USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > History of Rochester and Monroe county, New York, from the earliest historic times to the beginning of 1907 > Part 92
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Notwithstanding the strenuous newspaper work and in later years literary labors, he has since 1880 heen actively engaged in mining the precious met- als. During trips through the wilds to and from mining camps and in prospecting sections where no white man had ever trod, he did a deal of trout fishing with rod and fly, and shot all manner of game from jack-snipe to elk and grizzly bears. In later years Mr. Harding has covered every state and territory in the Union in search of sport with rod nad gun or for pleasure or business purposes. He has caught tarpon off Florida's const : salmon in the straits of Juan de Fuca ; tuma. yellow-tail and albacore at Catalina, not to mention speckled beauties, pickerel, bass and muscallonge in lakes and mountain streamis almost everywhere that they abound. llis mining and shooting experi- ences have taken him over the various grand divi- sions of the earth. One of his experiences includes a trip sixteen hundred and twenty miles from the coast into the jungles of Sonth Africa, where his list of game included nearly every species of game- bird and wild beast known to the southern half of the dark continent.
Mr. Hurding now has under preparation a large volume to be called Big Game of the World. For this he has collected photographs and data and there is perhaps no one better qualified to write such a work. It will set forth an interesting ac- count to all lovers of the rod and gun and will abound with true tales gleaned from his own life as a sportsman on the various continents.
Since 1897 Mr. Harding has made Rochester his home, although his travels each year take him into various sretions, He maintains an office here, but his Imsiness interests largely lie in the mining regions of the west. He has prospected and mined gold, silver and copper and is now president of a corporation capitalized for two and a half million dollars, operating in Goldfield mining district, Ne- vada.
Mr. Hunling formerly held membership in the Rochester Athletic Club, the Young Men's Chris- tian Association and the Columbia Rifle Club, but is connected now with only the Masonie Club. Fraternally, however, he is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine, while in the Knights of Pythias he is a past deputy su- preme chancellor of the world. With all of his varied experiences, his excursions for pleasure, his experiences as a hunter and explorer, he has been a successful business man, successful perhaps not so much in the acquirement of a vist fortune as in
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the enjoyment of life, which comes through close touch with nature, an understanding of recreation and an appreciation of the beautiful as exemplified in contour and color throughout the entire world. Such a man has truly lived, his life enriched by all of the varied experiences, his interests being those of travel and knowledge as well as of the book Jore.
C. WALTER SMITH.
- C. Walter Smith, one of Rochester's foremost business men and a native son of the city, was born April 8, 1862. He needa no introduction to the readers of this volume, for auring more than eight decades the family of which he is a repre- seutative has figured in the business, municipal and social interests of the city. He acquired his education in St. Paul's school at Coucord, New Hampshire, and in the University of Rochester, from which he was gradunted in 1885. He soon afterward entered the Rochester Savings Bank, of which his grandfather, Elijah F. Smith, was founder and his father for twenty years a trus- tee, in the capacity of bookkeeper, and was ac- tively associated with that institution nutil 1892, when he was elected treasurer of the wholesale grocery firm of Smith, Perkins & Company, own- ing the largest business in this line in the state outside of New York city. This is, moreover, one of the oldest firins of Rochester, having had a con- tinuous and prosperous existence since 1826, in which year the business was established by Elijah F. Smith and his brother Albert. Since that tiene the grandfather, Elijah F. Smith, the father, Charles F. Smith, and the son, C. Walter Smith, have continuously been active in its management. Since the election of C. Walter Smith as treas urer in 1892 he has been in control of the finances of the house and at the death of Gilman H. Per- kins in 1898 he was elected president of the com- pany and is still the incumbent of that position. Almost a third of a century ago the Rochester Union said: "It is but rarely that the historian is given the opportunity of writing the history of A large mercantile house that has withstood firmly for over half a century all the shocks and storms that business has to weather and is today still more prosperous and solid than ever. For more than half a century has the wholesale grocery house of Smith. Perkins & Company carried on its large and varied business withont once ex- periencing any danger during this long term of years of shipwreck or failure. This proud rreord is not due to any fortuitous circumstances but simply to the integrity. watchfulness, business foresight and acumen that have been displayed by its foundere and managers. It has been the boast
of this old and respected house that notwithstand- ing the severe panics and times of depression with which it has had to contend in the course of its long career it has always stood ready to pay on demand one hundred cents on the dollar." This statement, made so many years ago, is as true to- day as when it appeared in the columns of the Union. Mr. Smith, now president of the con- ceru, is also a director in the Union Trust Com- pany and has various other financial interests in Rochester.
On the Sith of August, 1901, occurred the mar- riage of C. Walter Smith and Miss Agnes Smith, of Providence, Rhode Island. They have one daughter and one son, Ann Pickering and Bord- man Walter, Mr. Smith is a member of the Mu- sonic fraternity and belongs to the Genesee Val- ley Cluh, the Rochester Country Club, the Roches- ter Athletic Club and the New York Club of New York city. To quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes, "fate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith" but he has carved his name on the keystone of Rochester's commercial history and by the con- seusns of public opinion is accorded a foremost position in the business circles of the city. Never has he songht notoriety, being on the contrary of a quiet and retiring disposition and preferring home rather than club life but those qualities which are the strongest force in the business world, which command honor and respect at all times, are his, namely, the faithful performance of daily duties, the fulfillment of every obligation and the utmost justice in every business relation.
HON. SELDEN S. BROWN.
llon. Selden S. Brown, surrogate of Monroe county, is one of the popular and honored citi- zens of Rochester, where he presides over his court, and of Scottsville, where he makes his home. It is not alone his qualities as a lawyer and judge but also as a mau that have gained him the favor- ahle place which he occupies in public regard. There are few residents of the county who have more warm friends and friendship is always an in- dication of the recognition of genuine personal worth.
Judge Brown is a native of Scottsville, where his birth occurred on the 23d of October, 1855. He was the eldest son of the late D. D. S. Brown and began his education in the public schools of Scottsville, after which he attended the Roches- ter Collegiate Institute. subsequently entering the University of Rochester in the class of 1879. He was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi society while in college and has since been president of the local alumni association of the fraternity.
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Following the completion of his more specifical- ly literary course Judge Brown entered upon the study of law under the direction of the firm of Hubbell & McGuire and was admitted to the bar in 1882. In 1896 he formed a law partnership with Harry Otis and the firm continued in active practice with offices in the Powers building nntil Judge Brown went upon the bench through ap- pointment to the position of surrogate by Gov- ernor Higgins. Later he received the endorse- ment of the Monroe county bar and nt the regu- Jar election he became the nomince of the re- publican party and was elected by a very flat- tering majority. A local paper has said of him, "Judge Brown has a natural judicial air. His dignity is blended with courtesy and a kindliness of heart that makes him popular with the members of the bar who come before him in practice. His ability commands respect, while his reception of practitioners, litigants and visitors inspires re- gard. In the surrogate's court several hundred people come in the course of a year; they often come there under distressing circumstances. Usu- ally the handling of law questions involved in any proceeding may be simple, but there often is need of personal sympathy and a kindly word of advice from the surrogate that counts as much in relieving difficulties as a decision of the law in the case. Judge Brown fills all these require- ments."
Judge Brown as a citizen has always been in- terested in matters of general moment and has ever been a stalwart supporter of the republican party. He has kept well informed on the ques- tions and issues of the day and his opinions have carried weight in party councils, where he has served as a delegate to the county and state con- ventions on various occasions. For many years he was a member of the republican general com- mitter representing the town of Wheatland but he did not become a candidate for any office until he was suggested as the sneressor of Judge Ben- ton of the surrogate bench. He had enjoyed a large and important law practice and had given ample proof of his ability and his thorough under- standing of all departments of the law. He was therefore well qualified to take up official duties and his conrse as surrogate has been character- ized by the utmost devotion to duty, in which he has fulfilled not only the letter but also the spirit of the law. He was an alternate to the republican national convention of 1904 which nominated Roosevelt. He has served as a member of the school board of Scottsville for fifteen years and the cause of education has ever found in him a warm friend.
In 1883 Judge Brown was married to Miss 14, Adell Franklin, and they have one son, Sellen King Brown. horn Ortoher 13, 1886. He has never changed his place of residence from Scotts-
ville to the city but remained in his native village, with the interests of which he is most closely identified. He is a member of the Rochester Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Genesee Valley Club. He is a strong man, strong in his honor and his good name, strong in his pro- fessional ability and strong in support of what- ever he believes to be right. He therefore stands for those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride and his good qualities of heart and mind have made him a prominent resi- dent of Monroe county.
HARRY OTIS POOLE.
There is no profession or line of business in which success comes more directly as the result of individual merit and ability than in the prac- tire of law and when one gains recognition there- fore as a foremost member of the bar it is because the publie has come to know the fact that the attorney in question has gained a comprehensive understanding of the principles of jurisprudence, that he is correct in his application thereof and that he is loyal to the interests of his clients. Mr. Poole is one upon whom the consensus of pull- lie opinion is nuited concerning his ability. A - native of the city of Rochester, he was born Oc- toher 3, 1821. his parents being Charles A. and Amorette (Otis) Poole, both of whom were natives of Rochester, the latter being a sister of General Elwell S. Otis, now a resident of this city. The paternal grandfather, Joseph H. Pool, came from England in the '40s and purchased a farm in the town of Gates. He was a miller and carried on business for a number of years, his death occurring in 1891. The father died September 30, 1907, at Detroit, Michigan.
Harrry Otis Poole was educated in a private school in New York city and afterward had the advantage of thorough training in Prinerton I'ni- versity, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1893. He began the study of law in Rochester and was admitted to the bar in February, 1896. He im- mediately afterward formed a partnership for the practice of his profession with Selden S. Brown, the present surrogate of Monroe county, and under the name of Brown & Poole this connection was continned for ten years, Since January, 1906, Mr. Ponle has practiced alone, with offices in the Pow- ers Imikling. This is an age of specialization, yet Mr. Poole has given his attention to the general practice of law and is well versed concerning the varions departments of jurisprudence. He has tried many nofable cares aud lost but few and his prae-
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tire has constantly grown in volume and import- nice.
On the 22d of September. 1903, Mr. Poole was united in marriage to Miss Nannette R. Delano, a daughter of Francis Delano, late of Niagara Falls, New York, They now have one daughter, Elizabeth Delano, Mr. and Mrs. Poole are pleas- antly located in an attractive home at No. Gn Westminster road. He is a member of the Genesee Valley Club, the Rochester County Club and the Chamber of Commerce and in the city of his nativity he has a very wide and favorable ac- quaintance, being esteemed as one whose profes- sional career and private life entitle him to the friendship and regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
ARDEAN R. MILLER.
Ardean R. Miller, supervisor of Gates township, was born about a half mile east of his present home, his natal day being May 8, 1855. He rep- resents one of the old families of this part of the state. His paternal grandfather, Eli Miller, came from Connecticut to Monroe county in 1812 and settled in Brighton. The father, Ransom Miller, was born where the Monroe conmy poor house now stands and was here reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier, for Monroe county was at that time a largely undeveloped district. Nearly all of his life was spent in Ciales township, where his parents removed shortly after his birth. He de- voted his entire life to general agricultural por- suits and owned a good farm of eighty-two acres. bringing the fields under a high state of cultiva- tion and transforming his place into a iract of rich fertility. He married Fannie Warner, a na- tive of Monroe county, where she spent her entire life, passing away at the age of eighty-five years. The death of Ransom Miller occurred in Angust, 1902, when he had reached the age of eighty-four years. Their family numbered seven children : Charles, who is a veteran of the Civil war and is new living in Riga township: Milton, whose home is in Chili township: Alice, the wife of Engene Garrison, a resident of Chicago: William, also of Chili township; Ardean R., of this review : and Warren and Wallace, twins, the former living in Gates township and the latter in Riga township.
No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Ardean R. Miller in his hovhond and youth. He has always lived in Gates township and in 1890 he took up his abode upon the farm which is now his place of residence. It is one of the best farm properties in the township, comprising forty-two acres of very rich land on the Buffalo road. about one mile
from the city limits of Rochester. There are good buildings here and a large, substantial barn, which was erected by Mr. Miller. He also bought a comfortable and commodious dwelling on the opposite side of the road, which he and his family occupy. His land is devoted to the raising of fruit and vegetables, and he makes a specialty of his vineyards, which are in excellent condition and produce some of the finest grapes raised in this section of the state-famous for its vineyards.
On the 4th of June, 1880, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Sarah J. Love, a native of Roch- ester and a daughter of Michael and Mary Love. They became the parents of three children: Ar- lean, who is associated with his father in busi- ness ; Ora, at home; and Iva, who died in Novem- her. 1892, when seven and a half years of age.
Mr. Miller has been a life-long republican, un- faltering in his advocacy of the party and its principles. He has exerted a strongly felt influ- ence in its behalf in his locality and is recognized as one of the republican leaders of the district. Several times he has been called to office, having served for six years as highway commissioner, while in 1905 he was elected supervisor of Gates township. Socially he is connected with Gates Grange and is a member of Genesee Valley lodge, A. F. & A. M. Ilis entire life has been passed in the locality where he yet makes his home and where his labors have been carefully directed, bringing to him a goodly measure of success, so that he is now classed with the leading representa- tives of agrienltural life in Monroe county.
FRANK E. HENDRICKSON, D. D. S.
Dr. Frank E. Hendrickson, practicing dentistry in Rochester along modern scientific lines, was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, Septem- ber 14, 1864, his parents being Henry H. and Mary ( Davis) Hendrickson, also natives of New Jersey. The family is of German lineage. the name being spelled originally Hendrickse. Rut- ger Hendrickse, married in Germany in 1470, was descended through a younger branch of the fan- ily from that stauch old medieval knight and crusader. Baron Henry of Nyddeck. He married Gennetie Becckman at Cologne, Germany, in 1470, and for some time the ancestry of the family had not been traced to a more remote period but re- cent research and investigation have brought forth the records back to 1020. The surname was changed in the sixteenth century, Lambert Hendrickson being the first to adopt the spelling now in vogue. Hle became a famous admiral in the Dutch navy and was a trusted friend of William the Silent.
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ARDEAN R. MILLER.
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Gilbert Hendrickson, the paternal grandfather of Dr. Hendrickson, was a native of New Jersey. He was nine generations removed from Cornelius Hendrickson, who was the ellest son of Lambert Hendrickson, and was born in 1572. He became a navigator and was the first white man to set foot on the soil of Pennsylvania and West Jersey. He was the discoverer of the Raritan and Schuylkill rivers and explored the Delaware to the falls at the present site of Trenton. During the latter part of 1614 he explored the coast of New Jersey in the yacht Onrest, the first vessel built in New Amsterdam and sailed by Captain Adrian Block. Full accounts of Captain Hendrickson's voyages can be found in O'Callaghan and Broadhead's histories, as well as in the records of the New York Historical Society. Gilbert Hendrickson followed farming for many years in Momnonth county, where he died in middle life. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Hannah Wilbur, survived -for only a short time. They were the parents of three sons: Anthony W., Henry H. and William E. Gilbert Hendrickson was buried in the churchyard of the Yellow meeting house in Monmouth county, New Jersey. Henry H. Hen- drickson followed in his father's footsteps in re- gard to occupation. He has spent his entire life in Monmouth and Burlington counties, New Jer- sev. and is now living in New Egypt. He and hia wife are members of the Methodist church. By his marriage to Mary Davis he had two children: Dr. Hendrickson of this review; and Caroline Hlendriekson.
The maternal grandfather of Dr. Hendrickson was Ivins J. Davis, a native of New Jersey. of English descent, and a large landowner in Mon- mouth county. He died about 1865. His widow still survives and is now more than ninety years of age. They had a family of seventeen or nine- teen children and in September 1905, a reunion was held in honor of Mrs. Davis, on which oc- casion there were one hundred and six of her descendants present-children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Dr. Hendrickson was but four years of age when his parents removed from Monmouth conn- ty to Burlington county, where he was reared to manhood. He attended the public schools and spent his youth largely as a farmer, assisting in the work of tilling the soil and developing the fields. When he had completed his education, how- ever, he determined to enter upon a professional rather than an agricultural career and took up the study of dentistry, pursuing his course in Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated with the degree of D. D. -S. He began practice at Haddonfield, New Jersey. but after a short time removed to Plainfield, that state. In the fall of 1888 he came to Rochester, where he has since practiced
continuonsly, with a growing patronage which is indicative of the skill and efficiency he displays.
On the 30th of April, 1889, Dr. Hendrickson was married to Miss Anna M. Hulme, a daughter of John L. and Emily L. ( Littlefield) Hulme. Her parents were natives of New Jersey and lived in New rgypt. They had five children : Dr. Morgan L., a practicing dentist of Rochester; Anna M., the wife of Dr. Hendrickson; Theodore; Fred- erick; and James. The father died in INSS but the mother is still living. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Hendrickson was James Hulme, a large land- holder. The maternal grandfather was a native of Massachusetts and a seafaring man. Dr. and Mrs. Hendrickson now have one son, Roy H. The mother is a member of the First Methodist church. Politically the Doctor is a republican. Since en- tering upon the active work of his profession he has remained a student and has kept in touch with the most advanced methods known to the dental fraternity. His professional duties are al- ways discharged with a sense of conscientious obligation and his standing is indicated by the fact that his practice is continuonsly growing.
GEORGE A. WITNEY.
George A. Witney, part owner of the Brockport Piano Manufacturing Company, of Brockport, New York, is a native of Aylesbury, England, where he was born August 17, 1861. His parents were William and Mary Witney, whose ancestry can be traced back for generations to the time when Witney, England, was named for this family. The father was a farmer and an enterprising luni- her merchant up to the time of his death in his native country in 1886.
It was in the common schools of his native town that the subject of this sketch received his education. America was then attracting to her shores so many of England's enterprising young men that Mr. Witney's enthusiasm for larger fields of industry made him feel that he, too, must cross the ocean and take up his abode in the new world. He located in Canada, where he remain- ed for two years, going from there to New York city for a short time. For five years he was in business in Newark, New Jersey, returning to New York city for one year. The following five years lie engaged in business in St. Jolinsville, New York, and came to Brockport in 1596. It was here that he became associated in his pres- ent business, which has far outgrown his largest dreams. They are manufacturers of high grade pianos which are shipped all over the United States and employ in their factory some one hnn- dred and fifty hands.
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HISTORY OF ROCHESTER AND MONROE COUNTY.
Mr. Whitney was married in 1889 to Miss Anna Speer, a descendant of Walter Speer, and to them were born three children: George W., Edward 11. and William R. The family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Brockport, of which Mr. Witney is a valuable trustee. Fra- ternally he is connected with the Masonie order in Brockport. He possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forins his plans readily and is determined in their execution. His close ap- plication to business and his excellent manage- ment have brought him the high degree of pros- perity which today is his.
PROFESSOR J. G. ALLEN.
It is a pleasure to know Professor John G. Allen, a gentleman who has almost reached his seventieth year but who is still alert and inter- ested in the progress going on around him. As he looks back to his own boyhood and compares the thought and life of that day with what he sees tolay, marvelous, almost miraculous the change must seem. Professor Allen was the second son of Levi W. and Harriet (Ganl) Allen and was born in Palmyra, New York, May 5, 1838. His father, who was a descendant of Ethan Allen, of Vermont, was born April 7 1810, and passed away in Rochester, New York, December 8, 1815. His mother, Harriet (Gaul) Allen was a descend- ant of Jacob Gaul, a captain in a New York regi- ment in the Revolutionary war. She was born in Hudson, New York, March 8. 1815, and died in Rochester, September 25, 1854. This worthy couple, with their five children, came to Roches- ter in 1839.
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