The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-20
100 YEARS ON ro-MoRRow.
Thomas Hazard Roe % Newburgh WIN
Then Celebrate his Centennial Birthday.

Tten teItDrnte his Neutesruhai ntrNnu@S'
NEwBURoH, Nov. 1s.-Thomas Hazard
Roe. Newburgh's grand old man. VIII
he 100 years old Wednesday. Mr.. Roe
lives at FOL Grand street with his sister,
Miss Emily Roe, and in spite OF his great
age he has remarkably good health. He
takes great interest in all passing events
M reads the newspapers n magazines
with great pleasure. He does not get out
OF doors or of the floor on which he lives,
but he seemingly enjoys his surroundings.
and from present appearances is likely
to live quite a few years more.
Thomas Hazard Roe is a brother OF Mrs.
Mary E.. Hasbrouck, widow Of the Hon.
William c. Hasbrouck, father OF Gen. Henry
c. Hasbrouck, L. S. A., retired, who was
commandant at West Point at q time.
He was born November Fl, 1903, in New
York city. He was attending school there
when the War OF 1912 broke out, and he
remembers that all the boys In the school
offered their services TO their country ana.
were accepted. He says that he was 90
young that all he could do was 70 carry
water 10 the lei who were putting up
Notifications at the Narrows and TO split
shingles with which they made pegs for
use in the work. He remembers the fitting
out Of ~privateers by the Government Inc
how the old cannon that were on the corners
Of the streets in New York were dug up o
put on the privateers. Col. Aaron Burr
was an officer who seemed to be attracted
to young Roe, and Mr.. Roe tells OF the many
conversations they had in those days and
Of visiting Burr's residence in the upper
part Of the island overlooking the hud-
son, in the neighborhood Of whore Grants
Tomb now stands, and Of seeing Burr, who
was an excellent shot, practising with
pistols at targets and at apples and empty
bottles thrown In the air Just TO keep
his hand in" in anticipation OF fighting
another due after he had killed Alexander
Hamilton. He remembers distinctly the
at the City Hotel in New York, where the
people climbed in the windows in their
great anxiety to see him. he says the
people were so anxious to give Lafayette
something that they presented him with
rabbits, squirrels, raccoons and other
animals, all of which he accepted rather
than give offence by refusing.
Mr.. Roe says he well remembers the
first ice house ever built in New York. 1t
was put up on Broadway about where the
City Hall now stands. II was owned by a
man named Contoit, who was the first per-
son to make and sell ice cream in New York
city. II was a great compliment 20 = young
lady in those primitive days to AXE her TO
1OnLOlI y ana treat neT 10 n Rhdbh VI v
cream, il being served in a small wine glass
for sixpence, quite a sum OF money then
to spend in that way.
In early life Mr.. Roe tool a trip to the
Far West. He went from New York to
Albany up the Hudson by sIoop, and from
there TO Buffalo by stage coach. From the
latter place he travelled westward by land
and water through the Great Lakes a part
of the distance in canoes padded by Indians.
At Fort Dearborn, which is now chicago,
- u-,- - - $1,000 NAtA
of the fort. and the ten or twelve persons
he met there gave IL as their opinion that
il was not a suitable place for a town, as
there was not enough timbe about II and
not enough stones for foundations OF build
ings and for curbing of wells. He went on
to what is now Milwaukee. where there
were but half a dozen small houses, and made
his way back TO New York by way OF the
Ohio River and through Pennsylvania.
MIR. Roe also recalls the day when Com
modore Vanderbilt operated a rowboat
ferry from New York to Staten Island and
still later when the Commodore put a sail
boat on the same route. Pierre Lorillard
and his little tobacco shop in New York is
wildly recalled by the c~entenarian.
After the period in which Aaron Burr
killed Hamilton Mr.. Roe lived in Green
wich Villaye the old Ninth ward, which
was then a suburb, and while living in New
YORK he engaged in thc wholesale grocery
business with the late Hon. illiam c.
@h"' 49, V
conducted by Lyman Reid, who was sue
Ceeded by jonathan StucRes. In 1877 Mr..
Roe's father came TO Newburgh and built
the large frame house on Montgomery
street next to where bel Hasbrouok and
his mother now i've. Mrs. Hasbrouckis
age is about 08 years. Mr.. Roc's other
sister. Emily Roe. with whom he lives. In
the youngest of the three, and the trio are
perhaps the oldest three of any one family |
in the country. Their combined ages are
not far from 300 years. Mr.. Roe IL the
Oldest person IN Newburgh and perhaps
the oldest in Orange county.
There will be no special observance OF
his Tooth birthday outside of the members
Of his immediate family. Gen. Hasbrouck
and his wife are daily visitors TO Mr.. Roe's |
residence. but his physician thinks that
Mr.. Roe will be better OF not to hold any |
reception or become unduly excited over
the anniversary event
One Of the peculiar characteristics Of Mr.. /
Roe's life has been his great love for base
ball. He was we'll on to ninety years before
he gave up attending the games here. He
has always been held in the highest esteem
by the citizens of NewburRh, and there il
not a man, woman or child who does not