| Name |
Cornelius Adolphus Mabie [1, 2] |
| Birth |
4 Aug 1816 |
Tappan, Orange County, New York  [1, 2] |
| Baptism |
28 Sep 1816 |
The Dutch Reformed Church, Tappan, Rockland County, New York [1] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Census |
1820 |
Orange Town, Rockland County, New York [3] |
- Mabee, Adolpos L, one man and one woman 26-45, one girl 10-16, and two boys under 10
|
| Census |
1830 |
Orange, Rockland County, New York [4] |
- Maby, Adolphus L, one man 50-59, one woman 40-49, one woman 20-26, one boy 15-19, and one boy 10-14
|
| Census |
1840 |
Orange, Rockland County, New York [5] |
- Mabie, Cornelius, one man and one woman 20-29, and one boy under 10
|
| Occupation |
Aft 1840 [6] |
- Carpenter with the Piermont, NY division of the New York and Erie Railroad, starting in 1840
|
| Census |
7 Aug 1850 |
Orange, Rockland County, New York [7] |
- Cornelius A. Mabie, 34, M, Carpenter, NY
Sarah Mabie, 34, F, NY
Adolphus Mabie, 12, M, NY
Allesta L. Mabie, 4, F, NY
|
| Will |
15 Oct 1857 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [8] |
- Will of Adolphus L. Mabie, of Orangetown, Rockland County, dated 10/15/1857, proved 1/18/1858, mentions wife Rachel, "my three children" Elizabeth, William A. Mabie and Cornelius A. Mabie, and grandson Adolphus, son of Cornelius.
|
| Census |
23 Jul 1860 |
Nyack PO, Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [9] |
- Cornelius Mabie, 44, M, Farmer, NY, $5000, $100
Sarah Mabie, 45, F, NY
Adolphus Mabie, 22, M, Lumber Dealer, NY, married within year
Sarah J. Mabie, 18, F, NY, married within year
Elesta Mabie, 14, F, NY, attended school
Sonora Mabie, 10, F, NY, attended school
John W. Mabie, 4, F, NY
|
| Census |
19 Jul 1870 |
Tappan Town PO, Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [10] |
- Cornelius Mabie, 55, M, W, Carpenter, $10000, —, NY
Sarah L. Mabie, 55, F, W, Keeping House, NY
Senora Mabie, 19, F, W, NY
William Mabie, 13, M, W, NY, attended school
John Vervalen, 64, M, W, Farmer
|
| Census |
14 Jun 1875 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [11] |
- Cornelius A Mabie, 59, M, Head, born in Rockland County, married, Carpenter, owned land
Sarah Mabie, 60, F, Wife, born in Rockland County, married
William Mabie, 18, M, Son, born in Rockland County, Single
Lived in a framed house worth $2500
|
| Census |
11 Jun 1880 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [12] |
- Cornelius Mabie, White, Male, 65, Head, Married, Carpenter, born in New York, Father born in New York, Mother born in New York
Sarah Mabie, White, Female, 65, Wife, Married, Keeping House, born in New York, Father born in New York, Mother born in New York
William Mabie, White, Male, 22, Son, Single, Farmer, born in New York, Father born in New York, Mother born in New York
|
| Census |
18 Feb 1892 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [13] |
- Cornelius Mabie, 75, Male, Carpenter
John Mabie, 36, Male, Farmer
Sophie Mabie, 24, Female
William Mabee, 3, Male
|
| Census |
13 Jun 1900 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [14] |
- John W. Mabie, Head, W, M, Dec 1856, M, 11, New York, New York, New York, Farms own farm
Sophie Mabie, W, F, March 1863, 37, M, 11, one child born and living, New York, Germany, Germany
William Mabie, Son, M, W, Sept 1889, 10, S, New York, New York, New York, At School
Cornelius Mabie, Father, M, W, Aug 1816, 83, Wd, New York, New York, New York, Retired Agent
|
| Census |
Apr 1910 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [15] |
- John W Mabie, Head, M, W, 53, M1, 22, New York, New York, New York, Farms own farm
Sophia Mabie, F, W, 46, M1, 22, 1 child born and living, New York, Germany, Germany, none
William Mabie, Son, M, W, 20, S, New York, New York, New York, Salesman, Rubber Company
Cornelius Mabie, Father, M, W, 93, Wd, New York, New York, New York, none
|
| Anecdote |
Feb 1919 [16] |
- Mr. Mabie, who is now in the 103d year of his age, is probably one of the oldest men now living. He was born on a farm within 300 yards of the spot where he now and always has lived, on August 4, 1816. He is the son of Adolphus Mabie and Rachel Bell, families that have their roots in the earliest settlements. His sire was a Revolutionary patriot, and "Cassie" treasures the old flint-lock musket with which his dad fought at the battle of Haarlem Heights.
A more gruesome relic is an old tomahawk given him by his grandmother, who had it from her Indian neighbors, and "Cassie" remembers well hearing his father-in-law, Ralph Ver Bryck, tell how he melted up his pewter plates for bullets.
"Casey" was a young man when construction was begun of the ten-mile section of the Piermont end of the route on August 15, 1838, but his memory still recalls virile pictures of those pioneer days when he drove an ox-cart during the building of it.
For several years past he has been blind, and does not leave his room, but his mind is active, and his general health good, and he likes to have the current events, particularly of the great war, read to him.
|
| Census |
Jan 1920 |
Orangetown, Rockland County, New York [17] |
- John W Mabie, Head, M, W, 63, M, New York, New York, New York, Farms own farm
Sopia Mabie, Wife, F, W, 55, M, New York, Germany, Germany, none
William C Mabie, Son, M, W, 30, M, New York, New York, New York, Timekeeper, Wholesale Rubber Co
Julia Mabie, Daughter-in-law, F, W, 28, M, New York, Germany, New York, Clerk
Cornelius A Mabie, Father, M, W, 103, Wd, New York, New York, New York, none
|
| Death |
19 Aug 1920 |
Sparkill, Rockland County, New York [18, 19, 20] |
| Obituary |
Oct 1920 [21] |
- Cornelius Mabie, known far and wide among railroad men as the oldest living man of his craft, died August 20 (1920) at Sparkill, N.Y., aged 104 years. He was born within a few hundred yards of his last home, August 4, 1816. When oxen were doing the freighting business in the 30's, preceding most of the canals, "Casey" Mabie wielded a whip; when canals were built he helped build the lock houses along the banks; and when work on the Erie railroad was begun he turned his hand on this job, too, for he was a good carpenter. He helped build many of the first stations west of Piermont.
Of late years Mr. Mabie had been blind and confined rather closely to his home. A sketch of his life, written for the Erie Railroad Magazine by the late Col. John S. Bell, contains the following:
"Casey" (Cornelius) Mabie was born at Tappan, Rockland county, New York, August 4, 1816. He is still living in the house he built in the early forties, a few hundred feet from where he was born.
At the age of 24, in 1840, he began work — a carpenter for the New York & Erie Railroad. He helped construct the freight depot at the end of the pier, and also the shops at Piermont; and with my father (five years older than he), they built what stations the railroad had between Piermont and Suffern, which didn't amount to much.
He worked for the company many years. For the past twelve years he has been blind, otherwise in excellent health. I visited him once, and sometimes twice, each year. I have known him since I was big enough to remember anybody. Notwithstanding I am much younger than he, he is exceedingly glad to have me call on him. These visits of mine began five or six years ago. Until that time I hadn't seen him in many years. There is no one now living whom he knew when he was a boy.
After the opening of the road in 1861 to Dunkirk he and a few others, including my father, were given passes by the then president of the road for a trip over the Erie. They were gone about a week. I remember the occasion. He spoke of that to me a short time ago. That was the first and only time he was ever so far away from home. He practically lived and worked in the neighborhood of where he lived and Piermont for eighty-five years.
Mr. Mabie three years ago sent a letter to the editor of the ERIE RAILROAD MAGAZINE, in which he said he had had read to him from the November, 1916, Magazine an article entitled "Freight Trains Without Rails." He said he was much interested in the story. He took occasion also to say that he had passed the century mark, making reference to what was contained in the following lines:
"I'm growing fonder of my staff;
I'm growing dimmer in my eyes;
I'm growing fainter in my laugh;
I'm growing deeper in my sighs;
I'm growing careless in my dress;
I'm growing frugal in my gold;
I'm growing wise—I'm growing—yes,
I'm growing old."
These lines impelled Mr. Mabie to write as follows:
"I fill that bill with the exception that for the past dozen years or more I am blind. I, too, have driven oxen when the wagon was filled, sometimes with apples, corn, potatoes, wood, cider and many other things; also the plow, but never in a country where there were Indians, deer and antelope or sage hens. But I have driven them where there were no railroads, and before there were any railroads in the world. I first worked on the old New York & Erie seventy-seven years ago, when I was but twenty-three years old, and I doubt if there is another man now living that worked on the "Old Erie" when I first worked on the road."
|
| Reference Number |
4388 |
| Person ID |
I4362 |
Maybee Society |
| Last Modified |
7 Apr 2024 |
1816 - 1920 (104 years)
