Chapter LXII: Part II: Biographical (9)

He was a member of the Board of Water Commissioners from 1884 to 1889. In 1899 he was elected a member of the Board of Supervisors, and has been successively re-elected for five terms, serving two terms as chairman. He is prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity and president of the Masonic Veterans' Association; member of the Newburgh Historical Society and an active member in Trinity Church.

In 1862 he married Miss Caroline Tilton. Their children are Anna, George, Jr., and Mabel. Mr. Moshier's ancestors resided in or near Newburgh many years previous to the Revolution. Two of them were soldiers in the Continental Army, serving with distinction.

EDWARD M. MURTFELDT, born Newburgh, 1853; entered employ of Peck & Van Dalfsen's furniture house in 1869. In 1879 he purchased Joseph H. Powell's undertaking and furniture establishment, which he conducted on the same site until 1895. At present engaged as funeral director at 77 Second street, Newburgh. In 1894 he assisted in organization and became president of the Highland Furniture Mfg. Co.; served a number of years as alderman and president of council and has served as acting mayor; also was a member of the Board of Public Works. He has taken all the chairs in Masonry and has been an officer in Highland Chapter No. 52 and commander of H. R. Commandery No. 35. Mr. Murtfeldt is of German descent; a son of Henry W. and Mary Frances (Worden) Murtfeldt. In 1872 he married Miss Anna A. McCord; six children have been born to them. He is at present the president of the Masonic Veterans' Association, of Newburgh, N. Y., and has held office in the Grand Commandery, State of New York. He is at present the district deputy of the Thirteenth District of the Grand Lodge, a Thirty-second Degree Mason and grand marshal of the Consistory of New York City. He has been regent of Newburgh Council of the Royal Arcanum and its treasurer for a number of years. Member of the City Club.

FRANK D. MYERS, M.D., of Slate Hill, N. Y., is a descendant of one of Orange County's oldest families. He was born in the town of Greenville, N. Y.. where he attended public school. This was supplemented by a course of private tutoring near Newburgh, after which he taught school two years in the town of Minisink. Dr. Myers graduated in medicine from the University of Michigan in 1887, and has since been engaged in practice at Slate Hill. He is a member of the County and State Medical Societies, and the American Medical Association.

He married Miss Margaret Hall, of Ridgebury, and a son, Frank D., was born to them in 1908.

Dr. Myers is a son of Samuel S. and Mary Elizabeth (Elston) Myers. His grandfather was Daniel C. Myers, his great-grandfather Daniel Van Auken Myers, and his great-great-grandfather Daniel, the first of that name in this locality, who participated in the battle of Minisink. The flint lock musket he carried is in the possession of Dr. Myers. The homestead upon which this man settled has remained in the possession of the family and is now owned and occupied by Floyd E. Myers, a brother of the doctor.

GEN. ALFRED NEAFIE--Alfred Neafie was born in Walden, Orange County, N. Y., January 8, 1832, being the son of Cornelius Neafie, a member of one of the old Knickerbocker families, who came to New York in 1637.

Cornelius Neafie built the first cotton mill in Orange County and the second in the State. As a boy Alfred Neafie, fond of hunting and fishing and of an adventurous turn of mind, it is not strange that he should at the age of nineteen, start for the newly discovered gold fields of California.

It was in 1851 that he left in a sailing vessel, the _Grecian,_ for the six months' voyage "'round the Horn."

His first vote was cast in the canyons of the North Yuba in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. During his successful career in California he was a member of the celebrated Vigilance Committee and was one of those who helped to apprehend the famous outlaw "Yankee Sullivan," and was present at the trial and hanging of Juaquin Murat and "Three-Fingered Jack."

Returning home at the death of his father and starting in business in Ellenville, N. Y., yet at the outbreak of the war Mr. Neafie put aside personal interests and went to the front. He was offered the captaincy of the Walden Company of the 124th Regiment, but declined it, as he had already raised nearly two companies of what became the 156th Infantry.

His military record is to be found in brief in the Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, Vol. 1, page 741, as follows:

"Neafie, Alfred, N. Y., N. Y. Capt. 156th N. Y. Inf., 13th Sept., 1862; Lt.-Col., 9th Jan., 1864; Lt.-Col. Vols., 13th March, 1865, for gal. and meritorious services at Battle of Winchester and Fisher Hill, Va., and Brig.-Gen. Vols., 13th March, 1865, for conspicuous gallantry at Winchester, Va., 19th Sept., 1864. Mustered out 23d Oct., 1865."

During the war Gen. Neafie was provost marshal of Alexandria, La., and Baton Rouge.

While at Savannah he held the offices of supervisor of trade, collector of military taxes, relief commissioner and assisted in the repatriation of the South, as by virtue of seniority of rank he was chief of staff of the department.

A few of the brilliant and picturesque events of his military career were:--

After the capture at Washington, Ga., of the archives of the Confederacy, which included records of Generals Beauregard, Polk, Joseph E. Johnston and Albert Sidney Johnston, $300,000,000 of cotton bonds, $760,000 in gold and silver and thirty wagon loads of valuable jewelry and personal articles, General Neafie, with two federal officers and two treasury agents, inventoried and sent to their proper owners, scattered all through the Southern States, all private property, while all public property was turned over to the United States Government. This was done in about two months.

As General Grover's chief of staff, General Neafie received Jefferson Davis when he was captured and delivered him to Lieutenant-Commander (now admiral, retired) Luce, in command of the double-ender _Pontiac,_ in Savannah River.

Jefferson Davis, Jr., a most lovable boy about ten years old, was a guest in the house in Savannah where General Neafie lived, they drove together daily and a great affection sprang up between the two.

His early death of yellow fever in Memphis was a sorrowful event for all who knew him.

General Neafie with General Grover was present at the solemn and thrilling raising of the flag at Fort Sumter, four years to a day from the time it was lowered by Sergeant Hart.

It was taken from the sealed mail bag, where it had been placed by Sergeant Hart, who now released it from its leathern prison, and once more raised to its place of honor.

When this was done it was seen that the flag was pierced by at least thirty shell fragments, and was ragged and torn; not a star had been shot away.

When that fact was disclosed to the men who had been fighting four years to keep the stars of our Union together, the emotion was too great for expression.

But from outside came the noisy welcome from the battered and indented ironclads and monitors, who had been circling around waiting to give tongue with their cannon throats.

Since the close of the war, General Neafie has led a business life of wide and varied interests, with homes in Ellenville and Goshen, N. Y.

MOSES F. NELSON, notary public, real estate and insurance broker of the town of Highlands, Orange County, N. Y., was born at Highland Falls in 1867, and for the past seventeen years has been identified with public affairs of his native place, serving as tax collector, clerk and member of the Board of Education and justice of the peace. He is a son of the late Cornelius Nelson, who for thirty years was postmaster at Highland Falls and who was also engaged in the fire insurance and real estate business, which was conducted under the firm name of Cornelius Nelson & Son, and to which he succeeded.

Socially Mr. Nelson is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He married Miss Mary Adolph in 1893; they have three daughters.

THE NICOLL FAMILY--Within the corporate limits of Washingtonville, N. Y., lies a farm of one hundred and forty-five acres which bears evidence of the supervision of an energetic and capable family. This place is known as the Nicoll homestead, and was occupied for over a quarter of a century by John Nicoll, who died in 1874. As the name indicates he was of Scotch descent. The progenitor of this family in America was Dr. John Nicoll, who emigrated to this country in 1711 and settled in New York. He became one of the leading men of the colony and acquired the ownership of a large amount of property, having among his possessions fourteen thousand, five hundred acres of land in the Minisink Patent. He died in 1743 at the age of sixty-four.

John Nicoll was born in Hackensack, N. J., in 1799, and in early life was engaged in the mercantile business in New York City, whence he removed to Orange County in 1844. By his first marriage to Juliana Thompson, one son, William, was born, who died at the age of twenty-six. The second wife of Mr. Nicoll bore the maiden name of Elizabeth H. White and was born in Blagg's Cove in 1808. She died in 1855. To this union eight children were born, of whom Charles and Elizabeth White (now the wife of Andrew S. Glover) reside in Washingtonville. Another son, Isaac, met death while leading his company in the battle of Gettysburg in 1863. On the soldiers' monument at Salisbury Mills is this inscription: "To the memory of Captain Isaac Nicoll, Company G, 124th N. Y. S. V., and the men of Blooming Grove who fought in the war for the unity of the Republic, 1861-1865."

REV. STANISLAUS J. NOWAK, rector of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Florida, N. Y. In the year 1893 our Polish neighbors at Florida, N. Y., after mature deliberation and consultation, concluded to have their own church, and the necessary steps were taken to secure the approval of the church authorities for their project. Having demonstrated the feasibility of the idea, and the necessary approval having been obtained, Messrs. John and Anton Dulski, Joseph Andryszak, Joseph Wozniak, Ignatius Brink and John Majorowski were appointed as collectors, and succeeded so well that within two years over two thousand dollars were subscribed.

On July 2, 1895, Rev. Stanislaus J. Nowak was appointed and entered on his work as rector of the new church. Father Nowak is a native of Posen--Germany-Poland--studied at Germany and at Rome and came to this country at the express wish of Archbishop M. A. Corrigan, and finished his theological studies and was ordained priest at the Provincial Seminary at Troy, N. Y., by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Tierney, of Hartford. After spending a short while at Shokan, Ulster County, Father Nowak was appointed as assistant to the Very Rev. Dean Sweeny, of St. Joseph's Church, Kingston, N. Y., and while there Father Nowak received his appointment as rector of the Polish Church. Since coming to Florida, N. Y., Father Nowak has been a successful as well as an indefatigable worker, and under his supervision the church was ready for the dedication in November.

With all the pomp and ceremonial of the Catholic ritual, the new church of the Polish congregation at Florida was dedicated on Sunday, November 10, 1895, by Archbishop Corrigan, to the service of God under the patronage of St. Joseph. The solemn high mass on that date was celebrated by the Very Rev. E. M. Sweeny, of Kingston, N. Y. (with whom Father Nowak lived as assistant before coming to Florida). Father McCorry, of Goshen, acted as deacon, and Father Nowak as sub-deacon, and Father Connolly, the archbishop's secretary, acted as master of ceremonies.

After the gospel had been chanted by the deacon, his grace, the archbishop ascended the steps of the altar and after a few very well chosen words of congratulation to the pastor and people on the happy culmination of their work in offering a church free of debt for the purposes of divine worship, preached an able and scholarly sermon on the holiness of the church, and during his remarks he was listened to with rapt attention, showing that his words had made a very deep impression. The Polish sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. M. Barabasz, of Baltimore, Md.

The rectory was built the same year and occupied in December. St. Joseph's congregation owns its own cemetery, which was blessed in October, 1896, and is located at Union Corner.

In July, 1892, Father Nowak was transferred to New York City, where he organized a new Polish congregation, and established St. Joseph's Home for the Polish Immigrants on Broad street.

Father Michael Slupek was in charge of St. Joseph's Church at Florida for nearly two years, and was succeeded by Rev. Joseph Kloss, who was pastor of St. Joseph's until October, 1902. At that time Father Nowak returned to St. Joseph's, and under his management the church is freed from debt again.

The church will be enlarged this year, as it is too small for the congregation. There are thirteen hundred Polish people in Florida and vicinity. The Poles of Florida are showing a desire and aptness to develop into a most industrious and desirable class of citizens.

ARTHUR E. O'CONNOR was born March 10, 1867, at Brooklyn, N. Y. He is a son of John S. and Hanna (Marrett) O'Connor. To this union seven children, one son and six daughters, were born. There are five living: Anna, wife of Timothy O'Connell, of Honesdale, Pa.; Mary, wife of Thomas Cusick, of Goshen, N. Y., and two daughters residing at home and two are dead. The subject of our sketch attended the public school at White Mills, Pa. His father was identified with C. Dorfinger for twenty-five years at White Mills, Pa., and operated a cut glass factory at Hawley, Pa. Arthur started the cut glass factory at Goshen in 1900, which has enjoyed a prosperous business since. Mr. O'Connor's father was the oldest practical cut glass man in the world, and was sergeant in the 69th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and his grandfather, Neal O'Connor, was a captain of the New Orleans Rangers in the Mexican War. Arthur married Catherine Langan, of Hawley, Pa., February 20, 1888, and to this union were born three sons and one daughter, Mary, who holds the position of bookkeeper at the Goshen factory. John graduated in 1907 at Hawley, Pa., and is now foreman at the Goshen factory. William and Arthur are attending school at Goshen. Mr. O'Connor employs forty men at his factory.

HON. BENJAMIN B. ODELL--In reviewing the life of this venerable and distinguished citizen of Newburgh, a few words regarding his ancestry will not be amiss. The family is of French and English descent, but has been represented in America for many generations. His grandfather, William Odell, was born in New York City, and there for some years he was proprietor of the Bull's Head Tavern. In 1835 he moved to Orleans County, N. Y., where he bought a tract of land and with the assistance of his two sons improved a valuable farm. His death occurred there at the age of more than ninety years.

Isaac Odell, the father of our subject, was born in Tarrytown, Westchester County, N. Y., and reared in New York City, whence, about 1820, he came to Orange County, settling on the DeWitt Clinton farm at Little Britain, where he remained until 1830, when he removed to Newburgh and was employed in the freighting business with the firm of Powell, Wardrop & Johnson, with whom he remained until his retirement from business. He died at the age of sixty-five. His wife, Mary A., was also a native of Westchester County. She died in New York City in her eighty-first year. Their family consisted of two sons and two daughters, of whom Benjamin B. was the second in order of birth. He was born in the Governor Clinton homestead, New Windsor town, September 10, 1825, and reared in Newburgh, where he attended the public schools. In 1843 he entered the employ of B. W. Van Nort, in the restaurant and hotel business where he remained until 1847, when he embarked in business for himself, opening a restaurant in Third street. Twenty years later he sold and abandoned the business permanently.

Mr. Odell foresaw a promising field in the ice business, and in 1863 purchased from James R. Dixon the ice property now known as Muchattoes Lake, and conducted the business personally until 1886, when he organized the Muchattoes Lake Ice Company, of which he has since remained president.

Mr. Odell was one of the organizers of the Columbus Trust Company in 1892, and was the first president, but resigned after one year in office. He is president of the Central-Hudson Steamboat Company and a director in the Orange County Traction Company.

For over sixty years Mr. Odell has been prominently identified with the administration of public affairs of Newburgh and Orange County. In 1863 he was trustee of the village; 1865, alderman from the Third ward; 1879, supervisor of the town of New Windsor; 1880 to 1883, sheriff of Orange County. In 1884 he was elected mayor of Newburgh, continuing in that office until 1890, when he refused to be a candidate for another term. In 1894, however, he was again nominated and reelected mayor, serving until 1900. During the twelve years of his administration the city witnessed the creation of many public improvements and an era of great progress and increase in population.

Amid the multiplicity of his public and private affairs, Mr. Odell has never allowed his religious duties to be neglected, in the American Reformed Church he has been an official, serving at different times as elder and deacon. In 1850 he married Miss Ophelia, daughter of Hiram Bookstaver, of the town of Montgomery. Eleven children were born to them, of whom four are living: Benjamin B., Jr., Governor of New York State (1900 to 1904); Hiram B., postmaster of Newburgh; Clara, who resides with her father, and George C. D., professor in Columbia University, New York City.

By his energy and resolute character, coupled with a genial disposition, Mr. Odell has not only advanced his own success, but has given an impetus to the growth and prosperity of Newburgh by his progressive spirit and enterprise.

HIRAM B. ODELL, postmaster, Newburgh, N. Y., is the son of Hon. Benjamin B. and Ophelia (Bookstaver) Odell, and was born August 21, 1856. After finishing his studies he engaged with his father in the conduct of a large ice business. In 1886 he was elected a director and superintendent of the Muchattoes Lake Ice Co. In 1891 he was appointed superintendent of the Newburgh Electric Light, Heat and Power Co. From 1880 to 1882 he was under sheriff of the county, in charge of the Goshen court-house, his father then being sheriff. He received his present appointment March 1, 1900, and was reappointed by President Roosevelt in 1904 and again in 1908. Mr. Odell married Miss Edith Booth, of Kingston.

JAMES ALSOP OGDEN, only son of William L. and Louise Baker Ogden, was born in the town of Mount Hope May 28, 1861. His entire home life has been in Warwick, to which his father moved when the boy was only nine months old. He died December 5, 1905.

Mr. Ogden was educated in Warwick Institute and at Hartwell's Private School in Unionville. He married Miss Virginia R. Geraghty, of Warwick, in 1889, and is survived by her and one daughter, Mary, who is a graduate of the Warwick high school; also by two sisters, Alveretta, wife of Maurice Pelton, and Mary, wife of Dr. S. E. Holly. In 1889 he and his brother-in-law, Mr. Pelton, succeeded his father in the hardware business with the firm name of Ogden & Pelton. His father died in 1902. James Ogden was a member of the Warwick band for many years. He was one of the founders of the Warwick Athletic Association, and a member of the Warwick Club, in which last he served as trustee and treasurer. He was one of the charter members of the Warwick Gun Club, and a director in the First National Bank.

JOSHUA OLDROYD was born in Yorkshire, England, January 29, 1838. His early education was acquired while working in the woolen mills of that place, attending school one-half day and working the other half. He also attended night school for several years. His trade was that of a hand loom weaver. When eighteen years of age he came to America, and was employed in the woolen mills at Mechanicstown, Orange County, from 1856 to 1858. The following four years he was in charge of the woolen mills at Millow, Wawayanda township. He was later employed in mills at Newtown, Connecticut, and afterward owned woolen mills at East Granby, Conn. In 1875 he removed to Newburgh and took charge of a horse blanket printing machine manufactory, remaining there only a few months, when he returned to Mechanicstown, and operated woolen mills there for five years. He then conducted a felt boot manufactory at Howells for a period of twenty-one years. He sold his business at Howells, and went to Philadelphia and took the management of the Watkinson Felt Boot Factory Co., remaining there two years. He was obliged to remove back to Middletown owing to ill health, where he has since resided in retirement. He married Miss Hanna Newsome, daughter of James Newsome, of Mechanicstown, March 6, 1861. One child was born to this union, who died in infancy. In the fall of 1905 his townsmen of the Third ward nominated him for alderman. He was victorious and has since held the office. He was a delegate to the Republican state convention eight years. He attends the Episcopal Church and is a member of Hoffman Lodge, No. 412, F. and A. M., of Middletown, N. Y.

WILLIAM H. O'NEAL was born at Goshen, Orange County, N. Y., March 3, 1836. He acquired his education at various district schools in the county. At the age of sixteen years Mr. O'Neal began learning the painting and decorating trade. He married Sarah E. Stone, of Denton, N. Y., December 31, 1855. They had three children, Sarah Louise, Henry Lincoln and Charles Francis. His wife died February 9, 1881. He afterward married Lydia F. Hall of Goshen, N. Y., July 27, 1882. She died March 1, 1892.

Mr. O'Neal worked at his trade in New York City twenty years, going there in 1856. He worked at the navy yard for eleven years. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of Goshen Lodge, No. 365, F. and A. M., and served as master of lodge two years. At the breaking out of the Civil War Mr. O'Neal enlisted in the 84th Regiment, entering as private and later being promoted to captain. He served in the defense of Washington and was honorably discharged. In 1863 he re-enlisted and served for some time in the Shenandoah Valley.

HON. JOHN ORR, former assemblyman from the first district of Orange County, was born in Cornwall, N. Y., March 5, 1859. He is a son of William and Margaret (Elliott) Orr, and is engaged in the flour and coal business at Orr's Mills, which is now one of the industrial landmarks of the town of Cornwall. Mr. Orr was educated at public and private schools, finishing with a three-year course at Leipsic, Germany. On his return home he became a member of the firm of William Orr & Sons, dealers in flour, feed and coal.

Politically Mr. Orr is a Republican, and has taken an active part in promoting the welfare of his party, not only in his native town but throughout the county. In addition to representing this district in the state legislature for four years, he was elected a member of the board of supervisors, where he served nine years. He has held public office in the town of Cornwall for a period of twenty years. Mr. Orr is particularly well posted on questions of taxation and parliamentary usage, and in close touch with the farming community, recognizing their needs and desires. He enjoys the reputation of being a pleasant after-dinner speaker.

Mr. Orr is prominently identified with various fraternal organizations, including Free Masonry. In August, 1900, he was elected great sachem of the Improved Order of Red Men, state of New York, and has also held the office of president of the Association of Tribes of the Hudson Valley.

In 1888 Mr. Orr was united in marriage with Miss Angelique Veith, of New York City. They are the parents of two children, Alice and Walter.

HERMAN OTTO was born in Saxon, Germany, February 22, 1848. He came to America in 1869 and married Emma Wolf, of New Britain, Conn. Nine children were born to this union: One daughter died at the age of seventeen years; Emma, wife of Ira Smith, of Monroe, N. Y.; Herman, who resides in New York City; Frank, of Windham, Ohio; Charles, of Monroe, N. Y.; Annie Mae, of New York City; Arlyne Elsie, Harry and Paul, residing at home.

Mr. Otto is a member of Luther Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Middletown, and of the Cigar Makers' Union of Middletown. His estate, comprising one hundred and eighteen acres, is under substantial improvement. Mr. Otto does not depend entirely on the products of his farm, for he has a well established cigar manufacturing business, which he has carried on successfully for many years. In politics he is a Republican and takes an active interest in local affairs.

GEORGE A. OWEN, dealer in general merchandise at Washingtonville, N. Y., was born in that village in 1842, a son of Hon. Albert G. and Phoebe M. (Breed) Owen. His father was also a merchant here, and actively identified with public affairs in Orange County. He was one of a committee of three to organize the famous 124th Regiment. He served several terms as supervisor of the town of Blooming Grove, and was elected a member of the state assembly in 1849-1850. In 1890 Mr. George Owen succeeded to a business that was established in 1812 by Samuel Moffatt. The firm name was subsequently known as Samuel Moffatt & Son, and David H. Moffatt, who disposed of it in 1832. Various merchants conducted the store previous to Mr. Owen, who has enlarged the original building and erected the adjoining post office. In 1905 his son, Walter D., became a partner. Mr. Owen is a trustee of the Moffatt Library and Presbyterian Church. He is also a charter member of the fire company. In 1876 he married Miss Isabelle Board and six children have been born to them.

OSCAR E. OWEN was born February 28, 1845, at Ridgebury, N. Y. His early education was acquired at the old Wallkill Academy. After finishing school he learned the monumental work and he was identified in that business until 1902, when he retired. He married Emily F. Mapledoram, of Monticello, Sullivan County, N. Y., July 28, 1868. One son was born of this union, Clifford A., born June 7, 1872. He is teller in the First National Bank of Middletown. Mr. Owen is a Republican and has served the city two terms as alderman. He is a member of the Universalist Church. His father, John C. Owen, was born in the town of Minisink, Orange County, N. Y. He was born July 16, 1806, and died at his daughter's home, Mrs. W. W. Hartford, in Middletown. He was a son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Owen, and was brought up on the farm. At the age of twenty-one he entered the mercantile business at Huguenot, removing to Smith's Corners after two years. He married Adeline, daughter of Moses Durland, February 16, 1833. In 1837 he moved to Ridgebury and ran a general store. In 1847 he moved to his farm left him by his uncle, Jesse Parshall, Remaining on the farm a few years, he removed to Ridgebury, where he started a marble yard, and he continued in that business until 1866 in Ridgebury and Middletown. Then he engaged in the grocery business in Middletown, which he continued for some years, finally selling out to his son-in-law, W. W. Hartford. He afterward purchased a residence at 177 North street and retired from active business, remaining in the home until the death of his wife, February 16, 1892, the fifty-ninth anniversary of their marriage. He took an active interest in church work and was a Republican in politics.

ZAEL PADDLEFORD, merchant, of Monroe, N. Y., was born in Broome County, N. Y., in 1866. He came to Monroe in 1891 as foreman of the creamery, occupying that position about four years. In 1894 he established his present store, and a year later formed a partnership with George R. Conklin, under the firm name of Paddleford & Company. Mr. Paddleford has served six years as supervisor of the town and is now president of the village. He is secretary of the Orange and Rockland Electric Company. Socially Mr. Paddleford is identified with the Masonic fraternity. He married Miss Isabella S. Kinney, of Iowa, and their son, Bruce K., is attending school in New York City.

THE PALATINE HOTEL, H. N. and F. N. Bain, proprietors. The appointments, accommodations and interior aspect of the Palatine are ideal. It is the largest hotel in Orange County and conveniently located in the heart of the city of Newburgh. The house contains one hundred and sixteen rooms, about one-half of which are so arranged that they may be used separately or en suite for families. The house, was established in 1893 and is under the personal supervision of Mr. F. N. Bain, who conducts it in accordance with the most modern methods.

WILLIAM A. PARSHALL is a scion of an old and distinguished Orange County family. Jonathan Parshall, his great great grandfather, moved to Little Britain in the town of New Windsor, from Long Island, in 1737. His son David fought for American freedom in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Parshall's father, Caleb Parshall, was born on the old homestead, but when he reached man's estate he moved to the farm in Walden, where William A. was born, December 9, 1865.

In 1870 the family moved to Port Jervis, and the boy was sent to the public schools, graduating from the high school in the class of 1883. The following year he entered Yale and was graduated in 1888. During his senior year he was awarded the medal by the Cohden Club of London, England, for work in political economy. Mr. Parshall went to the Albany Law School and completed the course in 1889. Returning to Port Jervis, he entered the law office of Hon. Lewis E. Carr and in May, 1890, was admitted to the bar. The following October, he entered into partnership with Hon. O. P. Howell and R. Ed. Schofield, and the firm was known as Howell, Parshall & Schofield. On September 1, 1893, he withdrew from the firm and has since been successfully engaged in the practice of law in an office of his own. He has been a director of the National Bank for fourteen years, is a director of the Port Jervis Telephone Company, the Co-Operative Loan and Savings Society, Orange County Building and Loan Association, No. 2, and is an auditor of Port Jervis Building and Loan Association. He has also taken an active interest in politics, and when a young lawyer served the town of Deer Park in the office of town clerk. At present he is the attorney for the city of Port Jervis, and for twelve terms was corporation counsel for the village of Port Jervis. In 1903 Mr. Parshall was elected a member of the board of education and since 1904 has been its president. For the past seventeen years he was a trustee of the Presbyterian Church. On June 1, 1903, Mr. Parshall was united in marriage with Miss Christine Senger, daughter of Lewis C. and Florence Corwin Senger. They have three children.

ARTHUR PATCHETT, who for over twenty years was prominently identified with business and social affairs of Orange County, was born in England in 1847 and died at Montgomery, N. Y.. November 30, 1901. Mr. Patchett came to America in 1872, locating at Philadelphia, where he followed the business of worsted manufacturer. In 1880 he removed to Montgomery and with the late William Crabtree established the yarn plant which soon became one of the important industries of the county. Mr. Patchett was a member of the board of water works commissioners and exerted a wide influence in the affairs of his adopted village. He was a member of Walden Lodge, F. and A. M., Royal Arch Masons, Knights Templar and Mecca Shrine. In 1874 he married Miss Alice M. Hayes, of Philadelphia. Two sons and a daughter were born to them: Emma M., who resides in Montgomery; Joseph E. and Arthur Allan are engaged in business at Kaiser, W. Va.

FRANK PATTERSON, supervisor of the town of Deer Park, who, with his brother, George H., conducts a farm of one hundred acres and a commodious summer boarding house known as "Eddy Farm," at Sparrowbush, was born there in 1865, a son of J. R. and Mary E. (Doty) Patterson. Since finishing his studies at the public schools he has been engaged in the cultivation of the homestead farm. Politically Mr. Patterson is a democrat and has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his party. He has served as highway commissioner and in 1907 was elected a member of the board of supervisors.

Mr. Patterson married Miss Sarah Chambers and they are the parents of three sons and two daughters: Ruth E., John R., Edward, Dudley and Frances.

WILLIAM M. PATTON (deceased) was born in the town of New Windsor, Orange County, N. Y., May 30, 1834. He was for many years engaged as a farmer and cattle dealer, in which he was very successful. In 1895 he took up his residence in Newburgh, the details of his cattle business being attended to by his only son, John R. Patton, who resides on the Patton homestead, near Washington Lake. Mr. Patten was for years a member of the board of directors of the Columbus Trust Co., and a member of its finance committee. He was a careful man in financial affairs and to him as one of its officers is due much of the prosperity of the company.

Mr. Patton's first wife was Miss Robinson; she was the mother of John R. Patton, who died many years ago. His second wife was formerly Miss Anna F. Johnston, a daughter of the late Beverly K. Johnston, a prominent business man of East Coldenham.

Mr. Patton died April 16, 1907, and is buried in the Wallkill Valley cemetery, Walden, N. Y.

ALBERT S. PEIRCE, manufacturer, Newburgh. Born Orange County, March, 1860. Graduated from Newburgh Academy and was then engaged in mercantile business in New York City for four years. In 1885 he returned to Newburgh and became associated with Coldwell, Wilcox & Co., iron founders and machinists. May, 1890, the firm was incorporated as Coldwell-Wilcox & Co., of which Mr. Peirce has since been treasurer. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the City Club. In 1885 he married Edith, daughter of the late Dr. Heard, ex-president of the board of health. The Peirce ancestry dates back to the Commander of the Mayflower.

HENRY PELTON came to Warwick from Darien, Conn., in 1805. He was a small boy at the time, and settled with his father on a farm just west of the village. He was always looked upon as one of the most public spirited citizens, foremost in every movement for the good of the community, and for the support of his church. Many writings of local historical interest, left by him, show him to have been possessed of a mind capable of clear thinking, and the ability to express himself in good English. He is remembered as having been one of the pioneers in the temperance movement in the middle of the last century. He died in 1873, at the age of eighty-two.

SAMUEL PELTON, son of Henry Pelton, spent his life as a farmer, residing for over fifty years on the farm now owned by his son, and dying in 1906, nearly eighty-eight years of age. Of quiet, gentle disposition, he never aspired to public prominence, yet was ever ready to help in any public-spirited undertaking. He served a term as president of Warwick Institute and was one of the founders and for many years a trustee of the Warwick Savings Bank.

HENRY PELTON, son of Samuel Pelton, resides on the farm formerly owned by his father. He devotes most of his time to land surveying and local engineering work. He succeeded the late G. W. Sayer as president of the Warwick Valley Farmers' Milk Association, and held that office until the sale and dissolution of the company in 1907. He is also one of the trustees of the Warwick Savings Bank and a director of the Warwick Building Association.

WILLIAM W. PELTON was born December 15, 1837, and died November 26, 1907, at his home near Warwick, N. Y. His early education was acquired at the district school, and the Warwick Institute, when it was a private school. He afterward became a teacher. He was a member of the board of education when the Warwick Institute was made a free school in 1867. He was engaged in business in Warwick and New York City for a time. In December, 1867, he married Almeda Knapp, daughter of the late John Knapp, of Sugar Loaf, Orange County, who survives him. To this union were born four children, John, Grace, wife of Frank Holbert of New York; Almeda, and Geraldine, wife of Selah Durland; also two grandsons and two granddaughters. Mr. Pelton was the last of his father's family. His brother, James, died in 1856, and Richard in 1898.

EDGAR PENNEY, vice-president and general manager of the Newburgh Ice Machine and Engine Co., is a native of Orange County, and has been identified with this company since 1895. Before purchasing the Newburgh plant he was for twelve years managing director and mechanical engineer for the Frick Company, Waynesboro, Pa., which built his ice machine, known as the "Frick"' or "Eclipse." Mr. Penney invented this machine and retains full privilege of manufacture and sale under his patents. Among the products of the present concern are the Corliss steam engines, steam boilers, iron and brass castings, etc. A force of two hundred and fifty men are employed. The main buildings are 200 by 400 feet in dimensions and were built in 1883. In 1907 a large addition was erected.

WILLIAM J. PENOYER began life in Columbia County, N. Y., and after leaving the district school at the age of fifteen, he entered a general store and remained there for ten years. When twenty-six years of age he went to Albany, N. Y., and engaged in the grain business, which he continued until appointed harbor master by Governor Hoffman. He was supervisor several years and a director of two banks. He was a leading spirit in many improvements in his native county. In politics he was a Democrat.

Mr. Penoyer in 1883 married Anna M. Roe, of Chester, Orange County, and they had one daughter, Fannie, born 1886. He died in January, 1904.

MILLS PEPPER, son of Elijah and Catura (Crowell) Pepper, is a prosperous farmer in the town of Montgomery. The farm, which comprises one hundred and forty acres, was purchased by his father, who conducted it over sixty years. Mills Pepper, who resides at the homestead with his sister, has conducted it ten years. He is a member of Little Britain Grange and takes an active interest in public affairs of this locality.

GEORGE W. PETERS (deceased), a prominent business man of Newburgh, was born in Poughkeepsie in 1826, a son of Charles and Phoebe (Dean) Peters. At the age of sixteen he engaged with his father in the meat business in New York City, and in 1847 became a member of the firm of Charles Peters & Son, which continued until 1863, when he sold the business and moved to Newburgh, where he engaged in farming for two and a half years. In 1869 he opened a meat market at 113 Water street, which he conducted with his sons until 1882, when he retired.

Mr. Peters was actively identified with public affairs in Newburgh. Under Mayor Doyle he was superintendent of streets for two terms. For many years he was president of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; also president of the Horse Thief Protective Society. He joined the Masonic fraternity in 1852, and was a member of the board of trustees of the Unitarian Church. He died in 1907.

ALBERT H. F. PHILLIPS was born at Oswego, N. Y., in 1866. His education was acquired at Oswego and the old Middletown Academy, graduating from the latter in 1880. His parents were John G. and Mary (Fisher) Phillips. Mr. Phillips has been identified with the New York, Ontario & Western Railroad as foreman for a period of fourteen years. In 1904 he assumed the position of master painter of the O. & W. shops, which position he still holds. He was married to Elizabeth Anna Heckroth, of Delaware County, N. Y., October 18, 1888. Their one child, Clara, was born April 8, 1893. In politics Mr. Phillips is a Republican. He has served as inspector of elections at various times and has been a delegate to assembly and city conventions. Socially he is a member of Hoffman Lodge, No. 412, F. and A. M., Lancelot Lodge, K. of P., and Wallkill Council, Jr. O. U. A. M., of Middletown. He is a member of the North Congregational Church and served as deacon and treasurer for the past seventeen years.

JOHN EVERTSON PHILLIPS, of Goshen, N. Y., son of William and Sarah E. Phillips, was born in Phillipsburgh, March 20, 1805. Graduated from Williams College in 1825. He studied law with Henry G. Wilner and after his admission to the bar in 1828 was associated with him in his profession until his death, December 17, 1841. He was married March 1, 1832, to Elizabeth T. Wisner, daughter of his partner, Henry G. Wisner. There were three daughters born of this union. Miss Harriet H. is still residing at the home which has been, occupied by the family since 1836.

JOHN F. PIERCE, supervisor of the town of Highlands, was born at Fishkill Landing, N. Y., March 7, 1844. He attended school at Wappingers Falls, and during the Civil War served on the schooner Norma, carrying ammunition to the various ports. He was subsequently at West Point eight years in the butcher business, and removed to Highland Falls in 1873, where he continued his meat market and in later years engaged in the livery business.

Politically Mr. Pierce is a Republican and has long been identified with public affairs of the town and village. In 1889 he was elected assessor, serving continuously until the fall of 1907, when he resigned to fill the office of supervisor. Mr. Pierce has also served about twelve years as school trustee.

GEORGE PIERSON, who has resided on his present estate for about sixty years, in the town of Hamptonburgh, is well known in Orange County. He came from one of the oldest and most respected families of the state. His great-grandfather, Silas Pierson, who came to this county from Long Island about 1750, and settled on the old Pierson farm in Hamptonburgh, was the great-grandson of John Pierson, who emigrated from England about 1650 and settled at South Hampton, Long Island, where he died in 1669.

George Pierson was born January 1, 1824, and is the son of Henry Pierson, also a native of the same place. His mother was Miss Mary Shaw, a native of Orange County, and four of her eight children grew to manhood and womanhood. Of these George was the eldest. Mr. Pierson's father died in 1866 and his mother in 1853. George Pierson obtained his early education at the district school and afterward became a student of the Amherst Academy, at Amherst, Mass. He married Miss Mary E. Thompson, daughter of Oliver Thompson, December 20, 1848. Their union resulted in the birth of four children. In 1849 Mr. Pierson moved to his present farm where he has resided over fifty years. He is interested in all public affairs and has held the office of justice of the peace since 1869, having served continuously with the exception of two years. He served as assessor from 1884 to 1899. He is a member of Goshen Lodge, No. 365, F. and A. M. He was a trustee of the Hamptonburgh Presbyterian Church for thirty-nine years. At the time of Henry Clay's nomination for president, in 1844, Mr. Pierson was not quite of age, but he attended the next town meeting and has been in attendance ever since with one exception, in 1888. which was the only time he failed, and has attended every general election since he was of age. He was a member of the old Campbell Hall Grange, now out of existence. Mr. Pierson has a well stocked dairy farm and is new retired.

JOHN PIERSON, of the town of Mount Hope, was born on the homestead farm, near Otisville, Orange County, N. Y., in 1834. His father was Silas G. and mother Salome B. (Cook) Pierson. Four children were born of this union. Two died in infancy. Harriet N., wife of Alsop W. Dodge, of Otisville, died July 20, 1897. John Pierson acquired his early education at the district school in his locality and at the public school at Middletown. He has resided on his present farm for a period of over seventy years. He is a Republican in politics and takes an active part in local affairs. He has been assessor for twenty years, has served as inspector of election for the town of Mount Hope about fifteen years, is a member of the Otisville Presbyterian Church and the Otisville Grange. His children are Silas G. and John M., of Denver, Colo.; Frank and Cora, at home; Helen G., wife of Ebenezer Bull; Saloma C., of Philadelphia, and Susan C, a teacher at Amityville, Long Island.

GEORGE A. POST, a successful contractor and builder, of Port Jervis, N. Y., was born at Saugerties, Ulster County, N. Y., and there learned his trade of carpenter. In 1889 he engaged in the contracting business at Port Jervis, and since that time has erected many of that city's prominent business blocks and residences. Mr. Post is a member of the Elks, and Confidence Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., of Saugerties. He has served as trustee of the village and was one of the first aldermen when Port Jervis became a city. He married Hannah J. Bross, of Ten Mile River, Sullivan County, and they have four children: Fannie E., who married Charles Clark; George H., a mail carrier, married Tillie Headley; Minnie, residing at home, and Lillie, a school teacher at Westbrookville, this county.

A. E. POWERS, manager of the Port Jervis plant of Swift & Co., is a native of Charleston, N. H., and has occupied this responsible position for a period of eleven years. Mr. Powers is prominent in business and social circles and is identified with the Masonic fraternity, the Elks and Odd Fellows.

JAMES J. PROCTOR was born September 1, 1878, at Greycourt, Orange County, N. Y. He acquired his early education in the schools of Orange County and at an early age he became associated with his father, John R. Proctor, in the management of the hotel at Greycourt. His father was a charter member of the Walton Hose Company, of Chester, N. Y., and a respected and energetic business man. James was married June 12, 1906, to Mary Gardner, of Highland Falls, N. Y. Mr. Proctor has been first assistant foreman of the Walton Hose Company, of Chester, for over four years, and has been a member ten years. His brother, Henry J., was born May 27, 1875, and is identified with him in the hotel business at Greycourt. Their father died January 29, 1904.

CHARLES PURDY was born March 15, 1842, in Sullivan County, near New Vernon, N. Y. His parents were Ebenezer and Hettie (Warner) Purdy. There were nine children in the parents' family, of whom six are still living. Charles attended the district schools in Sullivan County, after which he worked at farming until 1864. He then engaged with the Erie Railroad as brakeman and later had charge of a construction and switch engine for some time.

He married Jessie A. Wardrop, of Goshen, N. Y., October 18, 1876. Mr. Purdy is now baggage master at the Erie and has served since 1883. His wife, who died December 22, 1905, was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Middletown.

JOHN H. QUAID, who conducts a wholesale and retail grocery store in Water street, Newburgh, succeeded to the business that was established in 1834 by his father, John Quaid, a native of Limerick County, Ireland, who came to Newburgh when a young man and began business in Oldtown at the junction of what is now Liberty street and Gidney avenue, where he remained until 1850, when he removed to the present location, 136 Water street. In 1857 his eldest son, William, became a partner and the firm was changed to John Quaid & Son. In 1871 John H. purchased his father's interest and the firm of William Quaid & Brother was formed, continuing until 1881, when William retired and John H. has since continued the business. Mr. Quaid has acquired much valuable real estate in Newburgh.

The parents of their mother, whose maiden name was McGathern, settled on a farm m the town of Blooming Grove in 1807. It is said of their grandmother that she was awarded the first premium for butter making for many years by the Agricultural Society.

Mr. John H. Quaid married Margaret Lord Fancher, daughter of Lewis Fancher, of Cornwall. She was a Daughter of the Revolution and at the time of her death in 1896 was president of St. Luke's Hospital, of which her husband was a trustee. Mr. Quaid is a member of the City Club, Newburgh Historical Society, and with his brother, William, a vestryman of St. Paul's Church.

WILLIAM B. RAMAGE was born in Branchville, Sussex County, N. J., January 16, 1858, and was educated in the Branchville and Morristown schools and the S. S. Seward Institute, of Florida, Orange County. In 1866 he learned the trade of carriage painting with Abraham Watts, of Florida, worked for him three years, and in 1871 engaged in business for himself in Florida, where he has continued during the thirty-six years intervening. Being a zealous Republican and an active political worker, he has held office for the past twelve years, and is now overseer of the poor and constable. He is a member of Wawayanda Lodge, No. 34, I. O. O. F., and of Warwick Lodge, No. 544, F. and A. M. He married May Jane Givens, of Florida, June 3, 1870. They have had ten children, only four of whom are living. Hattie, wife of Charles Hall, of Paterson, N. J.; Frank P., at home; Jessie, wife of M. Barry, of Florida, and Leon, at home. The mother is an earnest and active Methodist.

Mr. Ramage's father came to this country from England when he was ten years of age, went to Sussex County, N. J., and has resided there since. His wife's name was Elizabeth and they were the parents of fourteen children.