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 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93
Mrs. Minier is a member of the Baptist church and her husband attends the Presbyterian church. He is an adherent of the democratic party and has always
326
THE GENESEE COUNTRY
taken a keen interest in public affairs. He was elected justice of the peace and filled that office for twenty years, making a highly creditable record as a public official. He was postmaster of Big Flats during the Cleveland administration. Mr. Minier is a Royal Arch Mason and for thirty years was treasurer of his lodge, of which he is also a past master.
WILLIAM J. STAUB.
Every successful business enterprise adds to the commercial activity and conse- quent prosperity of the city in which it is operated, and through the capable manage- ment of one of the most modern and complete cleaning and dyeing establishments in western New York, William J. Staub has made substantial contribution to Rochester's development and progress. He has a wide acquaintance in this city, in which his life has been spent, and was born December 27, 1866, a son of Dominick and Christine (Goetz) Staub, who were of European birth and came to the United States in early life.
William J. Staub obtained his education in a parochial school of Rochester and afterward served an apprenticeship to the tailor's trade, which he followed for an extended period. For twenty years he conducted a tailoring establishment and in 1903 sought another outlet for his energies, entering the cleaning and dyeing business, in which he has made a notable success. He has between seventy and one hundred em- ployes, all of whom are experienced in this line of business, and each department of his establishment is in charge of an expert. Mr. Staub has installed the most modern equipment and the greatest care is exercised in treating fabrics, so that the danger of injury to the most delicate materials is entirely eliminated. He aspires to the highest ideals in service and is recognized as an artist in his line of work. He is just and considerate in his attitude toward his employes, thus securing their loyal cooperation, and has provided them with fine lunch and rest rooms, also maintaining a first aid organization for emergency cases. The business has been incorporated and is conducted under the name of Staub & Son, Incorporated. It has grown rapidly since its inception and is now the largest of the kind in the city, being the complete realization of the dream of its founder.
On the 25th of June, 1894, Mr. Staub was married to Miss Louise Friedman, who was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Friedman. Mrs. Staub was a devoted wife and mother; her death on Tuesday, March 4, 1924, was deeply mourned by a large circle of friends, as well as by the immediate family. Mr. and Mrs. Staub were the parents of five children, all of whom are natives of Rochester: Raymond, the eldest, enlisted in the World war, serving for two years in the United States navy. He married Miss Lillian Meng of Rochester, and is now a member of the firm of Staub & Son, Incor- porated; the others are: Mildred, who is a graduate of Nazareth Academy; Walter F .; and Kathryn M. and Ruth A., who are attending school.
Mr. Staub is an independent in his political associations and his religious views are in accord with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic church. He is a Knight of Columbus and also belongs to the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Automo- bile Club of this city. His accomplishments have resulted in large measure from deep thinking, which always leads to easier methods, and the guiding axiom of his life has been hard work and a square deal to everyone. He is known as an enterpris- ing, farsighted and thoroughly reliable business man, fully alive to conditions in the modern commercial world, and the respect which is uniformly accorded him is well deserved. Mr. Staub's residence is at No. 288 West avenue.
ULYSSES W. SHERBURNE.
One of the leading men in the retail branch of the automobile trade in Palmyra and Wayne county is Ulysses W. Sherburne, Ford distributor for this district. He was born in Ontario, Wayne county, on the 1st of April, 1873, the son of the late William Sherburne, also a native of this county, and grandson of William Sherburne, Sr., a Methodist exhorter and one of the pioneer settlers of that vicinity. Up to the time of his death Mr. Sherburne's father was actively engaged in farming. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Sarah E. Wiley, is still living at the age of seventy-four. She comes from a pioneer New York family and was married in
W.J. Staub.
329
THE GENESEE COUNTRY
Ontario, where she made her home and where her two sons were born. Ulysses W. of this review is the only surviving child.
Ulysses W. Sherburne obtained his education in the academy at Walworth, in his native county. At the age of eighteen he took charge of his father's farm and after his father's death moved to Walworth, in 1897. He continued in agricultural work, however, until 1911, when he entered the automobile business in Walworth as representative of the Ford Motor Company.
Mr. Sherburne came to Palmyra in 1920 as the distributor for Ford motor cars and tractors. He rented the Fassett garage and for some time conducted his business in that location. In November of 1922 he moved into a new building which he had erected especially for his business, at a cost of twenty thousand dollars. This marked a stage in Mr. Sherburne's business advancement, just as his removal from Walworth to Palmyra had emphasized the fact that he needed a larger field for his operations. He is now conducting a good business and represents the Macedon, Marion and Walworth agencies, as well as the Palmyra agency. For eight years during his residence there Mr. Sherburne served the town of Walworth as supervisor, holding office from 1913 to 1921, and was chairman of the board, 1920-1921. He is now secre- tary of the board of education of Palmyra and during his term of office has had the pleasure of seeing a fine new school building erected at a cost of three hundred and sixty thousand dollars. During the World war Mr. Sherburne devoted a great deal of his time to the sale of government bonds and to the raising of the funds for the various war camp activities. He is very active in Masonic circles, being past master of Walworth Lodge, No. 254, A. F. & A. M .; a member of Palmyra Eagle Chapter, R. A. M .; Palmyra Council, R. & S. M .; and Zenobia Commandery, Knights Templar, of Palmyra; and is past district deputy, District of Wayne, F. & A. M. He is also past patron, Athena Chapter, O. E. S .; and past master, Walworth Grange, No. 289. In connection with his business interests Mr. Sherburne belongs to the State Automobile Dealers Association.
The marriage of Mr. Sherburne to Miss Lottie M. Blythe, daughter of Jabez and Emma Blythe of Orleans, Ontario county, took place on the 11th of December, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Sherburne have a daughter: Josephine, the wife of Homer A. Basage, formerly of Walworth, now of Palmyra. Mr. Basage is associated with his father-in-law in the automobile business:
P. V. CRITTENDEN JACKSON.
P. V. Crittenden Jackson, president of the Taylor-Shantz Company, machinery manufacturers, was born in Rochester, Monroe county, New York, on the 26th of December, 1880, a son of A. C. and Carrie (Hodges) Jackson, and comes from a family that has been connected with the growth and development of this section of the state for one hundred and seventy years. Members of the Jackson family came to what is now Monroe county when it was a frontier country and took up land which has been handed down from father to son all these years, so that it is still owned in the family. A. C. Jackson, father of P. V. C. Jackson, entered business in this city when a young man and is now secretary of the East Side Savings Bank.
As a boy and youth P. V. Crittenden Jackson attended the public schools of his native city and the Rochester Free Academy, following which he entered Yale University and received his Bachelor of Arts degree with the class of 1905. Returning to Rochester at the close of his university career, Mr. Jackson secured a position in the chemical laboratory of the Eastman Kodak Company, which he retained for a period of two years. He left the Eastman Company to form a connection with the Taylor- Shantz Company, in which he purchased a financial interest and was made treasurer. In 1911 he was elected president of his company and has remained its executive head ever since. Some idea of the size of this concern can be gained from the fact that its pay roll numbers from sixty to eighty people. The business has enjoyed a most substantial growth since Mr. Jackson took over the control, and its position as one of the leading industries in its line in Rochester is a fine tribute to his ability as a manufacturer and an executive.
In Rochester, Mr. Jackson is generally regarded as one of the successful of the city's younger business men. He is a member of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Rochester Engineering Society, and socially is identified with the University and the Rochester Automobile Clubs. He casts his vote with the republican party,
330
THE GENESEE COUNTRY
while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Central Presbyterian church.
Mr. Jackson was married to Miss Natalie Hull of this city, on the 5th of June, 1919, and they have a daughter: Graham Hull Jackson, born in this city on July 25, 1920.
COLONEL TIMOTHY B. GRANT.
Colonel Timothy B. Grant was one of the best known and most highly esteemed citizens of Dansville, and his sudden death in October, 1899, when he was in his eighty-first year, caused a wide feeling of sorrow. He was born in Easton, Washing- ton county, New York, on August 2, 1819, son of Peter and Hannah (Banker) Grant, and was of Scotch ancestry. This branch of the family in this country was founded by four brothers who came to America at an early day and settled in different parts of the United States. Peter Grant, the father of Colonel Grant, was a native of Dutchess county, New York, and purchased a farm at Easton, Washington county, where he resided until his death.
Timothy B. Grant remained at home until the age of thirteen years, receiving only such educational advantages as could be obtained in the district school. He then became a clerk in a store at Schaghticoke, where he remained for three years, and next, finding the place too small, he went to Rochester and entered a hardware store, where he continued in the service of one firm for ten years without receiving a single reprimand. He came to Dansville in 1846 the village then apparently being destined to become a place of larger pretentions than it finally reached, and here he associated himself with Merritt H. Brown in the hardware business, under the firm name of Brown & Grant. They operated two stores, one on upper and one on lower Main street, when the conflagration of 1854 came. In this fire they lost some of their stock and they removed the rest to their upper store. Later they occupied a building on the corner of Main and Ossian streets. In 1870 the partnership was dissolved and Colonel Grant continued the business until 1887, when he disposed of his interests and retired to private life. In 1852 he had erected a handsome residence on the north- east corner of Elizabeth and Chestnut streets, which continued to be his home through- out the remainder of his life.
Colonel Grant was a democrat in politics and he never wavered in his support of the candidates nominated, whether on national, state or local tickets. During the more active years of his life he found time to attend to certain public duties and for about twenty years he served as town clerk-sixteen years in succession; and the affairs of the town were never better administered. He was continuously elected as corporation treasurer and his accounts were kept in such a uniform manner that he could at once state the exact condition of the funds in his hands when requested to do so. For a time he also acted as secretary and treasurer for the George Sweet Manufacturing Company and in these various duties he was painstaking, exact and scrupulously honest.
While living in Rochester he joined the Union Grays in 1841, the famous military company at that time, and in later years he frequently attended the annual reunions held in that city. He was also a member of a fire company there. After he came to Dansville he organized, in 1848, the company known as the Canaseraga Light Infantry, which he commanded for twelve years as Captain Grant. His title of colonel was earned during the Rebellion when he assisted in organizing the examining board at Elmira, and of which he was a member until the board ceased to act. While thus engaged he was proffered the command of two regiments but declined both offers. He was one of the best of drillmasters, his short, sharp words of command inciting the men to strict attention and quick response. Under his command the Canaseragas became the most efficient body of men in the state, winning prizes whenever and wherever it competed with other companies, and their reputation was not limited to the confines of New York but extended as far as the seaboard and to the far west. This organization was composed of the best men of Dansville and its annual ball in January was the social event of the year. The company remained in existence until the War of the Rebellion broke out, when it was disbanded and a large propor- tion of the members at once enlisted in the army in one branch of the service or another, and without single exception they rose to a command from that of captain to colonel. The instruction imparted to them by Colonel Grant was the sure means of pushing them to the top. During the time that the One Hundred and Thirty- sixth Regiment of New York Volunteers and the One Hundred and Thirtieth Regi-
COLONEL TIMOTHY B. GRANT
334
THE GENESEE COUNTRY
elected police justice. For eight years he was transfer tax attorney in Livingston and Steuben counties. During the World war Mr. O'Connor was chairman of the com- mittee in the last three Liberty Loan drives in Geneseo.
ROBERT MEREDITH SEARLE.
Robert Meredith Searle, president of the Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation, was born at Peekskill, Westchester county, New York, March 3, 1869, his parents being Zetus S. and Rebecca B. (Martin) Searle. He acquired a common school edu- cation in New York city, and in 1884, through adverse circumstances, was thrown as a lad of fourteen upon his own resources, beginning his business career as office boy in the service of Thomas A. Edison.
Mr. Searle was next employed by the United Gas Improvement Company of Philadelphia as a boiler fireman and gas maker and had direct charge of a number of its plants as superintendent and engineer. From there he went to the Consolidated Gas Company of New York as foreman of the then large works at Forty-fourth street and North River. From there he returned to the United Gas Improvement Company as superintendent of different plants. He next went to the Westchester Lighting Company, Mount Vernon, New York, as gas engineer.
In 1906 the Andrews-Vanderbilt Syndicate, recognizing the ability of Mr. Searle as a thoroughly competent executive, appointed him general manager of the Roches- ter Railway & Light Company, the former name of the Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation, from which position he has successfully advanced through the office of vice president to that of president.
On the 15th of April, 1890, Mr. Searle was united in marriage to Miss Genevieve Welch, daughter of Ralph and Nancy (Jessup) Welch. Mr. Searle has been almost continuously retained in a consulting capacity by many of the country's largest public utilities and is called upon with increasing frequency to talk before various organiza- tions on subjects of vital interest to the industry. He has at all times been extremely active in civic affairs and served as president of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce in 1913.
Mr. Searle is not only a skilled engineer but is well versed in the art of finance and is an able and ingenious organizer and a loyal, progressive and public-spirited citizen. He has membership in the following clubs and organizations: Aero Club of Rochester, Auto Club of Rochester, Genesee Valley Club, Rochester Ad Club, The Rochester Association, Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Club, Rochester Engineering Society, and the Society of the Genesee; the American Gas Association, American Institute of Electrical Engineers, Illuminating Engineering Society, Na- tional Association of Owners of Railroad Securities, National Electric Light Associa- tion, New York State Waterways Association, Society of Gas Lighting, Society of Industrial Engineers, Water Power League of America, and the Empire State Gas & Electric Association. He is a trustee of the Security Trust Company of Rochester.
ALMOND JENNINGS WARREN.
Almond Jennings Warren is the founder of the firm of A. J. Warren & Son, wholesale produce merchants of Rochester, one of the leading commercial houses of the city. His official position with the firm is that of president and treasurer. The business is not so very old; it was organized in 1914, but it quickly gained recognition in the market and has enjoyed a remarkably steady and healthy development. This success is due chiefly to Mr. Warren's ability as a business man and to his untiring efforts to build up a reliable and profitable clientele. He was born in Webster, Mon- roe county, New York, on the 11th of November, 1881, the son of Stephen A. and Fannie C. (Jennings) Warren, both of whom were natives of the Empire state. The father makes his home in Irondequoit, New York, where he has been engaged in mar- ket gardening since 1882. The mother has passed away. Three of their four chil- dren are living: Almond Jennings of this review; his two sisters, Mrs. Gertrude De Smit and Mrs. Grace E. Babcock, both of Irondequoit.
As Almond Jennings Warren was less than a year old when the family moved from Webster to Irondequoit, it was in the latter place that his boyhood was spent. His first lessons were learned in the schoolhouse of that place, but later he came to Rochester
ALMOND J. WARREN
17-Vol. III
337
THE GENESEE COUNTRY
to school, becoming a pupil in school No. 10 and the Rochester Free Academy. He took a three-year course in the academy and rounded out his education by taking a commercial course in the Rochester Business Institute, from which he duly graduated. After leaving school he was associated with his father in the truck garden business until 1914, when he ventured into the commercial world on his own account. Begin- ning in a small way on the Ridge Road, Irondequoit, he started shipping produce to the eastern markets and ere long found himself in possession of a thriving whole- sale business. By 1916 his business had grown to such proportions that he was forced to come to Rochester, where he could have better rail connections. At that time the Warren & Smallridge Company was formed, but subsequently Mr. Warren purchased his partners' interest in the firm and changed the name to A. J. Warren & Company. In 1923, when he took his son Kenneth into the business, the name was again changed, becoming A. J. Warren & Son, wholesale produce merchants and shippers of garden produce, located at Public Market, Rochester, New York.
Mr. Warren was married to Miss Ora May, in Rochester, on January 28, 1902. Mrs. Warren is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. May of Rochester. The Warrens have two sons: Kenneth S., born in Rochester, December 6, 1903, who is a graduate of the East high school and is now associated with his father in business; and Wesley C. Warren, born in Irondequoit, August 24, 1905, now a student in the East high school.
Mr. Warren has been very active in those organizations whose purpose is the advancement of the community along commercial and civic lines, belonging to the Rochester . Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club and the Rochester Rotary Club. Along the line of his business he is a member of the Monroe County Market Gardeners Association; the Rochester Branch of the National League of Commission Merchants Association; and Flower City Council, Commercial Travelers. He is a charter member of the United Congregational church of Irondequoit, and has been superintendent of the Sunday School since 1922. He is also a member of the Masonic Order, being a charter member of Fame Lodge, of which he is past master; and belongs to Rochester Consistory and Damascus Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a past master of Irondequoit Grange, No. 849. His residence is on Ridge road, Ironde- quoit, where he also owns a truck farm.
FRED T. LOOMIS.
Fred T. Loomis has earned the right to classification with Elmira's leading photographers and owes his success to a life of intelligently directed industry and unswerving allegiance to a high standard of commercial ethics. He was born in Rush- ville, Yates county, New York, January 2, 1883, and is a son of Edgar C. and Harriet (Thompson) Loomis, residents of this city. The mother is a native of Burdett, New York, and the father was born in Taughannock Falls, this state. They were married in Burdett and Mr. Loomis became a commercial traveler, acting in that capacity for a number of years. Mrs. Loomis is a member of the First Presbyterian church and he is a republican in his political views. Mr. and Mrs. Loomis are the parents of two sons: Fred T., of this review; and Karl R., manager at Morristown, New Jersey, for the Hupmobile Company.
Fred T. Loomis received his education in the Free Academy of Elmira. During his boyhood his first work was selling newspapers. For three years he was a clerk in the M. R. Roll paint store and then secured a position in the studio of A. Mc- Farlin, in whose service he remained for seven and a half years, gaining a practical knowledge of photography during that period. In May, 1912, he established a business of his own in the Huelett building and has remained at this address .. He does por- trait work and also engages in commercial photography. He has an attractive studio, equipped with modern appliances, and his work displays the latest improvements in photography. He combines artistic skill with executive ability and each year has. witnessed a decided increase in his business, which has now assumed large pro- portions.
On March 25, 1914, Mr. Loomis was married to Miss Edyth Ferguson, a daughter . of Clarence W. Ferguson, who was one of the pioneer business men of Elmira. Mr. and Mrs. Loomis have two children: Betty F. and Frederick F. Mr. and Mrs. Loomis. are members of the First Presbyterian church and he is a prominent Kiwanian. He . is president and a charter member of the local club and for four years was district secretary of the Kiwanis Clubs of the state. He is much interested in the Boy Scouts.
338
THE GENESEE COUNTRY
of America and is a member of the committee on service and organization. He is identified with the Masonic order, belonging to Jesse L. Cooley Lodge, No. 966, F. & A. M., and works systematically and effectively for the upbuilding of his city as a member of the Elmira Chamber of Commerce and the Business Men's Association.
EDGAR HAMILTON BABCOCK.
For nearly four decades an active business man on his own account at Avon, Livingston county, and for several years longer a valued and esteemed citizen of the village, the memory of Edgar Hamilton Babcock is enshrined in the hearts of his fellow citizens, for his useful and well spent life was resultant of much good. He was born on April 23, 1845, at West Winfield, Herkimer county, New York, being one of two sons born to Clark and Mary (Merchant) Babcock. The elder brother of Edgar H. was Benjamin M. Babcock, a farmer who resided in Steuben county. Clark Babcock, the father, who was a blacksmith by trade, removed to Merchantville, now Thurston, Steuben county, New York, when Edgar was a small boy. The town was named in honor of Edwin Merchant, an uncle of Mr. Babcock of this review.
Edgar Hamilton Babcock received only a district school education and began hard work as soon as he was able. He entered the employ of Alva Carpenter, a large lumber dealer of Merchantville, and was engaged in logging work at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He offered his services to the Union, but was rejected on account of his youth, being but seventeen years of age. In September, 1864, he again volunteered and enlisted for a period of three years, or until the close of the war, serving as a private in the One Hundred and Eighty-ninth New York Infantry until the cessation of hostilities between the north and the south in the spring of 1865. He then returned to Merchantville and reentered the service of Mr. Carpenter, proving himslf so valuable and capable that after his employer had established a lumberyard at Avon he selected Mr. Babcock to take charge of it, on April 1, 1873. The venture proved so successful that one year later Mr. Carpenter decided to become a resident of Avon. Mr. Babcock continued in his employ for about another year, when he determined to enter businss on his own account. He had carefully saved his earnings which had provided sufficient capital to purchase the retail coal yard of John Tompkins at Avon and thus started on his successful business career. Under his able management and correct business practices the enterprise prospered from the beginning and later a line of building supplies was added. The latter branch, like his coal business, was developed to large proportions. Mr. Babcock continued his activities at the same location with marked success for thirty-eight years, or until June, 1914, when on account of failing health he disposed of his interests to Henry Leighton, the present owner.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.