USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume II > Part 14
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On Dec. 22, 1880, Judge Thayer married Sidney H. Brother, daughter of Captain Alexander Brother, of the city of New Orleans. Their only child is a daughter, Louise January Thayer, born Aug. 5, 1885. Mrs. Thayer has been prominently identified with charitable work in St. Louis and was one of the early directors and managers of the Children's Hospital and the Wednesday Club.
Fred 18 Wilson
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FRED HORACE WILSON-A gallant soldier and steadfast friend, a man who loved his fellow-men, one who gladly followed where duty led, with a heart as gentle as a child yet a man of iron, such a man was Fred Horace Wilson, chief of the Jamestown Fire Department, who was killed in an automobile accident near Butler, Pa., Sept. 26, 1915. Throughout his long term of service it became evident that he had the wel- fare of the city at heart. He performed with prompti- tude and patience each duty, and wrought to the best of his ability, and stood elearly before the community as a man who regarded a public office as a moral responsibility. But the final test of manhood does not appear in the open where it can be gazed upon and estimated by the passing throng. The final test of manhood is in the home. He who is not a man there is not a man elsewhere. By this test Captain Wilson was very much a man, and with tenderness he sought to lift the burdens from the shoulders of those endeared to him, and most solicitous was he for their comfort. The consideration which he showed for his family was the parent stock upon which grew his con- sideration for his fellow-men. Wherever he gleaned these high principles, he certainly imbibed and put into practice that which an unknown poet had long since expressed in fairest lines :
Fellow immortal!
One God rules in the Heavens, There is no other, so it is spoken,
And he who aids a struggling, sorrowing brother, By kindly word or deed of friendly token, Has gained the favor of his heavenly Father, Who rebukes the evil but rewards the good, And who hath linked mankind together In one vast universal Brotherhood.
Fred H. Wilson, son of William and Adeline (Maclease) Wilson, was born in Jamestown, N. Y., June 29, 1864, died near Butler, Pa., Sept. 26, 1915. He was educated in the Jamestown public schools, and began business life under the direction of his uncle, John T. Wilson, who, for many years, was owner and manager of one of Jamestown's largest lumber mills. For a time he was employed in the saw and planing mills, then was promoted to foreman of the lumber yards, and later was also purchasing agent for the yard and mills. He continued in the lumber business until April, 1898, when he was appointed chief of the Jamestown Fire Department by Mayor Henry H. Cooper.
As a young man, Mr. Wilson became a member of the department over which he later ruled as chief for seventeen years, and about 1888 he became a member of the Prendergast Hose Company. He served as a member for about two years, then was made foreman of the company, holding that rank for several years. On Feb. 20, 1896, he was elected assistant chief of the department, WV. S. Carnhan then being chief. In April, 1898, Chief Carnhan retired, Mr. Wilson being appointed his successor by Mayor Cooper. As a fire fighter, Chief Wilson left nothing undone in his duty, and he did not spare himself in saving the lives and property of others. To the men of the department his deeds of bravery had become part of the routine. Coupled with his spirit of patriotism was an ever present sense of duty, and there was seldom a fire in the city during his service in the department at which
he was not present. He recommended improvements through a careful study of needs of the service, and he placed the department upon a very high plane of efficieney. He was active in State and National con- ventions of firemen, and was regular in his attend- ance upon them, thus keeping in close touch with all advance in fire fighting methods.
The acts of Chief Wilson, the battles he waged against the fire fiend in Jamestown, are matters of local history long to be remembered. But a year after his promotion to the position of chief came the axe factory fire, one of the largest the department ever had to contend with, several large factories, together with numerous dwell- ing houses, being destroyed. The burning of the Burteh block in 1901, the Fair store and a severe blaze in the Brodhead block in 1903, were among the earlier fires at which he was in command of the fire fighting forces. At the fire in the Munson & Johnson bloek, in March, 1913, he fell through a window to a dry kiln eighteen feet below, and sustained injuries that caused grave concern. He lay for weeks in a serious condition at the Woman's Christian Association Hospital. In 1904 the Breed & Johnson factory fire and the burning of the A. C. Norquist Company's plant were among the chief fires the department fought. Two years later eame the burning of the Himebaugh Brothers' building, and the Excelsior Furniture Company's plant, and at all Chief Wilson was in command, as he was at the famous "Hemlock Row" fire in Brooklyn square in 1900. Among later and more dangerous fires were: the E. M. Curtis Company's plant in 1908; the E. E. Duffee fire in the Gokey block in 1909; the burning of the Peerless Furniture Company's plant in 1911 ;. the fire in the MeLean & Johnson block in 1911; the Grandin mill fire in 1913; the Hotchkiss block in 1913; and the First Baptist Church fire in 1914. Finally, there stands to the credit of the department and Chief Wilson their fearless work in the Gokey building and the Sherman House, where two men gave up their lives, and the entire department was on active duty many hours. Chief Wilson was in active control at that fire, and handled every detail personally. After that fire in 1911, the people of Jamestown voted for a paid fire department, and Chief Wilson was the natural choice for its head. For thirteen years he served as chief of the Volunteer Fire Department, then for four years as chief of the paid department, his career with both covering a quarter of a century, seventeen of those years being spent as chief.
Second only to that in the fire department is his record as a citizen soldier. He enlisted in the Fenton Guards, the 13th Separate Company of Jamestown, Nov. 29, 1887. In 1891, four years after his enlistment, lie was made a corporal, two years later a sergeant, and four years later first sergeant. In May, 1898, when his company was mustered into the service of the United States for duty in the Spanish-American War as Company E, 65th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, Sergeant Wilson was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and in June, 1898, he was commissioned first lieutenant to succeed Lieutenant Frank A. Johnson, who had been elected captain. The regiment was in training at Camp Alger, where Lieu- tenant Wilson and many of his comrades suffered
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from fever. A short furlough home soon cured the trouble and he returned to camp, where he remained until honorably discharged. When Captain Louis A. Fenton resigned after the Spanish-American War, Lieutenant Wilson was elected captain, an office he held until his resignation in 1914. The
company made a splendid record under Captain Wilson's command, and for years it was one of the leading companies of the New York National Guard in all departments. Captain Wilson took pardonable pride in his command, and when at drill or on parade the company always made a fine appearance. After resigning from the command of Company E, he held a reserve commission in the National Guard until his death. During the administration of Governor Higgins in 1905-06, Captain Wilson was a member of the military staff.
Chief Wilson was connected with several fraternal orders of his city, affiliated with Jamestown Lodge, No. 263, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Samuel M. Porter Camp, United States Spanish- American War Veterans; Jamestown Aerie, No. 816, Fraternal Order of Eagles; Jamestown Tent, Knights of Maccabees; and the Knights of Pythias. He was a man of quick sympathies, to whose kind heart an appeal for aid was never made in vain. He was interested in public affairs and expressed his views with inde- pendence when occasion demanded. He occupied a unique position in his community, and it will be diffi- cult for another man to command the same measure of public confidence combined with so great a personal popularity.
In 1887, Chief Wilson married (first) Gertrude Meyers, who died in 1889, leaving a daughter, Mary, who became the wife of James E. Able, now residing in Jamestown, N. Y. He married (second) in James- town, June 30, 1892, Angie Lenore Dowler, who with a daughter, Katherin A., survives her husband, a resi- dent of Jamestown. Mrs. Wilson was born at Water- ord, Pa., daughter of Frank and Katherin (Price) Dowler. She is a lady of refinement and ability, occupying a responsible position with the Jamestown Lounge Company since the death of her husband. She is a member of the Presbyterian church; is interested in Red Cross and other worthy work; is chairman of the Woman's Republican Committee of Jamestown, and is an efficient campaign worker and forcible speaker. Her only daughter, Katherin A., is a graduate of the Margaret Morrison School, Carnegie Institute, Pitts- burgh, Pa., and during the recent World War was in the service of her country in clerical capacity.
Chief Wilson was instantly killed by the skidding and overthrow of his automobile in which he was returning from Pittsburgh, in company with Fred S. Peace, superintendent of the Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Company, the accident occurring on a hill four miles north of Butler, Pa. Jamestown was stunned by the suddenness of the blow, and from all quarters came messages of sympathy to the stricken family. Resolutions of condolence were passed by various organizations, and the City Council adjourned its regular meetings until after the funeral. Captain Wilson was buried with full military honors befitting his rank, and no greater honors were ever shown a
resident of Jamestown than he. The body lay in state at the armory, clothed in the uniform of a captain, a guard of honor from Company E, stationed at the head and foot of the casket. For two hours a procession of citizens passed through the armory, pausing only for a look on the familiar features. Rev. George L. Mac- Clelland conducted the religious service, and after the sermon the imposing funeral cortege moved to Lake- view Cemetery, where in the presence of a vast con- course of people ceremonies were performed in accord- ance with the military code. Three volleys were fired over the grave, then one of the buglers of the 65th Regiment stepped forward and sounded "taps"-that was the end.
He gave his honours to the world again, His blessed past to Heaven, and slept in peace.
Such was the life and such was the end of a good man, whose slogan was "Deeds, not words." A man of sterling worth; a record of his deeds is his best enlogy. That he occupied an enviable place in the hearts of his fellow-citizens was not because he studiously set himself to work to attain such a position, but he merely and naturally allowed the genuine manhood within to act its part and consequences. Always in service, whether that service was to his country or to his city, he gave the best within him, and that with the highest motive.
ANDREW P. NORD-When the great fire of May 6, 1904, swept away the large furniture plant of A. C. Norquist & Company, of Jamestown, N. Y., tragedy attended in the doomed building when Andrew P. Nord, a partner and brother, gave up his life. It was believed at the time, and the finding of the body would seem to confirm the belief, that he lost his life in his deep concern for his employees, and that in trying to discover if all were out he was cut off by the smoke and flames and thus lost his life. This would be in perfect accord with Mr. Nord's spirit, he being one to think for himself last, as the many who knew and loved him testify. In his passing Jamestown lost a citizen of proved worth, and in the business circle in which he moved, a man of upright, Christian character, whom it was an honor to have associated with.
Andrew P. Nord was a son of John M. Nord, and a brother of August C. Norquist, with whom he was associated in the firm, A. C. Norquist & Company, manufacturers of bed room furniture, established in Jamestown, N. Y., in 1881, by August C. and Charles J. Norquist and Frank Stranburg, Andrew P. Nord becoming a partner in 1884. The confusion in the name arises from the fact that when the family left Sweden they were advised by their minister to add "quist" to their Swedish name Nord. This was done by all save Andrew P., and at the time of his death in 1904 his three brothers in Jamestown, Charles J., August C., and Frank O., all bore the name Norquist, while his own name was Nord. Yet in legal papers where the names of the brothers were used, his also appears as Norquist.
Andrew P. Nord, son of John M. and Mary C. Nord, was born in Sweden, May 1, 1854, and there spent the first sixteen years of his life. He died in
Raymond & Fess
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the city of Jamestown, N. Y., May 6, 1904. He was educated in the home schools, and had some knowledge of the trade of tailor, when in 1869 John M. Nord decided to come to the United States. They first settled in Jamestown, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and there were known as Norquist, the added syllable "quist" meaning "branch of." After come time spent in Jamestown, John M. Norquist moved to Lander, Warren county, Pa., where he bought a farm, intend- ing there to settle, but later returned to Jamestown, his home until death.
Andrew P. Nord, the second of the four sons of John M. Norquist, obtained employment in Jamestown in the tailoring establishment of William H. Proudfit, becoming an expert journeyman tailor. He had from early life been of intensely religious disposition, and was strongly inclined to the ministry. With the years that ambition grew, and finally he left Jamestown, and went to Chicago, placing himself under the preceptor- ship of Rev. Dr. Henchen, and began preparation for the ministry of the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church. He pursued theological study faithfully under Dr. Henchen for three years, working at his trade during the entire period in order to obtain necessary funds to enable him to remain under such high grade instruction. He finished the full course of prescribed study, but did not enter the ministry, returning instead to Jamestown and entering the employ of William H. Proudfit in his clothing establishment, there remaining until the year 1887.
His brothers, August C., and Charles J., both skilled workers in wood and experienced in furniture making, had joined their forces and little capital in 1881, and in a section of their father's barn had begun the manu- facture of bed room furniture, making the first set entirely by hand. That little business soon outgrew the little shop in the barn, a plant was established on East Second street, and in 1884 Andrew P. Nord became a partner, a fourth brother, Frank O., also becoming a partner in 1887, Mr. Frank Stranhurg and Charles J. Norquist selling their interests to their partners. The firm, A. C. Norquist & Company pros- pered abundantly, and in 1900 a new frame factory of large proportions was erected on Chandler street. On May 6, 1904, the factory was entirely consumed by fire, and in that disaster a greater tragedy was enacted, Andrew P. Nord losing his life, apparently in his thoughtfulness for others, exposing himself to a danger from which there was no escape. His remains were recovered, and funeral services held at his family home on Sunday afternoon, and later at the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church.
A man of high quality, Mr. Nord met every require- ment of good citizenship, and in his daily life exem- plified the Christian virtues. He was faithful to every obligation, and so uniformly kind and considerate that all loved him who knew him, particularly those nearest to him in factory and business. He loved his home and his family with a surpassing love, and his passing brought forth universal expression of sorrow. Mr. Nord was a member and a trustee of the Jamestown Swedish Methodist Episcopal church, a leader in the Sunday school, a member and director of the Young
Men's Christian Association, and interested in many good works. In politics he was a Republican.
Mr. Nord was married, in Jamestown, Sept. 27, 1882, by Rev. Gunderson, of the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church, to Julia A. Anderson, born near Mayville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., daughter of De Loss and Mary (Peterson) Anderson, Mrs. Nord sur- viving her husband, and being a director of A. C. Norquist & Company. She is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, and interested in its various societies. Children: 1. Marion Arthur, died aged five years. 2. Ella C., a graduate of Jamestown High School and New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, and a teacher of music; she married Richard McLean, of Jamestown, and has two children, John Andrew and Mary Catherine McLean. 3. Arthur M., a graduate of Jamestown High School, and of the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1917, formerly with the Southern Cotton Waste Company of Charlotte, N. C .; during the participation of the United States in the World War he served as chief clerk in the ord- nance department of the United States army stationed at Camp Green, Charlotte, N. C., holding the rank of sergeant; he was promoted second lieutenant, Oct. 24, 1918, and was assigned to duty at Washington, D. C., as assistant to Major Bersley, head of the ordnance department of cantonments of the United States; he was honorably discharged from the service, Dec. 23, 1918.
RAYMOND CORNELIUS FESS-To be a suc- cessful surgeon, a physician must be intensely inter- ested in his work; it means close application to study and much time spent in hospitals watching operations performed by those who have made a specialty of such things; it is something not gained by mere book knowledge, it means experience. This is what Dr. Raymond Cornelius Fess has accomplished, and he is still a young man with a bright future opening before him.
He was born in the little village of Bowmansville, N. Y., Aug. 7, 1885. His father is John Fess and his mother is Hannah (Pentelow) Fess, both parents still living to enjoy the advancement of their son in his profession. Raymond C. Fess had a good, practical, fundamental education upon which to build, graduating from the district school of Bowmansville and the high school of Lancaster, N. Y., becoming a student at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1903. His next step was the study of medicine, and with this in view he entered the medical school of the University of Buffalo, remaining there for three years. In 1909 he was granted a diploma and the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Then came a period of hospital work to gain experience; to that end Dr. Fess entered the German Deaconess' Hospital as interne for fifteen months. At the expiration of this time, Dr. Fess accepted an opening in Eden Center, N. Y., taking up general practice. For two years he remained there and then decided to open an office in Jamestown; in 1912 he began practicing medicine in that city and has been so engaged ever since. Dr. Fess had deter- mined to make a special study of surgery, and in order
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to qualify in that particular branch of his profession he has taken special courses in various hospitals where post-graduate lectures were given, among them being at the Mayo Brothers Sanitarium in Rochester, Minn., this being generally coneeded to be the foremost field of surgical work in the United States, the wonderful operations accomplished by the two Drs. Mayo having come to be regarded as the last word in surgery.
When the World War involved the United States and volunteers were called for, Dr. Fess answered the call, being commissioned first lientenant, Oct. 18, 1918. He was ordered to report at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., where he remained until after the signing of the armistice, and was discharged, Jan. 1, 1919. On July I, 1919, he was commissioned captain in the Medical Reserve Corps, and is still on call.
Dr. Fess is married, his wife before her marriage being Lulu Barker, of Lakewood, N. Y., where they were married April 16, 1911. Dr. and Mrs. Fess have one child, Lois Lorene, born July 1, 1918. They are members of the Baptist church at Jamestown.
While devoting nearly all his time to his profession, Dr. Fess finds relaxation occasionally in attending the meetings of the various medical societies of which he is a member: the American Medical Society, New York State Medical Association, and Chautauqua County Medical Association, in all of which he is a valued constituent. Dr. Fess is a Free Mason, having passed through the various steps, Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, and is a member of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Dr. Fess is too busy a man to become active in politics, but he is enrolled among the Republicans of Chautauqua county. Young as he is, Dr. Fess has already made a name for himself in the line of surgery, and stands well among the leading physicians of the State, being regarded as an earnest worker and a deep student.
FIRST LIEUTENANT RUDOLPH EMMAN- UEL PETERSON-No citizen of Jamestown needs to be told that this is the name of one of those gallant sons who represented her on the battlefields of France during the recent World War. First Lieutenant Peterson was the only officer from Jamestown to lay down his life in fighting for his country and for the freedom of humanity, and even before entering the army had given such promise of usefulness as a citizen as to cause his many friends to entertain the highest hopes for his future.
Vietor Peterson, father of Rudolph Emmanuel Peterson, was born Sept. 26, 1857, in Vestervik, State of Smaland, Sweden, and was a son of Nells Otto and Mary (Stromburg) Peterson, Mr. Peterson was a tailor by occupation, and both he and his wife lived and died in their native home. They were members of the Lutheran church. The education of Victor Peterson was received in the public schools of his birth- place, and he afterward worked for a year at the trade of shoemaking, but abandoned it in favor of a sea-faring life. His home town was a seaport, and at the age of fifteen he shipped before the mast in the eoast trade and later in merchant ships, sailing in different seas and visiting every European port. After
following the sea for ten years, Mr. Peterson came to the United States on a merchant ship sailing from London to New York, and lived for a short time in Jamestown, returning then to New York and, shipping on an American vessel, made a voyage to Cuba and other ports. He then entered the government service as tender on the Sandy Hook lightship, where he spent the years 1880 and 1881, after which he came again to Jamestown. Finding employment in the Martin factory, he worked there five years, but at the end of that time had the misfortune to lose part of his left hand in the machinery. In 1886 he entered the service of Sherman Brothers, by whom he has since been continuously employed, building up the highest reputation for use- fulness and fidelity. Mr. Peterson married, Oct. 28, 1882, in Jamestown, Augusta Matilda Anderson, born in Jonkoping, State of Smaland, Sweden, daughter of Jonas Peter and Johanna (Johnson) Anderson, and they became the parents of the following children: Earl Louis, died at the age of six years; Rudolph Emmanuel, mentioned below; Myrtie Olivia, died when one year old; and Flavia M., at home with her parents. Mrs. Peterson is a woman of domestic tastes, a devoted wife and mother, called to make the great sacrifice of giving her only living son to the cause of democracy. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson and their daughter are members of the Swedish Methodist Episcopal church.
Rudolph Emmanuel Peterson, son of Vietor and Augusta Matilda (Anderson) Peterson, was born June 30, 1888, in Jamestown, and received his education in the schools of his native city, graduating at the high school in 1907. He then took up Young Men's Christian Association work, being assigned to the Eastern Dis- trict Branch, Brooklyn, N. Y., as the assistant of F. J. Slater, formerly a physical director in the local associ- ation. Subsequently he went to Springfield, Mass., to receive additional training, and after completing his course, accepted a position as physical director in the "Y" at Coatesville, Pa.
When Mr. Peterson had held this position about a year, the United States entered the World War, and not long after the Young Men's Christian Association worker became a soldier, being admitted to the officers' training camp at Fort Niagara. After a period of inten- sive training, his integrity of character and devotion to his assigned duties were rewarded with the honor of a commission as second lieutenant, Company M, 316th Infantry, 79th Division. Lieutenant Peterson was assigned to Camp Meade, Annapolis Junetion, Md., being connected with the headquarters company, and here, again, his devotion to duty received merited recognition. Within a short time he was promoted to first lieutenant, and a few weeks before leaving for France, served as acting eaptain. On June 30, 1918,- his thirtieth birthday-he embarked for the seat of war and soon after his arrival in Franee was trans- ferred to the infantry from the headquarters company. Not long after this he was taken ill and was confined to a hospital for some time, receiving his discharge only a short time before he met a soldier's fate. On Nov. 4, 1918, he fell in action in the Argonne Forest, a machine bullet inflicting the fatal wound.
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