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 36
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For nearly sixty years of continuous service the name of McGonegal has stood for efficiency in the relief of the poor and unfortunate, a record of which the county of Monroe may well be proud.
With my personal sympathy, I am,
Very sincerely yours, CHARLES H. JOHNSON.
From the Monroe County Associated Overseers of the Poor :
At this meeting we take the first opportunity to announce the death of Mr. John B. McGonegal, deputy superintendent of the poor, of Monroe county, which occurred in this city, December 28, 1922.
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Mr. McGonegal held the office of deputy superintendent of the poor for forty years. He was first appointed to the office by his father, Mr. George E. McGonegal, and served under the supervision of five superintendents during his term of office. During the period he also served as state transfer agent of the State Board of Charities in this district.
Mr. McGonegal was a man of unusual ability, a conscientious worker, and per- formed his duties in a most considerate and thoughtful manner, and great credit was due him for the work he made his lifework. He was always congenial and made many friends among the associates who worked with him in connection with caring for the poor, and his presence will be sadly missed by them, by those he worked with in the office and by members of this association at their quarterly meetings. We wish to at- test our respect to his memory, therefore, Be it
Resolved: That we, members of and representing the Monroe County Association of Overseers of the Poor, extend to Mrs. McGonegal our sincere sympathy in her sad bereavement, and that the above tribute to his memory be recorded upon the minutes of this meeting and a copy be sent to Mrs. McGonegal.
THOMAS A. CROUCH, JOHN S. WRIGHT, IRA E. FORD.
The following letter is self-explanatory:
STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES.
Albany, New York.
My Dear Mrs. McGonegal :
As an old friend of your husband, and with deep sympathy in your bereavement, I am sending to you a copy of the Minute adopted by the State Board of Charities of the State of New York at its meeting in Albany today.
For many years I have taken pleasure in meeting your husband, not only officially but as a personal friend, and when through Superintendent William E. Porter I learned over the telephone of John's sudden death I was greatly shocked, as only a short time ago I was at his office in the courthouse and we talked over many matters of common interest.
I am glad now that my recollection of this last interview with him is so pleasant, for we both enjoyed it and looked forward to other visits for a renewal of the pleasure. Now that he is gone I appreciate what a competent, faithful man we have lost, and shall always cherish his memory as that of a sincere friend and a pleasant associate.
Both to you and his sister I tender my sympathy, but know that both have the Christian consolation and look forward to a reunion in "The mansions not made by hands, eternal in the heavens."
Very sincerely yours, ROBERT W. HILL, Superintendent State and Alien Poor.
The above sketch was taken from the "Americana", published by The American . Historical Society, Incorporated, New York.
Mrs. McGonegal was married on January 1, 1925, to George G. Muntz of Roches- ter, and their residence is at No. 44 Vick Park "B".
EDWIN BRADFORD HALL.
High on the honored roll of esteemed citizens of Allegany county stands the name of Edwin Bradford Hall of Wellsville, who for fifty-six years until his death was a druggist in that place. Mr. Hall represented a high type of citizenship, and his name is held in fond remembrance by a wide circle of acquaintances. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1825, and was of Puritan ancestry, tracing his descent through the maternal line from the distinguished Governor William Bradford, second governor of the Plymouth colony.
Mr. Hall learned the drug business in his native place and in 1852 came to Wells- ville and opened a drug store, which for a short time was located in a rented frame building on part of the present Babcock Theater site. However, he at once proceeded to erect a building of his own on the land now occupied by the Hall Drug Store, which with the exception of a brief period covering a few months, continued to be his business site. His first store was burned and Mr. Hall erected the present brick building. Fol-
EDWIN BRADFORD HALL
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lowing the death of Mr. Hall the business was continued by his son-in-law, J. Milton Carpenter, who had long been associated with Mr. Hall, and since the retirement of Mr. Carpenter in 1920, when he disposed of the business, the trade name of the store has remained unchanged-a tribute to the splendid name and reputation of the former owners.
On the 5th of June, 1860, Mr. Hall was married to Antoinette Farnum, daughter of Hon. E. J. Farnum of Wellsville. The only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hall-Fannie -is the wife of J. Milton Carpenter of Wellsville. Mrs. Hall passed away on June 29, 1917.
Mr. Hall was a republican in political faith, but his retiring and modest disposi- tion preferred to help forward other good men, rather than to take a leading part in civic or national political affairs. He was well known in Masonic circles, becoming a member of the lodge and chapter in Bridgeport, and later transferred his membership to Wellsville Lodge, No. 230, F. & A. M., and Wellsville Chapter, No. 143, R. A. M. He became a member of the Episcopal church in early life, but when he came to Wells- ville there being no church of that denomination there he attended the Congregational church, to the support of which he was a liberal contributor. His beautiful residence, "The Pink House", of unusual architecture, was erected by him at the corner of West State street and South Brooklyn avenue and is now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. J. Mil- ton Carpenter. This home with its landscaped grounds has long been one of the show places of Wellsville.
Mr. Hall as a business man achieved marked success, and in his relations he ever maintained his high reputation for honesty and upright dealings. A true gentleman of the old school, he had a kindness of manner and a true courtesy that made him not only beloved by all, but reflected his fine New England training and ancestry. He was a lover of the beautiful things of nature and found much pleasure and interest in the trees, shrubs, flowers and birds. His home life was ideal, and he was the ideal hus- band, father, neighbor and friend. Mr. Hall was of a scientific turn; his fame as a geologist was not confined to this country, and as a botanist he had more than a local reputation. The special story of his work as a scientist, observer and investi- gator in geological work is an interesting one that can be touched upon only briefly here. He was known and honored among geologists, and has a special name and place of honor in geological work in New York state. He was the finder of eighty new and distinct species of fossils of the order of Dictyospongidae (meaning netted or reticulated sponges), fossils of silicious sponges, paleozoic forms of an extinct group of organisms representing the glass sponges of the existing seas. These specimens were nearly all found in Allegany county and vicinity. His large and valuable col- lection is housed in a separate building adjoining "The Pink House" in Wellsville.
Mr. Hall continued his various activities with a marked vigor until he had passed the fourscore mark and retained his interest in his scientific work undiminished. He rendered valuable service to science in his particular field, and enjoyed as his re- ward the personal and delightful friendship and associations with men of the highest rank in the scientific world. The death of Mr. Hall occurred on September 11, 1908.
JOHN B. LAIDLAW.
John B. Laidlaw, who was superintendent of schools of Niagara Falls, until he resigned on January 1, 1925, has devoted his life to the acquirement and dissemination of knowledge and his ability as an educator has won for him more than local promin- ence. He was born October 31, 1874, in St. Lawrence county, New York, and his parents, Alexander and Priscilla (Mills) Laidlaw, were also natives of that county. The father was of Scotch lineage and was born in 1840, while the mother was of Scotch and English ancestry and was born in 1845.
John B. Laidlaw completed a course in the Richfield Springs high school in 1892 and his higher education was acquired in St. Lawrence University, from which he was graduated in 1901, winning the degree of Bachelor of Science. He began his career as an educator at the age of eighteen and from 1892 until 1897 was a teacher in the rural schools of St. Lawrence county. From 1901 until 1904 he was principal of the Hammond Union School and next spent two years as an instructor in the Franklin Academy in Malone. He was supervising principal of the high school in Gouverneur, New York, from 1906 until 1910 and in the latter year became principal of the Niagara Falls high school, acting in that capacity for five years. His excellent work in that connection led to his selection for the office of superin-
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tendent of schools of Niagara Falls, which position he held until January 1, 1925, when he tendered his resignation. Studious by nature, he keeps in touch with the most advanced ideas in regard to the education of children and under his regime notable improvements were made in the school system of the city, which ranks with the best in the state. He was resourceful in meeting the various problems which constantly arose in connection with the performance of his duties and he secured the hearty cooperation of the board of education as well as the teaching body in his efforts to maintain the highest possible standard, not only as to scholarship, but also as to discipline in the training of students for good citizenship. The state de- partment of education, after a survey of the school system of the city in 1921, published the following statement:
"Seldom has a city of the state adopted such a constructive and far-reaching educational program as has Niagara Falls when, through the active interest of civic groups and public-spirited citizens, a tax election carried by a large majority five separate proposals, representing a total bond issue of three million, five hundred thousand dollars, for the purpose of putting the new school program into effect." The main responsibility for the conception, adoption and execution of this progressive educational program lies with Mr. Laidlaw. The department also states: "In all matters of administration, educational as well as financial, the superintendent is the executive representative of the board of education and these functions are exer- cised with tireless energy. It is gratifying to find in Niagara Falls the evidence of an intelligent and progressive scheme for the direction of the schools of the city. This supervision has concerned itself not only with the details of administration, the machinery for operating the school system, those elements of business adminis- tration which characterize a well ordered office system, but in a notable degree there has been evidenced here a careful direction and guidance of actual instruction. The selection of teachers, the introduction into the curriculum of modern features, the proper time allotment for divisions of a subject, the study of the problem of program making, the personal consideration of pupils' progress and promotion, are among the many indications that the superintendent knows personally the characteristics and the work of his teachers both in the grades and in the high school more intimately and directs their efforts more minutely when needed and more intelligently than is the case in most places."
In June, 1924, St. Lawrence University conferred upon Mr. Laidlaw the honorary degree of Doctor of Pedagogy, in recognition of the high character of his work, and in his profession he is recognized as an educator of rare executive ability. He ad- vanced the standard of education in Niagara Falls and his work met with widespread approval. Dr. Laidlaw has a winning personality and every boy and girl who was a member of the high school when he was principal is still his stanch friend, adherent and admirer. He is a Mason in high standing, belonging to Gouverneur Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he was master in 1910; to the chapter, council and commandery; and to the Lodge of Perfection in the Scottish Rite. He is a member of the Niagara Club and his religious views are in harmony with the teachings of the Presbyter- ian church.
GLENN WATSON SIMPSON.
Glenn Watson Simpson, president of the Simpson-Walther Lens Company, In- corporated, of Rochester, has had a long and valuable experience in that line of manu- facturing. He was born in West Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, on the 2d of May, 1887, his parents being William H. and Sarah (Albaugh) Simpson, the former a native of London, England, and the latter of Hemlock, Livingston county, New York. William H. Simpson was but six weeks old when his parents brought him to America, the family home being established in Hemlock, this state, where he was reared, edu- cated and married. He devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits with excellent success throughout his active business career and after disposing of his farm he took up his abode in the city of Rochester, passing away in January, 1919. For a period of twelve years he had survived his wife, who died in Rochester in 1907. Their family numbered ten children, nine of whom are living: Chester, a farmer residing in Arcade, New York; Glenn Watson, of this review; Charles, living in Rochester; Leon, who also makes his home in Rochester; Herbert, a farmer of Franklin county, New York; Ralph, who is engaged in the trucking business in Rochester; Merle, a resident of Rochester; Ona, also of Rochester; and Belle Hibbard, who lives in Rochester.
GLENN W. SIMPSON
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Glenn Watson Simpson attended the public schools and after putting aside his textbooks served an apprenticeship as a mechanic, being employed in various plants of Rochester and elsewhere. He continued to work as a mechanic and toolmaker and was in the service of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company prior to becoming foreman for the Buffalo Lens Company, while subsequently he assumed the duties of manager of the Bisight Optical Company in Baltimore, Maryland. He next became manager for the Tilton Optical Company of Tilton, New Hampshire. Up to this period in his business career Mr. Simpson had always worked for others, and being ambitious to engage in business for himself, he, in company with Joseph A. Walther, organized the Maryland Lens Corporation. This was in 1917, and they established their business in Baltimore for the manufacture of spectacle lenses. On March 1, 1918, the business was removed to Rochester and at the same time the firm name was changed to Simpson- Walther Lens Company, Incorporated. On January 1, 1919, a New York charter was secured, under which the company has since operated. By dint of hard work, excellent management and straightforward business practices, this company has been developed from a modest beginning into one of the well and favorably known enterprises of its kind in the country. Employment is furnished to one hundred and fifty people in the
plants at Rochester, New York, and Southbridge, Massachusetts, which are devoted to the exclusive manufacture of high-grade lenses in the finished and unfinished state. The concern was originally incorporated for five thousand dollars, which amount was subsequently raised to twenty-five thousand dollars and afterward to one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, while at the present time the capital stock is four hun- dred thousand dollars. The steady expansion and growing success of the business is to no small extent attributable to the splendid management and tireless energy of its president, whose rise in the industrial world is regarded as a just reward for his business ability and enterprise.
On the 29th of December, 1908, Mr. Simpson was united in marriage to Miss Myrtie B. Baker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Baker of West Bloomfield. Mr. Simpson belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry, belonging to Rochester Lodge, No. 660, F. & A. M., and Damascus Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the United Commercial Travelers Association and of the Brooklea Golf Club. His high standards are exemplified in his career, which has been one of activity and use- fulness not only in business, where his progress has been continuous, but also in other lines of life. Mr. Simpson's residence is at No. 215 Thurston road.
NEWMAN LAWRENCE HAWKS.
Newman Lawrence Hawks is a very successful operator in the field of real estate and insurance in Batavia who has specialized in development and subdivision work and general insurance. He was born in Holland, Erie county, New York, on the 25th of February, 1878, his parents being Porter and Hattie D. (Blair) Hawks. His paternal grandfather, Rufus Hawks, came to the Genesee country from Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1830. Porter Hawks, the father of Newman L. Hawks, was an agriculturist by occupation who also engaged in the produce and lumber business in Holland, New York, where he made his home until nine years prior to his death. The evening of his life was spent in Batavia, where he passed away on the 14th of September, 1923. His wife, who was a native of Auburn, Crawford county, Ohio, died in Batavia on the 8th of October, 1922.
Newman Lawrence Hawks began his education in the public schools of Holland and Arcade, Wyoming county, New York, and afterward attended high school in Arcade and East Aurora, Erie county. For a period of six years, from 1895 until 1901, he engaged in educational work as a teacher in the district schools of Holland, Sardinia and Yorkshire, New York, imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge which he had acquired. Thereafter he spent a year in the service of the Buffalo Commercial Bank and afterward was connected for a similar period with the Marine National Bank of Buffalo. He next became a member of the casualty depart- ment of the Aetna Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, in its office in Buffalo, whence he was sent to Batavia as district agent. He represented the Aetna Life Insurance Company as general agent for Orleans, Livingston, Wyoming and Genesee counties through a period of six years, and then sold out the business of the outside territory to the Buffalo branch office of the company, to give more time to his fast increasing personal business, and he is now the regional agent for the
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Batavia district. It was in May, 1904, that he established his present general insur- ance office in Batavia, which has grown to large proportions, comprising agencies for twenty leading fire insurance companies. In 1907 he became interested in local real estate operations, including development and subdivision work. He developed the Spofford and Hawks tract in Batavia and also the Hawks and Sanders tract. The splendid success which has attended his activities as a realtor is the result of close application, thoroughness and intelligence and he is deserving of his creditable posi- tion in the business circles of his adopted city.
On the 5th of August, 1903, in Arcade, New York, Mr. Hawks was married to Miss Alta Catherine Howlett, daughter of Oliver S. Howlett of Arcade and Freedom, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Hawks have become the parents of six children: Burdette Howlett, who was born September 1, 1904, and is a student at the University of Maryland; Doris Marie, who was born September 26, 1907; Newman Lawrence, Jr., born May 17, 1910; Paul Blair, who was born February 24, 1913; and Ruth Marion and Lucile Mildred, twins, who were born on the 26th of October, 1914.
Mr. Hawks exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and takes a helpful part in local political affairs. He belongs to the Batavia Chamber of Commerce and the Batavia Kiwanis Club and has been district trustee of the latter organization for two years. He is also a member of the Real Estate Board, the Holland Club, the Stafford Country Club and the Seven Springs Country Club, and finds great pleasure in the various phases of out- door life, being particularly fond of flowers and floriculture. He is a director of the Horseshoe Lake Amusement Company. Mr. Hawks has membership in the First Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is serving as steward, and is president of the Methodist Brotherhood. He also belongs to the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion and manifests a deep interest in the work of the Boy Scout organization. Fra- ternally he is a Knights Templar Mason and Shriner, and is also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The popularity and high standing which he enjoys in the social, fraternal, business and civic life of his community is indeed well merited.
WILLIAM O. TAYLOR.
With the history of the development of the rich oil fields of Allegany county the name of Taylor is inseparably associated and the work instituted by the father in pioneer times is now being continued by the son, William O. Taylor, whose inherited traits of industry, enterprise and initiative have placed him with the foremost busi- ness men of Wellsville. He was born in Canaseraga, Allegany county, December 19, 1866, and his great-grandfather was the first white settler in Burns township, this county.
His father, Orville P. Taylor, was born in Leesville, Campbell county, Virginia, September 15, 1838, and completed his education in the Genesee Seminary, situated near Attica, New York, graduating with the class of 1858. In the same year a firm of railroad contractors sent him to South America to superintend the construction of Dom Pedro's Railway in Brazil and the boat on which he was a passenger was ship- wrecked. For twenty-two days Mr. Taylor clung to the water-logged hull and was finally cast on the island of St. Thomas. He at length reached Brazil and completed the task assigned him, although his work was delayed by an attack of yellow fever. As soon as he was able to undertake the long sea voyage Mr. Taylor returned to the United States and fought for the Confederate cause during the Civil war. After the close of the conflict he returned to Canaseraga, New York, and in 1865 began the manufacture of cigars. In 1870 he established his home in Wellsville and increased the scope of his business. Being convinced that this district was rich in oil, he began pros- pecting in 1878 in the township of Alma, Allegany county, and although success seemed far away, he never lost faith in his theory. After months of hardship, poverty and failure his patience was at length rewarded and in June, 1879, his third venture completed the first commercial oil well in Allegany county and New York state, and at this writing, June, 1925, the well, known as Triangle No. 1, is still producing oil daily. Mr. Taylor was a man of unalterable purpose, broad vision and keen powers of discernment, and to him belongs the credit for the discovery and development of the oil fields of the Allegany county district. His fellow townsmen honored him with the presidency of the village of Wellsville and in 1881 he was nominated by the demo- cratic party for the office of state assemblyman, running four hundred and seventy- nine votes ahead of his ticket. In January, 1861, he was married to Miss Cornelia
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Clark, a daughter of Chauncey F. and Harriet S. Clark, of Canaseraga. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor had three children: Charles O., William O. and Annie B. Orville P. Taylor died November 17, 1883.
In the acquirement of an education William O. Taylor attended the district schools and the Wellsville high school, also completing a course in the Rochester Busi- ness Institute. He was employed for a time as a bookkeeper and accountant and in 1890 purchased from his father's former partner a quarter interest in the Triangle Oil Company's oil leases, becoming an independent operator. He has made other invest- ments from time to time and spent the period from 1906 until 1915 in Brazil, having purchased stock in gold mines in that republic. In 1895 he operated in the oil fields of Kentucky and Tennessee and he has also been engaged in development work in Hancock and Wood counties, Ohio. He has an expert understanding of the business, gained from years of close study and practical experience, and has been uniformly successful in his ventures.
In 1889 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Minnie Applebee of Wellsville, a daugh- ter of A. J. Applebee, who was one of the pioneer oil producers of Allegany county, to which he removed in 1883 from Bradford, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have become the parents of four children: Florence, the firstborn, became the wife of Harry J. Maddren, now deceased, who was a traffic officer, connected with the police force of New York city. Mrs. Maddren resides in Wellsville and has two sons, Harry and William; Jennie, the second in the family, is at home; Cornelia was married on Octo- ber 3, 1917, to Ernest C. Hornberg, who is a well known attorney of Wellsville, and they have a son, James Paul; and Orville is attending the public schools.
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