The Holland Society of New York - Yearbook (New York, NY)

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81 At the bank of which he was president, he per- formed conSt-211112 Week-day duty, with a handwriting and figures equal to those of the best bookkeeper, He was a ready mental computor of the interest on notes, which made him of invaluable service to the bank clerks. In politics Mr. Van Vorst was always a staunch Democrat' .Besides being Mayor of Schenectady in 1853, 1854, 1869, 1870, 1882,,and 1883, he has had considerable prominence in politics, having served in the Board of Aldermen and been a member of the Democratic county committee. V Mr. Van Vorst was very popular, and was a well- known man in the many fraternal organizations of the city. He was the oldest Free Mason and also the oldest Odd Fellow in Schenectady, and was a charter member of St. George's Lodge, F. Sz A. M. He was also one of the first members of,Mohawk Valley Lodge, No. 12, I. O. O. F. He was long a devout and earnest worker in St. George's Episcopal Church, and was connected with the vestry of that church for over sixty years. He was married in 1830 to Miss Amanda Hul- bert, of Pennsylvania, who died in 1880, six months after the celebration of their golden wedding. The local paper, referring to the funeral, said: Seldom 'or never in the history of the city has the loss of a private citizen occasioned such widespreadlamentation. There were evidences of profound grief on every hand throughout the burial services, and it is almost superfluous to say that the sympathy of the entire community goes out to the members of the stricken family in their bereavementf' At a meeting ,of the Schenectady Branch of the Holland Society of New York, held Tuesday, December 5th, 1899, to take suitable action re- specting the death of Hon. Abraham A. Van Vorst, the following resolutions. of respect were unanimously adopted : U Whereas, Death has recently removed from us our highly esteimed and oldest member, Hon. Abraham A. Van Vorst,

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I I I , 1 My 1. .ilqi z..,,,, , 4 I 1 TA. L - in l if .-. .-1.-.. ,T .. ,K 5 !lI1il,igli El if rini if all Biiilfl 4 , .,',.1.4iQi! 8o the early settlers of the town of Clinton, Dutchess Coq N, Y., in the year 1743, in which town the name has been familiarly and Eonorably known for h n a centur and a ha . mclfiiirt siveral yearis previous to his death he held the position of assistant manager of the Hotel Laurel in the Pines, Lakewood, N. 'lVlr. Van Vliet was a young man of strict integrity, and a large and extended circle of friends and acquaint- ances rise to testify of his many virtues and to regret his untimely death. HoN. ABRAHAM A. VAN VoRsT, president of the Schenectady bank and a former Mayor of Schenec- tady, died in that city, December 2, 1899, the dawn of the fourth day of his ninety-fourth year. He was seized with a sudden illness while attending a meeting of the bank directors on November 21, and gradually failed. Mr. Van Vorst was born November 28, ISO6, in the town of Glenville, Schenectady Co. A-t the age of seventeen he became tired of the farmer's life and came to Schenectady, where he started in business life as a clerk. Five years later he entered the hardware business with Henry Peek. The firm of Peek 85-Van Vorst .was after- wards dissolved and Mr. Van Vorst continued the business alone until 1853. , In 1858 he became a member of the lumber firm of Van Vorst, Vedder 85 Co., in which business he remained until 1874. In 1845 he was made a director of the Schenectady bank, and in 1872 was elected vice-president to succeed Judge Paige. When Gen. Jay Cady, the' president of the bank, died in 1875, Mr. Van Vorst was elected president, and. filled the position 'in a most faithful and efficient manner up tothe time of his last illness. Mr. Van Vorst, as a nonagenarian, was in sound PhYS1Cal and . mental health, his nerves were firm, his appetlte good, and his sleep undisturbed.

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82 Resolved That we take this occasion to express our appre- ciation of the many virtues of his character, displayed through a life of remarkable length and of almost unbroken activity. ' 11 ould we record our admiration ofhis fidelity to all Especia y W , his responsibilities as a businessman and a c1t1zen, his unfail- ing cheerfulness of spirit, and his extreme winsomeness of manner in all his social relations. c I l The Society has been fortunate in bearing upon its mem- bership list from its formation until now' the name of so worthy a representative, and while we deeply deplore the breaking of the earthly t1es,.we rejoice in -the character of the memories that areleft as the heritage of his associates. JoHN L. Swrrs, JAMES R. TRUAX, JACOB W. CLUTE, Committee. JOSEPH C. HOAGLAND, founder of the Royal Bak- ing Powder Company, who joined the Holland So- ciety, June 30, 1892, died December 8, 1899, at his home, No. 27 West Fifty-first Street, at the age of fifty-eight years and five months. Last October lVlr. Hoagland was stricken with paralysis at his country home on the Shrewsbury River, N. J., and was, brought to his home in Manhattan. Mr. Hoagland was born in the village of Troy, Ohio, and attended the village schools there. He was preparing to engage in mercantile pursuits when the war broke out, and he entered the Union army in 1861, serving mainly in the quartermaster's and subsistence departments, having been detailed by Governor Tod, of Ohio, to service at Camp Chase, Columbus. After the war he went to Port Wayne, and was part proprietor of a ,drug store there when he conceived the idea of compounding 'a baking powder that would make housewives happy by producing certain results. He experi- mented till he got a powder that seemed to meet the necessary requirements, and then he began t0 sell it over the counter to local customers. That was the beginning of the Royal Baking Powder, and the young druggist, with his brother, Dr. Col'- nelius N. Hoagland, soon extended the business. The brothers finally moved to this city, and with William Ziegler successfully conducted the busi- ness of the Royal Baking Powder Company.