Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York, Part 76

Author: Anderson, George Baker; Boston History Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 950

USA > New York > Saratoga County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York > Part 76

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White, Charles, was born in Whitestown, Oneida county, N. Y., May 27, 1832, and was educated in the public schools and Whitestown Academy. His young man- hood was spent on his father's farm, but he came to Waterford, N. Y., in the year 1869, and at once was engaged as an agent in charge of his cousin, Hugh White's, vast property interests. Hugh White died in 1870 and Charles had charge of the estate and sold building lots on the north side, near Cohoes, and has lived to see a large section of the village thrive and grow. June 8, 1890, he married Mary A. Waterman of Waterford, N. Y. Mr. White's father, Jonas, was born at theold home in Oneida county, N. Y., September 10, 1789, and was educated in the schools of that day, and always followed the honorable occupation of farming. July 25, 1813, he married Mary Lewis of his native place. She was born January 22, 1790. They

had nine children. Jonas A., Morris P., Mary, J. Lewis, Philo, George M., Cynthia, Louisa and Charles, as above. Jonas White died February 9, 1874, and his wife, February 27, 1868. Mrs. Charles White's father, Frederick W. Waterman, was born in Cohoes, Albany county, N. Y., in the year 1811. He was well educated in Albany and was a merchant by occupation. April 24, 1832, he married Margaret N. Storey of Albany, N. Y. They had three children, George S., Mary A., as above, and Frederick Y. Both sons are dead. Frederick W. Waterman died July 5, 1838, and his widow May 23, 1887. William M. White, son of Hugh White, was born July 8, 1833, and died January 2, 1896. Charles White, in his political choice, is a thorough Democrat; and Mrs. White is a member of the Presbyterian church. The ancestry of the family is Welsh and English, and they date back to Hartford, Conn., to 1605.

White, Seward J., M. D., son of James D. and Jennie (McClary) White, was born at South Bern, N. Y., in 1857, and received his education at the State Normal School at Albany and Cornell University. He studied medicine with Dr. A. Van Deer of Albany, attended the Albany Medical College and was graduated from there in the

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class of 1880. He came directly to South Glens Falls after graduating and opened an office for the practice of his profession, where he has since remained and where a large practice has been built up in Saratoga and Warren counties. In 1883 Dr. White married Flora E. Sweet, and they had three children, one now living, Gladys M., aged nine years. Politically Dr. White is a Republican; for the past eighteen years he has been health officer of the town of Moreau. He is a member of the Warren and Saratoga County Medical Societies; Glens Falls Medical and Surgical Societies; is vice president and a director of the Glens Falls Hospital; has been a member of the board of education for the past ten years and trustee of the village.

Wilcox, John M., was born at North Easton, Washington county, in 1839. In 1845 his father removed to Albany, where he engaged in the flour and grain business un- der the firm name of Wilcox & Sturgis. John M. became associated with the firm in time, which became Wilcox, Sturgis & Co., remaining with it until 1863, when he removed to Quaker Springs, his father also removing to the same place, and died on the farm which is now owned by Mr. Wilcox. Mr. Wilcox's mother died in 1868. Mr. Wilcox owns two farms, containing 150 acres, and carries on the business of gen- eral farming. In 1861 he married Sarah Jane, daughter of William McCoduck of Quaker Springs, and they have two daughters: Minnie, wife of Elias M. Moe, and Cora B., wife of Eugene P. Rogers of Ketchum's Corners.

Williams, Howard, was born at Rome, Oneida county, N. Y., June 18, 1867. His parents moved to Whitesboro when he was a child, where he was educated in the public schools and at Whitestown Seminary. He assisted his father in the various enterprises . which he carried on, and came to Mechanicville in 1892, where he is superintendent of the Miller, Hall and Hartwell Shirt Co .; he also conducts the Hall drug store and pharmacy. October 17, 1884, he married Mildred L., youngest daughter of Dr. Samuel and Catherine E. Hall of Mechanicville, and they have two daughters: Marion E. and Mildred K. Mr. Williams's father, William B., was born at the old home in Rome, N. Y., about the year 1838; was a carriage manufacturer, also a lumber dealer on a large scale. He married twice, first, to Mary Aucott, who was of English ancestry, and they had four children: Edwin W., Nettie F., Dewitt C. and Howard. Mrs. Williams died in 1870 and Mr. Williams married Mary Mc- Morris of Washington county, and they have three children: Mary, Stacy B. and Florence. Mrs. Williams's father, Dr. Samuel Hall, was born in Chemung county, N. Y., November 26, 1837; he attended the Starkey Seminary and was a graduate of Geneva Medical College. He practiced his profession in Hammondsport and other places and became a permanent resident and practitioner of Mechanicville in 1877. On June 3, 1862, he married Catherine E. Hall, and they had three children : Charles B., Marion A. (who died in her twenty-first year), and Mildred L. Dr. Hall died January 27, 1897, his widow survives at this date, 1898. Mr. Williams s father had two brothers who were State senators, one in New York and the other in Wis- consin. The Williamses are directly related to Roger Williams of Rhode Island.

Wiswall, Eugene, was born in the town of Schuyler, Herkimer county, N. Y .. October 28, 1841, and was educated at Fort Miller Academy, Washington county.

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He came to Saratoga county in 1864, and engaged in farming. Subsequently he branched out into the lumber business and contracting and finally into the coal busi- ness as a partner of Mr. C. B. Thomas and Charles Spaulding, which is now known as the Thomas & Brown Co. Mr. Wiswall has always been interested in farming and lumbering and has been superintendent of the Saratoga County Agricultural society for several years. His parents were Capt. Henry and Elizabeth Ann (Pick- ert) Wiswall. Capt. Wiswall was a native of Herkimer county and followed the sea for several years, rising to the rank of first mate. The Wiswalls are of Welsh origin ; in 1660 three brothers of them came to America and settled in Sudbury, Vt. One of them later went to Canada, one to New York State and the one who remained in Sudbury became the progenitor of the family to which Eugene Wiswall belongs, and the family trace their lineage back to 1794 in Sudbury. In that year Samuel Wis- wall removed to Herkimer county and his son Henry was the father of Eugene. On November 28, 1865, Mr. Wiswall married Clara E. Van Epps, daughter of Alexander Van Epps of Ballston Spa.

Wroath George W., son of Richard Wroath, was born in Quaker Springs, Saratoga county, N. Y., in 1836. His mother's maiden name was Polly Brown. He had two brothers, one living, John A., a blacksmith of Glens Falls, and one sister, Maria, wife of Gilbert Bennett of Rochester. Mr. Wroath's early education was limited to the public schools and was meager at that, as he left home to do for himself at the early age of twelve years. His father having removed to Schuylerville, young Wroath assisted for a time in the blacksmith shop conducted by his father, and at · the age indicated entered the machine shop of James P. Cramer, and there learned the trade. His home has been continuously in Schuylerville, yet he has been em- ployed at various times at Sandy Hill, Fort Edward and Glens Falls. In 1840 Mr. Wroath married Helen Hammond, and they had three children: Josephine, wife of Frank Short of Saratoga Springs, the only one living. In politics Mr. Wroath is a Republican, and takes an active part in politics. He is a member of the Methodist church of Schuylerville and is a citizen universally respected.

Dwyer, Edward E., farmer, dairyman and milkman, was born in Limerick, Ire land, in 1832. His father was a farmer and Edward E. was obliged to help on the farm, having little chance to obtain even the rudiments of an education. In 1864 he came to America, and twenty-one years ago to Victory. Six years later he was married to his first wife, Mary Hayes, who was also a native of Ireland, and they had one son, Robert. Mr. Dwyer married a second time Margaret Burke of Victory, and they had six children: Catherine, Winifred, Alice, Fannie, Margaret and Thomas. Mr. Dwyer owns and occupies 277 acres of fine land, the cultivation of which he per- sonally superintends, beside the care and attention incident to the conduct of a large dairy of fifty cows. His rich grass lands in the river bottom afford fine pasture for his cattle insuring a superior quality of milk of which his entire product is dispensed among his regular customers at Schuylerville. Mr. Dwyer bears the reputation among those where he is best known as an honest, upright and thoroughly straight- forward citizen.

Pierson, Guy E., was born at Ballston, Saratoga county, N. Y., July 10, 1862, and

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received his education in the schools of that village. His first active occupation was that of letter carrier in Saratoga Springs in which he was engaged for six years. Subsequently he clerked for two years, and since has been connected with the Royal Spring. He became secretary and manager of the Royal Spring Company in 1893 and is also similarly connected with the Putnam Soapstone Heat Retainer Company . . In 1888 Mr. Pierson married Mary U. Putnam, daughter of Abel Putnam, jr., of Sar- atoga Springs. They have one daughter, Harriet Putnam Pierson. Under Mr. Pierson's able management the Royal Spring has come into even greater prominence and favor and has become a notable factor among the water attractions of the great springs center of America. Mr. Pierson is one of the younger circle of Saratoga's enterprising business men and is a member of Hathorn Lodge of Odd Fellows. He is the third generation of his family in Saratoga county, his grandfather having been one of the earlier settlers. His parents were Sanford A. and Esther M. (Hicks) Pierson.

Epler, H. J., the leading photographer of Saratoga Springs, was born in Sunbury, Pa., December 25, 1847, a son of Samuel and Mary Magdalene (Zimmerman) Epler. His grandfather, John Epler, with other members of the family built the old stone edifice of the German Reformed church, which still stands in Philadelphia. While yet a youth, in the beginning of 1862, Mr. Epler enlisted in the 46th Pennsylvania Infantry, and served till the close of the war, participating in many of the great battles of the the Rebellion, among others, Winchester, Bull Run, Green Mountain, Brandy Station, Antietam, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Atlanta and also in the march to the sea. He was taken prisoner at Chancellorsville and confined in Libby prison for four weeks until exchanged. After the war Mr. Epler took up the study of photography and has made it his life's business. He has been in Saratoga since 1882 and was previously located in Cleveland. He married Helen Agard. daughter of Dr. Agard of Oakland, Cal., and they have two children : Charlotte F. and Don Agard Epler, who served in the 2d N. Y. Infantry during the Spanish-American war. The fathers of four successive generations of the family have been soldiers, Mr. Epler's father and grandfather also having fought for the United States.

Thompson, William L., the well known funeral director of Saratoga Springs, was born in Hebron, Washington county, N. Y., August 19, 1860, a son of Charles and Martha ( Fullerton) Thompson. His father, Charles Thompson, is a native of Mass- achusetts, having been born in Hadley. At an early age he removed with his parents to Washington county, N. Y., and after receiving such an education as was possible in the schools of that day, learned the carpenter's trade and later engaged in the manufacture of sash and blinds; subsequently he engaged in the furniture business and carried on an undertaking establishment as well. He retired from mercantile life in 1897, and is now living in Saratoga Springs. He is a man of sterling charac- ter and in his various business undertakings has achieved success. William L. Thomp- son acquired his early education in the district schools and later attended Washing- ton Academy at Salem, N. Y. On completion of his education he entered the employ of the well known house of W. H. Freer of Troy, in a minor capacity. He early showed marked business ability and his promotions were rapid until he was made

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manager and buyer of one of the departments of this extensive establishment. In 1892, after a continuous service of thirteen years, he resigned and removed to Shushan, N. Y., where he established himself in the undertaking business. On July 1, 1897, he removed to Saratoga Springs, where he purchased the business of Mr. Ebenezer Holmes, established in 1847, and after a complete renovation of the establishment by Mr. Thompson, an equipment, modern in every respect, was purchased, giving every facility needed for the prompt and careful handling of the business Few firms, if any, outside our large cities, possess a more complete and elegant service, and the amount of business done by Mr. Thompson since his coming to the village shows the appreciation by the public of his enterprise and understanding of their wants. He is recognized as an expert in the art of enbalming, being a graduate of two of the most prominent schools of that character in the United States and his careful atten- tion to detail assures his patrons entire satisfaction. Aside from his business inter- ests he is a member of Rising Sun Lodge No. 103, F. & A. M., Rising Sun Chapter No. 131; Washington Commandery, No. 33, K. T .; and the American Fraternal In- surance Union, and is at present vice-president of that order for Saratoga Springs. During his residence in Troy he enlisted in the Tibbitts Cadets, 21st Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., and served his full term of five years. On coming to Saratoga Springs he re-enlisted in the Citizens Corps and is a member of the Hospi- tal Corps of that body. He is also a member of the Tri-County Undertakers' Association. Iu the fall of 1892 Mr. Thompson married Frances E., daughter of Levi and Anna Crowe of Troy, N. Y., and they have one daughter, Madeliene F.

West, George H., was born in Galway, December 23, 1854, son of Matthews West, a native of the same town, where Jonathan West, his grandfather, settled about 1780. Matthews West married Elizabeth Doty and through life was identified as a farmer; he died in 1881. George H. West was educated in the public schools, at Troy Business College, and the Union Classical School, Schenectady. He was engaged in the mer- cantile business in Galway from 1880 to 1891, and in 1897 came to Ballston Spa, where he established his present real estate and insurance business. In 1881 he married Carrie L. Burdick. Mr. West was school commissioner of the first district of Saratoga county from 1890 to 1896, and was elected to the State Assembly No- vember 8, 1898, by the Republican party. He was chairman of the Republican committee for five years. He has ever received and merited the respect of his asso- ciates.

Reynolds, Tabor B., M. D., was born in Wilton, Saratoga county, April 8, 1821, a son of Dr. Henry and Mary (Emerson) Reynolds. After his school days were over he began the study of medicine with his father, and subsequently in the office of Drs. March and Armsby of Albany; later he took a course in the Albany Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1842. He then returned to Wilton and practiced with his father until the death of the latter on December 20, 1857, when he formed a partnership with his younger brother, Dr. John H. Rey- nolds, and continued the practice so well established. His brother died in 1870, and not long afterward Tabor B. removed to Saratoga Springs. Dr. Reynolds was for many years a prominent figure in the public life of Saratoga county. He was super- intendent of schools from 1847 to 1852, and was a member of the board of supervis-

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ors in 1856, 1857 and re-elected in 1863, holding the office until 1867. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1867, by the Republican party, holding that position until 1871. He has long been a prominent member of the Saratoga County Medical So- ciety and was its president in 1857 and 1858; he is also a member of the New York State Medical Society and was president of the Union Medical Association of Sara- toga, Warren and Washington counties in 1872. In 1878 he was appointed examin- ing surgeon for pensions at Saratoga, and was again appointed in 1889. On Feb- ruary 17, 1843, Dr. Reynolds married Sarah Ann Emerson, who died September 9, 1870. Dr. Reynolds has done a great deal toward the advancement of the medical profession in this State.

Whealey, B. M., was born in Hempstead, L. I., November 23, 1833, a son of Daniel and Adrianna (Doxey) Whealey, natives of Hemptstead. His father was born in 1796, his mother in 1807, and both lived to be over eighty-four years old; they had a family of eleven children. B. M. Whealy left Hempstead early in life and went to New York to commence life for himself. In 1854 be married Miss Julia Wood of Brooklyn, and in that same year went to Ottawa, Ill., to visit an uncle of his wife, who was formerly an old New York butcher. While there Mr. Whealey learned the butcher's trade. In 1858 he went South and on hcaring of the rumor of war between the North and South returned to New York, being just out of Charleston harbor when Fort Sumter was fired on. He came direct to Schuylerville, and in 1862 came to Saratoga Springs, where he opened his meat market, which is is one of the best in the State, having been in the meat business for nearly forty-five years. Mr. Whea- ley is a member of the A. O. U. W. and takes an intelligent interest in Saratoga Springs and its general welfare. He was highway commissioner for three years, being president and treasurer of the board for two years, and is at present an avenue commissioner. Mr. Whealey has two children living: Clarence E. and Gertrude E.

Burnham, Judge James A., police justice of the village of Ballston Spa since 1888, and a successful practicing attorney at the bar since 1878, is a son of Return J. and Elizabeth (Jones) Burnham, and a native of the village of Ballston Spa, where he was born July 23, 1848. The family being in very moderate circumstances, young Burnham went to work in James M. Cook's cotton mills here when only ten years of age, and after three years in that occupation entered the the employ of John Castle, a dealer in poultry, with whom he remained until his twentieth year. All the school- ing he received was obtained in six short winter terms of the public school, but upon this foundation, by studying evenings, reading extensively and always thinking out to a solution any question that perplexed him, he built up a general education which has served every purpose in practical life, and enabled him to acquit himself with credit in the various positions of responsibility to which he has been called. He early formed good habits, and has never used liquor or tobacco in any form. At the age of twenty he went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and took a course of training in Eastman's Business College, from which he was graduated in 1869, and immediately became bookkeeper for a large mercantile establishment in New York city. He re- mained in the metropolis three years, and then returned to Ballston Spa; was en- gaged in the county clerk's office for a short time, after which he accepted a position as bookkeeper for the lumber firm of Barber & Baker, of this village, and remained

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with them until the dissolution of that firm, when he was appointed to settle up their affairs, and attended to that business in the law office of Quackenbush & Whalen in this village. He soon after began the study of law with these gentlemen, and was admitted to practice in 1878. In that year he opened an office at Ballston Spa for the practice of law, and has ever since been engaged in the duties of his profession. Beginning with the traditional nil in the clientage of young lawyers, he has steadily pushed his way towards the front, and now enjoys a large and lucrative practice. He now owns some valuable real estate in this village, and has rendered valuable aid to his brothers and sister, all of whom now own their own homes through his assistance. He was elected justice of the peace, and served one term in that office. In 1888 he was elected to the position of police justice of Ballston Spa and is still ac- ceptably discharging the duties of that responsible office. During his adminstra- tion of police affairs the criminal business has been reduced two-thirds, and bur- glary and arson, which had flourished for years, have been effectually broken up. On July 23, 1877, Judge Burnham was united by marriage to Mary G. Curtis, a daughter of H. L. Curtis, of the village of Ballston Spa. To Mr. and Mrs. Burnham has been born one child, a son, named James A., jr., whose natal day was March 1, 1881. In his political affiliations Judge Burnham has always been a Republican, and is active and influential in the local councils of his party. He has filled a number of the offices of his town, and was largely instrumental in having the village in- corporated. He is a member of Kayaderosseras Lodge No. 270, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Hermon Lodge No. 90, Knights of Pythias; Home Lodge No. 135, Ancient Order of United Workmen; Waconia Tribe No. 179, Improved Order of Red Men; and Ballston Spa Castle No. 3, Knights of the Golden Eagle. The Burnham family is of Scotch-English extraction, and tradition says was first planted in America by three brothers of that name, who came over during the colonial period and settled in southwestern Vermont. Nathaniel Burnham, paternal grandfather of Judge Burnham, was a native of Vermont, and served as a soldier in the war of 1812. At the close of that conflict he removed to Washington county, N. Y., and settled in Saratoga county in 1835. He was a millwright by occupation, and worked at his trade in this county for a number of years, dying in the village of Ballston Spa at the age of seventy years. He married Hannah Wilson, and reared a family of six children, one of his sons being Return J. Burnham (father), who was born in Washington county in 1821, and has been a resident of the village of Balls- ton Spa for the last sixty-eight years. In early manhood he learned the trade of carpenter, and followed that occupation here until about 1875, when the increasing infirmities of age and disabilities received in the Civil war compelled him to retire from active busines. He is now well advanced in his seventy-third year. In 1863 he enlisted in Co. F, Thirteenth New York Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the Civil war. In politics he is a Republican, and for many years has been a strict member of the Methodist Episcopal church. On July 24, 1845, he married Elizabeth Jones, of Schoharie county, this State, and to their union was born a family of ten children, six of whom still survive: Henry W., who enlisted with his father in Co. F, Thirteenth New York Heavy Artillery, in 1863, served until the war ended, and now resides at Ballston Spa, N. Y .; James A., the subject of this sketch; Nathaniel J., Arthur W., Return J., jr., and Carrie P., all residing at Ballston Spa, N. Y. The deceased were Lina, Lela, George F. and Louis G. Mrs. Elizabeth

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Burnham, the mother of this family, was born in Schoharie county, this State, in in 1827, and is consequently in the sixty-eighth year of her age. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and her life, although passed principally in the seclusion of her own home, has exemplified the virtues of noble Christian woman- hood, and won for her the respect and esteem of all who know her and the profound- est love of her children.

Quinn, William H., was born in Ballston Spa, March 29, 1866. His father, John Quinn, came from Ireland in 1852, and settled in Ballston and was a scythe maker by trade; he married Elizabeth Cunningham and died in Ballston in 1877. William H. Quinn was educated in the public schools of Ballston and learned the drug busi- ness with Redmond & Mitchell. In 1890 he became associated with W. J. Redmond under the firm name of W. J. Redmond & Co. After Mr. Redmond's death he pur- chased his interest and is now conducting a successful business.

Freeman, Andrew J., was born in Saratoga Springs, September 7, 1844, a son of Moses Freeman, a native of Vermont. He was educated in the academy at Mechan - icville and in 1862 enlisted in Co. C, 115th N. Y. Vols., taking part in the campaign of Florida and Shenandoah Valley, and while in front of Petersburg lost his left leg. In 1865 he received an honorable discharge and returned to Ballston Spa, where he established his present business as pension attorney. In 1861 he married Phoebe Pettis, and they have one daughter, Mrs. Mattie Hall. Mr. Freeman has served as overseer of the poor and was elected police justice in 1897. He is a member and commander of William H. McKittrick Post No. 46, G. A. R.

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Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York, Part 76

Author: Anderson, George Baker; Boston History Company, Boston, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston History Company Number of Pages: 950

Author: Anderson, George Baker; Boston History Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 950