With thanks to Jon Coss
Silas Hemenway Witherbee was born in Bridgeport, Vermont in 1815 and was married to Sophia Goff Witherbee (1819-1905). They lived for many years in New York City. Their daughter, Mary Grace Witherbee, was married to Robert C. Black of the jewelry firm Black, Starr & Frost. Though he never lived in Pelham, Witherbee was a strong influence on the Village of Pelham Manor. He owned much of the land and gave much of it to his daughter on the condition that she live there and develop it. He was a founding member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club.
Portrait of Silas H. Witherbee. Stained-glass window dedicated to Sophia G. Witherbee.
He was a member of Witherbees, Sherman & Company, involved in many ventures, including the Lake Champlain Iron Mines. He was President of the Port Henry Furnace Company, Vice President of the Port Henry Iron Ore Company, and a director of the Lake Champlain and Moriah Railroad and of the Port Henry National Bank. He was also a director of The Security Bank of the City of New York and of the Connecticut & Boston Railway.
Witherbees, Sherman & Co. building, now the Town Hall of Moriah, NY. Company letterhead.
Silas H. Witherbee was an important supporter of The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, formed in 1873 to develop a railroad suburb in Pelham. He died of pneumonia at his home in Manhattan in 1889 at age 75. Funeral services were held at his residence and in Port Henry, New York. An estimated 500 miners paid their respects at the Moriah Union Cemetery, where the remains were placed in the family vault. His children dedicated to him a large brass plaque in the narthex of the Huguenot Memorial Church.
Mary Grace Witherbee Black, the Black residence, and R. Clifford Black.
Mary Grace Witherbee was born to Silas Hemenway and Sophia Catherine Goff Witherbee in Port Henry, New York in 1853. She married Robert Clifford Black Sr. (1844-1907) in 1875 in New York City. He became a partner in the luxury jewelry firm, Black, Starr & Frost, which is credited with coining the term “carriage trade,” in reference to their clientele. They included such prominent families as the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Guggenheims.
Silas Witherbee, Mary Grace, and R. Clifford Black worked diligently to develop Pelham Manor. She led the Manor Club (where her portrait can be seen today). When Witherbee died in 1889, he was helping her open Pelham Hall, also known as Mrs. Hazen’s School for Girls, to attract home buyers to the area. Mrs. Black died in Pelham Manor in 1928, at age 76, survived by her sons, Robert Clifford Black of Pelham Manor and Witherbee Black of Fairfield, Conn.
Clifford Black Jr. (1877-1931) played on the 1899 championship Williams College football team before joining Black, Starr & Frost. He later served as vice-president of the National Lawn Tennis Association. He died in Pelham Manor in 1931 at age 53. His funeral service was held at the Huguenot Memorial Church.
George B. Cluett and an advertisement for Arrow shirts and detachable collars.
Mr. Black was survived by his wife, Beatrice Cluett Black, daughter of George B. Cluett (1838-1912) of Troy, New York. Mr. Cluett founded the Cluett Peabody Company, which made fine linens and introduced Arrow brand shirts to America and the world.
Sources:
Bell, Blake. Historic Pelham. Silas Witherbee, Mary Grace Witherbee, and Robert C. Black. https://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2006/02/silas-h-witherbee-and-his-influence-on.html https://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2006/09/brief-biography-of-mary-grace.html https://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2005/06/obituaries-of-robert-c-black-and-his.html
Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/219146967/walter_herbert-cluett
North Adams Transcript. North Adams, Mass. Obit for R. Clifford Witherbee. 27 Jan 1931. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-north-adams-transcript-obituary-g/38688776/
NYGenweb. George B. Cluett biographical sketch. https://rensselaer.nygenweb.net/bio38.htm
Post. Palm Beach, Florida. Obit for R. Clifford Witherbee. 27 Jan 1931. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-black-rclifford-ob/120445494/
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