USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume II > Part 77
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journal published in June, 1996. She is a member of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, of the Alpha Phi Fraternity, of the Buffalo Microscopical Society, of the Physicians' League, of the Medical Society of the County of Erie, and of that of the State of New York, and a Fellow of the Buffalo Academy of Medicine.
Irish, George, Buffalo, president of the George Irish Paper Company, is the son of William Henry and Martha C. (Calhoun) Irish, and was born in Lewiston, Niagara county, N. J., July 11, 1843. His mother was a relative of the distinguished states- man, John C. Calhoun. Mr. Irish attended the common schools of his native village in winter and worked summers until 1861, when he enlisted in Co. I, 28th N. Y. Vols. He served his country faithfully for two years, being honorably discharged May 23, 1863, with the rank of sergeant. On July 4, 1863, he came to Buffalo, a youth with no capital save a vast amount of perseverance, energy, and natural ability. Since then, during a period of over thirty-four years, he has been identified with the paper business, being now the oldest and best-known paper dealer in Western New York. In August, 1896, the George Irish Paper Company was incor- porated under the laws of the State, with George Irish, president; J. Lewis Samp- son, vice president; and Henry G. Drummer, secretary and treasurer. The busi- ness, which is located at 98 and 100 Pearl street, furnishes steady employment to a large staff of employees. In 1897 a large addition was erected in the rear of the old building, running back to Erie street, making the capacity of the warehouse 445 carloads of paper. Mr. Irish is a prominent, energetic, and public spirited citizen, and a member of Hiram Lodge, No. 105, F. & A. M. In April, 1867, he married Caroline, daughter of Jacob Heiser, an old and respected resident of Buffalo.
Fowler, Joseph, M. D., Buffalo, has the qualities of mind and heart which endear a man to men, and he is among those citizens of Buffalo who are widely and favor- ably known by their fellows. Dr. Fowler is descended on both paternal and ma- ternal sides from the pioneer families of the State. His great-grandparents, William Fowler and Mary Weeks Fowler, and Gideon Wilber and Ruth Bathrick Wilber, were residents of what is now Saratoga county long before that district had any in- dependent existence. His grandparents, Joseph Fowler and Margaret Vollwider Fowler, and Samuel Wilber and Sarah Emes Close Wilber, and his parents, William J. Fowler and Elizabeth Wilber Fowler, continued to make their homes where the ancestral roof had been. Dr. Fowler was born in Clifton Park township, Saratoga county, May 3, 1847. His early education was obtained in the district school and in the neighboring academy at Half Moon. At the age of eighteen the student turned teacher, and the next three years of his life were spent teaching in the little wooden school house of his native town. His residence in Buffalo began in 1869, when he entered the medical department of the University of Buffalo, from which he was graduated in 1873. His professional career has been successful. For ten years he was a member of the medical staff of the Sisters of Charity Hospital, and since 1886 has filled the office of surgeon to the Department of Police with marked ability and zeal. While giving to the demands of his profession conscientious care and inde- fatigable labor, Dr. Fowler has ever maintained an active interest in public affairs. An earnest Republican in political belief, he has served both his party and the city well. In 1881 he was the successful Republican candidate for coroner and filled the
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office for three years. On many occasions his name has been considered by the party in connection with important offices, and in 1889 he was its nominee for superintendent of education. Neither professional cares, party obligations nor pub- lic duties have prevented Dr. Fowler from taking an important part in forming and maintaining professional and fraternal organizations, and much of his leisure time is spent in promoting their interests. He is a member of several medical societies and clubs, a Mason of high degree, a prominent Odd Fellow and an active member of many other fraternal orders.
Titus, Hon. Robert C., Buffalo, justice of the Supreme Court, is of English descent, and was born in Eden, Erie county, October 24, 1839. His ancestors lived for many generations in England, whence they came to America at an early day. Timothy Titus had a son Robert, whose son, James B. Titus, was born in Hebron, N. Y., July 19, 1794, and moved with his parents to Richfield, Otsego county, N. Y., where he was married, January 2, 1817, to Esther, daughter of Sterling Yeomans. This young couple came on horseback to Eden, Erie county, and first lived in a rude log house; in 1831 they moved into a larger and better dwelling. Mr. Titus was a colonel in the State militia, a prominent factor in local affairs, and died in 1839, leaving a wife and eight children, of whom Robert C. is the yougest. Robert C. Titus en- tered Oberlin College in 1858 and spent two years, teaching school to pay his way. He then began the study of law in Hamburg, Erie county, with Horace Boies, after- ward governor of Iowa, and in 1863 organized a company of volunteers and was mustered into the 98th Regt. N. G. N. Y. He was honorably discharged December 22, 1864, and resuming his law studies was admitted to the bar in 1865. For one year he was special deputy county clerk under Dr. Lewis P. Dayton, and then began active practice in Hamburg. In 1867 he was the Democratic candidate for member of assembly, and in 1871 was nominated for surrogate of Erie county and ran about 800 votes ahead of his ticket. For four years (1868-71) he represented Hamburg on the Board of Supervisors. In 1873 he came to Buffalo and formed a law partnership with Joel L. Walker, and in 1877 he was elected district attorney of Erie county by a 2,200 majority; in 1880 he was renominated for this office and defeated, though he ran 1,200 votes ahead of his ticket. He was a member of the law firms of Osgoodby, Titus & Moot from 1879 to 1883 and of Titus & Farrington from 1883 to 1886. In 1881 he was unanimously nominated by the Democrats for State senator from the 31st district and was elected by a majority of of 5,528, running over 7,000 ahead of his ticket, and was re-elected in 1883. In 1885 he was elected a judge of the Superior Court of Buffalo, and in January, 1891, was made chief judge by his associates. Under the new constitution of 1894, abolishing the Superior Court, he became a justice of the Supreme Court, which office he still holds. In the fall of 1896 he was the Democratic candidate for judge of the Court of Appeals. Judge Titus is one of the ablest lawyers and foremost jurists of Western New York. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, a public spirited citizen, and a scholar of broad culture and rare attainments. In 1867 he married Arvilla, daughter of Allen Clark of Gowanda, N. Y., and they have two children: Amy, wife of Dan B. Worthington, and Allen Sterling Titus, a student of Trinity College, class of 1900.
White, William Henry, Buffalo, son of Lester S. and Adeline (Hurd) White, was
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born in Caton, Steuben county, N. Y., October 11, 1854, and received a public school education. He is one of the celebrated White brothers of base ball fame, the other being James L. White, familiarly known as "Deacon" White. Mr. White began playing in 1875 and continued for twelve years in the National League and American Association, winning a reputation as one of the ablest and best pitchers on the dia- mond. Besides playing with Boston, Detroit and Buffalo clubs he was for ten suc- cessive years a member of the famous "Red Stockings " of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he also conducted a retail drug and grocery business during the same period. He is the only ball player who ever wore glasses or spectacles during the game, and this finally led him to engage in the optical business. In the fall of 1887 he sold his store in Cincinnati and moved to Buffalo, and in the spring of 1888 became the manager of the International Base Ball Club. Soon afterward he began his optical studies with Dr. W. H. Gilbert, of New York city, where he was graduated from the Oph- thalmic College in 1890. He then engaged in the optical business in Corning, N. Y., and in 1893 removed to Buffalo, where he established a manufactory and salesroom at 66 West Chippewa street. In May, 1895, he occupied his present quarters at 532 Main street, in the Genesee Hotel building. Under the style of the Buffalo Optical Company Mr. White has built up a large and successful business, both as manufac- turer and dealer, and is distinguished as one of the ablest and best opticians in Western New York. In December, 1875, he married Hattie L., daughter of J. S. Holmes, of Caton, N. Y., and they have one daughter, Catherine L.
Urban, George, jr., Buffalo, was born in Buffalo, N.Y., July 12, 1850, and received a public school education. His father, George Urban, sr., established himself in the flour business on the corner of Genesee and Oak streets, opposite the present mill, in 1846, and when the son was sixteen years old he entered his father's employ. In 1870 he became a partner, and since his father retired in 1882 has had charge of the business, which is now one of the most important of the kind in Buffalo. The establishment produces 1,000 barrels of flour daily. Mr. Urban was a founder and the first vice-president of the Buffalo Loan, Trust and Safe Deposit Company and in 1892 was made its president, which office he still holds. He was an organizer of the Thomson-Houston Electric Light Company and served as its president until the business was sold to the Buffalo General Electric Light Company, of which he is vice-president. He is a director of the Merchants' Bank, the Bank of Buffalo, the Buffalo German Insurance Company, the Buffalo Commercial Insurance Company, and the Buffalo Elevator Company (which owns the Sturges, Dakota and Fulton elevators); president of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Electric Light and Power Company and the Cataract Power and Conduit Company of Buffalo (which has the distribution of Niagara power throughout Buffalo); was an organizer and director of the Bellevue Land and Improvement Company and the Depew Land Company, and is a director of the Western Transit Company. He is a prominent Republican, has been for several years a member of the Republican State Committee, and in 1892 and 1893 was chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee. In 1875 he mar- ried Ada E., daughter of Pennock Winspear of Cheektowaga, and they have one son and three daughters, George P., Emma M., Ada Jeanette and Clara W.
Osborn, Richard, Buffalo, a native of Truro, Cornwall, England, was born De-
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cember 31, 1850. He came to this country at the age of twenty-one and settled in Buffalo, where he has since resided. He was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, which he followed seven years, and has since been engaged in contracting and build- ing. In 1891 he was made vice-president of the Equitable Aid Association, in which capacity he now acts. He was married January 2, 1883, to Emma Fowler, of May- ville, Ky.
Wippert, George, Buffalo, was born in the town of Schopfheim, Baden, Germany, October 4, 1835. In 1854 he emigrated with his parents to America, settling in Buf- falo. His first business employment was in the carpet store of D. M. Grant, where he remained four years, when he accepted a position with the carpet house of Ham- lin & Menson, as a salesman, in whose employ he remained for a period of thirteen years. He then entered the store of Adam, Meldrum & Co. and remained in that establishment until 1890, when he opened a carpet house on his own account, at 945 Main street, where he has since conducted a large and growing business. He was married September 18, 1864, to Adeline Geneva, of Buffalo.
Urban, William Charles, Buffalo, son of George Urban, sr., and Marie, natives of Alsace, France, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., July 28, 1861. His parents came to this country in their youth, the father arriving in 1835. In 1846 George Urban, sr., established himself in the flouring business on the corner of Genesee and Oak streets, Buffalo, where he carried on a successful trade until 1882, when the firm of which he was the senior member completed the first roller flour mill in the city, opposite his old store. William C. Urban is the youngest of three children. He received a public and high school education, and then entered his father's establish- ment as a bookkeeper. Afterwards he became a member of the firm, the other part- ners being his father, George Urban, jr., and E. G. S. Miller. On April 1, 1897, the Urban Milling Company was incorporated with George Urban, jr., president; E. G. S. Miller, vice-president; William C. Urban, treasurer; William L. Seligmann, sec- retary. This is one of the largest flouring establishments in Western New York. William C. Urban is a popular citizen and a man of good business ability. He was married in June, 1886, to Louise W., daughter of Peter Burgard, of Buffalo, and they have three children: Grace E., William P. and Raymond G.
Taggert, James A., Buffalo, son of William and Anna (Runcie) Taggert, was born in Middlebury, Vt., June 4, 1848, and came to Buffalo with his parents at an early age. He received a public and high school education, and in 1863 enlisted in Co. B, 74th Regt. N. G. N. Y., in which he served for some time. On returning to Buf- falo he assisted Capt. John A. Bloomer, under authority of Col. William A. Howard, in recruiting the third battalion of the 13th N. Y. Heavy Artillery. Afterward he engaged in bookkeeping, and at various times represented manufacturers of fire ap- paratus. He was connected with the volunteer fire department of Buffalo from 1865 until its disbandment in 1880, serving five years as foreman of a company. He was an original trustee (serving as such for eight years) of the Volunteer Firemen's Home at Hudson, N. Y., is a life member of the New York State Firemen's Associ- ation, and a member of the Exempt Firemen's Association of Buffalo. On May 1, 1880, he gave before committees of Congress and the leading underwriters and chief nnn
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engineers of fire departments in the United States the largest practical demonstra- tion of extinguishing fires by chemical apparatus that was ever witnessed. This occurred at Washington, D. C., and attracted wide attention. In December, 1886, Mr. Taggert was appointed to a position in the law department of the city of Buf- falo, which he filled untill 1891. On June 1, 1893, he was appointed excise clerk of Buffalo and served until legislated out of office by the "Raines Law" in 1896. As excise clerk he published the first reports of the business of the department, thus giving the people an idea of the work accomplished. Mr. Taggert is is a member of the A. O. U. W., a man widely esteemed and respected, and a public spirited, en- terprising and progressive citizen. He has one son, Dr. James A. Taggert.
Schelling, Robert F., Buffalo, son of William Frederick and Christina (Brennen- stuhl) Schelling, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., October 5, 1850. His parents came to Buffalo from Wurtemberg, Germany, late in the year 1848. Mr. Schelling attended public school No. 13 and the Central High School of his native city, and read law in the office of Cornwell & Miller. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1872, and be- gan active practice as a member of the firm of Robbins, Miller & Schelling, which was subsequently changed to Miller & Schelling. This latter firm was dissolved in 1881, and since then Mr. Schelling has been engaged in the general practice of his profession alone. He is one of the prominent members of Buffalo bar. In politics he has always been a Democrat.
Rudolf, John A., Buffalo, son of John and Louisa (Gethoefer) Rudolf, is a mem- ber of two of the oldest and most respected German families in Buffalo, where he was born July 20, 1860. He attended the public schools until he was twelve years of age, when, in July, 1872, he began active life carrying papers for the Buffalo Courier Company, with which establishment he has ever since been connected. From a paper carrier he entered the printing and binding departments and served a thorough apprenticeship, and afterward filled all the clerical positions in the busi- ness office. Since 1885 he has been secretary and general manager of the company. Mr. Rudolf has been associated with the Courier establishment for a period of twenty-six years, and has filled every position with honor, ability and satisfaction. He is a public spirited, enterprising citizen, and as a business man is widely respect- ed and esteemed. In November, 1886, he married Jennie E., daughter of John M. Taff of Buffalo, and they have two sons, Walter Edward and Robert Campbell.
O'Brien, Hugh W., Buffalo, son of Hugh, was born in Warsaw, N. Y., June 29, 1859. His father, a farmer by occupation, came to America from Ireland about 1848. Mr. O'Brien attended the district schools and remained on his father's farm until he was thirteen years of age, when he began to support himself. He worked by the month at farming until he was seventeen, when he entered the employ of the Erie Railroad, with which he remained altogether four years, rising to the position of "extra " conductor. He has resided in Buffalo since 1878. In 1881 he engaged in the liquor business, and in 1886 became a traveling salesman for S. F. Eagan, with whom he continued five years. On January 1, 1891, he established the present wholesale liquor business of H. W. O'Brien & Co. at 122 Seneca street, and has since devoted himself to the management of that enterprise. In July, 1897, the com-
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pany was incorporated with a capital of $100.000. Mr. O'Brien being the president and manager. Mr. O'Brien began active life at the age of thirteen; since then he has depended entirely upon his own energy and resources, and has paved his own way to success without assistance of any kind. Endowed with good judgment, rare ability and perseverance he has built up a large and growing trade, which extends over New York and adjoining States. He is a past chancellor of Branch 128, C. M. B. A., and a member of the Royal Arcanum, the C. B. L., the Red Men, the Forest- ers, the Hibernians, etc. In politics he has always been an active Democrat. June 18, 1895, he married Elizabeth C., daughter of Thomas Cunningham of Buffalo.
McGerald, Rev. Samuel, D.D., Buffalo, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, June 20, 1833, and came to this country when he was twelve years old. He was educated at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima and at the Rochester Collegiate Insti- tute, and in August, 1856, entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, which he served in a pastoral capacity for nearly thirty years. He was stationed successively at Conesus, Bath, Warsaw, Medina, Albion, Tonawanda, and Buffalo, in the Western New York conference, and in each place won high honors as an able, eloquent and fearless preacher of the gospel. In 1885 he became the editor and pro- prietor of the Christian Advocate, the name of which he changed to the Christian Uplook, and which, under his management and editorial care, has become one of the best denominational papers in the State. This publication was established in 1847, and now has a circulation of over 10,000. Dr. McGerald was a delegate to the general conference of the M. E. church at New York in 1888 and at Omaha in 1893, and in the latter year the Nebraska University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was one of the original " Chautauquans" in 1874 and has been prominently indentified with that work ever since. August 19, 1858, he married Eunice Ada Durand, of Canandaigua, N. Y., and their children are Arthur D., busi- ness manager of the Christian Uplook, of Buffalo; Agnes, wife of Prof. W. M. Pierce, of Lima Seminary; and Willis E., a member of the editorial staff of the Chicago Record.
Jamieson, Andrew, Buffalo, son of Andrew and Elsie (Mutch) Jamieson, was born in Banffshire, Scotland, July 1, 1866. He obtained his first business experience in a branch of the North of Scotland Bank at Insch, Aberdeenshire, where he remained five years. In 1888 he came to America and accepted a position in the Chicago National Bank, and subsequently held positions in the Spokane National Bank and the Merchants National Bank of Seattle, both in the State of Washington. In 1891 he severed his connection with the last named bank and engaged in the lumber busi- ness in Seattle, where he remained until 1895, when he removed to Buffalo, where he still continues in that trade. Mr. Jamieson is a Free Mason and a member of the Acacia Club, and as a citizen is highly respected and esteemed. In October, 1897, he married Miss Anna Clotilde, daughter of Daniel D. Jones, of Buffalo.
Meister, Adam, Buffalo, was born in Germany, May 25, 1834. His childhood was passed in his native land, where he received his education. He left home when seventeen years of age, in 1851, to take up his residence in America, and settled in Buffalo, N. Y. His first business experience in his adopted country was the build-
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ing of small boats, in which he was successfully engaged until 1865, when he was appointed inspector of United States customs, in which capacity he served for twenty years. Mr. Meister has been a prominent worker in charitable organizations, and is now acting as agent for the Charity Organization Society of Buffalo.
Mosier, Charles, Buffalo, is a young man whose progression has been equaled by few men of his age. He was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1861, a son of John Mosier, who came to Buffalo about 1842. He received a common school education in the pub- lic schools, and when fourteen years of age began to work at carpentry, mastering the trade and caring for himself from that time. He later began contracting and building on his own account, and for a number of years was connected in partner- ship with Mr. Fitzpatrick, and later succeeded this copartnership. Mr. Mosier has also mastered the mason business, and has acquired the knowledge and art of archi- tecture, and is thus able to figure on any department or branch of the builder's work, these acquirements having placed him in the front rank of the builders of Buffalo. For his own buildings he draws his own plans, and among the many large buildings he has erected are four of the city public school buildings. In 1887 he established his office at 1266 Seneca street, and furnishes employment to from forty to fifty men the year round. In politics Mr. Mosier is a Republican, and in the spring of 1897 was appointed civil service commissioner by Mayor Jewett. He has been ward com- mitteeman for a number of years, and is a member of the order of Odd Fellows. In 1884 he married Margaret Cullen, and they have one daughter.
Lemme, Charles H., Buffalo, son of Charles and Dora (Zeigle) Lemme, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., January 9, 1867, and was educated in the public schools and the College of Commerce. He was first employed in the cigar factory of Fuchs Brothers, beginning as a stripper, and after mastering the trade, worked at the bench for several years. In 1888 he began the manufacture of cigars on his own account at 96 Exchange street and about a year later removed to 952 Michigan street. On April 1, 1897, he formed a copartnership with Andrew Hoellig, under the firm name of Lemme & Hoellig, and opened a retail store at 90 Seneca street, where they have since conducted business. Mr. Lemme is a member of Fidelity Lodge No. 550, I. O. O. F., and of Genesee Tribe I. O. R. M. On December 8, 1897, he married Miss Augusta Witt, of Buffalo.
Kerr, Mark P., Buffalo, son of David and Elizabeth A. (Gilson) Kerr, was born near Titusville, Pa., June 8, 1866. He was graduated from the Edinboro State Nor- mal School in the class of 1884, and after conducting a general store at Hydetown, Pa., for two years, removed to Buffalo in 1889 and became a student in the law office of Ulman & Ulman. He represented the Eastern Building and Loan Association in Buffalo for three years, from 1894 to 1897. He is now completing his law course in the office of William Armstrong. On April 16, 1891, he was married to Miss Susie C., daughter of Patrick Nugent, deceased, and Catherine C. Finnegan, his wife, of Titusville, Pa., formerly of Syracuse, N. Y. They have two children: Mary Eliza- beth and David Nugent.
Peters, C. A., & Son, Buffalo .- This firm is composed of Charles A. and William
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C. Peters. The house was established in 1865 by the senior member of the firm, Charles A. Peters, who was born February 5, 1828, at Mechlenburg Schwerin, Ger- many, and after serving an apprenticeship at the harness trade, and working at same for many years, emigrated to America in 1851 and located in Buffalo, where he has since resided and pursued his chosen vocation. William C. Peters was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1864, and received his early education in the public schools of his native city. Afterward he entered his father's factory, and in 1882 was admitted to membership in the firm.
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