USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 60
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Benjamin Nichols married, Nov. 10, 1856, at Kennedy, N. Y .. Jane M. Taylor, a native of Schroon Lake, Essex county, N. Y., born March 28, 1841, a daughter of Eli and Lucinda (Jencks) Taylor, old and highly respected residents of that place. Mrs. Nichols was twelve years of age when she accompanied her parents to Chautauqua county, and made her home in the town of Poland. She is a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and taught a Bible class in the Sun- day school there for a number of years, as well as being a staunch supporter of the missionary activities of the church. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Nichols were the parents of the following children: I. Delia M., born Feb. 8. 1858, died Oct. 3, 1004; she was a woman of unusual character and a delightfully cheerful disposition which rendered her popular with all who knew her; she was also a talented musician. and for a number of years heid the post of organist at the Kennedy Metho- dist Episcopal Church; she became the wife of Celestus 1. Wibox. 2 Melvin C., who died at the age of four 3 William S., who died in infancy. 4. Charles Meti . mentioned below. 5. Myrtle L., born May 12, ppt, who became the wife, Nov. 20, 1901, of Charles E. Br wn Mr. Brown is a talented musician, and a mirmber i the Methodist church. 6. Maud C., born Dec. 20, 124 ;. died Nov. 26. 1887, when less than twenty years of age . - He became the wife of Salem Parker, to whom .he hre our daughter, Maud Alline, born Nov. 20. 1895, who became the wife of Paul Rosencrantz. 7. Pear! I ... been Dec. 14, 1871; became the wife of Frank-
lin H. Oaks, to whom she bore the following children : Louis Benjamin, Jerald Z., Percy. Donald and Dudley.
(VIII) Charles Melvin Nichols, fourth child and third son of Benjamin and Jane M. (Taylor ) Nichols, was born May 18, 1864, at Kennedy, Chautauqua county, N. Y. As a lad he attended the local public schools, where he received his education. Upon completing his studies he secured a position, in 1883, in the office of Nichols & Babcock, the firm at that time operating the Jamestown Iron Works as a foundry and machine shop, and of which his father was the head. When Benjamin Nichols purchased the interest of his partner in 1888. Charles Melvin Nichols was admitted as a member of the firm and gradually assumed a larger and larger share of its management. Finally, in 1904, the elder Mr. Nichols retired and the son became the entire owner of the enterprise. The concern was then reorganized as the Jamestown Iron Works, founders and machinists, with Mr. Nichols as superintendent and general manager, an office which he continues to hold at the present time. Associated with him are Mr. S. S. Taylor, who is the practical machinist of the company, and Emil Froding, the practical founder. The growth of the Jamestown Iron Works may be seen in the fact that in 1883 there were but thirteen people employed in the work here, including the owners, while at the pres- ent time there are forty-five exclusive of the officers. They do a very large general founding business, mostly in the immediate locality. The plant occupies a tract of land containing some 22,000 square feet and the floor space amounts to as much as 27,000. It is one of the pioneer enterprises of its kind in Jamestown and, although having operated under several different names, has continued from the beginning to occupy the same location. It was organized shortly after the close of the Civil War, and at one time owned the rights in several important patents which, however, it has since sold or disposed of in other ways. Mr. Nichols also purchased and reorganized, in 1910, the Jamestown Garage Com- pany on Cherry street, and is now the treasurer and secretary of that concern, which does the largest busi- ness of its kind in the city at the present time. Mr. Nichols has always interested himself actively in the general life of the community, and was for eleven years in the National Guard of New York, in which he enlisted Sept. 20, 1887, as a member of the 13th Sepa- rate Company. At the time of the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he volunteered his services in the cause of his country, but poor health made it impossible for him to stand the hardships of camp life, and he was compelled to return after a few weeks. He is a prominent figure in the social and fraternal circles of the city and especially so in the Masonic order, in which he has attained the thirty-second de- gree in Free Masonry. He is a member of Mt. Moriah Lodge, No. 145, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Rising Sun Chapter, No. 57. Royal Arch Masons; Council, Royal and Select Masters;
Commandery, Knights Templar ; Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and Buffalo Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret. He served for eleven years as a volunteer fireman in Jamestown, and was a member of
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Eagle Hose Company, N. 2. In politics, he is a Re- publican, and in 1898 and 1899 represented the Third Ward as an alderman, proving himself a capable and disinterested public servant. In his religious belief he is a Methodist.
Charles Melvin Nichols was united in marriage, June 10, 1895, in Jamestown, with Sadie (Sara) Sweet, a native of Corry, Pa., born Aug. 27, 1871, a daughter of Samuel and Regina Frances (Huber) Sweet. To Mr. and Mrs. Nichols one child has been born, Charles Malcolm, June 25, 1906, in Jamestown. The family make their home at No. 108 Barrett street, and reside in the summer at Clement Park, on the shores of Lake Chautauqua.
RICHARD HOUGHTON HEPPELL, son of Richard William and Harriet Sarah (Houghton) Hep- pell, was born in Greenpoint, Long Island, N. Y., Sept. 7, 1869. He was educated in the public schools, and for many years has been a resident of the city of Dun- kirk, N. Y., closely identified with its business and civic life. He was appointed city clerk in 1910-11-12-13 and again in 1920. He was president of the Municipal Civil Service Board in 1918-19; director of Dunkirk's war gardens during the World War; member of the Legal Advisory Board; member of the committee in charge of Liberty Loan and Allied "drives," and served on the examining board. In fact, Mr. Heppell was a most valuable aide in all war activities, giving freely of his time and ability to further his country's cause. In public office he has served his city well, and holds the respect of every man with whom he has business or official dealings.
An ardent sportsman, Mr. Heppell, as a member of the Northern Chautauqua Fish and Game Club, enjoys its privileges, but is always mindful of the game regu- lations and careful to observe the true rules of sport. In this connection it is proper to mention that Mr. Heppell was asked to prepare a chapter on Fish and Game Conservation for this history of Chautauqua county, the result being one of its most interesting fca- tures of the work. He is a member of the Merchants' Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce; director of the Dunkirk Masonic Association; director of the Dun- kirk Savings and Loan Association; director and sec- retary of the East End Building Association, Inc .; sec- retary of the Marsden Building Company, Inc. Mr. Heppell's affiliations with the Masonic order are most honorable. He is a past master of Irondequoit Lodge, No. 301, Free and Accepted Masons; past district dep- uty grand master of Chautauqua District; a companion and past high priest of Dunkirk Chapter, No. 191, Royal Arch Masons ; past thrice illustrious master of Dunkirk Council, No. 25, Royal and Select Masters ; a sir knight and past eminent commander of Dunkirk Commandery, No. 40, Knights Templar ; and a noble of Ismailia Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His club is the Dunkirk Masonic. He is a communicant of St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church.
RUDOLPH W. SCHULZE, well regarded citizen and manufacturer, of Jamestown, N. Y., founder of the Jamestown Fancy Furniture Company, which in the
manufacture of pedestals, furniture ornaments, and other wood working, finds employment for more than thirty men, is a master of his line, a wood carver of great skill, and a producer of furniture ornaments of the highest grade.
He was born Feb. 25, 1885, received a graded and high school education, and from the outset of his business career has been connected with the manu- facture of furniture. For many years he worked in Michigan furniture factories, and became very proficient at his trade. He was a conscientious workman, always alert, and withal intelligent, so that it was not long before he possessed a thorough understanding of most of the machines used in wood working. His attention to the close study of the principles of his trade has stood him in good stead, for he is now, while a young man, directing a manufacturing business of not inconsiderable volume, and with very good indication of future ex- pansion, the high grade of his factory's product being the surest indication of such future expansion. When Mr. Schulze first started in independent business, it was in partnership with a Mr. Van Stee, under the firm name of Schulze & Van Stee. This partnership was dissolved in 1913, and Mr. Schulze immediately organized the Jamestown Fancy Furniture Company, which he has developed until it now finds employment for a good number of skilled workmen, who have the advantage of the most modern machinery, housed in a modern factory building, 60x110, two stories in height, erected by Mr. Schulze. Mr. Schulze is an appreciative employer of labor, and by personal example is able to get quality as well as quantity out of his men. Mr. Schulze gives almost the whole of his time to his busi- ness. He is independent in politics, a Methodist by religious conviction, and fraternally belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the local unit of which organization he is one of the leaders. His business associations bring him into membership in the Manufacturers' Associa- tion, and the Furniture Manufacturers' Association.
On July 11, 1917, he was married, in Jamestown, to Edna Madden, of a well known family of that place.
GEORGE WILLIAM KERR, prosperous and re- spected farmer in Ripley township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., is the son of a patriot of worthy Civil War record, and has himself proved to be a stalwart, useful citizen, his actions being marked by a conscientious desire to help forward the betterment of his class, and by courageous advocacy of principles which he deems to be good for the community. For many years he has been an ardent Prohibitionist, and has not hesitated to make known his views. And his interest in the plans of the Chautauqua County Farm Bureau for the bet- terment of agricultural conditions within the county drew him into participation in the work; he has been a committeeman of the bureau almost since its inception.
He was born in North East, Pa., May 9, 1865, the son of David Edgar and Elizabeth (Smith) Kerr. Soon after that event, the family removed to Michigan, where for five years his father, David Edgar Kerr, farmed a tract of comparatively wild land. After five years of such occupation, however, the family returned to Penn-
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sylvania, and two years later came into New York State and Chantanqua county, the father acquiring a farm of sixty-eight acres in Ripley township. It was in the graded school of Ripley that the son, George W., obtained the bulk of his academic education, after which he took to agricultural occupations upon his father's farm, remaining near him almost until his death. His father was a veteran of the Civil War, having been a member of the famous Ninth New York Cavalry, Company I. While scouting with his unit, he was thrown from his horse and received injuries which, to some extent, affected his after life. He event- ually became blind, about twelve months before his death, which occurred when he had reached his forty- ninth year.
George William Kerr has spent the main part of his life in the Ripley district; apart from the few years in Pennsylvania, and the five years in Michigan in early life, and a period of four years spent in the oil fields of Pennsylvania, after he had grown to manhood. he has lived all his life in Ripley. After working in the oil fields at Bradford, Pa., for four years, he returned to Ripley, and bought the David Woister farm of eighty-seven and one-half acres in Ripley township, and that has since been his home. It is a good farm, and since he took up its cultivation it has been very appreciably improved, and in its present condition yields a good return. It is devoted to fruit and general farm- ing. and Mr. Kerr has introduced many modern methods of farming into his operations.
He has always taken a keen interest in agriculture, and for many years has been an active member of the local grange, and has been ready to cooperate in all movements that promise good for the agriculturists of the county. He is a member of the Dairymen's League, and undertook the duties of committeeman of the Chan- tanqua County Farm Bureau, when that organization come into being. During the recent war, he proved by his practice upon his own farm that he desired to cooperate with the purposes of the Farm Bureau, and of the Federal Department of Agriculture in preventing waste, and of bringing all possible acreage into cultiva- tion. In that way, he had part in the great work ac- complished by the American farmers during the period of stress, when upon the surplus foodstuffs depended in great measure the success of the Allies in the war. And he proved himself to be whole-heartedly patriotic by his contributions to the various funds promoted by the government and governmental agencies for the extraordinary purposes of the war.
He is a man of strong characteristics; has been an carne-t church worker; and for very many years has been an active Prohibitionist. By religious conviction, he is a Baptist, member of the Baptist church of North East. Pa., which he has steadily and consistently sup- ported. And in furtherance of Prohibition legislation, he was a factor of some consequence in his district, and whether the present war time prohibition legislation be- comes a permanent measure or not, George William Kerr will always be a staunch and capable advocate of temperance.
George William and Josephine Kerr are the parents of two children: 1. Hubert Frederick, who was edu-
cated locally, and eventually became an auto mechanic; he is at present prospering at that trade in North Caro- lina. 2. John William, who went to Ripley schools, and eventually married Viola Craley; he is a candy manu- facturer at Mayville, Chautauqua county.
George William Kerr has two sisters living: Mrs. Edna Shaw, at North East, Pa., and Mrs. Mary Baker, at Ripley, Chautauqua county, N. Y.
By his productive agricultural effort, by his work in connection with county organizations, and by his local interest, George William Kerr has taken good part in Chantauqua county life of the past few decades; and by his upright principle, adherence to a strict honorable code of life, and business dealing he has gained the respect of his neighbors and of the people in general in his community. It is by such characteristics that the county continues to advance, and by such stalwart characteristics that the county was first won from the wilderness.
EDMOND BENTON OSGOOD, a prominent buisness man of Brocton, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and a conspicuous figure in the general life of this place, is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred at the city of Bradford, in that State, March 26, 1863. He is a son of Edmond O. and Rowena C. (Colgrove) Osgood, old and highly respected residents of that city and is the tenth of the eleven children born to his parents.
Mr. Osgood was educated at the schools of Bradford until fourteen years of age, and at Angelica, N. Y., studying at the high school for a number of years at that place, and in 1882 (thirty-eight years ago) he and his father engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in Angelica, N. Y., where Edmond B. Osgood remained for about five years. In the spring of 1892, he removed to Brocton, where he has been thus occu- pied ever since. During his association with his father Mr. Osgood thoroughly learned his business, and is now well known throughout the region and largely patronized. Mr. Osgood has always been actively in- terested in town and county affairs, and on Jan. 25, 1904, was appointed, by Governor Benjamin B. Odell, coroner to fill a vacancy in that office left by his prede- cessor, Charles Kinney, resigned. Since that time Mr. Osgood has continuously occupied this office, having been elected to it at each subsequent campaign. He is a member of the local lodge, Knights of Pythias, and is chief ranger of the Order of Foresters. He is a Republican in politics, a Methodist in his religious be- lief and attends the Methodist Episcopal church at Brocton.
Edmond Benton Osgood was united in marriage, in February, 1802, at Angelica, N. Y., with Elizabeth Fox, daughter of James and Ann ( Harrison ) Fox, natives of England, but later residents of Angelica, N. Y., where their daughter Elizabeth was born, Jan. 1, 1863, and a sister of W. II. Fox, the present postmaster of Broc- ton, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Edmond Benton Osgood have one daughter, Montrose C., born March 18, 1893, wife of Julius Sherwood Dunham, of Brocton, N. Y., a sketch of whom follows; they are the parents of two children, Jane Ilelen and Betty Louise Dunham.
JULIUS A. DUNHAM
1
J. SHERWOOD DUNHAM
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BIOGRAPHICAL
JULIUS SHERWOOD DUNHAM, who is recog- nized as one of the most capable and successful of the younger business men of Brocton, N. Y., and now the head of the firm of Julius A. Dunham & Son, is a na- tive of the town of Pleasantville, Pa., born May 23, 1885, a son of Julius A. and Helen (Moss) Dunham, old and highly respected residents of Pleasantville and later Brocton, N. Y. The elder Mr. Dunham was born at Pleasantville, Sept. 21, 1829, and spent a considerable portion of his life there. In 1891 he removed with his family to Brocton, where he bought the mercantile establishment of Moss & Phillips and conducted that old business under the name of J. A. Dunham, which later became J. A. Dunham & Son, taking in his son above mentioned as partner. He remained thus occu- pied up to the time of his death, March 19, 1916, a period of twenty-five years, during which time he was a valued citizen of Brocton and active in its general life. He was a well known member of the Masonic order, which he joined as a young man when he became affiliated with Oil Creek Lodge, No. 303, at Titusville, Pa. At the time of his death he was a member of Lake Shore Lodge, No. 851, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Brocton; Dunkirk Chapter, No. 191, Royal Arch Masons; Dunkirk Council, No. 25, Royal and Select Masters ; Dunkirk Commandery, No. 40, Knights Tem- plar; Buffalo Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret; and Ismailia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. During the Civil War, Mr. Dunham joined the 12Ist Regiment, Penn- sylvania Volunteer Infantry, and saw considerable active service at the front until he was discharged on ac- count of disability. In an obituary article appearing in one of the local papers at the time of Mr. Dunham's death, occurs the following passage in appreciation of his character :
He was a public-spirited man, always giving his time and means to every public Improvement that in his opinion was for the benefit of the community in which he lived, firmly believing in the golden rule; honest and upright in his dealings with mankind, freely giving his council and means to those less for- tunate than himself. * * *
In the death of Mr. Dunham. Brocton loses a citizen who was in every way worthy of the confidence and esteem in which he was held by the host of friends who remain.
Julius A. Dunham married, Nov. 12, 1868, Helen Moss, eldest daughter of Hon. Theodore S. Moss, and among their children was Julius Sherwood, with whom we are here chiefly concerned.
Julius Sherwood Dunham passed the first six years of his life at his native town of Pleasantville, Pa., but at that age was brought by his parents to Brocton, N. Y., where he began his education. He attended the public schools of this place for a number of years, passing through the grammar grades and high school, and after completing his studies at the latter place entered East- man's Business College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he took a commercial course. During this time, how- ever, the young man's attention had been strongly en- gaged by the idea of a professional career and with this idea he entered the law department of the University of Michigan in order to study his chosen subject. His intention in this direction was frustrated, however, by the illness of his mother, which caused him to return
home, and shortly after he was offered a place in the business of his father. This was accepted by the young man, who thus became associated with a business with which he has remained ever since. Upon the death of the elder Mr. Dunham he took entire charge and became the sole owner, and since that time, under his capable management, it has developed to its present large di- mensions and become one of the large stores of its kind in the region. In addition to his mercantile activ- ity, Mr. Dunham has always been keenly interested in agriculture, especially in the growing of grapes, and at present owns and operates a fine vineyard of fifty acres which he inherited from his grandfather, Hon. Theo- dore S. Moss. He is also prominent in social and fraternal circles here, and is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Farm Bureau and the Portland Grange. He is especially prominent in Masonic circles, having taken his thirty-second degree in Free Masonary, and is affiliated with Lake Shore Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Brocton, of which he is the treasurer ; Dunkirk Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Dunkirk; Dunkirk Council, Royal and Select Masters, of Dunkirk; Dunkirk Commandery, Knights Templar; Ismailia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Buffalo; and Buffalo Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret. In religious belief Mr. Dunham is an Episcopalian, attending the church of that denomination at Brocton, and in politics, a Republican.
Julius Sherwood Dunham was united in marriage, Feb. 23, 1914, with Montrose C. Osgood, of Brocton, a daughter of Edmond B. and Elizabeth (Fox) Osgood, of Brocton. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dunham, Jane Helen and Betty Louise.
MERLE SHEARMAN, who for the past fourteen years has conducted a livery and feed business in Jamestown, known as the Shearman Livery, is very well known among agriculturists, and especially among lov- ers of horses, in Chautauqua county, N. Y.
Merle Shearman was born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., Feb. 7, 1868, in the family homestead at Busti, the son of Winslow and Laura Shearman, both now de- ceased. Winslow Shearman was a prosperous and respected farmer at Busti, and to him and his wife were born seven children. They were, in addition to Merle : Jennie, deceased ; Dora, who married Frank P. Stoddard; Anna, who married William E. Dennison ; Cynthia, deceased; Byron W., who eventually was business partner with Merle; and Erie, who farms the family property at Busti.
Merle Shearman received his elementary education in the district school at Busti, and later attended the Jamestown High School and Jamestown Business Col- lege. Thereafter, until he had attained the age of twenty-one years, he assisted his father in the opera- tion of the farm. He was a boy of vigorous tempera- ment and adventurous spirit, and went West when he became of age. For five years he remained in Mon- tana, his love of horses drawing him into connection with ranching in that State. He had a horse and cat- tle ranch of his own at Livingston, Mont., but he event- ually disposed of that and returned to Busti, N. Y., and there purchased a farm, which for the following
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five years he steadily cultivated. He then sold the farm to his nephew and came to Jamestown to live. His fondness for horses again influenced him, for after he had been with the Salisbury Wheel Company for two years, he gave up that steady employment so that he might establish himself in the livery business in James- town. It was in 1905 when he first opened business in the city as a livery stable owner. The success of the business later induced him to take his brother into part- nership, the brothers thereafter trading as Shearman Brothers. In 1900, his brother. Byron W. Shearman, died, and since then Merle Shearman has conducted the business alone. It is a substantial livery business, and latterly an appreciable volume of trading in hay and feed has been developed. Mr. Shearman has very many friends in Chautauqua county, and is considered to be an excellent judge of horses. He is much interested in the Jamestown Agricultural Fair. Mr. Shearman does not take much part in political affairs, but he gives steady allegiance to the Republican party. He is a mem- ber of the Jamestown Board of Commerce, and fra- ternally belongs to the Knights of Pythias and Macca- bees orders. By religious conviction, his people were Methodists, but his family attends the First Presby- terian Church of Jamestown.
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