USA > New York > Seneca County > History of Central New York : embracing Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, Ontario, Tompkins, Cortland, Schuyler, Yates, Chemung, Steuben, and Tioga Counties, Volume II > Part 29
USA > New York > Cayuga County > History of Central New York : embracing Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, Ontario, Tompkins, Cortland, Schuyler, Yates, Chemung, Steuben, and Tioga Counties, Volume II > Part 29
USA > New York > Wayne County > History of Central New York : embracing Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, Ontario, Tompkins, Cortland, Schuyler, Yates, Chemung, Steuben, and Tioga Counties, Volume II > Part 29
USA > New York > Ontario County > History of Central New York : embracing Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, Ontario, Tompkins, Cortland, Schuyler, Yates, Chemung, Steuben, and Tioga Counties, Volume II > Part 29
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Bert T. Baker acquired his early education in the public schools of the Town of Enfield. In 1888 he came to Ithaca to make his home with an uncle, James L. Baker, one of the city's leading attorneys. He subsequently was graduated from Ithaca High School and received the degree of LL. B. at Cornell University in 1897, being admitted to the bar during the same year. He was associated in practice with his uncle until the latter's death in 1916. Mr. Baker has offices in the Ithaca Savings Bank Building.
Mr. Baker is a Republican and held the office of acting Record- er of Ithaca for four years, clerk of the Board of Supervisors of
BERT T. BAKER
سداد
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Tompkins County for ten years, election commissioner of Tomp- kins County for six years, and county attorney for Tompkins County for four years, city attorney for the City of Ithaca for two years and clerk of the Board of Assessors of the City of Ith- aca for four years. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with Hobasco Lodge, F. & A. M. No. 716. He is a member and vice president (1932) of Tompkins County Bar Asso- ciation, and a member and alternate delegate (1932) of the Feder- ation of Bar Associations of the Sixth Judicial District.
Hon. Melvin Snow Gaylord .- As president and treasurer of Dorchester & Rose, hardware dealers, Mr. Gaylord ranks among the progressive business men of Geneva, and is a member of one of the oldest and best known families in Ontario County. He was born in this city, March 3, 1871, the son of John B. and Anna (Howard) Gaylord.
John B. Gaylord was born in Geneva in 1835. He was the son of Philotus Gaylord, pioneer builder and contractor of this city. Many of the old business blocks, as well as college buildings, stand as examples of the skill and workmanship of Philotus Gaylord. He is deceased and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Geneva. His son, John B., carried on the work which was begun by his father and was well known as a building contractor at the time of his death in 1880. He was married in 1860 to Miss Anna Howard, of Holyoke, Massachusetts. To them were born nine children, of whom Melvin S., subject of this sketch, was the fifth.
At the age of fourteen years Melvin S. Gaylord left school to enter the employ of Dorchester & Rose, hardware dealers, and for forty-eight years he has continued in the company's business. He was advanced steadily and after various promotions attained the responsibilities of the offices of president and treasurer of the corporation.
On July 24th, 1901, Mr. Gaylord was united in marriage with Miss Jessie M. Fidler, the daughter of Charles and Lillian (Bor- dell) Fidler, of Pittston, Pennsylvania. They have no children. The family residence is located at 172 Hamilton Street, Geneva.
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Politically, Mr. Gaylord is identified with the Republican party, and he has held numerous public offices, being tax collector from 1899 until 1911, alderman from 1899 until 1900 and 1921 until 1929, inclusive, and president of the city council from 1926 until 1929. He was elected mayor of Geneva for the years 1930 and 1931, and from 1916 until 1920 was president of the board of fire commissioners.
Mr. Gaylord became a member of the New York National Guard at Geneva in 1889 and in 1898 enlisted for service in the Spanish-American War. He received the commission of second lieutenant June 4, 1898, and was later placed on the retired list. In 1916, however, he was called into service with the rank of cap- tain and later was promoted to major. He saw service during the Mexican trouble and again in the World War did recruiting in Ontario County. Mr. Gaylord is now on the retired list and is commander of the local company with the rank of captain.
Mr. Gaylord is a member of the Episcopal Church, and is a charter member of the Geneva Lodge, F. and A. M. He also is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Geneva Country Club, and Geneva Rod and Gun Club.
Edward John Cook .- Both in professional and business affairs, Edward John Cook is recognized as a leading figure in the city of Geneva, where he has successfully engaged in the practice of law since 1898. He was born at Warren, Ohio, June 20, 1873, the son of Ephraim J. and Mary Grace (Day) Cook.
Ephraim J. Cook, deceased, was a veteran of the Civil War. He was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1843. The greater part of his life was spent as a merchant at Warren, and he died there in 1889. He served throughout the Civil War as a member of Company A, 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Mr. Cook was married in 1868 to Miss Mary Grace Day, the daughter of Thomas Day, of Orwell, Ohio. He was a successful farmer of Ashtabula County. Four sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook, two of whom died in infancy.
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Edward John Cook received his early education in the public schools of Warren, Ohio, and also attended Oberlin Academy and Oberlin College. He received the degree of Bachelor of Science at Hobart College in 1895 and then studied law at the New York Law School, from which he was graduated with the degree of LL. B. in 1898. Before his admission to the bar Mr. Cook spent two years in the law offices of Alexander & Colby, New York City. He then returned to Geneva to engage in private practice. Mr. Cook has specialized in corporation law and has attained prom- inence in that particular field. He is also a director of the Geneva Trust Company, Geneva Savings Bank, Geneva General Hospital, and Geneva Free Library, and is president of the Geneva Milk Company.
On June 14, 1900, Mr. Cook was united in marriage with Miss May Martin Smith, daughter of Martin H. and Anna (Thomas) Smith. He is a prominent citizen of Geneva and for many years was a prosperous and successful farmer of Ontario and Seneca counties. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook: Edward, died in infancy; Marianna, died at the age of five years; Robert Martin, born in April, 1915, a graduate of Hill School, at Potts- town, Pennsylvania, class of 1931, now a student at Cornell Uni- versity; and Constance Curtis, born December 31, 1931.
Mr. Cook has been identified with the Republican party in pol- itics, but has never sought public office. He and his family are members of the North Presbyterian Church, of Geneva, of which he has been a member of the board of elders for twelve years and board of trustees for twenty years. He is also affiliated with the Masonic Lodge, B. P. O. Elks, Chamber of Commerce, Geneva Country Club, Seneca Yacht Club, Geneva Rod and Gun Club, Rotary Club, and Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
Mr. Cook is an active member of the Geneva, Ontario County, New York State, and American Bar Associations, and was active in the organization of the Western New York State Bar Associa- tion. He is also secretary of the board of trustees of Hobart Col- lege and chairman of the finance committee.
The Cook family residence is located at 616 Main Street, Geneva.
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Richard William Morris .- Widely known in Ontario County and Central New York as the efficient and able chief of police at Geneva, Richard William Morris is also prominent in the fra- ternal and civic life of the community. He was born at Brooklyn, New York, February 25, 1896, the son of Harry and Florence (Deeley) Morris.
Harry Morris was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died there in 1897. He was married in 1894 to Miss Florence Deeley, daugh- ter of Richard Joseph Deeley, of Albany, New York, who came to this country from England about 1879 and settled in Albany. He was an ale brewer there for many years and in 1891 removed to Brooklyn. He later returned to England, where he died in 1905. To Harry and Florence (Deeley) Morris only one child was born, Richard William, the subject of this sketch.
Harry Morris was the son of Henry M. and Elizabeth Parke (Howle) Morris. Henry M. Morris was born at Ogdensburg, New York, March 4, 1825, the son of Lincoln Morris, a direct descend- ant of Governor Lincoln, the first governor of Massachusetts. Henry M. Morris married Elizabeth Parke Howle, of Washington, D. C., the daughter of Major Howle, who commanded the troops in defense of Faulkner Island during the War of 1812. Henry Morris died in 1914 and is buried in Ho-ho-kas Cemetery, Ridge- wood, New Jersey.
Richard William Morris obtained his education in the public schools of Brooklyn and Altamont, New York. He went to Albany at the age of eighteen years and entered the employ of the Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company as a stock clerk. Mr. Morris remained there for two years and then enlisted in the United States Army and was sent to Texas during the trouble on the Mexican border. He remained in the service for one year and then became a member of the New York State troopers, in which capacity he served for a nine year period. Two years of that time . he was stationed at Albany and from there was transferred to Oneida Barracks. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant of police and in 1926 he resigned to accept the office of chief of police in the city of Geneva.
Mr. Morris was married October 2, 1920, to Miss Inez Doris Tallett, the daughter of George and Eva (Coleman) Tallett, of
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Chenango County, New York. They have a son, Richard William, Jr., born September 27, 1921.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris are members of the First Presbyterian Church, and he is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge, 32nd degree, and Tigris Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Syracuse. He also belongs to the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Geneva Rod and Gun Club, New York Association of Chiefs of Police and Police Instructors Association of the State of New York.
Thomas James Brennan, D. D. S .- One of the very capable and highly successful dental surgeons of Central New York is Doctor Brennan, who has engaged in practice at Geneva for more than twenty years. He was born in this city, January 3, 1888, the son of Michael and Mary (Toole) Brennan.
Michael Brennan was born in County Limerick, Ireland, March 14, 1856, and came to this country when twelve years of age. He immediately settled at Geneva and secured employment in an iron foundry, which occupation he followed until his retirement. Mr. Brennan still lives in this city. He was married in 1885 to Miss Mary Toole, daughter of Thomas Toole, of Geneva. To them were born eight children, of whom Thomas James, subject of this sketch, was the second in order of birth.
Thomas James Brennan grew up in Geneva and attended the parochial schools. He was graduated from Villanova Preparatory School in 1906 and from Villanova College three years later. He then entered the College of Dentistry, University of Buffalo, from which he received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1911. His entire professional career has been spent in Geneva and he has offices at 503 Exchange Street. He is an active member of the Geneva Dental Society, New York State Dental Association, and American Dental Association.
On October 30, 1912, Doctor Brennan married Miss Mary H. Manley, the daughter of Henry C. Manley, for many years associ- ated with J. W. Smith Company, dry goods, Geneva. He is now deceased. To Doctor and Mrs. Brennan have been born four chil-
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dren: 1. Hilda Marie, born July 24, 1914, a graduate of St. Fran- cis de Sales Institute in 1932. 2. Thomas H., born May 20, 1916. 3. Jean Kathryn, born August 25, 1918. 4. Robert James, born November 20, 1923.
In politics, Doctor Brennan has always been independent. He and his family are members of St. Stephen's Catholic Church, and he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, 4th degree, B. P. O. Elks, Geneva Country Club, and Geneva Rod and Gun Club.
Herman Eugene Aldrich, deceased, who was associated with the Almarco Printing Company, ranked among the dependable business men of Geneva. He was born near Hudson, Michigan, July 9, 1874, the son of Lyman H. and Mary C. (Johnson) Aldrich.
Lyman H. Aldrich was born at Farmington, New York, in 1848, and died in 1925. During his early life he was a farmer and later a building contractor. He held the offices of peace officer, being sheriff and constable for many years. He was married in 1872 to Miss Mary C. Johnson, daughter of Nathaniel Johnson, of Palmyra, New York. They had four children.
Herman E. Aldrich attended the public schools of Shortsville, New York, and at the age of fifteen years left high school and entered a printing office to learn the trade of printer. He had been interested in that work for thirty-five years and was em- ployed in various printing plants in the city until 1921, at which time in association with Eugene J. Marshall and Arthur J. Cowan, he was active in the organizing of the Almarco Printing Company. They are job printers and specialize in the publishing of advertis- ing matter for wholesale and manufacturing concerns. The plant is located at 102 Castle Street. Mr. Aldrich died June 15, 1932, and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Canandaigua, New York.
On March 2, 1897, Mr. Aldrich was united in marriage with Miss Adelia S. Cox, daughter of David S. Cox, who was for many years a well known clothier of Canandaigua, New York. He is now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich was born one daughter, Dorcas Elizabeth, born March 13, 1910. She is a graduate of
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Geneva High School, class of 1926, and William Smith College, Geneva, class of 1930, degree of Bachelor of Science. She then spent a year in study at the Auburn Theological Seminary, where she specialized in the history of religious education. She married Rev. David S. Sheldon, who is pastor of the Presbyterian Church, of Seneca Castle, New York.
Mr. Aldrich was independent in politics. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and had been a member of the official board. He also was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Kiwanis Club, and Chamber of Commerce. He was district commissioner of the Finger Lakes Council of Boy Scouts and took an active interest in the work of that organiza- tion. Mrs. Aldrich lives at Acrehurst.
John Geddie Henry .- One of the prosperous business man and prominent citizens of Geneva is John Geddie Henry, contractor and builder, who has been identified with the city's growth and building activities since 1891. Mr. Henry was born in Clyde River, Nova Scotia, September 18, 1870, the son of Rev. Matthew G. and Mary (Parker) Henry.
Rev. Matthew G. Henry was a native of Nova Scotia, born in 1829. He was a minister of the Presbyterian Church and came to New York in 1890. He returned, however, to his native land after ten years, and four years later again came to this country. He lived in North Carolina for a time and died there in 1919 at the age of ninety years. He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Geneva. In 1865 Reverend Henry married Miss Mary Parker, the daughter of Joseph Parker, a farmer, and also a native of Nova Scotia. They were the parents of eight children.
John Geddie Henry received his education in Nova Scotia and came to this country in 1890. He was a carpenter by trade and in the following year located at Geneva, where he obtained employ- ment with a contracting firm. He soon took contracts for himself and in 1912 erected his large planing mill at 6 Patterson Avenue, which is equipped with the most modern type of machinery used
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in the manufacture of sashes, doors, and interior trim. Furniture and cabinet making are done in the plant. Mr. Henry has com- pleted contracts for numerous fine residences in the city, and also built the Methodist Episcopal Church, parish house of the North Presbyterian Church, and the city's three theaters.
In 1897 Mr. Henry was united in marriage with Miss Breta L. Schaeffer, the daughter of Edwin C. and Sarah (Brickley) Schaef- fer, of Geneva. Both are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Henry have been born three children: 1. Dorothea Parker, born in 1898, a graduate of Geneva High School and Elmira College for Women, class of 1918. She married Dr. Ralph Eveland, a dentist, and lives at Palmyra, New York. They have three sons. 2. Deane A., born in 1900, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, New York, and he is now associated in business with his father. 3. Marjorie E., born in 1904, a graduate of Geneva High School and Elmira College for Women, class of 1922, and Rochester Institute. She is secretary to the superintendent of education at North Tonawanda, New York.
Mr. Henry has always been a Republican. He is a prominent member of the North Presbyterian Church, and belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. The family lives at 48 Sherrill Street, Geneva.
Peter Reynolds Cole .- Foremost among the representative citizens of Ontario County Peter Reynolds Cole holds a prominent position as treasurer and bursar of Hobart College in Geneva. He was born in Rensselaerville, New York, June 21, 1869, the son of Edgar and Deborah (Reynolds) Cole.
Edgar Cole was born at Durham, New York, September 17, 1836, and died October 16, 1908. He is buried at Rensselaerville. He was married in 1865 to Miss Deborah Reynolds, daughter of Peter Reynolds, a farmer of Ravena, New York. She was born at Coeymans, New York, January 11, 1842. They were the par- ents of six children, of whom Peter Reynolds, subject, was the third in order of birth.
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The Cole family is of Dutch origin, and although there is no authentic proof it is definitely assumed that members of the fam- ily were among the very early settlers of Manhattan.
Peter Reynolds Cole was educated in the public schools of Rensselaerville and in 1886 was graduated from the Academy there. He then taught school in Albany County and came to Geneva in 1887 as bookkeeper for Palmer & Rouse. After five years in the firm's employ he organized and became general man- ager of the Geneva Coal Company in 1893, and was identified with that business for ten years. He then became managing editor of the Geneva Daily News, which was subsequently merged with the Geneva Daily Times. Mr. Cole spent five years with B. E. Rouse as manager of a wholesale grain and hay business and in 1909 was elected treasurer of Ontario County, being re-elected to that office for three successive terms. In 1911 he was elected the first pres- ident of the New York State organization of county treasurers. Mr. Cole was then elected president of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Geneva in 1918 and that institution was later merged with the First National Bank and subsequently with the Geneva Trust Company. Mr. Cole has served in his present office as treasurer and bursar of Hobart College since 1919.
Mr. Cole was a member of the New York National Guards of Geneva from 1887 until 1902, inclusive.
On December 12, 1912, Mr. Cole was united in marriage with Miss Bertha L. Barth, the daughter of Frederick A. and Mary (Loefler) Barth, natives of Germany and well known residents of Geneva. Bertha L. (Barth) Cole died November 12, 1930, and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Geneva.
Mr. Cole has always been a Republican and for many years served as a member of the Republican County Committee. He was also city clerk from 1898 until 1902 and secretary of the Geneva Board of Health from 1896 until 1897. He was a director and auditor of the National Protective Legion and Insurance Company with headquarters at Waverly, New York, for seven years, and resigned in 1911. He is a prominent member and also vestryman of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and affiliated with the Masonic and Elk Lodges, Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce,
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and Geneva Rod and Gun Club. He is identified with the National College Administrative Association.
Mr. Cole is a director of the Geneva Trust Company. During the World War he played a prominent and important part in local affairs, being county director of war savings stamps and active in all Liberty Loan campaigns.
Louis DiPillo .- As vice-president and superintendent of the Ontario Sand & Gravel Company, Mr. DiPillo ranks among Geneva's outstanding business men. He was born in Pratola Peligna, Italy, March 29, 1881, the son of Rocco DiPillo.
Rocco DiPillo was born in Italy in 1857 and died there in 1915.
Louis DiPillo was educated in the schools of his native land and is a graduate of a polytechnical school. He came to this coun- try in 1901 and spent seven years in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company at Geneva. In 1908 he became a con- crete construction foreman in the employ of the J. C. Carland Construction Company, railroad builders, and was employed on the contract between Brewster, Ohio, and Wheeling, West Vir- ginia, for four years. In 1912 Mr. DiPillo returned to Italy on account of the serious illness of his father. The following year he again came to this country and was health inspector in the city of Canton, Ohio. In 1914 he made a second return trip to Italy and during that visit his father died. At the outbreak of the World War he met with difficulties in planning to return to the United States, but through intercession of the United States am- bassador Mr. DiPillo was able to return, because he had become a citizen of this country in 1910. His next business connection was as Italian agent with the Commercial Bank of Geneva. Later, he was sanitary inspector for the city for a four year period, and in 1919 Mr. DiPillo became interested in business here in partner- ship with Joseph Sullivan. They organized a contracting firm and for eight years specialized in highway construction, in that time successfully completing eight contracts consisting of thirty miles of concrete highway, most of which was in the Finger Lakes
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region. Roads were completed from Phelps to Newark, Palmyra, and Hammondsport, Waverly to Owego, Fulton to Minetto, Min- etto to Oswego, and Bristol Valley Bridge, a forty-eight-foot span with two and one-half miles of paved road. In 1927 Mr. DiPillo opened a gravel pit half a mile west of Five Points, near Oaks Corners. At the present time it has developed into the largest sand and gravel plant in this section and equipped with electric devices has a capacity of producing 2,000 tons of sand and gravel per day. In 1928 Mr. DiPillo formed a partnership with George C. and Watson E. Pelton and the business was incorporated in 1929 as the Ontario Sand & Gravel Company.
On June 13, 1901, Mr. DiPillo was united in marriage with Miss Jennie DeMattia, a native of Italy. To them were born four chil- dren, two of whom died in infancy. Those surviving are: 1. Rosa, born in 1914. 2. Mario, born in 1915. Since 1915 Mrs. DiPillo has spent the greater part of her time in her native land.
Mr. DiPillo is a Democrat, a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, and belongs to the Geneva Rod & Gun Club.
Rev. Samuel Harmon Edsall .- Prominent throughout Central New York as the rector of Trinity Church in Geneva, Mr. Edsall is one of the city's most esteemed and respected men. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, January 28, 1892, the son of Rt. Rev. Samuel and Grace (Harmon) Edsall.
Rt. Rev. Samuel Edsall was born at Dixon, Illinois, March 4, 1860. He was the founder of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Chi- cago in 1888, and in the following year he was made bishop of North Dakota, where he served for three years. His next appoint- ment was in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1902, as Bishop of Minne- sota, and he remained in that capacity until the time of his death in 1917. He is buried at Dixon, Illinois. Bishop Edsall was the son of James Kirtland Edsall, eminent attorney, who served as attor- ney general of the State of Illinois from 1872 until 1880. He also was a prominent member of the Chicago bar at the time of his death in 1892. He is buried at Dixon, Illinois. During his early
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career as a lawyer, the Hon. James K. Edsall was active in the early disturbances in that section prior to the admission of Kan- sas as a state. At that time he was located at Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1888 Rev. Samuel Edsall married Miss Grace Harmon, the daughter of Edwin R. Harmon, a merchant of Chicago. They were the parents of three children, of whom Samuel Harmon, the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.
The early education of Samuel Harmon Edsall was received in the public schools of North Dakota and Minnesota, and in 1911 he was graduated from Shattuck Military School, at Faribault, Minnesota. He then entered Trinity College, at Hartford, Con- necticut, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1915. He entered Seabury Divinity School at Faribault, Minne- sota, and graduated from that institution in 1917. Mr. Edsall volunteered for service in the World War and was sent to the Great Lakes Training Station to attend the naval officers' school, but the armistice was signed before he received a commission. He took graduate work in 1919 at Trinity College and received the degree of Master of Arts. In that year he received the appoint- ment of pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Minneapolis, Minne- sota, and remained there for one year. He next was curate under Dr. Ernest Miel, at Trinity Church, Hartford, Connecticut, and was located there for two years. Mr. Edsall came to Geneva as rector of Trinity Church following that period of service in Hartford.
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