USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume II > Part 45
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Oscar Burdette Linquest was united in marriage, at Meadville, Pa., with Ida Unger, of Jamestown. They are the parents of two children: Dorothy and Alice, both of whom are now pupils at the public schools of Jamestown.
WALTER L. LINQUEST, who has been an indus- trious, enterprising and responsible man of business in Jamestown for the last eighteen years, has latterly be- ; come well and favorably known as one of the principals of the Linquest Electrical Company, Inc., of James- town, of which corporation he has, since its organiza- tion, been its vice-president, and as such has had good part in the substantial expansion of business which has come to the firm during the last five or six years. He is a man of versatile qualities, and in former years was prominent in musical circles. He is an ardent
lover of music, and at one time toured with an orches- tral band, his instrument being the cornet; and as a man of business he has manifested sterling qualities since he came to Jamestown, especially since he, with others, established the firm of electrical contractors which bears his name.
He was born in Columbus, Pa., May 16, 1884, the son of Alfred Linquest, of that place. He was given a good education, passing from the grammar to the high school of Columbus; after graduating from the latter, he began to work for William Koehl, on Steele street, Jamestown. That was in 1901, Walter L. being then an active young man of seventeen years of age. That first employment was in the printing department of William Koehl's business, but young Linquest had resolved to become an electrical engineer, so that he soon took other employment more closely allied to that which he sought to follow. Also he gave close study to electrical engineering, assiduously following a corre- spondence course upon that subject. Eventually he entered the employ of the Home Telephone Company, and for two years remained with that company, as trouble hunter and installer of telephones. There- after he took employment, as electrician, with many local electrical contractors, and became skilled in almost all phases of electrical work that come within the scope of a general electrical contractor. In 1911, in con- junction with his brother and two other responsible and aggressive Jamestown men, he entered independ- ent business, the partnership taking eventually the cor- porate name of the Linquest Electrical Company, Inc., which is to-day one of the substantial business enter- prises of Jamestown and Chautauqua county. Mr. Linquest attends closely to the business of his com- pany, and to the quality of workmanship put into its operations, and is a practical and able executive, popu- lar and appreciative.
Politically, he is a Republican, but up to the present has not given indication of any inclination to actively participate in political affairs, at least in those of national scope. He of course takes much interest in public movements pertaining to the city; in fact, he has manifested a keen interest in all things that have reference to the wellbeing and advancement of James- town, and is ever ready to further, by financial contri- bution or personal service, any project that he con- siders might promise good for the city. In general, however, he holds to his business affairs, endeavoring with his co-workers and partners to furnish the people of the city with an up-to-date, comprehensive, and high- grade service in the line in which the company special- izes. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Ma- sonic body, and also the Eagles fraternity, and gives much of his spare time to music, although in that he has not of late years been able to be as active as for- merly. Mr. Linquest is well regarded in Jamestown among business people, and has very many friends.
Walter L. Linquest was married, in Westfield, Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., June 25, 1918, to Bertha John- son. Her father, now deceased, was a carpenter in Jamestown and Chautauqua county, but spent the last years of his life upon a farm he owned near Frews- burg, and to which he retired.
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CHARLES ALFRED OKERLIND-The banking institutions of a city are a fair index of its commer- cial character and financial strength through the suc- cessful stages of its history. They are centers around which all trade gravitates, and by which they are regu- lated. To this end it is not only necessary to have substantial capital, firm and available assets, but wise, judicious, efficient and irreproachable officers and direc- tors whose administration and character strengthen confidence.
Prominent among the bankers of the city and county is the president of the American National Bank of Jamestown, N. Y., Charles A. Okerlind. He belongs to that class of citizens who, although undemonstra- tive and unassuming in their natures, nevertheless form the character and influence in the development of the community in which they live. It is this class that makes it possible for our great manufacturing interests and commercial enterprises to spread and replace with splendid buildings the insignificant structures of our forefathers. They build our cities, our steamboats and railroads, and most important of all, our financial credit.
Charles A. Okerlind was born in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 31, 1865. Both parents being dead, he was sent to this country at the age of nine years to live with his grandparents in Brooklyn, N. Y. Two years later he was adopted by an uncle living in Kane, Pa.
In 1884, returning from a visit to Stockholm, Sweden, he remained in New York City, securing employment with a foreign exchange broker. In 1886 he secured a position in the passenger department of the Cunard Steamship Company, which place he retained until he came to Jamestown, N. Y., in 1892 to enter the employ of Elisha K. Kane as business manager of the Swedish newspaper called the "Vart Nya Hem." In 1894 Mr. Okerlind accepted a position with the Slade Paving Brick Company, and remained in their employ until 1898, when he was appointed city auditor. Mr. Oker- lind held that office for ten years, but resigned in 1908 in order to accept the position of cashier of the Farm- ers' and Mechanics' Bank of Jamestown. While audi- tor he inaugurated the present system of city book- keeping and through the operation of that system was able to accomplish reforms in the interest of economy.
For several years the advisability of establishing a bank of their own had been discussed among the Swedish business men of Jamestown, and in 1910 Mr. Okerlind took the initiative and became the prime mover in the organization of the Swedish American National Bank, now the American National Bank. Associated with him in the preliminaries were the late J. D. Johnson, Warner F. Liedblad, Alfred A. Ander- son, Dr. L. D. Bowman, W. D. Broadhead, John Winnberg, Edward L. Hall, and Charles S. Grova. The bank opened for business at No. 100 Main street, June 1, 1910, with a capital paid in of $100,000. The first officers of this institution were W. D. Broadhead, president; J. D. Johnson, vice-president; C. A. Oker- lind, cashier; H. J. Johnson, assistant cashier. The institution proved a splendid success from the start, and in 1912 moved into its own quarters at No. 204 Main street, the present location. Mr. Okerlind hav-
ing become the first cashier, continued as such until 1916, when he succeeded J. D. Johnson as president of the bank. That his zeal and ability, both as cashier and president of the institution, is generally recognized, is evidenced by his promotion and growth of the bank as shown by the present figures of a combined capital and surplus, $300,000, and a total asset of more than two million dollars. In September, 1919, the name of the bank was changed to American National Bank.
In 1913 Mr. Okerlind had the honor of being ap- pointed royal Swedish vice-consul at Jamestown, N. Y. He is at present a director in the local Board of Commerce, and the Swedish Board of Commerce of the United States, and a director and treasurer of the Norden Club. Mr. Okerlind has also served as a mem- ber of the Board of Lighting Commissioners and as treasurer of the Board of Education. Mr. Okerlind took an active part in all of the home activities in War Work. He was a member of the War Council, and a member of all the war loan committees. He was the director of finance for Chautauqua county in the Vic- tory Loan campaign, and with two other bankers served as custodian of securities for the United States Treasury Department during the war.
At Jamestown, N. Y., Feb. 4, 1897, Mr. Okerlind was united in marriage with Elvena Melin. By this union has been born one son, Melin Alfred, a graduate of the Jamestown High School, and now one of the assistant cashiers in the American National Bank. In the great World War Melin Alfred Okerlind served in the United States Navy, enlisting in Aug., 1917, and serving as yeoman until the close of the war, when he received his discharge, Feb., 1918.
Mr. Okerlind's circumstances in his early life were such as to limit his educational advantages. He attended the public schools in Sweden and in this coun- try, shifting from the city schools to the country dis- trict schools and back again to the city for a course in business and special accounting. Mr. Okerlind has drawn mostly from the school of experience, and gained the reputation early as an expert accountant. He also mastered the Swedish language to a degree of proficiency necessary to hold the foreign office of vice- consul. Aside from qualifying in expert accounting so necessary for successful banking, Mr. Okerlind enjoys the confidence of his associates and the public to a degree that spells strict honor and integrity.
Mr. Okerlind takes a great interest in the affairs of the city, and recommends Jamestown and Chautauqua county enthusiastically. In politics Mr. Okerlind is a Republican, but in local affairs votes for the men and measures that he thinks are for the best interests of the people. He is a member of the Masonic bodies, and has attained the thirty-second degree. He is also a member of several local fraternities. Mr. Okerlind is an intense lover of the outdoor life, and has had from boyhood the hobby of the shotgun and bird dog. He particularly enjoys the life in the woods and field, delighting to hunt and fish, being an expert in both these sports. He possesses strongly marked personal characteristics and these characteristics all bear the impress of true manliness of integrity, purity, earnest- ness, courage and inviolate fidelity to trust.
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CHARLES B. MOSHER, M. D .- As surgeon and general medical practitioner, Dr. Mosher began his work in Dunkirk, N. Y., in 1914, not as a novice, but as a veteran of about a quarter of a century of con- fict with the diseases which effect humanity. He is a native son of New York, a graduate of Albany Medical School (Union University), and with the exception of two years in Indiana his professional work has been entirely in his native State. He is a physician and sur- geon of high standing, and possesses the confidence of a large clientele. Dr. Mosher is a son of George D. and Catherine (Jeffries) Mosher, both living in Dunkirk, his father retired.
Charles B. Mosher was born in Perth, Fulton county, N. Y., Oct. 7, 1870. He was educated in the grade and high schools of Johnstown, N. Y., completing his pro- fessional study at Albany Medical School, a depart- ment of Union University. He was graduated M. D. with the class of 1892, going thence to Albany Hos- pital, where he remained as interne until Nov., 1893. He began private practice the same year in Johnstown, N. Y., and there continued in successful practice nine- teen years, 1893-1912. In 1912 he retired from private practice in Johnstown and spent the following two years in professional work in Valparaiso, Ind. In 1914 he returned to New York State, locating in Dunkirk, which city has since been the scene of his professional activities. In addition to his private clientele, Dr. Mosher is surgeon to the Atlas Crucible Steel Com- pany and the United States Radiator Corporation, also a member of the surgical staff of Brooks Memorial Hospital, Dunkirk. He is identified in membership with the American Medical Association, New York State Medical Society, and the Chautauqua County Medical Society. Progressive and keenly alive to his responsibilities, Dr. Mosher is a worthy exponent of his, the oldest of all professions, and his creed em- braces the doctrine of prevention of disease, a tenant of his creed which he advocates with great earnestness. He is held in high esteem by his brethren of the pro- fession, and is worthy of the appreciation and regard in which he is held. In his political faith Dr. Mosher is a Republican, and in religious belief a Unitarian, affiliated with Adams Memorial Church, Dunkirk. In fraternal membership he is connected with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows.
Dr. Mosher married, at Elyria, Ohio, Mrs. Mary (Potter) McMartin, a widow with two children, James and Dorothy McMartin. Dr. and Mrs. Mosher are the parents of a son, Charles B., Jr.
DAVID HILTON-The quotation "God made him, then broke the mold," has been used in describing such men as Lincoln and Longfellow, but it cannot be used more sincerely than when telling of the life of David Hilton. Although of a retiring, conservative nature, Mr. Hilton will live long in the hearts of his friends. No one knows of the number of people he aided along life's way, but if the number were known it would be surprisingly large, for he had a helping hand for all in misfortune, and his memory is cherished by many outside of his family and circle of personal friends.
There was much in the life of David Hilton to com- mand admiration, but it was not more his strict adher-
ence to the principles of right and justice that attracted men to him than his unfailing kindness and spirit of self-sacrifice. On the latter trait his great popularity with all who knew him was based, and he was honor- able, upright and without guile. What he said and everything he did was in his belief exactly as he repre- sented it. Although rather stern and dignified, he was the personification of kindness and no sacrifice was too great if it brought happiness to those he loved. In his home life the excellencies of his character shown forth.
Mr. David Hilton was born in Middleton Junction, near Manchester, Lancashire, England, March 20, 1826, a son of Thomas and Ann ( Beswick) Hilton. He re- ceived his education in the schools of that period, in his native town, and there grew to manhood. As a young man he taught in the night schools of his native town. At the Parish Church, in Middleton, England, Mr. Hilton was united in marriage with Esther Chap- man, a daughter of Luke and Mary (Jackson) Chap- man, of Middleton.
In the year 1866 Mr. Hilton, together with his wife and four small children, Mary, Richard, James and Thomas, came to America and settled on a farm in Warren county, Pa. Here they remained for sev- eral years and another child, Anne. came to bless their home. Some time later, hearing that a large worsted mill was being erected in Jamestown, Mr. Hilton decided to take his family there, which he did in 1874. Soon after his arrival, Mr. Hilton, together with some other men, organized the Jamestown Woolen Spinning Company, which soon grew to large propor- tions. However, later the name was changed to the Empire Worsted Mills. Mr. Hilton continued his interest in this business until his demise, which occurred after an illness of several years, Jan. 3, 1891, and he is buried in Lake View Cemetery, at Jamestown, N. Y. Mr. Hilton was politically a Republican, but never cared for office, preferring to devote his time to his business and his home. In religious affiliations he was a Unitarian.
Of the children who were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hil- ton, Mary, the eldest, married Edward Akeroyd, and they are the parents of six children : Charles Edward, Bessie Esther, Doris, Ruth, Hilton and Marjorie, all of whom are residing in or about Lynn, Mass. 2. Richard, unmarried, resides in Buffalo, N. Y. 3. Thomas, married Maud Tracy, of Lynn, Mass., and they reside n Syracuse, N. Y .; they are the parents of one child, Esther Marian, who is a student in the Syracuse University. 4. James, married (first) Lillian Paddock, of Syracuse, N. Y., who died in 1909; mar- ried (second) Florence Bush, and they are the parents of two children: Harriet Esther and James Chapman Hilton. 5. Anne, resides in Jamestown, N. Y., where she is engaged in teaching in the public schools of that city; during the World War she was an over- seas worker in France.
In concluding this review of Mr. Hilton's life will say that Mr. Hilton was of a quiet, retiring nature, who loved good books and stood for honesty and in- tegrity above all things; a manly, courageous and gentle heart. lt was said of him by a friend that people turned naturally towards him in time of trouble
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as flowers to the sunshine, and this is indeed an apt illustration of the manner in which strangers were impelled to make his acquaintance, which was speedily turned into the kind of friendship that does not fail. The occupation he had engaged in brought him into contact with a great many men of every class and type and acquainted him with the motives and springs of man's nature beyond the range of many, making him at once tolerant of his fellows and filling his memory with a thousand tales and episodes. In his home life he proved himself a no less loving husband and father than a true friend, a good neighbor, and a model citizen, and when he died he left to his children and their chil- dren the priceless heritage of an untarnished name.
Esther Hilton, wife of David Hilton, died June 6, 1910, after a useful and beautiful life. Of a sunny and happy disposition, she was loved by all who knew her.
ADOLF FREDERICK JOHNSON-One of the prominent younger attorneys of Jamestown, Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., where he has an office in the Wellman building, was born in the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua county, Aug. 20, 1882, and is a son of Nels P. and Sofia (Hoglund) Johnson, the latter deceased, the former having been a farmer for many years and now living in retirement. Adolf Frederick Johnson attended as a child the local district school and later the high school at Falconer, N. Y., from which he was graduated in 1902, and there he was prepared for col- lege. He then matriculated at Augustana College, where he took the usual academic course and was graduated with the class of 1906, with the degree of A. B. He had by that time determined upon the pro- fession of law, and accordingly entered the law school in connection with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich. He did not complete his long studies at that institution, however, but entered the Albany Law School of the Union University, from which he was graduated with the degree of LL. B. with the class of 1912. He was shortly afterwards admitted to the bar and began practice in the same year at Jamestown.
In 1913 Mr. Johnson removed to Rochester, N. Y., where he continued to practice his profession for about twelve months and then, in 1914, returned to James- town and became a member of the present firm of Jude, Blackman & Johnson. This firm is one of the best known and most successful in the city and now does a very extensive legal business throughout this region. Mr. Johnson is also active in other aspects of the city's life. He is a director of the American Na- tional Bank, secretary and treasurer of the Inter- national Flag Company, and is a member of a number of prominent organizations, including Mount Tabor Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the New York Club, the Norden Club, the Swedish Brother- hood, Jamestown Chapter of the American Scandi- navian Foundation, and the Saturday Night Club, all of Jamestown, and he also is a member of the James- town Bar Association. In politics he is a Republican, and for two years held the office of justice of the peace here. In religion he is a Lutheran and attends the First Church of that denomination at Jamestown. He is exceedingly fond of all sorts of outdoor sports and
pastimes and thus takes his recreation. Mr. Johnson has one brother, Victor C. Johnson, who carries on a successful mercantile business at Jamestown, and three sisters, as follows: Olive, who became the wife of Sidney Sprague; Anna, who became the wife of Emil A. Peterson, and Emily, who became the wife of Frank G. Grundin, of Falconer, N. Y.
JOHN M. IRVIN, one of the leading residents of Sinclairville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., is one of the worthy men of Chautauqua county. Of honorable Civil War service, he has since been a useful citizen, a pro- ducer, independent and responsible, and a public worker of definite achievements. He was a successful farmer for twenty-five years, after which he retired from such laborious work and became a merchant, and his record of public service include eight years as coroner of Chautauqua county, eight years as deputy sheriff of the county, fifteen years as superintendent of Evergreen Cemetery, Sinclairville, and served as village president, highway commissioner and tax col- lector. In all, his life has been full of noteworthy activities, and his place in the current history of Chau- tauqua county has been definitely earned; indeed, that place would have been earned by his national service in the time of the country's greatest need, during the Civil War, and it has also been earned by his long and active public life.
John M. Irvin was born in Warrensville, Pa., July 18, 1842, the son of John and Mary (Johnson) Irvin. He is of Irish descent, his father, John Irvin, having been born in County Donegal, Ireland, where he grew to manhood and married Mary Johnson. They were the parents of five children at the time John Irvin brought his family to America. The passage was made in either 1840 or 1841, and under conditions such as would in these days of comfortable traveling be con- sidered impossible: they crossed in a sailing vessel, and the passage took six weeks. The chief danger to them was not the sea, but the undermining of health in such congested quarters. Often in those days a passenger ship arriving at American ports would re- port the death during the voyage of forty or fifty per cent. of the passengers, from smallpox, or what was termed ship fever, but what is now known to have been typhus, caused by unsanitary conditions. One of the five children of John and Mary (Johnson) Irvin died at Lockport, N. Y., while on their way to Warren county, Pa., and the parents were fortunate probably in getting to their journey's end with four of their five children, as conditions of sea travel were in those days, it was only the courageous or venturesome, or those in desperate need, who would cross the ocean. How- ever, John and Mary (Johnson) Irvin, with four of their five children, landed safely upon the American shore eventually, and soon John Irvin had settled his family in a comfortable home in Warrensville, Pa., and was making the means of existence from his labor as a brickmaker, in a brickyard of that place. It was in Warrensville, a year or so after the family reached America, that John M., the main subject of this his- torical record, was born. About a year or so after the birth of the latter, John Irvin brought his family into New York State, and into Chautauqua county. He
MR. AND MRS. JOHN M. IRVIN
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settled his family in the township of Kiantone, and there found employment with James Prendergast, farmer. The return from his labor was probably not more than fifty cents per day, but the cost of living was proportionately low, and the family prospered, by thrift and hard work. Mrs. Irvin made some extra money by also boarding the other farm hands of Farmer Prendergast. Under those conditions, the Irvin family steadily accumulated a little means, sufficient to enable John Irvin after five years to purchase a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Charlotte town- ship, and to pay a satisfactory sum in cash toward such purchase. Upon that farm John Irvin lived with his family until his death, all the time steadily improving the property, and making his family more comfortable. His death canie in 1864, and he was buried in Ever- green Cemetery, Sinclairville. He was a man of strong character and honorable life. In political allegi- ance, he was a Whig, and when the Republican party was constituted became a staunch supporter of it. His widow survived him for twenty years, her death not coming until 1884, when she passed away in the home of her son, James, in Sinclairville, Chautauqua county, N. Y. She was buried beside her husband in Ever- green Cemetery. They were of the same faith, both ardent Protestants, and in America members of the Episcopal church. They were the parents of seven children: 1. Samuel, who died in Sinclairville, Chall- tauqua county, N. Y. 2. James, who died in the State of Wyoming. 3. Thomas, who died in Pennsylvania. 4. John, who died in infancy, and was buried at Lock- port, N. Y., in 1841. 5. William, who died in Tidiout, Pa .; his daughter became the wife of Dr. Charles S. Cheland, of Sinclairville. 6. John M., who is the only surviving member of his generation of the Irvin family, and to record whose life, in its connection with Chau- tauqua county, is the main purpose of this article. 7. Johnston, who became identified with oil operations in Pennsylvania, and died in Clarendon, that State.
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