History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III, Part 93

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

USA > New York > Chautauqua County > History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III > Part 93

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).

Jay Crissey was born in Stockton, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1861. He was educated in Fredonia public schools, Fredonia State Normal School, and col- lege summer schools, and for twenty years after gradu- ation was engaged as an educator, nine of those years being spent as principal of Belmont, N. Y., High School; one year as a member of the faculty of Central City Normal School, Chicago, and the remaining years until 1900 as superintendent of schools in Penn Yan, N. Y.

In the year 1900, Mr. Crissey resigned his position as superintendent of schools, and located in Jamestown, taking a position with the Star Furniture Company. Later he was elected president of the company, a po- sition which he has efficiently filled until the present (1921). The company was incorporated in 1901, and the plant removed to its present location, Institute and Briggs streets, where the company has enjoyed a sat- isfactory degree of prosperity. The company specializes in bedroom furniture, and through perfect equipment and artistic designs has been able to produce furniture which has won a secure place in the trade. The officers

675

BIOGRAPHICAL

are: Jay Crissey, president ; Anna L. Crissey and Mary R. Crissey, vice-presidents; H. P. Robertson, secretary; Scott Baker, treasurer.

Mr. Crissey is a Republican in politics. He is a member of the Masonic order, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. His clubs are the University, the Saturday Night, and the Norden.

At Fredonia, N. Y., Oct. 15, 1885, Mr. Crissey mar- ried Alice M. Brown, born in Montpelier, Vt. They are the parents of five children : Ruth, Mary Lyon, Elsie G., Leonard Phelps, and John Davenport.

MINER S. CRISSEY-Now in active charge of the business of Wilcox, Crissey & Company, of Jamestown, N. Y., Mr. Crissey is taking rank with the able busi- ness men of the city, and reaping a rich benefit from the experience gained in his twenty-two years of life "on the road," as salesman for the house of which he is now the managing head.

Seward M. Crissey, the third son of Harlow and Anna (Shepard) Crissey (q. v.), was born in Stock- ton, Chautauqua county, N. Y., April 9, 1839, died in October, 1913. He was a farmer of Stockton, but later became a United States railway clerk, and later moved to Jamestown. He married Lucy A. Wood, of Perrys- burg, Cattaraugus county, N. Y., daughter of David Miles Wood, one of the early settlers of that section. They were the parents of two children: Belle, married Frank A. Wilcox, a sketch of whom follows; Miner S., of further mention.

Miner S. Crissey, the only son of Seward M. and Lucy A. (Wood) Crissey, was born at the home farm in Stockton, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Oct. 19, 1872, and was a pupil in the public school, afterwards attending the Fredonia Normal School and the Angola High School. He began business life as a clerk in the bank at Cherry Creek, owned by his uncle, Elverton B. Crissey, which was operated under the firm name, E. B. Crissey & Company. A year later (1891) E. B. Crissey moved to Jamestown, where he organized the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, his nephew, Miner S. Crissey, accompanying him and taking position in the new bank. There he continued until November, 1895, when he withdrew to become a partner in the newly organized firm, Wilcox, Burchard & Company, he taking charge of the bookkeeping department. From that time until the present he has been connected with that firm, but shortly after its organization he went on the road as salesman, so continuing for twenty-two years. The death of his brother-in-law and partner, Frank A. Wil- cox, caused a change in the management, Mr. Crissey then becoming the active head of the business. Wilcox, Burchard & Company existed as a firm until 1917, when it was incorporated as Wilcox, Crissey & Company, wholesale grocers, Frank A. Wilcox, president, a post now filled by Miner S. Crissey. He is also a member of the Jamestown Board of Commerce; director of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, and a director of the Wholesale Grocers Sales Company, Buffalo, N. Y .; director of the Davis Warn Company, Inc., Jamestown, N. Y. His clubs are the Jamestown, Rotary, Chadakoin, and Moon Brook Golf Club, all of Jamestown. In politics he is a Republican and is an attendant of the First Methodist Church-

Mr. Crisscy married, in Jamestown, Dec. 27, 1900, Grace Relf, daughter of Orvis A. and Anna (Johnston) Relf, her father a member of the firm, Ford & Relf, piano dealers, of Jamestown. Mr. and Mrs. Crissey are the parents of two children: Anna Pauline, and Relf Seward, both high school students.

FRANK ALONZO WILCOX-An adopted son of Chautauqua county, whose business life was spent largely in the city of Jamestown, Frank A. Wilcox won for himself the high regard of his fellowmen, and at his passing bequeathed the memory of a useful, well spent life. Perhaps the following prayer, which he loved and carried with him, illustrates his attitude to- ward life better than words of eulogy :

Teach me, O Lord, that sixty minutes make an hour, sixteen ounces one pound, and one hundred cents a dollar. Help me so to live that I may lie down at night with a clear conscience, unhaunted by the faces of those to whom I have given pain. Blind me to the faults of others, but reveal to me my own. Keep me young enough to laugh with my children.

And so he lived and so he died, a loving husband and father, a citizen above reproach, a man faithful to every trust, a good friend and neighbor. He was the son of George and Melissa (Tanner) Wilcox, grandson of John Wilcox, born in the State of Vermont, later a resident of New York State, and maternal grandson of Peabody and Roxanna (Farrier) Tanner.

Frank A. Wilcox was born in Angola, Erie county, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1858, and died at his home in the city of Jamestown, N. Y., March 5, 1919. He exhausted the advantages of the village schools, then began busi- ness as a clerk in a grocery store at Angola. After graduating from the village retail grocery store, he entered the large wholesale grocery house, Granger & Company, of Buffalo. Later Granger & Company es- tablished a branch of their business in Jamestown, making Mr. Wilcox manager of the branch. He had risen rapidly with his house and continued the efficient head of the Jamestown branch until 1895, when he resigned to enter business for himself. He formed a partnership with Seneca B. Burchard, and as Wilcox, Buchard & Company, engaged in the wholesale grocery business in Jamestown, operating very successfully without change of firm, personnel or name until 1917. In that year Mr. Burchard retired from the firm and the business was reorganized and continued as Wilcox, Crissey & Company, Frank A. Wilcox, president. This firm pursued the same plan of operation as its prede- cessor, and with the good will inherited the virtues and principles which had gained Wilcox, Burchard & Com- pany a recognized place in the market as merchants of enterprise, integrity and sterling worth. Mr. Wilcox continued head of Wilcox, Crissey & Company until his death in the spring of 1919. While his private busi- ness was naturally his greatest concern, Mr. Wilcox acquired other important interests. He was a director of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, director and an early vice-president and member of the wholesale divi- sion of the Jamestown Board of Commerce; member of the Wholesale Grocers' Association, and when the great World War laid a burden upon every American he "did his bit" as a member of the Jamestown Council of the United States Food Administration. He was a

676

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

regular attendant upon the services of the First Con- gregational Church, and a generous supporter of all good causes. He was keenly alive to his responsibili- ties as a citizen and warmly supported all movements for advancing Jamestown's interests. In 1917 Mr. Wilcox underwent surgical treatment which apparently gave him a long lease on life, but his vigorous, active appearance was deceptive, and death came very unex- pectedly.

Mr. Wilcox married. June 23, 1889, in Stockton, Chau- tauqua county, N. Y., Belle Crissey, daughter of Seward Malcolm and Lucy A. ( Wood) Crissey. Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox were the parents of a daughter, Genevieve, who after attending Jamestown public schools was a student at Ivy Hall Seminary. She married, March 27, 1020, Harold Rhodes Zimmerman, of Daytona, Fla.

During the hours of the funeral of Frank A. Wilcox, all grocery houses in Jamestown closed their doors in respect for the memory of their fallen friend and busi- ness associate. Delegations were present from the various organizations with which Mr. Wilcox had been connected. the entire body of employees of Wilcox, Crissey & Company attending in a body. Resolutions of respect and sympathy were sent Mrs. Wilcox from the wholesale division of the Board of Commerce, the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, and Jamestown Council of the Federal Food Administration.

From the resolutions passed by the Board of Com- merce the following quotation is taken :

Mr. Wilcox had many exceptional traits of character, chief of which, as we knew him, were his unswerving honesty and keen desire to have absolute justice done in all transactions to which he was a party. He was always ready to support worthy objects which worked for the betterment of our division, for the Board of Commerce or the city of Jamestown, both morally and financially.

The following tribute is from the Food Administra- tion :

Those associated with him in that important and patriotic work desire to place on record their under- standing of his value as an ideal man and citizen, and their appreciation of the sterling qualities which Mr. Wilcox brought into the work of the Food Adminis- tration.

At all times he displayed the highest order of patriotism and devotion to his country and the great cause in which our nation was engaged. He hesitated at no sacrifice and always subordinated his personal interests to the necessities of our work. His attitude toward those great questions, which Involved human- j'y and the civilization of the world, was uncomprom- ising. His integrity was unquestioned. His judgment was invaluable and constantly sought with respect to the many perplexing problems which confronted ug. He was an inspiration to his associates and held the respect. the admiration and the affection of every one privileged to cooperate with him In this important work. He did much for his country and his fellow citi- %+ns. and the world is better for his having lived in it. In his death rach of us sustains a personal loss and we mingle our grief with all those who knew and appre- rlated his sterling worth.

With the duties of his life nobly done his sun has unk below the horizon, and like strains of sweet m al wafted to our cars the precious memories of his rare character will echo forever In our souls.

GARRETT E. RYCKMAN-Grape culture and wine making are two industries that have for many yrar, played an important part in the growth and de- wol piment of Chautauqua county, N. Y., and with 'hem the name of Ryckman is inseparably associated. : fart, the great advance in technical perfection and

increase in magnitude made by these two factors in th life of the community have been due to no single in dividual to so great an extent as to Garrett E. Ryckmar whose entire life was devoted to these objects and whose indefatigable labors were rewarded by a grea personal success which placed him in the front ran] of the leaders of industrial activity in the county.

Mr. Ryckman is a member of a family that has long been prominent in the region, and is a grandson o Lawrence F. Ryckman, one of the early settlers of the county. Lawrence F. Ryckman and his forebears wer conspicuous in the politics of Eastern New York is pre-Revolutionary times, and one of the family was : member of the commission appointed hy King Willian III to treat with the Iroquois in the effort to gain the friendship of the great confederation of the Six Nation: in the wars between the British and French colonists fo: the control of the mighty empire of the New World The Ryckmans made their home in the vicinity of Al. bany, and members of the family held various office: in the government of that city from alderman to mayor. Lawrence F. Ryckman was the first of the name to come from Eastern New York to Chautauqua county, his immigration taking place when the latter region was an almost unbroken wilderness, and to the natural hardships incident to pioneer life were added the necessity of dealing with the fierce and intractable savages who overran this section of the country. He and his wife were the parents of a number of children as follows: Garrett W., born in 1804; Caroline, born in 1808; Lawrence F., Jr., of further mention; Peter born in 1814, who lost his life in the service of his country while serving in the Union army in the attack on Fort Fisher.

Lawrence F. Ryckman, Jr., was born in the year 1812 and as a lad came to Fredonia to study at the venerable old institution of the Fredonia Academy which has since become the famous normal school. He learned the trade of clothier as an apprentice of Major Gorham of Laona, and later removed to Herkimer county and became associated with the woolen mills at Hartford and Clayville, continuing for many years. While at Fredonia, he met Lydia E. Fay, whom he afterwards married, and they were the parents of the following children: Garrett E., of further mention; Lucy F., who became the wife of Henry G. Wilson, of Passa- dena, Cal .; Mary E., who became the wife of S. M. Munson, also of Passadena, Cal.

Lydia E. Fay, the wife of Lawrence F. Ryckman, Jr., was a member of a family who were equally early settlers here and almost equally prominent in connec- tion with grape culture in the county. She was a daughter of Deacon Elijah and Lucy ( Belnap) Fay, natives of Westboro, Mass., from which place they came in 18it and were the first settlers at the place long known as Salem Cross Roads, which afterwards became the town of Brocton. The farm which Mr. Fay owned was the site of the present town, and it was there that grape growing may be said to have commenced for Chautauqua county. It was the good deacon who first discovered the adaptability of the soil for this fruit, and in 1824 planted the first vineyard in this part of the State. In the course of an article on the grape in- dustry prepared for a recent history of the county by

677

BIOGRAPHICAL

Garrett E. Ryckman the following occurs regarding the part played by Deacon Fay :

The life of a pioneer was not an easy one, and Dea- con Fay doubtless longed for many of the comforts he had left behind. Hecollecting that the native Fox grape vines flourished in great profusion on the banks of the New England streams. he determined to try the experiment of transplanting in this western witder- ness. Procuring a few vines he planted them carefully in front of his cabin and in a short time they had taken root and grew with a vigor that indicated the adaptability of the soit of this section to vine culture.

This Incident is mentioned, not because it is impor- tant in itself, but because these were the first grape vines planted in Chautauqua county, and for that mat- ter in Western New York, and their planting was the beginning of an industry that in years to come was destined to become one of the important industries of a large and flourishing community. These vines were planted in 1818.

Deacon Elijah Fay was looked up to and honored by all his fellow settlers in the neighborhood on account of his exemplary and pious life. He and his wife were the parents of the following children : Clinton S .; Lydia E., who became Mrs. Ryckman; and Joseph B.

Garrett E. Ryckman was born March 16, 1835, on the old Ryckman farm at Brocton, and during his childhood and youth resided with his maternal grandfather, Deacon Fay. He attended the local district schools and later, for thirteen weeks, was a student at the Fredonia Academy. During his early youth he assisted his grandfather in the work on the latter's farm, and was in charge of the marketing of the apples, pears, peaches and other fruit grown on the property of that notable agriculturist. It was his custom to drive a wagon loaded with fruit, pies and gingerbread and other homemade eatables to the county fairs, regimental bri- gade musters, and other places of public gathering, both in Chautauqua county and adjacent counties, and there he drove a thriving trade. He thus grew thor- oughly acquainted with the best methods of disposing of fruit, and served the best possible apprenticeship for his later activities as a shipper of grapes when that had become so important a business. He also received from his grandfather the closest and most conscientious instruction in the actual growing of grapes which were already becoming the principal product of the farm. The possibilities of wine manufacture were also be- coming recognized at about this time, and the years between 1849 and 1852 witnessed the planting of the first commercial vineyards in the section. During this period also the first experiments in wine making were attempted on a commercial scale, and two years later, these having proved eminently successful, the young man himself entered the field in which he was to be- come a leader. His first attempt was the purchase of a quantity of Isabella and Catawba grapes, which he turned into a few barrels of sweet wine, the quality of which was so exceptionally excellent that his entire product was purchased by local druggists at the price of two dollars a gallon. From that time on he con- tinued in this line, rapidly and steadily increasing the quantity of his production, and never varying his ex- treme care in attaining the same high quality. So rapid, indeed, was the growth of the enterprise, that, in 1859, Mr. Ryckman associated himself with Capt. Joseph B. Fay and Col. Rufus Haywood and built the Brocton wine cellars. Of this venture Mr. Ryckman's

account in the article already quoted from will give the best and most adequate idea. Says Mr. Ryckman :

The first epoch of the wine industry may be said to date from the year 1859 when the Brocton wine cel- lars were built by Joseph B. Fay, Rufus Haywood and the writer, and the manufacture of wine commenced on a larger scale under the firm name of Fay, Ryckman and Haywood. The cellars which occupied the same site as the present cellars were originally built thirty by fifty feet in size with sub-cellar; each of these cellars were ten feet in depth and they were as a whole of ample size to care for all the grapes grown at that time. The first year after the completion of the cellars two thou- sand gallons of wine were made and the manufacture increased year by year until in 1865 there were in store thirty-seven thousand gallons.

It is estimated that at the time of the completion of the wine cellars in 1859 there were about twenty acres of bearing vineyard in the town of Portland. This acreage, of course, Increased rapidly, although there was some opposition to growing grapes for wine mak- Ing purposes, and it was not untit the operations of 1865 and a few years following that this opposition practically disappeared.

The Brocton wine cellars were sold in 1865 to the Lake Shore Wine Company, which instituted a period of high prices which, although ruinous to the company, were, as Mr. Ryckman remarks, most fortunate for the industry as a whole since they stimulated grape growing to an enormous extent among the farmers of the county, all anxious to share the great profits to be had. After various vicissitudes, which witnessed the rise and fall of a number of companies, although the industry of wine making on the whole steadily increased, the wine cellars finally found their way back into the possession of Mr. Ryckman, who all this time, by his prudence and conservatism, had exercised a steadying influence upon what had at times tended to become a decidedly imprudently speculative enterprise, and is now owned by the firm of G. E. Ryckman & Son. Their original capacity has been greatly added to and today. they have a capacity of above 500,000 gallons, while the amount of wine actually manufactured there has ex- ceeded 300,000 gallons yearly for several years.

Mr. Ryckman had not by any means confined his ac- tivities to wine making, however, but had also entered the field of grape culture and the shipment of the fruit in its original form to the great markets of the country. In this field he was no less successful, and to his efforts in a large measure is due the country-wide acquaintance with the delicious fruit grown in Chautauqua county. He has exhibited his grapes at many important fairs and expositions, including the World's Columbian Ex- position at Chicago, the Pan-American at Buffalo, and the World's Fair at St. Louis, besides numerous smaller and local fairs, and has always won notable awards and prizes for the splendid quality of his fruit. He was the first exporter of grapes from the Chautauqua grape belt to England, where he shipped 200 baskets in 1889.

Mr. Ryckman's public spirit did not allow him to remain aloof from the public affairs of the community of which he has been so great a benefactor, and although quite unambitious of public office for himself, it has always been his effort to place worthy officials for the posts of public responsibility and trust. He is a Re- publican in political belief and has always worked for the advancement of his party in the region. As a child and young man he was a Baptist in religious belief, but later joined the Methodist church, of which he has al-

6-8

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

ways been liberal in his support. Mr. Ryckman is a Mason, having joined Forest Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, as a young man. He is now a mem- ber oi Lake Shore Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. of Brocton, and has also been prominent in founding the various Masonic bodies of higher degree at Dunkirk. and Ismailia Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Buffalo. He is a member of the Grange and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was largely instrumental in or- ganizing the village of Brocton, and received the dis- tinction of being unanimously elected its first president, April 17. 1804.

Garrett E. Ryckman was united in marriage, Dec. 29, 1875. with Jennie A. Reynolds, whose ancestry is given at length in the sketch of W. W. Pettit, elsewhere in this work, and by whom he has had two children, as follows: 1. Lawrence R., born Oct. 26, 1876; he mar- ried Pearl Winchester in November, 1900, and they are the parents of five children : Elizabeth Ruth, born Sept. 17, 1901 ; Lucy Carrol, born Dec. 25, 1903; Isabell, born July 20, 1905. died Aug. 1, 1906; Gerry and Edgar. 2. Ruth E., born in January, 1884.

HARRY SAMUEL CORNELL-The Cornell fam- ily of Chautauqua, of which Harry S. Cornell is rep- resentative, have long been identified with the town of Chautauqua, its agricultural and business interests. The pioneer Cornell in Chautauqua county was John W. Cornell. a son of Walter Cornell, of Washington county, N. Y., a successful, substantial farmer, a breeder of fine cattle, particularly oxen, some of which weighed 4,000 pounds and which he sold in New York at the rate of one dollar per pound. Walter Cornell was a man of prominence in his county, and represented his district in the New York Legislature.

John W. Cornell, son of Walter Cornell, came from Washington to Chautauqua county, in 1835, and pur- chased a large strip of land at Bemus Point, which he later sold and bought lands at Chautauqua and May- ville. He farmed extensively and was also engaged in lumbering. He married Anna Durfee, and they were the parents of William J., of whom further.

William J. Cornell, son of John W. and Anna (Dur- fee) Cornell, was born in the town of Chautauqua, Chautauqua county, N. Y., Feb. 1, 1858. He was edu- cated in the public schools of Chautauqua and Mayville, finishing at Mayville High School. In early manhood he was his father's farm assistant, but later was in charge of the oil lights of Chautauqua. In 1875 he established a row boat fleet at Chautauqua, which he conducted profitably until 1800, when the Chautauqua Institution bought his boats and business. He then established a shop on the Chautauqua grounds for the cale of souvenirs, engraved glass, Oriental and art goods, the many visitors at Chautauqua during the summer supplying him with appreciative buyers. On July 5. 1807. he was appointed postmaster of Chantan- qua, a position he held continuously until 1007. He then, in association with his son, Harry S. Cornell, organized the W. J. Cornell Ice Company, and ten years later tror;) purchased land near the entrance to the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution, and erected a ': re building and a garage. He opened a general store

in the building, which he has since operated, and has made a success of both store and garage. He is an able, successful business man, but knows how to play, and has made fifteen hunting and fishing trips to the States of Wyoming and Maine. He is a member of the Masonic order, affiliating with Peacock Lodge, No. 696, Free and Accepted Masons, of Mayville. He is a sir knight of Jamestown Commandery, Knights Templar, a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in politics a Republican. He married Laura A. Little, daughter of Samuel Little, who for seven- teen years was a harbor master at Erie, Pa. Later Samuel Little built a harbor for the United States government at Onekama, Mich. William J. and Laura A. (Little) Cornell are the parents of three children : Harry Samuel, of whom further; Lawrence Robert, manager of the Hotel Athenaeum at Chautauqua, N. Y., and the Rumsey Inn at Westfield, N. Y .; Ethel Mar- garet, married Charles F. Strasmer, Jr., of Buffalo, N. Y.

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.

History of Chautauqua County, New York, and its people, Volume III, Part 93

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

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