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. 3 > Part 20
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cillor of the American Chemical Society. He made trips to Europe in 1887, 1897 and 1903 to study the methods of manu- facture in the Belgian, French and Ger- man soda ash plants. Locally he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, served on various committees, particu- larly that on education, of which he was chairman for two years; member of the Onondaga Historical Society and of vari- ous clubs, including Onondaga Golf and Country, Citizens', Syracuse, Harvard, University, Bellevue Country and the Century.
John Downer Pennock married Una Amelia Bagg, daughter of Stanley and Amelia (Bassett) Bagg, June 17, 1890. Children : Stanley Bagg, born June 15, 1892; John Winthrop, October 4, 1894; Ruth Huntington, June 7, 1896; Marian Bowditch, April 4, 1898; Helen Titus, June 23, 1906.
BROWN, Selden S., L Lawyer, Jurist.
Learned in the law, logical in his rea- soning, sound in his deductions, able to divest his mind of all prejudice or bias, with the faculty of divesting a legal proposition of all that beclouds and to go directly at the heart of a problem, then in clear, terse language to clothe his opinions or decisions, Judge Brown is the ideal jurist. For the past ten years sur- rogate of Monroe county, and from 1882 until assuming the duties of that office an active member of the Monroe county bar, he has won the entire confidence of his legal brethren and no man in public or private life is more highly esteemed. With his unfailing courtesy, perfect men- tal poise and unimpeachable character he has also won public regard and the num- ber of his friends is "legion." The views of contemporaries are always enlighten- ing, therefore the following extract is
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pertinent. A Rochester journal in com- menting upon Judge Brown's career re- cently said: "Judge Brown has a natural judicial air. His dignity is blended with courtesy and a kindliness of heart that makes him popular with the members of the bar who come before him in practice. His ability commands respect, while his reception of practitioners, litigants and visitors, inspires regard. In the surro- gate's court several hundred people come in the course of a year; and often under distressing circumstances. Usually the handling of law questions involved in any proceeding may be simple, but there often is need of personal sympathy and a kindly word of advice from the surro- gate, that counts as much in relieving dif- ficulties as a decision of the law in a case. Judge Brown fills all the requirements."
Selden S. Brown was born in Scotts- ville, Monroe county, New York, October 23, 1855, eldest son of D. D. S. Brown. He was educated in the public schools of Scottsville, Rochester Collegiate Institute and the University of Rochester, complet- ing his course at the university and graduating Bachelor of Arts, class of 1879. After graduation he registered as a law student in the office of Hubbell & McGuire, and in 1883, having met all the requirements of the examining board, was admitted to the Monroe county bar. He at once began practice in Rochester, soon won recognition as one of the strong young lawyers of his bar, and in a rela- tively short time took rank among the leaders. His business, general in its char- acter, extended to all State and Federal courts of the district and until 1896 he conducted it alone. In that year he formed a partnership with Harry Otis Poole, an association that continued until 1905 when it was dissolved by the ap- pointment of Judge Brown by Governor Higgins to fill out an unexpired term as surrogate of Monroe county. At the next
general election following his appoint- ment he was continued in the surrogate's office by popular vote, his majority over his opponent being a most generous en- dorsement. At the expiration of his first elective term Judge Brown was again chosen to succeed himself, his incum- bency of the surrogate's office now cover- ing a term of ten years.
In political faith he is a Republican, his opinions and advice carrying weight in party councils. He has been delegate to many county, district and State conven- tions and in 1904 was alternate to the Republican National Convention that nominated Theodore Roosevelt for Presi- dent. For many years he served as a member of the school board at Scotts- ville, his home, and in many ways has manifested his deep and abiding interest in the town of his birth. He is a member of the American Bar, the New York State Bar and the Rochester Bar associations, the Genesee Valley Club, the University Club of Rochester, and a non-resident member of the Alpha Delta Phi Club of New York City, his membership in Alpha Delta Phi fraternity dating from his university years. He has served as chan- cellor of the diocese (Episcopal) since 1905, being appointed by Bishop Walker ; warden of Grace Church, Scottsville, since the establishment of the church, 1886; delegate as superintendent of this diocese various years.
Judge Brown married (first) in 1883, Adell Franklin, who died April 23, 1912, leaving a son, Selden King Brown, born October 13, 1886. He married (second) June 17, 1914, Mary Elizabeth Stewart.
YEATMAN, Pope,
Consulting and Mining Engineer.
Preëminently a man of affairs, one who has wielded a wide influence and whose sound business and technical judgment is
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such that his cooperation is continually sought in the control and management of important mining operations, Mr. Pope Yeatman is a consulting and mining engi- neer whose reputation is second to none in this country. It has been universally conceded that the busiest men are those who always find time to spare in order to assume additional duties, and appar- ently they are able to accomplish won- ders. A very simple principle lies at the root of this state of affairs, and this is systematic and methodical work. To every moment of time is given its full valuation, and every phase of life is ap- preciated in proportion to the useful work which has been accomplished in its duration. Among those men who fully appreciate the immense value of each moment of time, and who has accom- plished a truly remarkable amount of work in the field of mining engineering, Mr. Yeatman takes a foremost place. In the paternal line he is of Scotch-Irish descent, his ancestors having come to America during the eighteenth century, and his maternal ancestry is purely Eng- lish.
Pope Yeatman, son of Thomas and Lucretia (Pope) Yeatman, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, August 3, 1861, and there the earlier years of his life were spent. The terrible days of the Civil War were over before he was old enough to realize their significance, but they, no doubt, had their influence in shaping his character along more serious lines than are usually found in childhood. His edu- cation was an excellent and comprehen- sive one, and was acquired in New Haven, Fort Leavenworth and St. Louis. In his native city he became a student at Washington University, which had been founded in 1857, and from this he was graduated in the class of 1883, the degree of Mining Engineer being conferred upon him. Volumes could be filled were the
achievements of Mr. Yeatman in this field of endeavor to be discussed in detail ; the limits of this article, however, will permit of but brief mention ; the results are matters of world history. Almost at once after his graduation Mr. Yeatman became associated with the St. Genevieve Copper Company, of South-Eastern Mis- souri, continuing this association for a period of eighteen months. During a part of 1885 he was engaged in mining at Gage, New Mexico, and during the re- mainder of that year and in 1886, he was busy in the State of Sonora, Mexico. In the summer of 1886 his mining connec- tion was with the Zacetacas Mines of Mexico, and from December, 1887, to Au- gust, 1888, he was consulting engineer and also manager of the famous Jumbo Gold Mining Company, at Breckenridge, Colorado. From that time until August, 1891, he was actively engaged as super- intendent of the mining, smelting and concentrating work at Doe Run Mines. His next field of activity was as super- intendent of the Empire Zinc Company, at Joplin, Missouri, where he remained until June, 1893, then resumed his work as consulting engineer, with which he was fully occupied until 1895, when his asso- ciation with the mining industry of South Africa commenced. He made his head- quarters at Johannesburg from 1895 to 1899, and during this time was one of the mining engineers of the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, Limited, as well as manager of the Robinson Deep Gold Mining Company, and in 1899. gen- eral manager of the Simmer and Jack Proprietary Gold Mining Company, Limited. From November, 1899, to July, 1904, he was general manager and con- sulting engineer of the Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Company, Limited, of the Transvaal. At the expiration of this period he again resumed his work as a consulting engineer, and continued this
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until he became associated with the various enterprises of the Guggenheims. From June, 1906, up to the present time (1915) he has been consulting engineer of M. Guggenheim's Sons, and in addition at the present time is consulting engineer of the Guggenheim Exploration Com- pany, of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, the Braden Copper Company, and the Chile Exploration Company, both of Chile. He is a member of the Amer- ican Institute of Mining Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Engineers' Society of St. Louis, the In- stitute of Mining and Metallurgy of London, the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America, the Century Asso- ciation and Engineers' and Rocky Moun- tain clubs of New York City.
Mr. Yeatman married, June 28, 1894, Georgie Claiborne Watkins, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and to them were born: Jane Bell, Georgina Pope and Pope, Jr.
SCHUMACHER, Albert C., Business Man.
Albert C. Schumacher, conducting a large undertaking establishment in the central part of Syracuse, was born Sep- tember 25, 1879, in Clarksfield, Ohio, his parents being Dr. Carl and Louisa Schu- macher; the former named, who was a successful practicing physician, died Jan- uary 2, 1903.
The removal of the family to Syracuse during the early boyhood days of Albert C. Schumacher enabled him to pursue his education in the public schools of this city, and after passing successfully from one grade to a higher one, he was eventu- ally graduated from the high school on June 24, 1897. During his school days from the time he was ten years of age his leisure hours after school and on Satur- days were spent as an employee in the tea and grocery store of G. J. Lindemer
at No. 476 North Salina street. His father desired that he should engage in the practice of medicine and surgery, but Mr. Schumacher had a great desire to learn embalming and become an under- taker, so that after his graduation he at once associated himself with John Bauer, an undertaker, and continued in his em- ploy for about four years. In November, 1901, he went before the Embalming Board of Examiners of the State of New York and passed the examination at Rochester, receiving license No. 2922. About the first of May, 1902, he opened an establishment on the north side, and two years later removed to the southern end of the city. On May 1, 1906, he located in the central portion of the city at No. 119 West Onondaga street, owing to the increase in his business which ne- cessitated larger quarters. He has re- cently purchased the property at No. 715 South Warren street, and after remodel- ing it extensively has one of the best funeral parlors and chapels in New York State. He has also installed a motor hearse and can conduct automobile funerals to great satisfaction. Mr. Schu- macher belongs to various fraternal or- ganizations, of which he is a popular rep- resentative, namely : Central City Lodge, No. 305, Free and Accepted Masons ; Central City Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Fralist Chapter, No. 550, Order of Eastern Star; also thirty-second degree. He is a past sachem of Dekani- sora Tribe, No. 316, Improved Order of Red Men ; a past councilor of Onondaga Council, No. 10, Junior Order of United American Mechanics; a past grand of Armory Lodge, No. 895, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; of Onondaga Council of the Degree of Pocahontas ; and of Humboldt Lodge, No. 537, D. O. H. He is also a member of Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mr. Schumacher is yet a young man, but has already attained a
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gratifying measure of success, while his many good qualities, his social manner, his genial disposition and his cordiality have made him popular with those with whom he has been brought in contact. He is a Republican member of the board of supervisors, Thirteenth Ward, elected November, 1915.
On November 25, 1903, Mr. Schu- macher was married to Louise S. West, of Syracuse, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John West. They now have one son, Albert Otis, born October 10, 1907, and one daughter Norma Louise, born No- vember 28, 1911.
HESSLER, Holister E.,
Manufacturer, Enterprising Citizen.
Honored and respected by all, there is no man who occupies a more enviable position in commercial circles in Syracuse than Holister E. Hessler, president of the H. E. Hessler Company, manufacturers and dealers in hardware and sheet metal specialties. Success is determined by the ability to recognize opportunity and to pursue it with a resolute, unflagging energy. Success results from continued labor and the man who accomplishes his purpose usually becomes an important factor in the business circles of the com- munity with which he is connected. Mr. Hessler, through such means, has attained a leading place among the representative men of his adopted city, and his well spent and honorable life commands the respect of all who know him.
suits more congenial and a broader field of labor, he left the parental homestead and took up his residence in Syracuse. No especially fortunate family or pecu- niary advantages favored him at the out- set of his career, but he early came to a realization of the fact that persistent labor is the basis of all honorable success and that unfaltering energy will even- tually reach the goal of prosperity. Ac- cordingly he resolutely set himself to the task of working his way upward, gaining promotion by merit and resolute purpose.
For one year after his arrival in Syra- cuse, Mr. Hessler was in the employ of W. H. Colebrook, a tinner, and during the following two years was in partnership with that gentleman. Later he was fore- man and general manager for the firm of Merriam & Gregory, stoves and tin shop, and on July 1, 1879, formed a partner- ship with G. Frederick Schafer, under the firm style of Hessler & Schafer, for the conduct of a hardware and furnishing goods store. They purchased the stock of John F. Walter and this was the be- ginning of the present extensive business which is now conducted under the name of the H. E. Hessler Company. The firm as it was originally formed had a continu- ous existence of fifteen years, but on Feb- ruary 1, 1894, Mr. Hessler purchased his partner's interest and conducted the busi- ness alone until it was incorporated in 1900. The present officers are: H. E. Hessler, president ; Dayton S. Hessler, vice-president ; Harlan H. Phillips, treas- urer ; and Norbert T. Alletzhauser, secre- retail business in the sale of hardware, home furnishing goods, stoves, tinware and tinners' supplies, having the largest and best equipped sheet metal factory in Central New York, and the business has been successfully carried on at the same place for three decades. The company is extensively engaged in the manufacture
One of the native sons of the Empire tary. They conduct a wholesale and State, his birth occurred in Cazenovia, New York, February 26, 1854. His parents were farming people and he was reared to agricultural pursuits. He com- pleted his education in Chittenango Poly- technic Institute. He remained upon the home farm until he attained the age of fifteen years, then, seeking other pur-
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of rural free delivery mail boxes, having manufactured and sold over one million, sent to all parts of the United States. They have erected an extensive new fac- tory for this branch of the business and give employment to about one hundred people in the factory. The building is a fine one, situated at the corner of Division and North State streets, its location en- abling them to have excellent shipping facilities both by rail and canal. They also manufacture the McGuire Adjustable Plumbers' Roof Flange, employing a large number of men in this branch, this article, which is patented, being sold in every station in the United States as well as Canada. The pay roll of the company amounts to thousands of dollars monthly, and the enterprise is one of the leading industries of that thriving city. The busi- ness has been developed until it is one of the largest and most valuable productive enterprises in Syracuse, and its growth is attributable in a very large measure to its founder, who in all that he has undertaken has displayed an aptitude for successful management, combined with keen discernment and farsighted business sagacity. The old and time-tried maxim, "Honesty is the best policy," has been the keynote of the trade and relations, while to his employees Mr. Hessler has ever been just and considerate, showing no trait of the overbearing taskmaster. His success is due to unwearied industry, capable management and care in expen- ditures, and the Hessler business is now an important factor in the life of the city.
In addition to the time and energy ex- pended in the management of his exten- sive business interests, Mr. Hessler also takes an active part in other matters. He is a charter member of the Central City Trust Company, and has served on its executive board since its organization, and it is chiefly through his excellent management that it is now one of the
strongest banks for a new institution in the city. In politics Mr. Hessler is a Republican, deeply interested in the party and its success, and he has always used his influence to further its interests, being a stalwart champion of its recognized principles. He has been frequently urged to accept the nomination for various public offices, but has steadfastly refused to allow his name to appear in connection therewith. The only public office he has filled was that of commissioner of public safety, appointed by Hon. Mayor Schoe- neck, in which he served two terms and was then reappointed for another term. The life history of Mr. Hessler most hap- pily illustrates what may be attained by faithful and continued effort in carrying out an honest purpose. Untiring activity and energy have been prominent points of his success, and his connection with business enterprises and industries have been of decided advantage to the city of Syracuse, promoting its material welfare in no uncertain manner.
Mr. Hessler married, October 11, 1874, Delia H. Wise, and they have since traveled life's journey together, sharing with each other its joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity. They are the parents of three children: I. Dayton S. Hessler, now vice-president of the H. E. Hessler Company ; married, and they are the parents of one son. 2. Mrs. Vernie L. House, wife of L. H. House, who is en- gaged in the soda water business; they are the parents of two sons and one daughter. 3. Olive E., wife of William Lepold, who is connected with the Bell Telephone Company ; they are the parents of two sons.
WOLLENSAK, Andrew,
Manufacturer, Inventor.
It pleases Americans to speak of their country as the "land of opportunity," and
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so it is, but opportunity only knocks, the man must answer, rise and embrace. Opportunity lurks everywhere and accom- plishes nothing until seized by the right man, then together great deeds are ac- complished. There is something fine to contemplate in the life history of Andrew Wollensak, of Rochester, New York, one of the men of that city whose fame as a manufacturer has made it famous. He came to Rochester in 1882, arriving with five cents in his pocket, a stranger in a strange land. But he was master of a good trade, possessed a stout heart, be- lieved in God and himself.
With mechanical ability and strong personal attributes as capital, he began life in Rochester in 1882, served in sub- ordinate capacities until 1890, then seized the great opportunity and to-day is the employer of two hundred and fifty em- ployees, located in a healthful, beautiful factory home, manufacturing a product of superior quality known in every photo- graphic art studio of repute in the United States. Thirty-three years cover his career in Rochester, but for only sixteen years of that period has he been a manu- facturer of photographic shutters, and only since 1903 have photographic lenses been a part of his factory product. Yet in that time he has placed his goods so high in the estimation of dealer and user that Wollensak stamped on lens or shut- ter is a guarantee. Opportunity and the man met, but honor goes to this man of high ideals, deep religious convictions, mechanical and business ability, who, un- daunted and unafraid, used his talents and won for himself an honored place in the commercial world, a private reputation without a blemish, and citizenship beyond reproach.
Wollensak is an ancient German family name. Andrew Wollensak, grandfather of Andrew Wollensak, of Rochester, was twice married, and died at the age of
eighty-two years. Johan Wollensak, son of Andrew Wollensak and his first wife, Helena, was a carpenter. He married Elizabeth Bollin, daughter of Johan and Barbara (Mohr) Bollin, who bore him twelve children, three of whom are now living, Andrew, of Rochester; John C., associated with his brother Andrew in business ; Victoria, wife of John Hicks, of Rochester. Johan Wollensak, the father, died in 1880, aged fifty-seven years ; his wife died in 1874, aged forty-two years.
Andrew Wollensak, son of Johan and Elizabeth (Bollin) Wollensak, was born in Wiechs, Baden, Germany, November 13, 1862. He attended public school until fourteen years of age, then left home to become apprentice to the trade of mill- wright and machinist. He remained in his native land until 1882, then came to the United States, locating in Rochester, New York, his funds barely allowing him to reach that city. He secured work at his trade, and in the following year en- tered the employ of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company. Quickly mastering the detail of optical instrument and lens manufacture as practiced by the company he was employed with, he attracted favor- able notice and received several promo- tions during the sixteen years he re- mained in that employ, finally becoming foreman of a department. After sixteen years' service with the Bausch & Lomb Company, he resolved to test his own ability and to engage in business on his own account, therefore he tendered his resignation, and in June, 1899, he began with a factory force consisting of him- self and one boy to manufacture shutters for photographic cameras. The shutter was of his own design, was satisfactory in its operations, and soon a demand was created, the price as well as the quality being attractive to the trade. For four years he continued the exclusive manu- facture of shutters, increasing his force
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and enlarging his quarters. In 1903 he added the manufacture of camera lenses, that department being in charge of his brother, John C. Wollensak. Both de- partments have prospered abundantly, both shutter and lens being kept on sale by practically every dealer in photo- graphic supplies in the United States, dealer and user having found that "Wol- lensak" stands for unsurpassed excellence in quality and a "square deal" both for the man who sells and for him who uses. His trade in the United States is very large and widely extended, an export trade of generous proportions also having been developed. The officers of the company are: Andrew Wollensak, president; H. C. Gorton, vice-president and treasurer ; John C. Wollensak, secretary; Jacob G. Magin, assistant secretary. The presi- dent, Andrew Wollensak, has invented and patented some twenty-four machines and devices pertaining to the manufacture of shutters and lenses. He is the inventor of the first automatic shutter and has re- cently (1915) invented and patented the first high-speed automatic shutter, which will soon be placed upon the market under the name of "Optimo."
There is a great deal of sentiment in Mr. Wollensak's nature and one form of it is displayed in the conditions under which his two hundred and fifty em- ployees work. Everything in his great factory (he is the largest manufacturer of camera shutters in the United States) is designed for comfort, health, efficiency and the safeguarding of his employees, there being a separate entrance for the women employed, and a strict rule of the establishment is that no profanity or ob- jectionable language be used, the result being that parents are pleased to find em- ployment there for their sons and daugh- ters. The grounds surrounding the fac- tory are beautifully laid out and well
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