CORNELIUS L. WARING was born at Balmville, a suburb of Newburgh, in 1852. He read law with Judge Hirschberg, and was admitted to the bar in 1873. Later he formed a partnership with ex-District Attorney Russel Headley, which continued until 1878, when Mr. Waring was elected recorder of the city of Newburgh. He was re-elected in 1882 and again in 1886, retiring from office December 31, 1890. He served as corporation counsel of the city of Newburgh continuously from 1892, resigning the office February, 1907.
Mr. Waring is a director and attorney for many of Orange County's leading corporations. He is a member of the City Club, Powelton Club and Republican Club of the city of New York. Mr. Waring is unmarried and resides at the Palatine Hotel.
WILLIAM SAYER WATKINS was born on the homestead farm in the town of Hamptonburgh, August 3, 1820, and the date of his death was November 7, 1884. He was an energetic farmer, and lived for his neighbors as well as himself, winning their respect and esteem by his kindly and thoughtful interest in their welfare. He married Miss Emma Monell, of Hamptonburgh, September 15, 1859, and their three children are all living. Juliana B. was born July 12, 1860, and is the wife of B. Seward Carr, of Chicago; William Sayer, born November 7, 1866, lives on the homestead; John Evans, born December 25, 1867, married Anna Eliza Blake, March 9, 1905, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth, who was born January 2, 1906, and Emma Adeline, born October 1, 1907. The house on the homestead was burned in 1886, and rebuilt in 1887.
J. N. WEED was born in the hamlet of Gardnertown, town of Newburgh, November 20, 1825. He has always resided in the town, except when away at school. On April 1, 1833, the family moved from Orange Lake to North Newburgh on the west bank of the Hudson River, three and one-half miles north of the village of Newburgh. It was found to be a beautiful location, back from a fine sandy beach just far enough to escape the highest tides, with a bay extending seven or eight miles in front bounded by the mountains of the Highlands. April 1, 1833, was one of the loveliest days imaginable and the house had been reached by a road coming down from a hill, five hundred feet high, in numerous zig-zags. Such hills were new to the life of our subject, as also was the river bay and the river craft and naturally made an impression.
This continued to be the home of Mr. Weed until May, 1845, when he came to the village as a clerk of the Highland Bank. He left that bank, of which he was then teller, in January, 1852, having been appointed cashier of the Quassaick Bank, then organizing. Mr. Weed was cashier of the latter bank during its entire history and of the Quassaick National Bank of Newburgh, into which it was converted May 1, 1865, until February 4, 1895, when he was elected president and now holds that position.
The principal business events of his life have been given heretofore in the local histories. There is, however, a side to the life of this man but little known, and we propose to say something about it.
As an amateur geologist he has thoroughly explored the territory about Newburgh, a region rich in glacial and drift phenomena.
Scattered over its surface are huge blue sandstone boulders, some of extraordinary size and sure to attract the attention of even the un-observing. They are generally, but not always, scattered in groups.
At the time of the publication of the Natural History of New York, in 1843, these and other boulders were supposed to have been transported from their source to their present place in icebergs, the glacial theory at that time being undreamed of. Now it can safely be declared established and readily explains many things involved in obscurity.
The glacial markings in the Hudson River valley are found from the present surface of the water up to the mountain tops and afford an index of some of the conditions existing on the earth at that time.