USA > New York > Steuben County > A history of Steuben County, New York, and its people, Vol. II > Part 17
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as a school teacher, her enlightened endeavors in that line cover- ing a period of nearly seven years, nearly two years of that time, however, being devoted to study in a normal school. Being natur- ally gifted for dealing with the ills which afflict mankind, she abandoned her pedagogical labors and entered a training school for nurses at Rochester, New York. She was graduated as a trained nurse from Rochester City Hospital in 1889 and chose Buffalo and Rochester as promising fields for her labor. There she remained for fifteen years, manifesting such unusual ability and executive capacity that she was elevated to the position of head nurse at the Fitch Accident Hospital of that city. Her am- bitions embraced projects of greater scope, however, and with a view to becoming a member of the medical profession she de- voted some time to the study of medicine and surgery at the Uni- versity of Buffalo Medical Department. A few years after her marriage in 1898 she removed to Detroit, where she attended the classes of the Detroit Homeopathic Medical College for two years, graduating from that institution in 1906. Coming to Hammonds- port soon afterward, she opened an office here and has won a suc- cess of which any physician in the town could well be proud. She is one of those who believe it no less than a crime not to keep abreast of this constantly advancing science and she never slum- bers nor sleeps in the matter of making herself mistress of its newest discoveries. Not only is she a prominent member of the Steuben County Medical Society, but she also is affiliated with the Lake Keuka Medical Association and the Southern Tier Homeo- pathic Society. She has made a specialty of the diseases of do- mestic animals, has made some world-renowned discoveries in this department and is the author of a popular book called, "Cats, How to Treat Them When Ill." Her professional duties, im- portant thought they may be, do not prevent her keeping in touch with the many-sided life of the community. She is a member of the Presbyterian church, a leader in woman's mission work and is identified with the Masonic order of the Eastern Star.
On May 25, 1898, she was united in marriage to James Neel, who was born near Buffalo, New York. The year of his birth was 1,837 and he was the son of Robert and Lucinda (McArthur ) Neel. After a long career as a railroad man he adopted a mercantile career, his business being located at Kanona, New York, and he subsequently became bookkeeper for the Urbana Wine Cellar and later manager of the concern, which position he held at the time of his demise, April 7, 1908. He was a man of affairs and of fine business ability. His interests were of broad scope and importance and included the treasurership of the American Wine Growers' Association and a directorship in the Hammondsport Bank. An ardent Republican and a tireless worker for the success of his party he was well known for this reason alone and for thirty years served as postmaster of Urbana. As a citizen he was interested in the success of good government, participating in the political
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bouts of his party and aiding in the promotion of business and social harmony by a straightforward course as a citizen. He was high in the councils of the Masonic order, having passed all the chairs in his lodge and taken all the degrees, including that of the Mystic Shrine. His death in the prime of his usefulness was regarded as a general calamity. Since her marriage, Dr. Neel has been known as Dr. Edith Kimball Neel, and the name is one which is well and favorably known throughout the length and breadth of Steuben county.
HON. WILLIAM J. TULLY is one of the best known members of the bar of his native commonwealth and he has brought to his profession great energy and resourcefulness, qualities that he has also called into effective action in connection with various business enterprises of important order. He gave distinguished service as a member of the state senate and has held various public offices of more localized character. He has been engaged in the practice of his profession in New York city since 1908 and he is general solicitor of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, a note- worthy preferment and one which implies definite recognition of his splendid professional abilities. Concerning him the follow- ing statements are made in a bulletin issued by the co-operative press: "The career of Hon. William J. Tully is marked by a progression of successful business undertakings. He is hardly forty years of age. He looks much younger. He has been prac- ticing law since his twenty-second year. Since that time he has held important public office in three different positions, has practiced law with success in two localities and now he is occupied in one of the most important positions in the life insurance in- dustry in this country. In October, 1909, Mr. Tully was chosen to take charge of the newly created office of general solicitor of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company."
William J. Tully was born at Corning, Steuben county, New York, on the 1st of October, 1870, and is a son of Joseph J. and Sarah (Byers) Tully, the former of whom was identified with the Corning Glass Works from the time of the foundation of this important industrial enterprise until his death, forty-one years later, in June, 1907. William J. Tully is indebted to the public schools of his native town and of the city of Brooklyn for his earlier educational training and he was graduated in public school No. 15 in Brooklyn as a member of the class of 1885. Later he continued his higher studies in the Corning Free Academy, in which institution he was graduated in the class of 188. His next definite action was to become a student in the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, in which he prepared himself for entrance to Columbia University. In preparation for the work of his chosen profession Mr. Tully was matriculated in the New York Law School, in which he completed the prescribed course and in which he was grad- uated as a member of the class of 1892, duly receiving his degree
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of Bachelor of Laws and being admitted to the bar of his native state, in the city of Buffalo, in the following year. Data con- cerning further points in his professional and business career have been succinctly given in the article from which the former quota- tion was made and recourse is therefore taken to the same, though slight paraphrase is made.
Naturally Mr. Tully went back to his home town to initiate the practice of law and in the spring of 1894 he was elected re- corder of Corning. While incumbent of this office the law firm of Mills & Tully was organized and after two years of service as recorder he declined a renomination and renewed the practice of law. His partnership with Mr. Mills was dissolved only by the death of the latter and thereafter he was for some time engaged in practice in an individual way. In 1899 he organized the firm of Page, Tully & Ferris, with which substantial law firm he con- tinued to be actively identified for seven years. In 1902 Mr. Tully was again induced to accept public office, being elected to the board of supervisors of Steuben county. He was immediately made chairman of that board and was afterward renominated by both political parties, again serving as chairman of the board. He resigned this position to enter the contest for state senator, to which office he was elected in 1904. He made himself felt in the senate during his first term, and in July, 1905, he had the dis- tinction of being made a member of the famous special committee, which conducted investigations into the management of the vari- ous life insurance companies in New York city. He was re-elected to the senate in 1906 and served until 1908, when he resigned to enter upon the practice of law in New York city. In October of the same year he was appointed to the position of attorney to the Association of Life Insurance Presidents, an organization dis- tinguished by the membership of the late Grover Cleveland, who was its head up to the time of his death. In June, 1909, there came consistent recognition of his ability and services when Alfred University conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Mr. Tully is identified with the Bar Association of New York city and also the New York County Lawyers' Association. He is a member of the Corning Club of his native town, as well as the Fort Orange Club of Albany, and the Calumet, Manhattan and Republican Clubs of New York city. He is a member of the directorate of each the Corning & Painted Post Street Railway Company, the Elmira, Corning & Waverly Railroad Company and the Ephraim Creek Coal & Coke Company. He is an able and effective exponent of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor and he has done much to further its interests in various campaigns.
On the 5th of October, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Tully to Miss Clara Mabel Houghton, of Corning, and though his business interests are largely centered in New York the family home is still maintained at Corning. Mr. and Mrs. Tully have two children : Alice Bigelow Tully and Marion Gordon Tully.
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EDWIN C. COOK .- In the thriving little city of Bath resides a well known and highly honored citizen of Steuben county with whose annals the family name has been identified for nearly three- quarters of a century. He has been concerned with important in- terests in his native county, including the banking business, and now, venerable in years, he is living virtually retired, enjoying the due reward of former years of earnest toil and endeavor.
Edwin C. Cook was born at Liberty Corners, this county, on the 12th of October, 1838, and the place of his nativity is now known as Cohocton. His father, Constant Cook, was born in Warren, Herkimer county, New York, in the year 1797, and he died at Bath, Steuben county, in 1874. Constant Cook married Miss Maria Whitney, who was born at Parishill, Oneida county, New York, in 1798, and who died at Bath, Steuben county, on the 6th of September, in 1889, and thus she survived her honored hus- band by a decade and a half. Their marriage was solemnized at Monticello, Herkimer county, New York, on Christmas Eve of the year 1819, and they became the parents of the following children, all of whom are deceased except the subject of this review, who is the youngest of the number. The first child died at birth; Harriet Jane was three years of age at the time of her death; Mary Jane died at the age of four years; John was sixteen years of age at the time of his demise; Abigail Clarissa, who became the wife of Lansing Hodgeman, died in 1906, at the venerable age of eighty-three years, and Henry Harvey died in 1905, at the age of eighty-three years.
Constant Cook learned the trade of blacksmith in his youth and in 1820, in company with his father, Philip Cook, who was familiarly known as 'Squire Cook, came to Steuben county and located at a point two and a half miles distant from Cohocton. Here Philip Cook purchased four hundred acres of land, for which he paid fifty cents per acre. He was also a blacksmith by trade and he and his son Constant erected a primitive shop on the farm, where they found ample demand upon their services as black- smiths, while they also gave their attention to the reclamation of the farm. It is worthy of note that on the day that he was mar- ried Constant Cook made the extraordinary record of shoeing eight horses. He and his father cleared and brought under cul- tivation more than two hundred acres of their land and the old homestead continued in the possession of the family until 1907. Philip Cook was originally a Democrat in his political allegiance but later gave his support to the Whig party, of which his son Constant became a stanch adherent, thus continuing until the organization of the Republican party, when he transferred his allegiance to the latter. Constant Cook continued to reside on the pioneer homestead until 1822, when he located in the village of Liberty Corners (now Cohocton), where he erected a tavern of the type common to the locality and period. Upon establishing his home in the little village he there purchased about thirty acres of
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land and he brought to his new home but a limited amount of household goods, besides which he had a pair of steers and bobbed- sled. He achieved success and definite popularity as an innkeeper and he was associated with John McGee in contracting for the transportation of United States mail, in which line their opera- tions were of wide scope. They operated an extensive stage line in connection with which they owned at one time more than five hundred horses and one hundred stage coaches. They were also associated in contracting in connection with the construction of the Erie canal and they were the largest contractors in the con- struction of the Erie Railroad. On the 23d of March, 1843, Con- stant Cook sold his popular tavern in Liberty Corners and re- moved to Bath, having been previously elected to the office of county judge. Prior to this time he had served as an associate judge on the bench of the county court. Upon coming to Bath Constant Cook first located in the vicinity of the present Erie railroad station and prior to this time he has purchased the prop- erty upon which is located the attractive homestead of his son, Edwin C., whose name initiates this review. Shortly after estab- lishing his home at Bath, Judge Cook became associated with nine others in the organization of the Steuben County Bank, of which he became one of the original directors. He was an influential factor in the development and upbuilding of Steuben county and as a canal and railroad contractor he did much to further the advancement of this and other sections of the state. At the time of his death he was the owner of a valuable landed estate of three hundred and twenty-six acres. Both he and his wife were devout communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church and they were numbered among the early members of the parish of St. Thomas' church at Bath. Constant Cook was a man of fine mentality and sterling integrity and his name is consistently given place on the roster of the honored pioneers of Steuben county. He was in a significant sense the architect of his own fortune, and his success, which was large, was won by worthy means so that upon his en- tire record there rests no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. An anecdote worthy of perpetuation in connection with his career is here given. At the time when he was a youth and had unap- preciable financial resources he purchased a horse, for which he gave his note for eighty dollars payable at the expiration of six months. Just before this note became due he was making his way on foot from Bath of Cohocton and was overtaken by a man who invited him to ride in his vehicle. This man asked him if he knew Constant Cook and whether or not he was "good pay." Constant Cook, who had a distinctive impediment in his speech, replied to his interrogation by stating that the subject of the same was "p-p-prop- erty poor but honest." After some time the stranger said he had a note against Mr. Cook for eighty dollars and, with true business sagacity, Mr. Cook finally purchased this note for the sum of fifty dollars. On another occasion 'Squire Cook had placed a man
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in jail for debt in accordance with the old-time laws. In order to keep the debtor in duress after the expiration of sixty days it was necessary for him to defray the expenses of his board, as otherwise the prisoner would be released. Under these conditions 'Squire Cook went to the jail and had an interview with his debtor, whom he informed would be given his release, but the debtor re- fused to accept this adjustment of the case unless 'Squire Cook would provide for him a conveyance by which he might have transportation to Liberty Corners. It was fully agreed that such conveyance would be supplied, but under the primitive conditions involved in the utilization of the horse which should be ridden, under the old-time plan of "ride and tie,"-that is, 'Squire Cook agreed that he would ride the first half mile, tie the horse and then proceed on foot. When the debtor should arrive at the point where the horse was tied the latter party to the agreement would mount the horse and proceed to a point beyond that reached by Mr. Cook with the idea of carrying out this plan throughout the journey. The result of the agreement between the two was that 'Squire Cook rode the first half mile and then tied the horse, trusting to the honesty of purpose of his coadjutor in this unique enterprise. However, there was a manifest lack of fealty on the part of the debtor from the fact that when he came to the point where he was to mount the horse he made use of the same and continued his journey in an uninterrupted way to his destination, thus compelling the father of the subject of this review to make the remainder of the journey on foot.
Edwin C. Cook was afforded the advantages of the Haverling Union School, at Utica, and thereafter attended for one year a private school conducted by Dr. Prentice, a successful and popular educator of his day. Thereafter he was for two years a student in a private school at Springside, after which he continued his studies for five years at Walnut Hill school, in Geneva, Ontario county. He was one of the first pupils in the Haverling school, at Bath, an institution that has given instruction to many of the native sons of Steuben county, and after completing his school work in 1857 he assumed a position in the Bank of Bath, where, as he states, he began his service in the dignified capacity of floor sweeper. He devoted himself with all of assiduity and care to his assigned duties and gradually won advancement to positions of increasing trust and responsibility, finally becoming assistant cashier. In 1862 when this bank was reorganized as the National Bank he was made assistant cashier of the same and he continued one of its valued executives for many years, having been pro- moted to the office of cashier in 1896 and having retained this incumbency until 1898, when the institution went into voluntary liquidation and resigned its charter. Mr. Cook became one of the principal stockholders of this bank, long known as the First Na- tional Bank, and was a director of the same from the time of its incorporation under the National Bank law until it closed its busi-
L'Barisan
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ness. Since that time he has lived virtually retired in his beautiful home on Morris street. This attractive residence is located on a tract of thirty acres of land, is surrounded by a high stone fence and the grounds are beautified by fine hardwood forest trees and and effective system of landscape gardening, making it one of the most delightful homes of Steuben county. Mr. Cook has ever shown a loyal interest in all that has touched the welfare of his home town and county and as a citizen is essentially loyal and public-spirited. In politics he has ever accorded a stanch allegi- ance to the Republican party and his popularity in connection with political affairs will be readily appreciated when it is stated that he has served for three terms as president of the village and as a member of its board of trustees for two terms. He is affiliated with various fraternal and social organizations of representative character and is a communicant of St. Thomas' church, Protestant Episcopal, of which his wife was likewise a zealous communicant.
On the 27th of October, 1863, was solemuized the marriage of Mr. Cook to Miss Mary Adelaide De Witt, who was born in Dundee, New York, and who was a daughter of Frederick S. and Martha W. (Hinckley) De Witt, both of whom were long repre- sentative citizens of Rochester. Mrs. Cook was summoned to the life eternal on the 14th of October, 1907; she was a woman of most gracious personality and her memory is revered by all who came within the sphere of her gentle influence. Mr. and Mrs. Cook became the parents of one daughter, who died at the age of nine months.
LORENZO DAVISON .- The late Lorenzo Davison, who died at his home in the village of Canisteo on the 30th of June, 1900, established his residence in Steuben county more than half a cen- tury ago, and it was given him to wield appreciable influence in connection with the civic and material upbuilding of the county, the while his strong, purposeful and sterling character gave to him a secure hold upon the confidence and regard of all with whom he came in contact. He is remembered as one of the essen- tially representative business men of Canisteo and it is most con- sonant that in this volume be incorporated a brief tribute to his memory.
Lorenzo Davison, the third in order of birth of a family of five sons and five daughters, was born in Tyrone township, Schuy- ler county, New York, on the 23d of March, 1824, and was a son of Lewis and Jemima (Gannon) Davison, the former of whom was born and reared in the state of New Jersey and the latter in Orange county, New York, whence she accompanied her parents on their removal to Schuyler county, where her marriage to Lewis Davison was solemnized. As a young man Lewis Davison moved from his native state to Schuyler county, where he secured a tract of wild land and reclaimed therefrom a productive farm. Upon this old homestead in Tyrone township he reared his large family
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of children and there both he and his devoted wife continued to reside until they were summoned to eternal rest. They were num- bered among the pioneers of Schuyler county and lived up to the full tension of hardships and privations incidental to the pioneer epoch in that now opulent section of the old Empire state. Loren- zo Davison was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and early began to assist in its arduous work, in the meanwhile at- tending the somewhat primitive schools of the locality and period, principally during the winter terms, when his aid was not re- quired in connection with the work of the farm. To secure such educational advantages as were available he was compelled to walk a long distance over rough and hilly roads in order to pursue his studies in the little pioneer school house, but his alert mentality and excellent powers of observation and absorption enabled him to overcome in later years the handicap of the early days, the result being that he became a man of broad mental ken and mnature judgment. He continued to remain at the parental home until he had attained to his legal majority and he then entered upon an apprenticeship to the trade of carpenter and joiner, in which he became a skillful workman and to which he devoted his attention for a period of six years.
In the spring of 1851 Mr. Davison removed to Canisteo, Steu- ben county, where he at once erected a large shingle and planing mill, which was operated by steam and which was located on the banks of the Canisteo River, near the site of the present depot of the Erie Railroad. This was the first planing mill erected in Steu- ben county west of Corning, and after it had been operated suc- cessfully for four years it was destroyed by fire. Mr. Davison was not disheartened by this misfortune, but promptly erected and equipped a new mill on the same site. In 1862 he formed a copartnership with the late L. A. Waldo and they engaged in the lumber, stave, shingle and general merchandise business upon a comprehensive scale. They owned and operated three mills, lo- cated at different points in Steuben county, and at Canisteo they conducted a large and well equipped general store. The firm of Waldo & Davison continued operations for a period of eighteen vears, at the expiration of which the partnership was dissolved. Mr. Davison thereafter continued in the lumber and mercantile business in an individual way, and he did not abate his activities until the last few years of his long, honorable and useful life. In addition to his business interests he was prominently concerned with the agricultural industry, in connection with which he owned a valuable farm about one mile east of the village of Canisteo, in the fertile Canisteo valley.
In polities Mr. Davison originally gave his allegiance to the Whig party, but he cast in his lot with the Republican party at the time of its organization and ever afterward continued a zealous supporter of its principles and policies. He showed a deep but quiet interest in public affairs and was admirably fortified in his
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opinions as to political affairs. Though progressive and public- spirited in his attitude as a citizen he had naught of desire for public office, but in 1873 he yielded to the importunities of his fellow citizens and consented to become a candidate for the office of president of the village of Canisteo, to which position he was elected by a majority that gave effective voucher for the esteem and confidence reposed in him in the community that so long repre- sented his home. He gave a businesslike administration as chief executive of the village, but could not be induced to serve a second term. He was affiliated with Morning Star Lodge, No. 65, Free & Accepted Masons, from the year 1862 until his death, and was deeply appreciative of the noble teachings of this time-honored fraternal order. He united with the Methodist Episcopal church of Canisteo in 1868, and ever afterward was one of its most zealous and consistent adherents, as was also his cherished and devoted wife. He was president of the Canisteo Cemetery Association for a number of years and was ever ready to extend his aid to those "in any way afflicted, in mind, body or estate." His heart was attuned to sympathy and his impulses were ever generous and kindly. He gave liberally of his largess to worthy charitable and benevolent causes, and also contributed to the support of enter- prises and measures tending to advance the social and material well-being of the community.
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