History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III, Part 46

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

USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 46

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Jesse Henry Smith was born in Jamestown, Chautau- qua county, N. Y., Jan. 12, 1877. He was educated in the school of Panama, and then pursued a short course of study in Jamestown Business College. He was interested in farming, having a small farm in Panama, in the culti- vation of which he displayed indefatigable energy. In April, 1918, he moved to a large dairy farm at Elm Flats, near Mayville, which his mother and he purchased from Mr. William Arnold, and is residing thereon at the present time (1921). He is prominent in the social and club life of the region, holding membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Patrons of Hus- bandry, and the Dairymen's League. He is a Methodist in religious belief, and a Republican in politics, having served as one of the trustees of the village of Panama.

Mr. Smith married, June 25, 1908, Elnora Scranton, daughter of George and Anna (Fay) Scranton, old and respected citizens of Warren county, Pa. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith the following children were born: Henry Jesse, Fay Nelson, Harley Gillette, Helen Mary.

LESLIE ALLAN PEASE-For a quarter of a cen- tury, Leslie A. Pease has practiced law in Dunkirk, N. Y., coming not long after obtaining his LL. B. from the law department of Union University, after a short period of practice in Niagara county, N. Y. Mr. Pease has won high standing at the Chautauqua bar, and his literary ability has brought him further popularity and promi- nence. He is a pleasing, effective, platform orator and a powerful advocate for any cause to which he lends his aid. His able pen has been employed in behalf of this work, and two of its historical chapters bear his name.

He is a son of Dr. Truman A. and Helen M. (Lester) Pease, his father a former practicing physician of Nor- wood, St. Lawrence county, N. Y. The earliest Pease an- cestor is Capt. John Pease, born in England, who came to New England with the carly settlers and located in Mas- sachusetts, where he founded a family. Ebenezer Pease, a descendant of Captain John Pease, was a soldier of the Revolution, and great-great-grandfather of Leslie A. Pease. Abel Pease, son of Ebenezer Pease, the patriot, was born in Vermont and was the first of the family to settle in St. Lawrence county, his residence in the vil-

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lage of North Lawrence dating from t828. He built the first farm house there, and in it died in 1868, aged eighty- seven years. He was the father of several children, the fourth, a son, Abel Pease, who always followed mechan- ical pursuits and settled in the town of Norwood, St. Lawrence county. He married Sally Clark, of Grand Isle county, Vt., daughter of Truman Clark, a member of the Vermont Legislature, and a man of considerable prominence. They were the parents of six children, in- cluding a son, Truman A. Pease, born in the town of Brasher. St. Lawrence county, N. Y., Nov. 27, 1842. He was educated in Lawrenceville Academy, and while a teacher there, in later years, began the study of medicine under Dr. Joseph A. Jackson. In 1864, after one year of study, he enlisted in the Union Army, Company K. 193rd Regiment. New York Volunteer Infantry, was appointed hospital steward at Cumberland City, Md., there serving until the close of the war of 18 :5. Upon his return from the army he entered the medical department of the Uni- versity of Vermont, whence he was graduated M. D., class of 1867. He began practice at Norwood, N. Y., and there completed an honorable and successful record as a physician and surgeon of skill and learning. He married, June 10. 1868, Helen M. Lester, who died Aug. 30, 1884, the mother of two sons, one dying at the age of seven years, the other. Leslie Allan Pease, of Dunkirk, N. Y., to whom this review is inscribed.

Leslie Allan Pease was born in the village of Norwood, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., Sept. 14, 1869, and there spent the first nineteen years of his life. He was edu- cated in Norwood public schools, Norwood Academy, class of 1888, Oberlin College, and finally was graduated LL. B. from Union University, class of 1891. At Ober- lin. as at Norwood Academy, he displayed literary and oratorical ability and won especial honor. After gradu- ation from law school in 1891, he was admitted to the New York bar, and in 1892 began the practice of law at Niagara Falls, N. Y. Not long thereafter he moved to Dunkirk, N. Y., and has since been in continuous prac- tice, ranking as one of the able men of the Chautauqua county har. He is a member of the County and State Bar associations, and is highly esteemed by his brethren of the profession. He holds the confidence of a large clientele, and is one of the successful men of his profes- sion. Until 1904 he practiced alone, but in that year be- came associated with Lyman C. Kilburn, they practicing as Pease & Kilburn.

A Republican in politics, Mr. Pcase, upon becoming a voter, began taking an active part in politics, the cam- paign committees employing his talents as a publie speaker to good advantage. Since then he has been ae- tive as a campaign orator, working under the direction of both State and National committees and under the Republican State League. He has grown in intellectual strength with the years, and his reputation as a pleasing, logical and convincing public speaker has kept pace. As a writer of prose and poetry, he is well known to maga- zine reader , hi, literary work having been received with favor. In 1996, he was elected special surrogate for Chautauqua county. In 1902 he was the candidate of his party for mayor of Dunkirk.

Mr. Pra « married, June 27, 1900, Luna B. Keeler, of Norwood, N. Y., and they are the parents of two chil- dren : Helen 1 .. and Allan W.

MYRON MONTAGUE, the oldest resident at the time of his death, of Sinclairville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he lived in retirement, reached his ninety- fourth year, Oct. 3, 1920, and died Oct. 7, 1920, his long life having been a worthy record of successful industry and useful public work, which included a period as town clerk of Charlotte township, and very many years as a justice of the peace in the town of Gerry.

The Montague family, in its American generations, goes back to Colonial days ; it was prominent in the Had- ley, Mass., Settlement. Elijah Montague, father of Myron Montague, was born in Hadley, Mass., in 1781, son of Nathaniel Montague. Elijah Montague grew to manhood in Hadley, married Esther McElwain and to them were born ten children, four of whom, however, died in early life. Somewhat early in his married life. Elijah Montague removed with his family to New York State, locating first in Rensselaer county, but later inov- ing to Salem, Washington county, where he farmed for some years. Subsequently, however, he acquired prop- erty in Cooperstown, Otsego county. Eventually, the family removed to Genesee county, near Batavia, where they lived many years, until 1836, when Elijah Montague brought his family to Chautauqua county, and settled in Charlotte township, where his son, Elijah Montague, had a farming property. His wife, Esther (McElwain) Montague, had been dead for about two years, and his youngest son, Myron Montague, was about nine years of age, when he decided to leave Batavia and to come to Chautauqua county to live with his children. He died in Sinelairville, Jan. 3, 1862, buried in Evergreen Ceme- tery, Sinclairville. His wife, who died in Batavia, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1834, was buried there. They were the parents of six children, all of whom they reared, namely: 1. Orra, who became the wife of Charles Coder. 2. Elijah, who became a prosperous farmer in Charlotte township. 3. Erastus, who lived many years in Conneautville, Pa. 4. Esther Susan, who became the wife of Jotham Bigelow, of Michigan. 5. Elceta, who married (first) George E. Waite, (second) Edwin Putnam, of Sinclairville. 6. Myron, mentioned below.

Myron Montague, son of Elijah and Esther (McEl- wain) Montague, was born near Batavia, Genesee county, N. Y., Oct. 3, 1827. When he was nine years old, he was taken by his father to Charlotte township, Chantau- qua county, N. Y., where his elder brother, Elijah, was prospering as an independent farmer. There the boy was brought up. His schooling began in the Batavia district school, and was continued in the district school of Char- lotte township. Myron Montague lived, with his father, in the home of his brother until he was sixteen years of age, when he went to Sinclairville to enter upon an ap- prenticeship to John Brunson, blacksmith. He worked at blacksmithing for eight years, successively as appren- tice, journeyman, and partner of Mr. Brunson, but he met with an accident which caused him to give up his trade. He then worked on shares on his father-in-law's farm, consisting of 216 aeres. Some few years later he pur- chased a farm of 231 aeres for himself, situated in Gerry township, and for more than forty-three years thereafter cultivated it. He proved to be a skillful, industrious farmer, and greatly improved the property, building a commodious, substantial barn amongst other important improvements. In 1901, he being then seventy-four years

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BIOGRAPHICAL

old, he retired from farming occupations, and moved to Sinclairville, where for the last nineteen years of his life he lived in retirement. He was active, and became a familiar figure in the town, also well known. In his early manhood, he was an active Whig in national poli- tics, and cast his first vote for Zachary Taylor, who be- came president of the United States in 1849; and he voted in every presidential election from that time until his death, his last vote having been cast for Justice Hughes, in 1916, this making a record of sixty-eight years of presidential voting. Myron Montague was town clerk of Charlotte township sixty-nine years ago, and later was prominent in local public movements, esteemed in the district as a man of broad mind and of good moral integrity. He was entrusted with the admin- istration of justice in Gerry township for fifteen years, and that period of his public service was marked by find- ings which indicated that he had a good understanding of the fundamentals of law, and a very broad view of human nature.

Mr. Montague married, March 11, 1852, at Sinclairville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Annie E. Wagoner, a native of Gerry, daughter of William and Hannah (Camp) Wagoner. She died May 1, 1917, having lived an unusu- ally long and happy married life of sixty-five years. Her kindness of heart, and quiet, refined ways, brought her many true friends during her long life in Gerry and Sin- clairville. She was a woman of earnest, Christian faith, and by religious conviction was a member of the Uni- versalist faith. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Sinclairville. Myron and Annie E. (Wagoner) Monta- gue were the parents of four children: 1. George Ed- win, a sketch of whom follows. 2. Esther A., who has had a useful, professional career, being a graduate of the Providence, R. I., School of Nurses; she practiced her profession for many years, but of late remained near her father to care for him. 3. Myra M., who entered the teaching profession, and was a public school teacher for forty years ; she became the wife of Cassius B. Perrin, an educator; her death occurred May 15, 1919. 4. Frank W., who is well known in Jamestown, where he resides.

GEORGE EDWIN MONTAGUE, retired farmer, now living at Sinclairville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., but for more than a generation a leading resident and most successful farmer in Charlotte township, prominently identified with the public affairs of Charlotte, and later in Sinclairville, where he served as president of the vil- lage, and in 1917 was elected justice of the peace, was born March 8, 1853, in Charlotte township, son of Myron and Annie E. (Wagoner) Montague.

George E. Montague was well educated in the district schools and the Ellington High School. For eleven win- ters he taught school in different sections of the county, and during the summers he farmed. In 1880, he gave up professional work altogether, and resolved thereafter to devote himself wholly to farming and thereupon took the Ellis farm, located in Charlotte township, and that property, which was 102 acres in extent, he farmed steadily for many years. He farmed intelligently, adopted many modern methods of farming, especially in connection with his cattle raising and dairying, and im- proved the property considerably during the period, add-

ing many buildings. In 1915, he came to Sinclairville to live in order to be near his aged parents. In 1916, he sold his farm in Charlotte township, and purchased his present property in Sinclairville, where he has since re- sided. He maintained an active interest in public mat- ters while residing in Charlotte township, serving as supervisor ; in 1917, after his removal to Sinclairville, he was elected justice of the peace of that town for a term of four years, was a trustee of District School, No. 7, and at the present time (1921) is serving as trustee of Evergreen Cemetery, Sinclairville. By political alle- giance, Mr. Montague is a Republican. He is a man of literary inclinations, is a very well read man, and acts as correspondent for the leading Jamestown papers. He has been particularly interested in agricultural matters, and is an enthusiastic member of the Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. Fraternally, he is a member of Sylvan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and Knights of the Maccabees.

George E. Montague married, March 16, 1880, Mary A. Ellis, daughter of Lewis H. and Maryetta (Fuller) Ellis. She was born in Pomfret township, May 7, 1858, died in Sinclairville, Sept. 27, 1916, and buried in Ever- green Cemetery. They were the parents of two children : I. Eva Ellis, who, after passing through the district and high schools of Sinclairville, went to the Normal School at Fredonia, N. Y., and eventually entered the teaching profession, and for eight years was a teacher in Allegany county, N. Y., and the high school in Sin- clairville ; she became the wife of Louis Johnson, of Charlotte township, and to them were born three chil- dren : Allen E., Ida M., and Richard. 2. Jessie E., who, after passing through the public and high schools of Sinclairville, entered the Jamestown Business College, for the commercial course, in which she eventually gradu- ated, and later became clerk and bookkeeper in the First National Bank, Jamestown, which position she held, with much credit, for thirteen years; she became the wife of Harry J. Vaughn, of Jamestown.

WALTER ERIE STRONG, one of the prominent citizens of Sinclairville, Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he lives retired from active life, and a veteran of the Civil War, is a member of a family that has been closely associated with the affairs of Gerry township, for a great number of years, both he and his forebears having fol- lowed the occupation of farming there.

Gilbert Strong, grandfather of Walter E. Strong, was a native of Chenango county, N. Y., removing from there to Chautauqua county in 1818, and located in what is now Gerry township. There he purchased from the Holland Land Company a tract of 120 acres of the practically virgin wilderness, which he at once set about clearing with the assistance of his sons. Eventually he brought this land under cultivation, and spent the remainder of his active life on this fruitful farm. He at length reached an age when labor was no longer possible and thereafter made his home with his son Gilbert, Jr., who was residing in Ellington township, where his death occurred June 12, 1861, at the venerable age of ninety-one years. He was a Whig in politics, and was prominent in local affairs. He married Eliza Palmer, and they were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Both were buried in Ever- green Cemetery, Gerry township. He and his wife were

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the parents of seven children, as follows: Nancy ; Electa, who became the wife of John Bailey; Gilbert, Jr., who became a resident of Ellington township; Horace, who died in early life in Gerry township; David, mentioned below; Orren, who died in Gerry township; and Mary Ann, who became the wife of Emery Alverson.

David Strong, third son and fifth child of Gilbert Strong, was born April 9, 1801, in Chenango county, N. Y., and as a lad attended the district school of his native place. He was seventeen years of age when he accom- panied his parents in their removal to Chautauqua county, and there he assisted his father in the clearing and culti- vation of the latter's farm. Afterwards he became the owner of a farm of his own, consisting of 120 acres of the same tine land in Gerry township. He made farming his occupation through life, and his death occurred on his place, Oct. 8, 1874, at the age of seventy-three years. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was a Republican in politics. David Strong married (first) Mahala Clark, of Gerry township, who died in 1838, and by whom he had four children, as follows : Electa, who became the wife of Julius W. Hubbard ; Caroline, who became the wife of Charles Walker ; Elisha, who resided on his father's farm and there died ; and Orren E., who died in Gerry township. David Strong married (second) Sophia Mccullough, a daugh- ter of John McCullough, a prominent resident of Gerry township, where he held the office of justice of the peace for many years. Her death occurred at the family home in Gerry township in October, 1893. They were the par- ents of six children, as follows : Walter Erie, with whose career we are especially concerned; Mahala, who became the wife of Wallace G. Olmstead; Pamelia, who became the wife of Joel D. Damon ; Amanda, who became the wife of Martin Heath, of Gerry township; Anna Eliza, who became the wife of Perry S. Ely, of Ontario, Cal .: and Warren, who resides at Sinclairville, N. Y. David Strong and both his wives are buried in Evergreen Cem- etery.

Walter Erie Strong, eldest child of David and Sophia ( Mccullough ) Strong, was born July 12, 1840, in Gerry township. He passed his childhood and early youth on his father's farm. lle attended the local public schools of the region, and upon completing his studies at these jr.titt;tions assisted his father in the latter's agricultural operations and there learned the rudiments of the occu- pation that he was to follow during the remainder of his active life. In the year 1862 he enlisted in the Union army, and became a member of Company B, 112th Regi- ment, New York Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 6, 1862. This company was under the command of Captain Chaddock, and the regiment under Col. J. C. Drake. Mr. Strong proceeded with his regiment to the seat of war and soon aw much active service. He was severely wounded in the left low at the battle of Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864. and was -efit to the ho-pital at Hampton, Va., and later ex: jarred to that at Buffalo, N. Y., near his home. From there, having recovered, he was honorably dis- charged in July, 18'5, and returned to Chautauqua county, N. Y, where he settled down to farming once more He purchased a farm of sixty-two acres in Gerry township, which he operated successfully for a time. Ile next di pored of this and bought the place known then as the Cannon farm, a tract of 104 acres, where he car-

ried on general farming and also raised cattle on a large scale. After some years spent on this farm, Mr. Strong procured a yet larger tract of 166 acres in the same re- gion, and there continued his cattle raising and general farming operations for fourteen years longer. By that time his business had grown to such an extent that he purchased the large Waggoner farm of 900 acres, where he engaged in stock raising on an extensive scale and with great success until the year 1907. He then sold out his valuable interests and removed to Sinclairville, where he has since made his home and enjoycd a well earned leisure.

In addition to his farming activities, Mr. Strong has always been an active participant in the public life of the community where he has resided. He has taken a keen interest in local politics, is a staunch Republican in his political belief, has been a prominent figure in the affairs of his party in Chautauqua county, and has held a number of important offices in the gift of the community. For nine years he served as assessor of Gerry township, and for two years as tax collector. Since coming to Sin- clairville he has been no less active, and in 1911 was chosen justice of the peace. Twice since then he has been reelected to the same office and today still occupies it after a period of nine years. He is a trustee of Ever- green Cemetery. Mr. Strong has always kept up his military associations gained during the Civil War and was one of the organizers of J. C. Drake Post, No. 319, Grand Army of the Republic, of Sinclairville, which was named in honor of Colonel Drake, the revered commander of the old 112th Regiment, New York Volunteers. He has remained a member of this post ever since, and has oc- cupied the office of commander for a considerable period. He is also a member of Sinclairville Grange, No. 401, held the office of master for three years, and is today one of its trustees. In his religious belief Mr. Strong is a Congregationalist, and with his wife attends the church of that denomination at Sinclairville.

Walter Erie Strong married (first) Dec. 6, 1864, J. Pamelia Wicks, of Ellery township, a daughter of Jere- miahi Wicks, of that place. Her death occurred June 12, 1891, in Gerry township, and she is buried in Evergreen Cemetery. They were the parents of five children, as follows: Ida, who became the wife of Walter Kapple, and died Jan. 9, 1912; Bernice, who became the wife of Grant Edson, a resident of Gerry township; George H., who married Mary Trusler, who died in 1916, and is oc- cupied in farming in Gerry township; Lena J .; and Erie J., who makes his home in Paterson, N. J. Mr. Strong married (second) April 17, 1907, Ella (Swift) Bentley, a native of Forestville, a daughter of David and Phebe (Geer) Swift, and the widow of Jerome Bentley, one of Mr. Strong's fellow members of Company B, 112th Regi- ment, in the Civil War; his death occurred in April, 1901, at Clear Creek, N. Y.

DAHLSTROM METALLIC DOOR COMPANY

-A manufacturing plant with a plot of nine acres of ground, and having an occupied floor space of about 250,000 square feet in its factory buildings, must be a factor of much importance to a city the size of James- town, Chautauqua county, N. Y .; in fact, or at least in all probability, trade boards and civic committees in

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various parts of the country would become valuable in their advocacy of their own particular locality as a fac- tory site if there were any chance of influencing such a corporation to change its location. Such a possession the city of Jamestown has in the plant of the Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company, which since 1904 has been an appreciable influence in the development of the city. Its operation finds labor for about 500 people, and its prin- cipal products, metallic doors, partitions and trim, wind- shield tubing, instrument boards and other automobile accessories, are known in almost all the principal cities of the United States. The final factor in the fireproofing of some of the country's most costly structures, adding elegance of interior decoration to such buildings as well as fireproofness, has been brought about through the products of this company. Its products are exported ex- tensively to many foreign countries, and during the World War, just ended, the directors and principals of the Dahlstrom Company devoted themselves indefatigably to the production of articles needed by the government in the prosecution of the war. Among these were water- tight and nonwater-tight doors for submarine chasers, doors for government buildings, for battleships, cruisers, and other ships. They manufactured many hundreds of thousands of parts for steel helmets, used by the Ameri- man Expeditionary Forces in France.

The Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company is undoubtedly one of the soundest of Jamestown's manufacturing in- dustries, expertly managed, and continually expanding its scope of manufacture and of market. It had its in- ception in the efforts of a worthy Jamestown resident, the late Charles P. Dahlstrom (a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work), who in 1903 first endeavored to organize the Dahlstrom Company. He was an expert mechanical engineer, connected for many years with the metal furniture industry. He conceived the method of making metal doors in a simple and practical manner, by which it would be possible to market them at such a reasonable cost as to constitute a material advantage to owners, architects, and builders to specify them in the plans of fireproof buildings. He interested some of his influential friends, mostly residents of Jamestown, and early in 1904 the Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company was organized and received its charter of incorporation under the laws of the State of New York. The organizers, prudent men of business and exploiting an idea with their own capital, spent the first year of the corporate exist- ence of the company in experimental work, building what special machines were necessary for the economical man- ufacture of the doors, and then giving the product ex- haustive tests to prove its fire resisting qualities. After satisfactory demonstrations of the feasibility of the idea, and of the surety of its fire resisting qualities, the pro- moters were sure that, properly directed, the enterprise would succeed, and they purchased a tract of land, in- cluding water rights of about 600 horse power. The erection of the first factory building and power house was commenced in the latter part of the year 1904, and early in 1905 an important contract was secured by the company. This contract called for about 2,000 metal doors and trim for use in the twenty-two story build- ing then being erected in New York City for the United States Express Company. It tested the capacity of the initial plant to its utmost ; in fact, it was unable to cope

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History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III, Part 46

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