USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume II > Part 25
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Niagara Cycle. Fittings Company, Buffalo .- This concern was established in 1893 by Messrs. Willard Parker and Mortimer H. Wright. They occupy premises at Nos. 297-299-301 Niagara street; the building is 60 by 132 feet, four floors and basement, and the company gives employment to from 150 to 250 workmen. They manufac- ture a large variety of bicycle pedals, supplying the trade in general. Their busi- ness extends all over the world and it is the largest house of the kind in the world. This concern was incorporated January 2, 1894, with Mr. Parker as the president and Mr. Wright as secretary. Both members give their personal attention to the business, and in every particular the house is, and always has been a model one.
Kam, John, jr., one of Buffalo's most enterprising and progressive business men, was born in that city, April 15, 1871, and attended St. Mary's School and Canisius College. After completing his schooling he entered his father's malt house to learn the trade, and afterward as bookkeeper, and in 1889 was admitted to membership in the firm of John Kam Malting Company. In June, 1896, he was married to Louise V., daughter of William Simon of Buffalo.
Ransom, Norman W., Buffalo .- Prominent among Buffalo's representatives in the live stock brokerage business, is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of the present sketch. He has been engaged in the live stock business at East Buffalo since 1878, and was born in Madison county, N. Y. Prior to embarking in this sphere of activity he had been engaged in the butchering business for some time. He is a gentleman of strict integrity, as well as of energy and enterprise, and dur- ing the twenty years he has been handling live stock has been steadily pushing his
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way to the front and has achieved an enviable reputation and is well worthy of the large measure of success achieved. He was one of the first to advocate, and was one of the organizers and vice-president, of the East Buffalo Live Stock Association. For the past eight years he has served the city on the Board of Park Commissioners.
Waltz, Horace, Buffalo .- This well and favorably known establishment was orig- inally founded in 1894 by Messrs. Tipton & Waltz, to whom Mr. Waltz, the present proprietor, succeeded in 1895 and under whose efficient management it has since been conducted with increased success. Mr. Waltz is a very popular gentleman and by strict attention to business and the satisfaction always given to patrons, he has built up a large and growing business. He was born in Ohio, but has resided in Buf- falo the greater part of his life. He has a host of friends, owing to his honorable, liberal business methods.
Lehner, R. J., & Co., Buffalo .- R. J. Lehner of the firm of R. J. Lehner & Co., dry goods house, was born in Buffalo, August 5, 1869, and attended school until the age of twelve. His first employment was as office boy with Henry Nauert in the printing and bookbinding business in 1882. Two years later he graduated at the Bryant & Stratton Business College. In 1885 he became connected with the Fa- vorite Manufacturing Company as bookkeeper. In 1888 he took charge of Fleisch- mann & Co.'s shipping department for three years. His next undertaking was starting in the retail dry goods business with H. Ziegler, under the name of Ziegler & Lehner in 1894. Mr. Lehner succeeded Mr. Ziegler and is now doing a large re- tail business with his father-in-law, Louis J. Baitz, the popular east side wall paper and paint house. The premises are 60 by 100 feet, and they do a large and success- ful business, being patronized by the best trade in the city and country, who find here vast stocks, infinite varieties, the most approved styles and reliable goods, with prices as reasonable as can be quoted by any legitimate merchants in the city.
Siekmann, Carl F., Buffalo, was born at Vossheide, Lippe, Germany, March 26, 1865. He attended both public and private schools and was graduated from the Teachers' Seminary in Detmold in 1885. He emigrated to America in September, 1889, settling in New York city, where he remained for two years and then removed to Buffalo. He was appointed assistant secretary of the German Young Men's Christian Association for four months, and was then removed to St. Louis, where he held the same position for one year. Returning east he engaged in the laundry business in New York city and in 1892 removed to Buffalo, where he engaged in the stationery, music and book business, which he has since followed very successfully. September 22, 1892, he married Anna Munstermann of Germany.
Schneider, William, Buffalo .- A recognized artist in all that pertains to the pro- duction of gentlemen's fine garments, established himself in 1894 at his present location, in the person of William Schneider. Mr. Schneider was born in Hessen- Nassau, Germany, and has resided in this country since 1882. He is an artist in his profession and has a well earned reputation for the correct taste, great skill, ex- cellent judgment and the superior workmanship he furnishes his patrons, which, combined with promptitude in the execution of orders, renders him popular and successful.
Wilcox, George T., Buffalo, son of Louis and Martha (Laflin) Wilcox, was born at
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Niagara Falls, N. Y., April 28, 1857 He removed with his parents to Buffalo when but a child, where he received his elementary education. His first business ex- perience was to serve a four years' apprenticeship at the Buffalo Machinery Agency. He was employed at various things until 1895, when he formed a copartnership with his father in the machinery business. June 23, 1880, he married Josie Skehan of Linden, Genesee county, N. Y., who has proved a good wife and a great helpmate to him; they have four promising children, namely: Harry Leonard, Martha A. E., Ruth E. and Francis A.
Tindle, Thomas, Buffalo, was born in Yorkshire, England, April 7, 1836, and at the age of nineteen came to America, settling in Canada, where he remained for a time, thence removed to Oswego, N. Y., and engaged in the forwarding business which he carried on for ten years. In 1866 he removed to Buffalo and entered the service of Toles & Sweet, remaining in their employ and their successors for a period of twelve years; this firm was at that time one of the largest dealers in cooperage stock in Western New York. At the end of this service he engaged in the same business for himself, and in 1888 his son-in-law, Willis K. Jackson, was admitted to membership and the firm is now known as Tindle & Jackson, and are the largest manufacturers and dealers of cooperage stock in the world. Their annual output is 55,000,000 hoops, 35,000,000 staves and 250,000 sets of heading; they employ in their different mills throughout the country from 400 to 500 men and their business ex- tends from Maine to California. Mr. Tindle was married in April, 1856, to Harriett Braithwaite of England, and they have two children Mrs. Willis K. Jackson and Frank T. Tindle. Mr. Tindle is a director of the Niagara Bank and a member of political and social clubs.
Carey, John F., Buffalo .- Among the leading houses doing business out on Grant street, in that remarkably busy section north of Hampshire street, is that of John F. Carey. He conducts a boot and shoe establishment that is a credit to that part of the city. This business was established in 1891 by the present proprietor. Mr. Carey was born at Milford, Mass., January 13, 1851. His first business experience was as an apprentice at the shoemaker's trade. He removed to Buffalo in 1876 and worked at his trade until 1891, when he opened a retail boot and shoe store on his own account, in which he is still engaged. He was married in May, 1874, to Jennie A. Hearn from Pennsylvania.
Fisher, Jacob P., part owner of one of Buffalo's most prominent malt houses, was born October 18, 1835, in the town of Amherst, Erie county, N. Y. In 1847 his father sold his farm and moved to Buffalo with his family, where Jacob received a parochial and public school education. In 1862 his brother, George Fisher, estab- lished himself in the malting business and in 1865 admitted Jacob P. and Philip Houck to membership and the firm has since been known as Fisher Bros. & Co. Mr. Fisher is an energetic, enterprising, upright citizen and well deserves the suc- cess and personal popularity he has achieved in his nearly fifty years' residence in Buffalo. He has been twice married, first, in 1859, to Josephine Beckert of Buffalo, who died in 1862; and the second time to Margaret Willyoung of Bowmansville, N. Y., in May, 1870.
Klinck Brothers, Buffalo .- Christian and Charles Klinck are the third largest meat
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packers in the city of Buffalo. They are natives of Germany, Christian coming to the United States in 1867 and Charles in 1872. They came here poor boys and were employed by their cousin, C. Klinck, where they learned the packing business. In 1882 the brothers engaged in the meat business for themselves in a small way, and with their energy and business ability their business increased, and for a number of years they have been the third largest beef producers in the city. They later added to this the pork business, and in the spring of 1897 purchased the pack- ing house of Joseph Roland, thereby increasing their capacity nearly double, their weekly capacity now being about 200 cattle and 300 swine.
Masten, William I., Buffalo, has been prominently identified with the manufacture of pants, shirts and overalls in that city for many years, and is at the head of one of the largest establishments of this kind in the country. He was born in Wayne county, N. Y., February 18, 1857. His education was obtained from the public schools and the Arcade Academy, from which institution he was honorably gradu- ated in the class of '75. His first business experience was that of a retail grocer, in which he was very successful and continued for a number of years. Prior to his connection in the manufacturing business he was employed as a traveling salesman for Arend & Morgan, a wholesale dry goods house, in whose employ he continued until 1884, when he became a member of the firm of Elwood, Masten & Bean, which copartnership was continued until 1887, and was succeeded by Messrs. W. I. Masten & Co., the present style of the firm. The premises occupied are large and spacious, and they give employment to a large number of people. Mr. Masten is a mem- ber of a number of social clubs and societies, being prominently identified with all branches of Masonry. He was married in November, 1886, to Miss Ida M. Good- sell of Olean, N. Y.
Haake, Frederick William, Buffalo, was born in Westphalia, Prussia, July 21, 1830. His early life was spent on a farm with his father, John Haake. When nine- teen years of age he concluded to come to America and starting out alone landed in Buffalo with but $5 in his pocket. Here he found work in a brick yard at $10 a month, working from daylight till dark for a day's work and taking half his pay from a store. He afterward worked on a farm and later as teamster in Buffalo for a street contractor. In 1855 he engaged in the sand business for himself, boating the sand and delivering it to masons. In 1861 he began street contract work for the city, and in 1864 bought a grain boat and made six trips to New York that year and sold his boat in the autumn, resuming his contract work. In 1875 he purchased his present brick yard property and engaged in the manufacture of brick; this business he has continued successfully to the present time. In 1896 Mr. Haake took with him as a partner in the brick business his son William. Mr. Haake owns a valuable tract of land in Angola, containing sixty acres, principally shale of a very superior quality for the manufacture of shale brick; another forty acre farm near the city limits which he rents with privilege of purchasing ; and twelve acres of property in the city, owned by Mr. Haake on which his plant is situated, with tenement houses. Haake & Son's brick plant has a capacity of 60,000 bricks per day. Mr. Haake has been twice married, first in 1855 to Louisa Slausser, and they had one son and one daughter; his second wife was Barbara Bly of Hamburg, and they have four sons living. Mr. Haake and his sons are all Republicans; William is a member of the I. O. O. F.
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Beier, William J., jr., Buffalo, is a prosperous young man, a dealer in feed and flour. He was born in Buffalo in June, 1872, a son of William J. and Mary (Weller) Beier, natives of Buffalo and where they have spent their lives. Mr. Beier, sr , devoted the forepart of his life as foreman on building construction work for his father, the elder being a contractor and builder; he is now leading a retired life. William J., jr., received his education in a private German school, the public schools and a few terms in Canisius College. He began business life as a clerk in a drug store, later spent three years in a theater, one year of which he was assistant treas- urer. In 1891 he engaged in the feed and flour business, in which he has continued ever since. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Odd Fellows, charter member of Court Forester, of which he was for a time active financial secre- tary, and also a member of the order of Foresters. In June, 1896, he married Bertha Zimmerman of Buffalo.
Reimers, John, superintendent of the Buffalo School Furniture Company's Foundry, was born in Kesten Hoge, Mechlenburg-Schwerin, Germany, April 1, 1846, and is one of two sons and two daughters. This family is remarkable an account of their physical size, ranging in weight from 260 pounds to 380, the weight of the youngest daughter, who is as sprightly as many people less than one-half her weight. Mr. Reimers's father, Joseph Reimers, was a mechanic; he came to Buffalo in 1857 and for some twenty years before his death had charge of George L. Squires Company's manufacturing plant. John Reimers attended the schools of his native place until eleven years of age and the public schools of Buffalo until fourteen when he began his trade of moulder; this he has followed ever since, being connected with different concerns. From 1872 to 1877 he owned and conducted a brass foundry and for two years subsequent owned one-fourth interest in the Buffalo Steam Heating Co. at Lancaster. In 1879 Mr. Reimers engaged with the Buffalo School Furniture Co. and since 1880 to the present time he has had charge of their foundry. He resides in Lancaster, where he owns a residence. He served his town one year as high- way commissioner, being elected by the Republicans. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Arnum Lodge No. 225, of which he is secretary. His wife was Elizabeth Will, a native of the same place, and they had five daughters and one son.
Rose, J. W., Buffalo, was born at Mansfield, Pa., in 1874, a son of James E. and Margaret E. (Everett) Rose. He received his education in the public schools of his native town and the State Normal School at Mansfield, from which institution he was honorably graduated in 1890. After graduation he engaged in teaching for a period of three years, when he removed to Buffalo to accept the management of the Crandall Harness Co. The ability and fidelity he has exhibited in the management of the company's extensive affairs have made him very popular with the citizens of East Buffalo, and none is held in higher esteem than J. W. Rose.
Holland, Nelson, Buffalo, is the eighth generation from John Holland, the first of the family in America, who came in 1634. He was a merchant and the whole line were men of unusual longevity, averaging over seventy years. Mr. Holland is one of the best types of a self-made man. He was born in Belchertown, Mass., June 24, 1829, removing to Niagara Falls in 1836, and one year later to Springville, Erie county, where he lived on a farm and received a common school education, sawing
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wood to pay for his tuition. In 1850 he went to Buffalo and worked for his uncle, Selim Sears, who was then operating a mill at Saginaw, Mich. A year later found him in Michigan, purchasing and shipping lumber to Oliver Bugbee, a Buffalo dealer ; three years later he joined William Oaks, of Detroit, in purchasing the Barnard in - terest in the firm of Barnard & Brooks saw mill, which stood near where now stands the Michigan Central Railroad station. They soon after purchased of S. S. Barnard 4,000 acres of Michigan pine lands, and in 1855 Mr. Holland and Mr. Oaks pur- chased a mill at St. Clair. In the year 1863 they dissolved partnership, Mr. Holland taking the mill and Mr. Oaks the standing timber to supply the Fletcher mill. In 1864 Mr. Holland bought 4,000 acres for $16,000; this tract cut 100,000,000 feet of good timber, leaving much waste. In 1864 he left his mill in St. Clair in charge of his brother Luther, and went to Buffalo to look after the sale of the output. He then purchased an interest in the planing mill of Eton, Brown & Co., and later added to his purchases more mills and pine lands, extending his possessions into Canada. After forty years' of active operations in the pine forests of Michigan, seeing all the ups and downs of the lumbering industry in that State, including the panics of 1857, 1873 and 1893, Mr. Holland retains much of his old time vigor, ambition and force with which to carry forward his plans of future operations. In 1887 the Buffalo firm of Holland, Graves & Montgomery was organized, since which time they have han- dled over 500,000,000 feet of pine lumber. Mr. Holland is a past master in the art of manipulating pine forests and getting the product into marketable form. He has probably cut and consumed both directly and indirectly more pine lumber than any other man.
Hoyt, Richard H., Buffalo, was born in that city September 6, 1850. He received a common school education from the public schools of his native city, after which he learned the carpenter's trade with his father, in which he was engaged at various places until 1880, when he engaged in the manufacture of wooden boxes on a very small scale. In 1887 he admitted to membership in the business H. B. Loomis, which copartnership continued until 1893, when Mr. Hoyt assumed full charge of the busi- ness and has since conducted same alone. This is now one of the largest concerns of the kind in Western New York, giving employment to from thirty to forty work- men, having a capacity of two and one-half million feet of lumber annually. Mr. Hoyt was married August 23, 1873, to Julia A. Bentley of North Evans, Erie county, N. Y.
Hammer, Conrad, Buffalo, is one of the best brewers in the country, having had thirty years' experience in the business. He was born in Rhein-Hessen, Germany, in 1851, and came to America in 1867. After working in Buffalo and in all the principal breweries in the West, he returned to Germany, where he took a regular course in the brewing business to more complete his knowledge in this line, and again came to Buffalo, where he engaged with Joseph Haverstraw as foreman for a number of years. This brewery was turned into the German-American Brewery Company, of which Mr. Hammer was foreman for eight years. In 1893 he built the Germania Brewery, corner of Broadway and Bailey avenue, which he con- ducted for one year and then made a stock company of it, in which he holds one- third interest and is vice-president and superintendent. Under this management the business has thrived, and out of the eighteen breweries in the city it ranks
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ninth. In politics Mr. Hammer is a Democrat. He is a married man with a fam- ily of six sons and four daughters.
Benson, Edwin A., manager of the Wagner Palace Car Co.'s Buffalo Works, was born at Easton, Washington county, N. Y., January 13, 1848. His parents removed to Warsaw, N. Y., when he was quite young, where he received a liberal education from the public schools and was graduated in 1866 under Professor Dann, receiving a teacher's certificate. He early evinced an interest in machinery, which was evi- dently inherited from his father, who was a skilled mechanic and inventor, and ac- cordingly he entered the shops which were managed by his father, where he remained until he had thoroughly mastered the machinist's trade. He at this juncture re- moved to Elmira, N. Y., where he served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade under an uncle who was a prominent contractor at that place. After a time in the employ of his uncle he went to Rockford, Ill., remaining for a short time only, when he went to Aurora, Ill. It was while at this place he made the acquaintance of Mr. Thomas Bissell, with whom he has since been closely associated. After two years at Aurora he was offered a position in the Pullman shops at Detroit, where he re- mained from 1872 to 1879; during this time he was sent to Paterson, N. J., to set up twenty-five thirty feet cabs for the engines, to be used on the Metropolitan Elevated Road in New York, which were built by the Grant Locomotive Works. His next place was in St. Louis as superintendent of repairs for the Union Depot Company, having charge of all repairs and car cleaning, and remained there eight months when he took charge of the machinery department of the Missouri Car Foundry Co., remaining there only a few months when he accepted a position with the Pullman Company at the new town of Pullman, Ill. He was the first settler of the town, and made out the first requisition for tools and material used for car building purposes at these works. In 1882, on account of ill health, the company removed him to St. Louis, giving him charge of the shops at that city, where he remained until March 1, 1886, when he severed his connection with that company and entered the service of the Wagner Company at Schenectady, as master car builder, and when the new plant was established at Buffalo he was made assistant manager of this extensive plant, which position he filled until April 1, 1895. At this time he was appointed manager of the Wagner Palace Car Co.'s Buffalo Works, vice Mr. T. A. Bissell resigned. Mr. Ben- son was married January 9, 1870, in Rockford, Ill., to Sarah A. Burt of Castile, Wy- oming county, N. Y. Mr. Benson is a thorough-going business man and has the happy faculty of retaining and constantly adding to his circle of friends.
Brown, Robert Sivewright, Buffalo, was born at Bathurst, New Brunswick, Miri- machi county, Lower Provinces of Canada, of Robert and Carolina Elizabeth Sive- wright Brown, on the 30th day of January, 1865, and has resided in Buffalo on Hagerman street, in what is known as the Hydraulic, since 1870. He received his education in the old public school No. 5 on Seneca street, passing as far through as the second grade when had to leave to go to work in 1877, at the age of twelve years, starting as newsboy and bootblack, and while such had as customers the Hon. Grover Cleveland, Hon. Lyman K. Bass, Wilson S. Bissell, Robert C. Titus, Mark Hubbell, present city clerk of Buffalo, and others. His first business experience was in the tannery of Hartwell Bowen, where he remained for about two years, and then went to work as waiter, learning it in the employ of Charles Huber, in the Model
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Coffee House, where he remained until 1883, when he then learned the trade of paper hanging and decorating, which trade he has followed ever since, working for the house of Adams & Allen, 616 Main street, Buffalo. In 1894 he formed a copartner- ship with John J. McKenna and went into business under the firm name of Brown & McKenna, dealers in fine wall papers and mouldings, at 702 Swan street, Buffalo. Starting by carrying a stock at Mr. Brown's house and having a show room 10 by 12, with plate glass front on Swan street, they now occupy a store on the same location, 20 by 50, and carrying a large stock of the finest grades of paper. In 1889 he mar- ried Mary L. Couburn of Buffalo, born in 1872, and were blessed with four children, of which one (Hazel Gertrude Brown) is now living, being four years of age.
Ortman, Barnim F., Buffalo, is well known to the entire community, having been for many years superintendent of the Urban Mills, which are the largest flour mills in Western New York. Previous to his locating in Buffalo he was employed in some of the largest mills in Minneapolis. He is thoroughly proficient in his line and is recognized authority on all subjects appertaining to the manufacture of flour, which an experience of nearly forty years of activity in the business would neces- sarily bestow. In February, 1872, Mr. Ortman married Avis M. Taylor of Anoka, Minn.
Flickinger, George S., Buffalo, was born in the town of Boston, Erie county. N. Y., September 26, 1875, and was educated in the public schools of his native village. When he was quite young he entered the grocery store of his brothers as a clerk, and remained with them for a period of four years, when he embarked in the busi- ness on his own account at No. 1847 Niagara street, where he has built up a large and growing business, and is recognized as one of the leading business men in that section of the city. Mr. Flickinger is a son of Michael and Theresa (Zimmerman) Flickinger, who emigrated from Germany to America about 1854, settling in Erie county, N. Y. His father was town clerk of Boston for thirty years and was a mem- ber of one of the most respected pioneer families of Erie county.
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