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 35
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On October 15, 1890, Mr. Shepard was married to Miss Edith A. Pfeiffer, a daugh- ter of Bernard and Emily (Pierce) Pfeiffer of Niagara Falls. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Shepard are: Marion S., the wife of Earl E. Butler of this city; and Helen S., who is studying music in New York city. Mr. Shepard was for twenty years a member of the Forty-second Separate Company of the New York National Guard. He received a captain's commission and subsequently was made a major. He com- manded the Third Battalion, Third New York Infantry, and was retired in 1916 with the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel. During the World war he acted as fuel ad- ministrator for Niagara county and also served on various Liberty Loan committees, devoting much of his time to patriotic work. Mr. Shepard is affiliated with the Pres- byterian church and gives his political support to the republican party. He is a member of Elks Lodge, No. 346, and is also a prominent Mason. He is a past master of Niagara Frontier Lodge, No. 132, F. & A. M .; a past high priest of Niagara Chapter, No. 250, R. A. M .; a member of Niagara Commandery, No. 64, K. T .; Niagara Lodge of Perfection, A. & A. S. R .; and Ismailia Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Buffalo. Mr. Shepard is active in the social life of his city and belongs to the Niagara Club, the Fellowcraft Club and the Niagara Falls Country Club. The spirit of progress has actuated him throughout his life, manifesting itself in his business career as well as in his civic relations, and his labors have been a strong force for good. The scope and variety of his interests indicate the breadth of his mind and in him the elements are happily blended, resulting in a symmetrical and harmonious development.
FREDERICK CLIFTON BALLARD, M. D.
Care of his large practice and attention to the various civic duties which have been placed upon his shoulders, make Dr. Frederick Clifton Ballard, of Rushford, one of the busiest physicians in Allegany county, New York, where for a quarter of a century he has been engaged in the practice of his profession, and where his skill and abilities have won him an enviable success. He was born December 12, 1875, in Centerville, New York, the son of Miles P. and Fidelia E. (Bingham) Ballard, the father being a farmer and lumberman, who was born in 1828 and died on March 23, 1918. The Doctor's mother was born in 1836 and died in 1923. Levi Ballard, his paternal grandfather, moved from Vermont to Western New York about 1826. His wife's maiden name was Electa Powell.
Until he was fourteen years old the education of Frederick Clifton Ballard was that furnished by the district public school in Centerville. He then attended Pike Seminary, in Wyoming county, from which he graduated at the age of seventeen. For a year afterward he taught school, and then entered the medical department of the University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, where he received the degree of M. D. and graduated in the class of 1898. Dr. Ballard immediately located in Rushford, and has been in continuous practice there ever since. He has been coroner of Allegany county since 1918, county physician for the town of Rushford since 1898, and health officer for the town of Farmersville since 1917.
DR. FREDERICK C. BALLARD
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Dr. Ballard was married on January 27, 1909, to Jennie Olthof of Rushford, daughter of Lincoln and Anna (Dunlap) Olthof. The Olthof family is of Holland descent and moved to the Genesee country from Vermont, settling near New Hudson. Mrs. Ballard attended the Warren Conservatory of Music at Warren, Pennsylvania, prior to her marriage. Two children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Ballard: Anna Frederica, and Genevra Emelene.
Among the numerous organizations with which Dr. Ballard is connected as a member are: The Allegany County Medical Society, the New York State Medical Asso- ciation, the American Medical Association, the Alumni of the University of Buffalo and the Alpha Omega Delta fraternity. Fraternally he is a member of Joseph Enos Lodge, No. 318, F. & A. M., Rushford; the Chapter at Belfast, New York; DeMolay Commandery, Olean, New York; and Ishmailia Shrine, Buffalo, New York. In his political views Dr. Ballard is a republican, and his religious convictions enroll him as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
CHARLES H. FOWLER.
Charles H. Fowler, superintendent of the Robeson-Rochester Company's plant in Perry, Wyoming county, came to Perry with the company when it located its plant here in 1898 and has lived here ever since. On the first of January, 1923, the Robeson Cutlery Company became the Robeson-Rochester Company, Incorporated, the change in name representing a change in organization, but not in the work of the concern. The firm specializes in the manufacture of spring knives, and produces over one hundred thousand dozen of these useful articles annually. In the year 1923 this single firm furnished to the retail trade of America over fifty per cent of the knives sold. In addition to the Perry plant there are two establishments in Rochester, New York, giving employment, in all, to about three hundred people all the year around. The company maintains its own selling force of about fifty people through which it puts its product on the market under the trade-mark of "Shur-Edge", without the intermediary services of so-called "middle men".
THE ACHESON GRAPHITE COMPANY.
The city of Niagara Falls with its great hydro-electric power has become an important center of manufacturing operations in the east and among the large industries that have contributed to the development and prosperity of this section of the Empire state is that of the Acheson Graphite Company, whose existence covers a period of a quarter of a century. They furnish employment to four hundred persons and their weekly pay roll amounts to twelve thousand dollars. They dis- tribute their products all over the world and maintain their headquarters in Niagara Falls, while they have also established an office in London, England. Dr. Edward Goodrich Acheson is president of the company and the other officers are: William Acheson Smith, first vice president; Edward Goodrich Acheson, Jr., second vice president; and Frank N. Coe, secretary and treasurer.
This extensive industry, well organized in all of its departments and functioning perfectly as a unit, is the complete realization of the dream of its founder, Dr. Ed- ward G. Acheson, and is an imposing monument to his creative powers, his pro- gressive spirit and administrative ability. He was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, March 9, 1856, a son of William and Sarah Diana (Reysle) Acheson, and is of Irish lineage. He filled various positions and during 1880 and 1881 was employed in the Menlo Park laboratory of Thomas A. Edison. From 1881 until 1883 he was assistant engineer of the Edison enterprises in Europe and in 1884-85 was superintendent of the Consolidated Lamp Company of Brooklyn, New York. He became an electrician for the Standard Underground Cable Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1886, and remained with that corporation until 1889. Meanwhile, Mr. Acheson had been en- gaged in scientific research and through observation, analysis and experiments he discovered a form of carbon which had all the properties of graphite. In 1895 he secured a patent for producing graphite from amorphous carbon in the electric fur- nace. The graphite is made from anthracite coal and petroleum coke, all foreign matter being volatilized at a temperature of over seven thousand, five hundred de- grees, Fahrenheit, the highest known temperature. This is the only man-made
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graphite in the world and superior in quality to the natural product, which contains impurities. It is used chiefly in the manufacture of electrodes, lead pencils, and as a powder for dry batteries, paints, pigments and lubricants. In January, 1899, the Acheson Graphite Company was organized for the manufacture of graphites under his patents, with a capital stock of five hundred thousand dollars, and in the follow- ing year was merged with the International Acheson Graphite Company of Niagara Falls, a three million dollar corporation, of which Dr. Acheson is the executive head. His inventive genius is supplemented by business ability of a high order and his constantly expanding powers have made him one of the outstanding figures in American industry.
GEORGE HIRAM BRADLEY.
George Hiram Bradley, a successful oil producer of Bolivar, Allegany county, and an official in the Empire Gas & Fuel Company, Limited, may almost be said to have grown up in the oil business. His father, the late Justin Bassett Bradley, was in the oil industry in Pennsylvania as early as 1861 and from then on until his death in 1904 was principally occupied in this field of activity. Thus from early boyhood George Hiram Bradley was familiar with the eastern oil fields and the operation of gas and oil wels. He was born in Springboro, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of October, 1864. His mother bore the maiden name of Naomi Susan Cook. Justin B. Bradley was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, December 28, 1826, and as a young man engaged in the oil business in his native county, being so occupied at the time the Civil war broke out. Later he went into the real estate business in Chicago and was in the young western city about 1874. Returning to his native state in the '70s he took up his residence in Bradford, where he remained until 1881, when he came to New York state, locating in Richburg, Allegany county. Here he was active in the oil and gas industry until his death.
After obtaining an education in the common schools George Hiram Bradley followed his father into the oil and gas business and began working in the local fields. Shortly he entered the employ of the firm of Kneelan Bros. & Bradley, who were cug ged in the production of gas and oil. This firm later became the Empire Gas & Fuel Company, Limited, of which Mr. Bradley is now vice president and treasurer. He, with his associates, developed the July Oil Company, today a subsidiary of the Forest Oil Company, Incorporated, which operates in Bolivar and the vicinity. Mr. Bradley is a director in the Forest Oil Company, Inc., whose headquarters are in Brad- ford, Pennsylvania. All of his time and energy has not been devoted to this one industry, a.though that is the field in which he first rose to prominence. He is practically the so.c owner of the Bolivar Water Company, a public service company, and is largely interested in other local companies and corporations. In banking circles he is known as a director and vice president of the State Bank of Bolivar and a director in the First Trust Company of Wellsville, New York.
Mr. Bradley attends the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a Mason, his affilia- tions being with Macedonia Lodge, No. 258, F. & A. M. of Bolivar; and Bolivar Chapter, No. 280, R. A. M. He likewise belongs to Bolivar Lodge, No. 515, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. While in the main he adheres to the principles of democracy as expounded by the party of Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson, Mr. Bradley is somewhat independent in his political views, holding that the good of the country and the fitness of the candidates for office should be taken into consideration by every voter before the success of the particular party he might support. While ye irs of well-directed effort have brought to Mr. Bradley a position of leadership in his industry and in the community, as well as the wealth that is always an evidence of business success, he is a man of simple tastes and unostentatious nature. His interests, aside from his business, are in his home and the social life he enjoys among lis friends in this vicinity, many of whom have been his companions since early yo. th.
Mr. Bradley's marriage to Miss Sarah Care of Vossburg, New York, took place on the 9th of July, 1883. They have become the parents of six children, five of whom are living: The oldest child, Justin Booth Bradley, is treasurer and manager of the Hornell Gas Light Company and the Canisteo Gas Company of Hornell, New York. He married Miss Eva Clark of Belmont, New York; John Care Bradley resides in Bolivar, where he has charge of the local interests of the Empire Gas & Fuel Com- r ny, Limited. His wife was formerly Miss Edith Washburn of Poultney, New York, a .. d they have two sons, George W. and John D. Isabel Elizabeth Bradley graduated
JUSTIN B. BRADLEY
GEORGE H. BRADLEY
1
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from the University of Michigan in 1921. She is now the wife of Clarendon E. Streeter of Rixford, Pennsylvania, the manager of the Carter, Bradley & Streeter Oil Company of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Streeter have a son: Bradley Streeter. Miss Naomi Sanol Bradley is an alumna of the University of Michigan, class of 1922, and is at home. Edwin George Bradley, also a graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, is engaged in the oil business at Wichita, Kansas. The youngest child, Marion, died in infancy.
CHARLES BRAINARD PRESCOTT.
Charles Brainard Prescott, who has been a member of the Attica bar during the past twenty-four years, is widely recognized as one of the able and successful repre- sentatives of the legal profession in Wyoming county. He is a native son of the town of Attica, where he was born on the 1st of November, 1870, his parents being James O. and Helen F. (Disbrow) Prescott. The father, who was an executive of the Erie Railroad Company, spent the greater part of his life in the Genesee country and here passed away in 1912.
Charles Brainard Prescott was a high school pupil in Batavia, New York, prior to beginning his professional training in the University of Buffalo, from which he was graduated with the degree of LL. B. in 1897. The same year he entered upon the practice of law in association with the firm of Taber & Wilke in Buffalo, where he remained until 1900, when he came to Attica, which city has remained the scene of his professional labors. The zeal with which he has devoted his energies to his chosen calling, the careful regard evinced for the interests of his clients, and an as- siduous and unrelaxing attention to all the details of his cases, have brought him a large business and made him very successful in its conduct. Mr. Prescott has served as justice of the peace for many years and is connected with the barge canal titles department in the office of the attorney-general. He is a member of the Wyoming County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
On the 21st of November, 1898, in Attica, Mr. Prescott was united in marriage to Miss Anna Walton, daughter of Henry and Delia Walton of this place. An earnest worker in the local ranks of the republican party, Mr. Prescott was chairman of the republican county committee for a period of two decades, covering the years between 1902 and 1922. His activities during the period of the World war included service as chairman of the military census of 1917, chairman of the Four-Minute men and member of the legal advisory board. His religious faith is indicated by his member- ship in the Presbyterian church, of which he is one of the trustees, and he also be- longs to the Batavia Club and to the Attica Business Men's Club.
Fraternally Mr. Prescott is identified with the Foresters, the Odd Fellows and the Masons, belonging to Attica Lodge, F. & A. M .; Attica Chapter, R. A. M .; Batavia Commandery, K. T .; and Ismailia Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Buffalo. Mr. Prescott is deeply interested in the work of the Boy Scout organization and in all movements instituted to aid young boys and girls. His interests and connections are thus wide and varied and he has given earnest and adequate support to all those forces which make for public progress and improvement, for social advancement, for the betterment of business conditions and for the organized efforts that are being put forth to ad- vance the intellectual and moral welfare of the community.
NOAH FRANKLIN MADDEVER.
In every community there are men who, by the consensus of public opinion, are placed in the rank of its most useful and enterprising citizens, and to this distinction Noah Franklin Maddever has attained. His activities have largely been directed along those lines which have for their object public improvement and the advancement of the general welfare, and his life has been a strong force for good. He is well known in journalistic circles of western New York as vice president of the company which controls the Niagara Falls Gazette, with which he has been connected for more than a quarter of a century, and for two decades he has been a leader of educational prog- ress in the city. He is a native of Canada, and was born January 31, 1874, in London, Ontario, a son of John Franklin and Eliza (Watson) Maddever, the former of English and French lineage and the latter of English extraction. The father was born in London, Ontario, March 29, 1849, and the mother in London, England, October 1, 1854. The family moved from London, Ontario, to the States, first locating in Lyndonville,
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New York, and later in Lockport, this state. The parents next went to Akron, Ohio, and in 1884 established their home in Niagara Falls.
From the age of ten years Noah Franklin Maddever has been a resident of this city and here he received his education, graduating from high school with the class of 1893. He afterward spent two years in the United States postal service, and in 1896 entered the newspaper business as a cub reporter for the Niagara Falls Gazette. He found the work congenial and interesting, applying himself with zeal and enthusi- asm to his tasks, and as his experience and value increased he was rewarded by pro- motion. He is now managing editor of the paper, of which he is part owner, and also acts as vice president of the company. His editorials are noted for their vigor and literary excellence and under his management the Gazette has become both the leader and the mirror of public opinion. It embodies the best elements of journalism and ranks with the leading dailies of western New York.
On December 10, 1902, Mr. Maddever was married to Miss Nellie M. Nolan and they have two children: John Franklin and Jane Louise. Mr. Maddever is a stanch republican and has never wavered in his allegiance to the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He regards the public schools as the bulwark of the nation and has exerted his influence to secure for the city an educational system of which its residents are justifiably proud. In 1904 Mayor John M. Hancock ap- pointed Mr. Maddever a member of the board of education, on which he has served continuously to the present time, and since 1909 he has been its president, his long retention in the office being eloquent of his capacity for such service. He is a Mason
in high standing, belonging to Niagara River Lodge, No. 785, F. & A. M., of which he was master in 1910; to Niagara Chapter, No. 200, R. A. M., of which he was high priest in 1914; and in 1922 he was elected commander of Niagara Commandery, No. 64, K. T. He was inducted into the order in 1900 and is a Noble of Ismailia Temple of the Mystic Shrine, while he also belongs to the Niagara Club and the Niagara County Sportsmen's Association. Mr. Maddever has ever been actuated by a strong desire to serve his community and loses no opportunity to "boost" his city by the spoken and written word. He has never used his influence for an unworthy purpose and has al- ways supported moral interests, fair dealing and the cause of good government. He has progressed through the medium of his own efforts and is esteemed for those qualities which have made possible his success.
JOHN BENEDICT MCGONEGAL.
(By Gerald J. Kent, East Orange, New Jersey)
The passing of John Benedict McGonegal of Rochester, New York, removed from the public life of Monroe county a man who had long been in the public eye as a county official, connected with the office of county superintendent of the poor for nearly forty years. He did not, however, introduce the name to that office-on the contrary he was introduced by his honored father who first appointed him. George E. McGonegal held the office of county superintendent of the poor for Monroe county for seven terms, ending with his death in 1885, therefore for more than half a century these two men, George E. and John B. McGonegal, father and son, were engaged in the blessed work of charity. John B. McGonegal was twenty-five years of age when first appointed deputy by his father, and for forty years he served most conscientiously and effectively, for his heart was in his work and his pride was in doing it well. How well he discharged his duty must be inferred from the fact that he served under five superintendents and each had the appointmnt of his own deputy. That he held the office until his sudden death places the stamp of approval upon his work and that verdict was just.
George E. McGonegal was the owner of a farm in Irondequoit, Monroe county, New York, and there resided until 1870. He was a son of John McGonegal, one of the first settlers of Irondequoit, and back in Indian days helped build the "Plank Road" and the floating bridge. In 1870 George E. McGonegal was elected superintendent of the poor for Monroe county, and later moved to Rochester, where he died in 1885. He married Louise Loder and they were the parents of John B. McGonegal, to whom this review is dedicated. George E. and Louise (Loder) McGonegal resided at the home in Vick Park "A", and there both died.
John Benedict McGonegal was born on the home farm in Irondequoit, Monroe county, New York, August 4, 1857, and died suddenly, December 28, 1922, while going from his office to his home. He is buried in Mount Hope cemetery, Rochester. He attended the Cld "Cobble Stonc" district school until the removal to Rochester in 1870,
Eng. by E. G. Williams & Bro. MY.
The American Historical Society
JemGonegal.
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and there he attended the "Hickory School", going thence to the academy at Lima, New York. He left the academy before graduation on account of ill health, and later became a clerk in the drug store of Haskins & Smith of Rochester. From the drug store he entered the service of Monroe county in the office of superintendent of the poor, an office then held by his father (1882). He served for about fifteen years in varied positions, then was appointed deputy superintendent, an office he held for twenty-five years under five superintendents, Superintendent Lodge first making him his deputy. During this period he was also state transfer agent of the state board of charities for the Rochester district, and upon his passing the state board of charities at Albany passed a "minute" for their records, certifying to Mr. McGonegal's faithful, efficient service, that minute being appended, together with a letter from the super- intendent of state and alien poor. A resolution from the Monroe County Association of Overseers of the Poor is also included in this record of a valuable, useful life.
Mr. McGonegal became one of the best known men of the county, and his friends were legion. He always was ready with the kindly, pleasant word of greeting, and no trouble was too great to take for a friend. He was a republican in politics, and a member of the Masonic order, affiliated with Genesee Valley Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Chapter, Royal Arch Masons Monroe Commandery, Knights Templars, and Damascus Temple of the Mystic Shrine.
John B. McGonegal was married on May 22, 1894, in Rochester, to Frances B. Michelsen, born in Rochester, daughter of Paul and Magdalene (Oster) Michelsen, her parents born in Germany, but residents of the United States since childhood, her father a prosperous furniture dealer on Water, now High street, Rochester. The McGonegal family home was at No. 46 Vick Park "A", Rochester, New York.
STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES.
Albany, New York. January 9, 1923.
My Dear Mrs. McGonegal :
At the meeting of the State Board of Charities held in Albany, New York, Jan- uary 9, 1923, the following Minute was adopted by unanimous vote of the board, and the secretary was directed to transmit a copy of the same to you.
MINUTE. John B. McGonegal.
John B. McGonegal, who for nearly forty years was connected with the office of county superintendent of the poor in Monroe county, died suddenly in his sixty- fourth year, December 28, 1922, while going from his office to his home in Rochester, New York. For over twenty-five years he was deputy under the county superin- tendents of the poor, who during the past quarter of a century have served Monroe county.
It is worthy of record that John B. McGonegal was the son of George E. McGone- gal, who served Monroe county for six terms as its county superintendent of the poor. Upon the death of the father in 1902, the son, then being in the county employ, was retained by the elder McGonegal's successors. His fidelity and efficiency were recog- nized by his associates, and his genial manner and sympathetic ways gave comfort to a multitude of unfortunates and sorrowing families who received relief at his hands. He was in direct charge of Monroe county outdoor poor relief and was regarded by the women and children, who received supplies of food, clothing and other necessities, as a true friend. He acted for this board when necessary as a removal agent of state poor persons from July, 1885, until his death, and thus since that date was in communication with the superintendent of state and alien poor.
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