Noted Living Albanians Collections – Page 4 of 4

Biography of David Murray

DAVID MURRAY ONE of the most accomplished scholars and educators of our city and country is Dr. David Murray. Born in Bovina, Delaware County, N. Y., on the 15th of October, 1830, his earliest years were spent amidst the grand, rugged, picturesque scenery of his native place. He is of Scottish descent, his parents being William Murray and Jean (Black) Murray, natives of Ecclefechan, Scotland. In 1818 they emigrated to the United States of America. Possessing the sterling qualities of true, intelligent Scotch people, and impressed with the great value of education in its broadest sense, both moral and intellectual, … Read more

Biography of David Bennett Hill

DAVID BENNETT HILL A PROMINENT figure in our political annals is David B. Hill, governor of the state of New York. His ancestors were of New England origin, and he was born in the beautiful and romantic village of Havana, Schuyler, then Chemung county, N. Y., on the 29th of August, 1843. His father, Caleb Hill, was a native of Windham county, Conn, but while a young man, removed to Havana, where he carried on the business of a carpenter and joiner. His mother’s maiden name was Eunice Durfey. She was a woman richly endowed with the gifts and graces … Read more

Biography of Cyrus Strong Merrill, M. D.

CYRUS STRONG MERRILL, M. D. AMONG the noted professional men of Albany no name shines with greater resplendency in a special department of science than that of Dr. C. S. Merrill, the eminent oculist and aurist. On the 21st of September, 1847, in the town of Bridport, Vermont, he first saw the light. His parents were Edward Henry Merrill and Sarah Wilson Strong, whose ancestors were among the earliest settlers of that state and exerted a marked influence on its affairs before, as well as since the revolution. From his earliest years the natural inclination of his genius was plainly … Read more

Biography of Chauncey P. Williams

CHAUNCEY P. WILLIAMS AMONG the noted men of Albany Chauncey P. Williams stands in the front rank as a banker and financier. He is a native of Connecticut – a state which has furnished so many of the enterprising pioneers of our own and other states of the Union. He was born at Upper Middletown (now Cromwell), Conn., on the 5th of March, 1817, the son of Josiah and Charity Shaler Williams. His early years were spent upon his father’s farm, where in summer his physical powers were trained to healthful development by the labors of the farm, and his … Read more

Biography of Charles Tracey

CHARLES TRACEY A REPRESENTATIVE Albanian whose sterling qualities of the head and heart have brought him into popular favor, and who has already been honored by the bestowal of responsible political positions, is the Hon. Charles Tracey, our present congressman from this district. He is descended from a long and influential line of Irish ancestry. Born at No. 757 Broadway, Albany, on the 27th of May, 1847, he has thus passed his forty-third year, and is in the vigor of manhood, possessing the capabilities of performing efficiently the active and onerous duties of life. In 1838 his father, John Tracey, … Read more

Biography of Charles Rufus Skinner

CHARLES RUFUS SKINNER AMONG the younger men whose experience in matters pertaining to state, national and educational affairs has already been quite extensive and highly beneficial to his fellow-citizens, is the Hon. Charles R. Skinner, who, on account of his official relations, is now a resident of Albany. Born on the 4th of August, 1844, at Union Square, Oswego County, N. Y., he is a son of the late Hon. Avery Skinner, a worthy New England pioneer who left the granite hills of New Hampshire to seek a home in the richer northern regions of New York State. In October, … Read more

Biography of Charles Roswell Hall

CHARLES ROSWELL HALL AMONG the young men of Albany, who, by a steady and unfailing devotion to the principles of professional and official duty, deserve a just recognition for representative character, is Charles R. Hall, deputy superintendent of the banking department of the state of New York. He is another example of many of those descendants of Connecticut pioneers who have helped so much to develop the resources and advance the civilization and prosperity of this country. He was born on the 17th of September, 1853, in the town of Guilford, Chenango county, N. Y., where his father, John P. … Read more

Biography of Charles J. Buchanan

CHARLES J. BUCHANAN AN industrious and accomplished Albany lawyer, who has already gained no little distinction in the legal profession, and whose record in our civil war was most honorable, is Charles J. Buchanan, now of the well-known firm of Moak & Buchanan. Of Scotch-Irish ancestry – an ancestry noted for its strong mental and physical powers – he was born at New Berlin, Chenango County, N. Y., on the 27th of December, 1843. In the common schools of his native town, and in the New Berlin academy, amidst the richness and quietude of rural life, his school-boy days were … Read more

Biography of Charles H. Peck

CHARLES H. PECK There is a lesson in each flower, A story in each stream and bower; In every herb on which you tread Are written words, which, rightly read, Will lead you from earth’s fragrant sod. To hope, and holiness, and God.” Allan Cunningham. AN ALBANIAN who has manifested a high order of genius in a special department of science, and whose devotion to the study of the beauties and sublimities of nature is supreme, is Professor Charles H. Peck, the present botanist of the New York state museum of natural history. He was born in the town of … Read more

Biography of Charles F. Tabor

CHARLES F. TABOR CHARLES F. Tabor, the present attorney-general of the state of New York, whose official residence is now in Albany, was born on the 28th of June, 1841, in the town of Newstead, Erie County, N. Y. His father, Silas Tabor, was a lawyer, and also attended to the cultivation of his farm in that pleasant township, and there, after spending many years both in mental and manual exercise, he closed an honorable and useful career in 1863, in the midst of the stirring and eventful scenes of our great civil war. He was a man of great … Read more

Biography of Charles Darius Hammond

CHARLES DARIUS HAMMOND ONE of the prominent railroad officials of our city, whose services have been of great value to the corporations with which he has been connected, is Charles D. Hammond, the present superintendent of the Northern department of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company’s railroad. His ancestors came from England to this country at an early date and settled in Massachusetts. His grand-father afterward moved to Rushford, Allegany county, N. Y., where he was born on the 1st of March, 1844. He is a son of the Rev. S. Y. Hammond, a member of the Genesee Conference of … Read more

Biography of Benjamin W. Wooster

BENJAMIN W. WOOSTER OF THOSE who have worthily represented a useful and indispensable industry in Albany, the specimens of whose skillful workmanship are scattered far and wide through the land, we have a notable example in the career of Mr. B. W. Wooster, the popular furniture manufacturer of Nos. 36-38 North Pearl street, and the efficient president of the Albany County bank. Born in Albany County, N. Y., on the 24th of March, 1820, he is a son of David Wooster and Polly Woodbury, of New Hampshire. His parents, with a view of improving their financial condition, left the old … Read more

Biography of Andrew Sloan Draper

ANDREW SLOAN DRAPER ONE of the foremost men in the promotion of the cause of education in our country to day, is the Hon. Andrew S. Draper, the present Superintendent of Public Instruction of the state of New York. His career is especially note-worthy and interesting as affording encouragement and inspiration to the youth of our land, who are seeking higher educational advantages. Born at Westford, Otsego County, N. Y., on the 21st of June, 1848, the first seven years of his life were passed under watchful parental care, at his native place. The first school he attended was in … Read more

Biography of Amos Fowler, M. D.

AMOS FOWLER, M. D. IN THE galaxy of Albany physicians whose professional labors have done so much toward alleviating physical suffering, the name of Dr. Amos Fowler stands conspicuous. This celebrity he has attained after long years of patient toil, deep study, and constant practice. He was born in the town of Cohocton, Steuben county, N. Y., on the 5th day of July, 1820. His ancestors were among those from the old, enterprising eastern states, who loved so much to set the wheels of civilization in motion and turn the wilderness into a garden. Removing at an early day from … Read more

Biography of Amasa J. Parker, Jr.

AMASA J. PARKER, JR. FOREMOST among Albanians who in various ways have devoted their time and best energies to the advancement of the public interests of the city and state, stands the name of Amasa J. Parker, Jr. Born on the 6th day of May, 1843, in the beautiful village of Delhi, Delaware county, N. Y., he is the only surviving son of the venerable Judge Amasa J. Parker and the late Harriet Langdon Parker. His parents removed to Albany when he was but a year old, and here he grew up in the midst of our institutions, in a … Read more

Biography of Amasa J. Parker

AMASA J. PARKER AN ALBANIAN of high intellectual qualities, who has passed his four-score years, and who has been a resident of this city for forty-four years, adorning its history by distinguished public service and private virtues is the Hon. Amasa J. Parker. He is a true representative of those enterprising New England pioneers who came from their old homes to aid in the development of the then new state of New York and the great western territories. Away back amidst the howling wilderness, where the cheering rays of the sun scarcely ever beamed upon their humble log cabins, they … Read more

Biography of Alden Chester

ALDEN CHESTER A WELL-KNOWN, industrious, painstaking lawyer of this city, whose early struggles in life and well-directed efforts to secure an education have been crowned with success in his chosen profession, is Alden Chester. Born at Westford, a small village in Otsego County, N. Y., September 4, 1848, he is the youngest of four sons of Alden Chester. His father was born at New London, Conn., in 1803, and died at Westford on the 4th of March, 1857. He was a public-spirited man, of a noble nature, and a true friend of education. At first a cabinet-maker, he afterward carried … Read more

Biography of Albert Vander Veer

ALBERT VANDER VEER “A wise physician, skill’d our wounds to heal. Is more than armies to the public weal.” Pope – The Iliad. AN ALBANIAN who stands at the head of his profession as a surgeon, and whose fame is extended far beyond the limits of the city, is Dr. Albert Vander Veer. Born in the town of Root, Montgomery County, NY, on the 10th of July, 1841, his earliest days were quietly passed amidst pleasing scenes of rural life. He is a son of Abram H. Vander Veer, who in 1828 erected for tannery purposes the first building at … Read more

Biography of Albert Barnes Watkins

ALBERT BARNES WATKINS IN THE broad and varied interests of education, and as possessing intellectual powers admirably fitted for the practical application of knowledge to the wants of our young men and women engaged in the courses of study, no man in Albany has earned a more excellent reputation than Dr. Albert B. Watkins, of the University of the State of New York. His career, marked by a supreme love for knowledge, reveals in full light the earnest, persevering and successful workings of the true educator under many pressing difficulties. He was born on the 8th of July, 1838, in … Read more