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George Abeel |
George Abeel, eldest child of John Howard and Catharine Emeline (Strobel)
Abeel, was born at No. 90 Prince Street, Oct. 16, 1839. Receiving his
education at the well-known school of Clark & Fanning, he acquired the
requisite knowledge and training to fit him for the responsible position
to which he was soon to be called as the head of the oldest mercantile
firm in New York City. After leaving school, he entered at once his
father's employ, and after mastering all the details and technicalities of
the business, became a partner with his father, and later his successor.
Like his predecessors, he proved himself equal to every emergency, and the
firm he represents has never yet failed to meet all its obligations and
maintain the high credit for which it has always been noted. The
old-fashioned ideas of honesty and business probity on which the house was
founded are still kept up, and the ancestral pride is shown in the careful
preservation of books and papers of one hundred and fifty years ago, as
well as the military commissions that tell the story of the |
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honorable service rendered by
their worthy sires during the
days that tried men's souls.
Public honors have had no
attraction for Mr. Abeel, and,
except to fulfill his
obligations as a citizen, he has
taken no part in public affairs
of any kind, knowing that a man
cannot give attention to one
without neglecting the other. He
is a trustee of the East River
Savings Bank, a member of the
St. Nicholas Society, the
Suburban Riding and Driving Club, Harlem Club, Historical Society, Museum
Natural History, Zoological Society, Harlem Board of Commerce.
Mr.
Abeel married Julia E. Guenther,
daughter of Rev. Francis H.
Guenther, a well-known divine of
Buffalo, a descendant of an old
and prominent Saxon
family. Their children are George H., born Oct. 21, 1862; Francis
H., born Jan. 5, 1864; Henry Fraser.
Henry Fraser Abeel,
youngest son of George and Julia E. (Guenther) Abeel, was born in
New York City, Sept. 28, 1870. He was educated at the public school,
and entered the employ of his father's firm, beginning at the lowest
round of the ladder, and subject to the course of business training
that would be required of any stranger.
He
reached his present
position as a member of the firm, to which he was admitted Jan. 1,
1893, by his own efforts, and was well fitted to assume the
responsibilities and obligations which such a position entails.
Recognizing his duty as a citizen to maintain at all times the honor
of his country, he joined the
famous Seventh Regiment in 1890, and served the usual term as a
member of Company B. His willingness to aid his fellow men is shown
in his connection with the Masonic Fraternity as a member of Alma Lodge No.
728 of New York. He married Jesslyn Irene Forsythe, daughter of
James Forsythe and Anna Moore. They have one child, Hazel Forsythe. |
