USA > New York > Cayuga County > History of Cayuga County, New York > Part 45
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CHARLES F. RATTIGAN, son of the late Charles Rattigan, was born November 13, 1865, at No. 20 Logan street, Auburn, N. Y., and still resides in the old homestead. He graduated from the Auburn High School in the class of 1884, and in the fall of that year began his career as a newspaper man, as a reporter on the Evening Despatch. After six months on the Despatch he went to the Bulletin, on which he served first as reporter, then as news
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editor, and finally became managing editor, which position he held for several years prior to the establishment of the Auburn Citizen by a stock company which purchased the Bulletin and merged it in the new paper. Since that time, Mr. Rattigan has been managing editor and general manager of the Citizen
Since he became of age, Mr. Rattigan has been active in Demo- cratic politics. He was schooled in the Bulletin office under the late Wm. J. Moses, who was probably the most astute politician of his day in Central New York. Mr. Rattigan has worked long and earnestly for the betterment of his party, and is an uncom- promising advocate of clean methods, sound principles and popular rule-so he holds the confidence and esteem of the best men of his party, and is regarded as a safe and worthy leader
In 1896 Charles F. Rattigan married Caroline L. Meyer, and they have a family of three children, namely, Caroline, Charles F. Jr., and Elizabeth.
COLONEL EDWIN B. MORGAN was born at Aurora, Cayuga County, N. Y., May 2, 1806, and during a large part of the nine- teenth century was one of the prominent figures of the county. He was educated at the old Cayuga Lake Academy, and at the early age of thirteen was a clerk in the store of his father, Major Morgan. At twenty-one he succeeded to the business which included many lines, especially the buying of wool, grain and pork from the farmers. In 1850 he was nominated for Congress, but lost the election by fourteen votes. In 1852 he was again nomin- ated and carried the election. He was re-elected in 1854 and again in 1856, his majority in the last named year reaching nine thousand. He took a great interest in the cause of education and was an unusually progressive man. He was one of the original proprietors of the New York Times, and was for a time president of the Times Association. He was one of the originators of the Wells, Fargo Express Company, was its first president and held
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the office for four years. He was also a stockholder in the Adams, the American and the United States express companies; also in various banks and railroads. He was one of the largest stock- holders in the Oswego Starch Company, of which he was a director. For thirty years he was president of Cayuga Lake Academy, and was one of the original trustees of Wells College, was its vice- president for years, and contributed $100,000 to its endowment. He was trustee of the State Agricultural College at Ovid, and of the Peoples College at Havana. He was one of the first Board of Trustees of Cornell University ; was also a trustee of the Auburn Theological Seminary; with Wm. E. Dodge he erected the seminary library building, and he contributed $75,000 toward the con- struction of Morgan Hall. He was one of the original trustees of the State Inebriate Asylum at Binghamton, and he contributed toward the Brazilian explorations of Prof. Har .. He lived to a ripe old age, universally respected and esteemed. His death occurred October 13, 1881.
WELLS COLLEGE, the gift of Henry Wells to the cause of female education, is beautifully situated in the village of Aurora, N. Y. The original building was commenced in 1866, and completed in 1868. It is built in the Norman style of architecture, with tucked joints, fourteen gables and two towers. The entrance is through a fine portico with groined arches, and the students' rooms, parlors, etc, are large and well appointed. A fine view of the bay and Cayuga Lake may be had from nearly every window in the edifice. On August 9, 1888 the main hall was destroyed by fire. This calamity proved a blessing in disguise, as it rallied the friends of the college to its support with renewed ardor. Nearly all the old students returned in September; the trustees chartered the village hotel and renamed it the Wayside Inn; the old Morgan homestead was brought into service as the Tabard Inn; the residence of Mrs. Henry Morgan became part of the college under the name of the
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Annex, and thus temporary accomodations were provided for the students and teachers. The new building was commenced promptly, and was nearly ready for occupation in the Spring of 1890. The commencement exercises of that year were held in the new Music Hall. Outside of the furnishings, the building cost nearly one hundred and sixty thousand dollars.
In 1904 George Morgan Ward, D. D., L L. D. became president of Wells, and during the four years, since elapsed, the college has risen to the front rank among American seminaries. It classes with Vassar or Smith in the standard of its matriculation and in its curriculum; and because the number of applicants for admission far exceeds the capacity of the buildings, the college is enabled to select the very best students. It is therefore a distinct honor for a young lady to matriculate at Wells. Then, the course of study must be pursued faithfully in order that the student may remain in the college.
These facts are fast becoming known, and earnest students, in increasing numbers, are seeking admission to the college because of the distinction which its name confers. To meet this demand much has already been done in adding to the capacity and ap- pointments of the institution. During Dr. Ward's régime several new buildings bave been added, including a science hall, gymnasium, and power house and two small dormotories. The grounds have been liberally enlarged by two separate purchasers, and a spacious dining-room is now in course of erection.
Dr. Ward is a native of Massachusetts, and is a graduate of Harvard, in arts, of Dartmouth, of Boston Law School, of Andover in theology and a special student of Johns Hopkins. For six years he was general secretary for the Christian Endeavor movement, traveling most of the time. Subsequently he became president of Rollins College, at Winter Park, Florida, and under his direction that institution was extremely successful and prosperous.
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In 1900 Dr. Ward was invited to take charge of the church at Palm Beach. He accepted the call and preached there for four years. In 1902 he resigned the presidency of the college because he found the double work too much for his strength. Then in 1904 he came to Aurora to take the presidency of Wells College.
In June, 1900, Dartmouth College conferred the degree of doctor of divinity upon President Ward, and he has also been honored with the degree of doctor of laws.
The regime of Dr. Ward at Wells has already become an epoch in the history of the college, through his advanced ideas and the enthusiastic support given him by the trustees. Not only have the buildings been added to, but the endowment of the college has been increased more than one hundred thousand dollars, the number of students has nearly doubled, and the institution has taken a rank second to none in the country.
BENJAMIN HUTCHINGS is a native of England, but came to America in 1885, while still a youth. Four years after coming to Auburn, or in 1889, he purchased the old Worden blacksmith shop. In 1900 he rebuilt and partly enlarged the shop and increased the facilities for doing work making the establishment the most impor- tant in its line in the city. The shop is forty-two by seventy feet in dimensions and two stories in height. He also bought out the Auburn Rubber Tire Works in 1901, and consolidated the two enterprises. He makes a specialty of rubber tires and repairing of all kinds of vehicles, but also builds carriages, wagons and sleighs to order. An especial feature of his business is the expert horse- shoeing department. All defects arising from improper shoeing are remedied, and imperfections in gait, etc., are overcome whenever possible. In fact a reputation in this line has been established which extends throughout this and adjoining counties.
Mr. Hutchings has always taken a lively interest in the welfare of his adopted city and has been for years a factor in public life.
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He is a Republican in politics and has served his party on county committees. He was alderman for the seventh ward during the years 1906 and 1907. Mr. Hutchings married Emma J. Hazlitt and they have three children, Florence Emma, Bertha May, and Benjamin James.
T. M. POMEROY, who conducts the leading hardware store in Auburn, was born in this city, January 14, 1874, and received his education at the Laurenceville School and Hamilton College. He began his business life in the banking house of Wm. H. Seward & Co., but subsequently entered the hardware business. In 1906 the house of T. M. Pomeroy & Company, of which he is the head, was incorporated. They carry on a large business in hardware, both at wholesale and retail.
Mr. Pomeroy is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the City Club, and Country Club of Auburn, of the Auburn Automobile Club, and of the Alpha Delta Phi society of Hamilton College, of which his father was a member in his college days. T. M. Pomeroy married Mabel Wadsworth, daughter of David Wadsworth, Jr., of Auburn. His parents were Hon. T. M. Pomeroy and Elizabeth (Watson) Pomeroy.
FREDERICK A. SEFTON, M. D., was born in the town of Stock- port, county of Cheshire, England, July 29, 1857 His father was James Sefton. His mother's maiden name was Catherine Goodwin, and their ancestors lived in Lancashire and Cheshire for three or four centuries. Mr. James Sefton belonged to the firm of Orrell Brothers, manufacturers of cotton-spinning machinery, the Orrells being his brothers-in-law; and in this business he continued until 1865, when the sudden termination of the Southern Rebellion in the United States so largely affected the English cotton interests. About that time Mr. Sefton came to America.
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Frederick A. Sefton was a boy eight years old when the family came to this country, and received his education mostly in the public schools of Holyoke, Mass., and in the Pinkerton Academy at Derry, N. H. Afterward he spent four years at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Me. Following his graduation there in 1880, he studied his profession at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, and also in the medical department of Yale College. Having finished his course there in 1884, and duly received his diploma, Dr. Sefton went to London for a year's practical experience in the hospitals, after which he returned to this country, and practised for a time in New York, until invited to undergo the Civil Service examination for the post of assistant physician in the State Asylum at Auburn. He passed, and was for six years chief assistant in the hospital, then resigned his place in order to take charge of the "Pines," in 1891, where he has since remained doing an admirable work for unfortunate humanity.
HENRY D. TITUS, of Auburn, is the able superintendent of the Auburn Division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and has long been identified with practical railway interests. He was born in the town of Victor, Ontario County, N. Y., June 5, 1849. His great- grandfather was Benjamin Titus, who was born on Long Island. A more remote ancestor than Benjamin was Samuel Titus, who came from Suffolkshire, England, and settled on Long Island about 1664, where he and his descendants lived for some genera- tions, engaged for the most part in agricultural pursuits. They were Quakers in religion down to the grandfather of Henry D. Titus, a second Samuel Titus, who married "out of meeting," which caused a break in the religious unity of the family.
Mr. Henry D. Titus was appointed acting superintendent of the Southern Central Railroad, January 26, 1885; and two years later, at New Year's, 1887, when the road was leased to theLehigh Valley Railroad, be became superintendent of the Southern Central
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Division of the Pennsylvania & New York Canal and Railroad Company, holding the new office till December 1, 1888. From January Ist of the same year till March 16, 1892, he was superin- tendent of the Auburn Division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, when for five months he served as superintendent of the Auburn Division of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. In August of that same year, 1892, he was appointed superintend- ent of the South Central Railroad for Charles Campbell, its trustee, but on December 5th of that winter he resumed his former position as superintendent of the Auburn Division of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, and held it till August 1, 1893, at which time the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company again took possession of the property, Mr. Titus retaining the same position which he holds at the present time.
It is noticeable that, while apparently holding many different railroad offices during these thirty years, Mr. Titus has virtually been in charge of the same section of road, the variations being in the corporate ownership rather than in the road itself. The Southern Central Railroad was organized in 1865, and its con- struction begun two years later. It was finished from Owego to Auburn in February, 1870, from Owego to North Fair Haven in November, 1871, and from State Line to North Fair Haven in April, 1872. In May, 1892, Mr. Titus was also made superintend- ent of the Auburn, Ithaca, and Cayuga branches of the Phila- delphia & Reading Railroad; and on August 1, 1893, he became superintendent of these branches of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
FRANK H. BARRETT, wholesale and retail cigar and tobacco dealer, I North street, Auburn, has been engaged in this branch of business for the past fourteen years. He has the largest trade and the best equipped store in the city-its location being so central- and "Barrett's" is popular with the best class of people who appre- ciate high grade goods. Mr. Barrett is a native Auburnian, born
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January 28, 1876. His ancestors were Vermont people, noted for their thrift and business acumen. Mr. Barrett is a member of different social organizations and his family consists of wife and one son, Cecil Baxter.
BENJAMIN M. WILCOX, of Auburn, N. Y., was born in Fleming, Cayuga County, in 1854, and is the son of Joseph and Lydia (Martin) Wilcox. Both his parents were born at Frome, Somersetshire, England, the father being engaged for twenty-one years in coal- mining in that country. Coming to America in 1853, Joseph Wilcox settled first in the town of Fleming, and moved to Auburn in 1865, engaging in the business of a contractor, and also running a farm.
Benjamin received his early education at the common and high schools of Auburn; and at the completion of his school life, in 1870, accepted a position as messenger in the county clerk's office, in which capacity he remained until July, 1876, when he was appointed deputy county clerk and clerk of the Board of Supervisors. In the fall of 1882 Mr. Wilcox was elected to the office of county clerk, commencing his duties in January, 1883, and was subsequently elected for three consecutive terms, which was the first time for over half a century that any man had been able to hold an office for more than two consecutive terms. Upon his retirement from this position the bar of Auburn presented Mr. Wilcox with a very fine testimonial in recognition of his useful services, efficiency, and unfailing courtesy in the performance of his onerous duties.
Mr. Wilcox has always taken a very active and prominent part in politics, having been chairman of the Republican County Com- mittee on several different occasions, also serving as secretary for the same body. The good work he has done for his party has been duly appreciated by them. He has served in both branches of the state legislature,
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In religious belief Mr Wilcox is a Methodist, and is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Auburn. He is also a prominent Odd Fellow.
WILLIAM RICHARDS LAIRD, M. D., was born in the town of Fleming, Cayuga County, N Y., October 19, 1845, and is the son of Andrew and Abby Maria (Richards) Laird. The family, as the name would imply, is of Scotch descent, the grandfather coming from Scotland when he was four years old. His wife, who was a Miss Jeannette Hamilton, was also of Scotch ancestry, and was born on the high seas, coming over to this country. Mr. Andrew Laird was born at Mayfield, Fulton County, N. Y., May 11, 1814, and was there engaged in the business of a carriage manufacturer, coming to this country when he was nineteen years of age and settling in the town of Springport. He afterward removed to Union Springs, and carried on his business there for nearly fifty years. He was well known and highly respected in all of the southern part of Cayuga County ; and, although not an office seeker, he was a strong and prominent Whig, afterward becoming a Repub- lican, and was also one of the earliest and most active supporters of the temperance cause. He departed this life at Union Springs in 1879. Mrs. Laird was the daughter of Simeon and Mary (Chid- ester) Richards, and was also born in Cayuga County. The Rich- ards family was one of the early pioneers, removing from Saratoga to Cayuga County in 1805, settling in the town of Scipio, where they engaged in the pursuit of farming. Mrs. Laird died in Decem- ber, 1848, at the early age of thirty-seven.
Dr. W. R Laird received his youthful education at the common school and academy at Union Springs, and at the early age of eighteen years, which was toward the close of the Civil War, enlisted ₼ Battery B, Third New York Light Artillery, being detailed for duty on the southern coast, serving for one year, when he was discharged under general orders at the termination of the war.
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In the year 1865 he entered the wholesale house of Hayden & Letchworth of Auburn, where he was employed as salesman and bookkeeper, remaining with that firm until October 1, 1869, at which time, his health failing him, he was obliged to seek the mild climate of the South, going to Spottsylvania Court House, Va., remaining there until the year 1874. In that year he returned to New York State, and went into the office of Dr John M. Farring- ton, of Trumansburg, N. Y., to pursue the study of medicine. He subsequently entered the University of Buffalo, and, after graduation in the class of 1880, located his office at Auburn, where he practised until 1883, when he took the post-graduate course at the University of New York, which included an extensive hospital course. He then returned to this city, and has remained here ever since, having gained a large and lucrative general practice.
THE OSBORNE HOUSE, Auburn, N. Y., is so well and favorably known to the traveling public that little can be said about this famous hostelry that has not already become known. But it may be interesting to those who have not visited The Osborne and partaken of its hospitalities to mention here that since Thomas F. Dignum became proprietor he has had the interior practically remodeled and redecorated, and an elegant and modern grill room has become an attractive and popular adjunct of the house. The offices, dining room, bar and billiard room are up-to-date in every respect, and the hotel is classed as second to none in Central New York. So popular has The Osborne become that its patronage overtaxes its capacity, and in the near future it will be greatly enlarged by the addition of a new building abutting the present fine structure. The new edifice is designed primarily as a modern theatre, but it will add largely to the capacity and attractiveness of The Osborne. This enlargement of the hotel and notable addition to the architecture of the city are the direct result of Mr. Dignum's able management of The Osborne; the ever increasing
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business of the house making greater accommodations desirable. A superior hotel is a most important factor in the commercial life of a city which lies near a larger one, and the enterprise which aims to make The Osborne House as good as any in the state is highly commendable. Mr. Dignum is identified with different local, social and financial institutions in Auburn, and is justly popular in the city, with the business interests of which he is so intimately connected.
GEORGE F. FORDYCE, sheriff of Cayuga County from 1904 to 1908, was born in Venice, Cayuga County, and has made one of the best sheriffs that this county has ever had. Prior to his election to this office, he had been a member of assembly for four terms, and has also held the office of supervisor, of which body he was chairman. In politics Mr. Fordyce is a Republican, and has always been an active worker for his party since he reached his majority. Mr. Fordyce has also served as chairman of the Republican County Committee and in other important political positions. He is relied upon to aid all measures tending to the welfare of good government and has served the public faithfully and well. Sheriff Fordyce, in completing his term of office last year, carried with him the highest regard of the public, who thoroughly appreciate his able management of the sheriff's office in Cayuga County.
MICHAEL PATRICK CONWAY, M. D., was born October 3, 1860, in Ithaca, N. Y., where his father, Patrick Conway, was a merchant. Dr. Conway was educated in the public schools of Ithaca, the Catholic University of Ottawa, Canada, the medical department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, Md., graduating as doctor of medicine in 1883. He practised in Auburn four years, then took a post-graduate course at the New York Polyclinic Hospital, returning to Auburn after an absence of two years. In 1890 he
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visited the hospitals in London, Dublin and Paris, attending the Tenth International Medical Conference at Berlin, and was honored with membership. He also attended the annual meeting of the British Medical Association, held in Birmingham, and was elected an honorary member. In 1896 he again visited Europe, spending his time in France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and made a special study of the Carlsbad Springs, in Bohemia. Dr. Conway served as health commissioner of Auburn from 1884 to 1890; he has been excise commissioner three terms, member of the Democratic State Committee from 1898 to 1902, and was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention held in Kansas City, July 4, 1900. He is a member of the medical staff of the Auburn City Hospital, Medical Society of the State of New York, Central New York Medical Association, Cayuga County Medical Society, and is surgeon for the Auburn Division of the New York Central Railroad. He is president of the Board of Water Commissioners for the City of Auburn and takes an unusual interest in the duties of his office.
EMMETT RHODES, of Auburn, was born at Pompey Hill, Onon- daga County, N. Y., February 17, 1855, and is the son of George Andrew and Charlotte C. (Young) Rhodes. His father was born in the town of Lansing, Tompkins County, the family being among the early settlers of that town.
The home of Emmett Rhodes being situated two miles from the nearest school, he received his early education under the tuition of his father. At the age of sixteen years he left home, and by industry he secured money enough to enable him to attend the high school at Ithaca, N. Y. On the completion of his school life he began teaching school in Pennsylvania, and was later occupied in the same profession in this county for several terms, until the year 1879, when he went to Ithaca, and engaged in the fire insurance business He afterward moved to Canandaigua, where he bought
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out the firm of Couch & Co., but, selling out, was appointed special agent on the road for the Continental Fire Insurance Company, spending most of his time at headquarters in Wilmington, Del., and Baltimore. In 1885 he accepted the position of general agent of the Equitable Life Insurance Company, with headquarters at Auburn, in which city he has built up a splendid business for the company.
Mr. Rhodes was united in marriage April 21, 1881, to Miss Louie Miller, of Aurora, N Y., and has three children-Edith, Clarence Dana, and Harold E. Rhodes.
Mr. Rhodes is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a trustee and treasurer of the Board of Trustees, and also of the church. He is also a member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Auburn City Club. Mr. Rhodes has always taken an active interest in the work of the Young Men's Christian Association, and has been a member of the Board of Managers most of the time, and president of the same for the last two years. During the two years of his presidency the Board has cleared off an indebtedness of twenty thousand dollars which was incurred in the erection of the present fine building, which cost $75,000.
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