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 88
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
CHARLES H. WILTSIE.
1421
HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
marked credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. Since his retirement from that office he has been engaged in the private practice of law and now has a large and distinctively representa- tive clientage.
On the 17th of December, 1890, Mr. Kiehel was married to Miss Amy Roe, of Long Island, New York. The hospitality of many of the best homes of the city is freely accorded them and the circle of their friends is constantly widening as the circle of their acquaintances grows. Mr. Kiehel is a member of the Genesee Valley Club and of the Whist Club, and he possesses the social, genial nature which renders him popular with his fellow- men. In duties of citizenship he is active, giving his support to many progressive movements which are of benefit to Rochester.
WILLIAM S. RILEY.
William S. Riley, equally well and favorably known because of his public service and his busi- ness activity, was born in the city of Rochester, October 2, 1858, his parents being Phillip and Abigail (Pomeroy) Riley. The father was con- nected with the New York Central Railroad Com- pany for a number of years and is now an exempt fireman of the city of Rochester, who is living re- tired.
The public schools of the city afforded to Wil- liam S. Riley his educational privileges, and upon putting aside his text-books he started out to make his own way in the world. At the age of eighteen years he secured a position in the wholesale gro- cery house of Brewster, Crittenden & Company, being connected with the office, and for twelve years he was with that firm as salesman. He gradually worked his way upward until in April, 1890, he became a partner in the house under the firm style of Brewster, Crittenden & Riley, so con- tinuing for fourteen years. His entire connection with this concern covered twenty-eight consecu- tive years, and by individual merit, close applica- tion and business capacity he advanced from an humble place until he had become one of the man- aging forces of the house. On the 1st of March, 1905, he withdrew from the firm and joined George Dietrich of Chicago, Illinois, under the style of Riley & Dietrich, wholesale dealers in but- ter, eggs, cheese, poultry, etc. From the begin- ning the new enterprise proved profitable and on the 23d of April, 1905, the firm opened a branch house at Syracuse, New York, in the same line. In all of his business career Mr. Riley has dis- played untiring activity and determination. He has possessed laudable ambition and resolute pur- pose, which qualities always constitute a safe foundation upon which to rear the superstructure
of success. Today he is at the head of a profitable business, which is constantly increasing in volume and importance, and in commercial circles he has sustained an unassailable reputation.
Mr. Riley is a factor in municipal affairs, hav- ing been appointed on the 15th of March, 1903, to fill a vacancy on the board of park commission- ers. He was appointed chairman of the purchas- ing committee, in which capacity he is still serv- ing, and he is a most able and capable member of the board, doing much to improve the parks and promote their facilities, especially in the line of providing amusements for the children. He was instrumental in locating the swings in the park and also in establishing the lily ponds there. In- deed, he has taken av active interest in all public park improvements, doing everything in his power to promote their beauty and render them a place of rest and recreation for the city. It was owing to his efforts that the athletic grounds at Genesee
Valley park were converted into a skating pond for the winter months, and thus he has been par- ticularly active in providing a place for healthrul and clean amusement for children. In this con- nection he has studied the conditions of the city in its varied phases as bearing upon sociological and economic questions and at all times has worked with a view toward practical results.
On the 1st of August, 1900, Mr. Riley was mar- ried to Miss Carrie Leggett, of Henrietta, New York. In the family are four children: Abbie May, the wife of Seward W. Cass of Rochester; Marjorie S .; William Pomeroy ; and Dorothy Ol- ive, born January 24, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Riley are members of the Central Presbyterian church and Mr. Riley belongs to the Rochester Club. At all times he manifests a public-spirited interest in his city and its welfare in the line of material, in- tellectual, moral and aesthetic development, and while an extensive and growing business makes large demands upon his time, he nevertheless finds opportunity for the discharge of those duties which affect the general interests or have bearing upon the important questions of man's relations and obligations to his fellowmen.
EDWIN A. MEDCALF.
Edwin A. Medcalf, a member of the Rochester bar and the secretary, treasurer and manager of the Flower City Brewing Company, was born near London, England, on the 21st of February, 1856. His parents are William C. and Rebecca (Johnson) Medcalf, who in 1873 came from Eng- land to the United States and settled in Roches- ter, where they are now living. For many years the father devoted his life to farm work. but is now retired.
1422
HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
Edwin A. Medcalf is one of four living chil- dren. He was educated in the private schools of his native country and began the study of law there, but completed his law reading in the new world and was admitted to the bar of Monroe county in 1878. He has since practiced continu- ously in Rochester, and his legal knowledge has been an important factor in the successful con- duct of his business affairs as well. Since 1887 he has been a stockholder in the Flower City Brewing Company, and in 1896 became its secre- tary, treasurer and manager, in which capacities he is now serving, and he brings to bear in the successful conduct of an extensive enterprise wise judgment, keen discrimination and strong pur- pose. He is likewise a director of the Pneumatic Signal Company and is financially interested in various other business concerns which are a source of Rochester's greatness and business development, contributing to the material growth of the city as well as to individual success.
In 1881, Mr. Medcalf was married to Miss Jen- nie Dewey, a daughter of D. M. Dewey, proprietor of the Arcade Book Store and a leader in art cir- cles of the city. They have two children : Jean, at home; and Dellon Carl, who is now with the Scranton, Wetmore Company, book dealers, of this citv.
Mr. Metcalf is a stalwart republican, who keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day and gives to his party loyal support at the polls, yet he has never sought or desired office as a reward for party fealty. He belongs to Christ Episcopal church and for fourteen years was or- ganist of the church under Dr. Doty. He pos- sesses superior musical talent which has been cul- tivated under some of the best teachers of his na- tive and his adopted country, and he is a valued member of the musical circles of the city. His talents and his strong traits of character make him a favorite in the social life of Rochester, while his strong business qualifications are an ele- ment in Rochester's commercial growth.
HERBERT REED LEWIS.
Herbert Reed Lewis, general agent for the Union Central Life Insurance Company at Rochester, was born in Trumansburg, Tompkins county, New York, on the 22d of January, 1872. He is a son of John De Los Lewis, while his grandfather was Justus Lewis, a native of New York. He lived and died at Trumansburg, where he engaged in the practice of medicine for many years, his professional skill and ability proving a valued element in the restoration of health in his immediate community. He died
at the venerable age of more than ninety years, while his wife also reached an advanced age. In their family were two sons and five daugh- ters, including Jolin De Los Lewis, whose birth occurred in the Empire state. He spent the greater part of his life in Tompkins county and, following in the professional footsteps of his father, became a physician, practicing for many years in Trumansburg. At the time of the Civil war he manifested his loyalty to his country by offering his services in a professional capacity, rendering active aid to the sick and wounded as a surgeon in the Union army. He was connected with the Eighty-fifth Regiment of New York Volunteers and many members of that command have reason to remember him gratefully for the assistance which he gave to them. He died in Trumansburg in 1843 at the age of forty-six years, while his wife survived until October, 1887, and passed away at the age of fifty-three years. She bore the maiden name of Harriet S. Reed and was also a native of New York. Her father, Horatio Reed, was born in Tolland county, Connecticut, and, removing westward, be- came an early settler of Orleans county, New York, where he and his brother took up a claim of one hundred acres. The journey from Con- necticut had been made with ox-team after the primitive manner of the times, for this was prior to the era of railroad travel. Horatio Reed de- voted his life to farming for some time in Orleans county but afterward removed to Genesee county, where his thrift made him a substantial settler of the community. Moreover, he engaged in teaching school in that locality and the cause of public instruction found in him a stalwart cham- pion. He was honored by election to several positions of public trust, serving as school com- missioner and also as the representative from his district in the general assembly. He died in Genesee county when ninety-three years of age. In early manhood he had married Jane Green, who was also a teacher in the public schools. There were four children in their family, one of whom, Harriet S. Reed, became the wife of John De Los Lewis. Unto this marriage there were born a daughter and son but the former, Grace Lewis, died on the 10th of March, 1907. The death of the mother occurred in October, 1887, when she was fifty-three years of age. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were members of the- Baptist church and their lives were in consistent harmony with their professions. Mr. Lewis was also prominent in local political circles and was the first president of the village of Trumansburg and was also county coroner for several years. He attained more than local note in professional circles, being widely recognized as a skilful sur- geon and an able member of the medical fra- ternity.
1423
HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
Herbert R. Lewis, now well known in Roches- ter, was born in Trumansburg, New York, hut lived in Genesee county, New York, from the time he was one year old until fifteen years of age, after which he went to Brockport, where he was graduated in 1892 on the completion of a course in the Brockport State Normal School. He afterward taught for one year but regarded this merely as an initial step to other profes- sional labor. Entering the University of Roch- ester, he spent two years in the class of 1897 and subsequently turned his attention to the in- surance business, with which he has since been connected, being general agent at Rochester for the Union Central Life Insurance Company. He is thoroughly acquainted with the insurance busi- ness in principle and detail and thus by promo- tion has come to his present position of responsi- bility, having supervision over various agencies in this part of the state.
Mr. Lewis belongs to the Delta Kappa Epsilon, a Greek letter fraternity; to Monroe lodge. No. 143, F. & A. M .: to the Rochester Athletic Club; the Rochester Yacht Club : the Oak Hill Coun- try Club: and to the Baptist church-associa- tions which indicate much of his character and his tastes. Politically he is a republican.
CHARLES C. MORSE.
Charles C. Morse was for many years a popular citizen of Rochester, much esteemed by a large circle of warm friends, and few men are more · deeply regretted because of their personal worth than was he when he was called from this life. A native of Vermont, he was born in Dorsett in 1832, and was educated at Burr Seminary in Manchester, Vermont. He came to Rochester in 1851, when a young man of nineteen vears, and here entered the employ of the firm of Sage & Pancost, proprietors of a retail shoe store, a firm which had been in business since 1827. Mr. Morse remained with that house from 1851 to 1859, when they closed out the retail business and estab- lished a wholesale manufacturing enterprise. Their proposition to him to remain in their service was accepted and his worth was recognized to such an extent that at a later day he was admitted to the partnership under the firm style of Sage, Pan- cost & Morse. From the beginning the new enter- prise proved prosperous. They conducted a large wholesale business, it being the most extensive of the kind in this part of the country, and the firm continued in trade here for many years. At length Mr. Morse's health failed and the firm then sold out, in 1885. He had been with the house for thirty years and from a humble clerical capacity had steadily advanced until for some time he was
a leading factor in its successful conduct and management.
In the meantime he had demonstrated his right to be ranked with the leading business men of the city and his advice, council and co-operation were sought in behalf of various business enterprises. About 1887 he was made vice president and man- ager of the Union Bank, which was located where the Union Trust Company now stands in Roches- ter, and he was also third vice president and ex- ecutive commissioner of the Rochester Savings Bank. He was likewise one of the original water commissioners of the city and was connected with many other enterprises and movements for the improvement and development of Rochester, which brought him no pecuniary return, but indi- cated his public-spirited devotion to the general good.
For many years Mr. Morse was recognized as one of the leading and influential citizens of Roch- ester. He figured prominently in republican cir- cles as a stanch advocate of the principles of the party and undoubtedly could have had almost any office that he desired, but his ambition was not in the line of political preferment and he regarded the pursuits of private life as abundantly worthy of his best efforts. The people of Rochester at- tempted to induce him to become candidate for mayor and also for congressman of his district, but he would not consent.
Mr. Morse was married in 1855 to Miss Belinda Brewster, of Onondaga county, New York, and they had two daughters, Linda and Mary, both at home. The husband and father passed away in December, 1897. Mr. Morse possessed a genial, social nature and greatly delighted in the compan- ionship of his many friends. He was one of the oldest members of the Rochester Whist Club and also a member of the Monroe County Sportsmen's Club and took an active interest in manly outdoor sports, having been an excellent shot and expert fisherman. He acted as one of the directors of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and was a director of the City Hospital. A whole- souled, generous and charitable man, he had thou- sands of friends and no real enemies. His own warm, genial nature would thaw out any frigidity in another and his co-operation in public measures arose from a deep and sincere interest in the wel- fare of his fellowmen.
SALVATORE M. VELLA.
The history of Salvatore M. Vella is unique in that he is the only representative of the Italian race connected with the professional life of Roch- ester. He has had a hard struggle to gain a foot- hold because of his lack of early opportunities, but
1424
HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
a resolute spirit and firm determination have en- abled him to mount steadily upward and he is honored by reason of what he has accomplished and respected because of his recognized ability. As counselor at law he has made a creditable name and his record may well prove an example that others might profitably follow. He was born in Valledolmo, Sicily, in the province of Palermo, January 6, 1880, his parents being Salvatore and Mary N. (Mancuso) Vella, who were also natives of the same town. The father, coming to this country, died in Buffalo, New York, in 1888 and was buried there, while the mother's death oc- curred in Rochester in March, 1904.
Salvatore M. Vella is one of thirteen children and the youngest of seven sons. His education was limited, although he attended school to some extent in his native city. Being left to shift for himself, however, at an early age, he worked at odd jobs as an errand boy in the old country for some years. His father had come to this country several years previous, however, and young Vella had an irresistible desire to also cross the Atlantic to the new world. In 1892, in company with his mother and a sister, he sailed for America. After a stay of several months, however, he was sent back to Italy with his mother, although much against his will. In 1896, however, he and his mother again came to the United States and Sal- vatore Vella resolutely set to work to earn his liv- ing. He was employed in various ways, working for some time at the salt works at Warsaw and at the stone quarries at Portageville, New York. He afterward went to Cleveland, Ohio, possessing an unconquerable desire to improve himself and se- cure the best opportunities toward this end. His brother tried very hard to get him to sell fruit, but this he refused to do, having higher ambitions. He at first learned the barber's trade, using this as a means to other ends. He availed himself of every opportunity for reading and self-culture and he obtained a position in a barber shop where he could have his evenings free. He then entered night school and subsequently sought admission to the day schools. He feels that he owes an ever- lasting debt of gratitude to his employer, John Glaser, for the privilege afforded him of attending school and to Miss Besssie L. Dutton,. principal of the school, who treated him with great kindness and assisted him in every possible way in his studies. He entered the school in December, 1897, and the following June successfully passed all the examinations required for admission to the high school, providing for his own support during all the time. He completed the high school course · and took another forward step in entering upon the study of law.
Mr. Vella came to Rochester as interpreter in a murder case without pay and, being pleased with the city, he decided to remain here. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1904 and has since been in active practice, having secured a good clientage in the three years which have since come and gone. He owes his legal education principally to Ernest D. Millard of this city. Although his earlier years were fraught with earnest toil, constituting an un- remitting struggle, he has at length gained a foot- hold on the professional ladder and has advanced many rounds toward the heights of success. He spent one term in the Boston College of Physi- cians and Surgeons before taking up the law, thinking to enter upon the practice of medicine, but he abandoned this for the legal profession and the clientage which he has now gained seems proof that the change was a very wise one.
On the 11th of August, 1902, Mr. Vella was married to Miss Anna Wells, one of his former school teachers, who had been extremely successful as a high school teacher and as a teacher in Roch- ester Academy. He is a member and was one of the founders of Regina Elena Society and is con- nected with several other Italian societies. His life history constitutes a splendid record of strug- gle and accomplishment, of ambition crowned with advancement, and as counselor at law he has gained a reputation which many a native born American citizen might well envy.
JOHN ORLANDO ROE, M. D.
Dr. John Orlando Roe, a specialist in diseases of the nose and throat, was born in Patchogue, Suffolk county, New York, February 3, 1849, a son of Stephen S. and Hulda S. (Randall) Roe, who came of English ancestry. Sir John Roe, of London, was an eminent explorer, statesman and member of parliament, who served as ambassador to many countries and was regarded as one of the distinguished men of his nation. He was born in 1580, was educated at Oxford, was knighted in 1604 and died in England in November, 1644. John Roe, the founder of the American branch of the family, came to this country in 1640 and settled at Providence, Rhode Island. Austin Roe, a great-great-uncle of Dr. Roe, was a major in the Revolutionary war and was presented with a sword by a member of General Washington's staff during the campaign of Long Island. This is now in possession of Dr. Roe and is a treasured heirloom of the family. In the maternal line Dr. Roe is descended from General Worth, prominent in the Mexican war, whose monument stands in Madison Square in New York city. Another member of this branch of the Worth family was one of the pioneer settlers of Nantucket. His maternal great- grandmother was a cousin of the wife of Benja- min Franklin.
1427
HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
Dr. Roe in his boyhood days was a pupil in the public schools and later a student at the Hudson River Institute, at the Wilbraham Academy of Massachusetts, and in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Determining upon a professional career, he began the study of medicine under the guidance of Dr. Oliver Rice, of Patchogue, and subsequently entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1870 with the degree of M. D. He afterward matriculated in the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons of New York city, from which he received a diploma with the class of 1871 and the prize for his graduating thesis. This class has been a prominent one because of the number of its members who have attained national and international reputation.
After pursuing post-graduate work in New York city, Dr. Roe entered upon the active prac- tice of medicine in Rochester in 1873 and through- out the intervening years has given special atten- tion to diseases of the nose and throat. He spe- cially qualified for this department of professional work, having been a private pupil of Dr. Antoine Ruppaner, of New York. When he had practiced for a short time in Rochester he went abroad and continued his studies in Vienna, Berlin and Lon- don under some of the most distinguished special- ists of those cities, being a pupil of the late Sir Morill Mackenzie, of London. Following his re- turn to his native land he resumed his practice in Rochester and has gained enviable and marked prominence as a specialist in the treatment of dis- eases of the nose and throat. He stands as a representative of the most modern advancement in the science of medicine and surgery and his in- vestigations have been carried forward as well along original lines. His contributions to medical literature, particularly along the line of his spe- cialty, have been very numerous and valuable. He is also editor of the department of laryngology, and rhinology of the New York State Journal of Medicine, and is laryngologist and a member of the surgical staff of the Rochester City Hospital.
Dr. Roe is a member of the New York Academy of Medicine; of the American Climatological As- sociation; and of the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society. He is ex-presi- dent of the Rochester Academy of Medicine: of the American Laryngological Association; of the Medical Society of New York ; of the Central New York Medical Association ; of the Monroe County Medical Society, and has held various offices in other societies of which he is a member. He was a member of the Seventh International Medical Congress at London ; the Eighth International Medical Congress at Copenhagen; the Ninth at Washington; the Tenth at Berlin ; and the Pan- American at Washington, D. C. He is a corre- sponding member of the Société Francaise D'Oto-
logie de Laryngologie et de Rhingologie, and a member of the British Medical Association, his name being proposed to the latter by the late Sir Morill Mackenzie, his former preceptor. He has devised and perfected many new instruments per- taining to his special line of practice and is the originator of a method for the correction of devia- tions of the nasal septum. He is also the origi- nator of the method for the correction of nasal deformities by subcutaneous operations, in which work he stands alone. One of his many articles upon the latter subject he read before the fifty- sixth annual meeting of the British Medical Asso- ciation, in Montreal, in 1897. His ability is recog- nized not only in this country and in Canada but in Europe as well, and he stands among those men of marked learning and broad erudition who are leaders in their chosen department of labor and who through their efforts have brought to the world the knowledge of many valuable truths and scientific principles bearing upon the profession.
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.