USA > New York > Genesee County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Genesee County, New York, v. 1 > Part 33
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While thus blowing the trump of fame for the generalities of our Village, we must not omit to notice some of its new embellishments, prominent among which is the elegant Brick Block recently erected by Messrs. Dodge, Yates and the Odd Fellows, on the corner of Main and Jackson streets. The part owned by Mr. Dodge, on the Corner, is finished off in elegant style as a Jewelers store, and filled with his new stock of glittering wares, presents a splendid appearance. The other store belong- ing to Mr. Yates, is fitted up for a Shoe and Leather store, in a style and beauty, favorably comparing with that of Mr. Dodge. Both together, with their wide, ele- gantly finished doors, and immense sized glass set in metallic sash richly plated with silver, present a front truly magnificent, and the whole does honor to the en- terprising proprietors.
The three story brick building erected by Mr. Godfrey, for Messrs. Onderdonk and Carr, as a Saddlery establishment, adjoining the store of W. H. Wells & Son, is now completed in a substantial and tasteful manner, and adds much to the beauty of that part of the village. Another decided improvement has been made by Mr. John Kenyon, in erecting a large addition to his old store.
The Stone building formerly occupied by Mr. Ganson's Bank, is also undergoing improvements in the front, preparatory to its being occupied by Mr. Tomlinson with his Exchange Bank.
The Batavia Gas and Electric Light Company was organized as the Batavia Gas Light Company in 1855, with a capital of thirty two thou- sand five hundred dollars and these directors: George Brisbane, Dan- iel W. Tomlinson, Gad B. Worthington, S. C. Holden, Alva Smith, Frank Chamberlain and R. Merrifield. Mr. Tomlinson was president, secretary and treasurer, and W. H. Tompkins was superintendent. The first gas holder had a capacity of thirteen thousand five hundred feet. A new gas holder, with a capacity of thirty-five thousand feet, was built in 187S. Early in the year 1885 new works were erected for the manufacture of gas from crude petroleum. In 1886 the com- pany established an electric lighting and heating plant, which it has since operated in conjunction with its gas plant.
The Batavia Fire Department was incorporated April 22, 1862, with the following trustees: David Seaver, Sanford S. Clark, Albert R. Warner, William M. Tuttle, Lonis M. Cox, Benjamin Goodspeed, William H. Brown, John Passmore, Marsden J. Pierson, William D.
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W. Pringle, George D. Kenyon. Hollis McCormick, Henry G. Champ- lin, James Nugent and Samuel Jennison. The charter officers were: President, David Seaver; vice-president, Sanford S. Clark; secretary, Albert R. Warner; treasurer, George P. Pringle.
July 28, 1862, the board of trustees of the village adopted an "or- dinance establishing fire districts" as follows:
District Number One .- All that portion of the village of Batavia lying north of Main and west of Bank street.
District Number Two .- All that portion of the village lying north of Main, and east of Bank street.
District Number Three .-- All that portion of the village lying south of Main and east of Jackson street.
District Number Four .- All that portion of the village lying south of Main and west of Jackson street.
The ordinance also provided that "at each and every fire it shall be the duty of the Sexton, or person or persons ringing the Fire Alarm Bell, to ring a general alarm for at least one minute, or until the district wherein the fire occurs, can be ascertained, and immedi- ately thereafter to strike the number, then to repeat the general alarm for one minute, and afterwards the district alarm, continuing the repetitions at proper intervals for at least thirty minutes, or until the said alarm shall be ascertained to be false." It was also pro- vided that "any watchman, sexton or other person who shall first ring the correct district alarm of any actual fire, shall be entitled to one dollar for each actual fire it is so rung."
The fire department, it was ordained, should consist of a chief en- gineer and two assistant engineers, in addition to the trustees of the village of Batavia, "and such fire engine men, hose men, hook and ladder men, axe men and bucket men as are and may from time to time be appointed by the Trustees of the Village of Batavia."
Before the organization of the department several fire companies had been in existence in Batavia. Reference to some of these is found in preceding pages. As early as September, 1829, Triton Fire Company was organized. A hook and ladder company was formed in 1836, while in 1850 two companies were formed-Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 and Neptune Engine Company No. 2. Red Jacket Engine Company was another old fire company which existed for many years. Hose Company No. 3 was organized in 1863 and Alert Hose Company No. 1 in 1868. The old Rescue Engine Company No. 1 was
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formally disbanded October 10, 1870. The first officers of Alert Hose Company were: President, C. E. Fish; vice-president, J. A. Mackey; foreman, J. E. Warren; assistant foreman, J. B. Hewitt; secretary, D. W. Tomlinson. The company, the oldest in the department, was incorporated May 5, 1879, the directors being J. M. Hamilton, Hinman Holden, M. K. Young, Ellis R. Hay and George J. Austin. The first fire attended by this company was that in the Western hotel, which stood on the site of the Schafer Commercial building, soon after the organization of the company.
At a meeting of the trustees of the fire department held July 14, 1862, the following persons were confirmed as firemen and the first members of the department :
Pioneer Hook and Ladder Ladder Company No. 1. - Henry S. Morse, George B. Edwards, William H. Preston, John Westphal.
Neptune Engine Company No. 2 .- James E. Rosecranse, Patrick Donahue, Ernst Welker, Martin Erion, John Menger, Lemuel L. Tozier. Frank Nelo. Josiah P. Pierson, Michael Moran, Wm. E. Blake, Lyman Kraing, Henry Erbleding, Frank McDonald.
Neptune Hose Company No. 2 .- Louis Mann, Byron S. Cotes, James H. Royce, Jeremiah O'Connell, Horatio Thomas, Daniel A. Lynch, John Corby.
Rescue Engine Company No. 1. - John Munger, Henry Steuber, Frank Newell, Brainard E. Forbes, Gottlieb Greishaber, Lewis Tevinn, John Strong, Horace Ford, Anson T. Bliss, James Giddings, James Mckay, Adam Feurstein.
Resene Hose Company No. 1 .- Frank Decott, Frank Riley, Charles Morris, Daniel Connells, Thomas Kinney.
At the meeting held August 11 the following additional members were approved :
Neptune Engine Company No. 2 .- James Buckley, James Whitman, Christian Wolf.
Neptune Hose Company No. 2 .- Peter Lane, Charles A. Hastings, Ambrose N. Hanna, Collins Pratt.
Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 .- Joseph Houltman, A. F. Lawrence, Peter Warner.
Eagle Hose Company No. 1 was organized in 1862 and disbanded April 8, 1865. In the same year it was reorganized, and in 1868 it was again disbanded and Alert Hose Company organized in its place. Amphitr" Hose Company No. 2 and Union Hose Company No 3 were organized
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Forward
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1863. Amphitrite Hose Company was disbanded in IS6? and Richmond Hose Company No. 2 was formed in its place. The original Neptune En- gine Company was disbanded August 23, 1869. Citizens' Hook and Lad- der Company was formed in 18:2, disbanded in 1874, reorganized in 1874, again disbanded in 1877, and once more reorganized in the latter year un- der the present name of Rescue Hook and Ladder Company. Zephyr Hose Company No. 3 was formed January 7, 1885, and Ellicott Hose Company No. 4 in November, 1896. The department at the present time consists of Alert Hose Company, Richmond Hose Company, Zephyr Hose Com- pany, Ellicott Hose Company and Rescue Hook and Ladder Company.
The chief engineers of the department have been as follows: David Seaver. 1862-63; Albert R. Warner, 1864; Hollis McCormick, 1865; Pepworth Crabb, 1866; John L. Foster, 1867-71; Hollis McCormick, 1872-14; James M. Walkenshaw, 1815; Alvin J. Fox, 1876; O. J. Wa- terman, 1867-78; James M. Walkenshaw, 18:0-1881; Joseph H. Rob- son, 1882; Cornwell D. Morgan, 1883-84; L. S. Croaker, 1885-86; Cornwell D. Morgan, 1887; Clarence B. Austin, 1888-97 (died in office) ; L. W. Hahn, 1897-98.
The Farmers' Bank of Batavia was established in 1856 as the Far- mers' Bank of Attica, at Attica, by Leonidas Doty. The bank was moved to Batavia in 1860, and in 1862 the name was changed to the present one. Mr. Doty was also one of the founders of the First National Bank of Batavia. A few years ago the Farmers' Bank erect- ed a commodious banking house at the southeast corner of Main and Jackson streets. A few year before that date John H. Ward had been admitted into partnership with Mr. Doty, and the former has been, since Mr. Doty's death in 1888, manager of the business. Since the death of Mr. Doty his widow, Mrs. Selina A. Doty, has controlled the interest of her husband in the bank.
The First National Bank of Batavia was founded March 21, 1864, with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars and the following officers: R. H. Farnham, president; C. H. Monell, cashier; R. H. Farnham, Tracy Pardee, Henry Monell, Charles H. Monell and George Bowen, directors. Mr. Monell never held the position of cashier. Marcus L. Babcock being elected to the position June 4, 1864. May 31, 1865, the capital stock was increased to seventy-five thousand dollars, and Jan- uary 9, 1883, it was further increased to one hundred thousand dollars. The following have served as officers of the bank :
Presidents .- R. H. Farnham, March 21, 1864, to June 29, 1865; Tracy
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Pardee, June 20, 1865, to January 10, 1884; Levant C. McIntyre, Jan- uary 10, 1884, to 1898; Samuel Parker, from April 21, 1898, to date.
Cashiers .- Charles H. Monell, March 21, 1864 (did not act); Mareus L. Babcock, June 4, 1864, to February 8, 1865; Daniel E. Waite, Feb- ruary 8, 1865, to August 13, 1866; Levant D. McIntyre, August 13, 1866, to January 16, 1884; Jerome L. Bigelow, January 16, 1884, to date.
Assistant Cashier .- George F. Bigelow, January 22, 1896, to date.
The various changes in the directorate of the bank have been as fol- lows:
. 1864, Reuben H. Farnham, Tracy Pardee, Henry Monell, Charles H. Monell, George Bowen; 1866, John McKay, to succeed Henry Monell; 1867, Leonidas Doty; 1868, John Fisher, to succeed John Mckay; 1869, number of directors increased to seven, and Tracy Par- dee, Reuben H. Farnham, Leonidas Doty, John Fisher, George Brown, Gad B. Worthington and Cyrus Walker were elected; 1864. number of directors decreased to six, and all but Reuben H. Farnham were re- elected; 1881, E. B. Wilford; 1882, Daniel W. Tomlinson, to succeed E. B. Wilford; 1883, Samuel Parker, to succeed John Fisher, and Le- vant C. McIntyre to succeed Tracy Pardee; 1898, E. A. Washburn, to succeed Levant C. McIntyre, deceased.
The Genesee & Venango Petroleum Company was organized in Ba- tavia in the winter of 1864-65, with a capital stock of three hundred thousand dollars, for the purpose of mining for petroleum in the oil regions of Pennsylvania. The charter officers of the corporation were: President, Reuben H. Farnham; vice-president, Elias A. Lewis; treas- urer, Eli H. Fish; secretary, William H. Story; trustees, Trumbull Cary, Eli H. Fish, E. M. McCormick, Elias A. Lewis, Johnson B. Brown, Tracy Pardee, Lyman Terry, H. L. Onderdonk, R. H. Farnham.
The funeral services held at Batavia in honor of President Lincoln on Wednesday, April 19, 1865, were of a most impressive character. U'p. on the conclusion of religious services held in the respective churches, a procession formed in front of Ellicott hall at 1.30 p. M., under the di- rection of Hon. H. U. Soper. marshal, and J. Haskell, S. B. Lusk, Capt. Robert L. Foote and Lucas Seaver as assistant marshals. The large funeral car was draped in mourning and covered with the Amer- ican flag. Beside it marched the following pall bearers: Daniel W. Tomlinson, Harry Wilber, J. C. Wilson, W. S. Mallory. E. A. Lewis, D. D. Waite, HI. I. Głowacki, Seth Wakeman, Wilber Smith, John
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yours Truly Sammen Parker.
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Fisher, M. H. Bierce and R. O. Holden. On either side of the car the following gentlemen were mounted on horseback as a guard of honor: Captain L. Phillips, E. Wakeman, C. H. Dolbeer, B. S. Cotes, E. Stim - son, O. S. Pratt, P. H. Smith and George Foote. Following them came the village officers, the Batavia fire department, public offi- cers, veterans of the civil war and civic organizations. The pro- . cession marched down Main street to the Oak Orchard road, thence back along Big Tree street to Jackson, to Main, to Cemetery street to the front of the court house, where the following exercises took place: Music, " Old Hundred," choir; prayer, Rev. Morelle Fowler; music, "The Departed," choir; address, Rev. Mr. Mussey; music, "Dead March," from Saul, Batavia band; address, Judge Soper; music, " Amer- ica," choir; address, Wm. G. Bryan ; benediction, Rev. S. M. Stimson.
The Western Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company for many years was a strong institution in Genesee county. In 1866 its officers were: President. Samuel Richmond ; vice-president, Samuel Heston; secretary and treasurer, Horace M. Warren; directors, Samuel Willett, Heman J. Redfield, Samuel Richmond, Joseph Vallett, Elijah Platt, Samuel Heston, James L. Paine, Jacob Grant, Alvin Pease, Daniel Rosecrance, Hiram Chaddock, L. Douglass and John F. Plato.
The "Commercial building," located on the south side of Main street a short distance west of Jackson street, was originally occupied as a hotel. In 1837 a tavern known as the Central house was opened there by Daniel Latimer. In 1840 it became the property of Lamont H. Holden, brother of Hinman and Samuel C. Holden, who changed its name to that of Farmer hotel. It was in this hotel, while under the management of Mr. Holden, that the meetings of Batavia Lodge No. 88, F. & A. M., were held for some time. The property finally became known as the Western hotel. It was destroyed by fire May 20, 1860. Subsequently a commodious brick building was erected on the site, and for many years was run as a hotel under the names of Washburn house, Parker house, and others. In 1822 the property was repaired and re- modeled for mercantile purposes, and is now one of the principal busi- ness blocks in Batavia.
The Batavia Farmers' Club was organized at Batavia in February, 1862, with these officers:
President, Henry Ives; vice-president, P. P. Bradish ; secretary, J. G. Fargo; treasurer, Sanford Wilber; directors, Charles Gillett, C. D. Pond and Addison Foster.
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The Batavia Library Association was incorporated by act of the Leg- islature April 22, 1872. The first trustees named in the charter were Gad B. Worthington, Edward C. Walker, Myron H. Peek, Sidney A. Sherwin, Robert B. Pease, Wilber Smith, Daniel W. Tomlinson, Henry F. Tarbox and George Bowen. By an act of the Legislature passed in 1887, the corporation was dissolved. The library, consisting of about 4,000 volumes together with $3,500 in money, was turned over to the trustees of the Union Free School District, No. 2. The condition of the gift was that the fund should be kept forever intact and the income derived therefrom used, so far as needed, to maintain a reading room which the trustees were authorized to provide for, in con- nection with the Richmond Memorial Library.
The Bank of Batavia, now recognized as being one of the strongest financial institutions outside of the larger cities in Western New York. was incorporated July 11, 1826, with Jerome Rowan as president and William F. Merriman as cashier. Its original capital stock was fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Merriman resigned in September, 1878, and Marcus L. Babcock was elected to succeed him. In February, 18 ?? , Mr. Babcock resigned and was succeeded by H. T. Miller. Mr. Rowan resigned as president in February, 1882, at which time Daniel W. Tom- linson was elected to succeed him. Up to this time the bank had not been successful; but with the change in management new life was put into the establishment, and from the smallest institution of its kind in Batavia, it soon grew to be the largest, its capital being increased twice -- from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand dollars in March, 1883, and to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in March, 1891. The payment of dividends was begun in the fall of 1883, since which time they have been regularly paid twice each year. At the same time the bank has built up a surplus of over one hundred thousand dollars, with resources exceeding one million one hundred thousand dol- lars. In 1895 the new fire proof building on the south side of Main street was erected. This is probably the finest building occupied ex- clusively by any country banking house in New York State
Considerable enthusiasm over military affairs developed in Batavia in 1876, with the result that a number of the citizens of the village made application to General Franklin Townsend of Albany, adjutant- general of the State of New York, for permission to organize a separ- ate company of the National Guard of the State of New York. The desired permission was granted in the following order by the adju-
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tant-general, the company having previously been formed and officers elected :
GENERAL, HEADQUARTERS, STATE OF NEW YORK, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE. ALBANY, July 28, 1876.
SPECIAL ORDER No. 120.
Application having been made in proper form for the organization in the village of Batavia, Genesee county, of a Company of Infantry, to be attached to the 31st Brigade, Sth Division, National Guards, State of New York, said Company is here- by organized with the following named Officers, who will be commissioned with rank from July 22, 1576:
Captain, Orrin C. Parker; first lieutenant, George W. Grithis; second lieutenant, Alvin J. Fox.
Said Company will be known and designated as the Fifth Separate Company of Infantry of the 31st Brigade. National Guard, State of New York.
By Order of the Commander-in-Chief.
(Signed)
FRANKLIN TOWNSEND, Adjutant-General.
'The original members of the company in 1876 were as follows:
Captain, Orrin C. Parker; first lieutenant, George W. Griffis; second lieutenant, Alvin J. Fox; first sergeant. James M. Waite; quarter- master-sergeant, Lawrence L. Crosby; second sergeant, Henry C. Fish ; third sergeant, Charles V. Hooper; fourth sergeant, John G. Johnson ; fifth sergeant, Peter Thomas; first corporal, George Crawford; second corporal, Andrew Rupp; third corporal, William H. Kendall; fourth corporal. Thomas Gallagher; fifth corporal, Henry A. Thompson; sixth corporal, Robert Peard; seventh corporal, John A. Mackey; eighth corporal, Frederick F. Smith; musicians, William H. Bradish, Herbert L. Collamer.
Privates, Aaron Alpaugh, Ira Brady, Harlan J. Brown, Hiland H. Benjamin, George H. Buisch, Frank W. Biddleman, William H. Buck- holts, John Buckholts, Levant Bullock, Henry Crego, Frank S. Cross, Henry A. Cross, Henry Curry. James C. Cummings, Thomas Cum- mings, John Cummings, Frank C. Campbell, William E. Casey, John P. Casey, William E. Dawson, Philip Ditzel, John Didget, Jacob Erion, Chester Ford, Charles E. Fish, Pratt Flanders, Walter K. Gould, Jo. seph T. Garnier, Frederick Hess, James M. Harris, Hiram Harris, Ellis R. Hay, Alonzo N. Henshaw, Frank Homelius, Henry W. Homelius, John M. Hamilton, Anthony Horsch, Frederick L. Hovey, George M. Hermance, Newton Johns, Frank Johnson, Homer N. Kelsey, Harvey W. Kendall, Benjamin F. Lowns, John B. Leonard, Edwin S. Lent,
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Alva W. Lewis, Charles Lawson, Asa F. Lawrence, Charles Little, Jolin D. Maloy, Malcolm D. Mix, Samuel P. Mix, John W. Mix, jr., Redmond Manning, Frank S. Moloney, Robert A. Maxwell, William Metzger, Callaghan McDonald. John B. Neasmith, Rodger O'Donohue, Edward O'Connor, Charles B. Peck, William T. Pond, Robert Peard, William Powell, Van .A. Pratt, Charles W. Pratt, Wirt B. Quale, Michael Reb- meister, Daniel Rodgers, Joseph Roth, Marvin A. Seamans, Silas II. Smith, Sanford Spalding, Frederick M. Sheffield, M. Cleveland Terry, Peter Tompkins, John Thomas, Charles A. Thompson, Charles J. Tryon, IV. W. Whitney, Albert Weber, Frederick E. Williams.
This company, which bore the name of " Batavia Rifles," enjoyed an interesting career of about seven years, and was disbanded in 1883. A second independent military company, also known as the " Batavia Rifles," was organized December 24, 1894, with these officers: Pres- ident, C. B. Stone; secretary, C'lande Giddings; treasurer, Frank Home- lius: collector, Edward Thomas; captain, H. W. Homelius; first lieu- tenant, W. A. Hooker; second lieutenant, Charles Moll; orderly ser- geant, James Dunning ; color guard, Frank Stephenson. This company, however, had but a brief existence, and never became an organization of the New York National Guard.
The Wiard Plow Company is one of the most celebrated establish- ments in the world devoted to the manufacture of plows. The concern is also the oldest of its kind in the United States, having been founded in 1804 by Thomas Wiard, sr., a blacksmith and farmer residing at East Avon, N. Y. His first plow was of the ancient pattern known as the "bull plow." large numbers of which were made by hand by Mr. Wiard for the use of the pioneers of Western New York. In 1815 Jethro Wood of Aurora (then Scipio), N. Y., the inventor of the first successful cast-iron plow, sold Mr. Wiard the necessary castings, which the latter completed and attached wooden handles thereto in his shop. Four years later he found his facilities for manufacture entirely inad- equate, by reason of the increasing population of the community and the consequent growing demand for the output of his little smithy; so he erected a foundry at East Avon, where he made patterns for im- proved plows, manufacturing all the parts thereof himself. Here, in connection with his three sons-Seth, Henry and Matthew-hie con- tinued the manufacture of these implements until his death about 1520. One or more of these sons continued the business at East Avon until 1871. All were men of great ingenuity and constantly were at work
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devising improvements in the plows they manufactured, until they had become celebrated as the makers of the most satisfactory implements of this nature in the country.
October 1, 1871, George Wiard, son of William Wiard, became half owner of the establishment at East Avon. In 1871 Charles W. Hough, treasurer of the company. purchased the interest of Matthew Wiard, the firm becoming Wiard & Hough.
During the career of the concern at East Avon the works were de- stroyed by fire and rebuilt several times. In 1876, to such proportions had the business grown, it was decided to remove the industry to a point where the transportation facilities would be better than those offered at East Avon. Learning of the determination of the company, the citizens of Batavia donated a site for the proposed new plant, lo- cated on Swan street, between the New York Central and Hudson River and the Erie railroads, and the company accepted the proposition offered. The new plant was completed in September, 1876, and about the same time a new company was organized and incorporated under the name of the Wiard Plow Company, with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. This amount was subsequently increased to one hundred thousand dollars. George Wiard was the president of the new corporation and C. W. Hough the secretary and treasurer. The other incorporators were Eli Fish, John Green and Joseph H. Smith. Mr. WViard also assumed the duties of superintendent. These gentlemen still occupy the same offices in the company, excepting that J. J. Wash- burn acts as secretary, relieving Mr. Ilough of a share of his duties. Mr. Washburn succeeded Mr. Smith in the concern in May, 1880. The original capital stock of the company, sixty-three thousand dollars, was increased at the end of the first year to one hundred thousand dollars, and five years later to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the pres- ent capital. While the principal business of the company is the man- ufacture of its widely celebrated plows, it is also the inventor of im- provements in sulky hay rakes, which it has been manufacturing for several years. The establishment turns out many varieties of plows, adapted to all kinds of soil and all other conditions. It also manufac- tures hop and potato cultivators, patent sulky plows, Emperor sulky rakes, Morgan patent spading harrows, Wiard dise harrows, Wiard ad- justable weeders, and automatic hand corn planters. The company's territory includes everything east of Lake Michigan and as far south as Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, including those States, and
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