, 1904-03-24

AS Soldier and Citizen.
The Schenectady correspondent OF
the Utica IN. " Saturday Globe O
the 18th sends the paper a long tele
gram relating to the death Of Colone
Jacob j. DeForest OF Cady's Corners, N
y. the father of George w. DeForest o.
this city. Accompanying the specia
are PHOTOGRAPHS of Colonel DeForest
one taken recently and the other dur
ing the civil war, when he was in the
midst OF a brilliant military career
The correspondent goes into the de
tails of his military life, noting that
Tor six years prior to the beginning oil
the civil war he was connected with
the Twenty-tirst regiment of the Ma
tional Guard of New York, rising to
the position of engineer Of the Elev'
enth brigade and its inspector. At the
beginning of the civil var he was for
several months in the recruiting ser
vice at Albany. recruiting thirty regi-
ments of volunteers. At Oswego he or
ganized the Eighth-first New York, be-
ing offered the ColOnelCy but declining
in favor of Colonel Edwin Rose and ac'
| cepting the lieutenant c%olonelcy. At
the battle of Fair Oaks, May 81, 1862,
| Colonel DeForest was shot through
the lung and was in the hospital I'M
til the first of September, when he was
mustered in as colonel of his regiment.
He followed the fortunes of his COM
mand until he was mustered out in
September, 1864, being a part of the
time in actual command and some OF
the time in hospitals and on sick leave
or account of disabilities from the
wound received at Fair Oaks.
The Schenectady correspondent
adds:
One of Schenectady county's most
noted soldiers passed away Sunday
morning when Colonel Jacob J. De
| Forest answered the final summons at
his home at Cady's Corners. The
greater portion of his life had been
passed in Duanesburg, but last sum
mer he supervised the building of the
residence in which he died and in the
fall moved there. The land had been
in possession of his ancestors for gen.
~erations and he was by no NEAR a
stranger in his new home. In addi-
ton to being one of the bravest SOL
diers who ever went from his county,
he was also one of the substantial men
in business and politics. He was a man
of high integrity. great energy and in
tense loyalty to his friends.
Colonel Jacob J.. DeForest was born
at the old S~chuylenberg mansion, the
birth place of his mother and for 200
years the homestead of his grand
fathers family, about a mile south of
Schenectady. He was educated at the
Schenectady Lyceum, under the tute-
lage of Rev. DR.. Huntington. He
taught a winter term of school in Rot
terdam, and afterwards apprenticed
himself to learn the carpenter trade
with James A. Van Voast, then a prom
inent carpenter and builder of Schen-
ectady: His apprenticeship concluded
in 1874. and in 1S45 removed to
Albany and engaged in contracting
and building on his own account, con-
tinuing successfully until 1851. in the
meantime erecting several large build
ings and business blocks. In 1851 he
formed a co-partnership with R. ]. Pat
ten and Benjamin Myers, under the
firm name of DeForest, Patten & Co.,
and leased the Kenwood saw mills
and opened a large lumber yard at the
corner of Columbus and Quay streets
at the extreme southern point of the
old lumber district. The firm did a
large business until the expiration OF
the term of their copartnership in 1858,
when Mr.. DeForest retired from active
business.
After the war he lived IN his farm in
Duanesburg until his recent removal
to Cady's Corners. He took a great
interest in educational matters and
did much to advance the standard OF
schools in Duanesburg. In fact. he
was the leader in every move tina
might be beneficial to his native town.
At one time he was associated with
Horace Greeley and was a trustee of
Peoples college. at Ovid, n. Y. In his
earlier years the colonel was an active
member of Wadsworth lodge. l. o. o.
F., Albany He believed in following, as
well as preaching. the golden rule,
and was a most entertaining converse
tionalist, having the faculty Of saying
a great deal in a few words. He was
also a member of the Masonic fratern-
ity, having joined many years ago in
Albany. At one time he was on the
staff OF Gov. Morgan, and acted as M
of the escort who accompanied the re-
mains of Lincoln through the state.
Today his dress sword, which was pre-
sented to him by the officers of his reg
iment 40 years ago, is draped with
crepe on the sad occasion of his death.
His service sword, given him by broth
er Odd Fellows in Albany, is also pre-
served in the family, the members OF
whom may now give them to the state.
The funeral was held yesterday after
noon from his late home, Rev. George
Lydeker, of the Princetown Reformed
| church, assisted by Rev. Mr.. Ostyee,
of the NJ. E. church at Cady's corners,
conducting the services. The bearers
were members of the family and the
remains of the old warrior were laid
to rest in Prospect Hill cemetery, at
Sloans.