Ackerson Family papers

Collection — Box: 1-20, 21+

Identifier: MS 168

Staff Only

Collection includes extensive diaries from 1872-1968 of Fred Ackerson and his parents, Charles F. and Mary Jane Nellist Ackerson, and his second wife, Elizabeth V. Ackerson. Diaries include clippings and photographs of people and places in Niagara County, New York. Also included are personal papers of Fred M. Ackerson which document his personal, political, and professional life as an orator, teacher, lawyer, Niagara County District Attorney, and judge on the New York Court of Claims from 1915 to 1940. Continuing the family story are diaries from 1971 to 1996 of Fred's son, Charles F. Ackerson, who was a high school math teacher and civil engineer/surveyor in Olean, (Cattaraugus County) New York.

Dates

1864-1996
Majority of material found within (1872-1996 )

Creator

Ackerson, Fred Morris (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Terms of Access

The Ackerson Family Papers are open for research.

Copyright

Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Extent

17.2087 Linear Feet (3 manuscript boxes, 3 legal manuscript boxes, 1 flat box, 11 cartons, 2 folders, 1 oversize box)

Additional Description

Overview

Diaries and personal papers of Fred M. Ackerson which document life in Niagara County, New York, and a professional legal and judicial career in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Also includes diaries of Fred's wife and parents and those of his son, Charles F. Ackerson who lived in Olean, (Cattaraugus County) New York.

Biographical Note

Fred Morris Ackerson was born June 6, 1866 to Charles F. Ackerson and Mary Jane Nellist Ackerson. Raised in the Town of Somerset, Niagara County, New York he attended the University of Buffalo Law School and had a long career as practicing attorney, Niagara County District Attorney, and judge on the New York State Court of Claims. In 1892 he married Evangeline Hotaling who died in 1905. They had one child, Leah, born December 4, 1893. In 1909 he married Elizabeth C. Vogt. They had three children: Mary Elizabeth, born July 17, 1910; Charles Frederick, born October 7, 1911; and Alda Katherine, born May 25, 1913. Leah Ackerson Handte, widow of New York violinist Frederick Handte, was a teacher at the Friends Academy in Locust Valley, Long Island, New York. Charles F. Ackerson married Jean Tothill and was a high school math teacher and civil engineer/surveyor in Olean, New York.

Chronology for Fred M. Ackerson

1837: Fred's father Charles Frederic Ackerson born
1843: Fred's mother Mary Jane Nellist Ackerson born
1866: Fred M. Ackerson born June 6, 1866, Town of Somerset, Niagara County, New York
[approximately 1873 - 1881]: Attended District Schools No. 8 and 16, Town of Somerset
1881-1882: Somerset Academic School, Somerset Corners
1883-1884: Yates Academy, Orleans County
1884-1889: Brockport Normal School, graduating in Classical Course; Principal and teacher at Somerset School Districts 2 and 15, 1887-1888
September 1889: Began clerking in the law offices of John E. and Cuthbert W. Pound
1890: Federal census enumerator, Town of Somerset
1890-1892: University of Buffalo Law School, Bachelor of Law degree; Admitted to the bar, June 1892
1892: Married Evangeline Hotaling on August 10, 1892, daughter of Doctor and Mrs. Irving W. Hotaling of Somerset, New York
1892-1894: Practiced law in Buffalo, New York with Judge William W. Hammond and Charles S. Hatch (Hammond, Hatch & Ackerson)
1893: Daughter Leah born December 4, 1893
1894-1915: Practiced law in Niagara Falls, New York [from 1900 to 1915 in partnership with Judge John O. Chapin]
1896: Elected Justice of the Peace, City of Niagara Falls
1899: Appointed to the City of Niagara Falls, Board of Education by Mayor Arthur C. Hastings
1902-1907: Assistant District Attorney, Niagara County
1904: Fred's father Charles Frederic Ackerson died October 28, 1904
1905: Evangeline Hotaling Ackerson died
1907: Elected District Attorney, Niagara County
1909: Married Elizabeth C. Vogt, daughter of Jacob B. and Mary S. Whitney Vogt, June 29, 1909
1910: Daughter Mary Elizabeth born July 17, 1910; Re-elected District Attorney, Niagara County
1911: Son Charles Frederick born October 7, 1911
1913: Re-elected District Attorney, Niagara County; Daughter Alda Katherine born May 25, 1913 (died 1924)
1915-1936: Appointed a judge on the New York Court of Claims, February 16, 1915, by Governor Charles S. Whitman.; Presiding Judge, 1916-1929; Retired December 31, 1936 because of age limit
1937: Fred's mother Mary J. Ackerson died October 3, 1937
1937-1940: Appointed Official Referee of the Court of Claims by the Justices of the Appellate Division, Supreme Court, Fourth Department, February 26, 1937; Designated Acting Judge of Court of Claims by presiding judge James J. Barrett, March 1937; Retired due to health, September 30, 1940
1956: Fred M. Ackerson died December 28, 1956
1968: Elizabeth V. Ackerson (Fred's 2nd wife) died November 29, 1968
1996: Son Charles F. Ackerson died April 10, 1996