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 25
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In the acquirement of an education Everett Redfield Tomlinson attended the grammar and high schools of Batavia and continued his studies in private schools of New York city. He was a young man of twenty years when in August, 1901, he became a messenger in the Bank of Batavia, with which institution he has remained to the present time, winning steady promotion as he demonstrated his fitness for positions of increased responsibility and importance. In the year 1921 he was made cashier and a director of the bank, in which capacities his efforts are constituting a valuable element in its continued expansion and success, for his experience has been such as to make him thoroughly familiar with every phase of the banking business. He is also the secretary and a director of the Rochester Refrigerating Company of Rochester, of which h's brother, Redfield Tomlinson, is the president.
In June, 1909, in Batavia, Mr. Tomlinson was united in marriage to Miss Olive
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Barton, daughter of Major and Mrs. I. R. Barton of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson have a son, Barton, who was born in June, 1919. Mr. Tomlinson is a republican in his political views and has membership in the Chamber of Commerce and the Batavia Rotary Club. He also belongs to the Batavia Club, the Holland Club and the Stafford Country Club and is fond of motoring and other forms of outdoor life. In religious faith he is an Episcopalian and for a long period has served as treasurer of his church. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order, belonging to Batavia Lodge No. 475, F. and A. M., of which he is past master; Western Star Chapter No. 35, R. A. M .; and Batavia Commandery, K. T., of which he is past eminent commander. A lifelong resident of Batavia, Mr. Tomlinson has gained an extensive acquaintance in both business and social circles of the city and his course has ever been such as to commend him to the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has come into contact.
WILLIAM G. KAELBER.
William G. Kaelber, of the firm of Gordon & Kaelber, is one of the well known architects of Rochester. He was born in this city, September 25, 1886, and Rochester has always been his home. His parents were Charles and Magdalena (Mayer) Kaelber, the former a native of Germany, while the latter was a native of Rochester. Charles Kaelber came to Rochester with his parents, when he was but seven years of age, and thereafter was a resident of this city until his death, which occurred in 1896. He was engaged in the manufacturing business. His widow is still residing in the city. They had a family of three sons: George J:, who is secretary and treasurer of the Browncroft Realty Corporation; Edwin C., secretary and treasurer of Rhodes-Hochriem Manufacturing Company of Chicago; and William G.
After completing a course in the public school William G. Kaelber attended the Mechanics Institute, studying, drawing and designing. He subsequently accepted a position as draftsman in the office of William Walker, an architect of this city. Later he became connected with the firm of Gordon & Madden, architects, and in 1911 was made a member of the firm. The business is now conducted under the name of Gordon & Kaelber and the firm has long occupied a foremost position among the leading architects in this part of the state.
On April 9, 1912, Mr. Kaelber was married to Miss Elsa Walbridge, a daughter of Edward N. Walbridge, a well known realtor of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Kaelber have a daughter and a son: Helen Walbridge, born in 1914; and William Walbridge, born in 1923. The family residence is at No. 43 Dorchester road. Mr. Kaelber is affiliated with the Salem Evangelical church, while fraternally he is a member of Frank R. Lawrence Lodge, F. and A. M .; Rochester Consistory and Damacus Temple. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Rochester Club and the Automobile Club of Rochester. He is president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, secretary of the New York State Association of Architects and has attained a position of distinction in his profession.
JOHN KAVANAGH.
There are some men who take possession of the public heart and hold it after they are gone, not by flashes of genius nor brilliant service, but by unfailing good conduct in all situations and under all the trials of life. They are in sympathy with all that is useful and beneficial in the community in which they reside, and the community on its part cheerfully responds by extending to them respect, admiration and sincere affection. Such a man was John Kavanagh, who was long a prominent figure in the business and social life of Rochester, and his demise on the 18th of May, 1923, was the occasion of deep and widespread regret.
John Kavanagh was a native of Canada, born in the city of Toronto, January 6, 1859, a son of Francis J. and Maria L. Kavanagh, the former a well known business man of that section of Ontario. His parents removed to Rochester when he was but a boy and it was here that he grew to manhood and resided until his death. He was especially fitted for the insurance business and was made general agent at Rochester for the Standard, Colonial, Hartford and other well known insurance companies being very successful in the undertaking, and building up a large business by earnest, systematic effort and good management.
JOHN KAVANAGH
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On October 3, 1888, Mr. Kavanagh was married to Miss Kathrine Waydell Smith, a daughter of Henry Lester and Sarah A. (Barry) Smith of Rochester and Brock- port, New York. Henry Lester Smith was a wholesale grocer and for many years was numbered among the leading business men of Rochester. Mr. Kavanagh was a stanch republican and an earnest worker for the success of the party but never sought political office as a recompense for his services. He was one of the progres- sive, energetic members of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and an enthusiastic supporter of every project for the growth and improvement of his city. He belonged to the Oak Hill Country Club, St. Andrew's Society and the Yonnondio Lodge of Masons. He was a member of the League of the Iroquois, which he aided in organizing, and at one time filled the office of chief sachem. The following memorial was adopted at the annual assembly of the League on June 8, 1923, at Oak Hill: "In loving memory of John Kavanagh, one of the founders of the League of the Iroquois, the annual assembly of the League places upon its permanent records this tribute to our departed brother. Those who come after us will never know how large a part he played in establishing and perpetuating this goodly Fellowship of Golfers; nor how high a place he filled in the business activities of his city, and in the social circle which was privileged to know him. His noble presence distinguished him in every assembly. We shall cherish the memory of his gift of anecdote, his power of speech, and the light of his smiling face. God grant peace to him beyond the stars!
'Green be the turf above thee, Friend of a former day! None knew thee but to love thee, None named thee but to praise'."
The memorial was framed and placed in the four club houses of the League, in which his portait was also hung. Mr. Kavanagh thoroughly enjoyed the social amenities of life and was one of the most genial and companionable of men. His was a magnetic personality that captivated both young and old and on New Year's eve of 1923 his friends, who were legion, drank a standing toast to his memory.
G. FRED LAUBE.
In 1907 G. Fred Laube established the Laube Electrical Construction Company of Rochester and as its president has developed one of the largest concerns of the kind in the city. He was born in Germany, on the 6th of June, 1883, his parents being John and Katharine (Walter) Laube, who emigrated to the United States in 1888 and established their home in Buffalo, New York. The father is still living in that city, but the mother has passed away. Their family numbered nine children, namely: William, Charles, Chris, G. Fred of this review, Mrs. Rose Maunz, Mrs. Katherine Muth, Mrs. Louise Trudell, Wilhelmina, and Mrs. Frederica Haynes.
G. Fred Laube obtained a public school education in Buffalo, New York, and after putting aside his textbooks became an electrical apprentice there, spending twelve years with a well-known electric company of that city. He then came to Rochester to open a branch for the J. C. Sterns Company of Buffalo, which he managed for two years. It was in 1907 that he embarked in business on his own account on a small scale and since that time he has built up one of the most extensive enterprises in the city in the field of electrical contracting and domestic appliances. The business, which is carried on under the name of the Laube Electrical Corporation, was incor- porated in 1924. Mr. Laube is likewise the vice president of the Brighton Realty Company of Rochester and has long been numbered among the enterprising, pro- gressive and representative business men of the city. He served as president of the local branch of the National Electrical Contractors and Dealers Association in 1914, holds membership in the National Electrical Contractors and Dealers Association, and is a director in the Light and Fixture Dealers Association, a director in the Society for Electrical Development, and occupied the presidency of the Builders' Exchange in 1921 and 1922.
On the 6th of June, 1905, in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Laube was united in marriage to Miss Ruth M. Nagel, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Nagel. Mr. and Mrs. Laube are the parents of two children: Grace Alice, who was born in Rochester, May 13, 1906, and is a student in the Eastman School of Music and the University of Roch- ester; and John Henry, who was born in Rochester, October 28, 1907, and attends the East high school.
In civic affairs Mr. Laube has taken a very active and helpful interest. It was
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largely through the personal activity of Mr. Laube that the Browncroft Christmas illumination was inaugurated by the Laube Electrical Company in 1920. He belongs to the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and has served on several of its committees, including the industrial development committee. During the period of the World war he did valuable service as captain of teams on all Chamber of Commerce drives. Mr. Laube is a member of the Rotary Club and is also a member of the Rochester Club, the Ad Club and the Automobile Club of Rochester. A worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity, he belongs to Ionic Chapter No. 210, R. A. M .; Monroe Commandery, K. T .; Rochester Consistory, A. and A. S. R .; and Damascus Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He is ex-chairman of the board of trustees and a member of the music committee of the Lake Avenue Baptist church and the vice president of the Baptist Old Folks Home of Monroe county. Mr. Laube is accorded the respect that is justly due the self-made man who proves his ability to fight and win in the great battle of life, and through the efficient control of one of Rochester's successful business enterprises is contributing his quota to the world's work. His residence is at No. 40 Corwin road, Browncroft.
CHARLES ALBERT GREEN.
Charles Albert Green, a prominent citizen of Rochester who was widely known as nurseryman, art collector, clubman and editor, passed away in this city in February, 1924, when in the eighty-first year of his age. He was president and treasurer of Green's Nursery Company, Incorporated, and became well known to growers and orchardists throughout the United States as editor of "Green's Fruit Grower," which he published for forty-five years. His birth occurred on a farm near Rush, Monroe county, New York, on the 1st of August, 1843, his parents being Abner and Nancy (Ketchum) Green. The father, an agriculturist by occupation, was characterized as a prominent citizen of his community, a liberal supporter of his church and of educa- tional institutions, and a most unusually intellectual man of forward vision and wide sympathies.
Charles A. Green began his education in the district schools at Rush, finishing at Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, Lima, Livingston county, New York. After putting aside his textbooks he went to Cuba, Allegany county, New York, where he was employed in his brother's bank until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he went to Washington, D. C., as a commissary clerk. Following the cessation of hostilities between the north and the south he came to Rochester and in association with his brother, Mortimer Green, opened the Green Bank on the present site of the East Side Savings Bank. This they conducted until the panic of 1873, when they were obliged to suspend operations. Charles A. Green paid eighty-seven cents on the dollar, sacrificed all his earthly possessions and began life anew, this time going back to the soil. He took an old farm at Clifton, Monroe county, New York, which was mortgaged for more than it was worth, and began what proved to be in later years the largest mail order nursery business in the world. Specializing in small fruits at first he began by sellings the fruits. Later another branch of the business developed, when he induced his customers to buy the plants and raise their own fruits. It became necessary to write many letters of instruction for the care and development of the plants. These personal instructions soon gave place to general instructions in the form of a monthly paper, "Green's Fruit Grower", devoted to the growing of fruits, shrubs and hardy out-of-door plants. This publication Mr. Green edited for forty-five years, during which period it was the largest of its type in the country. For several years it was printed on the presses of the Rochester Printing Company, publishers of the Democrat and Chronicle.
For three years Mr. Green was secretary of the American Association of Nursery- men and during his administration the association was placed on a paying business basis. He had a very attractive literary style, clear and unaffected, and wrote numer- ous articles for the newspapers, on birds, flowers and nature. Striking responsive chords in the breasts of his readers, he formed many strong and lasting friendships through his writings. He was the author of a volume entitled, "How I Made the Old Farm Pay," which is a history of his personal experiences and an inspirational example to others who seek success in the field of horticulture. He was responsible for introducing Bird Day in the schools of the city. Constantly seeking new grades of fruit which would thrive and develop in this climate, Mr. Green was intrumental in the introduction of the Corsican strawberry and the Syracuse raspberry, a berry of
CHARLES A. GREEN
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unusual size and flavor. At the time of the World war, when so many restrictions were placed upon nonessential industries, he disposed of "Green's Fruit Grower". Many of the large fruit orchards throughout every state in the Union are of Mr. Green's propagation. Satisfied patrons were his best advertisement. He filled the dual position of president and treasurer of Green's Nursery Company, Incorporated, and was also a trustee of the East Side Savings Bank.
Mr. Green's activities, however, extended even beyond the field of business and of literary work. He was always a great lover of the beautiful in art as it is portrayed in paintings. As a young man he acquired two very fine canvases: "Lake Winder- mere," by Wilson; and "The Magdalene of the Skull"-a Correggio. The latter painting, which had been stolen from its setting in a gallery in Italy, was pur- chased by Mr. Green in a Main street store, where it was unrecognized and unap- preciated. His was the most comprehensive private collection in Rochester, includ- ing paintings by Sorrellio, Beaugereau, Redfield, Homer, Jonas Lie, Richards, Waugh, Chase and Lillian Genth. To house his collection Mr. Green added a gallery to an already spacious home and opening it with a reception, it remained a mecca to lovers of modern art. Later he received many artists at a private display of his pictures. He was an enthusiastic member of the Rochester Art Club and one of the charter members and substantial supporters of the Memorial Art Gallery.
On the 5th of September, 1873, Mr. Green was united in marriage to Miss Jennie C. Hale of Rochester. To them were born two daughters and a son, as follows: Mildred E., the wife of Robert E. Burleigh and the mother of four children, Onnolee M., Kenneth E., Robert Green and Rosalie Mildred; Marian E., who is the wife of John William Taylor; and Marvin H., who wedded Frances Helen Halstrick and has one son, Lawrence H.
Mr. Green was a member of the Rochester Whist Club and one of the founders of the Oak Hill Country Club. He was an exceptionally accurate and enthusiastic golfer. As president of the board of trustees of the Ashbury Methodist Episcopal church he took an active and helpful part in its work. At his demise the following resolutions were adopted: "The official board of Ashbury Methodist Episcopal church records its sense of genuine loss in the death of Charles A. Green, who for many years has faithfully served as president of the board of trustees. It is not, however, because of this official position that his departure will be most keenly felt, for he sustained other intimate and longer-to-be-remembered relations to the activities of the church. He was loyal to all its interests, constant in attendance upon its public services, and liberal in its support. He was friendly in spirit, generous in his judg -. ments, eager to find the right, and a cheerful doer of it when discovered. His intense love of nature, the keenness of his observations, and the originality of his thought were always revealed in his written and spoken word. The simplicity of his Christian faith was happily blended with virile force. The fullest measure of sympathy is extended to the members of his family in their deep bereavement."
ELMER E. CHARLES.
Clients are never lacking in the offices of Elmer E. Charles, attorney, one of the leading lawyers of Warsaw, Wyoming county, New York, as well as one of the most successful from a professional viewpoint. His abilities have been recognized by the community in which he lives, and he has filled many offices of high responsibility, in all of which he has acquitted himself to the perfect satisfaction of the citizens of the town and of the county. Mr. Charles has a notable ancestral record to incite his pride and ambition if it were necessary. His paternal grandfather, Timothy Charles, was the first of the family to settle in Wyoming county, to which he moved from Massachusetts about 1815, while his maternal grandfather, David Witherell, settled in the county about 1814. On both sides of the family the ancestors of Mr. Charles fought in the Revolutionary war, and his great-great-grandfather, Samuel Langdon, was president of Harvard University during the Revolutionary war period. Elmer E. Charles was born on January 3, 1862, in Wethersfield, New York, the son of William Henry and Lurana (Witherell) Charles. His father was a farmer and spent all his life in that section.
Elmer E. Charles received his early education in the district schools of the county and in the Warsaw high school, after which he began the study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1884. For the first year after his admission he practiced law in Arcade, New York, after which, in 1885, Mr. Charles moved to Warsaw and
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formed a partnership with I. Samuel Johnson, which continued from 1886 to 1906. In the latter year the partnership was terminated, and Charles practiced alone in Warsaw until January 1, 1924, when he formed a partnership with his son, Glenn E. Charles, under the firm name of E. E. & G. E. Charles. He was district attorney of Wyoming county from January, 1895, to January 1, 1904, and during 1904 and 1905 was a member of the assembly from Wyoming county. Mr. Charles was a member of the Warsaw school board from 1904 to 1913, and was president of the board for most of that time.
Mr. Charles was married on June 1, 1892, to Sadie G. Baird, daughter of John I. and Emma (Green) Baird of Narrowsburg, New York. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles: Glenn E., who graduated from Rutgers College in 1916, and is now practicing law with his father; Delphine K., who was graduated from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, in 1920, and lives with her father; and Barbara B., who was graduated from Cornell University in 1925. Mr. Charles devotes all his time to the practice of law. He is a member of the Wyoming County and New York State Bar Associations, and of the American Bar Association. Fraternally Mr. Charles is affiliated with Warsaw Lodge No. 549, F. and A. M .; Wyoming Chapter No. 181, R. A. M .; and has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for about thirty years. In his political views he is a republican and formerly took an active interest in the party's work. In his religious associations Mr. Charles is a member of the First Congregational church of Warsaw.
HERBERT JAMES MENZIE.
. For thirty-four years Herbert James Menzie has engaged in the practice of law at Rochester and the nature and importance of the legal interests intrusted to his care establish him as one of the leading attorneys of the city. He was born in the town of Riga, Monroe county, New York, June 19, 1862, and his parents, Peter J. and Christina (McPherson) Menzie, were also natives of the Empire state. The father was born in Riga and devoted his life to the occupation of farming, passing away November 6, 1903. The mother was born in the town of Le Roy and died April 17, 1890.
Following his graduation from the State Normal and Training School of Brock- port, New York, in 1881, Herbert James Menzie became a student in the University of Rochester, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1886, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was awarded the Stoddard medal (prize in mathe- matics), also won the Senior X as one of the first ten men of the class and was like- wise awarded the Phi Beta Kappa key. He taught school in Macedon, New York, from 1883 to 1884 and in 1886 went to Bay View, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as principal of the high school. In 1887 it was made a part of the school system of Milwaukee and Mr. Menzie then became principal of the Seventeenth Ward school of that city. He was awarded a senior life teacher's certificate in Wisconsin and in 1888 resigned his position to enter the Yale Law School, which he attended for a year. He then came to Rochester and began reading law in the offices of McNaughton & Taylor. He was admitted to the bar in October, 1890, and has since practiced continuously in this city. He is a strong and able lawyer, clear and concise in his presentation of a case, logical in his deductions and sound in his reasoning. He has a large clientele and is also a director of the State Bank of Churchville, New York.
On September 17, 1889, Mr. Menzie was married to Miss Carrie Maria Judson of New Haven, Connecticut, who died May 26, 1891, leaving a daughter, Alpha C., who was born June 17, 1890, in Rochester. In the acquirement of her education she attended and was graduated from the West high school, attended and was graduated from Virginia College in 1911 and later entered the Mechanics Institute, from which she was graduated with the class of 1913. She is now the wife of Lawrence Bohacket and they reside in Rochester at No. 75 Leander road. They have two daughters, Anne Alpha and Mary Jean Bohacket. Mr. Menzie was married to Miss Harriet Chappell, a daughter of Newton and Harriet (Backus) Chappell of Rochester, formerly of Auburn, New York, on April 14, 1903, and they have two children, Katherine C. and Stuart McPherson Menzie. The former was born July 29, 1904, and attended School No. 7 and the West high school. She is a member of the class of 1926 in Wellesley College. The son was born January 16, 1906, and was graduated with
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honors from the West high school. He is a member of the class of 1927 in the Uni- versity of Rochester, and belongs to the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
Newton Chappell was married in Auburn, New York, in 1852, and the following year met with an accident that rendered him totally blind for life. He was a member of a military company and while firing the sunset salute the cannon exploded, destroying the sight of both eyes. Taking up the study of music, he made that his life's work. He became instructor of vocal and piano music at Auburn and filled that position for years. He removed to Rochester in 1899 and here resided until his death, which occurred on the 5th of January, 1918. His wife died in 1907. He was the father of five children, whom, of course, he never saw, three sons and two daughters. One of the latter is Mary Chappell Fisher (Mrs. Frank J.), a noted musician and a founder of the American Guild of Organists, who resides at "Hillcrest", Niagara Falls. Newton Chappell was a remarkable man. Notwithstanding his great misfor- tune he was always optimistic and cheerful and his life full of sunshine. He was a great Bible student and possessed a fund of general information that hardly seemed possible for a sightless person.
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