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 17
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Mr. Richter was married on April 26, 1924, to Miss Marion Barlow Germaine of Brockport, New York, a daughter of Charles T. and Nellie (Doty) Germaine. Mr. Richter is identified with the Rochester and New York State Bar Associations and is also a member of Theta Delta Chi, and Pi Phi high school fraternity. He resides at No. 653 Averill avenue.
ROY CHAPPELL SEAMANS, M. D.
Dr. Roy Chappell Seamans is a well-known physician of Batavia, whose pro- nounced professional ability is attested in the extensive practice accorded him. Born in East Pembroke, Genesee county, New York, on the 3d of March, 1883, he is a son of Asa J. and Cordelia (Chappell) Seamans and is descended from Revolutionary ancestry in both the paternal and maternal lines. The family has been represented in the Genesee country through a century and a quarter, for it was about the year 1800 that the great-grandfather of Dr. Seamans settled in this part of the state, here spending the remainder of his life. Asa J. Seamans, the father of Roy C. Seamans,
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devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career and resided for many years in Lima, Livingston county, New York. He now makes his home in East Pembroke.
Roy Chappell Seamans attended the grade and high schools of Lima and con- tinued his studies in the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, while his professional training was received in Syracuse University, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1911. After spending sixteen months in the Rochester General Hospital he opened an office at South Byron, New York, where he continued in practice for six years. On the expiration of that period, in 1918, he removed to Batavia, where he has remained in the general practice of medicine and surgery to the present time. His diagnosis of his cases is characterized by great care and precision, while with notable accuracy he applies the principles of medical science to specific needs. Dr. Seamans is a member of the staff of St. Jerome's Hospital and of Batavia Hospital. He belongs to the Genesee County Medical Society, the New York State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, thus keeping informed concerning the latest investigations and researches of the profession and the valuable truths thereby brought to light.
On the 2d of October, 1913, in Rochester, New York, Dr. Seamans was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Blanche Spear, a daughter of William Spear of Byron, this state, who also has Revolutionary ancestry. Dr. and Mrs. Seamans have become the parents of two children: Elizabeth, who died in October, 1923, at the age of five years; and Audrey Lou, who was born July 28, 1924.
Dr. Seamans is a stanch republican in politics and belongs to the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the First Baptist church, in which he is serving as deacon, while fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. When leisure permits he indulges his love for fishing and other outdoor sports. His professional work has constantly broadened in scope and importance as his powers have developed through study and the exercise of effort, and his ability has again and again been demonstrated in the splendid results that have followed his labors.
BERNARD HAMSHER OBERDORF.
Success in business is held by many to be incompatible with a strict adherence to a high code of honor, but in many cases this theory has been proven fallacious, a conspicuous instance being afforded by the career of Bernard Hamsher Oberdorf, for absolute truthfulness in word and deed was the underlying principle of his business life, and his death on June 8, 1921, removed from Dansville a citizen of worth. He took a deep and helpful interest in all matters relating to municipal welfare and his life reached out along lines of usefulness to his fellowmen.
Bernard Hamsher Oberdorf was born in Sparta, New York, February 3, 1855, and his parents, Peter John and Susannah B. (Hamsher) Oberdorf, were also natives of the Empire state. The mother was a daughter of Bernard Hamsher, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Sparta. Peter J. Oberdorf was an honored veteran of the Civil war and gallantly defended the Union cause on the battle fields of the south. For many years he held a position of leadership in musical circles of Dansville and Rochester and in the latter city organized the Fifty-fourth Regiment Band, of which he became the director, while he also served as president of the Rochester Musical Protective Association.
Bernard H. Oberdorf was a boy of six when the family came to Dansville and here he obtained his education, attending a select school and also taking a course of study in the Dansville Seminary. At the age of thirteen he entered the office of the Dansville Advertiser and remained in the employ of that paper for thirteen years, being obliged to abandon that line of work, owing to ill health. He next secured a clerical position with a contracting firm engaged in the construction of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and afterward entered the service of Our Home Granula Company, manufacturers of a health food originated by James C. Jackson. Subsequently he turned his attention to insurance and continued in that field of activity until his death, building up a good business by close application, earnest, systematic effort, careful management and straightforward dealing.
On the 20th of January, 1886, Mr. Oberdorf was married to Miss Helen Gans- voort Grant, a daughter of Colonel Timothy B. and Caroline (Smith) Grant. He is survived by Mrs. Oberdorf, who resides in Dansville. For thirty-five years they had journeyed through life together and theirs was a congenial and happy union.
BERNARD H. OBERDORF
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Mr. Oberdorf was an earnest and sincere member of the Presbyterian church and his political allegiance was given to the republican party. His name figured promi- nently in civic affairs, he was clerk of Livingston county for two terms and as trustee of the village, as a member of the library board, the board of education and the Union Hose Company he rendered valuable service to his community. He was identi- field with the Genesee Club of Rochester and his fraternal relations were with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masons. He was a man of many friends and his life in its thoughtfulness and consideration for others was the outpouring of a kindly, generous and noble spirit.
WRAY WILLIAM WARNER.
Wray William Warner, vice president and treasurer of the L. P. Warner Com- pany, is at the head of a business that was established by his father, L. P. Warner, nearly forty years ago and has been in continuous operation ever since. It was in 1886 that L. P. Warner began in the textile business, organizing the company that bears his name. He was its practical head during the remainder of his life, and through his straightforward business methods as well as in maintaining a very high standard of his product, he established and upheld a most excellent reputation for commercial integrity. Death terminated his career in 1922, while his wife, whose maiden name was Rose A. Tierney, died the year previous. Their family consisted of two sons and three daughters: Clayton Lewis Warner, who enlisted for service in the World war, and as a member of the Three Hundred and Tenth New York Infantry, sacrificed his life on October 20, 1918, in the memorable battle of the Ar- gonne forest; Wray William; Mrs. Delos Wray of Meadowwood, New York; and Mrs. Arthur Dugan and Miss Marian E. Warner of Rochester.
Wray William Warner was born in Rochester on the 20th of August, 1891, and after leaving high school in 1910, completed a course in the Rochester Business Insti- tute the following year. He began his business career in his father's factory and in connection with that business he has ever since remained. Although but a young man Mr. Warner is regarded as an authority on his product, which has not only been held to the high standard established by his father, but has kept abreast of the times in the matter of improved methods of manufacture. He is fully equal to the heavy responsibilities which devolve upon him and is watchful of every detail of the business, knowing that in this age of competition each point is to be safe- guarded.
In July, 1916, Mr. Warner was married to Miss Ruth E. Whitney of Sodus, New York, and their three children are: Wray Clayton, who was born September 29, 1921, and died in infancy; Elizabeth Rose, who was born September 29, 1922; and Ruth Irene, born February 7, 1924. Mr. Warner is a member of the Central Presbyterian church and is regarded as an excellent type of the city's capable and progressive business men. His life has been passed in Rochester and many of his best friends are those who have known him from boyhood.
CHARLES E. MCCOY.
Charles E. McCoy is an active representative of industrial interests in Wyoming county as general manager of the Kaustine Company, Incorporated, at Perry, of which he has been the superintendent since its organization in 1915. He was born in Blossburg, Pennsylvania, on the 21st of May, 1871, his parents being Benjamin N. and Alice (Gaylord) McCoy. The father, who has been a lifelong resident of the Keystone state, was formerly engaged in the manufacture of window glass. The McCoys have long been represented in Pennsylvania.
Charles E. McCoy, whose name introduces this review, was the first of the family to settle in this section. He obtained his early education in the grammar and high schools of his native town and continued his studies in Cazenovia Seminary of Caze- novia, New York. He then secured the position of paymaster with a window glass concern in Kane, Pennsylvania, where he thus remained until 1904. During the suc- ceeding seven years he served in the dual capacity of treasurer and manager of the McCoy Window Glass Company at Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania, while from 1911 until 1913 he was engaged in the lumber business in Wisconsin. In the latter year he
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became superintendent of the Sanitary Chemical Closet Company at Bradford, Penn- sylvania, which he there represented until January, 1915, when the concern was reorganized under the name of the Kaustine Company, Incorporated, and the plant was moved to Perry, New York. Here Mr. McCoy has continued as superintendent through the intervening period of nearly a decade and is also one of the directors of the company, which has developed an extensive and profitable industry in the manu- facture of chemical closets. A man of excellent business ability and sound judgment, his efforts have been a valuable element in the steady growth and success of the enterprise.
On the 12th of September, 1894, in Newark, New York, Mr. McCoy was united in marriage to Miss Ida Van Dusen, daughter of John Van Dusen of that place. Mr. and Mrs. McCoy are the parents of two children: Herbert B., who was born December 5, 1895, and is an electrician residing in Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania; and Gladys, whose natal day was August 1, 1897, and who lives with her parents in Perry.
Mr. McCoy gives his political support to the republican party and is a public- spirited citizen whose influence is ever exerted in behalf of progress and improvement. He has membership in the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Perry, also belongs to the Perry Club and is a popular member of the Silver Lake Country Club. For recreation he turns to motoring, outdoor life and social activities. He is a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity and a consistent member of the Methodist church, and has ever manifested those sterling traits of character which win confidence and esteem in every land and clime.
REV. GLENN BLACKMER EWELL.
Rev. Glenn Blackmer Ewell is registrar and librarian of the Rochester Theological Seminary and is also a member of the faculty of the institution. He was born in Warsaw, Wyoming county, New York, on the 26th of February, 1880, son of Rev. Jirah B. and Mary Florine (Mallory) Ewell. His more advanced intellectual training was received in Colgate University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1903. Eight years later he received a diploma from the Rochester Theological Seminary, which institution conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1912. He was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1911 and during that and the succeeding year was a student of library methods preparatory to accepting the position of assistant librarian in the Rochester Theological Seminary, which he filled in 1912 and 1913. Since that time he has served as librarian and is now also discharging the duties of registrar of the seminary. Mr. Ewell acts as recording secretary of the New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education, its board of trustees, and its executive committee.
On the 17th of April, 1906, Mr. Ewell was united in marriage to Miss Ada Dela- mater of Fort Plain, New York. They have four children: Paul Brownell, Jean Helen, Marjorie Adelaide, and Roger A. B. Ewell. Mr. Ewell's home is at No. 10 Brighton street, in Rochester.
In his political views Mr. Ewell is a republican. He holds membership in the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Automobile Club of Rochester, the University Club and two Greek letter fraternities-Phi Beta Kappa and Delta Upsilon. He like- wise belongs to the American Library Association, to the Society of Mayflower Descendants and to the Sons of the American Revolution. In the varied relations of life he is always the same honorable and honored gentleman, whose worth well merits the high regard which is uniformly given him.
JAMES P. CUNNINGHAM.
The business interests of Rochester are important and varied, offering splendid opportunities for advancement to the man of ambition and enterprise. Competition in the different lines, however is exceedingly keen and only those possessed of more than ordinary ability have won the full measure of success. To this class belongs James P. Cunningham, whose interest centers in the lumber industry, in which he has become a dominant force, and all that he possesses has been won through the medium of his own efforts. He was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, Sep- tember 23, 1869, and his parents, John T. and Sarah Ann (Kane) Cunningham, were
JAMES P. CUNNINGHAM
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also natives of the Empire state. The father was a government employe, filling a position of responsibility in the customs department, and also served his country in the Civil war. He enlisted at Chicago in 1861, joining the Tenth United States Cavalry, and participated in many memorable battles. He was sergeant of his com- pany and received his honorable discharge in 1865. He passed away in Kenmore, Erie County, New York. The mother's death occurred in Buffalo in 1922.
James P. Cunningham received his education in the public schools of Ogdens- burg, New York, and his first knowledge of the lumber business was gained in St. Lawrence county. He started at the bottom of the ladder and was employed by lumber firms of Saginaw and Detroit, Michigan; Duluth, Minnesota, and Tonawanda, New York, constantly adding to his store of knowledge until he mastered every phase of the business. In 1909 he established a business of his own, choosing Rochester as the scene of his labors. From a modest beginning he has developed a business of extensive proportions, conducted under the name of the J. P. Cunningham Lumber Company, a close corporation, of which he is secretary and treasurer, and his influence is one of broadening activity and strength in the field in which he is operating.
In Tonawanda, New York, March 28, 1889, Mr. Cunningham was married to Miss Margaret Schnitzer, a daughter of Emil Schnitzer of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Cunning- ham have four children, all of whom are natives of Tonawanda and reside in Rochester, namely: Mrs. Harry Jepson, who has a son, James A .; Mrs. Robert Coner; Mrs. Stanley Mountford; and Walter J., who enlisted for service in the World war, becoming a private in a New York company of cavalry, which was attached to the Twenty- seventh Division. He married Katherine Salter and they have two daughters, Janet and Ann.
Mr. Cunningham is an Elk, a Knight Templar Mason, and a Shriner, while in the consistory he has taken the thirty-second degree. He also belongs to the United Commercial Travelers, the Empire State Association of Wholesale Lumber and Sash and Door Salesmen, the Northeastern Retail Lumber Dealers Association, the Roches- ter Chamber of Commerce and the Automobile Club. His residence is at No. 105 Selye terrace.
FRED BARBER KING.
Fred Barber King, president and treasurer of the Mandeville & King Company, one of the largest and best known individual flower seed houses in the United States, has had a continuous identification with that firm for more than a third of a century. He was born October 1, 1862, in Lockport, Niagara county. New York, a son of James Otis and Mary A. (Barber) King, both of whom were lifelong residents of Lockport. The father was a well-known and successful business man, following mercantile pursuits during the entire period of his business career.
Fred Barber King obtained his education in the public schools of Lockport and was there reared, attending later the Rochester Business Institute. He began his career in the mercantile business in Lockport, where he continued for three years, and on the expiration of that period he came to Rochester, in 1891, and became con- nected with the seed house of which he is now the head. It was in 1876 that Wilber J. Mandeville bought out the seed business of John Boardman, and in 1879 he took his brother-in-law, Herbert S. King, in as a partner, under the firm style of Mande- ville & King. This relation was maintained until the death of Herbert S. King in 1890, when Mr. Mandeville associated himself with Fred Barber King, retaining the same firm name. A few months prior to the death of W. J. Mandeville in 1902, the business was incorporated under the name of the Mandeville & King Company, which still continues. Upon the death of Mr. Mandeville the responsibility of management fell upon the shoulders of Mr. King. In the beginning the company had less than five hundred regular dealers who handled its flower seeds. Some idea of the growth of the business may be gained from the fact that there are now approximately seventy-five thousand dealers who sell flower seeds of the Mandeville & King Com- pany, the bulk of which are grown in California, although many varieties come from Holland, England, and France. The business of the company has extended into every state in the Union. The Mandeville & King Company is exclusively a flower seed house, specializing in about seventy-five different varieties of garden seed flowers, and has built up a reputation for commercial integrity, such as is enjoyed by few firms in any line of business. For almost twenty-five years Fred B. King has been the executive and managing head of the company, and its record during that period reflects his enterprise, vision and clean business methods.
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Mr. King has been twice married. On the 19th of September, 1887, he wedded Miss L. Belle Phillips of Lockport, New York, whose death occurred in November, 1911. The present Mrs. King was, previous to her marriage, Miss Elizabeth Reineck, a daughter of John and Catherine Reineck of this city. In Masonry Mr. King belongs. to Frank R. Lawrence Lodge, F. and A. M .; Monroe Commandery, K. T .; and Damascus Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is also a member of the Rochester Chamber of Com- merce, the Rotary Club and the Automobile Club of Rochester. When a young man he joined the First Presbyterian church in Lockport, but after coming to Rochester he became a member of the Church of the Reformation.
Mr. King is what can be termed a busy, active man of well balanced capacities, whose sound judgment and even-paced energy have carried him steadily forward to a position of prominence in his field of activity. The thoroughness of his knowledge of a subject in which he takes an interest is one of his outstanding characteristics and he has made his life count as a strong force for good. He is highly regarded as a business man and a citizen, for he has made the "square deal" a principle of his life, and is loyal to all those interests which make for honorable manhood and progressive citizenship. Mr. King's residence for the past ten years has been at No .. 24 Calumet street.
JOHN L. HICKS.
Back in 1906, when John L. Hicks became identified with the automobile business, it was considered a hazardous undertaking and had he sought and heeded the advice of shrewd successful business men at that time, he probably never would have gone into it. In those days the automobile was generally regarded as a fad, which was certain to die out as had the bicycle craze, a few years before. An automobile dealer was far from being considered a safe business man, banks were not very desirous of his business and his existence, at the best, seemed to be short lived. Whether it was vision, foresight or simply native optimism that caused John L. Hicks to cast in his fortunes with the automobile business, need not be argued pro or con; it is at least suggestive to state that at that time he was but twenty-three years of age and was well established in a staple line of business, so that he must have detected at least some of the possibilities offered by the automobile trade. How good was his judgment is best reflected in his subsequent success, and his position as one of the most substantial and prominent men in the automobile trade in western New York.
John L. Hicks was born October 7, 1883, in Bath, New York, a son of Eugene and Marie (Messerschmidt) Hicks. The parents are both living and are natives and lifelong residents of the Empire state. The father now actively engaged in business at Elmira, New York, held positions of public trust under Governor Roswell P. Flower.
John L. Hicks was reared in Bath, New York, and left school at the age of sixteen to enter on a business career. After a short time he secured a position as salesman for a New York furniture house and continued in that trade with several wholesale houses until 1906, when he became identified with the automobile trade.
He established the first regular automobile agency and garage, in both Elmira and Binghamton. These he operated as the Blackstone Motor Company for a few years, after which he organized the LaFrance Motor Company that subsequently developed into an extensive corporation, operating six branches in various cities of the state. Mr. Hicks was the executive head of the company and its guiding spirit. In 1918 he came to Rochester to organize the Chal Max Motor Corporation, distribut- ing the Maxwell and Chalmers cars. Later the corporation added the Chrysler line of automobiles, which it also distributes. This undertaking has proven highly suc- cessful; the territory covered includes five and a half counties in the prosperous Genesee country and the business, already large, is rapidly increasing.
Mr. Hicks has conducted his affairs on a strictly sound business basis, main- taining the highest commercial integrity and utilizing those methods that have given the business a high standing. Realizing that what benefits one, benefits all, he has taken a keen interest in the work of trade organizations. He is president of the Rochester Automobile Dealers Association and is a member of the National Auto- mobile Dealers Association. He is also a member of the Rochester Chamber of Com- merce, and in his fraternal relations is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Politically he has always been a republican, and socially is a member of the Rochester Club.
JOHN L. HICKS
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Mr. Hicks' start in life was nothing more than his native energy and ability. That he possesses a keen business insight and vision has been reflected in his real estate operations in Rochester. He is the owner of considerable East Avenue frontage, that was advantageously purchased and is rapidly increasing in value. His judgment of realty values is considered excellent and has resulted in some very profitable transactions since his coming to this city. He has the courage to stand back of his judgment and vision. He is a self-made man in the fullest meaning of that term, and at middle age, with his best business years ahead of him he has accomplished what falls to very few in the full span of life. Mr. Hicks has a daughter, Helen.
LELAND CLARK BROWN.
The nursery business has been one of the greatest factors in Rochester's upbuild- ing and prosperity, carrying the name of the city to all sections of the country, and in the development of this industry the Brown family has played a leading part. Leland Clark Brown, one of its younger representatives, is imbued with the progressive spirit which characterizes the city's native sons and worthily bears an honored name. He was born May 1, 1895, and his parents, Charles J. and Dora (Clark) Brown, are also natives of Rochester, in which city they have always resided. The father is one of its pioneer nurserymen and was one of the founders of the Brown Brothers Com- pany, of which he is now serving as president. He is a recognized leader in his chosen field of endeavor and a man of the highest integrity and ability. He has also been called to public office, and as treasurer of Monroe county made a very creditable record.
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