USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 53
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96
John E. Ottaway, father of Arthur B. Ottaway, was horn at the Ottaway homestead in the town of Mina, Chautauqua county, N. Y., June 20, 1827, died in March, 1917, at the homestead. . His youth was spent upon the farm; his education obtained in the district school. He was his father's assistant, and later succeeded him in the ownership of the homestead farm, which was always his home. He held many positions of trust in the county and town, and during his lifetime was executor of many estates and the guardian of minor children as well as of their property. He carly allied himself with the Republican party, and in 1873-74-75
arthur B. Ottaway
CM. Hamilton
519
BIOGRAPHICAL
and 1883 represented Mina on the County Board of Su- pervisors. He contributed liberally to worthy causes and always took a deep interest in community welfare. He was a prosperous farmer, and enjoyed to the full the advantages the possession of means enabled him to indulge in and to confer upon his children. He was for many years a director of the State Bank of Sher- man, and regarded as a strong, clear-visioned, business man.
John E. Ottoway married, Oct. 17, 1849, Sarah Boor- man, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Hosmer) Boorman, early among the English settlers of the town of Sherman, their settlement in the western part of the town dating from 1825. Mr. and Mrs. Ottaway were the parents of five children: Osmer J., Arthur B., of further mention ; G. Fred, Susan A., and Cora E. Mr. and Mrs. Ottaway celebrated the golden anniversary of their wedding day at the home farm in Mina, Oct. 17, 1899, and in honor of the occasion led a Virginia reel, the dancers all being over seventy years of age. Mrs. Ottaway died in 1907.
Arthur Boorman Ottaway, second son of John E. and Sarah (Boorman) Ottaway, was born at the homestead in the town of Mina, Chautauqua county, N. Y., May 8, 1854. He began his education in the district public schools, later attending Sherman Academy and West- field Academy, entering the last named institution in 1873 and graduating with the class of 1875. After graduation he taught school for several terms, then en- tered the office of William Russell, of Westfield, as a law student. He was admitted to the bar in 1879 and began practice in Westfield as a member of the firm, Russell, Dickerman & Ottaway. After the dissolution of that firm, Mr. Ottaway practiced alone until 1896, when he became senior of the law firm, Ottaway & Mun- son.
In 1883. Mr. Ottaway was the successful nominee of the Republican party for the office of district attorney, an office he filled for three years. In 1887, he returned to the private practice of his profession and built up a large and lucrative practice. For years he was the attorney for the Chautauqua County Board of Super- visors and was retained privately in much important litigation in Chautauqua courts. He was a member of the law association of the district, and stood high in the estimation of his associates of the bar. On Jan. 3. 1906, Governor Higgins appointed Mr. Ottaway county judge to fill a vacancy. At the ensuing November clection he was chosen by the voters for a full term, and when that expired in 1912 he was chosen for a second term and again in 1918 for the third time. This evidence of confidence and esteem proves the worth of his service to the county as a learned, just and upright judge.
Judge Ottaway married, Oct. 2, 1912, Mrs. Myrtle (Redfield) Nixon, daughter of George Redfield, and widow of S. Fred Nixon.
HON. CHARLES M. HAMILTON-Important business and distinguished public service records belong to Charles M. Hamilton, of Ripley, N. Y., who has rep- resented his district successively in the State Assembly, the State Senate, and the National House of Repre- sentatives. He filled a seat in the Sixty-third, Sixty- fourth and Sixty-fifth congresses, his public service and
devotion to the general welfare the public-spirited and patriotic gift of a man for whom the rewards of office have no attraction and whose sole object is the per- formance of his duty and the benefit of his fellows. Mr. Hamilton is a native of Chautauqua county, N. Y., and from young manhood has had a prominent part in busi- ness and civic activities in that district.
The Hamiltons were a Vermont family, settling in Chittenden county, where Lucius G. Hamilton was born, April 15, 1826. He later moved to the town of Ripley, Chautauqua county, N. Y., where he died March 16, 1874. He was a man of high character, unselfish in service, and progressive, always interested in the wel- fare of his community. He was a Republican in politics, a justice of the peace for several years, and during the years 1870 and 1871 represented Ripley on the County Board of Supervisors. He married, at Ripley, Dec. 6, 1870, Lydia A. Mann, and they were the parents of an only child, Charles M. Hamilton.
Jeremiah Mann, father of Lydia A. (Mann) Hamil- ton, was born in Milton, Saratoga county, N. Y., Sept. II, 1768. He spent the first twenty-five years of his life in Eastern New York, locating in Ripley, Chantauqua county, in 1825. He also purchased a farm at North- east, Pa., to which he moved in 1826. In 1837 he moved to the town of Ripley, Chautauqua county, N. Y., resid- ing in the village of Quincy until his death. In 1844 he was elected a member of the New York Legislature, and to a high degree enjoyed public confidence. He was one of the first directors of the Buffalo & Erie Railroad, and a friend of all public improvement. He married Anna Brockway, daughter of Burban Brock- way, of Ripley, and they were the parents of three daughters: Augusta, married William Hunt, of Ripley, who died Dec. 1, 1869; Caroline, died March 12, 1875, wife of William Bell, Jr., of Erie, Pa .; Lydia A., mar- ried Lucius G. Hamilton, who died in Ripley, March 16, 1874, and they were the parents of Charles M. Hamilton, of this review.
Burban Brockway, father of Mrs. Jeremiah Mann, was born at Lyme, Conn., March 1, 1767, his father and elder brothers serving in the Revolutionary army. He married, at the age of twenty-three years, Lois Anna Bostwick, and located his home at Catskill, N. Y., where he followed the water as a means of livelihood, ship- ping on coastwise and river vessels. In 1797 he moved to Seneca, Ontario county, N. Y., and there began clear- ing a farm from the forest. In 1809 he joined the Protestant Episcopal church in Geneva, and in 1814 moved with his family to Chautauqua county, settling one mile east of Quincy in what is now the town of Ripley, then Portland. He was an early postmaster of Ripley, senior warden of St. Paul's Church, Mayville, and later warden of St. Peter's Episcopal Church at Westfield. He was a magistrate of the town under appointment of Governor Clinton. He died at his home near Quincy, Sept. 2, 1861, having resided there from 1814. His wife, born in Connecticut, Jan. 9, 1772, died Nov. 26, 1859. They were married May 27, 1790, and were the parents of nine children.
Charles M. Hamilton was born in the town of Rip- ley, Jan. 23, 1874, the son of Lucius G. and Lydia A. (Mann) Hamilton. His grammar school and high school education he obtained in his native place, and
520
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
after graduation from Ripley High School he entered the Fredonia Normal School, and later the Pennsyl- vania Military College, at Chester, Pa. He owns farm land in the Ripley district of Chautauqua county, and oil and natural gas were found underlying his property. These resources have been developed by the Willow- brook Natural Gas Company, of which Mr. Hamilton is the sole owner, and the company furnishes light to the town of Ripley as well as illumination and power to the residents along its pipe line. Another of Mr. Hamilton's leading connections in this field of industry is as treasurer and manager of the New York State Oil Company, a corporation owning producing properties in Kansas and Oklahoma. He is financially interested in numerous other enterprises, local and otherwise, among them the Ripley Telephone Company, of which he is vice-president.
Mr. Hamilton's public service began in 1906, when he was elected to represent his district in the State Legislature, and an unusual aptitude for legislative af- fairs brought him reelection in the following year. His work in the Assembly organization during these two sessions included membership on the committees on railroads, public health, commerce and navigation, and military affairs, of which last named committee he was chairman, and in committee room and on the floor he strove diligently to advance the general good. In the following year, 1908, he was elected to the Upper House of the State Legislature from the Fifty-first district, which includes Chautauqua and Cattarangus counties. During that term he was chairman of the Senate com- mittee on forest, fish and game, and was also a member of the committees on railroads, internal affairs, military affairs. and Indian affairs. In 1910 he was reelected to the State Senate, in that term serving on the com- mittees on railroads. forest, fish, game, and commerce and navigation, and during that term being appointed by the lieutenant-governor to represent the Senate on the New York State Factory Commission.
Mr. Hamilton's able discharge of his duties in both houses of the State Legislature was the platform upon which he was elected to the Sixty-third Congress of the United States, representing the Forty-third district of New York. In 1914 and 1916 he was reelected to Con- gress, his second term witnessing the opening months of the World War, his third the entrance of the United States into that conflict. In all of the weighty matters that came under the consideration of those congresses his influence and his vote are found on the side of pa- tri‹ tism and right, and he worked tirelessly and effec- t.vely throughout what are destined to be historic times. His committers were territories, postoffice, and Indian affairs. In 1916 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention that nominated Justice Charles E. Hughes for the presidency, and in the convention served as a member of the committee on credentials.
In Ripley and Chautauqua county, his home, Mr. Hamilton's connections are many, formed in all rela- '' n' of life that call men together, social, religious, ri.je and fraternal. He is a member of the Masonic order and has been active locally in its work, and his friends throughout the district are legion. Neighborly, menest and reepe. he has served his fellows faithfully and well, sacrificing time and personal interest in the
serving, gaining in the esteem and appreciation of his constituency.
Mr. Hamilton married, in 1904, Bertha C. Lamberton, of Franklin, Pa.
HUGH WILLIAM THOMPSON-Practically every person in Chautauqua county, N. Y., is familiar with the well known "Westfield Republican," but every- one is not aware of the fact that it was the first Re- publican newspaper in the United States. The present owner, Hugh William Thompson, bought it May 15, 1889, from Alfred E. Rose. Since its inception there have been but four editors, the first being Martin C. Rice, a remarkable man, who is ninety-five years old. He is now a resident of Lawrence, Kan., and is widely known there as a grand old gentleman of the old school, possessed at his age of an unusual faculty and well preserved. The second owner of the "Republican" was F. A. Hall, of Westfield; the third owner was Alfred E. Rose, of Lowell, Mass .; the present owner, Hugh William Thompson.
The "Westfield Republican" is issued once a week, the circulation is sixteen hundred, and it is one of the most popular sheets in that section of the State. Cur- rent topics are, of course, the leading subjects in the paper, but social notes and local affairs are eagerly looked for in each issue by the interested public. As an advertising medium it enjoys a degree of popularity not held by any other weekly in the county. Job printing of every description is a particular feature of the "Re- publican" office, and all machinery used is of modern kind, the owner being a progressive man who believes in keeping abreast of the times.
Hugh William Thompson was born in Westfield, N. Y., Oct. 2, 1858, the son of Hugh William and Elizabeth (McDowell) Thompson. The former was an Irish- man, born in County Down, coming to the United States in 1851. By trade he was a carpenter and con- tractor, in business with his brother, John Thompson. He and his wife were married in Westfield and to them were born the following children: Jane, Hugh William, of whom further; John F., and Eliza.
In his boyhood, Hugh William Thompson, Jr., at- tended the graded schools of his native town, after which he entered the office of the Mayville "Sentinel," a weekly newspaper, and began to learn the trade of a printer. He remained there three years, leaving it to take a position on the staff of a paper at Silver Creek. This was once owned by Charles E. Brown, who after- ward sold it to George E. Bailey, Hugh W. Thompson leaving the office after being there three years and a half. For a short time he was engaged in various pur- suits until he finally bought the "Westfield Republican" and has been its publisher ever since. Mr. Thompson is a member of Summit Lodge, No. 219, Free and Ac- cepted Masons; was a member of the Royal Arcanum and Knights of Pythias. In the matter of politics, Mr. Thompson is a Republican, as befits the owner of the leading organ of that party in the vicinity. He is much interested in the political affairs of his town, and in jo1 was elected town clerk, an office which he has been reelected to every term since. In religion he is a
HerbertF. Thompson
Hugh Dr. Thanhkon
6 Hour.
521
BIOGRAPHICAL
Presbyterian, having been an elder in the Westfield church for some years, and is now a deacon of it.
In Westfield, Nov. 8, 1894, Hugh William Thompson was married to Adele H. Hall, and they had one child, Herbert F., born Jan. 9, 1896. Mrs. Adele H. (Hall) Thompson died in Westfield, Jan. 15, 1896.
Herbert F. Thompson was educated in the grammar and high schools of Westfield, Mt. Hermon School of Massachusetts, and Hamilton College. During the World War he enlisted, Aug. 3, 1917, at Erie, Pa., in the Medical Corps of the army; then was transferred to Fort Slocum, N. Y., remaining there only a week when he was again transferred, going first to Fort Oglethorpe, and a little later to Camp Gordon, both in Georgia. After a short stay at this camp he was sent to the embarkation station at Camp Upton, L. I. On May 5, 1918, young Thompson and his companions in arms arrived at Liverpool, England, and the follow- ing day were sent to France, via Southampton. After arriving there they saw active service from start to finish, being engaged in the Somme offensive, his unit being an infantry outfit. In the Argonne forest battles his division, the 82nd, was in continual action from Oct. 5 to Nov. 2, 1918, and before that they had taken part in the St. Mihiel offensive from Sept. 12 to Sept. 16. Mr. Thompson's regiment was for some time sta- tioned at the Toule sector, at Maubeuge, and at the battle of the Meuse. After the signing of the armistice they were ordered to return to the United States, ar- riving here May 9, 1919, and going at once to Camp Dix., N. J., from which station he was honorably dis- charged, May 13, 1919, his rank at the close of the war being that of sergeant. Since returning from the army, he has been associated with his father on the "West- field Republican," and is active in the management of the paper. During the war, when the young men of Westfield were "Over There," Mr. Thompson, Sr., kept them supplied with free copies of the "Republican," which helped the boys "Over There" to feel somewhat that they were "Over Here."
CHARLES C. HAAS-Among the most successful builders and business men of Jamestown, Chautauqua county, N. Y., should be mentioned Charles C. Haas, general contractor, with offices, warehouses and yards at the corner of Tenth and Monroe streets. Mr. Haas is a native of Warren, Pa., born Jan. 16, 1875, son of Peter and Elizabeth (Dick) Haas, both now deceased, the former having been a mason contractor at Warren and Jamestown for many years.
The family removed to Jamestown, N. Y., when Charles C. Haas was but three years of age, and he received his education in Jamestown grammar and high schools. He became employed in a local shoe factory, and when sixteen years of age began to learn the trade of mason. Upon completing his apprenticeship, he followed his trade as a workman for about twelve years. In 1903, when twenty-eight years of age, he established himself in the contracting business on his own account. From the outset Mr. Haas met with notable success, and since that time has done some of the largest construction work in this part of New York State and in Northern Pennsylvania. His enter- prise at this time is one of the largest of its kind in the
entire region, and has been developed entirely through his own energies and intelligence. In the year 1903 he started with about ten employees, and some idea may be gained of the growth of his business when it is stated that at the present time he often employs as many as two hundred men. Among the largest build- ings erected by him in Chautauqua county should be mentioned the Young Women's Christian Association building, the Chautauqua School of Nursing, the East Side School, the Euclid Avenue schools, the Fairmont Avenue School, the New Wellman building, the Fur- niture Exchange building, the largest structure in Jamestown; the Pilgrim Memorial Church, the Bank of Jamestown, the Barrett building, the large ware- houses of the D. H. Grandin Milling Company, the Eagle Temple, and many handsome residences, in- cluding the summer home of W. D. Packard, at Chau- tauqua, associated with the great Packard Motor Car Company. Still other construction done by him is the West Side Fire Station, additions to the Acme Woolen Mills, the building of the Automatic Registering Machine Corporation, additions to the Chautauqua Worsted Mills and the Ferncliffe Worsted Mills, the Webber & Knapp factory, the Jamestown Boiler Works, the Jamestown Bottling Works, additions to the Sher- man Street Grammar School, the Straus block, the High School heating plant, the Warner dam, a State job; Jamestown Malleable Products Corporation build- ing, and many other buildings, including storerooms, etc., large and small, and the handsome residences of S. M. Merriman, Charles C. Wilson, and P. F. Simon. At Warren, Pa., he erected the Swedish Lutheran church, the residences of William Knapp, James Clark and others, and remodelled the Library Theatre build- ing. At Olean, N. Y., he erected the Higgins Memorial Hospital, and at Ridgway, Pa., the Young Men's Christian Association building. Mr. Haas, through his long and diligent service to the building trade, has earned a reputation which places him in the front rank of the builders of New York State. His construction work on institutional, commercial and private buildings truly makes him the dean of the building trade in Chau- tauqua county.
Mr. Haas is affiliated with a number of prominent organizations in this region, including various Masonic bodies; the Elks; the Eagles; Knights of Pythias; the Jamestown Board of Commerce; the Builders' Ex- change, of which he is vice-president ; the Rotary Club; the Sportsmen's Club, of which he is treasurer ; the United Spanish War Veterans, having served through- out the Spanish-American War with Company E. 65th Regiment, New York Volunteers; the Buffalo Builders' Exchange; the National Contractors' Association ; Jamestown Manufacturers' and Employers' Association, and the Young Men's Christian Association. In religious belief, Mr. Haas is an Episcopalian and attends St. Luke's Episcopal Church. He is a Republican in poli- tics, but has not sought public office.
Charles C. Haas was united in marriage, June 29, 1903, in Jamestown, with Huldah G. Swanson, a daugh- ter of John P. and Anna S. Swanson, of Jamestown. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Haas, as fol- lows: Iris Geneva, born March 18, 1904; Ruth Marion, born March 18, 1908; Alice Marion, born June 9, 1915; Elizabeth, Virginia and Charles C., Jr., died in infancy.
522
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
EDWARD D. REAGAN-Among the financiers of Chautauqua county, N. Y., Mr. Reagan is a figure of prominence, filling the positions of vice-president of the State Bank of Mayville and the First National Bank of Ripley, and cashier of the National Bank of West- held, and it can be truly said that he is one of the lead- ers of the banking fraternity of Chautauqua county.
Edward D. Reagan was born Aug. 25. 1876, at French Creek, N. Y., son of John and Julia Agnes (Grady) Reagan. John Reagan was a well known agri- culturist in the town of French Creek for many years until his death, Nov. 22, 1004, and his widow still retains her residence there. Edward D. Reagan attended the dis- trict schools of French Creek, afterwards entering the Westfield High School and graduating in 1895. He then obtained a position as clerk in the National Bank of Westfield, later becoming assistant cashier, and served for eighteen years with this institution. He was elected. Jan. 1, 1013, to the position of cashier of the State Bank of Mayville, which position he resigned, Feb. I. 1020, to accept the cashiership of the National Bank of Westfield, at which time he was elected vice- president of the State Bank of Mayville, and on Feb. 28, 1920, he was elected vice-president of the First Na- tional Bank of Ripley. Mr. Reagan is a director of the National Bank of Westfield, First National Bank of Ripley, and the State Bank of Mayville. He is a member of the Westfield Chamber of Commerce, hav- ing been its treasurer since its organization. His polit- ical connections are with the Democratic party, but he has never sought public office. He is a member of St. James' Roman Catholic Church of Westfield. He is a member of the Royal Arcanum, having served the order as collector for twelve years, the Knights of Co- lumbus, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of which he is a past president. He has achieved, in more than one direction. substantial and honorable success, having started in a modest way and arising to prominence in his field of endeavor, being a fine type of the self- made man. Mr. Reagan is identified with the social life of Westfield, and is a golf enthusiast. He spends much of his leisure time at his beautiful home on South Portage street, Westfield, which is surrounded by well appointed grounds.
Mr. Reagan married Frances Catherine Balizet, daughter of Eugene Charles and Mary ( Masson) Bali- zet, of Meadville, Pa., the ceremony being performed Feb. 6. 1918.
JOSEPH ALBERT McGINNIES was born in the North of Ireland, Nov. 7, 1861. He came to America with his mother in 1864, joining the husband and father, William McGinnies, at Ripley. The parents, William and Elizabeth ( Lighthouse) McGinnies, made Ripley their home until death claimed them many years later. Joseph A. McGinnies has always remained loyal to his ad pied town, Ripley, and well he may be for it has a'wa, Leen loyal to him. It was here he was educated in de lo d' schools, it was here that he grew to man- hood. where he entered business, where he was mar- ried. where he took an interest in politics, and where he is grown into one of the substantial citizens of the town and county.
While till in boyhood he entered the drug store of
Dr. Simon in the village of Ripley, became a pharmacist, and eventually purchased the store in which he had gained his business and professional experience. With a clear insight into business and politics, he soon be- came a recognized leader in the business and political life of the community. While still on the sunny side of thirty, he was nominated by the Democratic party of his district for the office of member of Assembly, and although the district was overwhelmingly Republican, he gave his adversary a close run for the office. Later he became a convert to the principles and policies of the Republican party, and for twenty-five years has been identified with this great political organization, never swerving in his allegiance to the party and its candidates.
He was first elected a member of the Chautauqua County Board of Supervisors in 1896 as a Democrat, and continued year after year as the representative of his town as a member of the Democratic party until 1905, when he became convinced that the Republican party came nearer meeting his ideals of government than any other, and he promptly announced luis allegi- ance to that party. The people of his town had elected him supervisor regardless of his political faith, because they had confidence in his ability and fidelity, and in his desire to serve its interests, and his change in par- tisanship made no difference with those who knew him best, and he was elected the next year on the Republi- can ticket. And when the Board of Supervisors con- vened in 1906, he was elected clerk of that body, a position he has held down to the present time. His familiarity with the duties and obligations of the board, and its relations to the towns of the county and the State, gave him the position of leader of the board, whose advice was asked and accepted by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.