Wilhelmus Bogart Robinson (1859-1937)

From the New York Call, October 8, 1918.

   One of a handful of Socialist party candidates to be featured here, physician Wilhelmus Bogart Robinson was a three time candidate for the New York State Assembly who later mounted six unsuccessful candidacies for the U.S. House of Representatives from New York. The son of Leander Van Ess Robinson and the former Catherine Rutgers Conger, Wilhelmus Bogart Robinson was born on November 26, 1859, in Manhattan. A distinguished figure in his own right, Leander V. Robinson (1830-1869)  was elected as District Attorney for Rockland County, New York in 1868, but died in office the following year. 

   As the son of a leading New York lawyer, Wilhelmus Robinson had the benefit of an excellent education, attending the Mountain Institute at Haverstraw, New York. This was followed by tutelage at a French school in New York City and later was enrolled at the Yonkers Military Institute. After deciding upon a career in medicine Robinson studied at the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital in 1885, and following graduation in 1888 relocated to Massachusetts to begin practice. First settling in Easthampton, Robinson later resided in Shelburne Falls and in the early 1890s removed his practice to Brunswick, Georgia, where he remained until 1894.

  Wilhelmus Robinson married in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1885 to Mary Elizabeth Walker (1861-1955), to who he was wed for over fifty years. The couple's long union produced five children, Wilhelmus Jr. (born 1886), Mary Curley (born 1888), George Walker (born 1889), Leander Van Ess (born 1891), and Katherine Rutgers (1892-1962). 

  In 1896 Robinson settled in Brooklyn, New York where he accepted an appointment on the staff of the 26th ward's Homeopathic Dispensary. This was followed by a four-year stint (1897-1901) on the medical staff of the 28th ward's dispensary, and during the Spanish American War was a second lieutenant in the New York Volunteer Infantry. The particulars of Robinson's service remain largely unknown, and it is uncertain if he was deployed outside the United States.

  A Democrat for a good majority of his early life, Robinson first became active in politics during his residency in Massachusetts, where he was a Democratic committeeman for the town of Charlemont. After settling in New York, Robinson was exposed to poor living and working conditions in the city while visiting patients, which eventually led to his change of political faith. He joined the Socialist Party in 1912, and thereafter became an active party worker, being remarked as an "able speaker" and "a first rate storyteller".

  Robinson made his first run for political office in 1917 when he received the Socialist party nomination for state assemblyman from Kings County's 22nd district. One of three candidates vying for the seat, he polled a respectable third on election day, garnering 4,285 votes to winning candidate James Morris' total of 5,825. Undeterred by defeat, Robinson set his sights on a Congressional seat the following year, and after gaining his party's nomination, was profiled in the New York Call in October 1918. Under the headline "Robinson Aids Party By Work And Experience", Robinson's curious first name was also mentioned, with the Call noting:

"Dr. Robinson insists he is not William, nor yet Wilhelm. He is Wilhelmus, and he wants you to understand his Dutch ancestry. He probably can look back to a longer line of American ancestors than the vast majority of Americans."

 Throughout the latter part of 1918 Robinson stumped around his district, giving addresses on his campaign platform, and on election day placed a distant third, polling 6,751 votes, far behind winning Democrat David J. O'Connell's total of 28,882. The years 1919 and 1920 brought more of the same for Robinson, as he ran another losing candidacy for the state assembly in the former year and a failed congressional bid in the latter. In 1922, 1924, 1926 and 1928 he again sought election to Congress from New York's 9th district, and in each came out on the losing end, polling around 4,000 votes at each election.
  In 1927 Robinson was dealt a third loss in his bid for an assembly seat, and in 1930 ran his last campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing out to the man who had bested him on five previous occasions, David J. O'Connell. In an unusual twist, O'Connell died a few weeks following the November election in December 1930, and a special election was held in February 1931 to fill the vacancy.

Robinson as he looked during his political career.

  In 1934 Wilhelmus Robinson retired from practicing medicine and spent the final years of his life in the town of Stony Point in Rockland County. He died at age 77 on January 31, 1937, and was survived by his wife and children. Mary Elizabeth Robinson outlived her husband by nearly two decades and following her death at 93 in February 1955 was interred alongside him at the Herbert Cemetery in Doodletown, New York

Englehard Oehm (1835-1919)

From the Lancaster Enterprise, July 24, 1919.

   Obscure Erie County, New York resident Englehard Oehm earned distinction in local politics and fraternal groups following his resettlement in that county in the 1860s, being a multi-term township supervisor and village president of Lancaster. Additionally, Oehm led in the construction of the International Order of Odd Fellows Lodge in that town in 1879. He earns a place here on the site not only for his service as village president but for his candidacy for the New York State Assembly in 1892.

   The son of Bernard and Christina (Steppeth) Oehm, Englehard Oehm was born on August 10, 1835. There is some confusion as to Oehm's birth-place, with the 1877 History of Buffalo and Erie County giving it as Ohio, and that state is also recorded by Oehm's Wikitree genealogical webpage. However, the 1905 and 1910 New York state census records his birthplace as Germany (along with the birthdate of 1836) and further denotes Oehm's year of immigration to the United States as 1851. His possible birth in Germany is further strengthened by a notice on his 1892 run for the state assembly, where he is remarked as a "German by birth."  Oehm's first name also has variations in its spelling, being given as both Engelhard and Englehardt. All in all, very confusing! 

  While nothing could be found on Oehm's formative years or education, he is recorded as making a journey to California for the Gold Rush in the early 1850s, making the trip via "the isthmus of Panama." In 1864 Oehm married to Catherine Kolb (1841-1897), a native of Cheektowaga, New York, and by 1866 is recorded as having resettled in Erie County. Oehm and his wife would have at least ten children, daughters Wealthy, Barbre, Bertha, Amelia Elizabeth, and Katherine, and sons Englehard Jr. (1877-1923), Frankie, Willie, Jacob, and Erwin (1881-1897). 

  Sometime following his marriage Oehm had another extended stay in California, where in San Francisco he became affiliated with the International Order of Odd Fellows. After his return to Erie County, Oehm led the way for the establishment of the Loyal Lodge No. 480 of the I.O.O.F in Lancaster, and at the same time as that lodge's founding attained the rank of Noble Grand in that organization. 

  Employed as a building contractor and planing mill owner, Oehm entered Erie County politics when he was elected to the first of four terms as Township Supervisor of Lancaster in 1883. He was returned to that office in 1884, 1886 and 1887, and in the early 1890s served as foreman of the Erie County grand jury, holding that post for an indeterminate length of time.

From the Buffalo Evening News, November 2, 1892.

   In 1892 Englehard Oehm sought the Republican nomination for the New York State Assembly, from Erie County's Fifth District. Acknowledged as a "man widely known in the district and thoroughly respected for business integrity and sound judgment," Oehm made a "thorough and well-directed canvass" of the district he hoped to represent, and that year faced off against incumbent Democrat Henry Guenther, who had represented that district since 1887. When the votes were tallied that November, Oehm polled an admirable 5,287 votes, but still lost out to Guenther, who polled 6,024 votes.

   Following his assembly defeat Oehm continued work as a building contractor until his retirement, and in 1908 was elected as Village President of Lancaster. He celebrated his 80th birthday in 1915 and died in Lancaster on July 16, 1919, aged 83. His wife Catherine had predeceased him in 1897 and both were interred at the famed Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.

Gates Bezaleel Bullard (1829-1901), Gates Markham Minckler (1875-1958)

Portrait courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society.

   Dartmouth graduate Gates Bezaleel Bullard is another oddly named Vermont Civil War veteran who went on to a career in public office, in his case being elected to both houses of the Vermont legislature. Following his legislative service Bullard would gain further distinction when he was named as state surgeon general, and later held the post of state commissioner for the insane.

  Born in Plainfield, New Hampshire on February 1, 1829, Gates Bezaleel Bullard was the son of Jonathan and Rebecca Gates Bullard. His early education occurred in Plainfield and he would also be a student in several academies located in Vermont. Bullard decided upon a career in medicine and in 1851 began to study in Newbury, Vermont. His education continued in Hanover, New Hampshire, and the Woodstock Medical College, and in 1855 graduated with his degree from the medical department of Dartmouth College. 

   Gates B. Bullard operated his first medical practice in Canaan, Vermont, residing in that town for three years.  He later removed to East St. Johnsbury and in 1860 married Lefie Permelia Wheeler (1839-1879), with whom he had four children, Carlisle (1862-1864), Harry Gates (1866-1915), Rebecca (1869-1937) and Agnes Marion (1872-1958).

   At the dawn of the Civil War in 1861, Bullard was selected to be an assistant surgeon for the 15th Reg., Vermont Volunteers, serving under the command of future Vermont Governor and U.S. Senator Redfield Proctor. Two years after taking the above position Bullard was promoted to surgeon of that unit, due to the resignation of Carleton Frost. 1863 proved to be an important year for Bullard, as he began a term in the Vermont House of Representatives, having been elected the previous November. During the 1863-65 session, he sat on the committee on Roads and later returned to his medical practice in St. Johnsbury.

   Bullard continued his ascent in Vermont politics in 1866 when he won election to the state senate from Caledonia County. Bullard's one term in that body (1867-68) saw him sit on the committees on Education and Rules, and in the year following the conclusion of his term was named as Vermont state surgeon general. Holding that post from 1869-70, Bullard would advance to the post of state commissioner of the insane, serving in that capacity from 1871-72. Sources also note that Bullard was a delegate to county and state Republican conventions on several occasions.

  In addition to politics, Bullard also left a lasting mark in New England medical circles, being a member of the Vermont Medical Society, holding the presidency of both that group and the White Mountain Medical Society of New Hampshire. Widowed in 1879, Bullard himself died on September 4, 1901, at his home in St. Johnsbury, and was subsequently remembered as having been 

"Long ranked among the most influential in state affairs as well as the political life of his own town and county. For more than 20 years he was a leader in everything the pertained to the social and political life of St. Johnsbury."

  Shortly after his death, Bullard was interred alongside his wife Lefie at the Grove Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, with their three children also being buried here through the succeeding years. 

From the St. Johnsbury Caledonian.

From the Livingston Democrat, October 8, 1919.

  Nearly two years (May 16, 2019) following the publishing of the above article on Gates Bezaleel Bullard, another "Gates" that entered politics has been located, Gates Markham Minckler of Livingston County, New York. An unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the New York State Assembly from his home county, Minckler later rebounded politically and was elected as the first mayor of Geneseo, New York in the 1920s. Born on August 14, 1875, in Mexico, Oswego County, New York, Gates Markham Minckler was the son of David L. and Elizabeth (Markham) Minckler.

  A student in schools local to the area of his birth, Minckler attended the Mexico High School and Academy. Following graduation, he worked in a pharmacy and began a teaching career that extended several years. Deciding upon a career in the druggist's trade in the early 1900s, Minckler enrolled at the University of Buffalo's Department of Pharmacy and in 1905 graduated with his degree. Soon after he relocated to Brockport, where he briefly worked for pharmacist Roland Chandler, and later removed to Holly, New York where he operated a pharmacy with H.B. Fisk until 1909. In November of that year Minckler purchased a Rexall pharmacy in Geneseo, New York, and after permanently relocating in that town continued in its operation until its sale in January 1948. 

   In the years following his settling in Geneseo, Gates Minckler became a leading name in the town, and in addition to his chosen profession was a member of the local school board and was a founder of the Genesee Valley Automobile Club, of which he would serve as president. Aspiring for higher political honors, Minckler gained the Democratic nomination for state assemblyman from Livingston County in 1919. In a write-up concerning his candidacy, Minckler was touted as a "vigorous advocate of woman suffrage" and a "most ardent advocate of good roads", and in that year's contest faced off against four-term incumbent Republican George F. Wheelock. On election day that November it was Wheelock who emerged victorious, besting Minckler by a vote of 6,657 to 4,057.

From the Dansville Express, October 16, 1919.

 After his legislative defeat Minckler continued with his pharmacy and in October 1922 was selected to head the Livingston County Democratic Committee. In March 1927 Minckler was elected as Geneseo village president, "without opposition", for a two-year term. This post saw him serve in an additional role as a member of the village board of trustees, and during his term became the first mayor of Geneseo, the post of village president being dropped in favor of the title of mayor. Minckler was narrowly defeated for reelection in March 1929 by Republican William Milliman, who won the mayoralty by a majority of 21 votes. 

From the Livingston Democrat, March 16, 1927.

  Three years following his mayoral loss Gates Minckler established an additional drug store in Canandaigua, New York, which he would continue to own until its sale two years prior to his death in 1958. The 1940s would see Minckler serve as president of the Geneseo school board and in 1950 suffered the death of his wife Emma. On October 28, 1958, Gates Markham Minckler died at his Geneseo home at age 83. He was survived by his son, Gates Jr. (1910-1987), and daughter Helen, with burial occurring at the Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo.

Twing Reuben Hitt (1847-1922)

Portrait from the Binghamton Press, November 3, 1913.

   One of the best things about researching some of these oddly named folks is the continual discovery of persons you had no idea existed. While doing further research on Beveridge C. Dunlop (a one-term New York state assemblyman profiled here in June 2013), I happened across the abbreviated name of "T.R. Hitt", mentioned in the 1914 New York Red Book as having been the Prohibition Party nominee for the state assembly from Broome County. As luck would have it, Hitt's full name was revealed to be Twing Reuben Hitt, making him the first (and likely only) man with that first name to run for political office in New York State!

   A prominent lumberman and sawmill proprietor in Killawog, New York, Twing Reuben Hitt was born on April 21, 1847, being the son of John W. and Roxy (Smith) Hitt. Little could be found on Hitt's early life, except notice of his service in the Civil War. A 1963 edition of the Cortland Democrat records him as being sick in an army hospital in November 1864 and later notes that he was granted a twenty-day furlough the following month. 

   Twing R. Hitt married on October 21, 1872, in Killawog to Ella Phetteplace (1849-1900) and had three daughters, Jennie (1871-1913) Clara (born 1881), and Alta (born 1883). Following Ella Hitt's death in 1900, Twing would remarry to Addie Hinman (1867-1947), who survived him upon his death in 1922.

   Around 1869 Twing Hitt entered the lumber business in Killawog and would follow that line of work for over three decades. Hitt's sawmill in that town was later remarked as having "cut a million feet of timber annually", but later reduced its output to about three thousand feet a year. Hitt's mill was later joined by a grist and feed mill, which provided "custom grinding" and the production of buckwheat flour. In the early 1890s tragedy struck when Hitt's mill was destroyed by fire, along with a "large amount of seasoned lumber". Not one to let a loss get the best of him, Hitt took stock of his losses and quickly erected a new mill, one:

"Fully equipped with machinery for sawing, planing, matching, lath and shingle making, and a grinding."

  Following the erection of his new mill, Twing Hitt continued to expand his name through Broome County, erecting four stately houses in Binghamton and also built a grain elevator and sales room near the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad depot. 

A Hitt campaign notice from the Binghamton Press, October 31, 1913.

    Acknowledged as a prominent business leader in Northern Broome County, Twing R. Hitt's sterling reputation eventually led to his jump into politics in 1909. In that year he accepted the nomination of the Prohibition Party as their candidate for the New York State Assembly and on election day placed third in a field of four candidates, garnering 673 votes.

   In 1913 Hitt was again the Prohibition nominee for the assembly, and in that campaign season notices touting his candidacy appeared in Broome County newspapers. In one notice (the Binghamton Press article shown above), Hitt's candidacy attempted to entice religious voters, noting that:

"Mr. Hitt is the only candidate who dares except the brazen challenge to the Christian voters of Broome County, by pledging his support and vote against legislation legalizing Sunday baseball, which is but a leader to an open Sunday in our state."

   Cautioning to keep Sunday holy (and, evidently, without any amusement whatsoever) Hitt found a firm backer in local clergyman Robert L. Clark, who later wrote a political advertisement for Hitt in the Binghamton Press. In that notice, Clark intoned that:

"God commands that we remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Mr. T.R. Hitt, the Prohibition candidate for the Assembly, is the only candidate who dares to stand on God's platform. Quick and Seymour are pledged to legalize the violation of God's law. Ruland is playing Good Lord and Good Devil for your votes. God says: "He that is not for me is against me."

   When Broome County voters went to the polls on November 4, 1913, it was Republican candidate Simon P. Quick who won out, netting 7,601 votes. Twing Hitt polled a respectable 1,278 votes but still placed fourth in a field of five candidates. Hitt would reemerge on the local political scene three years later when he became the Prohibition candidate for Broome County Treasurer but again went down to defeat.
   Twing Hitt continued to reside in Killawog until his death from heart disease on June 18, 1922. He was survived by his second wife Addie and two daughters and was interred at the Killawog Cemetery.

From the Cincinnatus Times, June 1922.

Ten Eyck Olmstead Burleson (1854-1926)

From the Steuben Advocate, November 1, 1939.

    The proud possessor of a truly unusual first name, Dr. Ten Eyck Olmstead Burleson was a native of Steuben County, New York for the entirety of his 72 years, and during that time cultivated a reputation as a prominent physician and man of affairs. A past president of the Steuben County Medical Society, Burleson was also a lifelong Democrat and was nominated by that party for a seat in the New York State Assembly in 1908.

  Born in the Steuben County town of Howard on July 21, 1854, Ten Eyck Olmstead Burleson was the son of Hiram and Catherine (Willis) Burleson. His unusual first and middle names were likely given to him in honor of Ten Eyck Gansevoort Olmstead (1833-1878), a former Steuben County resident who found notoriety in Wisconsin, where he would serve as a newspaper editor and Judge of Manitowoc County, holding the latter post from 1874 until shortly before his death.

  The early life of Ten Eyck O. Burleson was spent in his hometown of Howard, where he attended the local school. He would go on to attend Alfred University and later enrolled at the University of Buffalo, where he studied medicine. Burleson graduated in the class of 1880 and soon after resettled in the village of Pulteney (near Bath, New York) where he began his medical practice. He would marry in Pulteney in November 1886 to Lily Bennett and in the succeeding years became:

"Recognized as a physician of considerable skill and readily one the esteem and confidence of his patients.

   After several years of practice in Pulteney Ten Eyck Burleson moved to Bath, New York to accept the position of surgeon at the State Soldiers and Sailor's Home.  He and his wife would occupy a small cottage located on the hospital grounds and for ten years resided there. Around 1900 Burleson relocated to Syracuse, but returned to Bath two years later, continuing to practice medicine there until his retirement.
  A former President of the Steuben County Medical Society, Burleson was active in several non-medical areas in Steuben County, including memberships in the local Grange chapter, the Masons, a local pension examiners board, and the Presbyterian Church at Pulteney. Remarked as being a "staunch Democrat", Burleson received the Democratic nomination for the New York State Assembly in 1908 from Steuben County, His opponent that year was Republican John L. Miller, a physician and former Mayor of Corning, New York. On election day 1908, it was the Republicans who claimed victory, with Miller besting Burleson by over a thousand votes (6,104 to 4,686).
  Ten Eyck Olmstead Burleson died in Bath on May 12, 1926, at age 72. He is noted as having been in a state of failing health for at least two years before his death and was survived by his wife Lily. Both were interred at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Howard, New York.

Aloney Lyman Rust (1876-1951)

Portrait from the Plattsburgh Daily Republican, October 29, 1937.

   A practicing physician for over four decades in the Franklin County, New York area, Dr. Aloney Lyman Rust was a two-time candidate for the New York State Assembly from Franklin County. Born in Chateaugay, New York on September 15, 1876, Aloney Lyman Rust was one of five children born to Dr. Elisha Aloney and Louisa Lyman Rust. His family relocated to the neighboring town of Moira when Aloney was a child and he would go on to attend the Franklin Academy at Malone.

   Following in his father's vocation, Rust decided upon a career in medicine and subsequently enrolled at Syracuse University, from which he earned his medical degree in the class of 1900. Shortly thereafter he began work at the St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, but remained here a short time, returning to Moira to take over his father's medical practice. After a short period there Rust removed his practice to the nearby town of Brushton and married here on October 19, 1904, to Litz Dustin (1874-1963), with whom he would have two children, Phyllis (1906-1996) and Gordon E. (1909-1977).

    Aloney L. Rust continued the practice of his profession in Brushton for several years, and in 1909 made his first foray into political life, being the Democratic candidate for the state assembly in November of that year. Sadly Rust did not fare well in that year's election, with Franklin County voters electing Republican nominee Alexander McDonald by a majority of 1,300 votes. An electoral result from that contest was published in the 1910 New York Red Book and is shown below.

Rust's middle initial is mistakenly given as "W" in this 1910 Red Book electoral result.

  Following his rather lopsided defeat at the polls, Aloney Rust removed his practice from Brushton to Malone in 1913. He remained here for the remainder of his life and became widely known throughout that area as:

"A fine example of the old time country doctor. Traveling by horse and buggy, he attended his patients about the countryside, even operating when necessary. He had the distinction of officiating at the first confinement case in the Alice Hyde Hospital."

   Nine years following his first assembly candidacy, Aloney Rust reentered the political arena when he was again put up as the Republican assembly nominee from Franklin County. Although he was dealt another loss (losing to Democrat Warren Thayer by a vote of  5,277 to 2,313) one can see the results weren't as overwhelming as they were nine years previously! After this defeat, Rust refrained from further assembly candidacies but reemerged on the local political scene in 1937 and 1946 when he was a candidate for Franklin County coroner.
   During the 1940s Rust was selected to serve as chairman of the Franklin County Selective Service Board and continued in this role until stepping down because of health concerns in 1950. In 1947 he retired from the active practice of medicine and three years later was honored by the New York State Medical Society for his fifty-year career in the medical field (which, according to his estimation, saw him deliver 1,400 babies!)
    Aloney Lyman Rust died at his Malone home on July 1, 1951, at age 74. He was survived by his wife and two children and was later interred at the Morningside Cemetery located in Malone. This cemetery is also notable for being the resting place of former U.S. Representative and state senator William Almon Wheeler, who would experience further distinction when he was elected vice president of the United States in 1877, serving under Rutherford B. Hayes.

                                                 Aloney Rust during the time of his first assembly candidacy.

From the Chateaugay Record, July 6, 1951.

Elloy Ring Ganey (1881-1950)

Portrait from the October 28, 1948 Fredonia, New York Censor.

    Every so often I receive the pleasant surprise of discovering a political figure local to my home county of Chautauqua, New York who is blessed with a peculiar name. Just a short while ago I experienced one of those surprises when I stumbled across the name of Elloy Ring Ganey, a Chautauqua County resident who was for many years prominent in local Democratic circles, being a candidate for the New York State Assembly, an alternate delegate to the 1928 Democratic National Convention, chairman of the Chautauqua Democratic Committee and Postmaster of Jamestown, New York. Despite Ganey's prominence in Chautauqua's public life several decades ago he is all but forgotten today, and the succeeding lines aim to be a proper biography of a historically neglected Chautauquan from the past.

    A native of Pennsylvania. Elloy Ring Ganey was born in Warren on December 12th, 1881, being the second of five children born to Mathew and Littie Ganey. The family would later move from Warren to the village of Carroll in Chautauqua County, and as a young man, Ganey would find work as a steam engineer under the employ of the Charles Haas Construction Company of Jamestown, New York. Ganey's obituary in the Warren Times Mirror further relates that he worked as a motorman for the Chautauqua Traction Company for a time, and would also serve as a game warden in Chautauqua County beginning in the early 1910s.

   E.R. Ganey became active in Chautauqua County political circles in the early 1920s, and in the succeeding years grew to be a prominent Democrat within the county. In 1926 he was a Democratic candidate for a seat in the New York State Assembly from Chautauqua's 1st district, and in the November election was defeated by Republican candidate Adolph Johnson, receiving 2,333 votes to Johnson's 11, 022. Two years following his defeat Ganey served as an alternate delegate from New York to the 1928 Democratic National Convention in Houston, Texas, which nominated Alfred E. Smith for the Presidency.

   Following his service as a delegate, Ganey achieved further prominence in April 1932 when he was selected to be chairman of the Chautauqua County Democratic Committee. The Silver Creek, New York News reported on his ascension to that office, noting that he was elected "without opposition." He held this post for two years, being succeeded in 1934 by Loren Lamphere. In that year E.R. Ganey received the appointment of Postmaster of Jamestown, New York, and would serve in this capacity until his death sixteen years later.

Elloy Ganey (pictured on the far left), from the January 6, 1946 Jamestown Post Journal.

                           Elloy R. Ganey (pictured at left), from the Buffalo Courier-Express, July 13, 1945.

   In addition to his political and civic activities within the county, Ganey maintained an interest in a decidedly non-political subject: horse racing. As the owner of a stable of several harness racing horses, he is remarked as being "a familiar figure at the Buffalo Raceway in his striking shirts and ties" and one of his horses, a "consistent trotter" named Camilla Hanover, earned over $17,000 in purse money. Ganey was also involved in several fraternal organizations in Chautauqua County, including the Jamestown Elks Lodge, the "Protected Home Circle" and was active in the running of the annual Chautauqua County Fair, serving as its president and head of horse racing.

   Elloy Ring Ganey died at WCA Hospital in Jamestown on March 21, 1950, at age 68. A heart ailment is attributed to being his cause of death, and following his passing was interred at the Fentonville Cemetery located near Frewsburg, New York. A life-long bachelor, Ganey was survived by three siblings and had resided with the Burch family of Jamestown as a border in their home. In keeping with the sometimes exhaustive research I do on some of these oddly named folks, I made a point to seek out Elloy Ganey's gravesite at the Fentonville Cemetery, and as luck would have it, this cemetery is comparatively small when compared to several others I've visited in the past. Within two minutes of beginning my hunt for his gravesite, I located Ganey's modest headstone near the front of the cemetery (photographs below.)

Woodley Williamson Chandler (1800-1854)

   After a brief break,  I return with another oddly named Chautauqua County resident and politician, Woodley Williamson Chandler. A Virginian by birth, Chandler died in Levant (located just outside of Falconer) 158 years ago today on April 2, 1854. Although his political achievements are comparatively minor to some of the other individuals posted here, Chandler was nevertheless a prominent citizen of our county for many years. 

  Woodley W. Chandler was born in Amelia County, Virginia on February 14, 1800, and during his adolescence resided in several different states, including Tennessee, Louisiana, and Ohio. He resettled in Chautauqua County in 1823 and soon after arriving struck up a friendship with Elial Todd Foote (1791-1877), a prominent Jamestown resident, politician, and judge. Foote soon helped Chandler find employment in the county, and within a short time, Chandler had purchased land (once owned by Judge Foote) and established a "carding and cloth dressing" business. 
   In 1824 Woodley Chandler married Ms. Phebe Winsor and the couple eventually had six children, who are listed as follows: Martin (who later became a Sheriff in Minnesota), Nancy, Phebe, Winsor, John, and Williamson. 

  In addition to his connections with local cloth manufacturing, Chandler is also listed as being instrumental in the surveying of streets and village lot designs in the eastern part of Jamestown. During his short life, Chandler was named to local public offices, serving at various times as the Town Supervisor of Poland (1843-1844) and Justice of the Peace. He is also mentioned as an early trustee for the Jamestown Academy. His obituary (featured in the Jamestown Evening Journal in 1854) mentions that Chandler filled these offices "with a conscientious fidelity and to the satisfaction of the people."
   Woodley Chandler's main inclusion here rests on his candidacy for the New York State Assembly in 1842. In that year, Chandler (along with fellow Chautauqua residents Elijah Miller and Erastus Holt) faced off against Adolphus Freeman Morrison, Odin Benedict, and Emory Force Warren. As you can read for yourself in the snippet below, Chandler, Miller, and Holt ended up on the losing end of the campaign! This blurb on the election appeared in the 1845 work Sketches of the History of Chautauque County, and one should also note that the book was authored by one of the men who defeated Chandler, Emory Force Warren.

   In the years preceding his legislative defeat, Chandler resettled in the Levant area outside of Falconer, where he eventually built a farm. During his residence here he had a hand in the building of the Levant schoolhouse, as well as the Levant Cemetery, which is located nearby. Woodley Williamson Chandler died at age 54 on April 2, 1854, and was buried in the aforementioned Levant Cemetery. A few days ago I made a trip to his resting place to seek out his gravestone. 

   The Chandler family stone is remarkably well preserved for being nearly 160 years old and contains the names of both Woodley, his wife Phebe, and all of their children. I also must venture a comment on the picture of Woodley located at the top of his article here. This portrait was discovered in Andrew Young's 1875 History of Chautauqua County and is very likely the only picture of him you will ever see. I was absolutely flabbergasted to find that a portrait of this man existed.

 Woodley's wife Phebe survived him by a number of years, dying on April 4, 1876, at age 69. Two of the Chandler children also died young like their father. Phebe (the fourth eldest child) died at age 40 in 1865 and Winsor ( the fifth eldest child) died on April 4, 1863, at age 31. Dates of death for the remaining Chandler offspring could not be found.

 All of the children's names are on the side of the stone facing the road. If one decides to drive through the Levant area, one only need glance up the hill of the Levant Cemetery to see the Chandler monument, which is quite conspicuous by its sheer size!

  Woodley and Phebe are actually buried under these two stones, marked "Mother and Father". These stones haven't fared so well in regards to the years of wear. There are also two other stones embedded in the ground on the left of the above picture, one of which is marked "Chandler". No clue is given as to who rests underneath these stones, but my guess is it may be one of the Chandler children.