USA > New York > Jefferson County > Genealogical and family history of the county of Jefferson, New York, Volume II > Part 56
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Soon after engaging in the grain business, Mr. Carter naturally became connected with the Chicago Board of Trade, and his connec- tion with that body is one of which he may be justly proud. Almost from the time of his joining in 1872, he held some official position upon the board, beginning as a member of the board of arbitration and appeals, he was subsequently a director three years, was two years vice president and in 1898 served as president of the Board of Trade. He is a member of the Lincoln Club and was formerly connected with the Illi- nois Club. Of genial manner and pleasing address, with kindly heart and zeal for the right. Mr. Carter is a welcome member of any associa- tion into which he may be called.
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He was married in the autumn of 1868. to Miss Mary L. Wheedon, who was born in Washington county, New York, a daughter of John Wheedon, and was reared in Wisconsin. She died in 1874. leaving a daughter. Helen, who is now the wife of Dr. George McConnell, of Chicago. In 1878 Mr. Carter married Emma Dennis. a native of Or- leans, New York. Captain Albert Dennis, who lost a foot at the battle of Williamsburg, during the Civil war, and was subsequently assessor of Orleans and a well known and popular citizen, is of this family, be- ing a brother of Mrs. Carter. Two children were born of Mr. Carter's second marriage, namely : Mildred and Roscoe, who are still at home with their parents.
MERRITT ANDRUS CLEVELAND. of Brockport. New York, and Ottawa, Ontario, whose name is prominently identified with many of the extensive and important enterprises of his native state, New York, and the Dominion of Canada, especially along the lines of railroads and canals, was born at East Houndsfield. Jefferson county, August 27. 1849, son of Philander Blodgett Cleveland.
During his boyhood and early manhood Merritt A. Cleveland worked upon his father's farms, attending school at Houndsfield, Brownville, Dexter and Watertown, all in Jefferson county, until 1869. The follow- ing year he joined the civil engineering corps of the Carthage, Water- town and Sackett's Harbor Railroad, where he was employed in con- structing the railroad. and later was employed by the Clayton and Theresa Railroad and also by the Watertown Water Works, and em- ployed in the city engineer's office the first year that Watertown was in- corporated as a city. He made his residence at Watertown and part of the time at Clayton until 1872. In April of that year he was appointed division engineer of the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad, and in 1873 took charge of the construction of the Kingston and Pembroke Railway of Canada, residing for the time at Kingston, Canada. In July, 1874. he formed the firm of Hunter & Cleveland, and began the regular contract- ing of building railroads, completing the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad and several other contracts on the line of the railroad between Oswego and Niagara Falls. In 1877 he formed the firm of Hunter, Murray & Cleveland, and receiving the contract for the construction of a part of the Welland Canal in Canada from the Dominion government, carried that tremendous waterway to completion at Port Colborne, Welland. St. Catherines, making his home at Port Colborne during this time in
MERRITT A. CLEVELAND
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order to supervise the work personally. He also constructed the Murray canal and many harbors on the Upper Lakes. In 1882 the firm of War- ren & Cleveland was formed, taking the contract to build the Pittsburg, Cleveland & Toledo Railroad in Pennsylvania and Ohio, he making his residence during the work at Youngstown, Ohio, until March, 1884. In 1886 the firm of Murray & Cleveland was formed at St. Catherines, On- tario. for the purpose of general contracting, and this firm accepted the contract from the Dominion government to deepen the Welland Canal, Port Dalhousie. In 1888 the Dominion government again called on his services to construct the Galop Canal around the Galop Rapids in the St. Lawrence river, and at the same time to construct an eastern entrance to Toronto Harbor on Lake Ontario.
June 1, 1897, Mr. Cleveland began work on what is known as the North Channel, and the result obtained was an unimpeded British chan- nel eighteen feet deep, three hundred feet in width and an air line three and a half miles in length, and thus an easy entrance is gained to the great Canadian canal system of the St. Lawrence.
In all these mammoth enterprises, which have contributed in so large degree to the development of the commercial interests of the lake region and the country tributary thereto, it must be remembered that thousands of men, skilled and unskilled laborers, have been employed by Mr. Cleveland. To his credit be it said that while strikes have been raging and governments and judiciaries compelled to interfere, Mr. Cleveland has never had any strikes or labor troubles of any kind arising from the many quarrels and misunderstandings almost sure to crop out in these days, and especially in great undertakings. The building of the channel attracted universal attention, and the Illustrated London News, in its issue of August 26, 1899, gave in its colunins an elaborate detailed account of the grand work. The Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa papers have followed the work for years and delight in using their columns to applaud the mighty achievements of Mr. Cleveland as he adds one to another. The Watertown Daily Times honored its former citizen in a special issue, and the New York Herald had an exhaustive account of the work done at Port Colborne on the Welland Canal in its issue of April 12, 1880. In Merritt A. Cleveland, one sees a young man who has accomplished that which might well have been crowded into a much longer life.
Mr. Cleveland was married, at Sodus, New York, May 20, 1875, to Miss Ellen Elizabeth Smith, who was born July 24, 1857, in Sodus, New
78
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York, daughter of Orril and Caroline ( Prosser ) Smith. They are the parents of four children: Milo L., born January 21. 1879, at Port Colborne. Helen Louise, born April 4. 1880, at Port Colborne. Harold, born June 24. 1885, at Brockport, New York. Florence Murray, born February 2, 1893. at Brockport, New York.
HORACE A. PHILLIPS, a successful farmer, a public-spirited citizen and an honorable man, was born November 1. 1851, on the farm upon which he now resides, in Clayton, Jefferson county, New York, on the road from St. Lawrence to Depauville, a son of Andrew and Almeta M. (Ingerson) Phillips, a grandson of Louis and Elizabeth ( McCombs) Phillips, and great-grandson of John and Sophronia Phillips.
John Phillips (great-grandfather) resided in Johnstown, New York, for many years, removing from thence to Pamelia, same state. and was numbered among the pioneer settlers of that section. He pur- chased a tract of land in an almost impenetrable wilderness, and in due course of time he cleared it off and brought it under a fine state of cul- tivation. Here he resided for a long period of time, but a few years previous to his death, which occurred in the seventy-sixth year of his age, he made his home with his son. Benjamin. His wife, Sophronia, bore him five children, namely: John, Louis, Nancy, Betsy and Ben- jamin.
Louis Phillips (grandfather) was born and spent the early years of his life in Johnstown, New York, accompanied his father in 1835. to Pamelia, but after a short residence there located in Perch River, where he remained four years. He finally settled in the town of Lyme near the present home of Horace A. Phillips, that section of the county at that early day being nothing more than a wilderness. He made a clearing in the forest and built a log house, cleared and tilled the land, and the proceeds realized from his hard and unremitting labor were sufficient to provide his family with a comfortable home and all the necessaries of life. To men such as Mr. Phillips, and there were many of them, are the residents of this section indebted for the conveniences and improvements which they now enjoy. Mr. Phillips married Eliza- beth MeCombs, daughter of John and Magdalena ( Frank) McCombs. of Utica, New York. John Frank was a judge, and the village of Frankfort, near Utica. New York, was named in honor of him, he coming to this section as a pioneer and taking a prominent part in the
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early development of the county. They had a family of fifteen chil- dren, eleven of whom attained years of maturity. Mrs. Frank died at the age of seventy-six years. Louis and Elizabeth ( McCombs ) Phil- lips were the parents of eleven children, as follows :
Mary Ann, who died at the age of eighty-eight years; John. who died at the age of eighty-four years; Sophia, who died at the age of eighty years; Andrew, father of Horace A. Phillips, now in the eighty- third year of his age; Sally, who died at the age of seventy-six: Ben- jamin. a resident of Michigan; Catherine, who became the wife of James Rice, of Dexter. New York: Caroline, who became the wife of Manuel Grower; Charles, a resident of Michigan ; Hiram, who resides near Horace A. Phillips; and Thomas J., a resident of Cape Vincent. The father of these children was seventy-six years old when he de- parted this life, and the mother was seventy-five.
Andrew Phillips ( father) was born March 17. 1822, was reared on a farm, educated in common schools, attending the winter sessions only, and his entire business career has been devoted to farming, which proved both a pleasant and profitable occupation. In 1850 he pur- chased twenty acres of land near the home of Horace A. Phillips. He was industrious, frugal in his habits, temperate in all things, a man of excellent judgment, and therefore it is needless to say that he has been able to accumulate a handsome property. He is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, as was also his wife, and for a number of years he served in the capacity of steward. He has been connected with the Grange for six years, and politically he is a staunch adherent of the principles of Republicanism.
On October 15, 1846, Andrew Phillips married Almeta M. Inger- son, born in Le Ray, New York, one of six children born to Darwin Ingerson. Four children were the issue of this marriage, namely: I. Helen, born December 30. 1847, died August 4, 1892. 2. Horace A., mentioned hereinafter. 3. Martha, wife of William Enders, of Manns- ville, and their children are: Estey and Ray Enders. 4. Hattie, born June 25, 1860, now the wife of John Garland, of St. Lawrence, and their child is Myrtle Garland. The mother of these children died July 20, 1864. Darwin Ingerson. father of Mrs. Phillips, was a mechanic. For many years he was in the custom house of Cape Vincent. He took an active interest in all political matters, and made many speeches in the different campaigns. His death occurred July 3, 1876.
Horace A. Phillips, only son of Andrew and Almeta M. Phillips.
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received the educational advantages afforded by the common schools of his day, and assisted his father with the duties of the home farm, thus acquiring a thorough knowledge of agriculture. Since attaining his ma- jority he has been interested in farming with his father, adding land to the original purchase of twenty acres until now ( 1904) they are the owners of three hundred and fifty-seven acres, one of the most exten- sive farms in the town, which is under a high state of cultivation. They have repaired and put in first-class condition all the buildings, and in 1903 they erected a commodious new barn, thus making them the owners of two large barns. For many years Mr. Phillips has taken an active part in political affairs, serving as delegate to many county conventions. He has also been equally active in Masonic affairs, affiliating with Depauville Lodge. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He is a man above the average of intelligence, and with his father is an important factor in the agricultural and social affairs of the section in which he resides. It is not possible for the average reader to realize from the foregoing the struggle it has cost these men, particularly the father of Horace A. Phillips, to reach the present position of affluence and com- fort. Being left a widower. with four small children, it required a strong and resolute will to fight back the fearful tide of adversity. Al- though kind-meaning friends offered to assist him by finding homes for his children, he felt that his love for them was too strong to make the sac- rifice and he toiled bravely on to give them a home and an education. His efforts were rewarded, for in a few years he had the satisfaction of seeing his two daughters obtain certificates for teaching in advance of other girls who had far better opportunities, and his sons to occupy places as com- mendable citizens in the community. His declining years are now being spent with Horace \. Phillips, who holds him in the highest esteem and affection.
On November 1. 1882, Horace .A. Phillips married Ida Mary Vin- cent, born January 15, 1860, in the town of Clayton, New York, daugh- ter of Leonard and Mary (Johnson) Vincent. Leonard Johnson was born Deceniber 4, 1822, spent his early years and was educated in the common schools of Clayton. He was a farmer, and purchased a farm near the village of Clayton. He married ( first) Mary Johnson, born in Depauville, New York, and their children were: 1. Dr. W. A. Vin- cent, of Three Mile Bay, who was born July 6. 1858, educated in common schools. Ives Seminary and Baltimore Medical College, graduating from the latter named institution on March 1, 1882. 2. Ida Mary, aforemen-
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tioned as the wife of Horace .A. Phillips. Mr. Vincent married ( second ) Carrie Ross, of Three Mile Bay, who bore him ten children. Two chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, namely: 1. Ernest Ford, born September 2, 1883, was educated in common schools at Pine Grove, and after completing his studies worked on a farm with his father un- til his death. The New York Granger contained the following tribute to the young man thus cut off at the beginning of a promising career :
"On March 5 the people of St. Lawrence were again shocked to learn of the death of Ford, son of Horace A. and Ida Vincent Phillips. A complication of appendicitis and pneumonia baffled the skill of physi- cians despite every human effort that was put forth to stay the hand of death. Ford Phillips was but nineteen. Standing on the threshold of manhood, with every prospect making life attractive, with a loving char- acter above reproach, and a good name that stood for all that is to be ad- mired in a young man, a manly young man, it seems a great pity that he should so suddenly be removed. Surely the ways of Providence are past all finding out. On the Saturday following his body was consigned to its resting place in St. Lawrence cemetery, a throng of sympathizing friends and relatives attesting their esteem and grief at what seemed like a calamity. Besides his parents, he leaves a heartbroken grandfather with whom he had been an associate from birth, and a sister yet too young to realize her misfortune. The obsequies were very feelingly conducted by Rev. Mr. Phelps and such scenes of stifled grief with young and old are seldom witnessed."
2. Blanche Estelle, youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, born December 26, 1896, at St. Lawrence, is a bright child, and is a regular attendant at the school at Pine Grove.
ALFRED A. HOLMES, for forty years actively and prominently identified with the varied interests of the town of Redwood. Jefferson county, New York, has led a life of ceaseless and tireless activity, and has achieved success in whatever undertaking he devoted his energies to. He possesses the characteristics which insure success-energy, determination, perseverance, and industry-and by the exercise of these attributes has aided and advanced not only his own interests, but also those of his town and its people. He was born in Schenectady county, New York, May 9. 1834, a son of Thomas and Ann ( Milner ) Holmes.
Thomas Holmes ( father) was a native of Staffordshire, Eng- land, where he was reared, educated and married. In 1831. accompanied by his wife. Ann ( Milner ) Holmes, and eight children, he came to the United States and settled first in Albany county, New York, whence he
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removed to Schenectady county, same state, where he was prominent both as a farmer and stock dealer. His wife was a native of Staffordshire, England, and she bore him eleven children, eight of whom were born in England. The names of the children are as follows: 1. Anna Maria, who became the wife of Alexander Sproul, of Schenectady, New York ; she died in 1904. aged eighty-nine years. 2. Thomas, deceased. 3. John, deceased. 4. Pamelia, deceased. 5. Catherine J., who resides with her sister, Selina, in Montgomery county, New York. 6. Selina, who became the wife of James Filkins. 7. William G., deceased. 8. Ann, deceased. 9. Mary Eleanor, died in infancy. 10. Alfred A., mentioned hereinafter. II. Eliza, who became the wife of James Har- den, of Duanesburg, New York. Catherine J., Selina, Eliza, and Alfred .A. are the surviving members of the family at the present time ( 1905). Thomas Holmes ( father ) died in Duanesburg, New York, in the seventy- sixth year of his age, and his wife, for many years a member of the Episcopal church, passed away in Duanesburg, aged eighty-nine years.
Alfred A. Holmes was educated in the common schools of Schenec- tady county, New York. During his boyhood and early manhood he as- sisted his father with the work of the farm, and also dealt quite exten- sively in stock. In 1856 he settled in Philadelphia. Jefferson county, and for six years was a member of the firm of Holmes & Schofield. In 1862 he removed to Theresa. Jefferson county, where he engaged in general merchandise business under the firm name of A. A. Holmes & Company. In 1864 he took up his residence in Redwood. Jefferson county, purchased the business of M. W. & G. T. White, which he successfully conducted for a quarter of a century, and then disposed of to his sons, Fred T. and Wallace Holmes. Much credit should be given to Mr. Holmes in the building of the Morristown & Black River Railroad. The first step in the building of the railroad was taken on January 29. 1870. when a public meeting was called at Morristown, New York, to take the matter into consideration. On March 22, 1870, articles of association were filed with the secretary of state. The towns along the line were bonded, and these bonds were later exchanged for stock in the proposed railroad. citizens in the town of Alexandria Bay taking stock to the extent of $60,000. On April 18. 1870. the directors named in the articles of association. of which Mr. Hohines was one, met at Redwood to complete the organization of the company. David Bearup was elected president ; Hon. W. W. But- terfield. of Redwood, secretary and treasurer. The latter was succeeded by Henry S. White, of Redwood, and he in turn was succeeded by Alfred
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A. Holmes, who served in that capacity until the affairs of the road were settled up and it was leased to the Utica & Black River Railroad, in 1875. During this entire time Mr. Holmes took a very active part in the affairs of the road. The stock is still owned by the town of Alexandria Bay, in which it was subscribed, and owing to shrewd business ability no money was lost by the transaction at the time of consolidation.
In 1878 Mr. Holmes purchased a number of farms which he op- erated on shares, and at the present time ( 1905) is the owner of four farms of two hundred acres each whereon he keeps from eighty to ninety cows. He is also the owner of a large amount of real estate, from which he derives a goodly income. In addition to the management of his farms, he operates the Redwood grist mill, which was formerly the property of H. S. White, and which is equipped with three runs of stone and a steel grinder, and for the past ten years he has been extensively engaged in the manufacture of limburger cheese. For a number of years Mr. Holmes was actively interested in the Alexandria Bay Steamboat Company, whose boats plied between Clayton and Ogdensburg, the names of which were the " Island Wanderer " and the " Island Ramble," both of which were subsequently sold to the Folger line of steamboats. In connection with Anson Harder, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, Mr. Holmes purchased the passenger steamboat known as the " Island Belle," which made daily trips on the beautiful and majestic St. Lawrence river, between Clayton and Ogdensburg, a distance of fifty miles. This is op- erated at the present time by his sons, Wallace W. and Gilbert Holmes. Mr. Holmes is a director in the Thousand Island Bank, at Alexandria Bay, and one of the principal stockholders in the Watertown Sand Brick Company, at Sandfords, near Watertown, New York. In politics he is a Democrat of the Jeffersonian stamp, and has been repeatedly chosen as delegate to state and county conventions. He also served as highway commissioner one year, and supervisor three years. He takes an intelli- gent interest in religious and educational matters, and has ever received the well merited respect of his business associates and personal friends.
In 1859 Mr. Holmes married Sarah .A. Waite, one of a number of children born to Thomas Waite, of Pamelia, New York. The surviving members of the family of Thomas Waite are as follows: Jeremiah, a resident of Pamelia ; William H., a resident of Watertown; Mrs. Dexter W. Havens, of Watertown; and Sarah A., wife of Alfred A. Holmes. Mr. Waite died in 1868, aged sixty-eight years, and his wife passed away
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aged sixty-nine years. The following named children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Holmes :
1. Fred T., born at Philadelphia, Jefferson county. New York, Oc- toher 31. 1859. He was a graduate of Hungerford Collegiate Institute, in which institution he pursued a course in bookkeeping and banking. In 1883 he entered into partnership with his father, performing the indoor work of the business, and upon the retirement of the latter, who was suc- ceeded by Wallace W. Holmes. a brother of Fred T., the firm of Holmes Brothers was formed, and this connection continued until the instant death of Fred T. Holmes by an accident. January 18. 1899. He was a man of great perseverance and remarkable executive ability, and served his township in the capacity of town clerk. notary public, and a member of the board of supervisors for five years. In 1887 he married Mary C. Ahles, daughter of C. Alles, and their children are: Alfred Raymond and De Etta Holmes.
2. Jennie, who died in early life. 3. De Etta, who also died in early life. 4. Addie W., who resides at home with her parents. 5. Wallace W., a sketch of whom follows this. 6. Sarah, who died July 30, 1902 : she was the wife of Fred D. Yoste, of Theresa, New York, and mother of one child. Sarah Holmes Yoste. 7. Gilbert N., a partner with his brother. Wallace W., in the management of the steamer, "Island Belle": he married Florence N. Salsbury, who bore him one child. Francis M. Holmes.
In the fall of 1892 Mr. Alfred A. Holmes, accompanied by his wife and daughters, took a trip to Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. which proved most interesting. instructive and beneficial, giving them a fair idea of the business and social life of the Antipodeans. They were fifty-eight days aboard ship, spent the winter abroad, and returned to their native land the following summer.
WALLACE W. HOLMES, second son of Alfred A. and Sarah A. ( Waite) Holmes, was born in Redwood. Jefferson county, New York, March 8, 1869.
Ile obtained an excellent education in the common schools adjacent to his home, at Adams Collegiate Institute, and Clinton Liberal Institute. at Fort Plain. New York. He gained his first experience in business life as a clerk in his father's store, which he entered at the age of nineteen vears, and the following year he purchased an interest with his brother. Fred T .. after the retirement of their father, under the firm name of
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Holmes Bros., which connection continued until the decease of Fred T. Holmes, January 18. 1899. He then formed a partnership with his brother, Gilbert N., which still continues. In addition to their extensive mercantile business in Redwood, which is one of the leading industries of the town, in 1902 they began operating the steamboat " Island Belle." purchased by their father-Alfred A. Holmes-and Anson Harder. which makes daily trips on the majestic and picturesque St. Lawrence river, from Clayton to Ogdensburg, a distance of fifty miles. Their business career has been one of marked enterprise, wherein their reliable methods have contributed in a large measure to their prosperity. As a citizen he has ever been alert. earnest and conscientious, keenly alive to everything which concerns in any way the well being of his town and county. He has served in the capacity of treasurer of the school dis- trict five years, his incumbency having been marked with the utmost in- tegrity and efficiency. He is a firm adherent of the principles of Democ- racy, giving his aid to the elections of the candidates of that party, and to the success of its measures. He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, Theresa Chapter, in which he has held offices; Watertown Commandery : and Media Temple of Mystic Shrine. He is also a mem- ler of the Independent Order of Foresters, serving as financial secre- tary six years.
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