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 50
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Ralph Thrall Olcott was reared in a home of culture and refinement and attended the public schools of Rochester and the East Aurora Academy, afterward becoming a student at the University of Rochester, of the class of 1887. He then became connected with the editorial staff of the Rochester Herald and later of the Rochester Post Express serving as an editor of that paper twenty years. He eventually decided to enter the publishing field on his own account, founding the American Fruits, Ameri- can Nurseryman and the American Nut Journal, published by the American Fruits Publishing Company, of which he is president, treasurer and manager. He is editor of these journals, which have a large circulation among horticulturists in various sec- tions of the country, and has made them publications of great value.
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On June 1, 1887, in Manchester, New Hampshire, Mr. Olcott was married to Miss Grace Emma Reynolds, a daughter of George V. Reynolds. Mr. and Mrs. Olcott have three sons, of whom Gerard K. is the oldest. He was born December 21, 1890, and was married to Miss Marie Gepp; Ralph T. Olcott, Jr., was born May 11, 1895, and was married to Miss Verna Lowry. During the World war he joined the aviation department of the United States navy and was sent to the Great Lakes Training Station; Stark Reynolds Olcott was born May 3, 1899, and was married to Miss Elsie Striker of Rochester, by whom he has a son, Ralph T. Olcott (II). He also enlisted in the United States navy and was stationed at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Mr. Olcott is a Knights Templar Mason and has taken the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite. He is a member of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and Alpha Delta Phi, a fraternity of the University of Rochester. He is also connected with the Northern Nut Growers Association, the National Pecan Growers Association and the American Association of Nurserymen. Mr. Olcott has won success through the medium of his own efforts and the spirit of progress has ever actuated him throughout the years of his connection with journalism. He has always been actuated by a strong desire to serve his community and has written many articles which have led to the accomplishment of valuable results.
MILO L. CLEVELAND.
Brockport is indebted to members of the Cleveland family for her promotion, progress and development in many ways and throughout his life Milo L. Cleveland has ever manifested a spirit of helpfulness and devotion to the general good. He is an able executive and has won success as an engineering contractor, being presi- dent and treasurer of Cleveland & Sons Company, one of the large firms of its kind in the Empire state.
His father, Merritt A. Cleveland, was one of the foremost business men of Brock- port. He was a native of East Hounsfield, Jefferson county, New York, and a son of Philander and Mercy (Richardson) Cleveland, the former a representative of one of the pioneer families of the Black River valley. He attended public and private schools of East Hounsfield, Brownville and Dexter and completed his education in the Water- town high school. In 1870 he entered the engineering department of the Carthage, Watertown & Sacket Harbor Railroad Company and later was appointed division engineer of the Lake Ontario Shore Railroad. In 1873 he had charge of the con- struction of the Kingston & Pembroke Railroad in Canada and in the following year, as a member of the firm of Hunter & Cleveland, completed the Lake Shore Railroad. In 1877 the firm style was changed to that of Hunter, Murray & Cleveland and they were awarded the contract for the construction of the locks and works at Port Colborne, Welland, Port Dalhousie and other points along the route of the Welland canal. They also built a portion of the Murray canal, connecting the Bay of Quinte with Lake Ontario, and engaged in deepening and improving many of the harbors along the lakes. In 1883-4 they built the Pittsburgh, Cleveland & Toledo Railroad in Pennsylvania and Ohio and the road is now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio system. In 1888 the Dominion government awarded them the contract to build the Gallops canal around the Gallops Rapids and one of the outstanding achievements of the firm was the making of the St. Lawrence river navigable for large vessels. They had few equals and no superiors in their line of work and their labors were a power in constructive development and evolution. Mr. Cleveland was a man of exceptional business ability and enterprise and his integrity was never open to question. 1875 he was married to Miss Ellen E. Smith, a daughter of Oril Smith of Sodus,
In New York, and four children were born to them: Milo L., Helen, Harold and Florence.
Milo L. Cleveland was born at Port Colborne, Canada, and completed his educa- tion in Cornell University. The executive power and business acumen which dis- tinguished his father are qualities which he has inherited in full measure. His plans are well formulated and have their basis in sound judgment, broad vision, keen sagacity and a ready discrimination between the essential and unimportant elements of a situation. Mr. Cleveland is a vice president of the First National Bank of Brockport, one of the strong financial institutions of Monroe county, and has labored effectively to broaden its scope. In Kansas City, Missouri, on September 26, 1906, Mr. Cleveland was married to Miss Kathryn Callaway, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Redman Callaway of that city and a descendant of Daniel Boone, the noted frontiersman. Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland have become the parents of two children: Sibyl and Merritt.
Mile A. Cleveland
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The latter is a pupil in the public schools of Brockport and the former is attending a finishing school at "Montemare", of Lake Placid, New York, and Miami, Florida.
Mr. Cleveland has always stood for progress, reform and improvement in civic affairs and for some years was village trustee, rendering important public service in that connection. He belongs to the Monroe Lodge of Masons at Brockport and along social lines is connected with the Genesee Valley Club, the Rochester Riding Club, the Cornell Clubs of Rochester and New York, and the Genesee Valley Hunt Club, while for recreation he turns to tennis, hunting and riding, and in fact, most of the outdoor sports. Although his attention is centered upon his business affairs, his interest in other lines is sufficient to maintain an even balance in his life and in his activities. He is a strong and resourceful man, ready to meet any emergency with the poise and ability that result from a right conception of things and a true regard for the privileges of others.
DENTON D. ROBINSON.
While still studying for the legal profession and close to the time for his graduation, the World war embraced the United States in its grasp, Denton D. Robin- son, attorney, of Nunda, Livingston county, New York, abandoned his books for the service of his country. He enlisted on May 13, 1917, and was later assigned to the Three Hundred and Ninth Infantry, Seventy-eighth Division, in which he rose from the rank of second lieutenant to that of captain, was sent overseas, was gassed in the St. Mihiel sector, and was mustered out of the service on June 25, 1919. After his discharge Mr. Robinson returned to the United States and con- cluded his legal studies, returned to Nunda, and was admited to general practice in September, 1919. He is now engaged in practice in partnership with his father.
Denton D. Robinson was born on August 10, 1892, the son of Denton S. and Emily (Hunt) Robinson, sketches of whom are published elsewhere in this history. His early education was received in the grade and high schools, after which he at- tended Colgate University, at Hamilton, New York, from which institution he received the degree of A. B. and graduated in 1914, and then entered Columbia Uni- versity of New York city, and was a student in the law department until 1917.
Mr. Robinson was married on August 16, 1917, to Carrie M. Robinson, and the two children born to them are: Denton Hunt and Philip Ralph. Mr. Robinson belongs to the Theta Chi, Delta Sigma Rho and Phi Beta Kappa college fraternities, to the Masonic order and to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the New York State and American Bar Associations. In his political views he upholds the policies of the republican party, and in religion is a member of the Universalist church.
WENDELL JOSEPH CURTIS.
For more than a quarter of a century Wendell Joseph Curtis has exerted a strong influence in banking circles of Rochester and members of the family have contributed materially toward the upbuilding and improvement of the city, so that the name has become synonymous with business ability, enterprise and public spirit in this section of Monroe county. He was born in Rochester, April 22, 1863, and his parents, Joseph and Mary B. (Fish) Curtis, were also natives of the Empire state, the birth of the former occurring in Monroe county and that of the latter in Madison county. Joseph Curtis was the president, editor and founder of the Union Advertiser and was equally successful in the field of finance. He was long one of the trustees of the Monroe County Savings Bank, of which he became president, and was filling that office at the time of his demise in 1883. He stood high in banking and journalistic circles of Rochester and his death was deeply regretted by a large circle of friends, as well as by his immediate family. Mrs. Curtis passed away in 1872, and like her husband, was held in high esteem by all who knew her.
Wendell Joseph Curtis obtained his education in the public schools and the Rochester Free Academy, after which he entered his father's employ, starting as office boy. He worked his way through each department of the newspaper plant, mastering every detail of the business, and eventually became president of the Union Advertiser. He proved a worthy successor of his father, displaying keen discern-
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ment in the management of the business, and subsequently sold the paper, which is now operated under the name of the Times-Union. In 1898 Mr. Curtis had become a trustee of the Mechanics Savings Bank of Rochester and on May 1, 1920, was made secretary and treasurer of the institution, which he has since served in those capaci- ties. He is thoroughly conversant with the details of modern finance and his business associates defer to his judgment in matters of importance.
On the 19th of February, 1885, Mr. Curtis was united in marriage to Miss Mar- garet B. Roby, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney B. Roby, the former a prominent business man of Rochester. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis have four children: Wendell J. Curtis, Jr., who was born in 1888 and is engaged in business in this city, was mar- ried to Edith Mulligan of Rochester, and they have a daughter, Margaret Elizabeth; Catherine Curtis, who was born in 1893, married John P. Day, manager at Rochester for the National City Company, and they have two children, Margaret Helen and John Palmer Day, Jr .; Ruth Curtis, who was born in 1895 and became the wife of Theodore Briggs, and they have three children, Barbara, William H. Briggs (II), and Catherine Curtis Briggs; and Sidney Roby Curtis, who was born in 1902 and is now a junior at Yale University. All of the children are natives of this city.
Mr. Curtis is always ready to lend practical aid to any movement which com- mends itself to his judgment as one likely to advance the public welfare and is treasurer of the Rochester Community Chest, a trustee and director of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and vice president of the board of directors of the Industrial School. He is a member of the local Automobile and Ad Clubs, the Rochester Country Club and the Genesee Valley Club. He is allied with the democratic party and his religious views are indicated by his affiliation with the Unitarian church. Mr. Curtis is a man of many friends and his course has at all times marked him as a citizen of worth. Mr. Curtis' residence has been for nearly thirty years at No. 259 Culver road, and was the first dwelling erected on that thoroughfare between East avenue and the canal.
HORACE AVERY ABELL.
Horace Avery Abell, engineer of ways and structures for the New York State Rail- ways, has had long practical experience in public utility management, and is regarded as one of the able men in the country in this capacity. He was born in Schenectady, New York, September 21, 1883, and is a son of Walter W. and Katherine (Otten) Abell, the latter of whom also was born at Schenectady, a descendant from Robert Abell of Weymouth, Massachusetts, 1630, the emigrant ancestor. The Abell family is one of the old colonial families. The late Walter W. Abell, who died at his home in Sche- nectady, in September, 1904, was born in Esperance, Schoharie county, and was very well known in Schenectady and that section of the state as a teacher and composer of music. His widow resides in Schenectady. Their family consisted of two sons and a daughter: Horace Avery of this review; Bliss, now a resident of Esperance, New York; and Mrs. George W. Tilden of Schenectady.
Horace Avery Abell was reared in Schenectady and received his preliminary edu- cation in the public schools of that city, supplementing this by study under private tutors. He entered the employ of the General Electric Company in Schenectady, and was connected with the affairs of that great corporation until May, 1904. He was early attracted to the engineering profession and his first practical experience along that line was acquired in the employ of the engineering department of the Schenec- tady Railway Company. His service with this company was marked by continuous advancement, through various capacities, to the position of chief of field parts. He ably discharged the responsible duties devolving upon him in the last named capacity for two years, or until his promotion in May, 1911, to the position of assistant to the engineer of maintenance of way of that company, in charge of all field and office work, such as surveying, plans and specifications, track construction, bridge building, erec- tion of structures and the like. During this period of service Mr. Abell was "loaned" for a month to the Newport News and Old Point Railway & Light Company at Hamp- ton, Virginia, and in 1913 he was "loaned" to the United Traction Company of Albany for the purpose of making a complete survey of all that company's property and tracks. During this time he also revised that company's office system and installed a new system for the engineering department. On September 17, 1917, Mr. Abell was ad- vanced to the position of engineer of ways and structures for the Rochester Lines of the New York State Railways, with headquarters in Rochester. This assignment gives him charge of all bridge work and the two hundred and sixty buildings in the plant
HORACE A. ABELL
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, of these divisions of the New York State Railways, including also the maintenance reports and direction of construction work. Mr. Abell's advancements have come as the recognition of work well done and his capacity for assuming greater burdens and responsibilities.
On August 11, 1906, in Schenectady, Mr. Abell was united in marriage to Miss Rita Hunting, daughter of Charles A. and Ella (Knight) Hunting of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Abell have a daughter, Doris Hunting, born January 2, 1914. Mr. Abell is a Knights Templar Mason, has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and has also crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Rochester Club, the Civil Engineers and the Rochester Engineering Society. Mr. Abell's residence is at No. 966 Culver road.
HERBERT H. SHIPHERD.
Herbert H. Shipherd has long been well known in journalistic circles of Cat- taraugus county as proprietor of The Hub, a weekly paper which is published in Little Valley and of which his son, Walter H. Shipherd, is editor. Herbert H. Shipherd was born in Richmond Hill, Queens county, New York, on the 5th of September, 1864, his parents being Jacob R. and Elizabeth (Rowe) Shipherd, the former a minister of the Congregational church. His district school education was supplemented by a course of study in Chamberlain Institute of Randolph, Cattaraugus county, New York.
When but a lad of six years Herbert H. Shipherd already manifested a marked penchant for the printing business, for he owned a small printing press and began learning the trade. He did some job printing with the assistance of his parents. Mr. Shipherd first worked on a paper in Fredonia, Chautauqua county, this state, was subsequently employed in Buffalo for several years and later did job work in New York city. On account of impaired health he returned to Randolph, New York, where he spent one year. It was in 1905 that he came to Little Valley and went to work on the paper known as The Hub, the job department of which he afterward purchased. Later he took over the paper, of which he has remained the proprietor to the present time. This is a weekly journal consisting of eight six-column pages, all home print, and has a large local and national circulation. In connection with its publication Mr. Shipherd does all kinds of job work, his patronage coming not only from Little Valley but from all parts of Cattaraugus county. He belongs to the Grange and is also a zealous student in Masonry, being a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the fraternity and now holding the position of district deputy. Through the columns of his paper he has advocated many movements and measures looking toward community advancement and progress, and he has long been numbered among the valued, influential and highly esteemed residents of Little Valley.
About 1888 Mr. Shipherd was united in marriage to Miss Mary Bertha Archer of Randolph, New York, and they have a son, Walter H., who was born on the 17th of July, 1895, and who acquired his education in the schools of Randolph and Little Valley. He devoted his attention to farming pursuits in the vicinity of Conewango, Cattaraugus county, for a decade but since the 1st of February, 1924, his time has been occupied by his editorial duties in connection with the publication of The Hub. He wedded Miss Florence Milroy of Randolph and to them have been born three children: Mary Louise, Edith Estelle and Herbert Haven.
G. FORT SLOCUM.
G. Fort Slocum, one of the well known and highly respected attorneys of Rochester, has practiced in this city for a period of forty-two years and has also achieved success in other walks of life, being at the head of important business inter- ests. He was born in Scottsville, Monroe county, New York, March 2, 1856, and his parents, George E. and Lydia A. (Fort) Slocum, were natives of Onondaga county, this state. The father was a tinsmith and also dealt in stoves, building up a large business in Scottsville, where he resided for many years. He died in 1906 ,at the age of eighty-two, and the mother passed away in 1904, when seventy-four years of age. They had four children: Earl H., deceased; Le Roy M., who is still living in Scottsville; G. Fort, of this review; and Mors O., who has passed away.
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G. Fort Slocum obtained his early education in his native village and prepared for educational work in the Brockport Normal School, from which he was graduated in 1874. In 1878 the University of Rochester conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the same year he became principal of the high school and academy at Mount Morris. He was appointed school commissioner for the western district of Monroe county, and in 1881 became principal of the high school at Charlotte. While engaged in teaching he became a law student at Yale University and also gave a portion of his time to editorial work. He read law in the offices of Francis A. Macomber, later a justice of the supreme court, and J. Breck Perkins, a well known historian and congressman from this district. Mr. Slocum was ad- mitted to the bar January 1, 1882, and has since practiced in Rochester. In 1883 he was appointed assistant city attorney, acting in that capacity for a year, and during 1903 and 1904 served as deputy attorney-general of the state. He has a thorough knowledge of statute and precedent, prepares his cases with thoroughness, precision and skill, and in their presentation is logical and convincing. He has an extensive clientele and also serves as president of the Scottsville Sand & Gravel Company, which has profited by his legal experience and sound business judgment.
At Friendship, New York, on October 19, 1882, Mr. Slocum was married to Miss Mabel Hopper, a daughter of Alfred and Julia Hopper of Allegany county, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Slocum became the parents of four children: Raymond F., the only son, died in 1917, when a young man of twenty-four. He was born in Scottsville and was a graduate of Cornell University in the department of agriculture; Mary S. was born in Scottsville and was married to Christopher J. Sheil of Rochester, by whom she has four children, Ruth Agnes, Richard, Betty and Joseph; Isla is a native of Rochester and is now the wife of Paul Judson. They reside in Kinderhook, New York, and have four children, Eleanor, Lowell, Robert and Paul, Jr .; Ruth was born in Rochester and during the World war served as a dietitian in an army hospital in France. She is married to Edward M. Brennan and they have two daughters, Jane and Betsy.
Mr. Slocum is a member of the Rochester City and New York State Bar Associa- tions and also belongs to the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Throughout his life he has been a tireless worker and his success has been founded upon industry and ability. He is rated as one of the leading attorneys of Rochester and honors his profession by his adherence to the solid virtues and enlightened principles under- lying the law. His residence is at No. 58 Brighton street.
EDWIN PERRIN WILSON.
Edwin Perrin Wilson of the Hiram E. Wilson Company, Incorporated, florists in Rochester, successor to the old firm of Hiram E. Wilson & Sons, has been engaged in the floral business in Rochester all his active life, a business to which he literally "grew up", and is thus one of the best known florists in the state of New York, even as the firm with which he is connected is one of the oldest establishments of its kind in con- tinuous service in this state. He was born in the city of Rochester, April 30, 1869, and is a son of Hiram E. and Hester (Perrin) Wilson, both members of old families in this section of the state and both of whom are still living in Rochester, the former at the great age of eighty-five years and the latter at the age of ninety-one. Both the Wilsons and the Perrins are of old Massachusetts colonial families.
Hiram E. Wilson, who is still living in the house in which he was married, at No. 807 Avenue D, is a son of Edwin F. and Lucinda (Davis) Wilson. Edwin F. Wilson came from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to this section of New York in 1809, with his parents, Albert and Mabel (Bow) Wilson, who established themselves on a tract of two hundred acres in what is now a part of the city of Rochester, bounded by North street, Joseph avenue, Wilkins avenue, and thence north to Norton street. On that tract he erected a house and set up his home. With thoughtful care this old house has been preserved by the successive generations of the family and is now one of the priceless relics of early Rochester. The village which grew up around this Wilson settlement was known as Carthage and long since was absorbed by the expanding city of Rochester, but much of the original holdings of the pioneer Albert Wilson, now in a valuable section of the city, are still held in the family. The pioneer Wilson reared a family of five and his descendants in the present generation form a considerable con- nection hereabout. Hiram E. Wilson succeeded his father, Edwin F. Wilson, as a farmer on that Carthage tract and in 1884 established there the greenhouses which in
EDWIN P. WILSON
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the years since have been so largely developed, and started in as a general local florist. This business grew and as his sons came along, in accord with his plans they were admitted to cooperation with him in the conduct of the plant, which for years was thus carried on under the name of Hiram E. Wilson & Sons, and he continued active in business until his retirement some years ago, though still retaining an interest in the H. E. Wilson Company, Incorporated, the other members of which firm are, Edwin P. Wilson, Hiram W. Wilson and Ransford W. Wilson. This firm now has extensive florist establishments at No. 88 East Main street, at No. 835 Hudson avenue, at No. 807 Avenue D, and at No. 33 Franklin street.
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