History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III, Part 4

Author: Downs, John Phillips, 1853- , ed; Hedley, Fenwick Y., joint editor
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Boston, American Historical Soceity
Number of Pages: 688

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and friendship of their customers, they have no trouble in disposing of their wares. They are highly respected in Jamestown, and in the twelve years the company has been in existence have made a name and place for them- selves among the business men of that city.

ROSS J. GOLDSMITH, one of the successful con- tractors of Brocton, N. Y., where he was engaged in business for a number of years, is a native of that town, his birth having occurred there on Jan. 7, 1884. He is a son of James and Ida (Berg) Goldsmith, the former a laborer in these parts for many years.

The early life of Ross J. Goldsmith was passed in poor surroundings without many of the educational advantages which are so valuable in aiding young men in their start in a business career. He attended, how- ever, the local public schools, remaining at these insti- tutions until he had completed the grammar grades and studied for a time in the Brocton High School, and then found it necessary to engage in some remunerative occupation. Accordingly he secured a position in a local basket factory when little more than a child, and in 1906 began to serve as an apprentice in a plumbing establishment. He spent five years in all in the employ of that concern, first as an apprentice and then as a journeyman plumber, and in I911 was appointed a master plumber. During the time he was so employed Mr. Goldsmith saved with rigid economy a large pro- portion of his slender earnings in order some day to be in a position to become independent and engage in business on his own account. This ambition he was able to realize in 1911, when he severed his connection with his old employers and established himself as a con- tractor in his native town of Brocton. Since that time he has continued in his chosen line, has built up a great success throughout this region, and handles much im- portant work here. Among the large jobs that he has com- pleted in the past should be mentioned the residence of Conrad W. Green, who is himself the subject of extended mention elsewhere in this work; the handsome summer home of Mr. Windburn, the Bailey building, the build- ing of the Paul DeLaney Company, the plant of the Brocton Food Juice Company, all at Brocton, and the Memorial Hospital building at Lillydale. He has a large and fully equipped establishment at Brocton, and is justly regarded as one of the substantial citizens of the community, his success being due entirely to his own efforts. Mr. Goldsmith has always taken a lively interest in the general affairs of Brocton and the surrounding region, and is a well known figure in the general life of the place. He is a Republican in politics, but although he keeps himself always abreast of all the issues of the day, both local and national, has never as yet taken that part in public affairs for which his practical talents so admirably fit him. He is not a member of any church, but members of his family attend the local Baptist house of worship. Mr. Goldsmith is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Ross J. Goldsmith was united in marriage, March 7, 1017, with Jessie Gustafson, of Dunkirk, N. Y., a daughter of Alfred and Emma Gustafson, old and highly respected residents of that place.

E.L. Buchawan

Elever W. Powers

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ELMER WALTER POWERS, M. D .- No name stands higher in medical circles at Westfield, Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., than that of Dr. Elmer Wal- ter Powers, who has been engaged in practice here for a number of years and established an enviable repu- tation both for his ability as a physician and for the high standard of professional ethics which he has con- sistently maintained. Dr. Powers was born Dec. 9, 1870, at Panama, N. Y., a son of Joel and Harriette M. (Lewis) Powers, the former still surviving. The elder Mr. Powers has largely retired from active business, but holds the distinction of being the oldest justice of the peace at North Harmony. The Powers family is a very old and distinguished one in Chautauqua county, and Mr. Powers' grandfather, the Rev. Simon Powers, was rector of the First Baptist Church at Panama early in the nineteenth century.

Dr. Powers attended as a lad the public schools of Panama, and later was a student at the Westfield High School, where he was prepared for college. In the meantime he had determined to follow the profession of medicine as a career in life, and with this end in view entered the medical department of the University of Vermont at Burlington, Vt. After having take the pre- scribed course in medicine he was graduated with the class of 1899, winning his degree of medical doctor. He then entered the Mary Fletcher Hospital at Burling- ton, as an interne, and served in that capacity for one year, thus gaining the practical experience necessary to supplement his theoretical knowledge. Upon complet- ing this term of apprenticeship. Dr. Powers removed to the West and settled at Conneaut, Ohio, where he remained two years, engaged in the practice of his pro- fession. At the end of that time, however, he was induced to abandon his profession for a time and became a salesman for the Burns Vaporizer Company, of West- field, N. Y., and travelled in various parts of the country as their representative for two years. He then returned to his former career and resumed his medical practice at Ashville, N. Y., in the year 1904. He continued to be thus engaged for a period of about fourteen years and established a wide reputation throughout that region. On Sept. 15, 1918, Dr. Powers removed to Westfield, where he has since been actively engaged in his profession, and although the time has been brief he has already gained recognition as one of the most capable physicians in the community. He still possesses his license to practice medicine in Ohio. Dr. Powers has taken a lively interest in local affairs for a number of years, and is a well known figure in the general life of the community. He is a member of many important organizations including the Chautauqua County Medical Society, of which he is president, and the New York State Medical Society. He is also a member of the University of Vermont Alumni; of Summit Lodge, No. 219, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Lakewood Lodge 628, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Order of Maccabees, and the American Medical Associ- ation. In religious belief he is a Methodist, attending the church of that denomination at Westfield, and in politics a Republican.

Dr. Elmer Walter Powers was united in marriage, Sept. 10, 1905, with Gertrude Pardee, of Harmony, N. Y., a daughter of James and Sophia (Gypson) Pardee,

and they are the parents of two children, as follows : Harriette Elizabeth, now a student at the Westfield High School; and Kenneth Pardee, who attends the grammar schools here.

TIMOTHY JOSEPH DESMOND-As one of the heads of the widely known Desmond Coal Company and Desmond Fisheries the man whose name we have just written stands forth so prominently, not only among his neighbors of Dunkirk, but also among his fellow-citizens of Chautauqua county, as to render any words of intro- duction not only unnecessary but wholly superfluous. To say that Mr. Desmond is known in his town and county is distinctly an under statement, inasmuch as his name, from its connection with a great fisheries concern, is familiar in many states of the American Union.

Timothy Joseph Desmond was born in Buffalo, and is a son of Timothy and Ellen (Harrigan) Desmond, both natives of Ireland, but married in the United States. The educational facilities of Timothy Joseph Desmond were limited, and he was early obliged to become a wage earner. His business ability being above the average, and his industry and energy equal to it, he found himself, when in the prime of life, one of the proprietors of two great concerns, the Desmond Coal Company and the Desmond Fisheries. The founding and maintenance of either of these enterprises would have been sufficient to place Mr. Desmond among the foremost business men of Western New York.

The Desmond Coal Company handles all kinds of coal and gives employment to ten men. It owns its trucks and carries on a very extensive business. The Desmond Fisheries own five steam tugs and miles of nets, employing twenty-eight men on their own boats. It works by contract twelve other steam tugs and gaso- line motor boats on which they employ eighty-four hands. They own their cold storage, packing and fish houses, employing in these forty hands. Their catch averages 1,200 tons annually and is shipped into the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Mich- igan, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland. During the busy season they employ 162 men and their pay-roll exceeds $107,000 annually. Politically Mr. Desmond is a Democrat. He is a director of the Chamber of Commerce, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, the Knights of Columbus, Dun- kirk Club, C. and B. A. He is a member of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. Desmond married in Buffalo, N. Y., Mary, daughter of Cornelius and Margaret (Darcy) Corcoran, and they became the parents of three children : Margaret, at home; John, married Lucile Frey, and they have two children, William and Lamar; Timothy Joseph, Jr., married Irene Findley. All these children were edu- cated in Dunkirk. Mrs. Desmond, who was a devoted wife and mother, passed away April 15, 1919.

Cornelius William Desmond, son of Timothy and Ellen (Harrigan) Desmond, and brother of Timothy Joseph Desmond, was born in Buffalo, and is the partner of his brother in the Desmond Coal Company and the Desmond Fisheries. The political principles of Mr. Desmond are those supported by the Democratic

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party. He occupies a seat in the Chamber of Com- merce, and affiliates with the Catholic Benevolent Legion. He is a member of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. Desmond married Agnes, daughter of Thomas and Mary Cleary, and they have five children living, all of whom were educated in Dunkirk with the excep- tion of the two eldest who received their educations in Buffalo: Thomas, Elinor, Agnes. Elizabeth, and Margaret. One child, Mary, is deceased.

The great business which these two brothers now successfully conduct had a small beginning, but has been gradually built up by their combined talent and aggress- iveness to its present large proportions. Their record is of value to their descendants and this, together with the fact that it contains a salutary lesson for young men starting in life, should insure its careful preservation.

MORRIS HENRY STIMSON-Teclinical lines have always claimed Mr. Stimson, and his active life has been spent in connection with manufacturing enter- prises in the Middle West and in the East. Since 1913 he has been associated with Chautauqua county in the capacity of general manager of the United States Radi- ator Corporation.

Morris Henry Stimson was born in Cadillac. Mich., Aug. 5, 18;0, son of Warren B. and Gertrude ( Beards- lee) Stimson. He received his elementary education in the schools of Grand Rapids, Mich., and upon gradnat- ing from the local high school in 1900, he attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Here he took a course in mechanical engineering, and was graduated with the degrees of Mechanical Engineer and Bachelor of Science in 1904. This was supplemented by an apprenticeship at the Detroit plant of the American Radiator Company until 1908, when he became factory manager of the Detroit Steel Products Company, which position he held until 1910. The next three years he was engaged as manager of plants numbers three and fifteen for the Buick Motor Car Company, at Flint, Mich. In 1913 he accepted his present position of general manager of the United States Radiator Cor- poration. In no small measure has the growth of this concern been due to Mr. Stimson's tireless industry and energy. His training qualified him for carrying on a large enterprise, and his close application to the busi- ness of this firm has given him remarkable success. His position demands the service of one whose ability is of high order, and whose well-halanced forces are manifest in sound judgment and in ready and rapid understanding of any problem that may be presented for solution. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and of the Psi Upsilon fra- ternity, also Sigma Xi. Mr. Stimson is also a prominent mar in the Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Stimson married, April 24, 1908, at Grand Rapids, Mich., Helen Methenay, and they are the parents of two children: Bettey Bradford, now attending State Normal School at Fredonia; and Patricia Warren.

CHARLES ANDREW STUDLEY-A veteran in years and in business experience, and one of the com- paratively few who "followed the flag" to the battle fields of the South in 1862, Mr. Studley after many,

many years of life in other states returned to his native New York, and in 1919 permanently located in the village of Fredonia, Chautanqua county. His years of residence in the West brought him a competence, and in acquiring it he brought under cultivation a large tract of prairie land which the plow of the white man had never before turned. His military service was with the troops of a Western State, and his recollections of the three years' service with those men are the most cherished of his life. Now nearing octogenarian honors, Mr. Studley is enjoying the rewards of a lifetime of energetic, well directed effort, and is as keenly interested in the trend of public events as though his years were of little weight. He is a descendant of an ancient Puritan family of Massachusetts, his branch of the Studley family settling in Western New York.

His father, Philemon Studley, was a farmer in Cattar- augus county, N. Y., but later moved with his family to Dunkirk in Chautauqua county, where he was engaged in various occupations during the remaining active years of his life. He lived for a time in Gowanda, and died in Dayton, Cattaraugus county, N. Y. Philemon Studley married Elmira Starks, who died in Dunkirk and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Fredonia. They were the parents of five children : David, who like his brother served in the Union army during the Civil War; Mary, married Marion Guest; Charles Andrew, of further mention; Maria, married Levant Darby; Marion, a resident of Cassadaga, Chantauqua county.

Charles A. Studley was born at Springville, Erie county, N. Y., March 13, 1842, but when young his parents moved to Dunkirk, where he obtained a public school education. He remained in Dunkirk until the age of nineteen, then went to Boone county, Ill., locat- ing at Garden Prairie, where he engaged as a farm employee for one year. In 1862 he enlisted at Belvidere, [11., in Company B, 95th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, his company commander, Captain Loop, his regimental chief, Colonel Humphrey. He was in the service three years and took part in several severe battles and many skirmishes and minor engagements, was promoted to the rank of corporal, and at the close of the war was mustered out with an honorable dis- charge at Springfield, Il1.

After the war, Mr. Studley spent seventeen years in the Pennsylvania oil fields, locating at Oil City. He was not one of the successful oil operators and finally closed out his business and went West, locating in North Dakota, where he bought and "homesteaded" 850 acres of prairie land in Benson county. This tract he made valuable by cultivation and extensive improvements, residing thereon for thirty-five years, and becoming one of the prosperous wheat growers of that section. In 1906 he began coming East to spend his winters, choosing Fredonia as his residence. This practice he continued until 1919, when he sold his farms and other property in North Dakota and made Fredonia his permanent residence. He is a member of Holt Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Fredonia; the Metho- dist Episcopal church, the Masonic order, and in politics a Republican.

Mr. Studley married (first) Loretta Baxter, who died in North Dakota, leaving three children: Ida, married Clarke Higgins; Nellie, married David Robertson, and

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resides in North Dakota; Jennie, married Barney Speiglor, and resides in North Dakota. Mr. Studley married (second) Kathrine (Zink) Turrell, born in Erie county, N. Y., daughter of Leon and Josephine (Von Hatton) Zink, and widow of Eli Turrell. Mrs. Studley is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

REV. WILLIAM L. HYDE was born in Bath, Me., Dec. 27, 1819, a son of Captain Henry and Maria (Hyde) Hyde. He received his education in Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me., from which he was graduated with the class of 1842. In 1849 he completed his course in theology and was ordained a minister in the Congre- gational church, and for seven years acted as pastor of that denomination at Gardner, Me.

In 1856 Mr. Hyde removed to Dunkirk, N. Y., where he was pastor of the Presbyterian church until 1862, when he was commissioned chaplain of the 112th Regi- ment (the Chautauqua County Regiment), New York State Volunteers, and remained in that station until the close of the Civil War. One year later Mr. Hyde removed from Dunkirk to Ripley, where he remained until 1871 as pastor of the Presbyterian church, and the following three years was pastor of the church of that denomination in Sherman, N. Y. In 1874 he removed to Ovid, Seneca county, N. Y., where for the ensuing ten years he held the position of principal of the high school. In 1884 he came to Jamestown, Chautanqua county, N. Y., where he remained until his demise in 1896, at first teaching a private school and later doing editorial work on the Jamestown "Journal," and serving as supply clergyman in various pulpits in the city and vicinity.

While living at Ripley he wrote and published the "History of the One Hundred and Twelfth Regiment," recognized as one of the most accurate and valuable of all the histories of New York State regiments. Throughout his residence in Jamestown, Mr. Hyde was chaplain of James M. Brown Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and in 1896 was elected chaplain of the Grand Encampment, Department of New York, Grand Army of the Republic, and was honorary chaplain of the Thirteenth Separate Company, National Guard, State of New York, Jamestown, up to the time of his death. He was a companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. He was an active member of the Chautauqua County Society of History and Natural Science. In the Chautauqua Institution he took a great interest and presented to the institution a library of theological works.

On May 4, 1852, Mr. Hyde was united in marriage with Frances Elizabeth Rice, who was born in Wiscasset, Me., a daughter of Thomas Rice. To Rev. and Mrs. Hyde were born the following children: I. Henry Warren, who resides in Denver, Colo. 2. Wallace E., who died in infancy. 3. Frederick William, whose biographical record follows this. They also had an adopted daughter, Elizabeth Clover, who married San- ford C. Meddick, and resides at Ovid, N. Y. Mrs. Hyde's demise occurred at her home in Jamestown, N. Y., May 17, 1892.

MAJOR FREDERICK WILLIAM HYDE was born in Dunkirk, N. Y., Feb. 21, 1858, a son of Rev. William L. Hyde, whose biography precedes this. Major

Hyde received his early education in the district schools of this county, and later attended the high school at Ovid, N. Y. After a one-year course of study at the Fredonia Normal School, he entered the store of Levant L. Mason, in Jamestown, and served a four years apprenticeship at the watchmaker and jeweler's trade, at which he worked in Cleveland, Ohio, for a time. In 1879 he returned from Cleveland and entered the business offices of the Jamestown "Journal," and soon after became a reporter on that newspaper. Later he became successively, news editor and managing editor, which later position he continued to hold until 1905. He is a director of the Journal Printing Company. He served nearly twelve years in the Jamestown Fire Department as a member of Ellicott Hook and Ladder Company; for seven years served in Company E, 65th Infantry, National Guard, of which he was captain; and during the Spanish-American War he was captain of the United States Volunteers and was honorably dis- charged from the army in 1898. During the World War he was a major in the 74th Infantry, New York Guard. He was an officer of the National Chautauqua County Bank from 1905 to 1918; later, treasurer of the Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company, and since Jan. I, 1919, has held the position of secretary of the National Bank Section of the American Bankers Association with offices in New York and Washington.

For twenty years Major Hyde served as a clerk of the Board of Supervisors of Chautauqua county. During the legislative term in 1903 and 1904, he was index clerk of the State Assembly. In politics he has always been and is a Republican. He is a member of the varions Masonic bodies, is a member of the Army and Navy Club in New York City, City Club of Washington, D. C., Rotary Club, and Chadakoin Club of Jamestown.

On Aug. 21, 1894, Major Hyde was united in marriage with Carrie Joie Jones, a daughter of Sidney Jones, whose biography follows. To this union were born on Dec. 25, 1896, twin danghters, of whom Carolyn Elizabeth, wife of Gale L. Cheney, of Youngstown, Ohio, survives.

SIDNEY JONES-In the proud list of her citizens known and honored throughout the business world for stability, integrity, and fair dealing, Jamestown and Chautauqua county have no cause to be other than satis- fied with the record of that prominent merchant, Sidney Jones. The methods by which he had attained the high position which he held in the estimation of his fellow- men well attested his qualities of mind and heart; he was courageous, cheerful, clear of judgment, alert to opportunity, and untiring in labor.

Sidney Jones was born in Jamestown, N. Y., July 27, 1823, the youngest child and seventh son of Solomon and Clarissa (Hayward) Jones. His father, Solomon Jones, was one of the early settlers of Chautauqua county, coming from Wardsboro, Vt., and making his home in Kiantone in November, 1810, later removing to a place on the Chautauqua outlet, about two miles north of Jamestown, to which the name of Jones' Landing was given, now Clifton. His later years were spent in Jamestown, his house on East Fourth street standing on the site of the residence now owned and occupied by Sheldon B. Broadhead (1904). To Solomon Jones and

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his wife were born fourteen children, of whom thirteen reached maturity. His death occurred at his home in Jamestown. Aug. 2, 1862.

Sidney Jones received his early education in the dis- trict schools of his native town, and in the Jamestown Academy. After completing his studies, Mr. Jones took up the mercantile business. At one time Mr. Jones owned a grist mill at Dexterville (now East Jamestown ), but later abandoned this business. and again took up mercantile pursuits. At different times, Mr. Jones had as partners in his business, E. C. Bailey, James P. Clarke, and Charles H. Howard. Mr. Jones retired in 1804 and on Jan. 7. 1908, his death occurred at his home in Jamestown, and he is buried in Lakeview Cemetery.

Politically Mr. Jones was a stanch Republican, and though he never sought for office, when it was offered him as an expression of faith and trust placed in him by his fellow-citizens, he accepted and gave to his city and county the best of his ability. Mr. Jones was elected county clerk in 1861, and in that capacity served a term of three years. He also served on the Board of Education of the Jamestown public schools for many years. In religious affiliation Mr. Jones was a member of the First Presbyterian Church.

On Oct. 20, 1862, at Leicester, N. Y., Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Anna S. Dickey, whose death occurred June 1. 1900. To this union were born two daughters: Emma C., born Dec. 23, 1863. married William Archie Kent, of Prescott, Ariz .; and Carrie Joie, born July 9. 1865, who married Frederick William Hyde, whose biography precedes this.

No element of the city's growth and improvement sought Mr. Jones' aid in vain. He stood for advance- ment in public as well as in private affairs, and the same qualities which made him a prominent figure in business circles made him a citizen whose loyalty and support were always to be counted upon. His en- tire life, with the exception of three years spent in Mayville, was spent in Jamestown, and those who knew him. and his friends were numerous, entertained for him the warmest regard. His life was in large measure an exemplification of his beliefs in the brother- hood of mankind. He had never allowed questionable methods to form part of his business career, while over his official life there fell no shadow of wrong or sus- picion of evil. Kindliness and appreciation for the good traits of others have constituted the salient features in his career, and his life illustrates the fact of the Emersonian philosophy that-"to make a friend you must be a friend."

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History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III, Part 4

Author: Downs, John Phillips, 1853- , ed; Hedley, Fenwick Y., joint editor Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Boston, American Historical Soceity Number of Pages: 688

Author: Downs, John Phillips, 1853- , ed; Hedley, Fenwick Y., joint editor
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Boston, American Historical Soceity
Number of Pages: 688