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 IV > Part 11
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On June 1, 1904, Mr. Oviatt was married to Miss Helen Louise Moody, a daugh- ter of Charles Moody of Rochester. Mr. and Mrs. Oviatt have three children: Helen Jean, who was born in March, 1906; "Bud" who was born in April, 1917, and Betty Louise, born in 1919. All are natives of this city. Mr. Oviatt is a thirty-second degree Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is also identified with the Knights of Pythias, the Oak Hill Country Club, the Monroe Golf Club, the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Automobile Club of Rochester. Along the line of his profession he belongs to the Rochester City, New York State and American Bar As- sociations and he is also a member of Delta Psi fraternity. Mr. Oviatt has great respect for the dignity and responsibility of his calling and conforms his conduct to high standards in every relation of life. His residence is at No. 236 Barrington street.
FRANCIS VERNON FOSTER, M. D.
Medical skill and ability in practice are the natural endowments of Dr. Francis Vernon Foster of Caledonia, Livingston county, New York, inheriting both from his father, who for more than forty years was one of the most noted medical practitioners of the county. Francis Vernon Foster was born at Scottsburg, Livingston county, on June 11, 1869, son of Dr. David H. and Mary (Hazen) Foster, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father, who had a most extensive practice, maintained an office in Scottsburg from 1869 until 1914. He began practice at Oil City, Pennsylvania, in 1864, moved from there to Belmont, New York, and then to Scottsburg.
Francis Vernon Foster, who was one of five children in the family, gained his early education in the public schools of Scottsburg, after which he entered the New York Electric College, in New York city, from which he received the degree of M. D. and graduated in the class of 1892. He first practiced at Scottsburg, where he re- mained for four and one-half years, then was at Springwater, Livingston county,
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for nine years, and then moved to Caledonia, where for eighteen years he has been in continuous practice. Dr. Foster is a member of the Livingston County and New York State Allopathic Medical Societies and the New York State and the National Electric Societies. During the World war he served on the county medical advisory board, and is a member of the Volunteer Medical Service Corps.
Dr. Foster was married in 1895, to Ora M. Gamble of Groveland, Livingston county, who died in 1898. They had one son, Hazen, who is now traffic manager for the Kalman Steel Company, at Chicago, Illinois, and was formerly with the New York Central Railroad Company. During the World war Hazen Foster was an ensign at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and a senior code officer at Washington, D. C. Dr. Foster was married in 1900, to Nellie A. Snyder of Springwater, New York. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order being a member of Eunice Lodge, No. 830, F. & A. M.
ARTHUR C. SMITH, M. D.
Dr. Arthur C. Smith, one of the foremost members of the medical profession in Elmira, was born in Cohocton, New York, February 15, 1888, and is a son of Albert and Jennie (Conderman) Smith, the former also a native of that place and the latter of Steuben county, this state. They reside in Elimra and the father is a well known artist of the city. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity and belongs to the Grotto. He gives his political support to the candidates of the republican party and his religious views are in harmony with the tenets of the Baptist church. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, two of whom survive: Bertha, the wife of Clarence Hoagland of Elmira; and Arthur C., of this review.
Arthur C. Smith completed a course in the Free Academy of Elmira and after- ward became a student in George Washington University at Washington, D. C., which in 1911 awarded him the M. D. degree. He was an interne at the Garfield Memorial Hospital for a year and afterward opened an office in Rosebud, South Dakota, where he remained for two years. Dr. Smith has had two years' interneship in the Akron (Ohio) Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital and has also attended clinics and done postgraduate work in the Chicago Polyclinic, the eye and ear department of Bellevue Hospital of New York city and the New York City Eye, Ear and Nose Hospital. Since 1913 he has confined his attention to diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, in the treatment of which he has been very successful. He returned to Elmira in 1916 and laid aside his practice on December 25, 1917, to enter the service of his country in the World war. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps, with which he went to France, and spent a year at the front. He was assigned to duty at General Evacuation Hospital No. 19 and in August, 1919, completed his term of service in the World war. After receiving his discharge he returned to Elmira and is ranked with the leading specialists of the city.
On November 4, 1919, Dr. Smith was married to Miss Louise Mathew, a native of Richmond, Virginia, and they have two children: Constance and Arthur C., Jr. The Doctor is a Rotarian and also belongs to the City Club and the Elmira Golf & Country Club. He is a Baptist in religious faith and his professional connections are with the Elmira Academy of Medicine, the Chemung County and New York State Medical Societies, and the American Medical Association. He keeps in close touch with all new developments in the field of medical research, is loyal and public-spirited in matters of citizenship, and his personal qualities are such as make for strong and enduring friendship.
J. SANKEY MULLAN.
During the past two decades J. Sankey Mullan has figured actively in educa- tional circles in Rochester as secretary of the department of public instruction. He was born in the town of Covington, Wyoming county, New York, May 20, 1869, a son of James and Margaret (McNeary) Mullan, both of whom were natives of County Antrim, Ireland. The mother crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1847 and two years later the father emigrated to this country, taking up his abode in Rochester. Having learned the trade of flour milling on the Emerald isle, he secured a position at the Clinton mill in this city but later became proprietor of a feed store on Lyell avenue, which he conducted until 1865. In that year he removed to
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Wyoming county, New York, where he purchased a farm and successfully carried on general agricultural pursuits until 1882, when he opened a store at Peoria, this state. There he carried on business for fifteen years, on the expiration of which period he disposed of his interests and came to Rochester to reside with his son, John Boyd Mullan, for his wife had passed away in 1887 and he had not become reconciled to living alone. Mrs. Margaret Mullan was a faithful, loving wife whose children de- clared that a better mother never lived. James Mullan was an ardent follower of Izaak Walton and one of the most successful fishermen of his day, knowing better than anyone else in the vicinity the haunts of the bass in the Genesee. As an antidote for business worries he would sally forth with his rod, and he never returned without a string of fine fish. It afforded him keen pleasure to instruct his sons in the art of landing a five-pound specimen of the finny tribe. He had been a resident of the Genesee country for six decades when called to his final rest in 1909, and the com- munity mourned the loss of one of its substantial and highly esteemed citizens. To him and his wife were born three children that lived to adult ages: John Boyd, who is postmaster of the city of Rochester; Anna B .; and J. Sankey, of this review.
As a boy J. Sankey Mullan attended country school in his native county and subsequently pursued a course of study in the New York State Normal School at Geneseo, after which he entered the Rochester Business Institute. Following his graduation from the last named institution he secured a position as messenger with the Blue Line Railway. He next became connected with the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh line and after several years devoted to railroad service was associated for nine months with Frank Newell in the latter's moulding works. On the expira- tion of that period he entered the insurance business in the employ of Charles McChesney, while afterward he obtained a clerical position under Samuel Williams, city treasurer, with whom he continued after the latter was made city comptroller. On the 1st of June, 1904, Mr. Mullan was appointed secretary of the department of public instruction, in which capacity he has remained to the present time, discharging the important duties devolving upon him in this connection with the utmost efficiency and faithfulness.
On the 1st of October, 1895, in Rochester, Mr. Mullan was married to Miss Harriet May Patterson, a daughter of Robert Patterson and a representative of a prominent family of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Mullan have one child: James Robert,. who was born in Rochester, October 4, 1912, and is attending school. Mr. Mullan belongs to the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and the Automobile Club of Rochester and is also a consistent member of the United Presbyterian church. A man of do- mestic taste, he spends his leisure time at home with his family and has made a chum of his son. The material prosperity which he enjoys has been acquired through in- dustry, determination and ability, and his high standing in his community is the result of an honorable and well spent life. His residence is at No. 337 Lake View park.
BERNHARD LIESCHING.
Bernhard Liesching. vice president of the Ellwanger & Barry Realty Company, is one of the representative business men and citizens of Rochester whose other financial interests include important corporate enterprises of the city. He was born in Stuttgart, Germany on the 24th of April, 1868, where his family has resided since about the year 1500. His grandfather was the founder of the publishing house of S. G. Liesching, well known for its many works on education and theology. He was an art connoisseur and was considered in his day the first authority on art in Stuttgart, and was appointed to buy the paintings for the Royal State Museum of Fine Arts in that city. Mr. Liesching's father, Theodor Liesching, became the successor of S. G. Liesching in the publishing firm, and he likewise did a great deal for art, hav- ing received from his government the Gold Medal for Art and Science. And so possibly Bernhard Liesching inherited his taste for art and literature, in which he always has taken great interest. His mother was Caecilie Regenbrecht, daughter of Dr. Eduard Regenbrecht, Doctor of Jurisprudence and professor of law at the Uni- versity of Breslau.
Bernhard Liesching is the only surviving child of his parents. He attended the Humanistic Gymnasium in Stuttgart and then began his business career in a private banking house in that city. In 1888 he came to America, locating in Rochester, where he secured a clerical position in the Ellwanger & Barry nursery. He remained in that connection for some time and subsequently was identified for many years
Copyright photo by J.E. Mock
Bernhard Liesching
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with the old Flour City National Bank, after which he became officially connected with the Ellwanger & Barry Realty Company.
On the 28th of April, 1892, Mr. Liesching was married to Miss Harriet E. Barry, a member of one of Rochester's most prominent families, she being the youngest daughter of Patrick and Harriet (Huestis) Barry. Extended mention of Patrick Barry may be found on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Liesching reside on Mount Hope avenue, in the old Patrick Barry homestead, one of the most beautiful home places in the city. Mr. Liesching has been a resident of Rochester for over thirty-seven years and for thirty-two years has been an American citizen, and has long since been accorded a most creditable position among the best citizenship. His career has been fully identified with the history of Rochester and the Genesee country.
JAMES A. KELLY.
Throughout his life James A. Kelly has been actuated by the spirit of progress, regarding no position as final but rather as a point from which he could rise to a higher level, and the success of his undertakings denotes the quality of his mind and the strength of his character. He is one of the owners of the Kelly Brothers Nur- series and ranks with the foremost business men of Dansville. He was born at Niagara Falls, New York, on October 2, 1865, a son of James and Catherine (Healy) Kelly, both of whom are deceased.
James A. Kelly received a public school education and obtained his initial experi- ence in the nursery business under G. C. Stone, after which he accepted a position offered him by S. P. Williams, who was engaged in the same line of business. From 1880 until 1882 he was employed as a laborer by the Deleware, Lackawanna & West- ern Railroad Company and afterward worked for a year in the Woodruff Paper Mills. He next entered the employ of Edward Bacon, a nurseryman, with whom he remained for twelve years, and upon the expiration of that period he became foreman at the J. B. Morey & Sons nursery, filling that position for seven years. Meanwhile, in 1885, he had begun planting for himself on a small scale and in 1892 joined his brother, William F. Kelly, in the nursery business, in which they have continued as partners, the efforts of the one ably supplementing the labors of the other. They specialize in fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs and draw their trade from a wide area, occupying a position of leadership in their chosen line of business.
On November 25, 1889, Mr. Kelly was married to Miss Julia Welch, who died January 31, 1917, leaving a family of three children: Richard, who married Miss Edna Welch; Clara, a graduate of the New York State Normal School at Geneseo, now engaged in teaching at Mount Vernon, New York; and Clement, who married Miss Caroline Leach. The sons are associated with their father in the nursery busi- ness and both are veterans of the World war, the younger brother enlisting in the navy. Mr. Kelly's second wife was Miss Mary McCovick of Dansville, a daughter of John and Mary (King) McCovick.
Mr. Kelly is a Catholic in religious faith and for thirty years has been a trustee of St. Patrick's church. He is a Knight of Columbus and casts his ballot for the candidates of the republican party. He has been honored with the vice presidency of the New York State Nurserymen's Association and is now filling that office. He is one of the strong personalities of Livingston county, and a life of rightly directed endeavor has earned for him the unqualified esteem of his fellowmen.
JAMES LONERGAN.
The horizon of every man's achievements is fixed by his own capabilities, and James Lonergan, who possessed the requisite ability and the equally necessary quality of industry, firmly established his position in public regard as one of Elmira's lead- ing citizens. Both he and his wife, Katherine (Lonergan) Lonergan, were natives of County Tipperary, Ireland. They were reared, educated and married in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, where James Lonergan came at the age of five years and his wife at the age of four.
James Lonergan had few advantages to aid him during his youth, but his early struggles for advancement developed his latent powers, bringing him at length to a field of broad usefulness and influence. He started in life's work as a water boy for
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the Lackawanna Railroad Company at Scranton, Pennsylvania, and afterwards served an apprenticeship in the company's machine shops at that city. At the suggestion of Messrs. Watts and James Cook, then in charge of the mechanical department of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Mr. Lonergan learned the coppersmith's trade while in their employ and he also served as fireman and engineer. He was an expert mechanic and aided in overhauling an engine while holding the latter position. He was next made gang foreman in the Scranton shops and when the Cook Locomotive Company of Paterson, New Jersey, secured the contract to supply the motive power to a government railroad in Peru, South America, it sent Mr. Lonergan to that country to take charge of the mechanical portion of the work. He remained in South America for only a few months and on his return to the United States was made foreman of the roundhouse at Binghamton, New York, where he was stationed until the road was extended to Buffalo. He was then appointed general foreman of the roundhouse and motive power at Elmira, where he was employed until retired and pensioned at. the close of forty-seven years of faithful and efficient service. He was a man of much intelligence and a reader of more than ordinary ability. He was a democrat in politics, but not a strong partisan; he was a faithful communicant of the Roman Catholic church, of which his wife was also a consistent member. They were the parents of ten children, six of whom reached mature age: Richard T. was preparing to enter the legal profession and died while a law student at Cornell University; Joanna chose a career as an educator and taught in the Elmira public schools until her death. The surviving children are: James E., who is a locomotive engineer in the employ of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and resides in Elmira; Mrs. Katherine A. O'Brien, the wife of Maurice O'Brien, who is engaged in the furni- ture and undertaking business at Montrose, Pennsylvania; Philip Edward, mentioned at length below; and John R., who is in charge of the Black Rock interchange office of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and resides in Buffalo, New York. The death of James Lonergan occurred December 18, 1915. His wife passed away December 30, 1914.
RAYMOND S. COGSWELL.
That true commercialism rests upon the foundation of integrity is demonstrated by- the success of the Brighton Place Dairy Company, which for over forty years has been in continuous operation in Rochester, and steady progress decade after decade establishes the value of its functions and the quality of service rendered to the pub- lic. The control of this important business is now intrusted to Raymond S. Cogswell, a young man of enterprise, good judgment and executive force, whose work sus- tains the high reputation which has ever been borne by the family in this community.
He was born in Rochester, May 15, 1884, and is a son of Pierce J. and Maria (Pratt) Cogswell, both natives of Mount Vernon, Kennebec county, Maine. The father came to Rochester as a young man and was first engaged in the fertilizer business, acting as eastern representative of the American Agricultural Chemical Company, of which he was also an officer. In 1883 he turned his attention to dairying, founding the business of which his son is now the head, and was one of the pioneers in this field of activity. The prosperous industry of today mirrors his progressive spirit, his powers of organization and administration and his high standard of commercial ethics. He is connected with other business corporations but his attention is chiefly given to dairying. He has a scientific knowledge of the subject and his stock farm in Monroe county is one of the finest in the state. He specializes in the raising of Jersey cattle, which furnish most of the milk and butter distributed by the Brighton Place Dairy, and his herd was the foundation of several noted Jersey herds in the United States. Mr. Cogswell is one of Rochester's most valuable citizens and fills an important place in the life of his community.
Raymond S. Cogswell, his only son, completed his education in the Bradstreet school and then became associated with his father, from whom he received thorough in- struction in the dairy business. He entered the firm at the age of twenty years and has practically grown up with the business, of which he has been the president since 1919. He brings to his duties in this connection keen zest for the work as well as an expert knowledge of the business, and that its future rests in capable hands is evi- dent by the stimulus which the industry has received during the past five years. The equipment of the Brighton Place Dairy at first consisted of one horse and wagon and at the present writing fifty-two wagons and fourteen trucks are required to meet the demands of over fifteen thousand families, while the firm also supplies large.
RAYMOND S. COGSWELL
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hotels and restaurants. A new plant has been built in Plover street to take care of the north and west sections of the city and the output of the dairy is of the highest quality, prepared under the most sanitary conditions. The trade mark of the com- pany is a picture of Exile Bell, who forty years ago held the world's butter fat rec- ord. She is honored by an oil painting which hangs in the office of the president of the company. Pierce J. Cogswell, owner of this famous cow, imported pure Jersey stock with royal pedigrees from the Isle of Jersey. Most of the employes of the firm are stockholders and for that reason are personally interested in the success of this model institution, to whose expansion they are giving their best efforts, taking much pride in its prestige and growth. Mr. Cogswell's advice and co-operation are also sought in connection with the management of other local enterprises, which he serves in the capacity of director.
In Boston, Massachusetts, December 25, 1906, Mr. Cogswell was married to Miss Anna E. Smith, a daughter of Thomas J. M. Smith, a prominent resident of that city. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Cogswell are: Raymond Stuart Cogswell, Jr., who was born in Rochester in 1907 and is a student in the East high school; and Charlotte Cogswell, who was born in this city in 1911 and is attending Wallcourt School at Aurora, New York.
Mr. Cogswell reserves a portion of his time for social activities and is a member of the Colonial Club of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Boston Club, the Fairport and Lotus Clubs of New York city, the Rochester Automobile Club, and the Rotary, Yacht and Rally Clubs. He is also a civic worker and the Rochester Chamber of Com- merce numbers him among its most progressive members. Mr. Cogswell is a broad- minded man, of resolute purpose and marked strength of character, and his indi- vidual qualities are such as have gained for him warm and enduring regard.
ISAAC ALANSON MELANCHTHON DIKE, M. D.
For forty-eight years Dr. Isaac Alanson Melanchthon Dike faithfully and effi- ciently ministered to the physical ills of the residents of York and the surrounding district, and as one of the pioneer physicians of Livingston county he was widely known and highly respected. He was born near Belmont, in Allegany county, New York, August 29, 1852, and his parents were Isaac and Sally (Hyde) Dike. He attended the public schools and Friendship Academy and worked on a farm until he reached the age of twenty. For a year he studied medicine under the direction of Dr. Thaddeus Baker of Andover, New York, and then entered the medical department of the Uni- versity of Buffalo, from which he was graduated in 1876. On April 7 of that year he opened an office in York and years of experience and constant study broadened his knowledge and enhanced his skill, bringing to his work that sureness and precision which result from concentrated effort.
In 1879 Dr. Dike was married to Miss Frances A. Long, who died September 26, 1920, as the result of an accident, being fatally burned while discharging her household duties. They had a family of six children: Albert G. of Buffalo, New York; Lua A., deceased; Mabel, wife of Frank Leary of Oxford, New York; Harrison, who saw active service in the World war as a member of the United States Medical Corps, and is now a physician, residing at Owen, Wisconsin; Frank, who has passed away; and Josephine F., at home.
Dr. Dike was an adherent of the republican party and served for one term in the office of coroner. He was a member of the Livingston County Medical Society and his religious faith was indicated by his affiliation with the Baptist church. His profes- sional activities brought him into close relations with many households and he was highly regarded by all who sought his services. Although Dr. Dike reached the age of seventy-two years, he was still engaged in practice up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1924, and his is the record of a life of intense activity and usefulness.
HENRY PARRY PROJANSKY.
Rochester is a splendid field for youth and enterprise, and among the citizens of foreign birth who have profited by its opportunities for advancement is numbered Henry P. Projansky, who enjoys an enviable degree of prestige as a ladies' tailor, while his name also figures prominently in real estate circles of the city. He is a
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