Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 74

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

USA > New York > Orleans County > Landmarks of Orleans County, New York > Part 74

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

his steadily increasing real estate interests, Mr. Acer has given freely of his time to the public benefit in various ways, prominent among such being his earnest and persistent labors towards the improvement of Oak Orchard Creek and the reclamation of the 25,000 acres of Tonawanda Swamp. In 1858 he was one of three commissioners on the part of private effort to reclaim that immense waste, and he has since given much effort to such end until finally, and largely through his personal work and influence, the State has taken the operation in hand and is pushing it through to a valuable completion. Mr. Acer served his town as supervisor three terms. He has been heavily interested in real estate matters here and elsewhere, and gave the Baptist Society of Shelby the land upon which their church now stands. The school house there was also erected upon his property. Descended from old Presbyterian stock, he has been trustee of the Medina Presbyterian church about twenty-five years. Politically he is a Democrat.

In June, 1854, he was married to Charlotte Clark Peck, daughter of Anthony and Harriet (Clark) Peck, of Tallmage, Ohio, and the result of the union was as follows, viz .: Da A. Acer (who for three terms was supervisor of Shelby township, and for five years superintendent of the Bignall Manufacturing Company of Medina, and is now living at Seneca Falls connected with Gould's Manufacturing Company, the extensive manufacturers of hydraulic machinery); Harriet Peck Acer (now Mrs. Dr. P. D. Carpenter, of Pittsford, N. Y.); H. Augustus Acer (a leading merchant at Medina, whose sketch will be found in this volume) ; Sarah Antoinette Acer, of Aurora, N. Y. ; V A Acer (who married Miss Kate, daughter of the late Adna Bowen, one of the lead- ing lawyers of the county, and with their two children resides upon the old homestead at Shelby Center); Charlotte Clark Acer, of Pittsford, N. Y. ; and Frank A. Acer, a practicing lawyer of New York city, now connected with the legal department of the municipal government there.

Of strongly marked characteristics Mr. Acer has impressed his views of morality and integrity upon the entire surroundings and is recognized as a valuable member of the community.

After the death of Mrs. Acer (who was born at Tallmage, Ohio, June 15, 1828, and died January 30, 1883) he removed from Shelby to Medina and makes his home with his son, H. A. Acer.

JAMES ARDELL HANLON.

The subject of this sketch was born in Lockport, N. Y., November 16, 1841. His father was John Hanlon, a native of Armagh, Ireland, and his mother was Mary McQueelan, who came to America in 1837, and settled at Lockport. The father died in 1858, and the mother in 1892. Edward Hanlon, who is intimately associated with his brother James in the firm of Hanlon Brothers, leading hardware dealers of Medina, was born in Lockport, March 6, 1845.

When James A. Hanlon had reached the age of four years his parents removed to Medina. The lad's early years were passed principally on a farm, working hard in the

James a Hanlow!

BIOGRAPHICAL.

summers and attending the district school in the winters; but the principal part of his education was obtained in the Medina Academy. When he reached his majority he left school with a good English education and began work in the hardware store of Whedon & Allen, whom he faithfully served six years, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the business in all its branches. At the end of six years, so well pleased were his employers that he was admitted to the firm with Mr. Whedon, Mr. Allen retiring. The new firm was styled Whedon & Co., and continued in successful trade for seven years. In 1876 James withdrew from the firm, and the new firm of Hanlon Brothers was organized as it has existed ever since. They are both men who study their business and give it close individual attention. The result is that they now occupy more floor room than any other house in their line between Rochester and Buffalo.

James A. Hanlon is a Democrat in a strong Republican county ; but this fact has not prevented his receiving honors at the hands of his fellow citizens. He has been trustee of the village of Medina ; collector of tolls on the canal at Medina in 1874, and in 1886 was made collector of internal revenue for the 28th District, which includes fourteen counties in the western part of the State, which responsible office he held almost four years. In all of these positions Mr. Hanlon fully met their requirements.

No citizen has been more active in the political field of Orleans county than Mr. Hanlon. For the last twenty years he has never missed attending the Democratic State conventions; he was a delegate to the convention of 1872, which nominated Francis Kernan for governor, and Chauncey M. Depew for lieutenant-governor. He was also a delegate to the National convention of 1884 at Chicago, and in 1892 in the same city. In the councils of the party Mr. Hanlon's advice and earnest effort are always highly appreciated. He was a warm personal friend of Samuel J. Tilden, Daniel Lamont, Daniel Magone, Benjamin Field, and President Cleveland, and was one of the few confidants of Governor Tilden.

Mr. Hanlon was married in 1874 to Sarah Elizabeth Dawson, of Toledo, O. They have had nine children, five sons of whom are living.

IRA EDWARDS.

Among the pioneers of the Genesee country in the spring of 1819 was the grand- father of the subject of this sketch, whose name was also Ira. He purchased 100 acres of land in Shelby, Orleans county, and the farm has since remained in possession of the family ; it was the first one administered upon in Orleans county in 1825. The elder Ira Edwards married Phoebe Bailey in Schoharie county.

One of the children of Ira Edwards was Edward Edwards, who was born in Scho- harie county, N. Y., December 22, 1810, and was brought to Orleans county with his father's family. He followed farming through his life; was much respected, and held the office of road commissioner. His wife was Eliza Vrooman, of Schoharie county, who died in Septhmber, 1841, and Mr. Edwards afterwards married Anna Shafer. Mr. Edwards died December 13, 1886. By his first wife he had four children and by his

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

second wife three children. His first child was Ira Edwards, the subject, who was born in Shelby October 6, 1834, His boyhood did not differ materially from that of thousands of farmers' sons; he worked at home and attended the district school and Medina Academy. At twenty years of age he began teaching district school, and, to prepare himself the better for his profession, attended the State Normal School at Albany the spring and summer of 1860. Mr. Edwards taught fourteen years in all, and during that period was principal of the Holley Academy two years (1865-66), and of the Medina Academy (1867-69). In this profession Mr. Edwards was successful in a broad sense and on progressive lines.

In 1870 Mr. Edwards gave up teaching, settled in the village of Holley and estab- lished the hardware business which he has since conducted. In 1874 his store and its contents were burned, entailing a severe loss; but he immediately purchased a new stock of goods, and now carries one of the largest stocks in the county. To meet the demands of his increasing business he built a brick block on the east side of the public square in 1885, which he still occupies.

Mr. Edwards is a Republican in politics, and, though he has not sought office or been an active partisan, his fellow citizens have tendered him substantial public honors. In 1882 he was elected supervisor of the town of Murray, and in 1887 he was elected member of Assembly for Orleans county, and re-elected in 1888. In that body he served the county in an intelligent and able manner. He has also served two years as president of Holley village. He is a member of the Methodist church, active and liberal in promoting religious work, and has been superintendent of the Sunday school many years, and for a number of years president of the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Edwards married, October 27, 1852, Jane, daughter of Alonzo Smith, a farmer near Knowlesville, Orleans county. They have five children: Lillian, teacher of English and Normal Methods in the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, N.Y .; Frank and Fred, who are with their father in his store ; Ella H. and Jennie G., both of whom are successful teachers.

CHARLES S. ALLEN.

CHARLES S. ALLEN, who for forty-six years was known throughout Orleans county as a surveyor and civil engineer, was born in Stephentown, Rensselaer county, N. Y., August 1, 1813, and was a son of Caleb and Huldah (Dawley) Allen. The father, a Rhode Islander by birth, was of Welsh descent and inherited the sterling characteristics of his race. He was a mechanic of limited means and in 1827 moved with his large family to Cayuga county. When nineteen years of age Charles S. bought his time, agreeing to pay his father the first $50 he could earn. His education was necessarily confined to the common schools, but his native ability and brilliant intellect, sharpened by close application and systematic reading, enabled him to acquire a good knowledge of the elementary English branches, and he went to Ontario county and taught school in the village of Phelps. While teaching there, at the suggestion of a friend, he studied

Chats Allen.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

surveying and civil engineering, and spent one summer assisting in surveying the rail- road from Auburn to Rochester. Another year was spent in Indiana, then a compara- tive wilderness, in surveying and laying out portions of that State. Returning to Phelps he resumed his teaching, and in the spring of 1848 came with his family to Barre, settling first on a farm of seventy acres in what is known as the Burmah district. Five years later he sold this and removed to a farm near Barre Center, whence he came in 1866 to he town of Albion, locating just south of the village, where he died May 20, 1894.

During the major portion of his residence in Orleans county Mr. Allen followed the dual avocations of farmer and surveyor. He never affiliated with politics in a promi- nent sense, but was actively identified with many enterprises of a general character. He was no office seeker, yet for several years he served as one of the assessors of Barre. It was in the profession of surveying and civil engineering, however, that he was best known. In this capacity in this county he was employed by over 2,200 persons and by the court was appointed on twenty-eight ditch commissions. He also assisted in divid- ing and settling twenty-five estates, and was one of the originators and for many years a director of the Orleans County Mu'ual Fire Insurance Company.

Mr. Allen had naturally what might be called a mathematical mind, which was greatly improved by careful study, until he acquired such a mastery of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and mensuration that there were very few problems in either of those branches which he could not elucidate and demonstrate. He also, by long prac- tice, had become very familiar with the use and management of the best surveying and engineering instruments. He was often called as an expert witness in close and trouble- some litigation respecting boundary lines and proportionate division of lands in dispute in court, and there is no instance recollected in which in any of these cases his profes- sional opinion was overruled or set aside. He possessed indomitable courage and per- severance, and was characteristically prompt to meet engagements, his reliability in this connection being proverbial. He was excessively careful to cause no one any incon- venience or trouble in waiting. He was decidedly a self-made man and endowed with a keen observation at once discriminating and accurate, a strict integrity and a charity that could not often be provoked to speak ill of another were not the least of his many virtues. He loved his work and took great pride in its proper execution. Above al he was a patriotic and useful citizen, a faithful friend, and a pleasant and genial com- panion. In religion he was a consistent Baptist, being an influential member of that church during his entire residence in the county. While his religious convictions were of the strictest New England orthodox faith, yet his mind was of that free and fair nature that it was always open to the reception of new truths, if any there were, from whatever source they might be presented.

Mr. Allen was married on the 6th of June, 1838, in Phelps, N. Y., to Miss Edna Robinson, daughter of James Robinson, who was one of the early settlers of Ontario county and who built the first house in Canandaigua. She survives him, residing on the homestead in Albion. Their children were Alvin R. Allen, clerk of Orleans county ; Dr. A. J. Allen, of Lockport, N. Y .; Dr. William C. Allen, of Colorado Springs, Col. ; and Josephus W., James G., and Frank M. Allen, deceased.

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

JOHN NEWTON PROCTOR.

JOHN NEWTON PROCTOR was born in the town of Gaines on the 12th of October, 1828, and died in Albion on the 11th of February, 1889. Within this brief period of three score years was comprised the life of one of the best men the county ever honored as a citizen, a man whose memory illuminates the pages of local history and shines with peculiar splendor from amidst his more distinguished contemporaries. His parents were in limited circumstances and his preliminary education was necessarily confined to the district schools of his native town, supplemented, however, by a short attendance at the old Gaines Academy. He passed his boyhood on the farm, acquiring a robust con- stitution, and overcoming difficulties with characteristic energy. His career, successful and honorable, was purely American. At an early age he became a clerk in the general store of Erastus Woodruff in Gaines village, but about two years later, when less than twenty, he accepted a similar position with William Gere in Albion, where he ever afterward resided. His shrewd business tact soon won his employer's confidence and admiration to such an extent that he was taken into partnership, which continued until Mr. Gere's death. He then formed a partnership with Isaac Gere (son of William), which continued until the latter's death, when the stock was sold to Butcher & House in September, 1866. From then until his decease Mr. Proctor devoted his time to farming and to other business matters in which he was interested.

Mr. Proctor possessed an unusually active nature and a tremendous will power. Full six feet in height and erect in stature, his presence was commanding, courteous, and dignified. "He was endowed with great decision of character, and abhorred hypoc- risy, dishonesty, and lack of integrity. When he had once formed an opinion, which was always after careful deliberation, he never wavered, but carried it out over all obstacles. Unlike most men he never acted from the vantage-ground of policy, but pursued an independent, fearless course, a course, however, that made him no enemies, but, instead, hosts of friends. Without any special study, but possessing shrewd judg- ment and sound common sense, he had considerable knowledge of law and was an ex- cellent conveyancer, a business he performed more or less for others for several years. He was a beautiful penman and left many examples of fine chirography.

In politics Mr. Proctor was originally a Whig and afterward a strong Democrat, but never a politician or an office seeker. Nevertheless he was very influential and gave his party his unqualified support. For several years he was trustee and president of Albion village and a member and president of the Board of Education. While serving in the former capacity he was instrumental in permanently suppressing certain forms of vice which had long been flagrant, and during the winter of 1887-8, as a crowning act of his life, he was active in abolishing the corrupt system of dealing with tramps that was practiced by officials whose remuneration was derived from fees. As a financier Mr. Proctor possessed qualities of an unusual order. Shrewd and far-sighted he was gen- erally successful, and by a large coterie of friends and acquaintances was recognized as a safe counselor and adviser. He was frequently consulted in such matters, and was often made the assignee of business concerns, performing his duties to the satisfaction of all interested parties. Many a man owed his start in life to his liberality and valu-

John 21. Shoctors

BIOGRAPHICAL.

able advice. He was a true friend to the deserving young, one to whom they could go for substantial aid and encouragement. For several years he was the able business and financial power of the Curtis Manufacturing Company, directing its affairs both as president and director and from the position of a large shareholder. He was an in- satiate reader on economic subjects and well posted in general matters, particularly those of a political nature; and was, moreover, in close touch with the public. For many years he was trustee and a prominent attendant at the Baptist Church in Albion, to which both he and his estimable wife contributed liberally of their means.

October 12, 1852, Mr. Proctor married Miss Frances Orcelia Gere, the daughter of his business associate, William Gere. She was a native of Saratoga county, N. Y., and died March 7, 1888, aged sixty-two years. Their only child was Clara, the wife of ex- District-Attorney William P. L. Stafford, of Albion.

JOSEPH PRATT.

JOSEPH PRATT Was a native of Hadley, Mass., being born there October 9, 1802. Soon after his parents started for Jefferson county, N. Y., but the father died on the way, leaving the family to complete their journey alone. They setiled in Jefferson county, whence Joseph removed to Sweden, Monroe county, where he learned the trade of a carpenter and joiner, which he followed several years. About 1820 he came to Claren- don, purchased a tract of land in the eastern part of the town, and engaged in farming.

Mr. Pratt also studied su veying, which profession, he followed with marked success in this and adjacent towns, being widely known as an accurate and talented mathema- tician. He possessed a mind of rare discrimination and a knowledge at once thorough and complete. In politics he was originally a Whig and subsequently a Republican, and in local affairs was both prominent and active. He was a justice of the peace in Claren- don for many years, and during the Rebellion was one of the loan commissioners, filling these positions with signal ability and unwavering fidelity. A man of unblemished character, endowed with sterling qualities of head and heart, he was highly respected and universally esteemed by his townsmen, whom he served officially and professionally with merited distinction.

Mr. Pratt married for his first wife Melinda Howard, who died December 11, 1849. November 27, 1851, he married, second, Mrs. Chloe Hill, of Sweden, N. Y., who survives him. His death occurred June 29, 1881.

JOHN WELLS HART.

JOHN WELLS HART was born in Albion, September 11, 1836. His grandparents, Joseph and Lucy (Smith) Hart, came with their family to Albion from the central part of the State in 1812. They were of English descent and always substantial farmers. Joseph Hart was a deacon in the Albion Presbyterian church from its organization until his

LANDMARKS OF ORLEANS COUNTY.

death about 1852. His son, William Hart, the father of John W., was born in Durham, Dutchess county, February 22, 1801, and died in Albion December 30, 1879. He mar- ried Pamelia Wells, a native of Wethersfield, Conn., whose death occurred in January, 1865. He settled on the farm situated within the corporate limits of Albion village now owned and occupied by their son.

John W. Hart was reared on the farm and the district schools of his day, finishing his education in Albion Academy. At the age of twenty-one he assumed charge of the homestead, which he inherited upon his father's death, making it his life- long home. He is one of the prominent and substantial men of the town and county and intimately identified with every good cause. In public and in private he merits the respect and esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. He is actively connected with the Presby - terian church of Albion, being one of its most liberal supporters and at present a mem- ber of its Board of Trustees. In a business way he is widely known and especially prominent. He was long a member of the Albion Shoe Company, and ever since its organization in 1890 has been actively connected with the Blanchard Vinegar Company, being one of its largest stockholders.

October 28, 1869, Mr. Hart married Miss Sarah Lucretia Smith, daughter of Russell Smith, of Gaines. They have had five children, three of whom are living : Pamelia Wells (Mrs. Augustus Berhand), of Albion; Grace and Gertrude at home; Maynard Samuel, who died at the age of eleven years, and one who died in infancy

ELIZUR HART.

ELIZUR HART was born in Durham, Greene county, N. Y., May 22, 1803, and died while on a visit to his wife's sister in Jonesville, Saratoga county, August 13, 1870. His father, Deacon Joseph Hart, settled in Seneca county in 1806, and moved thence in October, 1812, to what is now the town and village of Albion, where he spent the re- mainder of his life ; he participated in the War of 1812 and was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian church, of Albion.

Elizur Hart enjoyed the benefits of only limited instruction in schools, as it was several years after the family came into the wilderness that schools were established in their neighborhood. During his youth he was employed mainly in clearing up the farm, in which occupation he acquired a robust constitution and a well developed physique. He formed habits of remarkable industry and frugality, but grew to manhood with little knowledge of books or business beyond that of the community where he lived. About 1827 he was elected constable, an office he held two years, and was necessarily often called to Albion village. Having $500 of his own and a like sum placed in his hands by his brother William, he began to buy small promissory notes and deal in other local securities, at which he was very successful. About this time Joseph Hart deeded to his sons Elizur and William 100 acres of his farm for $500, and subsequently William be- came sole owner by paying his brother the $500 originally placed in the latter's hands and all profits that had accrued therefiom.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

Mr. Hart continued to invest his money in local securities, and also in bonds and mortgages and articles issued by the Holland Company for land. In 1852 he was appointed assignee and afterward receiver of the Orleans Insurance Company, and upon the failure of the old Bank of Orleans was made receiver of that institution. In this capacity he was eminently successful. Its diversified business affairs were settled up to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, and the labor thus directed established for him a wide and substantial reputation as a sound financier, a reputation which he retained throughout the remainder of his life. February 17, 1859, with Joseph M. Cornell as cashier and himself as president, he started the Orleans County Bank and commenced business in February, 1860, with a capital of $50,000 which was soon increased to $100,000. August 9, 1865, this institution was superseded by the present Orleans County National Bank, of which Mr. Hart was president and principal stockholder until his death in August, 1870, when he was succeeded in the latter position by his only son, Hon. E. Kirke Hart.

Elizur Hart was not a speculator in business. He was a shrewd investor, careful, conservative, and deliberate, and uniformly successful. Correct and exemplary in his habits, he was never dilatory or impulsive. Without the aid or influence of wealthy connections he became one of the wealthiest bankers in the State, controlling at his death hundreds of thousands of dollars, a fortune accumulated from comparatively nothing. He was emphatically a self-made man, and was characterized by strict integrity, un- questioned honesty and unwavering fidelity. He was highly respected and widely known, and exerted a marked influence on the community in which he lived. In reli- gion he always took an abiding interest. He was an active member of the First Presby- terian church, of Albion, and in his will gave $50,000 to the society to erect a house of worship and $5,000 as an endowment to the Sunday school. This handsome legacy was used in the erection of the present beautiful stone edifice-a fitting monument to the memory of a good man, Mr. Hart was not a politician and never mingled in poli- tics, yet he was well posted on general subjects and took a deep interest in the affairs of his town and county. He was quiet and unobtrusive, devoting his attention strictly to business, but was nevertheless prominently identified as a citizen in all matters of public import.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Landmarks of Orleans County, New York, Part 74

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