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 28
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RICHARD G. KOENIG.
Richard G. Koenig came to the Chemung valley when a young man of twenty- four and now acts as manager of the Horseheads plant of the United States Cut Flower Company, of which he is also a director. He is a native of Germany, and was born September 2, 1874. His parents, Gustav and Elizabeth Koenig, were lifelong residents of that country, the father being a cooper by trade.
Richard G. Koenig was educated in the fatherland and there learned the florist's business, which he has made his lifework. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he sought the broader opportunities of the United States, and the year 1892 witnessed his arrival in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1893 he went to Warren, Pennsylvania, where he spent five years, and since 1898 he has been a resident of Chemung county. He first worked for Harry Hoffman, a well known florist of this locality, and remained in his employ for seven years. On April 1, 1906, he entered the service of the United States Cut Flower Company and is now filling the responsible position of manager, while he is also a stockholder in the firm. The company has a large plant at Horse- heads and under the expert direction of Mr. Koenig the business has received new impetus. The firm has a large business in Elmira and throughout the state, while its trade also extends to Pennsylvania. The business is operated on an extensive scale and the company occupies a position of leadership in the field in which it specializes.
On October 7, 1898, Mr. Koenig was married to Miss Mary L. Harold, who was born, reared and educated in Warren, Pennsylvania. The children of this union are: Harold, a shipping clerk in the employ of the United States Cut Flower Company; William, a rose grower; and Anna May, who is attending high school. The parents are affiliated with the Episcopal church and in politics Mr. Koenig is a republican. He is a strong advocate of progressive education and serves as school trustee in dis-
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trict No. 5. He is also active in fraternal affairs and belongs to the Union Lodge of Masons, and to the chapter and Grotto. He is likewise connected with the Masonic Club, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Order of Foresters and the Pro- tective Home Circle.
CHARLES RICHARD BARNES.
Charles Richard Barnes has ably discharged the important duties of commissioner of railways for the city of Rochester since his appointment to the position on the 1st of August, 1920. He was born at Spencerport, Monroe county, New York, Febru- ary 7, 1857, his parents being Richard and Mary (Walsh) Barnes. He obtained a district school education in his native town and was fourteen years of age when he put aside his textbooks to master telegraphy at the Spencerport depot of the New York Central Railroad. He was thus employed for several years and was then ap- pointed the first Rochester ticket freight agent and operator at the Rochester station of the Rochester and State Line Railroad, now the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad. Subsequently he was appointed city electrician of Rochester, in charge of fire alarm, telegraph and street lighting, in which connection he installed the police patrol telegraph. Mr. Barnes was next appointed electrical engineer of the New York state board of railroad commissioners and was placed in charge of the regulation of electric railroads in the state, continuing under the public service commission, suc- cessors to the board of railroad commissioners, for a quarter of a century. On the 1st of August, 1920, he was appointed commissioner of railways for the city of Rochester under a service-at-cost contract between this city and the New York state railways, in which position he has made a most commendable record. He is also secretary and treasurer of Public Representatives Urban Transit. .
In April, 1876, Mr. Barnes was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kennedy, and they have two daughters: Lillian, the wife of Richard T. Ford; and Hilda A., who is the wife of Harold Wooster. Mr. Barnes is a communicant of the Catholic church and fraternally is identified with the Knights of Columbus. His helpful in- terest in municipal affairs is manifest in his membership connection with the Roches- ter Chamber of Commerce. A lifelong resident of Monroe county, he has gained an extensive and favorable acquaintance here and is widely recognized as one of the foremost representatives of transportation interests in Rochester.
HARRY CLIFFORD STEVENSON.
Harry Clifford Stevenson, secretary, treasurer and general manager of the Rochester Folding Box Company, has had broad experience along industrial lines and one of the most modern and attractively designed manufacturing plants in the country is the expression of his original ideas and engineering skill. He was born on the 13th of February, 1884, in Henry, Illinois, and is a son of Harry C. and Carrie (Burt) Stevenson, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Indiana. They lived for a time in Illinois, subsequently removing to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and are now residents of South Bend, Indiana, where the father is engaged in the manufacture of bodies for carriages and automobiles.
Harry Clifford Stevenson attended the public schools of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan with the class of 1906. He had specialized in business administration and in order to make his preparation for a business career even more thorough, Mr. Stevenson took a course in law at that institution. Following his university training he took up production engineering work, and for six years was manager of the Canadian office of Miller, Franklin & Stevenson in Toronto, Canada. In 1913 he went to Boston, Massachusetts, with the Harpham, Barnes & Stevenson Company. In 1915 he came to the Flower City to select a site for the Rochester Folding Box Company's plant, which was built under his supervision, while he also laid out the grounds, which are beautified by a parkway containing many choice varieties of flowers attractively arranged. As a result the firm has one of the finest plants in Rochester-a model of its kind and a decided asset to the city. The factory is equipped for turning out work of the highest grade and under the expert management of Mr. Stevenson the business is rapidly expanding.
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In Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the 29th of June, 1908, Mr. Stevenson married Miss Lelia Volland, a daughter of Albert J. Volland, principal of the high school of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson have a family of four children: Harry C., who was born in Toronto, Canada, on December 19, 1910, and is attending the Jefferson Junior high school of Rochester; Ruth, who was born in Toronto on May 28, 1912, and is also a student at that school; Helen, who was born in Boston, Massa- chusetts, on the 27th of December, 1913; and Alice, who was born in Rochester on May 10, 1918.
Mr. Stevenson is a director of the Mechanics Institute of Rochester, a trustee of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, president of the University of Michigan Club and a director of the National Bank of Rochester. Mr. Stevenson's most important club affiliation is with the Rochester Yacht Club, of which he has been commodore for three years. Yachting is his chief recreation and of all outdoor sports yachting appeals most to him. His power cruiser, Alice II, is one of the well known vessels in the club fleet. He also belongs to the Genesee Valley Club, the Rochester Club, the Automobile Club of Rochester and the Sigma Nu fraternity. He is identified with the Masonic order and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine.
A native genius for organization and aptitude for successful management have been dominant characteristics in his business affairs, and his advancements have come as the recognition of work well done and his capacity for assuming greater burdens and responsibilities. He gives his best efforts to everything he undertakes and Rochester numbers him among its best class of citizens. Mr. Stevenson's resi- dence is at No. 59 Park view.
JOHN L. CHATFIELD.
Among the most prominent of the younger citizens of Steuben county is John L. Chatfield, who is now serving as postmaster of Painted Post and is also active in business circles as vice president of the Corning real estate and insurance corpora- tion known as Payne, Chatfield & McCray. He was born in Mount Vernon, West- chester county, New York, on the 6th of January, 1885, his parents being Charles James and Mary (Blake) Chatfield. The Chatfield family in America dates back to 1639, when George Chatfield came to this country from Sussex, England, and set- tled in Guilford, Connecticut. Charles James Chatfield, the father of John L. Chat- field, was a soldier in the Twenty-third New York (Southern Tier Rifles) during the period of the Civil war. He enlisted as a private when a youth of seventeen and was honorably discharged with the rank of first lieutenant.
John L. Chatfield began his education in the schools of Painted Post, continued his studies in the Corning Free Academy and subsequently pursued a course in the Mercersburg Academy of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. During the first decade of his business career he was identified with journalistic interests as a member of the staff of the Corning Journal, with which he severed his connection when that paper was consolidated with the Leader. As above stated, he has for some time been successfully engaged in the insurance and real estate business as vice president of the firm of Payne, Chatfield & McCray, Incorporated, of Corning. Mr. Chatfield was a stanch supporter of the republican party while engaged in newspaper work and has always advocated its principles. When appointed postmaster at Painted Post by President Taft he was one of the youngest men filling such a position in the United States. Again, in 1923, he became acting postmaster and in January, 1924, received appointment to the office, the duties of which he has since discharged with the utmost efficiency, fidelity and dispatch. He has also served as village clerk in Painted Post and has been a delegate to republican conventions. For many years he was foreman of the Bronson Hook and Ladder Company of Painted Post.
On the 2d of August, 1911, Mr. Chatfield was united in marriage to Miss Grace M. Troll and they have three children: John Blake, Charles James, (III), and Mary.
In Masonry Mr. Chatfield has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, belonging to Montour Lodge No. 168, A. F. & A. M., and to Corning Consistory, A. & A. S. R. He is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has filled all of the chairs in the latter fraternity. Mr. Chatfield is an elder in the Presbyterian church and for thirteen years has been superintendent of its Sunday school, while for two years he filled the superintendency of the Steuben Sunday School Association. He is now a member of the executive committee of the State Sunday School Association. He has been a
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member of the board of managers of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and has served on the state council of the Sons of Veterans. It was John L. Chatfield who organized the Steuben County Sons of the American Revolution.
GUY W. CHENEY.
A republican leader and an attorney of note is Guy W. Cheney of Corning, New York. The son of Judge Cheney, who was himself one of the most highly re- spected men in Steuben county, Guy W. Cheney has well carried on family tradition and enterprise. During his law career he has not only built up a successful practice but has become known for his work far beyond the boundaries of Steuben county. He was born in Fort Covington, New York, February 26, 1886. He graduated from the Corning Free Academy with the class of 1904 and from Syracuse with a B. A. degree in 1908. He continued in Syracuse and gained his LL. B. in 1910 from the law school. He was admitted to the bar the same year and was first in practice with his father, Judge Cheney, the firm being known as W. J. and G. W. Cheney. In 1917 Judge Cheney entered the law firm of Phillips, Cheney & Greene of Hornell, New York. Guy W. Cheney then formed the firm of Cheney and Costello with Judge Cheney as counsel. They have a general practice.
Mr. Cheney has always been active in republican politics, first serving as secre- tary of the County committee from 1912 to 1919. He was secretary to Ambassador Houghton during 1919-1920 and was with him until Mr. Houghton went to Germany. He was appointed district attorney on November 27, 1921, and elected to that office in the fall of 1922. Mr. Cheney is a well known public speaker and is much in demand for political orations as well as talks on general topics. He is a specialist in corpor- ation law.
Guy W. Cheney is a trustee of the Corning Presbyterian church and very active in the work of that body. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, an Elk, an Odd Fel- low and a member of the Rotary, Corning City and Corning Country Clubs.
Mr. Cheney was married on February 22, 1911, to Edith Madison Costello, and they have four sons: Warren, Guy W., Jr., John Southwick and David Godwin. The Cheney family dates back in this country to 1632. The original forebears set- tled in Newton, Massachusetts. Mr. Cheney's grandfather lived in northern New York for a time. He was killed in the Civil war while serving in the Union army. The Cheney family are counted among the leaders of the best American families in New York state.
CHARLES A. DEWEY, M. D.
Dr. Charles A. Dewey was born in Rochester, New York, July 21, 1842, a son of Chester and Olivia Hart (Pomeroy) Dewey. On the paternal side he is Saxon- Welsh extraction. The first of the name to settle in America was Thomas Dewey, who located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1634. His maternal ancestry was Saxon- Norman-Huguenot French. When William of Normandy invaded England in 1066 Sir Ralph De la Pomeraye (of Norse origin) was one of his companions and officers of high rank. After the Conquest he was rewarded by William by the grant of ninety manors, or lordships, lying in three counties of southwestern England. His descendant in the eighteenth generation was Eltweed Pomeroy (1585-1673), who came to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1630. In 1685, the year following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Dr. Pierre Ayrault, with many refugee Huguenot families, arrived in Boston. Later he removed to Newport, Rhode Island, and was identified with the early mercantile and ecclesiastical developments of that city. Dr. Dewey is in the eighth generation from Eltweed Pomeroy and in the seventh from Pierre Ayrault and Thomas Dewey, his first American progenitors.
Chester Dewey graduated from Williams College in 1806 and immediately became engaged in educational work. In 1808 he was appointed tutor in Williams College; in 1810 he was promoted to the professorship of mathematics and natural philosophy, a position he held for eighteen years. From 1827 to 1836 he was principal of the Berkshire Gymnasium at Pittsfield, Massachusetts; was then principal of the Rochester Collegiate Institute until 1850, when he became a member of the faculty of the University of Rochester (professor of chemistry and the natural sciences) and
Charles A. Army
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remained there until 1867. In 1807 he was licensed to preach by the Congregational church and during the next fifty-five years he ministered on the Sabbath to many churches. During this time he wrote many scientific and educational articles and delivered lectures in various medical schools and before societies. He held the degrees of M. D., D. D. and LL. D. and was an honorary member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. His death occurred on December 15, 1867, and his widow sur- vived until January 25, 1885.
Charles A. Dewey was educated by tutors and in private schools and in 1861 graduated from the University of Rochester, with the degree of A. B. He then entered the law office of Judge Theron R. Strong and Oscar Craig and in December, 1863, was admitted to the bar. He never practiced law, however, but turned his attention to manufacturing enterprises in Rochester and Berkshire county, Massachu- setts, devoting casually some time to newspaper work. In 1876 he began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. William W. Ely of Rochester. The next year he matriculated as a student in the Harvard Medical School, where he received his degree of M. D. in 1880. He began practice in Rochester and spent much of his time in connection with the City Hospital. In 1883 he became a member of the visiting staff, later of the consulting staff, of which he was secretary from 1898 to 1917. He was also physician of the Church Home from 1885 to 1893, but he is now retired from active practice.
Dr. Dewey is a director of the Genesee Valley Trust Company; a trustee of the Reynolds Library, and for the last twenty years has been chairman of the library committee; belongs to numerous medical, musical, scientific, literary, educational, commercial and patriotic societies and the Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Upsilon college fraternities; was one of the founders of the famous Fortnightly Club (Literary) in 1882 and has been its secretary from the beginning. Politically he is an independent republican, but has never been a strong partisan. He is unmarried. He has always been devoted to the outdoor life-rowing, tramping, mountain climbing, study of birds and plants.
HENRY E. MACARTHUR.
Henry E. MacArthur, attorney at law, has practiced in Brockport for a quarter of a century and experience and study have broadened his knowledge and ripened his ability, bringing him to the fore in his profession. He was born in Mount Morris, New York, September 11, 1876, and is a son of Albert H. and Grace (Scoville) MacArthur, both members of pioneer families of Livingston county, New York. The Scoville family is of English origin and was founded in Connecticut in 1670. Rep- resentatives of the name migrated from that state to New York in 1811, settling in Livingston county. Mr. MacArthur's maternal grandmother, Caroline Scoville, was born in that county in 1815, and one of her ancestors, Remembrance Sheldon, served as a corporal in the Revolutionary war. Albert H. MacArthur was born in Mount Morris in 1848, of Scotch lineage, and for many years followed the vocation of an interior decorator in that town, in which he still resides, having reached the age of seventy-six. In Mount Morris, on October 12, 1866, he was married to Grace Scoville and four children were born to them, three sons and a daughter. Henry E. is the third in order of birth and the only son now living.
After completing a course in the Mount Morris high school, Henry E. MacArthur entered the Brockport Normal School and was graduated with the class of 1898. He read law in the office of Theodore S. Dean, his uncle, and in 1899 was admitted to the bar. From January 1, 1900, until January 1, 1908, he was a member of the firm of Dean & MacArthur and has since been alone. He has a large civil practice and also does considerable work in the surrogate court. He is an able corporation lawyer and is local attorney for the A&P Products Corporation of Brockport, while he also acts as counsel for the First National Bank. He is village attorney of Brockport and for eleven years has been the incumbent of that position. He has also filled other public offices, serving for fifteen years as village clerk and for twelve years as justice of the peace. He is a strong and able lawyer and in his presentation of a case is always fortified by a comprehensive understanding of the legal principles applicable thereto.
In Clarence, New York, on September 4, 1902, Mr. MacArthur was married to Miss Leota B. Robinson, a daughter of the Rev. William B. Robinson, a minister of the Methodist church. Mr. MacArthur is a Presbyterian in religious faith and his
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mother is the only one now living of the seven original members of the First Presby- terian church of Mount Morris. The son is active in the councils of the republican party and for twenty years has attended its national conventions. He is a Mason, belonging to Monroe Lodge, No. 173, F. & A. M., at Brockport, and is also a member of Gamma Sigma, a college fraternity. He is connected with the Rochester and State Bar Associations and his advancement along professional lines has been con- tinuous, for he possesses a keen intellect, an analytical trend of mind, a studious nature and the capacity for hard work. Mr. MacArthur has been faithful to every interest intrusted to his care, whether of a public or private nature, and in the varied relations of life has acquitted himself with dignity, credit and honor.
CLARENCE ARTHUR FOOTE.
A man of various accomplishments, all of which he has applied to useful pur- poses and for the good of the community in which he lives, is Clarence Arthur Foote of Mount Morris, Livingston county, New York. Without the special training that is conferred by technical schools and the higher institutions of education, and relying solely upon his own mental abilities and constant study, Mr. Foote was for thirty-six years successfully engaged in the carpentry and contracting business, and was also an extensive dealer in lumber. He studied architecture through the International Correspondence Schools, and many fine structures in Mount Morris and throughout the county show how thoroughly he mastered his subject and applied his knowledge. When the demand for better roads throughout the county became insistent, Mr. Foote began to study the subject of road building, one of the results of which was the build- ing of the Groveland road, which experts declare is a model of its kind.
Clarence Arthur Foote was born on a farm in the township of Mount Morris, on May 12, 1860, the son of Norman and Emily (Jarrod) Foote, both of whom have passed away. His education was gained in the public schools of the district and the Nunda high school, and after graduating from the latter he went to work and has been a worker ever since. His fraternal affiliations are with the Masonic order, in which he is a thirty-second degree Mason, and a Knight Templar, and he is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and he has served as master of ceremonies of the Grand Lodge. He also belongs to the Eastern Star. In his religious convictions Mr. Foote is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in his political views he finds a home in the republican party. During the World war he was fuel administrator for Livingston county, and was active in behalf of the work of the Red Cross.
On April 16, 1884, Mr. Foote was married to Stella Olney of Dalton. The three children born to them are: Olney Norman, who was married to Helen Merwin of Whitelaw. During the World war he was a lieutenant in the Three Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, Eighty-first Division, with the Machine Gun Battalion. He is a thirty-second degree Mason; Doris Emily, who is now the wife of Ward Gowdy of Wellsville, New York; and Leone May, who is the wife of Kenyon Warner of Geneseo, New York.
CHAUNCEY B. HAMMOND.
In both the paternal and maternal lines Chauncey B. Hammond is descended from old and prominent families of Chemung county, and with the history of progress in this section of the state he is largely familiar. For the past fifteen years he has devoted his attention to transportation affairs. He was born in Chemung county, November 5, 1882, a son of Frank M. and Sarah E. (Greatsinger) Hammond, also natives of this county, in which they were married. The great-grandfather in the maternal line migrated from Newburgh, Orange county, New York, to Chemung county and in this section the family has since resided. His son, John S. Greatsinger, was the father of Mrs. Hammond, who was born in Greatsinger Corners and now resides on a farm situated two miles from Elmira. The deed to the property bears the signature of Governor George Clinton and is dated March 2, 1791. Since that time the land has never passed out of the possession of the family, whose members have contributed their quota toward its cultivation and improvement for a period of one hundred and thirty-three years. The great-grandfather of Chauncey B. Hammond was the founder of the Hammond family in Chemung county. He was a native of Connecticut and settled on a tract of land situated three miles from the
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river. Hammond's Corners was named in his honor and his son John, was the first member of the family born in Chemung county. Frank M. Hammond was born in Hammond's Corners and followed the occupation of farming as a means of livelihood. He was an adherent of the republican party and held some local offices. He was a Baptist in religious faith and his widow is a member of the Episcopal church. They had two children: Chauncey B. of this review; and Elsie, the wife of Walter W. Jones, who is in the insurance business in Binghamton, New York.
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