The Assessors

The Board of Assessors consists of ten members, and it is their business to make all assessments for taxes and local improvements, except for sewers, in the City of Brooklyn.

Mr. John Truslow

The President of the Board is Mr. John Truslow, a Republican. Mr. Truslow was born in New York City and is forty-eight years of age. His business was that of stove manufacturer, with foundries at Peekskill and warehouses in New York. He was appointed Assessor in August, 1873, the appointment taking effect on the 1st of September following. He is a resident of the Twenty-fourth Ward, and has never held any other office. The other members of the Board are Joseph Smith, Jonathan T. Norton, Benj. Wilson, James A. Ostrom, J.F. Hennessy, John Shearon, Martin Breen, Daniel Walsh and Charles Kiehl.

Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith is a native of Ireland, and 57 years of age. He came to this country thirty-five years ago, and has since lived in Williamsburgh and Brooklyn. He has twice been Alderman of the Fourteenth Ward and was appointed Assessor eight years ago. Mr. Smith is a staunch Democrat and a faithful official.

Jonathan T. Norton

Jonathan T. Norton is a native of Connecticut, and 48 years of age. He came to Brooklyn in 1861 and has since lived here. He was originally in the coal business. His appointment as Assessor dates from September 1, 1873. Politically Mr. Norton is a Republican, and three years ago he ran against Justice Delmar, who defeated him by only 275 votes. Mr. Norton is a married man and resides in the Third Ward. This is the only office he ever held.

Ben. Wilson

Ben. Wilson is a native of New York City, and fifty-two years of age. He is a sailmaker by trade and worked as such for twenty-five years. He was for many years connected with the Fire Department of Williamsburgh, and in 1854 was President of that organization. In 1857 he was elected Alderman of the Thirteenth Ward on the Republican ticket, and re-elected in 1859. In 1861 he was elected Supervisor, and in 1863 he was appointed Port Warden by the Governor, holding that position five years. He was then elected Assessor. Mr. Wilson has taken a very active part in Republican politics, and has several times been appointed a member of the State Central Committee of his party. He resides in the Thirteenth Ward.

James A. Ostrom

James A. Ostrom was born in Ulster County, and is sixty-one years of age. He has lived in Brooklyn since 1846. For a number of years previous to that he resided in New Orleans. He was engaged in mercantile business, and was appointed Assessor last January. He resides in the Thirteenth Ward. Mr. Ostrom is a Democrat.

Martin Breen

Martin Breen is a native of Ireland and forty-five years of age. He is a carpenter by trade, and has been in this country nearly thirty years, all of which time he has lived in Brooklyn. He has been an Assessor for sixteen years, and is therefore an official of great experience. Mr. Breen has very many personal friends in this city. He resides in the Sixth Ward, is married and has a family.

Daniel Walsh

Daniel Walsh is a native of Ireland and forty-five years of age. He has been twenty-five years in this country. He was appointed an Assessor in March last, previous to which time he was in the china and glass business in New York for twenty-two years. He is a married man, a Democrat, and resides in the Seventeenth Ward.

Charles Kiehl

Charles Kiehl is a German, 55 years of age. His business originally was that of tailor. He came to this country 35 years ago, and has since lived in Williamsburgh, in what is now the Sixteenth Ward. When Williamsburgh emerged from a village into the dignity of a city, Mr. Kiehl was made a police captain and held the position for two years. After the consolidation of Williamsburgh and Brooklyn, he was appointed Assessor for the Sixteenth Ward, and served two years. This was during 1856 and 1857. In 1859, he was elected Alderman of his ward, and served one term of two years. Mr. Kiehl was formerly Lieut. Colonel of the Twenty-eighth Militia Regiment, and served three months with that organization at the breaking out of the war. He is also an honorary member of the Turners' Society of the Eastern District. In politics, Mr. Kiehl is an ardent Democrat and one of the party leaders in the Sixteenth Ward. He is married and has a family.

John Shearon

John Shearon was born in the Second Ward, and is forty-six years of age. He was formerly a clerk in a mercantile house in New York, and was once elected Supervisor of his ward. He is a Democrat, and has been an Assessor five or six years. Married.

J.F. Hennessy

J.F. Hennessy is an old resident of Brooklyn. He is about fifty years of age, and has been connected with the Board for a number of years. He is also a member of the Board of Education. He is a Democrat and a married man.