USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 65
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business from 1889 until 1893; at the latter date the death of Mr. Lesser occurred at Buffalo, where he was stationed temporarily on a buying trip, after which Mr. Woodard continued the business alone for two years longer. At that time, however, his health was very poor and he sold out his interest and secured a position with the Warren Street Railway and was given charge as supervisor of three miles of the city track. He was raised in position rapidly until he had charge of forty- two miles of track and was secretary of the concern. He also became interested in the business of the company, in the capacity of stockholder, but upon his retirement sold out this interest, and in 1911 came to Jamestown, with which place his subsequent career has been associ- ated.
Upon coming to Jamestown, Mr. Woodard pur- chased the Humphrey House, one of the popular hos- telries of the place, and ran this hotel with great suc- cess, after having entirely refurnished and altered the interior and installed all model conveniences. For a time Mr. Woodard rented the hotel to another manager, then in February, 1919, again took over the manage- ment, and is at the present time conducting it in the most modern and up-to-date manner and making a splendid success of it. In the meantime, Mr. Woodard had founded the Warren Construction Company at War- ren, Pa., and secured the contract for the building of the Trust Company building and also a number of theaters and factories in Jamestown, and the sur- rounding region. It was he who erected the Gokey building, after the completion of which job he dis- posed of his interests in the concern. Shortly before coming to Jamestown, he had purchased the Fenton farm at Fentonville, which he has conducted in such a manner as to supply his hotel. Quite recently Mr. Woodard became interested in a traction company and at the present time holds the double office of president and general manager. Another enterprise established by Mr. Woodard is the Woodard Clothing Company at Warren, Pa., which was incorporated in 1917 under its present title, and now conducts a large business in Jamestown in addition to the original location, his quarters in this city heing established in a handsome brick building. Mr. Woodard is the president of this corporation, and the large business which he conducts is directly the result of his business talent and his great grasp of practical affairs. Still another concern in which he has become interested, comparatively recently, is the Community Trade Center, the purpose of which was to develop the Brooklyn Square section of the city. This concern was incorporated in 1919 and Mr. Woodard was elected its president. The object of this corporation is to furnish a market for all enterprises coming to Jamestown to transact business, and it is particularly interested in developing the Brooklyn Square section of the city. Other concerns with which Mr. Woodard is associated are the Woodard Company and the Brooklyn Square Realty Corporation. In addi- tion to his business life, Mr. Woodard has participated actively in the general affairs of the community, and is a member of a number of important organizations here, including the Masonic order, being affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Royal Arch Masons, the Royal and Select Masters, the Knights
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Templar, the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, the Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret, and has taken the thirty-second degree in Free Masonry. He is also a member of the Board of Com- merce of Jamestown, the Board of Commerce of War- ren, Pa., and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Warren, of which he is past exalted ruler.
James D. Woodard was united in marriage at War- ren, Pa., with Leonia J. Nesmith, of that place. Three children have been born of this union, as follows : Clifford, a graduate of the Harvard University, where he won the degree of A. B. and A. M., and now treas- urer of the Woodard Company, community trades; Bernice, a graduate of Wellesley College, who became the wife of Chauncey W. Lampsell, of Minneapolis, Minn .; Lloyd, who is now a pupil in the High School at Warren, Pa.
FRED H. HOOKER-That this is the name of a pioneer agriculturist and, consequently, a leading citi- zen of Charlotte Center, no resident of that part of Chautauqua county needs to be told. Mr. Hooker is actively public-spirited, and for some years served most creditably as justice of the peace.
Charles J. Hooker, father of Fred H. Hooker, was born in 1837, at Londonderry, Vt., son of John and Sarah E. (Warner) Hooker. When the boy was six years old his parents moved to Erie county, N. Y., and it was there that he grew to manhood, attending school in Sardinia. He learned candy manufacturing and en- gaged in it for some years, his business career being interrupted by the Civil War. Enlisting in Company C, 116th New York Volunteers, he served until the close of the conflict. He was a Democrat, a Mason, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Hooker married, in 1864, in Montgomery county, N. Y., Mary Wilks. born in Sardinia, N. Y., daughter of Rufus and Emma (Starks) Wilks, and they became the parents of two children: John Walter, a farmer of Charlotte township; and Fred H., mentioned below. Mr. Hooker died Feb. 15, 1875, at Springville, Erie county, N. Y., and his widow married (second) James Whatford, of Chautauqua county, becoming by this marriage the mother of the following children: James, of Oil City, Pa .; Mary, married G. Summer ; and Agnes, married Frauk Conklin, of Tidioute, Pa.
Fred H. Hooker, son of Charles J. and Mary (Wilks) Hooker, was born Nov. 13, 1868, at Sardinia, N. Y. He received his education in local public schools and at Jamestown Business College. He learned the carpen- ter's trade and followed it for seven years, settling, at the end of that time, in Charlotte Center, where he en- gaged for fifteen years in the making of cheese boxes, in combination with the Inmber business. Eventually he settled at the Center, on the Kimbel farm, remaining until the present time. Today he is an established ag- ricnlturist among the farmers of the neighborhood as the manager of one of the finest estates in the county, developed largely by his individual efforts. The land is devoted to general and dairy farming, and he is still interested in the lumber business and in timberlands.
Not only as an agriculturist is Mr. Hooker to be re- garded as a man of enterprise and progressive ideas, but also as a citizen he exhibits the same characteris-
tics, being always eager to do all in his power for the furtherance of the general prosperity. Like his father he is a loyal Democrat, and for eight years filled the office of justice of the peace of the township. He is a member of Centre Grange, No. 669, and affiliates with the Masonic fraternity. His family attend the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Hooker married, June 26, 1895, at Charlotte Center, Carrie E., danghter of Horace E. and Ellen C. (Lake) Kimbel. A full account of the Kimbel family is appended to this biography. Mr. and Mrs. Hooker are the parents of one child, Mary Ellen, now attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Hooker are mutually devoted to each other and to their daughter and the hours which bring greatest happiness to both are those spent at their own fireside.
Of large nature, genial and whole-souled, Mr. Hooker enjoys marked personal popularity, also commanding the sincere respect of his neighbors and fellow-citizens by the public spirit and strict integrity which have char- acterized his every action and manifested themselves in all his dealings.
(The Kimbel Line).
Stephen Kimbel, the first ancestor of record, and a representative of one of the oldest and best known fam- ilies of New England, was a resident of Woodstock, Cont.
Horace Kimbel, son of Stephen Kimbel, married Caroline Stewart, and died in early manhood.
Horace E. Kimbel, son of Horace and Caroline (Stewart) Kimbel, was born May 27, 1834, in Wood- stock, Windham county, Conn., and was still an infant when death deprived him of his father. In 1837 Mrs. Kimbel, accompanied by her father-in-law, left Wood- stock and moved to Chautauqua county, N. Y., settling in the town of Gerry. In 1855 Horace E. Kimbel re- moved to Charlotte Center, where he was employed by Henry C. Lake. Later he was associated with Mr. Lake in the manufacturing of wood mills, a pioneer industry in the period immediately prior to the Civil War. Sub- seqnently Mr. Kimbel settled ou the farm owned by Mr. Lake, making it his home for the remainder of his life. As the years went on he became known not only as a successful agriculturist, but also as one of the leading "horsemen" of Western New York, owning and raising fine blooded race horses, and distinguished on the race track at Saratoga, Brighton Beach and Coney Island. Among the horses owned by him were "Bram- baletta," "Boccaccio," "Carley B," and others of equal fame, and he numbered among his racing friends the late James R. Keene, the Dwyer brothers, and other noted turfmen. In politics Mr. Kimbel was a staunch Democrat and served two terms as supervisor of Char- lotte township, filling the office much to the satisfaction of all good citizens. He affiliated with Sylvan Lodge, No. 303, Free and Accepted Masons, of Sinclairville.
Mr. Kimbel married, April 12, 1860, Ellen C. Lake, born Nov. 9, 1833, at Charlotte Center, daughter of Daniel B. and Elvira (Boynton) Lake, and they be- came the parents of the following children: 1. Charles E., married Ellen J. Dibble, and died in 1886; their only child, Ellen, married Robert Fessenden, and died in 1881. 2. Carrie E., mentioned below. Mrs. Kimbel,
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a woman of culture and refinement and possessing liter- ary gifts of an unusual order, was well known as a contributor of both prose and verse to the magazines of the day, and withal was a most devoted wife and mother. exemplifying in her daily life all the Christian virtues. On Feb. 28. 1910. she passed from the home of which she had so long been the beloved and presiding genius. The death of Mr. Kimbel, which occurred Dec. 11. 1917. at his home in Charlotte Center, deprived the community of an able, useful and respected citizen.
Carrie E. Kimbel. daughter of Horace E. and Ellen C. (Lake) Kimbel, became the wife of Fred H. Hooker, as stated above. Mrs. Hooker, who inherits the rare intelligence and refined tastes of her mother, is a member of Centre Grange. It may be said of her that in public spirit she bears a resemblance to her father who com- bined with this trait of character the utmost devotion to his family.
JOHN HEDENBERG FOSTER, nurseryman and prominent business man of Fredonia, Chautauqua county. N. Y., where he has been influential in the gen- eral life of the community for a number of years, is a native of this town, born Feb. 16, 1867. He is a mem- ber of a family that has long resided in these parts. His paternal great-grandfather, Elisha Foster, kept a tavern at the State Line between New York and Pennsylvania. and was honored at one time by having as a guest no less a personage than General Lafayette, who stopped there during the Revolution. The chair in which that illustrious personage sat while eating his meals is still in the possession of the present Mr. Foster.
Henry Abell Foster, father of John H. Foster, was born in Fredonia, then Pomfret, in 1818, but left his home early and was employed to drive a stage coach from Buffalo, N. Y., to Erie, Pa., so continuing for many years. He was the first man to drive across Lake Erie with a horse and cutter when that body of water was frozen, a feat which can rarely be accomplished, as it requires an unusually cold winter for the ice to stretch from shore to shore. After leaving the stage coach business, Henry A. Foster went to Terre Haute. Ind., where he engaged in the wholesale and retail dry goods business for a term of five years with his two brothers-in-law. Later he was a traveling salesman for the Chicago White Lead and Oil Company for the long period of forty-five years. He was a veteran of the Civil War, serving in the engineering corps for two years, during which time many of the important battles wer- fought. He married Sarah H. Hedenberg.
Jorn Hedenbery Foster was educated in the Fredonia publi. school, and later the Fredonia Normal School. He then secured a position as foreman, when still a very young man, with the Lewis Roesch Nursery, where he remained for seventeen years. By that time he was in a po itien to .tart in business on his own account, and in association with a Mr. Griffith founded the Foster- Griffith Nur ery Company. Mr. Griffith, however, re- tired ir m this association, and in 1912 the Foster- (' ). Nur er. Company was organized. Mr. Foster por Gand hie partner's interest and became the sole proprietor of the plant in 1920, when the name of the ( " f1 wa. changed to the J. H. Foster Nurseries. The plant is a large one, consisting of some fifteen
acres whereon are erected buildings measuring 50x80 feet and two stories in height. The growth of the busi- ness has necessitated the renting of twenty-five addi- tional acres recently. The company engages in whole- sale business entirely and specializes in grape, goose- berry and currant roots. During the busy season thirty-five hands are employed. Mr. Foster is a Pres- byterian in his religious belief and attends the church of that denomination at Fredonia. He is a member of a number of organizations here, fraternal and other- wise, including Chautauqua Lodge, No. 318, Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past noble grand; and Star of the West Encampment, No. 35, of the same order, of which he is past chief patriot; For- est Lodge, No. 166, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; the Fredonia Chamber of Commerce, and the National Nurserymen's Association. Mr. Foster is a Democrat in politics and has taken active part in the public life of the community. He has held a number of offices including that of school trustce and has been president of the board for six years.
John Hedenberg Foster was united in marriage, July 7, 1892, with Elizabeth Dietrich, of Dunkirk, and they became the parents of four children, as follows: I. John Henry, who died at the age of nine years. 2. Oliver Dietrich, who was educated in the Fredonia public schools; he was called to the National colors, April 4, 1918, and sent to Camp Dix, where he re- mained one month; he then embarked for France with his unit and was in a training camp in that country until July 7, of the same year; he was then assigned to the 78th division and went into the front line trenches ; he participated in three of the great battles on three different fronts, and saw active service until the night of Sept. 28, when he was gassed; he remained in the hospital for some time, and was sent back to the United States, being discharged at Camp Upton, March 10, 1919. 3. Julia A., who was educated in the Fre- donia public schools and the State Normal College, and took a special course in music under Professor Gaump, of Buffalo; she now gives private lessons on the piano at the State Normal Gymnasium. 4. Hedenberg Abell, who is at present a student in the Normal School.
HAROLD PERRY HOYT, formerly a prominent merchant and farmer of Maple Springs, Chautauqua county, N. Y., now (1921) living in Westfield and con- nected with the Nickel Plate Railroad, was born Jan. 25, 1895, in Maple Springs, Ellery township, a son of Charles D. and Jessie (Haskin) Hoyt, also natives of Maple Springs. Charles D. Hoyt was a successful farmer in the neighborhood for many years.
Harold P'. Hoyt passed his childhood and early youth on his father's farm, attended the public schools of his native town and later the Mayville High School, there completing his studies. He then took up agricul- ture as a means of livelihood, soon meeting with suc- cess. Later he opened a general store, in connection with his brother, L. D. Hoyt, in Maple Springs, which they conducted for four years, until the fall of 1920, when he sold his interest to his brother. During the World War he entered the service of his government, Sept. 27, 1917, and became a member of Battery A, 307th Field Artillery. After a period of training in
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this country, he embarked with his unit for France and saw active service for a year with the American Ex- peditionary Forces. He finally received his honorable discharge, May 22, 1919, and returned to civil life at his home in Maple Springs. He is a member of Ira Lou Spring Post, American Legion, of Jamestown. He attends Union Church at Maple Springs, and is a Re- publican in politics.
Harold P. Hoyt married, Sept. 20, 1919, in Dunkirk, N. Y., Mildred M. Brown, a native of Ellery township, N. Y., born March 25, 1895, a daughter of Ira H. and Belle (Haskins) Brown, lifelong residents of Ellery township. Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt are the parents of one child, Harold Perry, Jr., born Oct. 28, 1920,
AXEL VICTOR GRAFSTROM-Among all the many callings pursued by men in this complex modern world, it is probably the professions that require the greatest amount of effort and devotion on the part of their followers in proportion to the return, and of the professions there are few, if any, in which a real and substantial success involves a larger expenditure of these things or a higher quality of self sacrifice to its cause than medicine. The nature of the needs to which the physician attends is such that it necessitates his putting aside thoughts of self and the giving of his entire powers and being to the case in hand. It would be difficult to find one who more conscientiously lives up to the hard conditions imposed by his altruistic call- ing than Dr. Axel Victor Grafstrom, a distinguished physician of Jamestown, Chantauqua county, N. Y., who has made an enviable position for himself in the regard, admiration and affection of the community which he has served so long and so well.
Dr. Grafstrom is a native of Sweden, born in Aster- dothland, Sept. 30, 1858. His father was Colonel Carl Axel Grafstrom, an officer in the Royal Swedish Army, and his mother was Cecilia W. ( Holmstrom) Graf- strom, a woman of high character and charming per- sonality. Besides himself, his parents had another son, Edward Grafstrom, who came to the United States and was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad as superinten- dent of machine shops and was drowned during the over- flow of the Kansas river at Topeka, Kan., after dis- playing the greatest heroism in saving many others from the flood. So greatly honored was he for his courage and self sacrifice, that the community of To- peka has erected a monument to him in the city to perpetuate his memory there.
The childhood of Dr. Grafstrom was passed in his native region, and it was there that he began his edu- cational training, attending for that purpose the local schools. He then entered Orebro College, and was graduated from that institution with the class of 1879, receiving the degree of B. S. Later he took a course of study at the Royal Army College at Carlberg, Sweden, and was graduated in 1881, receiving at the same time his commission as second lieutenant. In 1885, he came to the United States and here attended the University of New York, taking the medical course and graduating with the degree of M. D., in 1893. In order to gain the requisite practical experience he served as an interne in the New York City Hospital at Blackwell's Island for two years, from 1895 to 1897. He was appointed, in
1900, attending physician in the Gustavus Adolphus Orphan Home, and continued to fill that responsible post until 1904. It was in 1901 that Dr. Grafstrom first came to Jamestown and engaged in private practice here, and ever since that time he has continued to be thus occu- pied, performing during the period a great service to the community by his brilliant and consistent labors, and winning the esteem of his fellow-citizens and pro- fessional colleagues alike as one of the leading phy- sicians of the community. Dr. Grafstrom, in addition to his active practice, has written extensively on medi- cal subjects, contributing articles to the New York "Medical Times" and the New York "Medical Journal," and has become an author of wide repute and high standing in the medical world. Among his works should be mentioned a text book on "Me- chano-Therapy," which is regarded as an authoritative treatment of the subject, especially in Sweden, the United States and Canada, it being published by Sanders & Company of Philadelphia and Toronto. Another field in which Dr. Grafstrom has performed a notable achievement is that of light literature. He has written many stories for several of the Swedish periodicals, and a longer work in that language, entitled "Skanska Baron," published at Stockholm, Sweden, in 1914.
Dr. Grafstrom is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Lief Ericson Society, and the Swedish One Hundred Society. In religious belief he is a Lutheran and attends Trinity Church of that denomina- tion in Jamestown.
Dr. Grafstrom was united in marriage, at Jamestown, with Julia Anderson, a daughter of Charles and Joseph- ine Anderson, old and highly respected residents of this city. They are the parents of one son, Paul Axel, born Sept. 2, 191I.
SAMUEL B. ROBBINS-One of the most progres- sive young business men to be found in Jamestown or, indeed, in Chautauqua county, is Samuel B. Robbins. As proprietor of the Eagle Garage, Mr. Robbins is a conspicuous figure in his home city, being also well known in fraternal circles, and as a champion of the cause of good government and improved community conditions.
Samuel B. Robbins was born Aug. 14, 1887. in Utica. N. Y., a son of Julins and Hannah Robbins. He was educated in local grammar and high schools, and as a youth became a traveling salesman for the Rochester Jewelry Company. While stopping in Jamestown his business insight discerned an opportunity and, with the modest capital of $200 and an equipment of one Ford car, he established the Eagle Garage on Barrett avenue, and for one year thereafter was agent for the Ford car. In 1909 he took as a partner, George Rappole, who endorsed a note for $1,200 and incorporated the busi- ness for $20,000 under the laws of the State of New York. In 1910 the partners moved to First street, op- posite Broadhead Mills, and in July, 1913, made another migration, this time to their present quarters in the structure of the Eagle Building Company, Washington street. Here they have a fine showroom and offices built to meet their requirements. In 1913 they took an agency for the Hudson automobile, and in 1917 for the Packard and Essex cars, and for the last two years
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their annual sales have amounted to $300,000. Mr. Robbins also has a wholesale auto supply department, with two men on the road, covering a radius of 150 miles. He has a large service station, employing thirty-two men and three salesmen, the office force amounting to ten people. Politically, Mr. Robbins is a Republican. He is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the W. C. T. A man of great initiative and aggres- siveness. Mr. Robbins has made a signal success in business, and as he is not yet in the prime of life may reasonably be expected to achieve in the future even more than he has accomplished in the past.
Mr. Robbins married, in 1913, in Jamestown, Dorothy
EDWIN FREEMAN LAKE-For nearly three- quarters of a century Mr. Lake has been a resident of Chautauqua county, and has been an important factor in its substantial development and permanent improve- ment. He has seen its wild lands transformed into fine farms, while industrial and commercial interests have been introduced, and thus towns have become thriving cities. In the work of this progress he bore his part and was particularly active as a representative of the agricultural interests of the county, though he is now living a retired life in the village of Sinclairville, enjoy- ing a well earned rest. Mr. Lake was born on the Lake farm, in Charlotte township. Chautauqua county, N. Y., Aug. 20, 1836, a son of Daniel and Elvira (Boyenton) Lake.
Henry Lake (grandfather), pioneer ancestor of the Lake family in Chautauqua county, emigrated from Rockingham, Vt., where he had married and had a large family. Among these children were five sons: Nathan, Calvin, Luther, Freeman, and Daniel, all of whom came to Chautauqua county and settled in Char- lotte township.
Daniel Lake ( father) was born in Rockingham, \'t., in 1802, where he received his education. After com- pleting his studies, he accepted a position as teacher in the schools of Lancaster, Pa. His four brothers having previously settled in Charlotte township, Mr. Lake came on foot from Lancaster, Pa., and joined them here. He purchased a tract of 145 acres of land, which at that time was all woodland. However, he returned to Lan- caster, Pa., and continued his teaching for several months, returning later to his new home. In the years that followed Mr. Lake cleared his land and his farm was considered one of the best in Charlotte township. He died on his farm in Charlotte Center, July 4, 1878, at the advanced age of seventy-six years, and is buried in Charl tte Center Cemetery, Charlotte township, Chau- tauqua county. N. Y.
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