History of Perry, (Wyoming County) New York United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Perry, (Wyoming County) New York, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

Biographies:

Charles Lee Ingersoll, scientist, was born at Perry, N.Y., Nov. 1, 1844; son of Francis and Frances (Armstrong) Ingersoll; grandson of Samuel and Mary (Nelson) Ingersoll; and a descendant of Francis Ingersoll, a Revolutionary soldier. He enlisted as a private in the 9th Michigan cavalry in 1862, and served until the close of the civil war, in 1865. In 1872 he entered the State Agricultural college of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1874. In 1875 he pursued a post-graduate course at the same college in agriculture and chemistry, and later occupied the position of farm foreman and manager of student manual labor in the college department. He was awarded the degree of M.S. in 1877, and became professor of agriculture, which position he resigned in 1879 to take the same chair at Purdue university, La Fayette, Ind. He accepted the presidency of the State Agricultural college at Fort Collins, Col., in 1882. While under his supervision the college received special commendation from visiting representatives sent to the United States by the governments of Austria, Australia and other foreign countries to study American educational systems. When in 1888 the state experiment station was organized, President Ingersoll was chosen its director, and his bulletins and reports by their accuracy attracted attention both in Europe and the United States. He was a member of the city board of education at Fort Collins, Col., 1883-86. In January, 1891, he was elected fellow of the Society of Science, Literature and Arts of London, England. In April, 1891, he was called to the professorship of agriculture in the University of Nebraska. In June of that year he was elected dean of the Industrial college and director of the experiment station of that institution. These three positions he filled with distinction until the spring of 1895, when his failing health compelled him to relinquish them. He died at Grand Junction, Col., Dec. 8, 1896.

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

Merritt Gally, inventor, was born in Perry, N.Y., Aug. 15, 1838; son of the Rev. David K. and Anna (Wilder) Gally; and grandson of Robert Gally, born in Scotland, educated in Edinburgh, settled in the North of Ireland and transported a large church colony of Protestants to America about 1798; and of Erastus Wilder of Pilgrim ancestry, who emigrated to central New York about 1802. Merritt's father settled in Rochester in 1839 and died there in 1844 when the boy was six years old. His mother married again and in 1849 he was apprenticed to a printer. While learning the trade he learned also the art of engraving on wood. He completed his apprenticeship and worked for a time with his stepfather as master mechanic, becoming conversant with mechanical engineering. He constructed a printing press in 1854 when sixteen years old and with his brother set up a printing office in Nunda, N.Y. In 1856 he began his preparation for college, supporting himself meanwhile by wood engraving, mechanical drawing and portraiture. He was graduated at the University of Rochester in 1863; at the theological seminary, Auburn, N.Y., 1866; was ordained by the Presbytery of Lyons, N.Y., March 11, 1867, and preached at Marion, N.Y., 1866-67, and at Rochester, N.Y., 1867-69, when he was obliged to give up preaching on account of bronchial trouble, but retained his membership in the Presbyterian general assembly of the United States. In 1869 he invented the Universal printing press, which was built at Rochester under Mr. Gally's supervision and soon achieved a world-wide celebrity, placing the name of Gally with Hoe and Gordon as a benefactor to the printing fraternity. He was the first to adapt the platen press for paper-box cutting and creasing and for heavy embossing; and was the first to construct a successful machine for making linotypes and plates by mechanically arranging, by means of finger keys, lines of dies or matrices automatically justified, from which type lines or plates were automatically produced either in metal or mold. His patents were issued, July 16 and 23, 1872, and rights sold in November, 1884, for use in the Mergenthaler linotype machine. Over fifty complete patents covering five hundred patent claims were issued to him in the United States, including electric and telegraphic apparatus, governors, self-playing musical instruments, stereotyping machinery and philosophical apparatus. In 1890 he devised and constructed for the government apparatus for automatically operating and controlling the astronomical photographic and recording instruments used in the expedition to South Africa by Professor Todd. Mr. Gally was a delegate under appointment of the United States Christian commission, and was detailed to service at the front, at the time of the civil war, where he assisted the surgeons in the hospitals and on the field in caring for the sick and wounded soldiers.

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