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The History of New York State Editor, Dr. James Sullivan Online Edition by Holice, Deb & Pam |
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THAXTER DELOSS VEDDER
Coming of a family which has been prominent in the development of
Central New York from earliest colonial days, Thaxter Deloss Vedder, of
Johnstown, has ever upheld the splendid traditions of his forebears,
while at the same time he has been actively engaged in furthering the
civic and commercial progress of this town. Mr. Vedder is one of the
leaders of the automobile industry of this vicinity, being in
partnership with his son, the firm name being I. D. Vedder &
Company, conducting a capacious modern and progressive garage here,
representing the manufacturers of the highest types of motorcars and
trucks, among which he is one of the most successful agents for the
Stutz motor cars and the International Harvester trucks. In the public
life of the town, he is always to the fore, taking a constructive
interest in all affairs which tend to the advancement of his community
and its people, while in fraternal circles he is one of the most active
men, Page 95 untiring and unselfish in his zealous aid to the philanthropic
activities in behalf of the poor and unfortunate. Mr. Vedder was born in Truxton, December 18, 1865, son of Deloss
Nicholas and Katherine (McChesney) Vedder. Deloss Nicholas Vedder was
active for many years in the agricultural industry and also was an
expert in the trade of carpenter. Thaxter Deloss Vedder was educated in the public schools of Truxton,
and received a general, thorough country education. Entering the world
of business, he was successful from the beginning, ever displaying the
same estimable qualities o courtesy and service which have marked his
steady advance in the realm of commerce. Having the keen foresight to
observe the future of the automobile industry, Mr. Vedder engaged in the
garage business in the earliest years of the motor era, since keeping
abreast of all changes and discoveries, which were continually being
made in this remarkable, revolutionary advance. In addition to motor
trucks, he carries and sells a complete line of the products of the
International Harvester company, including reaping machines, mowers,
binders, etc. the garage and service department of his organization is
operated and managed by his sons, Sterling and Frank, and they have
achieved an enviable reputation for the durability of all repairs and
the quality and dependability of all materials used. In his political
preference Mr. Vedder is a staunch supporter of the principle of the
Republican Party. Although his success in business attests to his
thorough attention to his commercial affairs, he has always found time
to devote to the interests of the Loyal Order of Moose, of which he is
one of the most energetic and enthusiastic members, having been a
trustee of this organization for nine years and leaving nothing undone
to further the achievements of this great order. His popularity and
familiarity with all his townspeople is evidenced by the fact that he is
affectionately known to all by the name of "Pop." His
religious adherence is given to St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Thaxter Deloss Vedder married, in Johnstown, in the spring of 1889,
Phoebe Becker, daughter of Louis Henry Becker, a native of Berghausen,
Germany, and of Catherine Kleeman, who came to America, 1858, and
settled in East Stone Arabia, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Vedder are the
parents of six children: 1. Katherine, born 1890, died May 25, 1919. 2.
Ira Deloss. 3. Sterling Henry, served in the United States Army during
the World War, for a year and a half. 4. Frank, born February 28, 1894.
5. Roy, died in infancy. 6. Grace Lulu, born December 11, 1903. George REYNOLDS SMITH Born at Mariaville, Schenectady County, New York, March 5, 1871,
George Reynolds Smith is a son of Solomon Polver and Adelaide (Knapp)
Smith, his father having been for many years a business man and
shoemaker, highly respected in Mariaville, where he took an active part
in community affairs. When his mother died, George R. Smith was about three years of age,
and he went to live in the home of his uncle. Later he lived in his
grandmother's home. Then, in 1881, when he was ten years old, his father
having married a second time, Mr. Smith came to Gloversville, where he
has since resided and has made his career. In 1900 he became a
patrolman, and, because of his attention to duty and rigorous regard for
it, was promoted to the rank of chief of police, in 1907. This office he
has held during the years succeeding, one term after another,
successively. The people of Gloversville have cause to esteem him for
his service to the public, and to regard him with affection as a man,
for he is liberally endowed with those qualities of character that tend
to beget friends of number and sincerity. A Republican, Mr. Smith is
loyal to the party's principles, and is possessed of a considerable
influence in local mattes of political questions. During the World War
he was active on the various boards and committees engaged in war work,
and took part also in the several campaigns of the Liberty Loan.
Fraternally, Mr. Smith is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and the Knights of Pythias. He is a communicant of St.
James' Lutheran Church. On January 18, 1890, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with May Lyke,
daughter of Henry and Emily (Forsythe) Lyke, and they are the parents of
the following children: 1. Emily Adelia, born in 1891. 2. Corine A.,
born in July, 1899 HENDRICK S. HOLDEN, A. M. For almost half a century the late Hendrick S. Holden resided in
Syracuse, and from this city directed the many diversified emprises
which made his name familiar in the industrial world, railroading,
banking, journalism, publishing, and numerous affairs of import. He was
an Page 96 influential figure in banking, in the university, and in public
affairs for a full generation, although he consistently declined to
enter public office, with the exception of one term in the State
Legislature, where he served on many important committees, having been
one of the leaders in the movement to establish the State College of
Forestry at Syracuse, which is now a part of the University of Syracuse.
While the coal business perhaps occupied the greatest portion of his
time, his energy and capacity for details enabled him to establish and
supervise the publication of one of Syracuse's best-known newspapers. He
was the recipient of repeated trusteeships, the custodian of public and
private investments, and in their administration he ever proved himself
sincere and true. Many of the foremost social and civic organizations
enjoyed his affiliation and his stimulating influence in their projects
and benevolences. Mr. Holden was born in Charlotte, New York, March 22, 1849, a son of
Erastus Franklin Holden, a coal merchant of Syracuse, who died in that
city on December 25, 1899. Hendrick S. Holden was educated in public and
private schools at Rochester until 1867, when the family home was moved
to Syracuse. He matriculated at Colgate University in the class of 1873,
but did not graduate, leaving school to enter business life in
association with his father, who dealt extensively in coal, maintaining
large yards for this purpose in Syracuse. In 1872, Mr. Holden became a
resident of Brooklyn, New York; there bought an interest in a coal
business, and was quite successful in its conduct for a decade, under
the firm title of Nelson and Holden. In 1882 he returned to Syracuse,
which was to be the scene of his operations for the remainder of his
long and useful life. Here he became a member of Holden Brothers, coal
dealers, which, after his entrance therein, was renamed Holden &
Son, and eventually assumed the title of Holden & Sons. This concern
was developed into the largest institution of its kind in Central New
York, and handled all coal shipped into the cities of Syracuse, Utica
and Oswego, New York by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad.
Mr. Holden severed his connections with the company in 1905, and the
business was discontinued in that year. Mr. Holden's interests were
scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and were of great
important in the communities where they were located. He owned docks and
tidewater properties in Seattle, Washington, and land on the Calumet
River, Chicago, Illinois. He was a director of the Solvay Process
Company, in the Semet Solvay company, the By-Products Company, and the
Northwestern Fuel & Coal Operating Company, of St. Paul, Minnesota.
For an extended period, Mr. Holden was president of the Commercial
National Bank of Syracuse. In 1915, this institution was merged with the
Syracuse Trust Company, forming one of the city's strongest banking
concerns, and Mr. Holden became vice-president of the new corporation,
serving in that office until his demise. Vice-President of the Frazer
& Jones Company, many suburban railroads held his interest, and he
was of material influence in their affairs. Further proof of Mr.
Holden's capabilities and versatility is found in his publishing
enterprises. He aided in founding the "Syracuse Post," and
later the "Post-Standard," thus becoming widely known in
newspaper spheres. Assuming the presidency of the Post-Standard
Publishing Company, Mr. Holden retained that post until his demise. He
served as a member of the board of directors, and invariably his
associates depended upon his judgment in matters of business policy. But
his support was not confined to the business end, for the editors,
writers and employees of other departments found him intelligently
interested in their work and welfare. Politically, Mr. Holden was a Republican, and during his time one of
the greatest influences in that party's councils, ever devoted to the
principles and issues of Republicanism. In 1895 he was appointed State
Game and fisheries commissioner, this appointment coming from governor
Levi P. Morton. He was elected State Senator in 1908, succeeding
ex-governor Horace white from the Thirty-eighth District. His
legislative records was filled with service on many important
committees, including those of cities, railroads, taxation,
retrenchment, banks, forests, fish and game. He was one of the original
proponents of the movement to establish the State College of Forestry in
Syracuse, and introduced the statute providing funds for locating the
college. Although this bill was approved by both houses of the
Legislature, it was not signed by Governor Hughes. However, in the
following year, the measure again was introduced in the Senate, by
Senator Walters, Senator Holden's successor, and the latter, as a
private citizens, went to Albany on behalf of Page 97 the bill. In this year it was passed by the legislative branches,
approved by Governor Dix, and thus the College of Forestry became a part
of Syracuse University. Mr. Holden was a strong supporter of Syracuse
University and served this institution for many ears as a member of the
board of trustees. Colgate University also recognized his achievements
in educational work by conferring upon him the degree of Master of Arts.
Further embellishing his life and deeds Mr. Holden's association with
numerous clubs and societies. He was a member of the Anglers'
Association, the Century Club, Citizens' Club, Sedgwick Farm Club,
University club, Sons of the American Revolution, and the Onondaga
Historical Association. A perusal of the foregoing memberships disclose
Mr. Holden's preference for the out-of-doors, where he gained most of
his recreation. Hendrick S. Holden married (first), May 13, 1874, Belle S. Stewart,
daughter of Daniel Stewart. they had one daughter: Mrs. Robert F. soul,
and she and her husband are the parents of three children, a daughter
and two sons. Mr. Holden married (second), May 10, 1905, Luella S.
Stewart, sister of his first wife. Mrs. Holden, who survives her
husband, and resides at No. 1054 James Street, Syracuse. In this city
she is highly esteemed and has a reputation as an artist of ability. Mr.
Holden had erected a splendid residence here, where he died, November
10, 1918, and he was laid to rest in Oakwood Cemetery. The forgoing review of the life and deeds of Hendrick S. Holden,
although of necessity brief, conveys in small measure to the reader a
few of his accomplishments during his career. His commercial endeavors
brought him into close contact with his fellow-man; he ever placed their
needs and welfare well to the fore, and they, in return, gave to him
those things beyond the power of money to buy; Deep friendship, full
confidence and the highest respect. His friends were numbered by the
thousands, and tot hem he ever was loyal; he was generous and tolerant,
and those he left behind will long cherish the fact that he was a true
friend. EARL BARKHUFF Sine 1991, Earl Barkhuff has been continuously identified with the
great legal fraternity of Albany, New York, where, as a member of the
firm of Barkhuff & Conway, he has achieved success and attained a
foremost position among his confreres in the legal profession. Earl Barkhuff is a grandson of Peter L. Barkhuff, who settled in the
town of Guilderland, Albany county, in 1840, and engaged in farming, and
son of Peter F., a retired farmers, and Barbara (Hungerford) Barkhuff.
Earl Barkhuff was born in Altamont, Albany County, New York, April 22,
1890, and attended the public schools of his native place, graduating
from the local high school in 1907. Having in the meantime determined to
take up law for his life-work, with this end in view, he accordingly
matriculated at Albany Law School, from which institution he was
graduated with the degree of Bachelor of laws, and was admitted to the
bar in September, 1911. Upon completing his studies he engaged in
general practice for seven years, but in 1918 he became associated with
the firm of Staley & Tobin, and the relationship continued for five
yeas, or until 1923, when Mr. Barkhuff formed a partnership with John J.
Conway, under the legal firm name of Barkhuff & Conway, with offices
at No. 50 State Street, Albany, New York. Mr. Barkhuff is a Democrat in politics, and for a number of years has
been president of the Albany and Schenectady County Fair. He is a member
of the New York State Bar Association and the Albany County Bar
Association; of Noah Lodge, No. 754, Free and Accepted Masons; Temple
Commandery. No. 2, Knight Templar; Cyprus Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Lodge No. 49, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks; and also holds membership in Page 103 Woolfert's Roost Country Club. His religious affiliation is with St.
John's Lutheran Church, of Altamont. At Altamont, July 1, 1914, Earl Barkhuff married Irene Lucretia Lee,
daughter of V. P. Douw and Mary (Caw) Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Barkhuff are the
parents of two children: Virginia lee, born May 17, 1915; and Earl Douw,
born April 28, 1926. The family home is at Altamont, Albany county, New
York. BERT S. ZIMMER Coming to Gloversville some fifteen years after the close of the
Civil War, in which he served for two years in a regiment from Illinois,
William N. Zimmer, an expert glovemaker, went to work. He later
established a business of his own, which today is one of the leading
glovemaking establishments of this city, W. N. Zimmer & Son, with a
payroll of one hundred and seventy-five to three hundred people, and
manufacturing only the highest grades of handwear. Of this house Bert S.
Zimmer, the son, is a partner. He is one of the most reputable citizens
of Gloversville, a hard worker, an able executive, with a thorough
knowledge of the intricate details of his business and a code of
business ethics that has established him high in the opinion of his
fellow-citizens and the large clientele served by his house. Mr. Zimmer was born in Gloversville, new York, June 20, 1883. His
father was William and his mother Eva M. (Strain) Zimmer, of Littleton,
New Hampshire. Bert S. Zimmer was educated in the Gloversville public
schools and graduated from high school. For five years afterward he
worked as an employee of his father, then in the glove-making business
here, and then was taken into the business as a partner. In his
political affiliations he is an Independent Republican, and his church
is the Methodist Episcopal. He belongs to the Sir William Johnson
Country Club and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is
vice-president (19128) of the National Association of Glove
Manufacturers. Mr. Zimmer married, in June, 1905, at Gloversville, Emma L. Hodge,
daughter of Charles and Ida (Dracy) Hodge, both Deceased. They have one
daughter, Doris, born August 3, 1910. George MELVILLE TRABER As a financier, industrialist, philanthropist, and as one who has
ever given his most generous interest and support to every measure
tending toward civic improvement for Perry, New York, George Melville
Traber is numbered among the outstanding figures in that particular
section of the State. A self-made man in the truest sense of the word, a
type of which America is ever justly proud, he has solely through his
own indefatigable efforts attained his present position, and as such we
present him as one who is, indeed, worthy of emulation. George Melville Traber was born in Dorloo, New York, April 15, 1862,
the son of Jacob and Mary (Van Patten) Traber. Attending school but a
comparatively short time he went to work at an early age, his first
employment being in a knitting mill in Cohoes, New York. Later he went
tot Little Falls, New York, where he held various positions in the
knitting industry, subsequently becoming superintendent of the Robert
McKinnon plants of that city with the one thought foremost in mind that
some day by dint of hard work and "sticktuitiveness" he would
own a mill himself. With this definite aim in view he applied himself
diligently to the work at hand and as a result, when, but twenty-nine
years of age he removed to Perry, New York, taking over the general
management of the Perry Knitting Mills, which at time was suffering from
greatly impaired credit. Under Mr. Traber's leadership the organization
was soon put on a sound playing basis, and upon the death of its
president, Mr. Willis H. Tuttle, the former succeeded him. With but
sixty hands employed when Mr. Traber came to the company, it now employs
eleven hundred, and its production of men's and children's union suits
in which it specializes if over five hundred thousand dozen each year,
and is shipped to all quarters of the globe as well as finding a
tremendous sale in this country and Canada. Together with this important line of advance, Mr. Traber is also
chairman of the board of directors of the Kaustine Company and he is
connected with many other industries in this section, as well as being a
vital force in the financial life of the community in his presidency of
the Citizens' Bank at Perry. Throughout his residence in Perry his interest for its welfare has
always been of the keenest. He has given unstintingly of his time and
money toward furthering its advancement and is readily acclaimed one of
its mot influential citizens. A Republican in his political choice he
has shown his interest in many tangible ways, and for twenty-seven years Page 104 served on the local School Board, some of the time as president of
that body. He is a member of the Masonic order; the Rotary club and the
Silver lake Country club; and his religious affiliation is with the
Baptist Church of Perry. On April 27, 1886, at Little Falls, New York, George Melville Traber
married Ida M. Rickmyre, a daughter of David C. Rickmyre of that city.
Mr. and Mrs. Traber are the parents of two children: Bessie May, and
George M., Jr., Bessie May Traber was graduated from Vassar and later
from the Biblical Seminary at New York City. She entered the educational
profession and until 1924 was a member of a college faculty, after which
she became a missionary in the Baptist faith and is now located in the
Philippines. George M. Traber, Jr., was born in Perry, New York, June 1,
1898, and after a preliminary education in the local schools, completed
his education at the Lawrenceville School for Boys. He then returned to
Perry and became associated with his father in business, subsequently
being made vice-president and assistant manager of the Perry Knitting
Mills. He married, September 14, 1921, Theodora Isabelle Sanford, a
native of Perry, and they have one child, George Melville Traber (3),
born September 23, 1923. FRANKLIN LEWIS CRANDALL The greater part of the business career of Franklin Lewis Crandall,
of Ticonderago, has been spent in the lumber industry, to which, indeed,
he maybe said to have inherited an inclination, for his father before
him was a lumberman and sawmill proprietor. The Crandall family originally came from Wales and the ancestry is
traced from the minister, Crandall, who located at Westerly, Rhode
Island. The children of John M. and Clarissa (Ward) Crandall are: Born in Watson, Lewis County, New York, in 1858, son of John and
Clarissa (Ward) Crandall, Franklin Lewis Crandall was educated in the common
schools of the district. Following the completion of his school days, he
learned the wood-turning trade with G. H. Crandall, at Crandallville,
where he remained for seven years. The business was then sold to Dannett
and Pell, with whom he continued for three years. He then went to
Cohoes, New York, where his brother George was engaged in the furniture
and house-furnishings business, and remained there with him for twelve
years. For the next seven years, Franklin Lewis Crandall was manger of
the lumber, coal and ice business of H. D. Tupper, which involved
traveling through the territory and establishing and maintaining
personal contacts with the customers. When Mr. Tupper died, in 1901, Mr.
Crandall purchased the business and carried it on alone until 1915, when
he settled in Ticonderago, having contracted with the Smith Lumber
Company. He became manager for the Barnett Lumber Company two years
later. One of the founders of this concern having withdrawn, the Hoyt
Lumber company was founded in 1918, with Mr. Crandall in association
with Messrs. Hoyt, Smith and Barnett. As the Hoyt Lumber company, Hoyt
and Crandall, the surviving partners of this firm, still continue the
business. Mr. Crandall is a member of the Mt. Hope Lodge, No. 260, Free
and Accepted Masons; an attendant of the Methodist church, and has long
been identified with the Republican Party. On December 31,m 1877, Mr. Crandall married Celestia Worden, of
Watson, Lewis county, new York. Their children are: Mr. and Mrs. Crandall have a granddaughter, Mildred Crandall
Stetson, now the wife of Glenn Tyrrell, of Severance, and they have a
great-granddaughter, Carolyn Celestia Tyrrell. |
The History of New York State, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1927
This book is owned by Pam Rietsch and is a part of the Mardos Memorial Library
Transcribed by Holice B. Young
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