USA > New York > Ontario County > A history of Ontario County, New York and its people, Volume II > Part 45
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"Thomas Lord Fairfax was the son of Ferdinando Lord Fairfax, and Mary Sheffield, daughter of the Earl of Musgrave. He was born at Denton in the west of Yorkshire, Anno 1611, January 17th. He went into the Low country Ward 1627, where General Vere, Baron of Tilbury, took special notice of him, whose daughter and co-heir he mar- ried Anno 1637, and had issue Mary, Duchess of Bucks, and Elizabeth. He commanded the Yorkshire troop of Red Caps in the first Scotch war. He was knighted in 1640 and was chosen general of the parlia- ment's army in the unhappy civil war, 1645, and resigned his commission in 1650. He was signally instrumental in the restoration of his Majesty King Charles the 2nd, declaring for General Monk then in Scotland (at his earnest request) against Lambert's army which pressed hard upon him as he lay at Coldstream, whither my Lord Fairfax sent me his cousin Bryan, with a verbal answer to his letter brought by Sir Thomas Clargis, that he would appear at the head of what forces he could raise in Yorkshire the first of January 1659-60; which he did to so good effect that in three days time, the report of my Lord Fairfax's opposing them, being spread about Lambert's army, the Irish Brigade, consisting of 1200 horse deserted him and sent to offer their service to my Lord Fairfax, and several foot regiments at the same time declared for their
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old General Fairfax, and in five days time Lambert himself with ten men stole away from his own army.
"Then General Monk marched into England and offered the com- mand of the army to my Lord Fairfax, but he refused; only advised him at his house at Appleton, where Monk gave him a visit, to consider that there would be no peace in England until the Nation was settled upon the old foundation of Monarchy and King Charles the Second restored. And in the meantime to call the old secluded members into this Parlia- ment, which had now got into their places again. The General was more reserved than he needed to have been upon this free discourse of Lord Fairfax, being alone with him in his study, which gave my Lord occasion to suspect him ever after, until he declared himself the spring following that he was of the same mind, having received another letter at London from my Lord Fairfax, delivered by the same hand, Bryan Fairfax, and accompanied with the addresses of all the gentlemen of Yorkshire for a free Parliament and that they would pay no taxes till it met.
"King Charles himself did often acknowledge his services, not only by granting him a general pardon, but upon all occasions speaking kindly of him, and praising his great courage, his modesty and his honesty.
"In the year 1660, he was one of the Deputies of that Parliament or Convention sent to King Charles at the Hague ( where Bryan Fairfax went with him) to invite his Majesty over into England, where he was kindly received, his Majesty sending my Lord Gerard to compliment him particularly and to conduct him to the court, where he kissed his Majesty's hand. After his Majesty's restoration and coronation, my Lord Fairfax retired from London to his house in New Appleton near York (house which he built a few years before) and where he peace- ably spent the remainder of his life, between the pains of the gout and stone, with a courage and patience equal to that he had shown in the unhappy war. The wounds and fatigue of that war brought those diseases upon him whereof he writes a short account, which he calls a Memorial of his actions in the Northern War from the year 1642 to 1644, and something in his own vindication after he was General. The original is in the Denton Library. The last seven years of his life that disease which he was most subject to, the gout, occasioned or increased by the heats and colds and loss of blood, the many wounds he got in the war, this disease took from him the use of his legs, and confined him to a chair, wherein he sat like an old Roman. his manly countenance strik- ing love and reverence into all that beheld him, and yet mixed with so much modesty and meekness, as no figure of a mortal man ever repre- sented more.
"Most of his time did he spend in religious duties, and much of the rest in reading good books, which he was qualified to do in all modern lan- guages, as appears by those he hath writ and translated. Several volumes of his own handwriting are now in the study at Denton, with my brother Henry, Lord Fairfax. He died of a short sickness, a fever, at Appleton, November the 11th, 1671. The last morning of his life he called for a
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Bible, saying his eyes grew dim and read the 42d Psalm, 'As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks,' etc. And so he quietly yielded up his soul to God in the 60th year of his age. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Richard Stratton, wherein he gives him his true char- acter. He was buried at Billrough near York, where a decent mont- ment is erected to his memory. His lady was there buried also."
(I) George Henry Fairfax, born in 1796, in England, was a direct descendant of Sir Thomas Fairfax, the first Lord. He resided in London, England, later came to America, settling first in Canada, and later in Geneva, New York, where he died.
(II) George Henry (2) Fairfax, youngest son of George Henry (1) Fairfax, was born in London, England. He settled in Geneva, New York. He became a successful merchant in the course of time, having a wall paper store in the old Dunn property at the corner of Castle and Geneva streets. In politics he was a Whig and later a Republican. In religion he was a Methodist. He married Elizabeth Dunn, of Geneva, daughter of Thomas Dunn. Children: Thomas H., Willis T., George S., Charles W., Franklyn.
(III) Charles Washington Fairfax, son of George Henry (2) Fairfax, was born in Geneva, December 2, 1862. His education was received in the public schools of his native place, graduating from the Geneva Union and Classical School. While in school he worked morn- ings and evenings in his father's store, and like many other Geneva boys worked in the nurseries in the spring and autumn. After leaving school he worked as clerk in his father's store. In 1880 he formed a partnership with his brother, George S. Fairfax, who at that time re- turned from the west, and the firm took over the father's business, thus giving him an opportunity to retire from active life. For a number of years the business was conducted under the firm name of George S. & Charles W. Fairfax. The business grew and expanded with the growth of the city and in 1893 a third brother, Frank E. Fairfax, was taken into the firm. At this time Frank E. had just returned from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, suffering from typhoid fever, and he abandoned the navy to engage in business. One of the first things done by the new firm was to purchase the site on the west corner of Castle and Linden streets and to erect thereon the four-story building at a cost of $21,000. In the division of work, Charles W. took charge of the large interior decorating work, in which the firm was very suc- cessful, such as the decoration of churches and theatres. The firm had the contract for the Smith Opera House in Geneva. Such was the stic-
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cess of the firm in this line and in designing decorative schemes that the brothers were led to manufacture wall paper for their own use, taking for this department of the business the top floor of the building. This branch of the business was established in 1898 at a time when the wall paper trade was largely controlled by the Continental Wall Paper Company, which administered the affairs of some fifty-two plants. Not- withstanding the opposition of such a competitor, the firm found a market for its designs and its trade grew rapidly and it soon became necessary to erect a plant for the manufacture of wall paper. A site was secured on South Exchange street and without the assistance of outside capital, the firm erected a building one hundred by two hundred and ninety feet and equipped it with a plant having a capacity of three million rolls of wall paper a year. After four years in this building, the busi- ness was incorporated as the Geneva Wall Paper Company, of which George S. Fairfax was president; Charles W. Fairfax, vice-president and general manager, and Frank E. Fairfax, secretary and treasurer. The corporation has continued without change in officers to the present time. The capital stock is $70,000.
From early life Charles W. Fairfax has been keenly interested in public affairs. In 1880 he joined the Hydrant Hose Company of the Geneva Fire Department and he has been successively secretary and foreman, and is still an active member. In the first election under the city charter of Geneva, in 1897, he was chosen an alderman on the Republican ticket to represent the fourth ward and from that time to the present ( 1911) he has been a member of the common council. No man has had a longer period of office under the city government and few have been as efficient and faithful. As he was slated for president of the common council early in 1907 he declined the nomination for alderman and W. L. Young was nominated and elected. By the shift of political fortunes, however, he failed to receive the nomination for president of the common council. But before January 1, 1908, Mr. Young decided to decline the office of alderman to accept the appoint- ment of the board of assessors, and Mr. Fairfax was elected by the board to succeed himself. Thus his services in the council have been continuous. In the council he has been prominent as a member of the railroad committee, of which he has been chairman since 1902. Largely through his efforts the railroads have added more gates and flagmen for the protection of pedestrians at the various grade crossings. He has been chairman of the printing committee since 1907. For more than ten years he has been a member of the electric light committee
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and he is also a member of the committee on public improvements, finance and contingent expenses. He has also been appointed to prac- tically all of the important special committees. He was the Republican nominee for mayor in 1909, and at the election in November was de- feated.
He has been prominent also in military affairs. He was a charter member of the Independent Battery of Geneva, and was lieutenant and captain. At the time of the Spanish-American war, when the Thirty- fourth Separate Company was called into active service, he was a leader in the movement to recruit a new company to take its place in the National Guard and he was commissioned first lieutenant of the new company by Governor Black, and continued with this rank until the organization was mustered out early in 1899. His military experience made him of great value to the various campaign marching clubs in many political campaigns. He was major of the Blaine and Logan Battalion of the Plumed Knights and colonel of the famous Mckinley Regiment, which numbered an even thousand. In similar capacities he has been active in the management of other large parades in the city for many years. At the time of the firemen's convention in 1903, he was grand marshal of the parade and organized a telephone system for the handling of the procession during the line of march. In con- nection with the centennial celebration in 1906, besides serving on the general committee of arrangements and the finance committee, he was one of the marshals of the big industrial parade and grand marshal of the education day parade. When a large labor day parade was held in Geneva in 1908 he assisted the Federation of Labor in organizing the parade and was chairman of the committee which awarded the prizes for the best equipped and best drilled union in the line, and in 1909 he was one of the marshals of the firemens' convention, assisting William Wilson, grand marshal of the day, in organizing the parade.
Earlier in life Mr. Fairfax took an active interest in athletics, especially in the track and in-door sports. He was the first physical director of the Young Men's Christian Association, when it was located in the Old Dutch Church. While the athletic department of the insti- tution was under his direction a series of gymnastic exhibitions were given, and with the proceeds of these events the first equipment of gymnasium apparatus was purchased for the association. He was also the first physical director of Hobart College, when the first gymnasium was opened in Alumni Hall, on the south side of the campus. He filled this position for ten years. Students were required to spend two hours
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on three afternoons a week in gymnasium work, with optional work on the other three days. In later years he has enjoyed the automobile and he is one of the charter members of the Automobile Club, organized May 17, 1904, and has been its secretary from the first year. He took an active part in organizing and managing the annual runs of the organization. He is also a member of the Kandasaga Club; Ark Lodge, No. 33, Free and Accepted Masons ; Geneva Chapter, No. 36, Royal Arch Masons; Geneva Commandery, No. 29, Knights Templar, of which he was eminent commander ; Geneva Lodge, No. 1054, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His home is at 423 Main street.
He married, August 8, 1900, Gertrude, daughter of Joel Page, of Seneca Castle. She was a graduate of the State Normal School.
SMITH.
Mack S. Smith, of Canandaigua, Ontario county, New York, a citizen whose integrity is widely recognized and whose capacity and executive ability have been shown in positions of public and private trust, is the son of Lindley W. and Caroline E. (Spalding) Smith, the former of whom was a well known resident of Ontario county, New York, who died at Chapinville, March 8, 1878, and the latter died at Canandaigua, New York, March 19, 1887.
Mack S. Smith was born in the town of Farmington, Ontario county, New York, August 14, 1854. He was educated in the Canan- daigua Academy, and about a year and a half after finishing his studies at the Canandaigua Academy, he obtained employment in the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Company's freight office at Canandaigua and for nearly two years filled the positions of billing clerk and cashier. Resigning this position he accepted employment with the First National Bank of Canandaigua and remained with this bank for nearly seven years, after which he was engaged in the book and stationery business for a short period. In October, 1882, he entered the employ of McKechnie & Company, bankers, upon their organiza- tion, serving as teller. In 1884 he was appointed assistant cashier. Upon the death of Mr. Alfred Denbow, in February, 1900, he was appointed cashier and continued in this capacity until March 1, 1899, when the institution went into voluntary liquidation, after the death of its last surviving partner, and was succeeded by the McKechnie Bank, a state institution. During the open seasons of 1901-02-03-04 he was at Nome.
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Alaska, attending to extensive mining interests in which he and his friends were interested.
In January, 1894, he was nominated and elected to membership in the village board of trustees, and by his associates in that body was called upon to officiate as president of the village. During his term in that office and largely at his initiative, the agitation for a new municipal water supply system was brought to a consummation, and he resigned from the village board early in 1895 to become a member of the com- mission appointed to carry out the decision of the citizens to build and place in operation such a plant. The duty was performed during that year in a manner that reflected the highest credit upon him and his associates. In 1905, as the result of an open competitive examination, Mr. Smith attained first position on an eligible list of candidates for the position of state bank examiner and received an appointment to that position, in which he has since served in a most acceptable manner. More recently his time has been principally occupied in the manage- ment of the large estate of the late Amory Houghton Jr., of Corning. New York.
Mr. Smith married, January 1, 1885, Nettie Roberts, of Phelps, Ontario county, New York.
HUTCHENS.
Henry Hutchens, grandfather of Nodiah E. Hutchens, was born in Canandaigua, where he was engaged in farming throughout his life. He was a staunch supporter of the Republican party and a member of the Baptist church. He married Polly U. Livermore. Children : Hiram L., deceased; Floyd, deceased; Nodiah; John; Sarah, deceased ; Charles H., see forward; Amanda, died in childhood.
(II) Charles H., fifth son and sixth child of Henry and Polly U. (Livermore) Hutchens, was born in Canandaigua. He was a car- riage builder and carpenter, and during the last twelve years of his residence in Canandaigua he was also engaged in the piano business. In 1905 he removed to Bradford, Pennsylvania, and one year later to Olean, New York, where he associated himself in business with his son, Henry W., under the firm name of C. H. Hutchens & Son. He affiliates with the Republican party and for years served as town committee- man. He is a member of the Baptist church. He married, at Geneva. New York, July 3, 1872, Alice Mary, daughter of William and Mary Corner, the former English and the latter Irish. Children: Nodiah
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E., see forward; Claude L., born August 13, 1876; Henry W., born November 20, 1878.
(III) Nodiah E., eldest child of Charles H. and Alice Mary (Corner ) Hutchens, was born in Canandaigua, Ontario county, New York, April 12, 1874. He was a student at Canandaigua Academy. after which he took up the study of law, and was admitted to practice, November, 1896. In March of that year he became the confidential secretary of the Hon. Justice William H. Adams, an office he filled until the death of Mr. Adams. While he was a member of the fourth ap- pellate division of the supreme court, he served as consultation clerk in the same court from the creation of the office in March, 1904, until obliged to resign these duties in 1907 by reason of impaired health and the imperative demands of his private practice. From that time until July 1, 1911, he devoted his entire time and attention to the necessities of his private practice, making a specialty of industrial corporation law, in which he is an acknowledged authority. At the latter date he retired from private practice, becoming a stockholder in the Rectigraph Com- pany, in which he is president and general counsel; has been serving the company as its general counsel for nearly three years and it is his intention, in addition to the general oversight of the commercial side of the company. to continue his services as such. This company is manufacturing and distributing photographic machines. He has been an earnest supporter of the Republican party but has never aspired to holding public offices. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Canandaigua, and his fraternal and club affiliations are as follows: Canandaigua Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Rochester Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; Damascus Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Rochester ; at the present time he is senior warden, Rochester Lodge of Perfection, Scottish Rite; was formerly captain of the guard. Rochester Chapter. Rose Croix; Columbia Rifle Club; Rochester Yacht Club; Masonic Club of Rochester; Rochester Automobile Club; Society of Medical Jurispru- dence of New York City; Rochester Chamber of Commerce: Rochester Bar Association; New York State Bar Association.
Mr. Hutchens married, at Canandaigua. September 1. 1897, Jane Lightfoot, born in Canandaigua, February 8, 1873, daughter of Robert and Sarah (Lightfoot) Willson, the former a builder. They had one other child, Elizabeth Mary. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Hutchens : Sara Elizabeth, born May 1, 1900; Robert Charles, born September 9. 1908.
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WHEELER.
Benjamin Wheeler, progenitor of the branch of the family now under consideration, was a native of Massachusetts, his birth occurring February 7, 1764. In early manhood, in 1800, accompanied by his wife and children, he removed to New York state, settling on the farm now owned by his grandson, Simeon R. Wheeler, in East Bloomfield. Ontario county, and he also erected the first grist mill in South Bloom- field. He was active and public-spirited, served in the revolutionary war, and in all ways performed his part faithfully and conscientiously. He married, July 28, 1782, Celia Buffington, born in Massachusetts, August 26, 1762, who bore him six sons and four daughters, among whom was Benjamin D., see forward. Benjamin Wheeler died Feb- ruary 6, 1836.
(II) Benjamin D., son of Benjamin and Celia (Buffington) Wheeler, was born in Massachusetts, April 10, 1789, died September 30, 1818. He removed from his native state to New York state, set- tling in East Bloomfield, where he was a prominent citizen, advancing the interests of the community in which he resided. He married Deborah Reed, and they were the parents of five children, two sons and three daughters, among whom was Simeon R., see forward.
(III) Simeon R., son of Benjamin D. and Deborah (Reed) Wheeler, was born in East Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York. December 28, 1817. He acquired his education in the Genessee Wes- leyan Seminary, and has always been one of the leading agriculturists of the town, being the possessor of two hundred and fifty-three acres of land, which is under a high state of cultivation, yielding good re- turns for labor expended. He was a Whig in politics until the for- mation of the Republican party, when he transferred his allegiance to that organization, with which he has since been connected. He served as commissioner of highways for six years, assessor seventeen years, justice of the peace three years, superintendent of county poor twenty- one years, and in 1882, when the office of postmaster at South Bloom- field, was organized, was appointed thereto and has since retained the same, his service being noted for efficiency and prompt attention to all details. He has been for sixty years an active worker in the Uni- versalist church of Baptist Hill, and for many years served in the capacity of trustee. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of East Bloomfield, and of Monumental Lodge, Good Templars, of Bristol.
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Mr. Wheeler married (first) April 2, 1839, Betsey Bently, born in Richmond, 1819, daughter of Isaac and Hannah (Dubois) Bently, of Saratoga county, New York, the former of whom died January 10, 1863, and his wife, April 12, 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler had one daughter, Gertrude, who married in 1858, Theron P. Buell, born August 10, 1834, died May 28, 1889; Mrs. Buell died May 30, 1859. Mrs. Betsey ( Bently ) Wheeler died May 9, 1878. Mr. Wheeler married (second) November 5, 1879, Clara (Daily ) Hinman.
BROWN.
Hiram L. Brown, father of Charles W. Brown, late of Shortsville, New York, was one of the original founders of the Empire Drill Com- pany of Shortsville, founded by Calvin P. and Hiram L. Brown, brothers, one of the leading industries of the town. Hiram L. Brown was con- sidered one of the foremost citizens of the village, taking an active interest in all that concerned its welfare and advancement. He married Hester A. Bonker, and among their children was Charles W., see for- ward.
Charles W., son of Hiram L. and Hester A. (Bonker ) Brown, was born at Newark, Wayne county, New York, July 13, 1848. His education was acquired in the schools adjacent to his home, and later he followed a commercial life, filling many positions of trust and honor, in all of which his work was performed faithfully and conscientiously. He served in the capacity of justice of the peace, being elected on the Republican ticket. He was public-spirited and patriotic, acting always as a loyal citizen, and as son, husband and father performed his part well. He married, September 16, 1869, Mary M. Stafford, who bore him two children: Mabel E., born April 24, 1871, married Daniel A. Eiseline ; C. Ernest, born March 8. 1873. Mr. Brown died October 14, 1897.
William Stafford, son of Joshua Stafford, and grandfather of Mary M. (Stafford) Brown, was born April 3, 1776, in Tiverton, Rhode Island, from whence he removed to Manchester, New York, accompanied by his wife, Mary (Cook) Stafford. They were the parents of a son. John, see forward.
Dr. John Stafford, son of William and Mary (Cook) Stafford, was born in the town of Manchester, Ontario county, about two miles south of Palmyra, New York, March 15, 1805, died February 23, 1905. He studied medicine at Hobart College, Geneva, New York.
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and practiced his profession of medicine for many years, with gratifying results, winning for himself a standing among his professional brethren and the respect and confidence of his patients. He married Nancy Hurl- burt, born September 30, 1827, died February 19, 1906, and they were the parents of Mary M., aforementioned as the wife of Charles W. Brown.
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