USA > New York > Encyclopedia of biography of New York, a life record of men and women whose sterling character and energy and industry have made them preeminent in their own and many other states, Vol. 2 > Part 25
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invaluable power in molding the public opinion of Middle New York. So popular did it become that in May, 1880, a Sun- day edition of the paper was commenced, which has met with as continuous a support as that accorded to the evening edition.
Endowed with foresight of a remark- ably high order, Mr. Jenkins was one of the first to recognize the benefits to be achieved by newspaper publishers from cooperative action. Consulting with others in the same line of endeavor, Mr. Jenkins was one of the charter members of the National Associated Press, organ- ized in 1878, and was chosen as a member of the board of directors. Continuing his activities in the same direction, he be- came one of the chief organizers of The United Press, was a member of its board of directors, and served as its business manager during a part of the year 1882. He was also the chief organizer of the present Associated Press, as he was the one to suggest the idea of its formation.
The entire career of Mr. Jenkins was one to excite the admiration and commen- dation of those familiar with his history, for by a straightforward and commend- able course he had made his way from a somewhat humble environment to an ex- alted position in the business world, win- ning the hearty admiration of the people of his adopted city and earning a reputa- tion as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs and a broad-minded, charitable and upright citizen, which the public was not slow to recognize and appreciate. He was one of those solid men of brain and substance so essential to the material growth and prosperity of a community, and one whose influence was willingly extended in behalf of every deserving en- terprise that had for its object the ad- vancement of the best interests of the community.
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Pellice Ely
Marus Ulbricht,
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ELY, Samuel Mills,
Highly Useful Citizen.
Although he was of Connecticut birth, the long and useful life of Samuel Mills Ely from its fifteenth year was spent in Binghamton, New York, where he built up one of the important wholesale houses of the city and won enviable reputation as a man of the highest standing and righteous life. To those of his day and generation, his memory is fresh and fra- grant, to those who follow him his life is an example worthy of emulation. His life was an open book to be read by all men, modesty and simplicity marking its daily course. His thoughtfulness, be- nevolence and generosity were ever dis- played in his intercourse with his fellow- men. In the church he was a ceaseless worker and his interest continued until his last hours. He gave wisely, his giving covering a wide field. He was a success- ful business man, citizen, and a loyal friend. He did not use tobacco in any form, believing it injurious to health and a habit to be avoided ; therefore he barred it from his store, although he was a wholesale grocer, and tobacco was a large item in such a business.
Samuel Mills Ely was born in Chester, Connecticut, at the Ely homestead, Octo- ber 24, 1837, son of Richard and Mary Caroline (Buck) Ely, who were married in Rome, New York, September 12, 1829. His sister, Mary C. Ely, now resides in the Ely homestead at Chester, Connecticut. Their father, Richard Ely, was born in Essex, Connecticut, August 6, 1798, fol- lowed the occupation of farming, and held various town offices. His wife was born May 5, 1799. The forebears of the Ely family were from England and were early settlers of Lyme, Connecticut, and the history of the family is one of honor and usefulness.
Samuel Mills Ely attended private
schools in Chester and later a grammar school at Deep River, Connecticut. His entire business life was spent in Bing- hamton, New York, where he began his active career in the employ of his uncle, Hon. Charles Mckinney. In 1865 he formed a partnership with S. & E. P. Mc- Kinney in the grocery business in Bing- hamton. In 1873 he withdrew and estab- lished the wholesale grocery and import- ing house of S. Mills Ely & Company, of which he was president at the time of his death. In 1876 he formed a partnership with E. F. Leighton that continued un- broken for thirty-two years, terminating on Mr. Leighton's death in 1908. Their business was very prosperous and was conducted according to the highest stand- ards of fair dealing. Mr. Ely organized with Roswell J. Bump and Mr. Leighton, the Binghamton Chair Company, one of Binghamton's most successful manufac- turing corporations. He was a member of the Board of Education of Bingham- ton, of Binghamton Club, and of the First Presbyterian Church of Bingham- ton, in which he was an office holder for many years, up to the time of his death, which occurred in Binghamton, May 5, 1909. Over half a century had been spent in good works and in all that time there were few movements tending to the ex- pansion or moral unlift of his adopted city that he did not heartily lead in and sup- port. Consistent in all things, his home life, his business affairs and his church life were ordered along the same lines of uprightness, he never sanctioned or en- gaged in any business deal not in accord- ance with his religious convictions. No greater work in the name of charity was ever carried on by a private individual in Binghamton. If he had a greater interest in one form of benevolence over another, it was in the Fresh Air Movement and the Humane Society, but the Presbyterian church and the Young Men's Christian
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Association also found in him a friend that never failed. He gave a library building to Chester, Connecticut, in mem- ory of his father and mother. His sum- mer home on Mt. Prospect, Binghamton, he gave to the city for a public park prior to his death, which beautiful park bears his name, and although he did not live to see the realization of his dream for a com- plete park system, his generosity and public spirit will inspire those who follow him.
Mr. Ely married at Binghamton, New York, October 10, 1867, Mary Hart Haw- ley, of Binghamton, daughter of Elias and Adaline Hawley. They had one son and one daughter: Richard Hawley Ely, born July 29, 1868, died October 8, 1869. Clara May Ely, born December 19, 1876, lives in Binghamton, and was one of the executors of Mr. Ely's estate, with Mr. John R. Clements, general manager of S. Mills Ely Company.
In his last will and testament, one of the most public-spirited documents and one of the finest examples of practical be- nevolence ever probated in the county, Mr. Ely remembered nearly every public char- ity in his city and left to the First Presby- terian Church trust funds for carrying on two benevolent enterprises, the care for the poor of Binghamton and home mis- sionary work among the foreign-born ele- ment of the city. The following other institutions, remembered generously in his will, indicate the wide extent of his interest : Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, Young Women's Christian As- sociation, Susquehanna Valley Home, Binghamton City Hospital, Broome County Humane Society, Home for Aged Women, all of Binghamton ; Robert Hun- gerford Institute of Eatonville, Flordia ; Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, Presbyterian Board of Home Missions, Auburn Theological Seminary. Not the least praiseworthy feature of Mr. Ely's
will was the generosity with which he remembered his employees. His recom- mendation that they take the value of their bequests in stock of the business he developed from a small beginning into a strong enterprise was another thought for the future that deserves recognition. To weld his employees thus into one com- mercial whole demonstrates his practical wisdom. When, at the age of seventy- two years he died, he left behind the record of a life unsullied by any unworthy deed.
POTTER, Alfred Benedict, Public Benefactor.
The record of the life of Alfred Bene- dict Potter, late of Fairport, New York, is in the main uneventful as far as stir- ring incidents or startling adventures are concerned, yet it was distinguished by the most substantial qualities of char- acter. His life history exhibits a career of unswerving integrity, indefatigable private industry, and wholesome home and social relations-a most commend- able career crowned with success. It is the record of a well balanced mental and moral makeup, strongly marked by those traits of character which are of special value in such a state of society as exists in this country. A community depends upon business activity. Its welfare is due to this, and its promoters of legitimate enterprises may well be termed its bene- factors. Such a man was Alfred B. Pot- ter. He belonged to a family which is one of the most ancient and numerous in America. No less than eleven different immigrants of the name came to New England during the seventeenth century. So far as is known none of these immi- grants was related to any other. The family has included many noted ecclesi- astics and other professional men, as well as men eminent in statesmanship and
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Alfred B. Potter
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
other walks of life. The name is sup- esty. Painstaking and thorough in every- posed to be of French origin.
Alfred Benedict Potter, youngest son of the late Henry S. Potter, of Pittsford and Rochester, New York, was born in Pittsford, February 16, 1833, and died at his home in Potter place, Fairport, New York, August 11, 1896. He was still a young lad when his parents removed with their family to Rochester, and there he lived until his marriage, when he removed to Fairport, which remained his place of residence until his lamented death. A memorial tablet to his memory has been placed in the Methodist Episcopal church and is a fitting and appropriate remem- brance of his quiet, noble life. Mr. Pot- ter married, in 1864, Hulda A. Thayer, of Lakeside, New York, a woman of un- usual qualities of mind and heart, and possessed of those graces which com- mend her to the love and kindly regard of all who know her. Mr. and Mrs. Pot- ter had children: Mrs. Alice Potter Howard, of Rochester; Bertha L .; Mrs. Frank D. Rusling, of Indianapolis, Indi- ana; and Frederick T., of Fairport. Mr. Potter was essentially a home man, and although very busy all the time, he never permitted other things to detract his attention from home, where he found his greatest enjoyment. At the time of his death it was repeatedly said: "Fairport has lost a man she could ill afford to lose," and among those with whom he had been associated there came a deep sense of personal bereavement, for he was a man who tied other men to him by the strongest cords of respect, confidence and friendship. It was a great privilege to have enjoyed his friendship, and even his companionship, for he was an inspira- tion to others, and his influence on those with whom he came in contact was always uplifting. He held to a high stand- ard of business ethics and had no use for trickery or anything savoring of dishon-
thing he did, he demanded of others that their work should be well done, and he never deviated from this high standard for himself and others. This fundamental element of his character probably had as much to do with his success as anything else, for it commanded the respect and confidence of the business world. He was an active factor in all church work, much of his time and influence being used in that direction. Personally, he was genial and unassuming, and he enjoyed a wide circle of friends.
MERRELL, Gaius Lewis,
Manufacturer, Representative Citizen.
To record simply the happy fulfillment of hon- orable ambition, suggests more adequately than anything else the final estimate of Mr. Merrell's character. His life was guided by high conceptions of personal honor and he exemplified through many years their actual realization both in the active world of business and the intimate life of his home. His controlling motives were single in purpose. Though his business career began modestly it rested from its inception upon the basic principle of fair dealing, whether in open cooperation or friendly competition with others.
Forty years of successful and honorable busi- ness bear their own faithful witness. To have established a reputation unquestioned for honor- able dealing and financial trustworthiness is to accomplish the utmost possible. This Mr. Merrell and his associates did. The corporation bearing his name to-day is rated second to none for its high reputation. The splendid standing of such a corporation means ultimately the steadfast honor and moral probity of its founders.
Mr. Merrell was a man who wove the fabric of his life out of a clear conscience. He followed patiently and undeviatingly the clear path laid down by his ideals of honor. In his presence and in his practice right and wrong parted company. To know him intimately in his home life was a privi- lege shared by few. There his genuineness ex- pressed itself most completely. He was faithful and affectionate to the utmost to her who shared his life and upon those who bear his name he has bestowed an inheritance passing the accumulated fortune of a successful business career.
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As a man of quiet tastes Mr. Merrell sur- rounded himself with modest enjoyments. His sympathies were broadly expressed and his gener- ous nature knew no bounds. His active interest in large matters of public welfare was no less known than his sustaining participation in all humane and philanthropic work. For many years he found satisfaction in the faith of the Unitarian church and embodied in his life the fundamental spirit of its teachings.
Those who admire simplicity find satisfaction in his character. Upon his city and his business he conferred distinction; upon his family and his friends he bestowed the strength and charm of a well rounded life. Though passed away, he still lives as a potent influence for all that is good in the memory and life of his loved ones and his friends. -REV. ALBERT WILLARD CLARK.
Gaius Lewis Merrell was born in Greene, New York, May 14, 1843, died in Syracuse, New York, February 7, 1909. He was the son of Oliver Dunbar Merrell, and a descendant of Nathaniel Merrell, who came from England in 1634 and set- tled in Newbury, Massachusetts.
When a youth of sixteen years he came to Syracuse and from the year of his coming (1859) that city was his home and the scene of his activity. His first posi- tion was with Bowen's Grocery and Can- ning Establishment and there he gained an intimate knowledge of a business that he was destined to follow with such marked success. In 1869 he formed a partnership with Oscar F. Soule and began the manufacture of canned goods under the firm name of Merrell & Soule. At that time all canning was done by hand, a slow and expensive method that did not commend itself to Mr. Merrell's business ideas. After a great deal of experiment he finally perfected the proc- ess of canning now in use in large plants and is also the inventor of many of the machines now used in the canning of vegetables. The business prospered and was conducted under the original firm name for several years. After the admis- sion of Frank C. Soule this was changed
and the partnership became the Merrell- Soule Company. With this change and addition to the managing heads, other lines were added and food products of many kinds became important lines in the company's output. After incorpora- tion the large plant on the salt reserva- tion was erected and with the constant additions and improvements that have been made is one of the best equipped and modernly conducted plants in the State.
Mr. Merrell continued as executive head of the Merrell-Soule Company until his death, guiding its affairs with wisdom and in accord with his own progressive ideas. He had few interests in the busi- ness world outside his own company but aided in all the movements tending to promote the welfare of Syracuse and her institutions. He was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and at one time served as its vice-president. He was a member of the Historical Association and of the patriotic societies to which the military service and early colonial records of his ancestors entitled him, membership.
Mr. Merrell married, January 28, 1874, Mary A., daughter of Dr. Stephen and Dolly Ann (Smith) Seward, who died November 3, 19II. The children: Irving Seward, born October 12, 1875; Lewis Charles, born October 25, 1877; Oliver Edward, born March 12, 1880; all resid- ing in Syracuse; and Arthur Howard, born June 17, 1886, died January 21, 1887.
CLARK, Brackett H., Prominent in Kodak Industry.
History is no longer a record of wars, conquests and strife between man and man as in former years, but is the account of business and intellectual development, and the real upbuilders of a community are they who found and conduct success- ful commercial and industrial interests.
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BA Carky.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
In this connection Brackett H. Clark was widely known, being one of the directors and secretary of the Eastman Kodak Company from its organization in 1884 until his death. He was also financially connected with the Clark Paint & Oil Company, but not active in its manage- ment.
Mr. Clark was born in Salem, Massa- chusetts, January 17, 1821. His youth was passed in that locality, and for some time he resided in Virginia and in New York City prior to his arrival in Roches- ter in 1857, and from that time forward he was connected with the business inter- ests of that city. In the year of his ar- rival he began operating a stave factory at the corner of the Erie canal and Lyell avenue and engaged in the manufacture of staves until 1884. The length of his continuation with this enterprise proves its success. The business gradually de- veloped along healthful lines and he en- joyed a liberal patronage. Each forward step he took in his career brought him a broader outlook and wider view, and hav- ing demonstrated his power and capacity in the business world, his cooperation was sought by the Eastman Kodak Com- pany, which he joined upon its organiza- tion in 1884, becoming a director and sec- retary. To know the history of Roches- ter in the last three decades is to know the history of the Kodak Company. It has become the leader in this line of business in the world and one of the most impor- tant enterprises of the city, contributing not only to individual success, but also to the growth and development of Roches- ter through the employment which it fur- nishes to many hundred people. Mr. Clark brought to his new work keen dis- cernment and native intellectual strength, and as the years passed by he aided in no small measure in the marvelous develop- ment of this enterprise, which has now reached mammoth proportions.
Mr. Clark was a Republican in politics. He held membership in Plymouth Church, in the work of which he was much inter- ested, contributing generously to its sup- port and doing all in his power for its development. He served as a trustee and deacon and the value of his labor in be- half of the church was widely recognized by all who were associated with him in that organization. He was benevolent and kindly, liberal in his views, and possessed a charity that reached out to all humanity. His efforts toward advancing the interests of Rochester are so widely recognized that they can be considered as being no secondary part of his career of signal usefulness. His death occurred March 22, 1900, and thus passed away one who enjoyed to the fullest ex- tent the confidence and respect of all classes of people.
Mr. Clark was married to Lucretia Bowker, of Salem, Massachusetts, a daughter of Joel Bowker, one of the old Salem merchants. She died April 8, 1912. Two sons: I. Daniel R., married Helen J. Ross, of Wiscoy, New York, Jan- uary 6, 1876; two daughters: Helene Rogers and Mary Lucretia. 2. George H., married Adele Hathaway, of Rochester, December 11, 1900; three sons: Brackett H., Halford Rogers, and Donald Richard- son.
TRACY, Osgood V.,
Civil War Veteran, Man of Affairs.
Not all men order their lives to their lik- ing; nor yet are all men true to their own selves in living as nearly to their ideals as possible, and attaining to such heighths as their opportunities and tal- ents render readily accessible. The late Colonel Osgood V. Tracy, of Syracuse, New York, did not lead a pretentious or exalted life, but one which was true to itself and its possibilities, and one to
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which the biographer may revert with respect and satisfaction. A man of strong intellectual force and mature judgment, his character found its deeper values in the wellsprings of absolute integrity and most exalted motives. The surname of Tracy is a very ancient one. It is taken from the castle and barony of Tracie, near Vire Arrondissement, of Caen, France. The first of the name of whom there is record is Turgis de Tracie, who, with William de la Ferte, was defeated and driven out of Main by the Count of Anjou, in 1078, and was in all probability the Sire de Tracie mentioned in the battle of Hastings. The coat-of-arms of the family was borne in the twelfth century, and is: Or, an escallop in the chief dex- ter, between two bendlets gules. Crest: On a chapeau gules turned up ermine en escallop sable, between two wings ex- panded or. The parents of Colonel Tracy were James Grant and Sarah (Osgood) Tracy, the former named died in 1850, and one of his great-grandfathers, Joseph Vose, was a colonel in the First Massa- chusetts Regiment, the greater part of his service being with the Lafayette Division during the War of the Revolution.
Colonel Osgood V. Tracy was born in Syracuse, New York, June 25, 1840, died in Syracuse, New York, January 31, 1909, and interment was in Oakwood Cemetery. He attended the public and high schools of his native city, being graduated from the last named institution at the age of sixteen years, a member of the first class that had been graduated from it. One year was spent in a finishing course at the Albany Academy, and, thus well equipped, he entered upon his business career. He found his first position in the general offices of the Binghamton Railroad Company of Syracuse, resigning the duties of this post for a clerkship in the coal offices of E. R. Holden.
Intensely patriotic by nature, Colonel
Tracy enlisted, August 28, 1862, in Com- pany I, One Hundred and Twenty-sec- ond Regiment, New York Volunteer In- fantry, leaving Syracuse with the rank of sergeant-major. His brave and meri- torious conduct soon earned him advance- ment, and he was successively second lieutenant, first lieutenant, adjutant and captain. In the Shenandoah Valley he displayed exceptional bravery, and for this was breveted major of the United States Volunteers; for gallant service during the closing campaign of the war and before Petersburg, he was breveted lieutenant-colonel of the United States Volunteers. He was inspector-general of the Third Division, Sixth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, during the last year of the war. At the battle of the Wilderness he was taken prisoner, and with General Shaler and many other offi- cers was taken to Lynchburg, Virginia. While there he met Colonel Mortimer B. Birdseye, of the Second New York Cav- alry, who had arranged to escape. Colonel Tracy joined him and they walked from Lynchburg to Harpers Ferry, having many narrow escapes from capture be- fore reaching the Union lines. He was honorably discharged from the United States government in July, 1865.
When the close of the war left Colonel Tracy free to pursue the more peaceful occupations of his usual life, he accepted a position with C. C. Loomis & Company, wholesale dealers in coffees and spices, and two years later became a member of the firm, the name under which they operated being changed to read: Ostran- der, Loomis & Company. Colonel Tracy became the sole proprietor of this exten- sive business in 1886, and in 1893 admit- ted as partners, Charles Sedgwick Tracy and John Hurst, the firm operating under the style of O. V. Tracy & Company. The conduct of this business, however, was not sufficient occupation for the
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active mind of Colonel Tracy, and he be- from the Syracuse High School in the fall came identified with a number of other enterprises. When the Solvay Process Company was organized in 1884, Colonel Tracy became a member of its board of directors, and served in this office until the time of his death. He was the first secretary of this company, and later be- came treasurer of the corporation. He was a director and secretary of the First National Bank of Syracuse, and was for a long period of time a member of the board of trustees of the Onondaga County Savings Bank. Upon the creation of the Intercepting Sewer Commission by the State Legislature, Colonel Tracy was ap- pointed as one of the three members by Mayor Alan C. Fobes. He was at once chosen as chairman, and in this position his wise counsel was of inestimable ad- vantage. His social affiliation was with Root Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He was one of the original directors of the Historical Society.
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