Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030628295 Cornell University Library LD5481 .1171 k 1861 Biographical sketch of the class of 1861 olin 3 1924 030 628 295 L.-X> \2U BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE H A A OF UNION COLLEGE -fjtf??i w /t VcC ■. SCHENECTADY, N. Y. a. 6~£nrz> W. O. BONN, Book and Job Printer, HOMER, N. Y. PRELIMINARY. Newark Valley, N. Y., January, 1882. DEAH CLASSMATES OP '61 :— The delay which has occurred in the issuing of this little volume has been due to the diflBculty which I have met with in getting responses from the members of the class. The circular which I sent out in June last, immediately after our class meeting, asking for a sketch of the life of each member, failed of its object, except perhaps in a dozen cases. It was sent at an unfortunate time, having been just the time of the summer vacation. Waiting, therefore, until September, I sent a letter to each delin- quent member, asking that immediate attention might be given to the subject. This was more successful. Yet there was a considerable num- ber from whom I received no response, and some of the letters were returned by the postmasters of the places to which they were addressed. Afterward I wrote a second time to a few from whom I had some hope of getting a reply, and in this last effort I was partially successful. I still have a faint hope of getting something from one or two others be- fore the printer demands the manuscript. I regret that the effort has not resulted more favorably. I have not been able to find the present address of even one-half of the class, as it stands in the Catalogue of '61, and I am not able to report anything from all, even of this half. Many; indeed, have passed over to the other side. Graduating as we did just at the opening of the war, many of our classmates entered the army, and a considerable number fell either on the field of battle or by disease. Others have died at their various posts of duty, while engaged in peaceful pursuits. It would not be strange if, in twenty years, one- third of our number had been called away by death. 6 PRELIMINARY. At our reunion in June last, those of us who had not set foot on the College Campus for twenty years, of course found that important changes had taken place. The general external appearance of the College grounds and buildings is unchanged, except that Alumni Hall is com- pleted, and rears its lofty dome far above every other building. The foundations of a Library Building are also laid, immediately back of Alumni Hall. The interior of the Chapel, is considerably altered and im- proved, as also is No. 4, and the rooms in the dormitory buildings. The Faculty of the College has of course greatly changed. Our class has the honor of furnishing a President in the person of Eliphalet N. Potter, who has greatly 'improved from the slender youth whom we all remember. A new and handsome residence to the south of South Col- lege is the home of the President. Prof. John Foster, now quite aged and infirm, is still connected with the institution, as is also Prof. Pierson, who bears his years remarkably well. I think that these two are the only members of the Faculty still remaining who were there in '61. Dr. Hickok, whom we all so loved arid honored, is still living at Amherst, Mass., more than eighty years of age, hale and hearty, walking the streets with the same rolling gait as of old, and carrying, I think, the same walking stick, passing a peaceful old age in literary and intel- lectual pursuits; Semis in ccelum redeat. The Decennial Meeting of the Class was held in 1871 at Schenectady, in response to an invitation sent out by Bailey and Smith, of Albany. The following is an account of that meeting, given by Landon, who was then elected Class Secretary. If there shall seem to be any inaccura- cies in his account, they must be attributed to the long period of time which has elapsed, and the failure of his memory; for it is well known that he never consciously exaggerates :— On the Cars (at large) in New York, I December 12, 1881. j Rev. Jay Clizbe, Secretary of the Class of '61, Union College:— Dear Brother— You ask me to send you an official account of the Decennial Meeting of the Class of '61, at which meeting I was appointed Class Secretary. I will do so as well as I can remember the circum- stances. Ten years is a long time to remember. About forty members of our Class met on that occasion,— 1871. The PRELIMINARY. first man that met was Gates. Mr. Gates told me he hadn't turned out very well since graduation. He was unfortunate, and had gone on from bad to worse, until he had finally landed in the State Legislature. Continued association with John Bailey, now our Consul to Hamburg, or Congressman Ben. Willis, had contributed to Mr. Gates' ruin. Charley E. Smith, the present editor of the Philadelphia Press, also met at this meeting. He brought large sums of money from Albany in gunny bags, which he piled up in the hall at Givens' Hotel, and then proceeded to bribe the entire class to vote for him and make him a Trustee of the College, which we did. Many of us voted several times at $5 a time. At the end of the election Porter Farley and Lawyer Heury Parsons found that they had voted enough to take in $980 a piece. Smith, I say, was elected Trustee ; but I now hear that he, like Gates and Willis, is gradually sinking in depravity until he is actually running for Congress in Pennsylvania. It came out at this meeting that many members of the Class of '61 went to the war and fell in battle. The writer himself fell in battle several times, but always got up again after the shooting was over. He didn't want to stand there in the way and interfere with the bullets. At this meeting the Class voted to have a biography written and passed in about fifteen dollars, which I send to you as Secretary of the second Decennial Meeting. The meeting also passed resolutions congratulating their classmate, Eliphalet Potter, on his election to the Presidency of the College. Charles Fox offered a resolution, if I remember rightly, thanking the New York Central for building a magnificent new depot in Schenectady. This resolution was carried— out and buried. After the members of the Class had borrowed what money they could of each other, the Class of '61 separated, and the citizens of Sche- nectady again appeared on the streets. I was Secretary of the Class, but am sorry that my life has been such that I have had to change my name. I now travel under the alias of Eli Perkins. Sometimes they write it Elias Perkins. This is all I remember, unless it is that the citizens of Schenectady offered to escort the Class to Albany in a special car, rather than have them remain in town a second day. The railroads, if I remember rightly, were very kind. Vanderbilt offered to send every member of the Class a season pass over the New York Central, hoping that they would use them and be eventually killed on the trains. This may not be a very graphically written official report, but truth is what we want. I hope you will publish it ; and in the meantime may a kind Providence continue to protect the Class of '61 from Their friend and classmate, MELVILLE D. LANDON, Who will always be glad to see any of the Class at his residence, 135 East Seventy-fourth street, New York. PRELIMINARY. The following account of our second Decennial Meeting appeared in the Star of Schenectady, June 23d, 1881. It was prepared by Cantine:— 1861 — 1881. Second Decennial Reunion op the Class of 1861. The Class of 1861 held their second Decennial Reunion Tuesday even- ing, June 21st, in Memorial Hall, as guests of one of their number, Dr. E. N. Potter, the honored President of the College. After an elaborate and bountiful collation had been served, an adjournment was made to the President's study. Chester Holeomb was chosen Chairman, and Ira J. Clizbe Secretary and Treasurer. A delightful evening was passed recalling memories of former college days, and information given, as far as known by those present, of the absent members of the class. The Secretary was requested by unanimous vote to procure all pos- sible additional information of classmates and have it printed and dis- tributed to the Class. A sufficient sum of money was handed to him to insure the success of the undertaking. The following resolutions were presented by President Potter :— Whereas, We learn with pleasure that our Secretary is about to visit the honored Alumnus and President of the College, Dr. Laurens P. Hickok ; therefore, Resolved, That in the review of our College days we recall with love and admiration his fidelity and devotion as our President and instructoi*, and the pure and earnest Christian character and rare talents and ac- quirements which have won for him an exalted reputation in our own and other lands. Resolved, That we tender to him the expression of our cordial con- gratulations upon his long and distinguished career, and the expression of our best wishes for his health and happiness. Resolved, That the Class, by a rising vote, request the Secretary to present the above resolutions to Dr. Hickok in person. Carried unamimously. By a, rising vote the Class unanimously expressed their gratification that one of their number was at the head of the College, and congratu- lated him upon the progress of the institution, and pledged to him their individual and united support in the arduous, responsible and promising work for the upbuilding of Alma Mater. The members of the Class present at the reunion were :— John M. Bailey, TJ. S. Consul at Hamburg. Collins Blakelt, Montpelier, Vt. Ezra C. Bradley, Dunkirk, N. Y. John Cantine, Schenectady, N. Y. John H. Clickner, New York City. Ira J. Clizbe, Newark Valley, N. Y. Charles M. Earle, New York City. Porter Parley, Rochester, N. Y. Hector C. Havemeyer, New York City. Chester Holcomb, Secretary Legation', Pekin, China. Henry Parsons, New York City. Eliphalet N. Potter, President Union College. Benjamin A. Willis, New York City. Daniel Yost, Fonda, N. Y. PRELIMINARY. As Landon has intimated, there was an attempt made immediately after our first Decennial Meeting, to obtain a sketch of the life of each member of the Class for circulation among us. But the Secretary was lacking either in time, or in the grace of perseverance, sufficient to ac- complish the object. He returned to me the money which had been contributed, together with the materials which he had collected. These have been of assistance to me in my work. It will be observed by the Class that the work of editing, which I have done, in preparing the various sketches for the press, has been the slightest possible. Wherever it was practicable, I have left the account in the very words of the writer, both because I felt that I could not im- prove the language, and because I had little time which could be devoted to the work. I have not undertaken to whip the articles into shape, nor to give them uniformity. Who would care to see George Robinson's sketch reduced to the decorous form of a sermon? Better to give it with its native sparkle and good-fellowship. Let me add that this has been to me a labor of love, and I have been abundantly repaid for it, both by the pleasure which the first reading of these sketches has given, and by the anticipation of the delight which they will bring to you. It will be seen that this book is gotten up in better style than was expected by those who started the enterprise. The reason of this is found in the fact that the Class has been very generous in furnishing the funds. Still, it will be noticed, from the Treasurer's Report, that nothing is left to pay for the distribution of the books. I intend to send a copy to each member of the Class whose address T have. If any who have not as yet contributed to the undertaking, shall feel disposed to help pay for sending the books to their destination, such thoughtful- ness will be appreciated ; and whatever funds may be left in the hands of the Secretary, will be devoted to the Class Supper in 1886. I think I have been fortunate in finding an honorable and capable publisher, Mr. William O. Bunn, of ^Horner, N. Y., who claims to have the best country printing house in the State. 10 PRELIMINARY. Treasurer's Keport. Total receipts $152 12 EXPENSES. For postage, circulars, assistance &c $17 19 Printers' bill, for 150 copies of book 135 00 Total :... $152 19 JAY CLIZBE, Secretary and Treasurer. BIOGRAPHICAL. JOHN M. BAILEY, ALBANY, N. Y. OHN M. BAILEY, of Albany, N. Y, was born in rj Bethlehem, Albany county, N. Y, August 24, 1838; worked the early part of his life upon his father's farm ; prepared for College, — entered the Freshman Class at Union College in the Fall of 1857, and grad- uated in 1861 ; studied law with the then celebrated law firm of Messrs. Cagger & Porter at Albany ; en- tered the Union Army as a private in the Fall of 1862, and was afterward Adjutant of his Eegiment, the 177th New York Volunteers, serving in the De- partment of the Gulf under Gen; Banks, and partici- pating in' the entire siege of Port Hudson ; discharged from the Army at the expiration of his term of service,. and resumed the study of the law, and grad- uated at the Albany Law School in the Summer of 1864, and immediately thereafter, at Albany, N. Y, com- H BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. menced the practice of law, in which he has since been engaged ; was Assistant District Attorney of Albany county in 1866, '67 and '68; was appointed by Presi- dent U. S. Grant, Collector of Internal Revenue for the 14th District of New York, and served in that capacity for the "term of four years; was elected District Attor- ney, of Albany county in 1874 and served the term, three years; was elected from his district in 1878 to fill a vacancy in the 45th Congress, and also for the full term of the 46th Congress, as a Republican ; in the 46th Congress was a, member of the Committee on Pa- cific Railroads, and his seat in the House was upon the same aisle, and immediately behind the seat of Gen. Garfield, the late lamented President of the United States; was appointed by President Garfield United States Consul at Hamburg, Germany, in May, 1881, and entered upon the duties of said office July 20, 1881, and is now residing at Hamburg with his family. Mr. Bailey was married to Miss Dell L. Hooker, of Rochester, N. Y., in the Fall of 1864, and has three children, — a daughter, • aged fifteen years, and a son and daughter, aged ten years. Hamburg is a city of about 500,000 inhabitants, — one of the largest commer- cial cities of Europe,, — has an extensive and increasing trade with the United States, exporting thereto, during BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. the year ending September 30, 1881, various kinds of goods, amounting in value to $4,454,504.12, and has more elegant private residences and beautiful gardens than any place on the Continent. Mr. Bailey hopes, during his temporary sojourn in Europe, that he and his family will acquire quite a thorough and practical knowledge of the German language and literature, and that he himself may obtain a fuller insight into Interna- tional Law, and the customs, habits, trade and business relations of the people, — that will enable him to be of greater service to his Government in his present official capacity, and will also be of inestimable pleasure and value personally to himself. Mr. Bailey desires to extend herein a very cordial welcome to Hamburg, while he shall remain there, to each member of the Class of 1861 ; and should it be desirable to have an extra Class Eeunion during the Summer of 1882, on the banks of the busy Elbe or the beautiful Bhine, he will undertake to furnish to the feast that sparkling product of the country "that cheers, but not inebriates." 16 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. .JOHN A. BARNES, DECATUR, ILL. AFTER graduating from Union College, in Class o '61, I began the study of law in Delphi, Ind, and was so occupied until December 2, 1861, when, re sponding to the call of my country, I enlisted in Con pany K, 60th Indiana Volunteers, and was chose Second Lieutenant of said company. After servin until June 13, 1862, I was honorably discharged fror the service on account of injuries received in activ service. I immediately entered the Commissary Depar ment at Camp Nelson, Ky., where I remained until th close of the Rebellion. Upon my return home I er gaged for a season in the business of shipping graii per flat-boat, via the raging and tortuous Wabash an the broad and turbulent Mississippi, assisting in feedin our late hostile brethren of the South, for a reasonabl consideration, — "let it be recorded." In 1868 I n moved to Illinois, residing for a time at Cerro Gord< then at Philo, and finally bringing up at my preset location, Decatur, 111., being engaged during these inte vening years in the grain and dry goods busines BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. . 11 Since locating at this place, have continued the business of grain, in the way only of buying by the car lots. In the Spring of 1880 the good citizens of Decatur elected me as their City and Township Collector, a fairly lucrative office, involving a collection of about $100,000, and requiring a bond of $200,000; was re- elected this Spring, and am at the same time carrying on my increasing grain trade. Am pleased to say that I am married (this event occurring January 13, 1870,) in my opinion to one of the best women in the world ; have two lusty boys (future candidates for the Alumni of " Old Union,") and one pleasing girl, who no doubt in due time will be, too soon for her aged "parient," a firm advocate of " Union ;" and let it be circulated that said " parient " has a " Bulldozer's Mississippi Elec- tion Argument" for all her admirers who do not swear by "Old Union," God bless her. Have a modest home entirely paid for, and a little filthy lucre laid by for a stormy day. With a kind invitation to the members of the Class of '61 to come and see me, and with best wishes for their future prosperity and happiness, I am, truly yours, JOHN A. BAENBS. 18 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. SAMUEL BARSTOW, OWEGO, N. Y. THE following is an editorial which appeared in the Owego Times about May 1, 1862. It was fur- nished the Secretary by the kindness of Mrs. Thomas C. Piatt, sister of our departed classmate r — THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN SAMUEL BARSTOW. In our last issue we mentioned that a telegram had been received announcing the dangerous illness of Cap- tain Samuel Barstow at Fortress Monroe. His father, Hon. Charles E. Barstow, then in Washington, hastened there, but before his arrival his beloved son had breathed his last. His remains reached Owego Friday night, April 25, 1862, and the funeral took place at ten o'clock on Saturday morning from the residence of Thomas C. Piatt, Esq., brother-in-law of the deceased. The services were conducted by the Rev. S. H. Hall, of the Presbyterian Church, whose address on the occa- sion was singularly eloquent and appropriate to the melancholy occasion. The funeral was one of the larg- est and most respectable seen in Owego for many years. A company of Zouaves, commanded by Col. Warren, acted as a military escort. We knew the deceased from early boyhood, " and marked with pleasure his rapid progress in education. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 19 In his classes in the Owego Academy he had no supe- rior, and in every exercise that required dexterity, ac- tivity and endurance, he was an acknowledged adept. Gifted with a mind, which at a glance grasped, mas- tered and retained the most abstruse sciences, and pos- sessing a firmness of purpose which never diverged from its object, his course was onward and upward. Having apparently, without an effort, completed his pre- paratory studies in the Owego Academy, he entered the Junior Class of Union College, and there held a posi- tion among the first in his classes, graduating with honor in July last During the last term of his Col- lege career the Senior Class was trained in the manual of arms, so, that on his return to his friends he was able to take charge of a company and train them to the full extent of regimental drilL On the breaking out of the Rebellion, he threw himself with all his na- tive ardor and enthusiasm into the movement, taking a deep interest in raising, volunteers to sustain the Administration. He was very efficient in getting up the quota of . Tioga county for the Ellsworth Avengers. Afterward he worked efficiently in getting up a com- pany of volunteers, who elected him captain. In this responsible position his zeal, energy, superior education and previous military training, made him prominent in the regiment, the 64th New York State Volunteers, to which he belonged. His care, kindness and attention to his men endeared him to them ajl, and rendered him a general favorite, and we have no doubt, had God in His inscrutable providence called him into actual con- flict with the enemies of his country, that his daring BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. and bravery would have rendered him as conspicuous there as his high intellectual attainments and good con- duct had done in all the walks of civil life. But God moves in a mysterious way, and while we bow to His will, we can not forget the bright promise of his spring so soon overcast with the shades of death. The deceased would have attained his majority in June next. The causes which led to his death were exposure and neglect. His regiment in the forward move, about the 3d of April, was ordered to Manassas, and there, during inclement weather/ without tents, slept as they could. They were ordered back to Alexan- dria, and after a long march, heavily laden, at the double quick, were huddled on board a steamer. The exposure had already affected his health, being ill of fever when he embarked on board of the steamer, which should have arrived at Fortress Monroe in one day, but which unfortunately struck on a bar and was five days in making the passage, all of which he suffered without proper care. When he reached the hospital he was beyond remedy. He sank and died in the morn- ing of Monday, April 21, 1862. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 21 J. H. BECKER. ELGIN, ILL. AFTER leaving College spent one year in Union Theological Seminary, New York. In 1863 left books and took up farming. In 1864 married Lydia K. Keyes. In 1867 moved to Elgin, 111., where he is now Justice of the Peace, Real Estate and Loan Agent. Has three children — Florence, Keyes and Kate. 22 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. J. K. BRUGLER, BUTLER, MO. "Y life has not been an eventful one, and can be briefly stated. I was admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania in 1865, and practiced there until 1868, when T came to this place and commenced practice, and have met with very good success, both profes- sionally and financially. I take no active part in politics, but devote my entire time to my profession. In my domestic affairs I have been very fortunate. I was married in Pennsylvania in 1862, and we have three children, two boys — now in the Pennsylvania State Normal School at Bloomsburg, Pa. — and one daughter, nine years old. Our town has a population of 3,500, having received an increase from immigration during the past year from $00 to 1,000 ; our county (Bates), a population of 25,000 to 30,000. Our county contains immense beds of coal, which railroads are now shipping in large quantities. Kindest regards to each friend and classmate of '61. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 23 JOHN H. CLICKNER, 485 BEDFORD AVENUE, BROOKLYN, N. Y. I WAS born in Pittston, Eensselaer county, N. Y., in the year 1835. In the same State and county were born my ancestors also, for three generations. We come of good old Knickerbocker stock, and are proud of our descent Until I had attained my twelfth year I was of a very frail and delicate constitution, but after having reached that age my health improved greatly, so much so that by the time 1 completed my fifteenth year I was as robust as the most healthy of my playfellows. From the age of seven until I was thirteen I attended the common district school continu- ously,, Winter and Summer, while the school was in session ; but from my thirteenth to my eighteenth, I was permitted to attend during the Winter terms only, my father requiring my services during the Summer season in the working of his farm. As was the prac- tice in those days and in that section of country, I had a new teacher every six months — a male teacher dur- ing the Winter and a female during the Summer season — and yet, notwithstanding this very irregular 24 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. and pernicious system, I made very fair progress in the common English branches, so much so, indeed, that my parents^ were urged by several of my teachers to give me better educational ' advantages than the district school afforded. Although born and reared upon a farm until I was more than eighteen years old, I never took kindly to that "ancient and independent calling," so that when my parents were urged to give me better advantages than those of our district school I eagerly seconded the motion, for I had already formed the reso- lution of adopting some trade or profession other than farming as a means of obtaining a livelihood. As the years went by, my distaste of farming grew stronger, while my taste for books and general informa- tion increased in a still greater ratio. My parents at length, impressed with the hopelessness of ever making a farmer of me, or of having me settle down on the " old homestead " in any capacity, yielded to my earn- est and oft-repeated solicitations to be permitted to obtain a liberal education and enter upon the business of life as a professional man. Accordingly, in the Au- tumn of 1855 T entered Jonesville Academy, with the purpose of preparing for College. Jonesville Academy at that time was under the superintendence of Prof. Hiram A. Wilson, and was one of the most popular and successful educational institutions in the country. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 25 At the commencement of the second year in this Academy it became so crowded with students that it was utterly impossible to accommodate all who applied for admission within the limits of the Academy proper. Accordingly, the expedient was resorted to of impress- ing, so to speak, such of the private residents of the village into the service as were found at all available. This extraordinary influx of students made a propor : tional increase of the faculty absolutely necessary. Time was pressing, and the vacancies in that body must be supplied at once. In this emergency it was resolved to select two from among the students then in attendance. The choice of one of these fell upon my- self. While I felt proud of the distinction which had been shown me, I nevertheless had great reluctance to taking upon myself any work or duty which would re- tard my preparation for College. Believing that such would be the effect of accepting the position which was now offered me, I felt constrained to decline it My objections were all overruled, however, and it was finally arranged that sufficient time would be allowed me to enable me to prepare to enter College at the succeeding commencement With this understanding I accepted the position and entered at once upon its duties. From being a teacher under compulsion, or at best by accident, I soon began to seriously think of 26 BIOOBAPHICAL SKETCH. adopting teaching as a life-work. I became very much interested in my work, and enjoyed nothing so much as I did observing the development of the young minds under my charge. But I had built high hopes upon being a professional man, and as the dreams of my boy- hood welled up before me, I determined to adhere to my original resolution, and so, at the appointed time, I quit old Jonesville forever, but not without a taste of the most poignant sorrow which I have ever experi- enced in the whole course of my life It was now the Autumn of 1857. In that memora- ble year, and with that dearly-loved and never-to-be for- gotten Class of '61, I was enrolled as a son of Old Union. Classmates, that page of my life-history which should commemorate the scenes and events made hal- lowed by their connection with Old Union I shall leave unwritten, fully believing that it can not be made more, vivid or familiar to you than it now is in its unwritten state. Soon after leaving College I came to New York City and entered the importing house of Charles Back- man, Esq., in the capacity of shipping clerk. Of this gentleman I can not speak in terms too complimentary. He was one of . the most thorough business men which I have ever known ; he was, and is a gentleman in the fullest and truest sense of that word. I desire fur- BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. ther to say that if I have acquired any business habits which have since been valuable to me, I am largely indebted to Mr. Charles Backman for their possession. As I have already intimated, the dreams of my boy- hood, as well as those of my more mature vears, alike impelled me to far different walks in life than commer- cial pursuits. I had cherished hopes of entering the ranks of the holiest of all professions — the Christian ministry — but the unalterable decree of an All wise Providence willed it otherwise. That hardest of all masters, Necessity, must be obeyed ; and at his com- mand I went forth to assume the burdens of life which he imposed upon me. " There's a Divinity which shapes our ends Bough-hew them as we may." And it is idle for us to ignore this fact. Carlyle says: "Blessed is the man who has found his life-work. Let him ask no greater blessing." These words have never failed to soothe me whenever I have been tempted to indulge in that melancholy refrain : " It might have been." For eight years I served my employer faithfully, and to the best of my ability; and my faithfulness was not permitted to go unrewarded. During that time I rose from one position to another, until I had at- tained the highest which an employee could fill. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. About this time I was induced by promises of a more lucrative position to connect myself with the firm of Erwin & McKelsey. I left my former employer with great reluctance and with some misgivings, but the terms offered by my new employers were very liberal and such as I could not afford to decline. I remained in the employ of Erwin & McKelsey until the death of the senior partner dissolved the partnership, which oc- curred in the year 1876. In that year I entered into a partnership with an old employee of Mr. Backman's during the time I also served him. T had known him for years, and I had no hesitation in joining him in a commercial partnership. In 1876 the firm of Clickner & Knight was established, and it still continues to exist. I find my partner, Mr. Knight, all that I hoped he would be when I formed the partnership with him. We are now firmly established in the importing busi- ness. I have been successful in my business beyond my most sanguine expectations. My domestic relations, too, are equally satisfactory. In 1863 I was married. to Miss Isabella M. Crowder, a lady who has made the, best of wives, and whose sterling qualities as a woman, but grow the brighter as time wears away. My residence is 485 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y., where, beside my wife and myself, there reside, also my aged parents, in the possession of all their faculties BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. and in the very best of health ; • and where, I assure you, my most cherished classmate, you will always be most joyfully and most cheerfully welcomed, so long as it continues to be the. residence of your old friend and and fellow-classmate, JOHN H. CLICKNER 30 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. JAY CLIZBE, NEWARK VALLEY, N. Y. STKONGLY sympathize with the large number of our Class who declare ■ that they find it very diffi- cult to bring themselves to the task of writing an auto- biography, however brief. It does not seem easy to believe that even my classmates can be interested in the events of a life so commonplace as mine has been. Yet I know that there is not one of all the number whose history I would not follow with the keenest in- terest. Many times since our College days have I spent a sad but delightful hour in looking over the photo- graphs of our Class, and not unfrequently in my dreams have I been transported to the old campus, or to No. 4, and the dear, familiar faces are about me again. How young they all look, and how I feel as if I wanted to get my arms around the dear fellows; but the old College life can only exist for us hereafter as a memory or a dream. We can never again be to each other what we were in 1861 ; but it would be a pity to lose sight and knowledge of each other entirely. I therefore very gladly contribute my mite to perpetuate, the old acquaintanceship. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 31 In the Fall of 1861, "after graduation, I went to Union Theological Seminary, New York, where I re- mained one year. The two following years of my Seminary course I passed at Andover, Mass., and then began immediately to supply the pulpit of the Second Congregational Church, Amherst, Mass. In the Spring of 1865 I was installed pastor of that church, and continued there for two years, when my health, and es- pecially my eyes, gave out, so that I was obliged to resign my pastorate and give up preaching for a time. The Winter of 1867-8 I spent in Minnesota, supplying the pulpit of the First Congregational Church of East Minneapolis. My eyes still troubled me to such an extent that a long rest seemed desirable, and in the Summer of 1868 my wife and myself sailed for Eu- rope. We were gone a little more than a year, and I returned a good deal improved in health. After a time I went to Marshall, Mich., where I supplied a church for one year. At Marshall my wife's health failed, and she has been an invalid ever since. As I have never been strong, and have to exer- cise a constant care of my health, we, as a family, are like the conies, "a feeble folk." \ Soon after leaving Marshall, I came to Newark Val- ley, N. Y., where I have remained now for ten years. I have a substantial country chureh of plain, but BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. kindly people, to whom I have become much attached, and who have been very indulgent to me. We have had one powerful revival of religion, which added many to the church and strengthened it in every respect I lead a quiet, contented life, seeking to do, in singleness of heart, the work of a Christian minister. I have no ambitions to gratify, not even for a D. D. It maj be of interest to some of you, who are also jountry pastors, to know that I have found great com- fort in a literary class, consisting of my young people, whom I meet on Monday evenings, and with whom I talk upon some literary subject. Just now we are going over English History, intending to read Shaks- peare's historical plays in connection with it. I have also started a public library in connection with my uhurch, the church having control of it and selecting the books, while the public has the use of them. On the whole, I have had a great deal of quiet en- joyment in my work. I have never ventured far out upon the great sea, and have never struck for what are jonsidered Ihe highest prizes of life. But keeping 3lose to the shore, I have at last anchored in this quiet bay, from which I can hear the roar of the storms which agitate bhe great world, but which do not disturb me. I was married in 1866, but we have been denied the blessing of children. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 33 MONMOUTH H. CLOSE, BOUND BROOK, N. J. MY DBAE CLASSMATES: — For months previ- ous to the Reunion of our Class last Summer I constantly promised myself the pleasure of again meeting you at Union, and by your presence and con- versation recalling some of the many happy days I spent as a College student. Circumstances, however, decreed otherwise, and I can assure you I felt greatly disappointed at being unable to be present with you, and to hear from each as to the past, and to see how time had dealt with you. Sjnce leaving College, a source of great pleasure to me has been the possession of the photographs of my classmates; but on the 19th of April, 1881, the de- struction of my residence and its contents by fire deprived me of these highly cherished mementoes of my Qqllege associates. Their loss to me was greater than any other I suffered by the fire. After leaving College in 1861 I commenced to teach, and for the past sixteen years I have been connected with Gram- mar School No. 55, West 20th street, New York City. 34 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. I am not rich in that sense of the word which makes one a millionaire, nor am I poor by .any means. I am married, and I know I have a noble, Christian woman for a wife. I have five sons, the oldest being thirteen years of age. I am residing at Bound Brook, N. J., where I should be pleased to welcome to the hospitali- ties of home any of my College classmates. u BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 35 JOHN S. COE, CANANDAIGUA, N. Y. OHN S. COE passed his boyhood in Galen, Wayne county, and Phelps, Ontario county, his father dying while he was yet young. He prepared, fpr Col- lege at the Phelps Union and Classical School'' and at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, N. Y., and while yet in his minority he taught school for two years in Canada West. He entered Genesee College at Lima in 1857 as a Freshman, and at the close of the second term of his Sophomore year took an honorable dismissal therefrom and entered Union College at Sche- nectady. He subsequently graduated at the Albany School, and then taught the Clyde High 1 School one term, when he was commissioned as a Captain and raised and commanded Company B, 111th Eegiment N. Y. Volunteers, in the War of the Eebellion. He subse- quently taught the Phelps Union and Classical School for two years, and then prosecuted his law studies in the law office of the eminent advocate, Blbridge G. Lapham, at Canandaigua, N. Y., since Member of Con- gress, and recently elected to the United States Senate in place of Eoseoe Conkling, resigned. For a time Mr. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. Coe was successfully engaged in prosecuting pension and bounty claims for soldiers. Latterly he" has given his entire attention to law practice, with a fair degree of success. He married Miss Addie A. Titus, of Phelps, K Y., January 15, 1868, by whom he has one child, Mabel C. Coe, aged eleven years. He took his A. M. degree in course in 1864. Both of his diplomas for the A. B. and A. M. degrees are signed by Dr. E. Nott, then President of Union College. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 37 ARTHUR H. DAVIS, 126 NORTH 10TH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. AFTER leaving Union College, I entered the office of Dr. A. Eeeves Jackson, at Stroudsburg, Pa., as a medical student. . My studies were interrupted, however, in the Summer of 1862, when T enlisted as a private in Company D, 129th Regimen b Pennsylvania Volunteers. My regiment was attached to the First Brigade, Third Division, Fifth Army Corps, and par- ticipated in several of the important engagements in Virginia. We were present at the second battle of Bull Run and Antietam, though not actively engaged in either fight ; were actively engaged at Shepardstown, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. At the latter en- gagement I received a severe wound in the right foot. ■May 18, 1863, I was discharged at Harrisburg, Pa, by reason of expiration of term of service. Upon my re- turn home I resumed my medical studies, and in the Spring of 1866 I graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, Medical Department, since which time I have been engaged in the practice of my profession. My, present location is 126 North 10th street, Philadel- phia, where I will be happy at any time to see members of the Class of '61. 38 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. ROBERT DICKEY, PLEASANTVILLE, HARFORD COUNTY, MD. ' IN giving this brief sketch of myself to the pub- lisher, I claim a short space to my birth and ancestors. I was born in 1837, in Chester county, Pa. My father, who is still living, was Hon. Jesse C. Dickey, Ex-Member of Congress, a self-made man, pos- sessing indomitable energy and* sterling virtues. My mother's maiden name was also Dickey, but no relation to father — both of Scotch-Irish descent and blue stock- ing Presbyterians. I lost my mother when sixteen years old. I received a liberal academical education be- fore entering College. I was at Union not quite two years. After leaving there I taught school two years in my native county, near Coatsville. There was no eventful circumstance in my life during those two years more than ordinarily falls to the lot of peda- gogues. I was successful as. a teacher, and made many friends among patrons and pupils. I commenced read- ing - medicine the second year of my pedagogue life under Dr. D. D. Kennedy, of Oxford (my cousin); at the end of that year stopped teaching and went to the BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, and grad- uated in two years, in the Spring of 1862. I came immediately to Harford county, Md., and located where I now am, to follow my profession. I have been here now almost twenty years. The first ten years after coming to Harford I jnade a specialty of my profession. I had a large practice, and' I devoted myself mentally and physically to the practice of medicine, riding mostly on horseback. The last ten years has been divided between agriculture and the practice of medi- cine. I never entered the army, although my father and many relatives were there, some of whom lost their lives in trying to preserve this glorious old Union. I married, in seven months after I graduated in medi- cine, Miss Waters, of this county, a lady to whom I was engaged seven years, by whom I have three chil- dren, two boys and one girl. I was very fortunate in my matrimonial alliance. It is not always that youth- ful courtships prove satisfactory in after life, but I owe a great deal of my success in life to my wife's whole- some counsel and words of caution. I joined the Methodist Episcopal Church two years after marriage, my wife being already a member. I look back to that as the most important epoch in my life. It was then that the tidal wave of success seemed to waft me on- ward and onward. New fields of labor opened up be- 40 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. fore me. I could minister to the spiritual as well as the physical. I have learned the secret of happiness in this world, and what gives a bright hope hereafter. Give God your heart, and deal honestly with your fel- low man. My vocation has caused me to mingle with woe and misery, sickness and death. I have seen death come in the most horrible form. I have gazed with horror at the wicked dying. I have seen the trium- phant look of the righteous man as he expired, and from both I have endeavored to draw lessons of use- fulness. When at Union College, though I was wild and reckless, I received religious impressions from Dr. Nott that I never can forget. I treasure as one of my most valuable keepsakes his book on Temperance, which he made me a New Year present of. I have been stimulated very much to work in the Temperance cause from that book. All my spare time now is de- voted to the interests of Temperance. I never was dissipated, but never became a teetotaler until two years ago; but I can not in this brief sketch of my- self give any of the success resulting from my labors. Suffice it to say, we expect to adopt Local Option in our county this Fall, but our work will not be com- pleted until our whole State unfurls the banner of Local Option. All candid and intelligent lovers of Li- vine truth will rejoice everywhere when intoxicating drinks are banished from our land. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. SEBASTIAN DUFFY, PULASKI, N. Y. THE following is taken from the Pulaski Democrat of August 25, 1881:— OBITUAEY of the late Prof. Sebastian Duffy, who departed this life in Pulaski, 1ST. Y., July 25, 1881, aged 47 years. The deceased was born in Morrisville, Madison Co., N. Y, July* 29, 1884. He spent bis youth on a farm, where he acquired that consolidated vigor of his physi- cal constitution, which gave him uninterrupted good health (this being his first, as well as last and only sickness,) and also that capacity of steady application to labor which, together with the habits then acquired of persevering industry, have given him that marked success in life which had thus far attended all his efforts. It was not until he was twenty years of age that he began his studies, in preparation for College, at Fairfield Seminary. He entered the Sophomore Class at Union College, and graduated in 1861, at the age of twenty-seven. With ripe and mature powers, he en- tered upon his professional career as a teacher, asso- ciated with his wife, whom he married soon after leaving College, on his twenty-seventh birthday, July 29, 1861. His first position as instructor was that of teacher of languages, at Fort Plain Collegiate Institute, becoming 42 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. soon after Associate Principal, his wife holding the posi- tion of Preceptress. He remained at Fort Plain for the period of five years, and while residing there united, on profession of faith, with the Eeformed Church ; uniting with the Congregational Church in this village, by letter, soon after he came here. Leaving Fort Plain, he took the position of Principal of the High School of Boonville, where he remained three years. In 1869 he came to this village to take charge of our Academy, retaining the position of Principal unin- terruptedly for a period of eleven years. Tbis period was marked by some of the most prosperous days known to our Academy, the number of students in at- tendance at one time being 140 in a single term. In 1879 the deceased received, first, the nomination of what was then called the Greenback party as candidate for Congress, and a little after that of the Democratic party. In his native county he received only seven votes less than his competitor, who was himself a resi- dent of that county, and failed of an election — in a Congressional district usually carrying a large Kepub- lican majority — by only between 700 and 800 votes. The election of his opponent was subsequently con- tested with all that earnestness, indefatigable persever- ance and thoroughness so characteristic of the deceased, he spending most of ■ the following Winter and Spring in the city of Washington and in attendance upon the sessions of Congress for this purpose. It was here that he was thought to have contracted the seeds of that malarial fever which at last 1 terminated his life. This sickness was attended from the first with great physical BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 43 depression, which seemed to produce in his mind the foreboding of its fatal character, of which he spoke with more or less frequency, and always with senti- ments of resignation. He sank into a state of uncon- sciousness, which lapsed gently and almost imperceptibly into the sleep of death. We have already spoken of some of the mental and moral characteristics of the deceased, of the vigor and force of character which marked all his efforts, of the steady and indomitable perseverance which never relaxed until the good had been attained, the prize won, or the utter uselessness of further effort fully disclosed, and even then such was his tenacity of will and pur- pose that he could sometimes scarcely be persuaded by his friends to desist from further efforts. These char- acteristics marked his career as a student. Eetiring at night by compulsion of the academic regulations at ten o'clock, he arose persistently and regularly at four in the morning to renew his studies, although at the risk of his eye-sight, permanently injured by this excessive application. He was no less devoted and persevering as a teacher, and especially as a disciplinarian, always at his post of duty, always vigilant, and rigorously main- taining order. Decided in his opinion, right with him was right and wrong was wrong, making on him but feeble demand for leniency and never beguiling him into laxity or indifference. Of pure habits from his youth, he was an earnest, firm and uncompromising friend of Temperance, and worked, with great zeal and earnestness for the promotion of this cause. Strict in religious observances, he never encouraged, by his own 44 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. example or permitted in those committed to his care, profanation of the Sabbath or disrespect and irreverence toward the institutions of religion. As a citizen, de- sirous ever of promoting good order, he was decided and earnest in his own political opinions, but never in- tolerant toward those who held opposing sentiments, respecting the rights of others and willing to concede to others the rights he claimed for himself. As a hus- band, devoted, pure, affectionate and domestic, he leaves behind, with her who knew him best, a record, written on the imperishable tablet of the heart, of fidelity, sin- cerity, truthfulness, purity and nobleness, which consti- tutes at once both worth and a heritage of grief for the loss, and of joy for the gift and the memory. But believing in the ,words of Him who is the source of our life, it is a grief assuaged in the assurance that these treasures of the heart are not lost, but that these gifts and joys are an everlasting possession, that the .communion, but briefly interrupted, will be renewed in the realms of everlasting peace and love. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. CHARLES MILLARD EARLE, 93 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. DIRECTLY ,after graduation I went into the law office of Mott, Murray & Harris, and in 1862 attended lectures at New York University Law School. I was admitted to the bar, and for a time remained in the office of Mr. Harris, with whom I had studied, but did not practice actively. Then began practice in earn- est, and on August 1, 1880, entered the firm of Thorn- ton, Earle & Kiendl. Was married October 23, 1879. Have no children. Was not actively engaged in the War of the Rebellion, and held no post in the Army. Have held no political office. Was from about April, 1873, to December, 1875, Trustee of Public Schools in New York, and took an active part in school matters. Since that time my life has flowed on in a regular and uneventful course, without anything in particular to mark or distinguish it. 46 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. EDWIN EINSTEIN, 120 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. THE following is taken from the Congressional Di- rectory, and is all that could be obtained from Einstein :-^- Seventh District. — City of New York. Tenth and Seventeenth Wards, and that part of the Eigh- teenth Ward west of Third avenue. Edwin Einstein, of New York, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, November 18, 1842; removed to New York in 1846, "where he has since resided; received a collegiate education at the College of the City of New York, and entered Union College, but did not graduate; has always been engaged in mercantile pursuits, and was elected to the Forty- sixth Congress as a Republican, receiving 7,617 votes against 7,162 votes for Anthony Eichoff, Tammany Democrat, 803 votes for Jahelka, Greenbacker, and 193 scattering votes. BIOGRAPHICAL, SKETCH. PORTER FARLEY, ROCHESTER, N. Y. DEAE CLASSMATE : — Your circular of June 27th received. You ask for a sketch of my life since leaving College. You will remember that we graduated during the excitement of the Bull Run cam- paign. My impulses tended toward the army, but I was dissuaded by my parents from entering it, and as the times seemed unpropitious for engaging in business, I followed my father's advice and entered the law office of Mr. George F. Danforth. The law was not to my taste, and the piping times of war were unfavorable to study. When, in the Summer of 1862, the President called for three hundred thousand men, I made up my mind that every man who could go into the army ought to do so. I began the work of assisting to re- cruit a company, and did my share in raising Company Gr, of the. 140th Regiment New York Volunteer In- fantry. I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. We left Rochester on the 19th of September, 1862, and arrived in Washington on the morning of the publica- tion of Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation. For