USA > New York > Franklin County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 3 > Part 53
USA > New York > Jefferson County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 3 > Part 53
USA > New York > Lewis County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 3 > Part 53
USA > New York > Oswego County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 3 > Part 53
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 3 > Part 53
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Like his father before him, Mr. Dence has been very active in local politics as a supporter of the Republican party. In 1907 and again in 1909 he was elected a member of the Lewis County Board of Supervisors as a representative of the town of Watson. During 1912-14 he served as trustee of the village of Lowville, and in 1914 was elected to his present office as water commissioner of Lowville. He is also a trustee and secre- tary of the Lowville Rural Cemetery Association, and since 1910, with the exception of two years, he has been sealer of weights and measures in Lewis County. He was a delegate to the National Republican Convention at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1924, at the nomination of Calvin Coolidge. During the World War he supported freely and ardently every patriotic movement and served with great usefulness on many boards and committees.
Mr. Dence is affiliated with Lowville Lodge, F. and A. M. No. 134; Lowville Chapter, R. A. M. No. 223; Watertown Commandery, K. T .; and Media Temple, Watertown. He is also a member of the Lowville Club, of which he is a past president, and during 1930 was president of the Kiwanis Club. In 1922 he was president of the Chamber of Com- merce. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Until 1926 Mr. Dence was recognized as one of the leading land owners of the North Country. In that year he disposed of most of his holdings to H. D. Cornwall, of Beaver Falls.
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Arthur William Mattson, who is associated with the law firm of Sulli- van & Cromwell, in New York City, is a member on his mother's side of a prominent pioneer family of Lewis County. He was born at Croghan, Lewis County, March 28, 1890, the son of William and Martha (Zehr) Mattson.
William Mattson was a native of Denmark, and was born there in 1863, and died at Lowville on April 16, 1923. His widow was born at Croghan in 1868, and resides at Lowville. The family located in Croghan in 1887 and Mr. Mattson became successful as a manufacturer of sleighs and wagons. He served as postmaster and town clerk of Croghan. He also owned a well improved farm and modern sugar bush in Croghan. Mr. Mattson removed to Lowville in 1911. Until shortly before his death, he was connected with and for some time president of the Fulton Machine & Vise Company of Lowville. He was a Republican, a member of the Baptist Church, and belonged to Lowville Lodge F. & A. M. No. 134. Martin (Zehr) Mattson is the daughter of John Zehr, son of one of the earliest settlers of Croghan, who had emigrated here in the early days of the nineteenth century from Alsace-Lorraine. There were two children born to William and Martha (Zehr) Mattson: 1. Arthur William, the subject of this sketch. 2. Hazel, married Dr. Dwight Porter of Lowville, and they have two children, Gene- vieve Martha and Dwight, Jr. Mrs. Porter is a graduate of Lowville Academy and Elmira College, and formerly taught French at Lowville Academy and other schools.
Arthur William Mattson received his early education in the schools of Croghan and Lowville, and is a graduate of Lowville Academy and Cornell University. In 1911 he was graduated from Cornell University with the degree of A. B. He received the degree of LL. B. from the same institu- tion in 1912, and was admitted to the bar of the State of New York in the same year. For a time he was associated in practice at Ithaca, N. Y., with Tompkins, Cobb & Cobb. He served as clerk of the surrogate's court of Lewis County from 1915 until 1917, and later practiced law with Perry G. Williams at Lowville, and at Carthage as a member of the firm of Van Allen & Mattson. In 1918 he became associated with the firm of Hughes, Rounds, Schurman & Dwight, of New York, of which Charles Evans Hughes, former governor of New York and now Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was the senior member, and continued to practice with that firm until Mr. Hughes became U. S. Secretary of State in 1921. Mr. Mattson then became associated with Miller & Otis, of which Nathan L. Miller, former governor of New York, was the senior member. This firm was counsel for the U. S. Steel Corporation, Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation and other large corporate interests. He continued with this firm until its dissolution in 1927. He subsequently
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associated with the firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the leading corpo- rate and industrial law firms of New York City, and counsel for many large corporations with offices at 48 Wall Street.
Mr. Mattson's legal practice has been varied and distinguished. He has been associated with Judge Hughes and Governor Miller in many of the foremost litigations of the last fifteen years. He is also a trial lawyer of ability and success. He is an expert upon corporate matters and finance, and has made somewhat of a specialty in late years of the laws of various countries and international law as relating to foreign currencies and contracts expressed in foreign currencies, and is considered an au- thority in those matters.
He is a Republican, but has never sought or held public office except clerk of the Surrogate's Court of Lewis County. He was at one time secre- tary of the Lewis County Republican Committee.
Mr. Mattson is affiliated with Lowville Lodge, F. & A. M. No. 134; Lowville Chapter, R. A. M. He also is a member, among other organiza- tions, of the New York County Lawyers Association, the Cornell Club of New York City, New York Athletic Club, Lowville Club, and Carlowden Country Club. He resides in New York City, and his summer vacations are spent with his mother in Lowville.
Mae Gertrude Thomas is widely known in Franklin County as the capable superintendent of the Alice Hyde Memorial Hospital. She was born at Garland, Maine, in 1876, the daughter of John and Ella (Sturte- vant) Caldwell.
John Caldwell's ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch, but for many years the family has been identified with the history of Garland, Maine. Mae Gertrude, the subject of this sketch, was one of four children, all of whom are deceased. Her parents died during her early childhood and she was reared and educated by Mr. and Mrs. James Weymouth, of Abbott, Maine. They were of Irish extraction.
Shortly after her graduation from Abbott High School, Mae Gertrude Caldwell married Wilbert A. Thomas, on Feb. 4, 1894. He was a native of Foxcroft, Me., and died in 1899. He is buried at Abbott. After the death of her husband Mrs. Thomas became interested in nursing and was grad- uated in 1908 from Lynn Hospital, in Massachusetts. She spent the fol- lowing year in private nursing at Wakefield, Mass., and for three years was a staff nurse in the Lynn Hospital, where she had secured her train- ing. She suffered a complete breakdown in health and for one year was obliged to retire from her profession, but in 1913 was appointed assistant
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superintendent of the Lynn Tubercular Hospital, in which capacity she served for almost four years. She then assumed charge of the Claremont (N. H.) Hospital, where she remained for six and one-half years. Mrs. Thomas came to Malone in July, 1923, as superintendent of the Alice Hyde Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Thomas is a Universalist but attends the Methodist Episcopal Church since coming to Malone. She is a Republican in politics and be- longs to the League of Women Voters, being an ardent supporter of the Eighteenth Amendment.
The Alice Hyde Memorial Hospital, of Malone .- In 1900 the thought of Malone's need for a hospital first suggested itself to two of its leading citizens, John P. Badger, lawyer, and Dr. Robert John Wilding, physician. This thought was emphasized by the loss of a mutual friend, whose life might possibly have been spared had adequate hospital facilities been available. The Malone Hospital Association was formed therefore in 1905, with John P. Badger as president. Dr. Wilding had died in the meantime. Funds were subscribed but the first available endowment of any size for such a project did not come until 1908, when a bequest of $10,000 from Mrs. Mary A. Leighton, made the eventual realization of a hospital pos- sible. In 1910 a gift of $25,000 was offered by Clark J. Lawrence, on con- dition that a like sum be raised by the citizens of Malone, and the name be changed to the Alice Hyde Memorial Hospital Association, this $50,000 to be used for building and equipping the hospital. All conditions of the generous offer were accepted and the cornerstone was laid in October, 1911. The completion of the building was on Sept. 15, 1913. In the mean- time John T. Badger had died in February, 1912, and J. O. Ballard suc- ceeded him as president of the Board of Trustees.
The first superintendent was Miss Clara Davis, whose term of office was short but very efficient. She was succeeded by Mrs. Eva Thompson Niles, who give eight years of devoted and strenuous service to the duties of superintendent. Upon her retirement she was succeeded by Mrs. Mae G. Thomas, in July, 1923, who came to Malone from the superintendency of a hospital at Claremont, N. H. A sketch of Mrs. Thomas appears else- where in this history.
The excellent service rendered by the hospital since its organization and the need for more room and increased facilities, while being met in a limited way from time to time as funds were provided by generous gifts, was further augmented by a gift from Col. William C. Skinner, of $10,000 for the construction of a Nurses' Home, to which he later added additional
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funds. In fact the Nurses' Home was built entirely at Col. Skinner's ex- pense as a memorial to his father, Dr. Calvin Skinner, one of Malone's most prominent pioneer surgeons.
In 1918 the hospital association received under the will of Clark J. Lawrence, by whose earlier gift of $25,000 the hospital was made possible, the income from a fund of $52,000, giving the association approximately $2,500 annually to apply on its maintenance account.
In 1925 a popular drive was made for additional funds, and $46,000 was raised by subscription. Malone Post No. 219, American Legion, made a donation in 1928 of $20,000, and sponsored a drive to raise $200,000 for the erection of an additional wing to the hospital building, which has re- cently been completed, adding very materially to the hospital's facilities. Since 1920 until the present time, in order to indicate the service being rendered, it may be mentioned that the annual number of bed patients served at the institution has ranged from 634, the lowest number in 1924, to over 900 in 1931.
Halbert Dwight Stevens .- Nearly everyone in Malone and throughout Franklin County is familiar with the name of Halbert Dwight Stevens, who spent almost 40 years as publisher and editor of the Malone Farmer. He was born at Moira, N. Y., Feb. 23, 1862, the son of Simon Dwight and Susan (Burdick) Stevens.
Simon Dwight Stevens was a native of Vermont. During his early life he was a carpenter and farmer, and later engaged in the mercantile business at Moira. He married (first) Miss Jeanette Symonds, of Moira, and they had a daughter, Jeanette. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Mrs. Stevens died, and two years later Mr. Stevens married her niece, Susan Burdick, of Moira. To them the following children were born: 1. William Cullen, merchant, Malone, served as a member of the New York General Assembly, and for three years as financial clerk of the Assembly. He was serving in the latter capacity at the time of his death in 1897. He is buried in Morningside Cemetery, Malone. 2. Ella L., the widow of W. Franklin Symonds, lives at Malone. 3. Halbert D., the sub- ject of this sketch. 4. Clara S. Maher, who lives at Malone.
Halbert Dwight Stevens attended the public schools of Moira and Ma- lone, and in 1881 was graduated from Franklin Academy. He read law in the offices of a local attorney and was graduated from the Albany Law School in 1885, being admitted to the bar during the same year. Mr. Stevens became interested in newspaper work, however, in 1889 and at that time purchased the Malone Farmer. For several years the enterprise was operated under the firm name of Stevens & Turner. In 1899 Mr. Stevens
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was elected to the New York State Assembly and served four years in that office. He remained actively identified with the interests of the Malone Farmer until 1926, when he retired. He has continued to reside at 32 Fort Covington Street, which has been the family homestead since 1902. Mr. Stevens spends the winter months in California and Florida.
On March 2, 1886, Mr. Stevens was united in marriage with Miss Minnie K. Miller, the daughter of Cornelius C. Miller, of Malone. Their daughter, Jeanette, married Col. Jason S. Joy, of Hollywood, Calif., who is a veteran of the World War. Mrs. Stevens died in October, 1930, and is buried in Morningside Cemetery, Malone.
Mr. Stevens has always been a Republican. He is an active member of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been a member of the choir for 55 years. His wife was church organist and took a prominent part in missionary work.
Mr. Stevens has owned a fishing camp at Lake Titus since 1892.
Justus Denison Smith .- One of the highly esteemed and well known citizens of Franklin County is Mr. Smith, who lives retired at Dickinson Center. He was born here May 17, 1855, the son of Denison S. and Alma C. (Niles) Smith.
Denison S. Smith was a native of Roxbury, Vt., born Sept. 21, 1827. He came to New York in 1833 with his parents, being the son of Willard Smith, one of the first settlers of this section. At the age of 21 years Denison Smith went to California in search of gold, after having joined a stock company in New York City. The party made the trip via Vera Cruz, and although the expedition was a financial failure, Mr. Smith re- mained in California for three years. He returned via the Isthmus of Panama and spent the remainder of his life as a farmer and stockman at Dickinson Center. He died May 30, 1916, and is buried in Ives Cemetery. Mr. Smith was married on June 26, 1853, to Miss Alma C. Niles, the daugh- ter of Samuel Niles of Dickinson Center. Their only child was Justus Denison, the subject of this sketch.
The boyhood of Justus D. Smith was spent at Dickinson Center, where he attended the public schools. He was employed for six and one-half years in a lumber office at St. Regis Falls, and afterward clerked in mer- cantile establishments at St. Regis Falls and Dickinson Center. In 1880 Mr. Smith became associated with William H. Russell, of New York City, as his private secretary, and continued in that capacity for a period of 25 years. During that time he spent the winters in New York City and the summer in Northern New York with Mr. Russell. Since 1916 Mr. Smith
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has lived retired at Dickinson Center, in summer, and Cassadaga, Fla., in winter.
On Oct. 14, 1903, Mr. Smith married Miss Ella Kingsley, the daughter of Harmon Kingsley, of Norfolk, N. Y. They had no children. Mrs. Smith died Feb. 19, 1927, and is buried in Ives Cemetery.
Mr. Smith has always been a Republican and is an ardent Prohibi- tionist.
John Henry Black, who has successfully engaged in the mercantile business at Tupper Lake Junction for more than 25 years, is numbered among Franklin County's substantial citizens. He was born in Montreal, Canada, April 28, 1883, the son of John and Rebecca (Angel) Black.
John Black, deceased, was a native of Quebec, Canada, born in 1850. He was a railroad builder during the early years of his life and was asso- ciated with the firm of Collins & Collins, railroad contractors of Pennsyl- vania. About 1870 the company made an unsuccessful attempt to build a railroad in Brazil, South America, and Mr. Black was in charge of the contract. Due to yellow fever, the proposed railroad was abandoned, and Mr. Black at that time returned to the United States and was active in the building of the Adirondack Division of the New York Central Railroad, being superintendent of right-of-way improvement. Later he was road master of that division, and made his headquarters at Tupper Lake. He was transferred to Ogdensburg, N. Y., in 1890, where he lived until his retirement from railroad work in 1898. In 1905 Mr. Black established a grocery and provision store at Tupper Lake Junction, which he success- fully managed until the time of his death, April 23, 1926. Mr. Black took a prominent part in local politics and was justice of the peace for 20 years at Tupper Lake. He was married in 1880 to Miss Rebecca Angel, the daughter of Harry Angel, a prosperous farmer of the Province of Howick, Quebec. To Mr. and Mrs. Black were born the following children: 1. Anna, born in 1882, died at the age of four years. 2. John Henry, the subject of this sketch. 3. James Josiah, born in 1885, employed in the shops of the New York Central Railroad at Malone. 4. George, born in 1887, an engineer on the Adirondack Division of the New York Central Railroad, lives at Tupper Lake. 5. Otis Watson, born in 1897, associated in business with his brother, John H.
John Henry Black attended the Tupper Lake public schools, and fol- lowing his graduation from high school in 1897 he spent two years in the office of the road master of the New York Central Railroad. He then farmed with his father for three years and in 1905 became interested in business at Tupper Lake Junction. He succeeded to the management of
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the store at his father's death in 1926. Mr. Black is also a director of Tupper Lake National Bank.
On Jan. 23, 1908, Mr. Black was united in marriage with Miss Clara L. Thomas, the daughter of Willis Thomas, of Malone. Their daughter, Marian Elizabeth, was born Oct. 14, 1911. She is a graduate of Tupper Lake High School, class of 1928, now attends Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass.
Mr. Black is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is trustee, and he is affiliated with the Masonic and Elk lodges. He also holds membership in the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Tupper Lake Fish and Game Club.
Mr. Black held the office of trustee of Tupper Lake village from 1908 until 1923, with the exception of 1911-12, and he was also supervisor of Altamont for eight years. He has been chairman of the board of super- visors of Franklin County, and during his term of office the new court house was erected at Malone.
A fine hunting lodge is owned by Mr. Black. It is located on Mt. Arab, Eagle Crag Lake.
Fred P. Grubel .- One of the best known citizens and most successful farmers of Lewis County is Fred P. Grubel, who for many years served as supervisor of Lewis. He was born on the Pease homestead at West Leyden, Jan. 19, 1884, the son of Peter and Cornelia S. (Beyel) Grubel.
Peter Grubel, deceased, was a native of Lewis County. His father came to this country from Germany and during the early history of this section settled near West Leyden. The homestead is now owned by Fred P., the subject of this sketch. Peter Grubel purchased the Pease home- stead Dec. 28, 1882. He died July 23, 1891, and is buried at West Leyden. His wife was born at Ava, Oneida County, and died April 16, 1925. Mr. and Mrs. Grubel had two sons: 1. Fred P., the subject of this sketch. 2. Floyd H., lives at Sandusky, Ohio. He served throughout the World War and was stationed at Kelly Field, Texas, where he served with the aerial photograph division. He was discharged in June, 1919, and is a member of Company G, New York National Guard.
Fred P. Grubel attended the public schools of West Leyden. He has always been interested in farming and in 1907 purchased the original Grubel homestead. He served as supervisor of Lewis during 1912-13; 1916-17; 1921-29; and was chairman of the board of supervisors in 1925. He also was chairman of the highway commission for four terms.
On June 6, 1907, Mr. Grubel married Miss Lillian B. Traxel, of Ava, N. Y., the daughter of Christian and Elizabeth (Gerwig) Traxel. They
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were natives of Oneida County. Mr. Traxel died in 1913 and his wife died in 1928. Both are buried at Ava. To Mr. and Mrs. Grubel have been born three children: 1. Leonard C., born April 23, 1913, attends Boonville Teachers Training class. 2. Lamoine L., born May 1, 1918. 3. Edna A., born May 17, 1922.
Mr. Grubel is a Republican, a member of the Reformed Church of West Leyden, and belongs to Boonville Lodge, F. and A. M. No. 165, and West Leyden Grange No. 620 of which he was master for eight years. He is also a member of Lewis County Pomona Grange and of New York State Grange.
Mrs. Katherine (Brown) Potter is among the prominent women of Saranac Lake, active in the business and civic life of the community. She was born in this city, the daughter of Calvin and Amerette (Miller) Brown.
Calvin Brown came to Saranac Lake about 1855. He was a native of Albany. He became interested in the lumber business and was identified with the lumber company of John J. Miller, pioneer lumber dealer of the Saranac Lake district. Mr. Brown died in 1907 and is buried at Saranac Lake. His wife was the daughter of John J. Miller. Their children num- bered seven, of whom Katherine (Kittie), the subject of this sketch, was the fifth in order of birth.
After her graduation from the public schools of Saranac Lake, Kath- erine Brown attended Oswego Normal School. She taught for four years in the public schools of Saranac Lake and spent one year as a commercial teacher in Chicago. She was married Dec. 4, 1895, to George Albert Potter of New York City, the son of Judge Albert Potter, a leading jurist of New York. Her husband was an accomplished musician and conducted an or- chestra in New York City for many years before his death, which occurred in March, 1912. He is buried at Waterford, N. Y. To Mr. and Mrs. Potter a son was born, Albert Titus, born Sept. 28, 1898. Like his father he was interested in music and for a number of years was the leader of an or- chestra at Saranac Lake. Due to ill health he retired from his profession and is now associated with his mother in the management of the Adiron- dack Hotel at Saranac Lake.
Upon the death of her husband in 1912, Mrs. Potter returned to Sara- nac Lake and at that time established a nursing home for invalids in the Brown homestead, her old family home. She continued this work for five years, and then took charge of the Ampersand Hotel on lower Saranac Lake, which she successfully managed for three summer seasons. She also managed Algonquin Hotel for one year, and in 1919 purchased the Old Arlington Hotel property at Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue. The
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building was completely remodeled into a first class apartment hotel and renamed it the Adirondack.
While a teacher in the Saranac public schools Mrs. Potter was founder of the school library and used her own personal funds to finance the under- taking. She had continued to foster this worthy movement and at the present time the library is located in the new high school building and has 5,742 volumes in circulation. A full time librarian is in charge.
Mrs. Potter is a member of the Village Improvement Society, and at the organization of the Chamber of Commerce had the distinction of being the only woman active in the work of this body, being chairman of the Housing Committee.
Mrs. Potter is a prominent member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church.
John A. Barnette, M. D .- Throughout his successful career, repre- senting the highest standards of the medical profession, and making prac- tical use of a well recognized influence for the general good of the com- munity, Dr. John A. Barnette, a long established physician at Watertown, is a staunch defender of the radical principles of the medical profession. Bringing to the exercise of his profession an untiring and unselfish devo- tion, great professional skill, and a most attractive personality, he has built up a very large and successful practice in Watertown.
John A. Barnette was born in Potsdam, N. Y., in July, 1867, the son of Patrick and Catherine (Manning) Barnette. Mr. Barnette died in 1923. His wife died in 1925.
John A. Barnette was educated in the public schools of his native vil- lage and the Potsdam Normal School. He was graduated from the Uni- versity of Michigan in 1890 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. On leaving the university he became connected with the State Hospital at Utica, N. Y., as assistant physician, and was afterward appointed assist- ant physician at the State Hospital at Ogdensburg, where he remained for three years. He then removed to Watertown where he entered gen- eral practice for himself, and soon made his way steadily to the very fore- front of his profession.
On Nov. 12, 1919, Dr. Barnette was appointed narcotic clinic physician for the city of Watertown. On May 14, 1930, he was appointed chief of the medical staff of the House of the Good Samaritan. He is also on the staff of Mercy Hospital.
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