stanch Democrat, but voted for Abraham Lincoln and was a strong Union man, placing the country's good before party preferment at the time of the nation's peril. He was also one of the first to advocate the issue of bonds for the purpose of carrying on the war. In his early life he served as a captain in the Twenty-seventh Regiment of the New York state militia, and was ever a valued citizen of the community in which he made his home. He died May 29, 1866, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Jane Ann Sackett, was a representative of one of the prominent old families of Westchester county. She is deceased, and, like the others of the name, lies buried in the cemetery at Bedford.
Henry R. Hicks, the only child of Charles and Jane A. (Sackett) Hicks, was born in New York city, December 14, 1835, and pursued his education in school No. 7, and in the grammar school of Columbia College. At the age of sixteen he entered upon his business career, securing a clerkship with the firm of John Haslam & Sons, hardware merchants, with whom he continued until 1858, and after that was in the employ of Read & Towsley until 1860. From that year until 1874 he was employed in the engineering department of the Brooklyn navy yard, acting as storekeeper from 1865 until the close of his connection with that business. On resigning his place, in 1874, he retired to private life and has since resided in the seventh ward in Yonkers, upon a farm of thirty acres, which has been his place of abode for thirty-six years. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens National Bank, and from the beginning has continuously served on its directorate, he and Charles Dusenberry being the only charter members of the bank who are now acting as directors.
For many years Mr. Hicks has occupied positions of distinctive preferment in connection with the public life of Yonkers. In his political affiliations he is a stanch Republican, and has long been a recognized leader in the ranks of the party. From the old fourth ward of the city he was elected a member of the city council in 1872, and served in that capacity for six consecutive terms, — a longer continuous service than any other member of that body. His long retention in the office was certainly a high tribute to his ability and to the fidelity with which he discharged his duties, and for three terms he had the honor of being president of the council. He exercised his official prerogative for the benefit and progress of the city, supporting all measures which he believed would advance the general welfare. He has been one of the police commissioners of Yonkers since September, 1892, when he was appointed to that office, and by reappointment, received in 1897, he will continue to serve until 1901. Socially he is a member of the Rising Star Lodge of Masons.
On the 21st of May, 1863, Mr. Hicks was united in marriage to Miss Isabell Weed, a daughter of Isaac Weed, an agriculturist of Yonkers. They have two daughters: Eveline W., wife of Dr. Karl H. Krober, a physician of Yonkers; and Isabell, wife of Rudolph Eickemeyer, Jr. Such in brief is the history of one who for many years has been a distinguished and representative citizen of Yonkers. In all his business dealing and official duties he has been scrupulously exact and fair. In the former he has been very successful, as the result of ability, discrimination and enterprise. The life of such a man is an object lesson of real value to the observing and thoughtful. It brings out prominently the characteristics that win, offers encouragement to young men who are willing to work with their minds and with their hands, and affords another proof of the familiar adage that there is no royal road to wealth or distinction in this republic. The achievement depends upon the man.
READ, JACOB
Mr. Jacob Read, a representative of the Yonkers people who were engaged in farming during 1825 and 1855 and intervening years, is still (1896) a resident of the town, which for fifteen years he served as supervisor. In 1895 he said, in substance:
I came to Yonkers in February, 1829, when a boy in my eleventh year. I recall distinctly the prominent farmers of Yonkers from 1829 to 1855, and their mode of life. I also recall the kind of crops they raised, and how they marketed their produce. Through the '20s and '30s and up to the '40s, the principal crops were pats, rye, wheat, corn, hay, potatoes and pickles. The potatoes were of the "blue nose " and " kidney " variety. Afterward came the "Early Rose." We did not have, as farmers do now, a number of varieties, all dug out of the same hill. The fruits were apples, peaches, pears and cherries. The apples were " Pound Sweets," " Catheads," and " Fall Pippins." The peaches of Yonkers in the latter part of the '30s and the first of the '40s were very fine. The cherries were of the Dyckman variety, a sour cherry and excellent. We used to call tomatoes "love apples;" but nobody ate them. I never ate tomatoes until 1847. We had good walnuts and chestnuts. The garden truck the farmers raised was for their own use only. None was sent to market until 1835. All the cabbage for market, for example, was raised on Bergen Point and Long Island. Nor did the Yonkers farmers send any milk to New York. It was kept in milk-rooms, for there were no ice-houses. The milk-rooms had stone bottoms, and were cool. Tables in those days were supplied with plenty of fresh meat. I remember that Mr. David Horton, with whom I lived, would kill a sheep in summer, or a lamb or a pig in the fall, so as to have fresh meat, and would send a quarter over to Mr. Vermilye Fowler's, or Mr. Nattie Valentine's, or Mr. David Oakley's; and when they killed, they returned the favor. The poultry in the farm-yards also supplied the tables. Barrels of salted meats and hogsheads of cider, as also butter, lard, turnips and potatoes stocked the cellar. Blacksmiths, wheelwrights and carpenters made many agricultural instruments which they are not expected to make to-day.
Beef and ham were smoked in the farmers' smoke-houses. Up to 1845 sheep were kept. The lambs were sold in New York. A man came up from Manhattan island during a period of years and bought lambs of the farmers. Pork and poultry were also sent to New York. Large droves of cattle and sheep from the north passed through Yonkers down the Albany post-road. Perhaps as many as two hundred or two hundred and fifty cows and from three hundred to five hundred sheep would be in a single drove. Two or three men or two men and a boy could manage a drove, as the line fences were all up and the gates were closed. The drovers " put up " at old Uncle Post Dyckman's, on the other side of Kingsbridge.
Hay was sold in New York. Marketing was done by land as well as by river. A team would be sent to New York with a load on Sunday night in order to be there for the Monday morning market. The team was returned the next day and again sent down on Wednesday back Thursday, and down again on Friday. Butter sold at from ten cents to a shilling a pound! Loose sugar, that is, brown sugar for every-day use, was purchased in quantities of seven pounds. White sugar was purchased by the " loaf." A " loaf " of white sugar weighed about ten or twelve pounds. It was more expensive than brown sugar. We didn't see any of that white sugar around except when there was company. Then it was cut off the loaf and placed on the table. We used to count money by pounds, shillings, and pence up to about 1841. " One and three pence" was fifteen cents; "one and ninepence," twenty-two cents; "two and tupence," twenty-seven cents. In these early days we used " dips," that is, tallow candles. The candles were made by hanging wicks over alder rods (from which the bark had been peeled) and dipping them into the mixed mutton and beef tallow; the beef tallow hardened the candles. The alder rods were selected because they were light and easily handled. After the candles were made the rods were carefully stored away for the next year's use. In later years sperm oil and kerosene oil were used. Coal was not in use in Yonkers until about 1839 or 1840. Then Mr. Ebenezer Baldwin, who kept a lumber yard, brought in twenty tons; but its sale was slow. Nobody at first had a coal-stove. Everybody used open fireplaces or " Franklin " stoves. The " Franklin'' was used in parlors. It was open in front like a fire-place. On one side stood the tongs and on the other the shovel, their brass tops polished bright.
I recall distinctly the routine work of each year on the Yonkers farms. January and February were the months in which wood was cut for summer use. Enough wood was cut in the winter to last all summer. Fire-wood was drawn from the woods by ox teams. When the snow was deep we could put a chain around the tree we had chopped down, and, with our oxen, would drag the tree to the wood-shed, breaking a road through the snow, which in those winters fell plentifully. I have seen it three feet deep, and of course there were often heavy drifts. We used to pile the woodshed full of fire-wood and then pile it up outside. Loads of chips were brought
