USA > New York > Erie County > Memorial and family history of Erie County, New York, Volume I > Part 28
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The pastorate of Mgr. Connery at St. Columba's has been a period of rich growth and harvest in the religious work of that parish. Under the inspiration of his earnestness and eloquence, and guided by his sterling administrative ability, the parish has built a fine church, rectory, school and convent, the total valuation of the property being $200,000. Through his ministrations the church has also enjoyed a
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great accession of membership. The success of the work of St. Columba's received a most gratifying tribute of recognition from His Holiness, Pope Pius X., by the pro- motion of Father Connery to the dignity of Monseigneur, which carries with it the ecclesiastical rank of Prelate of the Pontifi- cal Household. In 1897 he was appointed by Bishop James E. Quigley a member of the Bishop's Council and . also Vicar- General of Buffalo Diocese. When Bishop Quigley was elevated to the Archbishopric of Chicago in 1903, Mgr. Connery became Administrator of the diocese of Buffalo until the appointment and arrival of Bishop Colton. When the See of Buffalo became vacant Mgr. Connery was second on the list of three men named to Rome by the Bishops of the Province of New York as eligible and desirable for the office of Bishop of Buffalo.
In Mgr. Connery the spiritual gifts of the priest of true conse- cration and fervent zeal are united with the sterling practical qualities of the born leader of men. As a preacher he is terse and forceful, speaking with the language which comes home to the hearts of his flock. He is the type of man in whom one instinctively reposes confidence, and is cognizant that the sorrows, faults and failings of human nature may under right spiritual direction become the stepping-stones to a higher life. These traits-the traits of a rare personality- furnish the explanation of the love and veneration with which Mgr. Connery is regarded.
HENRY WILLIAM WENDT, Secretary and Treasurer of the Buffalo Forge Company, and Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the George L. Squier Company and the Buffalo Steam Pump Company, is a well-known manufacturer, inventor and mechanical engineer, equally prominent as an expert tech- nician and a successful business man.
Mr. Wendt is a son of William F. Wendt, Sr., and Louise Weichman, and was born in Buffalo June 19, 1862. He was educated in the public schools, and while still a boy showed a
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natural aptitude for mechanics. When seventeen years old he became office clerk for J. C. Austin, proprietor of a ship chandlery and boat supply house, where Mr. Wendt remained two years, then entering the employ of the Buffalo Forge Com- pany. Working at the lathe and bench he gained a masterful knowledge of the machinist's trade, and was soon appointed Superintendent. In 1888 he was admitted to partnership, and upon the incorporation of the Buffalo Forge Company he became and has ever since been its Secretary and Treasurer. Later the company acquired the ownership of the George L. Squier Company, manufacturers of plantation machinery, of which concern Henry W. Wendt is Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, also filling similar offices in the Buffalo Steam Pump Company, another industry owned by the Buffalo Forge Company. Both as an executive and a mechanical expert, Mr. Wendt represents the modern spirit of advancement, and the reputation his companies enjoy of being always in line with the latest and best manufacturing processes is largely due to his ability. He is well-known as an inventor, having been granted patents for a number of valuable devices. Mr. Wendt has traveled extensively, and enjoys a large acquaintance among engineers and other men of science, in this country and Europe.
Mr. Wendt is a Republican, and an active supporter of his party. In 1898-1900 he was General Committeeman for the 23d Ward of Buffalo, and in this capacity rendered efficient service. He is a Mason of the 32d degree in the Consistory, and a mem- ber of Washington Lodge, No. 240; Keystone Chapter, No. 163; Lake Erie Commandery, Knights Templar, and Ismailia Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Buffalo Builders' Exchange, has served on its Board of Trustees, and belongs to the Ellicott Club and the Orpheus Society. He attends the Church of the Messiah.
November 25, 1885, Mr. Wendt married Edith M. Forsyth, daughter of Edgar A. and Amy (Stanton) Forsyth of Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. Wendt have two sons, Edgar F., born in 1887, and Henry W., Jr., born in 1891.
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WILLIAM FRANZ WENDT, President of the Buffalo Forge Company, is head of one of the largest manufacturing enter- prises of its kind in the world, and is a leading personality in the business and industrial life of Buffalo. He is the son of William Franz and Louise (Weichman) Wendt, and was born in Buffalo July 2, 1858. He was educated at Public School No. 32 and at the Central High School. His first experience in busi- ness was as a bookkeeper for R. W. Bell & Company. In 1878 Mr. Wendt purchased an interest in the Buffalo Forge Com- pany, which was organized by Charles F. Brunke and Charles Hammelman in 1877, to manufacture the portable forge invented by Mr. Hammelman. At first Mr. Wendt occupied himself with the financial management of the concern, and acquired a sound knowledge of the technical part of the busi- ness. The products of the establishment were originally turned out by different machine shops, but in 1880 the company obtained a suitable manufacturing plant, purchasing from Pratt & Co. a building at Broadway and Mortimer streets. The concern became widely known throughout the United States and Canada, and the demand for its products grew rapidly. In February, 1883, the interest of Charles Hammelman was purchased by William F. Wendt, and the business was continued as before until 1888, when Henry W. Wendt was admitted partner. In 1900 the Buffalo Forge Company was incorporated with a capital of $500,000; in 1901 the capital was increased to $1,000,000, and in 1906 the concern was capitalized at $1,250,000. Ground adjoining the plant was bought, and a substantial foundry and pattern shops, a storage building and machine shops were constructed. In the early period of the enterprise if two portable blacksmith's forges a week were made, it was thought a good output. Today the establishment turns out two carloads a day and more if necessary. The fan principle used in the forges has been successfully applied in the heating and ventilating apparatus, draught appliances for large boiler plants, and equipments for cleaning gases in blast
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furnaces. The concern also makes heavy railroad forges, high pressure blowers, simple and compound engines and other appliances. Sales agencies are maintained in the chief cities of the country, with branch offices in London, New York, and Paris, and a store in Chicago. In 1902, the George L. Squier Manufacturing Company was purchased, with a view of devel- oping foreign trade, and is engaged in the manufacture and exportation of sugar, coffee and rice machinery, promising to be one of the most important branches of the business owned by the Wendt brothers. The Buffalo Steam Pump Company was purchased by the Buffalo Forge Company in 1904. The plant is in North Tonawanda, and there has been erected and added to it three brick and steel fireproof buildings. The concern is engaged in the manufacture of steam and fire pumps, water works pumping engines and the latter day cen- trifugal turbine multiple pumps for high lifts and high heads.
Mr. Wendt is owner of two important trade journals, " The American Blacksmith " and " La Hacienda," the latter publi- cation being in Spanish. He is a Director of the Citizens' Bank and the Western Savings Bank, and is one of the ten men who built the first electric railroad from Buffalo to Tonawanda in 1888.
In politics Mr. Wendt is a Republican, and one of the leaders of the party in Erie County. He took a prominent part in the affairs of the Republican League, in the active days of that organization.
Mr. Wendt is a 32d degree Mason and is affiliated with Ancient Landmarks Lodge and the Scottish Rite bodies. He is President of the German Lutheran Home, a member of Holy Trinity English Lutheran Church and of the Buffalo Orphan Asylum, and has served as Real Estate Commissioner of the German Young Men's Association.
November 8, 1882, Mr. Wendt married Mary Gies of Buffalo. Their children are two daughters, Gertrude Mary, and Margaret Louise.
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WALTER P. COOKE, of the law firm of Kenefick, Cooke & Mitchell, is an eminent member of the Erie County Bar, who has for the past twelve years practiced his profession in Buffalo. In our day, the rapid extension and increasing com- plexity of business have led to the identification of lawyers, to a greater degree than ever before, with the enterprises of industry and finance, and the career of Mr. Cooke. furnishes an example in point. Besides carrying on a general law practice he is a Director in a number of banking and other corporations. He is an able legal practitioner, of conservative character and sound methods, and stands high in the esteem of the community.
Mr. Cooke was born in Buffalo April 28, 1869. After receiving the ele- ments of education in the Buffalo public schools, he entered Buffalo High School, where he was prepared for Cornell Uni- versity, from which insti- tution he was graduated in 1891. The following year he was admitted to the bar, and in 1895 began the practice of his profession, later becom- ing a partner in the firm of Bissell, Carey & Cooke. Its successors are Kene- fick, Cooke & Mitchell, Mr. Cooke's present firm. WALTER P. COOKE. Messrs. Kenefick, Cooke & Mitchell form one of the best-known legal firms in this part of the State. They have an extensive general practice, and represent as legal advisers a number of
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important corporate interests. Though he has not specialized his professional pursuits, Mr. Cooke is prominent in railway law, and often acts as counsel for estates, and his protection of the interests of his clients is typical of the conscientious lawyer who realizes to the full the practical responsibilities and the ethical obligations of his profession.
Mr. Cooke has never sought the honors or emoluments of political life. He finds in his profession ample scope for his ambitions, and while some of his pursuits belong rather to the general field of business than the strictly professional province, yet all are in greater or less degree identified with the duties of a lawyer.
Among the positions of responsibility and trust filled by Mr. Cooke at the present time, may be mentioned his directorships in the People's Bank of Buffalo, the Buffalo General Electric Company, the Western New York Water Company, the Buffalo Abstract and Title Company, the Security Safe Deposit Com- pany, the Buffalo & Susquehanna Railway Company, and the Great Southern Lumber Company. He is also a Trustee of the Buffalo Library, and Chamber of Commerce, and has served as a member of the Board of Managers of the Buffalo State Hospital, as President of the Cornell Alumni Association of Buffalo (1906-1907), and as Trustee of the Buffalo Homeopathic Hospital. In 1905 he was President of the Erie County Bar Association. He is a member of the Buffalo, Saturn, Ellicott, Country, Park and Liberal clubs.
A man of courteous, unaffected manners and of genial dispo- sition, Mr. Cooke is popular in social life. He possesses in equal degree the confidence of his brethren of the bar and of the general public.
. JOHN LEO SCHWARTZ, President of the Clinton Co-opera- tive Brewing Company, and President of the State Brewers' Association, is a leading business man and citizen of Buffalo, and one of the best-known brewers in the State.
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Col. Schwartz is of German ancestry, being a grandson of John Schwartz, Sr., who came from Kutzenhausen, Alsace, to America in 1827. He settled in Buffalo, afterward removing to Black Rock, where he engaged in garden farming. Later he conducted a quarry business, and was proprietor of an inn, in Buffalo. 'He became a large real estate owner and was one of the leading citizens of early Buffalo. He was an active church- man, and took a prominent part in the building of St. Louis', and St. Michael's Churches, and was one of the founders of St. Vincent's Church, of whose congregation he was a member at the ' time of his death, which occurred forty years ago. The wife of John Schwartz, Sr., was Anna Maria Kuhnmulich, whom he married in Alsace. Their children were: John, Jacob, Joseph, Katherine (Mrs. George Diebold), Mary (Mrs. Bakert), and Caroline (Mrs. Michael Doll). John Schwartz, Jr., was born in Alsace in 1820, and in boyhood came with his parents to Buffalo. As a boy he worked during the summer months and attended school winters. When he grew to manhood he became a carpenter and building contractor. He prospered, and later engaged in the planing mill business, under the style of Schwartz & Rebmann, the firm becoming John Schwartz & Son by the admission of John L. Schwartz. John Schwartz, Jr., was an active Republican, but never held public office. He was a staunch supporter of the Catholic Church, and a liberal con- tributor to its charities. He married in 1854 Mary A. Kiefer, daughter of Anton and Katherine Kiefer. Their children are: John L., Joseph A., and Edward A. Schwartz; Mary, wife of John C. Lutz; Rose, widow of Harry Smith, and Clara, wife of Edward A. Diebolt. The surviving children of a former mar- riage are: Mrs. Louisa Knauber, and Mrs. Johanna Thomas. John Schwartz, Jr., died in 1877.
John Leo Schwartz was born in Buffalo, April 13, 1859. His early education was obtained at St. Michael's Parochial School, and in 1870 he entered Canisius College, where he continued three years. At the age of fourteen he became assistant in his
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father's office, and before he had attained his majority was admitted to partnership. With the firm of John Schwartz & Son he continued until the concern was dissolved by the death of his father, when Mr. Schwartz became connected with the insurance and coal office of Joseph Berlin, with whom he remained about a year. In 1879 he engaged in the coal trade on his own account, continuing in it till 1890, when he established the Star Brewery, his associates being John S. Kellner, Edward A. Diebolt and Joseph Phillips. The enterprise prospered and the partnership existed ten years, its continuance being marked by a wide patronage and an enviable business reputation. When the firm was dissolved the brewery was consolidated with the Clinton Co-operative Brewing Company. Of this concern, which does an immense business, Col. Schwartz is principal owner, President and Treasurer. For the last eight years he has served as Vice-President of the Buffalo Brewers' Exchange. He is a trustee and ex-Vice-President of the New York State Brewers' Association, was for a year its Vice-President, served as Presi- dent of the State Association in 1906, and was reelected in 1907.
Col. Schwartz is a very active churchman. A charter member of the Knights of St. John, of St. Michael's Church, he was Adjutant of the Buffalo Regiment, Knights of St. John, under Col. Feist and Col. Lanahan, and in 1889 was elected to the Colonelcy, which he has held ever since. In 1903 he was Adjutant-General with the rank of Brigadier-General, on the staff of Gen. Henry J. Werst, Supreme Commander of the order. For the last fifteen years he has served as Grand Treasurer of the State of New York of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Associa- tion. A member of the Buffalo Catholic Institute, he was for many years one of its trustees. He belongs to the Catholic Benevolent Legion, and was a trustee of St. Michael's Church. He is identified with the Elks, the Royal Arcanum, the Buffalo Orpheus and many social organizations, and is a former Presi- dent of the Alumni of Canisius College. He was for several
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years a member of the Democratic Advisory Committee and has served as one of the directors of the Volksfreund Printing Company.
Col. Schwartz married October 12, 1887, Elizabeth A. Zege- witz, daughter of J. Adam and Elizabeth Zegewitz of Rochester, N. Y. The children of the union are: J. Raymond, Karl, Marguerite, Rudolph, Lauretta, Harold and Elizabeth Marie.
WILLIAM CHARLES HOUCK, Secretary of the Pratt & Letchworth Company, holds a prominent place in Buffalo's industrial and social life.
Mr. Houck is of German parentage, his father, John Houck, having been born in 1827 in Kirchheim, Wurtemburg, Germany, where the family had lived for many generations. When twenty-five years old John Houck came to America, where he followed the stone mason's trade, working on the Erie- Canal. Ten years later he entered the employ of Pratt & Com- pany of Buffalo, remaining with the firm twenty-two years, when he retired from business. He is still living in Buffalo, and is one of its best-known German-American residents. In 1854 he married Christina Schutter, daughter of Conrad Schutter of Reading, Pa. Their children are: William C., and Christian F. Houck of Buffalo; Frederick J. Houck of Rochester, N. Y .; Charles F. Houck; Fredericka (Mrs. Otto Fiscus), and Mary (Mrs. John Duscherer), both of Buffalo.
William Charles Houck was born in Buffalo May 28, 1865. He attended the public schools and Bryant & Stratton's Business College. When about fourteen years old he began work for Pratt & Letchworth, with whom he has continued ever since. After spending two years in the shops and acquiring a sound knowledge of the technical part of the business, he became a clerk in the office, where he worked his way up through the grades of paymaster, local purchasing agent, sales agent and sales manager, until in 1901 he was made Secretary, which
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place he now occupies. As Secretary of the Pratt & Letch- worth Company, and in the various other capacities in which Mr. Houck has been connected with it, he has made a most creditable record. He is a business man of large experience, is well informed as to the general conditions of commerce and manufactures, and has a comprehensive knowledge of the great industry with which he is connected.
Mr. Houck has long been an active member of the Black Rock Business Men's Association, and has had much to do with promoting the commercial and local interests of the Black Rock district. He is affiliated with Modestia Lodge of Masons, and North Buffalo Lodge of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the German Methodist Episcopal Church.
October 22, 1890, Mr. Houck married Mary A. Limburg, a daughter of Christian and Mary (Link) Limburg of Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. Houck have three sons, William Limburg and Christian Thompson, twins born in 1893, and John Edward, born in 1895.
GEORGE MICHAEL ZIMMERMAN, Comptroller of the City of Buffalo, is a man of representative prominence in business and civic life. Ever since his boyhood Mr. Zimmer- man has been identified with the lumber business, and he is the proprietor of one of the largest retail lumber concerns in Western New York. He is a leading Democrat, a progressive citizen and a man held in high esteem in the community.
Mr. Zimmerman comes of sturdy German stock, his grand- father, John Zimmerman, having emigrated to America from Kapsweyer, Bavaria, in 1832. He married Magdalena Paul, who was also a native of Bavaria, and the family of ten chil- dren came to this country with their parents, settling in Buffalo. John Zimmerman was a carpenter, woodworker and farmer. He was one of the pioneer German residents of Buffalo, and was widely known there. He died in 1865. George Zimmerman, eldest son of John Zimmerman, was born in
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Bavaria in 1815. He came to America with his family, and after his arrival in Buffalo took up the carpenter's and builder's trade. In 1841 he established a lumber yard at Genesee and Michigan streets, afterward removing to Pine street, near Broadway, where the plant founded by him is still located. He also carried on a grocery, continuing actively engaged in busi- ness until his death in 1897. He was a man of sterling traits of industry and enter- prise, and was among the most influential German- American citizens of Buffalo. George Zimmer- man married Katherine Fischer of Buffalo, who was born in Alsace in 1837. The only surviving child of the marriage is George M. Zimmerman.
George Michael Zim- merman was born in Buffalo April 29, 1854. He attended St. Mary's Parochial School, St. Joseph's College and Prof. Barrett's Night School, an institution for business training. When GEORGE M. ZIMMERMAN seventeen years old young Zimmerman began work in his father's lumber yard. On the death of the senior Zimmerman, the son succeeded him in the lumber business, which he has from that time to the present carried on with constantly increasing success, maintaining in addition to the principal yard and offices in Pine street, a branch in Cypress street. Mr. Zimmerman was long identified with the Volksfreund Printing & Publishing Company, of which he was Vice-President for six years, also
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serving for one year as President. He is a Director of the German-American Bank.
Mr. Zimmerman has all his life been an active Democrat, but never held office until January 1, 1906, when he became Comp- troller of the City of Buffalo, having been elected to the place as Democratic nominee, by a plurality of nearly 5,000. As Comptroller, Mr. Zimmerman has given Buffalo a clean, eco- nomical and wholly creditable administration of the financial branch of the city government. He has instituted many needed reforms and has received wide commendation for the efficiency of his methods and the sound business principles he has applied to municipal finance.
Mr. Zimmerman is a trustee of the Buffalo German Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, and has served on the managing board of that institution for the last ten years. He is also a trustee of the United German and French Cemetery Association. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Benevo- lent Legion, the Knights of St. John, and the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association. He has all his life been a member of St. Mary's Church.
In 1876 Mr. Zimmerman married Agnes Steinmann, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Gottschalk) Steinmann of Buffalo. The children of the union are: George Joseph Zimmerman, who is now manager of his father's business; Katherine (Sister M. Gerada), a teacher at St. Ann's Parochial School; Clara (Sister M. Agnes), of the Convent of the Good Shepherd of Buffalo; Anne; Mary Joseph, a student at North East College, Pa .; Gerard, Edward and Dolores.
HON. HARRY L. TAYLOR, County Judge of Erie County, is a jurist whose recently attained judicial honors are the logical result of high professional standing. Judge Taylor is in the vigorous prime of life and has had a career which, in many respects unique, is in its essentials characteristically American.
Both on the father's and mother's side Judge Taylor comes of
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families prominent in the pioneer history of Tioga County, N. Y.
Judge Taylor's grandfather, Ira Taylor, was originally a resi- dent of Connecticut. As a young man he came to Tioga County, New York.
Frederick Taylor, father of Judge Taylor, was a farmer and lumber manufacturer. He was an influential citizen of Tioga County, a man of high character and an energetic worker. He married Hannah C. Sairs, a daughter of Leonard B. and Melinda (Munson) Sairs.
Harry Leonard Taylor was born in Halsey Valley, Tioga County, April 14, 1866. He was educated in the common schools, Spencer Free Academy, and Ithaca High School, from which he was graduated in 1884. In the fall of that year he was matriculated at Cornell University, and in 1888 was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. During his senior year at the University he was elected President of his class, and was chosen a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity for scholar- ship. He was also one of the speakers in the Stewart L. Woodford prize contest for oratorical honors. While at Cornell Mr. Taylor was a prominent ball-player throughout his course, and for three years was Captain of the University team.
After his graduation Mr. Taylor taught for some time at Shortledge's Academy, Media, Pa. It had always been his ambition to become a lawyer, and he entered professional base- ball as a means of earning money to pursue his studies. The reputation he had gained on the Cornell team caused him to be retained by the New York State League, in which he played in 1889. In the summer of that year he led the League in batting. In 1890 he went to the Louisville team, American Association, and that year his team won the pennant. In the fall of 1890 he entered the Law School at Cornell, and in the spring of 1891 rejoined the Louisville team. In the autumn he returned to the University, rejoining the team in the spring of 1892. The fol- lowing fall he went back to college, where he remained until graduation in 1893. In June of the same year he became asso-
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