History of Le Roy, (Genesee County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Graham Newell Fitch, senator, was born in LeRoy, N.Y., Dec. 7, 1809. He studied at the Fairfield, N Y., medical college and in 1834 established himself at Logansport, Ind., for the practice of His profession. He was a member of the Indiana legislature, 1836-39; held a professor ship at the Rush medical college, Chicago, 1844-49; was a presidential elector in 1844, 1848 and 1856; represented his district in the 31st and 32d congresses, 1849-53; and was U.S. senator from Indiana from Dec. 3, 1855, to March 3, 1861. At the opening of the civil war he organized the 46th Indiana volunteers and was made colonel. He commanded the Indiana brigade constituting the land forces at the capture of Fort Pillow, June 4, 1862; and at St. Charles, Ark., he destroyed a Confederate battery, June 17, 1862, with a loss of 200 men killed by an explosion on board the Mound City, a Federal gunboat. He resigned his commission in November, 1862, and retired from the army on account of injuries received in battle. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention in 1868. He was professor of the art and science of surgery in the Indiana medical college, 1878-83. He died in Logansport, Ind., Nov. 29, 1892.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Goodell Frost, educator, was born in Le Roy, N.Y., July 2, 1854; son of the Rev. Lewis P. and Clarissa Maria (Goodell) Frost. His father, an independent Congregational minister, a graduate of Oberlin, 1848, died in Janesville, Wis., Feb. 22, 1893. His mother was a daughter of William and Clarissa (Cady) Goodell, granddaughter of Frederick Goodell a Revolutionary soldier, and direct descendant from the emigrant, who came from Ipswich, England, to Danvers, Mass., in 1634. He attended Milton college, Beloit college and Oberlin college, and was graduated at the last named in 1876, receiving his A.M. degree in 1879. He was instructor of Greek there, 1877-79. He pursued a post graduate course at Harvard and at Wooster, Ohio, studied theology at Oberlin, was graduated in 1879, and was professor of Greek there, 1879-92. He visited England, Germany, Greece and the Holy land, 1891-92, and in 1892 was elected president of Berea college, Ky., after declining the call to the presidency of several far more desirable and less difficult positions. He bravely met the financial panic of 1893; announced his purpose to make the college attractive to northern students, and adapted its work to the special needs of the whites of the great central mountain region of the south, a class of inhabitants hitherto almost neglected. He introduced normal, industrial and university extension work and increased the attendance from 350 to 700 students. He received the degree of Ph.D. from Wooster university, Ohio, in 1891, and that of D.D. from Oberlin in 1894.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Milo Smith Hascall, soldier, was born in Le Roy, N.Y., Aug. 5, 1829; son of Amasa and Phebe Ann Hascall. He was brought up on his father's farm and attended the district school. In 1847 he settled in Goshen, Ind., and was appointed from that state a cadet in the U.S. military academy, where he was graduated in 1852, assigned to the artillery service and served in garrison duty at Fort Adams, R.I., 1852-53. He resigned from the army to take a contract for building a section of the Indiana & Michigan Southern railroad in 1854. He was admitted to the bar and practised law, serving as prosecuting attorney, and as clerk of courts at Goshen, Ind., 1859-61. He enlisted as a private in a three months' company, was promoted captain and aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. T. A. Morris and organized and drilled volunteer regiments at Camp Morton. On June 16, 1861, he was present at the first engagement of the war after Sumter where was captured at Philippi the first Confederate flag secured by the Union army in the war and the next day he was promoted colonel of the 17th Indiana volunteers. He commanded a brigade made up of the 15th and 17th Indiana, and the 6th and 43d Ohio volunteers at Louisville, Ky., December, 1861, and was assigned to Gen. William Nelson's division. He was transferred to the command of a brigade in Gen. T. J. Wood's division, helped to capture Nashville. Feb. 24, 1862, and advanced on Shiloh, April 6, 1862. On April 25, 1862, he was commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers and led a brigade in the Tennessee campaign, 1862-63. At Stone's River, Dec. 31, 1862, he was in command of a brigade on the extreme left when the engagement commenced. Gen. T. J. Wood, his division commander, was wounded early in the day and retired, which put him in command of the division and by 10 A.M. of that day he was in command of all the troops left fighting and saved the day and the army from utter rout and ruin. After the battle was over he was sent to Indianapolis to return deserters from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. While thus engaged he was transferred to the army of the Ohio at the request of General Burnside and commanded a division in that army till after the fall of Atlanta. The next day after the battle of Kenesaw Mountain he executed a flank movement which caused the enemy to evacuate that stronghold and retreat precipitately across the Chattahoochee river. He was very prominent in all the engagements of the Atlanta campaign and resigned his commission after its fall. He returned to his home and was a banker at Galena, Ind., until 1890 when he removed to Chicago and entered largely into real estate business transactions, making his home at Oak Park, Cook county, Ill.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor