USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume II > Part 13
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During the pastorate of the latter the parish has grown considerably and there are now over three hundred families included therein, while more than :wo hundred children attend the parochial school. On Nov. 15, 1919, the Rev. Father Patrick Rogers was assigned as assistant to Father Linsmeier to aid him in the growing business of the parish. and in May, 1920, Father Rogers was transferred and Rev. Father James Callery came to this parish as assistant to Father Linsmeier. Father Linsmeier has taken much interest in the local branch of the Knights of Columbus, and is himself a third degree member of that organization. His work is greatly appreciated by his parishoners, and he is himself deeply beloved by all who come in contact with him.
HERBERT ALONZO HUNT, D. D. S .- Among the professional men of Silver Creek, N. Y., Dr. Herbert Alonzo Hunt occupies a leading position gained through natural ability, combined with close application and perseverance, factors that have con- tributed most in this country towards making our successful men, for a man's material inheritance may be squandered without leaving him better, perhaps worse, for having possessed it, but what he gains through his own efforts has a double blessing attached, fr in the value of the possession and the benefit of the experience to the spiritual and mental growth of the possessor.
Herbert Alonzo Hunt was born Aug. 16, 1855, at Ellery, N. Y., son of Samuel M. and Lydia Irene (Olmstead) Hunt. His father was a farmer, and both he and his wife were of respected families in the community. Dr. Hunt was amply fitted by preliminary education for the taking up of his profession, having graduated from the high school at Sinclairville, and also took a special course at the Fredonia Normal School. After deciding upon the profession of dentistry, he matriculated at Ann Arbor, Mich., at the dental department of the University of Michigan, graduating therefrom in 1879, at which time he practiced one year at Stockton. In 18So he opened an office at Sinclairville, where he remained until 1892, removing from there to Silver Creek, where he has since been engaged in the active practice of his pro- fession, and has the esteem as well as the confidence of his patients.
Politically, Dr. Hunt is a Republican, giving to public affairs the interest and attention demanded of every good citizen, but taking no active part in the
work of the organization, preferring to concentrate his energies on the faithful discharge of his professional obligations. For the past twenty-eight years, the time that he has resided in Silver Creek, he has taken a keen interest in the welfare of the community, and no project which in his judgment tends to further that end lacks his cooperation and support. No good work done in the name of charity or religion appeals to him in vain, but he brings to bear in his work of this character the same discrimination and thoroughness which are manifest in his professional life.
Dr. Hunt married, Oct. 11, 1882, Emily Sylvester, a native of Sinclairville, and they are the parents of one child, Margaret S.
JOHN D. JOHNSON, for many years a prominent figure in the industrial life of Chautauqua county, N. Y., and whose death at his home in Jamestown, Jan. 20, 1916, was felt as a severe loss by the entire com- munity, was a native of Sweden, born Sept. 14. 1845, and one of the leaders of the many successful men of his nationality who have taken so conspicuous a part in the development of this region in Western New York.
Mr. Johnson was a son of John and Brita (Nielson) Johnson, likewise natives of Sweden, and the first seven ycars of his life were spent in his native land. In 1852, however, his parents removed to America and located at the town of Levant, Chautauqua county, N. Y., where they remained for a short time. They then came to Jamestown and it was here that the lad received luis education, attending the local public schools. Not long after coming to the United States, Mr. Johnson's father died and the task of caring for and rearing the children devolved entirely upon the mother. She proved herself, however, not only a most devoted mother but a very capable woman, and although a complete stranger here provided an excellent home and education for those dependent upon her. In James- town the family moved into the home on Prospect street which they have ever since occupied. As soon as he had reached an age suitable to deal with practical affairs, John D. Johnson turned his attention to reliev- ing his mother from the great responsibility she had shouldered for so long, and was one of the earliest men to engage in the manufacture of doors and sash, a line of business that has since been greatly developed by men of his nationality in this region. His first plant was established upon the site of the present Arcade building on Main street, near the Erie Railroad tracks. This was built in the year 1869, and was continued in operation for some seventeen years, during which time a large and paying business had been developed. In 1896 the building was destroyed by fire, and Mr. John- son thereupon purchased an interest in the wall paper, decorating and painting business of Olson, Jacobson & Company, which was situated at No. 204 East Second street. Jamestown. This concern was a very flourish- ing onc, especially after Mr. Johnson gave his great practical talents to the uphuilding of the business, and he finally purchased the interests of his partners and became the sole owner. He then admitted as partners his three sons, Earle, Richard and Herbert B., who
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since that time have continued associated with the business, The enterprise under the capable manage- ment of Mr. Johnson rapidly grew to very large propor- tions, and is now the largest of its kind in this community.
With the great development of his business, Mr. Johnson came to occupy a more prominent position in the general life of Jamestown and his interests soon extended beyond the limits of his private concern and associated him with financial and industrial enterprises throughout the region. Two years before his death he was elected by the board of directors of the Swedish- . American National Bank president of that concern, and he continued to hold that office with the greatest effici- ency and capability until the close of his life, bringing his long experience and wide knowledge of business affairs to the service of the great institution. He was considerably older than any of his associates in the management of this bank, but although conservative in his ideas and methods, he was also progressive in the true sense of the word, and his relationship with the younger men was always of the most harmonious kind. One of the younger members of the staff of employees of the bank said at the time of his death, "I have never associated with an older gentleman with whom asso- ciation was so pleasant as with Mr. Johnson."
Mr. Johnson did not confine his attentions entirely to business matters, however, for he always took a lively and active interest in public affairs and he was regarded as one of the leaders in local politics, although in no sense of the word a politician. He served the community with wisdom and disinterested- ness both on the Common Council and Board of Alderman of the city, and during his membership on the former body was chairman of its committee on finances. In this connection also, he greatly added to his reputation and popularity with his fellow-citizens generally. Deeply religious in his instincts and con- victions, Mr. Johnson, as well as the other members of the family, was a Lutheran in belief and attended for many years the First Church of that denomination at Jamestown. Members of the Johnson family were present at the meeting of July 26, 1856, when the church was organized, and it was his mother who, when in its early struggles the members were so discouraged as to consider disorganization, helped with advice and other assistance to encourage them to continue. Eventually, after the church had been established on a firm foundation for a number of years, and a new church edifice was decided upon, Mr. Johnson was appointed one of the building committee, and con- tributed much of his time and fortune to its erection. He afterwards served for many years on the board of trustees of the church, and a few years before his death was elected to succeed the late Charles F. Abrahamson as church treasurer. He was always keenly interested in the welfare of the church, which owes much to his wide knowledge of practical affairs.
The funeral of Mr. Johnson was made the occasion of paying his memory a remarkable tribute hy the entire community and the church was crowded to the doors and many people turned away for lack of room within. Dr. Lincoln, the rector, delivered a sermon in which he was eloquent in his praise of Mr. Johnson's
sterling qualities of character and personality, and also paid a tribute to his mother, referring to the early diffi- culties of the family and the splendid courage with which she surmounted them. In the course of an editorial on Mr. Johnson written at the time of his death, the Jamestown "Evening Journal" had the following to say of him:
This community was shocked this morning by the announcement of the death, following a few days' ill- ness, of John D. Johnson, president of the Swedish- American National Bank. Mr. Johnson has been a virile and Interesting character in this growing com- munity for more than fifty years, and passes to rest after a busy life, whose many activities were con- tinued almost to the hour of his death.
Although having covered the allotted span of life, having recently passed the seventy year mark, he was still the active and interested business man of former years, when he was among Jamestown's early manu- factures. He came to Jamestown from Sweden when he was seven years old, with his parents, and nearly fifty years ago, in company with his brother, began in a small way the manufacture of doors, sash and win- dow blinds, which later grew Into a prominent and prosperous business.
While never popular, In the sense of being a "hail fellow well met," he had many close personal friends. and every one who knew him had complete confidence in his ability, his honesty and his desire for the right, and in his passing Jamestown loses one of its most valued citizens.
The Board of Directors of the Swedish-American National Bank, Jamestown, New York, records with much sorrow the passing away in death of the presi- dent, Mr. John D. Johnson, on the twentieth day of January, 1916, at the mature age of seventy years. His was an honored name in the business and financial circles of our city, ornamental and useful to the in- stitution over which he presided so conscientiously. and respected in the community wherein he lived for nearly sixty-four years. His judgment was sound upon all matters, ripened in the school of life, where he had learned every lesson so well.
His career was eminently successful. standing forth as a shining example to the youth who knew the story of his life, of what can be accomplished by grasping ever present opportunities in honest effort and honorable conduct.
His associates in the Swedish American National Bank feel keenly the loss which they have sustained. They will sorely miss his wise counsels, but will ever cherish the memory of his fine, kind, and gentlemanly personality.
They also wish to express their condolence with the bereaved family, to whom they direct that a copy of this memorial shall be sent. He was easily the favor- ite upon the membership of this board, about whom the attention of the younger men always centered, and not soon shall we see his like again.
Officers and directors: Alfred A. Anderson, Chas. E. Anderson, Chas. L. Eckman, Carl A. Lunquist, Edward C. Nord, Emil F. Peterson, Hjalmar Swanson. John F. Westrom, L. D. Bowman, Otto L. Bloomquist, Julius Lincoln, Warner F. Lledblad, Chas. A. Okerlind. C. A. Swanson, B. G. Tiffany, John Winnberg. SWEDISH-AMERICAN NATIONAL BANK. Jamestown, N. Y. Incorporated Seal, 1910.
John D. Johnson was united in marriage, July 13. 1870, at Jamestown, N. Y., by the Rev. H. O. Hultgren, with Bessie Treudson, a native like himself, of Sweden. and a daughter of John and Ingrid (Peterson) Treudson. Mrs. Johnson is a woman of strong domestic tastes and is much devoted to her home and family. She is a good practical Christian, and a devout member of the Swedish Lutheran church, in the work of which she has been for many years active. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: Carl W., born March 2, 1871; educated at the public schools of Jamestown and graduated from the high school; he later became a clerk in the First National Bank, of Jamestown, and after a few years with that institution became associated with Swift & Company,
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BIOGRAPHICAL
meat packers, and represented the firm in various parts of the South; he then became an agent of the Virginia and Carolina Chemical Company, which he also rep- resented in the South until he was appointed superin- tendent of the company at Carteret, N. J .; while so occupied he was killed in an accident, Dec. 9, 1914. 2. Esther, born June 14, 1872, died in infancy. 3. Alma, born March 25, 1874, died March 9, 1882. 4. Stella Victoria, born Jan. 31, 1876; educated in the grammar and high schools of the city, and has since followed the profession of teaching; she has taught for a number of years in the local schools of Jamestown, and is now principal of the Newland avenue public school, where she is doing efficient work for the educational develop- ment of the community; she is a member of the Teachers' Association and of the Norden Club of Jamestown. 5. Earle, born July 18, 1879; educated in the public schools of Jamestown and graduated from the high school; he was associated with his father in business for a number of years, but was later obliged to retire from active life on account of failing health; he went to the West and settled in Arizona in an effort to regain his health, but was unsuccessful, his death occuring Sept. 19, 1919. 6. Milton J., born March 28, 1883; educated in the public schools of Jamestown, where he was prepared for college in the high school, and at the Medical School of Cornell University; he was graduated from that institution with the class of 1905, taking his degree as M. D., and then became an interne in Bellevue Hospital and remained with that celebrated institution for two years; coming to James- town, he began the practice of his profession here in 1907, and continued here until the entrance of the United States into the World War; he then enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to the Medical Corps and stationed at Hoboken, N. J., and later at Montreal, Canada, receiving a commission as first lieutenant, and served to the close of the war. 7. Richard, born Oct. 20, 1884; educated at the public schools of Jamestown; he then became associated with his father in business, and is now one of the owners and managers of the great enterprise founded by his father in Jamestown. 8. Herbert B., born June 13, 1889; educated at the public schools here; he is now associated with his brother Richard in the manage- ment of the great business founded by his father; he enlisted in the United States Army at the entrance of this country into the World War as a member of the 307th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Division, was assigned to the machine gun battalion, and was with the first company to go to France; he was taken ill and was two months in the hospital in France, and was then sent back to America: spent one month in the hospital here, and was then honorably discharged, and is now engaged in business with his brother.
BYRON FENNER-Although not a medical grad- uate, Mr. Fenner is alway called "Doctor" from his long association with the drug business, first with his honored father in the village of Sherman, Chau- tauqua county, and his prominence as a chemist and author.
Byron Fenner, now an eminent citizen of Westfield, is a son of Dr. James Fenner and grandson of Resolved
W. Fenner, a descendant of Rev. W. Fenner, a Puritan divine, from whom sprang the governors of Rhode Island between the years 1790 and 1815. Resolved W. Fenner left Rhode Island in 1800, and settled in Madison county, N. Y., coming in 1819 to the town of Ellery, Chautauqua county, in which county he remained, a farmer, until his death in 1847. In 1819 he settled in South Stockton, where he engaged in farm- ing and in the manufacture of "black salts" or crude potash, made by leaching hardwood ashes and evapor- ating the lye.
James Fenner and his brothers spent their boyhood days at the farm, working hard, and during the winter months attending a district school. James Fenner, early in life, decided that he would in some way secure a professional education and become a physician, and that ambition was never lost sight of. As he advanced in years he bought medical books, which he read and studied as he found time. Later he taught the district school during the winter months, and having more time at his disposal made rapid progress in his medical studies. He then read medicine in Dr. Salis- hury's office in Jamestown, and there completed the required period of study under a preceptor. He then attended lectures at the American Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio, after which he returned to his home in South Stockton, where he married, in 1843, Harriet Barrows. Soon after his marriage he located in the village of Sherman, Chautauqua county, then but a hamlet, and there began the practice of medicine. His practice was largely in the sparsely-settled country, and his widely-separated patients could only be reached over, at times, almost impassable roads. But he per- severed and for forty-three years, until his death, con- tinued in practice and was identified with the business interests, growth and development of the village. In his profession, Dr. James Fenner enjoyed the confidence and respect of all who knew him, and was rated a skilled, successful physician and surgeon. In his business as druggist he was fair, honorable and just with all men, and in a big-hearted, generous way entered into the life of the village, although too busy to take but little part in purely social affairs. Cheerful, earnest, faithful and conscientious, he was everybody's friend, and passed away generally mourned and deeply regretted. He died in Sherman, Nov. 16, 1886, aged seventy-two years.
Byron Fenner, son of Dr. James and Harriet (Barrows) Fenner, was born in the village and later town of Sherman, Chautauqua county, N. Y., March 24, 1844, and is now (1920) an honored resident of the village of Westfield, N. Y. "Doctor" Fenner, as he is invariably called by his friends, was educated in the Sherman public school, Westfield Academy, and Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., finishing his courses at the last-named institution with the graduating class of 1868. He then returned home and entered his father's drug store in Sherman as clerk. Pharmacy and chemistry had always held special attraction for him from youth, and the drug business held him for several years in Sherman, first as clerk and then proprietor. Later he sold his Sher- man drug store and located in Corry, Pa., where in partnership with Charles Buss he conducted a drug
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store for four years under the firm name of Fenner & Buss. During that period Mr. Fenner wrote and compiled "Fenner's Formulary," a technical work, the first edition appearing in 1874. After the appearance of the work, Mr. Fenner sold his interest in the business of Fenner & Buss and devoted himself to placing "Fenner's Formulary" before the profession, continuing "on the road" seven years and traveling all over the United States, calling on physicians and druggists. Demands for the work also came from other parts of North America, from Europe, Africa, and remote parts of the world. There have been additions made to the work, and the author has revised and kept in touch with modern progress, fifteen editions having been issued from the press and over 30,000 copies sold, a wonderful record for a technical work not used as a text book.
Dr. Fenner is one of the best known analytical chemists of Western New York, and is frequently consulted as an expert in chemical analysis. He is known to every physician and druggist in this country, and in Westfield, which has been his home for many years, he is highly regarded by all as a man of sterling character and upright life. Mr. Fenner, in 1898, with the assistance of Buffalo capital, founded the Chau- tauqua Fruit and Grape Juice Company, and operated it very successfully for about ten years, then sold out. It later came into possession of the Armour Company, in Westfield, N. Y., therefore Mr. Fenner was the founder of what is now the Armour Grape Juice Company. He is a Democrat in politics but takes little active part in public affairs.
Mr. Fenner married, Nov. 10, 1868, in Westfield, Julia Thayer, born in the town of Mina, Chautauqua county, N. Y., daughter of Ichabod and Fidelia (La- Due) Thayer, and sister of former Judge Amos M. Thayer, the noted jurist, appointed a United States judge by President Grover Cleveland, a position in which he won national reputation. Miss Thayer was educated in Westfield Academy and Clinton (New York) Liberal and Collegiate Institute, and has since her marriage continued her reading and investigation along the lines of modern thought and progress. She was one of the organizers of the Woman's Club of Westfield, a charter member and for years its honored president. She is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Fenner are at one in their devotion to high ideals and in intellectual activity. They have given close study to the question of Spirit- ualism, a subject in which both are deeply interested. Mrs. Fenner is active in the social life of the village, and is everywhere held in high esteem. Mr. and Mrs. Fenner are the parents of three children, as follows: Claude E., an expert linotype operator, resid- ing with his parents in Westfield; Fidelia, died in childhood; Thayer, secretary-treasurer of the A. M. Collins Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia, Pa .; he married Charlotte Allen, and they are the parents of a daughter, Julia Ann Fenner.
AMOS MADDEN THAYER, lawyer and jurist, was born Oct. 10, 1841, in Chautauqua county, N. Y., son of Ichabod and Fidelia (LaDue) Thayer, the first
named born in Milford, Mass., in 1808, and the last named in Genesee county, N. Y., in 1819. His immigrant ancestor in the paternal line settled at Braintree, Mass., in 1630, coming there from Essex county, England. His mother's family, the LaDues, were French people, who came to this country from Canada, settling in New York during the Revolutionary War. Repre- scntatives of both the Thayer and LaDue families were numbered among the Revolutionary patriots.
Judge Thayer was fitted for college at the Westfield Academy, New York, and then completed a full class- ical course at Hamilton College, New York, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1862. In 1892, the degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred on him by his alma mater. In July, 1862, he enlisted in the Union army, in which he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was promoted to first lieutenant in the United States Signal Corps in March, 1863, and served in that capacity until the close of the war, being brevetted major for gallant and meritorious services. Resigning his commission in the army, Aug. 9, 1865, he returned home, and in February, 1866, came to St. Louis. Here he read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1868. Thereafter he practiced his profession in that city until the autumn of 1876, when he was elected a judge of the St. Louis Circuit Court. He was reelected to the same office in November, 1882, and continued to be a member of the city judiciary until February, 1887, when he was appointed United States district judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. In 1894, he was honored by being elevated to the United States circuit judgeship for the eighth circuit. Eminently fitted in every way for the exercise of judicial functions, he has taken high rank among Western jurists, and in all the relations of life has proven himself a true representative of the best American citizenship.
It is impossible in the limits of this sketch to discuss his decisions; they are numerous and cover the whole field of jurisprudence. Upon his opinion in the great case of the United States vs. the Northern Securities Company his fame as a jurist and his reputation as a judge will ultimately rest. Every lawyer is familiar with it. "It was a great opinion, admirably expressed," is the conviction of the bench and bar of the whole country. It won for Judge Thayer a national reputa- tion. It was described by the press as the most sweep- ing decision ever rendered against trusts in this coun- try and sets a real limit to combinations in restraint of trade. It is the most effective blow yet delivered by the American people against the evil of monopoly. The "Metropolitan Journal" said of him after his demise: "He lived a noble and useful life and died regretted by the bench and bar and his fellow-citizens; he was in- deed the model Judge." He was liberal in his religious faith, and a Democrat in politics.
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