Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 72

Author: Signor, Isaac S., ed
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1084

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RALPH R. BROWN.

RALPH ROBERT BROWN was a son of Robert M. and a grandson of Elijah Brown, and was born where his widow now resides, on the 29th of October, 1828. Elijah Brown articled this farm of the Holland Land Company in 1804 and the next year started with his family from Sodus, Wayne county, for his wilderness home, but died on Lake On- tario during the journey, May 7, aged fifty-seven, his remains being interred in the family lot near the present house. Robert M. Brown, his son, then eleven years of age, being born April 30, 1794, succeeded to the homestead and cared for his mother, Bethshua S., until her death June 30, 1826, aged seventy one years. He passed the remainder of his life here, dying March 5, 1846. He married Fanny West and had nine children who attained maturity, viz. : Philena, born December 9, 1817; Belinda W., born December 16, 1821; Salome H., born February 25, 1825; Sarah H. (Mrs. Hosea M. Ballou), born November 30, 1826; Ralph R .; Christopher C., born June 13, 1830 ; Elias W., born April 17, 1833; and Elizabeth F. and Andrew E., twins, born April 13, 1836. Mrs. Brown was born April 22, 1794, and died October 14, 1851.

Ralph R. Brown was reared on the farm and was educated in the district schools of the town. With the exception of one year spent in Michigan he always resided in Carlton, succeeding to the homestead, which he purchased of the heirs. At the early age of seventeen he was deprived by death of the guidance of a father, and thencefor- ward the support of a widowed mother devolved upon his youthful shoulders. He was a life-long farmer, always a Democrat in politics, and by his townsmen far and near was ever regarded as an honest, unostentatious man. He never aspired to public office, but continually exerted a strong influence for good among his fellow beings. As a citizen he was benevolent and public spirited, and as a husband and father he was ever kind, indulgent, and beloved. In all the relations of life he carefully avoided difficulty with his neighbors, abhoring every thing which prompted personal bickerings or strained

R.R., Brown

BIOGRAPHICAL.

relations. He was highly and widely respected, and died without an enemy on Octo- ber 8, 1893.

December 8, 1853, Mr. Brown married Miss Sarah J., daughter of Truman Luttenton, who survives him and resides on the old homestead. She was born in Carlton February 28,1834. [Mr. Luttenton was born in Herkimer county May 14, 1801, married Sally Eastman, and died July 27, 1888. She was born in Vermont February 28, 1804, and died July 24, 1882. Their children were Augusta J., born December 16, 1828; Nathaniel O., born February 11, 1830; Ruth A., born May 20, 1832; Sarah J. (Mrs, Ralph R. Brown) ; Amanda M., born May 25, 1836 ; Mary E., born December 25, 1839 ; Truman N., born July 28, 1841; Joel H., born October 22, 1843; and Rosamond E., born February 13, 1848]. Mr. and Mrs. Brown had born to them three children : Clara J., Harry L., and Anna West.

GEORGE A. NEWELL.

GEORGE A. NEWELL was born in Medina, Orleans county, N. Y., January 11, 1846. He is a son of Arthur W. and Cornelia E. (Smith) Newell. Mr. Newell enjoyed excellent opportunity to obtain a liberal education and graduated from Yale College in 1868. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1869. He is a Republican in politics and in 1874 was elected police justice and justice of the peace, both of which offices he filled with credit and ability until just previous to his election as county clerk in 1877. This office he held by re election nine years. In 1888 he was elected treasurer of the village of Medina and still holds that office. In the fall of 1885 he was elected treasurer of the school board, and has been re-elected annually until the present time (1894). In the fall of 1893 he was elected county treasurer and is the present incumbent. In all of these public positions of honor and responsibility Mr. Newell has exhibited those quali- fications that contribute to make the good citizen. In 1884 he became the cashier of the Union Bank of Medina, and was chosen president of the bank on January 1, 1893.

Outside of his business interests Mr. Newell has devoted considerable time and atten- tion to Free Masonry. He is, beyond question, the best informed Mason in the county. Made a Master Mason in Medina Lodge in April, 1877, he was elected its senior war- den in 1879, and its master for 1880. At present he is its secretary and one of its trustees.

In the Chapter he was made a Royal Arch Mason in May, 1878; was elected king for 1881-82, and high priest for 1883, and re-elected each successive year since.

In the Council he was created a select master in November, 1878, and served as its master for eight years. He was created a Knight Templar in Genesee Commandery in April, 1879, served as junior warden in 1890, and as eminent commander for the years 1891, 1892, and 1893. He received the thirty-second degree Scottish Rite in Rochester Consistory March 21, 1878, and is at present thrice potent grand master of Lock City Lodge of Perfection. In the Grand Lodge he was grand steward in 1882-83 and dis- trict deputy grand master in 1885-86. In the Grand Chapter he was grand master of

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the second veil in 1889. In the Grand Council he was grand steward in 1886 and had served in its several offices until he was elected its grand master in September, 1893, which office he now holds. At the last meeting of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, held in Boston September 20, 1894, he was elected to receive the thirty-third and last degree. These numerous and honorable offices which have been freely tendered him, show that he has a firm place in the hearts of his brethren.

Mr. Newell very kindly prepared the historical account of Free Masonry in Orleans county for this volume.

In 1886 Mr. Newell married Anna E. McGrath, and they have one son and two daughters.

ADAM GARTER.

ADAM GARTER was of German descent and was born in Herkimer county in the his- toric Mohawk valley on the 4th of May, 1794. He inherited all the sterling character- istics of his race, and early in life acquired habits both thrifty and methodical. His education was necessarily limited to the district schools, yet he obtained superior knowledge at once practical and substantial. In his boyhood he seemed to look into the distant future and intuitively saw the necessity of thorough business preparation, with which he equipped himself by hard study and diligent research. He became a well known surveyor, and an excellent biblical student Possessed of a mind keenly discriminating and endowed with qualities both rare and retentive, he early evinced an inclination for study, and gratified that desire by systematic readings of the Bible. In this direction he was recognized as an expert. He never tired of discussion on that one favorite subject of truth and immortality. He lived the life as pointed out in that book of books, teaching its principles as he understood them, and doing "unto others as he would be done by."

While yet a youth Mr. Garter taught several terms of district school, at which he was very successful. In 1814, with his father and two brothers, he came to what is now the town of Shelby, purchasing a piece of land of Alexander Coon. He soon returned to Herkimer county, however, where he remained until 1819, when he again came to Orleans county, and settled permanently on his farm in Shelby, where he practically lived the remainder of his life. This place is now owned by Daniel P. Snell. There Mr. Garter reared a family of nine children, of whom three daughters and four sons are living. After coming here he was employed as a surveyor for many years by Joseph Ellicott, the principal agent of the Holland Land Company, in which capacity he estab- lished most of the original lot lines in Western Orleans and Eastern Niagara, particularly in Shelby and Ridgeway. Many of the corner stones in the two counties were laid under his supervision and are lasting monuments to his ability and methodical work. He was careful to a fault that every line, no matter how unimportant, should run accur- ately, and when once established it was immovable. He was an expert mathematician, and a careful, precise, and an accurate surveyor. In Medina village he laid out into lots

Adambarter

BIOGRAPHICAL.

the Hedley, Burroughs, and other tracts and additions, and in various sections of this and Niagara counties more recent examples of his professional work are every where seen.

Mr. Garter always took an active part in local affairs and held several positions of trust and responsibility. By education he was eminently fitted to serve in a public capacity, and one year held no less than five elective offices. He was an able exponent of the principles of the old Jeffersonian school of Democracy, but ever regarded personal worth and qualification superior to partisan victory. In every official position he served with marked distinction, with unquestioned fidelity to his constituents, and with thê ability and integrity born of an honest purpose. He was supervisor, town clerk, high- way commissioner, and assessor of Shelby for several years and long an inspector of common schools.

In religion Mr. Garter inclined toward Universalism, being fitted by life-long study of the Bible to expound the truths of that doctrine. He was practical rather than theoreti- cal, but withal scholarly, accurate, and decisive. He was benevolent to the extent of his means, which were always limited. As a citizen he was public spirited, quick to see the needs of his fellow beings, generous to the poor, and kind hearted.

October 17, 1813, Mr. Garter married Miss Rebecca Churchill, a woman of quiet, unobtrusive characteristics, of sturdy Scotch descent, end of devoted womanly qualities. Their wedded life covered a period of nearly fifty-one years, her death occurring in Medina October 21, 1874, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Andrew Weld. Mr. Garter died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Darius Fuller, in Medina April 5, 1878. Their nine children were as follows: James, born July 16, 1814, died at Belmont, Wis., September 16, 1878; Jonas, born September 9, 1819, living in Lockport, N. Y. ; William, born September 1, 1821; Susan (Mrs. Lester C. Downs and afterward Mrs. Andrew Weld), born June 19, 1823, living in Medina; Anna, born May 16, 1825, died unmarried ; Churchill, born March 16, 1827, residing at Stony Creek, Va .; Elizabeth (Mrs. George Henderson and afterward Mrs. Darius Fuller), born February 20, 1829, living in Medina; Joseph, now of Buffalo, born June 6, 1831; and Ellen (Mrs. George Kinsley and afterward Mrs. George B. Holdredge), of Middleport, born April 23, 1833.

MORTON A. BOWEN.

MORTON A. BOWEN is a descendant from Dr. Abiel Bowen, his grandfather, who was born in Guilford, Vt., in 1798, and came into Western New York early in the present century. He studied medicine in Middleport, N. Y., and graduated from the Fairfield Medical College. He began practice in Shelby and in 1828 established himself at West Shelby, where he purchased a farm. He practiced until about 1840, and died in 1847. He married in 1826 Anna S. Cone, a native of Vermont, born in 1803; she died in 1852. Among their seven children was Adna Bowen, father of the subject of this sketch, and one of the able and successful members of the Orleans county bar. He was born at

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

West Shelby November 15, 1829, and died in June, 1883, at Medina. He was educated in the high schools at Millville, and Caryville, and studied law in Batavia, N. Y., begin- ning practice in Medina soon after his admission to the bar. He was successful in his practice both in a professional and a financial sense. A Democrat in politics, in a strong Republican county, he never held any office except that of justice of the peace, and was canal collector before the canals were made free. He married Eunice Post and they had four children : a daughter who married V. A. Acer of Shelby Center; two are deceased, and Morton A.

Morton A. Bowen was educated in the schools of Medina, studying in the private school of Miss Swift after he was fifteen years old, and finished at the Medina Academy at the age of nineteen years. Leaving school he spent one year in Michigan, and fol- lowed that with a course in a Buffalo business college. He then spent three months in the business office of the Buffalo News on special work, returning thereafter to Medina. At about this time the Medina Register office came into possession of his father. Mor - ton A. Bowen is a Democrat in politics and the Register being an organ of the same party, he purchased the establishment and has since found in the editorial and business management of the paper congenial and successful employment. He is a fluent and in- telligent writer, and is thoroughly conversant with public affairs. Under his manage- ment the Register has attained a gratifying circulation and exerts a wholesome influ- ence in the community.

MAHER BROTHERS.

THE firm of Maher Brother manufacturers of upholstered furniture in Medina, is composed of John, Francis T., Joseph and Robert, sons of John, sr., and Mary (Kimmit) Maher. They spring from substantial Irish ancestry and inherit the sterl- ing characteristics of a sturdy parental race. They are all natives of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, whence they removed to Buffalo, N. Y., in 1867. John Maher, the eldest, was born August 13, 1855, was educated in the schools of Hamilton and Buf- falo, and learned his trade of upholsterer in the latter city. In 1874, when less than eighteen years of age, he accepted a position with a firm then doing a large business in Middleport, Niagara county, where he was placed in full charge of their upholst- ering department. It was not his purpose, however, to work for others all his life, and accordingly, in 1878, with his three brothers, he established a retail business in that village which proved very successful, and which was carried on under the firm name of Maher Brothers until their removal to Medina in 1882, the brothers being taken into partnership as soon as they became of age. In Medina they started a retail estab- lishment which they successfully conducted for several years. In 1887 they began on a small scale the manufacture of upholstered lounges, and thus formed the nucleus of their present extensive business. The retail portion was eventually discontinued and their entire attention was devoted to manufacturing. Traveling men were sent out and their goods found a ready market in several States. The business increased with

BIOGRAPHICAL.

rapid strides, taking soon a foremost rank among those of similar concerns. In fact, it is very seldom that any line of manufacturing attains the success that has been achieved by this enterprising firm in the comparatively short period of their operations. Within a year from the time they started they were obliged to increase their facilities by add- ing a two-story building, 40 by 140 feet, to their plant, the site for which had been pur- chased in 1887, and which was then occupied by a stone structure.

In 1893 a disastrous fire consumed their main plant, and although their loss was large, particularly in its interruption of their business, they were not discouraged, but immediately commenced the erection of their present large establishment south of the railroad, which was completed July 1, 1894. It comprises a three-story brick structure, with floor space aggregating 44,125 square feet, besides a large wooden building and a building used as a storehouse. North of the railroad the firm has another wooden building, supplied with water power, in which their frames used in upholstering are manufactured. They employ from 140 to 150 hands, and have turned out in one year as high as $300,000 worth of goods, which are sent to all parts of the United States. All kinds of upholstered furniture are manufactured.

Of the individual members of the firm it is eminently fitting that something should be preserved in this volume. Francis Thomas Maher, the second eldest brother, was born November 13, 1860, and learned his trade of John in Middleport. Joseph Maher was born March 22, 1863, while the birth of Robert, the youngest, occurred October 13, 1865. They are all skillful mechanics and thoroughly conversant with the art of up- holstering. John Maher, the head of the firm, is a man of energy, intelligence, and in- domitable perseverance, qualifications that have enabled him to attain his present promi- nent position among the manufacturers of the county. This applies to the others as well. Each one is a specialist in the business, fitted by experience to maintain his re- spective part.

HENRY AUGUSTINE CHILDS.

A GENEALOGY of the Child family shows that Henry A. Childs is in the seventh generation from the original ancestor and is a descendant of Joshua Child, jr., in the fourth generation, son of Joshua and Sarah Child. Joshua Child, jr., was born in Worcester, Mass., September 26, 1725, and married June 2, 1748, Mary Hinds, who was born in Shrewsbury, Mass., August 18, 1726. They had three children, one of whom was Artemas, of the fifth generation. who was born in Northboro, Mass. (whither his parents had removed), August 16, 1762. He married Lucy Keyes, of Wilton, N. H., about 1793. Artemas Child added an "s" to his name and lived in Dublin, N. H., and in Ballston Spa, N. Y., where he died November 9, 1839. He was father of eleven children, of whom five were sons, one of them being Artemas, jr. He was the sixth child and was born in Dublin, N. H., August 12, 1802, and married about 1824 Nancy Dolloff.

Levi Lincoln Childs was the third son and the eighth child of Artemas, jr., and Lucy

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Keyes Childs, was born in Dublin, N. H., February 23, 1806, and married about 1832 Ann M. Wright, daughter of Asahel and Polly Wright, who were natives of Vermont, but lived at Middlebury, Wyoming county, N. Y., many years, whence they removed to Gaines, Orleans county, N. Y., where they died. Levi Lincoln Childs lived in Gaines, where he died May 16, 1857. He was father of five children, as follows: Louisa F., born September 30, 1833, married July 4, 1853, Calvin P. Hazard; Henry Augustine (the subject) ; Mary E., born June 17, 1839, married Edwin Wilson, and died July 19, 1865; Helen A., born July 18, 1842, died August 17, 1851 ; Albert D., born November 22, 1844, died January 3, 1847.

Henry Augustine Childs, eldest son of Levi L. and Ann M. (Wright) Childs, was born in Gaines, Orleans county, N. Y., July 17, 1836, and married, November 16, 1859, Julia B. Freeman, daughter of Orin and Permelia Billard (both of whom are deceased).

In early life Judge Childs determined to adopt the legal profession, and after securing his education he began the study of law in the office of the late B. L. Bessac, in Albion, N. Y. Four years later he was admitted to the bar and at once opened an office in Medina, where he has ever since resided. He early took a prominent position in the bar of the county, and his ability and his sterling natural qualifications were soon recognized by his fellow citizens. He has always affiliated with the Republican party, and in 1865 was elected district attorney of Orleans county, and served in that responsible office by repeated re-election nine years, leaving an enviable record for industry, legal ability, and close watchfulness of the interests of the community. At the close of his service as district attorney he continued his large practice, his constantly advancing reputation preparing him for a higher position.

In the judicial convention held in Buffalo, October 4, 1883, Judge Childs was placed in nomination for one of the Supreme Court justices for the Western District of New York. He was elected in the following November by a gratifying majority. In the campaign preceding his election the fact that almost nothing was said in public against him was noted in the local press, while his high qualities as a lawyer and a man were extensively published.

In his career upon the bench, now covering a period of more than ten years, Judge Childs has won the unqualified favor of his professional brethren as well as the com- mendation of his constituents throughout the district. His decisions are rendered with a promptness evincing quick perception and a full and ready understanding of law and equity, and in a manner to at once win the respect and confidence of those having busi- ness before the court. Quiet and unostentatious, patient and forbearing under all circumstances, a close analyst of evidence, clear knowledge of law and unflagging industry in clearing court calendars, Judge Childs has exhibited in his judicial career all the qualifications that go to constitute the able and upright judge.

It is proper, perhaps, to quote the following from the Medina Tribune, published at the time of Judge Childs's nomination :

" The people of Medina were much delighted with the nomination of Mr. Childs for justice of the Supreme Court, and the citizens of this county feel greatly honored at his selection as one of the candidates for the position. Mr. Childs is a gentleman in the prime of life, whose character in every respect is above reproach and of the most ex-

L.b. Bignall

BIOGRAPHICAL.

cellent kind, and whose knowledge and ability will make him one of the best and ablest judges. He possesses the confidence of his neighbors and fellow citizens to the fullest extent, and they are highly gratified at the honor bestowed upon him, which they know to be justly merited. This nomination was not the result of any trick or political intrigue, but because the convention regarded him as the strongest name to be placed on the ticket."

In recognition of the public services and high legal attainments of this eminent jurist, Williams College in October, 1893, conferred upon him the degree of LL.D., he being the second Supreme Court justice of New York State to receive such mark of distinction from this old college.

LEMUEL C. BIGNALL.

LEMUEL C. BIGNALL was born in Tyre, N. Y., September 11, 1829. His paternal grand- father was Ruloff Bignall, a native of Vergennes, Vt., who married Sabra Glenn. Among the children of Ruloff Bighall, was Solomon L. Bignall, father of the subject and also a rative of Vergennes. He came with his parents in early years to Tyre, Seneca county, N. Y., and married Betsey Elizabeth Crane, daughter of Stephen Crane, a native of New Jersey. Solomon L. Bignall and family resided at Tyre until about the year 1835, when they removed to Unadilla, Mich. They had seven children, four sons and three daughters, as follows: Nety Ann, born in 1826; Lemuel C. (the subject) ; Moses Crane, born in 1832 ; Solomon L., jr., born in 1834, and Burnett Boardman, born in Michigan in 1840. Solomon L. Bignall, sr., was a well-to-do farmer, served as justice of the peace several years and was much respected in the community. His wife died in Michigan January 28, 1846; he survived her 31 years and died in 1877 at the home of his son, Solomon L., jr., in Fowlerville, Mich.

Lemuel C. Bignall was taken to Michigan by his parents when he was about six years old, and there began his attendance at the district schools, from which he secured such education as was possible. Born with a large store of self reliance and honorable ambi- tion to achieve success in life on broad lines, Mr. Bignall returned east at the age of eighteen years, locating in Seneca Falls. Two years later he established a grocery there, which he conducted five years with varying success. He had not yet found his proper field of labor. Closing out his business he made a trip through Canada in the winter of 1854-55, for the pump manufacturing firm of Cowing & Company, of Seneca Falls, principally to make collections of outstanding accounts. It is an indication of his native energy and determination in surmounting obstacles, that he crossed the St. Law- rence River from Cape Vincent to Kingston on the ice, on foot, pushing a boat ahead of himself for use in case he broke through the ice.

He was successful on his mission and so pleased his employers that they engaged him to travel on the road to sell their goods. He continued in this business five years, traveling in both the Eastern and Western States and meeting with the most gratifying success. At the end of the five years he engaged with the celebrated Holly Manufac-

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turing Company, of Lockport, N. Y., and continued with them another five years, dur- ing which he gained further valuable business experience and accumulated considerable means.

Feeling that he was now in a position to take the responsibilities of a business for himself, he formed a partnership with his brother, Moses C. Bignall, and in 1862 estab- ished the Bignall Manufacturing Company, in Medina, N. Y., for the manufacture of pumps, sinks, and various other kinds of heavy hardware. This company has been success- ful in a broad sense, and much of its prosperity has been due to Mr. Bignail's personal efforts. He continued at the head of the organization until July, 1894. when he retired from active business, with the consciousness that he had weil earned a period of rest and freedom from care. He is at the present time (fall of 1894) in Holland, Mich., where he has extensive landed interests on which he is making permanent improve- ments.

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Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 72

Author: Signor, Isaac S., ed Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Signor, Isaac S., ed
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1084