USA > New York > Genesee County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Genesee County, New York, v. 1 > Part 26
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Oakfield has shared in general prosperity of the county in these days. In 18;8 Henry Fishell established in that town a plant for the manu- facture of all kinds of agricultural machinery, which he continued to operate for eleven years. Albert Howland succeeded to the business in that year. In 1883 Olmsted & Staples built a plant for the manufac. ture of barrel heads and staves, a short time afterward adding a plaster manufacturing establishment. At the same time a barrel and lumber mill was in operation by Harmon Parker. In 1886 M. B. Tarba erected a mill of a similar nature in the northeastern part of the town. This was burned in the spring of 1889, but was immediately rebuilt.
In Stafford, John Simmons built an extensive grist mill at Morgan- ville in 1818, on the site of the mill erected in 1820 by Adget Lathrop. In 1886 Albert H. White embarked in the manufacture of wagons, carriages, sleighs, potato diggers, etc., in the shop built in 1853.
In Pembroke, Gillmore & Carpenter built the present roller mills at Indian Falls in 1879. They are located at the falls in Tonawanda creek, which at this point furnishes a splenid water power, the fall being forty- one feet. The mill is still operated by the firm of S. Gillmore & Co. The Indian Falls grist and flour mill was established about the same time about a quarter of a mile above the falls. D. K. Chaddock was an early proprietor.
In the town of Byron, Rowley H. Douglass built the Genesee rolling mills in 1880. They are located on Black creek, about half a mile east
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
of Byron Centre, on the site of the mills originally built many years before by James Taggart. Mckenzie & Bennett succeeded Mr. Doug- lass as proprietors.
In Bergen, Peter Weber began the manufacture of baskets by hand in 1864. The business subsequently assumed extensive proportions. In 1879 O. J. Miller began the manufacture of steam engines of various kinds in that village. Under his skillful management the industry has become one of considerable importance. He is still the sole proprietor of the business.
The F. W. Miller Manufacturing Company, composed of F. W. Miller and C. W. Bradley, manufacturers of machinery and agricultural im- plements, is the successor to the business started by F. W. Miller in Caledonia in 1880. Mr. Miller's father died in 1886. The industry was removed to Le Roy in 1895, and in May, 1897, the present company was formed. The manufacturing plant was erected in 1895, and the average number of hands employed is twenty- five. The products com- prise Miller's bean harvesters, bean planters, steel land rollers, wood stave land rollers, potato coverers, chilled plows, wheel cultivators, etc.
The lumber yard of George H. Church at Bergen was started in 1842. Since 1885 a saw mill and planing mill has been operated in connection therewith, the whole enterprise forming a valuable contri- bution to the industrial welfare of Bergen.
About 1880 Alva O. Barden erected in Corfu a large frame building, designed for use as a public hall and for stores. The structure was named Barden hall, after its owner, but was not a financial success. It is now used jointly by a broom factory and the natural gas company of Corfu.
Laban H. Robinson of Darien built his feed and saw mills at the vil- lage of Darien in 1881, locating them on Murder ereek, on the site of the mills built in 1854 by Stephen Douglas. Zeno Griswold's grist, saw and cider mills were established previous to the former date at Sawens, also on Murder creek.
In Pavilion, J. Quincy D. Page established a cooper works in 1886 for the manufacture of barrels, tubs, etc. The output has always been large. In 1888 Henry Chilson erected a steam grist mill and saw mill having a capacity of three hundred bushels of grain per day. About that time John C. Doty erected a warehouse for produce and grain on the site of two earlier warehouses built by Dr. William B. Sprague,
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FROM 1865 TO 1898.
both of which had been burned. Another enterprise established at this time was the fruit evaporator of B. F. Trescott, located where Dr. Sprague formerly was engaged in the same line of business.
In Alabama, William Price erected a substantial steam saw mill in 1842 on the site of his original mill, built in 1861, but burned in the year first mentioned. Soon after he began the operation of a second mill. In 1888 S. S. Parker built the model creamery, for the manufac. ture of both butter and cheese.
Early in the period covered by this chapter Judge Ira Rix and Alonzo T. Mooers engaged in the grain and milling business in Alex- ander. The Messrs. Moulton were extensive millers about the same time. George Jones began the manufacture of sash and blinds and Hor- ace Hunn operated a saw mill in the sixties.
In 1881 George Perry built a grist mill in Bethany. Daniel Merritt's cooper shop was in operation before that year.
Some of the principal industries established in Elba prior to 1868 were Phineas Barr, jr.'s saw mill and shop, E. Murphy's stave and barrel factory, French & Co.'s stave and heading mill, Thomas Grif- fin's saw mill, Hall & Grimes's woolen mill, Southwick & Staples's stave factory, E. M. Whitney's flouring mills, James Bray's woolen mill and Frank Kurtz's woolen mill.
The cold storage warehouse business of P. Gleason, started at Le Roy on a small scale in 1887, has developed into one of the most im- portant enterprises of its kind in Western New York. The present warehouse was built by Mr. Gleason in 1891. Adjoining it is a large bean elevator, both of which are fully equipped. Mr. Gleason annually handles enormous quantities of apples, pears and beans. Railroad tracks adjoin both the houses. The cold storage capacity is about fifty thousand barrels of apples at one time, and the annual shipment from the plant amounts to about one hundred and fifty thousand barrels of apples and pears and three hundred thousand bushels of beans. A force of fifteen men and eighty girls is employed by Mr. Gleason, who also maintains several other similar establishments in Western New York.
The fruit evaporating establishment of Benjamin F. Trescott at Pavilion was constructed in 1880 by Mr. Trescott. It does an exten- sive local business.
One of the most important industries of the town of Pembroke is the cultivation of flowers in greenhouses for the wholesale and retail mar-
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
ket. This business was established in 1883 by Mrs. Irene Tyrrell, who now owns four greenhouses at Corfu. Since that time twenty-six greenhouses have been built there. Of these William Scott of Buffalo owns and operates four large ones. Six are owned by Edward Gid- dings, eight by Thomas Webb and two by James Farnham.
The Exchange Bank of Oakfield, a private institution, was established in 1883 by F. E Wright. It was located in the Jackson block for several years, but in the fall of 1898 moved into its own building, a handsome stone and brick structure. Mr. Wright has always been president of the bank.
In 1883 Orator F. Woodward began the manufacture of patent medi- cines at Le Roy. In 1896 he added the manufacture of Grain-O, a product now known all over the United States. Four large buildings, all owned by Mr. Woodward, are now devoted exclusively to this busi- ness.
Another important enterprise was added to the industries of Bergen when the Cold Spring Creamery Company of that town was incorporated in March, 1888. The original capital stock of $1, 400 was soon increased to $2,000, on account of the unanticipated increase in the company's business. Francis W. Fanson was chosen superintendent, secretary and treasurer. The annual production of butter ranges from forty to sixty thousand pounds. The fence works of Michael Doran at Bergen were established in 1889. Mr. Doran's cider and vinegar factory has been in operation since 1873.
Salt was discovered in the town of Pavilion in the year 1890. The Pavilion Salt Mining Company was organized in that year, and at once secured title to seven hundred and forty acres of land, at a total cost of $188, 480. This land is a part of the "salt basin" of Western New York, being on a direct line between the Retsof mines, ten miles to the southeast, and the Le Roy salt wells, four miles to the northwest. Salt was struck at the depth of eight hundred and seventy-five feet. The upper stratum consisted of a deposit sixteen feet thick, followed by a layer of dividing rock six feet thick, then another layer of salt thirty-one feet thick. There was no brine, however, and as there was no water in abundant quantities convenient the work was abandoned temporarily. Subsequently the Le Roy Salt Company began to work the Pavilion field. A history of the operations of this company has been given in the preceding pages.
The Pavilion Salt Company, a copartnership, was organized in the
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FROM 1865 TO 1898.
spring of 1891 by the Hon. Lester H. Humphrey of Warsaw and Mar- cus E. Calkins of Ithaca. The present partners are the foregoing and O. S. Humphrey of Warsaw, son of L. H. Humphrey. The company began drilling for salt in the southern part of the village of Pavilion in May, 1891. The vein of rock salt which had previously been discovered at Warsaw, Wyoming county, and at other points in Western New York, including Le Roy, was struck at Pavilion at the depth of ten hundred and twelve feet. and was found to be more than seventy feet in thickness. The salt was found to be of exceptionally fine quality, being entirely free from the chlorides which make so much of the salt sold in this country unfit for table and dairy purposes. Most of the salt is made in open iron pans by direct heat, which is the process mainly employed in England. The output for seven years has been six hundred and fifty thousand barrels of two hundred and eighty pounds each. Two thirds of the product has been fine table and dairy salt, and about one-third what is called common fine and coarse salt. The company employs from thirty to forty persons, men and women, and is the most important industry in the town of Pavilion.
One of the most important industries in that part of the county out- side of Batavia is the Oakfield Fertilizer Company, which was incorpo- rated in March, 1832, with a capital stock of $250,000. The incorpo- rators named in the articles filed in the office of the secretary of state were Charles Mager, Horace J. Harvey, Frank P. Vandenbergh, George Sandrock, Philip Houck, Aaron D. Coffin, William W. Stevens, Albert A. Grinnell, Jacob Davis, John Irlbacker, Charles E Benedict and Francis J. Henry. From the start the concern has been very success- ful, the output finding a market in all parts of the Union. It is noticed by a bulletin of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station appearing in August, 1896, that the Oakfield Fertilizer Company's brands were found to be of a higher percentage of value than was guaranteed by the company.
Several new industries were organized in 1894, and some changes in the established enterprises occurred. Frank Richards in that year suc- ceeded C. S. Thompson as owner and operator of the Star Roller Mills at Alexander, the principal industry in that town. At Le Roy Kroner & Lapp established a large plant for the manufacture of sash, doors, blinds, mouldings, cisterns, etc., and at once erected a commodions building for carrying on their business. The Randall Fence Company of Le Roy was also founded in 1894. The Randall fencing was de-
£
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
signed by William P. Randall and first introduced by him in 1800. The fabric, being new to the trade, had to be made by specially prepared machinery, worked by hand power, which was also designed by Mr. Randall. The industry soon became quite well known by sales to a prominent seedman in New York city, who used the fabric for garden trellis. Accordingly in 1894 Mr. Randall organized a stock company with a capital stock of $15,000 and these officers: President, George F. Lowe; vice-president, William P. Randall; secretary and treasurer, Calvin E. Bryant. In 1895 Mr. Bryant sold his interest to S. C. Doug- las, and in 189; Mr. Lowe sold his interest to William F. Huyck. Mr. Randall remains vice-president, Mr. Huyck is president and treasurer, and Mr. Douglas is secretary. The company enjoys a trade scattered through twenty-six States.
Le Roy Lodge No. 13, I. O. O. F., was organized at Le Roy April 19, 1895, with thirty-one members and Henry Duguid as noble grand. The Le Roy Bicycle Club was organized June 15, 1896, with the follow- ing officers: President, T. W. Larkin; vice-president, J. P. Muller; secretary, Frank Woodruff; treasurer, Walter Given; collector, Ralph Wilcox; captain, A. J. Hooker; first lieutenant, Carl Wells; second lieutenant, George G. Seyffer.
About this time Clarence O. Richards, who for some time had been operating the old flour, feed and saw mill near the depot at Corfu, en- larged his plant and increased his facilities for the manufacture of cider. The industry has become one of considerable importance in the town of Pembroke.
At Pavilion R. L. Hutchinson built a large flour and feed mill near the railroad in 1893, and has since remained its proprietor.
In the spring of 1894 the creamery at East Pembroke was built and opened for business in April. The first officers of the company oper- ating it were: President, James F. Bennett; treasurer, D. L. Wilkin- son; secretary, L. C. Case; directors, J. F. Bennett, Henry P. Ellin- wood, Abraham Mook, William Uphill, John Moore. The Byron cheese factory was also opened for business in May of this year. Dur- ing the year the Oakfield and Alabama Fish and Bird Protective Association was organized with the following officers: President, Seneca Allen; vice-presidents, G. H. Craft, Thomas O'Reily, Frederick B. Parker; secretary and treasurer, E. F. Hickey. The Co-operative Insurance Company of Wyoming and Genesee Counties was organized February 22, 1892.
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FROM 1865 TO 1898.
The year 1895 witnessed the inauguration of an important industry in the town of Pembroke-the development of the natural gas found beneath the surface of the earth in the vicinity of Corfu. The first gas well, located about a quarter of a mile north of that village, was driven early in the summer of 1895 by the Corfu Gas Company, of which George W. Archer of Rochester is president. The balance of the stock of the company is held by the estate of Robert Roy of Bradford, Pa. Soon after five other wells were sunk, and a plant costing twelve thou- sand dollars was erected at Corfu. The gas was first discovered on the farm of Wilder E. Sumner.
At Le Roy the roller mills of McEwen & Cole were constructed and began operation in 1896. The year following E. W. Miller came from Caledonia and established his iron foundry. Both are located near the depot of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad.
In response to a demand for local banking facilities, the private banking house of W. S. & C. E. Housel was established in Bergen September 25, 1896. W. S. Housel became president and C. E. Housel cashier, both still remaining in those respective offices. This is the first and only banking institution to be established in Bergen.
Nicholas Schubmehl came from Cohocton, N. Y., to Bergen January 1, 1897, and started a cigar factory in the latter village under the style of Schubmehl & Co. The factory employs from thirty to forty hands, and manufactures cigars only, for the jobbing trade. The output averages about three million cigars annually.
John J. Ellis established at Darien Centre a few years ago a grain and produce business which has undergone many changes and improve- ments, until it is to day an enterprise of considerable proportions. It is one of the most important establishments of its Kind in Genesee county, outside of the village of Batavia.
Though yet in its infancy, with the product undeveloped, there ex- ists in the town of Bergen the foundation for one of the most important industries in all Western New York. Early in the summer of 1897 a gentleman who is superintendent of a large manufacturing plant was traveling through Genesee county on the West Shore railroad, when his attention was attracted to the peculiar formation of the earth, almost white in color, through which a cut had been made in the con- struction of the railroad. So impressed was he that he alighted from the train at the next station, walked back to the cut, procured samples of the earth, and proceeded to his destination on the next train. Plac-
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
ing the samples thuis secured in the hands of a chemist for analysis, he was surprised to learn that the earth was almost pure lime, contain- ing 96.6 per cent. of this mineral. Subsequent investigation showed that the deposit covered about three hundred acres of land, and that the average depth was ten feet. Large quantities of blue clay were also discovered in the immediate vicinity. Other experiments were conducted, and from these two materials a superior quality of Portland cement was made. Early in 1898 the Iroquois Portland Cement Com- pany was organized at Buffalo, and incorporated under the laws of West Virginia. The company at once secured the rights to the land, containing at dry weight over five million cubic yards of marl, which will be sufficient to supply a plant with a capacity of one thousand barrels per day for forty years. The company is capitalized at one million dollars. Its officers are: President, Jacob Davis; secretary, John C. Bertand ; vice president, A. D. Coffin; treasurer, Edward L. Davis; attorney, William E. Webster. These, with John S. Hertel and Eugene Bertand, are comprised in the board of directors. The development of this great marl bed has not yet begun, but plans are being made to carry on the work.
Another concern incorporated in 1897 was the Diamond Wall Cement Company of Oakfield. The broom factory of Nelson Brown was started at Corfu in November, 1898. E. W. Boyce, manufacturer of machinery supplies, etc., established his business in Oakfield April 1, 1898.
The first industry of its kind existing in the town of Bergen for a period of half a century is the concern known as the Bergen Roller Mills, which were constructed in Bergen village in 1898 by Thomas J. Tone. These mills, having a capacity of fifty barrels per day, employ- ing seven hands and being operated by steam power alone, began run- ning December 12, 1893, manufacturing flour and feed. They are among ths best equipped mills in the country.
Standard's sash, door and blind factory at Bergen was erected in the fall and winter of 1898.
In March, 1898, Miller Bros. & Co. purchased of Daniel J. McPherson his grain and coal business and elevator at Bergen. This business was established many years ago by Platts & Mc Pherson. In 1882 the junior partner. Donald MePherson, purchased the interest of Henry Platts and took his son, Daniel J. McPherson, into partnership. In 1896 D. J. MePherson assumed sole control of the business, retaining it until its sale to Miller Bros. & Co.
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FROM 1865 TO 1898.
A destructive fire laid a large part of the village of Bergen in ruins on the night of Monday, January 15, 1866. The flames originated about eleven p. M. in the hardware store and tin shop occupied by Sam- uel C. Tulley, located at the foot of Main street adjoining the New York Central railroad, and within two hours "every building on the west side of the street up to the crossing of the main street, running east and west, together with the large and commodious warehouse in the rear, belonging to Beecher & Marvin, was in ruins." The latter was considered one of the finest buildings of its kind in Western New York. The section destroyed embraced nearly all the business portion of the village. Among the principal buildings burned. beside the warehouse referred to were the two-story shoe store owned by Lawrence Crosby, the three-story dry goods store of E. F. Hubbard, the new dry goods store of J. D. Doolittle, Smith & Co., S. C. Tulley's hardware store, Harvey Mullen's shoe store, John H. Parish's flour and feed store, Samuel C. Carpenter's clothing store and residence, residence and oyster saloon occupied by Augustus C. Hamlin and owned by Sam- uel C. Carpenter, a building owned by J. D. Doolittle and occupied by W. Thopson and wife as a dwelling and dressmaking establishment. harness shop owned by Lawrence L. Crosby and occupied by William H. King, dwelling of Eleanor Crosby, dwelling of W. N. Beardsley. The total number of buildings destroyed was seventeen, and the loss aggregated between $40,000 and $50,000.
On Friday night, June 15, 1866, fire originated in A. A. Woodruff's hardware store in the village of Oakfield, and before the flames were quenched the following buildings were destroyed: A. A. Woodruff's hardware store, loss $11,000; John D. Stedman's shoe store, loss $1,000; E. T. Jacquith's shoe store, loss $500; C. H. Jacquith's cabinet shop. loss $600; A. C. Dodge's harness shop, loss $1,200; George Stegmen's harness shop, loss $200; C. H. Chamberlain's dry good store, loss about $6,000; millinery store and meat market of Mrs. George W. Brown, loss $600; dwelling house owned by Mrs. Calder and occupied by George Chamberlain.
A destructive fire visited Le Roy on the evening of Thursday, Janu- ary 28, 1869. The flames originated in the cabinet shop of G. & H. Steuber, and before they could be quenched they had destroyed several large buildings. Among the heaviest losers were the Steuber Brothers, loss $11,000; W. S. Brown & Co.'s carriage works, loss $11,000; John
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Wiss's hotel, $4,000; L. J. Bissell's bakery, loss $2,500; Morton & Dean's shoe store; and other establishments.
The Genesee County Pioneer Association had its genesis in a meeting held at Union hall in Batavia, August 25, 1869, at which a number of the pioneer settlers of Genesee county were present. The meeting was presided over by Stewart Chamberlain, and Marcus L. Babcock acted as secretary. Before the meeting adjourned it was decided to form an association of the living descendants of the pioneers of the county, and Hon. Moses Taggart of Batavia, Marcus L. Babcock of Batavia, Syl- vester Willis of Oakfield, Alanson Fisher of Darien, Samuel Scofield of Elba, Stewart Chamberlain of Le Roy, and Augustus P. Hascall of Le Roy were named as a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws to govern the contemplated society. This committee presented a con- stitution at an adjourned meeting held in the court house at Batavia October 5, 1869, when the organization was perfected by the election of the following officers :
President, Ilon. Heman J. Redfield; vice-president, Hon. Seth Wakeman; secretary, Phineas Ford; assistant secretary, Augustus P. Hascall; treasurer, James P. Mitchell; vice-presidents for their respec- tive towns: Alabama, Joseph Lund; Alexander, Earl Kidder; Batavia, James S. Stewart ; Bergen, Ebenezer Scofield; Bethany, Luman Stevens; Byron, Cyrenus Walker; Darien, Alanson Fisher; Elba, Samuel Sco- field; Le Roy, Stewart Chamberlain; Oakfield, Sylvester Willis; Pa- vilion, Chester Hannum; Pembroke, David Anderson; Stafford, Daniel Prentice.
Since that time the officers of the society have been as follows: 1871 .- President, Moses Taggart; secretary, David Seaver. 1812 .- President, Alden S. Stevens; secretary, David Seaver. 1873 .- President, Benjamin Pringle; secretary, David Seaver. 1824 .- President, Benjamin Pringle; secretary, David Seaver. 1865 .-- President James P. Mitchell; secretary. J. M. Waite. 1846 .- President, James P. Mitchell; secretary, J. N. Beckley. 1827 .- President, Albert Rowe; secretary, Safford E. North. 1818 .- President, Albert Rowe; secretary, Safford E. North. 1829 .- President, Albert Rowe; secretary, Safford E. North. 1880 .-- President, Israel M. Peck; secretary, Safford E. North. 1881 .- President, James P. Mitchell; secretary, Frank S. Wood. 1882 .-- President, Lucius Atwater; secretary, Frank S. Wood. 1883. - President, Lucius Atwater; secretary, Frank S. Wood.
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FROM 1865 TO 1898.
1884 .- President, Albert Rowe; secretary, Frank S. Wood. 1885 .- President, Lueius Atwater ; secretary, Frank S. Wood. 1886. - President, Lucius Atwater; secretary, Frank S. Wood. 1887 .- President, Lucius Atwater; secretary, Frank S. Wood. 1SSS .- President, E. C. Walker; secretary, John H. Yates. 1889 .- President, Lucius Atwater; secretary, John H. Yates. 1890 .- President, Lucius Atwater ; secretary, John H. Yates. 1891 .- President, S. B. Lusk; secretary, John H. Yates.
1892 .- President, S. B. Lusk; secretary, John H. Yates. 1893 .- President, S. B. Lusk ; secretary, John H. Vates. 1894 .- President, Adin G. Gage; secretary, John II. Yates. 1895 .- President, Sylvanus Ford; secretary, john H. Yates. 1896 .- President, Sylvanus Ford ; secretary, John H. Yates. 1892 .- President, Sylvanus Ford; secretary, John HI. Yates. 1898 .- President, Jacob Nichols; secretary, John H. Yates. 1899 .- President, Jacob Nichols; secretary, John H. Yates.
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