New York

Biography of Samuel Lyman Munson

SAMUEL LYMAN MUNSON IT IS both interesting and profitable to trace the prosperous career of men of enterprise in our midst, whose highest aim is to keep abreast with the progressive commercial spirit of the day and to develop or carry on some important branch of industry. Of this class we have a notable example in the following portraiture of Samuel L. Munson, the well-known manufacturer in Hudson Avenue – a man of uncommon pluck, courage, executive ability and untiring perseverance in his business undertakings. He was born on the 14th of June, 1844, in the town that is now … Read more

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 Willis S. Paine

WILLIS S. PAINE IN the exacting, complicated, and responsible duties connected with the history and oversight of banking institutions in our state no man has gained a more exalted reputation or been more generally commended for his official acts than the subject of this sketch. His public services are well known, even beyond the limits of our own state, and his career is replete with interest to banking men and financiers. Born in Rochester, N. Y., on the 1st of January, 1848, he spent his childhood in that beautiful city; growing up under the tender and watchful care of cultured … 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 Harry Joseph Jeffway

Few men engaged in the electrical construction and contracting business in this part of the State have been trained in so practical and, indeed, in so high grade a school of experience in electrical work as Harry Joseph Jeffway, who not only has an established repute for unrivalled excellence in his Easthampton business, but who throughout the World War was on duty at submarine bases of the greatest responsibility as an electrician, afterwards also continuing in related lines for the United States Government in the shipyards. Mr. Jeffway is an expert in all matters electrical; he has built up an … Read more

Biography of William Edward Jeffway

WILLIAM EDWARD JEFFWAY. To the prosperous activities of the electrical business at Easthampton, in which William Edward Jeffway is engaged in company with his brother, Harry Joseph Jeffway, he has brought the results of a varied and practical experience in the employ of a number of concerns engaged both in general manufacturing and in horticulture and orcharding, as well as in electrical matters. A veteran of the World War, he served in the Ordnance Department overseas, and shared with his comrades in a number of important engagements on battlefields in France. He is prominent in the community and social life … Read more

Biography of Edward J. Meegan

EDWARD J. MEEGAN A DISTINGUISHED, representative man of Albany – an accomplished lawyer and a leader in politics – is Edward J. Meegan. The study of his life is full of interest and profit to the young men of our time, whose chief aim should be to cultivate manly qualities, industrious habits, and whatever tends to make useful and influential citizens. On the 28th of September, 1846, in the city of Albany he first saw the light. His parents were natives of Ireland, whence they emigrated to this country in the year 1824. After living some two years in Boston, … Read more

Biography of Robert A. Maxwell

ROBERT A. MAXWELL THE HON. Robert A. Maxwell, superintendent of the insurance department, was born in Washington county, N. Y. , in 1838. He is a son of Alexander Maxwell, of Jackson, a prominent citizen of the town, and an intelligent and wealthy farmer. Robert was given the advantages of a liberal education by his father. After receiving a thorough instruction at the common schools in his neighborhood, he was sent to the normal school at Albany, where he finished his education at the age of eighteen. His rare qualities as an educator were unfolded while attending this excellent institution, … Read more

Biography of Howard Brown Gibbs

HOWARD BROWN GIBBS – In the midst of a lovely forest on an eminence overlooking the Connecticut Valley and the old town of Deerfield, is the school for young boys known as Eaglebrook Lodge, founded and owned by Howard Brown Gibbs. The Gibbs family is an old English family, various branches of which were settled in the counties of Devon, Somerset, Warwick, and Kent, but the Devonshire branch is supposed to be the ancestors of most of the American families of the name. Among the personages bearing the name in England was Robert de Quibe (as the name was then … Read more

Biography of Charles Jerome King

CHARLES JEROME KING, postmaster at South Amherst, Massachusetts, and leading merchant in the town, was born at Wynantskill, a village near Troy, New York, February 14, 1875. The family has made its home in the vicinity of Suffield, Connecticut, for successive generations since the first immigrant ancestor set foot in America, and the fact that the father of Charles Jerome King was born in Suffield seems to establish his descent from the first Kings to live in the United States. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, students incline to think it was derived from the practice of holding … Read more

Biography of Dr. Vanderpoel Adriance

DR. VANDERPOEL ADRIANCE – The enormously increased demand for medical personnel of high character, especially well-trained physicians, and the vital importance of securing an adequate number of such men, caused the United States Government, during the World War, to enter into temporary contracts with leading physicians all over the country to secure their exclusive services. One of the surgeons who thus found himself incorporated in the vast machinery which was to lead the American and Allied forces to victory over a stubborn and redoubtable foe was Dr. Vanderpoel Adriance, a practicing surgeon of Williamstown. A native of New York City, … 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 John Boyd Thacher

JOHN BOYD THACHER HON. John Boyd Thacher was born at Ballston Springs, N. Y., September 11 1847. He is the eldest son of the late George H. Thacher, who was for many years mayor of Albany, and his mother was Ursula J. Boyd, daughter of David Boyd, Esq., of Schenectady. His first American ancestor was Rev. Thomas Thacher who was the first pastor of the old South church of Boston. His father’s maternal grandfather, Judge Hornell, was the founder of the important town of Hornellsville in this state. To ex-Mayor George H. Thacher it is needless to allude in this … Read more

Biography of Frederick Townsend

FREDERICK TOWNSEND AMONG those who have taken a prominent part in the development of the military affairs of our state, and have also been conspicuous for gallantry in the war for the Union, is General Frederick Townsend, of Albany, where he was born on the 21st of September, 1825. He comes from a line of ancestors noted for their independence of character, high moral principles and true devotion to the cause of liberty. He is a son of Isaiah Townsend, a prominent and wealthy merchant of this city, who married his cousin, Hannah Townsend, of New York, and died, at … 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 Thomas Markley Trego

THOMAS MARKLEY TREGO THE medical annals of Albany contain the names of not a few physicians who are well skilled in the profession, especially in some of its specialties. And among those who deserve to be included in this list of accomplished men is Dr. Thomas M. Trego, of No. 5 Ten Broeck Street. On the 31st of August, 1847, he first saw the light of day in the city of New York. He is the only surviving son of James and Maria Trego. His ancestry can be traced back for more than two hundred years. His father, who was … Read more

Biography of Gilbert Milligan Tucker

GILBERT MILLIGAN TUCKER ONE of the most earnest, active and successful journalistic workers in Albany is Gilbert M. Tucker, one of the editors and proprietors of the Cultivator and Country Gentleman. He was born in Albany on the 26th of August, 1847, is a son of the late Luther Tucker, who, in the year 1831, established the old Genesee Farmer, now consolidated with the Cultivator and Country Gentleman. The elder Mr. Tucker, dying in 1873, left the management of the paper to his two sons, Luther H. and Gilbert M, The eldest son, Luther, is still at the head of … Read more

Biography of Willis Gaylord Tucker

WILLIS GAYLORD TUCKER FORTY-ONE years ago an Albanian, who has already-gained an enviable reputation in the medical, scientific and educational world, first saw the light of day. Willis G. Tucker, the subject of this sketch, was born in Albany on the 31st day of October, 1849. His father, the late Luther Tucker, possessed talents of a high order, and his work as a writer and publisher, especially in the direction of agricultural science, has long been highly appreciated by the public. This noble pioneer in periodical literature established in 1826 the Rochester Daily Advertiser, the first daily newspaper published west … 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