Biographical Sketches
Extracted From
OUR CITY AND ITS PEOPLE
A descriptive work on the city
of Rome, New York.
1896



[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]

CAPT. JAMES S. ABEEL CAPT. JAMES STILLIE ABEEL was a lineal descendant of : (1) Christopher James Abeel, who was born in 1621 in Amsterdam, Holland, whence he came to this country in 1657 and settled at Fort Orange (now Albany), where he engaged in trade as agent for the Dutch West India Company. The line of descent from that patroon to the subject of this memoir is: (2) Johannes, (3) David, (4) James, (5) John N., and (6) James S. Johannes Abeel (2) was the second mayor and for several years recorder of the city of Albany, holding the first named office two terms. David (3) was a merchant and for some time assessor of New York city. James Abeel (4) was a colonel in the Revolutionary army and served through the war as deputy quartermaster-general on the staff of General Washington, under General Greene. It was largely through his exertions that the troops were provisioned and the army maintained during the historical winter at Valley Forge, and a number of letters bearing his name are still extant. He married a daughter of Dr. John NEILSON, a physician of Belfast, Ireland, who came to New York and practiced his profession with success. Rev. John Neilson Abeel (5), son of Colonel James, was born in New York. city in 1769, was graduated from Princeton College in 1787 and read law with Hon. William Patterson, LL. D.. in New Brunswick. Later he studied theology, became a tutor in Princeton, and was licensed to preach in 1793 ; two years after he became one of the ministers of the collegiate church (Dutch Reformed) of New York and remained there until his death in 1812. In 1804 Harvard College conferred upon him the degree of D. D. Dr. Abeel was a trustee of Queen's and Columbia Colleges and in 1804, with eleven other citizens, founded the New York Historical Society. He married, January 29, 1794, Mary Stillie, who died January 13, 1826. She was a member of an old and respected Swedish family of Philadelphia before the days of William Penn, when that city was known as New Stockholm and the State of Pennsylvania as New Sweden. Of their five children two daughters died in infancy; the others were: James S. Neilson, born in 1797, married Caroline LAWRENCE, and died in 1827; and Gustavus, born June 6, 1801, graduated from Union College in 1823 and from the Theological Seminary in New Brunswick in 1824. and died in September, 1887. Capt. James Stillie Abeel was born in Philadelphia, Pa., November 15, 1795, and received his education in the grammar and select schools of New York city under Arthur Stansbury and John Borland. Upon the death of his father in 1812 he entered the counting house of Robert Lenox, but soon entered the United States army and was assigned to duty on the Niagara frontier in the war of 1812-15. May 3, 1813, he was made third lieutenant, and on February 20, 1815, President James Madison commissioned him first-lieutenant in the 23d Regt. Inf., to rank from October 1, 1814, at which time he and Gen. J. A. Dix were the youngest officers on the force. He was present at the sortie on Fort Erie and the taking of Fort George and was wounded at the battle of Lundy's Lane, where it was subsequently supposed his voice became impaired. At the close of the war in December, 1815, he was retained as second lieutenant with brevet of first lieutenant in the reorganized army and transferred to the 4th Artillery. April 20, 1818, he was made first lieutenant of artillery, his commission signed by President James Monroe, being dated July 10, 1820. September 1, 1829, he was brevetted captain for ten years' faithful service in one grade, by President Andrew Jackson, to rank from April 20, 1828. During this period he was stationed at Newport, R. I., Portland, Me., New York city, and Ord Point Comfort, Va. in April, 1828, he was placed in command of the arsenal at Rome, N. Y., where he remained until December 31, 1834, when he resigned. At this time he had been ordered to rejoin his regiment and proceed to Florida, but the health and care of his family compelled him to send in a resignation. He then engaged in farming near Trenton Falls until January 6, 1838, when upon the recommendation of Generals Scott, Wood, and Worth, he was appointed military storekeeper to succeed Capt. Samuel Perkins, deceased, in charge of the Rome arsenal, his commission being signed by President John Tyler and dated May 30, 1844. He held this post until May 7, 1855, when he turned over the arsenal to Capt. D. B. Sackett for a recruiting station. Captain Abeel was then in command of the Detroit U. S. arsenal at Dearborn, Mich., till April, 1863, when he returned to Rome and had charge as military storekeeper of the arsenal here until February 16, 1870, when he was placed on the retired list. Except the brief period spent in farming he served for fifty-seven years in the military service of the U. S. government. He died in December, 1871, being at that time the oldest commissioned officer of the army. Captain Abeel was an excellent soldier, an accomplished musician, and a man of extensive reading. His dignified military bearing and habits of precision made him a conspicuous figure wherever he went. His profession was that of arms, yet he possessed a natural love for agricultural pursuits. He was a typical gentleman of the old school. He was endowed with great natural wit and humor, a lively artistic and literary conception, and all the tastes of a warlike imagination. In common with nearly all men trained solely to army life he was ignorant of the complications of practical business affairs. He was quite popular, although noted for his pronounced personality, and throughout Central New York enjoyed a wide acquaintance and the respect of all. In person he was very particular, even fastidious, and in deportment he was as punctual as the clock. November 16. 1826, Captain Abeel was married in New York city to Miss Mary Powell SEYMOUR, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Powell) Seymour, of Newburg, N. Y., and niece of Jacob and Thomas Powell. merchants, of that place. She died December 28, 1888, aged eighty-three. They had seven children : John Neilson and William Seymour, deceased ; Isabella, of Rome ; Thomas Powell and Alfred, of Waco, Texas ; Augusta, wife of Lieut.-Col. F. H. Parker, ordnance department U. S. A. ; and James M., deceased. GORDON N. BISSELL GORDON NEEDHAM BISSELL was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., September 11, 1806, and spent his early life at Onondaga Hollow near Syracuse, where his father, Dr. John Devotion Bissell, was a pioneer physician. The family is of French Huguenot descent, and immediately after the massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572 many of the name fled to England to escape persecution. Their coat of arms, which was of a religious rather than of a warlike character, is thus described in Burke's "Complete Armory:" " Bissell, Gu. on a bend, or. ; three escallops, sa. Crest, a demieagle with wings displayed, sa. : charged on neck with an escallop shell, or." The first and only one of the name known to have come to America was John Bissell, who, tradition asserts, arrived with his family at Plymouth, Mass., from Somersetshire, England, in 1628. In 1639 he was one of a prospecting party authorized to select a site for a colony in what is now Connecticut and the next year he became one of the founders of Windsor, where he received the monopoly of the Scantic Ferry. He was the first settler on the east side of the Connecticut river and died in 1677, aged eighty-six, leaving children whose posterity are numerous, energetic, and respected unto the present day. The ancestry of Gordon N. Bissell is as follows: (1) John, the pioneer ; (2) John, jr., died 1693 ; (3) Daniel, born 1663, died 1738 ; (4) Ezekiel, born 1705, died in Torringford, Conn. ; (5) Ebenezer, born 1743, married Lucy ROBERTS; (6) Dr. John D., who in old age moved to Chicago, Ill., and died in September, 1856 ; and (7) Gordon N. Dr. Bissell married Elizabeth FORMAN, of Onondaga Valley, whose brother, Judge Joshua Forman, was an early influential citizen of Onondaga county, and the maternal grandfather of Gov. Horatio Seymour. Gordon N. Bissell was educated at the Onondaga Academy and spent several years of his early manhood with Judge Forman in North Carolina. In 1837 he came to Rome, Oneida county, and commenced the construction of the Black River canal as a contractor, and two years later removed to North Western, where he also opened a general store. In the fall of 1842 work was suspended on the canal and in February, 1843, Mr. Bissell, after disposing of his mercantile business, returned to Rome, where he purchased the drug store of Dr. H. H. Pope. The following summer he formed a partnership with Benjamin N. Leonard, under the style of Bissell & Leonard, and consolidated the drug business of Chesebro & Leonard with his own. In 1844 the firm moved to what is now 117 West Dominick street, where the establishment has ever since been located, and known as the checkered store. After Mr. Leonard's death in June, 1853, Mr. Bissell continued alone until his oldest son, Charles F., attained his majority, when the firm became G. N. Bissell & Son. In April, 1862, Charles F. withdrew and another son, John G., was admitted. In 1883 Mr. Bissell retired and the business was continued by John G. Bissell and James A Owens, as J. G. Bissell & Co., until July 1, 1895, when Mr. Owens withdrew, leaving the proprietorship in the hands of John G. Bissell, the present owner. Mr. Bissell was for many years actively identified with the banking interests of Rome. He was a director and for some time the vice-president of the old Bank of Rome and one of the organizers of the Rome Exchange Bank (now the First National), of which he was several years the president. He was for many years president of the Rome Savings Bank and of the Rome Gas Light Company, holding both positions at the time of his death, which occurred February 19, 1891. He was one of the chief promoters and organizers of the Rome Iron Works (now the Rome Brass and Copper Company) and also of the Rome Cemetery Association, of which he was long a trustee. In all public improvements and enterprises he took a great interest, and worked for the prosperity and advancement of the city. He was an advocate of plank roads in early days, and later of railroads, manufacturing industries and all that promoted the welfare of the town. He was one of the best known and most respected citizens of Rome ; a man of rare personal worth, and held in high esteem. His name was the synonym for integrity, honesty, and fair dealing ; his religion he took with him into all his business relations. He was noted for his earnestness, his honesty of purpose, his perfect candor, and his fairness; he would allow no imposition upon any person with whom he did business or came into contact. He represented all things exactly as they were, and rather than allow his customer to suffer he would himself take the consequences. Mr. Bissell was a Democrat in politics, but never wanted office, although he was frequently urged to accept nominations. His only public position was that of village trustee. He was one of the oldest members of Zion Episcopal church, and for thirty years was vestryman or warden. When he wished to retire on account of advancing years, a short time before his death, his colleagues, in recognition of his judgment and experience, made him warden emeritus. February 3, 1829, Mr. Bissell married Miss Luthera WARD, daughter of William Ward, a pioneer of Manlius, Onondaga county. She was born February 3, 1808, and died September 20, 1856, leaving six children who attained majority, viz.: Mary L., Margaret A., John G., and Laura (Mrs. Frank B. Haft), of Rome ; Charles F., of Austin, Texas; and William W., of New Rochelle, N. Y. CALVERT COMSTOCK HON. CALVERT COMSTOCK was born in the town of Western, Oneida county, July 2, 1812, and died in Rome, N Y., October 10, 1877. He was early dependent upon his own resources for both a livelihood and an education, and at the age of sixteen began teaching school. In the intervals of this occupation and farm labor he prepared himself for college and in 1831 entered Hamilton College, where he spent two years. There he was one of the founders of the Alpha Delta Phi Society. Compelled by circumstances to relinquish collegiate life he began the study of law with his cousin, Ichabod C. Baker, in Whitesboro, and in 1835 was admitted to the bar. He then formed a co-partnership with Mr. Baker, which continued until 1838, when he removed to Rome to fill a vacancy in the firm of Foster & Stryker, occasioned by the removal of Hon. Charles Tracy to Utica. The firm became Foster, Stryker & Comstock and so continued until January 1, 1841, when Judge Henry A. Foster retired upon a re-election to the State Senate. The firm of Stryker & Comstock continued till July 7, 1816, when Bloomfield J. Beach became a member. In August, 1847, Mr. Stryker retired and Comstock & Beach continued until January 1, 1855, when Mr. Comstock retired permanently from the law, and at the earnest solicitation of his friends in the Democratic party removed to Albany to take charge of the Albany Argus, then the State organ of the Hunker wing of the Democrats. As a lawyer Mr. Comstock distinguished himself in his profession, and during his twenty years of active practice won a high reputation among both associates and clients. He was eminently successful—a man of honor, candor, courtesy, ability, and integrity, of discriminating judgment, sound common sense, and great love of justice. In 1845 he was appointed district attorney and by election held that office until 1850, when his extensive law business compelled him to resign. He was a member of assembly in 1845, and in connection with the State Constitution of 1846 won a state-wide reputation. He was chairman of the select committee on that subject, and took the ground that under the constitution of 1821 the Legislature had no right to submit to the people the question of calling a constitutional convention. On this point he made an elaborate report, the law and facts of which stood unchallenged. He framed such amendments to the constitution as in his judgment were demanded, and urged their adoption by the Legislature and subsequent submission to the people, but he was beaten by a combination of Barnburners and Whigs. In the end his judgment was vindicated, for lawyers and statesmen conceded that the constitution of 1846 was inferior, as a whole, to that of 1821. Mr. Comstock had a large journalistic experience. From 1838 until the close of the campaign of 1840 he had charge as editor of the Rome Sentinel. In 1847 he became a partner in the firm of A. J. Rowley & Co., in its proprietorship, the editor being his brother Elon. In July, 1852, Calvert and Elon Comstock purchased the plant and established the Rome Daily Sentinel, which they successfully conducted until 1855, when they sold it to D. E. Wager and D. C. Rowley. Calvert Comstock then went to Albany and succeeded Edwin Croswell as editor of the Argus. The Atlas, then edited by William Cassidy, represented the other wing of the Democratic party. Shortly afterward the uniting of the two factions brought about the consolidation of the two papers and Messrs. Comstock and Cassidy continued in partnership until the former was compelled in 1866 to retire, his constitution having suddenly and completely broken down under the strain of constant labor. He returned to Rome and spent the remainder of his life. Mr. Comstock always manifested a lively interest in the advancement and prosperity of Rome. He was influential in the construction of the various plank roads which in 1848 were built from the city in several directions. He was largely interested in the building of the Rome, Watertown and Cape Vincent railroad and for twenty years was a director of the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad Company. He was president of the Boston, Rome and Oswego Railroad Company, a projected railroad intended to take advantage of the completion of the Hoosac tunnel, and personally superintended the entire survey of the line. About 1849 he purchased, in connection with Hon. Edward Huntington, a large tract of land in Rome from George Clarke and brought it into market as building lots. He was chiefly influential in securing the charter for the city of Rome and in 1870 was elected the first mayor. He also served for many years as president of the Board of Education. April 27, 1836, Mr. Comstock married Miss Eliza Mann SILL, eldest daughter of Gen. Theodore Sill, of Whitesboro, the law partner of Thomas R. Gold. Mrs. Comstock died in 1868, leaving four daughters and three sons, all of whom survived their father. EDWARD COMSTOCK HON. EDWARD COMSTOCK, son of Hon. Calvert and Eliza Mann (SILL) Comstock, was born in Rome, N. Y., April 30, 1842. He first decided upon a legal career and read law, but abandoned this to become lieutenant and adjutant in the 146th N. Y. Vols. in the war of the Rebellion. He was with the 146th N. Y. Vols. in the battle of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Afterward he was on General Ganard's staff, commanding division of cavalry attached to General Sherman's army in the advance from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Returning to his home in Rome he engaged in business with his father as a lumber manufacturer. In 1876 he established himself in the wholesale and retail lumber trade, with which he has since been identified. Mr. Comstock is a prominent and influential factor in the Democratic party, and like his respected father, has always taken a keen interest in the welfare and prosperity of the city of Rome. He was twice elected mayor, and is now a member of the Board of Education. VIRGIL DRAPER The first American ancestors of the Draper family were James Draper and Miriam STANSFIELD, his wife, of Heptonstall Parish, Vicarage of Halifax, Yorkshire, England, who came to this country and settled in Roxbury, near Boston, Mass., about 1650. James Draper was a son of Thomas and was made a freeman of Roxbury in 1690. The line of descent from Thomas to the subject of this memoir is as follows: (1) Thomas, (2) James, (3) James, (4) James, (5) Josiah, (6) Josiah, and (7) Virgil. James Draper (3) was born in Roxbury in 1654, married Abigail WHITNEY, of Dedham, Mass., February 18, 1681, and died April 30, 1698. He was a soldier in King Philip's war in 1675. James Draper (4), son of James (3), was born in 1691, married, first, Rachel ADDIS and, second, Abigail CHILD, and died in 1768. He was captain of the Trained Bands of Militia in his district. Josiah (5), son of James (4) and Abigail (Child) Draper, was born in Stoughton, Mass., September 12, 1727, and married Sarah ELLIS. Their son, Josiah (6), was born in Dedham, Mass., October 14, 1753, and died in Attleboro, Mass., May 17, 1819. He married Miss Mary MANN, daughter of Dr. Bezaleel Mann, of Attleboro, and sister of Newton Mann. September 25, 1778, he enlisted as a drummer in Captain Plympton's company of Medfield, Mass., volunteers, and served creditably in the war of the Revolution. He had thirteen children, of whom Virgil was the eighth. Virgil Draper, born in Attleboro, Mass., January 4, 1789, inherited all the sturdy characteristics of his long line of worthy New England ancestry, and besides was liberally endowed with those native attributes which make the successful man. He acquired his rudimentary education in the public schools of his birthplace, interspersing it with a practical experience which proved valuable in after life. In 1806 he came to Whitesboro, Oneida county, N. Y., to live with his maternal uncle, Dr. Seth Capron, and immediately entered the newly established cotton mills there to learn the manufacture of cotton goods in all its branches. The principal owners of these mills were Dr. Capron and Newton Mann, and in them Mr. Draper remained until 1822, when be came to Rome, N. Y., as superintendent of Dominick Lynch's mill. About two years later he went to Stittville, Oneida county, and established a cotton mill, which he sold out in 1827. Returning then to Rome he purchased the Lynch waterpower and mill property at what is known as "Factory Village" and engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods on an extensive scale, having also a general store in connection with the establishment. He continued this business with marked success until about 1840, when he retired. In 1827 he also purchased the property on the corner of Spring and Dominick streets, where the Lynch residence had stood and which was in 1825 destroyed by fire, and erected the present dwelling, which is occupied by his daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. H. K. WHITE. The Lynch house was the first structure built on the historic site of Fort Stanwix after that military stronghold had been demolished, and which embraced the site where the Draper homestead now stands. Mr. Draper always manifested a lively interest in the growth and prosperity of Rome, to which he liberally contributed through various important enterprises. He was one of the founders of the Fort Stanwix (now the Fort Stanwix National) Bank and served as its vice-president until his death, which occurred in Rome on April 6, 1867. He was heavily interested in Rome real estate and numerous business projects, which materially promoted the general welfare and advancement. He was always a conspicuous figure in local elections and in political affairs, not for the purpose of seeking office, for that he steadfastly refused, but for the good of his party and town. Originally a Whig and subsequently a Republican he was one of the few who contributed towards and procured the establishment of the Roman Citizen as a Whig newspaper in 1840. He unflinchingly stood by his convictions, and possessed a keen discrimination between right and wrong. He was a constant attendant of the Presbyterian church and required the same regular attendance of his family. Firm in friendship, cautious in expressing opinions, an earnest advocate of temperance, and a man of strict integrity, uprightness of character, and singleness of purpose, he was successful in every sphere of life. He was a man of few intimate friends but to those he was closely attached. Starting without a dollar he accumulated by his own industry an ample fortune, and in every respect was a self-made man. He married Miss Eliza HOLMES, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Bullard) Holmes, of Attleboro, Mass., who died July 3, 1872, in the eightieth year of her age. They had three children : Frances, born December 1, 1822, married Joseph A. DUDLEY (died in 1884), an early and prominent druggist and business man of Rome and later a whole-sale druggist in New York city, and died in 1872 ; Mary, who married, first, Henry S. HILL (died in 1854), a druggist of Rome, and second, Henry K. WHITE, of Spencer & White, one of the oldest dry goods merchants in this city; and Julia H., who married her second cousin, Sidney R. KINNEY, grandson of Newton Mann, who was engaged in the drug business in Rome until his death in 1861. Mr. Draper's three sons-in-law—Messrs. Dudley, Hill, and Kinney occupied one after another the same drug store and dwelling house, and all were representative business men. ALFRED ETHRIDGE ALFRED ETHRIDGE was born in Little Falls, N. Y., July 29, 1817, and is of English descent. His father, James Ethridge, was a hat manufacturer in Little Falls, subsequently a farmer in the town of Herkimer, and latterly a hat maker in Herkimer village. Alfred Ethridge left home at the age of nine and spent four years on a farm ; he was then at home for three years and the following year began learning the cabinet maker's trade. He then became a clerk in a grocery store in Utica at $5 per month and board, but after one year accepted a clerkship with Dygert & Northrup, merchants, of Frankfort, N. Y., where he remained four years. During the next two years . he was manager in charge of the store of Root, Berry & Co., in that village--a firm having large contracts on the Erie Canal enlargement. At the end of that period he formed a partnership with his old employer, Willet Northrup, under the style of Northrup & Ethridge, and continued the mercantile business over which he had presided as manager until 1844. During his early career Mr. Ethridge's education was necessarily limited to the practical affairs of life. He spent very little time in schools. Thrown upon his own resources, without a dollar, but endowed with pluck and native energy, he forged ahead and succeeded in accumulating a little capital. With this and his natural qualifications he engaged in business, which from the first proved generally successful. In 1844 the firm of Northrup & Ethridge removed their goods to Rome and started trade on the east side of James street, just south of the canal, where they were burned out.in January 1856, when the copartnership was dissolved. Mr. Ethridge succeeded to the business and opened a store on the northeast corner of James and Dominick streets, known as the Merrell Block, where he continued till about 1865. In the latter year he erected the present Ethridge block, on the corner of Dominick and South Washington streets, and moved into it. After several years Ackley P. Tuner became his partner under the style of A. Ethridge & Co., and later Erwin C. Carpenter was admitted to the firm. In 1875 Mr. Ethridge's eldest son, Franklin A., was given an interest and soon afterward the name of Ethridge, Tuller & Co., was adopted. January 1, 1879, the firm dissolved, Messrs. Tuller and Carpenter retiring. The concern was reorganized by Mr. Ethridge and his son, Franklin A., under the style of Alfred Ethridge & Co., and two years later a younger son, James M., was admitted. Since then the firm has remained unchanged. The business as originally started consisted of a general assortment of goods for the retail trade. Finally a jobbing business was gradually built up, and about 1875 it became exclusively a wholesale industry, with groceries, canned goods, coffees, etc., as leading specialties. Their trade has developed from modest proportions until now it reaches out into a wide area of the State and into adjoining States. Mr. Ethridge was originally a Whig and later a Republican, and for many years took an active part in local politics. For a time he was a member of the board of supervisors, but otherwise never accepted public office. He was elected supervisor against a strong Democratic opponent in the Democratic stronghold at Rome. He always manifested a keen interest in the advancement of the city and contributed in various ways towards its material prosperity, and especially to charitable and benevolent objects. Enterprising, sagacious, and public spirited, he has throughout a long and successful career retained the confidence and respect of every one with whom he has had business or social relations. He was one of the founders and directors of the Merchants Iron Mill, and for several years was interested in many other corporations. Mr. Ethridge was married November 5, 1851, to Miss Abby Murdock HOUSE, whose father, Leonard, son of Eleazer and Abigail (Moseley) House, was born at Glastonbury, Conn., August 24, 1787, and died at Houseville, N. Y., December 23, 1879. Her mother, Louisa MURDOCK, was born in Sandgate, Vt., January 12, 1788, married Mr. House on December 28, 1809, and died at Houseville, N. Y., July 6, 1870. Mrs. Ethridge was born July 10, 1824, Mr. and Mrs. Ethridge had four children : Franklin Alfred, Isabella (born April 1, 1856, died February 29, 1872), James Murdock, and George. THOMAS MACOMB FLANDRAU THOMAS MACOMB FLANDRAU, son of Thomas Hunt and Elizabeth M. (Macomb) Flandran, was born in New York city on the 8th of July, 1826. His ancestry, though French and Irish, were all Protestants—rather curiously, as both countries are strongly Roman Catholic in their religious tendencies. Jaques Flandreau, the originator of the family in this country, was a French Huguenot driven from France by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV, and with a colony of his compatriots settled at New Rochelle, N. Y., about 1686, naming the town after La Rochelle, a famous Protestant city of France. His descendants still live at New Rochelle, but are not very numerous. Dr. Flandrau is the only physician of the name in the United States; his branch of the family dropped the 'e' from the last syllable. Mrs. Elizabeth M. (Macomb) Flandrau was a daughter of Alexander Macomb, an Orangeman from Belfast, Ireland, who was married in 1773 in Detroit, Mich., where he remained until 1785 when he moved to New York city. There he was for many years actively engaged in business as a shipping merchant. In 1788 he built No. 39 Broadway, which was occupied in 1790 by General washington as the President's house, and which in later years was Bunker's Hotel. In 1791 he purchased a large tract of land in what are now the counties of Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Herkimer, Jefferson and Oswego, the southern boundary of which is now the northern line of Oneida county. It comprised 3,700,000 acres, cost eight cents per acre, and included all the Thousand Islands, except Carlton Island, on which stood Fort Haldiman. The map of "Macomb's Purchase" and the documents relating to it are in the Documentary History of New York. Mr. Macomb had six sons in the war of 1812, the eldest of whom, Maj.-Gen. Alexander Macomb, was the hero of the battle of Plattsburgh and afterwards commander-in-chief of the United States Army. Thomas Hunt Flandrau, a native of New Rochelle, N. Y., was educated in Oneida county, where he spent the most of his life. He was graduated from Hamilton College in 1819, became a prominent lawyer, and at the time of his marriage and the birth of his son, Dr. Flandrau, was a law partner of the celebrated Aaron Burr in New York city. Dr. Thomas Macomb Flandrau passed his youth in Georgetown, D. C., and was educated in the private schools and academies of Georgetown and Washington. He studied medicine with Dr. Benjamin S. Bohrer, and was graduated from the National Medical College of Washington, D. C., in March, 1848. After practicing his profession a short time in Georgetown he removed to his father's home at Whitesboro, Oneida county, N. Y., but on January 1, 1853, settled in Rome, where he was in partnership with Dr. Arba Blair for two years. In 1856 he went to Brockport, N. Y., and remained there until 1862, when he again took up his residence in Rome, where he has since lived. August 23, 1862, Dr. Flandrau was commissioned surgeon of the 146th Regiment, N. Y. Vol. Inf., with rank of major. This regiment was known as the Halleck Infantry and also as the 5th Oneida, and many of its officers and men were citizens of Rome. He remained with the organization about a year, when he was promoted to the position of surgeon-in-chief of the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 5th Army Corps. On the 7th of June, 1864, he was again promoted to the surgeoncy-in-chief of the 2d Division, 5th Army Corps. The 146th Regiment is entitled to honorable mention in the history of Rome. Lieut.-Col. Jesse J. Armstrong, Adjutant Edward Comstock, and Capt. William A. Walker, besides many of its brave soldiers, were residents of this city, and having been organized on the camp ground in West Dominick street all its officers and men felt a profound interest in the city of its birth. The regiment participated in every battle fought by the Army of the Potomac from the first battle of Fredericksburg in December, 1862, to the final surrender of the Confederate army at Appomattox in April, 1865. It distinguished itself as well by its bravery as by the fearful slaughter of its rank and file in many engagements, especially in the Wilderness, where Col. David Jenkins and Major Henry Curran were left dead upon the field with a large number of men. As surgeon, Dr. Flandrau was present in all of its twenty-five battles, and fortunately escaped sickness and wounds during his three years' service at the front. He was discharged at Syracuse, N. Y., in July, 1865, and was made brevet lieutenant-colonel of U. S. Volunteers, holding a commission to that effect "for meritorious services in the field," signed by President Andrew Johnson, and the great secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton. The Medical and Surgical History of the War contains the record of many of his surgical operations. In 1865 Dr. Flandrau purchased his present residence in East Dominick street and ever since then he has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in Rome. He is a member of the Oneida County Medical Society and the American Medical Association, and has attended several International Medical Congresses, the last in 1890 at Berlin, Germany, when he made an extended tour through France, Switzerland, England, Scotland, and Ireland. For many years he has been a member of the Board of Health of Rome and for twelve years a member of the Board of Education, of which he has served as president during the last three years. He has served as physician to the Central New York Institution for Deaf Mutes of Rome since its organization in 1874. He is medical director of the Rome Hospital and was prominent in its foundation and establishment, making the plans and designs for its construction. His plans were adopted with very slight modification by the architect, George Schiliner, who brought them to their final development and is entitled to the credit of its external decoration. Dr. Flandrau ranks high among the eminent physicians and surgeons of Central New York, and during his long and active practice has won the confidence and respect of a wide circle of warm friends and acquaintances. He has always taken a keen interest in the religious, social, and educational advancement of his city, contributing generously to these and kindred objects, and encouraging every worthy project which promises benefit to the community. He has been a member of the Protestant Episcopal church for forty years and for over twenty years has served as vestryman and warden of Zion church, Rome. In 1854 Dr. Flandrau was married in Brockport, N. Y., to Miss Clarissa J. FOOTE, a native of Vernon, Oneida county, N. Y., who died May 1, 1890. She was a woman noted for her energy, tact, and charitable sentiments, and contributed largely to the building and success of the Rome Hospital, where her name and good work are commemorated by a handsome brass tablet erected by the ladies of the institution. She left three daughters: Miss Elizabeth M. Flandrau and Mrs. Dr. H. C. Sutton, of Rome, and Mrs. George Ethridge, of New York city. EDWARD HUNTINGTON The first American ancestor of this branch of the Huntington family of which there is any authentic record was Simon, who , spent his youth in Windsor, Conn., but removed to Norwich in 1660, where he passed the remainder of his life. Benjamin Huntington, one of his descendants and the grandfather of the subject of this memoir, was born in Norwich, Conn., April 19, 1736, graduated from Yale in 1761, and soon became a prominent lawyer in his native town. He was a member of the Continental Congress in 1780-84 and 1787-88 and in 1789 was chosen from Connecticut to the first Congress of the United States. From 1781 to 1790 and from 1791 to 1793 he was a member of the Upper House of the Connecticut Legislature; in 1784 he became the first mayor of the city of Norwich, an office he held till he resigned in 1796. In 1793 he was appointed judge of the Superior Court and served in that capacity until 1798. During the Revolutionary war he rendered valuable service to the State and was a member of the convention held at New Haven for the regulation of the army. On one occasion, in the absence from home of Judge Huntington, his patriotic wife, in response to a pressing call on the part of the army, sent all their bedding and available clothing to the heroic soldiers, supplying their place on the bed by blankets cut from carpets on the floor. His son, George Huntington, was born June 5, 1770, and was married May 21, 1794, to Hannah THOMAS, of Norwich, Conn. He came to Whitestown, Oneida county, in 1792, and in 1793 removed to Rome (then Fort Stanwix), where in partnership with a brother, Henry, he established the first store at Fort Stanwix, now Rome, opening their goods for sale in the tavern of John Barnard, which stood just northeast of the present court house. Both were natives of Connecticut. In 1794 George Huntington built a frame store and dwelling on Dominick street and the firm continued mercantile business till about 1816. He was the first supervisor of the town of Rome in 1796, and held that office also in 1804, 1814, and 1817. In 1798 he was appointed one of the first side judges of the Common Pleas for the new county of Oneida, and was reappointed in 1801 and 1804. In 1810 he was elected to the Assembly and in 1813 defeated for the office of lieutenant. governor on the Federal ticket. In 1815 and again in 1822 he ran for State senator, but was defeated. He was elected to the assembly in 1818, 1819, 1820, and 1821, and from 1797 to 1819 officiated as collector for the Western Inland Canal. He was trustee of Rome village in 1820, 1821, 1822, 1826, and 1827, and died, universally respected and esteemed September 23, 1841. He reared a family of eight children, of whom Edward was the youngest. Hon. Edward Huntington was born in Rome, June 23, 1817, and died here April 17, 1881. He prepared for college at Oliver C. Grosvenor's school, but failing health compelled him to abandon the idea of a collegiate training and turn his attention to civil engineering for the sake of outdoor exercise. In this occupation he found an ample field for the development of his talents and the congenial employment of his native energy. He afterward spent some time in Cuba, where, with Benjamin H. Wright, he was engaged on railroad surveys. Returning to Rome he became one of the engineers on the Utica and Schenectady Railroad and in 1839 was made chief of a corps of engineers employed on the enlargement of the Erie Canal, with headquarters at Fort Plain. Upon the death of his father in 1841 he resigned this position and returned to Rome to look after the large lauded and other property comprising the estate, which with his own interests commanded his attention ever afterward. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1846 and rendered valuable service in that important body. He was also for several years president of the village of Rome. In 1855 Mr. Huntington was elected president of the Rome Savings Bank to succeed the late Hervey Brayton and held that position until he resigned in 1878. Upon the death of Robert B. Doxtater in 1863 he was made president of the Rome Exchange (now the First National) Bank and officiated in that capacity until his decease. He was one of the prime movers in organizing the Rome Iron Works Company in 1866 and served as its president till his death. He was also largely instrumental in forming the Merchants Iron Mill, of which he was continuously a valued trustee. In all benevolent and charitable enterprises Mr. Huntington was ever a foremost participant and in every movement which promised benefit to the community his name was conspicuous. He was one of the moving spirits in founding the Central New York Institution for Deaf Mutes in Rome in 1875 and was a member of its board of trustees from the organization until his death. He was also a trustee of the Rome Cemetery Association, a director in the Rome & Clinton Railroad Company, and for many years a director and vice-president of the First National Bank of Utica. Mr. Huntington always manifested a deep interest in educational matters and was especially prominent in establishing the Rome Academy, of which he was long a trustee. He was also influential in organizing the Rome free school system and became a member of the first Board of Education, a position he filled with singular ability and universal satisfaction. He was a faithful friend of and identified with the Young Men's Christian Association from its inception, being its first president and a member of its board of directors until his death. Throughout life he was a prominent member of the Presbyterian church. Edward Huntington was first a Whig and later a Republican, a man of quiet and retiring disposition, and neither sought nor desired public office, yet he never shirked responsibility. He discharged every duty with an impartiality and fearlessness born of love of right and justice. He was a man of strict integrity, unswerving fidelity, and of great uprightness of character. A devout Christian, a life-long friend of popular education, a staunch supporter of the moral and public welfare, he was ever a generous promoter of all projects which promised advancement to the community. He had the best interests of Rome at heart, and contributed of both time and means toward building up the city and furthering its prosperity. He was widely respected and esteemed, and retained the confidence of all with whom he came into contact. Being heavily interested in real estate and numerous business enterprises he was one of the largest taxpayers, and in every capacity his counsel and advice carried the prestige of conviction. September 4, 1844, Mr. Huntington was married to Miss Antoinette RANDALL, daughter of William Randall, of Cortland, N. Y., who survives him, as do also a son and four daughters. W. J. P. KINGSLEY, M.D. WILLEY J. P. KINGSLEY, M. D., mayor of the city of Rome, N. Y., a son of Obediah and Lovina (TUCKER) Kingsley, and was born on a farm in Frankfort, Herkimer county, four miles east of Utica, on July 9, 1824. His grandfather, Jedediah Kingsley, came from Rhode Island to Utica when that city contained but one frame building; he soon moved to Herkimer county and died there. Dr. Kingsley obtained his education by his own efforts. Reared on a farm amid the deprivations of the pioneer life of those early days his advantages at district schools were necessarily limited, but by continued exertion he was enabled to attend Whitestown Seminary, from which he was graduated. He read medicine with Drs. Charles B. Coventry and D. G. Thomas, of Utica, and took a two years' course at the Geneva Medical College. In March, 1855, he was graduated with the degree of M. D. from the New York Medical College and the same year began the practice of his profession in Utica. In the spring of 1856 he came to Rome, where he has ever since resided. For many years he was engaged in a large general surgical practice, having at one time a more extensive professional business than any other physician in the city. Finally cancer cases presented themselves in such constantly increasing numbers that he was obliged to devote most of his time to their treatment, and eventually abandoned his family practice altogether. He now confines his attention exclusively to the treatment of cancer, chronic diseases, and to surgery, having specially equipped hospitals for the purpose. He has treated over 40.000 cancer cases, and enjoys almost a world wide reputation for skill and success. Dr. Kingsley has been president of the Farmers' National Bank since its organization, and was president of its predecessor, the Bank of Rome, which was incorporated as a State bank in 1865. He was one of the incorporators of the Central New York Institution for Deaf Mutes in Rome in 1875 and served as its vice-president until 1895, when he was elected president. He was president of the old Rome Iron Works and is now vice-president of the Rome Brass and Copper Company, the Rome Cemetery Association, and the Jervis Literary Association. He was one of the directors of the locomotive works, and is heavily interested in many other business enterprises. He is the largest individual tax payer in the city. In charitable and benevolent movements he is always a prominent factor, and no project promising benefit to the community fails to receive his substantial aid and encouragement. Public spirited, enterprising, liberal, and kind hearted, he is widely respected as a citizen as well as a successful physician. The Y. M. C. A., the City Hospital, and numerous other similar objects, as well as nearly every important commercial or manufacturing enterprise, have felt the impulse of his aid and benevolence. In politics he has always been a staunch Republican, but has never sought office or public preferment. At the charter election in March, 1895, he was elected mayor of the city of Rome, though a Democratic stronghold, by a handsome majority, and his service in that capacity has been characterized by fidelity, impartiality, and general satisfaction. December 4, 1860, Dr. Kingsley was married to Miss Georgeanna M. VOGEL, daughter of Henry C. Vogel, D.D., for many years pastor of the Baptist church at Rome. They have had three sons : Burt A., who died aged two years, three months, and thirteen days ; George L., who was graduated from Yale College in 1886 and from Harvard Medical College in 1890, appointed house surgeon to the Massachusetts General Hospital, and died there September 25, 1890; and Willey L., also a graduate of Yale College, class of 1886, and of Harvard Medical College in 1890, who, after receiving his diploma as M. D., formed a partnership with his father under the style of W J. P. Kingsley & Son, which still continues. In 1891 Dr. and Mrs. Kingsley erected in the Rome Cemetery a handsome memorial chapel, and in the same year equipped the new gymnasium of Yale University at New Haven, Conn., both in memory of their deceased son, Dr. George L. ELON J. LAWTON, M.D. ELON JOSEPH LAWTON, M. D., was a descendant of George Lawton, who emigrated from England early in the seventeenth century and settled in Portsmouth, R. I. On a document dated April 30, 1639, his name appears, among those of other residents of that place who swore allegiance to King Charles, and from his day to the present many members of the family have filled important positions in civil and commercial as well as in social and professional life. The history of not only New England but of various other States in the Union bears evidence of their public spirit, patriotism, and official capacity, while the annals of numerous communities contain notices of their deeds and labors. One Robert Lawton was for several years a deputy from Portsmouth, beginning in 1781, and another, George Lawton, who served in Col. John Cook's regiment from Rhode Island in the Revolutionary war, was wounded by a cannon-shot from a British ship on January 10, 1777, while on duty at Fayland Ferry. The men bearing the name invariably took a prominent part in their respective localities during colonial times and in many instances attained distinction for excellence in their chosen callings. Joseph Lawton, jr., eldest son of Joseph Lawton, sr., a descendant of the original George Lawton, moved from Rhode Island to near Stonington, Conn., where his son and eldest child, Joseph, was born February 11, 1780. The latter married, October 6, 1801. Nancy DENNISON, who was born in Stonington in October, 1782, and died in Albion, Wis., June 18, 1854. His death occurred in Edgerton, Wis., November 1, 1866. He came to Easton, Washington county, N. Y., about 1802, but soon removed to the town of Verona, Oneida county, and settled near Rathbunville. Later he took up his residence at what was long known as Lawton's Bridge, near Higginsville, in the same town, where he was both a farmer and grocer. His eldest child, Dyer Stanton Lawton, was born in Easton, N. Y., January 27, 1803, followed farming and mercantile business at Higginsville, and died in Rome on May 11, 1855. He was married, first on December 81, 1829, to Mary Louisa HIGGINS, and second, after her death, to Sarah Ann EGLESTON, on August 29, 1833. Dr. Elon J. Lawton, son of Dyer Stanton and Sarah Ann (Egleston) Lawton, was born in Higginsville, Oneida county, September 9, 1835, and spent his early life upon the farm and in attendance at the district schools of his native town. At about the age of eighteen he came with his father and the family to Rome, where he finished his education at the local academy. Here he became a clerk in the drug store of Dr. Harold H. Pope and while clerking also commenced the study of medicine, which he subsequently continued in the office of Dr. James M. Sturdevant. He took lectures at the Castleton (Vt.) Medical College and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and in 1858 was graduated from the Albany Medical College with the degree of M. D. He began the practice of his profession in North Western, Oneida county, and two years later removed to Verona, where he remained until January, 1870, when he came to Rome. Here he afterward resided and practiced medicine until his death, which occurred April 18, 1895. Dr. Lawton was a lifelong Republican and for many years took an active interest in politics. He was for some time postmaster at Verona and in 1870 was elected coroner of Oneida county, an office he filled with honesty and ability by re-election for four successive terms, or twelve years. In 1890 and again in 1893 he was elected alderman from the 5th ward of Rome, and while holding that position was one of a committee appointed to select a site for the city hall. In this latter capacity he was mainly instrumental in locating that handsome structure upon the premises it now occupies. While a member of the Common Council he was one of the leaders of the Republican side and rendered effective service, not only to that body, but to his constituents and the city at large, and although a Republican his fairness, honesty, and integrity were never questioned. He was quite heavily interested in real estate and in several business enterprises, and always aided in promoting the advancement and prosperity of the community, contributing liberally to its welfare and numerous charitable and benevolent objects. He was a prominent physician, skillful in diagnosis and the treatment of diseases, and in North Western, Verona, and Rome enjoyed a wide professional business as well as the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. He was a man of pronounced convictions and opinions, of keen discrimination between right and wrong, conscientious, genial, kind, sympathetic, and friendly. August 9, 1870, Dr. Lawton was married in Verona to Miss Clara M., daughter of Mason BENEDICT, of that village, who with two children—Mason Benedict Lawton and Clarabelle Benedict Lawton—survives him and resides in Rome. NEWTON MANN THE family of this name in America descends in an unbroken line from William Mann, youngest child of Sir Charles Mann, who was born in England in 1607. At a very early day in the history of the Massachusetts colony William Mann immigrated to this country and settled in Cambridge, where he married, first, Mary JARRED in 1643 and, second, Alice TIEL on June 11, 1657, and where he died in 1662. Rev. Samuel Mann, his only son, was born there July 6, 1647, was graduated from Harvard College in 1665, and soon afterward was ordained to the ministry and settled over the Congregational church in Wrentham, where he remained until his death, May 22, 1719. He is recorded as both a learned minister and a great man, and was the paternal ancestor of Horace Mann, the celebrated New England educator, whose statue graces the State House in Boston. May 19, 1673, he married Esther WARE, of Dedham, and among their children was: Samuel, jr., who was born August 18, 1675, married Zipporah BILLINGS, and died in 1732. Samuel Mann, jr., had thirteen children, of whom the youngest son, Dr. Bezaleel Mann, was born at Attleboro, Mass., June 15, 1724, and died there October 3, 1796; his wife, Bede CARPENTER, died in 1793. Dr. Mann was an eminent physician and amassed large wealth. He was an active and influential patriot during the Revolutionary war, a member of the Committee of Safety, judge of the Superior Court of Attleboro, and a member of the committee to report upon the first constitution submitted to the people of Massachusetts. His children were: Dr. Preston Mann, a graduate of Brown University and a skillful physician in Newport, R. I., where he entertained Washington and La Fayette during the Revolution ; Dr. J. Milton Mann, also a graduate of Brown University, a physician in Attleboro, Mass., and later in Troy, N. Y., and drowned in the Hudson River; Mary, who married Josiah DRAPER and was the mother of Virgil Draper, whose portrait and biography appear in this work. Dr. Herbert Mann, a graduate of Brown University, surgeon on the privateer General Arnold during the Revolutionary war, and frozen to death at sea; Newton Mann, the subject of this memoir, subsequently mentioned ; and Eunice, who married Dr. Seth CAPRON, who was graduated from Brown University, studied medicine with her father, and served in the war of the Revolution. Newton Mann was born in Attleboro, Mass., in 1770, and inherited all the noble attributes of mind and body which distinguished his scholarly ancestors. He early imbibed those underlying principles of manhood that characterize the respected citizen. His education was obtained in his native town, where he remained till about 1806, when he came with Dr. Seth Capron and his family and the widow of Dr. J. Milton Mann and her children to Whitesboro, Oneida county, N. Y., for the purpose of engaging in the manufacture of cotton goods, which Dr. Capron had closely studied in New England. With Dr. Capron, Benjamin S. Walcott, Theodore SILL [Theodore Sill married Eliza, daughter of Dr. J. Milton Mann, and they were the grandparents of Edward Comstock, of Rome.], and Thomas R. Gold, he at once organized a stock company and erected on Sanquoit Creek, on the site of the present New York Mills, the first cotton factory in this State. Mr. Mann was the principal stockholder. The Oriskany Woolen Mill was subsequently incorporated with a capital of $200,000 by Chief Justice Ambrose Spencer, Jovis Platt, William G. Tracy, Thomas R. Gold, Theodore Sill, Mr. Mann, and De Witt Clinton. This company imported large numbers of merino sheep from Spain, many of them costing as high as $600 and $1,000 each. These sheep were kept in the vicinity of the village, mainly on the opposite side of the Mohawk River, and one of their farms was called " Mount Merino." The company continued business several years and prospered until the peace of 1815 opened our markets to a flood of importations. Before the year 1825 Mr. Mann withdrew from both enterprises and moved with his family to Mannsville, Jefferson county, a village named from his son, Major Herbert B. Mann, who in partnership with Judge Daniel Wardwell erected a large cotton mill there, which was burned in 1827, when ready to begin operation. There Newton Mann resided the remainder of his life, dying April 11, 1860, at the age of ninety years. Mr. Mann was an old line Whig of pronounced convictions, but never sought nor accepted public office. An uncompromising Abolitionist himself he was a warm personal friend of Gerrit Smith, Alvin Stewart, and other noted anti-slavery advocates, and during the great abolition movement which swept over the country prior to the Rebellion he was a powerful and an active factor. For many years he was intimately acquainted with the "underground railroad ;" his house in Mannsville became a noted " station," and he personally assisted in passing large numbers of slaves on to Canada. He was a devout Christian and a member of the Congregational church, and throughout life manifested a lively interest in all charitable and benevolent objects, to which he liberally contributed. Kind-hearted, enterprising, and sagacious he merited and retained the confidence, respect, and esteem of his fellowmen and bore the highest reputation for honesty, integrity, and moral uprightness. He was a good business man, a shrewd investor, and an able financier, and realized handsome profits from his various investments. Mr. Mann was married in 1795 to Miss Abigail, daughter of Josiah MAXCEY, grand-daughter of Lieut. Josiah Maxcey, of Attleboro., Mass., and sister of the Rev. Jonathan Maxcey, D. D., successively president of Brown University, Union College, and the College of South Carolina. She was born in Attleboro in 1766 and died at Mannsville, N. Y., November 17, 1860. Lieut. Josiah Maxcey, an officer in the old French war, was the owner of a slave named Caesar, whose tombstone is standing in the graveyard at North Attleboro, Mass., and upon it appears the following epitaph, which has been reproduced in most of the magazines of the country: Here lies the best of slaves, Now turning into dust; Caesar, the Ethiopian, craves A place among the just; His faithful soul has fled To realms of heavenly light, And, by the blood of Jesus shed, Is changed from black to white; January 15th he quitted the stage, In the 77th year of his age. 1780. Mr. Mann was a person of magnificent appearance, endowed with a large but graceful physique, and in stature represented almost perfect manhood. Well-developed, dignified, and of elegant and commanding physical proportions, he was a typical gentleman of the old school. At his wedding in 1795 he wore a blue broadcloth coat with crimson velvet collar falling below the point of the shoulders, a drab waist-coat and knee breeches, silk hose, low shoes with buckles containing French paste stones, and hair braided in a cue and powdered. His bride was attired in a peach-blow satin dress trimmed with brocaded satin, blue satin petticoat, peachblow silk hose, white slippers, and lace. These were elegant but not unusual costumes for those early days, and indicate the high and dignified positions their wearers occupied in society. Mr. and Mrs. Mann's married life of sixty-five years was an uninterrupted course of domestic peace and happiness. Their love and affection were simple, pure, and ardent, unmarred by the slightest infelicity, and graced by a constant and consistent devotion as beautiful as it was enduring. They were almost inseparable, especially during the latter years of their lives, and always found the highest enjoyment in each other's society. Their children were: Major Herbert B., who married Julia DOOLITTLE and was the father of the late Dr. John Preston Mann, the celebrated specialist of New York city ; Hetty, who married Judge Daniel Wardwell. and Abby Maxcey, who married Dr. Roswell KINNEY, of Mannsville, N. Y. THOMAS G. NOCK THOMAS GILL NOCK was born at Brierly Hill, near Dudley, Staffordshire, England, February 14, 1829, his birthplace being his maternal grandfather's home. A few weeks later he was baptized in the parish church by his mother's rector, and received the name of his mother's father, Thomas GILL, who was a robust, fine appearing man, active, generous hearted, untiring in his work, and a firm believer in God. When fifty years of age Mr. Nock was the counterpart of Mr. Gill—having the same perfectly shaped head, the high forehead, the intelligent face, the business foresight, the untiring energy, the unselfish generosity. When three years old the child left Brierly Hill with his parents and came to America. In his eighth year he returned to England with his father on a visit to his birthplace, and this event proved a memorable one in his life, making a lasting impression upon his then youthful mind. When he returned to his home at Ramapo, N. Y.. he was sent to a private school for two years, after which a tutor was brought to the house for him. This teacher was James Stewart, a graduate of Edinburgh University, and he was continued in this capacity for several years. When fifteen young Nock went to New York city for special instruction for one term in a private school. Returning to Ramapo he entered the office of a cotton mill, where he remained some months. His life in Ramapo was really one of studying the manufacture of steel, but he was often in the woods, on the "Tuxedo," and along the mountain streams with rod and gun. He loved nature, and more than once climbed the noted "Torn," but he was learning the secret of the earth's metals. His father, George Nock; a man of great ability, of strong will and character, and skilled in metallurgy, helped him to a practical knowledge of iron and steel. The father was true and sincere in his religious life, and taught his children and all men his faith and practice by example. The son learned much from this teaching, and slowly but finally strengthened that character and personality which in the man were so marked. There was that in his make-up which happily mingled the characteristics of his maternal and paternal ancestry. Joseph Nock, his paternal grandfather, was a country squire, an active, positive, and determined man in whatever he attempted. The family coat of arms suggests the character of the descendants. On the shield is a bend between three annulets, or, on a field of azure. The crest is a dexter hand brandishing a scimetar. The motto is "In tenebris servarefidem." Mr. Nock removed in early life from Ramapo to Windsor Locks, Conn., where be married Miss Caroline M., only daughter of Royal PROTITY, who survives him. There he was the assistant superintendent, bookkeeper and paymaster of the E. G. Ripley & Co. iron and steel works, which position he held until he removed to Syracuse, N. Y. , as superintendent of a large iron rolling mill, since converted into the present Syracuse Tube Works. In 1864 he came to Rome, Oneida county, to supervise the erection of the Rome iron vaill, and continued as its general superintendent until the building of the New York Locomotive works in this city in 1882, when he was elected president of that corporation, a position he held until his death on April 20, 1890. The ground for the locomotive works was broken September 17, 1881, and the company was formed in May, 1882. Mr. Nock was largely instrumental in starting that concern, which carried on under his supervision and management a successful business in the manufacture of railroad locomotives and engines. He was a man of great executive ability, of sound judgment and foresight, and of wonderful force of character. He was for many years prior to his death the president of the First National Bank, a director in the Central Bank, and in fact a stockholder in all the banks in Rome. As a financier his ability and integrity were widely recognized. He contributed materially to the prosperity and general welfare of the city, and sustained and encouraged every beneficent enterprise. He was public spirited and generous to a fault, and bore the confidence of the entire community. A Republican in politics he took a lively interest in the welfare of his party and never failed to work for its advancement. He was the first fire commissioner appointed in Rome and served continually as the president of the board from its organization until his death. He generously supported the cause of religion and education, and in all matters of a public nature was ever foremost and active. He was very kind hearted, benevolent to the poor and needy, and never missed an opportunity of aiding the unfortunate. Mr. Nock was survived by three brothers: Revs. Edwin Gaines and Joseph A. Nock, Episcopal clergymen in Philadelphia and Jersey City respectively, and George F. Nock, a commission merchant of New York. He is also survived by four sisters. Of his five children three are living, namely: Dr. Thomas G., jr., a practicing physician, one of the coroners of Oneida county for several years, and one of the fire commissioners of Rome ; George P., of New York city; and Mrs. Claude C. Coan, of Clinton, Iowa. His widow resides in Rome.