USA > New York > Franklin County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 2 > Part 16
USA > New York > Jefferson County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 2 > Part 16
USA > New York > Lewis County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 2 > Part 16
USA > New York > Oswego County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 2 > Part 16
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 2 > Part 16
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New lines of merchandise and new departments were added from time to time and the Globe Department Store is now one of Watertown's largest and most prosperous institutions. The store's rapid growth has been largely due to the spirit of loyalty and enterprise which has existed at all times between the firm and the employes.
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Besides the Globe Department Store, Mr. Ellis owned the former Gan- ter Block at 216-20 Court Street, which he purchased in 1923. In 1924 he bought the Frederick H. Taylor residence at 325 Washington Street, for- merly the Van Brunt residence, and resided there until the time of his death, which brought to an end a career of over 30 years of successful mer- chandising.
Mr. Ellis is survived by his widow, Mrs. Hyman G. Ellis; a son, Joseph Ellis; a daughter, Mrs. Rose Shapiro; a son-in-law, Israel A. Shapiro; and two grandsons, Arnold and Gerald Shapiro, all of 325 Washington Street, Watertown.
For many years Mr. Ellis had been president and chairman of the Zion- ist organization of this section, and for several years had been a delegate at national Zionist conventions held in various cities of the country. He was well known and universally liked and respected wherever he went. Mr. Ellis was one of the organizers and a charter member of Degel Israel Syna- gogue of Watertown, and had served as president of that institution for the past 16 years. He was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Water- town Shrine and Scottish Rite, and a member of the Watertown Lodge of Elks, No. 496. He was a director and staunch supporter of Mercy Hospital and was connected with other community enterprises.
Clarence Evelyn Kinne .- One of the able business men of Watertown, who stands as a community leader, Clarence E. Kinne has had a most im- portant part in the business, political and social life of Jefferson County. He is of English descent on the paternal side and of Scotch descent on the maternal side.
The progenitor of the Kinne family in America was Henry Kinne, who was born in Leyden, Holland, in 1624. His parents were Puritans from the central or northern part of England, the native land of the Pilgrim fathers, who like many others of their sect were obliged to leave their homes in England on account of an unholy persecution and sought re- ligious freedom in Holland. Henry Kinne and his wife, Anne, arrived in Salem village (now Danvers) Mass., in 1651. He died in 1712. Thomas Kinne, second son of Henry and Anne Kinne, was born Jan. 1, 1656, and died in June, 1687. He married Elizabeth Knight. Thomas Kinne, eld- est son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Knight) Kinne, was born July 27, 1678. He married Martha Cox. In December, 1715, he sold his lands at Salem, Mass., and removed to Preston (now Griswold) Conn. He died Oct. 1, 1756. Amos Kinne, fifth child of Thomas and Martha (Cox) Kinne, was born at Danvers, Mass., Sept. 3, 1708. He married Sarah Palmer, of
Clarence Es. Rinner.
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Stonington, Conn., Nov. 15, 1732. He was a lieutenant in a colonial militia company. He died Sept. 19, 1775. Robert Kinne, third child of Amos and Sarah (Palmer) Kinne, was born near Griswold, Conn., in 1738. He married Abigail Brown. In 1767 he resided at Plainfield, Conn. He was a soldier in the war of the American Revolution and marched from Worthington, Mass., in the expedition against Montreal in 1776, and was also in the battle of Bennington, Vt., in August, 1777. In 1787 he re- moved to Montgomery County, N. Y. He died near Amsterdam, N. Y., Oct. 24, 1831. Oliver Kinne, youngest of the 14 children of Robert and Abigail (Brown) Kinne, was born March 2, 1795, in the town of Amster- dam, Montgomery County, N. Y. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. He married Diana Dodge, at Camden, N. Y., in January, 1833. He died near Lockport, N. Y., March 24, 1846.
Oliver Evelyn Kinne, youngest child of Oliver and Diana (Dodge) Kinne, was born at Alabama Centre, Genesee County, N. Y., Jan. 5, 1842. He lived at Camden, N. Y., until 17 years of age, when he enlisted in Battery A, First New York Light Artillery, at Utica, N. Y., for service in the Civil War. Later, he was transferred to Battery H. He was second lieutenant of Battery L, then first lieutenant in Battery E, and was given a captain's commission near the close of the war, having served nearly four years in the defense of his country. On March 15, 1866, he married Margaret Anne Cessford, of Utica, N. Y., the daughter of George and Ann Isabel (Stephenson) Cessford. George Cessford was a native of Scotland and was descended from the Cessfords of Kerr, of Roxborough- shire. He was a machinist of the old school. Ann Isabel (Stephenson) Cessford was a relative of George Stephenson, who perfected the first suc- cessful steam locomotive, the "Rocket", in England.
Clarence Evelyn Kinne, eldest son of Oliver E. and Margaret Anne (Cessford) Kinne, was born at Utica, N. Y., April 16, 1869. He attended the public schools and high school of Camden, N. Y., and early in life showed decided evidences of a mechanical turn of mind. Consequently, at the age of 16 years he entered into an apprenticeship with Wood & Per- cival, in their machine shop, at Camden, N. Y., and remained there from 1885 until 1888. For his services he received one dollar per week for the first year, two dollars per week for the second, and three dollars per week for the third year. During his apprenticeship he began the study of mechanical drawing, aided and encouraged by his father and Mr. Per- cival. One year was spent as a machinist in the New York Locomotive Works, at Rome, N. Y.
On June 20, 1889, Mr. Kinne removed to Watertown, where he has since resided. He entered the employ of the Watertown Engine Com-
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pany as a machinist, and remained one year. During this time he entered seriously into the study of mechanical drawing and the higher branches of mathematics, both at night school and private tutors. Two years were spent as a machinist with the New York Air Brake Company, and one year with them as a draftsman. In 1893 he entered the employ of the Bagley & Sewall Company as draftsman, and with them began his per- sonal success and his real business career. Here his character and mechanical ability were recognized, and with the study and preparation of long years he was ready when the opportunity came. In 1898 he was placed in full charge of the mechanical engineering department, entrusted with the designing and building of paper making machinery, which goes into mills in all parts of the United States and Canada, as well as Japan, China, Mexico, and various countries in Europe. The Bagley & Sewall Company has built the widest and fastest paper making machines in existence. On May 25, 1915, Mr. Kinne was elected secretary and director of the company and in 1927 became vice president and director, in which position he still continues.
Mr. Kinne is a trustee of the Watertown Savings Bank, and vice president of the Watertown Savings, Loan & Building Association.
Mr. Kinne married (first) on June 18, 1890, Miss Della L. Brewster, daughter of George J. and Sarah C. (Schott) Brewster, and a lineal descendant of Elder William Brewster, of Pilgrim fame, who came to America in the Mayflower in 1620. Mrs. Kinne died Oct. 2, 1921. A daughter, Margaret Cessford Kinne, was born to them. She married Roy E. Parker and they have two children, Edward Kinne and Margaret Cessford Parker. Mr. Kinne married (second) on Dec. 10, 1923, Ger- trude C. (Stone) Lewthwaite, the daughter of Edwin and Clara (Sloat) Stone.
In politics Mr. Kinne is a Republican. He has been a member of the Board of Health, Board of Charities, Board of Trustees of Flower Memo- rial Library, and was the engineer member of the Board of Watertown Light & Power from 1913 until 1919. During the World War Mr. Kinne was appointed by the United States Emergency Fleet Corporation to in- spect and report on machine shops in various parts of the country as to their activities for wartime service, a work for which his impartial and judicious temperment and his practical knowledge eminently fitted him.
Mr. Kinne is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Sons of Veterans, Black River Valley Club, Crescent Yacht Club, life member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a member of the
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Jefferson County Historical Society. He is a member of Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a member of the board of trustees.
Keenly interested in history in general and local history in particular, Mr. Kinne has amassed much valuable information of an original or re- search nature. With the assistance of the Bagley & Sewall Company he has gathered into a mechanical museum a large collection of ancient and curious water wheels, steam engines, and other machinery of an earlier period.
Mr. Kinne has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada, as well as England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Hawaiian Islands, Japan, China, and the Philippines in the interest of his company.
Alfred C. Coty .- A widely known citizen and highly successful busi- ness man of Watertown is Alfred C. Coty, who is president of the Coty Machine Company, and president of the Coty Bag Company. He was born at Hudson Falls, Jefferson County, March 30, 1875, the son of Clement and Adele (Preville) Coty.
Clement Coty was born in Montreal, Canada, and his wife was a native of Whitehall, N. Y. He was a carpenter and wagon maker by trade and owned an interest in a manufacturing business at Hudson Falls, N. Y., where he died in December, 1875. His wife died in 1884. Both are buried at Hudson Falls. He was a Republican and held membership in St. Paul's Catholic Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Coty were born two sons: Frank, born in 1873; and Alfred C., the subject of this sketch.
Clement Coty was the son of Paul and Celia Coty, who were natives of France. In early life they settled at Montreal, Canada. The original spelling of the family name is Cote.
Alfred C. Coty obtained his education in the public schools of Water- vliet, N. Y., but he left school when 13 years of age to work in a grocery store as a clerk. In 1891 he located at Hudson Falls, and two years later he removed to Fort Edward, N. Y., where he was employed by the Interna- tional Paper Company as a wood worker. Three years later he went with the Hudson Falls Union Bag & Paper Company, and resigned as super- intendent in 1912. While in their employ he had designed and patented several paper bag machines, and in 1912 engaged in demonstration work at Cohoes, N. Y. Later he was located at Rumford Falls with the Conti- nental Paper Bag Company as a machine builder, and in 1914 he became identified with the Taggart Brothers Paper Company, Watertown, as an inventor and designer of paper bag machinery. Mr. Coty organized the Watertown Bag Machine Company in 1920, of which he served as treas-
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urer. He later sold his interests to Taggart Brothers and the Bates Valve Company, and in 1922 became associated with the latter concern at Toledo, Ohio, as a designer and builder. Two years later he returned to Water- town, and in association with his son, Earl Coty, established the Coty Machine Company, manufacturers of bag machinery. He organized the Coty Bag Company in 1927, and the firm was incorporated the following year with Mr. Coty as president. They are nationally known manufactur- ers of coal and cement bags, as well as all types of large bags used for flour and other commodities.
In 1896 Mr. Coty was united in marriage with Miss Anna LaPlante, the daughter of Eric and Caroline LaPlante, natives of Canada, of French descent. Both are deceased and are buried at Hudson Falls, N. Y. To Mr. and Mrs. Coty were born three children: : 1. Ethel, married Cecil Aikin, lives at Watertown, and they have a daughter, Rita Anne. 2. Earl, born in 1898, is vice president of the Coty Machine Company and the Coty Bag Company. He married Miss Hazel Brainnard, and they have four children: Richard; Paul, deceased; Joanne; and William. 3. J. Victor, born in 1901, is secretary-treasurer of the Coty Machine Company and the Coty Bag Company. He is unmarried and lives at home.
Mr. Coty is a Republican in politics and he and his family hold mem- bership in Holy Family Catholic Church.
Charles T. West, deceased, was a substantial citizen of Watertown, where he lived for many years. He was a native of Mohawk, N. Y., born Dec. 21, 1851, the son of Charles Townsend and Susan (Peters) West.
Charles Townsend West and his wife were natives of New York. He died in 1865 and she died in 1862.
In 1865 Charles T. West, the subject of this sketch, went to Scriba, near Oswego, N. Y., to reside with his cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Sardius Loucks. After completing his schooling he became interested in the sale of farm machinery at Pulaski, N. Y. He entered the employ of the New York Central Railroad on Aug. 8, 1882, and was promoted from fireman to locomotive engineer in February, 1885. Mr. West continued to serve the company in that capacity until his retirement, Dec. 21, 1921. At that time New York Central officials praised his record highly, and on Jan. 4, 1922, he was the guest of honor at a banquet given by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, No. 227, of which he was a member. He was living retired in Watertown at the time of his death, Sept. 6, 1930.
On Dec. 5, 1883, Mr. West was united in marriage with Miss Margaret L. Peach, who died Feb. 21, 1929. She was the daughter of William and
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Mary Ann (Willett) Peach. To Mr. and Mrs. West were born three chil- dren : Mabel, lives at Watertown; Charles W., a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this history; and Harold, who died in 1913.
Mr. West was a Republican, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, and belonged to Watertown Lodge, F. and A. M. No. 49; Watertown Chap- ter, R. A. M. No. 59; Oswego Commandery K. T .; Rose Croix, 18th degree; Media Temple; and Lincoln League. He was a director of the North Watertown Cemetery Association.
Lloyd E. Allen .- Among the younger men prominent in the business and social life of Watertown, one of the most outstanding is Lloyd E. Allen, who is manager of the New York Telephone Company. He was born at Copenhagen, Lewis County, March 19, 1889, the son of John E. and Eliza (Young) Allen.
John E. Allen was born at Copenhagen, N. Y., in 1856. As a young man he left home in 1876 to attend the centennial in Chicago, Ill., and while there he enlisted in Troop E, Sixth Cavalry, U. S. Army. He par- ticipated in the Indian Wars and was retired with the rank of first ser- geant. He had enlisted under the name of George Wilson, due to the fact that he was under age at the time. Mr. Allen died at Copenhagen in 1927. He was a Republican and served as president of the board of education and as president of the village board in Copenhagen. His widow lives there. Mr. Allen held membership in the Baptist Church and be- longed to Orient Lodge, F. & A. M. No. 238, and Carthage Chapter, R. A. M. To Mr. and Mrs. Allen were born two sons: Lloyd E., the subject of this sketch; and Capt. Albert L., who lives at Mansfield, Ohio. He is a graduate of Ohio Northern University and is serving as surveyor of Rich- land County, Ohio. He served in France during the World War as captain of Company M, 146th Infantry, 37th Division, and is now president of the Richland County Reserve Officers Association.
John E. Allen was the son of Dr. E. and Susan (Stanton) Allen, who were natives of Mohawk Valley, N. Y. He was a prominent pioneer phy- sician and surgeon and is buried at Copenhagen, N. Y. Eliza (Young) Allen was the daughter of Elnathan and Philena Young, both natives of Denmark, N. Y.
Lloyd E. Allen grew up at Copenhagen, N. Y., where he received his early education. After his graduation from a teachers' training school he taught at Harrisburg, N. Y., during 1909-10. He was later graduated from Colgate Academy and spent two years at Colgate University. Dur- ing 1914-15 he taught again at Harrisburg and spent the following year
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as a teacher at Rodman, N. Y. During the World War he enlisted in the U. S. Medical Corps, Regular Army, and was assigned to the Ambulance Corps, Company No. 22, 7th Division, and stationed at Camp Oglethorpe, Ga. He served overseas with this outfit and was discharged on July 9, 1919, with the rank of first class sergeant. He then returned to Copen- hagen, N. Y., and on Sept. 1, 1919, came to Watertown as assistant secre- tary of the Y. M. C. A. On April 1, 1920, he accepted a position with the New York Telephone Company and was sent to Syracuse, N. Y. He re- turned to Watertown in October, 1921, as manager of the company's local offices.
In 1923 Mr. Allen was united in marriage with Miss Helen M. Lewis, the daughter of Jerome E. and Mary E. (Hayes) Lewis, the former a native of Cape Vincent and the latter of Lyme, N. Y. Mr. Lewis lives at Water- town. His wife died in October, 1930. To Mr. and Mrs. Allen have been born three children: Mary Lewis, John C. and David Edgar.
Mr. Allen is a Republican, a member of All Souls Universalist Church, and has the following lodge and club affiliations: Orient Lodge F. & A. M. No. 238; Central City Consistory, 32nd degree ; Media Temple; Wasoc Club ; Y. M. C. A .; Black River Valley Club; Watertown Golf Club; Army & Navy Post, American Legion; Northside Improvement League; and Rotary Club.
Col. Harlow G. Farmer, M. D .- Brilliant achievement marks the mili- tary and professional career of Doctor Farmer, who is one of the thor- oughly capable physicians and surgeons of Watertown. He was born in this city, Oct. 29, 1881, the son of Dr. Grosvenor S. and Meriam (Conkey) Farmer.
A complete sketch of Dr. Grosvenor S. Farmer appears elsewhere in this history.
Harlow G. Farmer has always been a resident of Watertown. After his graduation from Watertown High School he received the degree of Bachelor of Science from St. Lawrence University in 1904 and four years later was graduated from the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Flower Hospital. During 1908-09 he served as interne in the Hahne- mann Hospital, now Fifth Avenue Hospital, and in 1909 he began his professional career in Watertown. Doctor Farmer has taken graduate work at the Mayo Brothers Clinic, Rochester, Minn .; Doctor Crile Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio; Dr. Ochner Clinic, Chicago; and the Dr. Howard Kelly Clinic, Chicago. In 1912 he became associated in practice with Dr. Fred Calkins in Watertown. In the same year he was commissioned a first lieu- tenant in the U. S. Medical Reserve Corps, and at the outbreak of the
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World War in 1917 Doctor Farmer was promoted to captain. He was sent to Fort Benjamin Harrison, where he was in charge of a field hospital. Later, he was commissioned a major and sent to France with the Second Division. Doctor Farmer participated in numerous important engage- ments of the war and was discharged on June 5, 1919. He now holds the commission of lieutenant colonel, Medical Reserve Corps, U. S. Army.
Doctor Farmer is attending surgeon at Mercy Hospital and the House of the Good Samaritan. He is identified with the Jefferson County, New York State, and American Medical Associations. His offices are in the Elks Building at Stone and Arcade streets.
On April 25, 1911, Doctor Farmer married Miss Dorothy Orr, of Spring- field, Mass., the daughter of Louis H. and Ada (Ege) Orr, natives of Jersey City, N. J. Both are deceased and are buried in Woodlawn Ceme- tery, New York City. Doctor and Mrs. Farmer are the parents of four children: Meriam, Robert, Dorothy and Harlow G., Jr.
Doctor Farmer holds membership in the Army and Navy Post No. 61, American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Beta Theta Pi and Phi Alpha Gamma fraternities; Black River Valley Club; Jefferson County Golf Club; Rainbow Fish and Game Club; Watertown Chamber of Com- merce. He is a Republican and a member of the First Presbyterian Church, of Watertown.
Francis K. Purcell, who is associated with the firm of Purcell, Cullen & Reynolds, is outstanding as one of the most prominent lawyers of Wa- tertown. He was born in this city, Dec. 23, 1878, the son of Hon. Henry and Cecelia R. (Neary) Purcell.
The early education of Francis K. Purcell was received in the public schools of Watertown, from which he was graduated in 1896. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University in 1901 and was graduated from the New York Law School in 1902, being admitted to the bar in 1904. He then became a junior member of the firm of Purcell, Burns & Purcell. Later, it became Purcell & Purcell, and finally was known as Purcell, Cullen & Purcell. Upon the death of his father in 1931, Mr. Purcell became senior member of the firm of Purcell, Cullen & Reynolds. They have offices in the Woolworth Building. Mr. Purcell is also attorney for the New York Central Railroad in Watertown, and is a representative of the F. W. Woolworth Co. He is a Democrat and has served for five years as corporation counsel for the city of Watertown.
In 1905 Mr. Purcell was united in marriage with Miss Ella Conger, the daughter of William H. and Amelia Conger, natives of Watertown.
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Mr. Conger is deceased and his widow lives in Watertown. Mr. and Mrs. Purcell are the parents of three sons: Henry C., a graduate of New York Military Academy, attends Cornell University ; Robert W., a graduate of Watertown High School, attends Cornell University; and Francis K., Jr., a student.
Mr. Purcell holds membership in St. Patrick's Catholic Church, and he has the following club and lodge affiliations: Black River Valley Club ; Jefferson County Golf Club; Crescent Yacht Club; Knights of Columbus, Council No. 259; B. P. O. Elks No. 496; Jefferson County Bar Association; and New York State Bar Association.
Hon. Charles Darwin Bingham .- The history of Watertown during the past half century and more has had no more active associate in all its in- terests, whether civic, industrial or social, than Hon. Charles Darwin Bingham, who has held with distinction many offices of honor and respon- sibility, inclusive of those of mayor and police commissioner, and who has always proven a reliable factor in the business progress of the com- munity. His name and repute are of the dependable type in all movements for the public welfare; a Civil War veteran, his service therein is of per- manent record; a Mason of the thirty-third degree, he has held high office in that order; and a valued citizen, he has the respect and good will of city and county. The family name was established in Connecticut as early as 1660, and has always been representative of the advancement of communities.
Hon. Charles Darwin Bingham is a son of Rev. Isaac S. Bingham, a clergyman of the Methodist-Episcopal Church, who died in 1893, and Jane (Mills) Bingham, who died in 1894. He was born April 5, 1846, at Carth- age, Jefferson County, New York. He was educated at Rome Academy, Rome, N. Y., and at Falley Seminary, Fulton, N. Y. During a considerable part of his career, Mr. Bingham has been engaged in office work, at first in Rome, with a carriage and hardware concern, with which he remained for five years. He came to Watertown in 1870, and was employed for a time in the Ten Eyck-Utley and Company hardware store. He later formed a partnership with E. B. Sterling, and went into the dairy furnish- ing business, under the firm name of Sterling & Bingham. In 1877 he sold his interest when he became secretary and treasurer of the Eames Vacuum Brake Company, where he remained until 1883, when he became engaged in the insurance business, representing the Sun Insurance Company. In 1887 he entered the employ of the Bagley & Sewall Company as general office manager. In 1896 he was made secretary, and in 1899 was elected
CharR Binyhave
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treasurer, a position he held until January, 1931, when he was made General Consultant.
A Republican in his political views, Mr. Bingham has held office to the benefit of the public whom he has capably and efficiently served. He was a supervisor of Watertown in 1881, 1882 and 1883; he was mayor of the city in 1904-05; police commissioner from 1896 to 1904; presidential elector in 1916; and he is a member of the Lincoln League.
A veteran of the Civil War, Mr. Bingham served in the Third New York Light Artillery, and during his last year in the war, he was with the Army of the James, near Richmond, and his battery was the second of all troops to enter the city of Richmond at its burning and evacuation by the Confederates. Years later he had the honor of meeting General Lee's daughter at Richmond, Va.
Fraternally, Mr. Bingham is affiliated with Watertown Lodge, No. 49, F. and A. M .; Watertown Chapter, No. 59, R. A. M .; Watertown Com- mandery, No. 11, K. T .; Central City Consistory, A. A. S. R .; and in 1896 he was crowned a 32nd degree Mason in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States; was Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of the State of New York in 1903-04, succeeding William J. Maxwell; is a member of Media Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .; and one of the oldest living Masons in New York State. For many years Mr. Bingham was a member of the Watertown Musical Union and served as its president from 1881 until along in the 90s, when it was disbanded. He also served as organist for many years in the Masonic Temple.
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