USA > New York > Erie County > Memorial and family history of Erie County, New York Volume, II > Part 13
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MEMORIAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
prietors of the newspaper induced him to finish his apprentice- ship in the printing business, his time, in consideration of the progress he had made, being reduced from four years to two. In 1859 he spent a year in Rochester, N. Y., but returned to Buffalo and reentered the office of the Demokrat, with which he remained till 1863, when he entered the job department of the Courier for the purpose of perfecting himself in job printing. He continued with the latter office till 1867, when he became the partner of Mr. Ottomar Reinecke, with whom he has ever since been associated. The firm issues the Freie Presse, a first-rate representative German daily paper, which is the accredited German-American Republican organ of Buffalo. Besides its newspaper the firm of Reinecke & Zesch carries on a large and successful job printing business in Eng- lish, German, and other languages. The concern has a well- assured reputation for superior work, capable management and fair dealing, and the prosperity of the establishment has been enhanced by the harmony which has always prevailed between the partners, whose association is not merely one of business but is characterized by sincere personal friendship.
In politics a Republican, Mr. Zesch is a respected and influ- ential member of his party. He served five years as Civil Serv- ice Commissioner.
Mr. Zesch married, in 1863, Mathilda Milow, who was born ' in Prussia. Their surviving children are: Clara, Ida, Edward, Emma, Frank, Arthur, Bertha. Two of their children, Frank C. and Cecilie, are deceased.
LANCELOT GRAVES BURRUS, of the firm of Burrus, Hanes & Co., is the oldest man in the live stock commission business in Buffalo, a representative citizen of that community, and a man widely known and highly respected in all the rela- tions of life.
Col. Burrus comes of a family prominent in the Colonial and Revolutionary period, his ancestor, Thomas Burrus, having .
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been a native of Scotland who settled in Orange County, Va., and served as a Colonel in the War for Independence. He married Frances Tandy, who was descended from a noble family of England, and their son, Thomas, married Sarah Stevens, a niece of Gen. Stevens of Revolutionary distinction. Thomas Burrus (2d) was a Captain in his father's regiment during the Revolution, and with his family removed from Vir- ginia to Clark County, Ky., where he became a large landholder. His
sons were: Thomas, Roger, Tandy, Peter, and William S., of whom Peter served through the War of 1812, and was in sev- eral battles. William Perkins Burrus, brother of Col. Burrus of Buffalo, served in the Mexican War until his regiment was disbanded in the City of Mexico. He then returned to Kentucky, where he engaged in farming for the rest of his life. William S. Burrus LANCELOT G. BURRUS. married Philadelphia Per- kins, a daughter of William Perkins of Fairfax, Va., Mrs. Burrus being descended on the mother's side from Capt. Mor- ton, a veteran of the Revolution. The children of William Stevens Burrus were: Thomas, Tandy, Sarah, William, and Lancelot G. Burrus, the subject of this sketch.
Col. Burrus was born in Winchester, Clark County, Ky., March 20, 1830. As a young man he served in the Kentucky militia and attained the rank of Colonel. When seventeen years
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old he engaged in the live stock business, with which he has ever since been connected. In 1858 he came to Buffalo, where he embarked in the live stock commission business at the stock- yards in Elk street. His offices are now in the Live Stock Exchange, and he has remained at his present location for thirty years. As a business man Col. Burrus enjoys the prestige which attaches to wide experience and continued success. In addition to his other activities he is a Director of the Union Stock Yards Bank.
In politics, Col. Burrus is a Democrat, and it is interesting to know that in his boyhood he was a personal acquaintance and warm friend of Henry Clay. He is an active Mason, a Knight Templar, and is affiliated with Hiram Lodge, No. 105, F. & A. M.
In December, 1856, Col. Burrus married Mary Jane Dickey, daughter of John Dickey. Mrs. Burrus died April 5, 1865, leaving one son, James P. Col. Burrus' second wife, Ellen M. Dickey, a sister of his first wife, died July 25, 1875, leaving one son, Charles G. Burrus.
The life of Col. Burrus presents a worthy example of useful effort directed to a definite object, and winning saccess by per- severance and scrupulous adherence to the principles of integ- rity and honor. He is now enjoying the fruition of many years of well-guided endeavor, and besides the material rewards which are the results of business sagacity, he possesses the confidence and esteem which sterling character alone can attain.
FREDERICK KENDALL. The history of this family may be traced back in England for many generations. Francis Kendall, the immigrant, arrived at Boston prior to 1640. Among the ancestors of Frederick Kendall was one Jacob (John, Jacob, Francis), who was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and lived at Dunstable, Mass. The third Jacob Kendall carried the family name into Vermont. One of his children was Jacob Willard Kendall, who came,
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a pioneer, into Western New York and who married Rebecca Sherman Winslow, descendant of Kenelm Winslow, who came over in the Mayflower in 1629, and who was a brother of Governor Edward Winslow of the Ply- mouth Colony. Among the children of Jacob Willard Ken- dall and his wife, Rebecca, was Frederick Kendall.
Frederick Kendall was born in Darien, Genesee County, N. Y., January 6, 1825. As a lad he worked on his father's farm, and attended district school. He came to Buffalo when a young man, later going to Chicago in 1846. He soon returned to Buffalo, where he successfully engaged in business till 1849. In that year he removed to Detroit, where for two years he conducted a large hardware and stove store. In 1851 he again returned to Buffalo, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits up to retirement.
Mr. Kendall was a Republican. From 1877 to 1884 he repre- sented the old Second Ward as Supervisor, and during 1887 and 1888 as Alderman. In 1888 when the Grade Crossings Com- mission was created by act of the Legislature, Mr. Kendall was named as one of the original Commissioners.
He remained a member of the Commission to the day of his death, and his work in that connection stands an enduring memorial of public achievement.
On the 23d of March, 1854, Mr. Kendall married Miss Elsey L. Saunders of Darien, Genesee County, N. Y., a daughter of Edward Saunders. The mother of Mrs. Kendall was Margaret Williams, a direct descendant of the famous Roger Williams of Colonial days. Their living children are: Ella H., Jennie Mar- garet (Mrs. Frank J. Cooper) and Frederick W.
Mr. Kendall was a member of Hiram Lodge, No. 105, F. & A. M., and became a Master Mason in 1863. For many years he was a member of the Universalist Church of the Messiah.
Frederick Kendall died August 15, 1904. His death was the occasion of many notable tributes to his ability and worth. On the day of his funeral the flags of the City Hall were hung at half-mast in honor of his memory.
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FREDERICK WILLARD KENDALL, son of Frederick Kendall, stands in the front rank of newspaper men of Western New York, and the place he holds in journalism has been won on the sheer strength of meritorious achievement.
He was born in Buffalo November 24, 1863. When nineteen years of age he entered the editorial department of the Buffalo Express as copy-holder, and within two years was proof reader, reporter, assistant city editor, and city editor. But the founder of the greater Express did not judge men by their age and enjoyed the joking about his " kindergarten staff." The great- est difficulty the young man had in filling his new position was in convincing visitors that he was the city editor and not the office boy.
During his ten years as city editor the methods of handling a city staff changed from the style of an overgrown country paper to that of one covering a large field well and with some pretensions to metropolitanism. Later an offer to take up editorial work on the Sunday edition, The Illustrated Buffalo Express, gave him an opportunity for more congenial work, and he remains there as associate and literary editor.
Frederick Willard Kendall commands the respect and regard of many men. His courtesy, simplicity and fine attainments have surrounded him with friends.
Mr. Kendall is deeply interested in Masonry and is a Past Master of Hiram Lodge, No. 105.
In June, 1890, Mr. Kendall married Ada Louise Davenport, who was one of the pioneer woman journalists of Buffalo. Since their marriage Mrs. Kendall has continued her literary activities, and her clever pen has won her recognition as a writer of rare originality. Possessed of a keenly critical mind, great interest in all questions of importance, a wide humanity, a sweet sympathy, unusual facility of expression, a knowledge of the best in literature and that rare quality among women of appreciating and creating humor, her pen produc- tions have covered many fields.
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Mr. and Mrs. Kendall have a charming family of four children: Marjorie, born 1891; Frederick Vincent, born 1893; Sydney Chaddock, born 1895; Davenport, born 1897. Their home, Little Kenelm, in the country, at Hamburg, is a meeting place for choice people.
PENDENNIS WHITE, whose death in the prime of his days by a distressing fatality was a grievous stroke to his family, and a cause of deep sorrow to the community, was one of Buffalo's foremost business men and citizens.
Mr. White was born at Albany, N. Y., in 1860, the son of Alfred White, a leading railroad man, who in the '60's was prominently connected with the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad. The early boyhood of Pendennis White was spent in Detroit, where he attended the public schools. When fourteen years old he entered business life, his first employment being in a hardware store. Mr. White became connected with the lumber business in 1879, when he went to Otsego Lake, Mich., in the employ of Gratwick, Smith & Fryer. Later he was made mill and yard superintendent for the same firm at Tonawanda, N. Y., continuing in this capacity for two years, and in 1883 being sent by the firm to Louisiana, where for two years he represented its interests. In 1885 he established in New York City the firm of White & Rider, which in 1890 was succeeded by that of White, Rider & Frost, with offices at New York and Tonawanda. In 1901 Mr. White withdrew and with W. H. Gratwick and G. A. Mitchell organized the firm of White, Gratwick & Co., later White, Gratwick & Mitchell, which carried on an immense white pine distributing industry. Previously Messrs. White and Gratwick had been associated with Merrill, Ring & Co., the great lumber, lake shipping and ore transportation concern of Duluth, Minn. In 1904 Mr. White organized The Stevens- Eaton Co., the well-known jobbing house of New York City, of which he was President up to the time of his death. He was President and founder of the Adirondack Lumber and Fire
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Insurance Company of New York, and was also identified with several other lumber insurance companies.
In 1897 Mr. White was made chairman of the Trade Relations Committee of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Associa- tion. His work was so successful that he was recognized as the foremost individual in the Association, and at its meeting in Chicago in 1902 was unanimously elected its President, holding the office for two terms. Mr. White was the head of the lumber insurance movement in this country, and was a leading figure in many enterprises, among them being the International Traction Company, of which he was a director, and the Wood Products Company of Buffalo.
Mr. White was a member of the Buffalo Club, of which he was President for two years, a director of the Country Club, and a member of the Saturn and Ellicott clubs. He was a member and President of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association, a member of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, and a member and former President and one of the founders of the White Pine Association, a society composed of lumber mer- chants of Buffalo and North Tonawanda.
In 1883 Mr. White married Virginia Kent, daughter of Alexander G. Kent, a leading lumberman of Tonawanda. Their children are: two daughters, Dorothy Gratwick and Virginia Kent White.
The death of Mr. White occurred in Buffalo May 31, 1906. It was one of the most sad and tragic events ever known in that city, for without warning he was sent from life into eternity, being instantly killed by the collision of a trolley car with the automobile in which he was riding. Seldom does a community accord to any citizen a tribute of sorrow so universal and sin- cere as Buffalo bestowed in the case of Pendennis White. The following is from the memorial resolutions adopted by the Directors of the Lumber Insurance Company of New York, and the Adirondack Fire Insurance Company on the occasion of Mr. White's death.
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" We sometimes hear it said of a successful man, that what- ever he touches turns to gold. How much higher praise it is, as can be truly said of Mr. White, that whatever he touched ever after evidenced that touch in some permanent betterment of substance or form.
" Mr. White will ever stand among those who add to the world's sum of knowledge and to its progress. In the realm of plain business there is quite as much of a field for the acquire- ment of real and lasting honor for great services performed as in the realms of science and art.
" By virtue of his qualities of mind and heart, by virtue of things done, Pendennis White is entitled to be reckoned one to whom much honor is due."
MAJ. ALFRED LYTH, of A. Lyth & Sons Co., is an eminent Buffalonian who has won distinction in soldiership, civic affairs and business life.
Himself a native of England, Maj. Lyth comes of a family of ancient lineage and sterling repute. John Lyth, grandfather of Maj. Lyth, in the early part of the nineteenth century lived at Stockton-upon-Tees, in the County of Durham, England. Later he became a miller in the city of York, and married Frances Grey, by whom he had two sons, Francis and John.
John Lyth, son of John Lyth, and father of Maj. Alfred Lyth, was born at Stockton-on-Tees, County of Durham, England, September 24, 1820. He was educated in the public schools, and later was apprenticed for seven years to a firm of earthenware manufacturers, afterward engaging in the tile business in York. In 1850 he came to this country, settling in Buffalo in July of that year. He first worked in the brick yard of P. A. Balcom at Cold Spring, later entering the employ of W. H. Glenny, with whom he remained six years. In 1857 he began in Buffalo the manufacture of farm drain and sewer tiles, hollow brick and architectural terra cotta. The hollow tile arch was still a
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novelty in the United States, but Mr. Lyth's energy created a demand. In 1864 he became associated with P. A. Balcom, and in 1874 Mr. Lyth and his sons bought out Mr. Balcom's interest and the firm of John Lyth & Sons was established. After the Chicago fire a marked impetus was given to the demand for hollow fireproofing material, and the Lyth plant became one of the most flourishing industries of Buffalo, branch factories being established at Wellsville, O., and Angola, N. Y. The firm con- tinues to maintain its prestige, and is one of the leading fire- proof material and sewer pipe concerns in the United States.
Mr. Lyth was a strong temperance man, and in 1877 he, with four others, founded the Royal Templars of Temperance, Mr. Lyth being chosen Supreme Treasurer. From the benefit fund of the order he paid to widows and orphans nearly a million dollars. He was connected with other temperance organiza- tions, and was one of the most efficient workers in the cause. In religious faith Mr. Lyth was a Unitarian. He was generous in his support of his church and liberal to all charitable and religious institutions. In 1843 Mr. Lyth married Mrs. Mary Ann Dale of York, England. Their children were: Alfred; John, born May 2, 1846, died September 19, 1903; Mary L. (Mrs. B. M. Judson), born August 30, 1848; William Harwood, born June 14, 1851, died February 11, 1905, and Frances L. (Mrs. Lee Morse), born November 16, 1856.
Alfred Lyth, eldest son of John Lyth, Sr., was born in York, England, April 21, 1844. When a child he came with his par- ents to Buffalo, where he received a common school education and worked in his father's factory. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the 100th Regiment, New York Volunteers, and Sep- tember 11 of that year joined the command at Gloucester Point, Va., where he remained on duty till December 26. He participated in the expeditions which in December, 1862, pene- trated to Gloucester and Matthews Counties, took part in the skirmish at Gloucester Court House. December 26, 1862, he
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accompanied his regiment to Beaufort, N. C., whence he went in January, 1863, to Port Royal, S. C., where he was on duty till April 5. Two brass cannon were committed to the charge of the regiment, and Mr. Lyth was detailed with twenty-one others to man these guns, having command of one of the pieces. He was stationed on outpost duty at Folly Island, S. C., the gun of which he was in charge being utilized as a masked battery in the daytime and at night guarding a point on Folly River. From April 5 to July 10, 1863, he served on outpost duty, being also engaged in the work of constructing fortifications opposite Morris Island. July 10 he participated in the attacks on Morris Island and Fort Wagner. Shortly afterward he was taken ill with typhoid fever, and on his recovery returned to his regiment at Morris Island, where he was detailed as com- pany clerk. From December 9, 1863, to April, 1864, he took part in the operations on Morris Island and the siege of Fort Sumter and Charleston, and later in the movement on Glouces- ter Point, Va., and the James River expedition under Gen. Butler. Being with the force which occupied Bermuda Hundred May 6 and 7, 1864, he fought in the engagements at Port Wal- thal and Walthal Junction, and a few days later took part in the operations against Fort Darling. May 13 he was in the thick of the battle and charge at Proctor's Creek, and the day afterward was struck over the heart by a minie ball while on the skirmish line, narrowly escaping with his life. His next battle was the fierce engagement at Drury's Bluff May 16, 1864, where he was wounded by a fragment of shell, and taken pris- oner. He made his escape, but after reaching the Union lines was recaptured by Confederate cavalry and sent to the rebel stronghold at Petersburg, Va., and thence to Andersonville prison, where he remained from June 1 to September 13, 1864. Many years after at a reunion of the 100th Regiment, he told the story of what he saw while in captivity, in language so vivid that his reading was interrupted by the sobs of many in the audience. From Andersonville Mr. Lyth was transferred to the
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stockade at Florence, S. C., where he was confined until Decem- ber 5, 1864, being then removed to Charleston, S. C., and liber- ated on parole near Morris Island December 6, 1864. Until April, 1865, he was at camp parole and on furlough, rejoining his regiment at Richmond, Va., where on June 15, 1865, he received his honorable discharge. Maj. Lyth has a notably creditable record as a National Guardsman. In 1868 he enlisted in Company F of the 74th Regiment, N. G. S. N. Y .; September 24, 1868, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant of the 74th Regiment, 31st Brigade, 8th Division, and December 24th of the same year received the commission of First Lieu- tenant. November 10, 1871, he was made Captain, and was promoted Major March 3, 1873. In 1874 he resigned his commission.
Maj. Lyth has been a member of the G. A. R. ever since its inception, and has served as a delegate to almost every State or National encampment during the last twenty-five years. He is a member and former Commander of Post No. 9 at Buffalo, has served as Inspector General of the Department of New York, and has several times been appointed General in Com- mand of divisions at National Encampments. He was General in Command of the Eighth Division of the New York State Veterans' parade at the Washington Encampment and reunion of 1892, and at the National Encampment in Buffalo in 1897 he was elected Senior Vice-Commander-in-Chief.
On returning from the war, Maj. Lyth resumed his business pursuits, in 1874 becoming a member and General Manager of the firm of John Lyth & Sons, in which he later became senior partner.
In 1872-74 Maj. Lyth was Supervisor from the Seventh Ward. He was elected Alderman in 1882 and served until 1886. From 1887 to 1893 he was Commissioner of the Erie County Peniten- tiary, and from 1889 to 1896 was a member of the Civil Service Commission. He is a member and former President of the Builders' Exchange.
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December 6, 1869, Maj. Lyth married Kate Kappler, daughter of Louis and Mary Magdalena Kappler of Buffalo. The chil- dren of the marriage are: Byron F., superintendent of the fire- proof construction department of his father's business; Alfred Lyon, General Manager of sales for John Lyth & Sons; Mary F. (Mrs. De Forest Cummins); Catherine K., and Edith L. Lyth.
CHARLES COLUMBUS MANSFIELD of Ransom, Mans- field & Company, is one of the leading live stock commission men of Buffalo, of which community he has been for many years a prominent citizen. Mr. Mansfield's career has been typically that of the successful American business man who from modest beginnings develops his operations into broad fields of enter- prise.
On the father's side Mr. Mansfield comes of Irish ancestry, being derived from a family of ancient lineage and honorable repute. His grandparents, Charles and Hannah Mansfield, were both born in 1800, the former being a native of Hamilton, O., and both lived to the age of 75 years. Their son, John R. Mans- field, father of the subject of this sketch, married Ruth Hinds. The Shafers, another family from which Mr. Mansfield is de- scended, are traceable to Colonial times.
Mr. Mansfield was born near Muncie, Delaware County, Ind., March 3, 1848. He received his education, at Wabash College, taught school two years, and afterward engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1886 he removed to Buffalo, where he entered the employ of Doty & Watkins, live stock brokers, with whom he remained two years. He then became a member of the live stock commission house of Harrison, Williamson & Mansfield, which was succeeded in September, 1892, by the firm of William- son & Mansfield. In 1893 Norman W. Ransom became a partner, and the firm of Williamson, Ransom & Mansfield was established, later assuming the business style of Ransom, Mansfield & Company. The concern is one of the largest and best known stock firms at the East Buffalo yards, doing a busi-
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ness of over $1,500,000 annually. In the upbuilding of this large enterprise, Mr. Mansfield has been a very important fac- tor. He has had much to do with the development of the com- mercial and industrial in- terests of East Buffalo.
Naturally Mr. Mans- field's life has been deeply absorbed in busi- ness pursuits, but he has always been mindful of the duties of citizenship. Though never seeking any preferment for himself in politics, he is a believer in honest civic methods and sound government. He is prominent in the Masonic order, being a Chapter Mason, a member of the Council and affiliated with De Molay Lodge, No. 498, F. & A. M. He is CHARLES C. MANSFIELD. also a member of the I. O. O. F., the A. O. U. W. and the G. A. R.
October 12, 1870, Mr. Mansfield married Amanda Isabelle Hinton, daughter of James and Sarah Hinton of Wheeling, Ind. The children of the union are: three sons, Le Roy A., Kemper G. and Charles (., and a daughter, Ruth G.
Considered from the personal and social standpoint, Mr. Mansfield is an affable, courteous gentleman, whose modesty of manner and geniality have won him many friends. With prac- tical talents of a high order he unites scrupulous integrity, and the success that he has attained has been built up from the foundation of legitimate methods and unimpeachable commer- cial honor.
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VIRGIL E. BAILEY, the well-known dealer in horses, has for many years been prominent in the live stock interests of East Buffalo, and is a successful man of business and an esti- mable and progressive citizen. Mr. Bailey comes of good New England ancestry, his grandfather, Aaron Bailey, having been a resident of Con- necticut, whence he
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