Albany County New York Family Sketches - Surnames T-U

Transcribed by Lynn Tooley

Albany County New York Family Sketches - surnames T-U, extracted from the Landmarks of Albany County, New York, Edited by Amasa J. Parker of Albany, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & Co., Publishers, 1897.

TARGETT, Alfred E., Family Sketch

Targett, Alfred E., is a pioneer in the laundry business of Cohoes, his establishment being the first of its kind here. It was first an adjunct to his hat and furnishing goods business organized in 1873, and the washing was done by hand. Now the extensive establishment contains all the modern machinery of an up-to-date laundry. Mr. Targett was born in England in 1842 and was the son of Charles Targett. He came to this country in 1846 and with his parents settled in Danbury, Conn. In 1853 he moved to Wisconsin, where he worked on a farm about two years, when he returned to Danbury, Conn., and worked for a while in a fur factory; then went to Bethel, Conn., and learned the trade of hat finishing, after which he returned to Danbury and attended the academy and prepared for college, which he entered in 1862 and graduated from the University of Rochester in 1866 with the degree of A. B., being a classmate of Hon. George Raines of Rochester. After graduation he returned to Danbury, Conn., went into the music business and also taught singing in the public schools, an accomplishment he had acquired with his other studies. He came to Cohoes in 1872, where he has ever been highly esteemed as a man, and appreciated for his musical talent. He is an accomplished tenor singer, and sings in various churches. He served for several years as alderman of the Third ward.

TEN EYCK, James, Family Sketch

Ten Eyck, James, was born in Albany, N. Y., February 16, 1840. He is a son of Visscher Ten Eyck, who for a long time was cashier of the Commercial Bank. He is a descendant of an old and historical family that came from Holland to America 240 years ago. About the year 1800 Mr. Ten Eyck's grandfather, Abraham R. Ten Eyck, removed to Albany and for a great many years he was prominently identified with Albany's interests. Mr. Ten Eyck attended the Albany Academy and was graduated from Burlington College, N. J., in 1855. He passed the examinations and was admitted as junior at Yale College, but owing to ill health he was compelled to change his plans. He then started in mercantile life as a clerk in the office of the Central Railroad. In September, 1857, he left the railroad and entered the employ of Bacon & Stickney, dealers in coffee and spices. March 1, 1865, he was taken into partnership and on the death of Mr. Bacon he became senior partner of the firm. In 1864 he married the daughter of Mrs. Margaret T. Van Vechten of Albany, but his wife lived only eight months. Mr. Ten Eyck never married again. He has done much for the city of his birth and has been connected with all important organizations. He is a member of St. Peter's church and the Fort Orange and Albany Clubs. He Is also a member of the Albany Institute and the only honorary member of the Acacia Club. In politics he is a Republican and has been chairman of the General County Committee. He was at the head of the Citizens Committee that had in charge the reception to President Harrison in 1891. Mr. Ten Eyck officiated at the laying of the corner stones of the State Armory, Harmanus Bleecker Hall and the Albany Masonic Burial lot. also of the Burns Monument. April 24, 1889, he presided at the jubilee of the Masonic fraternity in celebrating the final paymentof debt on the Masonic Temple of New York city. Mr. Ten Eyck is the oldest 33 Mason in Albany and has been actively identified with the fraternity since his initiation in Masters Lodge No. 5, November 23, 1863. He was master from 1873 to 1877. having passed all the chairs. June 8, 1892, he was elected grand master of Masons in the State of New York. He was also re-elected unanimously but declined. Only one man in the world has a larger jurisdiction over Masons than Mr. Ten Eyck and that man is Prince of Wales. When he was grand master Mr. Ten Eyck presided over 80,000 Masons. The Prince of Wales, as grand master of Great Britain has jurisdiction over about 150,000. It is needless to add that in capitular, cryptic and chivalrous Masonry, Mr. Ten Eyck is held in the highest esteem.

THAYER, Hon. Lewis V., Family Sketch

Thayer, Hon. Lewis V., was born at Glens Falls. N. Y., April 28, 1862. His father was Lewis Thayer, born in Luzerne, Warren county, N. Y. , and is now engaged in active business in the city of Troy. His mother was Catherine Van Huesen, a native of Rensselaer county, who died at the age of forty-four. Lewis V. Thayer was a studious boy; he first attended the public schools of Troy and afterward the Business College in that city. After completing a practical education he entered the employ of the National Express Company as a messenger boy in the cashier's office, from which humble position he rose to higher positions, finally establishing and managing express agencies at Plattsburg and Glens Falls, handling large amounts o£ money, of which he never lost a dollar. In this capacity he served several years, when, in 1887, he was seriously injured in a railroad accident, which confined him to his bed for two years and nine months. His recovery, through the aid of the noted Dr. Sayre, was complete, and was considered almost miraculous, so severe was the injury to his spine. He ascribes much of the success of his cure to the tender and has always been a firm Republican, though not a politician. In October. 1894, he was nominated for sheriff of Albany county, and was elected by a plurality of 5,784, and entered upon his duties January 1, 1895. Sheriff Thayer possesses excellent executive ability, and is endowed with the best traits of character as displayed in the various walks of a useful, honorable life. He is a member of all the Masonic bodies, the Elks, the Red Men, the Troy Yacht Club, the Y. M. C. A. of West Troy and of the Presbyterian church of the latter place. He married on April !0, 1884. Miss Elizabeth A., daughter of Robert Hunter, an influential citizen of West Troy. They have one daughter, and reside at Twenty-fourth street and Eleventh avenue. West Troy.

TIBBITTS, Lorenzo B., Family Sketch

Tibbitts, Lorenzo B., son of William and Abigail (Seaman) Tibbitts, was born in Ballston, Saratoga county, N. Y., November 12, 1847, was educated in the Jonesville Academy and came to Albany in 1866 as superintendent of the gardens and grounds of Moore & Furgeson. In 1867 he was appointed a member of the Albany police force and served for fifteen years. In 1882 he engaged in the milk and dairy produce business on the corner of Green and Division streets, where he has since continued. In 1891 he started his present livery and boarding stable on Liberty street, succeeding M. H. Teater, and since July, 1893, has also had a contract with the United States Government for the transfer of mails between the Albany post-office and the various stations. He has been an active Republican, was for a time vice-president of the Consumers Ice Company, and is a member of Wadsworth Lodge F. & A. M., Capital City Chapter R. A. M., Temple Commandery No. 2, K. T., and Cyprus Temple N. O. M. S. In 1869 he married Matilda A., daughter of Sylvester Van Home, of Oneida, N. Y., and their children are William S., Cora B., Lorenzo J., Arthur and Lotta.

TOMPKINS, Charles M., Family Sketch

Tompkins, Charles M., is the son of Alva C, grandson of Abraham W., and greatgrandson of William Tompkins, who came from Dutchess county to Albany county about April, 1788. Mr. Tompkins, after graduating from the Normal School in 1879, entered the law office of Newcomb & Bailey, January, 1881, where he read law and was admitted to the bar in 1884. He then came to the village of Coeymans and entered into a law partnership with Stephen Springstead, and since the death of Mr. Springstead, in 1891, has continued the business alone. He married Margaretta, daughter of Francis Nodine, and has two children: Alva M. and Frances J.

TONER, J. Seymour, Family Sketch

Toner, J. Seymour, was born in Green Island, Albany county, in 1860, and has always been a resident of that village. He was educated in the public schools there and at an early age became a member of the village fire department, of which he has filled all the positions connected with same and for one year was chief engineer. He served four terms (eight years) as village trustee, the longest term served by any man, although a Democrat in a village having a large Republican majority, he received flattering majorities at each election. He has been connected with the account department of Cluett, Coon & Co., of Troy, for sixteen years, and is now occupying the position of paymaster for that concern.

TRACEY, James F., Family Sketch

Tracey, James F., son of John, was born in Albany, May 30, 1854. John Tracey, a native of Ireland, settled in Canada when he was fourteen years old. During the Canadian rebellion, or " Patriot War," of 1837 he removed to Albany, where he died July 12, 1875, in his sixty-sixth year. He was a successful merchant and a leading, respected citizen, and served, as a member of the Common Council, the Board of Education, the Board of Police Commissioners, a governor of the Albany City Hospital and a trustee of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. St. Agnes Cemetery, St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum, and the Albany Savings Bank. He was also a member of the Board of Trade. James F. Tracey was educated partly in the Albany Academy and partly abroad, and was graduated from Georgetown University at Washington, D. C, in 1874. He read law with M. T. & L. G. Hun and at the Albany Law School, class of 1875, and upon his admission to the bar began active practice in Albany. In 1877 he formed a copartnership with James Fenimore Cooper and his father, Paul Fenimore Cooper, which continued until 1893, when Albert Rathbone was admitted under the present firm name of Tracey & Cooper. Paul F. Cooper died in April, 1895, leaving the three surviving partners to continue the firm's large law practice. This firm is a continuance of the old law firm of Charles M. Jenkins and Paul F. Cooper, which at the time of the latter's death was believed to be the, oldest law partnership that had continued without change of name in the United States, it having existed without the admission of new members for about forty years. Mr. Tracey has conducted a general law practice with a specialty of business for banks and estates. He is an active Demcorat and during the first Cleveland campaign was president of the Young Men's Democratic Club of Albany. He was president of the Catholic Union two terras and is a trustee of various charitable and other societies. May 10, 1893, he married Lucianne Bosse, of Quebec, Canada, and they have one son, Walter.

TRAGER, Christopher, Family Sketch

Trager, Christopher, was born in Germany and came to America in 1854. In 1859 he came to Bethlehem Center, where he has since carried on a wagon and blacksmith shop; he also bought a farm in 1874, which he still owns. He has three sons and six daughters: John M. (who carries on the farm), Augustus, George, Anna, Agnes, Minnie, Louisa, Elizabeth and Maggie. His wife was Elizabeth Lash of Rensselaer county, N. Y.

TREGO, Thomas Markley, A. M., M. D., Family Sketch

Trego, Thomas Markley, A. M., M. D., is the only surviving son of James and Maria Trego. He was born in the city of New York, August 31, 1847. His ancestry can be traced back nearly 250 years. His father, who was born in Pennsylvania on January 1, 1815, is of the seventh generation and descends in a direct line from his ancestor, James Trego, who was one and the oldest of three brothers and sons of Peter and Judith Trego, who were born in France about the year 1650. Being Huguenots and of French extraction, they escaped to England in 1685 during the persecution and there formed part of the colony of William Penn, emigrating with him to this country and finally settled in Chester county. Pa. The maiden name of the doctor's mother was Maria Houghtaling oldest daughter of Thomas C. Houghtaling of Albany county, N. Y., who is a descendant of a genuine Holland-Dutch family. His mother, Kathrine Van Bergen, was a descendant of General Salisbury of Catskill, N. Y. Mr. Houghtailing's ancestors were amongst the earliest settlers of that county. The same may be said of the ancestry on Mr. Houghtaling's mother's side, who were of the Van Derzees. The earliest ancestor of this name occurs as grantee in a conveyance bearing the date April 23. 1652. In the spring of 1852 the parents of Dr. Trego removed to the village of New Baltimore, Greene county, where he attended the common school. When he was about fifteen years old his parents sent him to the Brooklyn Boys' Academy, where he reniamed a year, and in the fall of 1865 he was placed in the Grammar School connected with Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J. After a year's study he was prepared to enter the freshman class of the college, and in 1870 was graduated with honor in the class which celebrated the college centennial. In the autumn of 1870 he commenced the study of medicine in the office of the late Dr. S. Oakley Van Der Poel of Albany. When Dr. Van Der Poel was appointed health officer at Quarantine, New York, Dr. Trego continued his studies with Drs. Thomas and Edward R. Hun of Albany. Upon leaving the office of the latter after nearly a year and a half of study, he entered that of Dr. Thomas M. Markoe of New York, meanwhile attending lectures in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating in 1874. After graduation he returned to Albany, having been appointed resident physician in St. Peter's Hospital. In the fall of 1875 he resigned this position and opened an office for the general practice of medicine in Albany. Dr. Trego has greatly excelled in the treatment of the diseases of children and is on the staff of the Child's Hospital, Albany Orphan Asylum, Babies' Nursery, and St. Margaret's Home. He is also an attending physician at the Home for Aged Men. In 1881 he was appointed physician to St. Agnes's School for Young Ladies. In addition to his great and deserved prominence in the medical profession he also holds a desirable reputation for accomplishments and broad cultivation in the field of literature. In the summer of 1878 Dr. Trego, with his father, crossed the Atlantic and visited London, Edinburgh, Paris, Antwerp, Belgium, Dublin, Berlin and other famous places. In 1878 he was appointed one of the district physicians, and in 1887 was appointed coroner's physician for the city and county of Albany and held the office for three years. In 1881 he married Jessie, the youngest daughter of George W. Carpenter of Albany. Mrs. Trego died after fourteen months of married life.

TRUE, George M., Family Sketch

True, George M., is a descendant of Puritan ancestors and was born in Holderness, N. H., August 8, 1856. His parents were Joseph F. and Mary B. (Watson) True. He received his education in the common schools and at the New Hampton Literary Institution, after leaving which he was superintendent of schools in the town of Holderness, at the same time studying law with James L. Wilson of Ashland, N. H. He was graduated from the Albany Law School in May, 1881, and has since practiced law at No. 82 State street, Albany. He was married August 39, 1881, to Mary A, Wood, of Albany. He is a member of Ancient City Lodge No. 452, F. & A. M., and Albany Senate No. 641. Knights of the Ancient Essenic Order. He is one of the attorneys for the State Department of Agriculture.

TUCKER, Willis G., Family Sketch

Tucker, Willis G., M. D., son of the late Luther Tucker, editor and agricultural writer, was born in Albany October 31, 1849. He was educated at the Albany Academy, graduating in 1866 read medicine with the late Prof. James H. Armsby, and was graduated from the Albany Medical College in 1870. During this period he devoted much of his time to the study of chemistry and other natural sciences. In 1871 he was appointed assistant professor of chemistry inthe Albany Medical College, and in 1874 and 1875 lectured on materia medica also. When the faculty was reorganized in 1876 he became professor of inorganic and analytical chemistry, and in 1887 the department of toxicology was also assigned to him. In 1882 he was made registrar of the college, which position he still holds. Since 1874 Or. Tucker has been lecturer on chemistry at St. Agnes School, and at different times professor of chemistry at the Albany Academy, the Albany Female Academy, and from 1876 to 1887 in the Albany High School. In 1881 he was largely instrumental in founding the Albany College of Pharmacy, a department of Union University, and has served it as professor of chemistry and as secretary and president of its faculty. In 1881 he was appointed one of the public analysts to the State Board of Health, and since 1891 has been director of the laboratory of the board. He was one of the originators of the Alumni Association of the Albany Medical College in 1874 and has ever since been its secretary. He is a fellow of the Chemical Society of London and is a member of various scientific societies in this country.

TUPPER, Horace D., Family Sketch

Tupper, Horace D., one of the most estimable, enterprising and public spirited citizens of the town of Colonie. Mr. Tupper's surroundings at his place of business, at the junction of the two canals above West Troy, attest something of his energy and originality. He was born at Glens Falls, September 20, 1844, and by the death of his father, when yet a little boy, was thrown very early upon his own resources, to which event perhaps must be ascribed some of his rugged and indomitable character. In his early years of manhood, he followed boating on the canals, and is still largely interested in that line of business, but his interests are multiplied. He operates two saw-mills, two large farms, a brick yard, and the "Crescent" drydock, lieside timbered lands near Lake George and a line of boats, employing 105 men, also two large wholesale ice houses, one on Mohawk Basin and one at Crescent. In the midst of all these bustling, exacting interests, Mr. Tupper has found time for much in the way of practical benevolence.

[ Surnames V ]