History of Roxbury, (Delaware County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

John Burroughs, naturalist, was born in Roxbury, Delaware county, N. Y., April 3, 1837, son of Chauncy A. and Amy (Kelly) Burroughs; grandson of Edmund Burroughs; and a remote descendant of the Rev. George Burroughs; born about 1650; graduated at Harvard, 1670; minister at Falmouth, 1672-80, and at Salem, 1680-90; tried for witchcraft, Aug. 6, 1692, for tormenting one Mary Wolcott; condemned to death and executed at Salem, Mass., Aug. 19, 1692. John Burroughs's boyhood was passed on his father's farm, and his education was acquired at the district school and in the neighboring academies, after which he taught school for several years. In 1864 he was employed in the treasury department at Washington as clerk in the office of the comptroller of the currency, and later as chief of the organization division of that bureau. In 1872 he resigned, having been appointed receiver of the Wallkill national bank at Middletown, N. Y., and afterward national bank examiner. He settled on a fruit farm at Esopus-on Hudson, Ulster county, N. Y. A lover of nature from childhood, he early learned to record his observations, his most congenial study being the habits and peculiarities of birds, animals, trees, flowers and insect life. His first magazine article Expression, was published in the Atlantic Monthly, in 1860, His published books include: Notes on Walt Whitman, as Poet and Person (1867); Wake Robin (1871); Winter Sunshine (1875); Birds and Poets (1877); Locusts and Wild Honey (1879); Pepacton (1881); Fresh Fields (1884); Signs and Seasons (1886); Indoor Studies (1889); Whitman: a Study (1896); Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Thomas Vincent Cator, politician, was born at Roxbury. N. Y., July 18, 1851. He studied at the public school, Roxbury academy, and Cornell university, where he was graduated in 1871. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1873, and practised in that city until 1887. In 1881 he was one of the organizers of the national anti-monopoly league, and for several years a member of its congressional committee to secure the inter-state commerce act. In 1880 he removed to Jersey city, N. J., where in 1882 he was elected to the state legislature as a candidate of the anti-monopoly union. In the house he introduced the equal taxation bill passed in 1884. He served two years as an alderman of the city. In 1887 was water commissioner of the state appointed by Governor Greene. Later in the same year he removed to San Francisco, Cal. He was a delegate to the Populist convention at Omaha in 1892, and in the winter of 1893-94 was the candidate of the Populist members of the state legislature for United States senator. In 1896 he was a delegate-at-large from California to the St. Louis convention, July 22, and before the convention favored the nomination of William J. Bryan for President. He was the candidate of the Democrats and Populists before the legislature in 1897, for United States senator, to succeed George C. Perkins. He is the author of numerous pamphlets on political topics, of which "National Ownership of Railroads" and "National Credit" were largely read.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Jay Gould, financier, was born at Stratton's Falls, near Roxbury, Delaware county, N.Y., May 27, 1836; son of John Burr and Mary (More) Gould, and a descendant of Abraham Gould, a lieutenant-colonel in the Continental army, 4th Connecticut regiment, who was killed when Tryon made his raid on Danbury; and also a descendant of Maj. Nathan Gould, who emigrated from England to Connecticut in 1646, and was one of the nineteen signers of the petition for the Connecticut charter. John Burr Gould was the first white male child born in Delaware county, N.Y. Jason, afterward Jay Gould, was educated at the district school and at Hobart academy. When fifteen years old he was a clerk in a tinshop in Roxbury, and when sixteen a partner and manager of the business. Meanwhile he studied surveying and civil engineering, deriving his instruction from books without a master. His father sold his farm and became a clerk for the son who engaged to survey Ulster county and who was promised $20 per month for his services, but his employer failed to pay him and he completed the work and sold it for $500. He then sold his tinshop and removed to Albany, where he canvassed the legislature for the contract of surveying the state, but was unsuccessful. He then undertook the work himself, employing men to survey the various counties. He wrote histories of Ulster, Sullivan and Greene counties and from the sale of his books and maps accumulated $5000. With this money he joined Zadock Pratt in establishing a tannery in Pennsylvania, the place becoming known as Gouldsboro, where a post office was established and Mr. Gould, then twenty years old, was made postmaster. He also became the largest stockholder and a director in the bank at Stroudsburg. In 1859 he bought out Pratt's interest and sold it to Charles L. Leupp & Co. for $80,000. This led to a lawsuit and dispossession proceedings accomplished by force and Mr. Gould became sole owner. He then sold the tannery and removed to New York city, where in 1862 he was married to Helen Day, daughter of Daniel G. Miller of the grocery firm of Philip Dater & Co., and through his father-in-law he engaged in speculation in railroad stock. He bought the entire issue of the first mortgage bonds of the Rutland & Washington railroad at ten cents on the dollar, and soon afterward, with Russell Sage of Troy, took up the Rensselaer & Saratoga railroad. Making considerable money he bought the stock of the Cleveland & Pittsburg railroad at 65 and sold it at 120. He lost some money in Union Pacific but made millions in Missouri Pacific and soon after obtained control of the Erie railway, becoming its president and a partner in a series of questionable transactions with James Fisk, Jr. This introduced him to the legislature of New York, to supreme court judges and to association with William M. Tweed, the financial and railroad magnate of the time, and Mr. Gould retired from the presidency of the road with a colossal fortune. This was largely augmented by the transaction in gold in which President Grant's brother-in-law Corbin was a prominent factor and this incident was the inauguration of private and public dinners given to executive officials by the holders of large interests subject to official action, and resulted in the great panic in Wall street known in the history of finance as Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869. He then became interested in the American telegraph company with which organization he laid an Atlantic cable, broke down the rates of the monopoly, the Western Union telegraph company, and thus forced an amalgamation of the two, with Mr. Gould as a chief stockholder. He afterward became largely interested in the Wabash, the Kansas Pacific, the Union Pacific, the International & Great Northern, the Manhattan Elevated, the St. Louis, the Iron Mountain & Southern, the St. Louis & Southwestern and the Texas Pacific railroads, and at the time of his death his railroad holdings were estimated at $75,000,000. His wife died Jan. 13, 1889, and left six children, four boys and two girls. George J., Edwin, Howard and Frank became the owners of the railroad properties of their father, held positions as directors and officers in many of them and proved themselves able business managers. Helen Miller retained possession of the city and country homes of her parents and devoted her life to charity, which she personally dispensed; and her sister Anna was married to Count de Castellane of France. The children of Jay Gould gave to the village of Roxbury, N.Y., a church edifice as a memorial to their father, costing about $150.000; this was dedicated Oct. 13, 1894. Jay Gould died in New York city, Dec 2, 1892.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor