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)

"L" SURNAMES

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

Abbreviations used: p. o. = post office

Page 139:

LAHR, Peter, of Hudson, is a native of Germany, born in Hesse-Darmstadt, May 24, 1843.  He received his education in his native land, and emigrated to the United States in 1867, settling in Hudson, where he began a meat and provision business.  In 1871 he established his present market on Main street, where for nearly thirty years he has done a successful business.  He rebuilt and remodeled the building at 253 Main street, adapting it to the necessities and conveniences of his business, and by care and devotion to the little things that go to the making of a successful trade, and winning the good will and confidence of the people, he has established a patronage of which he may well feel proud.  After so many years of assiduous labor, he may look back with satisfaction upon his career and envy none their success.  In public positions Mr. Lahr has been conspicuous, few men in the city having been selected for a greater number of places of trust.  He has served as alderman of the Third ward, as excise commissioner and police commissioner; has been a trustee of the Masonic Association, treasurer of Lodge No. 7, F. & A. M., for eighteen years, and twice elected high priest and treasurer of Lafayette Commandery, and president of the Hudson Mannerchoir six years; protector and district deputy of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, past noble grand of Odd Fellows' Lodge No. 142, and a member of the Knights of Pythias.  In 1869 Mr. Lahr was married to Phoebe Conrad, who died in 1871; he married second, Magdalena Maisenbacher.  His children number seven, three sons and four daughters, namely:  Peter, Fred, George, Mary Etta, Marie, Elizabeth and Magdalena.

Page 141:

LAMBERT, Philip H. (deceased), was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., in 1828.  In 1848 he removed to Columbia county, where he was a farmer through life.  He was as estimable man in all respects, having the full confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens, who deemed him worthy of positions of public trust and responsibility.  He served as a justice of the peace of the town of Greenport from 1861 to 1865, and was supervisor in 1868.  His integrity, charity, and morality were unquestioned.  In 1849 he was married to Eliza A., daughter of Frederick D. and Caroline (Kipp) Gardner.  Their children are one son, Fraleigh G. Lambert, and one daughter, Mrs. Emma Patrie.

Pages 139-140:

LAMENT, James P., was born in Ulster, Greene county, N. Y., March 12, 1822, a son of Solomon and Esther (Pettet) Lament.  He attended the public school and learned the trade of mason and builder.  When a young man he went to Pittsfield and engaged in business for himself there, where he remained for thirty years, and during that time erected several of the larger public buildings in the town, such as the jail, the reformatory and many private buildings.  He then moved to Mellenville, where he resided for a number of years, and during that time erected numerous buildings in the village and vicinity, among which are the High Rock Mills, the Upper Aken Mill, the schoolhouse at Ghent and the Union Free School at Chatham, the latter being his last work.  Mr. Lament also dealt largely in horses for many years, going west at intervals, where he purchased fine animals for the eastern market.  In 1885 he removed to Newark, N. J., where he had charge of the stables of the United States Express Company; he remained there until 1888, then moved to Washington, D. C., and remained there until 1890, when he retired from business and came to Philmont, where he resided until his death, which occurred September 14, 1895.  Mr. Lament was married twice, and left two children by his first wife and his widow, Sarah Fowler, daughter of Edward and Sarah (Reed) Fowler.

Page 141:

LAMPMAN, Theodore, of Claverack, was born in Craryville, Columbia county, N. Y., January 21, 1840, a son of John C. and Sally (Miller) Lampman.  He attended the district schools of his native village and the Hudson River Institute.  In 1857 Mr. Lampman engaged in business for himself, buying and selling hay, grain, straw and produce.  This he continued for a good many years and was very successful in it; he finally opened an office in New York to dispose of his purchases and took in a partner to attend to the business in that city.  In July, 1884, he came to Claverack and bought the Red Mills, then owned by Peter S. Pulver, and operated them in connection with his other business until his death, which occurred in August, 1894.  On February 19, 1868, Mr. Lampman married Alice M., daughter of Peter S. and Sarah Ashley (Shufelt) Pulver; they had four children:  May, born May 9, 1872, died July 30 , 1883; Maud P., born July 9, 1874; John Theodore, born December 5, 1876, and Sarah E., born October 23, 1886.

Page 333:

LAMPMAN, Benjamin.--Jonas Lampman was born in Copake, N. Y., a son of Casper.  The father of the latter was the first of the family to settle in Columbia county, coming from Germany.  Casper was the father of ten children, namely:  Jonas, John, Peter, Walter, Simeon, Catherine, Betsey, and three who died young.  Jonas had children as follows:  Benjamin, married Julia, daughter of Abram Vosburgh; Casper, unmarried; Mary, wife of Lyman Pulver, and Augusta, wife of Byron E. Vosburgh, and they have two children, Harry and Kate.  Benjamin and family and Casper are members of the M. E. church.  Benjamin is a member of Webontuck Lodge, No. 480, F. & A. M., of Millerton, N. Y.

Pages 141 & 142:

LANE, James J., chief of police of the city of Hudson, was born in that city June 20, 1860, a son of John Lane, a native of Ireland, who came to Hudson in 1854 and became connected with the building of the Hudson Iron Works, and with which industry he was engaged until his death in 1896.  James J. Lane was educated in the public schools of Hudson, and his first business engagement was as bookkeeper in the grocery store of Van Bergen & Thomas, where he was employed about thirteen years.  At the age of twenty-four he served with credit as alderman of the First ward, and in 1892 he was appointed sergeant of the police force of Hudson.  When Capt. Almon Snyder retired from service in 1893, Sergeant Lane was promoted to fill the vacancy, and was reappointed by the board of police commissioners created by the new charter of 1895.  Probably there is no city of its size in the State more orderly than Hudson, and it is generally conceded that this enviable state of affairs is due, in a great measure, to the good judgment, active zeal, and constant watchfulness of Chief Lane and his subordinates.  But it is not alone in protecting the people against evil-doers that he is interested; in every movement tending to advance the welfare of his native city he is outspoken and ready to give his influence and service.  All in all, Chief Lane is a model officer, and Hudson may be well proud of him.

Pages 333 & 334:

LAPE, Alexander, was born December 29, 1847, son of Andrew A. (born in Sand Lake, June 10, 1810, died April 20, 1891) and Melicent (Smith) Lape (born November 29, 1810, died January 30, 1892).  Alexander Lape received his education in the common schools, and after leaving school began work in the feed and flour mill for his father, at the age of fourteen, where he worked for a while, then was employed by Platt & Bro., at East Chatham, for two years.  In the spring of 1869 Mr. Lape returned to the homestead, where he now lives, and purchased one-half interest in the mill business of his father, which he conducted under the firm name of Lape & Son.  In 1871 he became the sole owner, having purchased his father's interest, and in 1876 began making cider and cider brandy in a small way, which has continued to increase and at the present date (1900), his goods are shipped to nearly every State in the Union.  In 1880 Mr. Lape built a new house for himself, and in 1893 became interested in buying land, his first purchase being from Chas. W. Noyes, of thirty-seven acres; he has added to this from time to time, and now has a farm of over 400 acres.  He raises sheep extensively, having one of the finest flock of Merino sheep in the State.  In 1866 Mr. Lape married Lucy C. Akin (born August 4, 1850), who bore him four children:  Isabella, Alton B., Henry S., and Ida F.; their oldest son, Alton B., died January 30, 1890, at the age of eighteen years.  Mr. Lape has built a house for his son Henry adjoining the homestead, where he is engaged in farming and milling.

Pages 142 & 143:

LASHER, George E., of North Germantown, was born in Clermont, N. Y., in 1839, son of Sebastian G. (born May 3, 1793), died January 18, 1866) and Hannah (Lasher) Lasher (died February 3, 1869).  The ancestors of the family were among the pioneers of the county.  George E. Lasher is one of a family of ten children born to his parents -- four sons and six daughters, viz:  Edwin, Leonard, James H., George E., Delia, Christina, Matilda, Olivia, Margaret and Catherine.  Of this family only George E., Catherine and Matilda survive.  George E. Lasher was educated in Public School No. 3 in Jersey City, and after leaving school was a teacher in No. 6 school in Germantown.  In 1862 he enlisted in the volunteer service and served three years; at the siege of Port Hudson he was wounded; he was made corporal, and later was promoted to sergeant, acting as orderly sergeant the last five months of his service.  He was mustered out at Albany, July 25, 1865.  After his return from the army he engaged in fruit culture, and at present has twenty-seven acres of fruit, known as Riverside Fruit Farm.  He has also been in mercantile trade for twenty years.  He has been town clerk two years, justice of the peace two terms, supervisor two terms and was highway commissioner five years.  For twenty-one years he was superintendent of the Methodist Sunday school at North Germantown and eighteen years superintendent of the Cheviot Methodist Sunday school, which office he now holds. He has always been an active worker in the Methodist church.  He was appointed postmaster at North Germantown on May 11, 1897.  George E. Lasher married May E. Winans, who has borne him three children:  Stanley W., Clark D. and Fanny E., who are all living.  Mr. Lasher is a member of R. D. Lathrop Post, No. 138, G. A. R., and is a notary public.  He is distinctively a citizen of worth in all respects, and among his townsmen none is looked up to more than Mr. Lasher.

Pages 143 & 144:

LASHER, Remus E., p. o. Valatie, N. Y., was born in the town of Ancram, N. Y., on October 27, 1858, son of Edward and Catherine S. (Card) Lasher.  He received his education in the Hudson High School, and after leaving school was in the employ of C. E. Butler until 1879, when he came to Valatie and started in the jewelry business.  In 1889 he became general agent in the New England States for the Whitney Wagon Works.  He has been one of the trustees of the village of Valatie for five years, president two years and re-elected to the same office in the spring of 1900.  Mr. Lasher was married to Lavinia, daughter of John and Katherine Randerson; their children are Henry B., Edward C., James S., Marie C. and Frances V.  Edward Lasher, father of Remus E., was a native of Ancram, N. Y.; he built there a hotel and through life was in the hotel business.  He married Catherine S. Card, who bore him two children:  Remus and Emma C. (Lasher) Dayley.  Mr. Lasher died in 1889.

Page 332 & 333:

LASHER, Amasa P., was born November 1, 1841, in Germantown, and is the son of Samuel and Susan Gridley (Cronkright) Lasher, whose children were Amasa P., Peter G., Mary E., and S. Estelle.  Peter G. and Mary E. are deceased.  His father was a prominent and influential citizen of the town, and his mother was a descendant of the Cronkright family that emigrated from Holland and settled in Dutchess county at a very early period in the settlement of the country.  On the paternal side the line goes back to the arrival of the Palatinate colony at "East Camp" in 1710, the name of Bastian Lescher appearing upon the records of that date, and who eventually, with his brothers George and John, secured a large tract of land upon the banks of the river, the greater part of which has remained in the possession of their descendants up to the present time.  The beautiful home of Mr. Lasher commands one of the most picturesque views in the valley of the Hudson, and is built upon grounds that have descended from generation to generation for upward of 190 years, and within a hundred yards of a plot of ground that served as a safety vault for the protection of the provisions and household goods of his ancestors during the invasion of the British soldiers in this locality in the days of the Revolution.  From this elevation of more than 250 feet above the river, a most charming view of the towering Catskills and the majestic Hudson is had.  Mr. Lasher's early education was received at the public schools of his neighborhood, and a more advanced course was pursued at the Kinderhook Academy and at a private school in Brooklyn.  At the culmination of his studies he began his business life in the mercantile establishment of Strauss & Dosenheim in Hudson.  In 1861 the father of Mr. Lasher was elected to the Assembly as a representative of Columbia county, and, through his influence, his son received the appointment of assistant cashier in the Naval office of the New York Custom House, which he filled acceptably and honorably for five years, resigning the office to accept a more lucrative position in one of the largest business houses of the West, conducted by G. George & Son, wholesale boot and shoe dealers in Springfield, Ill.  While with this firm the death of his brother obliged him to return to his home to supervise the large interest of his father, who desired to retire from the active labors a large landed estate required, where he has since been engaged in farming and fruit culture, having thirty acres devoted to the latter.  He is also principal of District School No. 2 in Cheviot, which he has taught since 1869, except when serving as school commissioner, to which office he was elected in 1879, and served six years.  Mr. Lasher is recognized as one of the most prominent and popular educators of the county.  Mr. Lasher, early in life, became a member of the Republican party, casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and has ever since supported its candidates for public office, and the party of his town has recognized his faithful services by electing him to all the prominent offices within their gift.  He has served as town clerk two years, supervisor two years, filling the position at the present writing.  He is a member of Widow's Son Lodge of Mason, and is one of the executive members of the Luther League of the State of New York. He has lately become connected with the Tivoli Times, as associate editor, and edits the Germantown edition.  Mr. Lasher was married April 27, 1881, to Carrie A. Luckenbach, eldest daughter of Rev. W. H. Luckenbach, D. D., who died July 25, 1888, leaving tow children:  Mabel A. and Samuel Fielding.

Page 144:

LEGGETT, Charles E. p. o. Omi, N. Y., was born in the southwestern part of the town of Ghent, August 29, 1839, a son of John T. and Maria (Vosburgh) Leggett, who had five children, as follows:  Abram, Franklin, Elizabeth, Alidia M. and Charles E.  John T. married, second, Maryette Sargent Hermance, who bore him one child, Willis S.  John T. Leggett was born in the town of Ghent about 1800, a son of John and grandson of Capt. Henry Leggett, of Holland descent, and who settled on the old Leggett homestead about 1750.  Charles E. Leggett was educated in the schools of Ghent and Claverack Academy.  He was associated with his father on the farm until 1861, when he enlisted in the Fourteenth New York Militia as a private and attained the rank of corporal.  He was taken prisoner at the battle of Gettysburg and was detained at Belleisle prison from July, 1863, until the following November; he was discharged in 1864.  Mr. Leggett is a member of the Veterans' Association of Brooklyn, No. 14.  In 1869 he married Julia M., daughter of George and Catherine (Smith) Kittle; they have three children:  Francis E., Alma G. and Clarence C.  Mr. Leggett has been active in town and county affairs and educational work; he has been deacon and elder in the Second Reformed church and is a member of Lindenwald Lodge, F. & A. M.

Pages 144 & 145:

LIMBRICK, Daniel, was born in Catskill, N. Y., September 8, 1815, a son of Thomas Limbrick, and died in Hudson, December 18, 1892.  He was educated in the common schools, and in early life became an apprentice to the butcher's trade; after serving his apprenticeship he worked for a time for Abbott & Kellogg, meat dealers.  On April 1, 1841, he removed to Hudson, and in partnership with Edwin Abbott engaged in the butchering business.  After a partnership of a few years Mr. Abbott returned to Catskill and Mr. Limbrick continued the business alone, gradually engaging in buying live stock and selling the same to the butchers of the various towns along the river.  Finally this became his sole business, and it is said of him that he was the best judge of cattle who frequented the West Albany stock yards.  He was very successful in business, and accumulated a snug fortune, but every dollar of it earned honestly.  It was written of him at the time of his death by one who knew him well, "There was nothing sinister or uncertain about Daniel Limbrick.  He was always the same, and the impress of virtue and integrity and honor was so deeply stamped on his character that no one could fail to see them.  He had many kindly traits in his nature, and many acts of unostentatious charity and generosity are to be recorded to his credit.  He was a man of more than average ability, a keen observer of events, kind-hearted and companionable, and a certain playfulness that was always characteristic of his ways shed around him a pleasant influence."  He was a temperance man in practice as well as principle, to which fact he ascribed in a measure his generally excellent health and long years.  He was seventy-seven years of age when he died.  He was married to Hannah Van Hoesen, a member of the family of that name prominent in Dutchess and Columbia counties, in 1840.  They had only one child, Amanda Limbrick, of Hudson.

Pages 146 & 147:

LINDSAY, Frank B., of Claverack, was born in Sheffield, Mass., August 17, 1861, a son of Luther and Mary E. (Smith) Lindsay.  In early life he attended the public schools and was graduated from the Sheffield High School in 1878; he fitted for college with a private instructor and entered Amherst in the class of 1882, where he remained two years, then went to Canaan, Conn., and studied law in the office of Alberto T. Rorabach, and was admitted to the bar in the State of Connecticut, June 7, 1883.  In that year he went to Mill River, Mass., and was admitted to the bar of Massachusetts, March 3, 1884.  On January 1, 1885, he came to Hudson and entered the office of Andrews & Edwards, where he stayed until October of that year, then came to Philmont and opened an office for himself, where he is now conducting a general law business.  From 1893 until 1897 he was justice of the peace and has also been police justice of the village since 1893, having been elected twice.  On February 9, 1886, Mr. Lindsay married Mary A. Kelsey, of Salisbury, Conn., a daughter of Horace S. and Mary Ann (Reed) Kelsey.  Mr. Lindsay is a Mason of high standing, belonging to the following branches of the order:  Aquilla Lodge, No. 700, F. & A. M.; Hudson Chapter, No. 6, R. a. M.; DeWitt Clinton Council, No. 22, R. & S. M.; Lafayette Commandery, No. 7, K. T.; Albany Sovereign Consistory 32^o, S. P. R. S. A. A. S. R., and Oriental Temple, Troy, N. Y., A. A. O. N. M. S.

Page 147:

LINK, Oscar J., p. o. Claverack, N. Y., was born May 30, 1863, the son of Morgan and Lydia (Miller) Link.  He attended the district schools and, like most farmer boys, when not in school was busy at home on his father's farm.  After leaving school he was engaged in farming with his father until 1885, when he settled upon the farm which he now owns and operates.  He is up to date in his ideas of practical agriculture, and has been successful in his calling.  He is recognized as a meritorious citizen and commands and receives the respect and confidence of his townsmen.  Mr. Link was married on January 7, 1885, to Sarah E. Hess, daughter of Lawrence and Eliza Ann (Kipp) Hess.  They have two sons, Clarence L., born April 30, 1891, and John E., born December 13, 1898.

Page 334:

LINK, William, of Copake, was born in the town of Copake, N. Y., August 11, 1822, son of Joseph and Hannah (Dinehart) Link, whose children were William, Philip, Ezra, and Lucinda, all born where William now resides.  Joseph Link was a son of William and Catherine (Killmer) Link.  William came to Copake when a young man and settled on the farm where his grandson and namesake now lives.  William Link, the subject of this sketch, was given a common school education, and upon his father's death he purchased the homestead of 236 acres, and has always lived thereon.  In 1861 he was married to Catherine (born in 1839), daughter of George and Maria Wilsey.  She died November 15, 1895, and on November 10, 1897, he was married to Albertine, daughter of Jeremiah and Margaret (Smith) Hess.  He is an active worker in the West Copake Reformed church, and has been one of its officers many years.

Page 147:

LISK, Edward H., was born in the city of Hudson, where he has always lived, on November 6, 1855, a son of Solomon Lisk, a native of Preston Hollow, Albany county, N. Y., who came to Hudson when a boy in 1830, and was a contractor and painter; he married Ann Jeannette, who was a granddaughter of Tobias Ostrander, a principal of the old Huson Academy in early days.  Edward H. Lisk was educated in the schools of Hudson, and at the age of fifteen years entered the employ of R. B. Benedict.  In 1877 he became connected with the Hudson Stove Works, then under the proprietorship of Hunt & Miller, and has continued with the concern and at the present time is general manger of the corporation.  He has been coroner for the past six years, and has been re-elected for another term of three years, and is president of the C. H. Evans Hook and Ladder Company.

Pages 147 & 148:

LOCKWOOD, George Ambrose, of Claverack, son of Daniel H. and Hannah (Tator) Lockwood, was born in Martindale, April 15, 1850, one of a family of five children, of whom only two are now living.  He was educated in the public schools and the Delaware Literary Institute at Franklin, N. Y.  He taught school for one season, and then entered the store of Charles Crow at Hillsdale, where he stayed until 1873, then came to Philmont and went into business with his brother, Dr. Jordan W. Lockwood, starting in the drug, paint and oil business.  This partnership was continued until 1900, when Jordan W. retired and George A. carries on the business alone.  Mr. Lockwood was for a number of years a member of the board of education of the village and has been supervisor of the town of Claverack for three successive years; one of the trustees of the village of Philmont, and is now one of the trustees of the public library.  He is a member of Cascade Lodge, No. 197, K. O. P., and of Lockwood Division, No. 23, U. R.  He married Mary E. Wiley, now deceased.

Pages 148-151 [This sketch was prepared by Hon. J. Rider Cady.]

LONGLEY, Levi F., the son of Dr. Samuel M. Longley and Lydia A. (Fiske) Longley, was born in the city Hudson, where he now resides, on May 5, 1846.  Doctor Longley, his father, a native of New Hampshire, was a man of much mental energy and force of character, who prosecuted many business and professional enterprises in various sections of the State.  He died at Hudson in 1874, at the age of seventy-two years.  His wife was Lydia A. Fiske, of Providence, Rhode Island, a daughter of Sheldon Fiske, Esq.  She died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Henry W. Race, in the city of New York, in 1888, aged eighty-four.  Their children were John B. Longley, who was one of the most prominent and able lawyers of the Columbia bar for many years, who served twice as district attorney of the county of Columbia, as recorder of the city of Hudson, and for three terms as member of Assembly from one of the districts of Kings county, and who died at Brooklyn in 1892; Eugene A. Longley, a merchant of St. Louis; Anne Frances Longley, the widow of Lemuel Hotchkiss; and M. Louisa Longley, the wife of Henry W. Race, of Albany.  Judge Longley was educated in the public schools of his native city, and in Bradbury's Classical Institute, a well-known preparatory school, where he fitted himself for college with the intention of matriculating at Brown University.  This project he abandoned in order to enter the law office of Robert E. Andrews, where he studied for the bar, to which he was admitted in 1867.  The close relations thus formed with Mr. Andrews were subsequently renewed when Mr. Longley formed a copartnership with him in 1888, succeeding Mr. Samuel Edwards, who had been elected a justice of the Supreme Court.  After holding the position of deputy county clerk for several years, in 1876 he was elected county clerk, in which responsible office he served three years.  During the year 1880 he practiced alone in Hudson.  In 1881 he accompanied his brother, John B., to the city of New York, where they established a firm that continued in business three until 1883, when he returned to Hudson.  In 1890 Mr. Longley was elected mayor of Hudson, which office he held for two years from January 1, 1891.  Under his administration of the city government, several important reforms were inaugurated, notably the removal of the control of the streets from the common council and placing the same in the hands of a commission.  In entering upon this office, Mr. Longley announced his determination to enforce a strict economy in every branch of the city government, and so well was this policy carried out that in place of the deficit which had been for a long time customary in the city's finances at the end of each year, Mayor Longley had the satisfaction of retiring at the close of his term with a substantial balance in the treasury.  In 1885 he married Mary D. Andrews, the daughter of his preceptor and partner.  After a happy union of nearly eight years, Mrs. Longley died in December, 1892.  One child, Gretchen Fiske Longley, was born to them on September 1, 1890.  Under the shadow of the great sorrow that had fallen upon his life, he pressed steadily forward in the path of duty, devoting himself to the care and education of his daughter and to the labors of a constantly widening and increasing practice.  In November, 1895, he was elected county judge, and ascended the bench on January 1, 1896.  These are the outlines of a busy and distinguished life, whose years have been full of toil and achievement.  The man, as his friends know him, is a most attractive and engaging personality.  The social side of his nature is well developed, and he has none of the characteristics of a recluse.  Fond of outdoor life and rural scenes, he has been occupied for several years in the development of his property at Copake Lake, where he has recently erected a summer residence upon an eminence that overlooks the whole of that beautiful sheet of water and its winding shores.  It is needless to say that its doors are never closed to the hosts of friends who seek the hospitable owner amid the charms of that sylvan prospect.  He has always been an active and consistent member of the Democratic party, and has long been one of its trusted advisers and leaders in the Hudson river valley.  He is a persuasive and eloquent platform speaker, and his services in that capacity are sought by his party associates in each campaign.  He has made addresses of a literary character at Hudson and elsewhere, and he was chosen as the orator of the day upon the occasion of laying the cornerstone of the new Columbia County Courthouse on August 14, 1900.  His discourse at that time was replete with interesting reminiscences of the bench and bar of the county, and forms a valuable addition to the annals of our local history.  Judge Longley has long been deeply concerned in the elaboration of a plan to rescue and preserve the rich materials of the social, political, and legal history of Columbia which lie scattered and undigested in the county clerk's office, in the offices of the town clerks in the towns, in the records of churches, and in the memories of aged men who are fast passing away.  The project deserves encouragement, and it is hoped that the recent establishment of a chapter house for the Daughters of the Revolution, at Hudson, may give it a strong forward impulse.  Judge Longley's professional career has been useful, honorable, and distinguished, and identified with a very large proportion of the important litigations that have arisen in the county since its outset.  Its cardinal feature is that strict observance of a high standard of professional ethics, without which talents and learning avail but little.  While the law frequently bestows high rewards upon its practitioners, it exacts from them in return a stern and severe obedience to duty and morality, and imposes a swift and heavy penalty upon those who forget or disregard that mandate.  Judge Longley has always been peculiarly sensitive to those obligations which the lawyer owes to society, to the bench, and to the bar.  The result is that no one enjoys to a greater extent than he the confidence and respect of the judges, of his brethren, and of the community.  He has achieved many forensic triumphs, of which all were fairly and honorably won by a sharp mental conflict in the trial and appellate courts.  His success has never engendered jealousy.  A warm and kindly nature, graceful and dignified bearing, and a genial temperament, coupled with unvarying courtesy to his adversaries, serve to make his presence in the trial of a cause a source of pleasure to all concerned.  His industrious and painstaking in the preparation of his causes, an wary, sagacious, and bold in their trial.  Aggressive and militant in prosecution, stubborn, tenacious, and slow to retire in defense, ingenious and plausible at all times, master of a robust and vehement diction, he is an antagonist worthy of any foeman's steel, and the man who has engaged with him in the stress of a long trial is not likely to soon forget the experience.  The writer of these lines has fought with him on many days in the sombre light of the lofty and storied old courtroom, which none of us shall enter more, and he looks back upon each of them as an essential element in his education as a trial lawyer, while the recollection of them always brings to mind the lines in which Heron, the Master of Norham, said to Marmion:

"The Scots can rein a mettled steed,

And love to couch a spear; --

St. George! a stirring life they lead

That have such neighbors near."

Judge Longley's devotion to his clients is sufficiently illustrated by a reference to his long and persistent struggle in the defense of Beckwith, who was charged with and convicted of the murder of Vandercook in a rude and lonely cabin on the bleak hills of Austerlitz, near to the Berkshire line.  He failed, and Beckwith paid the penalty for the crime with his life, on March 1, 1888, but these facts in nowise obscure the brilliancy of the effort made by his counsel in a thankless and losing cause.  Judge Longley has discharged his judicial duties as county judge with dignity, learning, and unquestioned impartiality, and he is thoroughly equipped for any other position of trust and honor to which the people of his county or district may elevate him in the future.

Page 151:

LOOMIS, Eli James, p. o. Claverack, N. Y., was born in Gallatin, N. Y., January 26, 1828, the son of John R. and Mary (Belcher) Loomis.  He received the usual common school education accorded to farmers' boys in those days, and when not in school lent his assistance in the working of his father's farm.  He lived in Gallatin until 1867, when he removed to the town of Livingston, where he resided seventeen years.  In 1884 he bought the farm he now occupies in Claverack.  Mr. Loomis is one of the restricted number  who has made farming reasonably profitable, and his well-tilled fields and comfortable buildings attest his ability as an agriculturist.  Mr. Loomis believes in treating his land generously if he expects a liberal return, and his practice proves the truth of the precept.  On December 3, 1860, he was married to Eliza Ann Peaster, of Gallatin, a daughter of Zachariah and Sarah Maria (Niles) Peaster.  They have had seven children, all of whom are living, as follows:  Leavitt R., Clotilda M., Sarah C., Edgar Z., Mary E., Anna B., and Almina E.

Pages 152:

LOOS, John Nicholas, of Claverack, was born in Germany, July 28, 1840, and at the early age of six years came to America with his parents, settling in Ancram.  Here he attended the public schools, and at the age of nineteen was apprenticed to Marcus L. Bagley, of Delaware county, to learn the wagon-making and blacksmithing trade.  He was with him five years, when he came to Hillsdale and worked a year for Mr. E. Shaver.  He married Anna Mary Petry, a native of Germany, and after his marriage he returned to Delaware county for a short time, then came to Claverack and located at the Brick Tavern, where he started in for himself and has remained in the same locality since 1867.  Mr. and Mrs. Loos had eight children, as follows:  Charles H., William S., John H., Caroline, George W., Bertha, Lulu and Mabel.  His children are all married except George, Lulu and Mabel, and Mr. Loos at the present time has eleven grandchildren.

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LOUCK, Jacob, of Ancram, N. Y., was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., January 12, 1834, son of Jacob and Catherine (Pulver) Louck, who were the parents of six children, as follows:  Almira, Tammy, Peter, Catherine Cornelia, Jacob, and Harriet, all born in Dutchess county.  Jacob, the father, was a farmer, and removed from Dutchess county to Gallatin in 1845, where he died in 1860.  Jacob, Jr., was educated in the common schools of Dutchess county and of Ancram, and was associated with his parents in farming operations until 1866, when he purchased the farm of 128 acres where he now resides and carries on general farming.  In 1860 he was married to Catherine Elizabeth, daughter of Sylvester and Amelia McDonald.  They have had three children:  Cornelia, Fred, and Willie (deceased).

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LOWN, Philip Montgomery, of Ancram, N. Y., was born in the town of Gallatin, N. Y., September 24, 1828, son of John Jacob and Catherine (Veley) Lown, who had eleven children, namely:  Elizabeth, Philip M., Charles H., John Jacob, Hannah Maria, David V., Catherine Maria, Nelson Darius, William Burton, Ernest Alfred, and Mehitabel, all natives of Gallatin.  John Jacob Lown was the son of Philip, who was a native of Germany.  Philip M. Lown was educated in the common schools, and remained at home until twenty-two years of age, when he began life on his own account.  In 1853 he purchased a farm in the town of Taghkanic, on which he lived six years, when he removed to Ancram and bought the farm of Alexander Woodard; in 1866 he bought forty-nine acres adjoining said Woodard's farm, where he now lives, and now owns 127 acres, and carries on general farming.  Mr. Lown has been one of the assessors of his town for thirteen years, and has taken a warm interest in the schools.  From early life he has been an active worker in the church; he first assisted the Vedder church in Gallatin, where he was the leader of the choir.  At the dedication of the Lutheran church he was leader of the choir and was connected therewith until 1893.  He united with the said Lutheran church in 1848; he has held office for said Lutheran, to wit:  Trustee, deacon, elder, and secretary and treasurer.  He is elder now, and a member over fifty years of said church.  When about twenty years old he was married to Eliza, daughter of Alexander Woodard.  They had one child, Lizzie, who died in 1888, at the age of thirty-two years.

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LUFF, J. Homer, veterinarian, of Hudson, was born in the State of Delaware, on May 16, 1869, son of J. B. Luff, an undertaker, of Felton, Del.  He was educated at Felton Seminary, and was graduated from the New York College of Pharmacy in 1891 and the New York Veterinary college in 1896, when he came to Hudson and established his present business.  In 1897 he was married to Clara S., daughter of Harrison Johnson, of Philadelphia.  They have two daughters, Elizabeth and Gertrude.  Dr. Luff is rapidly winning his way to success, and is highly esteemed in the circles of his acquaintance.

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