USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 66
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Edwin Freeman Lake, whose name is the caption of this article, received his early education in the district schools ci Charlotte township, and after completing the -tudie " the grammar and high schools, took a course in the Fredonia Academy. He accepted a position to teach in Charlotte and Sheridan townships, continuing in thi or pation for three terms. Mr. Lake resigned, however. in order to assist his father on the farm, in which, ofnation he continued until 1915, when he sold h- farm, since which time he has lived retired. As a
Democrat, Mr. Lake has taken a prominent part in local politics, serving for three years as town highway com- missioner ; ten years as township assessor, and was su- pervisor of the township for twelve years, at the end of which time he resigned. Mr. Lake is prominent in fraternal circles as well as in business circles, being a charter member of Charlotte Center Grange, No. 669, of which he was the first master. He was fire director for Charlotte Center Grange in the Chautauqua County Patrons' Fire Relief Association for twenty-five years, and its president for ten years, but not being able to con- tinue the work he resigned.
On Feb. 7, 1859, he was united in marriage with Mary E. Brooks, born in Dublin, N. H., a daughter of John and Adaline Brooks. Her death occurred June 24, 1903, and she is buried in Charlotte Center Cemetery, Char- lotte Center, Chautauqua county, N. Y. Three children came to bless this union: 1. Daniel F., who married Dora Bumpus, of Charlotte township, and they are the parents of four children: Nellie, Dora, Mildred and Grace. They reside in Buffalo. 2. Addie, who mar- ried (first) Fred Thompson, and they were the parents of one child, Hattie. She married (second) Squire Green, of Charlotte township, and they were the par- ents of three children: Richard, Lizzie, and Isabell. 3. George E., who married Bernice Reed, and they are the parents of two children : Agnes, who is a school teacher, and Edwin S., who is still a student.
In concluding this article we will say that although Mr. Lake came to this community with but little capital, he is now fairly well-to-do, and is one of the leading and influential citizens of the town of Sinclairville. Whatever he has accomplished and whatever success he has achieved is due to his own enterprise, indomita- ble energy, and his well directed labors.
THE FREDONIA-SALSINA CANNING COM- PANY-One of the most important factors in the industrial life of Fredonia, Chautauqua county, N. Y., is the Fredonia-Salsina Canning Company, which, de- spite the fact that it has been in existence for little more than four years, has grown to large proportions under the capable and farsighted management of its owners. The Fredonia-Salsina Canning Company was founded in the spring of 1916 by a group of young Italian busi- ness men of this city, all of whom had already scored success in the several lines of business in which they had been engaged previously. Each one of these young men had through thrift and economy saved up enough capital and were prepared to organize this industrial establishment for themselves. They were Antonio A. Gugino, who with his cousins, Nicholas Frank and Samuel C. Gugino, had resided in the United States for about thirty years. Then besides these there were a number of others, namely: Joseph Cristina, Charles Leone and Anthony Ballaglia. All had gained considera- ble experience in the business methods of their adopted country. A planing mill was purchased at first, the buildings proving suitable for canning purposes, and the ground site measuring about 150x110 feet. They at once set about improving the buildings, removing the old planing machinery and equipping them with the most modern and up-to-date mechanism for canning. A company was then organized and operations com-
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menced, which for the first year proved rather slow in getting started. The young men were in no wise dis- couraged, however, realizing that it would take a little time to become used to their new line of business and place it on a solid foundation. The result has been re- markable, and the concern is now widely known throughout the entire region. During the busy season which has just closed (1920), the concern showed an ex- ceedingly healthy growth, and fifty hands were employed in taking care of the work. The buildings, two stories in height, have been a veritable beehive for activity, and enormous quantities of canned goods have been turned out which have found a market in all parts of the United States. The company specializes in two high grade brands of goods, namely, the "Skylark" and "Bluebird," in which an unusually high standard of excellence is maintained, and these two brands have been taken in advance by the jobbers of New York City, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia. In this busy plant are canned tomato products, apples, berries, fruits, besides quantities of cider. The growth of the concern has made its owners contemplate many improvements, enlargements and additions in the near future, which seems to insure them a brilliant success ; each one of the partners has his separate task and duty to perform and cares for one particular branch of the business, Antonio A. Gugino being the general manager and in charge of the plant. Some of the former members have with- drawn from the company, and it is now conducted by Antonio A. Gugino, president and general manager, and Samuel C. Gugino, treasurer. They incorporated for $40,000 capital stock, Feb. II, 1920.
Antonio A. Gugino was born in Validllomo, Italy, Feb. 28, 1887. At the age of six years, he came to this country with his parents and immediately afterwards they established themselves in Fredonia, N. Y. He was educated in the public schools of Fredonia, and in 1901 started to work for the United States Canning Com- pany and continued for twelve years. His next employ- ment was with the Cudahy Packing Company, where he had charge of the machinery in the grape juice, jam and jelly department, and here remained five more years, these two plants being located in the canning district of Fredonia. Mr. Gugino gained a wide knowledge of the science of canning and preserving which helped him so much in the organization of his own company. He is a trustee of St. Anthony's Beneficial Society, and member of that church in Fredonia. He married, in 1908, in Fredonia, Mary Gangi, a native of the same city as her husband. They have two children, Vincent and Florence.
Samuel C. Gugino, cousin of Antonio A. Gugino, was born in Validllomo, Italy, Dec. 27, 1883. He came to this country with his parents at the age of nine years, and at once the family came to Fredonia, N. Y. He was educated in the pubile schools of Fredonia, and 1901 likewise became employed by the United States Canning Company, where he remained three years, subsequently going with the George S. Joslin Nursery, remaining for the next twelve years. Here he had charge of a num- ber of men and gained much experience in this line of business. He was next employed by the Cudahy Packing Company for a period in Fredonia, and in 1916 he went into the manufacturing of macaroni products in James-
town, N. Y., withdrawing from this business in 1917, and then joined the Fredonia-Salsina Canning Com- pany. Mr. Gugino is a member of St. Anthony's Church of Fredonia. He married, in Fredonia, 1907, Josephine Camaratta, a native of Validllomo. Mr. and Mrs. Gugino have five children; Lucy, Charles, Grace, Carrie and Antoinette.
JOHN H. DICKIE-A man well known for his active and upright life, and also by reason of his serv- ices rendered to the Union cause during the Civil War, was John H. Dickie, of Charlotte township, Chautau- qua county, N. Y., who had been identified during the last few years with useful and important business in- terests in Michigan, Kansas, and Western New York.
He was the son of Henry and Marie ( Smith) Dickie, and was born in Climax, Kalamazoo county, Mich. He grew to manhood on the farm, received his education in the public schools of that township, and when the call to arms came in 1861 he immediately offered his services to the government. Mr. Dickie enlisted in the Michigan cavalry under Colonel Javell, and was soon promoted to quartermaster sergeant. He remained in the army for three years and three months, and in 1864 was honorably discharged at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. After returning home, he immediately started in busi- ness, opening a hardware store at Augusta, Mich. Mr. Dickie remained in this business some time, and in 1879 moved to Kansas, locating at Topeka, where he again took up the hardware business. However, in 1881, his health failed him and he was forced to abandon this occupation, and in 1882 he came to Chantauqna county, N. Y., where he located in Charlotte township on the Fox farm, which had been the girlhood home of his wife. Here he took up farming and dairying, and in a short while was known throughout the township as a man whose business ability was unquestioned and a prosperous and influential agriculturist. Mr. Dickie con- tinued in this occupation until his demise, which oc- curred Jan 1, 1898. Mr. Dickie was also well known socially, being a prominent member of the Grange, and a member of the Baptist church, though he attended the Methodist Episcopal church of Charlotte Center. In politics he was a Republican, though in local affairs he voted for the men and measures he thought were for the interests of all the people.
On the Fox homestead, May 29, 1871, Mr. Dickie was united in marriage with Ellen Fox, who was born in Charlotte township, a daughter of George W. and Eliza (Hall) Fox. Mr. Fox came to Chautauqua county with his parents, Charles and Sylvia Fox, and settled on a farm near Charlotte Center, Chautauqua county, N. Y., and there followed the agricultural business, and was prominent in all social and business affairs through- out the township. In politics he was a staunch sup- porter of the Democratic party. Mr. Fox married (first) in Cherry Valley, N. Y., Eliza Hall; she died and is buried in Charlotte Cemetery. He married (sec- ond) Margaret Kiane, who died in Meadville, Pa. To Mr. and Mrs. Dickie was born one child, Mabel, who married John Rose, now postmaster of Sinclairville. She died leaving a son, Gerald M. Rose, who resides with his grandmother on the Fox homestead.
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In conclusion will say that Mr. Dickie was hospita- ble and generous, and no man greeted or entertained his friends with warmer cordiality. He was intelligent, honest, genial and straightforward, of strong force of character. of sound judgment, true to every trust con- fided to his care, and a good citizen in the true meaning of the term. When he died the community sustained a loss that will be hard to replace.
JAMES THOMAS BARNES, well-to-do farmer in Portland township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., comes of one of the pioneer families of that section of the county, his grandfather having taken up wild lands in Port- land township. Prospect Station, more than a century ago, and having lived for almost twenty years in a log house. His mother also was of a pioneer family of that township, her father. Thomas Bigelow, having come into the section about eight years after the grandfather of lames Thomas Barnes came. Both families in suc- ceeding generations have held to that district and are among its leading people. Alpha and James T. Barnes, father and son, held the postmastership at Prospect Station for thirty years, and James T. Barnes, besides owning a rich farm of 225 acres and one of the most extensive vineyards in the district, has during his life conducted much commercial business, consequential business, for at one time he was the leading coal mer- chant of Prospect Station and Westfield township and village, his trading being of both a wholesale and retail character, and as a grape buyer he still does extensive business during the season, his purchases in some years exceeding seven carloads weekly, and at one time he was reputed to be one of the largest buyers of apples in the county. It will therefore be realized that, apart from the association of the Barnes family with the early settlement of a section of Chautauqua county, his own activities have been of sufficient consequence to give him good place among the worthy workers and pro- ducers whose life records are included in this present historical work in Chautauqua county.
James Thomas Barnes was born in the family home- stead on the farm in Portland township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., upon which he has lived all his life, Feb. 3. 1852, the son of Alpha and Sarah L. (Bigelow) Barnes. In both paternal and maternal lines the gene- : logy of James Thomas Barnes goes back in its Ameri- can generations to old Colonial families, the paternal line being of old New York associations, and the ma- ternal descent connecting with the well known Bigelow jariil: of Colonial Massachusetts.
James Barnes, grandfather of James Thomas Barnes, was the first of the Barnes family to settle in Chau- *a qua county. He was born May 5, 1706, and mar- ried Amanda Noble, January 26, 1818. They lived at Pome. Oneida county, New York, but in August, Ifix, came into Chautauqua county with an ox team, and settled on lot 53 T, and thereon building a log hour, in which the family lived until 1836, when he bolt a house on the property. During his life, which wa notable for the most part for worthy it chef efort, Jaque Barne cleared an extensive tract ri wierm . and in hi later years owned a good pre .... farm of 300 acrer. The site of Prospect Sta- 11ch 22 at ( if 'un part of his farm and he well merits
a place among the substantial pioneer settlers of the county. He died Jan. 19, 1864, and his widow, who was born June 4, 1798, died twenty years later than her hus- band, April 21, 1884. They were the parents of four children : 1. Alpha, of whom further. 2. Calista, born March 28, 1826, died May 3, 1846. 3. Roxy, born March 9, 1829. 4. Delos, born Jan. 28, 1831. All are now de- ceased.
Alpha Barnes, son of James and Amanda (Noble) Barnes, was born in the log house built by his father upon their farm in Portland township, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Jan. 8, 1823. He probably did not have much schooling, for in his young days the section was almost a wilderness, and for such a sparse population the educational facilities would of necessity have been few. But, reared in that rugged environment, he naturally became imbned with the will and the strength to undertake hard tasks. He gained a worthy reputa- tion for industry, which was obviously true of him, for before his death he possessed 600 acres of land, most of which he had cleared. On Dec. 2, 1847, he married Sarah L. Bigelow, who was born in Verona, Oneida county, N. Y., Nov. 7, 1823, and died in Portland town- ship, Chautauqua county, N. Y., May 30, 1889. Her descent from the Massachusetts family of that name may be traced through her father and grandfather, both of given name Thomas, and both born in Massachusetts, the grandfather, Oct. I. 1718, and the father, Sept. 2, 1781. Thomas (2) Bigelow went from Massachusetts into Vermont in 1804, but eighteen years later came into New York State, at first settling in Verona, Oneida county, where in the following year his daughter, Sarah L., mother of James T. Barnes, was born. She was four years old when her father came into Chautauqua county, in 1826, and hought title to part of lot 46 T, located east of Prospect Station. At first the family lived in a log house, as did their neighbors, the Barnes family, but in about 1836 or 1837 Thomas (2) Bigelow built a fine house, and during his active life acquired and cleared a large acreage. In his maternal descent, James Thomas Barnes can point to ancestors of note- worthy longevity; his maternal grandfather, Thomas Bigelow, was in his ninetieth year at the time of his death. March II, 1871, and Jernsha ( Putnam) Bigelow, wife of Thomas Bigelow, lived to within three years of nonogenarian age, her death occurring May 28, 1865. They were the parents of a large family, of whom Sarah L., mother of James Thomas Barnes, was the youngest child. Alpha Barnes lived six years after the death of his wife, Sarah L. ( Bigelow) Barnes, his death not coming until Jan. 1, 1895, he being then in his seventy-second year.
James Thomas Barnes, son of Alpha and Sarah L. (Bigelow) Barnes, was born on the ancestral property in Portland township, and in due course attended the nearby district school, later becoming a student at the Westfield Union Academy, and still later at the West- field High School. After leaving school, he assisted his father in the many duties of the farm management, and throughout his life has held constant connection with farming; as a matter of fact, that connection was nec- essary as his agricultural holdings have always been so extensive. His father owned 600 acres at one time, and James T. Barnes still owns 225 acres of valuable
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THE J. T. BARNES FARM RESIDENCE NEAR PROSPECT STATION
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land. Still, he has not confined himself wholly to farming ; in fact, he has been a man of important commercial business affairs. For many years he was a retail coal mer- chant, and had probably the largest coal business center- ing at Prospect Station. And as a fruit buyer he has been widely known throughout the county, having been at one time one of the largest buyers of apples in the county. Upon his farm he grows large quantities of grapes each year, having forty acres in vineyards, and in addition he has for many years been an extensive buyer of grapes, shipping in the season as many as twenty carloads weekly. His farm of 225 acres includes probably the richest section of the ancestral property, and it has been greatly improved by Mr. Barnes. He remodeled the house and the barns, built two large silos, and made other substantial improvements, which add to the beauty and utility of the property. Its location, standing as it does about 300 feet above the level of Lake Erie, is a good one, and it well merits its name, Sunset View Farm, for from it a beautiful sunset view is obtained, also a fine view of Lake Erie, five miles to the westward, and on clear days the Canadian shore can be discerned. Mr. Barnes has a fine herd of cattle, many horses, and in most seasons keeps about 200 sheep, so that it will be readily understood that his farming operations are by no means inconsequential. Of late years he has not been so active as formerly, advancing years having had some influence in deciding the matter of physical activities, and also the material wealth he has accumulated has had some influence. He has pros- pered well in his decades of trading and farming, and has no longer any need to take business affairs so strenuously.
Religiously, the Barnes family has been affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church; fraternally, Mr. Barnes is a Mason, member of the Westfield Blue Lodge, and he is and has been for many years a member of the Grange, Westfield Chapter. Politically, he is a Re- publican, and has been a factor of influence in many national campaigns in his own district. He has never, however, sought political office. When there was a postoffice at Prospect Station, he and his father for thirty years held the office, but it was more because of the old family associations with that locality and not the stinend that influenced James T. Barnes in holding it as long as it remained in operation. In school affairs he has undertaken some responsibility, having been truustee and collector. He is president of the Prospect Tire and Rubber Company, the name being taken from this lo- cality with the expectation of building a factory here. It is located at No. 735 Main street, Buffalo, N. Y. He was also president of the Lake Erie Wine Cellar. He is a trustee of the Westfield and Portland Cemetery, the beautiful condition in which it is maintained reflecting creditably upon those who are responsible for its up- keep.
On March 25, 1874, Mr. Barnes married Evalyn Web- ster, a daughter of Lemuel and Lydia Webster, born in the town of Westfield, April 30, 1853. Zoe Young, a cousin of Mr. Barnes, has been a member of the family for the past twenty-five years, and expects to remain as such. Her mother, Kate Bigelow Young, was a de- scendent of Thomas and Jerusha Bigelow.
By reason of his ancestry, and also of his own activ-
ities, James Thomas Barnes has come prominently into the class of worth-while sons of Chautauqua county, the recording of whose doings makes such a work as this a creditable one.
SAMUEL CHARLES CRANDALL-For more than fifty years a prominent business man, esteemed and held in the confidence of his townspeople, filling important trusts both in public and private life, the late Samuel Charles Crandall, of Westfield, was amongst the fore- most citizens of Chautauqua county.
He was a son of William and Sylvia ( Bandall) Cran- dall, old and highly respected residents of Westfield, was born here, March 18, 1853. Samuel C. Crandall received a good education in the public schools of his native town and the old Westfield Academy, afterwards setting out upon the business career which he had been so long identified with. He engaged in the basket manu- facturing business, and in addition to this was the leading undertaker in this section of the county. He became a prosperous business man, and was well iden- tified with various interests all through his long career, and was regarded as one of the leading men of his town. He was entrusted with a number of private charges and was executor of the S. Fred Nixon estate, the late speaker of the New York State Legislature. In mat- ters of education, he was foremost in advancing and advocating the need of improvements in educational institutions, and he was on the board of directors of the State Normal School in Fredonia up to the time of his death. In later life he was the manager of the Westfield Telephone Company, and for a number of years a director of the Natinal Bank of Westfield. Dur- ing the late World War, he was exceedingly active in the various movements and was a member of the local board under the Federal Selective Service Law, and in this cause he worked incessantly, which fact was largely responsible for the impairment of his health, and his death, which occurred Dec. 24, 1918, was a sad loss to his many relatives, friends and the community. In mat- ters of politics, he was a leading Republican, and in re- ligious belief a Presbyterian. He was very active in church circles and was a trustee of the church of that denomination in Westfield.
Mr. Crandall married Engenia M. Johnston, daughter of James and Mary Johnston, of Westfield. To Mr. and Mrs. Crandall the following children were born: Herbert James and William Bell, both of further men- tion.
At the time of the death of Samuel C. Crandall the local press united with his personal friends in paying a remarkable tribute to his memory. The Westfield "Re- publican," in the course of a long obituary article, had this to say concerning him :
Mr. Crandall combined with his special gifts for business a humor which to those who knew him best was most delightful. He was a good story teller. He was genial and approachable and had many friends who valued highly his opinions and sought his advice in hoth personal and business affairs. He was care- ful. prudent and conservative in counsel, as well as in his personal habits of life and business, and was one of the sterling men of rugged character who help to make up the solid backbone of any community.
Herbert James Crandall was born in Westfield, Oct. 18, 1890. He was educated in the public and high
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schools of Westfield and Peekskill Military Academy, Peekskill, N. Y. Since leaving school, he has been in the automobile business in Silver Creek, N. Y., as agent for the Buick Motor Company. He is a member of various clubs and fraternal orders. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion a Presbyterian. He mar- ried. in Buffalo, N. Y., June 29, 1915, Marguerite Eldora Ne Moyer, daughter of Henry W. and Mary Jane Ne Moyer.
William Bell Crandall was born in Westfield, Sept. 20. 1802. He attended as a lad the public and high schools of Westfield. He then matriculated in the Val- paraiso University in Indiana, and was graduated from that institution, where he took a business course, in IyII. Upon completing his studies, Mr. Crandall pur- chased the hardware business of H. W. Gibbs & Com- pany and formed a partnership with C. D. Bell, with whom he conducted this business very successfully for about six years. When the United States entered the great World War. Mr. Crandall at once gave up his business to do his part in the effort of his country and enlisted, May 6, 1918, in the United States Army, being sent to Camp Wheeler, Georgia, to take part in convoy work. He was connected with the 106th, the supply train of the 31st Division, and was sent with that body to France, landing in Brest in September, 1918. From there he went to Bordeaux, the supply base of the United States Army, and became a member of the out- fit attached to the Motor Transfer Corps which carried supplies to the front. He was promoted to the rank of corporal. On account of his father's death he was at- tached to a casual company and reached the United States two months earlier than his company. being hon- orably discharged at Camp Mills, Long Island, May 12, 1919. Upon returning to Westfield, Mr. Crandall re- sumed his father's undertaking business in partnership with Mr. Guy Carpenter, which they conduct to the present time. In politics, Mr. Crandall is a Republican, and in religion a Presbyterian.
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