This ancient and honorable New England family was founded in America by John Greene, who was the progenitor of the family known as "The Greenes of Warwick," Rhode Island. The ancient family name "De Greene" was derived from their large possessions in Northamptonshire, England, where they were seated as early as the reign of Edward II. of England (1320).
(I) John Greene, of Warwick, Rhode Island, was born in England, 1597, fourth son of Richard and Mary Greene, of Bowridge Hill, England. He married in St. Thomas Church, Salisbury, England, November 4, 1619, Joana Tattersall, who died at Conanicut or Newport, Rhode Island. He came to America in the ship "James of London," sailing from Southampton in April, 1635, arriving m Boston, June 3, 1635. He proceeded to Rhode Island, residing in Providence until 1643, when he with twelve others made arrangements for the purchasing of Narragansett from the Indians. He was a sturdy champion of the right of speech and conscience, became embroiled in the fierce religious controversies of the day, and in the land dispute between Connecticut and Rhode Island, which raged for half a century. At Warwick he filled the offices of magistrate and clerk of the court. He had a second wife, Alice Daniels, and a third, Phelippa ————. His will was proved January 7, 1659.
(II) James, son of John "the founder" and Joana (Tattersall) Greene, was born in Salisbury, England, 1626, died 1698. He married (second) Elizabeth Anthony, August 3, 1665, daughter of John Anthony, by whom he had six sons, and two daughters; one of these sons, Jabez, was the grandfather of General Nathaniel Greene, of the revolutionary army.
(III) John (2), son of James and Elizabeth (Anthony) Greene, was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, (Polowomuth) September 30, 1685. He was made a freeman in 1708, and died December 8, 1757. He married Mary, born 1689, daughter of Increase Allen, of Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
(IV) Joseph, son of John (2) and Mary (Allen) Greene, was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, February 19, 1727. He was a Quaker and a trusted friend of General Stephen Van Rensselaer, with whom he always visited when in Albany. He was a cousin to General Nathaniel Greene. He died in Berlin, New York, 1822, aged ninety-five years. With Joseph Greene the settlement of the family in New York state began. He married Phoebe, born April 26, 1734, daughter of John Langford, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
(V) Langford, son of Joseph and Phoebe (Langford) Greene, was born in 1766. He occupied a farm in the northern part of the town of Stephentown, Rensselaer county, New York, at a very early date. He married Abigail Thomas. His sons, Joseph, Samuel, Benjamin and George, were all farmers of the same neighborhood.
(VI) Benjamin, son of Langford and Abigail (Thomas) Greene, was born in November, 1798, died April, 1842. He married, in 1821, Rhoda Niles, born August 17, 1802, died October 3, 1849, daughter of Eliphalet and Rebecca Niles. Children:
- Louise Antoinette, married Lavinus Stillman;
- Benjamin Franklin, see forward;
- Calvin Pardee, married Jeanette Dodge;
- Rebecca, died young;
- Abigail, married Hiram Rosencrans.
Rhoda (Niles) Greene survived her husband and married (second) Barsaleel Streeter.
(VII) Benjamin Franklin, son of Benjamin and Rhoda (Niles) Greene, was born in Berlin, New York, December, 1825, died in Adrian, Michigan, July 30, 1863. He resided in Troy, New York, several years, then removed to Adrian, Michigan, where he engaged in the flour and feed business under the firm name of Warner and Greene. For a time he was associated with Senator Chaffee of Michigan in supplying the mining camps of California and the west. He was a Congregationalist, and acted with the Republican party. He married Mary Jane, born January 29, 1828, daughter of Jonathan and Catharine (Brewster) Hubbs. The Brewster and Hubbs families are of English ancestry and settled in America in 1701.
(VIII) Harvey S., son of Benjamin Franklin and Mary Jane (Hubbs) Greene, was born in Adrian, Michigan, October 5, 1858. He was well educated in the high schools of Adrian. Came later to Albany and was with a boot and shoe house for some time, when he engaged with G. H. McDowell & Company of the Arcade Mills of Cohoes, New York, and when his father-in-law, John Clute, died in 1906, at the latter's request took the business management, having with Mrs. Greene, his wife, become the chief proprietors of the Campbell & Clute Manufacturing concern. Mr. Greene is president of the Manufacturers National Bank. Served two years as a member of board of police commissioners, and is a director of the Cohoes City Hospital. He is a Republican. He married, November 18, 1884, Adaline Margaret, daughter of John and Adaline (Winne) Clute (see Clute III). Children:
- Alice Adaline, born September 27, 1885; married October 17, 1908, Percy Moses, of Brookline, Massachusetts; child, Percy Lawrence, born December 7, 1910.
- Harold Clute, born October 22, 1889; was a student at Amherst College, and member of Delta Kappa Epsilon society; now engaged with the Asbestos Metal Company at Canton, Massachusetts.
- Mildred Niles, born January 22, 1893, a student at Dana Hall, Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Mrs. Greene is a member of the auxiliary board of the Cohoes Hospital.
(The Clute Line)
The earliest period this name appears in the records of Albany is in 1656, when three of the name, Captain Johannes, Johannes his nephew, and Frederick Clute, came to Beverwyck from Nuremberg. Captain Johannes was a trader and a large land owner at Loonenburg, Niskayuna, Albany, etc. He was held in high esteem among the Indians from whom he obtained extensive tracts of land. It is not known that be had any family. On his death his property passed to his nephew, Johannes Clute the "Boslooper." Johannes (nephew) married Baata, daughter of Gerrit Slichtenhorst, and reared a large family, heads now of widely scattered families.
(I) Andrew Clute, great-grandfather of the Coboes family, was born in Holland and when a boy was brought to America, settling in Albany, New York. He married and had issue.
(II) Andrew (2), son of Andrew (1) Clute, of Albany, was born in Albany, New York, 1799. In 1820 he removed to Montgomery county, where he remained until 1842, following the business of farming. He retired to Albany where he died in 1849. He was a member of the Dutch church and a Whig in politics. He married Maria, born August 15, 1795, died 1864, daughter of Charles Hemstreete, of Albany county, a descendant of an early Dutch family, "Heemstraat." Charles Hemstreete was the owner of a great part of the land on which the city of Cohoes is built. When the Erie canal was built he was so much opposed to its construction that he sold his land and removed to Mechanicsville. While he died a wealthy man, had he remained in Cohoes his land would have brought him greater wealth.
(III) John, son of Andrew (2) and Maria (Hemstreete) Clute, was born in town of Glen, Montgomery county, New York, August 10, 1830, died at Cohoes, New York, October 29, 1906. He was educated in the district schools, and early became connected with the manufacturing interests of Cohoes. He learned the trade of machinist with George Gage with whom he remained until 1852, in Waterford, where the Gage machine shops were located. He then removed his business interests to Cohoes, where for a short time he was with The Cohoes Manufacturing Company. January 1, 1863, he formed a partnership with George Campbell, under the firm name of Campbell & Clute, for the purpose of manufacturing machinery for use in the knitting mills. The demand for such machinery was very great, and the company prospered to an unusual degree. Their product was shipped to every manufacturing part of the Union and to foreign countries. Some years before his death the company was incorporated as the Campbell & Clute Machine Company, with Mr. Clute as president and principal stockholder. Besides his immense manufacturing interests he was largely interested and prominently identified with the banks of Cohoes. He was president of the Manufacturer's Bank, trustee and director in others. He retained all these business interests and official positions until his death. He was largely interested in real estate, owned several farms and was a lover and breeder of fine stock, especially horses. He was exceedingly public-spirited and interested in all that pertained to the welfare of his city. He was a Republican and served for fourteen years as water commissioner of Cohoes, also doing duty upon the fire board of commissioners. He attended the Presbyterian church.
He married (first) December 23, 1852, Adaline, born December 23, 1829, died January 18, 1866, daughter of Robert Winne, of Waterford. He married (second) June 1, 1868, Cordelia Brewster, of Waterford. Children, all by first marriage:
- Elizabeth, graduate of Egbert high school; married George H. McDowell, of George H. McDowell & Company, Knitting Mill, Cohoes, and vice-president of the Cohoes Savings Institution. Children:
- John Clute McDowell, born January 1, 1879, died November 18, 1893; a graduate of Yale University;
- Howard G., in business with his father in George H. McDowell & Company;
- Harry V., died in infancy;
- Helen Adaline;
- Frederick Blaine, associated in business with his father;
- Laura E., student at the Emma Willard school;
- Frances Louise, died in infancy.
- Adaline Margaret, also was educated at the Egbert high school where she graduated in class of 1877; she married Harvey S. Greene (see Greene VIII).