Army Officer. Military Instructor.
After more than forty years of service in the United States army, which included the latter half of the Civil War, Brigadier-General Thomas Ward, now a resident of Rochester, New York, can look back over a lifetime of service to his country and devotion to the Stars and Stripes. He was born at West Point, New York, March 18, 1839. It is scarcely to be wondered at that one, reared in such an atmosphere and environment as that of West Point, and who reached his young manhood in such stirring times as the years immediately preceding the Civil War, should be fired by a patriotic zeal, and should decide upon a military career. His parents were Bryan and Eliza (Henry) Ward. Bryan Ward died in 1852, at the age of fifty-two years. He had been registrar of West Point Military Academy for many years, and was succeeded by his son William, who held the office for more than fifty years. Of his children we have on record: Lieutenant Matthew Henry Ward, a volunteer in the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, who was promoted at the close of the war to the Second Regular Artillery, and died soon after the close of the war from a disease contracted while in service ; Philip W. Ward, enlisted, was with Burnside's Cavalry, and died at the close of the war from exposure and disease contracted on the field ; Bryan Ward, Jr., nursed his brother, Brigadier-General Thomas Ward, through an attack of typhoid fever, contracted the disease, and died at the early age of sixteen years. Brigadier-General Thomas Ward received a thorough and careful preparatory education, then entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he was graduated in 1863.
He was commissioned second lieutenant of the First Regiment of Artillery, June 11, 1863. For gallantry displayed at Cold Harbor he was brevetted first lieutenant, June 3, 1864; July 18, of the same year, he was promoted to a first lieutenancy ; March 13, 1865, he was brevetted captain for gallant and meritorious service during the war, and was recommended, April 27, 1866, by General James H. Wilson, his commanding general in the field, for the brevet of major, "for bravery of the highest degree, zeal and good management, during the entire service with me and particularly during the rapid and exhausting marches and fights incidental to operations against the South Side and Danville railroad, known as 'Wilson's Raid,' June 21 to July 1, 1864." In this connection the following quotation from the official records will be of interest : "Captain Ward was recommended for an additional brevet by his commanding general, for bravery, zeal and good management during the rapid and exhausting marches and fights incidental to operations against the South Side and Danville railroads, Virginia ;" but on account of a blunder the paper was filed in the War Department without further action at the time, and the error was only discovered by accident twenty-three years later, as the following correspondence will show. General Wilson received a letter from the Adjutant-General's Office, War Department, under date of March 23, 1889, inviting his attention to the following endorsement:
WILMINGTON, Delaware, April 27,
1866.
Respectfully forwarded. I take pleasure in saying that the conduct of
Captain Ward during his entire service with me and particularly during the rapid
and exhausting marches and fights incidental to operations against the South
Side and Danville railroads was in the highest degree commendable for bravery,
zeal and good management. To my personal knowledge, the abandonment of his guns
was entirely unavoidable and due to the utter exhaustion of his horses rather
than to anything else whatever.
I take pleasure in recommending
him for the brevet of captain.
(Signed) J. H. WILSON,
Captain
Engineers and
Brevet
Brigadier-General, U. S. A.
STOCKBRIDGE, Wilmington, Delaware, March 24, 1889.
My Dear Major: It gives me very great pleasure to say in reply to your letter
of yesterday, that I of course intended to recommend you for the brevet of Major
instead of Captain, when you actually held that rank in the line, and now I
hasten to enclose a letter to the Adjutant General correcting as far as possible
the blunder into which I fell in my endorsement of April 27, 1866. Regretting
more than I can find words to express, that I should have made such a palpable
mistake, and that it was not discovered and corrected sooner, I am,
Cordially your friend,
(Signed) JAMES H. WILSON.
WILMINGTON, Del., March 24, 1889.
To the Adjutant General, War Department, Washington, D. C. :
Sir: Referring to a certain statement made by Major (then Captain) Thomas Ward in 1866 in regard to his military history, and also to my endorsement thereon, dated April 27, 1866, in which I recommended Captain Ward for the brevet of Captain in the United States Army, when he held at the time that rank in the Artillery, I beg to say that my intention was to recommend him for the brevet of Major and to request that this statement, in justice to Major Ward, who was a most gallant and meritorious officer, be filed with the original document now in the possession of your department. Deeply regretting that the obvious error has remained so long uncorrected and trusting that my request can be complied with, I have the honor to be.
Very respectfully,
Your
obedient servant,
(Signed) JAMES
H. WILSON,
Late Major General
Volunteers and Brevet Major General, U. S. A.
WAR DEPARTMENT, Adjutant General's Office, April 13, 1889.
The foregoing
request of General Wilson has been complied with. His statement is to be filed
with the original letter and Major Ward furnished an official copy.
(Signed) R. C DRUM, Adjutant
General.
After the Civil War, General Ward, as an officer of the regular
army, was stationed at various posts, the following instances being of
sufficient interest to note:
General Ward was in command of the battery
encamped in Annunciation Square, New Orleans, Louisiana, from May 10 to 20,
1873, suppressing political riots, and in garrison at Jackson Barracks, New
Orleans, until July 7, 1873. November 1, 1876, he was commissioned captain. He
commanded Battery D, First Artillery, during the strikes and railroad riots from
August 1 to 27, 1877, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and at Reading, Pennsylvania,
from August 28 to October 24, of the same year. He was promoted to major and
assistant adjutant- general, June 28, 1884; lieutenant-colonel and assistant
adjutant-general, August 31, 1893; colonel and assistant adjutant- general,
September 11, 1897; adjutant- general, headquarters of the army, August 25,
1900; brigadier-general, United States Army, July 22, 1902 ; and in June, 1907,
he was appointed president of the board of visitors to the United States
Military Academy at West Point. In 1873-77 he was Professor of Military Science
in Union College, Schenectady, New York, and that institution conferred on him
the honorary degree of Master of Arts. He belongs to the Phi Beta Kappa and
Sigma Phi Alpha college fraternities ; member of the Loyal Legion and the Grand
Army of the Republic; Metropolitan Club, at Washington, D. C. ; Fortnightly Club
of Oswego; National Geographical Society ; Society of American Wars ; Genesee
Valley Club ; and affiliated with the Masonic fraternity at Schenectady, while
he was at Union College. He is very refined, quiet and unassuming in manner ; of
pleasing personality, and has won a large circle of loyal friends. He is of tall
and commanding presence, well preserved, and has never used liquor of any kind.
General Ward's record as a military man reflects credit on his native State. He
was on duty at Vancouver Barracks, Washington, as adjutant-general of the
Department of the Columbia from 1889 to 1893, which included Alaska. During that
time General Ward toured Alaska to Chilkat and took with him his two sons — the
elder, who is now Major Philip R. Ward, and Thomas, Jr. Next he was stationed as
adjutant-general of the Department of the Columbia, with headquarters at Denver,
1893-96. He was on General Hancock's staff as captain, at Governor's Island,
when Hancock ran for the office of President of the United States. At that time
General Ward was inspector-general of the Department of the East, which took in
the New England coast and as far west as Sault St. Marie, and as far south as
Florida. He retired from military service in 1902, and after a short residence
in Oswego, became a resident of Rochester, New York, where he has lived ever
since. General Ward married, April 20, 1870, in Oswego, New York, Katherine L.
Mott, born April 17, 1851, died November II, 1914. She was a daughter of Thomas
S. Mott, one of the leading politicians of New York State in his day, the right
hand man of Senator Conklin, and president of the First National Bank of Oswego.
General and Mrs. Ward had children : Major Philip R., was graduated from West
Point, and is now in the Coast Artillery, commanding Fort Preble; Bessie
DeWolfe, married Edwin Allen Stebbins, of Rochester; Katherine Mott. at home ;
Thomas, Jr., midshipman in the United States Navy, of whom further; John Mott,
now with Dr. Fitch, engaged in Red Cross work in France at the hospital at
Yvetot ; two sons who died in childhood.
Thomas Ward, Jr., was a worthy
scion of his family, which has given so many brave men to the world. He was a
handsome young man, of fine military bearing, and would, no doubt, have added
still more to the prestige of the family name had his career not been cut short
at so early an age while in the brave discharge of his duty. Following are a few
extracts and copies of letters telling graphically the story of his tragic death
:
From the "Saturday Globe," Utica, New York, April 16, 1904:
The
worst catastrophe in the recent history of the American Navy was that at
Pensacola, Florida, Wednesday, when five charges of smokeless powder exploded
and killed thirty-three men, of whom five were officers, besides injuring five
others, two of them fatally. A miracle alone prevented this accident in peaceful
waters from paralleling the horror of war in Asiatic seas on the same day.
Within a few feet of the second explosion was a magazine containing thousands of
pounds of high explosives. Had this been ignited, the ship and her crew of six
hundred would have gone to the bottom. This fortunate intervention of Providence
and the heroic conduct of her commander, Captain William S. Cowles, are the two
bright spots in the black record of destruction, though the noble actions of
some of the other officers should not be overlooked. The after twelve-inch guns
were being fired. Numerous shots had been fired and the left gun was being
loaded, one section, two hundred pounds of powder, having been rammed home and
the second section having cleared the hoisting car. At this instant a wind from
off shore blew a portion of the flame from the muzzle back into the breech where
the charge was being rammed home. This ignited the charge, there was an
explosion and some of the burning stuff dropped into the handling room below,
whose four charges were ready to be hoisted. These exploded. The flames were
soon leaping from every portion of the turret, and the fumes from the powder
overcame the men who sought to extinguish them. Meanwhile, terrible scenes were
witnessed in the turret and in the handling room. * * * When the bodies were
finally taken from the turret and the room below, they were perfectly nude,
every strip of clothing having been burned off. They were hardly recognizable.
The flesh hung from their bodies in strips and would drop off when touched. The
twenty-five men of the turret were found lying in a heap just under the exit.
Two separate explosions had occurred, which accounts for the position of the
men. The first explosion in the turret did not cause any deaths, and every man
started for the exit to get fresh air. They had just reached it when the second
and more terrible explosion, directly beneath, sent the flames up through the
exit through which they were endeavoring to pass. * * * Thomas Ward, Jr., one of
the officers killed by these explosions, was twenty-one years old, and was
appointed to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, from Utica, New York. He was
graduated a little more than a year ago, and when the Missouri went into
commission, was placed on her as one of the officers.
NAVY DEPARTMENT,
Bureau of Navigation, Washington,
April 14, 1904.
General Thomas Ward, U. S. Army, Oswego, N. Y. :
The
President directs me to convey to you his sympathy in your bereavement in the
death of your son, while in the faithful discharge of his duty. Permit me at the
same time to express my own sympathy and to assure you that you have that of the
entire Navy.
(Signed) WILLIAM H.
MOODY, Secretary.
NAVY DEPARTMENT. Washington, June 9, 1904.
To
Brigadier General Thomas Ward, United States Army: Sir: The Department is in
receipt of a report from the commanding officer of the Missouri, referring to
the accident in the after turret of the vessel on April I3th last, in which it
is stated that J. W. McDade, ordinary seaman, the one living witness to the
occurrence said in conversation with Midshipman Ward's messmates, that when the
explosion took place he remembers Midshipman Ward rushed over to the door of the
twelfth magazine in which he (McDade) was at the time and gave some order about
the magazine, but what he said he could not hear and consequently he made no
mention of it before the court.
He further stated that at the instant the
flame enveloped all and that young Ward fell and lost his life at the door of
the magazine (see note).
Upon further questioning by the commanding officer,
McDade stated that while he remembered Midshipman Ward rushing over to the
magazine door, he did not hear what he said.
The letter concludes :
Believing the Department should know every detail officially as to how those
died who lost their lives at their posts of duty, this incident shows that
Midshipman Ward was himself alive to the fact of the very great danger, rushed
at once, closed the magazine door and saved the ship.
I communicate this to
you with sincere sympathy, believing that it will help to relieve your sorrow;
to know your son's unhesitating faithfulness to his duty at the cost of his
life.
A copy of this letter will be placed with Midshipman Ward's record in
the Navy Department, and another copy will be sent to the Commander- in-Chief,
North American Fleet, for publication to the fleet, and to be read on the
quarter deck of the United States Ship Missouri at muster.
I have the honor
to remain, Your very respectfully,
(Signed) WILUAM H. MOODY,
Secretary.
In 1910 the class of
1903 placed in Bancroft Hall, Annapolis, a tablet inscribed as follows:
IN
MEMORIAM To THOMAS WARD and WM. E. T. NEUMANN United States Navy Class of 1903
They died April 13, 1904, as a Result of an Explosion in the after turret of the
U. S. S. Missouri during
record target practice
while in the performance
of duty.
ERECTED BY THEIR CLASSMATES.
NOTE. — The door of the magazine
was so built as to open outward and downward to the floor, turning upon a hinge
at the base. Young Ward undoubtedly threw the door up, as it was reported at the
time that the fingers of the man saved in the magazine were injured as the door
closed upon him.
Biographies taken from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
BIOGRAPHY OF NEW YORK • A Life Record of Men and Women of the Past Whose
Sterling Character and Energy and Industry Have Made Them Preeminent in Their
Own and Many Other States, BY CHARLES ELLIOTT FITCH, L. H. D. American
Historical Society, New York, 1916 p. 200 – 204. http://books.google.com/books?id=qSoEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA202&dq=oswego+%22new+york%22+biography&lr=&num=100&as_brr=1#PPP11,M1 Submitted
by Robyn
HANCOCK, Theodore E., Lawyer, Public Official.
The Hon.
Theodore E. Hancock had a fixed rule in the practice of law, and that was never
to waste energy upon points which did not count. He made that move which was
necessary to win, and saved the others for a possible failure. All through his
life, which has brought him one of the highest honors in the gift of the people
of his State, that of Attorney- General, Mr. Hancock has made it his rule to go
directly to the root of matters and never waste energy. This trait was directly
the cause of his being the choice in many important cases, it made him the
counsel who was sought after, and when it came to the administration of the
affairs of his high office, he was the man who could not be swerved from his
fixed purpose to serve the people all the time.
Mr. Hancock was born in
the town of Granby, Oswego county, New York, May 30, 1847. His ancestors were
Martha Vineyard stock, several generations of sturdy sailors who faced the
rigors of long whaling voyages, and women who had learned the patience that
comes of watching and waiting. Mr. Hancock received his early education at
Falley Seminary, Fulton, New York, from which he went to the Wesleyan
University, and was graduated from this institution in the class of 1871. He
next became a student at Columbia Law School, New York City, from which he was
graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1873, and in September of the
same year, having been duly admitted to the bar, commenced his legal practice in
Syracuse. He formed a law partnership with William Gilbert, under the firm name
of Gilbert & Hancock, which was continued for some time. Subsequently he
took as a partner Page Monroe, the firm being Hancock & Monroe, and in 1888
the famous firm was organized which was known as Hancock, Beach, Peck & De-
vine. In 1889 Mr. Hancock was elected district attorney of Onondaga county, an
office which he administered with signal ability. November 7, 1893, he was
elected Attorney-General, succeeding himself at the next election for this
office, and serving until January i, 1899. William A. Beach, one of the members
of the firm, retiring from it, John W. Hogan, who had served long and well in
the Attorney- General's office in Albany, came to Syracuse from Watertown, and
the firm of Hancock, Hogan & Devine was formed. Some time after the death of
Mr. Devine, in 1907, Stewart F. Hancock, a son of the Hon. Theodore E. Hancock,
was admitted to the firm, and it became known under the name of Hancock, Hogan
& Hancock. Upon the election of John W. Hogan as Judge of the Court of
Appeals in 1912, the firm became Hancock, Spriggs & Hancock, the present
members being: Theodore E. Hancock, Stewart F. Hancock, Clarence Z. Spriggs,
Clarence E. Hancock, Myran S. Melvin.
Of the many matters to the credit
of Mr. Hancock while serving as Attorney General, none has received wider
publicity and greater attention from the people at large than the inauguration
and continuance of the fight to preserve the great forests of the State for the
people. Only those who were conversant with the situation will ever know the
influences which were brought to bear to get these forests away from the State.
In both civil and criminal practice Mr. Hancock has shown his legal acumen, and
this has placed his name among the great lawyers of Onondaga. As an orator he is
of the direct and forcible kind, yet possessed of a power of descriptive effort
which has made quotations from, his speeches to juries and upon the political
forum matters of record. It was Mr. Hancock's speech at a reunion of veterans,
at which time he called attention to the power of a county to issue bonds for
the purpose of erecting a soldiers' monument, that revived the interest in a
soldiers' memorial, and started the movement which resulted in the acquirement
of the monument now built on Clinton Square. In pursuance of his idea of
thorough investigation and progress in public affairs, Mr. Hancock has been
chosen to, and served in, the directorates of many charitable and other public
institutions. In 1897 Wesleyan University conferred the degree of Doctor of
Laws, of which institution he is still a trustee. He was president of the
Onondaga County Bar Association from 1900 to 1907.
Mr. Hancock married,
in 1882, Martha Connelly, of Wheeling, West Virginia, and three children were
born to them: I. Stewart F., born in Syracuse, April 4, 1883; received his
elementary education in the public schools of Syracuse, was graduated from
Wesleyan University in the class of 1905, from the Law School of Syracuse in
1907, in which year he was admitted to the bar; he at once commenced the
practice of law in the same year in Syracuse, as a member of the firm of
Hancock, Hogan & Hancock; he served as assistant corporation counsel of the
city of Syracuse from January i, 1908, to January i, 1914; his religious
membership is with the Park Presbyterian Church, and his fraternal with the
following organizations : University Club, City Club, Citizens' Club, and
Central City Lodge, and Westminster Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ;
Mr. Hancock married Marion, a daughter of the late Justice Peter B. McLennan ;
two children were born of this union. 2. Clarence E., born in Syracuse, February
13, 1885 ; was graduated from the public schools there, from Wesleyan University
in 1906, and from the New York Law School in 1908 ; admitted to the bar in the
same year, he is now a member of the firm of Hancock, Spriggs & Hancock ; he
is a member of the Alpha Delta Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Delta Phi Club of New
York, Onondaga Golf and Country Club, Sedgwick Farm Club, University Club, City
Club and Troop D, National Guard of New York. 3. Martha, educated at Syracuse
University and at Wellesly College ; resides at home.
p.97-99 Biographies taken from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY OF NEW YORK • A Life
Record of Men and Women of the Past Whose Sterling Character and Energy and
Industry Have Made Them Preeminent in Their Own and Many Other States, BY
CHARLES ELLIOTT FITCH, L. H. D. American Historical Society, New York, 1916 p.
200 – 204. http://books.google.com/books?id=qSoEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA202&dq=oswego+%22new+york%22+biography&lr=&num=100&as_brr=1#PPP11,M1 Submitted
by Robyn
SCOTT, Frederick Bartlett, Manufacturer, Financier.
There is no rule for achieving success. Many theories have been advanced and
much has been written on the subject, and yet investigation into the lives of
successful men brings to light the fact that they owe their progress and
prosperity, not to any favorable chance, but to the untiring labor which,
carefully directed by sound judgment, never fails to win a merited reward. This
statement finds verification in the life of Frederick Bartlett Scott, of
Syracuse, president of the Syracuse Supply Company, and holding that and other
official position in a number of other corporations. It has been his
watchfulness of the trade, his careful recognition of the demands of the public,
and his strong and steady purpose to achieve success through persistent and
honorable labor, that has gained for him his present prosperity.
Leonard
W. Scott, a descendant of the kings of Holland, was born in Johnstown, Fulton
county, New York, and died in Syracuse, New York, in February, 1882. Having
taken up his residence in Onondaga county, New York, he was for many years a
dealer in carriages in Syracuse, becoming later many years a dealer in carriages
in Syracuse, becoming later a contractor on an extended scale. He married
Harriet Bartlett, a Puritan descendant, who was born in Cleveland, New York, and
died in 1904. They have five children of whom the only survivor at the present
time is:
Frederick Bartlett Scott, who was born in Constantia, Oswego
county, New York, September 26, 1857. He attended the public schools of his
native town until the age of fourteen years, when the family removed to
Syracuse, and his education was completed in the public schools of that city.
His entrance upon his business career was as an employee of S. P. Pierce &
Sons, dealers in china and glassware, where he remained for a period of eleven
years, during which time he learned every detail of this business thoroughly,
and rose to a responsible position with the concern. Other positions brought him
into contact with other concerns and greatly extended his field of service.
Having decided to establish himself in business independently, Mr. Scott, in
February, 1887, founded the business conducted under the name of the Syracuse
Supply Company, and this was incorporated in 1891, and reincorporated in 1905.
Fifty-five people are constantly employed in the manufacture of leather belting,
and in dealing in iron and wood working machinery, boilers, engines, steam
appliances and manufacturers' supplies. They are also jobbers in electrical
machinery and supplies, and from the outset the affairs of this concern have
been conducted along the most modern and progressive lines. Great as have been
the demands made upon the time of Mr. Scott by his important business, he has
nevertheless been identified with a variety of interests also of great
importance and value. He is vice-president of the Holcomb Steel Company, the
Hudson Portland Cement Company, the Amphion Piano Player Company of Syracuse,
and was for several years vice-president of the Hudson River Realty Company. He
is president of the Star Lake Land Company at Star Lake, New York, president of
the Glenwood Land Company, New Jersey; vice-president of the Hammond Steel &
Forge Company, Syracuse ; director of Morris Plan Company Bank, and his
executive ability in all of these responsible offices has been largely
instrumental in their continued success. The Republican party has always had his
consistent support, and on many occasions he has served in public affairs,
greatly to the benefit of the community. He is a member of the Park Presbyterian
Church, and a trustee of this institution. His membership with various
organizations is as follows : The Citizens' Club, the Technology Club, the
Anglers' Association, Bellevue Country Club. He is a member of the Syracuse
Chamber of Commerce, and as a director of this body his sound judgment was a
factor not to be overlooked. He has served on the commission to build the Young
Men's Christian Association, and on that to investigate the lighting system of
the city.
Mr. Scott married, in September, 1886, Belle, a daughter of
Hiram L. and Ruth M. Hawley, of Syracuse. Children : Walter H. and Harold H.,
who have been graduated from Yale University ; Harold B., married Mabel Brace,
of Tarrytown, New York; Frederick H., student at Cornell University, who has
just attained his majority; Marion Belle, graduate of Syracuse University,
married Maxwell Brace, of Tarrytown, New York, 1913.
p. 147-148 Biographies taken from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY OF NEW YORK • A Life
Record of Men and Women of the Past Whose Sterling Character and Energy and
Industry Have Made Them Preeminent in Their Own and Many Other States, BY
CHARLES ELLIOTT FITCH, L. H. D. American Historical Society, New York, 1916 p.
200 – 204. http://books.google.com/books?id=qSoEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA202&dq=oswego+%22new+york%22+biography&lr=&num=100&as_brr=1#PPP11,M1 Submitted
by Robyn
NETTLETON, Albert E., Manufacturer, Financier.
The
city of Syracuse, New York, is justly celebrated as a manufacturing center, and
the business of manufacturing shoes is one of its most important industries.
Prominently identified with this particular branch of manufacture is Albert E.
Nettleton, who is regarded as one of the conservative business men of the city,
progressive and modern in all that he undertakes to do. The social and political
affairs of the city are given their fair share of his attention, and he is an
unostentatious yet generous patron of any plan that is afoot to better the cause
of humanity.
For the greater part of a century, the name of Nettleton has
been associated with the shoe trade in the State of New York. Edward Nettleton
established one of the first boot and shoe stores in the village of Fulton, New
York, about 1837, and personally and successfully conducted this until his death
in 1864, when his sons, Franklin E. and Samuel W., succeeded him, and conducted
affairs according to the most approved methods, and they in turn were succeeded
by their brother, Augustus C. Nettleton.
Albert E. Nettleton, son of
Edward Nettleton, was born in Fulton, Oswego county. New York, October 29, 1850.
His early education was acquired in the public schools of that section, and this
he later supplemented by attendance at the Falley Seminary, in Fulton, being
graduated from this institution in the class of 1869. Upon the completion of his
studies, he found employment in the business of his brother, Augustus C.
Nettleton, who had succeeded his two older brothers, and in 1872 Albert E.
Nettleton succeeded his brother, Augustus C., purchasing the business from him.
In 1875 he also established a shoe store in Cazenovia, New York, which he
conducted until 1881, and from 1881 to 1884 he also conducted a shoe store in
Lyons, New York. In 1879 he came to Syracuse, and there purchased the boot and
shoe factory of James R. Barrett, and later formed a partnership with W. A.
Hill, this firm conducting business under the style of A. E. Nettleton &
Company. By purchasing the interests of his associates, Mr. Nettleton became the
sole owner of the .concern, making a specialty of the manufacture of men's
shoes, for which his plant earned a well merited reputation. He employed upwards
of six hundred hands, and the products of the factory go to all parts of the
world, finding a ready sale. Only the best materials are used, in proportion to
the cost of the finished product, and only the best work done. His aim was to
build up a reputation and business on the actual value and merit of his product,
and this he accomplished most successfully.
But the manufacture of shoes
is not the only enterprise with which Mr. Nettleton is closely connected. He was
elected president of the Fulton Paper Company in November, 1893 ; is president
of the C. A. Whelan Company ; second vice-president of the Great Lakes Steamship
Company ; trustee of Onondaga County Savings Bank ; director of the National
Bank of Syracuse ; director of the Syracuse Trust Company ; director of the
Empire Savings and Loan Association, elected in April, 1892, and director of the
Paragon Plaster Company, becoming a member of its board of directors at its
organization in 1888. Mr. Nettleton has shown marked ability as a financier, his
counsel and advice being frequently sought and always followed.
Mr.
Nettleton is deeply interested in the public welfare, and uses his utmost
influence to better existing conditions in every way that lies in his power,
succeeding well in his efforts. His life history most happily illustrates what
may be attained by faithful and continued effort in carrying out an honest
purpose. Untiring activity and energy are prominent factors in the success he
has achieved, and his example is well worthy of emulation by the youth of the
present day. He is scrupulously honorable in all his undertakings with mankind,
and bears a reputation for public and private integrity second to no man. He is
sociable and genial in disposition, and has a wide circle of friends.
p.
157-158 Biographies taken from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY OF
NEW YORK • A Life Record of Men and Women of the Past Whose Sterling Character
and Energy and Industry Have Made Them Preeminent in Their Own and Many Other
States, BY CHARLES ELLIOTT FITCH, L. H. D. American Historical Society, New
York, 1916 p. 200 – 204. http://books.google.com/books?id=qSoEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA202&dq=oswego+%22new+york%22+biography&lr=&num=100&as_brr=1#PPP11,M1 Submitted
by Robyn
Howard P. Denison
Howard P. Denison, son of Le Roy W.
Denison, was born in Parish, Oswego county, New York, May 28, 1859. His
childhood and earlier youthful years were spent in Euclid, New York, where he
acquired his elementary education. He continued his studies at Cazenovia
Academy, which he entered in 1876, remained there two years, then entered
Greenwich Academy, at East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and there prepared for
college during the next two years. After his graduation from Greenwich Academy
in 1880, he was for a period of two years engaged in filling the position of
principal of a grammar school at Portland, Connecticut, and, having matriculated
at Wesleyan University in 1881, with the class of 1885, he there completed his
classical education. Following this he traveled abroad for a time, taking up his
residence in Syracuse, New York, upon his return, and has been closely
identified with the interests of that city since that time. After a thorough and
comprehensive preparation, he was admitted to the bar at Syracuse in 1887. His
studies in this direction were partly pursued in the office of the Hon. Charles
H. Duell, later Commissioner of Patents, and judge of United States Circuit
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, with whom he formed a connection
in 1886 as managing clerk. A partnership was entered into with the late
Cornelius W. Smith in 1888, this association being continued with the greatest
harmony and success until the death of Mr. Smith in 1899, since which time Mr.
Denison has practiced alone. Patent law is one of the most difficult branches of
the legal profession, requiring a most extended general knowledge along all
lines of enterprise and progress in the business and scientific lines. No man
was better qualified for the conduct of this important branch of litigation than
Mr. Denison. The number of patents he has taken out runs into the thousands,
these including some of the largest patent and trade-mark cases ever brought
before the United States courts. At Detroit he argued the famous Harrow cases
before the United States courts for the defendants, the Eureka Mower Company, in
an action brought by the National Harrow Trust. The case involved the question
of infringement in over seventy cases brought upon the same patent in New York,
West Virginia and Michigan. So thoroughly was the court convinced at the close
of his argument that there was no infringement that the cases were all decided
for the defendants and the bill-of-complaint dismissed.
The press at
that time said: "It is quite unusual for a court to dismiss a bill in a patent
case at the close of the argument. It is only done in rare cases where the court
is convinced that it is absolutely right in the decision." Perhaps no better
indication of the ability and well developed talents of Mr. Denison can be given
than by quoting from one of the Supreme Court justices of the state, who, in
writing to President Roosevelt recommending the appointment of Mr. Denison for
the position of judge of the United States District Court, said: "He possesses
splendid abilities, great legal learning, especially in the law patents, and in
patent litigation ; he is a man of integrity, is the soul of honor, is an ardent
and influential Republican, is always loyal to his friends, possesses a judicial
temperament and is a man of untiring industry and energy. I believe that he is
in every essential remarkably qualified for the discharge of the duties of that
office." The "Mercantile and Financial Times," in commenting upon his candidacy
said : "Mr. Denison has successfully practiced this branch of his profession for
fifteen years and is the lecturer on patent law in the Law College of the
Syracuse University. Of this qualification, therefore, for the position with
which his name is mentioned there can be no question, and in the event of his
appointment he would acquit himself in a manner to justify his high reputation
for ability and the confidence reposed in him. In view of these facts and others
which we could mention were it necessary to know we are but echoing popular
sentiment when we say it is sincerely hoped Mr. Denison will receive the
appointment."
As a lecturer on Patent Law in the Law College of Syracuse
University, Mr. Denison has earned well merited commendation for many years, and
he is the founder of and maintains the Denison Declamation prizes in that
institution. The degree of Master of Arts was conferred in 1905 upon him by
Wesleyan University, of Middletown, Connecticut, and also by Iowa Wesleyan
University, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in 1900, and Syracuse University conferred
upon him in 1915 the degree of LL. D. This latter degree affords him great
gratification for the reason that it was conferred by the university of his home
city, under whose shadows he has lived for twenty-five years.
Mr.
Denison has a beautiful country estate at Skaneateles, New York, where he spends
with his family a large portion of each year. He is a member of the "Trilon Fish
and Game Club" of Canada. He was elected a trustee of Cazenovia Seminary in
October, 1900. His fraternal affiliation is not an extensive one, the demands of
his professional work precluding this, and is limited to membership in the Alpha
Delta Phi college fraternity. His professional membership is with the American
Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. Mr. Denison married,
October 14, 1886, Bessie E. Hildreth, of Herkimer, New York, a daughter of the
late Henan J. Hildreth, and a descendant of one of the oldest families of
Herkimer county. Three children have blessed this union, one daughter, Marian
H., and two sons, H. Hildreth and Winthrop W. The daughter (recently deceased)
became the wife of Eugene A. Thompson, who is associated with Mr. Denison in his
law practice. He has two granddaughters: Mary Jane Thompson and Marian Denison
Thompsan. The son, H. Hildreth, died in 1908. Winthrop Will is a student at
Lawrenceville School, New Jersey.
p.280-281 Biographies
taken from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY OF NEW YORK • A Life Record of Men and
Women of the Past Whose Sterling Character and Energy and Industry Have Made
Them Preeminent in Their Own and Many Other States, BY CHARLES ELLIOTT FITCH, L.
H. D. American Historical Society, New York, 1916 p. 200 – 204. http://books.google.com/books?id=qSoEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA202&dq=oswego+%22new+york%22+biography&lr=&num=100&as_brr=1#PPP11,M1 Submitted
by Robyn
PARKER, Lottie (Blair), playwright, was born in Oswego, N. Y., daughter of George and Emily (Hitchcock) Blair. Her father was a pioneer settler of Oswego, and for many years one of the best known captains on the Great lakes. Mrs. Parker's early life was passed in Oswego; but she must have inherited something of the adventurous nature that led her father to choose the wandering life of a sailor, for soon after completing the course at the Oswego Normal School, when a little less than eighteen years of age, she determined to start out and battle with the world in the search for fortune and success. She first went to Boston, where she studied with a veteran actor, Wyzeman Marshall, with a view to becoming a public reader; but her tutor, observing her strong dramatic abilities, advised her to adopt the stage. She thereupon secured an engagement with the stock company of the Boston Theatre, during her first season playing minor roles with considerable success in the support of John McCullough, Mary Anderson, Dion Boucicault, Genevieve Ward, H. S. Chanfrau and other notable actors. After leaving the Boston Theatre she appeared with several traveling organizations, among them Mme. Janauschek's and Lawrence Barrett's companies. About this time she became the wife of Harry Doel Parker, and after her marriage continued acting, with increasing success. Her lust important engagement was to play in "Hazel Kirke," in which she took the title role. Soon after this the New York " Herald " offered a prize for the best one-act play submitted in competition, the judges to be well- known New York managers. Mrs. Parker, who had always wielded a facile pen, decided to enter the contest, and accordingly wrote two one-act plays, which she submitted according to the terms of competition. Much to her disappointment, neither of them won the coveted prize; but one of them, "White Roses," received honorable mention, and was immediately purchased by Daniel Frohman. It was produced by him a few weeks later at the Lyceum Theatre, in connection with another play, and ran an entire season. Encouraged by the success of her first attempt, Mrs. Parker retired to her home at Great Neck, Long Island, and devoted her entire time to dramatic writing. She labored unceasingly for several years, completing a number of plays. During this period the Empire Theatre School of Acting presented a one-act sketch from her pen, " Dick o' the Plains," and the students, of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts presented another, entitled "The Broken Sword." Still a third play, "The Woman of It," was presented in San Francisco. Her drama of New England life, "Way Down East," was produced by William A. Brady at the Manhattan Theatre, New York city, in February, 1898, and immediately achieved so great popularity that it had one of the longest runs of any play produced at this period. The success of this play placed Mrs. Parker in the front rank of American drama- lists. P.316 THE NATIONAL CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY BEING THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE LIVES OF THE FOUNDERS, BUILDERS, AND DEFENDERS OF THE REPUBLIC, AND OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE DOING THE WORK AND MOULDING THE THOUGHT OF THE PRESENT TIME EDITED BY DISTINGUISHED BIOGRAPHERS, SELECTED FROM EACH STATE REVISED AND APPROVED BY THE MOST EMINENT HISTORIANS, SCHOLARS, AND STATESMEN OF THE DAY VOLUME X. NEW YORK JAMES T. WHITE & COMPANY 1909 Submitted by Robyn
SKINNER, Charles Rufus, congressman and educator, was born at Union Square, Oswego Co., N. Y., Aug. 4, 1844, son of Avery and Charlotte (Prior) Skinner, and is of New England ancestry. He was brought up on the farm, and attended a district school until his sixteenth year; after which he engaged in teaching, was assistant in the post-office, and in various other ways endeavored to obtain funds to enable him to pursue a college course and prepare for the bar, an ambition in which he was, however, eventually disappointed. He attended the Clinton Liberal Institute, and the Mexico Academy, where he was graduated valedictorian of his class in 1866. During the following year he taught at the latter institution. In December, 1867, he went to New York city, and took charge of the agency of the Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reaping Machine Co. : but remained only three years, his father being in such ill-health that he was obliged to return home to manage the farm. In 187C-74 he resided at Watertown, Jefferson C?., N. Y., as part proprietor, local editor and business manager of the " Daily Times and Reformer." Mr. Skinner was a member of the Watertown board of education nine years. In 1876 he was elected by the Republicans to the state assembly, and for live consecutive terms carried his district. While a member of the state legislature he served as chairman of the committee on public printing and railroads, and as member of the committees on cities, insurance, internal affairs, etc. In 1877 he introduced and pushed to its passage the bill prohibiting frequent changes in text books in schools, and in 1879 introduced a bill to reduce legislative expenses, and an amendment to the constitution to bring about biennial sessions of the legislature. This resolution passed one legislature, but in the next was defeated in the senate. This proposition was favored by Gov. Cornell in his message of 1882, and urged by Gov. Black in 1898. In 1879-80 he was active in advocating the anti-discrimination freight bill, 1898, and was elected president of the National Education Association at its meeting in Buffalo in 1896. He is a life member of the New York Press Association, and has frequently been delegated to represent it in the meetings of the National Editorial Association. Mr. Skinner is a member of the Fort Orange Club of Albany, the Republican Club of New York city, the Union League of Brooklyn and the Thousand Island Club of Alexandria Bay. The honorary degree of M.A. was conferred upon him by Hamilton College in 1889, and that of LL.D. by Colgate University in 1895. He was married at Watertown. N. Y., Oct. 20,1873, to Elizabeth, daughter of David W. and Laura (Freeman) Baldwin. He has lost two daughters and has three sons and one daughter living. P.388 THE NATIONAL CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY BEING THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE LIVES OF THE FOUNDERS, BUILDERS, AND DEFENDERS OF THE REPUBLIC, AND OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE DOING THE WORK AND MOULDING THE THOUGHT OF THE PRESENT TIME EDITED BY DISTINGUISHED BIOGRAPHERS, SELECTED FROM EACH STATE REVISED AND APPROVED BY THE MOST EMINENT HISTORIANS, SCHOLARS, AND STATESMEN OF THE DAY VOLUME X. NEW YORK JAMES T. WHITE & COMPANY 1909 Submitted by Robyn
ANGEL, Benjamin Franklin, diplomat, was born at Burlington,
Oswego C?. N. Y., Nov. 28, 1815. He received his preparatory education under
Cornelius C. Felton, afterwards president of Harvard, but did not enter college,
owing to trouble with his eyes. Until he recovered their use, he taught school;
then studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He commenced practice at Geneseo,
in partnership with his former preceptor, at the same time writing editorials
for a Democratic county newspaper. In 1838 he was appointed surrogate, and
served in that office for four years, after which he was appointed master in
chancery and Supreme Court commissioner. He was surrogate again from 1844 until
1847. In 1852 he was a member of the Democratic national convention at
Baltimore; but in 1853 his health became impaired, and he went to Honolulu as U.
S. consul. In 1855 he was sent by Pres. Pierce to China, as special commissioner
to settle a dispute between some American merchants and the Chinese government
in regard to the exaction of export duties. He was successful, and returned to
the United States by way of the East Indies, Egypt and Europe. On his return he
was nominated for congress, but was defeated. He was appointed minister to
Norway and Sweden when Mr. Buchanan became president, and at the end of his term
returned to the United States (1862). With the exception of being a delegate to
the Chicago convention that nominated Gen. McClellan for the presidency, in
1864, he did not again take an active part in politics, but devoted himself to
agriculture at Geneseo N. Y. He was president of the Slate Agricultural Society
in 1873- 74. He died at Geneseo, Sept. 11, 1864. p.478 THE
NATIONAL CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY BEING THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE LIVES OF THE FOUNDERS, BUILDERS, AND DEFENDERS OF THE
REPUBLIC, AND OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE DOING THE WORK AND MOULDING THE
THOUGHT OF THE PRESENT TIME EDITED BY DISTINGUISHED BIOGRAPHERS, SELECTED FROM
EACH STATE REVISED AND APPROVED BY THE MOST EMINENT HISTORIANS, SCHOLARS, AND
STATESMEN OF THE DAY VOLUME X. NEW YORK JAMES T. WHITE & COMPANY 1909
Submitted by Robyn