USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume II > Part 64
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Rozan, James M., Buffalo, one of the leading Polish citizens of Buffalo, is a son of Michael and Mary Rozan, and was born in Boruszyn, Poland, March 15, 1864. Michael Rozan, a farmer and a soldier in the German army, came to America in 1871 and first entered the employ of the New York Central Railroad, but soon settled in Buffalo and in 1872 sent for his family, which consisted of a wife, two sons and a daughter. He was a Democrat and died in 1886. James M. Rozan was put to work at an early age to help support the family, his father's health having failed. He attended St. Stanislaus parochial and public schools, became an assistant teacher in St. Stanislaus School and in 1879 went to Toledo, O., where he taught for five years, having charge of the class during the last three. He was from the first a diligent and painstaking student. After teaching in Dunkirk, N. Y., for ten months he returned to Buffalo as principal of St. Stanislaus parochial school, which position he has since held with great credit and ability. He has always taken a deep interest in Democratic affairs and in 1887 was one of the five founders of the Polish (now the Ninth Ward Polish) Democratic Club, of which he has been successively vice-presi- dent, president and vice-president. In 1890 he was elected supervisor of the Fifth ward and re-elected in 1892, being the first Democrat elected there in eighteen years, and for three years was chairman of the committee on charitable institutions. In 1897 he was renominated for councilman, but was defeated by a small majority. He was secretary-general of the Polish Union of America two years, and on retiring from the office was presented with a valuable gold and diamond badge. During the first Polish Roman Catholic Congress, held in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1896, he was secre- tary to the committee on arrangements and also secretary of the congress. He is treasurer of the Moniuszko Club; a member of the C. M. B. A. ; a trustee of the Em- pire State Savings Bank, and a man of fine literary accomplishments. He has written several articles in Polish on National and tariff reform subjects and is recog- nized as one of the foremost of his countrymen in Buffalo.
Fehr, Albert, Buffalo, son of Joseph and Mary (Seeburger) Fehr, was born in Lyons, Wayne county, N.Y., December 12, 1858. His father, Joseph Fehr, a native of Germany, came to this country when he was a young man, settling in Buffalo and thence removing to Lyons, where he conducted a meat market. Albert Fehr attended the public schools of his native village and Bryant & Stratton's Business College at Rochester, from which he graduated. He was then engaged for four years in the Lyons (N. Y.) post-office as a clerk, and later entered the employ of the American Express Company at Lyons, remaining one year. He then entered the the employ of the New York Central Railroad as a freight clerk and cashier, and a year later returned to the employ of the American Express Company, and was sent to Middletown, N. Y., to act in the capacity of chief clerk. While there his work was so satisfactory that the general superintendent transferred him to the general office at Buffalo, where he remained ten years. In 1892 he was appointed assistant agent, and in 1896 his duties were increased by his being placed in charge of the drivers, the transfer work and the Green street station. Mr. Fehr has many friends, and has risen to his present position through the use of progressive ideas, and by strict attention to business.
Beier, William J., jr., Buffalo, was born in Buffalo in June, 1872, a son of William J. and Mary (Weller) Beier, natives of Buffalo, where they have spent their lives.
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Mr. Beier, sr., devoted the greater part of his life as foreman on building construc- tion work for his father, the latter being a contractor and builder, but he is now leading a retired life. William J., jr., received his education in the public and parochial schools and at St. Canisius College. He began business life as a clerk in a drug store, and later spent three years in a theater, during one year of which he was assistant treasurer. In 1891 he engaged in the feed and flour business at 1109 Utica street, which he has continued successfully ever since. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of Omega Lodge, I. O. O. F., and a charter member of Court Forester Order, of which he was for a time financial secretary. In June, 1896, he married Bertha, daughter of Simon Zimmerman of Buffalo.
Bell, Robert, Buffalo, general superintendent of the Western New York and Penn- sylvania Railway, is a son of Thomas and Hannah Bell, and was born near York, England, July 5, 1844. Coming to America when about seven years of age he re- ceived a common school education in Rochester, N. Y., and his technical education as a civil engineer at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y. In 1869 he entered the railway service as chairman and transitman of the Rochester and State Line Railroad. He then became chief engineer of the Silver Lake Railway, and chief engineer of the Belmont and Buffalo Railway, supervising the construction of the first named road and locating the latter. In 1872 he became assistant en- gineer of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad and continued in that position until 1880, when he became chief engineer of the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad, now the Rochester division of the Western New York and Pennsylvania, and supervised its construction. In 1883 he became chief engineer of the Washing- ton, Ohio and Western Railroad of Virginia, and located its extension across the Blue Ridge and through the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghanies. In 1885-86 he was superintendent and chief engineer of the same line, and then superintendent of the same line as a division of the Piedmont Air Line. In 1887 he became engineer of maintenance of way of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which position he resigned to become division superintendent of the Western New York and Pennsyl- vania Railroad at Oil City, Pa., and since 1889 has been the general superintendent of that line, with headquarters in Buffalo. Mr. Bell is one of the best known rail- road men in the State, and in these various capacities has exhibited rare ability, good judgment and masterly executive qualifications.
Frey, George J., D. D. S., Buffalo, is the eldest son of Andrew and Katherine (Smithlin) Frey, natives of Baden-Baden, Germany, and was born in Gardenville, Erie county, May 22, 1869. Andrew Frey, son of Andrew, came with his parents to America in 1857, when he was sixteen years old, and settled in Buffalo, where he followed his trade as cabinetmaker. About 1865 he moved to a farm at Gardenville, in the town of West Seneca, where he and his wife, a native of Baden, still reside. Dr. Frey was educated in the district schools and at the Northwestern College at Naperville, Ill., and in 1891 was graduated with the degree of D. D. S. from the dental department of the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. While there he became a charter member and the first treasurer of Epsilon Chapter, Delta Sigma Delta, the only Greek letter fraternity for dental students in existence and the third chapter of the kind organized in the United States. On leaving college in 1891 Dr. Frey went to Lyons, France, where he was associated in practice for fifteen months
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with Dr. M. J. Quintero, one of the leading American dentists in Europe. In the fall of 1892 he returned to this country and settled in Buffalo, where he has since been engaged in the general practice of his profession. Dr. Frey was demonstrator of operative dentistry at the dental department of the University of Buffalo for two years (1892-94), and is a member of the Eighth District Dental Society and of Ancient Landmarks Lodge No. 441, F. & A. M. He was married November 27, 1895, to Miss Helen Valleau Lacy, daughter of John Thompson Lacy and Catherine McCabe, his wife, of Buffalo.
Cushman, Charles Weeks, Buffalo, son of David M. and Almira J. (Weeks) Cush- man, is a lineal descendant of Robert Cushman, governor of the Plymouth Colony, charterer of the Mayflower, and financial agent of the Pilgrims ; he was born in Eng- land in 1580. His great-great-grandfather, Charles Cushman, was conspicuous in the Revolutionary war, and his great-great-grandmother, who lived to the age of 107, was among the women of Bennington, Vt., who turned their church into a hos- pital after the great battle of 1777, and who used their own linen to dress with their own hands the wounded soldiers. Mr. Cushman was born August 31, 1848, in Cleve- land, Ohio, where he received his preliminary education in the public schools. He also attended the Rockford (Ill.) High School, and spent two years (1864-65) as a drummer boy in the Army of the Cumberland, marching with Sherman to the sea. In 1869 he entered the service of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad; three years later he was made the general agent, with headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, and ably and faithfully filled that position until 1880, when he resigned. In April, 1880, he organized the Railway Car Association, with headquarters in Buffalo, and as president and general manager of that corporation has successfully made it an important factor in the railroad business of the country. Mr. Cushman has held these positions from the start, and to him is due its entire progress and develop- ment. The association maintains offices at various points in the country. Mr. Cushman is also president of the Columbian Equipment Company and the Standard Iron Works, both of Chicago. He is especially prominent in the Masonic fraternity, and has done more than most men to advance that great order. He is past master of Washington Lodge, No. 240, F. & A. M., and has served as eminent commander of Hugh de Payens Commandery, No. 30, K. T., as junior grand deacon of the Grand Lodge, and as district deputy grand master of the 25th Masonic district. He assisted in organizing Ismailia Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and served as its illus- trious potentate for seven years; has served as thrice potent grand master of Pal- moni Lodge of Perfection; has been illustrious commander-in-chief of Buffalo Con- sistory, S. P. R. S., thirty-second degree, since its inception in 1892; and is the present grand junior warden of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. In September, 1894, he received the highest honors in Masonry, being crowned sover- eign grand inspector-general of the thirty third and last degree. Mr. Cushman is also a member of Bidwell-Wilkeson Post, G. A. R., and was a member of the staff of the commander-in-chief, General Fairchild. He is a public spirited citizen, and is widely known, esteemed and respected. On March 18, 1873, he married Miss Georgie L. Doran, of Chicago, and they have one son, William Doran Cushman, a student at Yale University, class of 1899.
Fisher, John W., Buffalo, the youngest son of John and Nancy (Vantine) Fisher,
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was born in the town of Newstead, Erie county, October 27, 1862. His maternal grandfather, David Vantine, who settled in Clarence in 1804, was a soldier in the war of 1812, being one of the volunteers to help blow up Fort Erie. John Fisher was a prominent Republican, held several town offices, reared two sons and two daughters, and died in 1864; his wife died in 1886. John W. Fisher grew to man- hood in Clarence village, where he received a classical education at the Parker Union School. From 1876 to 1880 he was employed principally in farming and driving a passenger stage coach from Clarence to Looneyville. On April 1, 1880, he came to Buffalo as a student in the law offices of Humphrey & Lockwood and in 1881 entered the office of William C. Bryant, with whom he remained until his ad- mission to the bar in January, 1884. Since then he has been engaged in the prac- tice of his profession, occupying from the first offices in the Western Savings Bank Building where he began his legal studies. Mr. Fisher has always been a staunch Democrat; he served as secretary to Mayor Bishop from 1891 to 1894, and in May, 1892, took an active part in the movement which resulted in the third nomination of Grover Cleveland for president. During the municipal campaign of 1897 he came into wide prominence as the manager of the Diehl forces, and to him is chiefly due the election of not only the mayor, Dr. Conrad Diehl, but of nearly all of his party's candidates. His consummate skill as a campaingn manager placed him at once among the Democratic leaders of the State. Mr. Fisher was for one year a trustee of the Buffalo Bar Association, served two years as president of the Buffalo Lieder- tafel, and is a Scottish Rite Mason. He is now the attorney for the Board of Super- visors of Erie county.
Gerst, Philip, Buffalo, treasurer of the city of Buffalo, is the son of Jacob and Eva (Dormire) Gerst, natives of Germany, the former of whom came to this country in 1832. He was born in Buffalo, N. Y., September 17, 1863, received his education in public school No. 20, at the Buffalo Central High School, and at Bryant & Stratton's Business College, and began the study of law in the office of James A. Roberts. One year later, however, he entered the railway service as a clerk in the freight depart- ment of the Erie Railroad and rose to the position of chief clerk at Black Rock. He remained in the service from 1879 to 1886, when he resigned to engage in the coal business as a member of the firm of Dakin & Sloan. In 1888 he formed a co-part- nership with Michael Doll and established a real estate and insurance business, which he still continues, having purchased the interest of his partner. Mr. Gerst early took an active part in politics, and in 1892 was nominated city assessor, but was defeated, though he ran ahead of his ticket. In 1894-95 he represented the Sixth Erie county district in the Legislature, serving as chairman of the canal committee during the session of the assembly. In 1895 he was elected to the responsible position of treas- urer of the city of Buffalo by a large majority, and on January 1, 1896, began his four years' term in that office. He is one of the youngest city treasurers ever elected in Buffalo. Mr. Gerst is a 32d degree Mason, holding membership in Occidental Lodge, No. 776, F. & A. M. He isalso a member of North Buffalo Lodge, No. 517. I. O. O. F.
Hawks, Edward Clinton, Buffalo, is a lineal descendant of (1) Isaac Allerton, who was born in England in 1585, married Mary Norris at Leyden, Holland, in 1611, came to America in the Mayflower in 1620, and died at New Haven, Conn., in 1659. Mr. Allerton was one of that immortal band of Pilgrims who, signing the compact,
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brought their principles of religion to the barren shores of New England. His daugh- ter, (2) Sarah Allerton, born in Leyden, also came over in the Mayflower. She mar- ried Moses Maverick, of Plymouth, Mass., in 1637. Their daughter, (3) Rebecca, born in Marblehead, Mass., about 1639, was married there to John Hawks on June 3, 1658, and died at Lynn in 1659. He was born at Charlestown, Mass., in 1633, and died in Lynn August 5, 1694. (4) Moses Hawks (or Hawkes), their son, born at Lynn, November 29, 1659, died there January 1, 1708-9. May 10, 1698, he married Mar- garet Cogswell, who was born in Lynn September 6, 1675. Their son, (5) Moses Hawks (or Hawkes), born at Lynn March 4, 1699, was married there April 9, 1730, to Susannah Townsend. (6) Daniel Hawks, their son, was born at Lynn, October 20, 1749, married Rhoda Perham, and died at Richfield Springs, N. Y., May 8, 1831. Their son, (7) Thomas Hawks, born at Petersham, Mass, April 2, 1784, married Nancy Fitch at Richfield Springs June 23, 1811, and died at Columbia, N. Y., March 25, 1870; she was born at Pawlet, Vt., April 2, 1792, and died at Columbia July 24, 1863. (8) Thomas Sidney Hawks, their son, born in Columbia, Herkimer county, N. Y., June 25, 1816, came to Buffalo in 1840, married Hester Ann Layton July 20, 1843, and died here July 26, 1886. She was born at Talmadge, Ohio, February 22, 1815, and died in Buffalo April 26, 1872. They were the parents of (9) Edward Clinton Hawks, who was born in Buffalo, N. Y., July 26, 1846. Mr. Hawks was graduated from the Central High School in 1865, read law in the office of Sprague. & Fillmore, and for seven years was their managing clerk, having charge of the real estate tran- sactions of their client, the Erie County Savings Bank. He was admitted to the bar in 1869, and since 1871 has been in active and succesful practice. He was city at_ torney of Buffalo in 1880-81, was once tendered the nomination for congressman from this district, and has been Grand President of the State of the I. O. O. F. He is an able lawyer, a man widely respected and esteemed and largely interested in land and grain elevators, being one of the builders of the International Elevator at Black Rock. He has given much attention to the subject of good roads, upon which he has published several notable articles, and is an honorary member of the Art Students League, a member of the Merchants Exchange, and a fellow of the Buffalo Society of Artists. He was also a member of old Hesper Lodge, I. O. O. F., which sent thirty-seven of its sixty six members into public office. June 5, 1879, he married Amanda Smith, of Buffalo, a lineal descendant of Richard Smith, jr., the crown patentee of Smithtown, L. I. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hawks are members of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. Their children are Maurice Fitch and Hester.
Luce, Dr. Frank, Buffalo, is a grandson of Truman and Loretta (Bissell) Luce, who came from Vermont to Lancaster, Erie county, about 1815, and settled on a farm in what was then a wilderness, where their son, Benjamin Franklin Luce, was born. The latter married Christina Schenshel, who came to Lancaster from Germany with her parents about 1848. In 1892 Mr. and Mrs. Luce removed to Buffalo, where he still resides, and where she died in July, 1894. Dr. Frank Luce, their eldest son, was born in Lancaster, Erie county, N. Y., November 17, 1854, was educated in the Union Schools of Lancaster and Williamsville, and in the fall of 1872 entered the office of his uncle, Dr. Orlando Luce, one of the oldest and most prominent dentists in Buffalo, with whom he remained until the latter's death in March, 1896. He then succeeded to the business, which he still continues on his own
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account. Dr. Luce is a well known dentist, and a member of Erie Lodge, No. 161, F. & A. M., and of the Acacia Club.
Neff, John William, Buffalo, son of Louis J. and Sophia (Bolton) Neff, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., March 23, 1862, attended the public schools, and for two years was a messenger boy for the Western Union Telegraph Company. Afterward he was in the employ of the Red Line Fast Freight Company for eight years, and since 1886 has been engaged in the insurance business, making a specialty of steam boiler, plate glass, and accident insurance. He has always taken an active interest in politics, and in 1891 and again in 1893 was elected supervisor of the Seventh ward of Buffalo. When the office of county auditor was created in 1895 he was unanimously nom- inated for the position by the Republican County Convention, and at the ensuing election was chosen by a large majority for a term of four years. He is a member of Ancient Landmarks Lodge No. 441, F. & A. M., of Buffalo Lodge No. 36, I. O. O. F., and of the Royal Arcanum, and a charter member of the Odd Fellows' Club. He has been twice married, first, on May 10, 1881, to Eva J. Sloan of Buffalo, and second, on January 27, 1896, to Elizabeth A. Menzies.
Phillips, Frank G., Buffalo, eldest son of Anthony and Eva (Baker) Phillips, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., December 22, 1858. Anthony Phillips, a native of Strass- burg, France (now Germany), came to America in 1840 and settled in Buffalo, where he followed the business of contracting and building until his death in March, 1883. His wife, a daughter of Joseph Baker and a native of Buffalo, died in 1892. Frank G. Phillips received a public and private school education, and then entered the trunk manufacturing establishment of S. Henry Runcie & Co., with which he has ever since been identified. From errand boy and clerk he became a salesman, and during the last twelve of the twenty years of his connection with that firm he represented them on the road. On February 15, 1886, he bought them out and since then has successfully conducted the establishment alone. The business, which has been located at 352 Main street since 1885, is an extensive one-one of the largest, in fact, between New York and Chicago. All kinds of trunks, valises, etc., and many leather goods are manufactured. Mr. Phillips is an able business man and takes a keen interest in all worthy enterprises. For eleven years he was a member of the 74th Regiment, N. G. N. Y., rising to the position of captain of Co. G, which commission he held four years. He is a prominent member and for three years was treasurer of the Buffalo Catholic Institute, is a member of the C. B. L., was a charter member of the Buffalo Catholic Club and is a member and for one year was a director of the Buffalo Orpheus.
Patridge, George W., Buffalo, was born in the town of Middlebury, Wyoming county, N. Y., October 1, 1842, and since 1863 has been a resident of Buffalo, where he was engaged in the milk business for twenty-eight years. At the end of this time he took up contract work and has since been engaged in all kinds of contract- in. Mr. Patridge was a member of the City Council for ten years, being president of that body for the years 1882, 1886 and 1887. November 15, 1864, he married Helen F. Cooley, of Attica, N. Y. She died January 8, 1887, and June 17, 1896, he married Lucy Savage, of New York.
Schafer, Frederick J., Buffalo, eldest son of Frederick and Gertrude (Riebling)
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Schafer, natives of Germany, was born in Attica, N. Y., March 29, 1859. Frederick Schafer, the father, came to America about 1853 and first settled in Buffalo, but soon removed to Attica, where he followed the business of carpenter and contractor for many years, and where he and his wife still reside. They reared two sons and two daughters. Frederick J. Schafer was educated in the public schools of Attica, came to Buffalo in 1876 and learned the merchant tailor's trade, which he followed as a journeyman until the fall of 1878, when he engaged in the business for himself. His first establishment was in the old Arcade building; in 1891 he moved to his present location at 18 Court street, where he has one of the best merchant tailoring stores in the city. Mr. Schafer is a practical tailor and has been very successful, having built up a large and prosperous trade through dealings which have been honorable and businesslike. He is well known and popular, and a member of Queen City Council No. 259, Royal Arcanum. January 3, 1888, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Philip and Elizabeth Bommer of Buffalo, and they have six sons: William F., Edward J., Frederick J., jr., Franklin F., Milton B. and Harold A.
Ulbrich, Otto, Buffalo, was born in Magdeburg, Prussia, August 6, 1842, received a private school education, and when twelve years of age came to America settling in Buffalo. Here he attended the Buffalo public schools, and when fourteen years old became a clerk in the bookstore of Loring Danforth, remaining with him and his successors until about 1861, when he accepted a position as bookkeeper with Mar- tin Taylor, bookseller, with whom he remained ten years. In 1871 he formed a co- partnership with Charles Herger, under the firm name of Herger & Ulbrich and en- gaged in the book business in the old St. James block. Eight years later this firm dissolved and Mr. Ulbrich and Spencer S. Kingsley continued the business under the style of Ulbrich & Kingsley until they were burned out in the great Richmond Hotel fire of March 17, 1887. Since then Mr. Ulbrich has carried on the business alone, first in the Arcade until that building was burned and after that at 386 Main street. He is one of the oldest and most successful booksellers in Buffalo, and is widely known and respected. He has been a member of Ancient Landmarks Lodge No, 441, F. & A. M., since he was twenty-three years old, and was one of the organ- izers of the Buffalo Orpheus Singing Society, which he has served in various official capacities. In June, 1872, he married Miss Margaret Wuest of Buffalo, and they have five daughters: Minnie, Adele, Clara, Edna and Margaret.
Lautz, Frederick Christopher Martin, Buffalo, son of William and Elizabeth (Hiemenz) Lautz, was born in Rimborn, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, March 5, 1846, and when seven years old came with his parents to Buffalo, where he received a public school education. During the Rebellion he served in the 81st N. Y. Vols. Afterward he engaged in the soap business with his father, in which he has since con- tinued, being now a member of the Lautz Brothers & Co., one of the largest and best known soap manufacturing concerns in the United States. Mr. Lautz was also one of the founders of the Niagara Starch Works and of the onyx works of the Lautz Company, and is a member of the Niagara Stamping and Tool Company. He is a life member of the German Young Men's Association, which he served as president from 1881 to 1884, and under his administration the first music hall was built, and after that was burned in 1885 he was instrumental in erecting the present structure. He has been one of its real estate commissioners since 1883, and for five years was
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