History of Lyons, (Wayne County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

William Hall Sherwood, musician, was born at Lyons, N.Y., Jan. 31, 1854; son of the Rev. Lyman Hinsdale and Mary (Balis) Sherwood; grandson of Judge Lyman and Grace (Dewey) Sherwood, of N.Y., and of John R. Balls; great-grandson of Lemuel Sherwood, a captain in the Revolution. He was tutored during his childhood by his father and was graduated at the Lyons (N.Y.) musical academy of which his father was founder, and at the Lyons Union school. He made his first appearance as a child, about 1862?8, in New York, Pennsylvania, and Canada. He studied under William Mason, Edward Heimburger and Pychowski in the United States and in Europe, 1871?76, with Kullak and Deppe in Berlin, with Richter and Grieg in Leipzig, and with Liszt in Weimar. He studied organ, musical theory and composition at Stuttgart, where he become organist in the English church, and liter in the English chapel at Berlin. After performing with marked success Beethoven's "Emperor Concert" with full orchestra in Berlin, be toured somewhat in Germany, refused various musical offers of the highest standard in Germany and elsewhere and returned to the United States in 1876. He played then with Thomas's orchestra at New York and at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, next with the Harvard Musical Association orchestra of Boston and later became director of Sherwood Music School, Chicago. He was married in 1882 to Estelle Florence, daughter of Robert R. and Anna (Elliott) Abrams, of Brownsville, Pa. He was examiner at the conservatory of Toronto, Canada, and director of the piano department of the Chautauqua New York assembly (Institution). He helped to found the American College of Musicians, and became a member of numerous musical organizations, composer of piano music, editor of various works for the piano, and the author of: Music Study and Interpretive Technique (1903).

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

William Dorsheimer, representative, was born in Lyons, N.Y., Feb. 5, 1832; son of Philip Dorsheimer, a native of Germany. He was prepared for college at Phillips Andover academy, and entered Harvard with the class of 1853, but was obliged to leave at the close of his sophomore year on account of ill health. He was admitted to the bar in 1854 and practised in Buffalo, N.Y. At the outbreak of the civil war he was appointed major on the staff of Gen. John C. Fremont and served during the three months' Missouri campaign. He was United States district attorney for the northern district of New York, 1867-71; lieutenant-governor of New York, 1874-79; commissioner of the New York state survey, 1875; a lawyer in New York city, 1879-85; one of the commissioners for laying out the Niagara Falls park reservation, 1883, and president of the board; a Democratic representative from New York in the 48th congress, 1883-85, and U.S. district attorney for the southern district of New York, 1885-86. He resigned in March, 1886, and became active editor of the New York Star, which he had purchased in 1885, and the first issue of the paper as a daily was published Sept. 15, 1885. He was one of the founders of the Buffalo fine arts academy and of the Buffalo historical society. Harvard conferred upon him the honorary degree of A.M. in 1859. He published a series of articles entitled Fr?mont's Hundred Days in Missouri in the Atlantic Monthly in 1861; and wrote a biography of Grover Cleveland, published for the campaign of 1884. He died in Savannah, Ga., March 26, 1888.

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

Bradley Allen Fiske, naval officer and inventor, was born in Lyons, N.Y., June 13, 1854; son of the Rev. William Allen and Susan (Bradley) Fiske; grandson of Prof. Allen Flake, principal of Auburn, N.Y., academy, and of Capt. John Bradley, U.S.A.; and a descendant of William Flake, who, with his brother, the Rev. John Flake, and two unmarried sisters, came from Suffolk county, England, to the Massachusetts colony in 1637. Bradley was graduated from the U.S. naval academy, May 30, 1874, second in the class. He was promoted ensign, July 17, 1875; master, Feb. 2, 1881; lieutenant, junior grade, March 3, 1883; lieutenant, Jan. 26, 1887, and lieutenant-commander, March 3, 1899. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Petrel, Dec. 16, 1896; and as navigator of the Petrel, took part in the battle of Manila Bay, May 1, 1898. Stationing himself aloft with his stadimeter, he measured and reported continually the distance of the Spanish battle-ships. When the white flag was hoisted at the arsenal, he went ashore with a boat's crew and brought off a number of tugs and launches. He was reported to the department at Washington for "eminent and conspicuous conduct in battle on this day." Subsequently he took part in the bombardment of Manila, Aug. 13, 1898; and later, as navigator of the Monadnock, in the operations against the Filipinos. He married in 1882 Josephine, daughter of Joseph Wesley Harper, of New York city. Besides performing his regular sea and shore duties he invented and perfected what was very much needed, a system of electrical interior communication for ships, and a system of distance measuring and gun firing. His devices became known as the "nerves of a warship," and include the electric range finder, the range indicator, the order transmitter, the engine telegraph, the helm indicator, the steering telegraph, the speed and direction indicator, the adaptation of telescope sight to guns of a moving ship, and the stadimeter. A later invention adopted by the navy department is a system for turning the turrets of war-ships by electricity. His semaphore signal system was proved successful, having been placed on trial in the flag-ship New York in 1897. His first naval invention was a detaching and attaching apparatus for lowering and hooking on boats in a sea-way which came into use in many war-ships. In 1893 he received the Elliott Cresson gold medal from the Franklin institute for his invention of the range finder. He is the author of numerous contributions on naval subjects to periodical literature, besides Electricity in Theory and Practice (1882; 10th ed., 1898).

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