JOSEPH DURLAND was born on the Durland homestead, now occupied by his brother, Samuel S. Durland, March 16, 1832. He received his education at Chester Academy and at Bloomfield, N. J. He began business life as a clerk in Masterson's store at West Chester when a young man. He was a partner with his stepfather, James Durland, at Chester Mills, for some time. On February 1, 1859, he purchased the interest of James J. Board in the old store conducted under the name, Board, Pierson & Co. This new firm of Pierson, Bell & Durland continued at the old store until February, 1862, when his brother, Samuel S. Durland, was admitted into partnership with him, the other members of the firm having sold to them their interest. For ten years this partnership of the brothers continued successfully and then S. S. Durland retired from the business and Joseph continued as sole proprietor until 1855, when Frank Durland, his son, purchased an interest in the business and the firm name became Durland & Son. This relation continued until February 1, 1908, when he sold his interest to Frank Durland, the present proprietor, having completed 49 years of business life in the old store.
During all his business career Joseph Durland has been a wise counselor for his fellow citizens in business and political matters. This has been possible through his knowledge gained by keen observation and opportunities for travel which have enabled him to visit and study business conditions in nearly every state in the Union. For a number of years he has served as trustee of the savings banks at Warwick and Goshen, and also as a director of the Durland Trust Co., of Norfolk, Nebraska. For twenty years he has served as a director of the Chester National Bank, and for two years was its president and is at present its vice-president. He was the first Republican supervisor for the town of Chester and served in 1867 and 1868. He was influential in establishing the present Union free school, and in 1869 was elected clerk of the first Board of Education of Chester, which position he held for seven years. He strongly urged the incorporation of the village of Chester in November, 1898, and was a member of its first board of trustees. When the question of water for the village arose he served on the board of water commissioners which introduced the present system of water supply. In offices of trust, he has served as executor and administrator of many estates. In 1855 he united with the Presbyterian Church, of which he and Mrs. Durland are still active members. He was elected to the office of deacon in this church in 1889, and since 1890 has continued to serve the church of his choice as an elder. He was married February 25, 1857, to Nancy Kingsland Board, daughter of Major James J. Board. The fiftieth anniversary of this happy event was fittingly celebrated. The children of this marriage now living are two sons, James Board, who married Sarah Andrews, and Frank, who married Mary B. Sanford, and two daughters, Amelia Vernon, and Nettie Eugenia, wife of William T. Moffatt of New York City. One daughter, Marion, died May 21, 1903.
J. SEELY DURLAND was born in New York City, March 15, 1856. He is a son of Oscar and Matilda C. Durland. Mr. Durland's father was engaged in the milk business in New York City, later removing to Chester, N. Y., purchasing the Marvin property, about two miles from Chester. Here he developed a natural love for the country and has remained a farmer. J. Seely Durland received his education at the district school and Chester Academy, he married Fannie R. Hunter, of Monroe, October 26, 1894, and two children have been born to them, Anna T., living, and Stanley, who died in 1895. Mr. Durland is a member of the Chester Grange, and in politics a Republican.
JOHN E. DURYEA, son of Samuel C. and Emily (Tuthill) Duryea, was born September 6, 1840, on the farm in the town of Crawford which his father had purchased in 1838. He assisted his father in the management of the farm until he removed to Pine Bush in November, 1905.
Mr. Duryea's paternal ancestors were French Huguenots. Joost Duryea, the founder of the family in America, came to Long Island from Holland in 1675, and from Jamaica, Queens County, Yost or George, our subject's great-great-grandfather, came to Orange County and settled in the town of Blooming Grove, of which he was a pioneer. He died in 1760 and was buried at Greycourt. His son, George, during the Revolution, was in active service in the cavalry department of the Colonial Army. He married Miss Hannah Hudson, of Goshen. Five sons and four daughters were born to them, of whom John, grandfather of our subject, married in 1800, Mary, daughter of Samuel and Jeannette (McCurdy) Crawford, of the town of Montgomery. They settled on a farm near Bloomingburg in the town of Wallkill. Six children were born, of whom Samuel C. was the youngest.
John E. Duryea married, in 1863, Miss Jane Frances Hunter, who died in 1883, leaving four daughters, Emily C., Mary F., Edna H., Anna Z. Politically Mr. Duryea is a Republican and has occupied a prominent place in public affairs. He was justice of the peace twelve years and justice of sessions four years. Socially he is identified with the Masonic fraternity.
SAMUEL T. DUSENBERRY, assistant postmaster at Tuxedo Park, N. Y., was born at Stony Ford, Orange County, in 1873. He is a son of William B. and S. E. (Wallace) Dusenberry. He received his education at the schools of Goshen. In 1899 Mr. Dusenberry came to Tuxedo and accepted the appointment of assistant postmaster. Socially he is identified with Standard Lodge, No. 711, F. & A. M. He married Miss Leonor Clark, of Monroe. N. Y. They have one child, William Wallace.
[JOHN L. D. EAGER,] has been engaged in the hide and tallow business at Montgomery since 1875. He was born in Walden in 1850. A son of Isaac L. and Fannie M. (Bodine) Eager. At the age of twenty he entered the employ of Homer Ramsdell & Co., of Newburgh, where he remained eight years. On returning to Montgomery he engaged in the coal business, also conducting his hide and tallow establishment. Mr. Eager has served as police justice twenty years and justice of the peace sixteen years. He now has charge of the pumping station of the Montgomery Water Works. He married Miss Emma Decker in 1876 and three sons have been born to them, Leonard, Clarence and Ray. Leonard is now in charge of his father's hide and tallow plant. He had previously been employed as engineer at Randall's Island and engineer for the firm of Tiffany & Co., New York.
JOSEPH C. EAGER was born August 21, 1859, on a farm near Hamptonburgh, where he now resides. His father, Joseph Case Eager, died in 1903. He had been a town justice of the peace for thirty years, and from his dairy farm of 150 acres was one of the first shippers of milk to the New York market over the Erie Railroad. Besides Joseph there was a daughter, Caroline, who married Cornelius Zabriskie, of Newark, N. J. Joseph's education in the district school was supplemented by a course in the private boarding school of Prof. S. S. Hartwell, of Unionville, N. J. From this he returned to the farm, which has always been his home. Since 1890 he has been station agent at Hamptonburgh for the Lehigh and Hudson Railroad, and also conducted a feed business at the same station. He followed the political inclinations of his father and has been one of the active Democrats of his town.
WILLIAM CASE EAGER, the descendant of one of the first settlers of the county, was born December 9, 1865, in Warwick, and died suddenly as the result of an accident, February 11, 1904. His parents were William C. and Mary C. Eager, whose children were this one son and four daughters, Mary L., Jennie, Belle and Fannie. The father, William C. Eager, Sr., died in 1878, April 18th. The subject of our sketch acquired his early education in the Warwick school, remaining in school until 19 years of age. He then entered the general store which was managed and owned by his mother until he reached the age of 21, at which time he assumed control of the store and managed it successfully until his death. In 1899 he married Hattie J. Aldrich, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Still, of Warwick. He was one of the most popular young men of Warwick, having a warm heart, a sunny nature and much natural magnetism, seasoned with genial humor and entire honesty. It was said of him that he had not one enemy, and was esteemed by the people of all classes. He was fond of athletic sports and all lively diversions. He was pitcher in the champion baseball team, a leading official in the Warwick Athletic Association, an enthusiastic hunter and fisher and lover of wild nature, liked music and was at one time a player in the village band. He was so good and popular a fireman that he rose to be foreman of Excelsior Hose and then to be chief of the fire department, to which he was elected three times and refused to be reelected. He was once elected town collector, and once nominated for president of the village, but resolutely declined the nomination.