USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > Rochester and Monroe County, New York : pictorial and biographical > Part 2
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Arthur G. Dates
T HERE ARE found many men whose industry has won them success-men who by their perseverance and diligence execute well defined plans which others have made-but the men who take the initiative are comparatively few. The vast majority do not see opportunity for the co-ordination of forces and the development of new, extensive and profitable enter- prises and therefore must follow along paths which others have marked out. Arthur G. Yates, however, does not belong to the designated class. The initiative spirit is strong within him. He has realized the possibility for the combination of forces and has wrought along the line of mammoth undertakings until the name of Yates stands, in large measure, for the coal trade. He is one of the leading operators in this great field of labor and well deserves to be ranked among the captains of industry.
His life record covers the period from the 18th of December, 1843. The place of his nativity is East Waverly, then Factoryville, New York, and he is a representative of a distinguished English family. His grandfather, Dr. William Yates, was born at Sapperton, near Burton-on-Trent, England, in 1767, and studied for the medical profession, but never engaged in practice. Being the eldest son in his father's family, he inherited the estate and the title of baronet. Throughout his life he was distinguished as a philanthropist. He was a cousin of Sir John Howard, the philanthropist, and Sir Robert Peel, the statesman, and was himself one of the most noted benefactors in England at that time. At his own expense he built and conducted an asylum for paupers and for the treatment of the insane at Burton-on-Trent. In 1792 he crossed the Atlantic to Philadelphia and was the first to introduce vaccination in this country-a work to which he devoted much time and money. In 1800 he re- turned to England, but soon afterward again came to America and from Philadelphia, in company with Judge Cooper and Judge Franchot and General Morris, he ascended the Susquehanna river to Unadilla, Butternut creek val- ley. On that trip he met Hannah Palmer, the daughter of a prominent set- tler, and after the marriage of the young couple they returned to England, spending two years in his native land. Having disposed of his estate, Sap- perton, to his brother Harry, Dr. Yates came once more to the United States and purchased a large estate at Butternuts, now the town of Morris, Otsego
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Arthur B. Dates
county, New York, where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring when he was in his ninetieth year. He was widely respected and esteemed. He spent a large fortune in carrying out his benevolent ideas and many there were who had reason to remember him with gratitude for his timely assist- ance. He possessed the broadest humanitarian views and his kindly sympa- thy was manifest in a most generous, but unostentatious, charity.
Judge Arthur Yates, his eldest son, was born at Butternuts, now Morris, New York, February, 7, 1807, acquired a common-school education and in 1832 located at Factoryville, New York, where he engaged in merchandising and lumbering, extensively carrying on business along those line for thirty years. He was an active and enterprising citizen and did much to upbuild the beautiful village in which he made his home. In 1838 he was appointed judge of Tioga county, New York. He was prominent in financial circles, where his word was recognized as good as his bond. With banking and other business interests in Waverly he was actively connected, and was also prominent and influential in social, educational and church circles. His life was very helpful to those with whom he came in contact, and he enjoyed the unqualified regard of all. In January, 1836, Judge Yates was united in mar- riage to Miss Jerusha Washburn, a daughter of Jeba Washburn, of Otsego county, New York, and they became the parents of seven children. The Judge died in 1880, but the influence of his life and labors is yet felt for good in the community in which he made his home, and where the circle of his friends was almost co-extensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
On the maternal side the ancestry of our subject can be traced back to Henry Glover, of Ipswich, England, who in 1634 emigrated to New Haven, Connecticut. The fourth of his six children was John Glover, who removed to Stratford, Connecticut. His son John removed from Stratford to New- town, Connecticut. His third child was Benjamin Glover and it was through the latter's daughter Mabel that the line of descent is traced down to our subject. She became the wife of Dr. Nathan Washburn, of Newtown, Connecticut, and their son, Zenas Washburn, became a resident of Otsego county, New York. He married Nancy Northrup, the grandmother of our subject, their daughter Jerusha becoming the wife of Arthur Yates, of Fac- toryville, New York.
Arthur G. Yates, the fourth member of the family of Judge Yates, after acquiring a good education in his native town and as a student in various acad- emies entered upon business life in Rochester in March, 1865, as an employe of the Anthracite Coal Association. He brought to the duties of the new position unfaltering energy, laudable ambition and a determination to thor- oughly acquaint himself with the trade in principle and detail. He remained with that company for two years and laid the foundation upon which he has built the superstructure of his present success. He began dealing in coal on his own account, constantly enlarging the scope of his activity until he is today
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Arthur . Dates
one of the foremost representatives of the coal trade of the country. Grad- ually he has developed the business until his shipments have extended far and wide into northern and western states and into Canada. He has built im- mense shipping docks at Charlotte, the port of Rochester, and has purchased a leading railway in order to place the fuel upon the market. At an early period in his business career he became a member of the firm of Bell, Lewis & Yates, which was organized for the purpose of mining and shipping bitu- minous coal from Pennsylvania. Marked success attended the enterprise from the start, the firm becoming the largest producer of its class in the United States. As the shipments of the firm were largely over the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad, Mr. Yates conceived and executed the plan of purchasing the line. Later he retired from the firm and while carrying on business individually at Rochester he became interested in the Rochester & Pittsburg Coal & Iron Company, which had been formed by certain stock- holders of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad Company. It was not long after this that Mr. Yates associated with New York financiers, bought out the business of the firm of Bell, Lewis & Yates, thus greatly increasing his individual holdings. Since that time the combined business of the two firms above mentioned, together with the railroad affairs, have been managed by Mr. Yates with marked success.
At different times Mr. Yates has been identified with various corporate interests aside from those mentioned. He has served as director or in other official capacities in connection with various banking institutions of Roches- ter and was at one time president of the Rochester Railway Company. Since April, 1890, he has been president of the Buffalo, Rochester & Pitts- burg Railroad. Many business concerns of the city have profited by his financial investment, his wise counsel and his sound judgment, but more and more largely he has withdrawn from other lines to concentrate his energies upon his mammoth coal business and his railroad interests. All affairs have been systematized until the maximum results are reached with mini- mum expense of time and labor. This is the real secret of success in any busi- ness-a fact which Mr. Yates thoroughly realized and toward which end he has constantly worked. His success is so marvelous that his methods are of interest to the commercial world and investigation into his career shows that his actions have ever been based upon the rules which govern unfal- tering industry and unswerving integrity. Moreover, he has had the power to bring into harmonious relations various factors in business life, co-or- dinating plans and forces in the development of enterprises of great mag- nitude.
On the 26th of December, 1867, Arthur G. Yates was married to Miss Virginia L. Holden, a daughter of Roswell Holden, of Watkins, New York. Their family numbered five sons and a daughter, but Arthur and Howard L., the fourth and fifth members of the family, are deceased. Those liv-
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Arthur 3. Dates
ing are Frederick W., Harry, Florence and Russell P. Their attractive home on South Fitzhugh street is justly celebrated for its gracious and charming hospitality.
The family are communicants of St. Paul's Episcopal church, of which Mr. Yates is the oldest warden, having filled the position for more than three decades. At one time he was a trustee of Rochester University and he is a valued member of various social organizations, including the Genesee Valley Club, the Ellicott Square Club of Buffalo, the Duquesne Club of Pittsburg, the Transportation Club of New York and the City Mid Day Club of New York city. He is a man of kindly spirit, of generous disposition and of broad humanitarianism. The accumulation of wealth has never been al- lowed to affect his relations toward others less fortunate. While he has never courted popularity he holds friendship inviolable, and as true worth may always win his regard he has a very extensive circle of friends. The public work that he has done has been performed as a private citizen, yet has made extensive demands upon his time, his thought and his energies. His aid is never sought in vain for the betterment and improvement of the city. In his life are the elements of greatness because of the use he has made of his talents and of his opportunities, his thoughts being given to the mastery of great problems and the fulfillment of his duty as a man in his rela- tions to his fellowmen and as a citizen in his relations to his state and his coun- try.
U
BA Clarks
Brackett . Clark
H
ISTORY is no longer a record of wars, conquests and strife between man and man as in former years but is the account of business and intellectual de- velopment, and the real upbuilders of a community are they who found and conduct successful com- mercial and industrial interests. In this connection Brackett H. Clark was widely known, being one of the directors and secretary of the Eastman Kodak Company from its organization in 1884 until his death. He was also financially connected with the Clark Paint & Oil Company, but not active in its management.
Mr. Clark was born in Salem, Massachusetts on the 17th of January, 1821. His youth was passed in that locality and for some time he resided in Virginia and in New York city prior to his arrival in Rochester in 1857. From that time forward he was connected with the business interests of this place. In the year of his arrival he began operating a stave factory at the corner of the Erie canal and Lyell avenue and engaged in the manu- facture of staves until 1884. The length of his continuation with this en- terprise proves its success. The business gradually developed along health- ful lines and he enjoyed a liberal patronage. Each forward step he took in his career brought him a broader outlook and wider view, and having demonstrated his power and capacity in the business world, his co-operation was sought by the Eastman Kodak Company, which he joined upon its or- ganization in 1884, becoming a director and secretary. To know the history of Rochester in the last three decades is to know the history of the Kodak Company. It has become the leader in this line of business in the world and one of the most important enterprises of the city, contributing not only to individual success but also to the growth and development of Rochester through the employment which it furnishes to many hundred people, Mr. Clark brought to his new work keen discernment and native intellectual strength, and as the years passed by he aided in no small measure in the marvelous development of this enterprise, which has now reached mam- moth proportions.
Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Clark was married to Miss Lucretia Bowker, of Salem, Massachusetts, and a daughter of Joel Bowker,
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Brackett #. Clark
one of the old Salem merchants. In their family were two sons: Daniel R. and George H.
Mr. Clark was a republican in politics. He held membership in Ply- mouth church, in the work of which he was much interested, contributing generously to its support and doing all in his power for its development. He served as a trustee and deacon and the value of his labor in behalf of the church was widely recognized by all who were associated with him in that organization. He was benevolent and kindly, was liberal in his views and possessed a charity that reached out to all humanity. His efforts toward ad- vancing the interests of Rochester are so widely recognized that they can be considered as being no secondary part of his career of signal usefulness. His death occurred March 22, 1900, and thus passed away one who enjoyed to the fullest extent the confidence and respect of all classes of people. Mrs. Clark still survives her husband, residing in the home which he purchased at No. 199 Lake avenue, and she has reached the advanced age of eighty-six years.
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J
Diram Sibley
G J
REAT leaders are few. The mass of men seem con- tent to remain in the positions in which they are placed by birth, experience or environment. Laud- able ambition, ready adaptability and a capacity for hard work are essential elements of success and in none of these requirements was Hiram Sibley ever found lacking. It is not a matter of marvel, there- fore, that he occupied a pre-eminent position among the builders of Rochester and the promoters of prog- ress and development in various sections of the country. In fact his interests were so wide that he was a man not of one locality, but of the nation. The eminence to which he attained was due also to the fact that he had the ability to recognize the opportune moment and to correctly appraise the value of a sit- uation and determine its possible outcome. It was these qualities that enabled him to enter upon his first great work in amalgamating and co-ordinating the forces that led to the establishment of the Western Union Telegraph Com- pany. The history of the invention of the telegraph is too well known to need reiteration here. The great majority of the members of congress and the men prominent in the country doubted the worth of the ideas which found birth in the fertile brain of Samuel F. S. Morse. Not so with Mr. Sibley, and with wonderful prescience he recognized what this might mean to the country and his executive ability was brought to play in the organization of what is now one of the most useful and powerful corporations of the world.
No special advantages aided him at the outset of his career. On the con- trary he was deprived of many advantages which most boys enjoy. A na- tive of North Adams, Massachusetts, he was born on the 6th of February, 1807, and was the second son of Benjamin and Zilpha (Davis) Sibley, who were representatives of old New England families that had been founded on American soil at an early epoch in our country's history. He had compara- tively little hope of acquiring an education but nature endowed him with a strong mind and keen discernment. He possessed, too, much mechanical gen- ius, used every chance which he had for its development and before he had attained his majority was master of five trades. His mechanical knowledge and his skill proved an important factor in the substantial development of Monroe county. Years later, in an address made to the students of Sibley College, on a visit to Ithaca, he gave utterance to words which were typical
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Diram Bibley
tive value. He instituted many experiments for the improvement of plants, with reference to their seed-bearing qualities, and built up a business as unique in its character as it was unprecedented in amount. He was president of the Bank of Monroe and connected with many other Rochester institutions that led to the upbuilding of the city.
His broad humanitarian spirit, however, was manifest in many other ways. His deep appreciation of the value of education and his desire for the mental improvement of America was substantially manifest in a most practical way. He endowed a number of institutions for the promotion of learning and estab- lished Sibley Hall for the use of the library of the University of Rochester, at a cost of one hundred thousand dollars. He gave to it many valuable vol- umes and provided for the free use of the library by the public. He was one of the trustees to incorporate the Reynolds Library. He also endowed the Sibley College of Mechanical Arts at Cornell University at a cost of two hun- dred thousand dollars, and thus set in motion a movement of intellectual ad- vancement, the influence of which is incalculable.
Mr. Sibley was particularly happy in his home life. He married Eliza- beth M. Tinker, a daughter of Giles and Zilphia (Knight) Tinker, who were natives of Connecticut. Her father was a cloth manufacturer and furrier at North Adams, Massachusetts, and there he and his wife remained until called to their final home. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sibley were born the following named: Louise, who became the wife of Hobart F. Atkinson, and died in 1868, at the age of thirty-four, leaving two children-Elizabeth, wife of Ar- thur Smith, and Marie L., who married Harry H. Perkins; Giles B., who died at the age of two years; Hiram Watson, of Rochester; and Emily, the wife of James S. Watson. Like her husband, Mrs. Sibley delighted in doing good, and was long actively connected with the Church Home of Rochester, to which she was a generous contributor. This is a denominational establish- ment conducted under the auspices of the Episcopal church and was founded in 1868. Destitute children are there instructed and aged communicants have found an abiding place there. Mrs. Sibley also erected St. John's Episcopal church in North Adams, Massachusetts, her native village, at a cost of twenty- five thousand dollars, and a few years later she added a new chancel at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars more. Her private charities and benefac- tions were many, for her heart was most sympathetic, and the worthy poor never sought her aid in vain. She has passed away and Mr. Sibley died July 12, 1888, after reaching the eighty-first milestone on life's journey, but as long as the history of America and its progress shall be recorded his name will be closely interwoven therewith for what he did in the promotion of its telegraphic and railroad interests and also by reason of his efforts for educa- tional advancement. Of him a contemporary biographer has said: "He amassed wealth, but was most generous and helpful in his use of it. His asso- ciation with one of the most important inventions the world has ever known
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Diram Bibley
would of itself class him among the foremost men of the nineteenth century, but his nature was so broad, his resources so great and his mentality so strong that his efforts in that line were but the initial step in a most active and useful career, whereby the world has been enriched materially, mentally and morally."
T. B. J. WLaand Bishop of Rochester,
Bishop B. T. AlcQuand
T HE STORY of the Catholic church in the city of Rochester has been told at length elsewhere. It was in Rochester's earliest days a religious factor and at present presents a superb organization and great pos- sibilities for civic and moral good. In the devel- opment of Catholicity the principal honor is due to Bernard John McQuaid. Unlike the earliest prel- ates of the Catholic church, Bishop McQuaid is an American. He was born in the city of New York on the 15th of December, 1823. As a boy he lived in New Jersey and in his father's house the Catholics of New Jersey held their first religious service. When a mere lad of fourteen he was sent to school to Canada, and for sev- eral years remained in a classical school at Chambly. Returning to New York he entered upon his ecclesiastical studies at St. John's Fordham. There he completed his theological course, and was raised to the priesthood in the old Mott street cathedral on the 16th of January, 1848.
His first work in the ministry was in and about Madison, New Jersey. In 1853, when James Roosevelt Bayley was made first bishop of Newark, the young Father McQuaid was called to the rectorship of the new cathedral and made vicar general. Two great institutions, which remain in glory even to our time, owe their existence and their permanence to the efforts and the wisdom of Bishop McQuaid-Seton Hall College and Seminary and St. Elizabeth's College for Young Ladies. The latter school is also the headquarters of the great teaching order of the Sisters of Charity of New Jersey, which was es- tablished back in the '50s under the direction of Dr. McQuaid. In 1868 he was created bishop of Rochester and consecrated in the New York cathedral by Archbishop, afterward Cardinal, McCloskey, on the 12th of July. For up- ward of forty years Bishop McQuaid has been closely identified with the re- ligious and civic growth of our city, and there is no Catholic institution here which does not owe its development, if not its origin, to his zeal and fore- sight. He has been particularly interested in the promotion of Christian edu- cation, and has written largely on this subject. In the early '70s he lectured throughout the United States on the education of the masses from the Catholic standpoint, and those lectures have been published in a volume entitled "Chris- tian Free Schools."
The crowning work of his administration has been the erection of St. An-
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Bishop 26. 7. McQuaid
drew's Preparatory Seminary under the shadow of the cathedral, and St. Ber- nard's Seminary for higher theological studies, situated on Charlotte boule- vard. The bishop has been largely interested in the public and private charities of this section and particularly has he shown zeal in providing spiritual assist- ance to the inmates of the public institutions. He has been a member of the park board from its inception and has been second to none in aiding the park work. At the age of eighty-four years he is still hale and hearty and gives promise of many years of added usefulness.
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H. Jowens
Daniel M. Powers
A S SOME one has expressed it, "to know Rochester is to know Powers." In other words, the name of Pow- ers is inseparably interwoven with the history of the city, its commercial enterprise and business develop- ment, and Daniel W. Powers was the first builder of the modern business structure which is now a typical feature in every progressive city. The spirit of ad- vancement which he thus manifested characterized him in all of his business undertakings and made him one of the most prosperous, as well as best known, citizens of Monroe county. Born in Batavia, Genesee county, New York, on the 14th of June, 1818, he was a son of Asahel and Elizabeth (Powell) Powers, who were natives of Vermont. On leaving New England they removed to western New York, establishing their home in this section of the Empire State when it was largely an unim- proved district, giving little evidence of its present development and upbuild- ing. The father died about 1821 and the mother survived until the period of the Civil war.
Following his father's death Daniel W. Powers made his home with an uncle and his early experiences were those of farm life. He worked in the fields from the time of early spring planting until after crops were harvested in the late autumn, but the pursuits of a mercantile career seemed more at- tractive and at the age of nineteen he became a salesman in the hardware store of Ebenezer Watts of Rochester. For twelve years thereafter he was connect- ed with the hardware trade, during which time the careful husbanding of his re- sources, together with the increase in his salary as his years and efficiency ad- vanced, brought him capital that enabled him to engage in business on his own account as a banker and broker on the Ist of March, 1850. He made the announcement to the public through the columns of the paper that he would conduct an "Exchange business in the Eagle block, Rochester, one door west of the Monroe Bank in Buffalo street." The new enterprise prospered from the beginning. He gave close and earnest attention to his business and the pub- lic soon recognized that he was thoroughly trustworthy, reliable and competent, so that his patronage therefore increased and in years brought him a handsome fortune. His success in the undertaking is evidenced by the fact that on the site of his original office now stands the beautiful and substantial Powers fireproof building, the first as well as the finest and most celebrated of the great modern
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