USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. III > Part 39
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He married, at Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York, Esther M. Spohn, daughter of Fred and Sigrid (Vahlien) Spohn. Mr. and Mrs. Michaels have two sons: I. Bruce Allison, born December 22, 1935. 2. Peter James, born December 4, 1937.
THOMAS FRANCIS CUNNINGHAM-Since 1935, Thomas Fran- cis Cunningham has served as postmaster at Ticonderoga. He has always made his home in this community and has been active in its public and business life throughout his career.
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Mr. Cunningham was born in Ticonderoga on September 7, 1908, son of Thomas Francis and Mary Theresa (O'Hearn) Cunningham. His father, who was born in Fort Edward, New York, was a druggist in Ticonderoga until his death in 1934. Mary Theresa (O'Hearn) Cunningham was born on October 1, 1879, and is still living.
Thomas Francis Cunningham was educated in Ticonderoga schools, graduating from high school in 1926. He worked with the State Highway Department in 1924-25, during the summer months, and after entering busi- ness life became interested in contracting. He was engaged as a contractor from 1928 to 1935 on many projects in this area. Meanwhile he also became active in Democratic politics and has since been influential in local councils of the party. His appointment as postmaster of Ticonderoga for a four-year term beginning in August, 1935, constituted recognition from his party and reflected the substantial position which he had won in the life of his com- munity. In the same year, Mr. Cunningham was elected village trustee, serv- ing through 1937. As a public official he has always administered his duties with fidelity and efficiency, devoting his best efforts to his work.
Mr. Cunningham is affiliated fraternally with Ticonderoga Lodge, No. 1494, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a member of the Fish and Game Club of Ticonderoga. He has been associated with various civic interests in the community and is a member of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.
RICHARD J. BOLTON-Few ever visit the new Trout House at Hague on one of the most beautiful parts of Lake George and leave with any- thing but pleasant memories of the hotel and its proprietor, Richard J. Bolton. The hotel was founded in 1860 by one John B. Wheeler, and is therefore one of the oldest established in the Lake George section. Under the owner-man- agership of Mr. Bolton, Trout House, with its annex, cottages, casino and other buildings, ranks among the largest. It is called "new" only because it has recently been remodeled and refurnished.
Richard J. Bolton became a popular boniface by a route which changed direction several times before he went into the hotel business at the beginning of the present century. He was born in Horicon, New York, April 16, 1875, son of Richard and Lura (Waters) Bolton. His mother was born in Bolton, New York, but his father came originally from Yorkshire, England, and was engaged in the lumber business in America throughout the most of his mature years. Both parents are deceased.
After attending the schools of his birthplace, at Horicon, Richard J. Bolton went into the woods to make a livelihood, and was thus busy for about eight vears. Then for two years he worked in the graphite mines. But he was
R.g. Boston
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intended neither for a lumberman nor a miner; almost anyone who knows Mr. Bolton will agree that he found his right place in life when, in 1901, he became identified with the hotel business in Hague. A few fellow-citizens imply that he might have gone far in politics had he not confined his activities mainly to Warren County. Although he is a staunch Republican and influen- tial in party circles, it was the recognition of his qualifications for public service rather than politics that was the reason for his almost continuous holding of some office for the past thirty years. In 1908 he was elected a supervisor of Warren County, acting until 1913. In this year he became county sheriff until 1915, which was followed by two years as supervisor. In 1920 and 1921 he was again sheriff of Warren County ; from 1922 to 1932 he was supervisor, a post to which he was again elected in 1932 and has since held. In the meanwhile, he represented his district in the 1925-26 State Legislature as a representative.
Mr. Bolton is a director of the Bolton National Bank; president of the Hague Chamber of Commerce, a past president of the Lake George Resort Association, and member of the American Hotelmen's Association, New York State Hotelmen's Association, and the Lake George Association. Fra- ternally, Mr. Bolton is a member of Warrensburg Lodge, No. 425, Free and Accepted Masons, a member of all the higher bodies of both the York Rite and Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, including Oriental Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the Grotto, at Rutland. He is a member of Glens Falls Lodge, No. 81, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles; and Hague Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He attends the Protestant Episcopal Church. His recreations include fishing and hunting, golf and horse racing, and, one might add, the making of friends.
In 1898 Richard J. Bolton married Mame Brown, born in Horicon, New York, and they are the parents of two children: I. Earl Richard, a graduate of Dean Academy. 2. Pauline E.
WILLIAM J. LATHAM -- Purchasing agent for the Finch, Pruyn and Company, Inc., of Glens Falls, William J. Latham, who has completed thirty years with his company, is also vice-president of the Call Hardware Corporation of Glens Falls.
William J. Latham was born at French Mountain, August 16, 1883, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Keith) Latham. Robert Latham, who was born in the North of Ireland, was engaged as a laborer at the time of his death ; his wife, also deceased, was likewise a native of the North of Ireland.
Educated in the grade schools and the high school of French Mountain, William J. Latham found his first employment with the American Express C & G-30
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Company in Glens Falls, a position which he held for four years. Then, in 1908, he became associated with the Finch, Pruyn and Company, Inc., starting as a storekeeper and working his way upwards through various positions to his present post of purchasing agent. Mr. Latham, who attends the Glens Falls Presbyterian Church, is a member of Senate Lodge, No. 456, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and belongs to all Masonic bodies in the York Rite, including Oriental Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Glens Falls Chamber of Commerce and adds the hobby of collecting antique furniture to his recreations of hunting and fishing.
William J. Latham married, in 1907, Anna May Cossey, a native of South Glens Falls. Mr. and Mrs. Latham are the parents of a daughter, Jane E.
JOHN T. BRYANT-Proprietor of the oldest retail grocery estab- lishment in the Lake George district, John T. Bryant is not only one of his community's leading business men but also an outstanding public citizen as well as a distinguished officer of the Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities.
John T. Bryant was born in Chestertown, New York, July 8, 1871, son of George Frank and Mary E. (Pasco) Bryant. George Frank Bryant, who was a native of Lens Lake, New York, learned the trade of a wagon manu- facturer, an occupation which he followed until he was elected sheriff. He moved to Lake George, and after several years removed to Glens Falls. He served as assessor for the town of Queensbury, and afterward as assessor for the city of Glens Falls. Mary E. (Pasco) Bryant, his wife, also deceased, was a native of Chestertown.
After passing through the public schools of Chestertown and Lake George, John T. Bryant, who as a boy had been noted for his skill with boats, became an engineer and spent ten years operating various boats on Lake George. Then, in 1896, he established himself in the grocery business, organizing an enterprise which he has conducted without a break through to the present time, thus making his store the oldest retail establishment of its kind in the Lake George district. Keenly interested all his life in civic problems, Mr. Bryant has always been a staunch Republican and taken an active rôle in the party's accomplishments in Lake George and in Warren County, as well as devoting himself generously to public service, spending several years as United States Loan Commissioner for Warren County, a number of years as justice of the peace, spending a term as town clerk of the town of Caldwell, several years as a constable, several terms as trustee of the village of Lake George, and, since 1933, public welfare commissioner for the town of Cald- well. He was town clerk when the village of Lake George was incorporated, also was the first treasurer of the village. In many other ways Mr. Bryant
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has also been active in serving his community and county, giving his support to such organizations as the Lake George Chamber of Commerce, the Lake George Dinner Club and the Old Lake George Board of Trade, being presi- dent of this last-named organization. Even more prominent in fraternal organizations, Mr. Bryant is a member of St. Sacrament Lodge, No. 1029, Free and Accepted Masons, a lodge of which he is Past Master, and belongs to Warrensburg Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, being a Past High Priest of the chapter, and has served as well as Grand Director of Ceremonies of the Grand Lodge of New York State, President of the Masonic Veterans' Asso- ciation, and President of the Past Masters' Association. In Odd Fellowship Mr. Bryant was a member of Lake George Lodge, No. 912, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being Past Grand of the lodge, holding office in 1916. A member of St. James' Episcopal Church of Lake George, serving the insti- tution as a vestryman, he retains his interest in boating on Lake George and finds his principal means of relaxation from his business responsibilities in fraternal work.
John T. Bryant married (first), in 1893, Sadie Bates, a native of Lake George, who died shortly after marriage, and (second), in 1899, Lena E. Bowen, who is a native of Adamsville, New York. John T. Bryant, by his first marriage, is the father of a daughter, Mary Elizabeth, and by his second, the father of four children : I. Olive, a graduate of Skidmore College and of Rochester University School of Dental Hygiene. 2. Martha, a graduate of St. Lawrence University, and now the wife of George Seaman, of Lake George. 3. Suzanne, also a graduate of St. Lawrence University. 4. George Mason, who is a graduate of Iowa State University.
RALPH A. MASTEN-General manager of the Plattsburg plant of the Berst Forster Dixfield Paper Company, Ralph A. Masten, of Plattsburg, is one of the leading paper mill executives in New York State, having been associated with the paper manufacturing industry in the Lake Champlain and Lake George districts for the past sixteen years.
Ralph A. Masten was born at White Creek, Washington County, April 8, 1901, son of Larmon B. and Cora (Allen) Masten. Larmon B. Masten, who was a native of White Creek, Washington County, became associated with the paper-making industry in his home community and passed his life in the business, being active until the time of his death. Cora (Allen) Masten, his wife, who survives him, is a native of White Creek, Washington County, also.
After passing through the grammar schools at White Creek, Ralph A. Masten graduated from the Hoosick Falls High School and then entered Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, graduating from that institution as a member of the class of 1923. Mr. Masten at once entered
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the employment of the International Paper Company and was stationed at Glens Falls, where he remained for some ten years, leaving in 1933 to join the Berst Forster Dixfield Paper Company as assistant manager of the organi- zation's Plattsburg plant, a position which he held until 1936, when he was promoted to his present post as the manager of the Plattsburg establishment. Supporting his profession by membership in the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industries, Mr. Masten gives generously of his time and talent to the advancement of the welfare of his community, serving Platts- burg particularly through the Plattsburg Rotary Club and the Plattsburg Chamber of Commerce. A member of the First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburg, Mr. Masten belongs to Alpha Tau Omega, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi fraternities and is also a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 3, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Finding recreation from his business responsi- bilities in bowling, during the seasons Mr. Masten is also fond of hunting and fishing, two sports which he encourages through membership in the Platts- burg Rod and Gun Club.
Ralph A. Masten married, in 1924, Jennie Jones, who was born at Albany, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Masten are the parents of two children: I. Ralph A., Jr. 2. Sally Ann.
ORIL E. GARSO-The oldest merchant in point of establishment in Au Sable Forks, Oril E. Garso, who owns and operates a large general retail store, is also active in other civic enterprises, including the Au Sable Forks Bank, and gives generously of his time and talent to public service.
Oril E. Garso was born at Au Sable Forks, August 3, 1875, son of Pocome and Elmira (Borrette) Garso. Pocome Garso, who was a native of the Province of Quebec, Canada, established himself in life as a laborer in Au Sable Forks, where he remained active until the time of his death. Elmira (Borrette) Garso, his wife, also deceased, was a native of the Province of Quebec, Canada, too.
After passing through the grammar school of Au Sable Forks and gradu- ating from the Au Sable Forks High School, Oril E. Garso went to work for H. E. Gillespie, Au Sable Forks druggist, with whom he remained for about ten years, leaving in 1900 to go into business for himself as a retail merchant supplying Au Sable Forks not merely with general merchandise but also with a complete line of groceries and baked products as well as household furnish- ings. This enterprise, now nearly forty years of age, is the senior establish- ment of its kind in Au Sable Forks today. In addition to his mercantile activi- ties Mr. Garso is interested in other fields, including banking and is a director of the Bank of Au Sable Forks. He served on the local School Board for sixteen years. Mr. Garso, who attends the Holy Name Catholic Church, is a member of Au Sable Council, No. 2301, Knights of Columbus.
Jaseph Ljude fr.
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PETER W. PRIME-One of the leading real estate operators in Essex County, Peter W. Prime of Keeseville, who is listed among the largest taxpayers in his county, is also an active member of fraternal organizations and one of the outstanding citizens of his community.
Peter W. Prime was born at Jay, Essex County, August 18, 1871, son of Henry W. and Mary L. (Bartlett) Prime. Henry W. Prime, who was born at Jay, was a direct descendant of Peter Prime, one of the pioneers of Essex County who came up from Orange County soon after the Revolutionary War and settled at Jay. Henry W. Prime established himself in life as a horse, cattle, and sheep dealer and later added a real estate business to his enter- prises, activities to which he devoted his life and in which he prospered until the time of his death. Mary L. (Bartlett) Prime, his wife, also deceased, was a native of Jay, Essex County, also.
After attending the public schools of Jay and graduating from the Keese- ville High School, Peter W. Prime entered his father's business enterprises and has devoted his career to real estate operations as well as to trading in horses, cattle, and sheep. Always deeply concerned with county and com- munity affairs, Mr. Prime, who is a member of the Democratic party, has served as a trustee of the village of Keeseville and, since 1931, has been a member of the Keeseville Board of Education. In addition to his real estate business he has various other interests, including the presidency of the Keese- ville Telephone Company, the presidency of the Dietade Mineral Springs Company, and a similar position with the Evergreen Cemetery Association.
Supporting his community through membership in the Keeseville Chamber of Commerce, and serving as commissioner of the O. A. Wolcotte Volunteer Fire Company, Mr. Prime, who belongs to Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621, Benev- olent and Protective Order of Odd Fellows, is a member of Ausable River Lodge, No. 149, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, as well as all bodies of both the York and Scottish Rite of the fraternity, including Oriental Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Albany. Mr. Prime, who is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Keeseville, an institution which he serves as secretary and as a member of the board of trustees, is devoted to fishing as a means of recreation from his business responsibilities and his public duties.
Peter W. Prime married, in 1905, Katherine M. Stevens, who is a native of Keeseville. Mr. and Mrs. Prime are the parents of a son: Wilbur H. who, after attending Dartmouth College and St. Lawrence University, is now associated in business with his father.
JOSEPH LYTTLE, JR .- Mayor of Greenwich, Joseph Lyttle, Jr., is not only one of the outstanding public-spirited citizens of his community but also a leading business man, being the proprietor of the Greenwich Milling
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and Grain, a family business which he has been operating for more than twenty years.
Joseph Lyttle, Jr., was born in Ireland, May 9, 1884, son of Joseph and Sarah Lyttle. Joseph Lyttle, Sr., who is a native of Guildford, Ireland, came to America with his family when he was but nineteen years of age and estab- lished himself in Greenwich as a flax dresser, a trade which he learned in the Old Country. Shortly, however, he established himself in the grocery business and then, in 1900, went into the grain and feed business, which he maintained until 1918, when he temporarily removed to California for his health and since that time has spent winters in South Carolina and Florida, leaving the man- agement of business to his son, Joseph Lyttle, Jr. Sarah Lyttle, his wife, who died in 1918, was born in Ireland but passed most of her life in Greenwich, going there as young woman.
After passing through the public schools of Greenwich and attending the Greenwich High School, Joseph Lyttle, Jr., found his first employment in the Barber Flax Mill at Greenwich, leaving after some six months to spend about two years with the J. B. Palmer Knitting Company. Then, in 1902, Mr. Lyttle obtained a post as a mail carrier on a rural free delivery route out of Green- wich, an occupation which he followed for sixteen years, resigning early in 1918 to join his father in the operation of the feed and grain business which Joseph Lyttle, Sr., had established in 1900. At the time, the firm became Joseph Lyttle and Son and then, late in 1918, when Joseph Lyttle, Sr., retired, Joseph Lyttle, Jr., took over the business, shortly altering the name to its present title of the Greenwich Milling and Grain, and continuing it under his active management ever since. Always interested in community problems since leaving the mail service, Mr. Lyttle has been active in political life as a Republican, serving Greenwich for four years as a trustee of the town and then being elected mayor in 1932, a position to which he has been successively reelected three times now. Furthering the prosperity of Greenwich and Washington County by membership in the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and the Washington County Farm Bureau, Mr. Lyttle, who is a member of the Reformed Church of Greenwich, belongs to Ashler Lodge, No. 584, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Greenwich. Fond of motoring and of horses, Mr. Lyttle also finds recreation and pleasure in the game of golf, a pastime which he supports by membership in the Battenkill Golf Club.
Joseph Lyttle, Jr., married, August 12, 1928, Anna Rice, who is a native of Fort Miller, New York.
JAMES B. MACE-Proprietor of the largest retail establishment in Keeseville, James B. Mace is not only the outstanding merchant of his com- munity but is also active in other business enterprises and devotes himself generously to public service and to the promotion of all civic undertakings.
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James B. Mace was born at Keeseville, May 17, 1876, son of Alfred H. and Mary (McKillip) Mace. Alfred H. Mace, who was born at Au Sable, Clinton County, was a descendant of a family active in New York State dur- ing the Revolutionary War, his grandfather, John Mace, who received a grant of land in the town of Au Sable, being one of the first settlers in Clinton County. Alfred H. Mace established himself in life as a farmer, a calling which he followed for many years and in which he was active until the time of his death. Mary (McKillip) Mace, his wife, who is also deceased, was a native of Keeseville, Essex County.
After attending the grammar schools of Keeseville and graduating from the Keeseville High School, James B. Mace began his career as a school teacher ; after a year as a teacher he became a clerk in a general store at Keese- ville. Two years later, he established himself in business as the proprietor of a retail establishment and, through the years which have followed, Mr. Mace has built up the largest retail business in his community, stocking a complete line of groceries as well as shoes, wearing apparel and feed and grain. In addition to his merchandising, Mr. Mace has found time to interest himself in other enterprises and, at the present time, is vice-president and director of the Au Sable Valley Telephone Company, and is also the treasurer of the Dietade Mineral Spring Company.
Always deeply interested in political problems, Mr. Mace, who is a mem- ber of the Republican party, has served his community in various offices, being an assessor of taxes for four years, a justice of the peace for two years, a member of the Keeseville Board of Education for three years, and a member of the Village Board of Trustees for a term. Supporting his community by membership in the Keeseville Chamber of Commerce and the Keeseville Kiwanis Club, Mr. Mace is a member of Au Sable River Lodge, No. 149, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, an organization of which he is a Past Master, and belongs as well to all bodies of the York Rite of the fraternity, including Oriental Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Finding a recreational interest in his hobby of orcharding, Mr. Mace attends the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Keeseville, serving the institution as president of its board of trustees.
James B. Mace married, in 1933, Elizabeth Beardsley, a native of Platts- burg. Mr. and Mrs. Mace are the parents of a daughter : Mary Elizabeth.
JOHN H. EVANS, M. D .- An outstanding member of the medical profession in Essex County, John H. Evans, M. D., who maintains a general practice in Keeseville and its vicinity, is also a leading public citizen and public
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official, as well as being active in fraternal organizations and service clubs in the Lake Champlain area.
John H. Evans was born at Jersey City, New Jersey, May 20, 1886, son of William J. and Mary Jane ( Hinman) Evans. William J. Evans, who was a native of Ireland, came to America as a young man and established himself in New York and New Jersey in the wholesale dry goods business, a calling in which he remained active for more than fifty years. Mary Jane (Hinman) Evans, his wife, who is also deceased, was born at New York City.
After obtaining his preliminary education in the schools of New York City, John H. Evans attended the Collegiate School at New York City to prepare for college. Entering Columbia University he graduated from the institution with the class of 1906 as a Bachelor of Arts. Selecting the medical profession for his career, John H. Evans passed through the Medical School of Columbia University, winning his degree of Doctor of Medicine with the class of 1909. Following a year as an interne at German Hospital, New York City, Dr. Evans, in 1911, established himself in the general practice of his profession at Elizabethtown, Essex County, continuing in that town until 1920, when he removed to Florida, establishing himself in practice in that State. However, in 1922, he returned to Essex County and settled in Keese- ville, where he has built up his present large general practice since that time. Supporting his profession by membership in the American Medical Associa- tion, the New York State Medical Society, and the Essex County Medical Society, being a past president of the local body, Dr. Evans is a staff member of the Champlain Valley Hospital at Plattsburg.
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