USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. III > Part 61
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On October 15, 1921, at Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Thayer married Ruth Murdock, daughter of John and Lillian (Libby) Murdock, and they are the parents of one son : Lyman I. Thayer, Jr., born at Albany February 3, 1924.
MARVELLE CHRISTOPHER WEBBER-The State of Vermont, of which he was a native, and particularly the community of Rutland, where he practiced law for almost four decades, were enriched by the labors and life of a distinguished pleader of cases, Marvelle Christopher Webber, who passed away in the summer of 1938.
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The Webbers are of a long and prominent lineage: some members of this family were in Mansfield, Connecticut, prior to 1755. Two Webber pio- neers, Richard and Christopher, were soldiers in the French and Indian War. Christopher (1) Webber, born in 1740, was captain in Colonel Bellows' New Hampshire Regiment during the Revolutionary War, participating in engage- ments at Ticonderoga, the battles of Bennington and Saratoga, and present at the surrender of Burgoyne. His son, Christopher (2) Webber, was born in Walpole, New Hampshire, lived for several years at Rutland, Vermont, and removed to Cavendish, the same State, where he died December 5, 1850. He married Electa Storer, and among their children was Hon. Sumner Allen Webber, born at Rutland, December 19, 1798, died May 20, 1862, at Roches- ter, Vermont, where he had been a most successful lawyer since 1824. He married Phoebe Jefferson Guernsey and their second child was Christopher Allen Webber, born at Rochester on August 8, 1837, and died August 15, 1878. He studied law with his father and was admitted to the bar in 1861, where he gained high reputation as a lawyer; he also represented his native town in the General Assembly for two terms, 1868-69. From his marriage on October 16, 1862, to Julia Evelyn Cooper, daughter of Phineas Sanger and Harriet (Foster) Cooper, there were three children, among them Marvelle Christopher Webber, the subject of this review.
Marvelle Christopher Webber was born January 14, 1868, at Rochester, Vermont, where he was educated in the public schools. He prepared for college at Montpelier (Vermont) Seminary, graduating in 1886 and start- ing that same autumn at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts. After his first term there he left to enter Boston University, graduating from the College of Liberal Arts in 1889 with his degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. He graduated from the Law School of Boston University in 1891 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws.
An uncle of Marvelle Christopher Webber was the Hon. Marvelle W. Cooper, Appraiser of the Port of New York, and through him, in the fall of 1891, Mr. Webber was enabled to secure a much-coveted clerkship in the famous law office of Evarts, Choate and Beaman, of New York City. The following December he was admitted to the New York City bar, and in 1896 was made managing clerk in the above-mentioned firm. Ill health compelled him, in 1898, to resign and return to his native State, locating permanently at Rutland. Here he became associated, in 1901, with two very prominent attorneys, Joel C. Baker and Orion M. Barber, and he became a most suc- cessful pleader of cases before the United States Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. The Governor of the State honored him by appointment to important committees ; he served two years as city attor- ney of Rutland, and about eight years each on the Board of School Commis-
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sioners of Rutland and the State Board of Education. President, in 1920, of the Vermont State Bar Association, he was one time vice-president of the American Bar Association for the State of Vermont, and many times a mem- ber of that organization's standing committees. Until his death on August 9, 1938, Mr. Webber retained membership in his college fraternity, Theta Delta Chi.
Marvelle Christopher Webber married, April 16, 1902, Mary Rich Rex, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, daughter of Dr. Oliver P. and Anna Barclay (Stevenson) Rex. The father was an outstanding physician of his city and medical director of the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Anna Bar- clay (Stevenson) Rex was the daughter of John B. Stevenson, a prominent linseed oil manufacturer of Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Webber were the parents of three children: I. Payson Rex Webber (q. v.). 2. Christopher Allen Webber (q. v.). 3. Marvelle Cooper Webber, born September 20, 1906.
CHRISTOPHER ALLEN WEBBER-Carrying on an extensive practice of law in Rutland as his father did before him, Christopher Allen Webber occupies a position of standing and distinction in his home commu- nity. Mr. Webber was born May 26, 1905, in Rutland, Vermont, son of Marvelle Christopher and Mary Rich (Rex) Webber and member of a fam- ily long prominent in New England affairs, their ancestry being traced fully in the personal history of Mr. Webber's father, Marvelle Christopher Web- ber (q. v.).
Christopher Allen Webber, of this review, attended the Hoosac School, at Hoosac, New York, where he was graduated in 1924. Five years later, in 1929, he graduated from Middlebury College with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and in 1932 he took the Bachelor of Laws degree at Harvard Uni- versity. Admitted to the bar that same year, he proceeded to carry on at Rutland his own private practice of law, in which he still continues. He was a member of the law firm of Webber and Webber, in which he was asso- ciated with his father until the elder Mr. Webber's death in August, 1938, but since that time he has carried on independently.
Appointed by Governor Aiken to serve as judge of the Municipal Court of Rutland, Mr. Webber began his term in that office on February 1, 1937, and still continues in that post. He is also a member of the board of alder- men of the city, having so served since March, 1936. Interesting himself in every branch of civic affairs, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 345 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Rutland County Bar Association, the Vermont State Bar Association, and the Amer- ican Bar Association. He also belongs to the local Protestant Episcopal Church in Rutland and is a member of the vestry of his parish.
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On June II, 1932, Christopher Allen Webber married Esther Ladue, of Rutland, daughter of Herbert G. Ladue. Two children have been born to them : I. John Barclay Webber, on April 4, 1934. 2. Mary Rex Webber, on January 24, 1936.
PAYSON REX WEBBER-A master of architecture and a prac- ticing architect of Rutland, Vermont, Payson Rex Webber is the son of a distinguished Vermonter and a descendant of a long and prominent line of Webbers, first recorded in Mansfield, Connecticut, prior to 1755. The line of descent from pre-Revolutionary days is traced in the sketch of Marvelle Christopher Webber on preceding pages.
Payson Rex Webber was born at Rutland, Vermont, on March 22, 1903, son of Marvelle Christopher and Mary Rich (Rex) Webber, the first-named a native of Rochester, Vermont, and the last-named, a daughter of Dr. Oliver P. and Anna Barclay (Stevenson) Rex, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Young Webber obtained his education in the public schools of his native city and graduated from Rutland High School in 1920. He then attended Middle- bury College for two years, and matriculated at Harvard University, where he was awarded his Bachelor of Science degree in 1924. The next five years were spent by him at Harvard as a graduate-student and instructor in Fine Arts, and after receiving his Master's degree in Architecture from Harvard in 1929, Mr. Webber became associated with Delano and Aldrich, New York City architects. He remained with them three years and then practiced for himself in the Metropolis for two years, removing in 1934 to Rutland, Ver- mont, where he continues to practice his profession under his own name.
A supporter of the Republican party and a member of the Episcopal Church here, Payson Rex Webber married on November 29, 1934, Mary Elizabeth Williams, also a native of Rutland and daughter of Dr. Percy M. Williams, a well-known doctor of dental surgery here, and of Anna (Ames) Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Webber have one son: I. Robert Ames Webber, born at Rutland on December 7, 1937.
JOHN BOULTON SIMPSON-A New York City business man of leading rank, John Boulton Simpson early became a prominent figure in the Lake George region, where his daughter, Helen Simpson, continues the con- nections and associations that are by now almost traditional in the family name.
Mr. Simpson was born in New York City in 1846 and died in 1926. He was president of the Estey Piano Company until his retirement about 1920. He was also president for many years of the Green Island Improvement Company, that developed the Sagamore Hotel, famous in Lake George
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History. He was commodore of the Lake George Yacht Club in the 1890s, one of the founders of the Lake George Club and was warden of the Epis- copal Church for over forty years. Over a long period he was one of the most vital influences in the life of this section. Mr. Simpson married, in 1871, Fanny Shilton, of New York City, and they became the parents of four children, two of whom are now living: Helen, of Bolton Landing; and Fanny Proddow, now Mrs. Edward Perry Townsend, of New York.
Helen Simpson was graduated from Vassar College. In 1938 she was elected a member of the Bolton Landing Board of Education and is now serving. Miss Simpson is a Republican in politics, and a member and very active in the Protestant Episcopal Church at Bolton Landing, the Church of St. Sacrament.
J. CLARENCE HERLIHY-Attorney for the Luzerne Bank, J. Clarence Herlihy, who maintains his office in Glens Falls, formerly practiced in Saratoga.
J. Clarence Herlihy was born in Glens Falls, October 1, 1905, son of John J. and Julia (Corbett) Herlihy. John J. Herlihy, who is a native of Glens Falls, is now, after engaging in business as a road building contractor, the superintendent of the packing department of the Glens Falls Portland Cement Company. Julia (Corbett) Herlihy, his wife, is also a native of Glens Falls.
After passing through St. Mary's Parochial School in Glens Falls and graduating from Georgetown University in 1928, J. Clarence Herlihy deter- mined upon the legal profession for his career and attended the Albany Law School, graduating in 1930. Admitted to the New York State bar in 1931, Mr. Herlihy established himself in practice at Saratoga but, after two years in that city, removed to Glens Falls, where he has maintained his office through the present time. He supports his profession by membership in the New York State Bar Association and the Warren County Bar Association. Mr. Herlihy is a member of the Republican party, and is interested in civic problems.
Mr. Herlihy is Past Grand Knight of Glens Falls Council, No. 194, Knights of Columbus, and a member of Glens Falls Lodge, No. 80, Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks. He also belongs to the Glens Falls Country Club and the Capital District Georgetown University Alumni Club-the latter of which he organized. He is a member of St. Mary's Church. His recreation he finds in his hobbies of golf and bowling.
LEONARD OLIVER TRUAX-Justice of the peace, former tax collector, past vice-president of the National Star Route Mail Carriers' Asso- ciation and mail carrier in Bolton Landing for the past fifteen years, Leonard Oliver Truax is one of the most prominent and active citizens in this com-
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munity where he is also identified with several of the leading social and civic organizations.
Mr. Truax, a native .of Bolton Landing, was born here March 15. 1897, the son of Henry Joseph and Priscilla (Blanchard) Truax. He attended the public schools here until he completed his second year in high school. Shortly afterward the United States entered the World War and he enlisted. He was assigned to Motor Transport Corps, No. 531, and served overseas for thirteen months during which time his unit was employed in convoy work. Upon resuming civilian life he returned to Bolton Landing and was appointed mail carrier, a position he has occupied since, save for the years between 1928 and 1932.
In all of his undertakings Mr. Truax has demonstrated a quality of leader- ship and enthusiasm that has led him to high places. In his occupation his colleagues demonstrated their faith and admiration for him by electing him vice-president of the National Star Route Mail Carriers' Association, an office he held from 1937 to 1938. Aside from this he has been an influen- tial figure in the affairs of Bolton Landing, where he is listed among the most prominent members of the local Republican organization. His posi- tion in the community is clearly reflected in the offices he has been called upon to fill. In 1920 he was town tax collector and in January, 1938, was named justice of the peace, a post he has occupied since with distinction and suc- cess. Through his military service he is a member of American Legion Post, No. 961, which he headed as commander for one year, and in which he served as adjutant for a similar period. He was county commander of this organ- ization in 1937, and in addition to this membership has also belonged to the "40 and 8" Society. Mr. Truax fraternizes with the Floral Encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has held all of the offices, including that of Noble Grand and Chief Patriarch. In his religious convic- tions he worships at the Episcopal Church.
Mr. Truax married, at Bolton Landing, Lena May Balch, and they are the parents of four children : I. Curtis Arthur, born April 29, 1920. 2. Leon- ard, Jr., born October II 1923. 3. Robert, born August 13, 1925. 4. Charles, born February 24, 1929.
GEORGE BARNEY WRIGHT-Since his retirement from the United States naval service in 1936, George Barney Wright has been resid- ing at Orwell, Vermont, where he is taking an active part in business and civic life, being vice-president of the First National Bank.
Mr. Wright was born at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, March 8, 1883, the son of Charles Dyer and Lucy (Barney) Wright. Charles Dyer Wright, son of Ethan Murray Wright, has long been identified with the banking industry,
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and is now serving as president of the First National Bank at Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
Upon completion of his preparatory education at St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, George Barney Wright entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he was graduated in 1906. He remained in active service until November 1, 1936, at which time he retired with the rank of captain. Since then he has been living in Orwell, Vermont, taking a prominent part not only in the financial but also in the political and civic life of this locality. In 1938 he was elected a member of the Vermont General Assembly and in this post he has been responsible for much legislation benefiting his community.
Mr. Wright is a member of the Episcopal faith, and an affiliate of the Free and Accepted Masons.
He was married April 27, 1912, to Margaret McLane Parsons, daughter of William L. and Mary (McLane) Parsons. Mr. and Mrs. Wright are the parents of three children : I. William Parsons, born July 11, 1913. 2. Lucy Barney, born February 4, 1916. 3. Charles Dyer, born April 15, 1921.
FRANCIS L. STEVENS-The diversified experience Francis L. Stevens has enjoyed as an educator has eminently equipped him for his pres- ent undertaking as principal of the Burnt Hills schools, an institution which he has been associated with for over a decade and which he has headed since 1938.
Mr. Stevens was born at Schenectady, November 26, 1902, the son of Thomas and Anna (Froeschauer) Stevens, both residents of that city where his father has been an inspector for the General Electric Company for a number of years. He completed a general education at the Schenectady High School in 1922 and then matriculated at Union College from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in the class of 1926. The same year he began his career as a teller for the Savings Bank of Schenectady and later did research work on metabolism for the Carnegie Institute at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. His first teaching position was as instructor of mathematics at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1928. The follow- ing year he came to Burnt Hills as assistant principal and science teacher, continuing in this capacity until 1938, when he assumed his present post. In the meantime he had taken postgraduate work at the Albany State Teachers College and Columbia University, receiving his Master of Arts degree from the latter in 1938. Mr. Stevens belongs to the Associated Academic School Principals, the Schenectady Conservation Council, fraternizes with Franklin Lodge, No. 90, of the Masonic Order at Ballston Spa and worships at the Episcopal Church. Outside of his immediate professional work he enjoys an
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enviable reputation as a lecturer, most of his subject dealing with educational matters or problems of conservation.
On April 22, 1935, at Tarrytown, Mr. Stevens married Mabel Aldrich, daughter of James and Pauline Aldrich, and they are the parents of two children : I. Phyllis, born May 30, 1937. 2. Francis, born June 20, 1938.
CHARLES SPOOR KENWELL-Varied activities in business and public life have distinguished Charles Spoor Kenwell, of North Creek, as one of the leading figures in Warren County affairs. He has had a long and notable record as a supervisor of this county, and his other accomplishments have been outstanding in character.
Mr. Kenwell was born October 21, 1879, in Johnsburg, Warren County, New York, son of James and Clara (Spoor) Kenwell. His father, a native of Johnsburg, New York, was for years a farmer until his death. The mother was born in South Johnsburg, and she is now also deceased.
His earliest life Charles Spoor Kenwell spent in the family residence at Elm Hill, where he was born. He attended the district schools of Johns- burg and North Creek, later going to high school at Sandy Hill, New York, and then to J. W. Haley's Business College, where he was graduated with the class of 1900. At once he went to work for the International Paper Company in the capacity of bookkeeper, so continuing until 1904. From 1904 to 1908 he was engaged in the wholesale meat business, being associated with the Armour, Swift and Dolber packing companies. In 1908 he was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a special agent, so serving until 1913, when he returned to Johnsburg. Here he became active in farming. In 1915 he was made a justice of the peace. Then, in 1922, he was made a supervisor of Warren County. His time of service in this office has been longer than that of any other supervisor in the county, including three terms as chairman of the board of supervisors.
Taking a lively interest in community affairs, Mr. Kenwell is a staunch Republican. From 1915 to 1923 he was a forest ranger for the State of New York, and for some years he was a Republican town committeeman. Several times he has served as sergeant-at-arms at State conventions of his party. Active also in fraternal circles, Mr. Kenwell is a member of Johns- burg Lodge, No. 541, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a Past Grand of the lodge. He also belongs to Fort Edwards Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons and Warren Lodge, No. 223. He worships in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a lay trustee. The Johnsburg-North Creek community has substantially benefited from his labors in behalf of its people and institutions-labors which have established him as a worthy scion of his pioneering forebears. His ancestor, Richard Ken-
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well, first settled in Johnsburg in 1827; and on the maternal side of his house Martin Spoor came here in 1821. Mr. Kenwell's favorite recreations are those pertaining to the out-of-doors, notably horse racing and baseball.
In 1907 Mr. Kenwell married (first) Elizabeth Lauer, a native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, who died in 1912. There was a daughter of that mar- riage: Margaret Kenwell, who was graduated from the Training School for Teachers at Hudson Falls, New York, and is now the wife of Ira T. More- house, of Weavertown, New York. Charles Spoor Kenwell married (sec- ond), July 12, 1916, Rose V. Jenks, a native of Schroon Lake, New York.
ANSON BROWN COLLINS-For the greater part of his mature life, Anson Brown Collins has been an increasingly important figure in Mechanicsville affairs, rising to prominence through his own initiative and efforts. His career as a construction contractor with headquarters in this city, was interrupted by military service during the World War period, but upon his return to civilian activities he again took up his business which has increased in its scope with the passing years. Mr. Collins was born at Goshen, New York, October 2, 1894, son of William Anson and Emma Louise (Sears) Collins and grandson of Anson Brown Collins, who long was a Washington County farmer. His grandmother came from Scotland and is descended from Scotch-Welsh parents and ancestors.
Growing up on his father's farm, Anson Brown Collins early learned that hard work seldom hurts anyone, but it was also taught him that there were more profitable ways of making a livelihood. He attended the schools of his birthplace and was graduated from high school in 1910. He also had a year in engineering at Colgate University, but left this institution to enter the employ of contractors engaged in construction work on the New York State Barge Canal. His progress was rapid in this line of business, but when the United States became involved in the World War, he enlisted in the United States Army, and served two years with the 22d Machine Gun Battalion, receiving his honorable discharge in 1919, with the rank of lieutenant.
Before the war Mr. Collins had been located at Mechanicsville, and he returned there to continue the construction business. He has since done a great deal of work on roads, bridges, canals and the like, mainly in New York State. Notably civic-minded he has been honored in recent years with election as mayor of Mechanicsville, beginning his first two-year term in this office, January 1, 1936, and his second in succession on January 1, 1938. He is a Republican in his political views, but has won the support of all parties. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Mechanicsville Lodge, No. 820, Free and Accepted Masons, a member of the higher bodies of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, including the Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles
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of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Rotary Club, the American Legion and the Methodist Church.
At Newark, New Jersey, on October 2, 1924, Anson Brown Collins mar- ried Frieda Augusta Harms, born January 2, 1894, daughter of Charles Harms. Mr. and Mrs. Collins are the parents of two sons : I. Alfred Harms, born June 22, 1925. 2. Anson Brown, Jr., born September 2, 1927.
BIXBY FAMILY-Well known in the Lake George District since about 1883, the Bixby family has come to take a prominent place in the life of the section, particularly in the town of Bolton Landing, where the family makes its home.
The Bixby family was first represented in the Lake George section by William Keeney Bixby who came to the district about 1883 as a summer visitor. In 1897 William Keeney Bixby purchased the Mohican House and, after living in it for three summers, tore down the old hotel buildings and erected the present family home on the same foundations. Then, in 1901, Mr. Bixby gave up his business interests and came to Bolton Landing. He was born in Adrian, Michigan, January 2, 1857, and, after receiving his edu- cation there, established himself in Texas where he married, June 13, 1881, Lillian Tuttle, of San Antonio, Texas. Shortly after his marriage, William Keeney Bixby moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was active in the organization of the Missouri Car Company, an organization which developed into the American Car and Foundry Company, which Mr. Bixby headed as president for many years, until his retirement in 1901. He was also chair- man of the board of this company, as well as a former president of the Laclede Gas Company; one of the receivers of the Wabash Railroad from 1909-1914; a director of the St. Louis Union Trust Company, the Con- solidated Investment Company, the St. Louis Union Bank, Emporium Realty Company, Temple Realty Company, and the Wagner Electric Company. He was honorary president of the Provident Association and Archeological Society, both of St. Louis; president of the City Art Museum ; vice-president of Washington University; trustee of the Young Women's Christian Asso- ciation Endowment Fund, and Girls Industrial Home ; director of the National Association for Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis, St. Luke's Hospital, St. Louis ; and a member of numerous societies and clubs, among them being the Keats-Shelley Society, New York Historical Association, the American Fed- eration of Arts, the Faculty Club of Washington University and the Grolier of New York City. While summering in Bolton Landing, William Keeney Bixby became very active in promoting the welfare of the district, being one of the organizers of the Lake George Club and serving as the second pres- ident of the organization, as well as belonging to and supporting the work
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