USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume II > Part 73
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WILLIAM NELSON SPEAR, retired hardware merchant of Sinclairville, Charlotte township, Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., is a native of that township, and has spent his entire life of fifty-seven years in it; for thirty-five years he was in substantial business in Sinclairville, and lived a life which was commendable in every way. He was enterprising, up-to-date, was always reliable and accomodating in his dealings, and above all adhered to a strict code of honor in all his trading. He consequently did good business, pros- pered well, and lived honored and respected in the place of his nativity. That is the truest test; the regard in which a man is held in his own home, in his own home town, is the surest index to his life. And Mr. Spear l:as not only lived a life of responsible business effort ; he has also taken appreciable part in the many phases of the public affairs of the township; his present con- nection with the community matters include the posts of director of the Sinclairville State Bank, trustee of the village of Sinclairville, of the public schools of Charlotte township, and trustee, also, of Evergreen Cemetery, Sinclairville. If one also notes his identi- fication with church work, that of treasurer of the Episcopal church of Sinclairville, it will be realized that Mr. Spear has a leading place among the residents of Sinclairville and Charlotte township of Chautauqua county.
The Spear family is of Scotch-Irish origin, the home of the family in that country being in County Tyrone, Ireland, where the generations anterior to that of William N. Spear were born, and where all generations, at least all generations of which there is record, prior to that of Thomas Spear, father of William N. Spear, lived and died. The family was of Protestant faith, and it is more than probable that a scion of an carly generation of the family crossed to Ireland from Scot- land, or the northern counties of England, and so established the Irish branch, for strictly the patronymic is not Irish. The earliest record the present chronicler has of the Spear family is of Robert Spear, grandfather of William N. Spear. He was a farmer in county Tyrone, Ireland, where he lived and died. His son, Thomas Spear, was born in the ancestral home, in County Tyrone, in 1818. He remained in Ireland until
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he was twenty-nine years of age, by which time he had been married three years, and was the father of two children. His wife, whom he married on May 24, 1844, was Eliza Jane (Harper) Spear. In 1847, he with his wife and their two children, embarked on a sailing vessel bound for Boston, Mass. The passage was a long one, and the conditions under which they lived while at sea was positively dangerous to health. The elder of their two children, Mary Jane, died during the voyage, and was buried near Boston, Mass. For probably fifteen years the family lived in Boston, Thomas Spear soon after landing at Boston finding employment as a puddler in the iron foundry of Hink- ley & Drury. It was hard work, but the pay was good. However, he was a man of alert mind, and was fitted for better and less arduous occupation than that of a puddler; and eventually he found it: he established himself as a grocer on Washington street, Boston, and apparently did well, for in the early sixties he was able to follow his inherited inclination for farm life. He sought a good farm, and for that purpose came into New York State, and into Chautauqua county, where he purchased a tract of 160 acres in Charlotte township, near Charlotte Center, and there the family lived for some years. Ultimately, however, Thomas Spear accquired a better farm, on section seven of the township, which land he operated for many years. Eventually he retired from farming operations, and moved into Sinclairville, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in Sinclairville, Feb. 13, 1901, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Sinclairville, beside the body of his wife, who had died in June, 1899. They were both members of the Episcopal church of Sinclairville, and much respected in the township. Their children were: 1. Mary Jane, who died at sea, during the passage of the family from Ireland, in 1847, her body being buried near Boston, Mass. 2. Blythe, who died in Boston. 3. John T., who resides in Buffalo. 4. Samuel, deceased. 5. Robert, who died in Charlotte township, Chautauqua county. 6. William Nelson, of whom further. 7. Emma, who died in infancy. 8. Frederick, who lives in Sinclairville.
William Nelson Spear, son of Thomas and Eliza Jane (Harper) Spear, was born in Charlotte township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., June 5, 1862. He was edu- cated in the schools of the district, and after passing through the same he assisted his father in the opera- tion of the family farm until he was twenty-six years old. Then he decided to establish himself in commercial life, and with that object went to Sinclairville, where his brother, John T., was already in business as a hardware merchant. He formed business partnership with his brother in 1885, and the partnership continued for some years, but eventually William N. decided to venture into independent business as a hardware merchant. The business he founded grew to satisfac- tory proportions, and was continued by him for about thirty years-until 1918, when a favorable opportunity came to him to dispose of it, and retire. The purchaser was Dana J. Hunt, of Frewsburg, who still conducts it. William N. Spear has reached a comfortable com- petence, financially, but he still prefers to participate, to some extent, in business activities, and therefore finds diversion and some profit in acting as agent in that
section of Chautauqua county for Anders Furnaces. His home is in Sinclairville, and since he has lived in the village, that is, for the last thirty-four years, he has taken good part in public affairs. His church record is commendable, and shows him to be a man of earnest Christian spirit; he has been a member of, and loyal supporter of, the Episcopal church of Sinclair- ville for very many years, and is its present treasurer; and his general material and moral integrity, as well as unselfish public interest, is indicated by the other offices he holds, that of trustee of the village of Sin- clairville, and of the school of Charlotte township, and also of Evergreen Cemetery, Sinclairville. His standing in the community is also indicated by his con- nection with the local bank, serving as director of the Sinclairville State Bank. Politically Mr. Spear is a Republican, of staunch, active interest. Fraternally, he is identified with Masonic bodies, and the Odd Fellows, being a member of Sylvian Lodge, No. 303, Free and Accepted Masons of Sinclairville, Chapter and Com- mandery of Jamestown, and also the Eastern Star organization of Masons.
William Nelson Spear was married on July 11, 1888, to Ellnora Coleman, daughter of John W. and Evelyn (Naut) Coleman, of Covington, Ky. Mrs. Spear, who is a lady of polished manners, refined tastes, and superior accomplishments, was born in Covington, Ky., and has much of the bearing of Southern women of good family. She is an earnest Christian, an ardent church worker, and has been a member of the Episcopal church of Sinclairville for very many years. She also is prominent in the functioning of the local lodge of the Eastern Star fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Spear were the parents of one child, Hazel Evelyn, who, unfor- tunately, did not live beyond her twelfth year. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.
William Nelson Spear is representative of one of the best types of Chautauqua county citizens; he held industriously to business affairs until he had succeeded well, and during the effort relied solely upon the return that surely comes to a tradesman who holds strictly to honorable modes of trading. So, he gradually accumu- lated a competence, and upon a solid base, and as he advanced in material possessions, so he grew in friends. A useful life, well lived, has been his.
JOHN Y. BRIGHTMAN, one of the representative and substantial agriculturists of Chautauqua county, whose farming has been on an extensive scale, and has been marked by finely directed energy and well planned enterprise, has one of the richest farms in the vicinity of Chautauqua. And he is the father of a worthy veteran of the European War, Albert Bright- man, who returned from France so badly wounded that he had to remain in a military hospital in this country for a long while, and probably will never recover fully from the wounds received while valiantly serving the country upon the field of battle, and during its greatest war.
John Y. Brightman was born in the town of Har- mony, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Oct. 27, 1847, the son of George A. and Orrila (Yorke) Brightman. His father was a farmer in the neighborhood, and also
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owned a saw mill, and lived an energetic, honorable life. John Y. Brightman was educated in the district, and took resolutely to farming occupations as soon as his school days were over. He assisted his father in the operation of the home farm until he was thirty- seven years old, when, in 1885, he purchased the prop- erty upon which he has since lived. At that time he acquired about 202 acres, but later purchased an adjoining 50 acres, so that he now has a good dairy farm of more than 250 acres. He has farmed with marked success, which means, in the main, that he has attended closely to farming operations and has worked hard. The success which has come to him is strikingly seen in the stability of buildings, and the modernity of improvements. Silo, wind-mills, barns, and indeed the house, testify to the thoroughiness of the operations of Mr. Brightman, and to the success he has gained by his close application to his farming operations. The farm is well balanced, there being about 125 acres of arable land, and the balance pasture and woodland. Mr. Brightman has a large modern dairy equipment, and has a large herd of milch cows. In all things per- taining to agriculture Mr. Brightman is interested, and in matters concerning the raising of cattle he is partic- ularly interested. For many years he has been a member of the local Grange, at one time was overseer, and is now and has been for many years treasurer of the Grange.
Religiously, he is a member of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and has for many years been a staunch and substantial supporter of the local church of that denom- ination. And in all matters pertaining to the com- munity, he has tried to take as active a part as his husy life in other respects would permit; he was always ready to support financially any projects that in his opinion promised well for some phase of the affairs of his community. And while the war was on, he patri- otically cooperated with the government in every way. He contributed as much as he could to the subscrip- tions raised in the shape of loans and other funds that had a war purpose. And upon his own farm he did his best by checking waste and endeavoring to keep all the possible acreage in useful cultivation, to aid the government plan to bring an abnormal yield of food stuffs, with the view to sending the surplus across the seas to help to sustain the allies of America who at that time stood so desperately in need of food. The food question had an appreciable influence upon the war; that has been generally conceded, and is a credit- able page of American history; it must therefore be a lasting satisfaction to those loyal American farmers who had part in the effort. Especially to such men as John Y. Brightman, one of whose sons was in France, fighting for his country and the great cause. And although that son was severely wounded, and spent many months in French and American hospitals, it must nevertheless have been a relief to the father to know that the war was over, and that in any case, whether he recovered his full strength again or not, there would be no further fighting required of his son. And the lack of food mainly brought about the down- fall of the once-all-powerful German army, just as lack of food might have caused the defeat of the allies had it not been for the aid from America.
John Y. Brightman has been twice married; his first wife was Jennie Morton, by whom four of his children were born. They were: 1. George, who was educated in the district and Mayville schools; he followed his father into the worth-while farming, and for many years has owned a good farm near that of his father; he married Cerise Benjaman. 2. Fay, who was educated similarly to George, and has helped his father in the operation of the parental farm since he left school. 3. Estella, who was educated in the district and Mayville High schools, and is now at home. 4. Albert who is the war veteran of the family; he served in some of the most important battles fought by the United States forces in France, was returned to the United States, suffering from wounds, and at the time of writing he was still under treatment in American hospitals. Some years after the death of Mrs. Jennie (Morton) Bright- man, Mr. Brightman married again, his second wife being Sarah Van Scoy. She died in 1917, having borne to her husband one child, a son, Seth, who is at home with his father.
CHARLES ADOLPHUS SWANSON, one of the prominent figures in the business world of Jamestown, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and a man of affairs, is a native of Sweden, his birth having occurred at Smoland, in that country, Oct. 19, 1858.
As a lad he attended the excellent schools of his native region until he had reached the age of ten years, and then, in 1869, accompanied his parents to the United States and came with them directly to James- town, where they made their home. At Jamestown he continued his schooling, attending the local institutions during the winter, while in the summer vacation he worked at a number of odd jobs. This continued until he had reached the age of seventeen, and then he sought regular employment and secured a position with the drug house of Simons & Wood, of Jamestown. He remained with that concern for two years, and then entered the employ of F. W. Palmeter, who was en- gaged in the drug business, and was thus occupied for the following three years. He was at that time about twenty-two years old, an age when the great, half- developed regions of the West are apt to exercise a powerful influence upon the imagination, and accord- ingly he determined to travel there and experience its wonders for himself. The following four years were spent by him at Kansas and the mining camps of the Rocky Mountains. He eventually decided, however, to make a deeper study of the subject that both by choice and circumstances had become his occupation, and returned to the East and entered the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, where he studied for two years. He graduated from that institution in 1886, having, with most commendable industry, worked at nights in order to support himself and pay for his tuition. Upon completing this course he returned to his native James- town and here formed a partnership with Conrad A. Hult, and under the style of Hult & Swanson opened a drug store at No. 6 Second street. After three years of successful business, he sold out his interest in the concern to his partner, and shortly after bought the drug business of Sears & Jagger at the northeast
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corner of Main and Second streets, and continued to operate it with a high degree of success. The business has grown greatly since that time, and in 1904 it was incorporated under its present name as the C. A. Swan- son Drug Company, with C. A. Swanson as president. In addition to his activity as president of this large and growing concern, Mr. Swanson is also affiliated with the Swedish-American National Bank in the capacity of director, and is justly regarded as one of the influential factors in the business life of the com- munity. Mr. Swanson does not confine himself to business activities, however, but is actively interested in local affairs and has taken an active part in politics. He is a staunch supporter of Republican policies and principles, and has been chosen for several offices of importance and responsibility. For ten years he served on the Jamestown Board of Health, doing a great service to the community in this capacity, and for eight years was a member of the Municipal Civil Service Commission, where his work was no less valuable. Before going to the West he was a member of the local military company, but did not reenter it after his return here. He is prominently affiliated with the Masonic order in this district, and is a member of the Buffalo Consistory, and Ismailia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member and was one of the founders of the Norden Club, and served as its first president for four years. Charles Adolphus Swanson was united in marriage at Omaha, Neb., in 1888, with Hulda R. Valien, a native of Chicago, and a daughter of John and Christine (Johnson) Valien, a member of the Omaha Safe and Lock Company. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Swanson, as follows: Victoria N., who possesses a remarkable talent for music, and is now the organist at the Baptist church in Jamestown; Estelle V., who is employed in the Swedish-American Bank; Richard L., at present a student at the University of Pennsylvania; during the World War he attended the Plattsburg training camp for officers and was graduated and given his commission as second lieu- tenant of infantry. Mr. Swanson and his family are members of the First Lutheran Church, of Jamestown, and he is execeedingly active in the support of the congregation and its work. He is, indeed, interested in philanthropic work generally, and has held the office of treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the Gustavus Adolphus Orphans' Home for twenty- eight years.
CARL AUGUST LUNDQUIST-To say of Carl August Lundquist that he rose unaided from a com- paratively humble position to rank among the most prosperous and successful business men of Jamestown, N. Y., is but to state a well known fact, and, indeed, his entire business career has been one that any man might well be proud of. Beginning at the very bottom round of the ladder, he has advanced steadily until today he occupies a position of prominence in the general life of the community, and is regarded as a model of integ- rity and honor by the entire body of his fellow-citizens.
Carl August Lundquist is a native of Sweden, where his birth occurred, April 28, 1866, and it was in that country also that his childhood and early youth were
passed. He attended the schools of his native region and secured an excellent education in these splendid institutions. He was of an energetic and enterprising nature as a youth, and determined to seek for himself the greater opportunities offered to a young man by the Western Republic of the United States. Accord- ingly, in the year 1885, when he was about nineteen years of age, he made the voyage to the New World and came at once to the town of Jamestown, Chautau- qua county, N. Y., where he already had relatives residing. Since that time he has continued to live here, and has come to be most closely identified with the affairs of his adopted community. Immediately upon reaching Jamestown, he turned his attention to the problem of winning a livelihood, and with this end in view, applied himself to learning the tinsmith's trade, which he quickly mastered. After a brief apprentice- ship, he formed an association with Mr. E. Rosen- crantz and the two carried on a hardware and tinsmith business under the name of E. Rosencrantz & Company for twenty-three years. The concern was successful from the outset, and before many years had elapsed Mr. Lundquist had bought his partner's interest and continued to conduct the business alone. The name was then changed to C. A. Lundquist & Company, and from that time up to the present a high degree of success has attended all the concern's operations. The establishment is one of the largest and finest in this region today and its business extends throughout this part of the county.
Mr. Lundquist has not confined himself to the man- agement of his own private business, however, but has become associated with a great number of other enter- prises of prominence here, and is now regarded as one of the most influential figures in the local business world. He became one of the partners of the large dry goods firm of John Bucklund & Company, and was also elected a director of the American National Bank. Another important concern with which he has been connected is the Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company, in which he held the position of vice-president and president successively, as well as being a director. This company has a large market for its goods throughout the country, and among other things has built the fireproof doors for many of the largest office buildings in New York. It was the Dahlstrom Com- pany also that built the first steel bodies for the new Pullman cars for that company and, indeed, turned out the whole construction excepting the trucks and wheels. Mr. Lundquist has since retired from official connection with this company but is still a large stock- holder. Outside of his business affiliations Mr. Lund- quist is well known in the general life of the town. He is a Republican in political belief hut has never taken an active part in local politics. He is prominent in social and club circles, however, and is a member of the Norden Club, and the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He attends the Swedish Mission and has been liberal in his support of that organization here.
Carl August Lundquist was united in marriage, at Jamestown, July 22, 1891, with Ellen B. Lundquist, a daughter of Olaus and Anna (Anderson) Lundquist, one of the pioneer Swedish settlers of Jamestown,
GEORGE STROEBEL AND FAMILY MAYVILLE, N. Y.
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where he carried on a successful clothing business for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Lundquist are the parents of the following children: I. Harold V., born Oct. 17, 1892, a graduate of the Jamestown High School, and now a member of the firm of C. A. Lund- quist & Company. 2. Paul H., born April 14, 1895, and now a member of the firm of C. A. Lundquist & Company; during the World War he enlisted in the Signal Corps of the United States Army, in June 1917, received a commission as second lientenant in May, 1918, and has since been honorably discharged. 3. Ralph E., born May 21, 1898, a graduate of the James- town High School, and now a partner in his father's business: during the World War he enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps of the United States army; in August, 1919, was raised to the rank of corporal, and has since been honorably discharged. 4. George C., born April 19, 1901, graduated from the high school in 1919, and is about to be admitted into his father's business. 5. Annette L., born Nov. 22, 1908, and is now attending the grammar school here.
GEORGE STROEBEL, energetic, enterprising, and successful farmer of Chautauqua township, N. Y., where for sixteen years he has owned a farming property, and latterly has operated about 250 acres, is a man of the type truly representative of the sturdy productive agriculturist of Chautauqua county, of men who have not been afraid of hard work, and who have mianfully held to their tasks until they carried them through to completion, or to success. George Stroebel went heavily into debt to secure his first small holding in Chautauqua county, but he soon freed himself of debt, and proved himself to be a skillful farmer, with steadfastness of purpose and enterprising courage.
George Stroebel was born in Germany, Jan. 22, 1869, the son of Michael and Lena (Rice) Stroebel. He attended school for eight years in Germany, but when sixteen years of age he went to live in England. While in England, George worked a while for a butcher, and gained proficiency in that trade, so that when he eventually came to America, which he did when he was twenty-three years old, he found good employment as a butcher in Buffalo, N. Y. He remained there for several years, for some time being in independent business. His mind, however, had been clearly set upon following the line his father had made his living at while in Germany-agriculture. He longed to have a farm of his own, and eventually the opportunity came. It was not a very clearly defined opportunity, and only a man of confidence in himself, and of courage, would have taken it, for it involved him in heavy debt. However, at that time he purchased fifty acres of land in Chautauqua township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and moved his family to it. There he and his wife labored enthusiastically and well, and eventually they had a very much improved farm, one that gave good return for labor. But George Stroehel was a man of unresting energy, and he took over the operation of more and more land until he now has, in his own right and on rental, about 250 acres, which bring him an annual return of no small consequence, but which of course entails the expenditure of heavy
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