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Frank B. Twining City of Troy |
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Frank B. Twining City of Troy |
FRANK B. TWINING—The Twinings of Troy, New York, represented in the eighth American generation by Frank B. Twining, spring from a race that was English before the Conqueror made a home in
Gloucestershire. Prior to the Saxon invasion, under Cuthwrin in 577, there is no mention of the name, the patronymic originating at that time. Twyning Manor dates from the time of King Edward I, and since then the name has undergone many different forms of spelling. Many men of fame in the English church and in the professions have borne the name, and in both Wales and Nova Scotia the family is prominent. The descent of Arthur Twining Hadley, president of Yale University, may also be traced back to the same source.
In the United States the family history begins with the coming of William
Twining prior to June 1, 1641, his name first appearing in Plymouth records under that date. He was then a resident of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, a town incorporated in 1639. Later he moved to Eastham, where he owned land, served as constable, and died April 15, 1659. That he was a man of some importance is shown by the title "Mr." which was applied to his name in the early records, a distinction not often accorded at that time. His first wife, born in England, was the mother of two children: Isabel, who married Francis Baker, and came to New England; and William (2), of whom further.
William (2) Twining, son of William Twining, was born about 1625
in England, it is believed, and died in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1703, his will after an interval of one hundred and eighty years being found in 1885 in the registrar's office in Philadelphia. He is first mentioned in New England records, when he married, in Eastham, Massachusetts. As early as 1677 he was a deacon in the Eastham church, and is alluded to as Deacon Twining as late as 1681. He owned considerable land, and last appears in Eastham records in 1695,
the name of himself and his son, William (3), then appearing in a list of
legal voters. Previous to that date he had become *a member of the
Society of Friends, and with the change of religious views came a change
in residence, he and his son, Stephen, removing to the new province
of Pennsylvania, and locating in Newtown, Bucks county. In 1699 his
name appears upon the record of Middletown Friends' Monthly Meeting
with that of his son, Stephen, in a discussion concerning the selling of
strong drink to the Indians. In 1703 the record states that a marriage
was held at his house, and in the same year he passed away. He married
Elizabeth Deane, who died December 28, 1708, daughter of Stephen and
Elizabeth (Ring) Deane. They had seven children, the fourth being a
son, William (3), of whom further.
William (3) Twining, son of William (2) and Elizabeth (Deane) Twining, was born January 25, 1654, and died January 23, 1734. There is little known of him beyond the fact that he was a farmer and a mechanic. He did not remove to Pennsylvania with his father and only brother. Stephen, but remained in Eastham, and there spent his eighty years of life. His descendants, while not so numerous as those of Stephen Twining, are characterized as people of note, refinement and success, many having filled the higher walks of life. He married, March 21, 1689, Ruth Cole, born in 1668, died after 1735, daughter of John and Ruth (Snow) Cole, she a "Mayflower" descendant. They were the parents of seven children, descent in this branch being traced through William (4), the fifth child and eldest son, of whom further.
William (4) Twining, son of William (3) and Ruth (Cole) Twining, was born September 2, 1704, and died November 17, 1769. Tradition in the family has it that he was a lawyer of Orleans, Massachusetts. His will was made and probated the year of his death. He married, February 21, 1728, Apphia Lewis, who survived him and was living in 1776. They were the parents of six children, the branch continuing through Thomas, the second child and eldest son, of whom further.
Thomas Twining, son of William (4) and Apphia (Lewis) Twining, was born July 5, 1738, and died April 23, 1816. For fifty years he engaged as a farmer and carpenter, the records of the town and church of Orleans proving him a man of more than common ability. In 1758 hewas a corporal, serving in the French and Indian War. He sold his homestead in Orleans in 1783 to Simeon Higgins, and with his brother, Elijah, removed to Tolland, Massachusetts, later called Granville. There the brothers bought a large farm, upon which they passed the remainder of their lives. In 1797 the Congregational church was organized and Thomas Twining was elected deacon. The house which he built in Tolland is evidence that Deacon Twining was a good carpenter and used the best materials his woods afforded. The gravestones of both Thomas and Elijah Twining are still standing in the lot in Tolland Cemetery. Thomas Twining married (first), January 17, 1766, Alice Mayo, who died without children. He married (second), October 24, 1767, Anna Cole, born December 3, 1740, died October 12, 1828, daughter of Isaac Cole. They were the parents of five children, the second a son, William (5), of whom further.
William (5) Twining, second son of Thomas and Anna (Cole) Twining,
was born in Orleans, Massachusetts, December 14, 1769, and died in
Tolland, Massachusetts, November 22, 1842. He was the owner of a
large farm in Tolland, and in 1810 represented Tolland in the Massachusetts General Court. He married Rebecca Brown, who died in 1857, and they were the parents of ten children, the line continuing through their son, Alfred C, of whom further.
Alfred C. Twining, son of William (5) and Rebecca (Brown) Twining,
was born in Tolland, Massachusetts, October 8, 1804, and died in
Lansingburg, Rensselaer County, New York, August 31, 1883. He was a
merchant of Lansingburg. He was a Congregationalist in religious faith,
later a Presbyterian. He married (first) December 15, 1834, Henrietta
Hamilton, who died September 8, 1841, leaving children: Maria, Helen,
and George C. Twining. He married (second) Mary F. Barton, born
April I, 1818, died May 26, 1886, in Troy, New York. They were the
parents of four sons: William B.; Charles B.; Alfred F.; and Frank B.,
of whom further.
Frank B. Twining, youngest son of Alfred C. and Mary F. (Barton)
Twining, was born in Lansingburg (now Troy) New York, September
3, 1856. He attended local academies until sixteen years of age, then entered business life with the National Exchange Bank of Troy, as messenger. He soon advanced in rank and continued with that bank for four years, until 1876, when he entered the employ of Ide Brothers & Bruce,
shirt and collar manufacturers of Troy. Nearly half a century has since
elapsed, and with each decade Mr. Twining has advanced in rank and
influence in the business until he is now the honored head of the corporation of George P. Ide & Company. From 1876 to 1882 he served Ide
Brothers & Bruce in a clerical capacity, then was admitted as a partner,
the new firm trading under the name of George P. Ide, Bruce & Company.
Three years later (1885) Mr. Bruce withdrew, the firm then reorganizing
as George P. Ide & Company, Mr. Twining retaining his partnership
interest. On January 1, 1920, the firm was incorporated as George P.
Ide & Company, Frank B. Twining the first and as yet the only president
of the corporation. The business transacted is enormous in volume, the
factories of the company manufacturing goods sold literally "everywhere." There is hardly a reputable men's furnishing or department store that does not sell their product, and their plant is one of the largest of its kind. In his rise in the shirt and collar manufacturing business, Mr. Twining has attracted the attention of other corporations, with the result that he is at the head of one of Troy's financial institutions, the People's Bank, of which he was elected president in 1919; he is also trustee of the Troy Savings Bank and the Troy Gas Company. He is a dominant factor in Troy's business and industrial life, a position which he attained unaided, and by the exercise of his abundant energy and ability to plan. During the period of American participation in the World War, 1917-18, Mr. Twining was chairman of the Rensselaer Home Defense Committee and was also Federal food administrator for the county. He took an active part in all movements for the prosecution of the war, and did yeoman service in his particular field. He is a member of the Troy City Planning Commission, warden of the Trinity Episcopal Church, a trustee of the Leonard Hospital, and of the Troy Public Library, and a director of the Young Men's Christian Association. His
clubs are the Troy and the Van Schaick Island Golf Club. In 1920 he was
Republican presidential elector for New York State.
Mr. Twining married December 12, 1889, Nomina Bucklin, daughter
of the late Dr. Daniel E. Bucklin, an eminent physician and surgeon of
Lansingburg. Mr. and Mrs. Twining are the parents of two daughters:
Eleanor F., who married Gardiner B. Perry, of Boston, vice-president
of the American Trading Company, of New York City ; and Nomina B., who married James W. Cox, a textile engineer, of New York City.
