USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the Genesee country (western New York) comprising the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates, Volume III > Part 17
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the age of eighteen gained his first knowledge of the produce business, which had been founded by his grandfather in 1880. He was associated with his father in the undertaking until the latter's death, which occurred in January, 1903, and has since been at the head of the business, which has prospered under his administration. The firm is a pioneer in this field and bears an unassailable reputation for integrity and reliability. It conducts a wholesale fruit and produce business and also has a retail trade in coal and feed. The business was first operated under the style of J. D. Pearsall & Son, which was changed to that of G. A. Pearsall in 1889, and since 1903 it has been conducted under the name of the G. A. Pearsall Company.
Mr. Pearsall, since 1916, has been president of the State Bank of Williamson, which is capitalized at one hundred thousand dollars, with a surplus and undivided profits of over one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, while its deposits amount to over one million, six hundred thousand dollars. This is the only financial institu- tion in the village and the business is housed in a substantial modern building owned by the bank. In 1909 Mr. Pearsall aided in organizing the Williamson Storage & Ice Company, Incorporated, of which he is president and general manager. Since its inception the business has grown steadily and now ranks as one of the largest fruit and vegetable cold storages in the country. He is also vice president and gen- eral manager of the Oswego Gardens, Incorporated, which owns a muck farm of three hundred and fifty acres located southwest of the city of Oswego and like- wise has a cold storage plant. He also owns the Pearsall homestead farm of one hundred and sixty acres, about eighty acres of which was purchased by his great- grandfather, George Pearsall, in 1838. It is located two miles southeast of William- son village.
In June, 1903, Mr. Pearsall was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth M. Clic- quennoi, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Clicquennoi, prominent residents of Wil- liamson. Mr. Pearsall resides in the west part of Williamson village on a fruit and vegetable farm of one hundred and eighty acres, which is in a high state of culti- vation and is one of the best in this part of the country.
EDWARD ANDREW HALBLEIB.
At the foundation of the prosperity of every city lies the work of the manufac- turer. He it is who, in seeking a market for his products, draws commerce to his city, causes factories and business houses to arise, and gives employment to hundreds of men. To this useful class of citizens belongs Edward Andrew Halbleib, vice president and general manager of the North East Electric Company of Rochester, whose business interests now extend to practically every quarter of the globe. He was one of the founders of this great industry, which had its inception in a small room in this city fifteen years ago, and has been no small factor in its phenomenal growth. His life should serve as an object lesson to the youth of our land, for he began at the bottom of the ladder and through perseverance, energy and determina- tion has steadily worked his way to the top. He is one of Rochester's native sons. He was born July 27, 1882, of the marriage of Kilian Halbleib and Julia Spiesberger, who were of European birth and came to America, the "land of Promise", his mother arriving in July, 1852, and his father in November, 1865. They established their home in Rochester and the father followed the trade of a cabinetmaker. He passed away in 1912. The mother is still living in the city. Seven children were born to them, four of whom survive, namely: Joseph C., Julia O., Anna M., and Edward A. Halbleib.
Edward Andrew Halbleib obtained his early education in the parochial schools of Rochester, and when fifteen years of age he became a wage earner, securing a position with the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company. In 1902 he was graduated from the Mechanics Institute of Rochester and after leaving the service of the optical com- pany, where he was employed for three and one-half years in the instrument manu- facturing department, he became an employe of the Rochester Gas Engine Company, doing machine work and some drafting. He next spent some time in the John Werner Machine Works, working as a machinist and designer, and then became con- nected with the Pneumatic Signal Company, which was later merged with the Taylor Signal Company, forming the General Railway Signal Company of Buffalo, New York. At the time of the consolidation of the two industries Mr. Halbleib was trans- ferred to the Buffalo plant, where he was employed until February, 1909. Mean- while, he had been constantly augmenting his knowledge of electrical and mechanical pursuits, and having reached a point where his experience was sufficient to enable
Edward a. Halbleib
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him to conduct a business of his own, he formed with a young man of his acquaintance, The Rochester Coil Company. On Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1908, they rented space approximately fifty feet square in a basement at No. 187 North Water street, where they established a small electrical manufacturing and repair business, remain- ing at that location until February, 1911. About the middle of 1909, after the original partner became discouraged and severed connections, his brother, Joseph C. Halbleib, and James J. Stafford, a boyhood friend, joined with him and through their valuable services materially helped in the success of the business undertaking. At first, as usual, the business paths were difficult and called for a good deal of perseverance; later, however, conditions improved, and they succeeded by hard work and per- sistence in securing the capital necessary for the enlargement of the business, having demonstrated their ability and enterprise. The North East Electric Company, as successor to the Rochester Coil Company, was the name chosen for the newly or- ganized business (whose first investor was its president, William A. Montgomery). This business today ranks with the largest productive industries in its line in the United States. The firm has an extensive plant in Rochester, furnishing employment to more than two thousand men and women, and manufactures electrical accessories for automotive vehicles including starter-generators, generators, starting motors, ignition units, speedometers, electric horns, special service tools and equipment. The dependability and long life built into every North East unit make this equipment without equal for the motor-bus, the taxicab, and the gas-driven Rail Coach where the service required is unusually severe and exacting. The corporation supplies a number of the foremost automobile manufacturers of this country and France with electrical equipment. It maintains branches in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri; New York city, and Rochester, New York; San Francisco, California; Toronto, Canada; Paris, France; London, England; and has representation as well by more than six hundred authorized service stations throughout the civilized world.
On November 30, 1912, Mr. Halbleib was married to Miss Alice Speier, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Speier, resident of Rochester. Mr. and Mrs. Halbleib have six children: Karl E., who was born June 6, 1915; Andrew J., born May 23, 1918; Carolyn A., born February 12, 1920; Doris I., born February 20, 1921; Marjorie R., born February 27, 1922; and William F., born June 28, 1923.
In September, 1918, during the progress of the World war, Mr. Halbleib joined the Motor Transport Corps and served as a military civilian under General Drake in this country and General Walker in France until May, 1919. He is a member and vice president of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, vice president of the board of directors of the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, a member of the Rochester Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester Yacht Club and others. His resi- dence is at No. 3750 Lake avenue, Rochester.
ELWOOD BENDER CROCKER.
Elwood Bender Crocker, active vice president of the Second National Bank of Elmira, has devoted thirty years of his life to the upbuilding of this institution and his labors have been a constructive force in his community, as well as a source of individual prosperity. He was born in Reno, Nevada, in 1870, a son of Wilson S. and Elizabeth (Bender) Crocker, and when eighteen months old he was adopted by Judge E. B. and Margaret (Rhodes) Crocker, the latter being his aunt. She was a native of Ohio and her husband was born in the state of New York. They were mar- ried in Buffalo, New York, and subsequently went to the Pacific coast, settling in Cali- fornia, where they spent their remaining years. They were the parents of five children, two of whom are living. They were members of the Congregational church and its teachings guided them in the relations of daily life. The Judge was a member of the Crocker family, well known in transportation circles of the country as the builders of the Central Pacific, of which the Southern Pacific Railroad is an outgrowth. He was one of the distinguished members of the California bar and at one time served as district judge.
Elwood Bender Crocker received the advantage of academic training, attending educational institutions of California and New York, and decided to make banking his vocation. That the choice was a wise one is indicated by the position which he now occupies and time has but served to heighten his interest in and enthusiasm for his life work. He came to Elmira over thirty years ago and entered the Second
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National Bank, with which he has since been identified. He is one of the heaviest stockholders of the bank, which is the second oldest moneyed institution in the city, and since 1916 has been its vice president, succeeding the late Robert T. Turner in that office. Mr. Crocker has a comprehensive understanding of the intricate details of modern finance and has made a special study of investment banking, having charge of this department of the institution. He has worked untiringly to promote the suc- cess of the bank, aiding materially in shaping its policy and directing its course.
In 1896 Mr. Crocker was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Slee, a native of Buffalo, New York, and they have become the parents of two children: Fletcher Slee and Margaret Eleanor. They are members of the Episcopal church and contri- bute liberally toward its support. Mr. Crocker has one of the finest homes in Elmira and is devoted to the welfare of his family, finding his greatest enjoyment in their society. He belongs to the City and Country Clubs and his political support is given to the republican party. He is a director and treasurer of the Elmira Federation for Social Service.
CALVIN NOYES KEENEY.
Fifty-three years ago Calvin Noyes Keeney became a partner in the produce busi- ness which was established by his father in Le Roy in 1864, and which in 1922 was incorporated as N. B. Keeney & Son, Incorporated, of which concern he has since served as president. He was born on the 6th of February, 1849, in the same house in Le Roy, New York, in which his father, Nicholas Bishop Keeney, was born, in October, 1820. The building is still standing. The paternal grandfather of Calvin N. Keeney removed from his native state of Connecticut to Genesee county, New York, in the year 1816.
Nicholas Bishop Keeney became extensively interested in farming and during the years from 1881 to 1883, inclusive, he purchased about uve thousand acres of care- fully selected farms in southeastern South Dakota. Prior to becoming identified with the produce business of Le Roy he had been engaged for three or four years in similar business in Stafford, Genesee county, New York. It was in 1864 that he founded the produce business in Le Roy, which eight years later, upon the admission of his son, Calvin N. Keeney, to a partnership, assumed the name of N. B. Keeney & Son. The death of Nicholas B. Keeney, which occurred in Le Roy in September, 1905, when he had nearly reached his eighty-fifth birthday anniversary, was the occasion of deep regret, for he was widely known throughout the community as a generous and public- spirited citizen. His wife's maiden name was Mary M. Ely, and she was a daughter of Calvin and Martha T. Ely of Lancaster, New York. To her wise guidance the son is greatly indebted for much of his success in his life work.
Calvin Noyes Keeney attended a district school, followed by a term or two in the union school of Batavia, and a few terms in the Le Roy Academic Institute, and at the close of the Civil war he discontinued his school work in order to assist his father in recovering from serious financial reverses, due to the heavy decline in value of farm products. He was a young man of twenty-three years when, in 1872, he became the junior member of the firm of N. B. Keeney & Son, which was incorporated a half cen- tury later, in 1922, since which time Calvin N. Keeney has been president of the corpor- ation. He has been greatly interested in the developmnt of new types of bush garden beans, having originated and introduced through various seed houses seventeen out of the forty-two varieties handled by N. B. Keeney & Son, Incorporated. These are as follows: Burpee's Stringless Green Pod; Giant Stringless Green Pod; Sure Crop String- less Wax; Pencil Pod Black Wax; Burpee's Brittle Wax; Burpee's New Kidney Wax; Burpee's Round Pod Kidney Wax; Livingston's Hardy Wax; Keeney's Rustless Golden Wax; Burpee's Stringless White Wax; Burpee's Saddleback Wax; New Round Pod Stringless White Wax; Stringless Black Valentine; Keeney's Stringless Refugee Wax; Keeney's Stringless Green Refugee; Keeney's White Seeded Stringless Refugee Wax; and Improved Prolific Black Wax. The total sales of the above named new varieties exceed those of all other varieties of bush beans grown in America.
Mr. Keeney is the president of the Le Roy Canning Company and is serving as vice president and director of the Le Roy National Bank, which he helped to organize in 1902. He has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of busi- ness, and in his dealings is known for his prompt and honorable methods, which have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellowmen.
In September, 1880, in Haverstraw, Rockland county, New York, Mr. Keeney was
CALVIN N. KEENEY
NICHOLAS B. KEENEY
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married to Charlotte Freeman, a daughter of Dr. Amasa Stetson and Mary (Conger) Freeman. Mrs. Keeney died on September 3, 1922. Mr. and Mrs. Keeney were the parents of two daughters: Ruth Mary; and Charlotte Freeman, wife of Elbert J. Townsend of Le Roy. Both daughters are graduates of Vassar College. Mr. Keeney has been a member of the First Baptist church of Le Roy since 1861, serving as sec- retary and treasurer of the Sunday school for over thirty years, and as church trustee for more than twenty years. His faith in the future of the church is indicated by a recent generous gift of fifteen thousand dollars toward the rebuilding of the church and the addition of modern Sunday school equipment. He has also provided a trust fund of twenty thousand dollars, the interest from which is to accrue annually to the church as long as it shall continue to function in the service of God. A lifelong resi- dent of Le Roy, Mr. Keeney has gained a large circle of warm friends throughout the community, and has long been numbered among its prominent business men, as well as representative and esteemed citizens.
C. WARD FINLEY.
Head of a large and old established furniture and undertaking business in Mount Morris, Livingston county, New York, C. Ward Finley is an important factor in the commercial life of the town and gives employment to many of its residents. Mr. Fin- ley worked himself up from a subordinate position to sole ownership of the business which he now successfully conducts. He was born at Geneseo, Livingston county, on November 12, 1886, the son of Charles D. and Elizabeth C. (Parry) Finley. His mother is living and he has one brother, Walter R. of Geneseo.
C. Ward Finley gained his education in the public schools, and then for a number of years was in the printing business at Rochester, New York. The furniture and undertaking business which he now conducts was founded many years ago by F. W. Woolever, and Mr. Finley became connected with it in 1906. His father had previously been connected with this business, from 1899 until his death, in 1906. For a time C. Ward Finley and his brother Walter R. were together in the business, but in 1917 C. Ward Finley became the sole owner,
Mr. Finley was married on September 10, 1909, to Mary E. Dodge of Mount Morris. They have a son, Charles Francis. Fraternally Mr. Finley is affiliated with the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World. In his political views he is a democrat, and in his religious convictions a member of the Presbyterian faith.
A. GARDNER PHILLIPS.
A. Gardner Phillips is a prominent factor in business circles of Medina as vice president and treasurer of the Empire Couch Company, one of the largest concerns of its kind in western New York. He was born in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, on the 11th of May, 1863, a son of Thomas R. and Eliza (McBurney) Phillips. The father, who has successfully engaged in the lumber business for many years, departed this life in 1902.
A. Gardner Phillips received his education in the public schools of Middleport, New York, and obtained his initial business experience in association with his father in the lumber trade. In 1892 he entered the employ of the retail lumber firm of Rowley & Eddy, where he remained for a period of twelve years, or until 1904, when he entered the office of the Empire Couch Company in Medina. Two years later he was made secretary of the concern and after serving in that official capacity for seven years he assumed his present important duties as vice president and treasurer in 1913. The company manufactures upholstered furniture of all kinds and has reached its present point of success through the ability of its founders and the business capacity of Messrs. Smith and Phillips. Their sound judgment, keen discernment and executive power have become widely recognized.
On the 29th of October, 1902, in Medina, Mr. Phillips was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Skinner, daughter of William G. Skinner of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have one son, Howard William Phillips, who is a student in Princeton Uni- versity, member of the class of 1926.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Phillips has supported
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the men and measures of the republican party, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. He is an active member and trustee of St. John's Episcopal church, also belongs to the Masonic order, and is a director of the Medina Savings and Loan Association. His name has been on the membership roll of the Alert Club for thirty years. Officially identified with the Empire Couch Company for the past two decades, his well directed efforts have contributed materially to the steady expansion of the business and he has long been numbered among the leading represen- tatives of industrial interests in Medina, which city numbers him among its prosperous and respected residents.
HON. ADDISON GARDINER.
With the passing of Addison Gardiner on the 5th of June, 1883, the light of one of the strongest and most brilliant judicial minds in the state and country was extin- guished and Rochester lost its foremost citizen. His master mind, tempered by experience, fortified by the logic of facts, which he had at his finger tips, and his native sense of justice made him a natural arbiter of human differences, and through his example and efforts he inculcated among men high regard for the dignity of the law and respect for its observance. He was born in Rindge, New Hampshire, March 19, 1797, and came of patriotic stock. His grandfather, Isaac Gardiner of Brookline, Massachusetts, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war, sacrificing his life for his country at the battle of Lexington, on April 19, 1775. His father, Colonel William Gardiner, settled in Rindge after his marriage and there made his home until 1809, when he removed to the city of Boston, but soon afterward located in Manlius, New York.
After completing his academic course Addison Gardiner began the study of law in Manlius and there formed the acquaintance of Harvey Humphrey and Thurlow Weed. Between these three young men there sprang up a friendship that endured throughout life and was strengthened by the passage of time. In 1822 Judge Gardiner established his home in Rochester and shortly afterward was called to the office of justice of the peace. About 1826 he was appointed district attorney for Monroe county and acted in that capacity until 1829, when he became judge of the eighth circuit. It was his duty to hold all the circuit courts, and courts of oyer and terminer in the counties of this state lying west of the Genesee river, together with Monroe, and also as ex officio vice chancellor to hear all the equity cases arising in the same territory. This was a large undertaking for a young man who had not yet attained his thirty-second year and he was soon put to a crucial test. In November, 1829, he presided at the trial of the case of the people against Mather. This trial grew out of one of the fiercest political and moral controversies which this part of the state has ever witnessed. In that conflict between Masonry and anti-Masonry William Morgan played a conspicuous part. It was claimed that he was abducted by the Masons from the jail in Canandaigua, secretly conveyed to the Niagara river, and there drowned. Mather was indicted as a conspirator in this abduction and brought to trial before Judge Gardiner. The trial lasted ten days and resulted in a verdict of acquittal. The fairness and impartiality with which the judge, himself a strong partisan, presided were never questioned, but in the course of the trial a multitude of questions were raised, and the same were subsequently brought under review in the supreme court, which affirmed his rulings upon every point.
In February, 1838, Judge Gardiner resigned his office as circuit judge and resumed the practice of his profession, taking his place among the foremost members of the bar of western New York. In 1844 he returned to public life as lieutenant governor of the state, thus becoming presiding officer of the senate and of the court for the correc- tion of errors, and recognition of the worth of his work led to his reelection in 1846. In 1847 the reorganization of the judicial system of the state was effected and the court of appeals was constituted the court of last resort. To this court four men were elected as permanent judges, namely: Green C. Bronson, Charles H. Ruggles, Freeborn G. Jewett and Addison Gardiner. All were able jurists, well qualified for this high office, but the outstanding figures of the court were Judges Bronson and Gardiner, who were in many respects diametrically the opposite of each other. Judge Bronson was by nature an intense conservative. For thirteen years he had been a member of solely appellate common law jurisdiction and while thoroughly grounded in common law, had little acquaintance with equity jurisprudence. He was a great judge in a comparatively limited sphere. Judge Gardiner, on the contrary, was a
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radical whose mind was liberalized by a large acquaintance with men and affairs. He brought to his office the fine poise, the instinctive love of justice, the breadth of mind, the analytical powers, the knowledge of human affairs, the integrity and the sympathy for mankind which constitute the ideal jurist and continued a member of the court of appeals until the close of the year 1855, when he voluntarily retired. His opinions are simple, terse, businesslike documents. He never wrote a line to display his learning or for rhetorical effect. He had a remarkable capacity for seizing the controlling facts of a case; an almost intuitive perception of its real merits. The hesitating utterance of the truth by the timid was not lost upon his receptive ear and the subtle perversion of it by the disingenuous did not deceive nor mislead him. He was fearless, deciding the right as he believed it, uninfluenced by popular feeling or opinion.
At the close of his term Judge Gardiner retired to his farm, in the vicinity of Rochester, and there spent his remaining years. As a referee he lent his aid in the administration of justice, and it is believed that for at least a quarter of a century he heard quite as many important cases as any judge of the supreme court. In January, 1861, with the hope of averting the impending controversy between the states, Virginia, by resolution of her general assembly, invited such of the states as were willing to unite with her to that end, to meet at Washington in February to agree, if possible, upon some suitable adjustment of the national difficulties. The state of New York met this invitation in a conciliatory spirit and appointed as com- missioners some of its most eminent men. Judge Gardiner's name was among those chosen but he declined the appointment and was never diverted from his purpose or tempted to return to the arena of public affairs.
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