Mr. Fowler occupies his country place in the village of Warwick during the summer months. In 1876 he married Isabelle, eldest daughter of Benjamin F. Dunning, an eminent New York lawyer and for many years a partner of Charles O'Conor.
WILLIAM J. FOWLER, a prominent and progressive fruit farmer of the town of Newburgh, resides at the homestead where his grandfather, Peter V. B. Fowler, was born in 1800. He is a son of Henry D. and Anna (Du Bois) Fowler, who for many years cultivated this valuable property and were prominent in church and social affairs. W. J. Fowler was born in 1862. He attended the schools of Middlehope and then took the English course at Tivoli Military School, from which he graduated. He spent two years at Newburgh in Eli Hasbrouck's dry goods establishment, and in 1881 purchased his farm of forty-two acres and undertook the cultivation of fruit, in which he has been uniformly successful. In 1905 he purchased his father's farm of fifty-six acres. Mr. Fowler was school trustee twelve years, highway commissioner eight years, and has served as town collector. He is treasurer of Cronomer Valley Grange.
JAMES FULLAGAR, contractor and builder, Newburgh, N. Y., was born in England in 1828, Attended the schools at Headcorn and learned the carpenter's trade there. He lived for a number of years in the West End of London, where he and his brother conducted an artists' lodging house. In 1850 he sailed for America, coming directly to Newburgh, where he engaged in his trade with his uncle, with whom he later formed a partnership which existed four years. He then engaged in real estate and building on his own account, and in the period from 1855 to 1902 erected for himself one hundred homes in Newburgh. He has since disposed of these with the exception of thirty houses. Mr. Fullagar is possessed of deep religious convictions and for forty years has devoted a portion of his time to preaching the gospel.
December 20, 1860, he married Miss Elizabeth Hoase, of New Windsor. Four children have been born to them, three of whom are still living.
NICHOLAS I. FURMAN was born at Spring Valley, town of Ramapo, Rockland County, N. Y., March 29, 1835, and died at Warwick, N. Y., April 3, 1908. He was in school and on the farm until eighteen years of age, when he engaged in the lumber business. His railroad career began as a switchman for the Erie Railroad at Suffern, N. Y., where he was soon promoted from track to train service. In 1860 he went to Port Jervis, N. Y., was in Newburgh a year, and in 1869 moved to Warwick, N. Y., continuing in train service until 1882. In that year he was assistant superintendent for a short time, and superintendent of the Lehigh & Hudson from 1882 to 1893. Mr. Furman has been an influential Republican. He was a member of the Republican county committee three years during the McKinley administration, and was a delegate to the state convention that nominated the late Governor Higgins. He was a member of Port Jervis Lodge, No. 328, F. & A. M., Warwick Chapter, No. 186, and Delaware Commandery, No. 44. He was president of the Warwick Cemetery Association, second vice-president of the Warwick Savings Bank, and, in general terms, a wide-awake, helpful and highly esteemed citizen. He attended the Reformed Dutch Church. Mr. Furman's first wife was Rachel A. Westervelt, who died in 1872. His second wife was Mary E. Hynard, of Warwick. He has had no children.
[FRANCIS K. GAFFNEY] was born in New York City in 1871. At the age of seventeen he became the youngest fireman, probably, on the New York & New Haven Railroad. After stoking over its rails for a year or more, he was placed in charge of a switch engine in the yard. He left the railroad and went at stationary engineering in New York City for three years. Then he accepted a position in Jacksonville, Fla., and set up two engines for the Street Railroad Co., thus driving out the old mule tramway from the city of Jacksonville. At the completion of this southern plant he returned to New York and assisted at the erection of the large Allis engines for the Lexington Avenue cable road. From there he was ordered to Detroit to assist at the building of the plant of the Detroit Citizens' Street Railway. He was then employed as engineer of the plant after it was completed, later as chief engineer in charge. This plant was at that time one of the largest in the West. After two years services here, in which time he was married, he resigned and came east, accepted a position with the Kingston Consolidated Traction Co. as chief engineer. He was in this position for five years, then accepted a position as chief engineer for the Queens Borough Gas & Electric Co., New York City, also in charge of the new construction at this plant. After the completion of this new work he went in the employ of the Floy Engineering Co., of New York, and took charge of the electrical end of the construction of a new hydro-electric plant on the Neversink River. At the completion of this work he went with the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey as chief of their Morristown Division. He was then employed as electrical construction expert for the New York & New Jersey Tile Co., and is now identified with the Orange County Lighting Co. Under his management the plant has largely improved.
WILLIAM T. GALLAWAY was born in the town of Newburgh, Orange County, N. Y., August 13, 1826. He attended the district school in Newburgh and at an early age went on the farm and has always been identified in agricultural pursuits. His father was Zachariah D. and mother Catherine (Thompson) Gallaway. Mr. Gallaway operated a hotel at Scotchtown and Circleville for several years, and also one in Minnesota.
He married Elizabeth Fondy, of Montgomery, who is still living. To this union were born four children. Albert died in infancy, William S., Abraham and Mary K., wife of James Hamm, of Brooklyn, N. Y., died in 1907. In politics Mr. Gallaway is a Democrat.
IRA M. GARDNER was born at Johnson, Orange County, December 20, 1883. His parents were Merit H. C. Gardner (deceased), and Belle (Howell) Gardner. He attended country schools at Stewarttown and Westtown during his early years; later, having removed to Middletown, he entered the public schools of that city, graduating with the class of 1903.
He studied law in the office of Henry W. and Russell Wiggins until October, 1904, when he entered the New York Law School, graduating in 1906, and being admitted to the bar in the same year.