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 26
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Mr. Kelly is a stanch supporter of the democratic party and has served as a delegate to its state conventions. He has been president of the board of education and also rendered valuable service to his community in the office of postmaster, which he filled from January 27, 1914, until February 15, 1923. He is a Royal Arch Mason and is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Wayne County Bar Association, of which he served as president, and during the World war was chairman of the legal advisory board of Sodus. In years of continuous service Mr. Kelly is the oldest legal practitioner in Sodus and experience and study have ripened his ability, bringing him a broader knowledge and a con- stantly widening comprehension of the relations and responsibilities which go to make up civilized society. A man of steadfast purpose and sterling integrity, he has dignified the profession of his choice, and time has proven his worth.
JAMES N. WYCKOFF.
James N. Wyckoff is a prominent and prosperous representative of manufac- turing interests in Wyoming county as president and general manager of the Wyckoff Knitting Company of Perry, successor to the Tempest Knitting Company, which was organized in 1907. He is numbered among the most highly esteemed and worthy native sons of Perry, where his birth occurred on the 9th of November, 1859, his parents being James and Caroline (Tuttle) Wyckoff. The paternal grandfather was the first of the family to settle in this section, coming here in 1857 and spending the residue of his days in the Genesee country, where his descendants have for the most part remained. James Wyckoff, the father of Mr. Wyckoff of this review, followed farm- ing in Ontario county, New York, until 1857, when he took up his abode at Perry, where he became a partner in the hardware firm of Wyckoff & Tuttle and conducted the same successfully until 1882. He then devoted his entire attention to the manu- facture of the "Perry Royce Reaper," with which he had been connected since 1875, and in which he remained active to the time of his death in 1890.
James N. Wyckoff received his early education in the grade and high schools of Perry and subsequently took up the study of mechanical engineering in Cornell University, from which institution he was graduated in 1884. After returning to Perry he was associated in business with his father and two brothers until the father's demise in 1890. Four years later he organized the Wyckoff Harvester Com- pany at Jamestown, New York, remaining active in its conduct until 1898, when he became connected with D. M. Osborn & Company at Auburn, this state. It was in 1907 that the Tempest Knitting Company was organized in Perry, and after serving as secretary of this concern for a year Mr. Wyckoff assumed its presidency. In 1910
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its name was changed to the Wyckoff Knitting Company, of which Mr. Wyckoff has remained the head as president and general manager to the present time. The Wyckoff Knitting Company manufactures a low-priced summer underwear for men only, and has an annual output of about two hundred thousand dozen. It does a nationwide business through jobbers, and furnishes employment to more than two hundred people. Its business standing is of the highest and the men in control of the enterprise enjoy an enviable reputation for business ability, keen discrimination and unfaltering integrity. Mr. Wyckoff is also a director of the Citizens Bank of Perry.
On the 8th of May, 1889, in Perry, New York, Mr. Wyckoff was united in mar- riage to Mary Elizabeth Olin, daughter of Milo H. and Mary (Chapin) Olin of this place. They have become the parents of two children: Elizabeth, who died at the age of fourteen years; and James, who was born in 1894 and is now secretary and treasurer of the plant of the Wyckoff Knitting Company at Perry. He saw service in France in the World war and participated in the great Argonne struggle. He married Helen B. Irvin of Big Run, Pennsylvania, and they have one son, James Irvin Wyckoff.
Mr. Wyckoff exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Brick Pres- byterian church of Perry, in which he is an elder and member of the session, while for thirty years he served as superintendent of its Sunday school. He belongs to the Rotary Club of Perry, to the Perry Club and to the Silver Lake Country Club. He is very fond of golf, in which he indulges during most of his leisure time, also makes many motor trips and finds delight in outdoor life of all kinds. Every man who knows Mr. Wyckoff is his friend and he well merits the confidence and esteem in which he is uniformly held.
GEORGE RAYMOND GRAVES.
Public-spirited and active in the general interest of the community in which he resides, a lawyer adhering rigidly to the highest ideals of his profession, and in the enjoyment of a large practice, George Raymond Graves of Nunda, Livingston county, New York, sheds lustre on the profession to which he belongs. He was born at South Butler, Wayne county, New York, on May 20, 1878, the son of George P. and Mary (Chamberlain) Graves, who were the parents of three children.
After receiving his education in the grade and high schools of Wolcott, New York, George Raymond Graves read law at Wolcott and in the office of Chamberlain & Page of Rochester, New York, and then was managing clerk for five years. He was admitted to the bar in January, 1900, and began general practice at Nunda in 1902. Mr. Graves is secretary and treasurer of the Livingston County Bar Associa- tion, is an independent republican in his political opinions, and has been police justice for sixteen years.
On February 12, 1902, Mr. Graves was married to Joan Marsh of Rochester. Three children have been born to them: Marion C., a student in the University of Rochester; Ogden M., and John H. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order, and he attends the Presbyterian church.
CHARLES W. SWIFT.
The name of Swift has long figured conspicuously in industrial circles of Elmira and the record of Charles W. Swift sustains the high reputation which has always been borne by the family. He was born in this city, January 30, 1882, and his parents were Allen W. and Mary E. (Gibson) Swift, the latter also a native of Elmira. The father was born in the town of Poolville, New York, and became a lumberman of Emporium, Pennsylvania. He was the owner of one of the largest mills in that state and subsequently removed to Elmira. He was a mechanical genius and invented the first automatic oiler in this country for use on locomotives. In 1880 he organized the Swift Lubricator Company for the manufacture of his invention and successfully conducted the business until his death. He built his prosperity on the foundation of hard work and honorable dealing and enjoyed the unqualified esteem and confi- dence of his fellowmen. He was identified with the Masonic order and cast his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. Mr. and Mrs. Swift were faithful
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members of the Park Congregational church and contributed liberally toward its support. Seven children were born to them, five of whom are living, namely: Edwin A .; Frank G .; Charles W .. of this review; Bessie, the wife of Walter Whitley, who is connected with the Barker, Rose & Clinton Company of Elmira; and Flora, who is married to F. F. Schumers, a fruit grower residing in Fairport, New York.
Charles W. Swift attended the public schools of Elmira and after completing his education he entered his father's factory, mastering every detail connected with the management and operation of the business. Since the demise of its founder the business has been continued by the sons, all of whom are capable business men and worthy successors of their father. Charles W. Swift has charge of sales and pro- duction and Frank attends to the mechanical end of the business, while Edwin is at the head of the office. Each department functions systematically and efficiently and through harmonious cooperation and concentrated effort the sons have succeeded in broadening the scope of the firm, which now controls a business of extensive pro- portions, shipping its output to many parts of the world.
On June 14, 1908, Mr. Swift was married to Miss Lina Grannis, who was born in Bainbridge, New York, and completed her education in Binghamton, this state. They have four children: Marjorie, Charles W., Jr., Robert and Elizabeth. They are members of the Park Congregational church and Mr. Swift belongs to the Century Club.
ANTHONY LINK, JR.
The part played by the building contractors of Rochester has been a very im- portant one in its development, and in this connection the city is largely indebted to members of the Link family, who have long been recognized leaders in this field of activity. The work begun by the father is being continued by Anthony Link, Jr., and his brother, who are ably sustaining the traditions of an honored name. Mr. Link was born in this city on the 9th of August, 1889, and his parents, Anthony and Barbara (Shell) Link, are natives, respectively, of Bavaria, Germany, and Alsace- Lorraine, France. The father was born in 1860 and the mother was born two years later. They settled in Rochester after their immigration to the United States and Anthony Link, Sr., became one of the pioneer building contractors of the city. A skilled craftsman, he has left many substantial evidences of his ability in various parts of Rochester, and by honest dealing and unremitting application developed a business of large proportions, continuing his operations until 1916, when he retired. Mr. and Mrs. Link are now living in an attractive home in Sullivan county, New York, and their younger children reside with them. Eleven children were born to them: Mrs. Barbara Sold, Mrs. M. Pierce, Mrs. L. Kohl, Anthony Link, Jr., Albert, Mrs. Rose C. Beal, John, Henry, Florence, Leonard and Marjorie.
Anthony Link, Jr., attended St. Michael's parochial school in Rochester and at an early age entered the employ of his father, under whose capable supervision he gained a thorough understanding of the builder's trade. As his experience increased he assumed greater responsibilities and in 1916, at the time of his father's retire- ment, he took over the business, which he has since conducted in partnership with his brother, Albert, under the style of the Anthony Link Sons. They have increased the scope of the undertaking and their operations are conducted on an extensive scale. Among the more important buildings erected by this firm in recent years can be mentioned the Webster Union free school. It is a fireproof building of tapestry brick and accommodates eight hundred pupils. The sum of three hundred and seventy thousand dollars was appropriated by the district for its erection and equipment and it is considered one of the finest school buildings in this section of the state. The firm also built the St. Boniface school, the Corpus Christi school, St. Pauls Evangelical church at Norton and Jewel streets; remodeled the Haywood Hotel and Coffee Shop, and the Northwest Foundries in Rochester; St. Mary's school in Medina, New York, and the State Hospital at Industry, New York, and many other buildings. The busi- ness has been in continuous operation for more than a half century and the fact that it has endured for so long a period establishes the quality of service rendered and the principles upon which it was founded.
On July 1, 1914, Mr. Link was married to Miss Colette Hauser, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Hauser, prominent residents of Rochester. Mr. Link is a valued member of the local Builders Exchange and along fraternal lines is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has many friends in Rochester and is known as a capable, far-sighted and discriminating business man, fully alive to conditions in
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the modern commercial world, and possessed of the aggressiveness, energy and re- sourcefulness necessary to cope with them. His work has been of direct benefit to Rochester and his record is a matter of pride to its citizens.
HARRY CURTIS GILBERT.
Among the well known, popular and progressive young men of Rochester who have made enviable names for themselves is Harry Curtis Gilbert, president and manager of the Gilbert Apple Products Company, which he organized in 1919. He was born in Monroe county, New York, on the 15th of April, 1887, his parents being G. B. and Mary Ann (Moon) Gilbert, both of whom were lifelong residents of the Empire state. The father, a physician and surgeon, was for many years numbered among the prominent representatives of his profession in Rochester.
In the pursuit of an education Harry Curtis Gilbert attended the grammar and high schools of Rochester and subsequently was a student in Hobart College of Geneva, New York. He then turned his attention to the apple shipping business and in 1919 organized the Gilbert Apple Products Company, in which connection he has since developed an extensive enterprise in the evaporation of apples and as a dealer in their by-products. As president and manager of the concern he has conducted his business in a manner that has insured its steady growth and his efforts have been attended with gratifying success. The prosperity which he now enjoys is the merited reward of well directed industry, unfaltering enterprise and laudable ambition.
On the 30th of March, 1912, Mr. Gilbert was united in marriage to Miss Julia Rankin of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Rankin. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert are the parents of two children: Richard C., who was born Sep- tember 15, 1914; and William R., whose natal day was May 8, 1919.
In Masonry Mr. Gilbert has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and has crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also has membership in the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Rochester Rotary Club, the Rochester Club, the Automobile Club of Rochester and the Monroe County Golf Club. His career has been an upright and honorable one in every rela- tion and he has won an extensive circle of warm friends in the community which has always been his home. Mr. Gilbert's residence is at No. 174 Yarmouth road.
EDWARD N. BASTIAN.
The record of no business man of Dansville has stood in larger measure as a synonym for honor and integrity than that of Edward N. Bastian, and his sudden demise in the depot at Rochester, on the 2d of November, 1923, was deeply regretted by the many friends whom he had drawn about him in the course of a long, upright and useful life, as well as by his immediate family. He was born in the village in 1857, a son of Gottlob Bastian, and was the oldest of ten children. He attended the public schools and when a boy of fourteen started to work in his father's drug store. The business had been established in 1834 by Edward Niles, who conducted it until his death in 1865, when he was succeeded by his son, C. E. Niles. The store was destroyed by fire in 1854 but was afterward rebuilt. In 1870 the business was purchased by Gottlob Bastian, who brought it up to a high standard, and in 1900 his son, Edward N. Bastian, became sole owner of the establishment, which he suc- cessfully operated for more than two decades. He was an enterprising merchant and in his dealings with the public was courteous, reliable and trustworthy, becoming a recognized leader in his line of business.
In 1880 Mr. Bastian was united in marriage to Miss Minerva Durr, whose life was brought to a close on August 15, 1922. Three children were born to them: Frederick Gottlob; Carl E .; and Jane M., now the wife of George E. Anderson of Canandaigua, New York. Mr. Bastian was identified with the state and national pharmaceutical associations and was also a member of the Dansville Board of Trade and the local Retail Merchants Council. He held to high ideals in citizenship, was actuated by a progressive spirit in business and was fully entitled to the respect in which he was generally held.
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His son, Carl E. Bastian, was born in Dansville, January 15, 1889, and attended the public schools, afterward becoming a student at the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1913, on the completion of a course in pharmacy. He had entered his father's drug store in 1908 and after completing his education returned to Dansville, assisting in the conduct of the business until the United States entered the World war. He enlisted in 1917 and was in the service for twenty-one months, being assigned to duty at the Base Hospital at Camp Dix. After receiving his honorable discharge on June 21, 1919, he returned home, and on September 1, 1922, was admitted to partnership in his father's business, of which he is now the proprietor. For three generations the store has been operated by members of the family and Mr. Bastian is proving an able successor of his father, worthily sustain- ing the traditions of the name. He exercises great care in filling prescriptions and supplements a thorough knowledge of pharmacopoeia with executive ability and business acumen.
On October 7, 1919, Carl E. Bastian was united in marriage to Miss Melba Anstine. of Dallastown, Pennsylvania, and they have a son, Frederick Otto. Mrs. Bastian was a trained nurse by profession and enlisted in January, 1918, for service in the. World war, and was stationed at Camp Dix for eighteen months. Mr. Bastian is. a republican in politics and has been called to public office, serving as treasurer of the village. He belongs to the state and national pharmaceutical associations, and is also connected with the Dansville Board of Trade and the Retail Merchants Coun -. cil. He is a member of the American Legion, is a Royal Arch Mason, and his. life is guided by the tenets of the Presbyterian church. He is a loyal, public-spirited citizen, an alert, enterprising young business man, and the duties of any position which he assumes, whether of a public or private nature, are discharged with thor -. oughness and fidelity.
WILLIAM CALVIN WATSON.
On that long roster of the illustrious dead that through the generations has been engrossed in the annals of the Genesee country there are few names that rank higher than that of the late William Calvin Watson of Batavia, who for years was regarded not only as one of the real leaders of the bar in Genesee county but as one of the ablest attorneys and counsellors at law in western New York. Following the death of Mr. Watson in the spring of 1911, the Batavia Daily News, voicing a common feeling of loss in the community, observed editorially that the deceased "was a lawyer whose abilities had placed him in the front rank of his profession, not only in the county but among the attorneys of western New York. He had practiced his pro- fession in the village for upwards of forty-five years and during that period had been engaged in very many important cases. His reputation throughout this part of the. state was not only that of a wise counsellor but one of remarkable skill in the exam- ination of witnesses and an able pleader at the bar. But it was not by the bar alone that Mr. Watson's death will be deeply felt. As a citizen of Batavia he was held in. the highest esteem. His interest in whatever was undertaken for the advancement of the village, either in a business or an educational way, made him one who cannot easily be spared from the community." An earnest and heartfelt appreciation which. has lost none of its force by the lapse of time, for at his passing Mr. Watson left in that community a memory that is cherished to this day.
William Calvin Watson was a native son of Genesee county and all his life had. been spent there. He was born in East Pembroke, April 27, 1837, and was a son of William C. and Abby Watson, widely known and influential pioneers of that section. The senior William C. Watson, who was a son of a soldier of the Revolution, had settled in Genesee county in 1820 and for a time resided in "Bushville", in what is now a part of the western section of the city of Batavia. By self study he had become. well grounded in the principles of common law and though not a member of the bar was widely known throughout the countryside thereabout as a pleader in the justices'- courts in behalf of neighbor clients who had learned to rely upon his keen perception. of the rights of cases involving human equities and the astuteness and accuracy of his conclusions in such matters. It was thus that the junior William C. Watson was from the days of his boyhood made familiar with the underlying principles of the law and under the sound common sense instructions of his father began early to lay the foundation of that distinguished success as a lawyer that the years had in store for him. He completed his local schooling in the old Alexander Academy, an.
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institution of learning which in the generation it served had a high reputation throughout this section of the country. He was for some years engaged in teaching local schools during the winters, meanwhile carrying on his studies in law. He carried on his first formal study of law under the preceptorship of Colonel James M. Willet, one of the leaders of the bar at Batavia, and completed these studies in the office of Wakeman & Bryan, one of the best known law firms in western New York during that period, and there was prepared for admission to the bar.
Admitted to the bar in 1865 (he then being twenty-eight years of age and by this time well grounded in law and recognized already as an orator of unusual ability), Mr. Watson became engaged in practice in Batavia and at once took a commanding position at the bar, soon becoming recognized as a lawyer of skill and judgment. It is said that for many years during the period of his practice there were few supreme court cases tried in Genesee county in which Mr. Watson was not found as counsel on one side or the other. He was particularly successful as a criminal lawyer and early came to be recognized as perhaps the most eloquent pleader of the local bar in his generation. Reared a whig, Mr. Watson was just coming into his majority about the time of the organization of the republican party and he took great interest in the progress of that politically revolutionizing movement, early aligning himself most enthusiastically on that side and ever thereafter maintaining with all the force of his eloquent tongue and his equally facile pen the principles enunciated in the successive platforms of that party. He was a delegate to many of the district and state conventions of his party and came to be widely known among the politicians of the state. For many years he was the only republican supervisor in his home county and in 1884 was made the nominee of his party for representative in congress from his district but went down to defeat with the remainder of the ill-fated republi- can ticket in that memorable campaign.
Though the greater part of his time was engrossed in the cares of his extensive practice as a lawyer, Mr. Watson ever found time to take his full share in the duties of good citizenship and was always active and influential in the promotion of such movements as had to do with the advancement of the general interests of the com- munity he knew and loved so well. It is recalled that in all such movements, whether civic or social, he ever was looked upon as a leader. As properly became his talents, he prospered in business and became in time quite well circumstanced in a material way, among his considerable realty holdings having been the noted Hotel Richmond in Batavia, now owned by his son, George W. Watson, also a Batavia lawyer and further and fitting reference to whom is made elsewhere in this work. More than a mere "hobby", the love of local historical allusion was one of Mr. Watson's most dearly cherished fancies and there were few men in western New York who were more familiar with the history and the traditions of this region than he. One of the most active of the promoters of the movement for the restoration and preservation of the old Holland Purchase land office building and for the creation in that historic structure of an adequate museum, Mr. Watson was elected president of the Holland Purchase Historical Society and in that executive capacity rendered a service in the direction of the initial activities of that body which cannot soon be forgotten.
William C. Watson died quite suddenly and without the community being apprised of his serious illness, on May 6, 1911, then being just past seventy-four years of age. He is survived by his widow (nee Jeanette Walker), who is now living in Los Angeles, California, and by the son, George Walker Watson, who is mentioned above. Another son, William Henry Watson, also became a lawyer, but died in 1904, at the age of thirty-three years.
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