USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume II > Part 70
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
.
467
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
a prominent member of the Asbury M. E. church, being one of its founders, a class leader and a distinguished local preacher and was long superintendent of the Sun- day school. He was also a prominent abolitionist, his house being a noted station of the "underground railroad," and he was likewise an active member of the old volunteer fire department, being connected with Washington Engine Co. No. 5. He died August 16, 1871, aged sixty-five years. His wife's death occured in 1848. Of their nine children six are living: Charles and Lucas of Buffalo, and Rebecca (Mrs. Robert Turner), John, Elizabeth (Mrs. George Turner) and Frederick, all of Califor- nia. Lucas Chester attended the public schools and the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, and since the age of nine has been continuously connected with the dyeing and cleaning business. He spent two years in the study of chemistry under Pro- fessor Hadley at the University of Buffalo, and another two years as foreman of the Rensselaer Dye Works of Aaron Hall at Troy, N. Y., and then returned to Buf- falo. Soon afterward, in January, 1851, he purchased his father's establishment, and in 1864 moved the business to 479, 481 and 483 Main street, where he had erected a commodious building for the purpose. In 1883 this was burnt and at once rebuilt. Mr. Chester, like his father, is one who has honored his calling, and to-day is one of the leading as well as one of the oldest dyers in this State. Starting in the business when nine years old he has mastered every detail, even to the chemical de- partments. His father originated the sign " I Dye to Live; I Live to Dye," which has been adopted by other dyers throughout the country. Mr. Chester was an ardent abolitionist, has always been an active Republican, and is a member of Washington Lodge No. 240, F. & A. M., and Keystone Chapter No. 163, R. A. M. In 1860 he enlisted in Co. D, 74th N. Y. militia, became first lieutenant, and assisted in reorganizing Co. D into an independent company, which secured a charter from the State, and of this he was president for several years and is now one of the few life members. December 9, 1850, he married Mary J., daughter of Osman G. Wheeler of Skaneateles, N. Y., and they had six children: William Lucas, Charles Osman, Harris Wheeler, Frederick Winthrop, Lucy and one deceased. Mrs. Chester died in December, 1883, and in September, 1892, he married for his second wife Mrs. Lydia C. Grant, daughter of Lester Day of Buffalo.
Jones, Albert E., Buffalo, son of David and Eleanor (Davis) Jones, was born May 20, 1846, in Liverpool, England, where he was educated in public schools and private academies. Having lost a brother in the American civil war he came to the United States in 1870 to look after his deceased brother's estate, and finally settled in To- ronto, Canada. He was for four years private secretary to Col. Frederick W. Cum- berland, M. P., managing director of the Northern Railway of Canada, and for two years chief clerk to the superintendent of the Intercolonial Railway at Moncton, New Brunswick. In 1877 he became secretary to the Hon. William L. Bancroft, re- ceiver of the Chicago and Port Huron Railroad at Port Huron, Mich., which position he held until 1879, visiting Toronto, Montreal, New York and other cities. After- wards he came to Buffalo, and in February, 1880, entered the law office of Bowen, Rogers & Locke, as a stenographer. He remained with them and their successors, Rogers, Locke & Milburn, with whom he began the study of law in 1885, being ad- mitted to the bar in 1888. Since then he has been associated with that firm. Mr. Jones is a member of the Buffalo Historical Society, the Liberal and Ellicott Clubs,
468
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
and the Royal Arcanum, and a vestryman of St. Mary's Episcopal church. He is also one of the Board of Managers of the Church Home. October 16, 1867, he mar- ried Janet, daughter of John Hamilton of Ince Blundel, near Liverpool, England, formerly of Ecclefechan, Scotland. She died May 20, 1869, leaving one daughter, Edith Eleanor, wife of Louis Spinks of Liverpool. Mr. Jones married, second, on August 16, 1881, Sarah Emily Hill, daughter of Thomas Hill of Buffalo, and they have three children: Arthur Locke, Howard Stanley, and Harold Hill.
Persons, Albert Edward, M. D., Buffalo, was born in the town of Gerry, Chautau- qua county, N. Y., May 28, 1853. He is descended from English, Scotch and Dutch ancestry, most of whom have been farmers. His early life was spent on his father's farm in Chautauqua county, the only educational advantages being the usual winter term of a country school. By patient industry and rigid economy he was enabled to enter the State Normal School at Fredonia, N. Y., in his eighteenth year, in which he received a classical training four years. In 1878 he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. J. W. Robinson, a noted surgeon of Hornellsville, N. Y., and sub- sequently entered the medical department of the University of New York, from which he was graduated in 1881. During these nine years of preparatory study for his profession the necessary expenses were provided for by teaching country schools, selling subscription books, and by private tutoring. Immediately after graduation Dr. Persons began the practice of his profession at Scio, Allegany county, N. Y., where he followed the busy life of a country doctor for nearly three years. The field being too small to satisfy his ambition, he removed to Buffalo, in November, 1883, where he has since remained. In 1886 he was elected to the faculty of the medical department of Niagara University as its lecturer on hygiene and public health, and was subsequently made professor of materia medica, pharmacology and therapeutics, retaining this position until his resignation in 1893. The following year was spent in post-graduate study among the great hospitals of Europe, four months in London at Brompton Consumption Hospital under Prof. C. Theodore Williams and six months at the Allgemeine Krankenhaus in Vienna, pursuing special courses in in- ternal medicine. During the past five years Dr. Persons has made a special study of diseases of the throat and lungs, visiting the most noted sanatoriums and health resorts in America and Europe for the purpose of observing the effects of climate in pulmonary tuberculosis, and was called as consultant to Washington by President Harrison to examine Mrs. Harrison during her last and fatal illness. At present he gives special attention to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the chest and digestive organs. He is a member of the New York State Medical Society, the Medical Association of Central and Western New York, the Buffalo Academy of Medicine, and Hornellsville Academy of Medicine, a consulting physician to the Buffalo Woman's Hospital and to the Sisters of St. Francis Asylum. In 1881 he married Lillian Hartshorn of Friendship, N. Y., and they have two daughters.
Coit, Frank Seymour, Buffalo, only son of Charles Townsend Coit and Julia E. Seymour, was born in Troy, N. Y., September 2, 1850. He descends from John Coit, who came from England and in 1638 received a grant of land in Salem, Mass., whence he removed in 1644 to Gloucester, where he served as selectman. His son, Joseph Coit, moved to New London about 1651 and was a lifelong shipbuilder.
469
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
Rev. Joseph Coit, son of Joseph, was born April 4, 1673, was graduated from Har- vard Colege and received a master's degree at the first commencement of Yale. His son, Col. Samuel Coit, born in Plainfield, Conn., in 1708, was prominent in mili- tary and civil life. Among his sons were William, a graduate of Yale, and a naval commander in the Revolution; John, who built the first vessel known as a "smack" on the Atlantic coast; and Benjamin, whose son, Benjamin Coit, jr., born December 21, 1759, at Preston, Conn., was a shipmaster, merchant and commander of vessels in the Revolutionary war, and died at Norwich, Conn., December 28, 1841. George Coit, son of Benjamin, jr., was born June 10, 1790, at Norwich. With the late Judge Charles Townsend he was a clerk in a drug store in his native town until 1811, when both of them came to Buffalo and established themselves in the same business. In 1818 they sold out and engaged in storage and forwarding enterprises, which they carried on extensively for many years. The firm of Townsend & Coit became a synonym for honesty, integrity and fair dealing throughout the country, and was the leading one in the city until 1844. Their history is largely the early history of Buffalo and graces many pages of these volumes. April 4, 1815, Mr. Coit married his partner's sister, Hannah Townsend, and their children were Sarah Frances, Charles T., George, jr., John Townsend, Francis E., Nathaniel T., Eliza Ripley and William Benjamin. He died May 9, 1865. Charles Townsend Coit, the eldest son, born February 14, 1819, was one of the founders of the Troy and Erie line of boats, and for many years was president of the First National Bank. He died December 11, 1881. He married Julia E., daughter of Henry R. Seymour. Their only son, Frank Seymour Coit, has followed in the footsteps of his worthy ancestors. He was for a time connected with the First National Bank, was also a prominent manufac- turer and has been active in the political affairs of the city, serving as deputy county treasurer from 1877 to 1888. For a number of years he has given his attention to the management of real estate.
True, Marion J., Buffalo, was born in Monroe county, N. Y., in 1846, both his parents being of New England stock. After attending school at Lima, N. Y., he came to Buffalo, in 1866, and took a course at the then famous Bryant & Stratton Business College. On leaving that institution he entered into a partnership with Joseph Kittinger and engaged in the grain commission business on Central wharf. In the fall of 1869 he married Julia Justine Pendill, of Batavia, N. Y., and in the following year located in Cleveland, Ohio, as State manager of a life insurance agency, remaining until the fall of 1879, when he returned to Buffalo. In 1880 he became connected with the firm of Gies & Co., in the lithograph business and a little later helped to organize that concern into a stock company, of which he was made the secretary. In 1887 he severed his connection with that company, and in 1888, with A. B. Kellogg, invented the rating exchange system of ascertaining and dis- pensing credits, which has met with great success. In December, 1889, Mr. True and A. B. Kellogg formed a copartnership under the name of the Niagara Publish- ing Company, the principal business of which is the publishing of the financial jour- nal, " American Investments and Financial Opinions," which has become widely and favorably known throughout the United States and some portions of Europe. Mr. True has been the business manager of the company from the start.
470
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Wheeler, Charles B., Buffalo, son of Cyrenus Wheeler and Jane Barker (sister of Judge George Barker of Fredonia), his wife, was born on a farm in the town of Venice, Cayuga county, N. Y., December 27, 1851, and when thirteen moved with his parents to Auburn, where his mother died January 5, 1894. Cyrenus Wheeler is the inventor of the old Cayuga Chief mower and reaper, and on his removal to Auburn became connected with the firm of D. M. Osborne & Co., manufacturers of agricultural implements. He has taken out upwards of 130 patents, and has served four terms as mayor of Auburn, where he still resides. Charles B. Wheeler was graduated from the Auburn High School in 1869 and from Williams College in 1873, and then came to Buffalo, where he read law with Sprague & Gorham and their suc- cessors, Gorham & Bacon. Soon after his admission to the bar in January, 1876, he began active practice in Buffalo, and in 1880 became a member of the old and well known law firm of Bowen, Rogers & Locke. This copartnership was dissolved in 1884 and since then he has successfully practiced his profession alone. Mr. Wheeler has been a civil service commissioner of the city of Buffalo since 1889, being ap- pointed by Mayor Becker, and since 1891 has served as chairman of the board. In politics he is a Republican. June 28, 1883, he married Frances Munro Rochester of Buffalo, daughter of the late Dr. Thomas F. Rochester and Margaret De Lancey, his wife, who was a daughter of Bishop William H. De Lancey. They have two chil- dren: Thomas Rochester and Jane Barker.
Pinck, William H., Buffalo, is the son of Thomas and Frances (Henderson) Pinck, who emigrated from England to Toronto, Canada, about 1857, and in 1870 removed to Buffalo, where she died January 6, 1896. The father still survives, and for many years has been a watchman and is now an assistant engineer at the Exchange Ele- vator. Mrs. Pinck's father, James Henderson, was a master painter in England, and her brother, James Henderson, jr., is a master painter in Adelaide, Australia. William H. Pinck was born in Toronto, Canada, June 16, 1860, removed to Buffalo with his parents, and received a public school education. In April, 1875, he entered the employ of Henry G. White, one of the best known painters and decorators in Buffalo, and rose step by step until on March 1, 1893, he was admitted as a partner under the firm name of H. G. White & Co. This firm carries on an extensive busi- ness in house, sign and fresco painting, and may be justly considered as leaders in their line. Mr. Pinck has worked up in the establishment from an apprentice to superintendent and finally to partnership. He has been president of the Master Painters' Association of Buffalo for two years, and is a member of the Builders' Ex- change, De Molay Lodge No. 498, F. & A. M., Buffalo Chapter No. 71, R. A. M., Lake Erie Commandery No. 20, K. T., Ismailia Temple Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the Buffalo Yacht Club. October 26, 1880, he married Minnie L., daughter of Levi C. Johnson of Buffalo, and they have three children: Mabel H., William C. and Henry G.
Love, William Henry, Buffalo, is of Scotch-Irish parentage, a son of David and Anna (Connor) Love. He was born at Buffalo, N. Y., November 18, 1862, and was educated in the public schools of his native city, graduating from the Buffalo Central High School in 1881. Like many of our public men, his early manhood was de- voted to teaching. In the fall of 1881 he was appointed to the principalship of one
471
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
of the public schools of Buffalo, and by reason of his able and successful work in this line soon won his way among older and more experienced educators to the front rank of public school teachers in the city of Buffalo. He was successively principal of public schools Nos. 29, 33, 13, and when, in 1892, James F. Crooker, the then su- perintendent of education of Buffalo, was appointed superintendent of public instruc- tion for New York State, Mr. Love was the unanimous choice of the appointing board to fill the vacaucy caused by Mr. Crooker's resignation. This was a signal tribute to Mr. Love's ability when it is remembered that he had not yet reached his thirtieth year and had been selected to preside over a department the largest and most important in the city's polity. There is little doubt but Mr. Love would have attained still greater honor and distinction as an educator had not the tide of politics carried him out of office on January 1, 1893. He left his impress upon the depart- ment of public instruction, having materially assisted in organizing the Board of School Examiners, revising the school ordinances of the city, and establishing for the first time a system of kindergarten work in conjunction with the public schools, the expense thereof being a public charge. In recognition of his work in this latter respect, he was made the first honorary member of the Buffalo Free Kindergarten Association. The limitations of teaching, however, did not satisfy the desires and ambitions of Mr. Love and in 1891 he undertook the study of law, entering as a law student in the office of Cuddeback & Kenefick, where his leisure hours were given over to preparing himself for his chosen profession. In March, 1893, three months after leaving the school department, he took his examination for admisson to the bar, at Rochester, N. Y., and was elected president of his class. Immediately upon his admission he formed a copartnership with the junior member of the firm, under the firm name of Kenefick & Love. Mr. Love has already taken a conspicuous position at the bar and is regarded as one of the most promising and successful lawyers among the younger men of Buffalo. Under his active management the firm of Kenefick & Love has taken a position among the leading law firms of Buffalo. Mr. Love is an active Democrat and is prominent in the political organizations of his party. On June 18, 1896, he married Miss Helen A. Niendorf, of Buffalo.
Schadler, John E., Buffalo, son of John and Carrie Schadler, natives of Germany, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., November 11, 1860. He received a liberal education in the public schools, and was variously employed until January 1, 1893, when he formed a copartnership with Samuel M. Sloan and his brother, William G. Schadler, and engaged in the grocery business. In October, William G. Schadler withdrew and in September, 1897, Mr. Sloan was succeeded by his father, Alexander Mr. Schadler is one of the best known grocerymen in Buffalo. He is a man of energy, enterprise and business ability, and has the best interests of the community at heart. He is a member of the order of Select Knights, and has a wide circle of acquaint- ances and friends. In November, 1896, he married May, daughter of John Sweet- man, of Buffalo.
McMillan, Daniel H., Buffalo, is a lineal descendant of Alexander McMillan, whose monumental cross, erected in 1348, still stands in the family burial ground at Kilmory, Scotland. His grandfather, John McMillan, was called "John the Upright," arbiter of the Hollanders in the Mohawk Valley during the latter part of the last century.
472
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Daniel McMillan, his father, was highly respected and honored for his integrity, character, and benevolence; his mother, a daughter of Malcolm McNaughton, was a woman of unyielding fidelity and Christian virtue. She had three brothers who were members of the Canadian parliament and a fourth who was a legislator in Wisconsin and active in the organization of that State. Mr. McMillan was born in York, Liv- ingston county, N. Y., attended the common schools, and completed his education at Le Roy Academy and Cornell University. In 1869 he came to Buffalo and entered the law office of Laning, Cleveland & Folsom, and in 1871 was admitted to the bar. Since then he has been in active practice in Buffalo, being now the head of the well known law firm of McMillan, Gluck, Pooley & Depew, and the local counsel for the Vanderbilt railway lines centering in the city. In 1885 Mr. McMillan was elected State senator on the Republican ticket and in 1887 was renominated, but declined this nomination. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Canals and a mem- ber of the committees on cities, claims, Indian affairs, and judiciary. He prepared and carried through the Legislature the bill providing for the lengthening of the locks on the Erie Canal; a bill providing for a uniform policy of fire insurance in the State; a bill providing for the execution of the death penalty in capital cases by electricity; and bills regulating the employment of women in manufacturing estab- lishments, authorizing the utilization of Niagara Falls power, and reforming prison labor and discipline. He was chairman of the committee that formulated the legis- lative plan of the revised city charter of 1892, was instrumental in establishing the municipal court, and in 1893 was elected a delegate at large to the State Constitu- tional Convention, in which he was chairman of the committee on the governor and other State officers and a member of other important committees. He has served as president of the Buffalo Library, was one of its managers during the erection of the library building and the Iroquois Hotel. He is a manager of the Buffalo State Hos- pital, a trustee of the Buffalo State Normal School, a member of the Buffalo His- torical Society, the Society of Natural Sciences, and the American and New York State Bar Associations. For twelve years he was an examiner of applicants for ad- mission to the bar. He has been a member of the State Republican Committee and in 1888, 1892 and 1896 was an alternate delegate at large to the Republican National Conventions. He is also a member of the Buffalo and Liberal Clubs, the Masonic Consistory and Temple, the Chi Psi fraternity, and the Presbyterian church. Mr. McMillan is one of the ablest lawyers of Western New York, and has achieved emi- nence in both professional and civic life. He is a cultured scholar, a man of broad experience, and a citizen universally respected and esteemed. He married Delphia Jackson, of Sandusky, N. Y., and has two sons, Morton and Ross.
Abbott, Frank A., Buffalo, is descended from Timothy Abbott, a lieutenant in Col. Samuel Herrick's regiment of Vermont troops in the Revolutionary war, and a great- grandson of Seth and Sophia (Starkweather) Abbott, who came to Erie county about 1808. From Seth Abbott the hamlet of Abbott's Corners in the town of Hamburg derives its name, he being an early tavern keeper there. His son, Chauncey Abbott, born in 1802, married Mary Smith, and their son, Seth A. Abbott, born at Abbott's Corners in 1832, still resides there, having served as justice of the peace, constable, collector, and justice of sessions. Seth A. Abbott was married in 1857 to Ruth Ann Perrine, who was born in Jackson, Mich., in 1840. ... Their children are George S.,
473
PERSONAL REFERENCES.
William H., Frank A , John P., and Mary E. Frank A. Abbott was born at Abbott's Corners, Erie county, April 14, 1865, attended the district schools, and in 1886 was graduated from the Hamburg Academy. During the next four years he pursued a full course at Cornell University, from which he was graduated in 1890, being vale- dictorian of his class, and receiving the Stewart L. Woodford prize in oratory, his subject being "The Quaker as a Reformer." He then came to Buffalo as a law student in the office of Fullerton, Becker & Hazel, and in 1892 he was admitted to the bar. Since then he has been actively and successfully engaged in the practice of his profession, forming in 1893, with John R. Hazel, the present well known law firm of Hazel & Abbott. Mr. Abbott is a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, the University and Independent Clubs, and the Buffalo Orpheus.
Searle, Raynsford W., Buffalo, son of Henry S. and Ellen (Warner) Searle, was born at Scranton, Pa., June 5, 1867, attended the public schools of his native city, and was graduated from the Wyoming Seminary at Kingston, Pa., in 1885. He was then a voucher clerk in the office of the D., L. & W. Coal Company at Scranton for two years, later was connected with the general inspector's office for three years, and afterward was bookkeeper and paymaster for Neville & Ryan, of Detroit, Mich., for about two years. In 1832 he came to Buffalo as clerk in the office of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and rose to the responsible position of chief clerk to the lake freight agent, resigning to accept the Buffalo agency of the Duluth Imperial Milling Com- pany. In this capacity he gives his entire attention to the business in this section, and by industry and enterprise has built up a successful trade. Mr. Searle is a mem- ber of the Buffalo Merchants Exchange, Washington Lodge, No. 240, F. & A. M., Buffalo Chapter, No. 71, R. A. M., and Hugh De Payens Commandery, No. 30, K. T. April 19, 1892, he married Margaret, daughter of Peter Gray, of Newark, N. Y., and they have one son, Frederick Warner Searle.
Armstrong, John B., Buffalo, the second of a family of two sons and two daugh- ters of Capt. James L. and Margaret (Dwyre) Armstrong, natives of England and Ireland, respectively, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in September, 1859. James L. Armstrong, son of an English sea pilot, shipped on an East India vessel when he was eleven years of age, and two years later entered the English navy. Coming finally to America he enlisted in the U. S. navy, afterward was for many years a sailor on the great lakes, and from 1857 to 1860 was a lake captain. He then en- gaged in the timber and lumber business, owning timber land in Canada, and in 1894 retired from active life. His last large enterprise was handling by contract all the timber and ties used by the N. Y. C. & H. R. Railroad, for which he also acted as an inspector. He is a Democrat in politics, a man of wide experience, and a member of the Masons and Odd Fellows. John B. Armstrong attended the public schools, and when seventeen years of age began learning the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for several years. April 19, 1882, he joined the Buffalo Fire De- partment as a fireman, and in 1884 was promoted lieutenant; in January, 1893, cap- tain; and October 1, 1893, battalion chief of the second district, which position he still holds. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Buffalo Firemen's Bene- ficiary Association, and resides with his parents at 232 Fourteenth street.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.