USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 74
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 74
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GERRIT S. CONGER.
GERRIT S. CONGER was born in Canandaigua, Ontario county, N. Y., September 25, 1847. He was educated in the Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary and the University of Michigan, and studied law in Gouverneur with the late Charles Anthony, D. A. Johnson and E. H. Neary. He was admitted to the bar in 1871, and has resided in Gouverneur ever since.
On February 4, 1864, he enlisted in Battery D, 1st New York Light Artillery, and served to the close of the war, participating in seventeen general engagements and
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
was wounded once at Cold Harbor. He organized Barnes Post No. 156, G. A. R., and was its commander for several years. This was the first post organized in Northern New York. Judge Conger was also vice-commander of the Department of New York.
December 4, 1880, Mr. Conger was appointed special county judge by Governor Cornell, to fill a vacancy, and in the fall of 1881 he was elected to the same position, which he has held ever since, his present term expiring December 31, 1896.
In 1884 he was attorney for the Legislative Committee appointed to investigate the armories and arsenals of New York State. He has also been president of the village of Gouverneur.
In 1873 Judge Conger married Martha A. Church. They have two children, a son, Alger A. Conger, now attending Cornell University, and a daughter, Mary A. Con- ger.
F. F. WILLIAMS, M. D.
F. F. WILLIAMS was born in Stockholm, St. Lawrence county, July 10, 1857. He was educated in the district schools of Bicknellville and Potsdam Normal School. He taught the district school at Bicknellville while attending the Normal School, and after his graduation, July 1, 1879, he was principal of the Union Free School at Heuvelton for two years.
He began the study of medicine while teaching, and in the fall of 1881 he entered the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, and graduated March 15, 1883.
After practicing nine months with Dr. Brown, of Potsdam, with whom he had previously studied, he came to Canton January 15, 1884, and opened his present office. His practice was gratifying from the first, and he is now in the enjoyment of a very large professional clientage.
Dr. Williams is a member of the St. Lawrence and Franklin county Homeopathic Medical Society, and is one of the censors. He is also a member of the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York, the American Institute of Homeopathy, and of the American Association of Orificial Surgeons. He is also a Mason of high degree, being past master of St. Lawrence Lodge No. 111 F. and A. M. ; is a mem- ber of St. Lawrence Chapter No. 132 R. A. M .; St. Lawrence Commandery No. 28 K. T .; of Media Temple, Mystic Shrine, located at Watertown; of St. Lawrence Lodge of Perfection ; and a present patron of the Empire Chapter Eastern Star No. 68. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Canton Lodge No. 635, and is examining surgeon of the Foresters at Canton. He is also a member of the Social Club of Canton.
Dr. Williams married Lilla A. Thornton, eldest daughter of Alonzo Thornton, formerly of Heuvelton, August 12, 1884. They have two sons living; one daughter deceased.
Dr. Williams's father is Selden Williams, who is a native of the town of Jamaica, Vt. He was born March 21, 1828, and has resided in Stockholm since five years of age. His mother's maiden name was S. Jane Sumner. She died January 30, 1877.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
WILLIAM H. DANIELS.
WILLIAM H. DANIELS Was born in Ogdensburg, N. Y. November 3, 1840. He is a descendant of old Revolutionary stock, his paternal grandfather, Samuel Daniels, being a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He is a son of M. S. Daniels and Fanny Stephens. M. S. Daniels was born in Woodbury, Conn., and came with his father's family to St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in 1806. He also served his country in the second war with Great Britain. Fanny Stephens was born in Fairfield, Vt., where she resided until her marriage.
William H. Daniels received his education in the common schools of Ogdensburg. From 1855 to 1861 he was employed as a clerk in the grocery business. In April. 1861, he was among the first to enlist in the first company that was raised in Ogdensburg ; in fact, it was the first company that left Northern New York for the seat of war. The company was mustered into service as Company A, 16th N. Y. Vols. He served as a corporal in his company until March, 1862, when he was promoted to quarter- master-sergeant of his regiment, and in July of the same year was promoted to cap- tain and assistant quartermaster U. S. Vols. In 1864 he was commissioned major and quartermaster U. S. Vols. He served in the Army of the Potomac from the day it was organized until it was disbanded.
At different periods during this time, he was on the staffs of Generals Bartlett, Slocum, Upton, Seymour, Ricketts, Wright and Sedgwick. He was with the Sixth Army Corps when it was with General Sheridan in his Shenandoah Valley campaign, and at one time had charge of Sheridan's entire supply train.
In May, 1865, he was offered the commission of lieutenant-colonel and quarter- master to accompany Sheridan to Texas, which he declined. He was then placed on waiting orders and returned home, but was soon after ordered to Fort McPherson, Neb. At that time the Union Pacific Railroad was not built, and to reach the fort he had to ride six hundred miles in a stage coach.
Shortly after his arrival there he was offered a commission in the regular army, which he declined. He remained at Fort McPherson until August, 1866, when he resigned his commission and returned to his home in Ogdensburg, after a service in the army of nearly five and a half years. His position and long service brought him in personal aquaintance with many of the leading generals of the war.
On his return home he engaged in the grocery business for a short time, when he purchased the old Ogdensburg Bakery, and engaged in the wholesale bakery busi- ness with which he has since been identified.
Major Daniels married, in 1864, Annie E. Chatterton, daughter of Hiram Chatter- ton. To them were born three children, two daughters, who died in childhood, and one son.
Major Daniels was collector of customs for the District of Oswegatchie from April, 1880, to June, 1888; for a number of years was president of the Oswegatchie Agricul- tural Society; for two years he was president of the Ogdensburg Club, and it was under his administration and due almost to his personal efforts that the present beautiful club house was erected, which is such an ornament to the city. He is a member of the Board of Water Commissioners, is also one of the Fair Ground and Town Hall Commissioners, and for a number of years has been chairman of the Re- publican County Committee, and a member of the G. A. R. He is known to all as a
BIOGRAPHICAL.
man of superior business ability. possesses fine social qualities. liberal and broad minded and full of the spirit of enterprise, both public and private.
HON. GEORGE HALL.
GEORGE HALL was born in Sackett's Harbor. N. Y .. March 11, 1547. He res ded there until 1861. He then took up the trade of telegraph operator and was employed at various places in this State until 1-65. when he settled in New York city. He came to Ogdensburg in 1\11 and was employed by the firm of Ha !! & Gardner, coal dealers and forwarders, of which his brother, Henry Hall, was a member. In 1-72 his brother died and he became a member of the firm. and continued with it until the winter of 1850. when it was dissolved.
Then Mr. Hall, in connection with J. S. Bean and W. L. Proctor, purchased the business under the firm name of Geo. Hall & Co. Under Mr. Hall's management the business rapidly increased and prospered. In 1593 it was incorporated under the name of The George Hall Coal Company, with a capital of $650.000. A large number of men are employed. and the annual business of the firm runs into the mil- lions.
Mr Hall has always taken a deep interest in public affairs. He has 'been alderman of his ward several times, and in 1857 and 1s>> was elected mayor of Ogdensburg. and his administrations were eminently successful. Upon the establishment of the State Hospital for the Insane he was selected by Governor Hill as a member of the Board of Managers. and in 1:92 he was elected president of the board.
Mr. Hall was married. June 3 ). 1973. to Helen Brown. of Watertown. Two chil- dren have been born to them, a daughter and a son. They occupy a handsome res- idence on State street.
Mr. Hall is highly esteemed as a citizen and business man. He is public spirited and always willing and anxious to advance the interests of the city in which he lives.
G. W. REYNOLDS, M. D.
GERALD WHITNEY REYNOLDS, M. D., was born in Isle La Motte. Grand Isle county. Tt .. June 12. 1844. a son of Martin Van Buren Reynolds. a native of Vermont and a farmer. The boyhood of the subject was spent in the town of his birth, and his first education was received at a select school under the tutorship of Prof. Nathaniel Gale. a graduate of Albany State Normal School. At fifteen years of age he entered Plattsburg Select School, where he prepared for college. From 1862 to 1-65 he was a teacher in the common schools of Clinton. Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, and also a select school in the autumns during this time.
He began the study of medicine under Dr. H. H. Hogan. at Bombay. while teach- ing. and after giving up teaching he entered the medical department of the Univer-
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
sity of Vermont at Burlington, from which he graduated with the degree of M. D., June 10, 1866. He began the practice of his profession the same year at Morley, St. Lawrence county, where he ministered to the wants of the people for seven years, and . August 1, 1873, came to Madrid and bought the property and took the place of Dr. John Pierce, where he established a very extensive practice and enjoys an enviable reputation as a successful physician.
Dr. Reynolds is a member of the M. E. church, in which he was for a few years a steward and district steward one season. He is also a member of the Masonic fra- ternity. He married, in 1868, Lottie A. Hoyt, of North Lawrence, who died in 1878, leaving two children: Clarence Ira, head attendant of the St. Lawrence State Hos- pital; and Jessie Marcia, a student of Ives Seminary, Antwerp. He married second, in 1879, Amanda M. Erwin, of Madrid, and they have four children: Georgia D., Martin V. B., Charlotte, and Caroline.
JOHN H. AUSTIN.
JOHN.HOWARD AUSTIN was born in Waddington, St. Lawrence county, July 2, 1835. He received his education in the public and select schools at Morley in this county. He was connected with two mercantile houses. In 1868 he established himself in his present business in Ogdensburg. His ancestors came from England before the Rev- olution. They distinguished themselves in the War of the Revolution, also in the war with Mexico. The city of Austin, Texas, was named for Provisional Governor Stephen Austin, who died in a Mexican prison.
Mr. Austin married Ellen R. Lee in 1861, daughter of John Lee, whose father, Thomas Lee, came to this county as one of the first settlers. They have had two children, only one living-John J. Austin, who assists his father in his mercantile business.
REV. L. MERRILL MILLER.
REV. L. MERRILL MILLER, Ogdensburg, was born in Rochester, October 13, 1819. He received his early education in that city, preparing for college at the old " High School," in charge of Rev. Dr. Chester Dewey, and was graduated from Hamilton College in the notable class of 1840. At the age of thirteen he united with the First Presbyterian Church of Rochester, and early made choice of the ministry as his life work. He began his theological course at Princeton Seminary, passing the exam- inations of the first year and completing much of the second year's work before ill health compelled him to leave the seminary. Later he continued his theological studies while teaching, and in November, 1843, was examined and licensed to preach by Steuben (O. S.) Presbytery. In May, 1844, he was called to the Presbyterian church of Bath, Steuben county, and in October of that year was ordained and in- stalled as pastor of the church. In October, 1846, he married Lydia R., daughter of
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
Hon. David Rumsey, of Bath. After a service of seven years with that church, filling the offices of stated clerk of Steuben Presbytery and permanent clerk of the Synod of Buffalo, preaching and lecturing much outside of his own church, and act- ing as trustee of Geneseo Academy, he accepted a call to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church in Ogdensburg, in February, 1851. He arrived at his new field of labor suffering from a broken leg, in consequence of an overturned stage coach on the way, and entered his pulpit on crutches. His installation took place June 25, 1851. Repeatedly declining invitations to larger churches or to other de- sirable fields of service, he still remains, and is now entering upon the forty-fourth year of his pastorate in Ogdensburg. His untiring labors here with his own church and for other churches have been interrupted only by two or three brief illnesses, and by his travels through Europe, Egypt and Syria in 1869-70.
He received the honorary degree of S. T. D. from his alma mater in 1865, and was elected a trustee of Hamilton College in 1869. Dr. Miller has been secretary of the St. Lawrence County Bible Society for more than a quarter of a century, and inti- mately connected with various ecclesiastical and benevolent associations of the county. After the union of the old and new school branches of the Presbyterian church, the Synod of Central New York was formed, of which he was elected mod- erator at Utica in 1873, and afterward, when the several synods of the State were combined, he was, in 1885, elected moderator of the Synod of New York.
A citizen of Ogdensburg for almost half a century, Dr. Miller has won a high place in the esteem of its people. Wise, public-spirited and energetic, he has effect- ively aided in all enterprises for the public welfare, and has furthered the city's material as well as its spiritual interests. While his wide sympathy and his genial kindliness have made him the personal friend of his fellow citizens without limit of creed or church, he has been unflinching in his support of whatever he believed to be right.
In the dark days of '61, after the fall of Fort Sumter, when to " preach politics " in this community required a courage no less genuine than to charge a battery, his pulpit gave forth no uncertain sound. From the church tower floated the United States flag, while the patriotic eloquence of the preacher stirred men's souls and had no small part in rousing that enthusiasm which carried into the ranks of the Union Army ninety men from that single church.
When, in 1891, Dr. Miller's church arranged to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of his pastorate, the entire city joined with them to do him honor, and church and parsonage were thronged with those who knew and loved him.
CAPTAIN H. HOLLAND.
CAPT. H. HOLLAND was born at Rouse's Point, N. Y., of Irish parentage. He at- tended the local schools till he reached the age of sixteen, when he entered the large publishing house of John W. Lovell. Here he remained three years, during which time he became thoroughly acquainted with the art of printing in all its branches. Meanwhile he pursued his studies every evening with the aid of a private preceptor,
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
and at the early age of nineteen he was appointed inspector in the Vermont customs service, an office which he creditably filled for two years. Later on he engaged in the insurance business in connection with the management of the popular Holland House, which he built and still owns. On completion of the hotel he strove in vain to induce the town authorities to introduce a system of water works for the benefit of the village; on their refusal he erected, at considerable cost, a private system, which supplied his hotel and other property with water from Lake Champlain. Following his example, the village fathers have since supplied the entire village with water. Notwithstanding his extensive business he found time to correspond for two daily papers, the Troy Times and the Plattsburg Telegram.
The phenomenal success of his hotel and the large profits accruing therefrom failed to counteract his natural dislike for the business. A prominent insurance company offered him special inducements to remove to Ogdensburg. He acquiesced in the proposal and purchased the business of Geo. B. Shepard, which extended along the entire line of the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad, and conducted it until 1892.
Soon after his arrival in the Maple City he organized the Thirty-fifth Separate Company, of which he was appointed first licutenant by Governor Hill, and on the resignation of its first captain, was raised by the vote of his companions in arms to the office of commander.
On April 13, 1889, Captain Holland established the Ogdensburg Courier, a Cath- olic weekly paper, and ran it so ably as to raise its circulation to a larger figure than that of any paper in the county or Northern New York. On September 1, 1892, he organized the Courier Publishing Company, of which he was manager. December 1, 1893, the company leased the paper to an individual publisher.
July 1, 1890, Captain Holland purchased the Ogdensburg News plant and also the Ogdensburg Star, and February 2, 1891, he merged both papers into the Ogdens- burg Daily News. Finally the Ogdensburg News Company was organized Sep- tember 7, 1893, with Capt. Holland as manager, editor and treasurer. Capt. Holland conducted the / aily News as an independent paper politically until the fall of 1892, when he espoused the Democratic cause and Cleveland, and since that time the paper has been Democratic. He has been a delegate to several conventions and also interested in social organizations, having been president of the Y. M. C. U. for four years and of the C. M. B. A. for two years. He is also a member of the Ogdens- burg Club.
Captain Holland is an energetic business man as well as an able editor, and is affable and courteous in all his relations of life.
BIOGRAPHICAL
JOHN STEBBINS LEE, D. D.
JOHN STEBBINS LEE, the eldest son of Eli and Rebecca (Stebbins) Lee, was born in Vernon, Vt., September 23, 1820. His early education was obtained in the common school, where he began preparation for college. He pursued the study of Greek and Latin at Brattleboro', Vt., Deerfield and Shelburne Falls, Mass., and entered Am- herst College in 1841. He was graduated in 1845, receiving the degree of A. B.
In August, 1845, he took charge of Mount Cæsar Seminary in Swanzey, N. H. This was a denominational academy under the auspices of the Universalists, and from that time to the present he has been a teacher, mostly in institutions under the care of this denomination.
In July, 1846, he commenced his theological studies with Rev. Dr. Hosea Ballou 2d, Medford, Mass. He was ordained in West Brattleboro', Vt., in June, 1847, and in August following he took charge of Melrose Seminary, a new academical institu- tion which had been established there. For two years this institution was largely patronized, and many of its students took prominent positions afterwards in business and professional circles.
In 1849 Mr. Lee removed to Lebanon, N. H., and became the pastor of the Uni- versalist parish. During the two years he remained here he taught for a portion of the time in Lebanon Liberal Institute. In 1851 he resigned his charge and removed to Montpelier, Vt., and became assistant editor of The Christian Repository, a paper in charge of Rev. Dr. Eli Ballou, and he also continued to preach. In March, 1852, he accepted an invitation as principal of Green Mountain Institute in South Woodstock, Vt., where he taught twenty-one terms in succession. The number of the students continued to increase until they reached to one hundred and fifty a term. He had, some terms, half a dozen teachers under his control. He preached nearly every Sunday, also, in Woodstock and the surrounding towns. Wearied out by constant labors, in May, 1857, he resigned his position, and was pastor of the Woodstock parish for two years. He was elected town superintendent of schools, a position which he had previously held in Lebanon.
In April, 1859, he accepted an invitation as professor of Greek and Latin lan- guages in St. Lawrence University, a college then established in Canton, N. Y., in connection with a theological school. Dr. Lee had charge of the college for nine years as acting president, and also performed the special duties of his department and taught the Greek Testament a portion of the time in the Theological School. He was aided by Professors John W. Clapp, A. M., and Nehemiah White, Ph. D., afterwards president of Lombard University. With the aid of these professors, and the theological professors, Revs. Dr. E. Fisher, M. Goodrich and O. Cone, D.D., he succeeded in evolving the college out of the crudest materials, building it up and putting it on a permanent foundation. Four classes under him were graduated from 1865 to 1868, inclusive.
In July, 1878, worn out by severe and unremitting labors, the trustees granted him nine months' leave of absence, which he improved in foreign travel in Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land, and returned in March, 1869, greatly improved in health and knowledge. His journey was rapid, but he reaped rich fruits from it by reason of his extensive reading previously in history and the classics. He lectured extensively
I
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
in New York and New England, and in January, 1871, at the request of friends, he published " Nature and Art in the Old World." This volume has been extensively read and universally commended. He also published " Sacred Cities," which treats of Bible lands. He has written elaborate articles for " The Ladies' Repository," " The Universalist Quarterly," " The Miscellany," "To-Day," and other periodicals. He has collected a library of four thousand volumes, which has been constantly used by students as well as members of his family.
He has been zealous in the cause of education, and has done much to promote its interests. For six years, from 1862 to 1868, he was president of the St. Lawrence County Teachers' Association, and frequently gave lectures to teachers.
In 1875 Professor Lee received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Buchtel College, Akron, O., having previously received that of M.A. from his alma mater. In 1875 he was elected president of Lombard University, which position he declined.
February 22, 1848, he married Miss Elmina Bennett, of Westmoreland, N. H. Their domestic life has been eminently serene and happy. Of six children born to them, five, three sons and two daughters, are still living. They all are graduates of St. Lawrence University, and now occupy distinguished positions in the educational institutions of the country.
February 22, 1873, Dr. and Mrs. Lee celebrated their silver wedding in their pleasant home in Canton, and they have already passed the forty-sixth anniversary in the enjoyment of health and a well earned reputation.
PART III.
PERSONAL SKETCHES.
i
PERSONAL SKETCHES.
Anderson, Duncan, Ogdensburg, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, May 5, 1833. He received his education in the schools of Scotland, and came to this country in 1850. He has always followed flour and grist milling, holding a number of very important posi- tions in different large mills, and also owning interests in this line of commercial industry himself. He is superintendent of the Rhodee & Bill mills of Ogdensburg. He married in 1862 Hattie E. Cheney, and has three sons. He is a member of the Masonic Order No. 128, and is a sound and substantial business man and citizen.
Austin, S. H., Little York, was born in Fowler, July 23, 1844. He has been more or less engaged in farming until recently he has embarked in the manufacture of pulp, and is secretary of the Raquette River Pulp Company. They are building a mill with a capacity of thirty tons per day. Mr. Austin has been supervisor of Fowler and has also held other offices. He has married twice, first Althea Hazelton, by whom he had two children : Clarence J., and Jessie P. He married second Ella T. Sterling, and had one child, Pauline Sterling. Mr. Austin is a son of Samuel A. Austin, one of the most highly respected citizens of the county.
Austin, Edward J., Potsdam, was born where he now resides, February 22, 1854. Phineas Austin, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Vermont and was the father of six children. Oliver Austin, father of subject, was born in Rochester, Vt., July 22, 1809, and was only six years of age when his parents moved to St. Law- rence county. Phineas Austin bought a farm in Potsdam, where he died. Oliver Austin was educated in the common schools, and at the age of twenty-four was married. For two years previous to his marriage he drove stage in Canada. In 1833 he bought a small piece of land of ten acres, which he increased by purchase to 165 acres, and he also owned another piece of land of thirty-two acres. Mr. Austin was a staunch Republican, but was never an aspirant for public office. He was a member of the Methodist church in Potsdam, and was for a number of years a class leader. He married in Canada, in 1833, Harriet Sarah Sealy, born in London, Eng., who came to Canada when five years old. They had seventeen children, ten now living, five in Michigan (three being physicians and one a minister) ; and five are living in New York State. Oliver Austin died March 22, 1893, and Mrs Austin February 22, 1893. The youngest of the children were twins, Edwin H., and Edward J. Edward was educated in the common schools and Potsdam State Normal school. He acted as
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