 
in  charge  of  the  Labor  Bureau  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission 
of  the  city  in  January,  1896,  which  position  he  still  maintains 
and  is  accredited  tlirough  the  head  of  our  municipal  department 
as  a  most  invaluable  adjunct  to  the  important  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities required  of  him  by  the  department  and  the  people. 
Mr.  Spencer  has  been  honored  in  other  directions  by  the  people. 
He  served  for  seven  years  as  trustee  of  our  public  schools,  ac- 
credited to  the  Tenth  Ward  of  this  city,  and  during  his  term 
rendered  invaluable  service  to  the  interests  of  our  public  schools. 
April  15,  1880,  Mr.  Spencer  married  Miss  Evelyn  L.  Knight, 
the  result  of  this  happy  union  being  three  children,  viz. :  Ed- 
ward L.,  deceased ;  Mary  C,  deceased ;  and  Frank  A.,  at  the  pres- 
ent a  member  of  the  junior  class  at  Harvard  University.  His 
family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  Mr.  Spencer 
is  prominently  identified  with  a  number  of  influential  societies 
and  organizations.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  Club, 
the  famous  Schnorer  Club  of  the  Bronx,  the  Wampanoag,  Gavel 
Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Joy  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Constantine  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  Mecca  Temple  and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  A  faith- 
ful servant  of  the  public,  the  gentleman  enjoys  the  distinction 
of  being  one  of  the  most  popular  members  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee of  the  Thirty-fourth  Assembly  District  of  the  Bronx. 

CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  II.  HODGINS  comes  of  old  Nor- 
man-French stock,  his  people  settHng  in  the  County  of  Tippe- 
rary,  Ireland,  in  the  early  part  of  the  eleventh  century,  coming 
from  England  with  King  William  the  Second,  having  lived  a 
short  time  in  the  county  of  Kent,  England.  His  people  became 
thorough  Irishmen  and  were  held  in  much  respect  by  all  who 
knew  them.  The  captain  settled  in  the  Bronx  in  1890  and  was 
one  of  the  first  park  policemen  placed  in  charge  of  the  new  city 
parks.  In  1898,  when  the  police  force  of  the  Greater  City  were 
amalgamated,  he  was  sent  to  care  for  Pelham  Bay  Park,  later 
placed  in  charge  of  Morrisania  Police  Court,  and  in  1903  pro- 
moted to  captain  of  police  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  Seventh 
Precinct,  later  in  command  of  the  Thirty-eighth  Precinct,  West- 
chester, and  now  is  in  charge  of  the  Fifth  Precinct,  Oak  Street, 
where  he  is  commended  by  all  for  his  good  work  in  Cherry  and 
Water  Streets.  He  is  first  on  the  list  for  inspectors  and  we  hope 
to  see  him  promoted  in  the  near  future.  He  lives  in  a  comfort- 
able home  with  his  wife  and  five  children,  at  2043  Ryer  Avenue, 
Tremont. 

FREDERICK  COOK,  well  known  to  residents  of  the 
Tremont  section,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  June  12,  1870. 
After  graduating  from  tlie  public  school  he  entered  the  employ- 
ment of  the  Mott  Cider  Company,  where  he  remained  for  eight 
years.  Being  desirous  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account, 
he  started  in  the  liquor  trade  in  1903,  and  has  continued  the 
same  up  to  the  present  time.  Before  launching  out  in  that  line 
he  was  thoroughly  equipped,  having  had  experience  from  1896 
up  to  the  opening  of  his  own  place.  In  politics  Mr.  Cook  is  a 
strong  Democrat,  and  has  made  the  acquaintance  of  many 
influential  men  affiliated  with  that  party.  He  has  taken  a  deep 
interest  in  all  matters  of  public  benefit,  but  has  never  aspired 
to  any  public  office,  devoting  all  his  time  to  his  business.  He 
is  identified  with  many  of  the  prominent  organizations  in  the 
Bronx,  chiefly  among  them  being  the  Elks,  the  Red  Men  and  the 
Jefferson  Club.  On  August  3.  1900,  Mr.  Cook  married  Mis.- 
Carrie  Linestone,  and  four  children  have  been  born  to  them — 
Frederick,  Jr.,  John,  Edna  and  Addie. 


WILLIAM    KIESLING 


CHARLES    KIESLING 


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ALBERT    H.    LIEBENAU 


JEROME    F.    HEALY 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


365 


GEORGE  GARDNER  ROCKWOOD,  photographer,  was 
born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  April  12,  1832,  son  of  Elihu  Robbins  and 
Martha  (Gardner)  Rockwood,  and  a  descendant  of  Sir  Richard 
Rockwood,  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1637,  and  settled 
near  Boston,  Mass.  The  family  has  been  prominently  repre- 
sented in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  the  American  revolution, 
the  war  of  1812  and  the  civil  war.  The  son  received  his  early 
education  at  the  Ballston  Spa  Institute.  He  then  entered  a 
printing  office,  and  soon  after  became  a  reporter  on  the  Troy 
"Daily  Times."  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  managing  editor 
of  the  Troy  "Daily  Post,"  which  paper,  under  his  charge,  quad- 
rupled its  circulation  within  a  year.  In  1885  his  attention  was 
directed  to  photography,  to  which  he  immediately  devoted  him- 
self with  characteristic  energy  and  enthusiasm.  After  three  years 
spent  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  he  settled  in  New  York  City,  where  he 
soon  became  known  as  an  authority  on  the  art  to  which  his  time 
and  genius  have  been  given.  He  was  the  first  to  make  carte 
de  visite  pictures  in  this  country,  and  among  the  important  im- 
provements he  introduced  may  be  mentioned  instantaneous  phc- 
iography,  photo-sculpture  and  photo-engraving.  Mr.  Rockwooi! 
has  devoted  much  time  to  art  in  various  directions,  and  attri- 
butes the  excellence  of  his  work  to  his  application  of  artistic 
principles  to  mechanical  laws.  After  gaining  a  thorough  foun- 
dation and  spending  six  years  in  the  art  centres  of  Europe,  he 
yet  finds  the  study  of  nature  the  best  guide  to  successful  por- 
traiture, and  to  this  may  be  added,  of  human  nature,  for  he  owes 
much  to  his  remarkable  ability  and  personality  in  bringing  out 
the  best  expression  of  his  sitter.  Mr.  Rockwood  gives  his  ideal 
of  a  photographer  as  "one  who  is  most  of  a  Chesterfield  in  his 
manner;  a  Bacon  in  his  range  of  information;  a  Daniel  Hunt- 
ington in  his  art;  a  small  edition  of  Shakespeare  in  his  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature,  blended  with  the  genial  humor  of  Charles 
Dickens;"  and  he  certainly  realizes  something  of  his  ideal.  He 
has  lectured  on  photography  and  kindred  arts  before  important 
institutes  and  societies  throughout  the  country,  and  has  contri- 
buted to  the  press  numerous  valuable  articles  on  scientific  and 
technical  subjects.  He  is  the  author  of  a  scientific  hoax,  "Brain 
Pictures,"  which  appeared  in  the  New  York  "Tribune"  in  1887. 
and  which  has  been  translated  into  many  languages ;  "Child 
Hcauty"  (1S90),  and  several  small  works  on  practical  photog- 
raphy. He  is  a  member  of  the  Colonial,  Quill  and  Columbia 
Yacht  clubs,  and  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  a  trustee  of 
the  Franklin  Savings  Bank,  and  since  1885  a  member  of  the 
I'ruy  Citizens'  Corps.  In  1S53  he  was  married  to  Aramint.i, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Bouton,  of  French  Huguenot  ancestry,  and 
has  two  children. 

CHARLES  H.  SPROESSIG,  JR.,  the  well-known  propri- 
etor of  the  storage  warehouse  at  1098  East  170th  Street,  Borough 
of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  October  3,  1876  (Cen- 
leimial  year),  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  Leavini: 
school  after  graduation,  he  took  up  the  carpenter  business  and 
followed  this  vocation  for  eighteen  rnonths.  Inspired  with  the 
desire  to  travel,  and  learn  something  of  his  country,  he  engaged 
with  Rose  Noble,  and  made  an  extended  tour  all  over  the  United 
States.  In  1898  he  returned  to  New  York  City  and  engaged 
in  the  beer  bottling  bu?iness,  which  he  successfully  conducted 
until  1900,  selling  out  his  plant,  and  then  prepared  the  founda- 
tion of  his  large  and  remunerative  storage  warehouse,  a  very 
commodious  and  imposing  structure,  with  five  floors,  each  one 
having  a  dimension  of  75x25  feet,  with  an  L  extension  of  40x27 
feet.  Mr.  Sproessig  employs  a  number  of  men  to  look  after 
and  attend  to  his  large  and  lucrative  business,  which  requires 
eight  commodious  and  up-to-date  vans  that  are  constantly  em- 
ployed in  moving  the  household  goods  of  citizens,  both  to  city 


and  country  and  for  the  storage  of  their  household  effects  in  his 
u.irchousc  whenever  required  by  them.  He  has  been  an  active 
and  successful  business  man  since  he  attained  his  majority,  is 
popularly  known  as  one  of  the  Bron.\'s  enterprising  citizens,  and 
lends  his  valuable  aid  in  the  advancement  of  its  great  progress. 
He  was  married  December  15,  1899,  to  Miss  Kate  BoUenbach, 
and  has  two  children,  Charles  H.,  Jr.,  and  Frederick.  Mr 
Sproessig  is  not  known  in  politics,  devoting  his  whole  time  to 
iiis  large  business  interests,  and  is  a  member  of  Morrisania  Coun- 
cil. Royal  Arcanum,  the  Bronx  Club,  Grove  Hill  Bowling  Club 
and  Empire  Bowling  Club.  Mr.  Sproessig  resides  at  1393  Bris- 
tow  Street,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for  the  past 
twenty-three  years. 

WILLIAM  ANTON  WALDEYER  was  born  on  September 
I.  i8jo,  in  the  City  of  .Munster,  Westphalia,  Germany.  He 
received  a  good  education,  attending  college  until  the  age  of 
18.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to  the  leading  jew-eler  of  Munster, 
and  after  serving  his  time,  wandered  through  Germany,  as  was 
customary,  working  at  his  trade  in  a  number  of  cities,  at  one 
time  with  one  of  the  court  jewelers.  In  1849  he  decided  to  emi- 
grate to  America,  and  after  an  eventful  trip  of  eleven  weeks, 
during  which  the  dread  cholera  broke  out,  he  finally  arrived  in 
New  York.  Here  he  followed  his  trade  with  success  and  soon 
had  a  shop  of  his  own,  employing  a  number  of  men.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1852,  Elizabeth  Biekenbrock,  also  of  Munster,  whose 
father  was  a  well  known  brick  manufacturer  of  that  city.  Though 
retired  from  active  business  for  many  years,  yet  to  the  very  end 
the  love  for  his  trade  kept  him  ever  busy  making  designs  and 
many  a  unique  piece  of  jewelry.  He  was  an  expert  judge  of 
diamonds  and  other  precious  stones.  Mr.  Waldeyer  lived  at  Mt. 
Hope,  Tremont,  for  over  eighteen  years,  and  although  he  had 
never  affiliated  hiiuself  with  any  society  or  political  party  during 
that  time,  he  was  well  known  and  took  a  great  interest  in  the 
wonderful  development  of  the  Bronx,  which  he  knew  in  every 
section.  Active  in  mind  as  well  as  in  body,  almost  to  the  end, 
he  was  well  able  to  realize  the  marvelous  changes  that  had  taken 
place  in  New  York  since  the  time  he  reached  there  in  1849.  The 
Bronx  was  then  a  wilderness  and  it  was  his  delight  to  relate 
stories  of  this  section  as  he  first  knew  it.  A  lover  of  outdoor 
life  and  with  temperate  habits,  he  retained  his  mental  and  physi- 
cal faculties  to  .'■  remarkable  degree.  His  unusual  kindly  dispo- 
sition, combined  with  the  highest  ideals  of  honesty,  both  in 
thought  and  in  action,  placed  him  on  a  plane  high  above  the 
average.  Never  was  he  known  to  refuse  where  help  was  needed. 
Aged  as  he  was,  the  alertness  and  quickness  with  which  he 
walked  up  Mt.  Hope  hill  was  a  marvel  to  his  neighbors.  His 
was  a  simple  life  indeed,  and  his  unfailing  kindliness  of  man- 
ner, honesty  and  integrity  made  him  many  friends.  Mr.  Wal- 
deyer died  July  20,  1905,  .ifter  a  month's  illness,  surviving  his 
beloved  wife  only  by  three  years. 

CHRlSrOPHER  FABEL,  hardware  merchant  of  Van  Nest, 
is  proprietor  of  the  only  large  concern  of  the  kind  in  that  di- 
vision of  the  borough,  a  fact  arguing  on  his  part  more  or  less 
of  business  enterprise,  foresight  and  forehaiidedness.  Mr.  Fabel 
was  born  in  Schwanheim  on  the  Main,  Germany,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  elementary  branches  in  the  famous  City  of  Frank- 
fort, in  which  place  he  spent  his  youth.  He  came  here  and 
established  himself  thirteen  years  ago.  In  1890  he  married.  His 
wife  was  Miss  Bertha  P.  Kart.  They  have  three  children,  Julius 
Joseph  and  Rcrtha,  all  of  course,  still  small.  Mr.  Fabel  cares 
little  for  politics;  business  is  his  study.  The  only  organization 
with  which  he  is  connected  is  the  Bronx  Mannerchor  Singing 
Society,  of  which  he  is  prcMdent  and  was  one  of  the  leading 
organizers. 


MICHAEL    J.     BERGEN 


JOHN     HENRY    BERGEN 


HERRMAN    J.     LEVY 


THOMAS    WILLIAM    TlMPSON 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


367 


THOMAS  WILLIAM  TIMPSON,  son  of  Thomas  W. 
Timpson,  whose  family  owns  a  farm  at  Westchester  purchased 
in  1752 — Thos.  W.  Timpson  bought  the  property  now  occupied 
by  Thos.  W.  Timpson,  Jr.,  in  1848,  and  is  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  family — Thos.  W.  Timpson,  Sr.,  one  of  the  old  trustees 
of  the  town  of  Morrisania,  died  in  November,  1885.  John  Timp- 
son, father  of  Thomas,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Tam- 
many Hall,  and  alderman  from  first  ward  of  this  city;  in  1804 
was  lieutenant  of  old  artillery  in  war  of  1812.  The  corps  of 
artillery  was  afterward  made  Seventh  Regiment  of  New  York 
City,  his  record  being  mentioned  in  General  Clark's  History  of 
the  Seventh  Regiment.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  cashier 
of  the  Nassau  News  Company,  is  a  prominent  real  estate  in- 
vestor in  the  Bron.x,  his  native  place,  where  he  was  born  on 
March  15,  1866,  at  No.  1251  Franklin  Avenue.  After  graduating 
at  the  grammar  schools  of  the  Bronx,  he  entered  and  completed 
his  classical  course  at  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
where  he  graduated  with  honors.  In  the  National  Guard  of  the 
State  he  manifested  a  deep  interest,  joining  the  Twenty-second 
Regiment  in  1884  and  through  meritorious  service  was  commis- 
sioned as  second  lieutenant,  first  lieutenant  and  captain  in  the 
Seventy-first  Regiment,  and  captain  and  acting  major  in  the 
Ninth  New  York  Volunteer  Infantry  during  the  Spanish  War, 
and  is  at  present  a  lieutenant  in  the  Old  Guard  of  New  York. 
In  1899,  he  was  appointed  and  served  honorably  as  a  commis- 
sioner of  the  Board  of  Education  for  that  ensuing  year.  A 
Democrat  in  politics,  he  is  an  active  member  of  a  large  number 
of  influential,  social  arid  fraternal  organizations,  viz. :  The 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Society  of  Foreign  Wars,  Spanish 
Veterans,  Ninth  Regiment  Veterans,  Seventy-first  Regiment 
Veterans,  Jefferson,  Bronx  and  Schnorer  Clubs,  and  an  emi- 
nent and  instructive  member  of  several  inasonic  bodies,  up  to 
and  including  the  thirty-second  degree.  Knight  Templars  and 
the  famous  Mystic  Shriners.  Mr.  Timpson  married  April  13, 
1902,  Miss  Mary  Broome,  a  Southern  lady,  and  the  accomplished 
daughter  of  the  well  known  jurist  of  Florida,  Judge  J.  D. 
Broome.  Alexander  Striker  and  Thomas  William  Timpson, 
two  most  promising  sons,  are  the  result  of  this  happy  union. 

ANTON  RAGETTE,  deceased,  was  born  at  Biala,  Austria, 
January  23,  1851,  and  died  in  New  York  City  after  a  brief  ill- 
ness of  heart  disease  December  21,  1902.  Mr.  Ragette  came  to 
.America  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  having  obtained  a  thorough 
education  at  a  military  college  in  Vienna,  Austria.  His  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Elizabeth  Breraiig,  of  Worms,  Rliinehessen,  oc- 
curred June  18,  1879.  Mr.  Ragette  located  in  the  Bronx  in 
1884,  where  he  engaged  in  a  general  steamship  and  banking 
business.  In  1895  he  engaged  in  the  contracting  and  building 
business,  as  well  as  that  of  real  estate,  all  of  which  he  was 
very  successful  in.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  one  of  the 
most  substantial  citizens  of  the  Bronx,  all  due  to  his  good 
judgment  and  wise  investments.  Mr.  Ragette  was  one  of  the 
most  beloved  men  in  this  section  of  New  York.  He  was  ex- 
tremely popular  with  all  classes,  irrespective  of  race,  religion 
or  politics.  It  is  said  of  him  by  those  who  knew  him,  that  he 
never  had  an  enemj,  and  his  untimely  death  has  caused  a  deep 
void  in  this  community  that  will  not  soon  be  filled.  Mr.  Raget- 
te was  an  extensive  traveler,  having  made  a  number  of  voyages 
across  the  ocean  with  his  wife  and  family,  and,  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  he  had  been  planning  an  extensive  tour  of  the  world 
to  occupy  about  two  years  time  to  complete.  He  was  purely  a 
self  made  man,  and  his  success  in  life  was  entirely  due  to  his 
high  integrity  and  as  a  close  observer  of  the  Golden  Rule.    In 


liis  family  he  was  greatly  beloved  as  the  good  husband  and 
father,  the  hearthstone  never  being  complete  without  his 
presence.  He  was  liberal  to  a  degree  in  all  matters  regarding 
religion  or  politics,  and  his  hand  was  ever  extended  to  render 
any  worthy  cause  his  support.  He  was  essentially  a  home  man 
more  than  the  club  man.  He  was,  however,  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ragette  are 
Johannah,  now  Mrs.  Henry  E.  Esthmer,  Frank  Joseph,  Ru- 
dolph Richard,  William  Robert,  Amelia  Elizabeth,  Henry 
Hans  and  Robert  Raymond.  Mrs.  Ragette  resides  in  an  ele- 
gant mansion  at  509  East  149th  street. 

PETER  GOETZ,  retired,  and  one  of  the  best  known 
men  in  the  Borough  nf  the  Bronx,  was  born  January  4,  1830, 
at  Cassel,  Germany,  where  he  received  a  liberal  education  in  the 
public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he  entered  the  army  where 
he  served  seven  years  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  Mr.  Goetz 
located  in  the  Bronx  about  eight  years  ago.  For  many  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  tailoring  business,  which  he  conducted 
until  1885,  at  which  time  he  retired.  In  politics  he  is  a 
staunch  Republican,  having  first  voted  for  President  Lincoln. 
He  has  never  sought  or  held  any  public  office,  but  has  con- 
fined his  time  to  the  prosecution  of  his  business  affairs.  He  is 
a  prominent  member  of  the  German  Protestant  Church,  and 
has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  congrega- 
tion, being  ever  ready  to  extend  whatever  financial  aid  the  church  re- 
quired. He  is  not  a  member  of  any  clubs  or  other  organiza- 
tions. In  i860  Mr.  Goetz  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Hausler,  who 
died  in  1885 ;  one  son,  Frederick,  was  born  to  the  union ;  he  is 
now  located  at  Munich,  Germany.  In  1888.  Mr.  Goetz  again 
married,  his  second  wife  having  been  Mrs.  Caroline  Trup,  and 
whose  death  occurred  in  1896.  Mr.  Goetz  has  always  enjoyed 
the  reputation  of  being  a  highly  public  spirited  citizen,  is 
generous  and  kind  to  a  fault.  He  is  a  man  of  commanding  and 
dignified  appearance,  with  a  strong  military  bearing.  He  is 
universally  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure 
of  his  acquaintance,  and  his  friends  are  legion.  For  his  years 
he  is  one  of  the  best  preserved  men  in  the  Borough  of  the 
Bronx. 

JOHN  THOMAS  JORDAN,  a  popular  Boniface  of  that 
famous  summer  and  fishing  resort,  City  Island,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  April  24th,  1857.  In  his  early  youth  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  settled  in  McKeesport,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
educated  there  in  its  public  schools.  Years  ago  Mr.  Jordan 
was  a  unique  character  as  a  fruit  dispenser  on  the  old  Harlem 
Bridge.  The  older  residents  of  Harlem  patronized  him  liberal- 
ly, and  to  such  an  extent  that  the  basis  of  his  present  fortune 
was  virtually  formed.  For  thirty-seven  years  a  resident  of  the 
Bronx,  and  for  the  past  fourteen  years  one  of  the  most 
popular  residents  of  City  Island,  Mr.  Jordan  enjoys  the  con- 
fidence and  patronage  of  all  the  older  residents  of  Harlem 
and  the  new  generation  of  their  former  ancestry,  than  any  other 
of  the  many  worthy  places  of  entertainment  on  the  old  and 
popular  resort.  Occupying,  as  owner  of  the  oldest  road  house 
on  the  line  of  City  Island,  his  patronage  has  become  famous 
throughout  the  Bronx  Borough.  A  Catholic  in  faith,  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  an  active  and  influential  member  of  the 
General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall,  of  the  Second  Assembly 
District,  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  party.  Mr.  Jordan, 
being  a  self-made  man,  is  worthy  of  the  distinction  he  enjoys 
among  his  fellow  citizens. 


MARTIN     HOFFMAN 


PETER    JEROME    STUMTF 


WILLIAM    SIMPSON 


GEO.    W.    0   CONNOR 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


369 


THOMAS  DALZIEL  DINWOODIE,  one  of  the  leading 
and  prominent  citizens  of  Westchester,  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
was  born  December  2,  1852,  at  Kirkton  Village,  Kirkmahoe- 
Dumfrieshire,  Scotland,  and  was  educated  at  the  Kirkton  School 
of  his  native  village.  On  March  i,  1873,  he  left  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, for  the  United  States,  arriving  here  March  15,  on  Saturday 
evening,  but  was  detained  in  the  river  at  Castle  Garden  until 
Monday  the  17th  of  March,  St.  Patrick's  Day,  Mr.  Dinwoodie 
came  immediately  to  Westchester,  where  for  the  past  thirty-two 
years  he  has  been  the  village  blacksmith  and  horseshoer.  His 
patrons  are  legion  throughout  the  surrounding  country,  which 
includes  the  very  best  and  wealthiest  families,  besides  the  United 
States  Government  for  whom  he  does  all  the  work  required  ai 
Fort  Schuyler  and  the  Post  Office  Department  horses  used  for 
special  deliveries  in  the  vicinity  of  Westchester  Village.  As  a 
master  mechanic  he  is  one  of  the  most  skillful  in  his  profession 
and  one  of  the  most  successful  in  the  Bronx  Borough.  In 
politics  Mr.  Dinwoodie  is  a  RcpubHcan  and  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  in  all  the  campaigns  of  Westchester  County  for  the 
past  twenty-five  years.  His  popularity  and  influence  among 
the  leaders  and  rank  and  file  of  his  party,  for  his  loyalty  and 
active  work  in  the  organization,  has  been  recognized  on  many 
occasions  by  his  party,  of  which  he  is  known  and  recognized  as 
the  absolute  leader  in  Westchester  Village.  He  is  close  to  the 
people  of  his  community  and  is  highly  respected  at  one  of  its 
first  citizens.  As  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow  craftsmen.  On  January  9,  1876,  he 
married  Miss  Armie  Amelia  Johnson,  daughter  of  James  John- 
son and  Ann  Campbell,  and  has  seven  children,  namely,  William, 
Mary,  Alice,  Catherine,  Thomas  McKitrick,  James  Johnson, 
Annie  Amelia  and  Janet.  He  is  the  son  of  William  Din- 
woodie and  Mary  Dalziel,  from  whom  he  inherited  all  of  the 
estimable  qualifications  that  has  made  him  so  popular  among 
his  fellow  citizens. 

ADOLPH  TROELLER,  director  of  the  Troeller  Mando- 
lin Circle,  was  born  in  Bronx  Borough,  July  14,  1866.  He  was 
a  pupil  of  Public  School  No.  62,  which  he  attended  up  to  the 
time  of  graduation.  After  leaving  school  he  joined  the  Idlewild 
Minstrel  Troupe,  in  which  he  toured  the  country  until  1882.  He 
then  decided  to  settle  down  and  confine  his  attention  to  giving 
nuisical  instruction  on  the  banjo,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining 
many  of  the  public  men  of  to-day  as  pupils,  later  adding  that 
of  the  mandolin  and  guitar.  As  an  instructor  in  these  lines,  Mr. 
Troeller  is  an  artist  and  has  but  few  equals.  So  thorough  is  he. 
that  in  but  a  short  space  of  time,  his  pupils  make  rapid  progress 
under  his  tutorship.  For  many  years  he  has  devoted  his  entire 
time  to  his  art.  As  an  example  of  his  methods,  Mr.  Troeller 
some  time  since  had  a  blind  girl  applicant  for  instruction.  She 
had  been  refused  by  several  well  known  New  York  teachers. 
After  a  few  lessons  under  Mr.  Troeller  he  obtained  unlooked  for 
results.  This  pupil  is  now  one  of  the  well  known  public  play- 
ers of  a  leading  theatrical  company,  appearing  in  the  various 
vaudeville  theatres  throughout  the  country.  He  has  a  class  of 
forty  pupils,  who  reside  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles  of  New 
York  City.  Mr.  Troeller  has  accommodation  for  about  seventy 
pupils  at  one  time.  His  reputation  is  a  guarantee  in  itself  as  to 
results  to  be  obtained  through  his  method  of  instructing.  His 
residence  and  office  is  located  at  569  East  lS3d  street,  Bronx. 
Mr.  Troeller  is  a  member  of  the  Foresters,  and  at  one  time 
was  a  member  of  the  Buckley-Blake  Concert  Company  and  the 
Troeller  Mandolin  Circle.  In  1890  he  organized  the  Liberty 
Banjo  Club,  and  in  1903  was  the  director  of  the  Imperial  Mu- 
sical  Circle.     Both   of   these   organizations    are   now   disbanded. 


Since  1890,  Mr.  Tro«ller  has  been  giving  an  annual  concert  and 
ball  at  various  first-class  places  throughout  the  borough,  at 
which  all  his  pupils  appear.  The  entertainments  are  well  patron- 
ized, and  the  selection  of  the  music  receives  his  personal  at- 
tention. On  May  4,  1892,  Mr.  Troeller  married  Miss  Lillian 
Schantz,  of  New  York  City.  One  child,  Gilbert  (now  deceased), 
was  born  to  the  union. 

KIESLING  BROTHERS,  William  and  Charles,  printers, 
of  623  East  148th  Street,  are  examples  of  what  ambition  and  en- 
terprise can  accomplish,  and  their  establishment  is  an  excellent 
illustration  of  what  a  splendid  field  for  business  the  Bronx  af- 
fords. They  are  both  young  men,  energetic  and  capable,  and 
have  reached  the  road  to  success  practically  unaided.  Being  born 
in  Philadelphia— William,  December  28,  1870,  and  Charles,  June 
I".  1873,  their  schooling  was  acquired  in  the  (lublic  schools 
of  the  Quaker  City,  coming  to  the  Bronx  as  boys  twenty  years 
ago.  From  1886  to  1894  they  were  employed  in  the  printing  busi- 
ness, and  during  that  time  devoted  their  studies  to  the  mastery 
of  "the  art  preservative,"  as  printing  is  called,  at  both  the  case 
and  press.  In  1894  a  partnership  was  formed  and  a  place  of  busi- 
ness was  opened  at  504  Willis  Avenue;  success  attended  thci! 
venture  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  necessary  to  find  new  and 
larger  quarters.  The  plant  is  now  located  in  their  own  building, 
623  East  148th  Street,  which  was  especially  constructed  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  a  thoroughly  modern  equipped  printing 
office.  Reputation  is  freely  accorded  this  firm  as  one  producing 
neat,  attractive  and  correct  work.  They  are  members  of  the 
North  Side  Board  of  Trade  and  New  York  Master  Printers' 
Association.  Both  are  married,  each  having  one  child.  Mr. 
William  Kiesling  married  Miss  Anna  Nusbaum.  November  26, 
1893,  and  Mr.  Chas.  Kiesling  married  Miss  Anna  Hank,  Febru- 
ary 24,  1897. 

ALBERT  H.  LIEBENAU.— One  of  the  popular  and  ag- 
gressive young  business  men  of  the  Bronx  is  Albert  H.  Liebenau, 
whose  activity  in  the  business,  social  and  political  life  of  the 
borough  has  gathered  around  him  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  Al- 
though still  a  very  young  man  Mr.  Liebenau  is  a  most  success- 
ful business  man,  and  his  friends  predict  for  him  a  brilliant 
political  future.  Mr.  Liebenau  is  a  product  of  our  public  schools, 
being  a  graduate  of  No.  61.  He  was  born  in  this  borough  on 
Deceurbcr  -'3,  1873,  and  has  always  lived  there.  Innncdialely 
after  finishing  his  public  school  education  he  joined  his  father 
in  the  tallow  business,  the  elder  Liebenau  being  one  of  the 
pioneer  men  in  this  line  and  one  of  the  most  successful.  When 
his  father  died  the  conduct  of  the  business  devolved  upon  the 
son.  He  has  carried  it  on  most  successfully,  and  to-day  is  one 
of  the  leading  men  in  that  trade.  He  is  honest  and  straight- 
forward in  all  his  dealings,  and  as  a  result  none  of  his  cnini)e- 
titors  make  inroads  on  his  trade.  Ever  since  his  majority  Mr. 
Liebenau  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  ranks  of  Democracy 
and  has  done  yeoman  service  for  the  regular  party  organization 
in  his  district.  His  friends  have  often  urged  him  for  political 
honors,  but  his  business  interests  made  it  impossible  for  him  to 
accept.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  Jefferson 
Club,  treasurer  of  the  Bronx  Press  Club,  the  Elks,  Eagles  and 
the  Tallapoosa  Club.  He  also  takes  a  very  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  the  National  Guard,  being  a  very  prominent  member 
of  the  Seventh  Regiment.  In  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  pro- 
gress and  development  of  the  borough  Mr.  Liebenau  takes  an 
energetic  interest,  and  in  charitable  circles  his  name  is  widely 
known  for  his  quiet  and  unostentatious  benefactions. 


WM.     J.    WAOER,    JR. 


JAMES    P.    DUNN 


THOMAS    DALZIEI,    DINWOODIg 


ADOLPH    TROELLER 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX   BOROUGH 


371 


CHARLES  WILLIAM  VETTERMAN,  Ihe  General  Man- 
ager of  Brewer  Sclililz's  magnificent  hotel  and  restanrant  at 
West  Farms,  was  born  at  Lennfeldt,  Baden,  Germany,  October 
3,  1867.  and  was  educated  at  Lennfeldt,  the  town  or  province  of 
Baden,  graduating  with  the  honors  of  his  class.  He  arrived  in 
the  United  States  on  April  II,  1882,  and  immediately  commenced 
his  career  as  a  boniface,  fighting  his  way  single-handed,  until 
1891,  he  opened  a  first-class  hotel  on  Eighth  Avenue  and  54th 
Street,  which  he  conducted  with  signal  success.  This  property 
he  disposed  of  advantageously,  and  opened  another  hotel  in 
Harlem,  on  125th  Street,  near  Park  Avenue,  and  remained  there 
until  igoo,  when  he  assumed  the  entire  management  of  Schlitz's 
Hotel  and  Restaurant  at  West  Farms.  During  his  exclusive 
management  of  this  first-class  establishment,  Mr.  Vetterman, 
through  his  striking  personality,  his  courteous  manners  to  his 
guests,  and  his  practical  knowledge  of  the  business,  has  built 
up  a  very  extensive  patronage  for  the  hotel,  and  has  made  the 
place  exceedingly  popular  among  the  best  class  of  citizens  in  the 
Bronx,  for  the  excellent  menu,  its  perfect  culinary  department, 
its  neatness  and  cleanliness,  and  the  notable  courtesy  extended 
to  its  patrons  by  its  accomplished  manager  and  his  experienced 
employees.  Mr.  Vetterman  was  married  May  25,  1892,  to  Miss 
Margnrette  Hoerner,  of  New  York  City,  and  has  three  children, 
viz.,  Charles  George,  Jr.,  Arthur  Herbert  and  Alma  Eliza  Vet- 
terman, all  living.  Himself  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  he  is  a  prominent  and  active  member 
of  the  following  clubs  and  societies:  The  Worrynot,  Franz  Schu- 
bert Singing  Society,  Wyoming  Lodge,  No.  492,  F.  and  A.  M.. 
and   Standard  Lodge,  No.  19,  A.  O.  U.  W. 

JOHN  B ARTELS,  who  conducted  at  975  East  169th  Street, 
the  Crotona  Casino,  the  Delmonico  of  the  Bronx,  had  the  repu- 
tation as  the  great  caterer  of  this  part  of  the  city.  He  opened 
his  place  February  I,  igos,  and  being  a  man  thoroughly  versed 
in  all  the  details  of  the  business,  at  once  made  a  success  of  it. 
It  embraces,  besides  the  cafe  and  restaurant,  the  latter  serving 
meals  at  all  hours,  a  palm  garden,  four  bowling  alleys,  and  a 
ball  room  6,000  square  feet  in  area.  Its  character  is  indicated 
in  the  fact  that  a  number  of  fine  church  entertainments  have 
been  held  in  the  hall  by  the  principal  congregations  of  the  bor- 
ough. Mr.  Bartels  is  a  native  of  Bremen,  Germany,  about  35 
years  old.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  the  City  of 
Hanover,  and  is  a  man  of  polish,  culture  and  refinement.  He 
has  lived  in  the  Bronx  about  twelve  years,  and  is  therefore  no 
stranger  to  its  people.  He  married  here  in  New  York  in  April, 
1893,  Miss  Charlotte  M.  Feise.  of  the  City  of  Hanover.  They 
have  three  children,  two  boys  and  a  girl.  Mr.  Bartels  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  though  not  at  all  a  bitter  one.  He  belongs  to 
several  singing  and  beneficial  orders. 


employer.  In  1899  Mr.  O'Connell  resolved  to  become  a  boniface, 
and  consequently  the  lease  from  the  city  to  open  the  present  well- 
known  and  popular  Golf  Hotel  at  Van  Cortlandt  Park,  and  in 
this  connection  he  also  opened  the  Leonard  Cafe,  gi  Leonard 
Street,  Manhattan,  which  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in 
the  vicinity.  The  Golf  Hotel,  which  is  memorable  in  the  annals 
of  the  Bronx  as  a  police  station,  was  thoroughly  remodeled  and 
titled  up  in  its  present  first-class  appointments  by  this  city,  and 
the  success  of  this  establishment  is  entirely  due  to  Mr.  O'Connell. 
and.  through  his  practical  and  most  liberal  management,  it  has 
become  famous  throughout  the  Bronx,  the  Greater  New  York 
and  adjacent  suburban  cities  and  villages,  as  one  of  the  most 
fashionable  resorts  throughout  Manhattan  or  Westchester. 
Standing  on  an  eminence  in  the  midst,  and  overlooking  the  pic- 
turesque and  lovely  Van  Cortlandt  Park,  and  adjacent  to  the 
railroad,  and  then  surrounded  by  a  stretch  of  the  finest  golf 
links  in  this  or  any  other  State  of  the  Union,  it  has  become  the 
favorite  resort  of  the  leading  families  and  most  enthusiastic  golf 
players  of  Manhattan  and  Westchester.  Mr.  O'Connell  manu- 
factures all  kinds  of  golf  goods,  and  keeps  constantly  a  corps  of 
teachers  and  instructors  for  the  benefit  of  his  patrons,  who  de- 
sire to  enjoy  the  famous  fashionable  and  healthful  amusement. 
Mr.  O'Connell  was  married  on  August  16,  1891,  to  Miss  Johanna 
Moran  (now  deceased),  the  result  of  this  union  being  two  chil- 
dren, John  James  is  dead;  Ella  May  Francis  O'Connell.  In  June, 
1900,  Mr.  O'Connell  solemnized  his  second  marriage  to  Miss 
Lucy  Gaynor,  an  estimable  lady,  and  active  in  the  management 
and  large  business  interests  of  Mr.  O'Connell.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  Division  No.  27,  A.  O.  H. ;  the 
Celtic  and  Clan-na-Gael,  and  a  director  in  the  North  Side  Brew- 
ing Company.  He  is  also  interested  in  and  financially  connected 
with  the  well-known  Miller  Pure  Rye  Distilling  Company  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  Central  Consumers'  Wine  and  Liquor 
Company,  as  well  as  the  Central  Cigar  Manufacturing  Company. 
Mr.  O'Connell  has  a  striking  personality,  is  quick,  active  and  .sys- 
tematic in  his  large  business  affairs ;  is  popular  with  the  host  of 
patrons  who  visit  his  hotel  and  golf  links  daily,  and  is  known 
and  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  golf  players  on  the  links. 
The  father  of  this  prominent  gentleman  was  one  of  the  foremost 
and  eniterprising  citizens  of  his  native  place  in  Ireland.  His 
mother,  who  still  survives  her  beloved  husband,  is  a  lady  of 
stern,  yet  noble  character,  and  gave  to  our  country  a  patriotic 
son,  Patrick  O'Connell,  who  was  a  member  of  the  35th  Volun- 
teer Infantry  in  the  late  Spanish-American  War,  and  was  at  the 
famous  battle  of  Luzon,  and  under  general  orders  dated  April 
20,  1901,  issued  by  the  commanding  general  of  Governor's 
Island,  received  only  on  day  of  his  funeral,  was  buried  with  all 
the  pomp  and  honors  of  war,  due  to  such  a  noble  patriot.  Three 
other  brothers,  Daniel,  Morris,  Frank,  and  two  sisters,  Mary 
Ann  and  Francis,  including  Mr.  J.  P.  O'Connell,  now  living,  con- 
stitute the  family  of  Mr.  O'Connell's  worthy  and  patriotic  parents. 


JOHN  P.  O'CONNELL.— The  well-known  proprietor  of  the 
Golf  House  at  Van  Cortlandt  Park,  was  born  in  Ireland,  Janu- 
ary 29,  1S61,  and  was  there  educated  at  the  Christian  Brothers' 
School.  His  father,  Patrick  O'Connell,  was  a  well-known  and 
prosperous  carpenter  and  builder,  and  while  attending  school 
during  his  leisure  hours  from  study,  young  O'Connell  was  learn- 
ing the  carpenter  trade  from  his  father.  Upon  graduatinsr  he  de- 
voted himself  assiduously  to  the  latter  work,  and  after  serving  a 
full  apprenticeship,  he  received  his  credentials  as  a  first-class 
mechanic.  In  1887  he  came  to  New  York  City,  and  owing  to  his 
natural  ability  and  proper  fitness  for  the  position,  he  was  em- 
ployed to  take  charge  of  construction  work,  and  for  several 
years  filled  this  important  post  with  thorough  satisfaction  to  his 


JAMES  J.  BYRNES  is  a  native,  born  and  brought  up  here, 
as  the  saying  is,  through  his  business,  and  by  reason  of  his 
political  connections.  Mr.  Byrnes,  to  use  a  hackneyed  phrase, 
is  "well  and  widely  known."  He  was  born  in  Mott  Haven,  at 
139th  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  January  19,  1864,  and  attended  old 
Public  School  No.  60  under  the  able  and  popular  Prof.  Hyatt, 
a  fact  to  old  residents  in  itself  a  mark  of  distinction  signifying 
thorough  schooling.  Mr.  Byrnes  represents  George  A.  Kessler 
&  Co..  leading  wine  merchants  and  importers  in  the  Bronx  and 
Westchester,  and  is  one  of  their  most  successful  salesmen  and 
agents.  He  is  a  Tammany  Democrat,  a  member  of  Bronx  Lodge 
of  Elks,  No.  S71,  of  the  "Merry  Five  Association"  and  a  worship- 
per at  St.  Jerome's  R.  C.  Church, 


WILLIAM^S.    GERMAIN 


PROF.    GEORGE    FRIEDGEN 


THOMAS   A.    LYNCH 


PATRICK    J.    TRACY 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


373 


PATRICK  J.  TRACY,  Supervisor  of  Cily  Record,  was  born 
in  New  York  City  October  3,  1866,  where  he  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  graduating  from  the  grammar  grade,  and  latei 
from  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Being  a  printer  by 
trade  he  is  thoroughly  qualified  for  the  position  he  now  holds, 
having  been  appointed  thereto  January  19,  1904.  Mr.  Tracy  has 
been  a  resident  of  Bronx  Borough  for  the  past  eight  years,  and  is 
affiliated  with  the  Jefferson  Club,  the  Tammany  Society  and  the 
General  Committee  of  the  latter  organization.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Eagles,  Elks,  the  Bronx  Press  Club,  Typographical 
Union  No.  6,  and  of  other  organizations,  social,  political  and  fra- 
ternal.   He  married  September  2,  1896,  Miss  Margaret  Fitzpatrick. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  SWIFT,  undertaker  and  embalmer,  ot 
606  East  145th  Street,  is  a  life-long  resident  of  the  Bronx.  He 
was  born  in  the  borough  over  fifty  years  ago,  and  was  a  pupil  in 
his  youth  cif  the  Mott  Haven  Public  School.  He  married  liere, 
also,  in  1890.  His  wife  was  Miss  Cornelia  Fitzgerald  before 
ihe  married.  They  have  one  son,  Irving  by  name.  Mr.  Swift  is 
identified,    thrni'pli    h[^    business,   with   two   churches,    St.    Paul's 


Bronx;  of  a  kindly  disposition;  disliked  by  none;  loved  by  many; 
true  to  a  friend  in  adversity  and  wishing  well  to  those  in  afflu- 
ence. He  was  a  public  spirited  man;  was  generous  to  a  fault, 
and  was  always  foremost  in  extending  encouragement  to  all 
causes  whereby  this  borough  was  to  be  benefitted.  Mr.  York 
died  February  9,  1905,  after  an  illness  of  six  months.  During  all 
this  time  he  bore  his  sickness  with  much  patience  that  was 
characteristic  of  him.  His  widow  will  continue  to  keep  an  inter- 
est in  the  business.  The  consistory  of  the  Reformed  Church  of 
Mott  Haven,  New  York  City,  record  with  deep  sorrow  the  death 
of  John  A.  York,  for  twelve  years  a  deacon  of  this  church,  from 
which  he  was  called  to  the  church  triumphant  in  February  9, 
1905.  In  special  session  the  following  resolution  was  unanimously 
passed : 

Whereas,  It  has  pleased  our  Heavenly  Father  who  in 
His  providence  doeth  all  things  well,  to  remove  from  us  one 
whom  we  loved  as  fellow  officer,  as  faithful  church  member,  and 
as  a  loyal  citizen ;  and 

Whereas,  during  the  many  years  of  his  affiliation  with  the 
church  he  lived  a  bright,  consistent  Christian  life;   be  it 


Reformed  and  the  North  New  York  Congregational  Church. 
He  has  every  facility  for  the  proper  conduct  of  his  melancholy, 
but  indispciisalile  offices,  and  may  be  relied  on,  as  a  inan  of  long 
experience  in  the  business,  to  perform  his  duties  with  due  pro- 
priety— to  execute  them  also,  we  may  add,  with  a  conscientious 
regard  for  the  circumstances  and  pockets  of  the  mourners. 

JOHN  A.  YORK,  undertaker,  was  born  in  what  is  now  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx,  January  10,  1859.  During  boyhood  he 
attended  Public  School  No.  60.  Mr.  York  was  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  business  at  606  East  145th  Street,  being  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  York  &  Swift,  who  stood  at  the  head  of  their 
profession  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Mott  Haven  Reformed  Church,  Lily  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.. 
Ivy  Chapter,  Harlem  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  several  other  or- 
ganizations. He  had  been  tenor  soloist  of  the  Mott  Haven  Re- 
formed Church  for  many  years ;  was  solo  tenor  of  the  Zetheus 
Male  Quartette,  one  of  the  finest  male  quartettes  in  New  York. 
On  September  12,  1884,  he  married  Miss  Ida  M.  Drayton.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  viz. :  Lydia  R.,  John  A., 
both  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  Lucy  D.  and  Laura  M.,  now 
living.     Mr.    York    was    one    of   the    most    popular    men    in   the 


Rc'olvcd.  first,  that  we  how  111  submission  to  the  divine  will 
of  our  Savior,  who,  being  wise  and  loving,  worketh  all  things  in 
accordance  with  His  purpose  beyond  our  understanding. 

Resolved,  secondly,  that  we  cherish  the  memory  and  love 
of  one  of  our  most  popular  Christians,  who  was  found  regu- 
larly in  his  place  as  a  devoted  officer  and  as  a  member  of  the 
choir,  and  who,  for  months,  submitted  patiently  to  pain  and 
suffering,  leaving  us  a  worthy  example. 

Resolved,  thirdly,  that  we  tender  to  the  family  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  our  sincere  Christian  sympathy  in  this  their 
hour  of  sore  bereavement,  commending  his  aged  mother,  his 
wife  and  his  young  daughters  to  the  care,  love  and  comfort  of 
our  blessed  Father,  who  gives  His  peace  as  the  world  cannot 
give. 

Resolved,    fourthly,    that    these    resolutions    be    spread    upon 
the  records  of  the  church  and  be  sent  to  the  family  of  our  be- 
loved brother,  to  the  local  papers,  and  to  the  "Christian  Intelli 
gencer,"   and   that  the  church  be  appropriately  draped   in   honor 
of  his  memory.  JOHN    FRANCIS    DOBBS, 

J.   HENRY   HOLLOWAY, 
DAVID  LAYTON, 

Committee. 


JOHN    A.    YORK 


JOHM    BARTELS 


JOHN    P.    O  CONNELL 


JAMES     J       BYRNES 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


375 


JOHN  HARI'MAYER.  one  of  ihe  old  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  who  died  March  20,  igo.^, 
was  born  July  15,  i.Sjj,  ni  Germany,  and  was  educated  there 
tie  learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver  and  dyer  of  woolen  goods  at 
his  native  home,  and  came  to  the  United  States,  and  finding  no 
demand  for  his  services  as  an  experienced  weaver  and  dyer,  he 
took  up  the  trade  of  carriage  painting,  and  continued  in  this 
business  until  his  death.  He  came  to  the  Bronx  in  1866,  and 
started  in  the  carriage  painting  business  on  his  own  account ; 
he  built  himself  a  lesidence  at  2470  Third  Avenue,  where  he 
lived  for  thirty  years,  and  moved  from  there  to  166  Lincoln 
Avenue,  into  a  new  building  he  erected  in  1869.  Mr.  Hartmayer 
during  his  long  and  successful  business  career  in  the  Bronx 
was  a  public  spirited  citizen,  and  commanded  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  whole  community.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the 
strictest  sen.=e  of  honor  and  integrity,  a  useful  and  progress'vc 
citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  Rising  Star  Lodge,  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Honor,  and  of  tl;e  .^rion  Singing  Society  of  North 
New  York.  His  business,  founded  in  1866,  is  now  conducted  by 
his  son,  Edward  Hartmayer,  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  Hart 
mayer  Son.  Mr.  Edward  Hartmayer  was  born  and  raised  in  th.- 
Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  educated  at  the  public  .school,  and, 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  who 
trained  him  thoroughly  in  the  business,  founded  nearly  half  a 
century  ago.  On  June  25,  1899,  Mr.  Edward  Hartmayer  married 
Miss  Catherine  .Seelinger,  and  has  two  children.  May  M.  and 
Christina.  His  business  is  conducted  on  the  same  lines  that 
his  father  carried  out,  but  now  located  at  2541  Third  Avenue, 
and  being  one  of  the  oldest  establishments  of  its  kind  in  the 
Bronx,  it  is  one  of  the  most  successful.  Mr.  Hartmayer  is  a 
prominent  and  active  member  of  the  Building  Trades  Employers' 
Association. 

WILLIAM  RICHARD  EHLER,  born  December  3,  1870, 
in  Germany  and  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  the  home  of 
his  nativity,  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  17,  in  1887, 
as  a  mere  boy,  unattended  and  alone,  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
"land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave."  Inspired  by  the 
news  c(Tining  to  his  fatherland  of  those  who  gave  glowing  ac- 
counts of  their  great  success  in  the  "land  of  liberty,"  he  came, 
he  saw,  and  after  several  years  of  toil,  like  many  others  of  his 
great  countrymen,  "he  conquered."  His  first  engagement  was 
that  as  a  porter;  this  he  filled  successfully  until  he  was  offered 
a  position  as  waiter  in  a  prominent  restaurant  and  coffee  house 
of  this  city.  Month  by  month,  and  for  a  period  of  at  least 
two  years  he  successfully  filltd  this  position  and  by  his  suavt 
and  diplomatic  manners  and  methods  in  the  conduct  of  his 
position  won  from  the  patrons  of  the  house  and  his  employers  the 
distinction  of  an  honest,  upright  and  loyal  employee  and  one 
of  its  most  intelligent  attaches.  On  these  lines,  young  Ehler 
conceived  the  idea  of  entering  business  on  his  own  account. 
Having  surrounded  himself  with  a  phalanx  of  friends  who  knew 
and  appreciated  his  moral  standing,  he  felt  sure  of  his  future 
success.  He  purchased  and  opened  the  premises  in  1898  on  the 
corner  of  147th  Street  and  Brook  Avenue.  From  the  very 
start,  where  others  had  failed,  this  first  venture  was  an  absolute 
success;  so  much  so,  that  one  year  later  he  purchased  the  well 
known  hotel  on  the  northwest  corner  of  138th  street  and  Third 
Avenue,  wliich  was  the  most  popular  resort  in  the  Bronx,  and 
has  been  so  successfully  managed  by  Mr.  Ehler  for  the  past  six 
years  that  it  is  known  and  considered  one  of  the  best  hostelries 
in  the  great  Borough  of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Ehler's  success  has 
not  been  from  the  standpoint  of  waiting  for  something  to  turn 
up,  but  it  has  been  from  the  close  and  sturdy  application  that 
he  has  given  to  his  business  affairs.     Coming  here  to  his  country 


of  adoption,  a  perfect  stranger,  in  a  strange  land,  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources,  without  an  aid  of  comfort  or  cheer,  he 
has  fought  his  battle  and  won.  What  a  noble  lesson  this  is  to 
others  who  are  placed  upon  the  world  without  aid  or  assistance 
from  others.  How  many  young  men  under  these  conditions  "go 
down,"  but  those  made  up  of  the  "Ehler"  material  "never  fail." 

MARTIN  HOFFMAN,  prominent  in  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  in  this  city  and  throughout  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  the  popular  proprietor  of  Hoffman's  Park  at  West- 
chester, Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  March  11,  1853,  at 
Tauberbischofsheim,  Baden,  Germany,  and  received  his  education 
there.  He  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmithing  and  at  the  age  of 
18  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Brooklyn,  where 
he  continued  his  trade  until  1885,  when  he  turned  his  attention 
to  other  business  affairs  and  after  several  years  of  success  as  a 
merchant,  he  came  to  Westchester  Village  in  1898.  Mr.  Hoff- 
man is  one  of  Westchester's  leading  citizens  and  is  always  active 
and  prominent  in  the  advancement  and  improvement  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  the  borough.  His  park  is  one  of  the  features  of  West- 
chester, where  societies  and  organizations  of  the  Bronx  and  Man- 
hattan go  for  recreation  and  amusement,  where  they  have  large 
and  spacious  grounds  for  picnics,  with  a  large  dining  room  in 
tlie  building  proper  capable  of  seating  upwards  of  400  people, 
and  also  a  magnificent  ball  room,  all  of  which  are  thoroughly 
equipped  with  every  convenience  for  the  comfort  and  amuse- 
ment of  the  guests,  and  has  made  the  place  one  of  the  most 
accessible  and  popular  resorts  at  Westchester.  As  a  member  of 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  he  has  rendered  distinguished  service  to  the 
latter  and  has  held  various  posts  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  great 
society.  As  a  member  of  Justicia  Lodge,  No.  370,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  delegate  to  found  the  present  Odd  Fellows  Home  at 
Westchester,  which  is  located  in  close  proximity  to  his  park. 
lie  was  a  Past  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  District,  Kings 
No.  4,  Past  Chief  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Encampment,  Cadiz,  No. 
63,  and  Mayor  of  the  Patriarch  Militant.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Order,  being  a  Past  Master  of  Van  Monch 
Lodge  No.  765,  having  served  as  Master  of  this  lodge  for  the 
years  1895,  i8g6  and  1897.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  having 
served  as  Democratic  leader  of  the  Sixteenth  Ward  in  Brooklyn 
for  two  years  before  coming  to  Westchester  and  is  at  present 
one  of  the  active  members  of  the  Chippewa  Club,  the  Demo- 
cratic General  Committee  organization  of  his  assembly  district. 
Mr.  Hoffman  is  also  an  active  director  in  the  North  Side  Brew- 
ery. On  October  11,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Teresa 
Volz,  of  Brooklyn,  an  estimable  lady,  who  died  October  12, 
1895,  leaving  two  daughters,  Louise  M.  and  Lizzie  M.,  both  of 
whom  are  now  married.  On  July  14,  1898,  Mr.  Hoffman  was 
married  to  his  second  wife,  Mrs.  Lena  Polepka.  The  gentleman 
is  distinguished  for  his  uniform  courtesy,  gentlemanly  conduct, 
and  his  well  known  personal  integrity  to  all  with  whom  he  may 
have    professional    or    personal    dealing. 

PETER  JEROME  STUMPF,  former  Alderman  for  the 
Fortieth  District,  was  born  in  Jersey  City,  September  3,  1861,  but 
has  lived  in  Bronx  Borough  pretty  much  all  his  life.  As  a  boy 
he  grew  up  and  went  to  school  here.  He  is  a  strong  Democrat 
and  a  man  of  family  and  property.  He  belongs  to  a  number  of 
organizations,  among  others  the  Jefferson,  Schnorer  and  Talla- 
poosa Clubs  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  married 
February  12,  1884,  Miss  Katherine  Jeannette  Tyrrell.  They  have 
one  son,  Peter  J.  Stumpf,  Jr.,  aged  6  years.  Mr.  Stumpf  is  a  baker 
by  trade,  but  in  the  coal  business  at  present. 


JAMES    G.     RILEY 


CHRISTIAN     HENRY    HARTMAN 


^^^^^^^^^H 

Lbe^   ^   l^^l 

iM 

m 

^^^^^BvHu 

■ 

^^^^^^^^MtXJ^^^^^fcf -^               .\^> 

JOHN     HARTMAYER 


WILLIAM    RICHARD    EHLER 


HISTORY  OFj  BRONX  BOROUGH 


377 


WILLIAM  SIMPSON,  well  known  to  many  New  Yorkers 
through  his  downtown  money  lending  business,  is  not  so  well 
known  to  the  public  in  another  capacity,  namely,  that  of  one  of 
the  most  extensive  breeders  of  fine  horse  stock  in  the  country. 
Turfmen,  road  drivers  and  other  lovers  of  the  trotter,  however, 
are  well  acquainted  with  his  Empire  City  Stud.  This  important 
establishment,  strange  to  say,  is  and  has  been  for  many  years 
well  within  the  limits  of  the  metropolis,  at  Southern  Boulevard 
and  the  East  River,  Hunt's  Point,  in  the  Bronx,  where  it  has 
been  conducted  successfully  by  Mr.  Simpson  for  forty  years.  The 
famous  John  R.  Gentry,  record  2.001/2.  comes  from  this  establish 
ment,  and  its  auction  sales  have  been  the  resort  of  horsemen  for 
very  many  years.  But  first  a  word  concerning  Mr.  Simpson 
personally.  He  was  born  m  May,  1837,  in  this  city,  that  is 
sixty-eight  years  ago,  and  has  practically  spent  his  entire  life 
within  the  confines  of  New  York.  His  father  was  Wm.  Simp- 
son, a  native  of  England,  and  his  mother  Ximenia  Haines,  of 
New  York.  He  was  admitted  m  New  York  schools  and  ac- 
quired the  money  lending  business  from  his  father,  its  founder. 
lie  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  by  religious  faith  Protestant 
episcopal.  His  first  wife,  Sarah  J.  McGraw,  of  Dryden,  New 
York,  died  in  1876.     His  second,  Teresa  L.  Allen,  in   1904.     He 


"  Foxhurst,"  Residence  of  Wm.  Simpion 

has  two  sons,  William  J.,  born  in  1867.  and  F.  B.,  who  manages 
the  stud  for  him,  in  1S74.  Both  are  married.  William  J.  has 
two  children,  a  son  and  daughter.  The  Simpson  farm  at  Hunt's 
Point  covers  120  acres.  It  was  established  originally  for  the 
breeding  of  trotting  horses.  Of  late,  however,  considerable  at- 
tention is  given  also  to  the  breeding  of  Shetland  ponies,  a  superior 
strain  of  which  it  possesses.  On  the  place  are  commodious  build- 
ings and  a  miniature  covered  track,  25  by  1,200  feet,  for  the  train- 
ing of  colts  in  winter,  and  here  have  been  bred,  as  we  have  said, 
stock  of  the  best  trotting  blood  in  the  country.  Such  men  as 
Tom  Lawson,  of  Boston,  have  sent  their  mares  here  to  be  bred 
to  the  Simpson  stallions.  The  place  is,  however,  soon  to  be 
abandoned,  and  the  stock  transferred  to  a  new  up-state  location. 
The  city  has  grown  up  to  the  old  farm,  and  it  is  shortly  to  be 
cut  up  into  city  lots.  The  new  place  is  at  New  Hudson,  Alleg- 
heny County,  N.  Y..  nine  miles  from  Cuba  on  the  Erie  road,  and 
six  from  Canada  on  the  Western  New  York.  It  contains  1.000 
acres,  a  quarter  mile  training  track  and  all  the  necessary  equip- 
ment of  stabling,  etc.  Over  $50,000  has  been  expended  here 
and  many  extra  facilities  provided,  such  as  heat  from  natural 
gas.  so  as  to  bring  out  foals  in  March  or  April.  There  is  ex- 
cellent stabling  and  a  mile  track  at  Cuba  also,  for  the  "gradu- 


ates." so  called.  As  a  bee-man  likewise,  Mr.  Simpson  has  dis- 
tinction. He  has  long  been  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  queen 
bees,  and  shipping  them  over  the  country.  He  is  also  an  author 
of  note  on  bees  and  kindred  subjects.  One  fallacy  he  has  fully 
exploded,    namely,    the   tin-pan    method    of    swarming    them. 

GEORGE  W.  FENNELL. — Among  the  notable  business 
concerns  drawn  to  the  Bronx  by  the  prospect  it  unfolds  in  its 
phenomenal  growth  and  development,  not  least  in  importance 
is  that  of  George  Fennill  &  Co..  which,  on  May  i  last  (1905) 
opened  up  in  a  style  befitting  the  reputation  it  has  established 
in  the  furniture  and  house  furnishing  business,  a  place  at  Third 
Avenue  and  l4Qth  Street — to  he  exact,  Nos.  2860  and  2862  Third 
Avenue.  !"bis  is  a  location  unsurpassed  in  he  borough,  one 
considered  by  many  the  heart  of  the  North  Side  in  a  business 
way  and  destined  lovg  to  remain  so.  Nearly  three  months  were 
required  to  refit  and  remodel  this  "up  to  the  standard"  of  the 
I'^ennell  Coinpany.  It  is  a  five-story  fire-proof  brick  building,  with 
expansive  show  rooms,  in  which  is  displayed  the  largest,  most 
complete  and  most  varied  stock  of  the  kind  in  the  borough.  Thi.'"., 
with  the  courteous  and  liberal  treatment  accorded  customers, 
has  brought  the  house  a  patronage  beyond  even  the  highest 
expectations  of  the  company  and  made  its  venture  already  an 
assured  and  unqualified  success.  George  Fennell  &  Co.  have  two 
other  establishments,  one  at  107  Avenue  A,  Manhattan,  and  the 
1  iher  in  Mount  N'ernon.     Mr.  Fennell  resides  in  Manhattan. 

GEO.  W.  O'CONNOR  (deceased).— Few  men  were  better 
known  or  better  liked  in  the  Bedford  Park  district,  where  be 
lived  and  exercised  the  Democratic  leadership  for  many  years. 
than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Winchester,  V';i  , 
and  was  raised  in  the  Old  Dominion,  in  which  State  also  he  re- 
ceived his  schooling.  From  Virginia  he  went  as  a  young  man  1c 
Rockland  County,  New  York,  and  from  there,  in  1885,  to  Wil- 
liamslindge.  There  he  went  into  the  hotel  and  saloon  business, 
and  continued  in  that  until  his  death,  March  5,  1905.  He  was 
barely  fifty  when  he  died.  He  had  been  Tammany  leader  for  ten 
years,  and  was  also  connected  with  the  Park  Department.  He 
liclonged  to  the  Jefferson  Club,  and  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the 
Pedford  Park  Club  and  in  his  own  organization,  the  Geo.  W. 
O'Connor  Association.  He  was  also  a  mfember  of  the  Royal 
."Tcanum  and  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Catholic  Benevolent 
L"gion  and  other  associations,  social  and  fraternal.  He  was 
a  live  man,  what  is  known  as  a  good  "mixer,"  whole-souled  and 
c'laritable,  and  sincerely  mourned  by  a  host  of  friends.  He  mar- 
ried, February  13,  1885,  Miss  Jane  Byrnes,  of  Piermont,  Rock- 
bnd  County.  Three  daughters,  Mary,  Nora  and  Georgiana,  sur- 
vive him. 

WM.  J.  WAGER,  JR..  is  Superintendent  of  the  Department 
of  Parks,  Bronx  Borough.  To  him  largely  tlie  splendid  condition 
and  attractiveness  of  these  play  grounds  of  the  public  are  due. 
He  is  a  strong  and  uncompromising  Democrat — "firm  in  the 
faith" — is  chairman  of  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Committee, 
Thirty-fourth  District;  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Eugene 
J.  McGuire  Association,  member  of  the  Eagles,  president  Wampa- 
noag  Club.  Mr.  Wager  is  a  Brooklynite  by  birth;  he  was  born 
there  April  16,  1864.  In  his  youth  he  attended  Grammar  School 
No.  20,  graduating  from  it  in  1878.  He  then  went  into  business 
with  his  father  (who  is  still  living  but  retired")  in  the  painting 
and  flag  pole  line  at  42  West  Hou.ston  Street.  In  this  business 
he  remained  until  appointed  under  Commissioner  Schmitt  in  1904, 
to  his  present  place.  He  has  lived  in  the  Bronx  now  some  nine 
years.  He  married  April  27,  1884,  Miss  Mary  Fuest,  of  New 
York  City,  and  is  the  father  of  five  children  living ;  by  name 
Edward,  Mary,  Irene,  George  D.,  and  Eugene  J. 


CHARLES    H.    SPROESSIG.    JR. 


GEORGE    W.    FENNELL 


JOHN    L.     BURGOYNE 


CHARLES    A.    D.    MEYERHOFF 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


379 


HON.  WILLIAM  WARNER  PENFIELD,  of  Wakefield, 
was  born  July  5,  1858,  in  New  Rochelle,  New  York.  Through 
both  of  his  parents,  George  J.  and  Louisa  A.  Penfield,  he  coniies 
from  the  best  old  Westchester  County  stock.  On  his  father's 
.side  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  De  Milt  and  Warner  families,  and 
on  his  mother's  of  the  Pells  and  Disbrows.  He  was  educated 
in  the  local  public  schools  and  graduating  in  1869,  took  a  one 
year's  course  of  study  at  Betts'  Academy  at  Stamford,  Conn., 
and  later  on  a  four-year  course  in  D.  S.  Everson's  Preparatory 
School,  which  qualified  him  for  admittance  to  Yale  College, 
from   which   he   graduated   in    1879.   receiving   his   B.    A.   degree. 


HON.    WILLIAM    WARNER    FENFIELD 

in  18S3  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  and  later  accepted 
a  position  in  the  LUiited  States  Custom  House.  During  this  time 
he  studied  law  and  in  1889,  received  his  degree  from  the  New 
York  University  Law  School.  He  immediately  began  an  en- 
ergetic and  successful  law  practice,  identifying  himself  at  the 
same  time  with  the  civic  and  political  interests  of  the  village 
of  South  Mount  Vernon  (afterward  called  Wakefield),  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  incorporators.  In  his  associations  with  this 
village  he  filled  many  prominent  positions,  and  was  instrumental 
in  securing  many  needed  reforms  and  improvements.  Known 
as  the  outspoken  foe  of  corporations,  his  three  terms  as  presi- 
dent of  the  village  were  marked  by  conspicuous  victories  for 
the  village,  and  recorded  signal  concessions  from  such  corpora- 
tions as  the  Westchester  Water  Company,  the  Electric  Light 
Company  and  the  New  York  &  New  Haven  Railroad,  which 
last  corporation  he  forced,  through  successful  litigation,  to  build 
bridges  across  the  tracks  at  both  Becker  and  Demilt  Avenues. 
On  retiring  from  the  office  of  president,  he  was  appointed  cor- 
poration counsel  to  the  village,  which  office  he  held  until  the 
annexation  of  Wakefield  to  the  City  of  New  York.  With 
characteristic  zeal  and  determination,  he  never  spared  himself 
in  his  public  work  and  was  successful  in  every  case  which  he 
managed  in  behalf  of  the  village.  He  was  also  active  in  fire 
department   matters    in   Wakefield    before   anne.xation,    and    was 


one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Wakelield  Fire  Department  and  at 
one  time  its  chief — the  department  consisting  of  five  companies. 
Judge  Penfield  fought  the  annexation  act,  believing  that  more 
local  improvements  should  be  first  secured.  In  1897  he  was  elect- 
ed justice  of  the  Municipal  Court  for  the  First  District  of  the 
Bronx,  having  the  endorsement  of  both  the  Citizens'  Union  and 
Llemocratic  party  in  his  candidacy.  He  has  always  been  an 
earnest  and  active  supporter  of  the  Democratic  Party  in  politics 
and  unswerving  in  his  devotion  and  loyalty  to  its  time  honored 
traditions.  He  is  a  Mason,  being  a  metnber  of  Hebron  Lodge, 
Jerusalem  Chapter  and  Coeur  de  Lion  Commandery.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  New  England  Society,  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon 
and  Phi  Delta  Phi  fraternities,  the  Westchester  and  New  York 
State  Firemen's  Association,  Bronx  Bar  Association  and  the 
North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  besides  various  local  and  benefit 
orders.  Judge  Penfield  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
and  one  of  its  officers.  He  was  married  on  December  15,  1897, 
to  Miss  E.  Jean  Nelson,  of  Greencastle,  Ind.  Two  children  were 
the  result  of  this  union,  but  both  died  in  infancy.  Judge  Pen- 
field  resides  at  the  old  family  homestead,  which  was  erected 
more  than  a  century  ago,  and  which  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
old  White  Plains  Road  at  its  junction  with  what  was  formerly 
known  as  Demilt  Avenue,  but  which  is  now  officially  known  as 
242d  Street. 

JOHN  F.  FREES,  of  608  East  156th  Street,  is  one  of  the 
rising  lawyers  of  Bronx  Borough.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Bronx, 
having  been  born  November  10,  187.3,  at  612  East  is6th  Street, 
and  has  resided  here  all  the  time.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation at  Public  School  62,  and  graduated  in  1889,  when  he  en- 
tered the  Col- 
lege of  the  City 
of  New  York, 
where  he  took  a 
three-year 
course,  after 
wliich  he  look 
a  course  in  the 
New  York  Law 
School.  He  has 
proved  his  in- 
terest in  the 
welfare  of  his 
native  borough 
by  taking  an 
active  part  in 
e  \'  e  r  y  t  h  i  n  g 
that  would 
tend  to  its  up- 
building. Mr. 
Frees  is  a  man 
of  family  hav- 
ing married  on 
April  30,  I90-'. 
Miss  Edith  Sei- 
fert,      of      City 

Island.  The  result  of  this  union  was  two  daughters,  Edith  and 
Dorothy,  both  living.  Mr.  Frees,  notwithstanding  his  extensive 
legal  practice,  finds  time  to  participate  in  the  meetings  of  the  va- 
rious clubs  and  societies  of  which  he  is  a  member,  among  which 
may  be  noted  the  Schnorer  Club,  Bronx  Lodge,  of  B.  P.  O 
Elks,  Madonna  Council  of  Knights  of  Columbus,  Tallapoosa 
Club,  Jefferson  Club,  K.  O.  S.  Bowling  Club,  Harlem  Inde- 
pendent Schutzen  Club,  Melrose  Gun  Club,  Suburban  Council 
of  Royal  Arcanum,  General  Committee  of  Tammany  Hall,  Twen- 
ty-third Ward  Property  Owners'  Association,  and  the  City  Is- 
land Board  of  Trade.  He  also  was  a  member  of  the  Local  School 
Board  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx. 


JOHN    F.    FREES 


380 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOrOUGH 


MICHAEL  J.  BERGEN,  father  of  John  H.  Bergen,  chief 
bookkeeper  of  the  Department  of  Parks,  Borough  of  the  Bronx, 
was  the  first  trustee  of  the  old  Village  of  Morrisania,  and  for 
years  was  its  chief  of  the  Fire  Department.  He  was  born  at 
Roscrea,  County  of  Tipperary,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  alone  at  the  age  of  i8.  He  was  full  of  ambition,  had 
decided  push  and  extraordinary  ability  for  a  young  man  of  his 
age;  he  was  never  idle,  but  engaged  in  various  business  enter- 
prises, in  which  he  was  successful.  He  erected  a  two-story 
brick  building,  28.\36,  at  Third  Avenue,  when  Willis  Avenue 
and  148th  Street  was  opened ;  this  building  and  land  on  which 
it  was  located  was  purchased  by  the  City  of  New  York ;  he  be- 
came a  very  public  spirited  citizen  and  was  highly  esteemed  by 
the  community  as  one  of  its  most  enterprising  business  men, 
and  at  an  election  for  Town  Clerk  of  Morrisania,  in  which  he 
was  a  candidate,  Mr.  Bergen  was  elected  by  an  overwhelming 
majority,  he  receiving  1,300  votes,  and  twenty-nine  cast  against 
him ;  he  held  this  office  for  ten  years,  part  of  the  service  was 
during  the  Civil  War,  and  as  he  handled  all  the  monies  of  the 
township,  which  was  very  large,  at  no  time  was  there  one  cent 
but  what  was  accounted  for.  Previous  to  his  election  to  the 
latter  office  he  had  been  appointed  and  was  fulfilling  the  duties 
of  Commissioner  of  Survey  and  Grading.  He  was  a  member 
of  Hook  and  Ladder  Fire  Company  of  Morrisania  and  finally 
became  a  member  of  Jackson  Four  Engine  Company,  at  the 
request  of  all  the  members  of  the  company,  and  after  a  few 
months  service,  he  was  unanimously  elected  foreman,  occupying 
this  position  for  five  years,  when  he  resigned,  as  he  was  elected 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Morrisania  Fire  Department,  and  re- 
mained in  this  responsible  position  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  June  9,  1869.  In  politics  Mr.  Bergen  was  a  sterling 
Democrat  and  a  thorough  organization  man.  He  was  well  edu- 
cated, being  an  inveterate  reader,  and  was  very  liberal  minded 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  religious  or  social  affairs.  For  his 
numerous  distinguished  services  in  the  Bron.x,  Bergen  Avenue 
was  named  after  him.  In  1862  Mr.  Bergen  married  Miss  Brid- 
get McGrath  and  had  two  children,  John  H.,  and  Mary  Francis. 
His  death  was  mourned  by  the  entire  community,  to  whom  he 
was  so  well  known  and  highly  respected  for  his  ability,  hi? 
philantrophy  and  the  eminent  services  he  rendered  to  them 
in  the  discharge  of  liis  duties  as  a  pulilic  officer  and  faitliful 
servant  of  the  people. 

JOHN  HENRY  BERGEN,  chief  bookkeeper  of  the  Park 
Department,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  at  Mott  Haven, 
town  of  Morrisania,  Westchester  County,  February  17,  1864. 
He  attended  St.  Jerome's  and  St.  Mary's  parochial  schools,  and 
the  public  school  and  was  an  undergraduate  of  the  latter.  At 
the  age  of  15  years  he  was  employed  by  Lord  &  Taylor  as  cash 
boy  in  their  dry  goods  store,  Broadway  and  Twentieth  Street. 
After  a  short  period  of  service  he  was  employed  by  Benziger 
Brothers,  the  Catholic  book  publishers,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  five  years,  with  the  New  Haven  Railroad  Company  he 
served  one  year  as  office  clerk,  but  resigned  to  accept  an  ap- 
pointment as  clerk  of  the  Library  Committee  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  at  Washington,  D.  C.  He  later  was  appointed 
Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of  New  York  City,  and  was 
later  appointed  clerk  in  the  Building  Department  of  New  Y'ork 
City,  where  he  served  in  a  clerical  capacity  until  1898,  when 
he  was  made  chief  bookkeeper  for  the  Park  Department,  Bor- 
ough of  the  Bron.x,  where  he  still  holds  this  responsible  posi- 
tion, having  served  under  the  past  four  administrations.  In 
politics    Mr.    Bergen    is     and    always    remained    a    staunch    and 


ardent  Democrat,  strictly  a  party  and  organization  man,  and 
one  of  its  most  loyal  and  active  members.  He  is  a  member  of 
St.  Jerome's  Catholic  Church  and  the  Brownson  Catholic  Club, 
of  which  latter  he  was  president  for  two  terms,  1900  and  1901, 
secretary  for  two  terms,  1898  and  1899,  and  chairman  of  the 
building  committee,  during  the  erection  of  the  present  structure, 
now  occupied  by  the  club,  and  has  also  been  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  entertainment  for  several  years ;  he  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  Suburban  Council ;  also  a 
charter  member  of  Bronx  Council,  Knights  of  Columbus,  having 
served  as  its  first  financial  secretary,  and  was  Deputy  Grand 
Knight  for  two  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Xavier  Alumni 
Sodality  and  Friends  of  Erin.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Wampanoag  Club,  the  official  Democratic  organization  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  Assembly  District,  and  was  secretary  of  the 
Tammany  Hall  General  Committee  of  his  district  for  a  long 
term.  A  native  of  the  Bronx,  Mr.  Bergen  was  married  on 
June  II,  1895,  to  Miss  Agnes  M.  Kearns,  a  highly  cultivated 
lady  and  a  native  also  of  the  Bronx.  He  has  two  children, 
John  Justin,  aged  nine  years,  and  Helen  Marguerite,  aged  five. 
Mr.  Bergen  is  quite  an  athlete  and  is  fond  of  driving,  bowling, 
fishing,  skating  and  all  outdoor  healthful  exercise.  He  has  a 
beautiful  home  of  his  own  at  No.  688  East  146th  Street,  where 
he  has  resided  for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  and  where  his 
domestic  life  has  been  one  of  unalloyed  happiness.  Here,  in  his 
comfortable  library,  he  enjoys  himself  in  reading  principally 
history,  which  is  his  favorite  study,  in  the  meantime  not  for- 
getting Catholic  works  from  eminent  authors,  for  he  is  a  very 
strict  Catholic,  and  never  fails  to  live  up  to  the  doctrines  and 
teachings  of  his  church.  In  all  public  matters  affecting  the  in- 
terest of  the  borough,  Mr.  Bergen  has  taken  a  leading  part. 
He  has  served  on  several  important  committees,  and  has  an 
abiding   faith   in   its   future. 

CLASON  POINT  INN.— The  prominence  this  resort  has 
obtained  as  one  of  the  show  places  of  the  Bronx  is  justly  to  be 
credited  to  the  pluck  and  perseverance  of  Clinton  Stevens,  who, 
by  his  foresight,  has  brought  it  in  the  front  rank  of  the  great 
Metropolis'  breathing  places.  His  keen  perception  of  the  oppor- 
tunity for  developing  this  ideal  spot  on  Long  Island  Sound's 
shore  soon  took  practical  shape,  and  nowhere  between  Harlem 
and  Byram  Rivers  is  its  equal  as  a  summer  resort  to  be  found. 
This  result  was  obtained  only  after  a  lavish  expenditure  of 
money,  but  that  this  was  well  devised  is  apparent  by  the  myriad 
attractions  that  greet  the  pleasure  seeker  within  the  domain 
where  he  holds  sway.  The  magnitude  of  bis  enterprise  may 
best  be  described  by  noting  that  the  Casino  has  accommodations 
for  5,000  people,  while  the  bathing  pavilions,  lining  a  splendid 
beach,  free  from  sewage  contamination,  has  provision  for  about 
4.000  bathers.  The  Inn  itself  can  furnish  meals  for  500  people 
at  one  sitting.  Everything  that  would  tend  to  make  a  pleasant 
visit  to  this  seaside  resort  has  been  added  to  the  attractions,  includ- 
ing a  $26,000  merry-go-round,  new  buildings  and  other  improve- 
ments entailing  an  expenditure  of  $34,000.  Mr.  Stevens  acquired 
this  property,  consisting  of  twenty-five  acres,  some  thirty  years  ago, 
and  while  he  himself  devotes  the  most  of  his  time  to  superin- 
tending the  nmning  of  boats  from  Harlem  River  to  the  Point, 
as  well  as  five  automobiles  from  the  trolley  cars  to  the  Inn, 
which  is  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  Joseph  Cowen,  his 
son-in-law,  he  always  has  his  eye  open  toward  rendering  this 
ideal  resort  even  still  more  attractive  to  the  man  of  affairs 
who  seeks  relaxation  from  the  cares  of  a  strenuous  business  life 
which  is  now  in  the  order  of  things  to-day. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


381 


CHARLES  A.  D.  MEYERHOFF.— Born  in  old  New  York 
City  on  August  5,  1833,  in  what  was  those  days  considered  the 
upper  section,  viz.,  No.  125  Stanton  Street,  he  was,  Hke  his 
brothers,  initiated  by  his  father  in  the  mystery  of  compounding 
the  ingredients  which  entered  into  supplying  the  staff  of  life — 
for  his  father  had  for  thirty-eight  years  conducted  the  largest 
bakery  in  the  city  at  the  time.  However,  like  his  brothers,  his 
mind  followed  in  the  same  trend,  and  he  apprenticed  himself  for 
seven  years  to  the  American  Tract  Society  at  the  corner  of 
Nassau  and  Spruce  Streets,  to  become  acquainted  with  "the  art 
preservative  of  all  arts."  During  the  latter  years  of  his  appren- 
ticeship he  received  that  instruction  in  Hebrew,  Syriac  and 
Chaldaic,  which  gave  him  the  courage  to  undertake  the  setting 
of  the  type  for  the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Chinook  for 
the  Indians  of  Oregon,  Which  was  being  published  by  the 
Smithsonian  Institute,  at  Washington,  D.  C.  When  this  task 
was  completed  he  drifted  into  journalism  under  Col.  Anson  P. 
Herrick  of  the  "New  York  Atlas, '  and  later  with  the  late  Thomas 
Towndrow,  of  the  "New  York  Tribune,"  formed  the  idea  of 
gathering  the  suburban  news  of  New  York  City,  which  later 
developed  into  a  special  feature.  The  means  of  communication 
in  those  days  were  not  so  plentiful  as  in  later  years,  and  neces- 
sitated much  trudging  from  one  portion  of  the  field  to  the 
other  by  these  veteran  quill  drivers  in  order  to  have  something 
to  show  for  their  time  and  labor.  Naturally,  he  started  in  the 
publishing  business  himself,  and  the  aggressiveness  of  his  ven- 
ture, the  "Westchester  County  Democrat,"  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  then  ruling  powers  of  New  York  City,  and  he  came  in 
for  political  preferment  unsolicited.  His  first  movement  in  the 
political  line  was  to  urge  the  extension  of  the  city  limits  north 
of  the  Harlem  River  to  the  Putnam  County  border,  owing  to 
the  need  he  foresaw  of  the  upper  section  of  Westchester  County 
for  the  rapidly  growing  city's  water  supply.  But  this  scheme 
conflicted  with  the  plans  of  William  M.  Tweed  who  was  inter- 
ested in  some  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  lower  portion  of 
Yonkers  w-hich  he  wished  to  keep  sub  rosa.  Always  foremost 
in  projecting  improvements  he  urged  the  construction  of  boule- 
\ards  and  macadamized  roads,  which  brought  down  on  his  head 
the  anathemas  of  the  old  timers  who  were  content  with  the 
conditions  that  prevailed  in  their  forefathers'  days,  and  he  was 
accused  of  ulterior  motives  in  urging  the  improvement.  To-day 
he  is  still  ranked  among  the  progressive  men  who  are  to  be 
found  advocating  the  development  of  the  Bronx,  which  he  still 
considers  in  its  infancy.  His  early  training  as  a  newspaper  man 
developed  his  then  rather  weak  constitution,  and  to  it  he 
attributes  his  sprightliness  of  temperament.  He  is  the  proud 
father  of  a  large  family,  the  male  members  following  his 
political  proclivities  and  being  found  with  the  Democratic  cohorts. 
At  the  lime  of  this  writing  he  holds  an  important  position  on 
the  staff  of  the  "North  Side  News,"  and  enters  into  its  progress- 
iveness  with  whole-heartedness.  His  thorough  intimacy  with 
the  early  history  of  the  territory  of  which  he  has  been  a  resident 
for  so  many  decades  has  proved  of  much  advantage  in  the  com- 
pilation of  this  history.  Incidentally,  it  might  be  said  that  he  I; 
one  of  the  very  few  surviving  members  of  the  editorial  fraternity 
when  old  Westchester  County  was  one  of  the  Democratic  strong- 
holds of  the  Empire  State.  He  married  Miss  Cecelia  A.  Davis, 
of  New  York  City,  and  quite  a  numerous  progeny  has  resulted 
from  the  union,  of  whom  the  living  ones  are  Charles  A.  D.,  Jr., 
Henry  M..  Francis  0.,  Robert  V.,  Clarence  E.,  Cecilia  A.,  and 
Josephine  Marguerite.  Mr.  Meyerhoff  is  descended  from  a  long- 
lived  family,  and  hopes  to  see  the  fruition  of  his  hopes  in  the 
annexation  of  all  of  Westchester  County  to  the  Greater  New 
York,  realizing  that  in  the  history  of  the  old  city  the  natural 
tendency  for  its  growth  has  been  to  the  northward,  and  the  large 


and  varied  interests  of  the  city  in  the  matter  of  its  water  supply 
and  protection  of  the  watershed  demanding  that  the  city  should 
assume  absolute  control  thereof.  Naturally  he  is  a  member  of 
many  improvement  associations,  and  has  been  for  some  time  the 
Secretary  of  the  Improvement  League  of  the  Forty-fourth 
.'Mdermanic    District. 

PROF.  GEORGE  FRIEDGEN.— Mr.  Friedgen  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  musical  element  in  the  Bronx,  one  of  its  most  dis- 
tinguished representatives  indeed,  and  as  such  with  a  reputation 
extending  far  beyond  its  bounds.  He  organized  the  Conservatory 
of  Music  at  1 188  Franklin  Avenue  in  the  Bronx,  in  1890.  He 
was  organist  for  ten  years  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  El- 
ton Avenue  and  is6th  Street.  He  has  had  engagements  with  Gil- 
more,  Cappa,  Schmelz,  and  other  leading  bands  of  the  country, 
and  organized  the  band  known  by  his  name.  He  has  been  the  sue 
cessful  director  of  a  number  of  musical  organizations,  among 
them  the  Harmonic  Singing  Society,  Morrisania  Mannerchor,  Ar- 
beiter  Liedertafel,  Woodstock  Liederkranz,  New  Rochelle  Maen 
nerchor,  Williamsbridge  Liederkranz,  the  Quartette  Club  of  Mt. 
Vernon,  the  Arion  of  White  Plains,  the  Bronx  Quartette  Club, 
and  many  more.  He  has  also  conducted  many  operatic  perform- 
ances, such  as  "A  Night  in  Granada,"  the  "Czar  and  the  Car- 
penter," "Faust."  "Galatliea,"  the  ""Doctor  of  Alcantara,"  etc.,  in 
short  is  an  accomplished,  high-class,  all-around  artist  in  music. 
Prof.  Friedgen  was  born  in  Bebra,  Germany,  April  11,  1866,  but 
came  to  this  country  a  boy  of  five.  As  a  youth  he  attended  here 
old  public  school  No.  61.  In  1876,  at  ten  years  of  age,  he  went 
back  to  the  old  country,  and  there  studied  at  the  College  of  Music, 
Weimar,  under  Professor  Muller-Hartung,  Dr.  Lassen  and  Bern- 
hard  Sulze.  He  graduated  from  that  institution,  and  at  19,  in 
May,  1885,  came  back  here,  and  from  that  time,  as  we  have  seen 
in  the  account  already  given  of  his  affiliations  and  connections,  has 
been  busily  engaged  hereabouts  in  the  pursuit  of  his  chosen  vo- 
cation. Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Tammany  Hall  General  Committee  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly 
District,  belongs  to  the  Schnorer  Club,  the  Bron.x  Club,  and  to 
Morrisania  Lodge,  No.  89,  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  married  May  23, 
1889,  Marguerite  Valois.  They  have  six  children,  .Arthur,  John, 
and  Harry,  Emma,  Wilma  and  Anita.  On  October  22,  1905,  he 
celebrated  at  Zeltner's  Casino,  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  his 
establishment  in  the  borough  as  musical  director,  with  a  concert 
piogramme,  embracing  a  grand  orchestra,  extensive  chorus  and 
eminent  soloists.  It  was  attended  by  the  elite  of  this  part  of  the 
city,  and  was  a  pronounced  success. 

THOMAS  A.  LYNCH,  undertaker  and  embalmer  of  the 
Bronx,  was  born  June  26,  1856,  in  New  Hampshire.  He  assisted 
his  father  on  the  family  farm  until  his  majority  and  then  was 
apprenticed  to  the  carpenter  trade,  in  which  he  became  very 
proficient,  having  carried  out  some  very  important  contracts  in 
building.  The  business  of  undertaking  and  embalming  attracted 
his  attention,  and  after  close  application  to  all  its  details  for  a 
few  years,  he  finally  embarked  in  the  business  and  is  to-day  one 
of  the  prominent  factors  in  the  business  at  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Lynch  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  at  one  time  was  appointed 
inspector  of  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  Bronx,  which  he  hon- 
orably served  for  two  terms.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Catholic  Mutual  Benefit 
Association,  president  of  St.  Roch's  Lyceum  Young  Men's  Club, 
secretary  of  the  Foxy  Bowling  Club  and  a  member  of  the  Tam- 
many Hall  General  Commiltec.  On  September  21.  1884.  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Katy  Mclntyre,  of  New  York  City,  the  result  of  this 
pleasant  union  being  si.x  children,  three  of  whom  arc  living,  viz.: 
Dennis,  Raymond  and  Leonore,  and  Rose,  Adele,  Harold  and 
Thomas,   deceased. 


382 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


WILLIAM  S.  GERMAIN,  a  self  made  man,  was  born  in 
Harlem,  New  York  City,  September  13,  1868.  He  attended  public 
school  No.  57  for  several  years,  but  did  not  continue  long  enough 
to  graduate.  When  he  was  four  years  of  age.  his  father  died, 
and  family  circumstances  compelled  him  to  seek  employment  at 
an  early  age.  Being  in  possession  of  high  ambitions  to  succeed 
in  life,  he  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  that  presented  it- 
self to  further  his  education,  which  was  accomplished  by  keen 
observation  and  the  study  of  men  and  things.  In  his  early  youth 
he  served  as  a  chore  boy  in  both  a  butcher  shop  and  a  tailor 
establishment,  afterward  practiced  telegraphy,  and  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  was  employed  as  a  telegraph  operator  by  the  West- 
ern Union  Telegraph  Company  at  its  main  office,  New  York  City. 
For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  held  a  responsible  position  in  the 
telegraph  service  on  the  floor  of  the  New  York  Consolidated 
Exchange.  During  the  latter  period  he  has  also  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  and  building  business  in  the  William.sbridge  section 
of  the  Bronx,  where  he  has  resided  since  1890.  In  politics  Mr. 
Germain  has,  since  reaching  his  majority,  been  an  active  member 
of  the  Republican  party.  During  the  village  days  of  Williams- 
bridge,  he  was  identified  locally  with  the  improvement  faction  of 
that  section.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  County 
Committee  since  1899,  and,  for  two  years  served  his  party  well  as 
leader,  or  executive  member  of  New  York  Republican  County 
Committee,  representing  the  Annexed  District.  He  was  a  strong 
factionist  in  five  difl'erent  primary  fights  in  his  district,  but  suc- 
ceeded to  the  leadership  without  a  contest.  He  has  never  held 
any  public  office  except  to  receive  the  appointment  on  two  oc- 
casions as  a  Street  Opening  Commissioner,  in  the  proceedings 
of  Morris  Street,  Williamsbridge,  and  Neried  Avenue,  in  Wake- 
field, respectively.  Beyond  this,  Mr.  Germain  has  never  had  any 
desire,  nor  has  he  sought  any  public  office,  preferring  to  lead  a 
commercial  life  than  a  political  one.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
■\nnexed  District  Republican  Club,  the  Williamsbridge  branch 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  the  Williamsbridge  Improvement  League, 
being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  latter.  He  is  also  a  charter 
member  of  Guiding  Star  Council,  Knights  of  Columbus ;  a 
charter  member  of  Williamsbridge  Council,  Ancient  Order  of 
Workmen,  and  a  member  of  the  Telegraphers'  Aid  Society  of 
New  York  City.  He  attends  St.  Mary's  Parish  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  Williamsbridger  On  Novejnber  25,  1903,  Mr. 
Germain  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Ida  Schneider  of  Will- 
iamsbridge. His  mother,  Margaret  Germain,  is  the  only  surviv- 
ing member  of  his  family. 

T.  GERALD  STEARNS  may  truly  be  called  a  product 
of  the  Bronx.  He  was  born  in  the  borough  September  i,  1877, 
was  brought  up  and  went  to  school  in  the  district,  and  has 
passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life  hereabouts.  His  business  ex- 
perience began  early,  at  12  years  of  age  in  fact,  when  he  started 
in  the  superintendent's  office  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  there  remaining  four  years.  Then  for  three  years  he 
was  with  his  father  in  the  hotel  business  at  Lake  Pleasant  in 
the  Adirondacks;  then  for  a  year  or  so  with  Ondcrdonk  & 
McDonald  on  the  Jerome  Park  Reservoir  construction.  Now 
came  on  the  Spanish  War  and  Mr.  Stearns,  just  then  of  age, 
fired  with  patriotic  ardor,  enlisted  in  the  Seventy-first  New 
York  Volunteers.  That  was  in  the  spring  of  '98.  In  April  of 
that  year,  he  went  into  camp  at  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  and  on  May 
14  left  for  Lakeland,  Fla.,  going  thence  with  his  command  to 
Tampa.  From  Tampa  the  regiment  embarked  on  the  transport 
"Vigilancia,"  for  Siboney,  arriving  there  June  23,  and  after  vari- 
ous   movements    reached    Santiago,    "where      the      battle      was 


fought,"  in  whicli  engagement  he  took  active  part.  Never  to 
be  forgotten  by  the  soldier  boys  was  the  welcome  this  regi- 
ment received  on  its  return  from  that  brief,  but  decisive  con- 
test, in  addition  to  which  there  was  a  pleasant  personal  sur- 
prise awaiting  our  subject,  who  found  on  reaching  the  Bronx, 
the  children  of  his  neighborhood  gathered  in  numbers  with  a 
gaily  decorated  equipage  to  bear  him  in  triumph  home.  After 
this  war-time  episode  in  his  career,  Mr.  Stearns  took  up  civil 
life  again,  the  excise  bonding  business,  as  a  representative  of 
the  National  Surety  Company.  Thence  he  went  to  the  Fidelity 
&  Casualty  Company,  and  from  that  company  to  his  present 
position  in  which  he  has  charge  of  all  matters  pertaining  to 
excise  for  the  John  Eichler,  J.  &  M.  Haffen,  Ebling,  North  Side, 
David  Mayer  and  Zeltner  Brewing  Companies,  a  highly  respon- 
sible post.  Aside  from  this  he  carries  on  an  extensive  bonding 
and  general  surety  business,  with  no  limit  to  territory.  Mr. 
Stearns  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the  Jeffer- 
son Club.  He  belongs  also  to  the  Bronx  Club,  the  Elks,  the 
Odd  Fellows,  Roosevelt  Command  No.  10,  Spanish  War  Vet- 
erans, the  McKinley  Square  Bowling  Club,  the  Suburban  Base  Ball 
Club  (of  which  he  is  also  part  owner),  and  the  Dachshunde  Club 
of  America,  American  Kennel  Club.  Incidental  to  his  business,  he 
holds  an  appointment  as  notary  public.  He  married,  June  12, 
IQOI,  Miss  Jessie  Harper.  They  have  one  child,  a  boy,  T. 
Gerald.  Jr.,  three  years  old. 

HARRY  R.  HASKIN,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  St. 
James  Stables,  situated  opposite  St.  James  Park  on  Jerome  Ave., 
is  a  son  of  Benj.  F.  Haskin  and  Eliza  J.  Bowley,  of  Fordham.  and 
nephew  nf  John  B.  Haskin  ("Old  Tuscarora").  He  was  born 
in  Fordham  thirty-five  years  ago,  and  in  his  youth  attended  Gram- 
mar School  No.  64  there.  He  has  had  a  varied  experience.  For 
ten  years,  until  lately,  he  travelled  with  theatrical  companies — 
among  them  the  Mrs.  Fiske  and  Ben  Hur  companies — as  stage 
manager  and  assistant  stage  manager,  covering  all  this  country 
and  Canada.  During  the  Spanish-American  War  he  served  with 
Light  Battery  M,  7th  Artillery,  U.  S.  A.,  in  Cuba  and  Porto 
Rico,  as  a  non-commissioned  oflScer,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  the  close  of  his  service.  He  is  Veterinary  Sergeant 
now  of  the  Second  Battery,  N.  G.  N.  Y.  At  the  stables,  Jerome 
Avenue,  near  I92d  Street,  Mr.  Haskin  conducts  a  prosperous 
general  livery,  sale  and  exchange  business,  and  does  also  an  ex- 
tensive general  trucking  business. 

HERRMAN  J.  LEVY,  chief  inspector  of  the  Tenement 
House  Department  of  Greater  New  York,  was  for  six  months 
acting  superintendent  of  the  same  department  in  the  Borough 
of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  New  York  City  October  i,  1877,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  public  schools  of  Manhattan.  Leaving 
school  he  entered  the  real  estate  business,  which  he  conducted 
successfully  until  1904,  when  he  transferred  same  to  his  brother, 
now  Levy  Bros.,  with  offices  at  116  West  135th  Street,  when  he  was 
appointed  to  the  Tenement  House  Commission.  His  duties  in  the 
department  required  not  only  diplomacy  and  strong  executive 
ability,  but  untiring  industry,  for  which  Mr.  Levy  was  especially 
selected  and  is  thoroughly  qualified.  He  was  married  in  1897 
and  has  two  children,  Muriel  and  Isabel,  both  living.  A  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Harlem  Democratic  and 
Young  Men's  Democratic  Clubs.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  Mt.  Sinai  and  Lebanon  Hospitals, 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Eagles,  No.  40,  and 
several  other  prominent  clubs  and  organizations.  Mr.  Levy 
gives  promise  of  a  brilliant  future  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
his   chief  and  members  of  the  Tenement   House   Commission. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


383 


GUSTAVL'S  ROBITZEK,  engaged  in  business  with  his 
brother  at  Rider  Avenue  and  137th  Street,  has  been  a  resident 
here  for  forty  years.  He  is  an  Austrian  by  birth,  but  was 
brought  up  and  went  to  school  here.  For  many  years  he  has 
been  in  the  coal  and  poultry  business,  and  has  inade  an  unquali- 


OUSTAVUS    ROBITZEK 

fied  success  of  it.  He  is  a  resident  of  the  East  Side  of  the  Bronx 
(671  East  136th  Street),  is  interested  in  politics  and  bowling, 
and  belongs  to  a  number  of  organizations,  among  others  the 
following :  The  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  Wieland  Lodge,  F. 
and  A.  M.,  the  Schnorer  Club,  German-American  Bowling  Club 
and  K.  of  T.   Bowling  Club. 

JULIUS  C.  WACHENHEIMER,  son  of  Abraham  and 
Fannie  Wachenheimer  (both  natives  of  Europe),  was  born  Janu- 
ary 29,  i860,  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  where  he  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  After  leaving  school  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits,  a  vocation  he  has  followed  ever  since.  Mr. 
Wachenheimer  served  as  a  private  under  Capt.  Kline,  with  the 
Volunteer  Southerners  of  Mississippi  for  three  years,  a  com- 
pany which  bore  the  reputation  of  being  the  best  drilled  of  any 
in  the  South.  He  won  the  distinction  of  being  the  best  drilled 
member  of  that  organization,  and  in  honor  thereof  he  received 
the  medal  of  tlie  Black  Plume,  a  prize  which  is  highly  coveted. 
About  twenty  years  ago  Mr.  Wachenheimer  located  in  New  York 
City,  and  two  years  ago  he  removed  to  the  Bronx  and  engaged 
in  tlic  wholesale  liquor  business  at  No.  2785  Third  Avenue,  where 
he  is  now  located,  having  the  largest  liquor  store  in  the  Bronx. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat;  he  has  never  sought  or  desired  to 
hold  any  public  office.  On  September  25,  1894,  Mr,  Wachen- 
heimer was  united  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Matilda  Seckels;  two 
interesting  children,  Arthur  and  Ruth,  have  been  born  to  them. 
Mr.  Wachenheimer  is  possessed  of  a  genial  nature,  is  a  liberal, 
public-spirited  citizen  and  is  highly  esteeired  by  all  classes,  both 
in  the  social  and  commercial  walks  of  life.  He  is  liberal  to  a 
fault  and  his  purse  has  always  been  open  for  the  benefit  of  any 
worthy  cause  whereby  the  Borough  of  tlie  Bronx  will  be  bene- 
fitted. 

WILLIAM  JACKSON  PRIME  manages  the  old  Dickinson 
estate  at  Kingsbridge,  at  Jerome  Avenue  and  Gun  Hill  Road, 
which  is  devoted  to  amusement  purposes,  and  used  chiefly  as  a 
picnic  ground.  He  was  born  April  21.  1827,  on  Shelter  Island, 
and  has  been  living  in  the  borough  since  1849,  a  fact  numbering 


him,  with  fifty-six  years'  residence  to  his  credit,  among  the  "oldest 
inhabitants."  He  is  a  man  of  family,  having,  as  issue  of  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Frances  Payne.  April  21,  1880,  two  children 
living,  Wni.  J.,  Jr.,  and  Evelyn  Francis,  and  five  dead.  His 
father  was  \Vm.  Jackson  Prime;  his  mother  Teresa  Ward.  Mr. 
Prime  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  New  York  and  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  He  has  never  been  active  politically  or 
aspired  to  office,  but  has  given  his  time  closely  to  his  family  and 
business. 

JAMES  M.  KING  was  the  first  to  establish  a  regular 
florists'  business  in  the  Bronx,  and  well  has  he  been  rewarded 
for  his  enterprise,  though  he  had  but  little  when  he  started.  He 
came  up  here  from  Manhattan — where,  by  the  way,  he  was 
born,   and   went   to   public  school — about   fifteen  years  ago  with- 


out a  cent,  and  started  on  his  own  account  in  a  little  store  at 
720  Tremont  Avenue.  Judge  Tierncy  gave  him  then  one  of 
his  first  orders.  That  was  in  i8go;  but  it  was  by  no  means  his 
first  experience  in  the  busmess.  He  is  now  39,  and  has  been 
in  this  line  since  he  was  10.  Besides  the  store,  now  at  748 
Tremont  Avenue,  he  has  nurseries  on  the  Fort  Schuyler  Road. 
Throgg's  Neck.  He  has  a  fine  equipment  and  trade,  and  repu- 
tation as  a  popular,  progressive  and  public  spirited  man.  He 
is  a  strong  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Tallapoosa  Club,  the 
Arthur  H.  Murphy  Association,  the  Jefferson  Club  and  Bedford 
Park  Democratic  Club.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Tremont  Social 
Club,  the  Fordham  Club  and  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade, 
to  the  Buskins,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Elks.  A.  O.  U.  W.. 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics,  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  Brownson  Catholic  Club  and  the  Woodmen  of  Ameri- 
ca;  also  honorary  member  of  Chippewa  Club  and  Bedford  Park 
Taxpayers'  Alliance.  He  is  the  president  of  the  Tremont  Social 
Club,  which  at  his  suggestion  and  initiative  gave  a  May  walk 
to  3.000  children  of  the  Bronx  two  years  ago  that  was  reviewed 
by  President  Haffen.  Mr.  King  married.  February  17,  1892, 
Miss   Eleanor   R.   O'Neill.     They   have   three  children,   all  girls. 


SEWVSt   T. 


,TJKS   ^-OSSFK  M£ACS£S 


,"CSEPH  J.  »•«- 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


3Hi 


11,  VV.  nOETTGER,  of  ilu-  1  Uiuy  \V.  IUrMIkci-  SilU 
iMiiisliiiiB  Ciimpaiiy  of  llic  lironx  aikl  Now  JiTscy.  is,  from  an 
iiuliistrial  slaiuliH>iiil,  oiu-  ol  ilic  must  important  iiulividiials 
of  llic  l)oroiiKli.  i'lioiiuli  immorsod  in  liiisiiioss  ami  link-  lii'ard 
of  ill  public  alTairs,  lie  cuts  a  more  useful  ami  lioiioraliU'  (ijjure 
in  the  world  than  many  another  oflener  menlionod.  As  the 
father  of  a  new  industry,  one  as  seldom  happens,  sharing  in  it-- 
success  besides,  his  story  merits  attention.  It  is  thirty-eiKlit 
years  now  since  he  came  licre,  a  slraiiner  from  a  foreign  land 
with  but  $50  in  his  possesion.  While  lookiiiR  for  worl<  he 
started  out,  stomachinK  jiride  and  all  Ihat,  pedillinp;  neiUties 
from  door  to  door.  In  this  pilgrimage  there  came  to  him  .1 
discovery,  and  that  was  that  the  art  of  silU  I'mishing  and  piece 
dyeing,  as  it  is  called  in  the  trade,  was  miUnoun  in  this  country. 
To  learn  that  with  liiiii  w.is  to  act.  VVlun  lu-  had  saveil  $Ho, 
he  joined  forces  with  hi^  pre--eul  parliuT.  Mr,  ll!ii'e.  wli  1  h:iil 
a    liki-    amoiiiil,    ;nid    Invrlhrf    ihry    in:ule    ihr    '.■iiiiin.       In    ih.il 


.1  piilili.  ■.piiiteci  cili/cn,  Kivinj.;  Idiil.illy  lo  ill. inly,  lie  iit  il|. 
teresled  in  the  Hroli.s  and  iichevei  anil  dr'.nri  il  lu  hi;  Ijii; 
comiiiK  maiinfacturiiiK  center  of  the  nielropolli,  1 1  h.n  been 
said  that  he  who  iiiaUes  one  new  blade  of  ^^^:ls%  to  Kiow,  iM  a  bene- 

f;u-|or  of  llie   public;    if  so   vvli;i1    of   tlie   lu.'iti   who  establinhri  an 

nhhi.liv   (h.il    c,\\i-.   uoik   .on!   rmiilMii    ic,   ihi.ir.aiid/.' 

WJI.l.l.NM  DiilH.lv  I'HI.I.IS,  till'  aci'oinplished  private 
secretary  to  the  (  oiiuhi.  muiui  of  r.iiK.,  llcirouRh  of  the  itroiix, 
uas  boin  oil  jaiiii.iry  MJ,  iWi,),  in  liir  nM  Ninth  Ward  of  the 
(ily  of  New  YorU,  .-ind  received  his  ediicalion  in  two  of  the 
Krammar  schools  of  the  city.  No.  .i  ami  No,  (iK,  in)  West  r2Klli 
Street,  I  larleui.  On  I  )eceiiilier  ig,  iHij.',  Mr.  I'lilli'.  iiianici! 
Miss  h'lora  W.  Wiimaiis,  of  this  city,  and  .as  the  result  of  thii 
union  there  is  one  sdii.  a  very  proiiiisiHj.j  youth,  Masl<M'  WiMKuii 
Ueutoii  I'ullis.  Mr,  I'lillis  is  ,-1  I  lemoiiat  in  polities,  ami  1,  ;i 
|ir.irlii:'l    ci'('.'ii'i  ■aliiiii    in.iii.       lie    has    woiKeil    haul    and     failli 


Ilcnrv   W.   liov-ttKCr  Sill;   Finiahliix  Works 


venture  the  industry  was  born.  The  ;u'l  of  piece  iiui^liiii..;, 
then  inaugiiraled  in  .'\merica,  soon  became,  uiiiKr  iheir  iiiauiige- 
meiit,  ,1  \a!ii.ihle  addilii'ii  to  the  iiidtislries  of  llie  country.  It 
is  an  old  one  now,  uilb  many  persons  iiUeresled  and  many  nnl- 
lious  iiuesieil,  lini  iluy  were  its  pioneers.  Brielly  expl.iined, 
that  industry  is  this:  i  he  fabric  is  dyed  in  the  piece  and  not  in 
tlie  skein,  conse(|uently  the  manufacturer  of  silk  goods  suffers 
no  loss  by  changes  in  f.isbion,  for  his  goods  can  be  dyed  when 
and  in  what  color  he,  catering  to  the  public,  ni.ay  please.  Boettgcr 
Si  llinzc  started  in  a  small  way  on  Duane  Street,  Nev  York, 
and  afterward  moved  to  a  place  built  by  them  on  I44tii  Snect 
in  the  Bronx.  This  plant  has  been  greatly  enlarged  since,  and 
now  employ.s  .30  hands  and  turns  out  2,000  to  2,500  pieces  of 
tinished  silks  daily,  Il  linishes  silks  as  they  come  from  the 
loom,  and  the  goods  come  to  it  from  all  parts  of  America 
where  there  are  silk  manufactures.  Mr.  Boettgcr  is  head  also 
of  the  great  Boettgcr  I'iece  Dye  Works  at  Lodi,  New  Jersey, 
making  this  tlie  largest  concern  of  its  kind  in  the  land.     He  is 


fully  for  his  party,  and  his  clerical  and  other  abilities  have 
been  properly  recognized  by  the  leaders  who  regard  him  as 
all  iiidi-.pensable  part  of  their  organization — ihe  Wampanoag 
Chill  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Assembly  District — of  which  asso- 
ci.iiinii  he  is  one  of  the  active  and  successful  members.  In  the 
Park  Department  his  ability  as  private  secretary  is  warmly 
praised  by  all  of  the  heads  of  the  department,  and  by  the 
mimerous  persons  who  come  in  contact  with  him  through  their 
business  with  the  commissioner,  as  he  has  the  complete  control 
of  the  minor  details  of  the  parks,  and  receives  all  callers  before 
they  can  obtain  eiUrancc  to  the  commissioner's  office.  He  is  a 
memlier  of  the  Delando  Club,  the  Order  of  Eagles,  No.  491, 
Bronx,  tlie  Brotherhood  of  Railway  Trainmen  and  the  Wam 
p.inoag  Club,  of  which  latter  organization  he  is  the  secretary, 
lie  is  very  popular  with  all  of  the  heads  of  departments  in  the 
liorough  of  the  Bronx,  and  gives  promise  to  occupy  very  im- 
portant positions  of  trust  in  the  near  future  with  the  municipal 


->■ 


iSjMBii 


Scenw  St  Qwon  Point  Inn.  the  Favorite  Amusement  Resort 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


387 


government  of  the  Bronx  Borough.  By  nature  of  a  kind  dis- 
position, he  makes  friends  easily,  and  what  is  more  to  the  pdint, 
when  he  makes  a  friend  he  keeps  him,  and  this  faculty  is  so 
well  recognized  by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  him,  that  a 
simple  introduction  suffices  to  place  on  terms  of  intimacy  the 
most  bashful  stranger ;  in  fact,  it  must  surely  come,  that  every 
man  in  this  great  and  growing  borough  will  be  in  a  very  short 
time  enrolled  in  the  host  of  friends  who  will  wish  every  kind  of 
good  luck  to  William  D.   Pullis. 

JEROME  F.  HEALY  was  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of 
Typographical  Union  No.  6  ("Big  Six"),  for  a  number  of  years, 
filling  the  position  with  credit  and  honor,  resigning  the  same  to 
accept  an  appointment  under  Register  Frank  Gass,  after  liis 
unsuccessful  canvass  for  Coroner  on  the  Demiocratic  ticket, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for  fifteen  years.  He  was 
born  in  New  York  City,  August  7,  1858,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
public  schools.  He  is  a  Democrat  politically,  a  member-  of  t'le 
Tammany  Hall  General  Committee,  the  Jefferson  Club  and  A.  H. 
Murphy  Association;  also  the  Buskins,  the  Elks,  the  Eagles, 
Knights  of  Columbus,  and  Red  Men,  and  besides  Typographical 
Union  No.  6,  the  Printers'  Benevolent  Union.  He  is  a  man 
of  family — married  in  1890 — with  a  wife  and  four  children. 
He  lives  at   18,3s   Bathgate   Avenue. 

FRED.  WII.LETT  LUDLUM,  D.D.S..  of  2868  Third  Ave- 
nue, Bronx,  was  born  at  Goshen,  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  January 
24,  1870.  He  acquired  the  preliminaries  of  a  professional  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.,  and  after 
study  and  practice  in  dentistry  in  the  office  of  the  late  H.  Frank 
Dobbs,  of  Port  Jervis,  finished  his  course  at  the  New  York  Col- 


FRED.    WILLETT    LUDLUM,    D.D.S. 

lege  of  Dentistry  and  graduated,  an  honor  man,  in  1889.  He 
has  since  been  practicing  steadily,  and  has  been  located  for  four 
years  of  the  interim  in  the  Bronx.  On  January  8,  1906,  T)r. 
Ludlum  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Princeton  Dental 
Parlors,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors,  upon  the 
receipt  of  the  articles  of  incorporation  from  Albany,  he  was 
elected  the  genera!  manager;  Theodore  Ludlum,  of  Port  Jerv!^^, 


N.  Y.,  president;  Thomas  H.  Branch,  of  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y., 
vice-president;  William  H.  Crane,  of  Brooklyn,  secretary 
and  treasurer,  and  Miss  Anna  Eberle,  of  the  Bronx,  as  cashier. 
The  company  maintain  a  fully  equipped  dental  office,  with  all  the 
modern  and  up-to-date  appliances,  with  three  competent  assist- 
ants. Since  Dr.  Ludlum  took  hold  of  the  management  of  this 
company  the   increase   in  business  has  been   steady — or  to  get  a 


Princeton  Dental  Parlors 

better  idea,  since  May,  1905,  there  has  been  altogether  5,000 
people  attended  to  satisfactorily.  The  specialty  of  the  company 
has  mainly  been  in  the  quality  of  the  gold  work,  of  which  Dr. 
Ludlum  has  made  a  thorough  study  throughout  his  experience 
of  twenty-one  years  in  dentistry.  The  other  branches  of  the 
work  produced  at  the  Princeton  Dental  Parlors  is  maintained 
at  the  same  standard.  Dr.  Ludlum  is  an  ardent  Republican. 
Me  has  held  various  minor  political  positions,  but  has 
never  aspired  to  elective  office,  his  interests  being  entirely 
devoted  to  his  profession.  He  belongs  to  several  fraternal  bodies, 
among  them  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  he  is  Past  Vice 
Chancellor;  the  Independent  Order  of  Heptasophs,  of  which  he 
is  Past  Archon;  and  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  formerly  one 
of  the  Governors  of  the  Deer  Park  Club  of  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y., 
and  is  associated  with  the  Greenwood  Baptist  Church  at  Seventh 
Avenue  and  Sixth  Street,  Brooklyn.  He  married,  January  23, 
1895,  Miss  Cordelia  Florence  Branch.  They  have  two  children, 
Dorothy  Branch  and  Theodore  Thomas. 

JOHN  JOSEPH  MEAGHER,  the  prominent  and  well 
known  sexton  and  undertaker  of  St.  Augustine  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  was  born  in  New  York  City  November  5,  1858,  and 
graduated  from  both  St.  Peter's  School  and  Grammar  School 
No.  29.  He  was  a  bright  and  attentive  student  and  always  occu- 
pied the  leading  position  in  his  classes.  His  ability  was  quickly 
recognized  after  leaving  school  by  receiving  the  appointment  of 
assistant  clerk  to  the  Warren  Court  of  Inquiry,  which  was  held 
at  Governor's  Island ,  serving  in  this  capacity  until  the  final  disso- 
lution of  the  court,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
asphalt  construction  work  in  the  city,  a  position  of  great  re- 
sponsibility which  he  successfully  held  for  nine  years.  In  i888 
over  sixteen  years  he  moved  to  the  Bronx  with  his  family  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  large  and  successful  business  as  an 
undertaker  and  embalmer.  In  this  latter  business  he  has  always 
raxiked  as  one  of  the  leading  and  most  popular  undertakers  in 


38S 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


the  borough.  His  business  methods  employed  in  the  preparation 
and  management  of  the  care  and  final  disposition  of  the  de- 
parted are  so  methodical  and  practical  that  his  services  are  in 
constant  demand,  not  only  from  his  own  parishioners,  but  from 
all  parts  of  the  Bronx.  The  gentleman  is  particularly  fitted  for 
his  profession,  having  such  a  striking  personality,  a  genial  na- 
ture, sympathetic  feelings,  courteous  in  all  his  manners  and 
promptness  in  the  execution  of  the  business  entrusted  to  his 
care.  Mr.  Meagher  was  married  on  November  24,  1885,  to  Miss 
Carrie  Roth,  of  New  York  City,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mar- 
gueretta  Roth,  the  former  deceased,  the  latter  living,  and  has 
four  children  to  bless  the  result  of  this  happy  union ;  Julia,  Mabel, 
Gertie  and  Florry  Meagher.  The  son  of  Thomas  and  Julia 
Meagher,  both  of  whom  are  deceased,  he  is  highly  respected 
by  the  clergy  and  laymen  of  St.  Augustine's  Church  as  one  of 
its  most  useful  assistants  and  for  the  satisfactory  manner  he  con- 
ducts his  services  as  sexton  of  the  well  known  church.  Mr. 
Meagher  is  a  large  taxpayer  in  the  borough  and  is  known  and 
considered  as  one  of  its  first  citizens.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  Catholic 
Mutual  Benevolent  Society,  Royal  Arcanum,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen. 

JACOB  STAHL,  JR.,  of  Jacob  Stahl,  Jr.,  &  Co.,  cigar  manu- 
facturers, was  born  in  New  York  City  December  6,  1865.  He 
received  a  careful  and  thorough  education  in  the  public  schools, 
graduating  therefrom  with  credit  and  honor.  After  completing 
his  education  he  immediately  engaged  in  business.  Mr.  Stahl 
is  descended  from  an  old  and  well  known  New  York  family 
who  came  to  this  country  from  Bavaria,  Germany.  In  1858 
Jacob  Stahl,  Sr.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  founded 
the  business,  which,  to-day  is  known  as  Jacob  Stahl,  Jr.,  &  Co. 
The  success  of  the  business  has  gone  far  beyond  what  the 
founder  ever  anticipated.  It  grew  to  such  enormous,  propor- 
tions that,  in  i8go,  Stahl  City,  N.  Y.,  was  developed.  To-day 
it  is  a  bustling  town  of  2,£,oo  inhabitants,  with  churches,  schools, 
stores,  hotels  and  a  theatre.  Many  fine  dwellings  adorn  the 
place.  Stahl  City  covers  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  ground, 
the  factory  occupying  a  large  portion  of  the  plot,  in  which  five 
hundred  people  are  employed.  The  buildings  and  equipment  are 
of  the  most  modern  character;  the  firm  also  have  a  main  office 
and  factory  located  at  Nos.  155  and  157  East  Forty-second 
Street,  New  York  City,  this  being  the  distributing  depot  for  the 
famous  "Brunswick"  cigar.  The  clear  Havana  factory  and  office 
is  at  No.  82  Bowery,  at  which  place  the  celebrated  "St.  Regis" 
clear  Havana  cigar  is  manufactured.  The  above  brands  are 
famous  throughout  the  entire  country  for  excellence  of  quality. 
The  Company's  business  operations  are  only  limited  by  the  broad 
expanse  of  territory  extending  from  Maine  to  California,  and 
from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Mr.  Stahl  has 
been  an  honored  resident  of  Bronx  Borough  since  1876.  He 
has  never  sought  or  held  any  political  office.  He  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Schnorer  and  Jefferson  Clubs  of  Bronx  Borough. 
In  1883  Jacob  Stahl,  Sr.,  built  the  factory  at  No.  3489  Third  Ave- 
nue, which  was  occupied  by  the  firm  and  also  the  dwellings  ad- 
joining, Nos.  3491-93-95-97,  corner  of  i68th  Street  and  Third  Ave- 
nue. These  buildings  were  the  first  five-story  flats  constructed  in 
the  Bronx. 

EDW.\RD  T.  GOEB. — .A.mong  tliose  who  have  been  inslrr- 
mental  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  now  progressive  section  of 
Greater  New  York,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  given  his 
hearty    support,   not    only    in   an    industrial    way,    but    has   given 


considerable  time  and  energy  to  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
development  and  welfare  of  Bronx  Borough.  Mr.  Goeb  was 
born  in  Hcssen  Cassel,  Germany,  on  September  i,  1856,  and  is 
proud  of  the  fact  that  he  hails  from  that  hearty  German  stock 
which  has  done  so  much  for  American  industry.  His  father, 
iiardo  Goeb,  was  one  of  the  prominent  builders  on  Long  Island, 
and  he  inculcated  in  his  son  all  the  honorable  methods  which 
he  had  followed,  and  to  which  he  laid  his  success.  Young  Goeb 
received  his  early  and  only  schooling  in  the  German  public 
mstitutions,  which  are  even  to-day  noted  for  their  thoroughness, 
and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  graduated  from  same.  For  three 
years  he  was  an  apprentice  in  the  building  trade,  and  was 
employed  upon  work  of  a  high  character,  such  as  the  construc- 
tion of  first-class  structures  in  Frankfort-on-Main.  In  1.S7J 
he  came  to  America  with  great  ambitions  and  a  desire  to  make 
a  success  of  his  chosen  trade,  and  upon  his  arrival  he  went  to 
Long  Island  City,  joined  forces  with  his  father,  and  remained 
with  him  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1890.  From  that 
time  Mr.  Goeb  has  been  alone  in  his  building  transactions,  and 
tue  excellent  training  he  received  from  his  early  experiences, 
his  father's  careful  rearing,  and  his  own  indomitable  perser- 
verance  has  resulted  in  his  success.  His  building  operations 
have  not  been  limited  to  one  section,  but  have  spread  over  a 
considerable  territory.  In  1887  he  built  the  original  penny- 
biidge  between  Blissville  and  Greenpoint,  L.  I.,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  men  on  the  Blackwell's  Island  committee  of  forty 
to  erect  the  Blackwell's  Island  Bridge,  and  was  instrumental 
in  bringing  the  matter  to  an  issue.  This  alone  took  up  a  great 
deal  of  his  time,  and,  on  several  occasions  he  represented  these 
interests  in  Albany.  Later  on  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the 
above  committee.  His  public  and  private  structures  number 
about  three  hundred,  some  of  the  most  prominent  being  the 
large  pier  at  Long  Branch,  the  pavilion  at  North  Beach,  the 
$40,000  club  house  at  Amityville,  L.  I.,  twenty-four  stone  and 
frame  houses  constructed  for  E.  J.  Woolsey,  of  Long  Island, 
the  pavilion  in  Washington  Park.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y..  which  meas- 
uris  two  huindred  feet  widte  and  four  hundred  feet  deep 
During  his  three  years  residence  in  the  Bronx,  he  has  built 
over  seventy-two  houses,  and  is  now  constructing  thirty  first- 
class  dwellings  for  the  American  Real  Estate  Company,  twenty 
of  which  have  been  finished  up  in  the  last  few  months ;  these 
houses  are  located  in  Faile  Street,  and  the  ten  now  under 
construction  are  located  in  Simpson  Street.  Mr.  Goeb  has  fol- 
lowed but  one  rule  in  regard  to  building  material,  and  the 
sreedy  sale  of  all  his  houses  tells  the  whole  story.  His  affilia 
tion  with  local  organizations  is  limited,  as  his  extensive  building 
operations  requite  all  his  time;  his  leisure  inoments  are  hap- 
pily spent  with  his  family.  He  is  an  ardent  bowler  and  belongs 
;o  the  Bronx  Bowling  Club ;  is  a  memlier  of  the  Jefferson 
Club,  the  Foresters,  C.  B.  L.,  No.  204,  the  Crotona  Fishin.g 
Cuib,  the  Singing  Society  of  Crotona,  and  is  a  worshipper  of 
tlic  Catholic  faith.  On  July  12.  1879.  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Welke,  of  New  York.  He  has  raised  a  most  interesting  family, 
and  has  given  them  all  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  education. 
The  names  of  the  children  are  as  follows:  May,  now  the  wife  of 
Purdis  Pinkham,  of  New  Y'ork ;  Augusta,  Amelia  and  Francis 
who  attend  Miller's  College,  of  New  York  City,  and  Edward 
P..  H..  who  is  receiving  the  benefit  of  his  father's  training  in  the 
building  line,  although  at  present  attending  school ;  he  also 
l^elongs  to  one  of  the  leading  choirs  of  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Goeb's 
oldest  son,  Theodore,  died  from  overexertion  in  1902,  while 
giving  an  exhibition  race  on  a  bicycle;  his  death  occurred  upon 
his  arrival  home.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  New  York  Hich 
School  and  was  taking  up  a  law  course  at  the  time  of  his 
demise. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


389 


ALPMONSE  W.  WEINER,  the  leading  jeweler  of  the 
Bronx,  was  liorn  Juno  6,  1852,  at  Breslau,  Germany.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  at  London,  England.  His  parents 
and  his  antecedents  were  strong,  vigorous  people,  who  instilled 
into  their  children  Christian  fortitude,  and  an  absolute  reliance 
upon  the  duties  they  owed  to  the  Great  Creator.  Equipped  with 
this  Christian  spirit,  young  Weiner  came  to  this  country  eighteen 
years  ago  and  having  heretofore  obtained  a  general  knowledge  of 
the  jewelry  business,  opened  a  store  in  the  Bronx,  at  that  time 
a  poorly  inhabited  part,  of  what  is  now  known  as  Greater  New 
York.  As  the  Bronx  grew,  so  did  the  business  of  Mr.  Weiner, 
and  as  it  is  noted,  he  is  to-day  the  Tiffany  of  the  Bronx.  His 
first  stock  of  goods  displayed  in  his  improvised  window  eighteen 
years  ago,  absolutely  represented  his  entire  capital  and  .stock 
in  trade,  say  $500.  To-day  those  of  the  Bronx  who  desire  to  pur- 
chase jewelry  or  precious  stones  of  any  character,  or  value  arc 
now  accommodated  at  Weiner's.  The  gentleman  has  alway.s 
manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  advancement  of  public  improve- 
ments. He  has  strictly  kept  himself  aloof  from  political  affairs 
and  controversies.  In  1884  he  married  Catherina  A.  Seaton,  of 
Birmingham,  England,  the  result  of  this  happy  union  being  five 
children,  all  living,  viz. :  Alfred  W.,  Marie  S.,  Evelyn  S.,  Ar- 
thur Randolph,  and  Alice  E.  Mr.  Weiner  is  one  of  the  oldest 
members  of  the  North  Side  Board  of  Trade,  chairman  of  House 
Committee  and  also  member  of  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Schnorer  Club  and  other  prominent  organizations  in  the  Bronx. 

JAMES  G.  RILEY,  the  pioneer  and  most  prominent 
truckman  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1835,  and  attended  school  at  the  latter  place  where  he  applied 
himself  studiously  to  the  advantages  offered  him,  and  receiving 
a  practical  education,  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  37 
years  ago  settled  in  the  Bronx.  At  this  period,  Harlem  was  a 
mere  village  and  all  north  of  the  Harlem  River  was  a  wild 
and  open  country,  which  offered  poor  inducements  to  a  young 
man,  upon  entering  business  with  the  expectations  of  being 
even  moderately  successful.  But  Mr.  Riley  had  resolved  to 
enter  the  field  with  a  solid  and  stubborn  determination  to  suc- 
ceed. He  worked  hard  and  laboriously,  and  in  a  short  time  he 
discovered  an  opportunity  to  increase  his  income  by  other 
methods.  He  started  the  Bronx  Cooperage  business,  the  firsr 
cooperage,  and  from  this  the  trucking  business  on  a  very  small 
scale,  and  in  a  few  years,  as  the  North  Side  (as  it  was  unknown 
in  those  days),  began  to  develop  and  increase  in  population,  his 
business  kept  pace  with  it,  and  the  result  of  his  judgment  was 
gratifying  to  him.  In  1865  Mr.  Riley  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Murray  in  New  York  City,  this  union  having  been 
Messed  by  six  children,  all  of  them  educated  at  St.  Jerome's 
parochial  school  and  prominent  among  them,  James  T.  and 
Edward  R.  Riley,  the  latter  now  composing  the  firm  of  James 
G.  Riley  &  Sons.  Along  the  lines  of  rapid  progression  in  the 
population,  and  rapid  business  development  of  the  Bronx,  Mr. 
K. ley's  business  developed  accordingly,  not  only  throughout  the 
Bronx,  but  Manhattan,  and  as  the  yellow  sere  of  life  began  to 
tell  upon  him,  and  after  his  two  sons  had  completed  their  school 
education,  he  trained  them  carefully  in  his  business,  and  when 
they  became  practical  in  all  of  its  details,  he  made  them  equal 
partners,  which  resulted  in  the  changing  of  what  is  now 
known  throughout  Greater  New  York,  as  the  firm  of  James 
Riley  &  Sons.  Practically  retired  from  the  business  himself, 
James  T.  Riley  and  Edward  R.  conduct  the  large  business  in- 
terests, which  extends  into  all  the  branches  of  heavy  and  light 
trucking  of  greater  or  less  importance.  The  firm  is  exten- 
sively  known,   and   are   equipped   with   all   the   latest,   best   and 


THOMAS    F.     KIERNAN 


most  improved  methods  for  the  safe  and  proper  conveyance  of 
the  heaviest  materials.  The  United  States  government  and 
many  of  the  largest  corporations  are  clients  of  this  active,  ener- 
getic and  responsible  firm.  Mr.  James  G.  Riley  in  his  ripe 
age  looks  with  pleasure  upon  the  great  results,  accomplished 
through  his  early  struggles,  and  for  the  firmness  of  his  convic- 
tions in  maintaining  and  sticking  to  his  first  and  decided  views, 
which  has  resulted  so  successfully  to  him  and  his  family.  Him- 
self and  family  are  strict  members  of  St.  Jerome's  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  never  aspired  to  any  public  of- 
fice, is  a  member  of  St.  Vincent  De  Paul  and  Holy  Name  Society. 

CHRISTIAN  HENRY  HARTMAN,  the  famous  Bronx 
jeweler  and  optician,  was  born  at  London,  England,  August  29th, 
1869,  where  he  attended  school  and  graduated.  He  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  Bronx  since  1892,  and  conducts  one  of  the  larg- 
est jewelry  stores  in  the  Borough,  besides  having  aided  largely 
every  effort  on  the  part  of  public  spirited  citizens  to  advance 
and  promote  the  development  of  the  Borough.  Mr.  Hartman 
is  known  as  one  of  the  leading  jewelers  of  the  Bronx,  he  enjoys 
the  confidence  and  extensive  patronage  of  the  influential  resi- 
dents, and  is  connected  prominently  with  Radiant  Lodge  No. 
739,  F.  and  A.  M.,  Ivy  Chapter  No.  238,  York  Commanderp,  K. 
T.  No.  55,  New  York  Consistory,  320,  Mystic  Shrine,  Mecca 
Temple,  Foresters  of  America,  Morris  Yacht  Club,  Stuyvesant 
Club,  the  New  York  State  and  New  York  City  Optical  Societies. 
On  December  24th,  1893,  he  married  Miss  Louise  Beatrice  As- 
cott.  Politically,  Mr.  Hartman  is  a  Democrat,  but  not  an  office 
seeker.  He  is  popular  commercially  and  socially  with  all  classes 
irrespective  of  politics  or  religious  creed. 

FRANK  S.  HOLAHAN.— Mr.  Holahan  is  Superintendent 
of  Water  Supply,  Sixth  District.  He  lives  at  Elliott  Avenue 
and  2o8th  Street,  Williamsbridge,  has  been  resident  there  in  fact 
since  the  fall  of  '94.  Being  an  active  Democrat  and  working 
member  of  the  organization,  he  is  widely  known,  and  is  popu- 
lar as  well.  He  was  born  in  New  York  Cit;y,  March  25,  1862,  at 
Fourth  Avenue  and  Tenth  Street.  He  began  life  as  cash  boy 
with  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.  (now  Wanamaker's),  and  remained 
there  five  years,  during  which  period  he  rose  to  be  stock  clerk 
and  salesman.     Then  he  went  with  Stern  Bros,   and  with  R.  H. 


390 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


Macy,  being  in  the  business  altogether  fifteen  j-ears.  In  1883 
he  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization  of  the  Early 
Closing  Retail  Dry  Goods  Association,  still  existing,  and  which 
secured  the  custom  first  and  then  the  law,  for  12  o'clock  closing. 
He  was  secretary  of  that  body  and  on  two  occasions  Grand 
Marshal  of  its  parades,  1884  and  1888,  the  campaigns  of  Pres. 
Grover  Cleveland.  He  left  the  dry  goods  business  in  1885,  when 
he  was  appointed  by  Commissioner  Gilroy.  Inspector  of  Pave- 
ments. He  served  the  city  later  as  Assistant  General  Inspector. 
He  is  a  man  of  family,  with  three  children  living  and  two  dead. 
Two  sons  are  now  students  at  Fordham  University.  He  married 
in  February,  1885,  Miss  Helena  Walsh.  He  is  a  trustee  of  West- 
chester Exempt  Firemen's  Association,  one  of  the  "Good  Fel- 
lows" of  Williamsbridge,  a  member  of  the  Chippewa  Club,  and 
'i'ammany  General  Committee,  of  Empire  Council,  National 
Union,  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  (Grand  Knight  of  Guiding 
Star  Council,  No.  212),  of  the  Catholic  Benevolent  Legion,  the 
Holy  Name  Society  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  and  belongs  to  a  num- 
ber of  other  organizations,  social  and  fraternal.  Mr.  Holahan 
was  a  member  of  Co.  G.  Eighth  Regiment,  N.  Y.  N.  G,  and 
served  for  seven  years,  and  was  elected  first  lieutenant  under 
Col.  Geo.  W.  Scott,  and  was  associated  with  Theo.  Roosevelt, 
who  was  an  officer  of  the  regiment  at  the  same  time. 

L.  S.  VAN  GUNS.— The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  London,  England,  August  15,  1874,  where  he  attended  school, 
and  on  his  arrival  in  this  country  also  attended  the  public 
schools  in  New  York  City  as  well  as  Buffalo.  In  1890  he  en- 
tered a  law  office  with  the  intention  of  studying  law,  but  a 
serious  accident  with  which  he  met  forced  him  to  abandon  this 
purpose.  Afterward  he  took  up  the  work  of  life  insurance, 
and  continued  it  for  some  years,  when  perceiving  the  possi- 
bilities that  were  to  be  attained  in  the  advertising  line,  he 
entered  that  field,  and  his  progressiveness,  acumen  and  dis- 
cernment were  soon  rewarded  with  a  large  and  profitable 
Clientage.  During  his  residence  in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx 
he  has  made  himself  very  popular.  His  political  affiliations 
might  be  said  to  be  independent,  seeking  the  success  of  the 
best  men  in  guiding  the  helm  of  State.     During  the  last  muni- 


cipal election  he  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  Hon.  Frank  Gass, 
for  Register  of  the  county  of  New  York,  and  saw  his  efforts 
crowned  with  success.  He  has  never  held  any  political  office, 
but   has   been   very   prominent    in   commercial    circles.      He   is   a 


1 

t**. 

^^^^1 

E 

P 

yi 

^^^^^^^^hA^^^^I 

L.    S.    VAN    GUNS 

member  of  Shakespeare  Lodge,  No.  750,  F.  and  A.  M.  On 
January  16,  1898,  he  married  Miss  Lillian  Brandon,  of  Yon- 
kers,  a  well  known  society  belle,  and  the  result  of  the  happy 
union   has  been  two  daughters. 


Police  Station,  4 1st  Precinct,  Webster  Avenue  and  Mosholu  Parkway 


CHAPTER  XLV 


EDUCATIONAL  ADVANTAGES 


Colleges — Seminaries — Public  Schools — High  School — Commercial  Schools 


In  keeping  and  in  harmony  with  its  business  and  home  de- 
velopment, tlie  Bronx  has  not  been  backward  in  its  educational 
improvement.  The  emergence  from  the  local  country  schools 
with  their  humble  housings  to  the  present  advanced  state  is 
highly  commendable,  and  demonstrates  that  the  Bronxite  has 
adopted  in  verity  the  motto  "Excelsior."  From  the  conglo- 
merate school  over  which  presided  one  teacher  assisted  by  a 
'  monitor,"  the  present  advanced  condition  has  been  reached. 

No  longer  is  the  Bronx  paterfamilias  content  with  having 
the  crude  rudiments  of  education  imparted  to  his  offspring,  but 
insists  upon  the  highest  standard  of  education  obtainable  under 
New  York  City's  admirable  system. 

The  architecture  of  the  present  day  schools  has  kept  pace 
with  the  advancement  in  other  lines  of  the  borough's  progress, 
and  the  people  can  point  with  pride  to  the  many  magnificent 
edifices  that  attest  to  the  community's  reaching  out  for  the  high- 
est ideals. 

The  New  York  University,  at  University  Heights,  is  a 
fitting  monument  to  the  activity  of  the  people.  Within  its  walls 
the  advanced  branches  are  taught  by  a  faculty  that  stands  high 
in  the  records  of  the  educational  system  of  the  country. 

Fordham  College  has  recently  taken  a  most  decided  step 
forward  in  the  educational  arena,  and  now  is  designated  a  uni- 
versity where  the  study  of  law  has  been  included  in  its  curri- 
culum. From  this  former  college  many  men  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  our  land  have  received  the  finishing  touches  to  the 
public  school  education  with  credit  to  themselves  and  their  alma 
mater. 

But  to  the  public  schools,  which  have  been  properly  and 
fitly  termed  "the  bulwarks  of  American  liberty,"  much  watchful 
care  has  been  exercised  in  order  to  keep  them  in  the  front 
rank  of  education.  The  cost  of  maintenance  may  seem  some- 
what large  to  the  person  who  studies  figures,  but  the  outlay  is 
compensated  for  in  the  fact  that  the  knowledge  there  inculcated 
has  resulted  in  producing  better  men  and  women  with  minds 
well  stored  with  useful  knowledge  that  has  proven  a  valuable 
aid  in  bringing  the  country  to  its  present  prominence  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth. 

While  the  City  of  New  York  has  shown  great  liberality  in 
its  school  expenditures,  it  has  been  somewhat  handicapped  in 
its  disbursements  owing  to  the  urgent  demands  upon  its  resorces 
by  other  branches  of  the  city  government.  This  has  been  felt 
very  seriously  in  the  proper  housing  of  the  children,  and  new 
buildings  have  been  attained  only  when  the  situation  has  been 
so  acute  as  to  make  the  continuance  of  the  condition  a  veritable 
hardship. 

Yet  notwithstanding  all  these  drawbacks  during  the  past  ten 
years  the  number  of  new  schools  which  have  been  erected  in 
the  Bronx  have  borne  the  highest  encomiums  of  the  progressive - 
nesis  of  the  borough  that  has  been  the  cynosure  of  the  entire 
Union, 

Whether  in  the  primary,  the  grammar,  the  high  school,  or  its 
colleges,  the  Bronx  will  compare  most  favorably  with  the  older 
seats  of  learning. 


LOCAL  DISTRICT   NO.   23. 

The  borough  is  divided  into  tour  local  districts  whose  at- 
tendance is  shown  by  the  following  ngures  lor  the  quarter  ending 
November,   iyo5 : 

Regis-     Attend-     Regis-  Attend-  Regis-  Attend- 

ler.         ance.           ter.         ance.  ter.           ance 

School    No.                Sepicmber                 October  November 

I    879           yt^i           888           748  893           744 

9    Pr 1.44^         t,340         1,471         1,331  1.480         1,320 

9    Gr 1,13s         1,072        1081         1,003  1,072           970 

18  829           775           827           753  824           748 

2'^    322           288           336           298  344           302 

27   2,552        2,478        2,480        2,402  2,484        2,257 

29    2,022        1,775        2.038        1,836  2,051         1,849 

30    1,387        1,277        1,397         1,243  1,412        1,270 

31    421           357           394          353  379           334 

37    2,311         1,873         2,302        2,029  2,265        2,040 


13,300  11,998  13,214       11,996  13,210  11,834 

LOCAL  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  NO.  24. 

Regis-  Attend-     Regis-  Attend-  Regis-  Attend- 

ter.  ance.  ter.         ance.  ter.  ance. 

Scliool    No.                September  October  November 

3     Pr 1,357  1.265  1,381         1,266  1,398  1,269 

3  Gr 885  1,041  927           866  848  918 

10    2,496  2,333  2,527        2,309  2,511  2,314 

20    1,671  1,526  1,618        1,484  1,657  1.469 

23    2,017  1.817  2,101         1,845  2,145  1,870 

25    1,476  1,420  1,459        1,297  1.509  1,31s 

35    1,133  1,004  1,141         1,021  1,136  1,006 

38    1,126  1,068  1,144        1,039  1,144  1,028 

39   493  506  577            516  588  536 

12,654  11.780  12,875       11.643  12,936  12,225 

LOCAL  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  NO.  25. 

Regis-  Attend-     Regis-  Attend-  Regis-  Attend- 

ter.  ance.  ter.        ance.  ter.  ance. 

School    No.                September  October  November 

2  G.   D 1,122  1,065  1,083         1.031  1.083  i.oog 

2  P.  D 1,916  1,752  i,g6i         1,761  2,003  1,728 

4    3.056  2,794  3.063        2,728  3,084  2,782 

6    1,275  1. 133  1.219        1,113  1.241  1,097 

7   819  555  615           557  624  550 

11    865  785  864           771  863  754 

24    141  121  148           126  150  129 

26    432  385  442           405  432  395 

28    1,513  i,,^79  1,507        1,371  1,505  1,322 

33    677  604  687           638  685  622 

11,816  9,573  11,589      10,501  11,670  10,388 


Public  School  No.  39,  Longwood  Avenue,  Kelly  and  Beck  Streets 


Public  School  No.  41.  Elliott  Avenue  and  209th  Street,  Williamsbridge 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH  393 

LOCAL  SCHOOL  DISTRICT   NO.  26.  No.   29— Trinity   Avenue   and    ijOtli    Street. 

Regis-     Attend-     Regis-  Attend-  Regis-  Attend-  ^o.    30-l4ist    Street,   near    Brool<   Avenue, 

ter.         ance.           ter.         ance.         ter.          ance.  ^^-  31— Mott  and  Walton  Avenues,  144th  and  145th  Streets. 

School    No.                September'                October'             November'  No.  32--i83d  Street  and  Beamiiont  Avenpue. 

c    11^3         1^072         1,123         1,040         1,110           gg;  No.  33— Jerome  and  Walton  Avenues,  north  of  184th  Street. 

tj   '^70           'y(jg          '§88           '773           '^79           /u'^  ^°'  34— Amethyst  Avenue  and  Victor  Street,  Van  Nest. 

Q_ QQ^           -aq           jj-,[j            _(,„  No.  35 — 163d  Street,  between  Grant  and  Morris  Avenues. 

13    1203         1,089         1,181         1,054         1. 177         i.oui  No.  36— Avenue  C,  between  Eighth  and  Ninth  Streets,  Unioii- 

14   302           257           304           253            314           240  ^^ 

,3                              298           259           307           2o5           30?           252  ^°-  37—i45th  and  t46th  Streets,  east  of  Willis  Avenue. 

16'.'.'.'.'.'..'.'..        708           028            717            632            700           635  No.  38-iS7th  Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

,„-,            ,,,             -jQ            ,,,            _,j  No.  39 — Longwood  Avenue,  Kelly  and  Beck  Streets. 

1/    .^3^            30-           33^            200           3.^t            -240  ^^            o 

ig   205            186            201            190            211            i8i  No.  40— Prospect  Avenue,  Jennings  Street  and  Ritter  Place. 

21      558            ^gg           551            489            565            493  No.  41— Elliott  Avenue  and  209th  Street,  Williamsbridge. 

32    '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.     1,008         1,484         1,614         1,486         1,012         1,480  No.  4-2-Washington  and  Wendover  Avenues. 

34    1.038  936         1,063  949         1,081  953 

36  796          677          791           607          765          655  MORRIS  HIGH  SCHOOL. 

^  The  Morris  High  School  at  Boston  Road,  l66th  Street  and 

9,94            ,9  5         9,9  3           •  S          9,9-             ,/43  JacUsoii  Avenue,  presents  the  finishing  touches  to  the  education 

It  seems  to  be  almost  an  impossibility  for  the  school  authori-  imparted  in  the  above  schools. 

ties  to  keep  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  school  population  in  the  Evening  high   schools,   for   the  education   of   those   who   are 

borough,  and  as  fast  as  a  new  edifice  is  completed  it  is  promptly  by    necessity    compelled    to   labor    during    the    daytime    at    their 

filled  10  surfeit.  various   avocations,   have   been   established   at  the    Morris    High 

The  location  of  the  public   schools  in  the   Bronx  is   as   fol-  School  and  at  Public  School  No.  3,  157th  Street,  so  that  illiteracy 

lows :  IS  kept  at  a  very  low  rate. 

No.   I-  College   Avenue  and   145th   Street.  Tlie   parochial    schools   have   proven    a    valuable   aid    in   the 

No.  2- Third  Avenue,  near  170th   Street,  with  an  Annex  at  cause  of   education,   and   afforded   material   aid    in   relieving   the 

iMilton  Avenue  and  169th  Street.  congestion  in  the  public  schools.     St.  Jerome's  R.   C.  Church  at 

No.  3— 157th  Street  and  Courtlandt  Avenue.  138th  Street  and  Alexander  Avenue,  the  Catholic  Protectory  at 

No.  4— Fulton  Avenue  and   173d  Street.  Westchester,  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  at  150th 

No.  5- 2436  Webster   Avenue,   corner  of   Welch   Street.  Street  and  Melrose  Avenue,  the  Ursuline  Academy  at   Bedford 

No.  6— Locust  Avenue,  West  Farms.  Park,  St.  Valentine's  at  Williamsbridge,  and  others  throughout 

No.   7— Church   Street  and    Webber's   Lane,   Kingsbridge.  the  borough  have  been  of  material  assistance  in  laying  the  foun- 

No.  8 — Mo'sholu   Parkvi-ay,   Bedford   Park.  dation   for   useful   knovi^ledge. 

No.  9 — 735  East   138th  Street.  To  the  advanced  scholars   who  are   destined   to  enter   upon 

No.   Id — Eagle  Avenue  and   163d  Street.  a  business  career,  the  Bronx  is  not  deficient  in  offering  advan- 

No.    II— Ogden   Avenue,   Highbridge.  tages  equal   to  those  of   Manhattan,   for  here  are   located   some 

No.    12— Second    Street,   Westchester,   with   Annex  at   Four-  well   known   business   colleges   which   instruct   the   attendants   in 

teenth  Street  and  Avenue  C,  Westchester.  stenography,   typewriting,  business  methods,   etc.,  that   have  met 

No.    13— Park  Avenue  and   216th   Street,   Williamsbridge.  with    deserved    success.     Among    the    better    known    we    might 

No.    14 — Eastern  Boulevard,  near  Elliott  Avenpue,  Throg-j's  mention    the    Walworth    Business    College,    Bird's    Commercial 

Neck.  School   and   the   Franklin   Commercial   School  have  also   proved 

No.   15 — Westchester  Turnpike,  near  Clason   Point  Road.  their   public   utility,   as    is   attested   by    the    responsible   positions 

No.    16 — Matilda    Street,    between    240th    and    241st    Streets.  held  by  their  graduates  in  public  and  business  life. 

Wakefield,   with   Annex  at   Fifth   Avenue,   south   of   Kingsbridge  As  before  stated  the  problem  of  keeping  pace  with  the  school 

Road.   Eastchester.  population  of  the  Bronx  is  one  that  has  given  the  Board  of  Edu- 

No.    17 — Fordham  Avenue,   City   Island.  cation   much    concern,   yet    they   have   bravely   met   the   situation 

No.  18 — SOI  Courtlandt  Avenue.  and  at  the  time  of  this   writing  have  taken  the  initiatory  steps 

No.    19 — 233d   Street   and   Clinton   Avenue,   Woodlawn.  to    acquire    sites    for    additional    school    accommodations.     The 

No.  20 — At  Fox,  Simpson  and  167th  Streets.  increase  in  school  population,  however,  is  a  perplexing  one.  as  th? 

No.  21 — 225th  Street,  near  White  Plains  Avenue.  Bronx  has  steadily  and  persistently  smashed  all  previous  school 

No.  22 — 599  East  140th  Street.  statistics    by   the   unparalleled    growth    during    the    past    decade. 

No.  23 — 165th  Street  and  Union  Avenue.  which  itself  soon  will  be  eclipsed  ow'ing  to  the  vast  development 

No.   24 — Spuyten  Duyvil.  that   is  now  going  on   in   the  hitherto  sparsely  settled   sections. 

No.   25 — Union   Avenue    and    I4gth    -Street,    with    Annex    at  where  the  rural  character  is  fast  giving  way  to  the  onrushing 

Burnet   Place,   Springhurst.  tide  of  population  from  Manhattan  and  the  other  boroughs,  and 

No.  26 — ^Andrews  and  Burnside  Avenues.  \v;:rrants  the  assertion  that  before   many   decades  the  territory 

No.  27 — St.  Ann's  Avenue,  between  147th  and  148111  Streii-,,  north    of   the    Harlem    River   which   has   been   described    in   the 

No.    28 — Tremont    and    Anthony    Avenues,    with    ,'\nnex    ai  c-niier  chapters  of  this  history,  will  present  a   picture  of  a  city 

1787  Weeks  Avenue,  Mt.  Hope.  with  a  population  of  one  million  inhabitants. 


U\W  111    Sli;ii, 

IIjT    BBS     S?5  J 


lis   ill  Jii  \i 


%M 


i 


^        •■mm 

I!  II  i  !  siij  i;i 


Public  School  No.  2,  Third  Ave.  near  >70th  Street 


Public  School  No.  33.   Jcroine  and  Walton  Avenues 


Oppoiil-e  5f  Mary's  Park 


^^> 


^Si^ 


LiM 

liiiS  ill 


■   V 


Public  School  No.    6,  Locust    Avenue.  West  Farms 


Public  School  No.  27,  St.  Ann's  Avenue,  Opposite  S^  Mary's  Park 


CHAPTER  XLVI 


TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES  IN  THE  BRONX 


The   Portchester   Railroad     Union    Railway   Company — New   York    City    Interborough  Railway — College  Point 

Ferry 


The  New  York  &  Portcliester  Railroad  was  organized  in 
the  spring  of  igoi.  Under  the  Laws  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
the  company  was  required  to  obtain  the  certificate  of  public 
convenience  and  necessity  commonly  known  as  the  charter  from 
the  Railroad  Commission  of  this  State  before  it  could  proceed  any 
further  after  its  organization.  The  object  in  requiring  the  certih- 
cate  of  public  convenience  and  necessity  to  be  first  obtained  by  any 
new  railroad  from  the  Railroad  Commission  is  to  prevent  the 
indiscriminate  promotion  and  construction  of  railways  in 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  thereby  protect  not  only  existing 
meritorious  railways,   but  the  investing  public  as  well.     For  this 


W,  C.  GOTSHALU 

reason  the  Railroad  Commission,  in  the  case  of  all  applications 
for  a  charter,  announce  public  hearings,  at  which  the  public  con- 
\enience  and  necessity  of  the  railroad  are  required  to  be 
shown.  All  interests  in  favor  of  the  railroad  are  heard  at  these 
hearings,  and,  in  addition,  all  interests  opposed  to  its  construc- 
tion are  also  heard.  In  addition  to  the  determination  of  the  public 
convenience  and  necessity  of  a  proposed  railroad,  the  applicant  is 
required  to  demonstrate  to  the  Railroad  Commission  that  the  pro- 
posed enterprise  will  be  a  commercial  success ;  in  other  words,  the 
applicant  is  required  to  prove  the  amount  of  money  which  will 
lie  necessary  to  construct  and  place  the  road  in  operation,  and 
is  also  required  to  prove  the  gross  and  net  earnings  of  the 
proposed   enterprise.     All    of   these   proofs   are   given   in   open 


public  hearings,  and  are  subjected  to  the  attacks  of  any  interests 
opposing  the  proposed  railroad.  In  the  case  of  the  New  York  i. 
Portchester  Railroad,  the  president  of  the  railroad,  Mr.  W.  C. 
Gotshall,  proved  that  the  total  cost  of  the  road  from  I32d  street 
in  this  borough  to  the  Connecticut  State  line  at  Portchester,  in- 
cluding a  branch  line  from  Bronx  Park  to  Clason's  Point,  would 
be  about  $16,000,000.  He  also  proved  that  the  annual  gross  earn- 
ings of  the  railroad  would  be  about  $1,500,000,  and  the  net 
earnings  about  $700,000.  All  these  figures  were  given  by  him 
in  the  utmost  detail,  even  including  the  number  and  cost  of 
railroad  spikes.  At  the  close  of  the  hearing,  the  opponents, 
consisting  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad, 
the  New  Vork  Central  Railroad  and  the  Union  Railroad  admitted 
the  correctness  of  the  figures.  The  public  demand  for  the  rail- 
road had  been  overwhelmingly  demonstrated.  The  result  of  the 
hearings  was  that  the  Railroad  Commission,  in  March,  1902, 
granted  the  Portchester  Railroad  its  charter.  The  New  Haven 
road  subsequently,  on  purely  legal  grounds,  contested  the  decision 
of  the  Railroad  Commission  by  carrying  the  case  through  all  the 
courts  of  this  State  to  the  court  of  last  resort,  that  is,  the  Court 
of  Appeals,  with  the  result  that  the  New  Haven  road  was  finally 
defeated  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  on  the  23d  of  June,  1903. 

In  addition  to  its  charter  the  New  York  &  Portchester 
F^ailroad  Company  has,  as  required  by  law,  secured  from  the 
Common  Councils  of  Mount  Vernon  and  New  Rochelle  the 
fonual  assent  of  those  bodies  to  cross  all  the  streets  in  the  cities 
of  Mount  Vernon  and  New  Rochelle  which  will  be  crossed  by 
the  line  of  its  road.  It  has  also  secured  from  the  Supreme  Court, 
sitting  at  White  Plains,  Westchester  County,  the  right  to  cross 
alxiut  sixty  additional  streets  in  Westchester  County  which  its 
line  will  cross,  and,  consequently,  has  all  its  required  rights  and 
franchises  through  the  towns  of  Pelham,  Larchmont,  Mamar- 
oneck,  Harrison,  Rye,  Portchester  and  the  cities  of  Mount 
Vernon  and  New  Rochelle.  The  last  remaining  link  in  the 
required  chain  consists  in  securing  from  the  Board  of  Esti- 
mate and  Apportionment  of  New  York  City  the  formal 
assent  of  that  board  to  cross  such  streets  of  the  Bronx  as 
will  be  crossed  by  its  road.  The  action  of  the  Board 
of  ."Mdermen  heretofore  in  this  matter  is  a  most  anomalous 
commentary  on,  first,  the  damage  which  such  a  body  can  inflict 
upon  a  community  at  times,  and,  second,  upon  the  fact  that  a 
lot  of  Aldermen  representing  districts  on  the  Island  of  Manhattan 
and  in  Brooklyn  shoula  have  it  in  their  power  to  delay  improve- 
ments in  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  or  any  other  boroughs  in 
which  they  do  not  reside,  and  in  which  they  have  really  no 
interest  This  fact  was  brought  forcibly  to  the  attention  of  the 
public  of  this  borough,  and  largely  through  the  efforts  of  its 
public-spirited  citizens  a  law  was  enacted  giving  the  franchise 
granting  power  to  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment. 


m 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


The  New  York  &  Portchcslcr  Railroad  is  designed  as  a 
high  speed  railroad,  the  tracks  of  which  wiil  be  laid  upnn  a 
private  right  of  way  which  will  be  the  property  of  the  railroad 
company,  and  which  the  railroad  company  will  purchase.  All 
public  streets,  avenues  and  highways  along  the  line  of  the  roan 
will  be  crossed  either  over  or  under  the  grades  of  such  highwavi. 
and  in  such'  manner  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  use  of  the 
highways  or  streets  by  the  public.  .A.fter  the  formal  assent  of 
the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  is  obtained,  the  final 
fi.xing   and    determination    of   tlie    crossings    of   the    streets    is    a 


Hall,  on  M;uiliattan  Island,  New  York  City,  a  distance  of  thirty- 
five  miles,  in  about  one  hour.  Considered  from  the  point  of 
\icw  of  time  occupied,  this  places  the  Bron.x  and  Westchester 
County,  and  the  adjoining  territory  nearer  to  City  Hall,  New 
York,  than  145th  Street  of  Manhattan  Island  is  to-day.  A  con- 
sideration of  these  facts  will  at  once  bring  to  mind  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  entire  public  of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  and 
Westchester  County  of  this  enterprise.  The  road  as  now  de- 
signed is  pronounced  by  the  leading  railway  men  and  experts 
evervwhere  as  the  highest  class  of  design  and  construction  which 


One  of  the  Proposed  Bridges  of  the  Portchcster  Railroad 


matter  with  which  the  Railroad  Commission  of  this  State  alone 
have  to  do. 

The  road  is  designed  as  a  four-track  road  from  its  southern 
terminus  at  the  i-Iarlem  River  to  Portchester,  which  is  known 
as  the  main  line.  A  two-track  branch  is  to  be  run  to  Clason's 
Point  connecting  with  the  main  line  at  Bronx  Park.  Throughout, 
the  road  will  be  equipped  with  the  most  modern  block  signal  sys- 
tem, so  designed  and  installed  that  even  in  the  event  of  a  motor- 
man  or  operator  becoming  incapacitated,  for  any  reason,  the  train 
will  be  automatically  brought  to  a  stop  upon  reaching  a  danger 
signal.  Tlie  road  will  be  operated  electrically,  and  will  use  some 
modification  of  the  third  rail,  like  that  now  installed  by  the  Rapid 
Transit  Subway,  and  now  installed  on  the  Manhattan  Elevated 
lines. 

The  tracks  of  the  railroad  will  connect  with  the  tracks  of 
the  Rapid  Transit  Subway  at  177th  Street  and  Boston  Post 
Road  and  .it  Westchester  .'\ venue  and  Southern  Boulevard.    The 


has  ever  appeared,  and  is  recognized  as  the  pioneer  in  high-sp'^ed 
and  heavy  electric  traction  design  and  development. 

The  train  units  will  consist  of  two,  three,  or  more  cars,  as 
the  service  may  require.  Each  car  will  be  equipped  with  four 
motors,  having  a  total  capacity  of  about  1,000  horse  power,  which 
is  equal  to  the  power  of  the  engine  which  now  draws  the  Empire 
State    Express. 

Two  kinds  of  stations  will  be  used,  one  known  as  express 
stations,  and  the  other  known  as  local  stations.  The  local 
stations  will  be  about  half  a  mile  apart,  and  the  express  stations 
will  be  about  a  mile  and  a  half  apart.  The  schedule  speed  of 
the  express  trains  will  be  about  forty  miles  an  hour,  and 
that  of  the  local  trains  will  be  about  twenty-six  miles  an  hour 
The  maximum  speed  of  the  express  trains  will  be  about  sixty 
miles  an  hour,  while  that  of  the  local  trains  will  be  about  forty 
miles  an  hour. 

Where  the   railroad   crosses  a  public   street  or  highway,   by 


St-jric  of  Cars  to  be   Used  o.-i  Portchester  Railroad 


designs  for  the  cmmection  at  177th  Street  have  been  approved  by 
the  Rapid  Transit  Commission,  and  the  necessary  terminal  real 
estate  for  such  connection  has  been  purchased  by  the  Portchester 
Railroad,  and  the  necessary  steel  has  also  been  ordered  pur- 
chased and  erected.  The  Portchester  Railroad  will  also 
connect  with  the  existing  Manhattan  Railroad,  or  with  the 
proposed  east  side  branch  of  the  Subway  at  some  point  south  of 
177th  Street  and  near  I32d  Street.  By  this  railroad,  a  passenger 
uill  be  enabled  to  travel  from  Portchester.  New  York,  to  the  City 


passing  over  such  street,  the  highway  crossing  wiil  be  made  by 
erecting  an  arch  composed  of  concrete  and  steel.  These  arches 
will  be  highly  ornamental.  No  steel  will  be  visible.  The  steel 
is  simply  inserted  to  stiffen  the  arch  and  the  construction.  The 
arch,  when  erected  and  finished,  will  have  the  appearance  of  a 
vast  stone  monolith,  out  of  which  has  been  cut  a  passage  for  the 
vehicular  and   other   traffic. 

Where  the  street  or  highway  is  crossed  by  the  tracks  passing 
beneath  the  railroad,  the  crossing  will  be  made  by  erecting  steel 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


397 


columns  and  connecting  them  by  steel  arches  and  embedding 
all  of  the  steel  columns  and  arches  in  a  fine  cement  mortar.  The 
object  of  this  is  to  eVer  prevent  the  disintegration  of  any  of  the 
steel  part  of  the  structure. 

When  the  construction  of  this  railroad  is  completed,  it  will 
be  a  structure  which  will  stand  practically  forever,  as  it  is 
nothing  but  a  mass  of  earth  and  rock.  The  laying  of  the  tracks 
on  earth  embankments  and  the  use  of  the  concrete  crossings  will 
make    the    road    absolutely    noiseless. 

It  is  apparent  from  this  brief  history  of  this  railroad,  that 
it  will  undoubtedly  be  the  making  of  the  eastern  part  of  the 
Borough  of  the  Bronx.  It  is  also  now  more  than  ever  apparent 
while  this  enterprise  is  called  "the  enterprise  of  the  people," 
and  why  the  puliiic  are  so  determined  that  this  railroad  shall 
not  be  delayed  or  anything  placed  in  the  way  of  its  iinmcdiate 
construction. 

This  sketch  would  not  be  complete  without  a  brief  state- 
ment of  some  of  the  financiers  who  have  guaranteed  its  con- 
struction and  operation,  under  the  terms  of  the  franchise 
offered  to  the  New  York  &  Portchester  Railroad  by  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  Apportionment,  and  approved  by  said  Board  of 
Estimate  on  December  15,  1905.  This  group  consists  of  Messrs 
Qiarles  D.  Barney  &  Company,  of  25  Broad  Street,  New  York 
City,  and  122  South  Fourth  Street,  Philadelphia.  Charles  D. 
isarney  &  Company  have  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
.'".merican  financial  institutions  of  this  country  for  thirty-five 
years,  and  have  financed  eight  or  nine  large  railway  enterprises, 
in  addition  to  other  power  transmission  projects;  Edwin  Gould, 
president  of  the  Bowling  Green  Trust  Company  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  &  Southern,  and  the 
Missouri  Pacific  Railroads,  and  director  in  all  the  Gould  railway 
systems.  A.  H.  &  D.  H.  Morris,  of  Morris  Park,  and  New 
Orleans,  etc. ;  W.  C.  Gotshall,  the  president  and  chief  engineer 
of  the  Portchester  Railroad,  and  its  originator  and  developer, 
and  about  whom  the  entire  enterprise  centres. 

These  men  have  also  announced  themselves  as  bidders  for 
the  proposed  Third  Avenue  Subway,  and  have  stated  to  the 
Rapid  Transit  Commission  that  they  will  provide  the  funds  for 
the  construction  of  the  Third  Avenue  Subway,  and  that  they 
will  connect  that  Subway  with  tlie  Portchester  Railroad  at  138th 
Street  and  Southern  Boulevard,  and  charge  five  cents  for  a  con- 
tinuous ride  from  the  Battery  to  the  northern  City  line,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  sixteen  miles.  This  will  open  up  for  development 
over  14,000  acres  of  now  inaccessible  farm  land,  located  east  of 
the  Bron.x  Riv^er,  and  will  be  a  godsend  to  the  east  side  tene- 
ment districts  by  giving  them  an  immediate  and  cheap  outlet  to 
Manhattan  Island  as  well  as  affording  them  the  blessings  of 
healthful  homes  for  the  workmen  and  their  wives  and  children. 

These  Portchester  Railroad  financial  interests  already  own 
large  tracts  of  land  along  the  line  of  the  proposed  railroad,  part 
of  which  will  be  used   for  development  purposes. 


NEW     YORK     CITY     INrERBOROUGH     RAILWAY     CO. 
Officers  : 

ARTHUR   TURNBULL    President 

ANDREW    FREEDMAN    Vice    President 

D.    W.    McWlLLIAMS    Secretary   and    Treasurer 

Directors : 
.■\ndrew  Fheedm.\n     W.xlter  G.  0.\k.m.\n     Joru.sn  J.  Rollins 
VY.  J.  Fr.\nsioli  R.  M(ir.\  D.widson         Arthi-r    Tirniiui-l 

.-\lfred  Skitt  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  Robert  C.  Wood 

The  New  York  City  Interborough  Railway  Company  was 
incorporated  in  1902  to  meet  the  demands  and  necessities  of 
additional  street  railway  transportation  in  the  Borough  of  Bron.x. 


The  development  of  the  Bronx  has  been  along  the  line  of 
and  adjacent  to  the  Elevated   Railroad  and  Subway   Systems. 

In  June,  1891,  the  Suburban  Elevated  was  acquired  by  the 
Manhattan  Elevated  Railroad  Company.  A  single  fare  was 
established.  May  26,  1894,  and  through  train  service  inaugu- 
rated September  24,   1896. 

The  result  of  these  improvements  in  traveling  facilities  was 
immediately  shown  in  the  large  amount  of  building  that  took 
place  on  and  adjacent  to  Third  Avenue  and  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, which  has  become  the  most  thickly  settled  section  of 
the  Bronx.  That  the  same  result  will  ensue  from  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Subway  lines  is  shown  by  the  development  that  has 
already  taken  place  along  the  viaduct  extension  of  the  Subway 
on   Westchester   Avenue  and   the   Southern   Boulevard. 

.'\round  the  Prospect  Avenue  Station  of  this  branch  of 
the  Rapid  Transit  System,  upward  of  seventy  apartment  houses 
have  been  constructed,  which  should  accommodate  at  least  5,000 
people.  j\  large  number  of  flats  have  also  been  constructed 
around  the  Jackson  Avenue  Station,  and  speculation  and  build- 
ing is  being  pushed  forward  rapidly  adjacent  to  the  other  sta- 
tions of  this  line.  So  extensive  and  so  rapid  has  been  the  de- 
velopment of  this  section  that  there  is  now  a  distinctive  Subway 
zone  of  flat-houses  extending  almost  solidly  from  Third  Avenue 
northeasterly  along  Westchester  Avenue  to  Simpson  Street,  a 
distance  of  more  than  tw'enty-five  blocks.  This  zone  extends 
on  both  sides  of  Westchester  Avenue,  and  building  is  also  going 
on  rapidly  along  the  Southern  Boulevard.  Beyond  Simpson 
Street,  especially  to  the  West,  the  whole  Borough  lying  between 
the  Subway  and  the  existing  Elevated  line  on  Third  Avenue,  is 
being  rapidly  built  up  with  flats.  Very  few  stores  or  business 
buildings,  comparatively  speaking,  have  been  or  are  being  erect- 
ed in  this  new  section.  Almost  all  of  these  buildings  are  resi- 
dential structures,  and  the  people  will  of  necessity  go  to  and 
from  their  employment  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  each  day. 

Large  sections  of  the  Bronx  zvill  be  deprived  of  rapid  transit 
facilities   unless  street  raikeay  connections  arc  afforded. 

The  Rapid  Transit  system  extends  up  149th  Street,  West- 
chester Avenue  and  the  Southern  Boulevard,  to  i8oth  Street  and 
Boston  Road  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Bronx,  and  along  Wash- 
ington Heights  to  Kingsbridge  on  the  westerly  side  of  Man- 
hattan. There  is  a  long  distance  between  these  lines  across 
the  Bronx,  which  are  also  in  turn  separated  by  the  Harlem  River, 
and  unless  street  railway  connections  are  afforded  for  reaching 
the  stations  of  this  system,  this  intervening  territory  will  be  whol- 
ly shut  off  from  rapid  transit  facilities.  The  entire  west  side  of 
the  Bronx  north  of  149th  Street  to  the  city  line  will  be  cut  off 
and  the  middle  section  of  the  Borough,  through  which  the  Grand 
Boulevard  and  Concourse  is  at  present  being  constructed,  and 
where  a  large  amount  of  territory  by  the  opening  of  new 
streets  is  being  developed,  will  be  likewise  isolated  unless  these 
additional  street  railway  facilities  are  furnished.  When  this 
territory  has  been  rendered  accessible  and  built  up,  the  people 
who  settle  there  will  also  desire  to  go  to  and  from  their  business 
in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan  each  day. 

The  vast  majority  of  pehple  who  settle  in  the  Bronx  are 
employed  in  Manhattan,  and  travel  daily  to  and  fro. 

This  fact  is  shown  very  clearly  and  emphatically  by  the 
following  statement  of  the  number  of  passengers  carried  on  the 
suburban  branch  of  the  Manhattan  Elevated  Railroad  Company, 
north  of  the  Harlem  River,  for  the  fiscal  years  ending  June  30th, 
from  1890  to  1905,  inclusive,  viz.: 


398  HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 

Number  of  passengers  carried  1890 4,141,216  Manhattan  "L"  Station,   198th  Street  and  Webster  Avenue, 

"  "  "  1891 4,488,319  one  block  distant. 

"  "  "  "         1892 6,551,628  Manhattan    "L"    Station,    Fordham    Square,    Pelham    and 

1893 5,867,848  Third  Avenues. 

"  "  "  "         1894 4,650,615  Manhattan  "L"  Station,  Wendover  and  Third  Avenues. 

"  "  "  "  1895 16,609,298  Subway  Station,   i8oth   Street  and  Boston  Road. 

"  "  "  "  1896 19,780,004  Subway    Station,    177th    Street,    West    Farms    Square    and 

"  "  1897 21,780,398  Boston  Road. 

"  "  "  '•  1898 24,572,976  Subway   Station,   Freeman    Street   and   Southern    Boulevard, 

"  '•  "  1899 29,309,714  one  block  distant. 

■'  "  "  "  1900 34,844,572  Manhattan  "L"  Station,  i68th  Street  and  Third  Avenue.,  one 

"  "  "  "  1901 38,465,598  block  distant. 

•'  "  "  "  1902 ;  44,488,628  Manhattan  "L"  Station,  i6ist  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  one 

"  "  "  "  1903 53,105,150  block  distant. 

"  "  "  "  1904 59,914,678  Subway  Station,  Longwood   and   Prospect   Avenues. 

"  "  "  "  1905 61,029,558  Manhattan  "L"   Station,   156th   Street  and  Third  Avenue. 

It  can  thus  be  clearly  seen  that  the   rapid  and  phenomenal  Manhattan    "L"    and    Subway    joint    Station,    149th    Street    and 

increase  in  population  in  the  Bronx  is  composed  of  people  who  Third  Avenue. 

daily    travel    to    and    from    Manhattan.     There    are    few    people  The  Interborough   Street   Raihvay   ivill   offer   a    transfer   at 

who  live  in  the  Bronx  and  travel  to  and  from  their  business  to  a  reduced  rate  to  the  Rapid  Transit  System,  both  subivay  and 

Yonkers,  Mt.  Vernon  and  other  small  outlying  towns.     Land  is  Elevated  divisions,  at  the  above  mentioned  stations. 
cheaper  and   rents  are  lower  in   these   small   communities  than  With  the  payment  of  an  additional  three  cents,  passengers 

in  the  Bron.x,  and  it  is,  therefore,  self-evident  that  people  doing  will  be  enabled  to  travel  on  all  parts  of  the  Manhattan  Elevated 

business  in  these  adjacent  cities  naturally  live  within  their  pre-  and  the  Subway  systems. 

cincts.  Tlie  Interborough  Street  Railzvay  zvill  afford  street  railway 

A   large  part   of   the  Bronx  is   not  accessible   to    the   Rapid  facilities  to   a  large  amount  W/  territory  now  ivholly  devoid   of 

Transit  System  either  directly  or  thihugh  any  connection  with  such  accommodations. 

the   Union  Railway,  vis.,  the  westerly  and  central  portions  and  Its   lines   will   reach   and   thoroughly  serve  portions   of  the 

the  extreme  easterly  part  of  the  Borough.  Bronx   not  reached  at  present  by  street  railway  lines  and  will 

The  Boroughs  of   Manhattan  and   Bron.x  are   connected   by  thus  open  a  large  amount  of  new   territory  to  the  rapid  transit 

si.x,  and  when  the  new  University  Heights  Bridge  is  completed,  stations. 

by    seven    bridges    used    for    public    traffic,    viz.,    Willis    Avenue  On  the  westerly  side  of  the  Borough  by  its  cross-town  lines 

Bridge,  Third  Avenue   Bridge,   Madison  Avenue   Bridge,   Lenox  connecting    with    the    Rapid    Transit    System    over    the    various 

Avenue    Bridge,    Macomb's    Dam    Bridge,    Washington    Bridge,  bridges  of  the  Flarlem  River,  people  in  that  vicinity  will  be  able 

University  Heights  Bridge,   (now  under  course  of  construction).  to  reach  the  lower  part  of  Manhattan  considerably  quicker  than 

There  are  street  railway  tracks  on  but  three  of  these  struc-  at  the  present  time. 
lures.  In  the  central  portion  of  the  Bron.x  where  the  Grand  Boule- 

There  is  but  one  through  cross-town  line  in  the  Bronx  to-  vard  and  Concourse  is  at  present  being  constructed,  and  where 

day,  and  that  is  only  at  the  extreme  southerly  portion  and  the  a  large  number  of  transverse  streets  will  soon  be  built,  a  territory 

narrowest  part  of  the  Bron.x,  a  territory  with  an  area  of  forty-  that  has  hitherto  been  farm  land  will   shortly  be  opened   up  to 

two  square  miles.  development.     The  Interborough  Street  Railway  lines  will  cross 

The  Nezv    York   City  Interborough  Railzvay   Company   lias  this  section  in  four  places,  and  thus  supply  very  necessary  street 

Transit  System,  vie  the  westerly  and  central  portions  and  the  railway  facilities. 

extreme  easterly  part  of  tlie  Borough.  In   the   easterly    section    of   the    Bronx    to    the    east    of   the 

By   its   present    lines,   which   are   rapidly   being   constructed,  Bronx   River,   the    East    177th    Street   line   of   the   Interborough 

and  with  its  new  routes   for  which  application  has  been  made.  Street  Railway  will  furnish  a  direct  connection  along  the  princi- 

ihis  street  railway  system  will:  pal  street  of  that  territory  to  the  Rapid  Transit  station  at  177th 

(i)     Furnish    routes    to    a    large    number   of    Subway    and  Street   and   West    Farms    Square.     Th,e   people   of   Westchester, 

Elevated  Stations  on  the  west  side  of  both  Manhattan  and  the  Unionport  and   Throgg's   Neck  will   thus   be   afforded   a   direct 

Bronx,   viz.:  line  of  communication  along  West   Farms  Road  to  Westchester 

Subway    Station,    145th    Street    and    Lenox    Avenue,    Man-  Village.     East    177th    Street   will    be   the   principal    thoroughfare 

hattan.  of  that  locality. 

Subway  Station,  Mott  Avenue  and  149th  Street,  Bronx.  In  the  Hunt's  Point  section,  a  territory  immediately  adjacent 

Manhattan    "L"    Station,    iSSth    Street   and    Eighth    Avenue  to  the  section  where  a  large  number  of  flats  have  been  construct- 

Viaduct,   Manhattan.  ed,   and   which  promises  to  be   one  of  the   most   thickly   settled 

Subway  Station,   lS7th  Street  and  Broadway,   Manhattan.  portions  of  the   Bronx,   the   Interborough   Street   Railway   lines 

Subway   Station,    i8ist   Street   and   Eleventh   Avenue,   Man-  will    furnish   the   only    transportation    facilities.     By    the    Hunt's 

hattan.  Point  and  Randall  Avenue  lines  of  the  Interborough  System,  this 

Subway  Station,  207th  Street  and  Amsterdam  Avenue,  Man-  territory  will  be  brought  within  a  few  minutes'  ride  of  the  Rapid 

hattan.  Transit  stations  at  Prospect  Avenue  and  149th  Street  and  Third 

Subway  and  New  York  Central  Railroad  joint  station,  225th  Avenue. 

.Street  and  Broadway,  Manhattan.  The^  Interborough    Street   Railway   System   with   its   present 

Subway  Station,  238th  Street  and  Broadway,  Bronx.  routes,  and  those  for  which  application  has  been  made,  will  have 

In  the  centre  and  east  side  of  the  Bronx,  the  Interborough  five  cross-town  lines  running  on  the  westerly  side  of  the  Borough 

Street  Railway  lines  will  reach  the  following  stations :  from  the  various  rapid  transit  and  elevated  stations,  and  these 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


399 


five  in  turn  will  connect  with  three  cross-town  lines  on  the 
easterly  side  of  the  Bronx,  making  three  through  routes  across 
the  Bronx. 

The  Intcrboroiigh  Strict  Railway  mill  furnish  connections 
betivcen  Manhattan  and  the  Brhnx  across  four  bridges  and  the 
Muscoota  Street  viaduct. 

By  its  street  railway  lines  on  ihe  149th  Street,  Macomb's 
Dam,  WasI)ington  and  207th  Street  Bridges  and  Muscoota  Street 
Viaduct,  tlie  Interborough  Street  Railway  will  furnish  connec- 
tions across  all  bridges  betueen  the  west  side  of  the  Bronx  and 
the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

These  street  railway  lines  will  bring  the  western  and  central 
portions  of  the  Bronx,  a  territory  hitherto  without  transportation 
facilities,  in  direct  touch  with  and  furnish  transfers  at  a  reduced 
rate  to  the  Rapid  Transit  System. 

The  New  York  City  Interborough  Railway  Company  in 
short  offers  facilities  and  advantages  to  the  people  of  the  Bronx 
made  necessary  by  the  extraordinary  development  of  this  Bor- 
ough during  the  past  decade. 

WILLI.^M  J.  FRANSIOLL— Among  the  men  of  public 
affairs  who  have  rapidly  forged  to  the  front  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  may  be  numbered.  Born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  on  September 
,TO.  1866,  educated  in  tlie  public  school  and  in  St.  Peter's  Acad- 
emy, and  graduated  in  1882,  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Manhattan  Elevated  system  and  ere  long  was  advanced  to  the 
position  of  general  manager.  Through  his  persistency  the  people 
of  the  Borough  of  the  Bronx  owe  the  fact  that  the  system  has 
been  extended  to  its  present  terminus.  He  early  foresaw  the 
advantage  that  would  be  derived  by  the  company  by  pushing  its 


WM.    J.    FRANSIOU 

lines  up  into  the  then  practically  undeveloped  territory,  wliich 
soon  lost  its  ruralness  by  improvement  in  transportation  con- 
ditions. Mr.  Fransioli  resigned  his  position  with  the  elevated 
railroads  to  become  associated  with  Mr.  Croker  and  others  in 
the  New  York  Auto-Truck  Company,  and  later  became  identified 
with  the  Interborough  City  Railway  Company  which  is  now 
laying  out  cross-town  lines  to  bring  all  parts  of  the  borough  in 
communication  with  the  main  lines  of  transportation  running 
north  and  south  through  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx.  Mr.  Fran- 
sioli  was   a  resident  of  the  Bronx  for  a  period   of  five   years, 


but  is  now  domiciled  in  Manhattan.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
but  has  never  held  political  office.  He  has  found  time  among 
his  multifarious  business  cares  to  attach  himself  to  the  Demo- 
cratic Club,  the  Fordham  Club,  the  Transportation  and  Railroad 
Club,  and  the  Jeft'erson  Club.  In  April,  1889,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  .A.nastasia  Fannon,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  the  issue 
being   two   daughters,    Albina    and    Josephine. 

CHARLES  H.  BEATCHER,  general  superintendent  of  the 
two  ferries  of  the  New  York  and  College  Point  Ferry  Co.,  foot 
of  134th  Street,  Port  Morris,  was  born  February  20,  1858,  in 
Rondout,  N.  Y.,  and  there  received  a  public  school  education. 
His  early  experiences  were  severe.  As  a  youth  working  for  $8 
a  month  and  board,  he  sent  $6  home.  He  struggled  on,  how- 
ever, and  at  leigtii  achieved  a  comfortable  livelihood  and  eventu- 
ally that  large  measure  of  success  which  his  strenuous  efforts 
deserved.     He  came  to  New  York  City  at   16,  and  was  at  fir,st 


CHARLES    H.    BEATCHER 

employed  for  eight  years  by  the  old  Madison  Avenue  road. 
From  that  he  went,  as  assistant  manager,  to  the  Steinway  Rail- 
road and  in  1S90  to  the  ferry  company  with  which  he  is  at  pres- 
ent. His  position  here  was  ticket  agent  at  first,  but  in  1896  he 
was  placed  in  charge.  His  work  in  this  capacity  fully  justifies 
his  appointment.  He  has  built  up  the  business  and  greatly  im- 
proved the  company's  facilities.  He  has  laid  out  new  routes, 
built  new  docks  and  slips  and  repair  shops ;  in  fact,  inaugurated 
a  new  system.  Under  him  the  North  Beach  route  was  started. 
The  company  now  has  a  fleet  of  five  boats,  all  of  which  are 
double  deckers,  rated  among  the  largest  in  the  harbor,  and  two 
are  entirely  new.  He  has  under  him  altogether  a  force  of  about 
eighty  hands.  Mr.  Eeatcher  married  in  1879,  but  has  no  children. 
Politically  he  is  an  Independent  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
St.  James  Lutheran  Church,  but  not  of  any  clubs  or  organiza- 
tions, preferring  rather  to  spend  his  leisure  at  home. 

THE  NEW  YORK  &  COLLEGE  POINT  FERRY  COM- 
PANY was  estabhshed  in  1887.  The  equipment  consisted  of 
one  single  deck  boat  and  two  very  primitive  ferry  slips,  one  at 
each  terminal,  New  York,  foot  of  East  Ninety-ninth  Street  and 
College  Point,  foot  of  Third  Avenue.  In  1890  the  control 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  present  company,  which  immediately 


400 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


improved  the  boat  service,  by  buying  additional  double  decked 
boats,  as  well  as  increasing  the  terminal  facilities.  The  boats 
were  permitted  to  make  landings  at  the  then  already  very  popu- 
lar summer  resort,  "North  Beach."  In  order  to  give  the  Long 
Island  residents  still  better  facilities  all  the  year  around,  a 
market  for  farm  products  was  established  at  I02d  and  103d 
Streets,  First  Avenue  and  the  East  River  (The  Harlem 
Market).  The  farmers  immediately  availed  themselves  of  this 
new  opportunity  by  using  the  ferry  almost  exclusively,  in  order 
to  avoid  a  long  drive  to  the  old  downtown  markets.  Recog- 
nizing th  egreat  and  important  role  the  Bronx  was  sure  to 
play  on  the  East  Side  of  New  York  City,  a  new  ferry  was  estab- 
lished at  134th  Street  in  1902,  which  immediately  became  very 
popular.     The    heautiful.    ta.'tily    and    practically    arranged    ferrv 


College  Point  Ferry  Boat 

house  became  tlie  talk  of  the  whole  Borough  of  the  Broiix,  and 
now  especially  on  a  fine  summer  day,  it  is  a  great  sight  to  see 
the  throngs  go  over  the  ferry  to  North  Beach.  Until  now 
they  could  only  see  the  beautiful  shores  of  Long  Island  from  the 
distance,  or  wonder  at  the  marvellous  display  of  electric  lights 
in  the  evening.  Now  all  at  once  they  can  reach  North  Beach 
within  fifteen  minutes  on  large,  safe  and  well  kept  boats,  re- 
turning late  at  night  highly  satisfied  with  their  day's  outing. 
The  company  now  owns  five  large  double  decked  ferryboats 
plying  between  Ninety-ninth  Street,  134th  Street,  North  Beach 
and  College  Point,  thereby  enabling  all  wlio  w^ish  to  visit  North 
Beach,  or  use  the  ferry  for  business  purposes,  a  quick  and 
satisfactory  trip  across  the  beautiful  waters  between  the  New 
York  shore  and  the  Long  Island  wooded  hills. 

THE  UNION  RAILWAY.— One  of  the  greatest  factors  in 
the  development  of  the  Bronx  was  the  conversion  of  the  an- 
tiquated horse  railroad  that  made  doubtful  trips  from  Harlem 
Bridge  to  Fordham  into  an  electric  line.  Ex-Mayor  Edward 
A.  Maher,  of  Albany,  was  quick  to  perceive  the  lucrative  field 
that  presented  itself  in  the  Bronx,  and  soon  organized  the  foun 
dation  of  the  system  which  at  once  minimized  the  difficulty  of 
reaching  the  various  sections  of  the  borough.  The  Union  Rail 
way,  of  which  he  is  the  president,  has  had  much  to  contend  with 
before  the  various  lines  acquired  the  present  acceptable  servi'-e. 
The  vast  amount  of  sub-construction  that  succeeded  the  installa- 
tion of  its  various  branches  consequent  upon  the  conversion  of 
waste  places  into  thriving  and  bristling  communities  resultant 
from  imiproved  methods  of  transportation,  made  various  inroads 
upon  the  profits  of  the  enterprise,  in  many  instances  sufficient 
to  dishearten  less  sanguine  men  than  President  Maher.     As  the 


population  of  the  territory  augmented,  the  tentacles  of  this  cor- 
])oration  reached  out  and  extended  its  service  to  meet  the  new 
conditions  that  were  constantly  arising.  The  single  track  service 
had  gradually  given  way  to  double  tracks  to  meet  the  increased 
requirements  of  the  public,  new  extensions  were  added  until 
nearly  every  portion  of  the  territory,  where  the  park  system  did 
not  interfere,  was  soon  brought  into  communication  with  the 
more  populous  portions.  Lines  to  the  north  of  the  Bronoc  River 
were  soon  instituted,  in  many  instances  under  adverse  circum- 
stances, companies  having  an  existence  only  on  paper  having  to 
be  acquired  in  order  to  form  a  part  of  what  is  now  the  Union 
Railway  of  to-day.  Soon  lines  in  Westchester  County  were 
acquired,  by  lease  or  purchase,  and  the  network  of  tracks  spread 


Office  of  Union  Railway  Company  at   t28tli  Street  near  Tfiird  Avenue 

in  all  directions  into  the  adjacent  country.  The  wisdom  of  this 
movement  on  the  part  of  President  Maher  has  been  shown  by 
the  large  traffic  which  the  company  handles  each  day.  These 
e-xtensions  have  made  serious  inroads  upon  the  volume  of  pas- 
senger traffic  on  the  Plarlem  Railroad,  and  has  necessitated  the 
installation  of  electrification  to  counteract  the  inroads  upon  its 
revenue.  The  charge  of  ten  cents  from  128th  Street  to  White 
Plains,  the  county  seat  of  Westchester  County,  as  compared 
with  a  fare  of  forty  cents  on  the  steam  road,  has  had  a  two-fold 
result,  viz. ;  The  conversion  of  many  of  the  old  famis  into 
villages  and  the  enhancement  of  real  estate  values  to  a  figure 
that  was  not  dreamed  possible  of  attaimnent  before  the  institu- 
tion of  this  system  of  transportation.     The  writer  well  remem 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


40J 


hers  the  opposition  that  was  manifested  hy  some  nt  the  "moss- 
liacks"  vvlio  opposed  the  construction  of  the  line  nortli  of  Monnt 
Vernon,  who  feared  that  trade  would  be  diverted  from  local 
merchants.  Yet  statistics  proved  tliat  the  number  of  business 
places  has  greatl)-  increased,  and  store-keepers  wlin  feared  ruin 
staring  them  in  the  faces,  are  doing  more  business  to-day  than 
previous  to  the  advent  of  the  trolley.  The  blessing  conferred 
on  the  communities  through  which  the  various  lines  pass  has 
been  exemplified  in  the  case  of  the  numicipality  to  the  north, 
which  had  become  stagnated  under  the  monopoly  of  the  .New 
York  and  New  Haven  Railroad.  The  five-cent  fare  from  Mount 
Vernon  to  Harlem  Bridge  was  eagerly  availed  of  by  the  resi- 
dents of  that  city,  who  had  been  paying  forty  cents  for  a  trip 
on  the  New  Haven  trains  at  uncertain  intervals.  The  trolleys 
have  been  a  wonderful  aid  in  the  development  of  the  borough 
in  giving  the  people  of  Manhattan  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
unrivalled  beauties  of  its  park  system.  Yet  even  this  convenience 
of  communication  is  seriously  handicapped  by  a  mawkish  sen- 
timent that  excludes  trolley  line.s  from  Pelham  .Xvcnue,  between 


"I'hird  .'\venue  and  Pi-lh.MU  I'.ay  Park,  while  ,-iut(imobiles  are 
permiitted  to  monopohze,  if  we  may  be  permitted  to  use  the 
phrase,  this  highway  of  tlie  people.  This  hardship  is  also  felt 
on  the  Eastern  Boulevard,  whereby  the  masses  are  barred  from 
the  full  enjoyment  of  this  unmiatchable  seaside  park.  But  the 
sentiment  among  the  masses  for  the  full  enjoyment  of  the 
park  system  will  yet  result  in  thi.s  prohibition  being  set  aside, 
and  those  who  cannot  afford  their  horse  and  carriage,  or  an 
auto,  placed  upon  the  same  equality  in  the  matter  of  reaching 
these  public  breathing  places  as  their  more  fortunate  fellow  men. 
The  Bronx  is  too  cosmopolitan  to  permit  the  continuance  of  thiv 
class  distinction  for  any  length  of  time,  and  the  breaking  down 
of  the  present  barrier  may  be  anticipated  at  no  distant  daj'. 
The  absorption  by  the  Union  Railway  of  connecting  trolley  lines 
has  had  a  most  beneficial  and  stimulating  effect  upon  the  com- 
munities through  which  they  pass,  as  can  be  seen  from  the 
numerous  homes  that  have  been  erected  by  thrifty  mechanirs 
and  artisans  away  from  the  turmoil  and  noise  of  trade,  and  the 
great    city's    activities. 


Thirty-Seventh  Precinct  Police  Station.  Bathgate  Avenue  near   1 77th  Street 


Webb  Academy,  Sedgwick  Avenue,  Morris  Heights 


402 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


CHARLES  DAVID  STEURER.— The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  in  what  is  now  ifud  Street  in  Bronx  Borough, 
the  City  of  New  York,  October  i8,  1859.  In  his  youth  he  early 
manifested  those  characteristics  which  led  to  success  in  after 
years — enthusiastic,  persistent  uprightness  of  life,  moral  courage 
in  the  face  of  seemingly  insurmountable  obstacles  and  a  wonder- 
ful mastery  of  detail.  His  education  at  the  Public  School  "Old 
60,"  of  which  J.  D.  Hyatt  was  principal,  was  abruptly  cut  short 
by  the  untimely  death  of  his  respected  sire,  and  just  as  he  was 
about  to  graduate  from  school  he  was  forced  to  go  to  work. 
His  first  employment  was  in  a  printing  office,  that  aptly  denom- 
inated school  of  all  schools,  and  by  assiduity  and  close  attention 
to  his  work,  and  filled  with  the  determination  to  become  his  own 
boss,  at  an  early  age  he  applied  himself  so  diligently  to  his 
duties  that  he  soon  speedily  won  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  his  employer,  whose  meagre  facilities  spurred  him  on  to  make 
his  mark.     Fate  or  destiny  led  him  to  "Newspaper  Row,"  where 


CHARLES    DAVID    STEUREP 

after  many  rebulTs  that  would  have  discouraged  one  of  a  less 
sanguine  temperament  he  secured  employment  with  the  old 
firm  of  Wynkoop  &  Hallenbeck,  in  Fulton  Street,  at  which  he 
finished  his  apprenticeship.  His  faithfulness  and  earnest  purpose 
to  make  his  mark  attracted  the  attention  of  his  employers,  and 
when  "Wild  Oats."  a  comic  paper,  purchased  its  own  plant,  lie 
was  induced  to  accept  a  position  there,  when  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  by  his  fidelity,  he  was  promoted  to  the  responsible 
position  of  proofreader,  holding  the  same  until  the  publication 
went  out  of  existence.  He  soon  thereafter  was  numbered  among 
the  employees  of  John  Polhemus.  another  of  New  York's  well 
known  printers,  and  soon  had  the  confidence  of  his  employer, 
who,  in  response  to  the  inquiry  of  the  publishers  of  Thompson's 
"Bank  Note  Reporter"  for  a  capable  young  man  to  take  charge 
of   their   plant,    picked    out   the    subject   of   this    sketch    for    the 


position.  That  this  selection  was  not  a  mistaken  one  was  soon 
apparent  in  the  typographical  appearance  of  the  publication, 
;he  evolving  of  :i  system  that  was  before  lacking,-  owing  to  the 
absence  of  executive  ability.  In  1S84  the  establishment  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  it  then  devolved  upon  the  young  man  to 
superintend  the  rebuilding  of  the  plant.  But  the  strain  was 
too  much  for  the  owner,  and  in  1885  Mr,  Steurer,  in  conjunction 
with  another,  purchased  the  business.  Ills  long  dream  of 
becoming  a  boss  printer  and  publisher  was  fulfilled,  and  thus 
the  foundaiion  of  the  establishment  of  Stumpf  &  Steurer,  but 
now  known  as  the  Steurer  Publishing  Company,  was  laid.  From 
business  policy  it  was  decided  to  change  the  names  of  the  old 
publications,  and  the  directory  of  financial  institutions  appeared 
under  the  name  of  the  "American  Bank  Reporter,"  and  t!ie 
weekly  financial  journal  made  its  appearance  under  the  title  of 
ihe  "American  Banker,"  Mr.  Steurer  undertook  the  business 
management  of  the  new  firm,  and  his  complete  and  easy  mastery 
of  detail  stood  him  well,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  prosperity  which 
attended  the  venture.  In  1887  "Underwood's  Bank  Reporter" 
was  consolidated  with  the  "American  Bank  Reporter,"  and 
"Underwood's  Counterfeit  Reporter"  also  added  to  their  publi- 
cations, the  latter  retaining  its  name  and  still  being  published 
as  a  separate  journal.  Later  the  "Financial  Examiner"  and 
"Ijamberger's  Legal  Directory"  were  merged  with  the  Ameri- 
can Bank  Reporter.'  In  1892  the  progress! veness  of  the  firm 
resulted  in  the  publication  of  the  "American  Lawyer,"  which 
occupies  a  field  that  hitherto  had  been  neglected.  Residing  in 
ihe  Bronx,  Mr.  Steurer  perceived  an  excellent  field  for  the 
development  of  the  business  of  the  concern,  and  in  April,  1897, 
the  "North  Side  News"  made  its  appearance,  with  the  motto 
"Ihe  Bronx,  First,  Last  and  Always."  The  success  which 
attended  it  from  the  beginning  demonstrated  that  he  had  not 
miscalculated  the  possibilities  of  the  borough,  and  shortly  after 
it  was  decided  to  remove  the  entire  plant,  which  was  done  a^ 
soon  as  the  building  at  149th  Street  and  Bergen  Avenue  was 
completed.  Here  again  success  attended  the  venture,  and  a 
daily  issue  of  the  paper  soon  became  a  necessity.  In  1905  Mr. 
Steurer  became  proprietor  and  founded  the  Steurer  Pulilishing 
Company,  and  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that  no  one  individual 
in  the  Bronx  has  done  more  to  advance  its  interests  and  bring 
the  borough  to  the  front  than  he.  Despite  the  cares  of  the  vast 
concern  o\er  which  he  presides  he  finds  time  to  mingle  in  tlie 
social  and  business  life  of  the  borough,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
.\'orth  Side  Board  of  Trade,  the  Jefferson  Club,  the  Improve- 
ment League  of  the  Forty-fourth  Aldcrmanic  District,  Bronx- 
wood  Park  Improvement  Association,  Director  of  the  Eureka 
Co-Operative  Savings  and  Loan  Association,  Director  of  the 
Philanthropin  Hospital  at  'Williamsbridge,  Director  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  at  Williamsbridge,  Director 
of  T.  C.  Welch  Company,  member  of  Gavel  Lodge  No.  70.7. 
F.  and  A.  M.,  a  Knight  of  St.  John  and  Malta,  Superintendent 
of  Olin  M.  E.  Sunday  School  at  Williani.sbridge.  for  ten  years 
was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Elton  Avenue  M.  F. 
Church,  for  six  years  President  of  the  Bronx  Sunday  School 
.Association,  and  is  identified  with  other  societies  that  tend  to 
the  development  of  the  community.  In  1883  Mr.  Steurer  was 
married  to  Anna  Marie  Kapp,  of  Mount  Vernon.  Seven 
children,  Hattie  Victoria,  Charles  David,  Jr.,  Florence  Elizabeth. 
Edna  Irene,  Elsie  Maud,  Alice  Emma  Clarita  and  Ralph  have 
been  born  to  the  couple,  Mr,  Steurer  resides  at  Bronxwood 
Park,  Williamsbridge.  in  a  handsome  residence,  where,  sur- 
rounded by  his  interesting  family  he  frees  himself  of  business 
cares  in  their  companionship.  His  success  in  all  that  he  has 
undertaken  has  been  the  result  of  a  determination  to  apply  his 
best  efforts  toward  reaching  the  top  when  once  the  die  is  cast 


CHAPTER  XLVII 


THE  STEURER  PUBLISHING  COMPANY  AND  THE  "NORTH  SIDE  NEWS.' 


A  Great  Printing  House  Occupying  Six  Floors  Located  in  the  Business  Center  of  the  Bronx 


It  is  with  modesty  that  we  chronicle  our  success,  but  as  wc 
have  been  so  closely  identified  with  the  growth  of  Bronx  bor- 
ough, we  may  be  excused  for  feeling  somewhat  elated  at  the 
result  of  our  labors. 

When   we   decided   to    move   the   plant   of   the    "North    Side 


"North  Sidtf  News"  BLiildin>>;,    149th  Street  and  Bergen  Avenue 

News"  from  Manhattan  to  the  Bronx  many  were  the  prophecies 
of  disaster  that  would  be  certain  to  follow  such  a  step. 

The  nucleus  of  our  present  establishment  was  originated 
nearly  seventy  years  ago,  in  "Thompson's  Bank  Reporter,"  which 
had  an  excellent  field  before  the  institution  of  the  National 
Bank  Act  resultant  upon  the  Civil  War.  The  epidemic  of  ''wild- 
cat" banks  which  afflicted  the  country  at  that  time  made  such  a 
publication  highly  necessary  in  order  to  protect  the  business 
men  against  the  unceasing  Hood  of  dotd)tful  notes  that  w-ere 
issued  by  irresponsible  banks  and  which  issues  were  largely 
supplemented  by  worthless  imitations  of  the  then  prevailing 
currency.  In  1885,  Messrs.  .•\nlhony  Stvmipf  and  Charles  D. 
Steurer  formed  a  p,irtnershi|)  and  purchased  "Thompson's  Bank 
Reporter,"  which  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many  of  the  elder 


business  men,  togetlier  with  its  supplement,  a  pamphlet  bank 
directory.  In  18S6  the  business  was  extended  by  the  publicatioa 
of  "Underwood's  Counterfeit  Reporter."  In  1888,  "Bamberger'? 
Legal  Directory  of  Philadelphia"  was  added  to  the  firm's  pub- 
lications, and  the  same  year  the  "Financial  Examiner"  was  also 
absorbed.  These  publications  were  consolidated  under  the  name  of 
"The  American  Banker"  and  enlarged  from  sixteen  pages  to 
forty-eight,  and  the  "American  Bank  Reporter,"  a  complete 
lecord  of  every  bank  in  the  United  States  and  its  possessions, 
and  Canada,  was  enlarged  from  a  pamphlet  of  128  pages  to  a 
cloth-bound  volume  of  nearly  2,000  pages  at  present,  issued  semi- 
annually, with  a  special  desk  edition  in  April  and  October. 
In  1893  another  publication  was  brought  into  existence,  "The 
American  Lawyer."  It  is  a  monthly  devoted  to  the  interests 
(rf  the  legal  fraternity.  The  ye<ar  1896  saw  another  successful 
venture.  "The  Daily  Bond  News."  This  is  a  paper  of  neces- 
sarily limited  circulation.  In  size  it  is  not  quite  one-quarter 
as  large  as  the  "Daily  North  Side  News,"  and  its  subscription 
price   is  $84  a  year.      It   gives    every   day   full    information  con- 


Portion  of  Library  Room 

cerning  issues  of  bonds  by  municipalities,  and  furnishes  bankers 
and  bond  dealers  with  information  they  could  obtain  only  by 
employing  two  or  three  extra  clerks  and  paying  large  telegraph 
lolls.  The  "North  Side  News"  was  horn  on  April  4,  1897. 
From   its   very   beginning   the  people  of   the   Bronx  have  given 


HEADS   OF    VARIOUS   DEPARTMENTS   OF   THE    "  NORTH    SIDE    NEWS. 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


405 


it  a  hearty  and  loyal  support.  Every  evidence  of  good  will  and 
other  encouragements  received  from  the  public  acted  as  stim- 
ulants to  the  maragement  to  more  than  deserve  the  favor  which 
had  been  won.  Originally  an  eight-page  paper,  of  forty  columns, 
sixteen  and  one-half  inches  long,  it  has  successively  increased 
in  size  until  now  the  weekly,  or  Sunday,  issue  is  a  sixteen-page, 
seven  column  paper,  with  columns  twenty-two  inches  in  length, 
and  a  four-page  colored  comic  supplement. 

Perceiving    the    advantage    it    would    be    to    have    all    our 


Clerks  Busy  in  the  Compiling  Room 

plant  consolidated  under  one  roof,  and  not  scattered,  as  it 
had  been  heretofore,  we  selected  the  site  of  our  present  quar- 
ters at  149th  Street  and  Bergen  Avenue,  just  at  the  time  when 
the  foundations  were  being  laid  for  a  flat  house  by  architect  and 
builder  Albert  Rothermel.  The  requirements  of  the  plant  in 
prospective  necessitated  the  reconstruction  of  the  foundations 
of  the  present  edifice,  and  in  August,  1900,  our  entire  force  was 
gathered  together  into  the  five-story  and  basement  handson.e 
edifice  which  now  graces  that  neighborhood. 

At  first  part  of  the  building  was  rented  out  to  other 
tenants,  but  the  increasing  requirements  of  the  business  ncces- 
fitated  our  using  the  entire  edifice,  which  at  present  is  ahnost 
insufficient    for    our    needs. 

The  acute  demand  for  a  daily  issue  of  the  "North  Side 
News"  was  so  intense  that  on  October  i,  igo2,  the  first  issue 
of  the  "Daily  North  Side  News"  was  begun  as  a  four-pagv 
seven-colunm  paper,  but  we  repeatedly  issue  an  eight-page  edition, 
while  the  regular  issue  is  now  a  six-page  edition. 

In  the  basement  are  located  our  large  presses,  comprising 
a  Campbell  niultipress,  which  prints  both  side  of  a  paper  at 
one  impression  from  a  roll,  for  the  requirements  of  the  "North 
.Side  News,"  while  two  largest  size  new  Century  and  one 
Cottrell  book  presses  are  in  constant  use  for  our  other  pub- 
lications, a  "pony"  press  for  large  job  work,  a  35-horse-power 
gas  engine,  dynanuos,  electric  motors  on  all  presses,  and  steam 
iieating   plant. 

The  first  floor  is  used  for  offices  and  stock  room  for  the 
immense   quantities   of    paper   needed. 

The  second  floor  is  used  for  the  main  olfices.  filing  room 
and   an  army  of  compilers. 

The  third  fltKir  is  devoted  to  the  editorial  staff  of  the  various- 
publications,   and   a    large    reference    library. 

On  the  fourth  floor  is  located  a  battery  of  Mergenthaler 
linotype  machines,  job  presses,  folding  and  cutting  machines, 
and  that  important  functionary,  the  proofreader  and  his  assistant. 


The  fifth  floor  is  occupied  as  the  composing  and  job  room, 
stocked  with  an  enormous  quantity  of  job  type  to  meet  the  ever 
increasing  demands  upon  our  facilities  for  turning  out  anything 
in  the  shape  of  printed  matter  from  the  smallest  label  to  a 
mammoth   poster. 

To-day,  the  'North  Side  News"  owes  it  success  to  the 
cordial  support  tendered  us  by  the  people  of  the  borough  whom 
we  have  endeavored  to  serve  in  a  fearless  and  honest  manner, 
and  by  strict  adherence  to  the  determination  which  actuated 
us  when  we  embarked  upon  our  enterprise  in  the  Bronx,  we 
hope  to  merit   the  continued  good  will  of  our  neighbors. 

The  "North  Side  News"  has  proven  a  potential  factor  in  the 
ilevelopment  of  the  borough,  and  its  efforts  have  been  rewarded 
with  success.  Among  the  various  public  matters  in  which  it  has 
laken  a  conspicuous  part  has  been  the  following: 

Urging  the  extension  of  the  rapid  transit  system  north  of 
ihe  Harlem  River  into  the  Ijronx ; 

The  laying  out  of  the  route  thereof  through  149th  Street 
instead  of  its  divergence  up  Third  Avenue  to  Westchester  Ave- 
nue, and  the  elimination  of  two  sharp  curves  at  149th  and  isoth 
Streets; 

The  starting  and  carrying  out  of  the  movement  to  equip 
Lebanon   Hospital    with   a  complete   amfliulance   outfit; 

Raising  money  which  resulted  in  materially  enlarging  the 
number  of  wards  in  the  hospital ; 

Urging  the  construction  of  the  Harlem  Ship  Canal  as  the 
proper  solution  of  relieving  the  congested  commercial  conditions 
that   now  prevail  at  the  lower  portion  of  Manhattan; 

The  persistent  demand  for  the  improvement  of  the  Bronx 
Kills  so  as  to  derive  the  benefits  that  will  accrue  to  the  borough 
from  the  barge  canal  authorized  by  the  Legislature,  and  thus 
shortening  the  distance  from  the  inland  commercial  centers  to 
the   coast   ports ; 

Demanding  and  securing  the  establishment  of  a  court  bnus_ 
in  the  Bronx,  which  is  now  in  course  of  construction; 

Insisting  upon  the  erection  of  the  borough  into  a  separate 
county,   with   all  the  benefits  that   would   accrue  therefrom 


View  of  Folding  and  Stitching  Room 

Continually  urging  every  pulilic  improvement  Ihal  wcitild  con- 
duce lo  the  growth  nf  ilie  borough; 

Demanding  .-il  all  times  that  home  rule  should  be  given  the 
Bronx  in  its  fullest  sense,  believing  that  its  residents  are  better 
qualified  to  jud.^e  of  the  needs  of  the  community  than  arc 
outsiders ; 

Demanding  from  the  general  government  better  postal  facil- 
ities and  the  institution  of  a  central  distributing  station  in  the 
Bronx,  and  which  now  bids  fair  soon  to  be  realized; 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    EDITORIAL   AND    BUSINESS    STAFFS    OF    THE    "NORTH    SIDE    NEWS." 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


407 


Waging  an  nnccasing  fight  for  the  constrnclion  of  llic  New 
York  and  Portchester  Railway  as  the  means  whereliy  the  upper 
eastern  portion  of  the  borough  might  he  brought  in  toncli  uilli 
the  heart  of  the  business  centers  and  tluis  be  developed; 

Insisting  upon  the  establishment  of  a  public  market  within 
the  borough,  which  has  been  happily  realized  through  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  College  Point  ferry,  thus  bringing  the  producers 
of  Long  Island  in  close  touch  with  the  vast  army  of  consumer-; 
in  the  Bronx  ; 

Continually  demanding  improvement  in  the  educational  facil 
ities  of  the  borough,  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the 
high   school   on   Boston    Road.    Its    long   and   persistent   struggle 
to  have  it  designated  the  Morris  High  School  was  crowned  wi'h 
ultimate  success. 

Among  others  of  its  victories  g:iincd  for  the  community  \\e 
may  be  pardoned  for  alluding  to  the  signal  victory  that  was 
gained  by  it  in  the  elimination  of  the  garbage  incinerating  plant 
that  was  sought  to  become  a  permanent  fixture  in  the 
community. 

In  the  matter  of  political  affairs  the  "North  Side  News"  ha^ 
unalterably  stood  in  favor  of  good  government,  and  what  its 
record  has  been  in  the  past  it  will  continue  in  the  future. 

In  truth,  it  might  be  said  that  the  "North  Side  News"  in 
matters  pertaining  to  the  prosperity  of  the  borough,  has  always 
been  found  in  the  lead,  and  it  is  with  no  little  gratification  and 


pleasure  that  we  here  allude  to  the  victories  it  has  accomplislied 
in  matters  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare  of  the  section  with 
which   it  has  linked   its   fortunes. 

In  the  illustration  shown  one  has  hut  a  faint  idea  of  the 
vast  amoimt  of  paper  required  for  the  "North  Side  News."  The 
rolls  of  paper  show  the  requirements  of  the  magnificent  machine 
— a  modern  flat  bed  Web  press — located  in  the  basement.  This 
machine  prints  from  rolls  of  paper  seventy  inches  in  width  and 
weighing  three-quarters  of  a  ton.  It  prints  an  eight-page  paper 
of  the  size  of  the  "North  Side  News"  at  the  rate  of  6.000  copies 
an  hour,  both  sides  at  one  impression,  each  paper  being  deliv- 
ered  from   the  press  neatly  folded. 

■J  he  job  printing  department  of  the  "North  Side  News"  is 
the  largest  and  most  complete  in  the  Pironx,  and  everything  is 
printed,  from  a  small  business  card  to  a  mammoth  poster,  or  a 
couiplete  book.  It  may  be  interesting  to  know  that  this  entire 
work  was  printed  here 

The  location  of  this  plant  at  149th  Street  and  Bergen 
Avenue  has  been  followed  by  the  erection  of  other  creditable 
buildings,  and  the  conversion  of  149th  Street  into  the  centre 
of  business  and  financial  activity  that  was  not  thought  possible 
of  attaining  by  the  more  conservative. 

On  May  2,  1905,  Mr.  Charles  D.  Steurcr  purchased  the 
interests  of  his  partner.  Mr.  Anthony  Stumpf,  and  formed  the 
Steurer  Publishing  Company,  under  which  name  he  now  con- 
ducts the  business. 


Cirload  ot  Paper  Being  Delivered  tor  the  "North  Side  News" 


Getting  Rc.idv  to  Print  on  the  Multipress 


On*:  of  Our  Cylinder  Presses 


cJj'^L!^I^C^^^^S^^^SSvXF^C^:;BSS5EE5S^^S^SSS^3T'5EnZ!^^ 


Multipress  on  which  the  "North  Side  News"  is  Printed 


View  of  Job  Department 


The  Linotype  Room 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


409 


PATRICK  HENRY  CLUNE.— The  subject  of  this  sketch, 
one  of  our  most  popular  and  successful  young  lawyers,  was  born 
in  this  city  March  5,  1876,  and  lived  m  Manhattan  until  his  twen- 
tieth year,  wiien  he  came  to  the  Bronx,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  was  graduated  from  our  public  schools,  passing 
also,  the  entrance  e>Damination  to  the  City  College.  Hoiwever, 
his  college  education  was  had  at  St.  Francis  Xavier's,  this  city, 
from  which  he  received  the  degrees  of  A.  B.,  A.  M.  and  Ph.  B. 
His  university  and  professional  studies  were  pursued  at  New 
\ork  University,  Irom  which  lie  was  graduated  in  1897  ^s  an 
LL.B.,  later  receiving  the  degree  ol  iviaslcr  of  Laws,  bhurtly 
thereafter  he  was  acliiiilled  to  the  Bar.  His  career  111  sclioo], 
college  and  university  was  exceptionally  brilliant  and  jubtihed 
tne  piCQictioiis  ot  great  success  in  atcer  lue,  tnat  nave  been  more 
than  realized,  he  was  ever  a  recognized  leader  among  tne 
stuaents.  as  an  elocutionist  and  aeoater  he  Had  and  lias  tew 
equals,  and  as  a  general  scholar  was  tar  above  the  ordinary, 
his  strong  points  being  Jinglish,  history,  matUemiatics  and  lan- 
guages. He  now  speaks  huemly  Spanisli,  Italian,  I'reiich  and 
oermaii  and  still  reads  Latin  and  Greek  extensively.  He  is  also 
an  expert  telegrapher  and  stenographer.  He  was  one  of  the 
best  all-around  athletes  at  college,  and  possesses  many  beautiful 
trophies  for  his  prowess  on  track,  cinder  path  and  field.  He  is 
unquestionably  one  of  the  strongest  long-distance  and  endurance 
.'iwinimers  in  the  j-ironx  to-day,  also  one  of  the  best  scullers  uii 
tne  Harlem  River  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  plan  to  build 
a  National  regatta  course  at  Pelham  Bay.  l^'or  years  he  v.as 
honorary  instructor  in  gymnastics  at  De  La  Salle  Institute.  He 
thus  built  up  a  seemingly  indestructible  and  invulnerable  con- 
stitution which  is  serving  him  well  in  the  strenuous  life  of 
activity  and  success  he  now  leads.  Caming  from  a  family  of 
:;oldiers,  he  naturally  acquired  the  military  spirit  instilled  by  the 
urills  at  college,  and  immediately  on  the  declaration  of  the  late 
war  he  enlisted  in  Flanagan's  Light  Battery,  recruiting  at  tlie 
Seventy-first  Regiment  Armory,  but  much  to  his  disappointment 
saw  no  active  service.  He  is  now  Second  Lieutenant  in  the 
■'Gallant  Sixty-ninth"  Regiment,  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  in  the  command,  an  excellent  tactician  and  one  of  the  few 
who  have  earned  the  title  of  "distinguished  expert,"  the  highest 
in  markmaiiship.  For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  connected 
with  the  Free  Lecture  System  of  our  great  Educational  Depart- 
ment, both  as  a  lecturer  and  supervising  and  criticising  inspector, 
and  is  an  enthusiast  on  adult  education  and  a  close  observer  and 
student  of  educational  matters  generally.  Professionally,  he  i.= 
in  the  front  rank,  for  his  knowledge  of  the  law  is  thorough  and 
his  training  and  e:-  perience  have  been  varied  and  comprehensive. 
He  studied  in  and  subsequently  became  connected  with  the 
office  of  Guggenheimer,  Untermyer  &  JVIarshall,  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  in  the  country,  where,  in  the  drawing  of  pleadings  and 
papers,  attendance  to  preliminary  court  work,  preparation  of  cas"s 
for  trial  and  on  appeal,  trying  of  cases  and  arguing  of  motions 
and  appeals  he  became  very  familiar  in  a  practical  way  with  all 
branches  of  the  lav.'.  His  exceptional  ability  so  impressed  the 
firm  that  he  was  placed  second  in  charge  of  its  real  estate  and 
Surrogate's  Court  departments,  where,  in  the  examination  of 
titles,  the  conduct  of  foreclosures,  partition,  infancy,  lunacy,  con- 
demnation, street  opening  and  other  proceedings  incidental  to 
real  estate  law,  he  became  an  acknowledged  expert,  as  likewise 
in  Surrogate's  Court  work,  in  the  drawing  of  wills,  managing 
of  immense  estates,  both  in  their  institution,  conduct  and  settle- 
ment, going  through  almost  every  form  of  proceeding  cognizable 
by  said  court.  He  aiso  handled  the  partnership  business  and  the 
details  of  the  formation,  conduct  and  dissolution  of  the  cor- 
poration work  of  that  office,  and  knows  these  branches  thor- 
oughly.     On    his    entering    practice    for    himself    success    came 


quickly,  for  his  reputation  had  been  fully  established  and  had 
gone  before  him.  His  clients  included  not  only  individuals  and 
corporations,  but  also  many  of  his  fellow  lawyers,  who  retained 
him  as  special,  consulting  or  advisory  counsel  in  important  and 
difficult  cases.  As  a  practitioner,  for  a  while,  at  the  criminal 
bar,  with  his  eloquence,  knowledge  of  mankind  and  its  ways 
and  remarkable  abilily  as  a  cross-examiner,  he  was  a  pronounced 
success.  But  his  tendencies  were  towards  a  broader,  deeper, 
higher  plane,  and  he  determined  to  further  develop  his  specialties 
by  special  courses,  individual  study  and  practice.  For  two  years 
lie  was  one  of  the  learned  staff  of  the  Westchester  &  Bronx  Title 
and  Mortgage  Guarantee  Company,  at  White  Plains,  where  he 
became  familiar  with  tlie  many  intricacies  of  country  title  work, 
and  is  one  01  the  best  informed  lawyers  in  regard  to  Westchester 
County  now  in  the  Bronx.  He  has  also  for  years  been  one  of 
the  expert  examining  counsel  of  the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust 
Company,  Manhattan.  He  likewise  has,  and  still  performs,  con- 
siaerable  special  services  for  the  various  title  companies  in 
Brooklyn,  and  is  familiar  with  the  farm  and  later  titles  in  that 
section.  He  has  further  handled  much  expert  work,  etc.,  in 
Kings,  Queens,  Nassau,  Suffolk,  Rockland,  Orange,  Putnam  and 
Dutchess  Counties  in  this  State,  and  in  nearby  States,  and  work 
involving  the  title  to  and  development  of  gold,  silver  and  copper 
mines  in  the  West.  He  has  furthermore  been  often  retained  by 
'.he  city  in  connection  with  the  watershed  development.  As  a 
resident  of  the  Bronx,  he  has  made  a  thorough  study  of  real 
estate  valuations  therein,  and  is  familiar  with  the  various  actual 
.ind  proposed  street  changes,  etc.,  with  all  the  early  and  farm 
titles  and  the  generally  known  and  conceded  defects  in  and 
clouds  upon  titles  to  property  both  in  the  Bronx  and  Manhattan. 
He  has  often  testified  before  the  courts  as  an  expert  convey- 
i.ncer  and  real  estate  lawyer  in  actions  involving  most  difficult, 
novel  and  abstruse  questions,  and  is  admitted  to  be  one  of  the 
best  authorities  on  real  estate  law  and  Surrogate's  Court  practice 
in  this  city.  He  is  possessed  of  a  remarkably  quick,  clear,  pene- 
trating, analytical,  deep  mind — ^a  rare  combination  of  the  light- 
ning-like characteristics  of  the  Celt  and  the  profundity  of  that 
of  the  Teuton.  i\.s  a  speaker  he  is  forceful  and  eloquent,  has  a 
strong,  clear,  pleasant  voice,  and  with  his  great  vocabulary  and 
control  of  language,  knowledge  of  human  nature  and  innate  sin- 
cerity is  capable  of  holding  the  attention  of  an  audience  for 
hours,  and  of  carrying  it  to  the  heights  of  enthusiasm.  As  a 
trial  lawyer  he  is  painstaking  and  thorough;  as  a  cross-examiner 
astute,  overpowering,  relentless,  enticing  and  irresistible;  yet 
mild,  considerate  and  gentlemanly;  while  in  the  arguments  of 
r.ppeals,  with  his  logical  mind  and  wonderful  memory,  he  eluci- 
dates and  expounds  the  law,  arranges  and  marshals  facts  as 
few  men  of  his  years  can.  Indeed,  he  has  been  often  highly 
complimented  by  our  Appellate  courts  for  his  masterful  handling 
of  an  important  and  difficult  case  before  them.  By  nature,  tem- 
perament and  adaptability  he  has  a  truly  judicial  mind,  which 
by  training,  experience  and  study  has  been  developed,  strengtli- 
cned.  broadened  and  amplified.  He  would  adorn  with  credit  any 
position  he  might  be  called  upon  to  occupy,  especially  a  judicial 
one.  In  politics  he  is,  and  has  always  been,  an  uncompromising 
Democrat,  and  a  powerful  factor  in  his  party.  To  quote  from  a 
prominent  weekly ;  "His  powers  as  a  campaign  manager  and  polit- 
ical manipulator  are  both  feared  and  admired.  ...  As  an 
opponent,  he  is  open  and  honorable,  clean  and  above  board,  sincere 
:ind  consistent,  tenacious  and  aggressive;  but  still,  not  bitter,  vin- 
dictive or  revengeful.  He  is  a  good  loser  and  a  magnanimous 
victor."  He  never  held  any  public  office,  though  numerous  offers 
were  made  to  him.  However,  he  has  frequently  been  appointed  a 
commissioner  in  street  opening  proceedings  and  a  referee  in 
actions  involving  close  and  difficult  real  estate  questions.  He 
is  single,  and  lives  with  his  father,  mother  and  sister  in  a  beauti- 


410 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  ^BOROUGH 


f-.il  lioinc  ;it  J0S7  liatligalc  Avt-mif.  corner  of  iSolh  Street,  which 
is  the  niagniet  of  many  sucial  gatherings,  lie  shines  and  is  at 
lionre  in  any  assemblage ;  is  a  "guod  mixer"  among  men  and 
piipnlar  wilh  and  beloved  by  all  classes.  He  has  traveled  exren- 
.•■.ively  both  ou  this  continent  and  abroad,  and  is  a  most  fascin- 
ating conversationalist,  a  born  liuniurist  and  ati  excellent  story 
teller.  Wilk  his  natural  and  acciuired  eloquence,  comprehensive 
hnowledge  ol  men  and  things,  he  has  become  a  most  interesting 
and  instrnctive  lecturer,  and  is  in  great  demand  as  such.  His 
works  in  charitable  and  humanitarian  movements  are  manifold, 
hut  are  known  only  to  the  beneficiaries  and  recipients;  for  he 
gives  to  his  suffering  fellow'men  out  of  the  goodness  of  hi.^. 
iieart,  and  not  for  fame  or  publicity.  In  the  field  of  fraternity 
there  is  no  better  known  or  esteemed  man  in  the  city  or  State. 
.-\s  Grand  Knight  for  si.x  years  of  the  largest  Knights  of  Coluni 
bus  council  in  the  country,  and  State  Attorney  General  or  Advo- 
cate of  the  Order  in  New  York  State  for  two  terms  by  unani- 
mous vote  of  37,000  men,  and  in  countless  other  important 
offices,  his  unbounded  capacity  for  work,  tremendous  energy  and 
wonderful  executive  ability  are  matters  of  constant  marvel ;  also 
as  E.xalted  Ruler  of  Bronx  Lodge  of  the  Elks,  and  for  that 
matter  in  every  organization  with  which  he  is  connected,  for  he 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  of  them,  to  again  quote  from  the 
public  press:  "His  capacity  for  all  kinds  of  work,  his  executive 
ability,  his  powers  of  organizing  and  harmonizing  are  wonderful. 
.As  a  presiding  officer  he  is  fearless,  but  fair,  forceful  yet  not 
overbearing,  firm  yet  kind  and  courteous;  is  an  authority  on 
parliamentary  procedure  and  has  few  superiors."  The  foUowi-ig 
are  some  of  the  organizations  of  which  he  is  a  member:  Knighti 
of  Columbus,  Grand  Knight ;  Elks,  Exalted  Ruler ;  Woodmen 
of  America,  Past  Venerable  Consul ;  Redmen,  Past  Sachem  and 
frophet;  and  present  or  past  officer  or  worker  in  the  Ancient 
Urder  of  Hibernians,  Clan-a-Gael,  Catholic  Benevolent  Legion, 
koyal  Arcanum.  St.  Joseph's  Lyceum,  Tremont;  Arthur  H. 
7vlurphy  Association,  Jefferson  Club,  Democratic  General  Com- 
mittee and  several  special  committees  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Assem- 
bly District,  Irish-American  .Athletic  Club,  Anchor  Association. 
Knights  of  Columbus  Headquarters  Association,  Columbian 
.A.ssembly,  Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick,  Ireland's  American 
rriends.  Dauntless  Rowing  Club,  "Bruskies,"  Bronx  Press  Club. 
Bar  Association,  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,  Owl  Liter- 
ary Club,  Xavier  Alumni  Sodalit.v,  Catholic  Club,  Knights  of 
Equity,  Order  of  the  Alhambra,  Holy  Name  Society  and  St 
Vincent  de  Paul  Society'  and  numerous  other  social,  political, 
fraternal,  religious  and  professional  organizations.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  intellectual,  educated,  learned,  versatile,  respected 
and  esteemed  citizens  of  the  Bronx,  and  has  been  very  aptly 
and  happily  termed  the  "Napoleon  of  the  Bronx,"  for  though  he 
is  physically  rather  small,  in  every  other  respect  he  is  indeed 
,!;reat,  and  a  brilliant  future  awaits  him. 

P.ATRICK  J.  O'NEIL,  who  for  a  number  of  years  has 
been  active  in  Bn  nx  real  estate  transactions,  was  born  March 
4,  1871,  in  Tipperary  County,  Ireland,  and  hails  from  an  old 
and  successful  family  of  that  country.  He  was  educated  in  the 
Christian  Brothers'  College,  of  Cashel,  Tipperary  County,  from 
whicli  he  graduated,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1882.  arriving 
on  May  24.  He  began  at  once  to  learn  the  stonecutting  trade, 
bit  did  not  follow  his  vocation  long,  as  the  firm  he  was  em- 
ployed by.  failed.  He  sought  employment  of  the  Second  Avenue 
Railroad  Company,  and  succeeded  in  securing  a  good  position, 
v. liich  he  kept  up  to  1889.  It  was  during  this  year  he  realized 
the  fact  that  one  through  careful  speculation  in  real  estate 
could  make  con.^iderable  money,  so  he  opened  up  an  office 
and,  incidental  to  his  regtdar  bu.siness,  he  acted  as  agent  for 
several    large    insurance    companies.      It    was    not    long    before 


he  was  lieaid  from,  and  to-day  he  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative 
clientage.  Mr.  O'Neil  has  resided  in  this  section  for  some 
lime,  and  is  widely  known,  both  in  a  social  and  political  way. 
lb;  is  Tammany  Hall  Captain  of  the  Seventy-fourth  Election 
District,  and  a  member  of  the  Tammany  Hall  General  Com- 
mittee of  the  Thirty-fifth  Assembly  District,  belongs  to  the 
Jetterson  Club,  Bronx  Club,  the  Bronx  Country  Club,  the 
Knights    of    Columbus,    the    Royal    Arcanum,    No.     1618,    is    a 


PATRICK    J.    0   NEIL 

worshipper  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  is  a  member  of  the  Holy 
Name  Society.  'I'he  Patrick  J.  O'Neil  Association  was  organ- 
ized by  him  some  time  ago,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  largest  in 
the  Bronx,  he  being  the  standard  bearer.  On  July  11,  1900, 
Mr.  O'Neil  married  Miss  Stella  Walsh,  who  is  connected  with 
Public  School  No.  20,  Bronx.  She  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Daughters  of  Isabella,  Court  Columbia,  and  a  member  of  Seton 
Circle  of  the  Bronx. 

HIRAM  TARBOX,  son  of  Fones  Whitford  and  Sarah 
(.Spencer)  Tarbox,  was  born  in  West  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  June 
15,  1817.  He  was  a  descendant  of  Miles  Standish,  through  in- 
termarriage of  the  Tarbo.K  and  Standish  families.  He  was 
eighth  in  descent  from  John  Tarbox,  who  settled  in  Lynn, 
Mass.,  between  1600  and  1610,  and  of  the  ninth  generation  from 
John  Green,  of  Quidnessett,  R.  I. ;  and  later.  General  Nathaniel 
Greene,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Named  for  his  uncle,  Hiram 
Tarbox,  a  manufacturer  and  importer  of  watches,  he  was  called 
Hiram  Tarbo.x  2d  until  the  death  of  his  uncle  in  1878.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  left  his  father's  home  and  went  to  live  with 
his  uncle  in  Lisbon,  Conn.,  purposing  to  learn  the  watchmaking 
trade.  He  there  met  Miss  Mary  Clark,  of  Canterbury,  Conn., 
whom  he  married  in  1839  and  who  died  at  her  home  in  this 
city  in  1897.  She  was  a  descendant  of  the  old  New  England 
Adams-Davenport  families :  an  estimable  woman,  a  true  and 
sincere  friend,  long  mourned  by  those  who  love  and  cherish  her 
memory.  In  1844  Mr.  Tarbox  left  Connecticut  with  his  family 
for  New  York  City,  wdiere  he  entered  in  business  as  a  watch 
maker  in  Maiden  Lane.  When  Upper  Morrisania  was  l.iid  oiil 
in  1848  he,  with  about  four  dozen  men  of  the  same  mind,  pur- 
chased from  Gouverneur  Morris  the  farm  on  which  Upper  Mor- 
risania   was   then   located,    selecting   plots   by   choice,   and,   three 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


411 


years  later,  he  completed  and  moved  into  the  house,  now  No. 
iS8.?  Washington  Avenue,  wliich  he  continued  to  occupy  until 
his  dealli.  lie  was  well  called  the  Patriarch  of  Tremont,  com- 
ing to  llie  place  in  those  early  pioneer  days  when  there  were 
hut  a  handful  of  scattered  inhahitants,  and  remaining  a  resi- 
deni  for  nearly  fifty-four  years.  In  1856  the  name  of  Upper 
Morrisania  was  changed  to  Tremont  through  the  infiuence  of 
Mr.  Tarbox  and  a  number  of  the  other  early  settler,  tl  was 
argued  that,  as  there  were  three  hills  or  mounts  in  the  neigh- 
borhood; Mount  Hope,  Fairmount  and  Mount  Eden,  it  would 
be  appropriate  to  have  the  name  changed  to  Tremont.  Mr. 
Tarbox  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Republican  party  ni 
this  locality  and  furnished  the  lot  on  which  they  erected  their 
wigwam  when  that  party  assumed  a  commanding  position  in 
this  State  in  the  war  times.  He  helped  organize  a  fire  depart- 
ment, a  free  library,  a  stage  line,  and  steamboat  company.  He 
was    instrumental    in   getting   the  national   government   to   estab- 


HIRAM    TARBOX 

lish  a  post  office  at  Tremont  and  was  the  only  postmaster  that 
I  remont  ever  had,  having  been  appointed  through  Hon.  Salmon 
P.  Chase,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  .\braham  Lin- 
coln, to  that  position  in  September,  1861,  when  the  Tremont 
post  office  was  established.  Messrs.  Wm.  A.  Bedell  and  Jas. 
1'".  Beanies,  both  long  since  having  passed  away,  were  his  bonds- 
men. When  on  January  I,  1874,  this  section  was  anne.xed  to 
the  City  and  County  of  New  York,  the  former  Tremont  post 
office  became  a  branch  of  the  New  York  post  office,  and  Mr. 
Tarbox  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  branch  office,  hold- 
ing the  position  for  nine  years,  thus  making  twenty-two  years 
of  continuous  service.  He  had  great  faith  in  the  future  of 
upper  New  York  City,  and  really  did  much  to  make  the  local- 
it}',  by  his  pioneering  work,  what  it  is  to-day.  For  forty  years, 
Mr.  Tarbox  conducted  the  watch  business  in  Maiden  I>ane, 
Nassau  and  John  Streets  and  Broadway  of  this  city,  and  was 
one   of   the   founders   of   what   is   now   the    American   Walthani 


Walcli  Company,  he  having  conceived  the  idea  of  producing 
ivaun  niov'cmenls  l.y  nuiviiUiery  instead  of  by  hand.  In  1884  he 
retired,  ihereafier  guing  His  aiienlion  to  interests  nearer  home. 
He  was  classLd  by  ilie  trade  one  ot  the  brightest  minds  in  his 
line.  Jle  was  a  born  genius,  and  nxade  some  of  the  most  in- 
tricate tools  and  machinery  ui  the  carrying  on  of  his  business, 
and  being  a  very  skilhul  mechanic,  his  mind  naturally  ran  to 
mechanical  improvements,  which  resulted  in  much  ot  his  handi- 
work reaching  the  patent  office  at  Washington.  At  the  first 
World's  Fair  held  in  the  Crystal  Palace  on  Forty-second 
Street  (now  Bryant  Park),  he  exhibited  many  of  his  inven- 
tions which  were  totally  lost  in  the  destruction  of  the  buildings 
by  fire  in  1856.  At  the  age  of  nearly  87  he  perfected  his  last 
invention,  intending  to  have  it  patented,  but  his  untimely  death, 
as  proven  later,  made  it  impossible.  In  his  religious  views,  Mr. 
Tarbox  was  a  staunch  Baptist,  with  a  very  liberal,  friendly, 
open  and  kindly  feeling  toward  all  denominations.  He,  for 
about  forty  years,  was  a  member  of  the  Pilgrim  Baptist  Church 
of  West  Farms,  of  which  he  was  both  deacon  and 
trustee.  A  very  amiable  and  thoroughly  honest  man,  a  gentle- 
man and  a  devout  Christian,  much  beloved  at  home  and  every- 
where he  was  known,  he  respected  himself  and  commanded 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  his  associates  and  acquaintances. 
Situated  as  he  was,  many  of  the  troubles  and  vicissitudes  in 
the  life  of  others  came  to  his  notice,  and  his  charitable  and 
kindly  acts  were  exceedingly  numerous  and  unnumbered,  ex- 
tending in  every  direction.  His  helping  hand  and  heart  were 
always  ready  to  aid  the  needy.  Selfishness  and  he  were  total 
strangers.  Mr.  Tarbox  passed  away  in  July,  1904,  'In  his  88th 
year,  the  result  of  a  fracture  of  a  hip  bone  caused  by  a  fall  two 
months  before.  He  bad  a  wonderful  constitution  which  en- 
abled him  to  fight  so  long  for  life  while  suffering  terrific  agony, 
and  which  was  due  to  his  temperate  life  and  habits.  Just  prior 
to  his  death  one  of  the  leading  surgeons  in  this  city  examined 
him  and  pronounced  every  organ  in  his  body  perfectly  sound 
and  in  better  condition  than  the  majority  of  men  at  fifty  years 
of  age,  proclaiming  that  he  should  have  lived  for  over  one 
hundred  years.  He  maintained  all  of  his  faculties  to  the  end. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Coker,  who  conducted  the  funeral  services,  said 
that  the  world  needed  inore  men  like  him,  and  that  there  was 
no  need  of  offering  a  prayer  for  such  a  pure  and  upright  man, 
and  his  words  were  true.  With  the  death  of  Hiram  Tarbox 
the  last  of  the  original  men  who  settled  Tremont  passed  away. 
He  was  survived  by  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Hiram  Thomas,  a  leading  mechanical  expert,  of  Boston,  Mass.: 
Charles  Wakefield,  a  real  estate  expert  of  this  city ;  Mary 
C,  and  Sarah  E.,  now  retired,  but  former  very  successful  edu- 
cational teachers  in  this  city,  and  one  grandchild,  Elsa  Daven- 
port Tarbox. 

II.\RRY  SCTiliEYER,  the  well  known  director  of  the 
New  York  High  School  of  Music,  located  at  1 103  Boston  Road, 
may  be  called  with  full  confidence  the  musical  pioneer  of  the 
Bronx,  as  he  was  the  first  man  to  establish  a  conservatory  of 
music  in'  the  Bronx,  early  in  the  year  1870.  A  great  many  of 
the  very  best  musicians  and  teachers  of  the  Bronx  have  during 
that  time  started  with  their  musical  education,  under  Mr. 
Schreyer.  A  tendency  to  rhapsody  and  impulse  seems  to  be  im- 
planted in  the  breasts  of  most  eminent  musicians,  yet.  there 
are  possibly  very  few  musicians  of  his  years  W'ho  can  look  back 
upon  so  rich  and  interesting  a  career.  Born  at  Arad,  South- 
ern Hungary.  October  20,  1854.  of  wealthy  and  honored  parents, 
he  early  evinced  an  abnormal  musical  inclination  which  caused 
great  astonishment,  most  of  all  to  those  wko  followed  the  pro- 
fession  of   nnisic.      At   the   age  of   from    four   to   five  years   he 


412 


HISTORY  OF  BRONX  BOROUGH 


played,  witliout  knowledge  of  notes  or  keys,  such  difficult  pieces 
as  Chopin's  Waltzes,  JXlendelssohn's  Lieder  Ohne  Worte,  etc., 
etc.,  which  he  had  heard  his  brother  (eight  years  older)  playing. 
Had  his  talent  been  fostered  he  could  easily  have  been  a 
wonder-child  like  Mozart  or  Liszt,  but  his  parents  while  being 
fond  of  music,  had  a  pronounced  prejudice  against  a  musical 
career,  therefore,  would  not  consent  to  their  child  taking  up 
the  study  of  music  until  after  he  had  passed  his  seventh  year. 
From  this  time,  however,  he  was  a  constant  source  of  surprise 
to  his  teachers,  for  he  proved  the  truth  of  the  words  uttered 
by  Gounod  which  translated  mean  "The  teacher  can  only  bring 
out  great  results  with  great  talent."  In  a  brief  space  of  time 
young  Schreyer  had  consumed  the  knowledge  of  his  teachers, 
and  quite  often  was  known  to  substitute  his  own  fingering  for 
that  of  the  professor,  but  far  more  astonishing  was  his  phras- 
ing and  execution  of  classical  music.  At  about  this  time,  Carl 
Taussig,    perhaps    the    greatest    pianist    of    all    ages,    who    alas. 


HARRY    SCHREYER 

died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty  years,  gave  a  concert  in  the 
boy's  birthplace  and  the  little  fellow  was  brought  before  the 
great  master,  who  declared,  after  hearing  him  play,  "he  had 
never  heard  so  gifted  a  child,"  and  expressed  a  desire  to  under- 
take his  musical  education,  but  this  the  mother  would  not  do, 
but  instead,  placed  her  son  who  had  previously  lost  his  father, 
in  a  boarding  school  in  Prague  with  instruction  to  prepare  him 
for  academical  studies.  But  talent  cannot  be  suppressed,  and 
while  young  Schreyer  made  rapid  progress  in  the  direction  de- 
sired by  his  rnother,  at  the  same  time  nothing  could  keep  back 
the  strong  love  of  music,  and  it  happened  that  one  day,  instead 
of  attending  school  he  went  instinctively  to  the  Sophien-Insel- 
Saal  where  Rubinstein  was  giving  a  matinee  recital.  We 
now  pass  over  the  years  of  Schreyer's  scholastic  days  and  come 
to  a  period  when  his  mother  desired  he  should  take  up  the 
study  of  banking,  but  all  to  no  avail,  for  the  yoimg  man  having 
no  financial  cares,  would,  instead  of  sitting  ciuietly  in  an  office,  seek 
out  the  first  masters  of  the  time  such  as  Kreyczi  and  Heger  of 
Prague,  and  Kullack  and  Taussig  in  Berlin.  About  the  year 
i8;o  an  irresistible  power  took  him  to  'Vienna  where  Anton 
Rubinstein  was  the  conductor  of  a  concert  association.  Rubin- 
stein, who,  except  during  his  early  artistic  career  in  Vienna,  and 
later  as  director  of  the  St.  Petersburg  Conservatory  of  Music, 
never  gave  private  lessons,  allowed  the  young  man  to   call   at 


his  studio  whenever  prepared  to  play  something  for  him,  a  favor 
seldom  granted  to  others.  When  Rubenstein  left  Vienna,  Schrey- 
er did  the  same,  joining  a  concert  organization  which  toured 
through  Austria.  At  this  period  of  his  life,  owing  to  the  un- 
pleasant correspondence  with  his  mother,  who  was  much  dis- 
pleased with  the  wandering  life  led  by  her  son,  together  with  an 
inborn  desire  to  visit  foreign  countries,  he  decided  to  come 
to  America,  especially  as  he  heard  Rubinstein  had  been  engaged 
lor  a  tour  m  this  country,  but  fate  prevented  the  young  man 
from  carrying  out  his  designs  until  the  year  1874,  when,  of 
course,  Rubinstein  had  left.  Noting  the  primitive  state  of 
musical  instruction,  the  idea  first  presented  itself  to  him  of  be- 
coming a  pedagogue,  and  realizing  this  intention,  a  few  years 
of  hard  work  followed.  Numerous  pupils  enjoyed  his  instruc- 
tion, among  whom  are  to  be  found  many  teachers  of  repute. 
Aleanwhile  Mr.  Schreyer  himself  enlarged  his  knowledge  as  a 
teacher,  being  aided  by  such  well-known  men  as  Dr.  William 
Mason,  Max  Pinner  and  S.  B.  Mills.  Later  he  was  offered  the 
position  of  Professor  at  the  Grand  Conservatory  of  Music, 
then  the  leading  scnool  in  New  York,  and  where  Fradel,  Bris- 
tow,  Doppler,  Sternberg,  Lambert  and  numerous  other  cele- 
brated teachers  composed  the  faculty.  At  this  time,  Schreyer, 
who  was  a  pianist  ol  extraordinary  ability,  should  have  become  a 
\  irtuoso  of  the  first  rank,  but  his  unfortunate  penchant  to  wander, 
and  the  fact  that  he  had  married  a  young  American  lady,  ied 
him  to  accept  the  conductorship  of  a  traveling  opera  company, 
thinking  thereby  to  secure  greater  financial  success.  This  no- 
made  life  precluded  the  possibility  of  practice  and  of  his  ever 
becoming  famous  as  a  soloist.  Tiring  of  this  mode  of  exis- 
tence after  a  few  years,  Mr.  Schreyer  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  his  mother,  who  has  growing  old,  returned  to  Europe, 
and  in  1883  we  find  him  again  in  Vienna,  where  he  was  offered 
the  post  of  director  at  a  well-known  conservatory,  but  not  hav- 
ing been  born  in  the  city  it  was  necessary  for  him  according  to  law 
to  pass  a  serious  official  examination  before  the  State  Board  ol 
Education  which  he  did  with  excellence.  As  a  result  of  this 
he  was  approved  as  director  for  any  conservatory  or  high 
school  of  music  controlled  by  the  government.  Shortly  after 
he  was  accepted  as  an  ordinary  member  of  the  most  exclusive 
"Wiener  Tonkuenstlerverein"  an  organization  of  such  masters 
as  Brahms,  Goldmark,  Bruell,  Fuchs,  Graedeiier,  Rosenthal, 
Gruenfeld,  Paderewski,  Madame  Esipoff,  Schuett,  Schytte,  etc. 
There  he  also  met  such  famous  colleagues  as  Leschetizky, 
Door.  Epstein,  Hans  Schmidt,  etc.,  etc.,  with  whom  he  steadily 
exchanged  views  regarding  teaching  methods,  etc.,  which  final- 
ly enriched  and  perfected  his  already  great  experience.  Two 
years  later,  upon  the  death  of  Prof.  Smietansky,  Mr.  Schreyer 
was  offered  and  accepted  the  late  professor's  position  in  the 
famous  Horak  Piano  School,  where  his  lectures  on  piano  in- 
struction were  attended  by  many  musical  authorities.  His  suc- 
cess at  this  school  is  attested  by  the  testimonial  received  by  him 
five  years  later  when  he  left  to  become  director  of  a  Hungarian 
conservatory,  famous  the  country  over.  Here  he  proved  an  or- 
ganizer of  great  ability,  so  much  so  that  other  schools  of  the 
country  sent  experts  to  study  his  methods  with  a  view  to  their 
adoption.  This  latter  position  was  only  given  up  in  response  to 
the  wishes  of  his  wife  and  family,  who  were  desirous  of  return- 
ing to  America.  Mr.  Schreyer  yielded  to  those  desires,  but 
before  finally  doing  so  he  made  a  concert  journey  through  Eu- 
rope with  his  daughters  also  eminent  artistes.  After  a  brief 
residence  the  High  School  of  Music  was  established  and  know- 
ing his  experience  and  conscientiousness  it  is  safe  to  predict 
for  this  institution  a  brilliant  future  as  a  mighty  educational 
factor  in  this  city,  in  a  word,  r\  success  equal  to  his  former  en- 
terprises. 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


Acrahung,   3 
Acre  of  Roses,  47 
Adamsville,    loi 
Adee,  George   T.,   13 
Adee    Property,   66 
Alaskan  Kadiak,  Bear,  46 
Albany  Avenue,   10,   17,   18,   19,  24.  25 
Albany  Post  Road,  10,  17,   18,  19,  24,  25 
Algonquins,   3 
Allen,   W.    M.,   99 
Amackassin,   lo 
"Ambleside,"   99 
American   Fort    (1776),   28 
Amerindians,   3 

"Ancient    Glebe,"   Westchester,    13 
Andre,  Major,  28 
Anne  Hutchinson,  7,  8,  .S3 
Ann-Hook    (Wampage),   4,    n 
Anneke  Jans,   7 
Annexed  District,  103 
Anthony   Avenue,    103 
Anthony  the  Trumpeter,   19 
Antonia  Slagboom,  7 
Aquahung,  3,   7 
Aqueanoncke,  4 
Aqueducts — 
Kensico,  93 
New    Croton,   93 
Old   Croton,  92 

Arcer,  Jan.  77 

Archer,  John,  77 

Arnold,  B.  G.,  99 

Arnold,  Benedict,  2.S 

Arnold  Mansion,  72,  99 

Arnold's  Point,  73,  99 

Arrow  Heads,  S 

B 

Bailey,   N.    P..   24 

Bailey  Avenue,  24 

Bailey,  William,   13 

Barbadoes,   33 

Baretto  Estate,  89 

Baretto,  F.  J.,  89,  99 

Baretto  Mansion,  89,  99 

Barnes,  William,  4 

Bartow,  i.  S.s.  103 

Bartow  Mansion,  li,  53.  5<J 

Bartow,    Rev.    John,    15 

Bartow,  Robert,  57 

Bartow    Station,   S3,   55,   59 

Bathgate  Avenue,  75 

Bathgate  Avenue's  Old  House,  75 

Bathgate  Estate,  .^0 

Bathgate   Homestead,   39 

Bathgate   Houses,  Jerome   Park,  92 

Bathgate,   J.,  92 

Bathgate,  J..  House,   92 

Battery,    107 

Baxter,  Thomas,   5 

Bavchester,  103 

Bear  Ridge,  48,  66 

Bears'  Den,  2 

Bear   Swamp,   S 

Bear  Swamp  Road,  5 

Beaver   Swamp  Road,  47 

Beck  Memorial   Church,  41 

Becker   Avenue.   50 

Bedford   Park,   loi 

Belmont,  loi  . 


Bennett,  James  Gordon,  93 

Bennett,  John,  57 

Benson,   B.  L.,  74 

Benson  Mansion,   loi 

Bensonia,  loi 

Eensonia  Cemetery,  74 

Berkley  Oval,  lOi 

Berrian  Cemeteries,  21,   76 

Berrian  Farm  House,   19.  79 

Berrian,   Jacob,   Residence,    lOr 

Berrian's   Neck,    19 

Berrian,  Saiirael,  76 

Berrien,  John,  76 

Berrien,  Nicholas,  76 

Black  Rock,  2,  74 

Black  Swamp,  95 

"Bleach,"  The,  46 

Bleach  Mills,  46 

Block,  Adrian,  69 

"Bloody  Well,"  The,  18 

"Blythe,"  99 

Bogardus,  Everardus,  7 

Bolton,  James,  46,  48 

Bolton   Residence,  46 

Bonner,   Robert,  37 

Borough  of  the  Bronx,  7 

Boston,  91  r>     J^ 

Boston    Avenue    (Boston    Post    Road), 

17,   24,   25,   27.   29,   32,   57,   63,   74,   92 
Boston    Road    (Morrisania),    i,    IS,   29- 

32.  35,  38,  39,  41,  42,  45,   53,  66,   88, 

lOI 

Botanical    Garden,   2,    47 

Botanical   Museum,   50 

Boulevard       Lafayette,       or      Riverside 

Drive,  3 
Boulders,  I,  2 
Bowne,   S.   B.,    13 
"Breakneck   Hill,"   42.    77 
Bridges  to  Manhattan- 
King's    Bridge,    17,   79 
Farmers'.   Free  or   Dyckman  s,   17,   70 
Spuyten  Duvvil  R.  R.   Bridge,  79 
Hendrik  Hudson  Memorial  Bridge,  79 
Broadwav  Bridge,  79 
Fordham    Heiglits    Bridge,   79 
Washington   Bridge,  79,   80 
High  Bridge,  70,  80 
Putnam    Division,    N.    Y.    C.    R.    K. 

Bridge,  80 
Macomb's   (CentraO   Bridge.  80 
145th   Street   Bridge.  81 
Madison  Avenue  Bridge,  81 
Park  Avenue   (N.   Y.   Central   R.  R.) 

Bridge,  81 
Harlem    ("Third  Avenue)    Bridge,  81 
Second  Avenue  Brid.ge,  81 
Willis  Avenue  Bridge,  81 
Broadway  Bridge,  79 
Bridges.   Charles,   9 
"Brightside,"  99 
Broadway,    Yonkers,    10 
Bronck.  Jonas,  7,  77 
Bronck.  House  of,  8 
Bronck,  Peter,  7 
Bronck,  Rev.  Mitchell,  7 
Bronck's  River,   11 
Rroncksland,  7,  33,  34 
Bronks,  Jonas,   .34 
Bronx  .\queduct.  93 
Bronx  Borough.  3.  63.  93 
Bronx  County,  105 


Bronx  Park,   I,  5,  7,  41,  48,  74,  85 
Bronx  River,  3,  7,  10,  28,  41,  42,  45,  48, 

85,  89,  101,  103,   105 
Bronxdale,   64,   74,    103 
Bronxland,  7 
Bronxvvood   Park,    103 
Brook   .\venue,   3 
Buena  Vista  Ridge  Road,  83 
Burr,   Aaron,    15,   42,   61 
Burr- Hamilton   Pistols,   20 
Burying   Grounds — 

Bensonia,    74 

Berrian,  21 

Berrian     (Fordham    Heights),    76 

Ferris   (Westchester).  13 

Hunt,  90 

Leg.gctt,  89,  go 

Pasture   Hill,    13 

Pell,  56 

St.   Paul's,  Eastchester,   15 

St.    Peter's,  Westchester,   13,  89 

Underbill,  66 

Woodlawn  Cemetery,   13,  28,  49 
Bufsing's   Point,  80 
Byram  River,  48 


Camman  Estate,  24 

Camman,  O.,   lOi 

Camp,   Hugh   N.,  Residence,   lOi 

"Canal   Street  Cottage,"   Riverdale,   !■; 

Carr   Hill,    loi 

Casanova  Mansion,  73.  74,  99 

Casanova,  Senor,  73,   155 

"Castello  de  Casanova,"  73-  99 

Casting,   Samuel,   IS 

Castle    Hill,    5-   69 

Castle  Hill  Farm  Hou.se,  112 

Castle   Hill   Mansion,   69 

Cauldwell  Avenue,   i 

Cave  near  Leggett  Avenue,  72 

Cave   in   Edenwald.   52 

Cedar   Avenue,  83 

Cedar   Hill.    loi  . 

Cedar  of  Lebanon.  Hunts   Point,  88 

Cedar  of  Lebanon.   Throgg's  Neck,  67 

Cedar   (Si.gel)    Park,  83 

Cedar  Tree   Brook,   ti 

Central  Bridge,  80.  83,   105 

Central  Morrisania.  85,   loi 

Central   Morrisania   Station,  85 

Chandler,  Rev.  Dr.,  69 

Cherry  Lane.   89 

Chcrrv  Tree   Point,   103 

Chisholm,   Walter,  88 

Christian   Brothers'   Academy.  9 

City  Hall,  85 

City  History  Club,  57  ^      ^^ 

City  Island,   i.  3,   55.  57,   .58,  59,  63,  66, 

8S,  103        ^  . ,  ^ 

City   Island   Brid.ee.   59,  61 
City  Island  Road,  55.  lol 
Ciaflin   Mansions.   loi 
Claremont,  25,   loi 
Claremont  Park.  2.  83.  85.  95 
Clason's  Point.  0.  56.   103,   lOS 
Clason's   Point  Road,  9 
Clinton,  De  Witt,  28 
Clinton,  General,  18 
Clinton,  James,   28 
Cock  Hill,  19.  23 
Cock  Hill  Fort,  19 


414 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


Coffey,  Rev.  W.  S.,  IS 

Cold   Spring,   JManliatlan.   19 

Cold   Spring,  Long  Island,  65 

"Colen  Donck,"   10 

Coles'    Bridge,  49,  81 

Coles,   Mr.,  30,  31 

Coles  Road,  31 

Collect  Pond,  7 

College  Point,  9 

Collins   Lane,   i,  55,  57 

Collins  Mansion,  57 

Collins,   Mr.,  8 

Colonial  Gardens,  10 

Colonial   Inn,  59 

Colonial  Road   (Boston  Avenue),  27 

Concourse,  103 

Cooper,  James  Fenimore,  20 

Cooper.  Rev.   Dr.,  69 

Cornell.  Thomas,  7,  8,  9 

Cornell's  Neck,  8,  103 

Corsa,  Andrew,  96 

Corsa.  Andrew,  Residence,  96 

"Cosey  Nook,"  99 

Court  House,  2iJ 

"Cowboys,"  18 

"Cowboys  Oak,"  36 

Crabb  "Island,  96 

Crawford,   Francis.  28 

Cromwell    Avenue,   96 

Cromwell's   Creek,   95 

Crv>mwell  Farm  House,  93,  96 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  76 

Croton   .\queducts,  76,  80,   92,  93 

"Croton  Maid,"  93 

Crotona  Park,  39 

Crotona  Parkway,  42 

Croton  River,  48 

Croton  Water  Commissioners,  88 

Cuba,  99 


Dark  Valley,  48 

Dash's  Lane,  19 

Dashwood,  Mrs.,   loi 

Dater  Mansion.   72,  99 

Dater,  Philip,  72 

Decatur,  Stephen,  61 

De  Graaf  Residence,  2,y 

De  Lancey   Block   House,  42 

De  Lancey  Family.  35,  45 

De  Lancey  Horse,  12.  45 

De  Lancey.  James,  45 

De  Lancey  Mansion,  45 

De  Lancey's  Mills,  45 

De  Lancey.  Oliver,  20,  45,  87 

De   Lancey,    Peter,   45 

De   Lancey   Pine,  45,   46 

De  Lancev,  T.  J..  40 

De  Lavall.  Tho..  30 

De  Long,  Lieutenant.  49 

De  Milt  Avenue.  28 

Dennison's  Lane.   72 

Deniiiison-White    Residence,     i,    96 

Department  of  Street  Improvements,  103 

Devil's   Stepping   Stones.  65 

De  Voe,  Charles,   Sr..  96 

De  "Voe,  John   H..   96 

De  'Voe.  John  H.,  Residence,  96 

De  Voe,  Moses.  77.  loi 

De  Voe  Family.  06 

De  Voe's  Point.  80,  q6 

De  Vries.   Davidy    Pietterscn,    10 

Deed  of  'Westchester,  II 

Deer,   10 

Dickenson    Residence,    loi 

Dickey.  C.  D.,  99 

Dodge,  \V.  E..  Residence,  loi 

Dolling,  John.  0 

D'.'\ngouleme.  Duchcsse,  33 

Drake.  Joseph   Rodman,  89,  91 

Drake  Family,  15 


Drake,    Susjuiuah,    57 

Drovers'    Inn,   near   Eastchester,   66 

Drovers'   Inn.    Morrisania,  35 

Dry  Bridge,  37 

Duke  of  York.  56,  87 

Dutch   Patents,  8 

Dutch  Reformed   Church,   Fordham,   77, 

92 
Dyckman's   Bridge,   17,   79 


East  Morrisania,  99,    loi 

East  River,  69 

East  Tremont,   103 

Eastchester,  4.   t,   14,  28.  51,   s^.  6s,   64, 

65,  88,   107 
Eastchester   Comimon,   15 
Eastchester  Creek,  4,  8,  53 
Eastern  Boulevard,  3,  11,  55 
Eastern   Post  Road,  29 
Echo   Park,   83 
Edenwald,   51.   103 
Edsall,   Samuel.  34 
"Elmwood."  99 
Emmaus,  7 
"Embrook,"  loi 
Eltona,    103 
Erie  Canal,  28 
Esquimaux,   i,  96 


Faile,  E.  G..  88,  99 

Faile,  G.,  Estate,  88,  loi 

Faile   Manor,  88 

Faile   Mansion,  88,  99 

"Fairlawn,"   loi 

Fairmount.   39,    103 

Farmers'   Bridge,   17,  42 

Farragut.  Adnnral.  49 

Featherbed   Lane,   96,   lOI 

Felix    Oldboy,    105 

Ferris,  Benjamin,  13 

Ferris    Graveyard.    13 

P'erris  Homestead,  65 

Ferris      House,      Westchester      Countr-. 

Club,  56 
Ferris,   John,   4 

Ferris  Mansion.  Zerega's  Point.  67 
Ferris    or    Ferry    Point,   67,    103 
Ferry  at   Harlem,  30 
Ffowler.    Henry,    15 
"Fire  of  Troy."  7 
First  Avenue.  81 
Fleetwood   Park.  34 
Flushing,   8 
Flushing  Bay,  9 
Flypsen.  Frederyck,   79 
Font  Hill,  loi 
Ford  Across  the  Bronx.  46 
Fordham,  42,  43.  73.  76.  83.  96.  loi 
Fordham    Avenue.  33.  37.  39,   73 
r^'ordham  Heights.  83.  loi 
Forilham   Heights'   Bridge.    79 
Ivirdham  Landing  Road.  76.  83 
Fordham  Park.  83 
Fordham  Road.  76.  77,  loi,  103 
Fordham   Road,   Old.   75 
Fordham    Square.   76 
Fordham  Station.  83.  83,  101 
Fordham  University,  76 
Forest   Grove,   loi 
Forrest.   Edwin.    loi. 
Fort  Amsterdam.  3,  10 
Fort  Independence.  24.  27.  92 
Fort   Independence   Avenue.   24 
Fort  No.  I,  24 
Fort  No.  2,  24 
Fort  No.  3.  24 
Fort  No.  4.  24 
Fort  No.  3.  24 
Fort  No.  6,  24 


Fort  No.  7,  24 

Fort  No.  S,  24 

Fort  Prince  Charles,  24 

Fort  Schuyler,  65,  67,  103 

Fort  Swartwout,  24 

Fowler,   Miss   Elizabeth,  21 

Fox  Barn,  88 

Fox  Corners,  74,  87,  91,  93 

Fox  Estate,  88 

Fox  Farm  House,  87 

Fox,  George,   13,  gi 

Fox,   G.    S.,   99 

Fox  Square,  88 

Fox,  W.  W.,  88 

"Foxhurst."  88.  93.  99 

Franklin.   Benjamin,   64 

Frequemcck,    10 

Free  Bridge,  17,  79 

Frog's    Neck.  63 

"Frog's"  Point,  8 


Gardiner's    Island,   SZ 
Gate  House  to  William  H.  Morris  Res- 
idence, 35 
"General   Slocum."  The,  71 
Georgi   House,   37 
Giles,   W.   O.,   Residence,   24.   27 
Gi\-an  Homestead,   103 
Glacial   Age,   I 
Glacial    Grooves,    2 
Glacial  Man,  i 

Glass   House.    Bronx    Park.   47 
Glebe  Avenue,   13 
Glover,  Colonel,  i,  35,  56 
Glover's  Rock,  i,  55 
Goose  Island,  103 
Gorge,   Bronx   Park,   47 
Gould,  Jay,   Monument.  49 
Governor  Marcy.  88,  92 
Governor  Minuit,  7 
Governor  Kieft,  7,  8 
Governor  Nichols,  69 
Governor  Stuyvesant.  9,   19 
Governor  Winthrop.  9 
Grand  Boulevard  and  Concourse,  103 
Gravelly  Brook,   11 
Grand   Central   Station,   103 
"Gray  Mare,"  The.  37 
"Great  Eastern."  The,  79 
"Green  Bank,"  99 
"Graystone,"   loi 
Greenwich,  63 
Greenwood    Cemetery.   37 
Gresham.  Secretary,  71 
Grove  Hill.   37.   loi 
Grove,   Siah's.  69 
Guion.   Charles,    15 
Guion.  I\Irs..   i^ 
Gu!i  Hill  Road'  28.  _|c) 


H 


Hadley  House.   19 

Haffcn.  Hon.  Louis  F.,  loi,  103 

"Half   IMoon,"  3,    19 

Hall.  Ralph    and  Mary,  39 

Halleck.  Fitz  Greene,  89 

Hamilton-Burr    Pistols,    20 

Hamilton  Grange,  52 

Hammer's  Hotel.  37 

Hammond.  Abijah,  67 

Hand,  Colonel,  63 

Hand.   George.   Residence,    i,"] 

Harlaem,  29 

Harlaem   Road,   29 

Harlem.  7,  29,  30,  34,  49,  83,  90.  96 

Harlem  Bridge.  17,  30,  31,  37,  39,  81,  <>: 

Harlem  FlatsT  88 

Harlem  Kills.  31,   103 

Harlem  Railroad,  33.  49,  75,  103 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


4J5 


Plarlem  River,  7,  79,  80.  Si,  92,  93,  95. 

103,  107 
Harlem  River  Bridges,  79,  80,  81 
Harlem  River  Station,   N.   Y..   N.   H.  & 

H.   R.   R.,   7 
Harlem  Valley,  75 
Hart's  Island,  67,  103 
Haskin,  J.  B.,  24,  76 
Hassock  Meadow,  42.  43 
"Haunted  Cedar   Knoll."  53 
Havemeyer  Mansion,  67 
Havemeyer  Place,  63 
Havens,   Captain  W.   C.  28 
Havens'  House,  28 
Havens,  Mr.,  17,  28 
Havens,   Mrs.,  28 
"Tlawkswood,"   lOl 
Hay  House,  SS 
Heatli,    General,    28,   63 
Heath.   General,   Memoirs,  63 
Heathcut,   Colonel,   15,   ^,2 
Heine  Fountain,  83,  103 
Hell  Gate,  5.  34.  53.  .SO.  61 
Hemlocks,    Bronx   Park,   47 
Henderson,  Mr.,  57 
Hendrick  Hudson,  3 
Hendrick  Hudson  Memorial  Bridge,   79 
"Hermitage,"   The,   48 
Hessians,    The,    56,    57.    63 
Highhridge,    24,    76,    80,   88,   92,   93 
Highbridgeville,  77.  95,   96,   loi 
Hiijh  Island.  103 
Hoe.  P.  A.,  99 
Hoe,  R.  M.,  88,  90 
Home  for  Incurables.  43.  75,  76 
Home  Street.  2.  87.  105 
Honeywell,    Philip.    13 
Horton.  Joseph,  10 
Howe  Chestnut,  57 
Howe,   General,   2,   55,   63 
Howe,  Lord,  55-  56.  57.  90 
Howe.  Lord,  Headnnarters  of,  56 
"Huckleberry  Road,"'   37.   85 
Hudson  River.  3,   19.  24,   loi,   103 
Hudson    Memorial    Bridge,    3 
Huguenots,    i 
Hunt  Burying  Ground,  89 
Hunt    Family,   01 
Hunt  Family   CEastchester"),   IS 
Hunt  House.   Boston  Road.   38 
Hunt  Inn.  87.  89 
Hunt,  Tnhn.  4,  87 
Hunt,   Toseph,  5 
Hunt,  Josiah,  60 
Hunt  Mansion,  00 
Hunt,  Thomas,  87,  QO 
Hunt's  Bridge.  49 
Hunt's   Point,   -I,  87.   R8.   89.  90 
Hunt's  Point  Road.  88.  80.  01.  99 
Hunter.  Mr..  ?7 
Hunter's  Island.  4,  5".  '03 
Huntington,  C.  P.,  i9,  82 
Huntington,   C.   P..   Mansion,  67 
llunlington,   Mr«.,   67 
Hustace.    .Augustus.   28 
Husface-C?sh   House.  28 
"Hussar."  The,  71,  90 
Hutchinson,    Anne,   7,   8.   53 
Hutchinson  River.  8.   11.  53.   55 
Hvatt    Homestead,    49,    50 
Hyatt's  Lane,  49 


I 


Indians.   I.  2.  3.  4.  53.  77 

Indian   Brook,  13 

"Indian   Cemetery,"  4 

Indian    Deed    of   Eastchester,    4 

Indian   Deed  of  Westchester,  4 

Indian   Deed    (0\d^.  0 

Indian  Field  of  Van  Cortland  Park,  23 


Indian   Fortification,   52 

Indian   Ghosts,   53 

Indian  Grant,  56 

Indian  Hiding  Place,  51 

Indian  Names,  3 

Indian  Pond,  39 

Indian  Rock,  49 

Indian  Sachems,  4 

Indian    Shell   Beds,  3 

Indian  Skeletons,  4 

Indian  Tribes,  3 

Indian  Villages,  3 

Indian  Well   or  Bath,    i,   2 

Intervale   Avenue,  87 

Inwood,   loi 

In  wood   Heights,   119 

Irving.    Washington,   65 

Isaac  Varian   Homestead.  27 

Iselin  Mansion,  57 

Island  of  Manhates.   10 

Island  of  Shells,  59 


Jack's   Rock,   2 

Jacksonville,  103 

James  II.,  56 

Jans,  Anneke,  7 

Janes  &  Kirtland's    Iron   Fonndrv,    74 

Janes,  Mr..  99 

Jay,  Mrs.  John,  33 

Jay.  Jud.gc   William.   33 

Jefferson    Place.    35 

Jennings    Family.    35 

Jennings'  Old   Homestead.  35 

Jerome,  103 

Jerome  Avenue,  2.  27,  93.  05.  9^.   103 

Jerome,  Leonard  W.,   loi 

Jerome  Park,  02,  93.  loi 

Jerome   Park   Club   House,  92 

Terome  Park  Reservoir.  2.  27.  92.  93 

Jerome     Park     Reservoir.      Breastwork 

in,  92 
lerome     Park    Reservoir     Gate     Hous  . 

No.   5.  93 
Terome  Park  Polo  Club  House.  93 
Jcssup.  Edward.   42.  43.  87,  89,  90 
Jessup,   Elizabeth.  90 
Jessup  Place,  96 
Johnson's  Tavern,  45 
lonas   Bronck,   7 
Joseph  Rodman  Drake  Park,  90 
Joshua  Pell  House,  93 

K 

Kekeskick,    10 

Kensico,  48 

Kensico  Lake.  93 

Kensico  Reservoir,  48 

Kcskeskeck  Region,   10 

Kicft.  Wilhelm.  7.  8,  34 

Kingsbridge,    3.    10.    17.    20,    23,    25,    27. 

63.   77-  80.   85,  96.    103 
King's  Battery,  24 
Kingsbridge   Heights,  25 
Kingsbridge  Farm,  25 
Kingsbridge    Road,    17,    28,    42.    46.    6^. 

75.  76.  77.  92.   loi 
Kingsbridge  Shin  Canal.  79 
Kingsbridge  TolN.   17 
King  Edward  VI.,  88 
Kirrland,  99 
Kissing  Bridge,  91 
Knight,   Madam,    17,   .32 
Ko'ck,  7 
Knyphausen.  Count  Von.  57 


Laaphawatchking.   4.   53 
Laconia,  TO^ 

Lafavette.  General.  23.  3.'?,  9° 
Lafavette  .Avenue  or  Lane,  91 


"Land  of  Peace,"  .53 
Lee,  General,  55,  56 
Loggett  Burying  Ground,  89 
Leggett  Dock,  89 
Leggett  Family,  90 
Leggett's  Lane,  72,  99 
Leggett  Mansion,  72 
Leggett,    Mr.,    87 
Leggett,  Nanc\.  8<i 
Leggett  Point.  72 
Legg-tt,  Wilbam,  89 
Lincoln,  General.  63 
Lincoln  Park  Station,  21 
Livingston,  R.   R.,  25 
Locust  Point,   103 
"Locusts,"   The,  88 
London,  107 

Long  Island,  63,  65,  67 

Long    Island    Sound,    5.    .'^,    11,    53.    61. 
63.  fi5.  67,  69,  71,  72,  74.  95 

Longfellow   Street  or  Avenue,  loi 

Longwood  Avenue,  72,  91 

Longwood  Club  House,  72,  91 

Longwood   Park,  72,   loi 

Lorillard  Acre  of  Roses,  47 

Lorillard   Estate,  46 

Lorillard  Falls.  47 

Lorillard   Family,  99 

Lorillard.  Jacob,  Mansion.  75.  76 

Lorillard  Mansion,  Bronx  Park.  7,  47 

Lorillard  Mansion,  Zere.ga's  Point,  69 

Lorillard.  Pierre,  47.  48 

Lorillard    Snuff   Mill,  47 

Lorillard    Studio.  47 

Louis   XIV.,  33 

Lovelace.  Governor,  64 

Lovers'  Lane.  47.   loi 

"Lower   Cortlandt's."   19 

Ludlow  Island.   103 

Lvdig  Familv.   i 

Lydis's   IMills,   45.   48 

Lynch.  Dominick.  9 


M 


"Macedonia."  The.  61 

Macedonia  Hotel,  61 

Macomb.  Alexander,  80 

Macomb's  P.riilge.  80 

Macomb's  Dam,  81 

Macomb's  Dam  Bridge,  80,  81,  96 

Macomb's  Dam   Park,  83 

Macomb  Mansion,  17.   18,  loi 

Macomb's  Road,  75.  ."6,  96,   loi 

Madison   Avenue   l^ridge,   81 

Mali,  H,  W.  T.,  24,   loi 

Mamimepoe,  4,  5.   n 

Mancttas.  3 

Alanhattan    I-land.   3.   7.    17.   -:^.   M-   4- 

55,  63 
Manor  of  F(U-dham.   77 

Mansions  in  the  Bronx — 
Arnold.  72.  99 
Baretto.  89,  99 
Bartow,   11,  53,  56 
Benson,  74 
Camp,  lOl 

Casanova    (Whitlock),    7,^,   74 
Claflin,   loi 
Dashwood.   loi 
Dalcr,   72,  99 
De  Graaf,  37 
Dennison-Whitc,   72,    loi 
Dickey.  09 
Dodge.   loi 
Faile.  88.  90 
Ferris.    67 
Forrest.  lOl 
Fox,  88,  99 
Havemeyer,  67 
Hoe,  P.  A.,  99 


4J6 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


Mansions  in  the  Brcnx — 

Hoe,   R.   M.,  99 

Hunt,  90 

Hinitington,    67 

Iselin,   57 

Leggett,   72 

Lorillard,   Jacob,   75,   76 

Lorillard,   Pierre,    7,   47 

Lorillard,   Zerega's   Point,   69 

Macomb,  17,  iS  loi 

Mali,    loi 

Marcher,   loi 

Marshall,   59,   loi 

Morris,    Goiiverneur,  33 

Morris,  Lewis,  33,  34 

Morris,  Lewis  G.,  75,   loi 

Morris,  William   H.,  37 

Ogden   (Pelham  Bay  Park),  57 

Ogden,  William  B.    (Boscobel),  loi 

Pell,  57 

Poole,  J.   D,,   loi 

Simpson,  99 

Spofford,  88,  99 

Stebbins,   95 

Stanton,  "jd 

Thompson,  loi 

Van  Cortlandt,  17.  27 

Vyse,  87,  99 

Walker,  42 

White,   loi 

Willett.   9 

Wilson.  loi 

Zborowski.  83,  95 

Zerega,  69 
Marcher  Avenue.  06 
Marcher  Mansion.   loi 
Marcy,    Governor.    88,    92 
Marion  Avenue.   loi 
Marshall   Mansion.    i;9,    io.t 
Matilda  Street,  50 
Mayane,  5 
McLean  Avenue,  49 
"Meigs.    General,"   67 
Melrose,  74,  85.   103 
Melrose  Park.  83 
Melrose,  South,  103 
"Mercury,"  The.  71 
Middletown,   103 
Middletown  Road,  6; 
Mile    Square.   55.   56 
Mile   Square  Road,  23.  49 
Mill  at  Kingsbridge,  79 
Mill  Brook.  3.  32,  74 
Mill  Creek,  16  ' 
Mill  Lane,  16.  88 
"Minford   Place."    loi 
Minford.  Thomas.  loi 
Minneford's   or   City  Island,   59.   61 
Minneford  Avenue.  61 
Minuit.  Governor.  7 
Mishow   (Indian  Rock),  57 
Mohawk  Indians,   10 
Mohicans   (Mohegans"),  3 
Monterey.  loi 
Monfeomery.    General    Richard.    24.   25, 

27,  77 
Montgomery.  General  Richard's  Will,  27 
Montressor"s   Island.   63 
Morgnn.  Rev.  Joseph.   15 
Morrell   Park.   103 
Morris.   Augustus   Newbold.  34 
Alorris  Avenue.   103 
Morris,  Captain  Richard.  33.  34 
Morris.  Colonel.  34 
ATorris  Dock.  80.  lOI 
Morris  Farm,  35 
'^'forris  Farm  House,  37 
Morris,   General,  33 
Morris.   General.   House,   77 
Morris,  Gouverneur.  31.  33.  34.  75 
Morris.    Gouverneur.    II..    35.    37.    74 
Morris  Gouverneur,  Mansion,  33 


Morris,  Gouverneur,   Mrs..   74 

Morris  Heights,   loi 

Morris,  James,  37 

Morris  High  School,  32 

Morris  Lane,  55 

Morris,  Lewis,  30,  99 

Morris,  Lewis  G.,  75,  80,   loi 

Morris,   Lewis,    Residence,   34 

Morris,  Mrs.  .\ugusla  De  Puyster,  34 

Morris  Park,  103 

Morris   Tree,  31 

Morris,  William   H.,  :^7 

Morris.  William  H.,  Gate  House,  35 

Morrisania,  S,  7,   30,   31,   32,  33,  35,  38, 

-13,  85,  96,   103,   IDS,   107 
Morrisania,    East,   99,    loi 
Morrisania   Mill,   96 
Morrisania,   Old,  33,  34 
Morrisania  Manor,  'ii 
?\iorrisania  Station,  85 
Alorrisania   Town  Hall,   37 
Morrisania,   West,   37 
Mosholu,   103 
Mosholu  Parkway.  27.  103 
Mott  Avenue.  8?,  \o\ 
Mott,  De  Witt  C,   37 
Mott,  Frank  P..  37 
Mott   Haven.  31.  85.  99,   loi 
Motte's  Residence.  76 
Mount  Eden,  loi 
Mount  Fordham,  75.  loi 
Mount  Hope,  75.  83.   loi 
Mount  Hope  Hill,  75.  83.   loi 
Mount    Pleasant.    loi 
Mount   St.   Vincent,    loi,    103 
Mount  Vernon.  51,  103 
Mount  Washington,  63 
Muscoota,  3 


N 


Negro  Fort,  27 

Neperhaem,  10 

Neutral  Ground.  18.  30.  42 

New  Amsterdam,  7,  8 

New  Netherland,   10,   11 

New   Rochelle,   i,   17,  28,  31,   32,  53,  56. 

.=-,   63.   8s 
"New   Village,"   34.   35.   2,7 
New  York,    103 
New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad.  29.  35. 

49,  75,   102 
New  York  Bay,  74 
New  York  Botanical  Garden,  2,  47 
New  York  Central  Railroad.  85 
New    York    Central    Railroad.    Putnam 

Branch,  85 
New     York     Central     Railroad     Power 

House,  71 
New  York  City,  57,  80.  91.  92 
New    York   University.    loi 
New   York  Zoological   Park,   45 
Nichols,  Governor,  43,  69,  87 
Nimham,  4,  23 
Nipinichsan.   3 
Nolan's  Hotei.  76 
Nonpareil.  So 
Nnrth  Melrose.   103 
Noith   Brother  Island,  "I,  72 
North  New  York,  loi 


Oaklawn.   loi 
Oak  Point,  72,  99 
Oak  Ridg  Club  House,  03 
Oak  Tree  Plot.  43 
Oak  Tree  Stump.  75 
Oakley   Grove.  75 
Oaklev.  IMiles.  75 
Odell   Family.   15 
Odell's   Tavern,    ig 


Ogden   Mansion    (Highbridge),   loi 
Ogden    Mansion    (Pelham    Bay    Park), 

57 
Ogden,  William   B.,   loi 
Oldboy,  Felix,   105 
Old-Fashioned  Flower  Garden.  47 
Old  French   Inn,   18 
"Old    Pell    House,"    11 
"Old  Stone  Jug,"  35 
Olinville,    103 
One     Hundred    and     Forty-fifth     Street 

Bridge,  Si 
Oostdorp,   13 


Palmer,  Benjamin  and  Philip,  61 

Palmer,  Nathan,  66 

Palmer,   Samuel,  5 

Papirinamen,   3 

Park  Avenue  Bridge.  81 

Park    Department,    103 

Park   Versailles,    103 

Parks  of  the  Bronx — 

Bronx,  I,  5,  7,  41,  48.  74,  85 

Cedar    (Sigel),   81 

Claremont,  83.  95 

Crotona,   39 

Echo,  83 

Fordliam,  83 

Joseph  Rodman  Drake,  90 

Macomb's   Dam,  83 

Melrose,   83 

Pelham  Bay,  4,  s,  8.  11.  53 

Poe,   83 

Rose  Hill,  83 

St.  James',  83 

St.    Mary's,   83 

L'niversity,   83 

Van   Cortlandt.   10.  21.  25 

Washington  Bridge,  83 
Parkways — 

Crotona,   42 

Mosholu,  27 

Pelham,   66 

Spuyten  Duyvil.  3,  79 
Parsonage   Land.  Westchester,   11 
Parsons,  Dr.  John.  25 
Pasture   Hill    Burying   Ground.    13 
Patti.  Adelina.  50 
Paul   House.  66 
Peabody  Home.  42 
"Pearl  of  the  Sound."  59 
Peary,  Lieutenant.  96 
Peckaniens,    10 
Pelham,   5,   11,  53.   57.  58,  65 
Pelham  Avenue,  75,  loi 
Pelham  Bay,  8,  67 

Pelham  Bai'  Park,   i.  4.  5,  8.   11.  53,  85 
Pelham   Bridge.   8.   55.   65 
Pelham  Manor,  56 
Pelham  Neck,  3.  4.  11.  63,  103 
Pelham  Parkway.  66 
Pelham    Priory,   53 
Pell.    Benjamin,   56 
Pell   Family,  99 

Pell   Family  Burying  Ground,  56 
Pell   Family  Crest,  56 
Pell  House,  55 
Pell.   Isec.   56 
Pell.  Joshua.  House,   S7 
Pell.   John.   TI.   s6 
Pell.  Jo.^eph.  (^7 
Pell.  Lord.  53 
Pell.    Major   Samuel,   15 
Pell    Manor   Plouse.   57 
Pell    Mansion    (Wolf's   Lane).   5-,    '^7 
Pell.   Phebe.   57 
Pell.   Salom.  57 
Pfll.  Thomas.  11.  53,  .=;6 
Pell.  Thomas.  Deed  of  Westchester,   II 
Pell's  Land,  5 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


417 


Pell's   Point,  55 

Pennyfield,   103 

Perry,   Commodore,  28 

"Peter  of  the   Mills,"   45 

Peter  Valentine  Farm  House,  76 

Phantom  Fire   Ship,  53 

"Phenix,"  The,  23 

Philipse,    Frederick,    79 

Pinchey,  John,  15 

"Place    of    Stringing    Beads,"    4 

"Planting     Field"     (.Dr.     A.     Van     der 

Donck),  10 
"Planting  Neck"   (Hunt's  Point),  89,  90 
Pleasantville,   48 
Pocaliontas,  74 
Pocahontas   Railroad.   74 
Poe   Cottage,   77,   83,    101 
Poe,   Edgar  Allan,   76,   77 
Poe,    Mrs.,    76,    77 
Poe  Park,  83 
Poole.    J.    T..    loi 
Portchester   Railway.    105 
Port   Morris,   31,   71.   74,    loi 
Port    Morris   Railroad,   31 
Post.    Frederick.    21 
Pot  Rock.  71 
Potter  Place,  103 
Powell  Farm  House.  76 
Powell.   Rev.   William.   76 
Presbyterian  Church,  Westchester,  56,  63 
Prcscott,    Colonel,   63 
Prospect  Avenue,  72,  74 
Prospect   Hill,   11,  57.    loi 
Province  of  New  York.  61 
Pudding   Rock,   I 
Pugsley's    Causeway.   2 
Purdy's   Grocery   Store.   74 
Purdv,    Samuel    M..   99 
Putnam  Branch,  N.  Y.   C.  R.  R..  2^.  R^ 
Putnam  Branch,  N.  Y.  C.  R.  R.  Bridge. 

80 
Putnam.  Israel,  66 


Quaker    Meeting    Houses.    Westchester, 

Quarry  Road,  43,  75 
Queens   County,   87 
Ouinnahung,   89 
Quckog.   4 


Railroads — 

New   York  &  Harlem,   35,  49,   75.  S3, 

105 

New  York  Central.  85 
New   York   Central,    Putnam    Branch. 
23,  8s 
New    York    Central.     Putnam     Branch. 
Yonkers  Division.  85 
New  York,   New   Haven  &   Hartford, 

8S 

New   York,   New   Haven   &    Hartford 
(Suburban    Branch).   85 

New   York.   New    Haven   &    Hartford 
(Suburban   Branch),   Harlem   River 
Station,  7 
Railways — 

•■Huckleberry"  or  Union.  85 

Portchester.    69 

Suburban    Elevated.    8.t 

Subway.  85 

Westchester  &  Boston,   105 
Ranaqua.   7 
"Ranaaue."   99 
Randal's   Map.   75 
Randall's  Island.  96 
Ranelagli.   Countess  of,  25 
Ratilesnake  Brook,  s.   ifi.  52 
"Raven,"  The.  76 
Raymond,   Seth,  46 


Rechgawac,  10 

Reid,  John.    16 

Reid,   Roberl,    16 

Reid's    Mill.    16 

Rhinelander   Sugar   House   Window,   21 

Richardson,  John,   42.  43,  87,  89 

Richardson,   Thomas.  87,  99 

Richardson.   William,  4 

"Ridgelawn."    loi 

Piker's  Island,  71 

Riverdale,    19,    loi,    103 

Riverdale  Avenue,   18 

Riverdale   Lane,   ig 

Roberts,    Rev.    Mr.,   67 

Roberts'   House,  67 

Rochambeau.  96 

Rockin.g  Stone,   i 

"Rocklands."   87.   gg 

"Rocky   Cliff."   loi 

Rodman   Place.   loi 

Rodmian's    Neck.    103 

Rodman's    Point.    55 

Rogers.    Jason,    gg 

Roger  Williams,  g 

"Rose."  The,  23 

"Rose  Hill"    (Featherbed  Lane),   101 

"Rose   Hill"    (Fordham).   76.  96 

Rose  Hill  Farm  House,  76.  83 

Rose  Hill  Manor  House.  76.  8^ 

Rose  Hill   Park.  83 

"Roseland,"    loi 

Rowe.    Captain.   21 

Royal    Charter    of    St.    Peter's    Church, 

Westchester.  11 
Rutgers'  Street  Burial  Plot,  Woodlawn, 

49 
Ryer   Avenue,    103 


S 


St.   Ann's   Avenue,   74,   84 

St.   Ann's    Church,   74 

St.   James'   Church.   83 

St.   James'   Park.   83 

St.  John's  Colle.ge.  76 

St.   Mary's   Park.   84 

St.    Paul's   Church,    Eastchester,    14.    15. 

4g 
St.   Paul's   Churchyard.   Eastchester.    T~,. 

57 
St.  Peter's  Church.  Westchester.   11,  69. 

75.  89.   105 
Sands,   Comfort,    15 
Sands    Point.    15 
Sanders   Landing,    15 
Sank-hi-can-ni,   3 
Sarin.go.  g.   10 
Saw  Mill   Brook,  32 
Schieffelin    Domain.   28 
School   House.   Old    (Melrose).  31 
Schuyler  Family.  33 
Schuyler.   Fort.   65,   67.    103 
Schuylerville.    103 
Schwab.   Gi'stav.  24 
Scott.   Sir  Walter.   88 
Screven  Place.  69 
Screven's  Point.   ^.  67 
fieabury.   Right   Rev.    .Sanuiel,    15.   69 
Seawant.  4 

Secor.  David   Pell.  57 
Secor  Fann'ly.  99 
Secor   Hill.   57 
.Second  Avenue  Bridge.  81 
.Sedgwick   .Avenue.    lOl 
"Seneca   Chief."   28 
Seton  Cave.  5t.  52 
Scion  F'alls.  28.  51 
Seton    PTall.    52 
•-eton  Homestead.  103 
.Seton    Mansion,   52 
Stwanoes,   3,  4,   5,   59.   60 


Sevranoes,  Castle,  5 

Shatemuc,    3 

"Shingled   House,"  28 

Shore   Road,   55 

Shute,    Thomas,    16 

Sigel   Park,  83 

Silver  Lake,   48 

Simpson,  J.   P..  &  W.   W..  gg 

Sisters    of    Charity    of    St.    Vincent    de 

Paul,   loi 
Siwanoys,  3,   53 
Skeleton   of   Indians.   4 
"Skinners,"   17,    18,  66 
Slagbom,   Antonia,  7 
Snake  Hill,  75 
Snake  Hill   (Harlem),  96 
Sound,    Long    Island.    5.    8,    11.    53,    55, 

61.  63,  65.  67.  6g.  71^  72,  74,  95 
South    Belmont,    103 
South  Fordham,  loi 
South  Mount  \"ernon,   103 
South    Washingtonville.    103 
Southern   Boulevard.   2,   ,38,   42,   72.    loi 
Southern  Westchester  Turnpike,   105 
Spain.  99 
.Spaniards,  gg 
Spencer's  Corners,  66 
Spiting   Devil,    17 
Split  Rock.   I,  8.   53.  57 
Split  Rock  Road,  i,  ii,  55 
Spofford   Mansion,  99 
Spofford,  P.  N.,  99 
"Springhurst."    gg.    loi 
Spuyten    Duyvil.   3,    19.   80.    10^ 
Spuyten  Duyvil  Creek,  3,  10,  18.  24.  77, 

103 
Spuyten  Duyvil  Heights.  19 
Spuyten  Duvvil  Hill.  24 
Spuyten  Duyvil  Parkway.  ->.  10.  79 
Spuyten  Duyvil   Railroad   Bridge.  79 
.Spuyten   Duyvil    Valley,   27 
"Spy   House."    38 
'-nv   Tree.   63,   66 
Stamford.  6^ 
.Stanton,   Joseph.    x6 
Stcbbins     Mansion.    95 
.Stenton   Mansion,   75,   76.    loi 
.Stcnton   Willow.    TCI 
Stenning    Stones.   65 
Stepping    Stones   Light,    65 
Stewart.  A.  T.,  ys 
.■utiles.  President  Yale  College.  55 
.Stinardtown.    lo^ 
-Stockbridffe  Indians.   23 
.'-trans'.    Peter.    24 
.Stuvvesant.   Governnr.  o.    10.  6; 
Suburban   Branch.   N.   Y..   N.    H.   &    H 

R.   R..  85 
Suburban  Elevated  Railway.  85 
.■^ubway.  43,  85,   105 
"Sunny  Slope,"   99 


Tacharew.    to 

Taekamuck.  7 

Tappan.  Judge,   tor 

Tapoan.    Judge.    Residence.    loi 

Tarlelon.    Lienlcnant-Colonel,   23 

Temple,    Charlotte.   32 

Tetard   Farm.  24 

Tetard's   Hill,   25 

Tetard,  J.    P.,  25,  27,  77 

Thames.    107 

Third  Avenue.  20.  37.  39,  43,  75.   lOT 

Thirteenth   Mile  Stone,   19 

Thompson,  W.  W..  Residence,  loi 

Thorn's   Corners.    19 

Throckniorlon.   John.   7.   8.   9 

Throckmorton's   Neck.  8 

Throgg's  Neck,  8,  9,  55,  61,  63,  67,  lo;. 


41S 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


'I'lnvnilc's  Old  lloiiK-slcad.  06 
Tibbitt    (Set-    Tipijctt) 
Tiffany  Family,  88 
'I'iffany,  H.   D.,  99 

Tippett's  Brook,  3,  18,  23 
Tippett  Family,   18 
Tippett,    George,    iS 
Tippett's  Hill,   18,   19,  23 
Tippett  House,  18 
Tippett  Valley.   43 
Town   Hall   of   Morrisania,   37 
Townsend   Poole  Cottage,  96 
Treaty  Oak,  53 
Tremont,  32,  43,  75,  85,   103 
Tremont    Avenue,   75 
Tremont  Old  School  House,  75 
Tremont  Station,  85 

Tryon,  Governor,  66 
Twin  Islands,  57 
Two  Brother  Islands,  71 


U 


Temperanec 


Uncle       Daniel       Mape 

House,  42 
Underbill   Burying  Ground.   66 
Underbill,    Captain    John,    8 
Underbill,   Mrs.   Lancaster,    15 
Underbill,  Nathaniel,  66 
L'nderhill,  Annie,  66 
Union    Hill,    loi 
LTnion  Place,  37 
LTnion  Railway.  37,  85 
Unionport,    T03 
University  Park.  83 
"Upper   Cortlandts,"    19 
Upper  Morrisania,  85,   loi 


Valentine  Avenue,  77 

Valentine  Family,  So 

Valentine   Family  Vault,   77 

Valentine  Farm  House,  27,  49 

Valentine's  Hill,  56 

Valentine,    James,    77 

Valentine,  Peter,  76 

Valentine,   Peter,   Farm   House,  76 

Van   Corlear,   Anthony.   19 

Van  Curlear.  Arent,  34 

Van  Cortland.   Stevanus,  96 

Van    Cortlandt.    Augustus,    23 

Van    Cortlandt    Family.    33 

Van  Cortlandt  PTouse,  Old.  21 

Van   Cortlandt   Lake.    10,    18,    23 

Van  Cortlandt   Mansion,   17,  21,  23.  27. 

49 
Van  Cortlandt  Miller's  Plouse,  20 
Van   Cortlandt   Mills,   10,  21 
Van  Cortlandt  Park.   to.  21.  25.  85 
Van  Cortlandt  Park  Parade  Ground.  19 
Van  Cortlandt  Vault.  23 
Van  Cortlandt  Woods,  23 
Van  der  Donck.  Dr.  Adrian,  7,  10.  77 
Van  der  Donck.  Death  of,  10 


\'an  der  Donck,  House  of,  10 

\':.n    der    Donck's,    Literary    Works    of, 

10 
Van   der   tloyken,    Cornelius,    10 
Van  Nest,  103 
Van   Renssalaer,   33 
Van  Ruyven.  Cornelius,  11 
Van  Thenhoven,  10 
Varian,  Dr.   William  A.,  20 
Varian.   Isaac,   Homestead,   27,  49 
Vault  Hill,  10,  23 
Verveelen,  Johannes,  30 
Villa  Boscobel,  loi 
Vincent-Halsey   House,    16 
Vincent.  Elijah,  16 
"Virginins,"   99 
Vredcland,  8.   11,   13,  53 
Vyse   Estate,  87 
Vyse  Mansion,  87,  99 
Vyse,  T.  A.,  99 


W 


Walker  Houses,   loi 
Walker  Mansion,  42 
Wakefield.  28,  50,  103 
Walton  Avenue,  103 
Walworth,    Chancellor, 
Wampage,  4.  5 
Wampum,  4 
Ward   Fami 
Wardsville, 
Wasliington 
Washington 
Washington 
Washington 
Washington, 
28.  32,  33. 
W^isbington 


80 


lOI 

Avenue,  75,  76.  10 1 
Bridge.    79.    80,    96.    loi 
Bridge   Park,  E3 
Capitol   at,   74 
General,  2,  15,  21,  23,  27 
42.  55.  56,  63.  75.  76,  90,  ')(» 
General.   Mrs.,    ~- 
Washington's    Gun    House,    49 
Washingtonville,    49.    50.    103 
Watson  Mansion    (See  Wilmont) 
Watson.  William,  99 
Webb   Academy    (Siiipbuilders'   Home), 

lOI 

Webster    Avenue,   3.   49.   83 
Weckquaesgcek  Indians,  5,  7 
Wendover  Avenue,  39 
Wendover,  Congressman.  39 
Westchester,  5.  7,  11.   13,  42. 

89.  91.   103.   105. 
&   Boston   Railroad, 

Battle  of,  63 

Causewav.  6^ 

.  66,  80. 


5.=;.  65, 
107 

105 


74.  75.  85 
Westchester 
Westchester. 
Westchester 
Westchester  County,  6 

107 
Westchester  Creek.  8.   13.  56,  65 
Westchester  Golf  Club.  2 
Westchester   Country   Club.   56 
'Westchester   Guides,"   96 
Westchester   Mill.   63 
Westchester   Path.   63 
Westchester    Presbyterian     Church, 

63 


67, 


85,  87, 


Westchester  Railroad   Station,  67 
Westchester   Turnpike,   2,   g,  /2.   74.   S7. 

88 
West  Farms,  5,  7,  13,  41,  42,  48,  75.  8;. 

89,  90,  loi,  103,  107 
West  Farms  Road,  87.  88 
West  Farms  Station.   loi 
West   India   Company,   10 
West    Morrisania,   37.    loi 
West  Mount  Vernon,  49 
West   Tremont,    loi 
"Whispering   Bell,''    16 
White's  Lane,  72 
White,   S.  B.,   loi 
\\'hite  Plains,  55 
White  Plains  Road,  28,  64,  105 
Whitlock,   B.    M.,   73,   99 
Wbitlock   Mansion,   73 
Wigwams,  4 
Wild  Boar  Hill.  21 
Wilkins,  Gouverneur  Morris.  69 
A\'ilkins,   Rev.    Isaac,   13,  69 
Wilkins    Farm  House,  9 
Willett  Family,  90 
Willett   Mansion,   9 
Willett,    I'homas,    9 
Willett's  Point,  9 

(Long    Island). 


27,    28,    47 


Reservoir. 
Road.  27 


Willett's    Point 
Williamsbridge, 

92.    101,   103 
Williamsbridge 
Williamsbridge 
Williams'  Farm.  28 
Williams'  House,   28 
Williams.   Roger,  9 
"Wilmont,"  2,  74.  99 
Willis  Avenue  Brid.ge,  81 
Wilson  Mansion,  loi 
Wilton,  101 
Wolf's   Lane.   55,   57 
Woodlawn,  51.  103.  105 
Woodlawn  Cemetery,   13.  28.  4g 
"Woodside,"   88.   99 
Woodstock.    lor 
Worcester.  71 
Wright's    Island.    103 


Yaeger  Camp.  19 

Yaegers,  21,  63 

Yonkers,  IQ 

Yonkers.   Broadway.    10.   20 


67 
56, 


S5 


28,    92 


Yonkers    Line, 
Yorkville.   8 


103 


5f'. 


Zborowski    Family.  83 
Zborowski    Mansion,    83 
Zerega   Mansion.   69 
Zcrega's   Point.  h~ 
Zcrega's   Point    (Ferris   Mnn-i. 
Zoological  Park,  i,  45 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


If  Looking  for  Portrait,  Consult  First  Number ;    if  Looking  for  Biograptiy,  Consult  Second  Number.      In  Cases 
Wfiere  Only  One  Number  is  Given,  Ttiere  is  Eitlier  no  Biography  or  no  Portrait. 


Adlcr,    Julius 

Alir,     Henry 

Allen,  Frederick    Hobbes 

.rVmbos,    C.    Ludwig 

American    Real    Estate    Couipan\ 

Amster,   Julius   L 

Anderson,   Matthew 

Arctander,   Arthur    

Arnow,   Richard   N 

Austin.    William      I' 


B 


I'.ailey,    S.    S 

!5ambey,   John    

r.aker,    Seward    

liarnard,   Everett   L 

Bartels,  John 

Barton,   C.   E 

Baxter,   Charles  A 

Beal,    William    R 

Beatcher,    Charles    11 

Bell,    Hal    

Bergen,    John    Henry 

Bergen,   Michael   J 

Bergen,   William    C 

tlerginan,    Robert    II 

Bcrrian,    Ciiarles    Alberl... 

Bird,    George    W 

ijiumenhauer,    Bernard     .  .  . 
J.ioese,    Frederick    Wiliiam. 

Brady,    John    J 

Brandt,   William   H 

Boehmer,    Arthur    

Boettger,    H.    W 

Borgstede.    Jolm    G 

Both,    Herman     

lirand!,   William    H 

[;.reen,    MaUhew    V 

Brener,  Samuel    

Briggs,   Josiah    Acktrmau.. 
Britton,     Nathaniel     Lord.  . 

Braun,   Franz    

Brown,    Roliert    Ingraham. 

Bruckner,   ITenrj'    

Bryant,    J.    Wilson 

Buokliout,  James    

Ilurgoyne,    John    T. 
Butts,  Arlhitr  C. .  - 
Byrnes,  James  J.  . 
Byrne,    Tlimnas    J . 


Cahill,   Edward   J 

Callan,    James    Edward. 


r.\'',E 

1^8,  159 

M4,  3-44 

J08,  207 

156,  150 

-55,  255 

156,  161 

-•48,  249 

— ,  347 

182,  I  S3 

152,  269 


jSi, 
'77, 
-'06, 

■374. 
.148, 
■^32, 
.293, 
399. 
.196, 
.366, 
366, 
-■66, 
193. 
-'46, 


iiS, 
■185. 
.318, 


■■■137, 

.■.,«6, 
,;i8. 
178, 

J-'O, 

. .213, 

. .  .216, 

...  270, 

...  220, 

■  •.350, 

.  .200, 

Insert) 

.378. 

.  .  .  182, 

■  ■  -374, 
, . ..214, 


40b 
28  [ 
177 

2CI 
371 
153 
233 
2Q3 
399 
193 
380 
380 
265 
192 
247 
331 
35' 
117 
1S4 

359 
38s 
237 
333 
327 
I7-J 
22.3 

2T3 
217 

2—1 

352 
199 
285 

183 
371 
21'; 


•  2.38,  235 
.230.  229 


p.\rE 

Calvert,   John    1 

■345,  345 

Caron,   Alphou 

■  -362,  357 

Carrigan,    Jann                                                                  

■  -340,  335 

Caterson,    Robert                                                                  .  .  . 

•  •  — ,  32' 

Cary,    W.    Guy. .  . 

■353,  353 

Chapin,    Bl.    Gerald 

..194,  193 

Chauvet,    Joseph     1  ' 

■356,  35S 

Clark,    Blerbert     Wnimi, 

.  .226,  221; 

Clarke,   George  W 

.406,    — 

Clendennin,   Frank   Moiv.  i- 

■  — ;  117 

Clifton,    Edward    Ge  iryc 

..117,  :i7 

Clinton,    Owen   Jo-i    ': 

•  ■  -,  .361 

Clocke,    T.    Emory.  . 

.  .201,  201 

Clune,    Patrick   ]  in  1                                                        .  .  (  1 

isert)    409 

Cogan,    John    F 

■  ■  264,  26.5 

Cohalan.    John    P 

..188,  186 

Comfort,   John    E.  . 

■151,  151 

Comfort,    Randall 

.203,  203 

Cook,   Fre.iericlc    

■  ■  -,  3'^3 

Cooney,    Michael    J 

.  .207,  207 

Costello,   James    B .                                                              ,  .  . 

■  •  —   351 

Coulter,    Charles    B 

■  ^253,  253 

Cowan,   Joseph    ... 

■  ■  -,  380 

Crayv'ford,    Francis    ...                                                        1  1 

iscrt)   307 

Cruickshank.    Alexander 

■  322,  323 

Curtiu,    Thomas    llayts.. 

■150,  153 

D 

Daly,   James   R.    L 

. .218.  217 

Damm,    Frederick 

.270,  260 

Darlington,    Thomas 

■  142,  143 

Daub,    William    .... 

■348,  340 

Davies,    J.    Clarence.  . 

.  .221,  221 

Davis,   John    . 

■205,  20s 

Davidson,    John     

.  .220,  219 

.404,      — 
■.370,    369 

Dcacy,   William   1 1 

Dinwoodie,    Thomas    Dalziel . 

Doll,    Charles     

218,    2V.) 

Doll,    Frederick 

.310,  3Tt 

Doll,    George    . 

■310,   311 

Doll,    Jr..    Jacob 

■  3ro,  3it 

Doll,    Jacob     

■  310,  311 

Doll,    Otto    

.  .310,  311 

Dressel,    George    C 

■  316,  31? 

Dunn,    James    P 

■370,  3S9 

Dunn,    John    P 

.2ir,  211 

E 
Earlcy,    Cornelius    J 

.210,  2in 

Ebling,     Philip     ....                                                

.300.  299 

Ebling,   Jr.,    Phibp.  .                                              

.300,  299 

Ebling,    William 

.300,  299 

Eckel,  PI.   Tl.    .. 

.406,     — 

Eckley,   Ernest   R 

.206,  209 

Filler.    AVilliam     Rirhnrd 

^7<'\  .375 

420 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


PAcr 

Ehret,    George    298,  297 

Eichler,    John     294,  295 

Eulensteiii,    Gusta ve    238,  239 

Eiistis,    John    E 186,   185 

Everett,    Peter    J 195,  195 

F 

Eabel,    Christopher     — ,  365 

Falk,    Louis    260,  259 

i'ennell,    Gtorge    \V 378,  377 

Feust,    Sigmund    308,  309 

riencke,    George    336,  359 

Fighnolo,    Julius     242,  242 

Fitch,   Josiuh    FI 214,  213 

Fleming,    John     250,  251 

Fogal,  George   Provost 224,  225 

Folz,    Fredf  rick     291,  29J 

Fox,    John    J 342,  347 

Fransioli,   William  J 399,  399 

Fraser,   Wallace   S 181,  181 

Frees,   John    238,  239 

Frees,  John   F 379,  379 

Freudenmn-'her.    Pnillip    244,  239 

Freutel,    August    J 156,  157 

Frey,   Gustave    197,  197 

Friedgen,   George    372,  381 

F'urlong,   Richard    330,  335 

Furthman,   C.   A 195,  195 

G 

Gainsborg,   S.   H 235,  235 

Gariess,    Jr.,    Augustus 333,  333 

Garniss,    John    P 338,  337 

Garvin,   Michael  John 290,  290 

Gass,   Frank    275,  275 

Germain,   William    S 372,  382 

Ghee,    John    F 252,  254 

Gilmore,  Alfred  C 358,  357 

Gminder,  George  ¥ 303,  308 

Goeb,    Edward    T 384,  388 

Goetz.    Pet^r    362,  367 

Goodall.    Williim    Ainslee 147,  147 

Gotshall,   W.    C 395,  395 

Goulden,    Joseph    A 274,  274 

Graham.   Charles   PI;;llett 216,  215 

Greene,   Simon   FTarry 160.  161 

Greenlees,    Thomas    248,  249 

Greenlees,  William   248,  249 

GreifFenberg.    Frederick    216,  215 

Griffin,    Anthony   Jerome 206,  203 

Grossman,    George   J 282,  2S1 

Guernsey.    Rocellus    Sheri.lan 187,  1S7 

Gumbleton.    Henry    A 196,  197 

H 

Haas,  Leopold  F.  W 156,  1^9 

Haffen.    Henry    348,  340 

Haffen.   John    302,  303 

Haflfen,   John    M 302,  303 

Haffen,  Louis  F (Frontispiece)  272 

Haflfen,   Malhias    302,  303 

Haffen,   Mathias    (the   elder ) 302,  303 

Haiss,    George    318,  317 

Flail,    Frederick     354,  353 

Hallock,    Preslon    Charles 196,  igs 

Hantmer,   Julius    160,  159 


PAGE 

Harrington,    Matthew   J 288,  288 

Hartman,   Christian   Henry 376,  389 

hartmayer,   John    376,  375 

Haskin,   Harry   R 356,  .382 

Idaskin,  John  B 287,  285 

Hauck,  Edward   T 338,  337 

Hovey,   William   T 260,  262 

Healey,   Edward    H 281,  281 

Healy,  Jerome  F 364,  .387 

Fiecht,   Michael    214,  215 

Heilmann,   Harry    340,  330 

Heintz,  Louis  J 279,  279 

Henning,    H.    J 404,     — 

Henning.  Miss  Mary  M 231,  231 

Henry,    Martin    L 252,  254 

Hermanni,    Emil    Von 222,  223 

Heuel,   Emil    143,  143 

Hey,    George    318,  325 

Flickey,    John    J 218,  217 

Hiers,  William   F 295,  295 

!  liggins,   Edward    155,  155 

llildreth,   John   Homer 183,  183 

Hitchcock,    Frederick    356,  3')i 

Hodgins,   William   H 354,  .363 

iJocbermann,    August    260,  254 

Hoflfman,    Martin    368,  375 

Hoffmann.   Philipp    338,  337 

Holahan.   Frank   S 356,  389 

Holtenroth,    Adolph    C 184,  184 

Hottenroth.    Christian    C 244,  245 

Kottenroth,    Frederick    Wdliam 200,  197 

How,  Lucius  Wallace 158,  159 

Hume.  John   Charlick 347,  347 

Huntress,    William   A 261,  261 

Hupfel,   Adolph   G 296,  297 

Hupfel,  Anton    297,  297 

Hutter,    Leopold    224,  223 

Hyatt,    Jonathan    D 280,  2.S0 

llynes,   John   Joseph .• 204,  201 

Ingram.    Edgar    George 358,  35,=; 

.Ireland,    Augustus    ,A .' 270.  271 

J 

Jenkins,    Thomas    J 238,  239 

Tones,   Israel   Cone 144,  145 

Jones,   Joseph    Harris 227,  22'' 

Jordan,    John    Thomas 362,  367 

Junge,    Bernard    William 157,  157 

K 

Kantor,    William    L 150,  155 

Karlstrom,    M 304,  305 

Kcarns.    Philip    J 269.  269 

Keating.  \V  Uliam   Honan 258,  261 

Kelly,    Timothy   J 244,  245 

Kephart,    William   Howard it6,  ii.= 

Ketner,  George  Joseph  Melancthon n8,  117 

Kiernan,    Thonnas    406,    — 

Kiernan,  Thomas  F 389,  3.^3 

Kiesling,    Charles    364,  369 

Kiesling,  William    364.  369 

King,    A.    Arthur '. 116.  117 

King.    James    M — ,  383 

Kinkle,   Jr..    George ,^04.  303 

Kjrchhof,   Cbarlc?^   George 148,  J5j 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


42J 


1'ac;e 

Kirchhof,    Peter    30J,  306 

Kirchoff,   Franz  Frederick 308,  313 

Kline,    William    T 154,  155 

Knapp,   Alvan  Edward 116,   115 

Knauf,   Charles    240,  241 

Knauf,  Mrs.  Charles 240,    — 

Knecht,   Frederick    342,  347 

Knoeppel,    Harold    Charles 210,  210 

Knoeppel,  John    M 289,  289 

Kronenberger,    Lawrence    224,  223 

Kuntze,    Charles    34°,  ?39 

Ivuntze,    Louis    F 226,22; 

Kupka,  August    219,  2tq 

Kurz,  William   F.   A 230,  229 

L 

Laffargue,    J.    George 312.  313 

Langhein,  J.   C.   Julius 191,  190 

Lanzer,    J  ohn     — ,  326 

Lee,  Josepili  Charles 346,  335 

Liebenau,    Albert    H 3()4,  369 

Liebertz,  Joseph  P 333-  333 

Leitner,   Jacob    230,  231 

Lerch,   John    — ,  351 

Levy,  Herman  J 366.  382 

Levy,  L.  E.  &  Co — .  361 

Lohbauer,  Frederick  3A^.  339 

Long,  Thomas  J 345.  345 

Ludwig,    John    H 314.  oM 

Ludlum,  Fred.  Willett 387,  387 

Lustgarten,    Abraham    158,  159 

Lynch.   Thomas   A 372.  381 

M 

Maguire,   James   John 266,  263 

Malcolm,    Thomas  D 236,  237 

McDonald,   Thomas   J 404,     — 

Meagher,   John   Joseph 384,  387 

Meehan.  James  V 232.  235 

Mehlem,  John  J 404,     — 

Mehltretter,    Charles   F 226,  225 

Mellert,   Frederick    M 241.  241 

Messinger,   Albert    P 251,  251 

Messier,  C.  E 404,    — 

Metzler,    John    H 267,  267 

Metzler,    Harry    267,  267 

Meyerhoff.  Qiarles  .'\.  D 378,  381 

Millard,    William    J 204.  207 

Miller,  Rev.  George  Henry 1 18,   1 19 

Minor,  Charles  Fishley 291,  290 

Minor,    Solomon    Carringtnn 146,  149 

.\Titchell,    Richard    (Insert)  273 

Moebus,   A\igust    283,  283 

Moebus,    John    Adam — ,  3.39 

Molloy,  James  Matthew 264,  263 

Monaghan,  John    358,  357 

Morris,    Dave    Hennen 198,  197 

Morris,  William   Ephraim 208,  207 

Montgomery,  W.   R 291,  2(xi 

mulholland.   Joseph    Augustus 158,  159 

Mulligan.    William    G 211,  21T 

Munch.    Richard    222,  223 

Mutual  Milk  and  Cream  Company 328,  329 

McCaffrey.  George  J 260.     — 

McCarthy.  Maurice  J 202,  109 

McCrea,   William    182,  183 


PAGE 

I\lcCullough,   Frederick   William 346,  335 

McDonald,  Robert  F  rancis 152,  ISS 

McDonald,    Thomas    J 404,    — 

McEUigolt,    William    338,  339 

McGuire,   Eugene  J 289,  289 

McGuire,  George  H 146,  147 

:,'lcGuire,  James  Johr.   266,  263 

McKenzie,   George    322,  323 

McKenzie,  Archibald  J 322,  323 

.McQuay,   Beniamin   Fr.inkliii 252,  254 

N 

Newman,  Max  H 224,  223 

Nimphius,    John    362,  357 

Nixon,  George   116,  115 

N ormoyle,  John   F' 228,  227 

O 

Olsen.   Nils    240,  241 

Olt,  George  F".  A 291,  290 

Osterman,   Frederick    343,  .343 

Oppenheim,   M — ,  335 

Overington,   Harry    204,  199 

O'Connell,    E.    B 256,  271 

O'Connell,  John   P 374,  371 

O'Connor,   George    W 368,  377 

O'Hara,   John   L 250,  251 

O  Hara,  Peter  Stephen 250,  253 

O'Leary,  Arthur  J ISO,  155 

O'Neil,   Patrick   J 410,  410 

O'Rorke.   Thotnas    F 266,  265 

(J'Ryan,    John    Francis 206,  203 

P 

Palen,  George  222,  223 

Palumbo,    V'incenzo    326,  325 

Parker,   Alfred   D 201,  201 

Parsons,  John    146,  149 

Patterson,   Thomas   C 208,  209 

Pell,   Henry   Scofield — ,  263 

Penfield,    William     Warner 379,  379 

I'etzoldt,   Bernhardt   325,  325 

Phasey,  Handel  Victor   360,  3£9 

Phelps,    E.    F — ,  3£2 

Piper,   Samuel   Matthew 256,  257 

Press,    T.    Channon 188,  186 

Price,    George    252,  254 

Prime.  William  Jackson (Insert)   383 

Pullis,   William   Dodge 350,  385 

Q 

r)uinn.  Thomas  Joseph 243,  243 

Quirk,    D.   J 148,  149 

R 

Ragette,   Anton    334,  367 

Ragette,   R.    R 406,    — 

Randall,    Sidwell    S 210.  209 

Randel,  W.   A 144,  1 45 

Reeber,  John   Jacob 246,  245 

Reinhardt.    Charles    J 354,  353 

Reiter.   Louis    270,  263 

Reville,  Patrick  J 284,  284 

Rexford,   Daniel   Allyng 264,  263 

Ricca,   Hugo   F 312,  314 

Ricca.  Louis   312,  313 

Richter,   Hugo    116,  115 

Rieger"s   Sons,  C 323,  323 


422 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


Ridil,  William  C.   .  . 

Riley,  James   G 

I-iissc,   Louis  Aloys 

Kobinsdii,    William    11 

Robilzek,    Gustaviis    

Rockwood,   George   Gardner 

Rodgcrs,  Jr.,  John   Cunninglian!. 

Ronncr,  Jolm   II.  J 

Rosenberg,  Henry 

Roth,    Henry    

Rotherniel,    Albert    

Rowan,    Edward    

Rowan,   William    Henry 

Ruhl.     I  lenry    

Riippcrt,    Jaeob    

Ryan,    Philip    Aiigtistus 


Salter,  A.  O 

SchiefFelin  &  Co 

Schmidt,    I'"rederick    

Schmitt,  William   P 

Schinitz,   William    

Schrader,    J  lenry     C 

.Sehreyer,    J  iarry    

Schnlliofer.    Sanmel     

Scoficld,    Lydia    

.Sdiwannecke,   Albert    F 

Seabold,    Jacob    

Sexton.     Michael     

Shiel,    Gerald     

Shiel,   Peter   Ashwin 

Silverman,  MainMce  J 

Simpson,  William   

Simpson,    William    

.Sonneborn,  James   P 

Smith,    Clement    Madden.... 

Smith,   Edward    

Smith,    F.    Vinton 

Smith,   William   Stebbins.... 

Specht,   Edmund    E 

Spencer,    Frank    .Arminglnn. 

Sproessig,  Charles  M 

Stahl,  Jr.,  Jacob 

Staib,   Albert    

Starke,  Gustave  LI.  E 

Stearns,  T.  Gerald 

Steele,    Clarence    Tisdale.... 

Steinmetz,  John  A 

Stephens,   Olin  James 

Stenrer,    Charles    David 

Stenrer,  Charles  David,  Jr.   . 

Stoeckel,    Rndolnh    F. 

Stonebridge,    William    LL  . . . 

Slrader.    George    Asker 

Sfrich.   William    R 

Strieker,    George    J 

Stoughton,    Charles    

Stumpf,  Peter  Jerome 

Sullivan,   Michael   J 

Snlzer,    Ernest   T 

Swift,    William    llenrv 


Kd 


2, 


PAGi 

406,  — 

37(>,  380 

278,  27  J 

358,  355 

383.  3fi3 

332,  365 

268,  267 

276,  2S0 

330,  3.'5 

151,  151 

250,  25 1 

ii2,  36.? 

342,  3-1.; 

144.  145 

304.  30? 

216,  215 


.  .  .200,   — 

.319.  519 
232,  233 

.  .  (  hisert)  307 
■  239,  239 
. .283,  283 
.  .412.  411 
.  .  160,  Kit 
•  •    — ,   269 

152,    153 

340.  339 

.  . .  264,  265 

■  .150,  153 

205,  205 

154.  157 

—   249 

...368,  377 
. . .  266,  262 
. . .  226,  225 
...  -   321 

244.  245 

182,  185 

145.  145 

354.  363 

,^78,  .165 

330.  388 

312.  314 

141.  142 

334,  382 

218,  217 

220,  221 

275.  27s 

40J,  402 

404.     — 

332.  345 

232,  235 

Kit,   161 

308.  309 

,  . .  228,  227 

...277,  277 

...368,  375 

.  .  tgfi.  209 

■  -336.  352 

— .  373 


'i'arbox,  LJiram    

Taylor,    William    

Thomp.son,    Samuel    Clareu 

'J'ierney,   John    M 

Tififany,    George    Fox 

'J'impson,    Thomas    William. 

Tracy,    Patrick    J 

Troeller,    Adolpli     


Ullman,  Charles  Lewis 

Idlman    Ctmipany,    Sigmund, 
L^rcn,   Thomas     1' 


Varian,  Michael   

Van  Doren,  Louis  A 

Van    Etten,    Nathan    Bristol.. 

Van  Guns,   L.   S 

^'an    Orden,    Frank   M 

Vetterman,    Charles    William. 
Volbracht,    Robert    .  .  . 
Volgenau,    Albert    i'.  . 

Vondran,    Christian    

Von   Duering.    Adolpb 
Von    Skal,    George.  .  . 

Vought,  Henry  H 

>  ou.slit,    Nathan     F.  ,  , 


Wacheniheimer,   Julius   C. 
Vv'adick,    Arthur    Howard 

VV  aegele,  Jacob    

Wagener.    August    P .  .  . 

Wager,   William   J 

Wahle,    Charles    G.    F.  .  . 

Wahn,    1  lenry    

Waldeyer,    William    ,Auii.  1 

Walter,    Martin     

Walker,    S\dney    R. .  . 

Wall,  Arthur  W 

\Vahvorth.    John     Charlc.^. 
Watson,    'Thomas    Bowne. 

Watt,    William    G 

Weber,    Charles    Albert... 

Weil,  Jonas  

Weinberger,   Wilhehr.    . 
Weiner,   Alphonse    W 
Westergren,   M.    E.... 
Wbewell,   Walter    .... 

White,   Joseph  J 

V.'illiamson,    Smith     . 

Wohn,  Michael    

Wollner,    Henrv    

Wood,    Robert    C 

W  urm,   Carl    

AVvman,    Albert    L 


York,   John    A  .  .  .  . 
Yukelson,   Monis 


W 


PAGE 

.410,  410 

.318,  320 

.214,  213 

.181,  181 

■230,  231 

.366,  367 

■372,   373 

■  370,  3''^^ 


•204,  199 
■328,  327 


■258,  259 

.  1S8,  189 

.  146,  149 

■390,  39C' 

154,  157 

■  —  371 
■342,  344 
•348,  352 
■243,  243 

■  [48,  153 
.285,  285 
•256,  250 
■256,  257 


■348,  3?-3 
.200,  199 
-350,  351 
.209,  209 
■  370,  377 
.176,  177 
.  [60.  i6i 
■336,  365 
.258.  239 
.246,  247 
.240.  241 

•  331.  331 
.271,  271 
.248,  249 
.222,  22 1 
.246,  247 

•  147,  147 
■330,  .389 

•  324.  ,321 
.228,  229 

.384,  - 
.188.  186 

■346.  3,'5 
■154.  157 
.286,  2SS 

.T44.  145 
■334-  347 


.374. 
34'. 


3|i 


T.-ippert,  Gusl:iv  IT 

Tarbox,  Charles  W.-ikelield. 


.llS,  117   Zabriskie.  Robert  F. 
.2SS,  262   Zeidler,  Paul  l\r 


■350.  351 
.3t'8.  3C.J 


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