USA > New York > Erie County > Memorial and family history of Erie County, New York Volume, II > Part 14
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removed to Vienna, Oneida County, N. Y., where he was a farmer, millwright and Justice of the Peace. His wife's maiden name was Hill, and their children were: Pascal, Aaron, Alanson, and Cornelia. The father of the subject of this VIRGIL E. BAILEY. sketch was Aaron N. Bailey, Jr., an influential citizen of Oneida County. He married Mary Eliza Cady, daughter of Lyman Cady and Jemima Furman of Verona, N. Y.
Virgil E. Bailey was born in Vienna, Oneida County, N. Y., May 26, 1847. Early in life he became identified with live stock interests, and for a number of years was engaged in the whole- sale cattle business at Rome, N. Y. In 1865 Mr. Bailey came to Buffalo, where during a long period he was Western New York Manager for the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company. He was very successful, but ultimately resigned his position to resume operations as a live stock dealer, furnishing horses and mules for the Erie Canal, a branch of enterprise with which he continued to be connected till the opening of the horse markets
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at East Buffalo, where he engaged in business there, having ever since been one of the leading dealers of that locality. He was manager of the Crandall Horse Company and is now pro- prietor of the Sales Stable at No. 24 Lewis street. He has at different times been extensively interested in export trade, having made several trips to Europe in furtherance of his inter- ests abroad.
A solid, substantial man of affairs, Mr. Bailey is an expert in the line of business with which he has been so long identified, is a first-class judge of values and market conditions and enjoys the respect and confidence of his associates and the public. He is a self-made man, owing his success to his own persistency and resourcefulness, and he holds a prominent place among those men who have developed the live stock possibilities of Buffalo and have made that city one of the important distributing cen- ters of the country. He is a man of wide business experience, takes a practical view of life, and though closely absorbed in the enterprises which he has successfully conducted, has always found time to do the duties of an American citizen and to take an active interest in current events and in movements relating to the general welfare of Buffalo. He is a man of even tem- perament, systematic in his methods and unites the gifts of broad executive ability and minute attention to detail. He is personally genial, approachable and popular in a large circle of acquaintances and friends.
December 26, 1875, Mr. Bailey married Lucy R. Brooks of Williamstown, Mass.
DeWITT CHAUNCEY LE FEVRE, who died on the 25th of May, 1903, had since 1886 been a resident and well-known busi- ness man of Buffalo, and for many years had also been promi- nently identified with extensive interests in Olean, N. Y. A man of great enterprise and business ability, Mr. Le Fevre was one of Buffalo's leading citizens.
Mr. Le Fevre was born in Roxbury, N. Y., on the 14th of June,
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1843. His father was Isaac, and his mother, Maria (Richtmire) Le Fevre, his lineage on the paternal side being French Huguenot, and his mother's ancestors coming from Holland. DeWitt C. Le Fevre's early boyhood was spent in Northville, Fulton County, N. Y. He attended an academy at Gloversville, N. Y., later entering Union College, Schenectady, from which institution he graduated at the age of twenty-two. After com- pleting his education, Mr. Le Fevre engaged in the leather busi- ness with his father at Albany, N. Y., and was admitted a part- ner in the firm of Le Fevre & Rathbone. After following the leather business successfully for ten years, Mr. Le Fevre removed to Olean, N. Y., where he became a partner in the well- known hardware firm of C. V. B. Barse & Company, with which he continued to be associated to the time of his death.
In 1886 Mr. Le Fevre removed with his family to Buffalo, where he founded the Niagara Storage Company, one of the most successful concerns of its kind in Western New York, and of which, up to the time of his decease, Mr. Le Fevre was Secre- tary and Treasurer.
Mr. Le Fevre was a Republican, a member of the Buffalo and University clubs, and the Holland Society; also of the Buffalo Historical Society and the Sigma Phi fraternity of Union Col- lege. He was of the Presbyterian faith, and was a consistent member of the First Presbyterian Church. While in Albany he was a prominent Sabbath School worker and official. He was known as an exceedingly liberal contributor to all church charities.
In 1871 Mr. Le Fevre married Frances Barse, a daughter of his business partner, C. V. B. Barse of Olean. He is survived by his wife and one daughter, Clara Le Fevre.
The death of Mr. Le Fevre occurred suddenly while he was in the Adirondacks preparing for a sojourn there in his summer home. The news of his decease came as a painful shock to his many friends and to the communities of Buffalo and Olean,
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where he had so long been known and where he was held in uni- versal esteem. Mr. Le Fevre was not only an exceptionally able man of affairs, but one of high mind and unselfish character. He carried his Christian principles into the methods and deal- ings of everyday life. His business career was one of unbroken success, and showed that enduring practical achievements have their foundation on unalterable moral standards and the integ- rity which knows no compromise.
JAMES STEWART, the prominent lumber merchant and real estate owner, who died December 22, 1905, was one of Buffalo's substantial business men and a citizen of the type whose sterling moral qualities and disinterested public spirit have been chief factors in the commercial, civic, and social progress of that city.
Mr. Stewart was born at Ayr, Scotland, October 4, 1842, the son of James Stewart and Susan Thomson. In his ninth year he came with his parents to America, where the family settled on a farm in Caledonia, Canada. Young Stewart received a com- mon school education, and until he was twenty-one years old worked on his father's farm. When he had arrived at his majority he came to Buffalo and began working for I. S. & L. G. Newton, lumber merchants, with whom he remained several years. Later he formed a copartnership in the lumber business with his brother, John T. Stewart, and a Mr. Kent, under the firm style of Kent, Stewart & Co. After two years the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Stewart entered the employ of Nelson Hol- land. Six years later Mr. Stewart and his brother, John T. Stewart, became partners in the business, the firm being Holland & Stewart, with James Stewart acting as manager. After two years Mr. Holland retired, the Stewarts pur- chasing his interest, and the firm of Stewart Brothers existed until 1898, when both brothers withdrew, thenceforth devoting themselves to their large real estate interests. A splendid monument to the memory of Mr. Stewart is that beautiful spot
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James Stewart
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known as Argyle Park, which might fittingly have been called Stewart's Park, except for the characteristic modesty of the donor who declined the honor. Lying between Potomac and Delevan avenues, not only was the street presented to the City of Buffalo, but was laid out and beautified under his directions.
In politics Mr. Stewart was a Republican. He was a member of the Emanuel Baptist Church, of which he was also a trustee for several years, and a member of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce.
September 6, 1876, Mr. Stewart married Ellen Schryver, daughter of William and Adelia Newton Schryver of Omar, N. Y. He is survived by his widow and two daughters, Susan, now Mrs. Forrest P. Hunter of Mt. Vernon, N. Y .; and Ella, now Mrs. A. Eugene Davenport of Buffalo.
For many years, and up to the time of his death, Mr. Stewart was a tower of strength in Emanuel Baptist Church. Every Sabbath day, except when he was away from the city or pre- vented by illness from being present, he was invariably to be found in his accustomed place in the Lord's house. The pastor and congregation learned to look upon him as one of the most loyal and faithful supporters of the public services of the church. A large share of his time was given to his duties as trustee, to the general administration of church affairs, and to the many charities with which he was identified. James Stewart was a man who commanded esteem and love in all relations of life, and his memory is cherished in many hearts as that of one who was an exemplar of sterling citizenship, busi- ness integrity and Christian manhood.
MICHAEL NELLANY, President of the Homestead Savings and Loan Association of Buffalo, is a leading figure in real estate investments, a capitalist, and the owner of. extensive real property holdings in Buffalo and vicinity. Few business men have had a wider practical experience than Mr. Nellany.
Mr. Nellany was born in County Sligo, Ireland, May 13, 1838.
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His father, Owen Nellany, was also a native of County Sligo, whence he came to Buffalo in 1848. An enterprising, energetic man, he became prominent as a contractor on public works. In religion he was a devout Catholic. He died in Buffalo in 1885. He mar- ried Catharine Higgins, who was also born in Ire- land, their children being two sons, Michael, the subject of this sketch, and John, who died some years ago in New Orleans. In early boyhood Michael Nellany came with his parents to Buffalo, where he was educated in the public schools. At the age of fifteen he entered the em- ploy of the New York Central Railroad Com- MICHAEL NELLANY. pany, continuing with that corporation for six years, and for the following three years being engaged in the service of the American Express Company. Later Mr. Nellany embarked in business for himself, opening a fancy and dry-goods store at No. 535 Main street, Buffalo. From modest beginnings he built up a large and profitable trade, which he continued to extend for twenty-five years. In 1890 he sold out his mercantile business, and since then has devoted himself to real property investments and kindred interests. One of his most notable enterprises is the Homestead Savings and Loan Association, of which he was one of the organizers, and is President. Through the operations of the Association hundreds of its members have obtained homes.
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In politics Mr. Nellany is a Democrat. He served for eigh- teen years as Park Commissioner of Buffalo, and during his term South Park was opened up, Delaware Park greatly enlarged and improved, and the Botanical Gardens were estab- lished. When Grover Cleveland was Mayor of Buffalo, he appointed Mr. Nellany a member of a commission for perfecting the local sewer system of Buffalo. To this work Mr. Nellany devoted himself with marked zeal and ability, the result being the establishment of the trunk sewer system. One of the burning questions of the day was the condition of the lower part of the city on account of sewerage being discharged into the Erie Canal and the harbor. By the building of the trunk sewer and the interception of the cross sewers, the drainage was carried into the Niagara River at Black Rock, thereby relieving the lower section of Buffalo from a state of affairs which had become intolerable.
Mr. Nellany served for two years, during the Civil War, as a member of Company E, 74th Regiment. He is a Catholic, a member of St. Joseph's Cathedral, and a director of the Ger- man-American Bank.
Mr. Nellany married Marie Grogan, who was born in Ireland, but was at the time of her marriage a resident of Buffalo. Their children are: Blanche C., wife of the Hon. W. F. Sheehan, former Lieutenant-Governor; Charles S., a well-known Buffalo lawyer; Clara, who resides in Buffalo with her parents, and Vincent, an attorney practicing in New York.
Mr. Nellany is a gentleman of striking appearance and courtly manner. He has travelled quite extensively, is a shrewd observer of men and events, and to the sterling qualities which have won him success, adds refined tastes and a regard for the social amenities of life.
NATHANIEL HALL, deceased June 28, 1892, was one of Buffalo's prominent citizens.
He was born in Rochester, N. Y., May 22, 1829, the son of Dr.
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Nathaniel Hall, a well-known physician of that city, and of Lucy (Walker) Hall. The Hall family is of English descent. June 1, 1849, Nathaniel Hall came to Buffalo. Here he entered the store of Dr. Haddock, also acting as clerk for the latter in his capacity of Health Physician, later becoming a clerk in the City Clerk's office. In January, 1850, he was made Chief Clerk in the Comptroller's office, continuing till 1854, when he became first Deputy Comptroller, until 1858.
After his retirement from the Comptroller's office, Mr. Hall engaged in the insurance business with Edward Brewster up to 1860, when he was succeeded by George W. Rounds, the firm style being Rounds & Hall, up to 1871, when Mr. Hall assumed sole control of the business. January 1, 1887, he admitted his son, Edward A. Hall, into partnership, the firm being styled Nathaniel Hall & Son.
For thirty-five years he was the Buffalo representative of the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company and for seven- teen years he served as a Director of the Travelers' Insurance Company of Hartford.
Mr. Hall was a member of Keystone Chapter, F. & A. M .; Merchants' Exchange, Board of Trade, Republican League, His- torical Society, Library Association, and Trinity Episcopal Church.
In September, 1859, Mr. Hall married Miss Ellen Medbury, a daughter of George and Henrietta (Titus) Medbury of New Berlin, Chenango County, N. Y. The children were: Grace L., Edward A. (deceased), Jessie (., Agnes L., Nathaniel P., and Rodney D. Hall, all of Buffalo.
EDWARD AUGUSTUS HALL, eldest son of Nathaniel Hall, was born in Buffalo May 16, 1867. His education was obtained at the grammar schools of Buffalo and at Central High School. When seventeen years old he entered the employ of his father in the insurance business, and when he had attained his majority was admitted partner. After his father's death, Mr.
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Hall became head of the firm of E. A. Hall & Co., till the time of his own decease May 24, 1898.
Edward A. Hall was a prominent National Guardsman, being for several years connected with the 65th Regiment, in which he served as Battalion Adjutant, with the rank of First Lieu- tenant. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Lieutenant Hall's connection with the 65th existed, but he was at that time in the crisis of his last and fatal illness.
In politics he was a Republican. He was a member of the Merchants' Exchange, the Saturn Club, and Trinity Church.
June 5, 1888, Mr. Hall married Miss Laura Maud Shoemaker, a daughter of Edson Shoemaker of Buffalo. He is survived by his wife and three children, Edward S., Douglas P., and De Lancey M. Hall.
NATHANIEL P. HALL, son of Nathaniel Hall, was born in Buffalo April 24, 1874. He received a grammar and High School education. He entered his father's insurance business, and after his father's death became a partner of his brother, Edward A. Hall, in the firm of Edward A. Hall & Company. After the death of the senior partner, Nathaniel P. Hall con- ducted the business alone under the same firm name, when the concern was combined with the business of Richard L. Wood, with the firm style of Wood, Hall & Co. Mr. Hall is also a member of the real estate firm of Park, Hall & Co.
Mr. Hall has served several years with the 65th Regiment; is a 32d degree Mason and a member of Ancient Landmarks Lodge, No. 441, and belongs to the Buffalo, Saturn, Park and Country clubs.
September 24, 1897, Mr. Hall married Miss Bertha L. Roth, a daughter of Philip and Louise (Saxe) Roth of Buffalo. They have one son, Nathaniel R. Hall, the seventh Nathaniel Hall in direct descent.
Rodney D. Hall, youngest of the sous of Nathaniel Hall, was born in Buffalo, December 4, 1876. He was educated in the public schools of this city, and Hobart College, Geneva.
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He is connected with the Snow Steam Pump Works of Buffalo.
He has served five years in the 65th Regiment, is a member of the Park Club and is well known in social circles.
ALBERT ZIEGELE. This honored German-American citi- zen of Buffalo is in his ninetieth year, yet he re- tains the mental vigor of his prime and is truly a remarkable example of longevity. Mr. Ziegele is one of the pioneers of the brewing industry in Buffalo, and up to the time of his retirement from business was one of the foremost brewers of the State. He is a man of travel and culture, a patron of art, and no Buffalonian has been more thoroughly identi- field with the cause of progress.
ALBERT ZIEGELE.
Mr. Ziegele was born April 9, 1818, in Stuttgart, Wurtemburg, Germany, and was educated in the public schools. He learned the cooper's trade and then turned his attention to the brewing of malt liquors. In 1849 he came to America and settled in Buffalo, where he rented a small brewery and brewed the first lager beer ever made in Buffalo. In 1853 he purchased the site of the great brewery founded by him at Main and Washington streets, his establishment having a capacity of 50,000 barrels annually. Mr. Ziegele conducted his business on the principle that nothing
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was too good for the credit of his name or the satisfaction of his customers. He amassed a large competence, and in 1879 retired from the active management of his brewery, at that time taking into the concern his sons, the late Albert Ziegele, Jr., and William J., and his son-in-law, Herman Grau. Mr. Ziegele was one of the founders of the German Bank and the German Insurance Company, and was a trustee of both institu- tions.
Though he has never cared for public office Mr. Ziegele has always taken a citizenlike interest in the affairs of Buffalo. He took a prominent part in the erection of Music Hall, and con- tributed the first $1,000 to the enterprise. He is deeply inter- ested in the advancement of art and is a member and former director of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. In politics he is a Republican.
September 15, 1846, Mr. Ziegele married Catherine Schneider, who died June 30, 1873. Their children were: Albert Ziegele, Jr., who died in April, 1903; William J. Ziegele, who resides in Buffalo; Pauline, who married Charles Reiss of Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany, and who with her husband is since deceased, and Bertha, who married Herman H. Grau, formerly of Buffalo and now of Sacramento, Cal.
Mr. Ziegele's life has been diversified with extensive travel. After he retired from business he resided for six years at Honeff-on-the-Rhine, Germany, and he has made more than a dozen journeys to that country. For the past six years he has spent his winters in Sacramento, Cal., returning to Buffalo summers. Now eighty-nine years old, Mr. Ziegele would be taken for a man twenty years younger. He is one of the most notable instances in this generation of a contented and hale old age, and is enjoying the fruitful autumn of a life of well- directed activity.
EMORY P. CLOSE, who at the time of his death held a well recognized place among the leaders of the Buffalo bar, had a
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brilliant legal career and was a man whose strong and versatile abilities left a lasting mark in whatever field of endeavor he chose to exert himself.
Mr. Close was born in Buffalo on the 13th of December, 1859. His father, Emory A. Close, was of New England birth and was well known as a lake captain. Emory P. Close received his edu- cation in the Buffalo public schools. While still a boy he became a clerk in a store. In 1874 he was appointed Assistant Librarian of the Buffalo Public Library. He was connected with the Library three years, and during this period devoted all his leisure time to reading and study. He familiarized himself with mental philosophy, biography and history, as well as the masterpieces of the English language in the department of belles lettres. He studied stenography later, and in 1877, when seventeen years of age, resigned his place in the Library, and entered the office of Slocum & Thornton, official stenographers of the Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District. In 1880 he opened an office for himself. Soon afterward he became a member of the firm of Thornton, Briggs & Close, an association which quickly won recognition as one of the leading steno- graphic firms of the State. From 1880 to 1888 Mr. Close was Supreme Court stenographer for the Eighth Judicial District. In 1884 he was elected official stenographer for the State Assembly. That year he reported all Assembly debates. In 1885, 1886 and 1887 he was reelected without opposition. During his career at Albany he established the reputation of being one of the most accurate and rapid reporters in the United States. During the last three years of his stenographie work he spent his spare time in legal study, and in 1886 he was admitted to the bar. Two years later he began the active prac- tice of his profession in Buffalo, as a member of the firm of Close & Fleischmann, and afterwards with William L. Marcy, in the firm of Marcy & Close.
His rise was rapid and he soon attained a leading place at the bar. As a jury lawyer, especially, he was considered one of the
John IStement
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most successful attorneys in Erie County. In July, 1897, he was appointed by President Mckinley United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York.
Mr. Close was an ardent Republican and during Mr. McKinley's first Presidential campaign was President of the Buffalo Republican League, acting in this capacity on the occa- sion of the League's visit to President Mckinley's home at Canton, Ohio.
He was a Mason of the 32d degree, affiliated with Ancient Landmarks Lodge, F. & A. M., and the Acacia Club. He was an Odd Fellow of prominence, and a member of the A. O. U. W., the Buffalo and Liberal Clubs, and at one time the Ellicott Club. He attended the First Presbyterian Church.
January 7, 1885, Mr. Close married Miss Etta S. Cobb, a daughter of Lorenzo D. and Martha E. (Marsh) Cobb of Buffalo. He is survived by his wife and two children, Shirley Belle and Lorenzo Cobb Close.
The death of Mr. Close occurred on the 23d of February, 1902. In him the bar lost an able representative and the community a model citizen.
JOHN THOMSON STEWART, who died March 7, 1901, was a member of the leading lumber firm of Stewart Brothers, and was one of the best-known business men of Buffalo. Of great ability, broad-minded, public-spirited and generous, Mr. Stewart was for many years conspicuous in the life of the community.
Mr. Stewart was born in Ayr, Scotland, April 11, 1845, his parents being James and Susan Thomson Stewart. When six years old, he came with his father and mother to America, the family settling in Caledonia, in the Province of Ontario. The elder Stewart was a farmer, and on reaching Canada resumed the vocation he had pursued in the old country. John T. Stew- art's early life was spent on the farm, and he received a com- mon-school education. When eighteen years old he went to Selkirk, Canada, obtaining employment as a clerk with Kent &
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Son, and later was admitted partner in the firm of Kent & Stewart. When Mr. Stewart was about twenty-eight years of age, the store was sold, after which he and Mr. Kent went abroad for a year. When they returned, Mr. Stewart's brother, James, advised them to locate in Buffalo, and in 1876 the three formed a partnership in the lumber business under the firm name of Kent & Stewart. Upon the dissolution of the firm the Stewart brothers became connected with the lumber business of Nelson Holland, John T. Stewart being made buyer for the concern. Later the two brothers were taken into partnership by Mr. Holland, the firm becoming Holland & Stewart. In 1884 the Holland interest was purchased by the Stewarts, the firm then being known as Stewart Brothers, an association which existed until their retirement in 1898. The Stewarts had invested heavily in real estate, and after their withdrawal from lumber operations they opened an office in the Ellicott Square Building, devoting their attention to their real property interests.
In politics, John T. Stewart was an independent voter. He attended the First Presbyterian Church, and was always a liberal contributor to its charities. He was a member of the Buffalo and Acacia clubs, Ancient Landmarks Lodge, F. & A. M., and the Merchants' Exchange, and for two terms served as President of the Lumbermen's Exchange.
June 9, 1892, Mr. Stewart married Ella Merrall of Burford, Ontario, a daughter of John and Delila Whiting Merrall. Mr. Stewart was survived by his widow, by his brothers, Alexander Stewart of Canada, and William and James Stewart of Buffalo, of whom the latter is since deceased; and by four sisters, Mrs. William Forbes of Buffalo, and Margaret, Janet, and Catherine Stewart of Canada.
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