USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume II > Part 65
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chairman of the board. He is also a life member of the Buffalo Library, the Buffalo Historical Society, and the Fine Arts Academy; one of the organizers and a life member of the Buffalo Orpheus; an organizer and a member of the Buffalo Catholic Institute ; and a trustee of the Buffalo Homoeopathic Hospital. His chief character- istic, however, is his earnest and generous devotion to music. He is pre-eminently the patron of the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, which he started in 1888, and which has since been maintained through his liberality. In fact, he has made up deficits year after year in the accounts of the organization, and has been to Buffalo what Colonel Higginson has been to Boston. He is gifted with a fine voice, has been the solo barytone in St. Paul's church for many years, and on many public occasions of a patriotic nature has sung " The Star Spangled Banner." He was also an organ- izer of the Buffalo Musical Association. He is president of the Ellicott Square Bank, was an originator of the Ellicott Square Building and is vice-president of the Ellicott Square Company, and is president of the Shaker Heights Land Company, which presented to the City of Cleveland, Ohio, 279 acres of land, valued at over $400,000, for park purposes. He is also a promoter and the treasurer of the Pan- American Exposition for 1899, an organizer and one of the first directors of the Elli- cott Club, and a director of the Buffalo Club. In every capacity Mr. Lautz has exhibited marvelous ability, great energy and enterprise, and unyielding integrity and devotion. He was married in 1874 to Miss Amelia K., daughter of John and Augusta Trageser, of New York city and they have three daughters.
Lockwood, Hon. Daniel Newton, Buffalo, was born in Hamburg, Erie county, N. Y., June 1, 1844, and was graduated from Union College at Schenectady in 1865. Soon afterward he began the study of law in the office of Judge Humphrey in Buf- falo and was admitted to the bar in May, 1866. Since then he has been in active and successful practice. Mr. Lockwood early took an active interest in politics ; as a Democrat he has achieved a wide reputation as a campaign speaker and orator, and for many years has been a valued leader of his party. In 1871 he was nominated for district attorney of Erie county, and, though defeated, ran 1,500 votes ahead of his ticket; in 1874 he was again nominated and elected. Before the expiration of his term he was elected to the 45th Congress, which assembled in October, 1877. In 1890 and again in 1892 he was elected to that office and served with great distinction in the 52d and 53d Congresses. In 1894 he was nominated for lieutenant governor of New York. In 1880 he was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention at Cincinnati, and in the same year he nominated Grover Cleveland as the Democratic candidate for mayor of Buffalo. At the State Democratic Convention in 1882 he placed Mr. Cleveland in nomination for governor, and at the National Democratic Convention of 1884, to which he was a delegate, he made the speech nominating that gentleman for president, In 1886 President Cleveland appointed him U. S. attorney for the northern district of New York, which office he resigned three years later. As a lawyer Mr. Lockwood has achieved eminent success, and is regarded as one of the ablest, soundest and most zealous counselors in the State. As a states- man he won a high reputation for the careful and conscientious manner in which he guarded the interests of the community and country at large. He is an eloquent orator, a good business man, and a public spirited citizen, and in every capacity has discharged his duties with great credit and satisfaction. He is president and mana-
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ger of the Akron Cement Works and of the Buffalo Sewer Pipe Company, and a director in the New York and New Jersey Bridge Company and the Merchants' and the Third National Banks. October 18, 1870, he married Sarah B. Brown, of Buf- falo, and they have two children: Elizabeth B. and Thomas B. Lockwood.
Dunston, George H., Buffalo, is the son of Thomas A. and Charlotte (Hind) Dun- ston, natives of England, who came to this country and settled in Rochester, N. Y., in 1850. In 1862 they removed to Buffalo, where the mother died in 1882 and the father in 1883, leaving seven children, all of whom are living. The father was a carpenter and builder. Mr. Dunston was born September 20, 1851, in Rochester, where he first attended the public schools; coming to Buffalo with the family in 1862, he finished his education in the public schools of this city, and in 1867 entered the lithographing establishment of Clay, Cosack & Co., where he remained until 1873, serving first as assistant bookkeeper and afterward as bookkeeper. In 1873 he en- gaged in the lithographing business for himself, and ten years later started his pres- ent establishment in the old Morning Express building, where he was burned out in 1884. He continued the business, however without interruption, occupying quarters on the Terrace, and in 1885 moved to his present location on the corner of Terrace and West Seneca streets. Mr. Dunston has built up from small beginnings a litho- graphing business of large proportions, covering all parts of the United States and even extending into many foreign countries. He employs between one hundred and 125 hands. He has passed through all the chairs of Odd Fellowship to the Rebecca degree, being past grand of old Hesper Lodge. In February, 1883, he married Nellis S., daughter of Bradford Taber, of Buffalo, and they have one daughter, Doris.
Kopp, Charles J., Buffalo, son of Joseph and Christina (Timer) Kopp, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., June 13, 1863. He obtained his education in the public schools of his native city. His first business experience was as a bookkeeper for John H. Kniper, who was engaged in the plumbing and gas fitting business. He afterwards served an apprenticeship at the plumbing trade in Mr. Kniper's establishment, and con- tinued for five years. In 1885 he formed a partnership with F. A. Spies for the man- ufacture of cigars, which continued until 1891, when Mr. Spies retired, and the business has since been conducted by Mr. Kopp. Manufacturing only a high grade of cigars, Mr. Kopp has built up a large trade and employs several men. He is a mem- ber of the Protected Home Circle of Pennsylvania, and the Improved Order of Red Men. In June, 1884, he married Fannie, daughter of Anthony Spies, of Buffalo, and they have three children: Raymond A., Elmer C., and Elton J.
Frohe, Godfrey M., Buffalo, son of Gottfried and Gertrude (Ritzen) Frohe, was born in Buffalo, November 24, 1865. His parents were born in Holland, came to America in 1859, and settled in Buffalo. Mr. Frohe was educated in the public and private schools of his native city, was graduated from the Buffalo Law School in 1889, and admitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of New York in 1891. He began practice shortly after his admission and has since been engaged in the gen- eral practice of his profession.
Tilson, Thomas, Buffalo, supervisor of the Twenty-fourth ward, is a son of Mat- thew and Mary (Henderson) Tilson, natives of Ireland, who came to America about
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1856 and settled in Buffalo, where they have since resided. Matthew early learned the iron worker's trade, has always been a Republican and reared one son and two daughters. Thomas Tilson was born in Buffalo in November, 1864, was educated in public school No. 19, and in 1881 entered the employ of Pratt & Co., with whom he remained until they dissolved partnership in 1885. He then associated himself with Beals & Co., with whom he has since continued, rising from the position of order clerk to that of outside salesman. He has always been an active Republican and for several years served as committeeman of the Eighth district of the Twenty- fourth ward. In 1894 he was appointed by the Common Council as supervisor of that ward to fill the unexpired term of E. C. Knight, and he was elected to that office in 1895 and re elected in 1897, and served as chairman of the committee of the superintendent of the poor. He has frequently been a delegate to Republican City and Assembly Conventions and is a popular member of the Odd Fellows. In 1891 he married Harriet E. Groat of Tonawanda.
Maloney, Hon. William, Buffalo, born in Geneseo, Livingston county, N. Y., Feb- ruary 22, 1867, is the youngest son of Thomas and Julia (Delehaney) Maloney, na- tives of Ireland. Thomas was brought to America by his parents in 1832 when he was six months old and settled in Rochester, N. Y., where he followed various occu- pations and finally engaged in the trucking business. He reared three sons and three daughters. He is a Democrat and now resides in Buffalo. William Maloney was educated at the Geneseo State Normal School, came to Buffalo in 1881, and en- entered the employ of the New York Central Railroad, first as trainman and later as conductor, which position he held seven years. In 1890 he engaged in the hotel business, which he still continues. He has always been an unswerving Democrat, was a committeeman from the Eleventh ward for several years, and in 1896 was elected to the State Legislature from the Third Assembly District of Erie county by a plurality of 2,132. He is a staunch advocate of the principles of bimetalism and during his first term as assemblyman served on the Committees on Canals, Revision and Public Printing. He is a member of the Hibernians and C. M. B. A. In June, 1897, he married Margaret, daughter of Philip Day of Buffalo.
Fisher, John, Buffalo, is a son of John Fisher, a baker by trade, and was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, October 28, 1839. In 1848 the family, consisting of the parents, three sons and three daughters, emigrated to Buffalo and moved thence to a farm in the town of Wales, where the father died in 1853, and the mother in 1887. Mr. Fisher was reared on the farm and attended the district school winters and while at home cast his vote for Lincoln in 1860. He subsequently came to Buffalo and for three years worked for the Western Transportation Company; in 1868 he engaged in the liquor business, in which he still continues. He has always been a staunch Republican and for several years has served his party as a committee- man. Since 1890 he has held the office of supervisor of the Twentieth ward and was again re-elected in 1897, for another term. He is a Chapter Mason, a member of the Odd Fellows, the A. O. U. W. and other organizations and has been a dele- gate to various local and State political conventions. He has lived in the Twentieth ward since 1883. He married, first, Clara, daughter of Joseph Seal, who bore him three sons; his second wife is Melissa Hershey, and they have two daughters.
·Keenan, John, Buffalo, son of John and Mary Keenan, was born in county Lim-
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erick, Ireland, in May, 1836, and in 1846 came with his parents to Montreal, Canada, where his father died. Soon afterward the mother with her four sons and a daugh- ter, removed to Toronto, and thence to Buffalo, where she died in 1876 at her home on Prospect avenue. The support of the family largely devolved upon Mr. Keenan and his early education therefore was limited. When fourteen he began to learn the trade of a brick mason, at which he soon became expert and which he followed several years. He engaged in contracting and building and among the structures he erected were Bishop Ryan's house on Franklin street and the Fargo mansion, the latter being at the time the best private dwelling in the city. He also did the mason work on the State Hospital and Christ's (now Trinity) chapel. He built his fine brick residence at No. 342 Front avenue in 1872. In 1879 he retired largely from active business. He has always been a prominent Democrat, but has never aspired to office. He married Mary Donovan of Buffalo, and they have four sons and five daughters living.
Boland, Hon. Anthony J., Buffalo, is the son of Anthony Boland, a native of Ire- land, born in 1828, who came to this country at about the age of twenty-two and followed the lakes for many years, becoming a captain in 1865. The father was afterward connected with various distilling enterprises, and was a staunch Demo- crat. He died October 3, 1896; his wife survives him as do also three sons and five daughters. Anthony J. Boland was born in Buffalo, November 1, 1866, obtained his education at St. Bridget's Parochial School, public school No. 4, and Bryant & Stratton's and Johnson's Business Colleges and began active life as a messenger for the Erie Railroad at $15 per month. In 1883 he became clerk in the elevator office of the Connecting Terminal Railroad and rose to the post of assistant superintend- ent; in 1895 he accepted his present position as cashier and private secretary to James Kennedy. He is a firm Democrat and though never aspiring to office yet he was prevailed upon to accept the nomination for assemblyman for the First Assem- bly district in 1897 and was elected by a plurality of about 1,620 or 1,500 more than that district had previously given its candidates. He is a popular member of the C. M. B. A. and resides with his mother and sisters at No. 434 Elk street. He has always lived in the old First ward of Buffalo.
Frank, C. William, Buffalo, was born in Buffalo December 17, 1866, a son of Peter and Anna B. (Bingemann) Frank, who came to this city from Germany in 1852. Mr. Frank received his education in the public and parochial schools and then entered his father's marble works as an apprentice in 1880. He was employed there until his father's death in 1894, when he succeeded to the business. His works are well equipped for the production of all kinds of monumental works and steady employ- ment is given to several skilled granite and marble workers. As a business man Mr. Frank is fair in all transactions and is held in the highest esteem by his friends. He is a member of Concordia Lodge, No. 143, F. & A. M., Omega Lodge, No. 259, I. O. (). F., and past master of the I. O. O. I. In November, 1891, he married Anna M. Klobloch of Buffalo, and they have three children: Anna K., Julia M., and C. William Frank, jr.
Childs, Milford W., Buffalo, is a son of Hon. Henry A. Childs, justice of the Su- preme Court, and Julia B. Childs, his wife, and was born in Medina, Orleans county,
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N. Y., September 26, 1869. He attended the Medina High School and also Prof. Lucius E. Hawley's private school in Buffalo, and in 1893 was graduated from Will- iams College. He then entered the Buffalo Law School, from which he was grad- uated in 1895, receiving the first prize of $100 in the Daniel scholarship, and being admitted to the bar in July of the same year, he immediately began a clerkship in the office of Marcy & Close of Buffalo, N. Y., and served as managing clerk for that firm for the term of one year. He then began the practice of his profession in part- nership with Wesley C. Dudley, under the firm name of Dudley & Childs, which still continues.
Person, Frank P., Buffalo, a member of the well known firm of C. Person's Sons, is one of the representative business men of Buffalo. He is a son of Charles Person, who came to this country from Alsace, France, in 1840, and settled in Buffalo, where he established the business to which his sons succeeded at his death in 1885. Frank P. Person was educated in the public schools of Buffalo, and afterward entered the wholesale liquor business of which he is now one of the proprietors. He is a direc- tor of the Buffalo Automatic Smoke Consuming Company and in the Freehold Savings and Loan Association. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, holding mem- bership in Modestia Lodge No. 240, F. & A. M., and is also a member of the Elks, the Red Men, and the A. O. U. W. In October, 1877, he married Amelia Walter, of Lancaster, and they have three children: Clara L., Flora J. and Frank W.
Person's Sons, C., Buffalo. - This firm was established by the late Charles Per- son in 1850, and since his death in 1885 has been continued by his sons, Daniel H., William and Frank P. Person. Daniel H. Person was born in Buffalo, December 22, 1851, and received his education in the public schools and at Hick's Business College. He is a director of the Meadville Distilling Company and of the Union Bank of Buffalo, and a member of Harmonia Lodge No. 699, F. & A. M., Germania Chapter, R. A. M., and the exempt Firemen's Association. In June, 1875, he mar- ried Caroline Jack, of Buffalo, and they have three children: Emma L., Edward C and Karl O. William Person was born in Buffalo, September 29, 1855. He was educated in the public schools and then entered his father's business. He is a mem- ber of Harmonia Lodge No. 699, F. & A. M., and Germania Chapter, R. A. M. He was a member of the old Volunteer Fire Department and was foreman of Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, for eight years, and also a trustee of the Firemen's Benevolent Association. In September, 1876, he married Louisa, daughter of Michael Boeckel, of Buffalo, and they have three children: William C., Eugene E. and Olive C. Frank P. Person is elsewhere noticed. The firm of C. Person's Sons is one of the largest importing and wholesale liquor firms in the city. The premises occupied are 50 by 100 feet, five floors, built especially for the business, and containing every facility for handling the firm's immense trade, which extends over Western New York, Penn- sylvania and Eastern Ohio.
Plarr, Charles M., Buffalo, son of Henry and Anna F. (Dieterly) Plarr, natives of Germany, was born in Buffalo December 21, 1868, in the old Twelfth ward. He at- tended the public school, No. 12, and at the age of eleven years secured employment in the chair factory of the Edwin Sykes Company. Afterwards he was employed in Maischoss Brothers' File Works, where he remained a short time. He then went
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into the jewelry business of V. Gentner, in whose employ he continued for a period of ten years. In 1890 he established his present business, starting on a small scale. By energy and ability he has built up a flourishing business, and gives steady em- ployment to six men. He occupies an entire floor in the Gentsch building on Walnut street, and is enjoying a large and constantly increasing trade, ranking among the leading jewelry manufacturers of Buffalo. Mr. Plarr is a prominent member of sev- eral organizations, and is at present district deputy of the Third District of Erie county of the I. O. R. M., and secretary of the Order of Iroquois.
Auel, Charles H. W., M. D., was born December 19, 1863, in Hessian, Nassau, Germany, and received his early training in the public schools of his native town. His natural inclination was towards the profession of medicine, and after coming to America he entered the Buffalo Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1886. He was appointed consulting physician to the Erie County Hos- pital, in 1891, in which capacity he served three years. Dr. Auel enjoys a wide ac- quaintance, and is one of the prominent promoters of the new Buffalo German Hospital on Jefferson street near Genesee. He is vice president of the Board of Trustees of this institution and chairman of the medical staff. He is a member of Modestia Lodge, No. 240, F. & A. M., and of the Foresters. In October, 1889, he married Miss Sophia Sonnemann, of Buffalo.
White, Henry G., Buffalo, is one of the oldest business men in Buffalo. For more than fifty years he has occupied a leading position in the painting business, and probably no Buffalo artisan is more widely or favorably known than he. Mr. White is a son of Ebenezer and Candace (Smith) White, natives of the " Green Mountain State," and was born in Burlington, Vt., June 8, 1814. He came to this city in 1836 and engaged in his present business. At that time the city was very sparsely set- tled, and Mr. White recalls many of the historical events of the last half century in Buffalo. He has, in fact, grown up with the city, and now, as in earlier days, is keenly alive to all that affects the good of the municipality. Although near eighty- four he is still hale and vigorous. He is a member of Washington Lodge, No. 240, F. & A. M., and Niagara Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F. In 1893 he formed a copartner- ship with W. H. Pinck, and the firm isnow known as H. G. White & Co. Mr. White has been married three times; first, in 1840, to Ann Quale, of the Isle of Man. His second wife was Susan M. Prince, of Boston, Mass., and his third wife is Susan D. Winslow Church, a descendant of Governor Winslow.
Wright, William F., Buffalo, has displayed in the management of private busi- ness affairs the characteristics and qualities of a successful financier. He was born in the Keystone State (Pennsylvania) July 20, 1854, and was educated in the public schools and at Washington and Jefferson College, which he left some three months before graduating to accept a position in a bank in the village of Washington, Pa., as cashier, which he held three years, during which time he spent all his leisure hours studying law. He was admitted to the bar in January, 1877, and for ten years was engaged in the active practice of his profession. In 1888 he removed to Buffalo to accept the New York State agency of the Union Central Life Insurance Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio, which he has since held. During the ten years of his service in this capacity the company's affairs have progressed exceedingly, and there is no
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doubt that the important duties assigned to Mr. Wright have been most faithfully and efficiently performed and the success of the business in this State must be as- cribed in large measure to him. When he became their State agent the Union Central Life Insurance Company had only about $155,000 of insurance in force in his department; by January 1, 1897, it had increased under his able management to nearly $2,500,000, while the company's assets at that time were nearly $17,000,- 000, net surplus $2,000,000, insurance in force $95,000,000. In 1896 alone the com- pany wrote over $30,000,000. These figures demonstrate clearly the success of the company in which Mr. Wright has been an important factor since he became its New York State manager. Mr. Wright is a member and former president of the Life Underwriters Association of Western New York, and has served as chairman of its executive committee. He was formerly a member of the Buffalo Republican League, is a member of the official board of the Delaware Avenue M. E. church, and Washington Lodge No. 240, F. & A. M. of Buffalo, and of Keystone Chapter, R. A. M., of Washington, Pa. May 10, 1876, he married Laura L. Brown of Washington, Iowa, and they have four daughters: Mary, Edith, Brooke and Catherine.
Pohl, Gustav A., M. D., Buffalo, was born in Mostaganem, Algiers, Africa, De- cember 7, 1854, where his father, a political fugitive from Germany in 1848, had sought refuge. He is of German descent, and at the age of four years removed to Melbourne, Australia, with his parents, Charles and Catherine (Reiland) Pohl, where he remained until their return to the fatherland after the amnesty granted by the king of Prussia. After completing his education in the excellent schools of Mainz on the Rhine, Germany, he traveled extensively on the European continent and in England, where he was in business for over three years. Being then rather in delicate health he left the trying climate of London, England, and went to the south of France where he held the position of British Pro-Consul at Nice. In 1879 he came to the United States and then became chief clerk of the French Atlantic Cable Company, in New York city, which he left to accept the position of secretary of the Hammondsport Glen Wine Company at Hammondsport, N. Y. In 1883 he came to Buffalo, and entering the medical department of the University of Buffalo, was grad- uated with honor in 1886. Shortly after graduation he was appointed physician to the Erie County Almhouse. He then passed a civil service examination and was appointed a district health physician by the Board of Health, afterwards being pro- moted to the position of special sanitary inspector. He has also held the position of physician to the outdoor department of the Fitch Provident Dispensary (depart- ment of diseases of children) and of visiting physician to the Fitch Crêche, physician to Dispensary of the German Hospital, all of which he resigned in order to meet the requirements of his increasing practice. He is a member of the Medical Society of the County of Erie, of the Medical and Surgical Society of Buffalo, and a fellow of the Buffalo Academy of Medicine. Dr. Pohl has the prestige of an illustrious an- cestry and connection, his paternal grandfather having received, among other orders, the Iron Cross for gallantry in the war for freedom against Napoleon I, in 1812, which, at that time, was a special mark of distinction. His cousin, Eduard von Knorr, is at present the commanding admiral of the German Navy. Dr. Pohl is a member of Mystic Star Lodge No. 512, I. O. O. F., Mount Vernon Encampment No. 8, Canton Buffalo No. 5, Patriarch's Militant, and is assistant surgeon-general of
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