Professor Elisha Curtiss.
Sodus Record_______23, 1914
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The death of Elisha Curtiss, one of
the best known citizens of Wayne
county, occurred Monday night at his
home in this village following a long
and painfui illness of cancer. Mr.
Curtiss came to Sodus fifty years ago
and has been closely associated with
the educational, business and political
interests of the county ever since.
For thirty-nine years he was at the
head of the Sodus school, during the
time it was an academy under the:
old educational system, and after it
became a high school, under the new
regime. At one time he was state
inspector of teachers training classes
and at the time of his death he was one
of the school directors in this superin-
dendency district. Most of those in
the, active business life of this local-
ity were at one time his pupils and
they have found him as ready with
sound advice and sage counsel in their
business affairs as they found him
helpful in their school days. Probably
few, If any, men in the county were
sought by so many as friend and ad-
viser. In addition, to his regular duties
as principal he was a lecturer at
teachers' Institutes and before other
educational gatherings for many
years. He was keenly interested in
school work throughout his long life
and his pupils found in him not only
an able instructor but a personal
friend, whose wide experience made
his advice of great value.
in the sixties he became associated
in business with the late A. B. Williams
and remained in that connection
until the death of Mr. Williams, and
the re-orginazation of the company in
l905. He was one of the organizers
and vice-president of the First National
Bank of Sodus and an organizer
and secretary of the Farmers and
Traders National Life Insurance
Company, with the main office in
Syracuse. Besides these he has
been Interested in many minor
business enterprises his judgment
being unusually accurate and keen.
In politics Professor Curtiss was a
Democrat and an acknowledged leader.
He had no personal ambitions along
this line, but he did much active
work in behalf of friends. His political
acquaintances extended to governors and
high In the councils of the party.
He has been a Mason for years and
was a past high priest of Sodus Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons. He was also
an elder in the Presbyterian church
and a teacher in the Sunday school,
and he will be greatly missed in all,
church activities. On, Wednesday his
body lay in state from noon. until half
past two o'clock, with the elders of;
the church as as guard of honor. Many
from this church and other localities called
at the church to pay the last tribute of
respect to the man who has left such
a deep and abiding mark upon the social,
business, political and religious
life of the county.
Mr. Curtiss was one of a family of
thirteen children. He was born in
Elllsburg, Jefferson county on June
7th, 1840. One brother, Jerome S.
Curtiss, of Lacona, and two sisters;
Mrs. Carrie Hill of Mannsville and
Mrs. Betsy Auyer of Jordan are the
only survivors of his family. of his:
immediate family he leaves his wife,
who was Miss Josephine Allen of Sodus,
a daughter. Miss Harriette A.
Curtiss, and a son, Willis D. Curtiss,,
both of Sodus.