USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York, from the earliest historic times to the beginning of 1907, Vol. II > Part 33
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At the time of the Civil war Mr. Taylor en- listed in the Independent Irregular Cavalry under S. W. Bard of Cincinnati. and was on picket and scouting duty, being with the command of General Lew Wallace for a portion of the time. His serv- ice was mostly in Kentucky during the raids of General Kirby Smith and General John Morgan.
In 1872 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Lizzie Hall, of Paris, Kentucky, who died in 1906, leav- ing three sons and three daughters: Huston, who is a minister of the gospel at Carthage, Missouri; J. Irwin, of the marine department of the Stand- ard Oil Company at New York; J. Hall, who is inventor and manager for the American Spiral Pipe Company of Chicago, having just completed a plant covering four blocks adjoining Chicago;
Mary B., at home; Elizabeth C., who has charge of the Congregational Settlement House at Min- neapolis, Minnesota; and Lucy, who is a teacher of art at Danville, Kentucky.
Endowed by nature with strong mentality, which was developed through a thorough course in law and its subsequent study, Mr. Taylor is well qualified for his present position and is of the utmost assistance to the patrons of the library by reason of his intimate knowledge of the contents of the volumes which it contains. He has been connected with the library for six years, and dur- ing his residence in Rochester has gained wide recognition as a citizen of worth, winning the kindly regard of many friends.
DANIEL JAY COAKLEY.
Daniel Jay Coakley, secretary and treasurer of the Coakley-Colber Company, investments and un- derwriting, at Rochester, was born on the 12th of May, 1867, in Boston, Massachusetts, but soon afterward occurred the removal of the family to Worcester, Massachusetts, where he completed his education by graduation from Holy Cross College in the class of 1885. His minority was spent under the parental roof as one of a family of ten children. His father, Cornelius Coakley, was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1828, and in his business life he displayed considerable in- genuity as a mechanical engineer and became well known as the inventor of steam pumps. He mar- ried Katherine Mary O'Farrell, who was born in Scotland in 1834 and both are now deceased. The four brothers of our subject, James, Cornelius, Richard and William Coakley, have all passed away. The record of the sisters is as follows: Marguerite, deceased; Kathleen, of Boston; Mrs. Nellie Neeland of Rochester; Mrs. Mary Davis of Worcester, Massachusetts; and Anna, who has departed this life.
In the year of his graduation from college Daniel Jay Coakley came to Rochester and has since been identified with the business interests of the city. He became connected with the Novelty Manufacturing Company but in 1896 resigned his position with that house to become an employe of the Rochester Bicycle Manufacturing Company, with which he continued until 1902. He was afterward engaged in the real-estate and insur- ance business for three years, or until 1905, when he established an investment and underwriting business. The following year the present com- pany was formed under the style of the Coakley- Colber Company and a clientage has been secured that is already large and gratifying and which seems to prophesy well for future success.
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HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
Mr. Coakley was married in 1889 to Miss Helena Woodward of Cherry Valley, New York, in which town her birth occurred in 1868. Mr. Coakley is a member of various fraternal organiza- tions, including the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Maccabees, the Red Men, the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of Khorasan. He has been state commander of the Knights of the Maccabees, a trustee of the grand lodge and a member of the supreme tent of the same organization. He be- longs to the Masonic Club, to the Maccabees Club and is an honorary member of the Troy Club. A residence of twenty-two years has gained him busi- ness and social prominence in Rochester, where he is now classed with those men whose worth make them representative citizens.
FRED H. BEACH.
Fred H. Beach is president of the Atlantic Stamping Company and a director of various cor- portations. His attention is largely given, how- ever, to general business interests such as come with the supervision of varied and extensive investments. He has been a life-long resident of Rochester, his birth having occurred on the 22d of August, 1846, in a dwelling which occupied the site of the present residence of the Catholic bishop. His father, William H. Beach, a native of Rome, New York, was one of the first pro- prietors of the Express, of Rochester, the prede- cessor of the Post Express, one of the leading papers of the city. He was an active man of affairs in early life, exerting a widely felt in- fluence for public progress and development, and he died, loved and respected by many, in 1879. He was a charter member of the Veteran Grays and his activity touched so many interests of society that his death came as a personal bereave- ment to a large majority of Rochester's citizens. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Alvira Mor- gan, died in 1902.
In early boyhood Fred H. Beach became a pupil in public school No. 6 and afterward at- tended Satterlee & Benedict's school. He was a student in an advanced private school at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He greatly desired to go to the front but, being an only son, his parents opposed him in this and he entered the office of the Express. He was in the employ of James Vick, seedman, from 1876 until 1887, continuing with that firm in increasingly import- ant positions. In the meantime he invented a very ingenious machine for the manufacture of paper boxes and formed a co-partnership with Mark D. Knowlton, of Chicago, for the manufac- ture of that machine. This was numbered among
his business interests until a few years ago, when he sold out to Mr. Knowlton, who continued in the manufacturing line under the name of the M. D. Knowlton Company until his death. Mr. Beach has made extensive investments in various business enterprises, and his sound judgment and wise counsel have proven so valuable in the suc- cessful management of various interests that his co-operation is being continually sought. He does not care to accept office in any of the busi- ness enterprises with which he is allied aside from the directorate, save that he is now president of the Atlantic Stamping Company, a large concern which manufactures all kinds of galvanized iron in various useful devices, the product being shipped to all parts of the world. This business furnished employment to over a hundred work- inen in the factory, to a large office force and to a number of traveling salesmen. The buildings are three hundred and eight feet in length and are located along the tracks of the New York Central Railroad at No. 180 Ames street.
Mr. Beach is very prominent in Masonry, hav- ing become an early member of Valley lodge, No. 109, A. F. & A. M., of which he is now a past master. He also belongs to Hamilton chapter, No. 62, R. A. M., and is past eminent commander of Monroe commandery, No. 12, K. T. He has taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite in Rochester consistory and belongs to Damascus Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member and director of the Masonic Club of Rochester, of the Rochester Yacht Club, the Transportation Club of New York city and the Columbia Rifle Club. He is a trustee and active member of the First Methodist Episcopal church and is much interested in the church and charitable work, being a trustee of the West Ave- nue church.
In 1868 Mr. Beach was married to Miss Alice Howland, of Rochester, and they have one son, Fred H. Beach, Jr., who has a son, Frederick G. The family home is at No. 83 Park avenue and is the center of a cultured society circle. Mr. Beach finds an appropriate place in the history of those men of business and enterprise in the state of New York whose force of character, whose sterling integrity, whose fortitude amid discouragements, whose good sense in the management of compli- cated affairs and marked success in establishing large industries and bringing to completion great schemes of trade and profit, have contributed in an eminent degree to the development of the vast resources of this commonwealth. In all things he has been actuated by a fidelity to principle, showing him as one who has a perfect apprecia- tion of the higher ethics of life. He has gained and retained the confidence and respect of his fellowmen and is distinctively one of the leading citizens not only of Rochester but of the Empire
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HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
state, and in his home city, where his entire life has been passed, he has gained not only admiration and respect but the sincerest regard and friend- ship of the great majority of those who know aught of his career.
RICHARD H. SMEAD.
Richard H. Smead is living retired in Pitts- ford, where he owns and occupies a. comfortable home, but for many years he was actively asso- ciated with agricultural interests of Pittsford township, still having valuable landed possessions, from which he derives a good annual income. Mr. Smead is a native son of the Empire state, having been born in Mendon in 1843, of English parent- age.
His parents, William and Margaret Ann (Adams) Smead, were natives of England, the former born in East Kent. The father emigrated with his wife and five children to the United States in 1842, the trip across the Atlantic cover- ing a period of seven weeks, for the journey at that early day was a long and tedious one. Tak- ing up his abode in Pittsford, he was variousły employed here and in Mendon for a time but through his industry and economy managed to save a sum of money sufficient to invest in a small tract of land in Henrietta, which he cultivated for a number of years. His family numbered nine children, of whom six still survive, namely : Mrs. Sarah Wheeler, a resident of Michigan; Mrs. Mary A. Connor, of Ontario, Canada; Mrs. Char- lotte L. Canfield ; Mrs. Elizabeth Lord, of Men- don, this state; William, of Colorado; and Rich- ard H., of this review. The father passed away at the home of our subject in 1879 and was sur- vived by his wife for only two years, her death occurring in 1881.
Richard H. Smead was reared in the usual manner of farm lads of his day, assisting in the operation of the home farm in the spring and summer season; while in the winter months he pursued his early education in the Mendon schools, while later he was permitted to attend Henrietta Academy. At the age of twenty-two years he began farming on his own account, at which time he pur- chased from the Wilmarth estate a tract of land comprising one hundred and eighty acres, to which he later added an additional ten acre tract, and subsequently an eighty acre tract, making in all two hundred and seventy acres. He made many improvements upon the place in the way of good barns and outbuildings and also set out a pear orchard. He there carried on general agri- cultural pursuits for many years, each year adding to his financial resources through the sale of rich
and abundant harvests. In 1901 he retired and removed to Pittsford, where he owns and occu- pies a pleasant home and where he is now enjoying the fruits of his former toil, his farm being now operated by his son.
In 1867 Mr. Smead was united in marriage to Miss Romaine Wilmarth, a resident of Pittsford township. Her father, Chauncey Wilmarth, was a native of Vermont and was twelve years of age when he accompanied his parents on their re- moval to this county, becoming early settlers of Victor township. Later he removed to Pittsford township, locating on the farm which is today owned by our subject. In early manhood he mar- ried Nancy Lowe, who was born in Victor, and they became the parents of eight children, of whom three are still living, namely: Mrs. Lydia Townsend and Mrs. Jane Hibbard, both of Pittsford; and Mrs. Smead. The last named has proved to her husband a faithful wife and much of his success is due to her untiring efforts. Their marriage has been blessed with two daughters and one son: Eva, who is the wife of George Barker and has two daughters and one son; Chauncey W., who is operating the old homestead farm; and Hazel D., the wife of O. J. Welch.
Mr. and Mrs. Smead are members of the Bap- tist church and he is a supporter of the men and measures of the republican party. He has never been active in political work, but has always de- voted is attention strictly to his private business interests, in which he has met with well deserved srecess and now in the evening of life he is en- abled to spend his days in comfort and ease.
JOHN C. RYAN.
John C. Ryan, for forty years a resident of Rochester, his business life marked by steady ad- vancement until he is today regarded as one of the foremost civil engineers of this city and western New York, was born April 10, 1849, while his parents were crossing the Atlantic from Ireland to the United States. The family home was established in the town of Greece, Monroe county, where as boy and youth John C. Ryan attended the public schools. As a further prep- aration for life's practical duties, he pursued a course in Eastman's Commercial College in Rochester, in 1867, and then took up the study of civil engineering. Undoubtedly one of the strong features in his success has been his continuance in the line of business in which he embarked in early manhood, so that long experience as well as thorough study has qualified him for the im- portant duties that have devolved upon him in
MRS. R. H. SMEAD.
R. H. SMEAD.
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HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
this connection. He served as assistant city sur- veyor in Rochester for seven years, beginning in 1870, and upon his retirement from that office entered into partnership for the practice of his profession with L. L. Nichols. Two years later this relation was discontinued and Mr. Ryan opened an office in the Reynolds arcade, where he has since remained, having maintained his busi- ness headquarters here for more than twenty- seven years. His skill and ability in his chosen field of labor have long since won him recogni- tion and for many years he has enjoyed a liberal and profitable clientage. In 1868 Cyrus Beards- ley was authorized by the common council to make a survey of the fourteen old wards of the city and · map them out for the use of the city assessor's of- fice. The work continued for a number of years without being completed, and in 1887 Mr. Ryan was awarded the work by contract and finished it in 1894. He made maps and a survey of the vil- lage of Charlotte and placed monuments, marking the street corners of that village.
In 1875 occurred the marriage of John C. Ryan and Miss Jennie A. Martin. They became the parents of three daughters: Katie T., Mabel A. and Grace M. In his political views Mr. Ryan is a democrat, giving unquestioned fidelity to the party, yet too busy with the demands of his pri- vate business interests to seek or desire political preferment.
WILLIAM P. MORGAN.
William P. Morgan, a dealer in coal in Roches- ter and one of the officials of the city, representing the tenth ward as alderman, was born in Gales- burg, Illinois, October 21, 1865. His parents, Daniel S. and Sarah M. (Requa) Morgan, were natives of Steuben county, New York. The father was a grain merchant and for some time lived in Rochester, while later he removed to Galesburg, Illinois, where he engaged in the grain trade until 1881. He then returned to Rochester, where he has since made his home and he is now enjoying a hale and hearty old age, having passed the ninetieth milestone on life's journey.
William P. Morgan pursued his education in the public schools of Galesburg to the time he came to Rochester with his parents. He was en- gaged in various business pursuits here for a number of years and in 1898 he embarked in the coal trade, which he has since carried on. He has built up a good business, securing many patrons who recognize his reliable business methods and his earnest desire to give satisfaction to his cus- tomers.
Mr. Morgan was married in the year 1895 to Miss Jennie Dolloff, a native of Vermont, and they have a wide circle of friends in Rochester. Mr. Morgan gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is much interested in the public questions and issues of the day connected with local advancement and national welfare. In the fall of 1903 he was elected alderman from the tenth ward and served so acceptably that in 1905 he was re-elected. He is now chairman of the city property committee and is a member of other important committees, and he exercises his of- ficial prerogatives in support of progressive mu- nicipal interests. For several years he has been on the ward committee and puts forth effective effort for the welfare of his party.
CHARLES LITTLE.
Charles Little is chief of the Rochester fire de- partment and as such has made a splendid record. He has worked up in the department from a miost lowly position until he has become its leading of- ficer and in this connection is also widely known in the country, being today president of the New York International Association of Fire Chiefs, in which he is serving for the second term. Mr. Little was born in Rochester, September 19, 1854, his parents being James and Margaret (Guire) Little, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The father came to Rochester about 1825 and resided here until his death. In 1833 he removed to the home which is now occupied by his son Charles and which has been the family residence for seventy-six years.
Mr. Little of this review was the youngest of his father's family and was educated in the public schools of the city. After completing his course he engaged in the carting business for some time but during much of his life he has been connected with the fire department. He was a member of the old call system before there was any pay de- partment and for this service he received one hun- dred and fifty dollars per year, at the same time carrying on his private business interests. Later, under a call system, a salary of two hundred dol- lars per year was paid. On the 15th of July, 1873, he ran as a call man and on the 1st of June, 1879, he was made a member of the fire department with full pay. His first position was that of truckman and later he became a hoseman on hose cart No. 3. Subsequently he was made captain of Engine Com- pany No. 5, acting as the first captain of this company on Lyell avenue. On the 9th of April, 1894, he was made battalion chief and on the 1st of April, 1903, he was appointed chief of the Rochester fire department, which position he has
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HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
since filled. He has the reputation of being one of the best posted fire chiefs in the country and the Rochester system is most thoroughly organized and equipped. He is president of the New York International Association of Fire Chiefs, having been elected for a second term in the convention held at Dallas, Texas. He was one of the leading organizers of the Rochester fire department, which is second to none in the state of New York, and his labors in this connection entitle him to the gratitude of the general public, for they have been most valuable to the city.
In 1889 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Lit- tle and Miss Mary E. O'Brien, of Rochester, and they have one daughter, Grace. Mr. Little be- longs to the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks. His service in connection with the fire depart- ment has made such close demand upon his time that he has had little opportunity for active con- nection with public affairs, yet at all times he has manifested a progressive citizenship and has won the good will and esteem of all who know him.
CHARLES H. YOST.
Charles H. Yost, real-estate dealer and auc- tioneer of Rochester, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, January 27, 1844. His family removed to Roch- ester the year after his birth. His father, Peter Yost, served on the police force of this city for twenty years, and was well known in official circles as one of the most trustworthy and capable mem- bers of the force. He died at the home of his son Charles in Rochester in 1870. In the fam- ily there were five children.
Charles Yost acquired his education in the pub- lic schools of this city and remained a resident here until after the outbreak of the Civil war, when he offered his services to the government, enlisting as a member of Company C, One Hun- dred and Fortieth Regiment, New York Volun- teers. He served for three years in defense of the Union, participating in many important en- gagements and ever proving a valiant and loyal soldier, whether on the firing line or the lonely picket. On August 19, 1864, at the battle of Weldon Railroad he was taken prisoner and con- fined in Libby, Belle Isle and Salisbury, North Carolina, prisons. After seven months' confine- ment he was exchanged and returned to his regi- ment. He received an honorable discharge on the 6th of June, 1865, and returned to Rochester with his regiment. In Rochester Mr. Yost began the auctioneering business with the late Edwin Seran- ton, in which he has since continued, and in this connection has obtained a wide reputation as one who stands prominent in the field of activity.
In the year 1866 Mr. Yost was married to Miss Susan Nagle. They became the parents of one child, George P. Yost, of this city, whose mother died at the time of his birth. In 1870 Mr. Yost married Elizabeth Helen Sykes, of Buffalo, New York. Their family consists of two daughters and one son : Miss Susie E. Yost, Mrs. Genevieve Y. Schaub and Morris E. Yost. Both Mr. Yost's sons are engaged in business with their father. They inherit their father's military spirit, as George P. is an ex-member of the Eighth Separate Company of Rochester and a Spanish War veteran, and Morris E. is an active member of the Eighth Separate Company at the present time.
Mr. Yost is a member of Grace Methodist Epis- copal church, serving as a trustee on its board. He is greatly interested in community affairs, de- siring to promote the welfare and progress of his city along the lines of material and moral prog- ress. He has spent the greater part of his life in this city and with its interests is thoroughly identified. Mr. Yost was the leading spirit of the military affairs of Rochester, one of the organizers of the Ryan Zouaves, of which he was the last commanding officer before the organization dis- banded; also the Greenleaf Guards, named in honor of the late Colonel H. Greenleaf, of which battalion he was commanding officer. Hook and Ladder No. 1 was one of the most noteworthy organizations which he, together with Chief Little of this city, organized.
WILBUR S. GRANT.
Wilbur S. Grant, a resident of Rochester since 1895, is now secretary and treasurer of the Roches- ter Folding Box Company. He was born in Rich- mond, Indiana, in 1872. His father, George H. Grant, now deceased, was a manufacturer of school, church and bank furniture and is still sur- vived by his widow, Mrs. Mary I. Grant.
In the public schools of his native city, Wilbur S. Grant mastered the common branches of learn- ing and qualified for entrance into Wabash Col- lege of Indiana, from which he graduated with the class of 1892. Three years later, in 1895, he came to Rochester, where he has since made his home. He was first connected with the advertising de- partment of Taylor Brothers Company's ther- mometer works, filling that position until 1902, when he became connected with the Rochester Folding Box Company as secretary and treasurer. He is also business manager and during the past five years the development and prosperity of the enterprise has been largely promoted by him. The company was founded and incorporated in. 1895 for the purpose of manufacturing and lithograph-
CHARLES H. YOST.
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HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
ing paper boxes, such as are used for cigarettes, spices, etc. The office of president is filled by El- bridge L. Adams and that of vice president by Fred W. Zoller.
In 1905 Mr. Grant was united in marriage to Miss Amy R. Mayo of Brookline, Massachusetts, and they have one child. Mr. Grant is a member of the Genesee Valley Club, the Country Club of Rochester, the Oak Hill Country and the Roches- ter Athletic Clubs but belongs to no fraternal or- ganizations and is not active in politics.
JOHN HALL.
John Hall is a member of the park board com- mission of Rochester and in this city is rated with those men of genuine public worth who stand for advancement in the city and in the individual, his influence being ever on the side of right, jus- tice, truth and culture. A native of England, he was born in Derby in 1845, a son of William and Mary Ash Hall. The father was a magistrate of Derby and one of the pioneers in the great tem- perance movement of England. In his home local- ity he was very prominent and influential and acted as almoner, disbursing and financial agent for the late Sir William Vernon Harcourt and the late Samuel Plimsoll. He was prominent in all benevolent work and for twenty-eight years was president of the Temperance Society, doing every- thing in his power to crush out the liquor habit and promote sobriety among his fellowmen, real- izing that it is one of the strong elements of hon- orable manhood. The family has ever been noted for longevity and William Hall died in August, 1906, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
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