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 73
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In November, 1892, Mr. Stewart was united in marriage to Miss Frances Wheeler, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Amos Wheeler, members of one of the old and prominent families of Rochester. Mr. Stewart is a prominent member of the Builders Exchange of Rochester and also belongs to the Yacht Club of St. Petersburg, Florida, where for a number of years he has been spending his winters. He is widely and favorably known in Rochester and is numbered among those progressive men who have taken a leading part in promulgating the city's power and greatness. Mr. Stewart's residence is at No. 695 Seneca Parkway.
HEMAN WRIGHT MORRIS.
Heman Wright Morris, a prominent and successful member of the Rochester bar through the past forty-eight years, is now engaged in practice with his son, George William, as a member of the firm of Morris & Morris. His birth occurred at Conesus, Livingston county, New York, on the 3d of March, 1854, his parents being William Chandler and Sarah (Washburn) Morris, both of whom spent their lives in the Em- pire state. The father devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits in Liv- ingston county throughout his active business career and was widely known as a sub- stantial and esteemed citizen of the Genesee country.
Heman Wright Morris was reared amid the usual environment and conditions of agricultural life and was provided with excellent educational privileges. After attending the country and district schools of his native county he became a student in Genesee College of Lima, New York, and later entered Syracuse University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1872, receiving the degree of Master of Science from his Alma Mater in 1875. He served as an instruc- tor for one year in Gouverneur Academy in St. Lawrence county, New York, and in 1873 he came to Rochester, where he entered the law office of the firm of Cogswell & Perkins as a clerk. At the same time he began studying law and after he had largely mastered the principles of jurisprudence he was admitted to the bar in October, 1876. He remained with the firm, however, until July, 1877, when he began practice on his own account, his previous experience and training having well qualified him for the work. He was a member of the firm of Sullivan & Morris from 1881 until 1890, when a reorganization in the firm led to the adoption of the title of Morris, Sul- livan & Jerome, which relation was continued until 1894. Mr. Morris subsequently practiced independently until joined by his son, George William, in the present firm of Morris & Morris. He is accorded an extensive and lucrative clientage of dis-
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tinctively representative character and has long enjoyed an enviable reputation in the ranks of the legal profession in Rochester. A contemporary biographer said of him: "His industry and perseverance are strong elements in his professional advancement and he makes a thorough study of his cause before he enters the courtroom, so that he is able to present his client's interests in the best possible light". His high standing in professional circles is indicated in the fact that he was chosen president of the Rochester Bar Association in 1914. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Morris is a director of the Col- umbia Banking & Loan Association, and a trustee of the Canton Theological School of St. Lawrence county, New York.
On the 31st of May, 1883, in Rochester, Mr. Morris was united in marriage to Miss Emma Hobart Perkins, daughter of John Henry Hobart Perkins, who was en- gaged in mercantile business in New York city. She passed away in March, 1921, leaving two sons: Edward Ernest, who was born in Rochester in 1884, is a graduate of the University of Rochester and is now engaged in the bond brokerage business in this city; and George William, whose birth occurred in Rochester in 1887 and who is a graduate of the University of Rochester and the Columbia Law School. The latter is engaged in law practice with his father. During the period of the World war he spent eight months as a private in the United States army and was sent overseas.
In club circles Mr. Morris is well known as a member of the Genesee Valley Club, the Kent Club of Rochester and the University Club of Rochester. He also belongs to the Rochester Historical Society. His course has been an upright and honorable one in every relation of life, so that he well merits the esteem and confidence accorded him. His residence is at No. 205 Barrington street, Rochester, New York.
GEORGE GARDINER REYNOLDS.
George G. Reynolds was born in Elmira, New York, October 7, 1875, the second son of Gardiner G. and Lucy (Pratt) Reynolds. He has four brothers: Frederick P., Charles R., Robert and Royal. For a number of years his father was engaged in the wholesale tea and coffee business in Elmira. His mother was the daughter of Ran- som Pratt, a woolen cloth manufacturer of Elmira.
George G. Reynolds graduated from the grammar schools and the Elmira Free Academy, In 1898 he graduated with the degree of LL. B. from the Cornell Uni- versity College of Law. For ten years after being admitted to the bar he was asso- ciated with the well known Elmira law firm of Reynolds, Stanchfield & Collin. Since that time he has successfully practiced law alone in Elmira, with offices in the Rob- inson building.
In 1903 Mr. Reynolds organized and has since developed the Consumers Gas Company, supplying gas to Watkins and Montour Falls, New York. Since its or- ganization Mr. Reynolds has been president and the principal stockholder of this company.
On June 15, 1905, Mr. Reynolds was married to Miss Katherine D. Hall, daugh- ter of Samuel J. Hall of Elmira. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds have one son, Ransom Reynolds, who was born September 17, 1910. They are members of the Trinity Epis- copal church of Elmira and are prominent in the city's social and civic affairs. Mr. Reynolds is a member of the City Club, the Country Club, the Masonic order, and is past exalted ruler of the Elmira Lodge of Elks. In 1911 Mr. Reynolds was the can- didate of the republican party for mayor of the city of Elmira. Mr. and Mrs. Reyn- olds reside at the corner of Hoffman and Fifth streets, in one of Elmira's most at- tractive homes.
FRANKLIN MILES.
At an early period in the development of Rochester the Miles family, of which Franklin Miles was a representative, was founded in this city and for many years he figured in its industrial activity, one of the strongest and most influential firms being that of W. E. & F. Miles, manufacturers of sash, doors and blinds. Born in Bloomfield in 1832, he was a son of William and Catharine (Emmert) Miles, who at an early day in the development of western New York settled at Victor. Later they removed to Mary and, establishing their home at the birth place of the father. Frank-
Franklin Miles
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lin Miles attended school while spending his boyhood days under the parental roof and at the age of eighteen years came to Rochester, where he entered business in con- nection with contracting and building. He was thus associated with the substantial improvement and development of the city and later he became identified with his brother, William E. Miles, in the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds, under the firm style of W. E. & F. Miles. This relationship was continued until 1899 and was characterized by a continued growth in business, resulting from the high standards that were ever maintained in correct materials used, in the methods of manufacture and in service to the public. The firm met competition in a rivalry of merit rather than in a war of prices and paid to the high grade of workmen employed a legitimate share of the profits which their talents brought to the business. The relations of the house with other business houses were ever above reproach and measured fully up to the standards of honorable dealing. Franklin Miles continued an active factor in the management and control of this profitable industry until 1899, when he disposed of his interest, after which he enjoyed merited ease in a well earned rest up to the time of his death, which occurred August 2, 1907.
In 1854 Mr. Miles was married to Miss Sarah Fay, who died in 1871, and in 1876 he married Miss Agnes E. Crowner, of Rochester, who now resides at 43 Vick Park A., the residence being completed by Mr. Miles, in 1884. Soon after the out- break of the Civil war he enlisted in the Thirty-third New York Volunteer Infantry and when his term of service expired joined the Forty-ninth New York Regiment, re- maining in the army until hostilities ceased. In politics he was independent and without desire for political preferment. He became prominent and prosperous in business life. He was a man of domestic tastes, quiet and unassuming in manner but the genuine worth of his character gained for him the trust and respect of those with whom he was associated.
WILLIAM T. SHANAHAN, M. D.
Dr. William T. Shanahan, medical director and superintendent of Craig Colony for Epileptics, at Sonyea, in Livingston county, has held these responsible offices for the past twenty-three years and his long retention therein is proof of his ability and fidelity to the trust reposed in him. He was born in Syracuse, New York, May 14, 1878, and is a son of James T. and Johanna (McDermott) Shanahan, both of whom are living. He attended the public schools and received his professional training in Syracuse University, which in 1898 conferred upon him the M. D. degree. For a year he acted as an interne in a general hospital, and on February 11, 1901, was ap- pointed to the medical staff at Craig Colony and in October, 1908, was made superin- tendent, for which position his highly specialized knowledge of epilepsy and kindred diseases well qualifies him. Over sixteen hundred patients are under the care of Dr. Shanahan and in their treatment he has met with pronounced success. He is also a capable executive and his services have been of inestimable value to the state.
On September 16, 1903, Dr. Shanahan was married to Miss Mabel Fox, a native of Ireland and formerly a resident of New York city. Eight children were born to them, but Anna, the sixth in the family, is deceased. The others are: Margaret, Catherine, James, Mary, William T., Jr., Gertrude and Daniel. Dr. Shanahan is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, the Association for the Care of the Feeble-Minded, the National Association for the Study of Epilepsy, the Livingston County and New York State Medical Societies, and the American Medical Associa- tion. He also belongs to Alpha Omego Alpha and Alpha Kappa Kappa medical fra- ternities. He is a Knight of Columbus and casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. His professional attainments are of the first order and the worth of his work is widely acknowledged.
WILLIAM JOHN HINCHEY.
The editor and proprietor of the Medina Daily Journal, published in Medina, Or- leans county, is an active newspaper man of many years' experience who has not only built up a successful enterprise but has served his community well and faithfully, sup- porting the best movements and causes and working for the betterment of Medina and the surrounding territory. He is William John Hinchey, who with Alonzo Lewis
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Waters operates this daily paper and also a weekly, the Medina Register, as well as a flourishing job printing plant.
William John Hinchey was born February 8, 1869, at Middleport, New York, the son of Ferdinand and Emeline (Horsfall) Hinchey. His father came to this country from Germany when a child and throughout the remainder of his life made his home in Middleport, New York, where he conducted a general merchandise business and also served as postmaster for several terms. He departed this life on the 23d of De- cember, 1899.
In the acquirement of an education William John Hinchey attended the public schools of Middleport, then the Clinton Liberal Institute at Fort Plain, New York, and subsequently St. Lawrence University of Canton, this state, from which institu- tion he was graduated in 1891. After completing his education he taught school in this district for two years and in 1893 decided upon a journalistic career, becoming the proprietor and editor of the Middleport Herald. For a period of twenty years he thus served the people of that community, building up the Herald into a splendid news- paper, and then seeking a larger field, bought the Medina Daily Journal in 1913 and disposed of the Herald. The Journal, which was established in 1903, is the only daily in Orleans county. It has a circulation of over twenty-five hundred and is a repub- lican organ. Since Mr. Hinchey has taken it over, it has become a strong force in the community and his ability as an editor and publisher is widely recognized. The Medina Register, a weekly with seventeen hundred subscribers, was purchased by the Journal in 1920. It is a democratic paper and has been in existence since 1876.
In 1894 Mr. Hinchey was married to Miss Laura Hammond, daughter of Andrew J. and Martha Hammond of Middleport. Mr. Hinchey gives his political allegiance to the republican party, while his religious faith is that of the Christian Science church. His aid and influence are ever given on the side of progress, reform and improvement, and he has long enjoyed an enviable reputation as one of the successful and wide-awake journalists of the Genesee country.
ERNEST TOWNSEND.
As head of the firm of Ernest Townsend & Son, of Le Roy, Ernest Townsend operates one of the most extensive insurance agencies in western New York, while among other business interests which claim his attention is the enterprise conducted as the Townsend Oil Company. He was born in Pavilion, Genesee county, on the 3d of February, 1863, his parents being Elbert and Emily (Olmsted) Townsend. The father, who spent practically his entire life in the Genesee country, became widely known as a breeder of high-grade stock, shipping his merino sheep to all parts of the world. During the years 1873 and 1874 he represented the county of Genesee in the state assembly.
In his youth Ernest Townsend was a student at the old Le Roy Academy. Prior to taking up his permanent abode in Le Roy, as a young man of thirty-one years, he was identified with his father and his brother, Horace E. Townsend, in raising thoroughbred stock. In this connection he traveled extensively, visiting Australia, England and other foreign countries, and made a trip around the world before he had attained his majority. In 1894 Mr. Townsend removed to Le Roy and engaged in the meat business, successfully conducting a market for ten years, during the earlier portion of which period he was in partnership with Abraham Van Valkenburg. In 1904 Mr. Townsend turned his attention to the insurance field, and in 1906 he added to his growing interests the large business of the E. M. Harmon agency, the oldest insurance agency in Le Roy. Six years thereafter, in 1912, Mr. Townsend took his son, Elbert J. Townsend, into partnership with him, and at the present time they are operating one of the largest insurance agencies in this part of the state, covering a wide territory. The handling of automobiles became an added feature of the busi- ness in 1910, Ernest Townsend & Son becoming local representatives for the Ford, Overland and Chalmers cars, but this branch of their business was disposed of in 1922. Ernest Townsend is also active in the management of the Townsend Oil Com- pany, a concern which buys oil and gas by the carload and distributes the same to the farmers of western New York. The Townsend Oil Company owns and operates "The Grove", a free tourist camping ground at Le Roy, where motorists may find open fireplaces, benches and tables, a pavilion, lunch counter and tea-room and also a service station with visible pumps where Pennzoil straight run gasoline is sold. Continuing its public-spirited and progressive business policy, in 1924 the Townsend
ERNEST TOWNSEND
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Oil Company established a free parking space with room for one hundred cars, also a ladies rest room, on Bank street, near Main, in the business section of Le Roy.
In October, 1888, in Le Roy, New York, Mr. Townsend was united in marriage to Effie V. Van Valkenburgh, daughter of John H. and Mary P. (Heddon) Van Valken- burgh. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend are the parents of two children, namely: Elbert J., a partner of his father in the insurance business and also associated with him in the conduct of the Townsend Oil Company, who married Charlotte Keeney of Le Roy, and their two children are, Elinor and Theodore; and Charlotte M., who is the wife of Herman M. Jones and resides in Norfolk, Virginia, and they have a daughter, Phyllis Ann.
The religious faith of Mr. Townsend is indicated by his membership in the First Baptist church of Le Roy, while fraternally he is identified with Le Roy Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is also a member of the Oatka Hose Company. Mr. Townsend has always been republican in politics, and when the new village charter went into effect in 1897, he was elected trustee for one year. He was reelected the following year for a term of two years, and declined a renomination for a third term. After an intermission of one year Mr. Townsend was persuaded again to accept the nomination for trustee. He was elected and reelected for four successive terms of two years each, making a total of thirteen years of service on the board, when he declined further renomination. In 1906 Mr. Townsend was elected town clerk of the town of Le Roy, which office he filled for six years, or until he went to Seattle on account of the health of his daughter. The following is an excerpt from an article which appeared in the Le Roy Gazette under date of March 18, 1914: "The republican village caucus, held last evening for the purpose of placing in nomination a ticket to be supported at the charter election on Tuesday, April 7th, was called to order by Clarence Bryant, of the village com- mittee. *
* Ernest Townsend, the man named for village president, possesses unusual qualifications for the office, and it is doubtful if a stronger candidate could
* have been selected. * * In addition to his long service and experience in both village and town affairs, and his successful business career, Mr. Townsend brings to the position for which he has been nominated the reputation of a four-square man who has in the past unqualifiedly stood for what he considered right, even at the sacrifice of personal friendships. He is a man of dignity and pleasing personality, and if elected he will bring to the office of village president every qualification for a clean, businesslike and successful administration." Mr. Townsend was elected mayor of Le Roy in 1914 and reelected in 1915. In January, 1925, he was appointed super- visor of Le Roy.
FREDERICK ELLIOTT CONVERSE.
Frederick Elliott Converse, senior member of the law firm of Converse & Converse, one of the leading legal firms of Palmyra, is one of the oldest practicing attorneys in the city, as regards the length of time he has been following his profession. His career as a lawyer began nearly forty years ago, when as a young man fresh from law school he entered into a partnership with Major Murganzy Hopkins which con- tinued until 1910. From that time to the present his practice has continued un- interrupted. Born in Farmington, Ontario county, New York, on the 3d of Novem- ber, 1860, he is the son of Joseph Converse, a native of the Empire state and a farmer by occupation. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Louisa M. Reynolds, is still living, at the venerable age of ninety. She was born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, New York, and was married in Farmington. The subject of this review is the youngest of the three children born to this union, two sons and a daughter. His sister, Anna Louise Taskett, passed away in Florida in 1886, at the untimely age of thirty.
Frederick Elliott Converse was educated in the Palmyra Classical Union School and the Albany Law School, graduating from the latter with the Bachelor of Laws degree in the class of 1885. That same year he entered upon the active practice of his chosen profession by forming a partnership with Major Hopkins, a relationship which endured with mutual benefit and profits until 1910, when Major Hopkins retired. For the following seven years Mr. Converse carried on the burden of a large and important legal practice alone. In 1917 he took into partnership his son, W. Ray Converse, under the firm name of Converse & Converse. The practice, which is one of the largest in Palmyra, has brought Mr. Converse into contact with many important
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pieces of litigation and has given him wide opportunity to display his many abilities as a lawyer and business man. Among his clients are many of the most influential and substantial citizens and firms of this vicinity and Wayne county.
In a biographical notice of this character it is fitting that the public services of a man such as Mr. Converse should be noted. During the troubled days of the great World war he served as a member of the exemption board and the legal advisory board for this county, giving freely of his time and legal skill to the prosecution of this important phase of the war work. As one of the Four-Minute men he made many speeches in behalf of the different loans and war drives in Wayne county, and he also served as treasurer of the war relief committee of the Red Cross Auxiliary. For thirty years he has been a member and secretary of the Palmyra board of educa- tion, faithfully and ably performing his not inconsiderable duties in this connection all these years because he has felt it to be one of the first duties of a citizen to see that the youth of the community were well fitted for life. His political affiliations are with the democratic party, but he has never sought the honors of public office outside of his home city, where office-holding has appeared to him a simple matter of civic duty. Mr. Converse has the type of local pride that makes one seek to preserve the tradi- tions and ideals of the outstanding men of former generations. In this connection he helped to organize the Palmyra Historical Society, of which he is now the vice president, and is cooperating with its members in striving to keep alive the memories of people and events that will serve as a standard and inspiration to the present and future generations. He is an active member of the Baptist church, in which he has sung in the choir for thirty years and is now acting as one of its board of trustees. Fraternally Mr. Converse is identified with the Masonic order and belongs to the blue lodge in this city.
In Palmyra, on the 28th of November, 1888, Mr. Converse was united in marriage to Miss Florence L. Vail, the daughter of James H. Vail of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Converse have three children: W. Ray, who is the junior partner in his father's law firm; Frederick James, an instructor in electrical engineering at the Southern Cali- fornia Institute of Technology at Pasadena, California; and Eloise, wife of Harold I. Davis, a farmer of Pembroke, New Hampshire.
J. HARRY SAGER.
J. Harry Sager, a well known citizen and business man of Rochester, is at the head of the J. H. Sager Company, which he incorporated in 1905 for the wholesaling and retailing of automobile specialties of his own invention and manufacture. He was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, on the 4th of August, 1859, his parents being James F. and Sarah H. (Jones) Sager, who were also natives of that country. The father, who was born in 1836, devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and is now living retired at the ripe old age of eighty-nine years. The mother departed this life in Rochester, New York, in the year 1904. Their family numbered nine children, two of whom are deceased. Those who still survive are: J. Harry, the eldest; Mrs. Lillian Brooker, a resident of Cleve- land, Ohio; Charles, who makes his home in Syracuse, New York; William, living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dr. Albert E., a practicing dentist of Rochester; Fred, a resident of Winnipeg, Canada; and Mrs. Edward Lynn, living in Rochester.
In his youth J. Harry Sager attended school in Canada. Following the completion of a course in the Ontario Business College of Belleville he learned the trade of cabinetmaking. After finishing his apprenticeship he came to Rochester and entered the employ of the Hayden Furniture Company, a manufacturing concern in whose service he began experimenting on mechanical devices. His first invention was a "baby seat" for a bicycle, the manufacture of which he began immediately after securing his patent papers. In the meantime he was working on other devices with the result that he next produced a patent bicycle seat, which became known over the world as the Sager saddle and which, like the "baby seat", was widely sold. Other patents followed in rapid succession. None, however, had a larger sale than the "cushion fork" for motorcycles, which was sold on a royalty basis to the Harley- Davidson Motorcycle Company. Mr. Sager then invented a bumper and a fender guard for automobiles and since then has produced many patent devices for auto- mobiles and motor vehicles, as well as other useful patents, all of which he is now manufacturing. He already has more than one hundred patents to his credit. The J. H. Sager Company, of which Mr. Sager is president, was incorporated in 1905,
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