FACTORS IN COLUMBIA COUNTY HISTORY

From

Columbia County at the End of the Century

Volume II

Published and Edited Under the Auspices of the Hudson Gazette

The Record Printing and Publishing Co.

Hudson, New York

M C M (1900)

"Ca-Cl" SURNAMES

These biographies  in Part III begin after page 132 of Volume II beginning with page 3.

Abbreviations used: p. o. = post office

Page 29:

CADY, Nicholas W., of East Chatham, N. Y., was born in Rayville, town of Chatham, N. Y., August 11, 1852.  He is a son of William H. Cady, who was a farmer until 1862, when he entered the employ of the Boston and Albany Railroad Company at East Chatham.  His wife was Elmira Wilbor, and their children were Mrs. Elvira (Cady) Bradley, Allen P., and Nicholas W. Cady.  The latter gained his education in the common schools, after which he engaged in farming in Michigan for a time.  April 12, 1876, he returned to East Chatham and became an employee of the Boston and Albany Railroad Company, and is now a foreman.  He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and of Columbia Lodge No. 98, F. & A. M., and has been school trustee for seven years.  His wife was Ella Kipp, who has borne him one daughter, Ada May.

Pages 29-31:

CADY, Jonathan Rider, of Hudson, was born on July 31, 1851, in the town of Chatham.  His father, Perkins F. Cady, was one of the most prominent and substantial citizens of the county; he was twice elected to the Assembly; was nominated (but not elected) to the office of sheriff; was for several years harbor master of the port of New York, and sixteen times elected to represent his town in the board of supervisors.  The father of Perkins F. Cady was related to Judge Daniel Cady, formerly a judge of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and the father of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  His mother was Ann M. Rider, the daughter of Jonathan and Mary Rider, of Rider's Mills, in Chatham.  At an early age Judge Cady was sent to the Friends' School at Providence, R. I., where he remained until his academic education was completed, when he at once entered upon the study of his profession in the law office of Messrs. Gaul & Esselstyn, of Hudson.  Here he spent three years of hard work, as clerk and student in one of the busiest offices in the county.  He then took a course in the Albany Law School, graduating in 1872, with distinction, in a class which comprised, among others, Alton B. Parker, the present chief judge of the Court of Appeals.  The next fifteen years were years of unremitting toil, spent wholly in the practice of his profession.  But if to young Cady these were laborious years, the labor was a labor of love, for to him no diversion or mere amusement could ever afford the keen enjoyment to be found in unraveling some intricate question of law; in formulating a pleading involving some delicate question of fact; in delving among the books for some precedent or judicial expression with which to elucidate a principle or fortify a position; or, which was to him the greatest delight of all, to engage with a worthy adversary in the actual clash of forensic combat in some hotly-contested trial.  During these fifteen years, besides the rapidly-increasing practice, the constantly-enlarging professional clientage of the lawyer, there was growing up around the man a steadily-widening circle of personal admirers and warm friends, eager for some fitting opportunity to express their loyalty and good-will.  And so, in 1889, his friends insisted that he should take the nomination for county judge.  He was elected to this office, which he held for the term of six years, when, declining a renomination, he once more applied himself unreservedly to his practice.  He was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1894, where his abilities received prompt and conspicuous recognition at the hands of his associates.  He served in that body as a member of the committee on the judiciary.  He also acted upon a subcommittee of four with Elihu Root, Louis Marshall, and John M. Bowers, who were charged with the duty of making the final draft of the amendments to the judiciary article of the Constitution.  He was chairman of the committee on canals.  In 1896, at the State convention of the Republican party, of which Judge Cady has always been a consistent and active member, he had the high honor of being chosen to make the nominating speech which placed the name of Governor Frank S. Black before the convention.  And in 1898 he was again selected to present the Governor's name for renomination, and, although the "organization" of his party was successful in its plan to defeat a renomination, Judge Cady's speech before the convention received the highest commendations of the press of both parties throughout the State.  Even those Republican journals which were hostile to Governor Black praised the judge's speech for the unanswerable logic with which he presented the arguments in favor of his renomination.  In 1899 Judge Cady found that his business in New York city and vicinity had reached such proportions as to require that he should have an office in the metropolis.  He accordingly opened an office there in connection with H. C. Henderson, Esq., of that city, at the same time associating with himself a partner, Mr. Allen W. Corwin, of Middletown, N. Y., who had read law with him, in the business of the home office at Hudson.  The next year the home firm was enlarged by the addition of E. D. De Lamater, Esq., of Hudson, so that the Hudson firm is now Cady, De Lamater & Corwin.  From 1882 to 1892 Judge Cady had as a partner Albert Hoysradt, whose health failed in the last-named year, and who died in 1895.  In 1873 Judge Cady married Miss Sarah C. Burger, of Hudson, a woman of charming personality, who throughout her married life was a recognized leader in society, as well as in all the philanthropic and charitable work of the community in which she lived.  Mrs. Cady died September 3d, of the present years [1900], leaving one son, Perkins F., 2d, now a student in his father's office, and one daughter, Miss Elizabeth B. Cady.  Besides considerable practice in the Federal courts and in the State courts of other counties, it may be said that for the past fifteen or twenty years Judge Cady has been retained on one side or the other in most of the important litigations at the Columbia bar.  Judge Cady's name has been frequently mentioned by the press in connection with the office of justice of the Supreme Court, as well as that of Attorney-General of the State, and it is safe to predict that the day is not far distant when his party will insist that he accept a nomination to one or the other of these high offices.

Page 293:

CADY, Perkins F., p. o. Chatham Center, N. Y., was born in the town of Chatham, N. Y., June 18, 1822.  His father, Allen Cady, was a native of the same town, was a farmer, and a soldier in the War of 1812; his wife was Elvira Parish.  Perkins F. Cady received his education in the public schools and at Columbia Boarding School, and taught school for several years, after which he engaged in farming.  Mr. Cady has been quite prominent in the political circles of Columbia county, and has been chosen by the people to serve in positions of importance.  For twenty years he was supervisor of his town, and served two terms as member of Assembly, followed by four years as Harbor Master at New York city.  He was married to Ann M., daughter of Jonathan Rider, of Rider's Mills, N. Y.  Mrs. Cady died in 1889, survived by town sons:  J. Rider and Allen.

Page 293:

CAMPBELL, Peter N., was born in the town of Mt. Washington, Mass., in December, 1831, son of Robert (born in Mt. Washington in 1806) and Dorcas (Mead) Campbell, whose children were Darius, Robert, Peter N., Stephen.  Mr. Campbell died in October, 1884, and his wife in 1833.  He married, second, Clarissa McIntyre, who died August 19,1 1894, their children being John, Levi, Stanton, Warren, Edgar, George, James T., Clarissa, Helen.  Peter N. Campbell was educated in the district school and the academy.  He taught school for eleven winters in succession; was a salaried employee of Frederick Miles, at Copake Iron Works, for twenty-nine years; he came to Hillsdale in 1886.  Mr. Campbell married Ann Vosburgh, daughter of Adam (born August 1, 1805) and Betsey (born January 28, 1808) Vosburgh, of Copake, their children being Bertha A., and Charles B.  Adam Vosburgh died March 26, 1881, and his wife February 23, 1879; their children were Jane, George, Ann, Althea, and Sellick.

Pages 293 & 294

CARD, Eaton H., of the town of Ancram, N. Y., ws born on the Card Farm, April 18, 1826, son of Eason and Charlotte (Witherell) Card, who were the parents of the following named children:  Edson, Emma, Catherine, Mary, Eaton H., William, Eason, Charlotte, Sarah, and two who died in infancy.  Eason, Sr., was a son of Stephen and Esther (Bicknell) Card, and their children were George, Stephen, Eason, Myra, Sarah, and Loranda.  Stephen was the first of the family to settle in Columbia county, coming from Rhode Island when a young man.  Eaton H. Card was associated with his brother Edson in the management of the home farm after the death of their father, which occurred when Eaton H. was but fourteen years old, until the latter was nineteen, when he began as a farm laborer, continuing until he was twenty-five.  When he reached the age of twenty-eight he bought a farm in Dutchess county, on which he lived eighty years; returning to Ancram he purchased a farm, where he lived another eight years, when he bought the farm where he now resides, containing about 500 acres, and follows general farming and stock raising.  At the age of thirty-two years he was married to Dorcas, daughter of Everett and Phoebe (Robinson) Decker, and they have two children; Colvin and Adelbert.  Mr. Card has been justice of the peace twenty-four years, has served as school trustee, and is an active worker in the Presbyterian church.

Page 32:

CARNEY, Michael, of Claverack, was born in Ireland, March 1, 1850, a son of John and Catherine Carney.  His parents came to this country, settling in Hoosick, N. Y.  In 1880 Michael came to Philmont and worked for George Baker for eleven years and in 1891 started in the hardware and plumbing business for himself.  Mr. Carney has been twice married, first, to Ellen Connolly, of North Adams, Mass., and, second, to Mary Canavan, of Philmont; they have two children:  William and Helen.

Pages 294-296

CARPENTER, Miss Frances C., p. o. Lebanon Springs, N. Y.--Edwin A. Carpenter's grandfather, Joseph Carpenter, was one of the first settlers of Stephentown, Rennselaer county, N. Y.  His five sons purchased each a farm within a radius of three miles of what is now known as Stephentown Depot; were all well-to-do farmers and upright men.  His father, Benjamin Carpenter, married Asenath Pardee, daughter of Dr. Ario and Rachel Johnson Pardee, of Old Stockbridge.  His father purchased 300 acres of land and built what was for those days a fine house at the junction of the Hancock, Stephentown and Lebanon Springs roads.  His maternal grandmother was noted in all the vicinity as a woman of rare intellectual ability, strong convictions of right, and an enthusiastic patriotism.  During the War of 1812, she secured every newspaper possible (there were no dailies then), had a stand at her side arranged to hold them, read, rocked the cradle, and knitted socks for the soldiers (all at once) till the blood oozed from her finger tips; binding them up, she read and knitted on.  Edwin A., the fifth son, and next to the youngest child, was born at the homestead, August 25, 1812, remaining there until the age of sixteen.  Soon after the death of his father, about this time, he went to Hoosick Falls, as clerk in the store of his brother-in-law, Mr. N. L. Bishop, remaining three years.  Here he resolved to become a merchant, and to this end secured a situation in one of the dry goods stores of Troy, N. Y., and there, under the preaching of the renowned Rev. Dr. N. S. Beman, was laid the foundation (already inherited) of true nobility of character.  Remaining there one year, he then accepted a more lucrative position as head clerk in a leading wholesale dry goods house in Albany, where, at the expiration of another year, in acknowledgment of his integrity, correct habits and business ability, he was offered a partnership.  But the close confinement of a store and assiduous attention to business had meantime undermined his health, and, consulting a physician, was informed he must live permanently in the country, or die.  This was an intense disappointment, and he returned to his native town.  In 1834, at the age of twenty-two, he married Miss Caroline Carr, daughter of Spencer Carr, of New Lebanon, N. Y., who was a lineal descendant of Oliver Cromwell.  One of his ancestors, Caleb Carr, came from England in 1624, became Treasurer of Rhode Island Colony in 1667, Lieutenant-Governor in 1678, and Governor in 1695, and died while occupying that office.  Miss Carr was a lady whose remarkable beauty was only equaled by her loveliness of character.  Soon after their marriage, Mr. Carpenter was offered a position as traveling salesman through the principal cities of the South, at a salary of $1,200 a year (at that time considered a large one), and, for the sake of his health, bade adieu to his bride and started for New Orleans with his own conveyance.  There were then no railroads or telegraphs there and a letter was en route from one to two weeks, with a postage of twenty-five cents.  Traveling through the "Sunny South" in those days was fraught with many dangers, and Mr. Carpenter had several narrow escapes.  His wife died June 2, 1845, leaving two little girls:  Frances C. and Ella N.   He never married again, devoting his life to them.  After a time he became financial manger of the "Young Ladies' Institute," at Pittsfield, Mass.  (Mr. Wellington Tyler, principal), where he educated his daughters.  He traveled extensively North and West and settled at Lebanon Springs, where he lived most of the time for more than forty years.  The Pittsfield Sunday Record of March 21, 1894, speaks of him thus:  "It is pleasant to see such a young old man as E. A. Carpenter, of Lebanon Springs, who won his suit last week, for $10,000, against the Pittsfield National Bank.  Mr. Carpenter was born way back in a time that seems to most of us as far distant as the landing of the Pilgrims.  Yet here he is to-day, stepping briskly into court and relating clearly and intelligently to a jury the story of his dealings with the late cashier, Francis, whom he had known, as he expressed it, since he as 'so high.'  Mr. Carpenter is still vigorous in mind and apparently in body, and his sight and hearing are yet remarkably good.  At eighty-two, without baldness, and only partially gray hair and beard, he looks to be scarcely sixty-five."  He was a man of strong will, and indomitable energy, deep convictions of right, and courage to maintain and adhere to them; an abolitionist, and uncompromising opponent to the liquor traffic.  He died March 26, 1895, in the Christian faith, which he had professed for sixty years.  His daughter, Ella, Died April 11, 1900, leaving but one surviving member of the family.

Page 296

CARPENTER, George W., of New Lebanon, was born in Chatham, September 22, 1840.  His father, Anson S. Carpenter, was born in Columbia county and through life was engaged in farming; he married Lucinda Curtis, whose other children were Martin P., Charles H., Calvin A., Edwin J., Eliza J.  Mr. Carpenter died in December, 1889, and his wife in March, 1889.  George W. carpenter received his education in the common schools and after leaving school engaged in farming for a number of years.  He is now engaged in the mercantile business and was appointed postmaster in 1897.  Mr. Carpenter married Franc (sic) E., daughter of Elias Richmond; they have one daughter, Emma.

Page 32:

CARTER, Rev. George Galen, S. T. D.., a descendant of good old New England stock, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., on the 8th of November, 1840.  His father was Rev. Lawson Carter, who was pastor for many years of Trinity Church, New Rochelle, where he gave the best efforts of his life for the benefit of his fellowmen.  The founder of the family in America was Rev. Thomas Carter, who landed in Boston in the year 1635.  Rev. George G. Carter was graduated from Kenyon College and in 1867 from Berkeley Divinity School.  For twenty years he taught in the Theological School at Nashotah.  After spending one year in Europe he came to Hudson in 1891, becoming rector of All Saints' Church.  Under his charge the church has prospered and occupies an enviable position in the community.  In 1871 Dr. Carter married Susan M. Cowman, daughter of Augustus T. Cowman.

Pages 32 & 34:

CHACE, A. Frank B., attorney-at-law of Hudson, N. Y., was born in Hillsdale, N. Y., February 13, 1837.  His father, John McGonegal Chace, was a native of the town of Austerlitz, N. Y., where he was born January 20, 1800, the son of John Chace, whose father was Abraham Chace, a pioneer and a solider in the Revolutionary army.  John M. Chace was married to Eliza A. Becker; he was a farmer and well known throughout the county.  A. Frank B. Chace was educated at the Spencertown Academy and at Charlotteville Seminary.  He read law with Martin H. Dorr, of Hillsdale, and was admitted to the bar of Columbia county at the December Term of 1863.  On April 23, 1861, eleven days after the first gun was fired upon Fort Sumter, he enlisted as a private in Company K, Fourteenth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry.  He saw severe service in the battles of Hanover Court House, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, Savage Station.  White Oak Swamp, and at Malvern Hill, where, on July 1, 1862, he was wounded, being shot through the thigh, breaking the bone; he lay on the battle-field twenty-four hours, and was then carried to a barn, where he lay six days, a prisoner in the hands of the enemy; he was taken to Libby Prison in Richmond, and after fourteen days was exchanged and taken to a hospital in Baltimore; there he remained until he received his discharge on October 11, 1862, with the rank of sergeant.  He returned to Hillsdale, and, after recovering from the effects of his army experience, and after his admission to the bar, practiced law until July, 1867, when he removed to Hudson and formed a partnership with Judge Newkirk.  This relationship continued until 1889, from which time until 1896 he practiced alone.  In the latter year he associated with himself his sons, Alfred B. and J. Frank, to which partnership his youngest son, William Wallace, was admitted as a member in 1900.  For over thirty years Mr. Chace has been one of the leading members of the Columbia county bar, and has won an eminent position therein by his ability, industry and straightforward course in professional and civil life.  On the 16th of August, 1865, Mr. Chace married Mary A., only daughter of Alfred Bruce, a merchant of Hillsdale, N. Y.

Page 36:

CHESTERMAN, James, p. o. Valatie, N. Y., was born in New York city in 1842, son of George and Caroline P. (Van Valkenburgh) Chesterman.  George Chesterman was a native of New York city, where he was engaged in real estate business.  His children were Caroline (deceased April 7, 1894), George, Rosalie, and James.  Mr. Chesterman died January 12, 1883, and his wife on November 6, 1886.  James Chesterman received his education in the public schools of New York.  He was engaged there as an importer of woolens and principally in the wholesale auction business.  He removed to New Concord, and in July, 1898, he came to Valatie.  He served two years in the army during the Civil War, as a member of the Twenty-second Regiment, N. Y. Vols.  He is a member of the Knights of Pythias.

Page 36:

CLARK, Charles H. p. o. East Chatham, N. Y., was born in the town of Chatham, N. Y., December 21, 1859, son of Martin B. Clark, a native of Dutchess county, N. Y., a carpenter and contractor, who was married to Louisa Allen, and had children:  Laura and Elizabeth (both deceased), Mary and Charles H.  Martin B. Clark died in 1863, and was survived by his widow until 1890.  Charles H. Clark was educated in the public schools, and began his business life as a clerk in a hardware store in East Chatham in 1890; in 1894 he purchased the establishment and is now conducting the business.  He has been school collector for a number of years, and is a substantial and successfully business man.

Pages 296 & 297:

CLARK, J. Thorn, p. o. Spencertown, N. Y., was born in Chatham Center, N. Y., in 1847.  He was educated in the public schools and at Suffield (Conn.) Institute.  In 1877 he was married to Allie Tremain, daughter of Russell and Almira (Woodin) Tremain, one of the oldest families in Columbia county.  Mr. Clark has been active in political circles and has held the offices of commissioner of highways, justice of the peace, two terms, and is now serving his second term as supervisor.  He has followed farming all his life, and is now living upon the farm which has been in possession of his family for four generations, having been originally acquired by land warrants.  Mr. Clark's father, Elisha Clark, was born at Spencertown, N. Y., in 1816.  In 1845 he was married to Sara Keese Angell, and the following children were born to them:  Mary L., born in 1846; J. Thorn, born in 1847; Emma A., born in 1850, and Clara P., born in 1859.  Mr. Clark is still strong mentally and physically, and resides in the town of Ghent, N. Y.

Page 297:

CLARK, William H., p. o. Chatham, N. Y., was born in New Concord, N. Y., January 7, 1830.  His father, Henry S. Clark, a native of Columbia county, born in 1795, was a manufacturer of leather and boots and shoes.  He was a charter member of Columbia Lodge No. 98, F. & A. M., and assisted in the organization of Lebanon Chapter.  His wife was Susan Beebe, and their children were Bartlett B, Caroline, Sylvester, Mary, William, Ludlow V., William H., Elijah B., Eveline, and John.  William H. Clark attended the common schools.  He learned the trade of machinist and for a number of years was in business in Cleveland, returning to Chatham, where he has conducted business for thirty-three years.  He is a member of Columbia Lodge No. 98, F. & A. M.,  and is one of the oldest members of that body.  He was married to Catherine Tompkins Niles, daughter of David Niles.  They have two sons:  Harry and Harvey.

Page 297:

CLARKSON, Robert R. L., son of Lavinas (died 1861) and Mary Livingston (died 1889) Clarkson, was born on that part of the old Livingston estate now called Midwood.  He has one brother, Edward L.  Midwood, two and a half miles from Tivoli, was devised to Robert's mother; it consists of 120 acres, and, since it was set off from the old estate, has been used and occupied as a residence by the Clarksons.  Mr. Clarkson was married to Mary Ludlow Otis, who has borne him four children:  James Otis, Mary Adelia, Elizabeth, and Pauline.

Page 297:

CLELAND, Thomas J., M. D., p. o. New Lebanon, N. Y., was born in Council Bluffs, Ia., in 1868, son of Rev. T. H. and Lucia (Mitchell) Cleland.  Dr. Cleland, after obtaining his preparatory education, attended Bellevue Hospital Medical College, and was graduated from that institution in 1893.  He practiced for two years in the New York city Hospital, whence he came to New Lebanon, where he has achieved well-merited success.  He is health officer of the town.

Pages 36 & 37:

CLOW, David E., p. o. Stuyvesant, N. Y.  The first of the Clow family to settled in Columbia county was John, who located in the town of Stuyvesant near to where David E. now resides; he was a shoemaker by trade.  His children were Abraham, Jacob, Henry, Ephraim, Gilbert, and Hannah.  Most of these children lived in Columbia county and acquired considerable property at farming and shoemaking.  Ephraim Clow was born in 1786 and died March 6, 1877; he was married to Maria, daughter of John Sharp; she was born in 1771 and died April 7, 1880.  They had two children:  Agnes, wife of Peter Bogardus, and John E., who was born May 8, 1816, and died December 22, 1870; the latter was married to Caroline T., daughter of Benjamin and Thankful E. (Sanford) Cheeseman.  They had but one child, David E., the subject of this sketch, who was born February 27, 1853.  Peter and Agnes (Clow) Bogardus had one child, Mary Jane, born August 22, 1836.  She became wife of Peter Schermerhorn, on September 6, 1876, and died July 5, 1881.  David E. Clow remained at home, assisting his father and grandfather on the farm, until the death of the latter in 1877, when he inherited the farm where he now resides, consisting of ninety acres.  He has devoted his time since then to the cultivation of his land, and has been more than ordinarily successful.  On the 20th of May, 1874, Mr. Clow was married to Mary, daughter of John W. and Polly (Jeffers) Van Hoesen.  They have four children:  Theresa A., John E., Fred, and Russell, who died November 18, 1890.  The three surviving children live on the homestead.

Page 37:

CLOWE, Rev. George W., of Hudson, was born near Boston, Mass., March 17, 1842.  He attended the grammar school of Chelsea and Waterville Academy, and was graduated from Colby University in 1865.  He pursued his theological course at Newtown Theological Seminary, from which institution he was graduated in 1868.  The same year he came to Hudson as pastor of the Baptist church, in which capacity he officiated four years.  In 1872 he accepted a call from the White Plains church, where he served twelve years, going thence to the People's Baptist church in New York city, where he remained seven years.  He then returned to Hudson and has devoted his time to farming and literary work.  In 1871, he was married to Hannah Wiswall Waldron, daughter of Charles P. Waldron.  Mr. and Mrs. Clowe are the parents of two sons--Charles W., a lawyer, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Oliver W., electrician--and two daughters, Bertha Wyman and Mary Redman.  During the Civil War, and while a student at Colby University, Mr. Clowe was prominently identified with the work of the Christian Commission in the Union Army.

Pages 37 & 38:

CLUM, Philip H., Jr., of Clermont, was born in the town of Hunter, Greene county, N. Y., December 4, 1855, a son of Philip H. and Harriet B. (Jones) Clum, who had five children as follows:  Malinda J., Philip H., Stephen, Hattie (deceased) and William, all residents of Columbia county.  Philip H. Clum, Jr., is the fifth generation of the family of Clums who have lived in Columbia county, the eldest son of each being named Philip H.  When about three years of age Mr. Clum's parents moved from Greene county to Columbia county and settled in the town of Clermont, where they have since resided.  When twenty-one years of age Mr. Clum started in life for himself as a wagon maker, carpenter and farmer, which he has followed to the present time.  He is a self-made man, and all he has accumulated is through his own industry.  When about twenty-four years of age he married Fannie E., (deceased), daughter of Erastus Gardner.  He takes an active interest in town and county affairs, though he has never aspired to political honors in the way of holding office.  He is also interested in school and educational work, and has been connected with his school in an official capacity as trustee, etc.; he is a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

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