USA > New York > Erie County > Memorial and family history of Erie County, New York, Volume I > Part 30
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30
Mr. Abbott comes of New England ancestry, being descended from Timothy Abbott, a lieu- tenant in Col. Samuel Herrick's regiment of Vermont troops, in the Revolutionary War. Seth and Sophia (Stark- FRANK A. ABBOTT weather) Abbott, the great-grandparents of the subject of this sketch, were among the pioneers of Erie County, where they came in 1808, and from Seth Abbott the hamlet of Abbott's Corners in the town of Hamburg, derives its name. His son, Chauncey Abbott, who was born in 1802, married Mary Smith, and their son, Seth A. Abbott, born in 1832, was an influential citizen of the town of Hamburg and held several offices. In 1857 he married Ruth Ann Perrine, who was born in Jackson,
374
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
Mich., in 1840. Their children are: George S., William H., Frank A., John P. and Mary E. Abbott.
Frank A. Abbott was born in the town of East Hamburg, Erie County, N. Y., April 14, 1865. He received his early educa- tion in the public schools, and in 1886 was graduated from the Hamburg Academy, thence entering Cornell University, from which he was graduated with honors in 1890. He was the vale- dictorian of his class, and also won the Stewart L. Woodford prize for oratory, the highest prize offered by the University. On leaving Cornell, Mr. Abbott returned to Buffalo, where he became a law student in the office of Fullerton, Becker & Hazel, and in 1892 he was admitted to the bar. He immediately engaged in the practice of his profession in Buffalo, and in 1893 formed a law partnership with the Hon. John R. Hazel, under the firm style of Hazel & Abbott, an association which contin- ued until Judge Hazel was elevated to the bench. Mr. Abbott then formed a partnership with his brother, John P. Abbott, under the firm name of Abbott & Abbott, and this connection has existed ever since, the firm having offices in the D. S. Mor- gan Building.
Mr. Abbott has always been an earnest advocate of Demo- cratic principles, and soon after attaining his majority he began to take an active interest in the higher order of politics. When Edward E. Coatsworth became District Attorney, on the 1st of January, 1903, he appointed Mr. Abbott his First Assist- ant, a position which he filled efficiently for three years, ably seconding Mr. Coatsworth in his official duties and handling many difficult criminal cases. Apart from the importance of the services performed, the experience of these years was of peculiar value to Mr. Abbott as furnishing a discipline for the more arduous responsibilities he was ultimately to assume. « When the Erie County Democratic Convention met in 1905 it became clear that Mr. Abbott was the logical candidate for the District Attorneyship, and his unanimous nomination was fol- lowed by his election by a substantial majority, over a strong
Robtwo Pour soy
375
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
opponent. As District Attorney Mr. Abbott has handled the momentous interests committed to his charge with dignity and vigor, tempered by a strict sense of justice and an accurate appreciation of the maxim that impartiality is as important as zeal in the fulfillment of the duties of a public prosecutor. He has proved as fearless as energetic, and in no instance has per- sonal influence or any consideration other than that of conso- nance with the obligations of his office and the welfare of the public, ever been permitted to become a factor in his course of action. He has conducted his cases with masterly ability, which notably manifested itself in his prosecution of the Neff, Gibson and Jackson cases, wherein convictions were secured in the face of many difficulties.
Though Mr. Abbott's official and professional duties are necessarily of an absorbing character, he is not remiss in the social part of life. He is actively interested in the Masonic fraternity, being affiliated with Ancient Landmarks Lodge and Hugh de Payens Commandery, Knights Templar, and he is a member of the University and Independent clubs of Buffalo, the Buffalo Yacht Club, the Orpheus Singing Society and the Phi Delta Theta college fraternity.
In 1902 Mr. Abbott married Jane L. Drake, daughter of Capt. Marcus M. Drake, deceased, of Buffalo. Their children are: Frank Addison, Jr., Elizabeth D., and Alice L.
ROBERT W. POMEROY, son of Theodore M. Pomeroy of Auburn, N. Y., was born February 24, 1868, educated at the public schools of Auburn and Yale University, graduating in the class of 1891. Later he entered the Harvard Law School, graduating in the class of 1895.
Upon graduation from the Harvard Law School, Mr. Pomeroy married Miss Lucy Bemis of Cambridge, Mass., and after a few months of travel located at Buffalo, serving for two years as clerk in the law office of Rogers, Locke & Milburn. He then opened his own office and has since continued an independ-
376
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
ent practice of business law, devoting much of his time to business enterprises. With the city's commercial and financial institutions, he is closely identified, being a trustee of the Fidelity Trust Company, a member of the board of directors of the Buffalo General Electric Company, the Edward Elsworth Company, the Natural Food Company of Niagara Falls, the Buffalo Abstract and Title Company, the Eastern Oil Company, the Buffalo Mines, Limited, Buffalo Belting and Weaving Com- pany, Buffalo Coated Paper Company, Adirondack Fire Insur- ance Company and President of the New York and Buffalo Audit Company.
Mr. Pomeroy is active in club life of Buffalo, and identified with several charitable institutions. He has served as Presi- dent of the Country Club, Vice-Dean of the Saturn Club, Secre- tary of the Buffalo Club, and is a member of the University and Ellicott clubs, as well as of the Yale Club and University Club of New York City. He is Vice-President of the Charity Organi- zation Society of Buffalo, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Buffalo General Hospital and of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, which he has served as Secretary. He is also identi- fied with church work, being President of the Men's Club of the First Presbyterian Church and a Trustee of Mount Hermon Boys' School at East Northfield, Mass. Mr. Pomeroy served as a member of the New York State Commission of the Jamestown Ter-Centennial Exposition by appointment by Governor Higgins, and in 1907 Mayor Adam appointed Mr. Pomeroy Chairman of the Railroad Terminal Commission of Buffalo, a position in which he is now serving.
DAVID R. MORSE, the veteran financier who passed away January 27, 1908, was for more than a quarter of a century identified with the Erie County Savings Bank. In his eighty- eighth year, Mr. Morse was the official head and the directing spirit of the largest savings institution in the State, outside of New York City.
377
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
David R. Morse came of Puritan stock. He was able to trace his ancestry eight generations to Samuel Morse, who came to this country in 1635. John Morse, son of Samuel, had a son, John, who had a son, Ezra Morse, who was the father of Deacon Seth Morse, a member of the Guilford Volunteers during the Revolution. Among his sons was John Morse, who lived at Moody's, Conn., and was the father of David Morse, grandfather of the subject of this sketch. David Morse was born in Guil- ford, Conn. He married Lucy Norton, and settled at Norton Hills, Greene County, N. Y., later removing to Greenville, N. Y. During the Revolution he served in Capt. Hand's Company of Col. Talcott's Regiment, and later joined the Coast Guards. He was the father of Simeon, Martin, Beulah, Asher, and David Morse. Asher Morse, father of David R. Morse, was born in Guilford, Conn. In early life he was brought by his parents to Norton Hills, N. Y., where he married Anna Reynolds. Origi- nally a currier by trade, he became a farmer, settling after his marriage on a farm at South Westerlo, in Albany County. He carried on tanning and later built and operated a large saw- mill and flour mills. He was a Whig in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian Church of Greenville, N. Y. He was the father of three sons, George, Charles, and David R., and five daughters, Delia, who became the wife of William M. Shepard; Mrs. Hulda Savage; and Lucy, who became the wife of Lorenzo B. Shepard, of the famous law firm of Parsons & Shepard of New York; Mrs. Maria Wyatt, and Mrs. Susan Robbins.
David R. Morse was born October 14, 1819, at South Westerlo, Albany County, N. Y. He was reared on his father's farm, and attended the primitive schools of that day. When fourteen years old, he secured a clerkship with George Reed, who besides carrying on a store was engaged in the forwarding business at Coxsackie, and operated a line of market sloops between that place and New York. Here he remained for three or four years, making his home with Mr. Reed's family. Young Morse's environments were very pleasant, the Reeds being a
378
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
family of high standing. Mr. Morse through all his long life remembered his first employer and his household with peculiar pleasure, as the influences of the Reed home were wholesome and inspiring, and undoubtedly their paternal training aided much in molding the strength of character and the correct habits of living that distinguished Mr. Morse's entire career. At the close of his period of employment in Coxsackie, Mr. Morse went to New York, where he worked as a clerk in a dry-goods store for five years. In 1843 he came to Buffalo, bringing with him a stock of dry-goods. He opened a store in Main street, where he remained in the dry-goods trade till 1850, when he sold out to engage in the ship chandlery business. Through this venture he soon became interested in the ownership of lake vessels. In 1865 Mr. Morse practically withdrew from all business except the care of his extensive vested interests. In 1879 he was elected a trustee of the Erie County Savings Bank, and on May 7, 1884, he was elected Vice- President. In 1889 he was chosen President, and was serving his eighteenth year in that office at the time of his death.
Essentially a business man, politics played a very minor part in Mr. Morse's life. In 1878 he was, however, pursuaded to become a candidate for Alderman, chiefly to forward certain important public interests. He was elected and served one term from the old 10th Ward. Some years later he was elected a trustee of Forest Lawn Cemetery, and for several years was President of the board, finally resigning of his own choice. During this period Mr. Morse did much toward making Forest Lawn the beautiful spot it is today. He was also one of the founders of the Falconwood Club on Grand Island, incorporated in 1879, and he and the late Dexter P. Rumsey became sole owners of the property.
Mr. Morse was married in 1845 to Elizabeth G. Miller, daughter of Capt. William T. Miller, an old settler of Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. Morse celebrated in 1907 their 62d wedding anni- versary. Their children were: Jennie, who married Walter T.
379
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
Wilson, and had issue of Walter Morse; Gertrude, the wife of Rev. Mr. Littell, and Margaret J .; Charles M., the only son, is the well-known efficient city engineer of Buffalo, and Anna, deceased in 1908, was the wife of Samuel Ames of New York. For many years Mr. Morse had been an influential member and a trustee of the First Presbyterian Church.
David R. Morse was a man of unusual equanimity of tempera- ment. His mental alertness to the last was phenomenal. One of his striking intellectual qualifications was his power of accurately estimating real estate values, his judgment therein having been infallible, and he was one of the ablest real estate experts of Buffalo. Mr. Morse's personal appearance corre- sponded with the qualities and career of the man. He was a venerable and in some respects picturesque figure. His fresh complexion indicated him to be a much younger man than he was, but his silver white beard gave a suggestion of the patri- archal. His manner was full of quiet dignity and easy charm. Everything about him bespoke the gentleman of the old school. He was probably the finest example in Buffalo of an old age at once beautiful and beneficial, of length of days crowned with honor and of intellectual strength undiminished by the march of years.
CHARLES MILLER MORSE, Engineer, Commissioner of the Department of Public Works, of Buffalo, head of the municipal Bureau of Engineering, is a man of varied and thorough pro- fessional acquirements, and a substantial and representative citizen.
Mr. Morse was born in Buffalo January 11, 1854, and is a son of the late David R. Morse. He attended private schools in this city, graduated from the Classical School of Prof. Horace Briggs and attended the Scientific School of Yale University, where for two years he pursued a special course in mechanical engi- neering. After leaving the University, Mr. Morse became employed on the preliminary survey of the Buffalo & James-
380
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
town Railroad. Later he engaged for several years in engi- neering field work, being connected with the U. S. survey in this locality and along Lakes Erie and Ontario. About 1874 he entered the Brooks Locomotive Works at Dunkirk, there serving an apprenticeship at the machinist's trade. He then entered the employ of the Erie Railroad Company in the motive power department at Susquehanna, Pa. Beginning as a journeyman machinist, he became a draughtsman, and later locomotive inspector, in charge of repair shop construction work. In 1881 he became Superintendent of the Crown Point Iron Company, at Crown Point, N. Y., and in 1882 located in New York City, where for several years he successfully carried on the private practice of engineering.
Returning to Buffalo in 1889 he opened offices in the Erie County Bank Building, and has since continued. He is also senior partner in the Buffalo Engineering Company, engaged in general engineering and contracting.
January 1, 1902, Mr. Morse was appointed Deputy Engineer Commissioner, a position he still holds, having charge of all the city engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Engineers' Club of New York City, a life member of the Young Men's Association, a member of the Society of Natural Sciences and the Buffalo Yacht Club.
In December, 1890, Mr. Morse was united in marriage to Kathleen Edgar of Easton, Pa.
HON. LOUIS FECHTER is a Buffalonian distinguished in public life and successful and prominent as a business man. As Senator, Mr. Fechter has served the State with signal capa- bility and zeal, and in the business world ranks as a man of exceptionally large experience and sound practical sagacity.
Mr. Fechter is a native of Germany, coming of families which for many generations have lived in lower Alsace, on the Rhine, where he was born in 1851, a son of Louis Fechter, a farmer,
381
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
and Madalena Fix. As a boy young Fechter received an excel- lent education at private schools in his native village of Cherreedern.
In 1871 he came to America. Settling in Buffalo, he was connected for a number of years with the operating de- partment of the Lake Shore R. R. In 1877 he engaged in the flour and feed business, and later established a rendering works in East Buffalo, where he built up a large and successful business in the face of trust oppo- sition. He sold out in 1893, and later became connected with the Buffalo Fertilizing Com- pany, with which he has LOUIS FECHTER. ever since been identified. He is President of the Fechter-Ellicott Agency, dealing in real estate and insurance, is a large owner of valuable real estate holdings on the East Side, a section in whose development he has borne a prominent part, and President and General Manager of the Minnehaha Mining & Smelting Company, which owns gold-mining properties in the Canadian Northwest.
From early manhood Mr. Fechter has taken an active inter- est in politics, and fourteen years ago, his political affiliations being at that time with the Democracy, he opposed the Sheehan machine for election as Alderman of the old Eleventh Ward. He fairly won the nomination in the Democratic caucus, but by fraud and violence was deprived of the Democratic candi-
382
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
dacy. Solicited to run on an independent ticket, he was elected, receiving a majority of 132 in a ward which was normally Democratic by 800 votes, and served two years. In 1904, when he was nominated for State Senator by the Republican Conven- tion of the old 48th Senatorial District. To Mr. Fechter belongs the honor of being the only Republican who ever carried that district. He was elected by 116 plurality in a district that had usually returned pluralities of from 2,500 to 3,000 for the Democratic candidates. Mr. Fechter served in the Senate in 1905 and 1906, and declined a renomination for the office. While in the Senate he introduced and was instrumental in the passing of the bill doing away with the fee system in the office of Superintendent of the Poor, thus saving this county from $6,000 to $7,000 a year, and was the means of passing other valuable reform measures for Erie County. It was he who introduced the bill lowering the price of illuminating gas in Buffalo, but this salutary measure was defeated by corporate interests. Senator Fechter served on the Committees of Public Health, Commerce and Navigation, as well as on other impor- tant committees of the Senate. Throughout his Senatorial career his record was conspicuously that of an honest and efficient legislator, and he left the Senate with the confidence of his associates and constituents and the respect of his opponents.
Mr. Fechter is a member of the C. M. B. A., and served for several years as its representative in Grand Council and the Central Council. He belongs to the Teutonia Liederkranz and St. Agnes Parish of the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1874 Mr. Fechter was married to Mary T. Gehlweiler of Buffalo. They have five children: Louis Fechter, Jr., who mar- ried Julia Fritz of Alden, N. Y .; Joseph Fechter, who married Anna Heibach of Buffalo; Charles, Frank, and Mary Fechter.
THE WEBSTER FAMILY, from which several prominent families derive their lineage, is descended from John Webster,
383
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
who with Agnes, his wife, came from Warwickshire, England, to Hartford, Conn., via Massachusetts, about the autumn of 1636. John Webster was one of the most prominent men in early New England. He was among the first settlers of Hart- ford, was elected Lieutenant-Governor of the colony in 1655, and Governor in 1656, and held many other offices. He died at Hadley, Mass., April 5, 1661. Among his descendants were Daniel Webster, the statesman, and Noah Webster, the lexi- cographer. His son, Robert, was the father of Jonathan, whose son, Stephen, was the father of Timothy Webster, father of Reuben. George B. Webster, son of Reuben, was born Sep- tember 8, 1796. He was married twice, his first wife having been Maria Marsh, and his second, Hannah Joy. The children of his first marriage were: George Clemm Webster, who married Sarah Verplanck of Buffalo, and Julia, who married George L. Newman of Buffalo and had one child, Jane Ellen. The chil- dren of George B. Webster by his second wife were: Hannah, who married John C. Stephenson of Buffalo; Jane, who married Edward S. Dann; and Catherine, who married Charles J. Arm- strong of Buffalo. The children of George Clemm Webster are: George B., Julia, Laura, and Grace. Those of John and Hannah (Webster) Stephenson are: George, Thomas, Jennie, Helen, John, Webster, Edward, Bessie and Seymour. The chil- dren of Edward and Jane (Webster) Dann are: Edward Web- ster Dann, Walter Joy Dann, Jesse Chase Dann, and Jennie, the wife of the Rev. Thomas Archbald, a clergyman of the Presbyterian Church, formerly of Scranton, Pa.
GEORGE BUELL WEBSTER, who for the past twenty years has practiced law in Buffalo, is one of the leading lawyers of that city. Mr. Webster has a large clientage and represents many important corporate and individual interests.
Mr. Webster was born in Buffalo March 8, 1859, and was edu- cated in the public schools, the State Normal School at Buffalo, and the Heathcote School. When fourteen years old he entered
384
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
the Treasurer's office of the Buffalo, New York and Philadel- phia Railroad, where he remained four years. He then became a student in the law office of Bowen, Rogers & Locke, continuing with the firm two years. He then entered as managing clerk the office of Bass, Cleveland & Bissell, with whom he remained till 1883, being in 1880 admitted to the bar. In 1883 Mr. Web- ster was appointed to a position in the Capitol Commissioner's Department at Albany, and continued there until October, 1886, when he returned to Buffalo, where he opened an office for the practice of law. He built up a very successful business and continued to practice alone till 1893, when he formed a law partnership with Devoe P. Hodson, under the firm style of Hodson & Webster. This association was dissolved in 1899, and from then to the present time Mr. Webster has practiced without a partner. Mr. Webster has, as a general rule, con- fined himself to civil business with special reference to real estate and corporation law, in which branches he is an author- ity. He devotes himself mainly to office practice, and has won an enviable reputation as a sound and well-read lawyer, a safe adviser, and a practitioner of acumen and skill.
In 1873 Mr. Webster enlisted in the 74th Regiment, N. G. N. Y., and in 1879 he joined the 65th Regiment, of which he was later promoted Sergeant-Major, holding that office till he went to Albany in 1883, when he resigned. While a member of the 74th Regiment, Mr. Webster served with credit during the railroad strikes of 1877.
Mr. Webster is greatly interested in the Society for the Pro- tection of Birds, Fish and Game, and is a member of its Board of Managers. He is a member of the Erie County Bar Associa- tion, the Historical Society, and the Sons of the American Revolution. He is active in the Masonic fraternity, being affiliated with Ancient Landmarks Lodge of Masons and witlı Buffalo Consistory. He belongs to the Buffalo Club, and is a member of Ascension Church of Buffalo.
June 27, 1883, Mr. Webster married Agnes Jeannette Ovens, daughter of Walter S. and Anna M. Ovens.
Frank L. Bupst
385
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
FRANK L. BAPST is a principal factor in several of the leading engineering and contracting companies of Western New York, is prominently identified with manufacturing enter- prises, and ranks as one of Buffalo's ablest civil engineers and industrial executives.
Mr. Bapst was born in Buffalo May 22, 1856, being the son of Louis Bapst and Elizabeth Baumgarten. His father was a native of Alsace, and his mother was born at Williamsville, N. Y. Frank L. Bapst attended private and public schools in Buffalo, later entering the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., from which he was graduated in 1879 with the degree of C.E. On returning to Buffalo he engaged in practice as a civil engineer. From 1882 to 1883 he was Assistant Engi- neer of the City of Buffalo, and in 1883 and 1884 was draughts- man in the City Assessor's office. In 1884 he was tendered the Democratic nomination for City Engineer, and though not elected, he made a splendid run, receiving about 3,400 votes more than the head of the ticket.
In 1885 Mr. Bapst, in association with P. B. McNaughton, inaugurated a general contracting enterprise which, after the admission of Charles E. Williams to partnership, in 1892, assumed the firm style of Williams, McNaughton & Bapst, a concern which rapidly attained a leading position, having immense interests in paving and other construction, and improvement contracts, and being prominently concerned in the abolition of grade and the building of overhead crossings at. the Terrace, in Buffalo, the work involving problems of engi- neering and construction as critical as any ever known in this section of the State. Among thie many contracts which the firm of Williams, McNaughton & Bapst has carried through with notable credit should be mentioned a large amount of underground work, street railroad and Erie Canal construction. In 1890 the German Rock Asphalt & Cement Company (Ltd.) was established. This concern, of which Mr. Bapst is General Manager, has laid about $3,500,000 worth of asphalt pavements,
386
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
its average business being approximately $1,000,000 per annum. The Buffalo Dredging Co., of which Mr. Bapst is President, was organized in 1895. It ranks with the leading local enter- prises of its kind, and has done more than $3,000,000 worth of dredging and other submarine work. Another important con- cern of a similar character is the Lake Erie Dredging Company, in whose management Mr. Bapst is associated with Mr. Charles E. Williams. This company does an average business of $700,000 a year and among its noteworthy achievements are its improvement work at Sault Ste. Marie, under Government auspices, and its deepening of the Niagara River channel between Buffalo and Tonawanda, at a cost of $300,000. This concern also did over 14 miles of work under the $9,000,000 Erie Canal appropriation.
Another notable contracting enterprise is the Buffalo Expanded Metal Company, which was organized in 1898 with Mr. Bapst as First Vice-President. Its specialty is fireproof construction in expanded metal and concrete work, and the concern is doing a business of over half a million dollars yearly. The Continental Engineering and Contracting Company, in which Mr. Bapst is associated with Charles B. Williams and others, has its headquarters at Montreal, Canada, and is engaged in elevator and dock work. It has successfully carried on much heavy concrete construction for the Canadian Govern- ment and has built a large elevator for the Canadian Pacific Railroad at Fort William, Ontario. Mr. Bapst is Vice-Presi- dent of the Babcock Electric Carriage Company, a Director in the Buffalo Crucible Steel Company; a Director in the German- American and the Columbia National Banks, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Bapst has always been a thoroughgoing Democrat and his valuable services to his party received marked recognition when, in January, 1898, he was elected Chairman of the Demo- cratic County Committee of Erie County, a position which he continued to hold for three terms, and whose duties he per-
387
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
formed with rare efficiency and skill. He has often been chosen a delegate to State conventions, and was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention of July 4, 1900.
Mr. Bapst is prominent in several fraternal bodies, being a 32d degree Mason, a member of Ismailia Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He also belongs to the Buffalo, Ellicott, and Country clubs.
In August 1903 Mr. Bapst married Ida M. Mathews of Elmira, New York.
HENRY ZIPP, serving his second term as Councilman, is an ex-President of the board, and has held important appointive positions. Councilman Zipp is a man of business as well as political prominence, and ranks as one of the solid men of the community.
Henry Zipp is a native of Germany, his family having come to America from the Duchy of Nassau. Mr. Zipp was born on the 4th of September, 1841, his father being Peter Zipp, and his mother's maiden name being Elizabeth Hecker.
Henry Zipp supplemented the excellent schooling he received in Germany by attending the public schools of Buffalo for two years. He then clerked in grocery stores until he was eighteen years old, when he entered D. Clinton Hicks' Commercial Col- lege, from which he graduated. During his last year in college he acted as assistant to the faculty, and as an expert accountant in outside business.
He later successively became a bookkeeper in the Buffalo office of the Salt Company of Onondaga for two years; H. A. Frink, for three years, and Wallace Johnson.
In 1869 Mr. Zipp engaged in the flour and feed business for three years, then engaging in the sewing machine business for five years. He then established his present coal business, located since 1899 at 285 Swan street. Mr. Zipp has been a life-
388
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
long Democrat. He has always taken a keen interest in the success of his party, and in public welfare. In 1892 Mayor Bishop appointed Mr. Zipp a member of the Board of Park Commissioners. At the second session of the Board he made a successful fight against the plan which had been agreed upon by the Board to sell the Parade Ground. As the outcome of Commissioner Zipp's energetic opposition, the Parade Ground instead of being sold was improved, and is now one of the most valued parts of the Park system. In all cases Mr. Zipp showed the utmost zeal and the best of judgment in the work of improving the city's parks.
In 1895, Mr. Zipp was nominated for Councilman. Only three of the Democratic nominees were elected, Mr. Zipp being one.
When Mr. Zipp first took his seat he was one of a Democratic minority of three, the other six members being Republicans. In his third year the Board showed its appreciation of Mr. Zipp by unanimously choosing him for President. In the fall of 1899 Councilman Zipp declined a renomination. In 1905 he was again elected for a term of four years, which he is now serving.
In 1903 Mr. Zipp was appointed by Mayor Knight a member of the Board of Civil Service Commissioners, serving one and one-half years.
The public career of Councilman Zipp has been of a distinct- ive kind. No official has shown himself more solicitous of the people's interests. He is a man who forms his own opinions, acts on his best judgment, and holds himself responsible to no power but the public whose well-being he consults.
Mr. Zipp is interested in the Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Orphan Asylum, at Sulphur Springs, Erie County, and has served as its Trustee and Treasurer for a number of years. For more than ten years he has been Treasurer and Trustee of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. He is now Trustee and Treasurer of the German Deaconess' Home and Hospital of Buffalo. He is a 32d degree Mason, being connected with Harmonic Lodge F. & A. M. He is also a member of the Masonic
389
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
Hall Association and is Trustee and Treasurer of that body, being also a Trustee of the Masonic Life Association of Western New York. He was a Trustee of the Union Bank when that institution was in existence, and since 1890 has served as Trustee of the Western Savings Bank. He is a member of the Saengerbund Singing Society, and is also connected by life membership with the German Young Men's Association.
June 17, 1869, Mr. Zipp married Miss Emily Haller, a daugh- ter of Martin and Katherine Haller of Buffalo. They have two sons living, George Zipp, who is a bookkeeper in the Western Savings Bank, and Albert Zipp, who is associated with his father in business.
HON. DANIEL JOSEPH KENEFICK, former Justice of the Supreme Court, now of the law firm of Kenefick, Cook & Mitchell, is eminent in public and professional life and has won forensic and judicial honors early in his career.
Mr. Kenefick was born in Buffalo on the 15th of October, 1863, and is a son of Michael and Mary (O'Connell) Kenefick, both of whom were born near the city of Cork, Ireland. They came to this country in the later '50's and settled in Buffalo, where they were married. After attending Public School No. 4 in Buffalo, Daniel J. Kenefick entered High School, from which he gradu- ated in 1881. He then entered the law office of Crowley & Movius, pursuing his legal studies with that firm and their successors, Crowley, Movius & Wilcox. October 16, 1884, he was admitted to the bar. He engaged in his profession in Buffalo and had entered with success upon the initiatory period of practice when on the 1st of January, 1886, he was appointed to a clerkship in the Law Department of the city. He held the position a year, resigning at the beginning of 1887 to accept the appointment of Second Assistant District Attorney under the late George T. Quinby. In this office he continued for five years. January 1, 1893, he was appointed First Assistant District Attorney. When Mr. Quinby resigned the District Attorney-
390
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
ship in the fall of 1894, Gov. Flower chose Mr. Kenefick to fill the unexpired term. The same year he received the Republican nomination for District Attorney and was elected by a large majority, taking office in 1895. In 1897 he was reelected and served until he was appointed to the bench. While District Attorney Mr. Kenefick gained a high reputation as a capable official and an able trial lawyer. He had served the first year of his second term as District Attorney, when, on the 30th of December, 1898, he was appointed by Governor Black to fill the unexpired term of Supreme Court Justice Hamilton Ward, deceased. Judge Kenefick entered upon the duties of the bench on the 1st of January, 1899. In the fall of that year he was nominated by the Republican Judicial Convention for Justice of the Supreme Court, and was elected for a term of fourteen years by a plurality of 25,000. During his term of service he performed the duties of his office with impartiality and perfect probity, and showed excellent judgment as well as sound knowledge of the law.
In June, 1906, Martin Carey, the senior member of the law firm of Bissell, Carey & Cooke, removed to New York City. Judge Kenefick was invited to fill the vacancy. He consented, and on his resignation from the bench the firm became Kene- fick, Cooke & Mitchell, its personnel consisting of Daniel J. Kenefick, Walter P. Cooke, James McC. Mitchell, and Lyman M. Bass. This firm continues the succession of one of the most famous law firms of Western New York. Many years ago it was Bass, Cleveland & Sicard, the late George J. Sicard becoming one of the members. This association was succeeded by Bissell, Carey & Cooke, the predecessor of the present firm, which is one of the leading law partnerships of Buffalo and enjoys a very large general practice, both as counsel for important interests and in the trial of civil cases.
Mr. Kenefick is one of Buffalo's representative Catholic lay- men, and is a member of Holy Angels' Parish and of the Knights
391
MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
of Columbus. Among social organizations he belongs to the Buffalo and Saturn clubs.
June 30, 1891, Mr. Kenefick married Maysie Germain, daughter of Victor and Ella Germain of Buffalo. Their chil- dren are: Daniel, boru in 1892, and Theodore, born in 1898.
IPA
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.