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 31
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On September 28, 1898, Mr. Beecher was united in marriage to Elizabeth C. Hoyt of West Pittston, Pennsylvania, and they have become the parents of two sons: Robert Hoyt, who was graduated from Harvard University, in 1923; and Walter Stewart, who is a member of the class of 1926 at Cornell University. Mr. Beecher
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is identified with the Masonic fraternity and belongs to the Rotary Club of Dans- ville. He is an adherent of the republican party and his religious views coincide with the doctrines of the Presbyterian church. He is a man of progressive ideas, alert and enterprising to a degree, and his sterling traits of character have estab- lished him high in public regard.
REUBEN B. OLDFIELD.
The county clerk of Steuben county is one of its most versatile men, for not alone is Reuben B. Oldfield a successful public official but he is likewise a competent druggist and a writer and lecturer of note. By doing well everything he attempts to do, Reuben Oldfield, although still a young man, has become one of the most popular and trusted men in the county. He is almost a native, his parents having brought him to New York state when he was still an infant. He was born in Waseca county, Minnesota, July 18, 1878, son of William M. and Emily (Wolever) Oldfield. The family moved to Schuyler county, New York, soon after his birth and he received his education in the rural schools and Watkins high school.
As author of Ben Field's Political Dictionary and Ben Field's Rimes, Mr. Oldfield has achieved considerable fame as a writer. He is a lecturer, too, his chief subjects concerning Indian tribes and he is an authority on the Iroquois confederacy as well as the Indian history and romance of the Genesee country. He has always been an active republican and taken a lively interest in politics and was a member of the state assembly in 1915 and 1916. In Bath he has served the public faithfully as trustee of the village from 1910 to 1914; and as supervisor of Bath township for several years. In the fall of 1922 the voters elected him county clerk and he took office in 1923 on the first day of the year. This office he still holds. In 1904 Mr. Oldfield opened a drug store in Bath and this business has developed wonderfully under his care, so that it is now ranked as the leading pharmacy in the town.
Mr. Oldfield was married October 24, 1904, to Miss Edna Maude Bronson, and they have two children: Willis Pearsall Oldfield and Reuben Bronson Oldfield. Mr. Oldfield has always been a fraternal man and is a Mason and member of the lodge, chapter and council. He is also an Odd Fellow and has held all the chairs in both the subordinate lodge and the encampment. He belongs to the Sons of Veterans and the Rotary Club. In all of his activities he displays the same ability, honest purpose and friendliness which have won for him the widest circle of friends, brought him to the front in Steuben county, and made him well known and liked in an even wider circle in New York state.
FREDERICK JOHN BOWEN, M. D.
Prominent in the medical profession at Mount Morris, Livingston county, where he has been established for over a quarter of a century and where he has a large practice, Dr. Frederick John Bowen is also esteemed as a good citizen and a loyal American, as was demonstrated by his services to the nation during the World war. He was born in the town of Harmony, Chautauqua county, New York, on December 11, 1865, the son of Joshua Danforth and Louise (Babcock) Bowen. His mother is still living but his father has passed away.
Frederick J. Bowen received his early education in the grade and high schools of South Bend, Indiana, and studied for his professional career at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago, Illinois, from which he received his degree of M. D. and was graduated in the class of 1890. He has added to his professional knowledge since graduation by postgraduate work at New York city in 1894 and by a course in physical diagnosis in 1911, at the Harvard School of Medicine. He first engaged in practice at Tuscarora, New York, where he remained for seven years, after which he moved to Mount Morris, where he has been engaged in general practice ever since. Dr. Bowen is a member of the Livingston County Medical Society, the New York State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the Rochester (N. Y.) Academy of Medicine. Fraternally he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry and is a past master of Mount Morris Lodge, No. 122, F. & A. M. His religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal church, while in political affairs he is a member of the republican party and has been coroner in
MAJOR FREDERICK J. BOWEN, M. D. LIEUTENANT GRANT W. BOWEN
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Livingston county for the past twenty-six years. During the World war Dr. Bowen volunteered for service and received a captain's commission in the tubercular sec- tion of the Medical Corps, being located at Waynesville, North Carolina, for six months. On June 4, 1924, Dr. Bowen was commissioned a major in the Medical Officers Reserve Corps.
Dr. Bowen was married on June 30, 1891, to Hattie Amanda Whitney of Wiscoy, New York, who died on February 7, 1920. Two children were born to them: Grant Whitney; and Luella Louise, now the wife of Leonard W. Grant of Johnstown, New York.
Grant Whitney Bowen graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1914, and was at Cornell University, class of 1918, when America entered the World war. He enlisted on May 12, 1917, in the First Officers Training Camp, Madison Barracks, New York, and was in the first contingent of drafted men from Livingston county. He was commissioned second lieutenant of Field Artillery, and saw eight months service in France. He was discharged from the army on August 30, 1919, receiving a commission as first lieutenant of Field Artillery, in the Reserves, in which he now holds a captain's commission.
On November 25, 1922, Grant W. Bowen was married to Marian Stewart, daugh- ter of Alexander N. Stewart of Livonia, New York. Mr. Bowen is assistant cashier of the Bank of Livonia at Livonia.
Both Dr. Bowen and his son are members of the American Legion. They fur- nish the only instance in Livingston county where father and son bore commissions in the World war.
JOHN HENRY NEUN.
Though still a young man, John Henry Neun has already attained a position of prominence in industrial circles of his native city as vice president and treasurer of the H. P. Neun Company of Rochester, manufacturers of paper and corrugated boxes. He was born in Rochester, New York, on the 17th of November, 1900, a son of Henry Phillip and Grace L. (Levis) Neun, also natives of this city. Extended mention of the father may be found on another page of this publication.
John Henry Neun began his education in the public schools and following his graduation from the West high school he matriculated in Cornell University, being a member of the class of 1922. He then returned to Rochester to take charge of his father's business and thoroughly acquainted himself with every phase thereof. Since the death of his father he has bent his energies to the administrative direction and executive control of the undertaking, being now vice president and treasurer of the H. P. Neun Company, which is a close corporation and the oldest paper box concern in Rochester. The plant is one of the most modernly equipped and up-to-date of its kind.
Mr. Neun is a consistent member of the Central Presbyterian church and also belongs to the Greek letter fraternity known as Alpha Tau Omega. Rochester num- bers him among her representative and prosperous young business men, as well as worthy native sons. He has already gained a gratifying measure of success for one of his years, and his many friends feel no hesitancy in predicting for him a bright future.
WILLIS G. SAUNDERS.
Willis G. Saunders, supervising principal of the Palmyra Classical high school, was born in West Edmeston, Otsego county, New York, on the 1st of August, 1890, the son of the late Ocran O. and Cora (Giles) Saunders. Both his parents were natives of the Empire state, the father born in Otsego county and the mother in Madison county. During his active life Ocran O. Saunders was engaged in mercantile pursuits, conducting a general retail store. He was married to Cora Giles in Leonardsville, New York, and became the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, of whom Willis G. Saunders is the oldest. One of his brothers, Carl, a band corporal in the United States military service, died in France during the World war.
Willis G. Saunders was educated in Colgate University, graduating in the class of 1913, with the Bachelor of Science degree. He very shortly entered the field of educa- tion by becoming assistant principal of the North Side high school at Corning, New
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York, in the fall of 1913, and remained there until 1916. From September, 1916, to August, 1920, he was principal of the Consolidated high school of Greigsville, and left there to accept a position as principal of the high school at Avon. In September, 1923, Mr. Saunders came to Palmyra to take up his new duties as supervising prin- cipal of the Palmyra Classical high school. This school now has a registration of six hundred and fifty pupils and a faculty of twenty-five teachers. Its curriculum includes four full years of high school work, the eight grades and a kindergarten. The methods being used in this school are thoroughly up-to-date and are, indeed, in many respects far in advance of those in vogue in many larger school systems.
Mr. Saunders has made every effort to keep in touch with all that is being done in the educational world outside of his own school district, as well as to make his own school as efficient as possible. In this connection he maintains membership in the New York State Teachers Association, the New York State Association of Principals, the Elementary Principals' Division of the National Education Association and the Wayne County Teachers Association. He was formerly vice president of the Genesee Valley Schoolmasters' Club, holding office from 1917 to 1920. Mr. Saunders is a Mason, being a member of Avon Springs Lodge, F. & A. M., of Avon, New York. In College days he was made a member of the Sigma Alpha fraternity, which was subsequently taken into the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Politically Mr. Saunders is a republican of the progressive type.
In Alfred, New York, on the 6th of August, 1914, Mr. Saunders was married to Miss Lucille B. Stillman, daughter of Alfred T. Stillman of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders have four children: Dorothy Lucille, Hollis S., Mary Louise, and Alfred C.
JOHN NEWTON BECKLEY.
John Newton Beckley, president of the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Company and prominently identified with various other business interests in Rochester, has been a resident of this city for nearly fifty years. Mr. Beckley was born at Clarendon, Orleans county, New York, on the 30th of December, 1848, his parents being William N. and Phoebe M. (Main) Beckley, who were also natives of the Empire state. He pursued his education in the Brockport Collegiate Institute and the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and later entered Genesee College (now Syracuse University), completing the work of the freshman and sophomore classes. Upon leaving that institution he became identified with educational work as principal of the public schools of Lanesboro and Rushford, Minnesota, where he remained for two years, but the legal profession attracted him and he returned east in 1872 to begin his preparation for the bar in Batavia, New York, under the direction of the firm of Wakeman & Watson, leading attorneys there. In June, 1875, in Buffalo, New York, he was admitted to the bar, and for two years thereafter he practiced in Batavia, but in 1877 came to Rochester, where he has remained. In 1882 he was appointed city attorney, reappointed in 1884 and again in 1886. A month after the last reappoint- ment, however, he resigned to become a member of the law firm of Bacon, Briggs & Beckley. It is conceded that Mr. Beckley proved himself by far the ablest attorney whose services the municipality has enjoyed. By his tact and influence he prevented needless litigation on the part of the city, and by his conduct of such suits as were not to be avoided he kept down the amount awarded to claimants against the munici- pality to the lowest possible limit. When Mr. Beckley retired from office to resume the general practice of law, he rapidly acquired an extensive and representative clientele and for years was connected with a great deal of important litigation in Western New York, ranking with the able and successful lawyers of his time. The growth, importance and extent of his other interests caused Mr. Beckley some years ago to give up the active practice of law in order to give closer personal attention to these interests. He has figured conspicuously in connection with the important work of extending urban transportation. He became interested in the Cross Town and South Park railroad projects, and it was due to his tact and persistence that franchises were obtained for the enterprise, which was backed by prominent eastern capitalists. The movement then begun terminated in the sale of the stock of the Rochester City & Brighton Railway Company to the interest already named. Mr. Beckley conducted the negotiations and brought to a successful conclusion all matters of organization of the Rochester Railway Company that took over the rail interests in this city and was president of the consolidation until about 1900. He has been the president of the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Company since 1893, chairman of the board
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of directors of the General Railway Signal Company for the past two decades, is also the vice president and secretary of the Rochester Hotel Corporation and president of the general Filtration Company, Incorporated, his cooperation and counsel proving important elements in the successful management and control of these enterprises.
On the 23d of June, 1875, Mr. Beckley was united in marriage to Miss Belle G. Corwin, a daughter of Stephen M. Corwin of Brighton, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Beckley became the parents of two children: Herbert C., who is deceased; and Walter R. Mr. Beckley has membership connection with the Genesee Valley Club, the Country Club, the Transportation Club and the Bankers Club of New York city and along strictly professional lines is identified with the Bar Association of New York city. He is a consistent member of Christ church. He belongs to the Syracuse Alumni Association and to the Psi Upsilon Greek letter fraternity. His record is that of a strong mentality, stable in purpose, swift in decision, energetic and forceful in action. The elements are happily blended in the rounding out of his nature, for he unites the refinements of life with the sterner qualities of manhood and his work has been manifestly resultant. Practically his entire life has been spent in western New York and he has long enjoyed an enviable reputation as one of the most prominent and highly respected citizens of this part of the state. Mr. Beckley resides at No. 75 Berkeley street.
H. ROSS MCKAY.
Milling and farming, in both of which occupations he achieved success, have been the life work of H. Ross Mckay, who is now manager of the New York Alfalfa Mills, at Caledonia, Livingston county, New York. He was born at Caledonia, on November 17, 1866, the son of John and Mary (Shannon) Mckay, both of whom have passed away. They were the parents of John, George, Jennie (Brownell), Edward B., H. Ross, Allen B. and Sarah (Sankey), the latter of whom is deceased.
H. Ross McKay acquired his education in the public schools after which he was engaged in milling and farming, eventually becoming manager of the New York Alfalfa Mills, a position for which his previous experience well fitted him. Mr. Mckay is a democrat in political affairs, and was president of the village for a number of years. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and in religion is a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Mckay is a bachelor.
CLARENCE W. FERGUSON.
The life record of Clarence W. Ferguson constituted a fine example of industry, enterprise and usefulness and his death on August 28, 1921, deprived Elmira of a business man of irreproachable character and a citizen of worth. He was born in this city on September 24, 1859, and represented one of its pioneer families. He received a public school education and afterward spent a short time in New York city, working in the Nicoll tailoring establishment. On his return to Elmira he entered the employ of his father, W. H. Ferguson, who had come to the city at an early stage in its development and in 1867 embarked in business as a dealer in grass seed and wool. He gained a position of leadership in mercantile circles of Elmira and was also called to public office, serving for two terms as a member of the city coun- cil. Under his guidance Clarence W. Ferguson gained a comprehensive knowledge of the trade and in 1916, when the father retired, became head of the business, which he conducted successfully until his death, displaying keen sagacity and marked executive ability in the management of his affairs.
On September 8, 1886, Mr. Ferguson was united in marriage to Miss Georgiana Trowbridge, a native of Trowbridge, Pennsylvania, and a member of one of the most prominent families of that place. They became the parents of six children: William T .; Lorin H., who is living in Florida; Mrs. Fred Loomis, whose husband is a well known photographer of Elmira; C. Frank, who is a member of the Ferguson Produce Company, Incorporated; Fred D., who is employed by the Chemung Motor Car Com- pany; and Georgiana, who is attending a nurses' training school.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson were members of the Hedding Methodist Episcopal church and active workers in its behalf. He was an adherent of the republican party and his fraternal relations were with the Masons and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.
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principles that John Luther practiced from the time he first started in business. He was rigidly honest in all of his commercial transactions and enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most reliable and competent men in his business. His death occurred in 1917, and that of his wife in 1906. They had a family of two sons and four daugh- ters: Charles W., a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Mary, who married Charles Brooks; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Max M. Friederich; Anna, the wife of Watson Plumb; Gertrude, the wife of Frederick Strehle; and John W. of this review.
John W. Luther was born in this city on the 1st of March, 1879, and completed his education in the Rochester Free Academy. Immediately after leaving school he went to work for his father in the building and contracting business, which he learned in every detail and which he has made his life work. Upon the death of his father in 1917, he became treasurer of John Luther & Sons Company, in which capacity he has remained. Charles W. Luther is president of the company, which is a close cor- poration. The business has been continued along modern lines with no diminution of its scope. The enterprising spirit and high standard of workmanship which en- abled the father to lay the foundation of the business and foster its growth, are qualities that have never been passed up by the sons, who are not only upholding the traditions of the past but keeping fully abreast of the times in the rapid progress of building construction. The firm has gained a reputation that gives it an outstanding position among the construction companies of Rochester.
In Rochester, on June 3, 1903, Mr. Luther was married to Miss Florida B. Fried- erich, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John J. L. Friederich, prominent residents of the city, and they have two sons: William F. and Richard D. Luther. Mr. Luther is a Mason, being identified with the commandery, Shrine and Grotto, and he is also an Elk. He belongs to the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Builders Exchange, the Athletic Club and the Young Men's Christian Association, and is a faithful and con- sistent member of the Lutheran Church of Reformation. Mr. Luther has never lost sight of the high principles which should govern man in the varied relations of life and his influence has been a potent factor in civic advancement. His residence is at No. 21 Park View.
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS OWEN.
At the foundation of the prosperity of every community is the work of its enter- prising business men of the type represented by Frederick Augustus Owen, who is the founder and head of the F. A. Owen Publishing Company, one of the largest publish- ing houses in the east and has done much to shape the destiny of Dansville. Like the majority of men who have achieved notable success in life, Mr. Owen is self-made and his career affords a striking illustration of what can be accomplished through industry, perseverance and rightly directed endeavor. He is widely and favorably known throughout the Genesee country, in which he has always resided, and was born in South Dansville, New York, March 22, 1867. He comes of Welsh ancestry in the paternal line and is the oldest in a family of seven childrn, whose parents were Stephen H. and Mary (Root) Owen.
At the early age of ten years Frederick Augustus Owen was forced to depend upon his own efforts for a livelihood, owing to the death of his father, and obtained work on a farm, where he was employed for seven months. He received a wage of five dollars per month and when he returned home was the proud possessor of thirty- five dollars. He attended the district schools of his native state and received his higher education in the Union Seminary at Rogersville, the Hornellsville Academy and the Lima Seminary, working as a farm hand in summer and attending or teach- ing school during the winter. In the spring of 1889 he secured the old Seminary building at Rogersville and there he conducted a private school for two years. The Seminary at one time ranked with the best educational institutions in the state but gradually lost its importance, owing to the introduction of the union and normal school systems. While conducting this school he conceived the idea of teaching by correspondence, and although his system was antedated by the University Extension and Chautauqua methods, it was the first to correct and criticise the individual work of the student. He was therefore the pioneer in correspondence instruction and his inspiration was largely obtained from the old Seminary library.
The business which is now extensively known as the F. A. Owen Publishing Company had its inception in 1888 at South Dansville, when Frederick A. Owen estab- lished the correspondence school and three years later began the publication of Normal
16-Vol. III
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Instructor. The initial step was the organization of the Empire State Teachers Class, which, as mentioned before, was the first correspondence school in America. From this work the idea of publishing an educational journal was originated and The Nor- mal Instructor was founded, the first issue appearing in November, 1891. At this time the office was situated in the attic of a country grocery store, which has given rise to the appellation "born in an attic," which is frequently applied to the mammoth business of today. In the spring of 1892 the business was moved to Dansville and from this time its development was rapid. A single room was utilized at first and the printing was done by contract. By the fall of 1893 this space had become inade- quate and a building was accordingly erected by Fowler & Burgess, who did the printing under contract. This building, which is now occupied by the Dansville Breeze, served its purpose until 1896, when it became evident that a complete printing plant was necessary. In November of that year The Instructor was moved into a home of its own, a brick building of three stories, supplied with new presses and equipment, and the first number of the magazine was run from its own press in December, 1896. In 1901 another building was added and in May, 1902, the Teachers World, formerly published in New York city, was purchased. Its list was combined with that of The Normal Instructor and the name was changed to The Normal Instructor-Teachers World. The subsequent growth of the business soon necessitated plans for the erection of a completely new plant and a three-acre site was secured fronting the village park and church square. Here was erected in 1904 a brick building which is today one of the most complete and best equipped publishing plants in the country. Each phase in the development of the enterprise is the result. of mature thought and carefully laid plans, and that Mr. Owen is an executive of more than ordinary ability is evidenced by this perfectly organized and efficiently operated business, which is the visible expression of years of earnest, systematic effort, culmi- nating in the complete realization of the dream of its founder.
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