USA > New York > Genesee County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Genesee County, New York, v. 2 > Part 17
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Dr. Townsend is one of the best known physicians in Genesee county, having been in practice in Bergen for forty years. He always has been an active, energetic man, a close student keeping in touch with the progress in his profession ; his standing as a physician is high, and his knowledge and judgment are much depended upon. In December, 1861. he answered the governor's call for field physicians, enlisting in the 47th N. Y. Vols., was afterward transferred to the 14th; he was detailed as operating surgeon in the field, the arduous duties of which post he faith- fully sustained for nearly three years, and was mustered out in Octo- ber, 1864.
Dr. Townsend has not only been active in the line of his profession,
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but has taken a keen and active interest in the politieal affairs of his town and county. He is a member of the New York Medical Associa- tion and the American Medical Association.
EMORY UPTON.
GEN. EMORY UPTON was born in the town of Batavia, five miles west of the village, August 27, 1839. In 1856, at the age of seventeen, through the instrumentality of Hon. Benjamin Pringle, then represent- ative in Congress, young Upton entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he was graduated May 6, 1861. On the day of his graduation he was appointed second lieutenant, and eight days later was promoted to first lieutenant. Proceeding at once to Washington, within a few days he was engaged in active military service. It will thus be seen that this young officer, at the age of twenty-one years, found himself on the very threshold of active life thrown at once into the seething vortex of the great Civil war. The transition from theory to practice was with him an immediate one, and whatever dreams he may have had of the uneventful life of the average military man of that day were quickly and effectually dispelled by the thunder of real artillery, loaded and shotted.
July 18, 1861, Lieutenant Upton aimed the first gun in the contest which terminated three days later in the battle of Bull Run, At this battle he was wounded in the side, and though considerably hurt, re- mained on the field throughout the day. Gen. Upton's military career during the period of the Rebellion was a most active and successful one. He was wounded three times, the last very severely. Though a noted scholar and tactician, he was none the less a practical, everyday soldier in the field. He saw a vast deal of hard fighting, led many a valiant charge, and was exposed to almost endless danger. He was promoted successively from lieutenant to captain, to major, lieutenant- colonel, colonel, brigadier general and brevet major-general, in every instance for gallant and meritorious conduct. It will thus be seen that he enjoyed the unusual distinction of being a major-general at the age of twenty-five years.
April 16, 1865, General Upton being then in command of a cavalry corps, made a night assault unon the rebel works at Columbus, Ga.,
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capturing a large amount of arms, ammunition, stores and 1,500 pris- oners. This occurred a week after the surrender of Lee's army, and was the last engagement of importance during the war. His service therefore spanned the entire period of the war of the Rebellion. A few weeks later, in May, 1865, he was ordered to arrest Alexander H. Stephens, the vice-president of the confederacy, and a little later Jef- ferson Davis, the arch chief of the Rebellion, was placed in his custody and escorted by him to the steamer at Savannah, Ga.
At the close of the Rebellion General Upton was placed in command of the Department of Tennessee, and later in the same year was trans- ferred to the command of the Department of Colorado, with headquar- ters at Denver. While there he wrote his work on infantry tactics, which almost immediately was adopted by the board of distinguished officers, among whom were Generals Grant, Meade and Canby. In 1870 General Upton, then thirty years of age, was appointed commandant of the United States Military Academy at West Point, which position he held about five years. In 1815 he was relieved of this duty and ordered to make an extended tour of Europe and Asia to inspect the armies of all the leading powers, and to make a thorough investigation of the military systems of all these countries. The result of this expe- dition was a most admirable and comprehensive work entitled "The Armies of Asia and Europe." In many respects General Upton was the most distinguished character that Genesee county has produced.
In 1885 the Life and Letters of Emery Upton was published. An introductory article was written by Major-General James Harrison Wil- son, one of the most accomplished military crities of the country, and in the estimation of Grant one of his ablest lieutenants. Gen. Wilson paid this extraordinary tribute: "I have constantly maintained since the close of the war, that at that time Upton was as good an artillery officer as could be found in any country, the equal of any cavalry com- mander of his day, and, all things considered, was the best commander of a division of infantry in either the Union or the rebel army. He was the equal of Custer or Kilpatrick in dash and enterprise, and vastly the superior of either in discipline and administration, whether on the march or in the camp. He was incontestably the best tactitian of either army, and this is true whether tested by battle or by the evolui- tions of the drill field and parade. In view of his success of all arms of the service, it is not too much to add that he could scarcely have failed as a corps or army commander had it been his good fortune to be called
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to such rank. And nothing is more certain than that he would have had a corps of cavalry had the war lasted six y days longer, or that, with the continuation of the struggle, he would have been in due time put at the head of an army. No one can read the story of his brilliant career without concluding that he had a real genius for war, together with all the theoretical and practical knowledge which any one could acquire in regard to it. Up to the time when he was disabled by the disease which caused his death he was, all things considered, the most accomplished soldier in our service. His life was pure and upright, his bearing chivalric and commanding, his conduct modest and unassum- ing, 'and his character absolutely without blemish. History cannot fur- nish a brighter example of unselfish patriotism, or ambition unsullied by an ignoble thought or an unworthy deed. He was a credit to the State and family which gave him birth, to the military academy which educated him, and to the army in which he served. So long as the Union has such soldiers as he to defend it, it will be perpetual."
No attempt is made in this sketch to give a detailed account of Up- ton's brilliant achievements as a soldier upon many battle fields. The histories which have been written of the War of the Rebellion abound in proofs of his genius as a strategist and of his abounding skill and valor in action.
His public deeds are in a large sense the common property of all his countrymen. It was in his quiet, inner life that General Upton is best remembered and most sincerely deplored. It may be said of him briefly and simply that he was a true, loyal man, a most devout Christian, a most companionable friend. He was the very soul of honor. Those who know him best loved and honored him most.
General Upton died in San Francisco, March 15, 1881.
JOHN H. WARD.
Jony H. WARD was born in Bergen, N. Y., March 14, 1846, a son of Henry M. and Adelia C. (Curtis) Ward, natives of Bergen, the former a merchant; he died in 1857 and his widow in 1852. Martin C. Ward, the grandfather of John 11., was a member of the Assembly and filled other positions of trust and honor. His great-grandfather, John Ward, for whom the subject of this sketch was named, was a native of Killing-
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worth, Conn., and was descended from Andrew Ward, who emigrated from England about ten years after the Pilgrims; he settled near what is now Stone Church in the town of Bergen, in June, 1806.
John H. Ward was educated in the common schools and began his business life as a merchant in Bergen in 1858, where he continued until 1875, when as the candidate of the Democratic party he was elected sheriff of Genesee county; he removed to Batavia on January 1, 1826, and served one term. For a number of years he was United States loan commissioner.
In 1879 he became connected with the Farmers' Bank of Batavia, of which he is now cashier and manager. Much of the success of the Farmers' Bank is due to the careful, wise and judicious management of Mr. Ward. He is a prominent Mason, having attained the thirty-second degree. Politically he has always been a Democrat.
In 18:1 Mr. Ward was married to Isabelle D., daughter of the late Enoch Mann of Syracuse, N. Y. ; they have one daughter, Gertrude, wife of Hiram R. Barringer, M. D., of Naples, N. Y.
JULIAN J. WASHBURN.
JULIAN J. WASHBURN was born in Randolph, Vt , November 10, 1842. He is a direct descendant from Robert Cushman, who, with Edward Brewster, chartered the Mayflower, and Jolin Washburn, an officer in the Company of Massachusetts Bay, chartered by Charles I. His great- grandfather, Jonah Washburn, was a lieutenant in the colonial army during the Revolutionary War. His father, Daniel Washburn, who was born in Randolph, Vt., in 1800, married Adaline, daughter of Hon. Ezekiel Story and granddaughter of Asa Story, who was an ensign in the Revolutionary army, and after the war settled in Randolph, Vt., where he became a large land owner, and there died.
Julian J. Washburn was educated in the Orange County (Vt. ) Gram- mar School. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. C, 15th Vermont Volunteers, under Col. Redfield Proctor, and participated in the battle of Gettys- burg; he received an honorable discharge in 1863, but remained in the service of the United States until 1865 in a clerical capacity in the hos- pital department.
In 1870 he went to Boston and engaged in commercial business. In
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18:3 removed to Newark, N. Y., and thence in 1812 to Batavia, where he at once became connected with the Wiard Plow Co , of which he was elected secretary in 1880. Mr. Washburn served for a time as trustee of the village, and was village president in 1886. He has also served as a member of the board of education since 1891. He is a Republican.
On February 10, 1866, Mr. Washburn was married to Martha, daugh- ter of Hon. Abel and Mary ( Kingsbury) Bigelow of Brookfield, Vt. The Bigelows are from Connecticut. The mother of Hon Abel Bige- low was Deborah Foote of Colchester, Conn , who was a direct descend- ant from Nathaniel Foote, an early emigrant from England. The first record' of him in this country is of his taking the "freeman's oath" in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in 1633, and in deeds to him recorded the same year. The Kingsburys were originally from Connecticut. removed thence to Massachusetts, and from there to Washington county, V't.
Mr. and Mrs. Washburn have two children : Edward A. and Mary V. Edward read law with Hon. George Bowen, was admitted to practice in 1889, since which date he has been in partnership with his preceptor under the firm name of Bowen & Washburn. Mary V. is a student at Vassar College.
GEORGE WIARD.
GEORGE WIARD was born in Ancaster, Canada, March 11, 1833, a son of William and Lacinda (MeLaughlin) Wiard. William Wiard was a native of Connecticut and removed to Livingston county in 1803. In 1820 he went to Ancaster, Canada, and begun the manufacture of plows. His father, Thomas Wiard, a blacksmith, had made portions of plows as early as 1804. William Wiard was one of the pioneers in the manu- facture of cast iron plows in Canada. He died in 1841.
George Wiard received his education in the country schools and in 1849 entered an apprenticeship to the trade of moulder in Buffalo. After leaving the army Mr. Wiard returned to East Avon, New York, and formed the firin of M. & G. Wiard. In 1520 Charles W. Hough purchased the interest of Matthew Wiard, and in 1876 the business was removed to Batavia where the present plant was established and the Wiard Plow Company incorporated. The Wiard family have been
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engaged in the manufacture of plows for ninety-four successive years, a record probably unequalled in this country and perhaps in the world.
Mr. Wiard is one of the progressive men of this town. He has al- ways been foremost in promoting enterprises that tended to the ad- vancement of the educational, moral and religious interests of Batavia. He was for many years a member of the board of education and served five years as its president. He was chairman of the building commit- tee that erected the Baptist church and was one of the committee hav- ing in charge the construction of the city water-works. He has been a director of the Genesee County Permanent Loan and Building Asso- ciation since its organization in 1828 and for the last eighteen years has been the president. Politically he has always been a Republican.
Mr. Wiard was married November 20, 1856, to Emeline Warren who died in 1820. He afterwards married Celestia I., daughter of Peter and Emily ( Webster) Warren of Wyoming Co., N. Y. They have five children, May, Louis, Ernest, Henry and Harry (twins).
In July, 1862, Mr. Wiard enlisted in the 129th N. Y. Volunteers, and he was mustered into the service August 22d at Lockport as second lieutenant in Company II of that regiment. The regiment was sent immediately to Baltimore, Md., and occupied Fort Federal Hill. Mr. Wiard was promoted December 2, 1862, to first lieutenant of the same company. About this time the regiment was transferred to the artil- lery service and was thereafter known as the Sth N. Y. Volunteer Heavy Artillery. During the time the regiment was in the defenses at Balti- more Mr. Wiard served as a member of two court martials and was Post Adjutant from October 25, 1863, until the regiment joined the Army of the Potomac May 12, 1864. This famous regiment was des- tined during its comparatively brief period of active service to partici- pate in some of the fiercest fighting of the war, and the fact has now passed into authentic history that but one other regiment of the vast army which was recruited for the defense of the Union ever met with so great a loss as befell the 8th Heavy Artillery on the fatal morning of Cold Harbor. The regiment was also at Petersburg and participated in many other engagements. On the 16th of June, 1864, Mr. Wiard was severely wounded in the leg and sent to the hospital at Annapolis, Md. As soon as he became able to do light duty he was ordered into the defenses of Washington as an inspector of artillery. Soon after- ward he was appointed inspector of artillery defenses of Washington north of the Potomac. He was appointed officer in charge of dismant-
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ling the forts in and around Washington south of the Potomae, was in - spector of artillery and acting assistant adjutant-general of Hardin's division. In May, 1865, the 8th N. Y. Heavy Artillery was mustered out and Lieutenant Wiard was transferred to the 4th N. Y. Volunteer Heavy Artillery and was mustered into Company I as Captain, and finally discharged from the service September 26, 1865. Mr. Wiard has never recovered from his severe wound which he received. A sur- viving officer of the 8th Heavy Artillery has lately said that George Wiard was the bravest and coolest man under fire he ever saw and that his.conduct in the fearful contest at Cold Harbor was beyond praise.
GAD B. WORTHINGTON.
GAD B. WORTHINGTON was born in Lenox, Mass., October 2, 1815, from which place his parents, Gad and Fanny (Belden) Worthington, removed to Owego, N. Y. His father died March 1, 1561, and his mother, who attained the great age of 92 years, died June 9, 1885. In 1836 Mr. Worthington removed to Batavia, where he at once engaged in the hardware trade. He entered the employ of Belden & Otis, and in the year 1841, became a member of the firm, changing the firm name to Otis & Worthington. After the retirement of Mr. Otis he continued the business for a long time without a partner. The present firm of G. B. Worthington, Son & Co., was established January 1, 1582, the new members of the firm being Gad D. Worthington and J. Holly Bradish. Mr. Worthington has been connected with the hardware trade for sixty-three years and for many years he has enjoyed the distinction of having been longer engaged in business than any other man in Batavia.
Mr. Worthington has always taken an active interest in the growth and prosperity of the town where he has so long been an honored citi- zen. He is vice-president of the First National Bank, was one of the organizers and for many years a director of the Batavia Gas Light Company, and was for several years treasurer of the New York State Institution for the Blind. He is a member and senior warden of the St James Episcopal Church, and he was for a long time treasurer of the diocese of Western New York. In politics he is a Republican.
In June, I>41, Mr. Worthington was married to Anner M. Dixon, who bore him five children. She died in 1853. Subsequently he was married
GAD B. WORTHINGTON.
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to Susan Towner, who died March 9, 1891. Of his five children Miss Amanda C. Worthington resides at home with her father, Gad D. Worthington is a partner of his father in the hardware business, the Rev. Edward William Worthington is rector of Grace Episcopal Church at Cleveland, Ohio, Sarah is the wife of E. De L. Palmer of Albany, and Mary is deceased.
THOMAS P. BROUGHAM.
REV. THOMAS P. BROUGHAM, dean of St. Joseph's church of Batavia, was born in County Carlow, Ireland, in 1843, a son of Dennis and Cath- erine (Doyle) Brougham He came to the United States in 1864. He was educated at St. Patrick's Monastery in Tullow, Ireland, and at Niagara University, New York, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1841 by Bishop Ryan of Buffalo.
His first pastorate was that of Westfield, Chautauqua county, where he remained fifteen months, and was then transferred to Newfane, Niagara county, fulfilling his duties there until 1882. In the latter year he came to Batavia, where he has since been in charge of St. Jo- seph's parish. Under his care the church has increased largely in mem. bership, being at the present time about 2.200. He has erected the school and convent, also the parochial residence, to which he has given his best energies and gained the respect and confidence of all classes. The church under his guidance has become one of the leading societies of Western New York outside of Buffalo. Father Brougham has en- deared himself not only to the members of his own parish but to those of other religious organizations and the publie generally.
E. KIRBY CALKINS.
E. KIRBY CALKINS was born in Henrietta, Monroe county, N. Y., Feb- ruary 18, 1866. After attending Monroe Academy and the public schools in Rochester he entered Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, N. Y .. from which he was graduated in 1883. He then entered the employ of the Walter A. Wood Mower and Reaper Co. at Rochester as bookkeeper. Ilere he remained until 1858, when he entered the employ of the John- ston llarvester Co. of Batavia, N Y., as traveler, making several trips to Europe in their interest. January 1, 1894, he accepted a position as manager of the sales department of the Milwaukee Harvester Co. at Milwaukee, Wis , and remained there until August, Is91, when he be-
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came connected with the Spirit of the Times as business manager. March 19, 1895, he formed a partnership with David D. Lent and pur- chased the Spirit of the Times and the printing business.
He was married March 18, 1891, to Miss Lena B. Hitchcock of Bris- tol, N. Y., and they have one child, Ruth K.
JOHN DELLINGER.
JOHN DELLINGER is a native of Genvilla, Lorraine, then part of France but now part of Germany, where he was born August 14, 1826. His father was Peter Dellinger, who emigrated to the United States in 1840 and settled in Sheldon, Wyoming county, then part of old Genesee county, where he died.
John Dellinger received his primary education in his native town, but after coming to America, the struggle for existence in the new country gave him little opportunity for further education, save what his na- tive shrewdness and application enabled him to obtain. Of a strong. industrious and ambitious temperament, he soon outgrew the limita. tions of his environment, and leaving his home he engaged in various occupations till 1853, when he came to Batavia, where his career has been marked by self-reliance, energy and shrewd foresight. He en- gaged in building operations, and has become one of the most exten- sive contractors in that line in Genesee county. It is not exaggeration to say that of the business structures of Batavia the greater number have been erected by Mr. Dellinger. In 1873 he built the Union School house, and in 1814 the Opera House; he also erected the Richinond and the Washburn hotels, and opened through his property the street known as Dellinger avenue He is to-day one of the largest tax pay- ers in Genesee county. While not a politician, he has evinced a good eitizen's interest in the important political measures of the day; he is not a seeker for public office, but his integrity and special fitness for the place led to his election to the office of assessor, in which position he gave the fullest satisfaction.
In 1856 Mr. Dellinger was married to Clara De Mengeot ; they have had eight children, as follows: Mary, who was married to William F. Haitz, now living in Batavia; John, who died in 1880; Elward; Ce- lestine, who was married to William S. Ryan and who died in 1>95; Clara; Frank; Louise, who was married to Frank Spadinger, now liv- ing in Buffalo; and Della.
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PART III.
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
Ward, Butler, p. o. Le Roy, was born in Perry, Wyoming county. N. Y., October 19, 1833. His father. Dr. Jabez Ward, was a native of Massachusetts and came to Perry, N. Y., where he was the leading physician. He married Aurilla Tufts, and died in 1942. Butler Ward was educated in the common schools and Perry Center Academy. In 1952 he came to Le Roy and entered the Genesee County Bank. In 1857 he went to Rockford, Ill., where he was connected with a banking house. In 1862 he enlisted in the war, serving as captain. He was wounded in the battle of Stone River and resigned in the spring of 1863. He then held a position in the U. S. Treasury for five years, after which he engaged in the insurance business in New York city for four years. In 1972 Mr. Ward returned to Le Roy and became cashier of the First National Bank. The charter expired in 1885 and it was then reorganized as the National Bank of Le Roy. In 1599 the Bank of Le Roy was organized and superseded the National Bank of Le Roy. On the death of William Lampson. Feb- ruary 14, 1897, Mr. Ward was elected president, and still continues in that office. He is the executor of Mr. Lampson's will and has the management of the large es- tate. October 27, 1955. Mr. Ward married Jane, daughter of Alexander Mc Pherson, and their children are Ralph M., of San Diego, Cal. ; Jean H. Ward, wife of R. J. McLennan of Toronto, Can. , Harold B., assistant cashier in the Bank of Le Roy: and Ruth T., at home. Mr. Ward and family are members of the Presbyterian church and take an active interest in the same. In politics Mr. Ward is a Repub- lican, with strong independent tendencies.
Walkley, Rosman L., p. o. Le Roy, wasborn in the town of Pavilion October 30. 1485, a son of Richard and Juliette ( Mills) Walkley. Richard Walkley died February 24, 1887. R. L. Walkley was educated in the common schools and Genesee Wes- leyan Seminary, and then engaged in farming. Mr. Walkley married Mary E., daughter of B. F. Peck, of Allen, Erie county, N. Y., and they have one son, Frank 1 .. , who married Carrie E. Coe.
Paul, Henry, p. o. Le Roy, was born in Le Roy, August 4, 1818. His father, Alba Paul, was a native of Vermont and came to Le Roy in 1985, where he was a farmer. lle married Sarah Gould of Vermont, and their children were Lyman, Alba, Henry, Alice and Frank. Mr. Paul died January 22, 1878: his wife in 1954. Henry Paul was educated in the common schools and Le Roy Academy, and served as trustee of schools two years. He married Alice, daughter of Domenick Fox, and they had
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three children: Sarah, Henry and Walter. Mr. Paul is a successful farmer, a man of good character and he has always been identified with the best interests of his town, taking an active interest in church matters.
Hebbard, L. B., p. o. Mumford, was born in Connecticut, December 31, 1831. His father, F. E. Hebbard, was a native of Conneetient and came to Genesee county in 1841, where he engaged in farming. He married Lydia Burnham and died August 27, 1854. L. B. Hebbard was educated in the common schools and then engaged in farming. He served as assessor for two terms. He married Margaret, daughter of D. D. Campbell, and their children were Frank E., who died August 29, 1563; Del- bert C , Lydia K., Anna MI., Marion A., and Donald D). Mr. Ilebbard is one of the progressive farmers of Le Roy, of upright character, and he has always sought to promote the best interests of his town.
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