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 30
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GEORGE H. CAYFORD
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biles and installing the best and most modern equipment. He was exceptionally well informed on everything pertaining to his chosen line of activity and acquired an , unassailable reputation for business integrity and ability, maintaining at all times a position of leadership in his line. The business is situated at Nos. 32-36 North Union street and is now operated by Mr. Cayford's sons-young men of enterprise and ability. They built, in 1924, a large garage, the most up-to-date structure of the kind in the city, and under their progressive management the continuous growth of the business is assured.
In 1878, in Mount Morris, New York, Mr. Cayford was married to Miss Frances Cornelia Falls, a daughter of John and Mary (McGuire) Falls. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cayford: Mary Elizabeth, George H., John and Raymond. The last named married Rhea Stoup and they have a son, Raymond Cayford, Jr. Mr. Cayford was a republican in his political convictions and along fraternal lines was identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He attended Christ Episcopal church and contributed liberally toward its support. He enjoyed travel and made six trips abroad, visiting many parts of the world. He was a keen observer and his- mind was greatly enriched by his experiences in foreign lands. Mr. Cayford was loyal to the country of his adoption and the welfare and progress of his city was a matter in which he took much personal pride. His life was one of quiet devotion to duty, crowned with successful achievement, and the sterling traits in his character established him high in public regard.
CHARLES SUMNER SWETT.
Charles Sumner Swett, vice president of the A. L. Swett Iron Works, is the eldest son of the late Albert L. Swett, extended mention of whom is made elsewhere in this publication. After leaving school Charles Sumner Swett was for a number of years identified with the A. L. Swett Iron Works and then assumed the duties of manager of the Western New York Utilities Company, Incorporated.
On the 27th of February, 1906, Mr. Swett was married to Anna V. Brooks, daughter of Joseph and Hartley (Welch) Brooks of Medina. Mr. and Mrs. Swett have one daughter, Alice Brooks.
CHARLES G. JAMES.
Charles G. James of Hornell, New York, combines the rare gifts of ability to be a successful business man and an author. Not only has he developed his florist business to the point where it is the largest in his section of the state, but he has contributed to magazines of national reputation and has found time to aid in public affairs, especially in school matters. He is of English birth, born in Wells, England, near the city of Bath, June 9, 1866, and his family were large landholders in England.
Charles G. James attended the English schools until thirteen years old and then came to America, but returned to the Mother country in a short time. When he was seventeen he came back to this country to spend the rest of his life. Soon after arriving in the States he went to Kansas City, where he worked in the Union Pacific Shops for two years, and he lived in Chicago for a year and later in Buffalo, there being employed by the Wagner Sleeping Car Company. He came to Hornell in 1893, and started a dyeing and cleaning business. He made a great study of this art, including chemistry, and he wrote the first article ever published on the subject of dry cleaning, and is a contributor to National Cleaner and Dyer. Twenty years later he launched the florist enterprise and now has a plant in Wellsville, as well as in Hornell. In both cities he has greenhouses and stores and he employs thirteen people.
Although Mr. James had little opportunity for an early education he has been a great reader and student all his life and takes a special interest in the school system of this country. He has become a writer of note, and has had stories accepted by Good Housekeeping, the Delineator, the Woman's Home Companion and other maga- zines. He wrote "Galilee" and several other excellent poems. He is broad-minded, a liberal thinker and an idealist and yet a good business man. This combination is extremely rare but in Mr. James' case has worked to perfection. 11 of his. writings are strong, clear and concise and his poetry has high merit.
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Mr. James was married to Annie J. Smith on April 16, 1890, in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and they have three sons: Harold, who has charge of the Wellsville plant: Howard, manager of the Hornell store; and Gordon who is in the greenhouses with his father. Mr. James is a member of the official board of his church and has been for years.
In speaking of Mr. James as a candidate for school trustee, the issue of the Hornell Evening Times for July 12, 1924, has this to say-a fitting tribute:
"It is a source of much satisfaction that the citizens of Hornell have been able to persuade Charles G. James to become a candidate for the position of school trustee. When men of the calibre of Mr. James are willing to sacrifice their time and attention to school welfare it speaks well for the future of the school system. Mr. James is himself a scholar, as well as a sound and level-headed business man. It would be hard to find a better equipped man than Mr. James for this position.
"When such high-minded and capable men as Charles G. James are willing to devote their time to public problems the community can do no more than to make the selection unanimous."
FRANK FREY.
Frank Frey is a prominent young architect of Rochester and his skill has been utilized for the benefit of his native city, while his well-directed efforts have also resulted in the attainment of individual prosperity. He was born May 13, 1889, a son of Henry and Josephine (Gropp) Frey, who migrated from the Old World to the New. The father was a well known manufacturer of Rochester and passed away in 1922. The mother is still a resident of the city. They were the parents of two sons, Henry and Frank, both of whom are living in Rochester.
Frank Frey attended St. Joseph's parochial school and afterward became a student in the Mechanics Institute of Rochester, in which he completed a course in architecture. After his graduation he entered the office of Claude Bragdon, widely known as a designer of theatres and other public structures, and remained in his training for seven years, during which period he gained valuable experience. Mr. Frey has since practiced his profession independently and examples of his handiwork are seen in many of the finest public buildings in the city. He specializes on ecclesiastical archi- tecture. He drew the plans for St. George's, St. Andrew's, St. Ambrose's and St. Thomas' Catholic churches and also designed the Sacred Heart school building, the Corpus Christi school building, St. Bernard's Seminary ambulatory, the First Evan- gelical church, and the Elks Club. His work is an ornament to the city and a most important feature in its substantial improvement. During the World war Mr. Frey enlisted in the United States navy and was assistant naval constructor at the Great Lakes training station in 1918-19.
In Rochester, on September 16, 1914, Mr. Frey was united in marriage to Miss Minna Stevens, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stevens of Utica, New York. Mr. Frey is a communicant of the Roman Catholic church and has taken the third degree in the Knights of Columbus. He is a member of the Elks, the Chamber of Commerce, the Archaeological Society, the American Legion, and the Automobile and Ad Clubs of Rochester, while his professional connections are with the National Engineering Society and the American Architectural Society. His many friends in the city have watched his career with much interest, rejoicing in his success, and the nature of the projects with which he has been identified indicates most clearly his high professional standing. His residence is at No. 45 Randolph street.
ARTHUR M. SEE.
Arthur M. See, secretary-manager of the Eastman School of Music, is well qualified by experience, training and talent for this responsible office, and although young in years, he has already become a personality in musical circles of Rochester and western New York. He was born in Hudson Falls, this state, November 6, 1889, a son of De Witt Clinton and Adelaide Frances (Bebeer) See, who were also natives of New York. The father was a prosperous merchant in Hudson Falls and later in Rochester. He passed away in 1922, but the mother's death occurred in 1909. Two children were born to them: Arthur M .; and Clarence D., whose home is in Minne- apolis, Minnesota.
FRANK FREY
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Arthur M. See completed a course in the East high school of this city and then matriculated in the University of Rochester, which in 1912 awarded him the degree of Bachelor of Science. He next became a piano student in the Rochester Institute of Musical Art and was graduated with the class of 1916. This was followed by a two-year course in Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1918 he returned to this city, be- coming secretary and a member of the faculty of the Institute of Musical Art, which institution was purchased by George Eastman and formed the basis of the Eastman School of Music. Mr. See became the secretary-manager of this latter institution. Previous to the foundation of the Eastman School Mr. See conducted several series of concerts in the former Genesee Valley Club and Convention Hall. The Eastman School of Music ranks with the leading conservatories of the country, and Mr. See's services have proven of great value to the school, to whose interests he is devoted. At a banquet recently given by the New York Federation of Music Clubs at the Ten Eyck Hotel in Albany, Mr. See was invited to speak on the musical activities of the Eastman School of Music and his address was both interesting and instructive.
In Rochester, on August 11, 1919, Mr. See was married to Miss Genevieve Kraemer, a daughter of Charles Kraemer. She is a native of Bordeaux, France, and a graduate of the university of that city. Mr. See belongs to the Delta Epsilon fraternity and to the Corner and Automobile Clubs. He works for the industrial growth of his city as a member of the Chamber of Commerce and influences its cultural development through his connection with the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester Art Gallery. His musical talent has brought him prominently before the public and his earnestness of purpose, sincerity of manner and stability of character have established him high in public regard. His residence is at No. 66 Macbeth street.
FRANK EBENEZER RICHART.
Frank Ebenezer Richart, who has won success in the oil fields of the Wellsville district of Allegany county, is a typical business man of the present age, quick to perceive an emergency and equally quick in devising a plan to meet it; keenly alive to the possibilities of any proposition and actuated at all times by an accurate sense of business exigency. He was born in Dushore, Sullivan county, Pennsylvania, August 23, 1873, a son of Oscar G. and Jennie Cornelia (Vaughan) Richart, who were married in 1864. The mother was a daughter of Daniel and Martha (Ross) Vaughan and a member of one of the oldest families of Vermont. Her parents migrated from that state to Sullivan county, Pennsylvania, and her father fought in the War of 1812, while her grandfather was one of Ethan Allan's Green Mountain Boys. Oscar G. Richart was born near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1837 and first followed the trade of a wheelwright, later conducting an undertaking establishment. Toward the close of the year 1863 he enlisted in the Union army and went with General Sherman's army on the historic march from Atlanta to the sea.
Frank Ebenezer Richart attended the high school in Monroeton, Pennsylvania, and afterward took up the study of pharmacy, becoming a registered pharmacist. He was identified with the drug business in Towanda, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1900 and has since been a resident of Wellsville. In that year he purchased the H. B. Sutphen drug store, which he successfully conducted for many years. He sold the business in 1918, having decided to devote his entire attention to the oil industry, with which he had become identified in 1902 as a partner of M. D. Haskins and L. H. Richardson. In 1916, together with H. P. Jack of Hornell and E. C. Brown of Wellsville, they bought the Riley Allen properties at Allentown, New York, and organized the Ebenezer Oil Company, of which Mr. Richart is secretary, treasurer and manager. They have been very successful in their operations and Mr. Richart is largely responsible for the prestige which the firm enjoys today. He is well in- formed on all matters pertaining to the business and his keen powers of discernment are supplemented by administrative ability. He also has financial interests and is a member of the board of directors of the First Trust Company of Wellsville.
On the 2d of December, 1896, Mr. Richart was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Christine Dallas of Towanda, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Alfred and Euphemia (Reid) Dallas. Mr. Richart lends political support to the republican party. He served as master of the Wellsville Lodge of Masons in 1909-10 and is a Noble of Ismailia Shrine at Buffalo. He also belongs to the Rotary Club, and the nature of his recreation is indicated by his connection with the Wellsville Country Club and
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the Brookland Rod and Gun Club. He enjoys outdoor sports and his appearance testifies to the fact. Mr. Richart is appreciative of the social amenities of life and his personal qualities are such as make for strong and enduring friendship.
WILLIAM F. KELLY.
From an early age the life of William F. Kelly has been one of unabating industry and he is now reaping the reward of his labors, which have found expression in the development of a large nursery business. He is one of Dansville's native sons and loyal citizens and was born August 9, 1873, of the union of James Kelly and Katherine Healy, the former of whom is deceased.
William F. Kelly has been identified with the nursery business ever since, when a boy of ten, he entered the employ of George A. Sweet, one of the pioneers in this field of activity, and he remained in Mr. Sweet's service for a decade. His first planting was done in 1892 and in that year he formed a partnership with his brother, James A. Kelly, with whom he has since been associated. They are growers of fruit trees, ornamental shrubs and trees, and a few choice varieties of roses. Since its inception the business has grown rapidly and the Kelly Brothers Nurseries are known through- out the east and middle west, owing to their extensive catalogue advertising and the high quality of their stock. They are enterprising, sagacious business men, well informed on all modern developments in their line of activity, and their success has been founded on hard work and honest dealing.
On June 30, 1913, William F. Kelly was married to Miss Agnes B. Coultry of Mount Morris, New York, and they have five children: John W., Mary A., Edward T., William F., Jr., and Eloise L. Mr. Kelly is a member of St. Patrick's church and is a past grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, while his political support is given to the republican party. He is broad in his views, progressive in his ideas and high in his ideals-a fine type of the modern business man-and the respect which is uniformly accorded him is well merited.
MARTYN SUMMERBELL, LL. D.
Dr. Martyn Summerbell was a representative of the Christian ministry for more than two decades before entering upon educational work as president of Starkey Seminary at Lakemont, of which he has thus remained at the head for the past twenty-seven years. He was born in Naples, Ontario county, New York, on the 20th of December, 1847, the son of a minister of the gospel. He attended the Union Christian College in his youth and was a young man of about twenty-four years when he was graduated from the College of the City of New York with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, as a member of the class of 1871. Three years later the latter institution conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts, while as a member of the class of 1889 he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from New York University.
It was in 1867 that Martyn Summerbell was ordained a minister of the Christian church. The previous year he had accepted the pastorate of the Church of the Evangel in Brooklyn, New York, and he filled that pulpit for fourteen years, while from 1880 until 1886 he preached in Fall River, Massachusetts. During the succeed- ing two years he was pastor of the St. Paul Evangelical church in New York city and then in 1888 became pastor of the Main Street Free Baptist church in Lewiston, Maine, where he thus continued until assuming the presidency of Starkey Seminary at Lakemont, New York, in 1898. He has remained at its head through the inter- vening years and his efforts have constituted a potent force in maintaining the high standards of this splendid educational institution. Dr. Summerbell also is vice president of Defiance College at Defiance, Ohio. He has the distinction of being the oldest member of the New York East Conference of the Christian church, which he joined in 1866. Nor in the field of literature is his name unknown, for he is the author of several religious works and has made frequent contributions to religious magazines, while on the lecture platform he has gained deserved popularity.
In 1872 Dr. Summerbell was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Corwith of Brooklyn, New York. They have become the parents of seven children: Ray, the eldest, attended Bates College of Lewiston, Maine, and engaged in the profession of
WILLIAM F. KELLY AND FAMILY
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teaching for several years prior to her marriage. She is now the wife of Frederick J. Chase, proprietor of the business conducted under the name of the Kansas City Overall Company in Kansas City, Missouri, where Mr. Chase is also engaged in law practice; Flora Summerbell, pursued the high school course in Lewiston, Maine, and continued her studies for a time in Bates College of that city. She is now doing creditable work in the educational field as registrar and dean of women of Starkey Seminary; Grace is the wife of Carl S. Coffin, a practicing dentist of Pittsfield, Maine, and is the mother of two children, Elizabeth and William. Both she and her husband graduated from Bates College of Lewiston, Maine, as members of the class of 1900; Ferris Summer- bell was graduated from Bates College in 1900, also attended medical school in Kansas City for one year and after completing the medical course in the Maryland General Hospital of Baltimore, received the degree of M. D. Later he spent two years as an interne in this hospital. He is now physician and surgeon for a lumber company at Nahma, Michigan. To him and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Josephine King and who was formerly a teacher of Nahma, have been born five children, Martyn King, Richard, Jean and Patricia and Margaret, twins; Laura, the fifth child of Dr. Martyn Summerbell, also was graduated from Bates College and taught in the English department of Starkey Seminary for six years. She pursued an
advanced course in Columbia University and subsequently became a teacher of French in Birmingham, Alabama. She was married to Robert Spence, and lived with him happily for two years, when she died from tuberculosis; Edith attended Starkey Seminary of Lakemont, New York, and Mount Holyoke College of South Hadley, Massachusetts, prior to entering Oberlin College at Oberlin, Ohio, of which institution she is a graduate. She pursued a course in physical education and was engaged as an instructor for one year in Oberlin, Ohio, and for two years in Washington, D. C. By her marriage to Richard H. Long, who is engaged in the fire insurance business in New York city, she has two children, Betty and Mary; Sidney Summerbell, who was invalided by paralysis in youth and has never been able to walk since that time, is under the parental roof.
Dr. Summerbell is a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity and belongs to the Phi Beta Kappa Greek letter society. He is one of the vice presidents of the Burbank Society. His work has been a valuable contributing factor to the moral and intellectual advancement of the communities in which he has lived and labored.
STANLEY F. BOOTH.
Stanley F. Booth, who has long been closely identified with Wellsville's growth and development, has won success in the oil and lumber industries, as well as in the field of finance, and like most of the men who figure prominently in business circles of this district, he has risen to the top through hard work and the ability to perceive and grasp opportunities. He was born January 23, 1853, in Crawford county, Penn- sylvania, a son of Charles S. and Jane F. (Foster) Booth, who were married October 5, 1844. Charles S. Booth was born in 1821 and about 1835 went to the Dansville district of Livingston county, New York, with his father, Prosper A. Booth, but after his marriage he removed to Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Like his father, he devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits and his death occurred in 1893, when he was seventy-two years of age.
The district schools of his native county afforded Stanley F. Booth his educational advantages and when eighteen years of age he obtained work in a sawmill, in which he was employed for three years. After his father's death he took charge of the home farm in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and for six years his time was given to its cultivation and improvement. In the fall of 1881 he arrived in Richburg, Allegany county, reaching that district soon after the oil fields were opened. He entered the service of the Empire Gas & Fuel Company, with which he remained for fourteen years, and during this period invested his savings in oil lands. From 1896 until 1917 Mr. Booth operated as an independent producer but in the latter year sold the bulk of his oil properties, realizing a good profit from his investments. He was interested financially in the organization of the Moore Turbine Company in Wellsville in 1916, and has since been vice president and treasurer of the firm, while Maynard D. Church is serving as its president. They are manufacturers of steam turbines, centrifugal pumps and reduction gears and Mr. Booth's business acumen and ripe experience have been essential elements in the upbuilding of the industry, which is now in a
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prosperous condition. He is regarded as an authority on financial matters and for the past two years has been chairman of the board of directors of the First Trust Company, to whose success he has materially contributed.
Mr. Booth was married on October 5, 1875, to Miss Clara B. McCray of Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and they have become the parents of two children: Georgiana was born November 17, 1887, and became the wife of Lemuel M. Rockwell, now a salesman for a life insurance firm. They reside in Elmira, New York, and have two children, Claribel and Hobart H .; Lina B. Booth was born January 27, 1891, and was married to James Caleb Smith, who is engaged in the manufacture of hosiery. They live in Seneca Falls, New York, and have a son, Booth Smith.
Mr. Booth has always been a strong advocate of prohibition and his political sup- port is given to the republican party, while his religious faith is indicated by his affiliation with the Methodist Episcopal church. He has discharged every duty and obligation of life to the best of his ability and is recognized as a man of substantial worth, honor and integrity being the keynote of his character.
HENDRIK VAN INGEN.
The romance of creating and building takes strong hold of men's imagination and many willingly devote a lifetime to their chosen vocation with no thought of wealth or profit beyond that which naturally follows worthy achievement. Of this high type of manhood was Hendrik van Ingen, who for twenty-one years was head of the department of architecture of the Mechanics Institute and left as a heritage to Roches- ter and its citizens many beautiful and enduring monuments to his professional skill and ability. His life's labors were ended on the 1st of December, 1923, and his death was a distinct loss to the city with whose upbuilding and improvement he had long been closely and prominently associated.
Hendrik van Ingen was born January 22, 1871, in the old Vassar homestead in Poughkeepsie, New York, the second son of Henry and Josephine (Koelman) van Ingen, both of whom were natives of The Netherlands. The father was born in the palace at The Hague, in which the family were living at that time, and there in later years he established a studio. King William of Holland was much interested in the young artist and purchased at least one of his paintings. In later life Henry van Ingen migrated to the United States, having a studio in New York city and in the Arcade building of Rochester. Settling in Poughkeepsie, he became widely known in art circles of the east. He served as the first director of the art school at Vassar College and was the first lecturer on the theory of art in this country. He was a talented artist and a man of high intellectual attainments.
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