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 67
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In 1854 Charles Hall Chapin was married to Miss Elizabeth Kidd, a daughter of William Kidd, and unto them were born the following named : William Kidd, Charles Terry, Mrs. William E. Marcus, Edward Hall and Eleanor B., but the last named died in 1881. The death of the father oc- curred March 16, 1882, and thus passed from the stage of earthly activities one who had contributed in large measure to Rochester's substantial growth and improvement.
In the private schools of Rochester Charles T. Chapin acquired his education and also attended the Rochester high school. Having put aside his text-books he entered the old Bank of Rochester in 1877, later called the German-American Bank and now the Rochester National Bank, being employed in that institution in the capacity of bookkeeper until 1880. He then became identified with the Rochester Car Wheel Works as secretary and treasurer. The business was established by his father three years before and in its successful con- duct and substantial growth Charles T. Chapin has borne an important part. He was elected president of the company and acted in that capac- ity until 1905, when it was merged with other companies into the National Car Wheel Company, since which time he has been special representative of the company on special propositions.
Mr. Chapin has figured very prominently in public life and is accounted one of the most pro- gressive and active citizens of Rochester, although a comparatively young man. He served on the police commission board for five years, from 1896
to 1901, and is now serving on the board of park commissioners. He was secretary of the old Alert hose company, which he joined in 1881, and with it he has since been identified, serving as president from 1883 to 1887, inclusive and later becoming an exempt fireman. He was for one year vice pres- ident of the Chamber of Commerce and at the present writing, in 1908, is serving on its board of trustees and as chairman of committee on manu- factures and promotion of trade. He is director for the Rochester Railway & Light Company and also the Rochester Railway Company. He is also one of the trustees of the Police Benevolent Asso- ciation and is a member of the Rochester Whist Club, while for five years he was president of the Flower City Driving Club. He is a life member of the Rochester Athletic Club and the Elks, and the president and majority stockholder of the Rochester Baseball Club. He has also been greatly interested in horses, now owning Connor, 2:031/4; and Dariel, 2:0014, the champion pacing mare of the world.
In 1882, in Rochester, Mr. Chapin was married to Miss Emily Emerson, who died in 1885, a daughter of Colonel William Emerson. There was one son, Charles Hall Chapin, who was born in this city in 1885 and named in honor of his pater- nal grandfather. He is a graduate of Yale Col- lege, and of the class of 1907 was catcher in fresh- men year of the inter-collegiate champions and manager of the basketball champion team of 1906. Mr. Chapin shares with his son in these interests, making the companionship between them a par- ticularly strong and congenial one. Few residents of Rochester have a wider acquaintance or are more popular in the city than Charles T. Chapin, who from early manhood has figured prominently in the public life of the city in one connection or another. He has proved himself an able business man, strong in his ability to plan and to perform, while with concerns of public importance he has been closely associated, contributing to the success of those interests which are a matter of civic vir- tue and civic pride, and at the same time main- taining a deep interest in those manly sports whose real value as well as entertainment is becoming a universally recognized fact.
CLINTON ROGERS.
The people of Rochester are to be congratulated upon the character of such elevation and purity of purpose and such devotion to the highest and best interests of the state as has been exhibited in the private and public life of Clinton Rogers. No one has ever been more respected in the city nor ever more fully enjoyed the confidence of the people, or better deserved such respect and
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confidence. Although he has reached the age of seventy-four years, he is still the guiding spirit in extensive business interests which have been developed from the smallest possible beginnings to extensive proportions.
A native of Massachusetts, Clinton Rogers was born on the 3d of December, 1833, in the town of Wales, in Hampden county, his parents being Joel and Mary (Shaw) Rogers. The family num- bered four sons and two daughters, of whom three sons are yet living, Clinton Rogers being the youngest. His great-grandfather, as an American soldier, fought at Bunker Hill and at Lexington.
Clinton Rogers acquired his education in the common schools and entered business life as a salesman in his brother's store in Wales, where he remained for two years, when he removed to Worcester, Massachusetts, at the age of twenty years. He also spent two years in business in that city, on the expiration of which period he came to Rochester, where he arrived at the age of twenty- two. Here he was first employed as clerk for Wilder, Case & Company, for two years, and at the age of twenty-four established a carpet store, together with J. H. Howe, under the firm name of Howe & Rogers, in March, 1857. They had practically no capital at the outset of their career as merchants and when they secured their first bill of goods from the Lowell Carpet Company, this firm's representative remarked that the company had never extended credit on the basis of so small a capital before, but would in this instance on account of the two partners' splendid recommenda- tions from previous positions. In the early days of their enterprise they employed three men. The extent and growth of the business is indicated by the fact that their employes now number between seventy and one hundred, so that their business has increased more than tenfold. Their store has always been located on State street near Main, and in the beginning they occupied a store thirty by one hundred feet. Now they have the entire build- ing at Nos. 80 and 82 State street, utilizing five stories for the sale of their goods, beside having two large warehouses. About ten years ago the firm was incorporated and some stock sold to a few of the old employes as a reward for long service. The relation between the original partners contin- ued until about four years ago, when Mr. Howe died. His son has taken an active interest in the business since his father's death, but Clinton Rogers, although now seventy-four years of age, attends daily to the conduct of the business and is as active as in former years. He has never re- garded any point as too inessential to claim his time and attention if it would contribute to the growth and upbuilding of the business, and year after year he has wrought along modern lines un- til today he is at the head of one of the most im- portant commercial interests of western New York.
Business has been secured in accordance with old and time tried maxims such as "there is no excellence without labor" and "honesty is the best policy." Mr. Rogers has not confined his attention alone to the carpet trade, but on the contrary has enlarged the sphere of his activity, and his labors and influence have been potent elements in the successful conduct of various other business con- cerns. For over forty years he has been a director of the Traders National Bank and financially in- terested in many other corporations.
On the 23d of August, 1876, Mr. Rogers was married to Miss Fannie C. Rochester, a grand- daughter of Colonel Nathaniel Rochester, the founder of the city, and daughter of Henry E. Rochester. Four children were born unto them: Fannie Beatrice, at home; Alice Montgomery, the wife of Dr. Joseph Roby ; Rochester Hart, who has recently graduated from Harvard Law School; and Helen, at home.
Mr. Rogers is a very prominent, active and in- fluential member of St. Luke's Episcopal church. He has been a vestryman for twenty years and warden for nine years, and has been a most liberal contributor to the church and various charities. He is also deeply interested in the cause of edu- cation and puts forth earnest, effective and far- reaching efforts for the promotion of church and educational interests. His political support is given to the republican party. He is identified with various civic and social organizations of Rochester, and was president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1905, at which time he succeeded in putting through the smoke ordinance. He was one of the founders of the Chamber of Commerce and from the beginning has been most active in its work toward introducing and upholding all those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. He has been president of the Roches- ter Historical Society for the years 1906 and 1907. He likewise belongs to the Genesee Valley Club, the Whist Club and the Country Club and is great- ly interested in golf. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and in his life has exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft.
Mr. Rogers owns and occupies a fine residence at the corner of Spring and South Washington streets, where he has lived for thirty-one years. He owns a fine collection of steel engravings, which he purchased in France during one of his trips abroad. He has visited various foreign countries as well as points of interest in his native land. gaining that broad knowledge and culture which only travel can bring. No one more greatly deserves the somewhat hackneyed but always expressive title of a self-made man and as a result of his close application and energy actively applied he is today one of the most pros- perous citizens of Rochester. His name is syn- onymous with honesty, and his word is as good as
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any bond ever solemnized by signature or seal. His methods in every relation bear the closest in- vestigation. He stands as a high type of Ameri- can manhood because of native intellectual force, of well developed talents, of keen insight, of strong purpose and of unfaltering determination. His sturdy integrity and honesty of principle have led him to despise all unworthy or questionable means to secure success in any undertaking or for any purpose, or to promote his own advancement in any direction.
MILTON RACE.
Milton Race, a well known special deputy com- missioner of the excise department, was born Sep- tember 23, 1842, at Seneca Falls, New York. He is a son of Whiting and Rebecca (Turner) Race, both natives of New York state. Mr. Race was a dealer in lumber and coal and operated a large mill in Seneca Falls. He was a very prominent man in his locality, having served for many years as president of the village of Seneca Falls where he died. December 13, 1870.
Milton Race spent his boyhood days with his parents, enjoying the usual advantages of a com- mon-school education and a practical training in his father's business, whereby he was later quali- fied to carry on his own pursuits after he had attained his majority.
His patriotic spirit was aroused at the attempt of the south to overthrow the Union and on the 22d of May, 1861, he was mustered into the United States service in Company I, Nineteenth Regiment New York Volunteers Light Infantry under the command of Captain John H. Ammon and Colonel John S. Clark. Mr. Race participated in the following engagements: Martinsburg, Vir- ginia, July 11, 1861; siege of Fort Macon, North Carolina, April 12-20, 1862; Tranter's Creek, North Carolina, June 5, 1862; the expedition from Newbern to Goldsboro, North Carolina, De- cember 11-20, 1862, including engagements at Kingston, December 14, Whitehall Bridge, Decem- ber 16, Goldsboro Bridge, December 17, 1862; Newbern, North Carolina, March 14, 1863. He was slightly wounded during the bombardment of Fort Macon, North Carolina, by being grazed on the left side by a partially spent bullet. At an- other time, while grasping a small limb, a bullet severed the limb painfully injuring his finger. With the exception of a few days during which he was on detached duty on the United States monitor "Nehant," at Helena Island, Eddystone Inlet, he was constantly with his battery, bearing a loyal and faithful part in all of its service dur- ing his two years' term and achieving a gallant record for soldierly conduct at all times. He was
honorably discharged at Auburn, New York, June 2, 1863, by reason of the expiration of his term of enlistment.
Early in 1871 Mr. Race came to Rochester, but this was at a time when young men were realizing their early dreams of large business enterprises in the west; consequently he was attracted to this new country and became an efficient conductor on the Wabash Railroad for one year. He then went to Kansas where he engaged in selling agricultural implements for the Lawrence Roller Plow Com- pany, but the east still seemed more like home to Mr. Race and he returned to Rochester and took a position on the New York Central Railroad, a position which he held for three years. At this time the American Express Company offered him so good a position as messenger to Minnesota that he could not afford to refuse it and remained in their service for seven years, running part of this time to British Columbia, St. Paul and Mil- waukee. At the expiration of this period he re- turned to Rochester and entered the employ of the Stein Manufacturing Company where he re- mained for three years. He was then employed by the city of Rochester in the water-works de- partment, a position he held for exactly sixteen years. In June, 1900, he accepted the appoint- ment to his present position which he has filled with such excellent success.
Mr. Race is a member of the E. G. Marshall post, No. 397, G. A. R., in which he has served as adjutant, quarter-master and commander ; also a member of Rochester lodge, No. 660, A. F. & A. M .; Lodge No. 24, B. P. O. E .; Kislingburg lodge, K. P .; and Waha Tribe, I. O. R. M. He was elected and served two years as alderman of the fourth ward of Rochester and while living in Seneca Falls was a valued member of Fire Engine Company No. 1, his commission dating from July 6, 1863.
Mr. Race is highly respected in the community where he resides, and by his comrades in the war, having won many warm friends not only in this locality but in Seneca Falls as well.
Mr. Race was married in 1886, to Mary A. Hill, and they have one daughter, Ruth, sixteen years of age.
WILLIAM H. PATTERSON.
William H. Patterson was born in 1842 in Rochester and is the son of John and Ellen (King) Patterson, who were the parents of three children. He acquired his education in the public school No. 2, from which he was graduated. Sub- sequently he went to York, Livingston county, New York, where he had the advantages of three winters at school. He made his own way during
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this time by working on farms and doing mill work.
When the Civil war broke out his patriotism was so aroused that he enlisted in the Eighth New York Cavalry and served until the close of the war. He belonged to the famous Army of the Potomac and held the rank of sergeant. In the spring of 1863 he was captured by southern troops and sent to the most dreaded Libby prison, but was fortunate in being early exchanged. He took part in many important battles, including that of Gettysburg, and was a brave soldier, untiring on the march and ready at every moment to fight for the preservation of the Union.
On leaving the army Mr. Patterson returned to York, where he was married in 1874 to Satira Echlin. Four sons and one daughter have been born to this union. The eldest son, Charles Ham- ilton Patterson, was a soldier of the Spanish- American war and died from the effects of his service. Soon after Mr. Patterson's marriage he came to Rochester and here he invented the first twine binder used in the United States. In this capacity he met the fate which has awaited so many patient inventors and never reaped the finan- cial rewards of his own work, but he was not dis- couraged and he started out once again as fireman with the Vacuum Oil Company, bearing in mind his determined purpose to make his way to the top. It was not long until he became stillman and was then promoted to superintendent, a position in which he has served for twenty-five years.
Mr. Patterson is a prominent Grand Army man and a member of the Brick ( Presbyterian) church. In politics he has always given his support to the men and measures of the republican party. He is a man of broad capabilities, as his rapid rise in business circles would indicate. He cares not for notoriety nor is there about him the least shadow of mock modesty. His successful management of the affairs put into his hands makes him a profita- ble man for the concern with which he has been so long connected.
DANIEL O'GRADY.
Daniel O'Grady, who passed away in 1886, was a native of Ireland, a country which has furnished us valuable citizens and has added to our fund of both wit and wisdom. His educational advantages were limited and were acquired in his native coun- try. That he had pluck is evidenced by the fact that he came alone to the shores of America when he was a very young man. Making his way direct to this city, he opened a merchant tailoring estab- lishment, on State street, and continued in this business for many years. Our foreign-born citi- zens are always capable in some one line, for it is
the custom in the old world to apprentice the boys to some trade which they must master thoroughly. On that account it is not necessary to say that Mr. O'Grady was a merchant who gave satisfction to his customers.
He was twice married. His first wife was Wini- fred McDonald. This couple were the parents of six children : Catherine, who is the wife of Fred Walsh, who lives in New York city; Edward, a citizen of Rochester; Rev. Henry, at present in the south; Mary Elizabeth, who married Fred Hale and is now living in Salt Lake City ; Daniel, a citizen of Buffalo; James M. E., an attorney and ex-congressman of this city. Mr. O'Grady was united in marriage to Ann Slattery in 1869. She was a native of lower Canada, having been born forty miles from Montreal where her parents, Rodger and Bridget (Grace) Slattery, were far- mers. Her schooling was acquired in the vicinity of her native town. Their children were William and Gracie, who both died in infancy.
The record of Daniel O'Grady is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts, worked his way to a position of affluence. His life was one of indus- try and perseverance and the honorable business methods which he followed won for him the sup- port and confidence of a large circle of friends who in his death mourned the loss of a most helpful and kindly man.
ANTHONY A. MENG.
Anthony A. Meng, of the firm of Meng & Shaf- er, manufacturers and dealers in furs and hats, was born August 15, 1855, in the city of Roches- ter. He is the son of Jacob and Anna Mary (Ackerman) Meng, both of whom were natives of Germany, but who came to Rochester at an early day. Mr. Meng's father was one of the first hat- ters in Rochester. In 1851 he established himself in the old Powers building, there being at that time a small umbrella shop on the corner where the bank now stands. For a short time he was in partnership with his brother John, who passed away at the early age of thirty-three. Mr. Meng continued to carry on the business here until the time of his death in 1862. His wife, the mother of the subject of our sketch, was only twelve years of age when she came to this country and she is now living at the ripe old age of eighty years. Of the six children born to these people only two are now living : John A. and Anthony A.
Anthony A. Meng spent his boyhood days with his parents, enjoying the usual advantages of an early education, but at the age of ten he was sent to the Lady of Angels College, at Niagara Falls, and afterwards to St. Francis' College, near Mil-
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waukee, Wisconsin. After leaving school he tried his hand and talent at various things that he might be sure of subsequently settling in that for which he was best fitted. The business of tailor, typesetter and cutter, as well as many other occu- pations, claimed his time for several years. In, 1878 he formed a partnership with William F. Shafer, under the firm name of Meng & Shafer, for the manufacture of hats, furs and furnishings. That this was a wise choice on the part of Mr. Meng is evidenced by the success he has attained and the length of time he has been in this busi- ness. Starting on a small scale, he is now carry- ing the largest, best and most complete stock of furs and hats in Rochester. They manufacture most of their furs and occupy the stores at No. 186 Main street East, No. 11 State street and No. 14 Main street West.
In 1884 Mr. Meng won a companion and help- mate by his marriage to Miss Anna Hetterick, by whom he had one child, Gustave. His second wife was Louise Hetterick, whom he married in 1890, and by whom he had three children, Lillian, Har- old and Irving.
With the exception of his educational advan- tages, Mr. Meng has won his own way in the busi- ness world and is an example of the pluck, courage and foresight which characterizes the American business man today. He is a valued member of the community in which he lives and is a mem- her of the Knights of St. John, an order in which he has won hosts of friends.
REUBEN A. ADAMS, M. D.
Dr. Reuben A. Adams, who in the medical pro- fession of Rochester ably represents the noted New England family from which he sprung, was born at Marion, New York, April 3, 1841. There he passed his boyhood and received his education, at first in the public schools and later at Marion Col- legiate Institute.
In August, 1862, Dr. Adams enlisted in Com- pany D, One Hundred and Sixtieth Regiment New York Volunteers, and went to New Orleans with General Banks' expedition, serving under him throughout the Louisiana campaign, including the siege of Port Hudson. Later he fought under General Sheridan in his famous engagements in the Shenandoah valley, participating actively in fourteen battles in all. He was wounded at Fort Bisland, Louisiana, and Cedar Creek, Virginia; and when mnstered out of service at the close of the war he received the exceptional honor of a letter of special commendation personally signed by every surviving officer of his regiment. The Doctor has received rare and valuable presents, and "Thanks" from the imperial household of Japan
for services to a Prince and distinguished officers of the Japanese navy and army; but this letter and its endorsements he prizes above all similar things he possesses, and of it he is justly proud.
Returning from the war, Dr. Adams took up his medical studies at the Homeopathic Medical Col- lege of Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia, March 4, 1868. In July of that year he established himself at Churchville, New York, where he prac- ticed his profession successfully until May, 1873. Weary of the hardships of a country practice and ambitious for a field presenting greater possibili- ties, he then removed to Rochester, where he rap- idly acquired a large business and took rank with the most prominent and esteemed physicians. In 1874 he served as city physician, being one of the first homeopathic physicians to occupy that posi- tion. On April 1, 1883, he formed a partnership with Dr. V. A. Hoard that terminated December 31, 1886; and July 1, 1889, Dr. Myron H. Adams became a partner, this connection being dissolved January 1, 1893.
Dr. R. A. Adams has been president of the Mon- roe County Homeopathic Medical Society, vice president of the Rochester Hahnemann Society and vice president of the New York State Homeo- pathic Medical Society. He is a member of the Central New York Homeopathic Medical Society and of the American Institute of Homeopathy, and has been consulting physician on the staff of the Rochester Homeopathic Hospital since its incor- poration in 1887. He is a member of George H. Thomas post, No. 4, G. A. R., and is proud to have taken part with that post in the original presentation of a fine United States flag to each of the thirty-five public schools of Rochester, thus starting a patriotic custom that has extended pretty generally over the United States and greatly simulated patriotism and loyalty in the school children of our country. Dr. Adams is also a member of the Monroe commandery, No. 12, K. T., and Rochester consistory, in which he has taken the thirty-second degree in Masonry. He belongs to the Rochester Club and various other social, professional and business organizations.
During the last thirty years Dr. Adams has been an aggressive, though always a consistent and con- scientious worker for the advancement of homeo- pathy. In his work and words he has long been an effective advocate and uncompromising defend- er of his medical faith. He is recognized as one of the leading representatives of that school of practice in this section of the country. For more than twenty-four years he occupied the same office on Fitzhugh street, but is now located in the Powers building, and is still actively engaged in his professional work, though taking time to di- rect the general management of a large grain farm in North Dakota and extensive orange groves and
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