USA > New York > Monroe County > Landmarks of Monroe County, New York : containing followed by brief historical sketches of the towns of the county with biography and family history > Part 92
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Skinner, Almond, was born in Lincoln, Canada, March 17, 1814, a son of Ebenezer, born in Orange county in 1775, whose father, Joseph, came to America about 1770, and later removed to Canada. Ebenezer, the father, grew to manhood there, and was a farmer. Part of the battle of Lundy's Lane was fought on his farm. His son Gideon, being forced to take part with the British in that battle, he became so indig- nant over the affairs of the country, that he declared he would not live under such a government, so he sold his farm and came to the United States in 1817 and settled in this town, where he spent his remaining days, and was a prominent citizen. His wife was Mary Cook, a native of Canada, by whom he had eight children, of whom our subject is the youngest. At his father's death Mr. Skinner came into possession of fifty acres of the homestead, to which he later added 104 acres. For years he de- voted much time to the breeding of Samson horses and Durham cattle. In 1839 he married Amanda, daughter of Ira Nimes of Washington county N. Y., and their children are Dr. Scotts W. Skinner of Le Roy, Dimmis M., wife of Dr. Adams, of Rochester; Dr. J. W. Skinner; Celia A., and Jesse.
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Fetzner, John, was born in the town of Greece, February 28, 1851, was educated in the public schools, and later learned carriage-making in all its branches, which trade he now carries on in the village of Greece. He is a natural inventor, and uses his talent in the invention of his own machinery for his business, in which he is very successful. In addition to the above he has a steam feed mill, which is an accommo- dation to this region of the country, and he also manufactures tanks. June 16, 1885, he married Louise Hutte, of Rochester, and they have two children, Lillian J., and A. Clarence. Francis, father of our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, in 1819, and came to the United States about 1835. He married Catharine Mura of this town, formerly of Alsace, and they have eight children: Mary, John, Frank, Catharine, Joseph P., Elizabeth, Agnes, and Wendel. Mrs. Frances Fetzner died in 1892. Mrs. Louise Fetzner's father, Charles Hutte, was born in Prussia, July 4, 1829, and came to this country when a young man. He is a merchant custom boot and shoe maker of Rochester. He is the father of eight children, as follows: Mary, Louis, Louisa, Josephine, Jacob, William, and two who died in infancy. Both parents are residents of Rochester. The family are members of the Catholic church here.
Avery, Edwin B., was born in Riga, in 1839, son of Joseph B. Avery, who came from Massachusetts and settled in Bergen in 1816, later coming to Riga where he engaged in farming and died in 1881. Mr. Avery began work for the N. Y. C. R. R. in 1857, and after filling several positions was made agent at Cold Water in 1863, which office he still holds. He has also been postmaster since 1868. Mr. Avery has five sons: Albert E., who is an engineer; Myron P .; Chauncy B., who is in a dis- patcher's office in Buffalo; Hiram J., and Fred M.
Sperry, George B., was born in Gates in 1839, and is a son of Calvin Sperry, who came to Gates in 1826 from Bloomfield, N. Y. Calvin Sperry was a farmer by occu- pation. George B. started out by working on a farm by the month. In 1862 he en- listed in Co. B, 108th N. Y. Vols., and was in the battles of Antietam and Fredericks- burg, where he was wounded, being discharged as permanently disabled. He re- turned to Gates, where he has since lived. He has been town clerk for the past three years. He married Mary, daughter of Seth Hart, one of the pioneer settlers of the town of Gates.
Todd, Stanley .- One of the most prominent and successful men of Brighton is Ira Todd, whose elegant home is located in the extreme southeastern part of the town. Mr. Todd was born at Peekskill in 1825, son of Orrin Todd, who was born in Con- necticut of an old Scotch family. About 1829 the family moved into the town of Pittsford, and in 1845 into Brighton. Ira married Zilpha Manchester, of Middleport, N. Y., whose children are Jerome, Marshall, Frank, and Stanley. Two daughters, Ella and Lillian, are deceased. The former was Mrs. George Crossman, of Roches- ter, who died in 1887, leaving two children. Ira Todd, while achieving more than a competency and surrounding himself and family with those material accessories which go far toward making life worth living, has not forfeited the respect of his contemporaries, nor imperiled the good name which was his best heritage. He is a Democrat of the old school, and has always taken a foremost place in local govern- ment and political life, filling many minor positions of trust beside those of assessor and supervisor. Mr, Todd's four sons are all happily married, two being residents
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of Henrietta and the others, the elder and younger, remaining near the parental roof-tree. At this writing the grandchildren are ten in number, so that the family name would seem to be in no danger of extinction.
Tozier, Joseph A. was born in York, Livingston county, June 21, 1836, a son of Joseph Tozier, who moved to Le Roy, and later settled in Clarkson. The family trace their descent from Lemuel Tozier, born in Maine in 1756, who had twelve chil- dren. Joseph A., was educated in the Brockport Collegiate Institute, later taught school, and was elected school commissioner for several terms, resigning to enter the drug business, with which he was identified at the time of his death. He mar- ried Alice Winslow, and their only child is George, who has taken up his father's business interests and successfully carried them on. Joseph A. died July 14, 1894.
Truesdale, James T., was born in Greece, April 8, 1847, and was the eldest of five children born to William E. and Rachel C. (Martin) Truesdale. His father was a native of Ireland and came to this country when a young man. He is still living and is the possessor of a comfortable home and property. James T. was brought up to tarm work and now owns a good farm in Parma, although he lives and does business in Spencerport. He was educated at the old Parma Institute and then taught school for eleven winters, chiefly in Parma and Greece. In 1872, in Parma, Mr. Truesdale married Mary A., daughter of William Hayner, by whom he had five children. After his marriage he began farming in Parma and continued until 1883, when he became agent for an eastern firm of capitalists and engaged in making loans through- out this section of the country. While in Parma Mr. Truesdale was twice elected supervisor, being the only Democrat elected to that office in forty years. He served on the Board of Supervisors in 1883-84. In 1886 Mr. Truesdale moved to Spencer- port and has since been engaged in the produce, coal, and fertilizer business.
Truman, Lawrence, was born in Saratoga county, September 1, 1824. His father, Edward, married Ella Perry, and engaged in agriculture. The wife of our subject was Elizabeth Sawyer, and their children are Edward, Orlo S., Mrs. Olivia Amidon. In 1851 the family came to this county, where Mr. Lawrence is a representative man of his town. The father of Mrs. Lawrence was Joseph Sawyer.
Underbill, Lucius T., was born in Grafton county, Vt., March 16, 1831. His father, Ephraim, was a native of New Hampshire, and came to Rochester in 1833, settling on Coon Hill, where he conducted a saw mill and engaged in the lumber business. He married Betsey Beamas, of Littleton, N.H., and they had six children, five of whom survive. He died in 1851 in his fifty-sixth year. Lucius T. was educated in the common schools, and in 1862 came to Brockport and engaged in the lumber business, manufacturing sash, doors and blinds. In 1890 he bought the Jenny Lind Furnace property, which he rebuilt into a roller flour mill, with a capacity of seventy-five barrels of patent flour per day. In 1852 he married Martha E., daughter of Randall Kenyon. He has taken a prominent part in local politics, having served as super- visor and trustee of the village.
Tracy, Allen D, was born in Scipio, Cayuga county, a son of Edmund Tracy. Allen came to Brockport in 1835, where his sister then resided. IIe married Mary Hotchkiss, and soon after removed to Parma, living for a time at the Center. Ten years later he removed to Clarkson, where he farmed for sixteen years. In 1867 he
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bought the Thrall home farm, where he died in 1892, having made a comfortable home and fortune. His children were Florence H., who married Rollin Wood; Lelia E., who married P. J. Marsh; and J. Herbert, of Parma. The latter was born here May 19, 1845, was educated at Brockport, and now owns the homestead, on the Ridge. In 1869 he married Josephine A. Hillabrant, and they have five children. John Hotchkiss was born in Connecticut, but came to Parma from his former home, in Dover Plains, in 1833, locating west of the Center, where he died. His children were Ann, who married George Bentley, and died in Illinois, and Mary, as above. Mr. Hotchkiss died in Parma about 1838.
Wilcox, Chester E., representative of one of the oldest families in Perinton, was born here in 1850. His father was Homer Wilcox, a painter and decorator, and in earlier life a boatman, who was also a native of this town, and whose father was Larry Wilcox, well remembered in the early annals of the town. Chester was edu- cated at the Eastman Business College of Rochester, and first engaged in business in Fairport, opening billiard rooms in the Wilcox block on Main street. In 1870 he went to Ottawa, Kan., as clerk for the Ludington Hotel at that place. He has been an employee of the post-office both here and in Rochester, at various times. January 5, 1875, he married Rosalie L. Furman, of Perinton. Mr. Wilcox is a Mason of high degree.
Wilcox, Mortimer R., a descendant and representative of one of the oldest families of the locality, was born at Fairport, May 8, 1837. He first learned the trade of tinner with J. L. G. Seely. His father, Larry Wilcox, held a captain's commission under Governor Tompkins, but saw no active service. In 1865 Mortimer Wilcox was appointed postmaster of Fairport, which office he held continuously until 1887, a length of time almost without precedent, and due as much to his great personal popularity as to his business capacity. He has also served as village trustee, and in the Masonic fraternity Mr. Wilcox is of high standing. He has been five times mas- ter of the local lodge, and seven times represented it in the Grand Lodge. Since his retirement from official life he has operated to some extent in life insurance. His wife is Elvia A. Northrop, of Fairport, and their children are May, wife of Charles Bancroft, of London, England; James H., who was for ten years deputy postmaster here; and Hiram P. W., now bookkeeper for the Monroe County Savings Bank.
Warren, Capt. James H. (deceased), was a native of Columbia county, N. Y., and came to Clarkson, in 1810 with his father, Lyman Warren. In 1843 Captain Warren married Olivia Crary. In 1863 he was elected sheriff of Monroe county, serving three years. In his early life he was engaged in the freight and passenger depart- ment of a line of packet boats between Rochester and Buffalo. An enterprising and energetic man, he took a prominent part in the development of his town, serving as supervisor for years. His hand was ever ready to aid any charitable enterprise, and his benevolence was well known. He died in 1888 in his seventy-third year, a loss to his family and to all who knew him.
Woodmansee, C. N .- James Woodmansee came from Delaware county about 1825, settling with his parents in the northern part of Ogden. His father was Joseph Woodmansee. In the same locality some substantial representative of the family has ever since lived. James married Angeline Nichols, by whom he had five children: cc
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Betsey, of Parma; Clarinda, who married Charles Shimmons and moved to Michigan ; Louisa, wife of Charles Lucas; Charles N., who lives in the vicinity of the old farm, though his present fine property is located on the Parma side; and Joseph P., of Rochester. Charles N. was born in Ogden, February 13, 1840, and has always lived on a farm. He began his career by working out by the month, saving his earnings and buying one-half acre of land. To this he added as he was able and has bought and sold various places. But in 1880 he purchased the farm where he now resides, comprising ninety acres and one of the best equipped properties in southern Parma. In 1863 Mr. Woodmansee married Julia Shourds, and their children are Irving J., engaged in railroading in Rochester, and Fred S., in like employment in Syracuse. Mr. Woodmansee was collector in the town of Ogden for three years.
Wilson, M. H., eldest son of Robert Wilson, who came from Ayr, Scotland, and was one of the pioneers of Rochester. He died in 1865, aged seventy, and his widow, who was Jane Sloan, survives him, and is a resident of the Cobbs Hill district. Matthew Wilson has always been a farmer, one of the class whose influence tends to elevate that calling. He is a member of the Grange and the Presbyterian church, as is also his wife, who was Angelica J., a daughter of the late James Hartley of Brighton. Mr. Wilson was engaged in farming in Irondequoit until 1874, at which date he settled at his present location. There are five children: M. Clifford, Robert J., William Earl, Ralph H., and Helen Agnes.
Wilmarth, Louisa, representative of an old family, widely known among the hardy pioneers of Monroe county, is the daughter of Orrin Wilmarth, who was of Vermont birth. . He was but a small boy when his parents came to Victor, Ontario county, and later we learn of his marriage to Laura Stone of Victor. He kept hotel at vari- ous places, among them Evans, Erie county, and Irving, Chautauqua county. His children were: Emma, Sarah, Louisa and Abbie, all of whom except Louisa are now deceased. Emma was Mrs. P. J. Kent, of Irving; Sarah died in infancy ; and Abbie married D. C. Guernsey of Pittsford. Louisa, sole surviving member of this family, has been a resident of Pittsford since 1872, and a valued member of its society. She is a member of the Presbyterian church, and of the Ladies' Missionary Society. Her father died April 10, 1864, and her mother ten years later.
Weeks, Benjamin B., was born in Webster in 1824, his father, Jesse, having set- tled here about 1820, coming from Orange county. Jesse died in this town in 1881. Benjamin B. entered a shop and learned wagonmaking, and at the age of twenty-one opened a shop for himself, and has since 1845 been actively engaged in that business, in which he has met with much success.
Wager, Philetus, a son of Sylvanus, and a grandson of George Wager, who came to Webster in 1819, settling on a tract of land in the northern part of the town, where the Wagers have since resided. He had three sons, whose descendants remain on the old homestead. The wife of Philetus was Calista Jones, and they are the parents of two children: Nina and Jennie.
Wright, Hiram W., is the son of O. E. Wright, whose father, Thomas, came from Pennsylvania and settled in Henrietta, Monroe county, where he died in 1890. Hi- ram W. married Mary Stroger, of this town, and has since 1888 conducted a summer
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pavilion at Nine Mile Point, Lake Ontario. He is also a farmer on the Stroger home- stead, near there. His one son is Earl.
Webster, Albert, was born on the homestead in Henrietta in May, 1848, a son of Henry Morgan Webster of New Lebanon, Columbia county, whose father, Samuel, came to Monroe county in 1808, andlocated in the town of Mendon. In 1817 he came to Henrietta, and settled. His wife was Mercy Green, who lived to be over seventy years of age. His father, Aaron, was a sergeant in the Revolutionary war, and died at the home of his son aged ninety-two years. Harry, father of Albert, was born in 1811, and died on the home farm at the age of seventy-five years. His wife was Phoebe Nichols, born in Henrietta in 1812, and they had these children: Freelove A., Albert and Andrew. His wife died in 1885. Our subject began as a farmer on the home place, where he continued until 1888, when he erected a custom feed and cider mill near the Erie Railroad depot, which he has successfully conducted since, leasing his farm of ninety-eight acres. He is a Mason of West Henrietta Lodge. In 1877 he married Mary, daughter of Daniel G. and Hulda (Edmunds) Perry of this town, and they have one child, Clara. This family dates back in America over 250 years, John Webster being the founder of the family in America. He was the fifth governor of Connecticut, and died in 1661.
Young, Elijah W., was born in Cleveland, O., April 23, 1825, a son of Warren Young, a native of Connecticut, who removed to Ohio by ox team, the journey taking forty-two days. Elijah W. married, in 1846, Electa, daughter of James Stickney, and in 1852 settled in the town of Sweden. Their children are Cassius W., Arthur G., and Mrs. Helen Knowles. Our subject is a representative farmer, and has served as assessor, commissioner of highways, and supervisor, taking a prominent part in all town interests.
Wadsworth, John, was born in Sheffield, England, and came to America in 1858. He first settled in Portland, Me., but in 1871 removed to Sweden with his father, John Wadsworth, who was a builder. John, jr., was educated in the common schools, and learned his father's trade, both father and son being well known in their business in Monroe county, as well as Wayne. They have also erected several churches and business blocks in the city of Rochester. In 1879 our subject married Belle H. Draper, and they have had two daughters: Alice and Ellen. Mr. Wadsworth takes a leading part in all local affairs and is a man of sterling integrity.
Hinchey, Franklin, was born in Gates, on the farm he now owns, in 1828, son of William S. Hinchey, who came from Saratoga county, N. Y., to Gates in 1824 and settled on a farm and engaged in farming until 1855, when he sold the farm to Wm. Jeffrey, for a nursery and went to Michigan where he died in 1873. Mr. Hinchey acted as foreman for Frost & Co., who rented the farm, until 1860, when he entered the employ of the N. Y. C. R. R., as tax agent and real estate agent, which office he has since filled. In 1861 he bought the homestead of Jeffrey, and since made it one of the most attractive farms in Gates. In 1873 he purchased the right of way for the third and fourth tracks between Buffalo and Albany. In 1882 he purchased all the lands in Rochester for the elevated tracks.
Barber, Charles Russell, M. D., son of Russell Barber, a prominent merchant, was born in Middlebury, Wyoming county, N. Y., December 30, 1853, and received his
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rudimentary education in the public schools of his native town. He spent two years in the medical department of the University of New York city and was graduated from the Buffalo Medical College in 1882. After graduating he came to Rochester, where he has since followed his profession. In 1883 he was appointed consulting physician for the poor, which position he held three years; in November, 1884, he received the appointment of coroner's physician, which position he still holds. He is an ardent Republican and active in the councils of his party. He organized the first Maccabee lodge in Rochester and is its medical examiner, a position he also fills for several insurance companies. He is a member of the Monroe County Medical and Rochester Pathological Societies, being president of the latter, and is also a mem- ber of the Central New York Medical Society, of Genesee Falls Lodge F. & A. M., and of Orient Lodge I. O. O. F.
Dann, Archibald, M. D., was born in Mendon, Monroe county, February 3, 1845, and is a son of Selleck Dann, a native of that town, who died in Lima, N. Y., in 1889, aged sixty-three years. Nathaniel Dann, father of Selleck, came to Mendon from Nova Scotia at a very early day, and died there of cholera. Both were farmers. Dr. Dann, after passing through the district schools, was graduated from Middlebury Academy in 1859. He subsequently took chemistry under Prof. Lattimore of Gene- see College at Lima, and then read medicine for three years in the office of Dr. Sol- omon Barrett, of Le Roy, Genesee county. In March, 1866, he received the degree of M. D. from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania and in June of the same year began the practice of his profession at Honeoye Falls, N. Y., where he remained six and one-half years. He then removed to Rochester, where he has since resided, and where he has successfully followed his chosen calling. Dr. Dann is an ex-president, an ex-vice-president and a member of the Central New York Med- ical Association, and a permanent member of the New York State Medical Society. February 3, 1869, he married Miss Lydia J., daughter of William Rogers, of Honeoye Falls.
Keith, Linus, was born in Canada, November 30, 1832. When a young man he learned the machinist's trade, and after working for some time in the Michigan Cen- tral Railroad shops he began running a locomotive on that road, and remained there fourteen years. In 1866 he moved to Penfield and was an engineer on the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad for twenty-four years. Since then he has de- voted his attention to farming. In December, 1861, he married Mrs. Mary R. St. John, daughter of Thomas Stevenson, of Penfield, and their children are Carrie J., of Syracuse; Walter Castle, an artist in Syracuse; Ida R. (Mrs. C. M. Rich), of Pen- field; and Charles, who was an engineer at the time of his death in 1892. Mrs. Keith also has one daughter, Zitella K. (wife of Dr. F. H. Butler, of Syracuse), by her first marriage.
Sibley, Wallace, M. D., was born in the town of Cuba, Allegany county, N. Y., June 15, 1846. Educated in the common schools, he was graduated from the medical de- partment of the University of Buffalo in 1875, and has filled various positions of responsibility and trust, such as postmaster and town clerk in the town of Ischua, Cattaraugus county. He was president of the School Board of Portville, N. Y., was elected president of the Cattaraugus County Medical Society, is now president of the
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Monroe County Medical Society, and is the present health officer of the city of Roch- ester. His parents came from New England and settled in the western part of New York State at a comparatively early day.
Howard. Eugene H., M.D., superintendent of the Rochester State Hospital, was born in Erie county in 1850, and secured his early education in the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and College at Lima, N. Y., and the Buffalo Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1873. He began practicing in Rochester the same year, and has made a special study of mental diseases from date of graduation. He has been superintendent of the institution for the care of the insane in this district since 1885. He is an active member of the Rochester Pathological Society, the Monroe County Medical Society, and the New York State Medical Society. The Rochester State Hospital is one of the ten institutions in New York State for the care of the insane which are supplied with a uniform allowance by the State Commission in Lunacy, and are conducted as hospitals for the curative treatment of persons of unsound mind. It was incorporated July 1, 1891, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 335 of the Laws of 1891, which is entitled an Act for the conversion of Monroe County Insane Asylum into a State Hospital.
Bissell, Dr. Elmer Jefferson, born in Vernon, N. Y., is a son of the Rev. S. J. Bissell, D.D., a graduate of Wesleyan University and a prominent minister of the Methodist denomination. After graduating from the Rochester Free Academy, Dr. Bissell entered Michigan University and pursued a course in general medicine, with special attention to eye and ear work, and was graduated from there in 1883. He remained one year as assistant professor of the eye and ear department, and then located in Rochester. He has perfected himself in his specialty by further study in the hospitals of this country and the old world. Dr. Bissell was one of the oculists chosen to present papers before the World's Medical Congress held at Chicago at the time of the World's Fair. He has always been a regular contributor to the maga- zines of his own land. and some of the articles have been copied in foreign journals. He was one of the first to present papers an the relations between nose troubles and eye diseases, and is now one of the assistant editors of the Homoeopathic Eye and Ear Journal of New York. Dr. Bissell has also taken a prominent part in the medi- cal societies; has been vice president of the State, and president of the Western New York and Monroe County Medical Societies; is a member of the American Institute of Homœopathy, and also of the Rochester Academy of Science, and is oculist and aurist to the Rochester Homeopathic Hospital and Rochester Free Dispensary. He has been very ingenious in inventing several new appliances for testing the vision, and has prepared a special battery for treating diseases of the eye and ear by elec- tricity. His vibrometer for the treatment of the deaf has had remarkable success in many cases, and a description of its novel mechanism has been freely given to physicians from Nova Scotia to Texas, for he does not believe in patenting a de- vice which relieves the sufferings of mankind. Dr. Bissell has been urged to accept a chair of his specialty in the college of another State, but he could not be per- suaded to give up his home and practice in our beautiful city.
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