History of Tarrytown, (Westchester County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, naval officer, was born in New York city, April 6, 1803; son of John and ?? (Mackenzie) Slidell, and brother of Senator John Slidell. He adopted his mother's surname as his own in 1837 upon the request of his maternal uncle. He was warranted midshipman in the U.S. navy in 1815; accepted the command of a merchant vessel in 1822 in order to advance his seamanship; was commissioned lieutenant in 1825; commander in 1845, and served in the Mediterranean, the West Indies, Brazil and on the Pacific. He commanded the Dolphin during the siege of Bahia and was present at the surrender. He commanded the brig Somers, manned almost entirely by naval apprentices, and while at sea in 1842, discovered an intended mutiny on board. The principals of this plot were immediately placed in close confinement, and after a careful investigation by the officers of the ship, three of the leaders, including a son of John C. Spencer, secretary of war, were executed at sea, Dec. 1, 1842. Upon his arrival at New York, a court of inquiry investigated Commander Mackenzie's conduct and approved of his act. Subsequently a court martial held at his own request also acquitted him. He was sent to Cuba on a private mission by President Polk in May, 1846, and thence sailed for Mexico where he served as ordnance officer at Vera Cruz and commanded a detached division of artillery at Tobasco. He is the author of: A Year in Spain by a Young American (1829); Popular Essays on Naval Subjects (1833); The American in England (2 vols., 1835); Spain Revisited (2 vols., 1836); Life of John Paul Jones (2 vols., 1841); Life of Commodore Oliver H. Perry (2 vols., 1841); Life of Stephen Decatur(1842); The Case of the Somers (1843); and left in manuscript a journal of a tour in Ireland. He died at Tarrytown, N.Y., Sept. 13, 1848.

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

Jonathan Odell, patriot, was born in Tarrytown, N.Y., Dec. 26, 1730; son of Johannes, Jr., and Johannah (Vermilye) Odell; grandson of John and Johanna (Turner) Odell; great-grandson of William, Jr. (1634-1700) and ?? (Vowles) Odell, and great-grandson of William Odell, who came from England to Concord, Mass., 1639, and to Fairfield, Conn., 1644. Jonathan Odell owned a large estate in the town of Greenburg, N.Y., and the stone house in which he lived was still standing in 1903. He served in Col. Samuel Drake's regiment, Westchester county militia, and in Col. Lewis Dubois's N.Y. state levies, and was for a time held a prisoner in the Old Sugar House prison, New York city. He married Margaret, daughter of Jacob and Jannetie (Kiersen) Dyckman, and had six sons and five daughters. His son, Col. John Odell (1756-1835), was an officer in Col. Morris Graham's regiment in the American Revolution, and commissioned lieutenant-colonel of militia by Gov. John Jay; another son, Abraham Odell (1760-1820), was lieutenant in Col. Van Bergen's regiment, and a member of the state assembly, 1801-05, 1807-10, and another son, William Odell (1762-1856), served in Van Bergen's regiment and became colonel of Westchester militia. Jonathan Odeli died in Tarrytown, N.Y., Sept. 23, 1818.

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

Moses Fowler Odell, representative, was born in Tarrytown, N.Y., Feb. 24, 1818; son of William Dyckman and Susanna (Fowler) Odell, and grandson of William and Johanna (Willsea) Odell. He attended the public school, and engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1845, when he was appointed an entry clerk in the New York custom house. He was assistant collector of customs for New York, 1855-57, and public appraiser, 1857-61. He was a Democratic representative from New York city in the 37th and 38th congresses, 1861-65, and was chairman of the committee on the treasury department. He was appointed navy agent for the port of New York by President Johnson in 1865, and held the office until his death in Brooklyn, N.Y., June 13, 1866.

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