USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York : from 1700 to the present time, Volume II > Part 15
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in 1910 and on March 21. 1911. was elected president of the village. a position which he tills to the general satisfaction of his constituents.
Mr. Coughlin is a devont Catholic and a faithful attendant and member of St. Agnes Catholic church. The Mohawk Valley Shippers Transportation As- sociation affords him opportunity to exchange views and opinions on commercial subjects with business Friends and he holds membership in the Arcanum Club, U'tica, the Rome Country Club, the First Kingdom of Ski Club, of Utica, and the Utica Young Men's Christian Association; fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus. Possessing an engaging address and clear business judgment. he has discharged successfully every responsibility with which he has been entrusted. He represents that class of men who inevitably come to the front and are the leaders in any community where they may be found.
B. ALLEN WHIFFEN.
B. Allen Whiffen, who has for many years been engaged in the wholesale and retail meat business at Utica. is a native of this city, born August 26, 1858, a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Seaton) Whiffen. The father was born at Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire, England, October 10, 1817, and at fifteen years of age came with his parents to Utica. Soon afterward he shipped on a whaling steamer and continued upon the ocean for three years on account of his health. Ile then returned to Utica and engaged in the milk business with his brother John. In 1843 he opened a meat market at the corner of John and Jay streets and at the time of his death, which occurred June 24, 1889, was the oldest butcher and meat dealer in Utica and was known in New York state. He began as a retailer but prospered to such an extent that he engaged also in the wholesale business. In 1886 he admitted his sons George 1. and B. Allen into partnership under the title of Isaac Whiffen & Sons and in 1889 they succeeded to the business. In April, 1893, they moved to a large and commodious brick block which they erected at Nos. 327-329-331 Bleecker street. opposite Chancellor square. Here they engaged extensively as wholesale and retail merchants. Mr. Whiffen was a man of great integrity. unusual business ability and marked publie spirit. He always took just pride in advancing the welfare of the community. He was one of the organizers and for many years a director of the Utica & Mohawk Street Railroad Company, being also a charter member of the Central New York Farmers Club. He was a member of the Central New York Agricultural, Horticultural & Mechanical Association and a life member of the Utica Mechanics Association. He was president of St. George's Society and for many years a member of Utica Lodge, No. 47. A. F. & A. M .. and also president of the Utiea Curling Club. Polit- ically he gave his support to the republican party. He served one term as canal collector and in 1885 was appointed police and fire commissioner of the city of Utica. but resigned after serving about one year. He was a broad- minded and charitable man, who was held in highest esteem wherever he was known. In November, 1841. he was married to Miss Elizabeth Seaton, and
8. Allen Whiffen
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there were nine children in their family, four of whom are now living, namely : Charles B., George I. and B. Allen, all of Utica; and Mrs. W. II. Gibson, of Rochester, New York.
Mr. Whiffen of this review received his preliminary education in the pub- lie schools and was graduated from the Utiea Free Academy. Upon leaving school he became connected with the business which his father founded. The firm was incorporated in 1903 under the title of Isaac Whiffen's Sons Com- pany and still continues under that title. It is one of the best known concerns of the kind in central New York. Its success has been due to fair and honest treatment of customers, the superior quality of its goods and the energy and industry of its management.
On the 17th of June, 1890, Mr. Whiffen was married to Miss Anna N. Beek- with, a daughter of Henry and Mary E. Beckwith, of Utica. Mr. Whiffen holds membership in the Arcanum Club, being connected with no other organ- ization. He is a man of courteous and affable manners but is of retiring dis- position and has never sought honors or emoluments of public offiee. He has gone steadily forward in his chosen calling and the high esteem in which he is held by people of his native city is the best evidence of his usefulness and worth.
JAMES T. SOMERS.
Some men are naturally adapted for public life and are so fortunate as to start early in positions that lead to important places of public trust. Among the number is James T. Somers, who is now very acceptably filling the office of county treasurer of Oneida county. A resident of Utica since his infancy, he comes of sturdy Irish stock and is a native of Toronto, Canada, born July 14, 1874. His parents were John and Mary (Corbett ) Somers, natives of the north of Ireland. The family came to Utica in 1875 and the father was em- ployed in the State Hospital at this city from 1875 until his death in the fall of 1908. The mother is also deceased.
James T. Somers was edueated in the public schools and also possessed ad- vantages of training in a business college of this city. His first employment was with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railway Company as clerk but after five years in railway service he became connected with the office of Attorney General John C. Davies at Albany and continued under him for two years. He has taken great interest in polities from his early manhood and has been one of the efficient workers in behalf of the candidates and principles of the republican party. Ile served as county supervisor five years, from 1897, at the time of his election being only twenty-four years of age. He filled the office of deputy county treasurer six years, in the course of which time he made many friends, and in November, 1908, was elected county treasurer of Oneida county by a large majority. His management of the county finances has been highly satisfactory, as he has applied sound business principles in the adminis-
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tration of an office often used for political purposes instead of being maintained in the interest of the taxpayers.
In July, 1906, Mr. Somers was married to Miss Elizabeth Geisel, of Albany. He and his wife are consistent members of the Lutheran church. He is iden- tified with the Masonie fraternity and the Masonic Club and also with the Elks and the Elks Club, at the present time being district deputy of the Elks. Ile is also a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, the Republican Club and other local organizations. Possessing a genial and pleasing address, he readily makes acquaintances and it is greatly to his credit that those who know him best speak highest in his praise. A faithful public officer and a eitizen who has always attempted to perform his duty, he stands high in the esteem of the people of Oneida county irrespective of creed or political faith.
MILTON H. MERWIN.
One of the most respected and honored citizens of New York state is Milton II. Merwin, of Utica. For two terms, covering a period of twenty- eight years, he oeeupied a seat upon the bench of the supreme court of New York, retiring on account of limitation as to age, sinee which time he has per- formed service as counsel or referee in many important eauses. A lawyer rank- ing among the ablest in the state, it may also be said of him that few have achieved such distinction upon the beneh, and today he is accorded an en- viable position among his fellow citizens, not only for his professional qualifica- tions but for every trait that marks the true gentleman and man of honor.
He was born at Leyden. Lewis county. New York. June 16, 1832. a son of Alanson and Amanda ( Kimball Merwin, and is descended from Miles Merwin who came from the north of England and settled near Milford, Connecticut, about 1640. James Merwin, the grandfather of our subject, moved to Leyden from Haddam, Connectieut, in 1800, and served as a soldier at Saeketts Har- bor in the war of 1812. Milton II. Merwin attended the Oneida Conference Seminary at Cazenovia. New York, and later matriculated at Ilamilton Col- lege from which he was graduated in 1852. being then twenty years of age. He studied law in the office of Joseph Mullin, at Watertown, New York, who was afterward justice of the supreme court. and was admitted to the bar in 1853. Ile practiced in the office of his preceptor until 1857, when the latter took his seat upon the supreme bench, after which Mr. Merwin continued in practice alone, having become well established with a lucrative and growing elientage. He was elected special surrogate of Jefferson county in November, 1654. and served for three years. In November, 1859. he was elected surrogate of the county and served until January 1, 1864. In 1867 he was elected as a delegate to the state constitutional convention, proving one of its most active and efficient workers. He was a member of the Committee on the Legislature, which was composed of seven members, the others being: Edward A. Merritt, Erastus Cooke. Richard U. Sherman, Claudius L. Monell. George Barker, and James Brooks. The committee recommended to the convention in its report
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upon the plan of organization of the state legislature, that the senate should consist of thirty-three members to be elected in eight senatorial distriets, each district to have four delegates except the fourth district, New York, which was to have five. With regard to the lower house the committee recommended that it should consist of one hundred and thirty-nine members and should be elected by counties and not by separate districts. Mr. Merwin dissented from this part of the report and wrote a strong argument in support of his position. IIe advocated that members of the lower house should be elected by districts and not by counties. The convention accepted his view of the subject, refused to adopt the report of the majority of the committee, and provided that there should be thirty-two senatorial distriets and that senators should be elected by separate districts, one senator from each district. The legislature also agreed that the lower house should consist of one hundred and twenty-eight mem- bers; that members should be elected by separate districts; and that a board of supervisors, in the respective counties, should divide each county into assembly districts. This system existed until changed by the constitutional convention, in 1894.
On the 21st of May, 1874, Judge Charles 11. Doolittle, of Utiea, justice of the supreme court of the fifth judicial district of the state of New York, lost his life by being swept overboard from an ocean steamer at sea. He was a great judge and one of the ablest lawyers the state has ever produced. It was generally conceded in the district that the vacancy occasioned by his death should be filled by some one residing in Oneida county, and Governor John A. Dix announced that he would appoint to the judgeship any lawyer whom the republiean lawyers of the county should agree upon. A meeting for this pur- pose was held at the office of ex-Judge William J. Bacon, of Utica. There were several candidates for the position but the real contest was between Charles MI. Dennison and Ward Ilunt, Jr., of Utiea, and Milton II. Merwin, of Water- town, Jefferson county. Mr. Merwin was supported by the younger members of the bar while the others favored Mr. Dennison or Mr. Hunt. There being no nomination the meeting was adjourned and in the meantime an effort was made to agree upon some other candidate. A petition selecting Addison C. Miller as the candidate was signed by many members of the bar, but he de- clined to accept the office. The attempt to agree upon a candidate was finally abandoned, it being understood that Governor Dix would make no appointment until the republican judiciary convention had made a nomination. This con- vention was held at Utica, September 23d and 24th, 1874. There were four- teen delegates present; four from Oneida county; three from Onondaga; two from Jefferson ; three from Oswego; one from Herkimer; and one from Lewis county, the required number of votes to make a nomination being eight. Milton HI. Merwin received the required eight votes on the fifty-third ballot and was deelared duly nominated. Governor Dix appointed Mr. Merwin to the position October 17, 1874, and he took the oath of office two days later, open- ing his first term of the circuit term at Lowville, October 20. At the ensuing November election he was elected over Albertus Perry, the candidate of the democratie party, and entered upon his fourteen-year term of office, January 1, 1875. After his election he removed to Utica and has since made his home
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in this city. Ile gave such satisfaction that when his first term of office ex- pired he was unanimously reelected by the republican judiciary convention. and as there was no nomination by the democratie judiciary convention, he was elected without opposition. One who knows him well says: "It may be said that from the first day to the last of Judge Merwin's service upon the bench, he presided, both in the trial courts, the general term, and in the ap- pellate division of the supreme court, with modesty. unusual ability, perfect fairness, and won the confidence and admiration of the bar of the entire state." During the first term Judge Merwin's services were given to the trial and special terms of the supreme court and he discharged his duties to the entire satisfaction of the public and the members of the bar of the district. On De- eember 31, 1888, he was appointed one of the justices of the general term of the supreme court and held this position until January 1, 1896. Under the judiciary article of the constitution adopted in November. 1894. the appellate division of the supreme court was created and Judge Merwin was appointed one of the members of that court for the third judicial department. He served in this eapacity until January 1. 1901. when he returned to the trial terms and there continued until by age limit and also by the expiration of his term he retired from the bench, January 1, 1903. Since that time he has frequently been appointed by the courts and called upon by litigating parties to serve as referee, and has also appeared in a number of important causes as counsel.
On the 15th of November, 1858, Judge Merwin was married to Miss Ilelen E. Knapp and five children were born to this union, namely: Helen M., the widow of Harry Burrell and the mother of one son, James Kirby ; Rev. Milton K., who married Lillian Avery. now deceased. and has three children, IIelen 1 .. , John Avery and Allan K. : Kate, who is the wife of Rev. James Eels by whom she has two children, James Jr. and Milton : Mary ; and James H., who married Mabel A. Metealf.
In private life Judge Merwin is greatly beloved by all who know him. He is a man wholly free from ostentation-frank, genial and kindly. ITis great success in life has in no way changed his original simplicity of character and this is one reason for his popularity. Always industrious, true to the noblest aims, and the very soul of earnestness and sincerity, he is a worthy example of the ideal American citizen and is fully entitled to the honor in which he is held by the people of the Empire state.
GEORGE M. HUBBARD.
Especially interesting will be found the record of George M. Hubbard as showing the value of industry, determined effort and perseveranee in the at- tainment of success, for it has been entirely through the exereise of these qual- ities that he has forged his way upward in the business world from a humble position to that of one among the rich men of Waterville. He was born in But- ler, near Wolcott, Wayne county, New York, on the 13th of August, 1822, and although he has almost reached the ninetieth milestone on life's journey, is
9
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remarkably well preserved and is as active as many men twenty years his junior. Simon Hubbard, his grandfather, was born in Massachusetts and was one of the pioneer settlers of Oneida county, coming to this district in 1790. Ilere he entered a tract of land consisting of one hundred and thirty aeres which has remained in the possession of the family, being now the property of George M. Hubbard. The tract is located three miles north of Waterville, on the road to Paris Hill, and there Simon Hubbard passed away. Later his widow removed to Wolcott, where her death occurred, her remains being brought back to the homestead, upon which all of the members of the family who have passed away are buried. In their family were three daughters and two sons, Oris, Maximus, Charlotte, Bethiah and Martha. Maximus Ilubbard, the father of George M. Hubbard, was born in Oneida county but accompanied his mother on her removal to Wolcott. Wayne county, where he resided for many years. After the death of his wife, which occurred when our subject was but a year old, he returned to this county and here passed his remaining days. Ilis wife bore the maiden name of Zylphia Sylvester and was born in Oneida county.
George M. Hubbard continued to reside with his father until twenty-one years of age and in the meantime assisted in the work of the farm during the summer months, while the winter seasons were devoted to aequiring an educa- tion in the district schools. Later he had the benefit of a course of study in the select school, equivalent to a high school course, and thus he was well equip- ped by mental and practical training for life's responsible duties. Upon at- taining his majority he decided to leave home and seek his fortune in other fields. This course was greatly against the wishes of his father, but the lad was desirons of seeing something of the world and longed for larger opportun- ities than those offered by the home life. Consequently he left the farm and, borrowing two hundred dollars from a cousin, joined Jacob Butterfield, of Wol- cott, in the purchase of a canal boat with which they engaged in water pur- suits on the canal for a time. They only paid four hundred dollars down on the boat, but soon they were able to meet their entire obligations. He sold out after a few months, but in the interval he and his partner had been un- usually successful, making one thousand dollars the first trip, which covered twenty days, a very good sum for those days. After severing his connections with the boating business he traveled extensively throughout almost all of the various states of the Union. This not only gratified to a certain extent the spirit of adventure which was strong within him, but also proved a liberal source of education to him along many lines, extending the outlook of his life and bringing to him broad general information. Upon returning to the east he became identified with distilling business, with which he was sueeess- fully connected for many years. At one time he operated a distillery at War- saw, Illinois, for a few months, and also at Boston, Massachusetts, at which place he was engaged in the manufacture of rum. He later owned a distillery at Deansboro and also erected one at Oswego, and in the conduct of his busi- ness here employed regularly on an average of twenty-five men. He devoted a large portion of his attention to the manufacture of alcohol although at one time he dealt extensively in hops, purchasing this product in California, Wis-
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consin and New York. At one time it seemed as though he would suffer the loss of all of his money, for at the time of the great fire in Chicago in 1871 he had all of his hops consigned to Chicago and that consignment represented his entire capital. As the years came and went he proved eminently successful in his undertakings and at length was able to withdraw from active business life. For the past fifteen years he has given his entire attention to the supervision of his financial interests in Waterville. He is the owner of much valuable land and at one time was also proprietor of a coal and mill business. Ile is the owner of the Hubbard block, which he remodeled and which is now one of the fine business blocks of this community. He owns a beautiful home on White street which he erected in 1872, and there resides with his family.
Mr. Hubbard was married, in 1861, to Miss Myra Scott, who was born at Bridgewater, New York, a daughter of Garrett Scott, and unto them were born two daughters: Florence, who passed away at the age of eighteen months; and Helen, who married I. M. King, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.
Mr. Hubbard has been an active factor in democratic circles in Oneida county, although he has never desired nor sought publie office in return for party fealty, and is also well known in fraternal circles. He attained the thirty-second degree in Masonry but now holds a demit. He also belonged to the Knight Templars and in fact was identified with almost all of the various fraternal orders at one time but has withdrawn active connection therewith. Mr. Hubbard is now one of the oldest residents of Oneida county and during the many years in which he has made his home within her borders has met and has been personally acquainted with almost all of the large number of men of national and international reputation whom this county has produced. Of a genial, social disposition, he is popular with all who have been associated with him either in business or private life, and not to know George M. Hubbard is almost to argue oneself unknown.
JOHN CLARK EVANS.
One of the best known lawyers of Oneida county is John Clark Evans, of Rome. Ile has engaged in practice for about twelve years and few men in the same length of time have gained in a larger degree the confidence and respect of the people. Born at Remsen, July 31, 1872, he is a son of Thomas J. and Ann Evans. The father was born at Steuben, August 24, 1828. The family is of Welsh origin, the grandfather and grandmother having come from that country, and settled in Oneida county, New York, about 1800. The name is, therefore, long and well known throughout this section of the state.
John Clark Evans received his preliminary education in the public schools and attended Holland Patent high school. Later he matriculated in the law department of Cornell University, from which he was graduated with the degree of LL. B. in 1898. Immediately after leaving college he came to Rome and associated in practice with Isaae J. Evans, former county judge of Oneida county, continuing in practice with him until his death. He then formed
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a partnership with A. Delos Kneeland, who is now a resident of New York city. In 1903 he became senior member of the firm of Evans & Prescott, this association continuing until January 1, 1909, since which time Mr. Evans has practiced alone. He has shown in his life a progression in larger fields of usefulness that gives promise of continued advancement. Having been will- ing to pay the price of success by concentration upon each responsibility as it arose, he has won many important cases in the courts and also is recognized as a competent and safe counselor. He is greatly interested in his work, which in a large measure accounts for his high standing at the bar. He has taken an active part in public affairs and was a member of the general assembly of the state for four terms, from 1903 to 1906 inclusive. In 1906 he was nominated for state senator but in the election which followed was defeated. On January 1, 1909, he was appointed special deputy commissioner of exeise for Oneida county.
On November 27, 1900, Mr. Evans was married to Miss Merle C. Dexter, of Belleville, New York, and to them three children have been born, Thelma Merle, Doris Rosemary and Diantha Margaret. Politically Mr. Evans gives his support to the republican party, being a stanch advocate of its principles of protection and centralization. Fraternally he is very prominent, being a member of Rome Council, No. 150, Royal Areanum ; Benjamin D. Smith Camp, Modern Woodmen of America; and Dyfed Lodge, American True Ivorites. Ile is a worker in all of those organizations and has passed through all of the chairs in the local council of the Royal Areanum. He is a constant and close student of law, and also of the progress of the world and the writings of the great thinkers of all ages. A wide-awake, intelligent and discriminating ob- server, he has learned many practical lessons outside of books which he has had the good fortune to apply successfully. Being now fairly launched in his life work, he may truly be numbered among the most promising of the sons of Oneida county.
WILLIAM MORGAN FRENCH.
A residence covering a period of over eighty years has enabled William Morgan French to witness many changes in Oneida county, especially New Ilart- ford where the greater part of his life has been spent and where he was born on the 1st of December, 1829. Ilis parents were John and Almira (Gilmore) French, the father also a native of New Hartford and the mother of New York city.
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