Table of Contents
Colonel George Walton Flower, the subject of the following memoir, was of English descent, his ancestors, known by the name Floier, holding large possessions in Devonshire at the time of the Conquest. One of the ancestors, Captain William Floier, was born near the city of Exeter in 1450 and accompanied the army of King Edward IV in the descent on France in 1490. He married Phillipa Crooke and became later a resident of Willston, Dorsetshire. Of his three sons, William, born 1530, married Elizabeth Kirk.
I. From this marriage descended Lamrock Flower, the progenitor of the American branch of the family. He was born in Whitwell, Rutlandshire, England. The date of his emigration is not known, but he settled in 16S5 at Hartford, Connecticut, where he died in 1716. He was the father of eight children.
II. Lamrock, the second child and eldest son of Lamrock (I) Flower, was born at Hartford, March 25, 1689. He had a daughter and a son.
III. The son, Elijah, was born April 15, 17 17, at Hartford, where, in 1742, he married Abigail Seymour, by whom he had six children.
IV. George Flower, son of Elijah, was born at Hartford, April 26, 1760. He married Roxeline Crowe and soon after the birth of his son George moved to Oak Hill, Greene county, New York. He was the father of ten children.
V. Nathan Munroe, the seventh child of George Flower, born at Oak Hill, December 14, 1796, was married in Springfield, New York, to Mary A. Boyle, daughter of Philip Boyle, of Cherry Valley, New York. Mr. Boyle was a native of Ireland, coming to this country in his childhood, where in due time he engaged in extensive contract work, being one of the contractors of the first water works in New York city. After his death the family moved to Springfield, New York. Soon after his marriage Nathan M. Flower took up his residence in Theresa, this county, where he erected a cloth mill, and the business prospered under his intelligent management. For many years he was a justice of the peace at Theresa, and during his residence there one of the most active members of the Presbyterian church. He died April 4, 1843, in his forty-seventh year. Of the nine children born to Nathan and Mary Ann Flower seven were living at the date of his untimely death, the eldest being but fifteen, the youngest, Anson R., having been born in June, 1843, two months after the death of his father. Mrs. Flower made a brave and successful struggle to rear her young family into meritorious manhood and womanhood. Her children were all born in Theresa. Caroline, the eldest, January 21, 1821; Roxaline, March 15, 1826; Nathan Monroe, January 21, 1828; George Walton, August 5, 1830; Orville Ranney, January 21, 1833; Roswell Pettibone, August 8, 1835; Marcus, August 11, 1837; John Davison, April 16, 1839: and Anson Ranney, June 20, 1843.
Colonel George Walton Flower
VI. Colonel George W. Flower spent the first thirty years of his life at Theresa. At the age of sixteen he left the district school and entered the employ of his brother-in-law, Silas L. George, who kept a country store. Later he established a mercantile business in his own name and in addition commenced the manufacture of butter tubs and cheese boxes. Always an ardent politician, he took an active part in the Fremont and Lincoln campaigns and, at the breaking out of the Civil war, at once recruited a company from among his schoolmates and acquaintances at Theresa, of which he was elected captain.
Colonel Flower came to Watertown in 1865, with a splendid record as a soldier during the Civil war. At the commencement of the struggle he had laid aside important business interests, which were promising of a bright future, and left at home his young wife with her babes, to take his place in the ranks of the nation’s defenders. Having recruited what became in service Company C. Thirty-fifth Regiment, New York Volunteers, he was unanimously elected to the captaincy and led his men to the front. Duty held him for a time to a season of inactivity at Falls Church and Falmouth, and this was an experience under which he chafed, for he was possessed of that intense patriotic spirit and restlessness which, to use a phrase of General Sherman’s, “marks the enterprising soldier.” He was soon, however, to engage in the arduous campaign under General McClellan, which culminated in the hard-fought battle of Antietam. In this engagement, in which his regiment suffered severely, he was disabled by a fragment of shell from one of the enemy’s batteries. While at home on sick leave, his physical disability resulting from his wound and his desire to engage in a business by which he could provide for his family, determined him to resign his commission. Of this a biographer and personal friend said :
“He had then served nearly two years, had begun as a captain, and was yet a captain. He had seen other men, his inferiors in ability, in moral worth, in previous business conditions, and, in social standing, rise above him in rank, and as his own regiment had acceptable men in office, promotion there was unlikely. His ambition was unsatisfied, for he had every quality for making a good soldier and courageous commander. He resigned his captaincy and left the regiment, bearing with him the sincere respect and affectionate regard of all his comrades.”
The same authority speaks of his unfaltering courage, his fortitude under unexpected reverses, and his unfailing regard for the welfare of his men, adding, “He had a feeling heart, a high sense of soldierly honor and an undying faith that in the end all would come out right.”
Following his retirement from the army, Colonel Flower was connected with successful business enterprises prior to his removal to Watertown. There he soon won recognition as a valued citizen and an honorable business man, and his popularity became so pronounced that he was elected the first mayor of the city under the city charter in 1869, and reelected. During his terms his administration was practical and progressive and, in this as in other positions, he was ever found worthy of any public trust reposed in him, and, while his energy and ambition sought the field of business activity rather than that of politics, he was nevertheless known as an unfaltering champion of the principles in which he believed and as one whose loyalty to duty was ever above question.
Here he engaged in various mercantile pursuits, finally concentrating his fine business qualification in building operations. He put up two fine residence flats, built the Watertown & Sackett Harbor Railroad and the State Armory at Watertown. Owing to some oversight in the work of the architect, the last named building was erected at a serious financial loss.
From the time of his arrival in Watertown until his death, Colonel Flower continued to make that city his home, although his business interests frequently called him elsewhere. He became prominent as one of the enterprising railroad builders of the state and as a promoter of various internal improvements. He was also contractor for the retaining dam, that monumental work which holds back the water supply of New York city. He handled mammoth enterprises with ability, building sections of the Chicago & North-Western Railway and New York and New England Railroad, and in the conduct of business affairs his judgment was rarely if ever at fault.
On December 18, 1855, Colonel Flower was united in marriage with Miss Mary Elizabeth Putnam, born February 1, 1836, in Auburn, New York, daughter of Lansing and Sarah Ann (Chrysler) Putnam. Since her husband’s death she has continued to reside in Watertown. Their son, Frederick S. Flower, is a member of the firm of Flower & Company, New York city. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born February 10, 1857, in Theresa, and was married October 2, 1879, to John Sterling Robinson, second son of Dr. Samuel M. and Maria B. Robinson, all of Watertown. One son was born to them January 23, 1881, in Watertown, and named Anson Flower Robinson. His marriage took place October 22, 1902, in Watertown, the bride being Miss Marguerite Williams, daughter of Hon. Pardon C. Williams. John Sterling Robinson died September 19, 1896.
Colonel Flower, having contracted a serious cold, died of acute pneumonia in the Union Square Hotel of New York city, May 4, 1881. A friend of long standing said of him : “He was a lovable man, as shown in his respect and enduring affection for his parents; by his quick response in sympathy and material aid for anyone in distress, especially for those whom he knew in his youth. His affectionate regard and attention to his wife and children, and to the young wards who were placed in his charge, marked him as a man of fine sensibilities, possessing a high sense of personal responsibility.”
The following tribute to his memory comes from the survivors of his command, who were tenting on the old camp ground :
“Washington, D. C, Dec. 9, 1903.
“At a meeting of the members of Capt. George W. Flower’s Company C. Thirty-fifth New York Volunteers, who now reside at or in the vicinity of Washington, D. C. and held at Falls Church, Va., on December 5, 1903, and when were present Robert Dewar, H. N. D. Parker, Lewis Toole)’, Lyman Ballard and John Jay Beardsley, the following officers were chosen: Chairman, Comrade Parker; secretary, Comrade Beardsley.
“The following motions were unanimously adopted : First, to send a mesage of respect and affection to the widow of our beloved first commander. Captain (afterward Colonel) George W. Flower. Comrades Beardsley and Ballard were appointed a committee to draft and forward such message.
” ‘Mrs. George IV. Flotcer, Watertoivm, N. Y.:
‘Dear Madam. — Referring to the above resolution which was unanimously adopted and most heartily approved, permit me to discharge the pleasant duty of expressing to you our respect and high esteem and of thanking you for the interest which you ever showed in the welfare of our dear old Company C. Of much that has been written as to the influence of women in the Civil war, perhaps the most positive was that of a war correspondent, who stated that “if the men of the south had been as determined as were the women the south could not have been conquered.” Be that as it may or may not be, we credit you, and the mothers, wives and sisters of the members of our company with the most hearty, loving and loyal support, and we recall with feelings of pride and genuine reverence your visit to our camp, Falls Church.
” ‘Captain Flower was one of the first in our midst to catch a glimpse of the tremendous conflict which awaited us. To him belongs the credit of organizing the first company sent from Theresa, and which consisted largely of his neighbors and their sons, and by his energy and indomitable will, and early grasp of the idea of a true soldier, transformed alike the men taken from the plow and the office desk and from the school into efficient, active soldiers. Many of the company gave up their lives from disease contracted in the line of duty, from wounds and in the shock of battle. At Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg, their bodies are mingling with the soil of Virginia and Maryland.
” ‘ “On Fame’s eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread, And glory guards with solemn sound The bivouac of the dead.”
” ‘And now. Dear Madam, after forty years five of our (of your) old Company C have had a little reunion of our own at this historic place. We deeply regretted that you were not present. Old memories were revived, old acquaintances renewed, anecdote and camp stories, some grave, some gay, interspersed the evening, and we forgot for the time that we had reached the three-score mark. We find as we grow older that our memories revert more and more to our boyhood days, and among the most pleasant of the recollections of our soldier life are those of the time when we were under the command of your husband. Captain Flower, the esteemed citizen, the courteous gentleman, the gallant officer. With best wishes for your health and happiness, we are ” ‘Very truly youi’s,
” ‘John Jay Beardsley, ” ‘Lyman Ballard.’ “
Hon. Roswell Pettibone Flower
VI. HON. ROSWELL P. FLOWER, one of the most masterly of the many brilliant statesmen who have adorned the high office of governor of the state of New York, was native born, his birthplace being Theresa, in Jefferson county, and the date August 8, 1835. He died at Eastport, Long Island, May 12, 1899.
He came of an excellent ancestry from which he derived superb physical vigor and sterling principles, and he forged his own character in that white heat of poverty and necessity which consumes all dross and leaves a perfect metal. He was descended from that Lamrock Flower who came from Ireland and settled in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1685.
Roswell Pettibone Flower, the fourth son and sixth child in the family of Nathan M. Flower, was left fatherless at the tender age of eight years. As a lad he worked at wool picking, in a brickyard and upon a farm. He attended school as he could, and was diligent in his studies as he was industrious in his labors, and graduated in the high school course when eighteen years old. He was for some time a teacher in a district school, acquitting himself most creditably and conquering the respect of his pupils when they were disposed to resent the authority of so young a master. He made his home with his sister’s husband, Silas L. George, a merchant, who boarded him and paid him a monthly wage of five dollars for his services. He was afterwards a clerk in the post office at Watertown. He was closely economical and saving, and in a few years had accumulated a little fortune of a thousand dollars. This he invested in a jewelry and brokerage business which he successfully conducted until 1869, in which year he removed to New York city, having been made executor of the estate of his deceased brother-in-law, Henry Keep. In this important trust he displayed the finest executive and financial ability, and the estate quadrupled in value under his management. In 1 87 1 he became a member of the banking and brokerage firm of Benedict, Flower & Company, from which he retired in 1875 to become senior member of the banking firm of R. P. Flower & Company. He was also officially connected with various corporations, and was a trustee and honorary vice president of the Colonial Trust Company, a trustee of the Metropolitan Trust Company, and a director in the Corn Exchange Bank, the National Surety Company, the United States Casualty Company, the People’s Gas Light and Coke Company, of gas companies in Chicago, and of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company. He retained a home in his native village, with whose interests he never ceased to be actively and usefully identified.
Governor Flower was during all his active career one of the most potential political figures in the state. A Democrat of the highest stamp of character and ability, he took an earnest part in support of Seymour and Blair in the presidential campaign of 1868. In 1876 he was foremost as organizer of the initial movement which led to the nomination of Samuel J. Tilden for the presidency. At the succeeding election he was elected to the forty-seventh Congress from the eleventh New York district, defeating William Waldorf Astor. In 1882 he was presented as a candidate for the gubernatorial nomination, and in convention received 183 votes as against the same number for General William H. Slocum, and sixty-one for Grover Cleveland. At this juncture it became apparent that political necessity demanded a candidate from outside the city of New York, and Mr. Flower withdrew to make way for Mr. Cleveland, who was made the nominee and thus placed upon the highway which led him to the presidency. In the same year Mr. Flower was made chairman of the Democratic congressional committee. In 1883 he declined a renomination to Congress, and two years later declined the nomination for the lieutenant governorship. In 1888 he was again elected to Congress, and the same year he was a delegate-at-large in the Democratic national convention at St. Louis which nominated Mr. Cleveland for the presidency, and was chairman of the delegation from the state of New York. In the same year he was strongly urged to become a candidate for the lieutenant governorship, but declined for business reasons. In 1889 he was returned to Congress by a majority of more than 12,000. In 1892 he was prominently mentioned for the presidential nomination. In that year he was elected governor, receiving a majority of nearly 50,000 over Hon. J. Sloat Fassett. This fine tribute was due in large degree to confidence in his integrity, and his unselfish care for public interests as shown in every instance where a trust was committed to him. His administration was broadly practical and sagacious, and his every act was based upon conservative views and an accurate estimate of conditions and necessities. In Congress his conduct was marked by the same high standards. While an ardent supporter of Democratic principles, lie would subordinate no public interest to partisan ends, and in whatever legislation he advocated or opposed his sole object was the promotion of the welfare of the country and the people. Once, when congratulated upon the excellence of his congressional record, he remarked that whatever of usefulness he had accomplished was due to his constant endeavor to learn as much as any other, and, if possible, more, concerning whatever matter was entrusted to a committee of which he was a member. In the fifty-first Congress he made an enviable record in championship of a movement for the holding of the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in New York city. He earnestly opposed the McKinley tariff bill and the “force bill,” as he did the attempt of the Farmers’ Alliance to establish a system of sub-treasuries for the loaning of public funds on field crops, domestic animals, etc. He was a warm advocate of liberal but well guarded soldiers’ pension legislation, of the election of postmasters by the people, and of the irrigation of the arid regions of the west.
Governor Flower amassed a large fortune, estimated at about $25,000,000, and in its acquisition no taint of wrong-doing, either in personal or public life, ever attached to him. He was broadly philanthropic, and for many years set apart one-tenth of his income for benevolences, and the sums thus distributed amounted to more than a million dollars. He built the Flower Surgical Hospital in New York city, and with Mrs. Flower he erected the St. Thomas Parish House in the same city, at Fifty-ninth and Sixtieth streets and Second avenue, for work among the poor. The inspiration for this noble benefaction is told in a memorial tablet bearing the following inscription : “Erected to God by Roswell P. Flower and Sarah M. Flower, in memory of their son, Henry Keep Flower.” Mr. Flower also built, as a memorial to his parents, a Presbyterian church edifice at Theresa, New York, and he and his brother, Anson R. Flower, of New York city, erected Trinity Protestant Episcopal church at Watertown, New York. His givings to all manner of charitable and benevolent institutions are accounted for in previous references in this narrative. It is to be added that, while governor of New York, in 1893, there arose urgent necessity for the purchase of Fire Island as a state quarantine station. There were no available public funds, and Governor Flower unhesitatingly advanced the amount needed, $210,000. That he was afterward reimbursed by act of the legislature in no way detracts from the merit of his act.
Governor Flower was essentially a self-made man, and, in larger degree he was self-educated. He was a man of broad knowledge, not alone in the fields of finance and politics, but in literature and the arts. His city residence in Fifth avenue. New York, and his summer home at Watertown were both eloquent in their furnishings and contents of his refined tastes. His library was rich in the choicest of literature, particularly of Americana, and he was the owner of a large mass of valuable autographic relics of all the presidents of the United States from Washington down to his own day. In recognition of his high attainments and signally useful public services Lawrence University in 1893 conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Governor Flower was married, in 1859, to Miss Sarah M. Woodruff, daughter of Norris M. Woodruff, of Watertown, New York, a lady of beautiful character, who washer husband’s active ally in all benevolent and charitable works. Three children were born to them, of whom a son and a daughter are deceased. The living child is Emma Gertrude, who is now the wife of J. B. Taylor, of Watertown, New York.
Anson Ranney Flower
VI. ANSON RANNEY FLOWER. As a man of affairs and a philanthropist, Anson Ranney Flower belongs alike to New York city and to Watertown, but it is the latter place which claims him as a citizen and it is to this city, in which he makes his home, that he is bound by all the endearing ties of social and domestic life. He comes of English ancestry and belongs to a family which has given to the country an unusual number of useful and worthy citizens.
Nathan Monroe Flower was an owner of a woolen mill at Theresa, Jefferson county, where the farmers of the neighborhood would bring their wool to have it carded and made into cloth. Mr. Flower was a prominent man in the community, holding for many years the office of justice of the peace, and serving as captain of militia. He was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church at Theresa. His wife was Mary Ann, daughter of Philip Boyle of Cherry Valley, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Flower were the parents of nine children, only two of whom are now living; Nathan M., who resides in California, and Anson Ranney, mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. Flower, died in 1843, leaving behind him the memory of a benevolent. God-fearing man, highly respected and greatly beloved. He was survived more than a quarter of a century by his widow, whose death took place in 1869.
Anson Ranney Flower, son of Nathan and Mary Ann (Boyle) Flower, was born June 20, 1843, at Theresa, where he received his education in the common schools. After serving as a clerk in one of the stores of his native place, he went, at the age of seventeen, to Watertown, where he was employed in the dry goods store of Cadey and Mosher, and later obtained a position in the Watertown postoffice. In i(S6i he went to Washington as a clerk in a wholesale army supply store, remaining there throughout the Civil war. In 1865 he returned to Watertown, where his brother, Roswell P. Flower, who subsequently became Governor of New York, had established a jewelry business. For some years Mr. Flower was associated with his brother, and in 1877 went to New York as one of the firm of R. P. Flower and Company, bankers, his position being that of junior partner. When the senior partner was elected governor of the state, he retired as a general partner and the firm name changed to Flower and Company, with Anson R., John D. Flower and Frederick S. Flower as general partners, and Governor Flower as special partner, a connection which was maintained until 1899, when it was dissolved by the death of Governor Flower. Soon after this event Mr. A. R. Flower succeeded to the position of special partner. Upon the formation of the firm it at once assumed a leading position in Wall street, a position which has strengthened and extended with the lapse of time. It has been prominently identified with the Chicago and North-Western Railway, the Rock Island Railroad, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, and a number of industrial enterprises. The members of this firm took a leading part in organizing the Federal Steel Company and the United States Steel Company. They also organized the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company by reorganizing the old Long Island Traction Company, thus absorbing all the surface and elevated lines in Brooklyn, except one.
Mr. Flower is a director of the Colonial Trust Company, the Rock Island Company of New Jersey, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, the Rock Island and Peoria Railroad Company, and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company. He is also a member of the executive committee of the last-named organization. He is a director in the Amalgamated Copper Company, the Nassau Electric Railroad Company of Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company of Brooklyn, the International Paper Company and the Peoples Gas Company of Chicago. He is vice-president and director of the Watertown Gas Company and director of the H. H. Babcock Company, carriage manufacturers of Watertown. He is one of the trustees of the Watertown Cemetery Association and of the Henry Keep Home, of which latter institution he was one of the incorporators. Mr. Flower’s works of charity, while wholly free from ostentation, are of uncommon magnitude. He makes it a habit to give one-tenth of his income yearly, although almost invariably his benefactions exceed that amount. Two of the churches at Theresa and one at Evans Mills received from him gifts of $1,500 each, while to a church at Felts Mills he gave $500. He is one of the trustees of the Flower Hospital of New York city, which was built by Governor Roswell P. Flower at a cost of $30,000, and also president of the board of trustees of the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital. Mr. Flower gave $25,000 toward the maintenance of this hospital and also bestowed on it a dispensary building which cost $23,500. He has given several thousand dollars to the Watertown City Hospital and $6,000 to Stonywald Sanatorium in the Adirondacks. He is a director of the Watertown Savings Bank, and over and above all his public philanthropies has assisted friends in the payment of mortgages and in various ways to an extent which will never be known save by himself.
Mr. Flower is a member of the Metropolitan Democratic and Manhattan clubs of New York city, the Ardsley Club, the Church Club, the City Midday, and member of the New York Stock Exchange. He is a vestryman of St. Thomas’ Protestant Episcopal church and junior warden in Trinity church at Watertown. This beautiful church was built by Mr. Flower and his brother, Governor Roswell P. Flower, at a cost of $90,000. The former, in addition, contributed towards the erection of the parish house, the rectory costing $10,000. The melodious chime of bells and the new organ, each of which cost $5,000, were the gifts of Mr. Flower to this church, in which he has been for many years an active worker and to which he has given so many proofs of devotion.
Mr. Flower married in 1870 Amelia Laura, daughter of Henry H. Babcock of Watertown. This union was of short duration, being terminated in 1874 by the death of Mrs. Flower. On December 31, 1878, Mr. Flower married his sister-in-law, Ida May Babcock, who is active in church work and various benevolent organizations, being thoroughly in unison with her husband’s kindliness of spirit and philanthropic devotion. Mr. and Mrs. Flower are without children.
Frederick Stanton Flower
VII. The name of Frederick Stanton Flower needs no introduction in either New York or Watertown, occupying as it does a leading place in the business and social worlds of both cities. He is a son of Colonel George W. Flower, the story of whose eventful life, as well as the history of the distinguished family from which he sprang, is given elsewhere in this work.
Frederick S. Flower was born February 8, 1858, in Theresa and received his education in the public schools of Watertown. He was afterward employed in the jewelry business conducted by his uncles, Roswell P. and Anson Ranney Flower, and subsequently assisted his father in mercantile business and in the management of railroads, including the Carthage, Sacketts Harbor & Watertown Railroad, and also some railroads in the west. Before attaining his majority Mr. Flower himself built four miles of the Chatfield branch of Winona and the St. Peter division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. He afterward came to New York and entered the banking house of his uncle, Governor Roswell P. Flower, with whom he was associated as business secretary. It was in 1878 that he came to New York and in 1884 he purchased a seat in the stock exchange and on the death of John D. Flower became head of the firm. He succeeded his uncle, Anson Ranney Flower, as director of the New York Air Brake Company and is a director of the Universal Gaslight Company of Chicago. He is one of the directors of the Langdon Zinc Company of Missouri, the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad Company and the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad. He is director and assistant treasurer of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. He is a trustee of the Flower Hospital and is much engaged in works of charity.
Mr. Flower is a member of numerous business arid benevolent organizations and social bodies, as below enumerated, with rank in each :
Director: Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad Company, Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company, Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad Company, Knickerbocker Telephone & Telegraph Company, Langdon Zinc Company, New York Air Brake Company, and Universal Gas Company of Chicago.
Trustee : Henry Keep Home, Flower Hospital, New York, New York Ophthalmic Hospital.
Member: Adirondack League Club, American Geographical Society, American Museum of Natural History, American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Ardsley Club, Ardsley Yacht Club, Atlantic Yacht Club, Columbia Yacht Club, Country Club of Westchester County, Democratic Club, Jefferson County Fishing Club, Jefferson County Golf Club, Jefferson County Society of the City of New York, Long Island Country Club. Lotos Club, Manhattan Club, Metropolitan Club, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Military Order of the Lnyal Legion of the United States, Municipal Art Society, National Horse Show Association, New England Society, New York Athletic CJub, New York Produce Exchange, New York Stock Exchange, New York Yacht Club, Pontiac Game Club, Racquet & Tennis Club, Riding Club, Stony Island Club, Union Club.
Mr. Flower married, February 18, 1903, Hilda Katherine, daughter of Milton E. Clark, of Leavenworth, Kansas. Mrs. Flower possesses a fine soprano voice and has sung in two New York churches — the Madison Avenue Reformed and St. Mark’s Protestant Episcopal. She has been celebrated as the prima donna of the Bostonians” Opera Company.
Source: Oakes, Rensselaer Allston, 1835-1904, [from old catalog] ed; Lewis publishing co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]. Genealogical and family history of the county of Jefferson, New York. New York, Chicago: The Lewis publishing company. 1905.