USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. III > Part 40
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A member of the Republican party, Dr. Evans has always taken a keen interest in civic affairs and has generously given of his time and talents to the public service, having served for six years as a member of the Board of Education of Elizabethtown and since 1923 being health officer of the village of Keeseville and the town of Chesterfield as well as school physician of Keeseville in addition to being a member of the Essex County Public Health Committee, an office which he has occupied since 1932. During the World War a member of the Essex County Draft Board, Dr. Evans, who belongs to Alpha Chi Rho and Nu Sigma Nu fraternities, is active in Masonry, basing his membership on Au Sable River Lodge, No. 149, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, an organization of which he is a Past Master, and belonging to Plattsburg Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, De Soto Commandery, Knights Templar, and Oriental Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Belonging also to Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, Dr. Evans supports his community through member- ship in the Keeseville Chamber of Commerce and the Keeseville Kiwanis Club. Dr. Evans, who attends the Keeseville Episcopal Church, an institution
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which he serves as a vestryman, finds a means of recreation in his hobby of the collection of old firearms.
John H. Evans married, in 1911, Ora Boynton, who was born at Jay, New York. Dr. and Mrs. Evans are the parents of a son : John Boynton.
WILLIAM MAURICE MURPHY-District manager for the Imperial Paper and Color Company, William Maurice Murphy, of Platts- burg, is widely known throughout the wallpaper manufacturing trade and is also prominent not only as an industrial executive in Plattsburg but in Glens Falls, where he was formerly active.
William Maurice Murphy was born at South Glens Falls, Washington County, April 2, 1887, son of John and Mary (Breen) Murphy. John Murphy, who was a native of Glens Falls, passed his life as a laborer, an occupation in which he remained active until the time of his death. Mary (Breen) Murphy, his wife, also deceased, was a native of South Glens Falls.
After attending St. Mary's Academy at Glens Falls, William Maurice Murphy, began his long association with the Imperial Paper and Color Com- pany by finding employment as a stick boy at the salary of three dollars a week. Even though a mere boy then, Mr. Murphy forged ahead rapidly and, by the time he was sixteen years of age, had become the foreman of his de- partment. When he was twenty years old, however, Mr. Murphy, desiring to become better acquainted with the company's manufacturing processes, resigned as a foreman and began to learn the art of printing wallpaper, to be shortly assigned to the charge of a wallpaper printing machine. By 1920 Mr. Murphy had made such an excellent name for himself within the company that, when the Plattsburg plant was established, he was appointed its superin- tendent, a position which he retained until 1935, when he was appointed dis- trict manager of the Imperial Paper and Color Company. A member of Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Mr. Murphy, who attends St. John's Catholic Church, is devoted to outdoor sports and finds his favorite means of recreation from his professional responsi- bilities in the sport of fishing.
William Maurice Murphy married, in 1912, Charlotte Thayer, who is a native of Schuylerville, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are the parents of four children : 1. Mary Elizabeth, a graduate of St. John's School and now the wife of Frank Brunnell. 2. Marvele Frances, a graduate of St. John's School and now the wife of Frank Taberski. 3. William Thayer. 4. Shirley Madeline.
HON. ANDREW W. RYAN-Practicing law in Plattsburg, Hon. Andrew W. Ryan has distinguished himself as one of his community's leading
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professional men, serving six years as district attorney and now elected county judge, taking office January I, 1939, for his six-year term.
Mr. Ryan was born March 9, 1902, in Plattsburg, New York, son of Stephen K. and Bridget (Colligan) Ryan. His father, born in Beekman- town, New York, was for years a merchant until his death. The mother, a native of Plattsburg, is also deceased.
Public schools in Plattsburg, his birthplace, furnished Andrew W. Ryan's early education, and he completed his high school work here, then spent a year at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, after which he went to Albany Law School, in Albany, New York. There he took the Bachelor of Laws degree with the class of 1925. In 1926 he was admitted to the bar of New York State, at once taking up the practice of law thereafter in Platts- burg.
Successful in his professional activities here, he has also interested himself in political, civic and social life. Mr. Ryan is a member of the Republican County Committee and has so served in Clinton County since 1932. Since 1931, for six full years, 1932-38, inclusive, he has been district attorney of this county, and on November 8, 1938, was elected county judge to serve six years, taking office on January 1, 1939. He belongs to the Clinton County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. He is a member and past president of the Kiwanis Club, and also belongs to the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus. In the Knights of Columbus he is affiliated with Plattsburg Coun- cil, No. 555, and is a Past Grand Knight of this body. His Elks' affiliation is with Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621. He attends St. John's Roman Catholic Church. In spare time he is particularly fond of the out-of-doors, enjoying especially golf and swimming.
In 1928 Andrew W. Ryan married Lillian McDougall, a native of Cam- bridge, New York. The children of this marriage have been: I. Susette W. 2. Andrew W., Jr. 3. Sylvia Anne. 4. Frances Kevin Ryan.
CLIFFORD C. ARNOLD-President, treasurer and manager of E. N. Dominy Company of Plattsburg, Clifford C. Arnold, of Plattsburg, is one of the leading wholesale merchants of Northern New York State, mer- chandising men's furnishings and floor coverings in the only establishment of its kind in Plattsburg and one of the few such businesses in Upper New York State.
Clifford C. Arnold was born at Peru, Clinton County, March 5, 1890, son of John F. and Fannie (Meigs) Arnold. John F. Arnold, who was a native of Peru, Clinton County, established himself in life as a farmer in his native
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community and followed the soil all his life, being active until the time of his death. Fannie (Meigs) Arnold, who is also deceased, was a native of Canada.
After passing through the public schools of Peru and graduating from the Plattsburg High School, Clifford C. Arnold attended Union College at Schenectady, New York, and then went to work with the International Harvester Corporation. After a year in such employment, he entered the United States Post Office Department as a clerk in the Railway Mail Service but, after two years in this work, he returned to Plattsburg and spent a year in the dairy business only to enter the employment of the E. N. Dominy Company of Plattsburg in 1919. Becoming a partner in the business, upon the death of E. N. Dominy, Mr. Arnold became the president, treasurer and manager of the corporation, positions which he has held through the present time. This company, which was organized in 1911, deals exclusively with the wholesale merchandising of men's furnishings and floor coverings and is not only the single firm of its kind in Plattsburg but has been built up by Mr. Arnold until it is one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the Lake Cham- plain district.
A member of Plattsburg Lodge, No. 828, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Mr. Arnold is also a member of all the York Rite bodies of the fraternity, including Oriental Temple and Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Attendant of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Plattsburg, Mr. Arnold, who is a direct descendant of Benedict Arnold, is devoted to bridge, finding the game a means of recreation from his business responsibilities.
Clifford C. Arnold married, in 1919, Mabel Dominy, daughter of E. N. Dominy and a native of Plattsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold are the parents of two children : I. Robert Dominy, who is a member of the class of 1941 of Union College, Schenectady. 2. Marion O.
SIMON E. FITZPATRICK-A partner in the firm of John J. Fitz- patrick and Sons of Plattsburg, Simon E. Fitzpatrick is not only one of the leading contractors and engineers in the northeastern section of the United States but is also prominent in the civic affairs of Plattsburg and well known because of his interest in history, particularly the past of Clinton County and Northern New York State.
Simon E. Fitzpatrick was born at Plattsburg, May 8, 1873, son of John J. and Katherine T. (O'Brine) Fitzpatrick. John J. Fitzpatrick, who was a native of Plattsburg, was directly descended from Phillip Fitzpatrick, a native of Ireland who settled in Plattsburg in 1826, being one of the first Irish pioneers to establish themselves in Northern New York State and being the first person to be interred in the Catholic Cemetery in Plattsburg. As a young
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man, he established himself as a contractor and founded the present firm of John J. Fitzpatrick and Sons, an organization in which he remained active until the time of his death. Katherine T. (O'Brine) Fitzpatrick, his wife, also deceased, was born at Plattsburg, also.
After passing through the public schools of Plattsburg and attending the Plattsburg High School, Simon E. Fitzpatrick became employed by his father, starting as a water boy on a construction contract being carried out by his father in 1892. Simon E. Fitzpatrick forged ahead rapidly in the contracting business and about 1902 was given a partnership in the firm founded by his father, an association which Mr. Fitzpatrick has maintained through the present time. The firm of John J. Fitzpatrick and Sons has distinguished itself through its specialty of removing submerged rocks and ledges in harbors and water-ways, being pioneers in this type of work and having discharged many such contracts along the New York and New England coast in par- ticular, operating under the direction of the Engineer Corps of the United States Army. In addition to this work, the firm has also distinguished itself through many contracts in the Northeastern United States for the building of roads, the construction of sewage disposal plants and the erection of public buildings and large private structures, such as palatial residences. Always keenly interested in civic affairs as well as in the prosperity of his community and county, Simon E. Fitzpatrick has given generously of his time and talents to public work and to the promotion of various civic enterprises. At the present time clerk of the Board of Education of Plattsburg, an office which he has held for the past twenty years, he is a past president of the Plattsburg Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Plattsburg Rotary Club, an organization which he has served as a director. Supporting his profession by serving on the executive committee of the New York State Waterways Com- mission, he is also a member of Plattsburg Lodge, No. 255, Knights of Columbus, being a member of the fourth degree of the fraternity and having served the lodge as Grand Knight. Among his civic responsibilities is his membership on the board of directors of the Champlain Valley Hospital, an enterprise which he aided as treasurer for several years, and his position as vice-president of the Irish Settlement Cemetery Association. A member of St. John's Catholic Church, Mr. Fitzpatrick devotes himself to civic affairs so far as much of his leisure is concerned but also finds time to carry on his research into local history. He is the author of various papers concerned with Plattsburg's past, two of them, "Plattsburg, Once Upon a Time," and "Spots," having been read before the Plattsburg Chamber of Commerce and the Platts- burg Rotary Club.
Simon E. Fitzpatrick married (first), in 1900, Clara Traynor, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, who died in 1929; he married (second), in 1931, Anne O'Brine, who is a native of Plattsburg and for many years was librarian
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of the Plattsburg State Normal School. Two children of the first marriage are : I. John J., who attended the University of Pennsylvania. 2. Martin T., who attended Dartmouth College.
HERBERT P. MASON-Secretary of A. Mason and Sons Company, Incorporated, and manager of the corporation's Plattsburg office, Herbert P. Mason, of Plattsburg, is one of the leading lumber and building supplies mer- chants in Clinton County, having been active in the business for the past twenty-five years, as well as taking an outstanding part in the civic and busi- ness life of his community particularly through Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. Herbert P. Mason was born at Peru, Clinton County, July 10, 1891, son of Albert A. and Elizabeth ( Moore) Mason. Albert A. Mason, who was a native of Peru, Clinton County, established himself in life as a carpenter and builder, a trade and a business which he followed for years until he organized the firm of A. Mason and Sons, merchants of lumber and builders' supplies, an enterprise which he directed and developed until the time of his death. Elizabeth (Moore) Mason, his wife, also deceased, was a native of Peru, Clinton County, also.
Herbert P. Mason, after passing through the public schools of Peru and graduating from the Plattsburg High School, went to Brooklyn, New York, where he graduated from the Pratt Institute. After completing his educa- tion, Mr. Mason returned to Plattsburg and joined his father as a partner in the firm of A. Mason and Sons in 1914. In 1922, when the business was incorporated, Herbert P. Mason was elected the secretary of the corporation and made manager of the Plattsburg office of the enterprise, positions which he has occupied through the present time. During the World War, Mr. Mason enlisted in October of 1917 in the United States Army, being assigned to the aviation corps and remaining in that service until he was given his discharge as a sergeant in November of 1918.
Always devoted to the welfare of his community and county, Mr. Mason has been active in supporting all worth while enterprises for many years, serving the Plattsburg Chamber of Commerce as its president and being a member of the Champlain Valley Council, as well as belonging to the Platts- burg Rod and Gun Club. A member of Plattsburg Lodge, No. 828, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, he is also affiliated with the local organizations of the Royal Arch Chapter and the Council, Royal and Select Masters. A mem- ber of the board of the Plattsburg Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Mason's favorite means of recreation from his business responsibilities, aside from his ardent interest in baseball, is boating on Lake Champlain.
Herbert P. Mason married, in 1915, Elizabeth Clark, a native of Peru, Clinton County. Mr. and Mrs. Mason are the parents of three children : I. Herbert P., Jr., a student at Amherst College. 2. John. 3. Phillip.
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WALTER E. CARROLL-A native of Plattsburg, Walter E. Car- roll has been associated with the furniture and undertaking fields through many years. In fact this enterprise is actually one of the oldest of any busi- ness in Northern New York, having originally been founded in 1840 by George W. Hornick.
First associated with his brother, George Carroll, in the firm of Carroll, Bull & Company, in 1913 he and his brother formed the Carroll Furniture Company. Since George Carroll's death in 1919, Walter E. Carroll has operated a combined furniture and undertaking establishment at Nos. 29-31 Bridge Street, Plattsburg.
In 1935 he leased the historic Dodds house in Plattsburg, at the corner of Oak and Court streets, where he has established one of the most distinctive funeral homes in the North Country. This building is a famous landmark in the history of the city of Plattsburg, dating back to Revolutionary days. It was built by John Dunham, father of Guy Dunham, and at one time a daugh- ter, Pamela Dunham, kept a private school for small children in the front room on the second floor. A marker beside the door was erected by the State Education Department reading as follows :
BRITISH HOSPITAL . The British Army used the basement of this house for a hospital during the Battle of Plattsburgh, September, 1814.
The house was purchased by George W. Dodds, Sr., in 1852, and was occupied by him and his descendants upwards of eighty years.
Since the conversion of this dwelling into a funeral home, every effort has been made to preserve the original Colonial atmosphere, both in interior furnishing and decoration and exterior appearance, the entire outside being painted a glistening white, and each window fitted with deep green double shutters-and a white picket fence completes the effect. The public rooms are furnished in both genuine antiques and choice reproductions, in strict keeping with the period of the house. The result has established this home as both unique and arresting, for the unusual graciousness and quiet charm of the entire building fits its particularly for the dignity of its purpose.
In 1937 Walter Carroll disposed of his furniture store in the downtown district, to James P. McMartin, and now devotes his entire time to his work as funeral director, and maintains his headquarters at the funeral home.
He is a member of the North Star, New York State and National Funeral Directors' associations.
HERBERT VAN KIRK-Surrogate of Washington County since 1928, Herbert Van Kirk, of Greenwich, is outstanding among the jurists of his county and is, as well, a distinguished public-spirited citizen, one who has served his community and county for many years in various capacities.
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Herbert Van Kirk was born in Greenwich, January 1, 1871, son of Nor- man and Kate (Conant) Van Kirk. Norman Van Kirk, who was born at White Creek, Washington County, began life as a wagon manufacturer al- though in later life he established himself as a merchant, a business in which he was active until the time of his death in 1890. Kate (Conant) Van Kirk, his wife, who was born in St. Albans, Vermont, died in 1909.
After passing through the grade schools of Greenwich and graduating from the Greenwich High School, Herbert Van Kirk entered Colgate Uni- versity, graduating from that institution in 1894 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Then, following a period of tutoring in New York City, he entered the law office of his brother, Charles C. Van Kirk in Greenwich, where he read law until he passed the State bar examinations in Schenectady in 1900. That year he established himself in the independent practice of his profession in Greenwich, remaining alone until 1926, when he was joined by Jerald W. Bouck. This partnership continued until February of 1929 when Mr. Bouck died, his place in the office being taken shortly by John H. Dewell who formed with Mr. Van Kirk the firm of Van Kirk and Dewell, the title under which the partnership has been continued through the present time. Always inter- ested in civic problems and giving generously of his time and talent to the advancement of community interests as a member of the Republican party, Mr. Van Kirk has been a member of the School Board of Greenwich for many years and, since 1928, has been surrogate of the county, being first elected to the office in that year and being reelected in 1934. The judge's other com- munity offices include his directorship of the board of the Greenwich Savings and Loan Association and his membership in the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. The judge supports his profession by affiliation with the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Washington County Bar Association, heading this last-named organization as president. A member of Bottskill Baptist Church, and serving the institution as chairman of the board of deacons, Judge Van Kirk, who belongs to the Battenkill Golf Club, is prominent in Masonry, being a member of Ashler Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Greenwich, and Schuylerville Commandery, Knights Templar.
Judge Van Kirk married in August, 1900, Margaret R. Legg, who is a native of Kingston, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Van Kirk are the parents of two children: 1. Margaret, who, now Mrs. Margaret (Van Kirk) Reid of Westport, Connecticut, graduated from Smith College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, after passing through the Greenwich grammar school and graduating from the Greenwich High School. 2. Norman C., now a student in the Greenwich High School.
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EDGAR A. NELSON-As general manager of the Pal Blade Com- pany, Edgar A. Nelson figures prominently in the business life of Platts- burg. Mr. Nelson was born July 12, 1899, in Copenhagen, Denmark, son of Vilhelm and Elsine ( Rolandsen) Nelson. His father, a Swede by birth, is a laborer in his native land. The mother was born in Denmark.
In the Copenhagen schools, Edgar A. Nelson received his early education, and when he completed his high school studies he entered the toolmaking trade. He then studied the designer's trade at the Institute of Technology, in Copenhagen, and in that city took up his work as a tool designer. He con- tinued his labors along those lines until 1926, when he came to New York City. After remaining for a time, variously employed, in the New World metropolis, Mr. Nelson went to Schenectady, New York, to join forces with the General Electric Company. In 1929 he became associated with the Standard Safety Razor Company, of East Norwalk, Connecticut, there re- maining until 1933 as plant manager. In that year he went to Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, with the Pal Blade Company, serving in the consulting engineer's capacity. In 1934 he returned to the United States, settling in Plattsburg and starting the Pal Blade Company plant in this city. He has been its general manager since that time.
Mr. Nelson also belongs to the Plattsburg Chamber of Commerce and takes a lively part in the city's business life. He is a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, in which fraternity he is affiliated with Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621. He attends the Lutheran Church in this city. In spare time he is particularly fond of outdoor life, particularly enjoying golf and swimming.
In 1936 Edgar A. Nelson married Lillian O'Neil, a native of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.
LEE C. BOLLES-Since his entry into the garage and automobile supply business in 1922, Lee C. Bolles has become a well-known figure in this field in Plattsburg and vicinity, and in his present headquarters on Court Street, he conducts the local agency for Studebaker and Chevrolet automo- biles, together with a complete assortment of automotive accessories.
Mr. Bolles was born in Mineville, Essex County, August 12, 1883, the son of the late Edwin A. and Lovilla H. (Abell) Bolles. Edwin A. Bolles, a native of Danielson, Connecticut, was engaged in the general mercantile busi- ness at the time of his death. Lovilla H. (Abell) Bolles is a native of Enos- burg Falls, Vermont.
After completing his elementary education in the Mineville public schools, Lee C. Bolles studied at the Sherman Collegiate Institute in Moriah, and later
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at Port Henry High School. For the next two years he was in the employ of the Witherbee Sherman Company in Mineville, after which he took a business course at the Bryant and Stratton Business College in Boston, Massachusetts. He then became office manager for the Arnold Mining Company in Clinton County, and continued in this capacity for three years, next going to Lyon Mountain and Standish, where he was engaged in office work for approxi- mately two years. For the next year he was associated with the Lafollette Iron Company of Lafollette, Tennessee, after which he returned to New York State to enter the employ of the Robeson Process Company at Au Sable Forks, where he remained until 1912, at which time he came to Plattsburg to enter the automobile industry. In 1913 he became associated with the Hannan and Henry Motor Car Company, remaining with this concern until 1917. For the next two years he worked for the M. P. Myers Company, and then in 1919 he returned to the Hannan and Henry Motor Car Company as a partner in the business. He continued there until 1922, and then erected his own garage and sales room on Court Street, establishing the local agency for the Studebaker automobile. In 1923 branches were established at Port Henry and Ticonderoga, where distribution headquarters for Studebaker cars in Clinton and Essex counties were maintained. The following year the C. M. Putnam garage in Port Henry was purchased, but in 1927 this business was sold to Harold Huestis. In 1933 he took over the local agency for the Chevrolet car, and today the Bolles garage and service station is recognized as the headquarters for both Chevrolet and Studebaker cars, together with facilities for storage, and the sale of all automobile equipment.
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