Levi C. Van Fleet Biography

Levi C. Van Fleet

      Levi C. Van Fleet was a lawyer and local politician, who was involved with the Prohibition Party and later the Democratic Party in Allegany County, New York.¹ Levi C. Van Fleet was born November 22, 1849, in New Hudson, New York. He was the son of Benjamin Van Fleet and Evaline (Carmer) Van Fleet. He had four siblings: Herman B. (b.1846), Harrison (b.1848), Arthur J. (b.1851), Sarah B. (b.1854). Levi grew up with his family in New Hudson.²
      Van Fleet went to college at Alfred University. After graduating, he began to study law. He read law with multiple lawyers and firms, including Luddington and DeCamp of Syracuse, Allentown and Mills of Port Jervis, and Rufus Scott of Wellsville. In 1877, he was admitted to the bar in Buffalo, New York.³
      After being admitted to the bar, Van Fleet moved to the town of Andover of New York and started practicing law. He moved to Michigan for a short time, but then moved back to Andover in 1879, and established a long-time law career in Andover.⁴ In 1894, he formed a law partnership with Jesse S. Phillips, which lasted for several years. In 1900, Phillips was elected as a Republican to the New York State Assembly. By 1901, the law partnership between the two was dissolved and Van Fleet returned to having a solo law practice in Andove.⁵
Levi C. Van Fleet married DeEtte Van Noy. They had one daughter, Bertha B. Van Fleet, who was born in 1884.⁶
      Van Fleet had become involved with the temperance movement at least as early as 1880. In that year, he delivered the welcoming address at the annual meeting of the Allegany County Temperance Association, held at Methodist Episcopal Church in Andover.⁷
      In the 1880s, Van Fleet had begun getting involved with local politics. He began his career as a local politician with the Prohibition Party in Allegany County. In the early 1880s. the Prohibition Party was starting to grow into a significant third-party political force in the state and country, was attracting a growing base of supporters, and building up its local level organizations. In Allegany County, Van Fleet and local Prohibitionists worked to establish the Allegany County Prohibition Party as an organization that could run and support candidates for county and state elections.⁸
      In 1883, Van Fleet was nominated as the Prohibition Party candidate for Allegany County District Attorney.⁹ The Republican Party nominated Oscar Fuller of Belmont, the Democratic Party had nominated Frank A. Harding of Friendship, and the Greenback Party had nominated Virgil A. Willard (who was also the Prohibition Party candidate state Attorney General in the same election).¹⁰ Van Fleet reportedly attracted support from a wide range of voters, including Prohibitionists, and voters that normally voted for Democratic or Republican candidates. The Rushford Spectator described Van Fleet as a strong temperance man and respected member of his community, who could appeal to voters that wanted strong enforcement of the law and wanted a district attorney who was not bound to the interests of the major parties. His efforts would end up bearing fruit on election day.¹¹
      In the 1883 election, Van Fleet attracted support from a significant portion of the county’s voters. He received 1,793 votes (19.20%) and came in 3rd place, behind Fuller and Harding. Van Fleet received the largest number of votes out of all the state and county Prohibition Party candidates in Allegany County. The Prohibition Party candidates overall did relatively well in Allegany County; with
3 most candidates receiving 1,500 or more votes and 15% of more of the total county vote in their races. In this respect, Van Fleet played a part in establishing the Prohibition Party as a significant political force within Allegany County.¹²
      In 1886, Van Fleet was once again nominated as the Prohibition Party candidate for District Attorney. He ran against Republican incumbent Oscar Fuller and Democratic candidate Charles A. Dolson of Andover. Van Fleet received 1,689 votes (20.26%) and came in third place behind Fuller and Dolson.¹³
      In 1888, Van Fleet attended the Prohibition Party Congressional District Convention in Olean, New York, as one of the delegates for Allegany County. The convention was comprised of 45 delegates from Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties. Van Fleet was selected to act as chairman of the convention. The convention nominated Medad S. Corey of Villenova, NY as its 1888 congressional candidate. The convention also formed a congressional campaign committee (headed by the chairmen of the Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua County Prohibition Party committees), selected delegates to the Prohibition Party’s 1888 national convention in Indianapolis, and passed a resolution mourning the death of former U.S. Senator from New York Roscoe Conkling.¹⁴
      In 1889, the Allegany County Prohibition Party nominated Van Fleet as its candidate for Allegany County Judge and Surrogate. He ran against Republican candidate S. McArthur Norton of Friendship, Democratic Candidate Frank M. Todd of Cuba, and Union Labor Party candidate Foster Dickinson of Genesee.¹⁵ Van Fleet received 1,051 votes (13.11%) and came in third place behind Norton and Todd.
      Van Fleet came in second place in several towns, including Alfred, Andover, Centerville, Friendship, Genesee, New Hudson, and West Almond. In Andover, he came only four votes behind Norton (153 to 157 votes). Overall, Van Fleet had attracted support from a significant part of the county’s voters.¹⁶
      In 1890, Levi Van Fleet ended up becoming the legal guardian of four children. In April of that year, Samuel C. Kemp Sr. had died, leaving behind his wife, five adult children, and four minor children.
      Van Fleet was appointed to act as the general guardian of the four youngest children: Emma L. Kemp, Isabelle Kemp, Mae Anna Kemp, and Samuel C. Kemp Jr.¹⁷ As guardian, he was tasked with managing the financial and property assets that the four children inherited from their father, until they reached legal adulthood, and held legal authority regarding certain decisions related to the care of the children. This legal guardianship was distinct from custodianship (which person was legally designated with the task of raising the children in their household).¹⁸ The children appear to have continued living under the custody of their mother for the remainder of their childhood, while Van Fleet managed their inheritance until they were old enough to manage it for themselves.¹⁹
      In 1895, Van Fleet was both a candidate of and a leading figure within the Allegany County Prohibition Party. In August of that year, Van Fleet attended the Allegany County Prohibition Party convention in Andover, where he was nominated as the party’s candidate for Allegany County Judge and Surrogate. In September, the Allegany County Prohibition Party held an organizational meeting, where Van Fleet was selected to be the chairman of the Allegany County Prohibition Party, as well as a member of its executive committee. As such, he spent the fall both running for office himself and working to lead Allegany Prohibition Party’s efforts to support its entire ticket of candidates in the 1895 elections.20 In the election, Van Fleet ran against Republican incumbent S. McArthur Norton of Friendship and
Democratic and People’s Party candidate Elba Reynolds of Belmont. Van Fleet received 611 votes (7.01%) and came in third place, behind Norton and Reynolds.²¹
      In 1896, Levi C. Fleet had changed his political affiliation from the Prohibition Party to the Democratic Party, and from that point forward was a local politician involved with the Allegany County Democratic Party. There comes the question of why Van Fleet had changed his party affiliation. While a recorded statement regarding his reasons for changing parties has yet to be found, available sources and the context of 1896 politics allow a possible reason to be inferred.²²
      In 1896, a set of debates shifted the political dynamics of the Democratic and Prohibition Parties. In the late 1800’s, there was a significant debate over the printing and minting of U.S. currency, and what should be used to back the value of U.S. currency. Some advocated for U.S. currency to be backed by gold in order to maintain a more stable value for U.S. currency. While others advocated for U.S. currency to be backed by silver or both gold and silver, in order to make the value of currency more flexible. And some, such as the Greenbackers, advocated for a fiat currency. As part of this, the free silver movement campaigned for having silver included in the U.S. monetary system and for the unlimited minting of silver coins; which they argued would create a flexible currency system that would benefit farmers, wage laborers, and people trying to pay off debts.²³ In 1896, William Jennings Bryan, a leading figure in the free silver movement (and a supporter of various reforms, including prohibition) won the Democratic Party nomination for president. Bryan had also gained the nomination of the Populist Party (which supported free silver).²⁴ The Republican Party nominated William McKinley, who supported the gold standard. McKinley would end up winning the 1896 election and signed the Gold Standard Act: making gold the basis for backing U.S. currency for the next 33 years.²⁵
      Within the Prohibition Party, there were growing contentions between the narrow-gauge and broad-gauge factions of the party. The narrow-gauge faction believed that the Prohibition Party should solely focus on the issue of prohibition and not hold stances on other issues, so as to try to attract support from the broadest number of voters that supported prohibition. The broad-gauge faction believed that prohibition was the most significant issue for the party, that the party should continue to hold positions on other issues and support other major reform efforts, so that the party could bring together a coalition of voters that supported social reform.²⁶ The tension between the factions came to a head at the Prohibition Party’s 1896 national convention in Pittsburg. The narrow-gauge faction had succeeded in selecting Joshua Levering and Hale Johnson as the party’s presidential ticket and created an 1896 platform focused solely on prohibition. A group of broad-gauge prohibitionists, known as the free-silver prohibitionists, broke away from the main national party organization and nominated their own rival presidential ticket of Charles Eugene Bentley and James H. Southgate, under the name, the National Party. As a result of the split, the Prohibition Party saw a significant decrease in votes in the 1896 election.²⁷ After the election, the two factions reconciled back into a single national organization, but still continued to debate with each other over the party’s platform and strategy. Though by 1904, the Prohibition Party had returned to having a broad-gauge national platform which held positions on a variety of issues, and in the early 20th century championed many of the key reforms of the Progressive era.²⁸ While many of the broad-gauge prohibitionists who were alienated in 1896 had returned to the party afterwards, some of them left the party permanently.²⁹
      Van fleet appears to have been one of the broad-gauge prohibitionists who ended up permanently leaving the party in 1896. In 1896, Van Fleet had delivered multiple speeches in Allegany County promoting the free-silver movement. This indicates that Van Fleet cared significantly about the silver issue and that while he believed the cause of prohibition to be important, that other reform causes were important as well.³⁰ In New York, the state Prohibition Party organization had sided with the party’s official presidential ticket, while the silver prohibitionists were unable to get their candidate on the ballot in the state.³¹ At the same time, the nomination of William Jennings Bryan presented an option for New Yorkers focused on the free-silver issue and made the Democratic Party more attractive to voters supporting the free silver cause. These shifting political dynamics and Van Fleet’s support for the free-silver cause may help to explain why he chose to switch to the Democratic Party.³²
      After joining the Democratic Party, Van Fleet quickly rose to become a prominent figure in the Allegany County Democratic Party. In 1896, Van Fleet was one of the contenders for the Democratic nomination for state assembly at the Allegany County Democratic Party convention in Belfast.³³ He received support from the Bourbon faction of the county’s Democratic Party. The Bourbon Democrats were a subgroup of the Democrats who tended to have conservative/ classical liberal views, tended to support laissez-faire economics, the gold standard, and civil service reform, opposed protectionism, opposed Tammany Hall, and supported politicians such as Grover Cleveland. While Van Fleet differed from the Bourbons on at least some issues (notably his support for free-silver and prohibition), the local Bourbon Democrats saw him as a viable figure to support.³⁴ The other main contenders at the convention were the group supporting P.J. Quinn of Belfast and a group that wanted to endorse Republican candidate Frederick A. Robbins. Van Fleet came in 2nd place at the convention with 28 votes, compared to 47 votes for Quinn. The Populist Party in Allegany County also nominated Quinn as part of a deal where the Democratic Party agreed to endorse the Populist candidates for County Treasurer and County School Commissioner. Quinn would end up coming in second to Robbins in the general election. While Van Fleet did not win the nomination, he still had achieved a degree of prominence with the Allegany County Democratic Party.³⁵
      In 1898, Van Fleet acted as chairman of the Allegany County Democratic Convention and had received the Democratic nomination for state assembly. His opponents included Republican incumbent Almanzo W. Litchard of Rushford and Prohibition Party candidate Sylvester D. Pickett of Cuba. Van Fleet received 3,106 votes (32.27%) and came in second place to Litchard. He came in 1st place in the towns of Almond, Andover, Birdsall, and Ward. Van Fleet appears to have been the Democratic Party’s highest performing candidate in Allegany County in the 1898 election; with the party’s candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Congress each receiving less than 3,000 votes. This was the second time that Van Fleet was the leading vote receiver for his party’s ticket in Allegany County.³⁶
      In 1899, Van Fleet was appointed as the Village Attorney for the village of Andover. As Village Attorney, he was the primary figure for handling legal issues for the village.³⁷ In the same year, the Allegany County Democratic Party selected Van Fleet as one of its delegates to the party’s 8th District judicial convention.38 The convention was held at the Genesee Hotel in Buffalo, NY. There was a contentious debate as to whether they would nominate candidates for all three open positions for justices in the 8th District of the New York Supreme Court, or just one. The convention opted to nominate three candidates and selected John Cuneen, Charles F. Tabor, and Louis Braunlein as its candidates. The Democratic candidates ended up being beaten by the three Republican candidates for justices, Warren B. Hooker, Daniel J. Kenefick, and Truman C. White.³⁹
      In 1901, Van Fleet ran as the Democratic candidate for Town Supervisor of Andover. His opponents were Republican Party candidate Henry Stephens and Prohibition Party candidate H. Wisnor Cook. Van Fleet received 205 votes (40.28) and came in 2nd place, while Stephens won with 284 votes (55.80%) and Cook received 20 votes (3.93%).⁴⁰
      In the same year, the Allegany County Democratic Party nominated Van Fleet as its candidate for Allegany County Judge and Surrogate.⁴¹ His opponents in the race were Republican candidate Elba Reynolds and Prohibition Party candidate Walter T. Bliss of Bolivar. Elba Reynolds had been the Democratic candidate for county judge back in 1895, but after becoming alienated with the Allegany County Democratic party had switched to the Republican Party. Walter Bliss was a lawyer and long-time local Prohibition Party politician, who was the Prohibition Party candidate for Allegany County District Attorney in 1895 and 1898.42 Van Fleet received 1,869 votes (28.50%) and came in second place, while Reynolds received 4,205 votes (64.13%) and Bliss received 483 votes (7.37%). This election was the last time that Van Fleet ran as a candidate for county office.⁴³
      While the 1901 election was the last time that Van Fleet ran for countywide office, Van Fleet continued to be involved with local politics and the Democratic Party. In 1903, Van Fleet represented Andover on the Allegany County Democratic Committee.⁴⁴
      In 1907, Van Fleet bought in the town of Alma, and subsequently moved. He would spend the latter part of his life living in Alma.⁴⁵
      By 1911, Van Fleet had begun running for town office in Alma. In that year, he ran as the Democratic candidate for Town Supervisor. His opponent was Republican candidate E.J. Richardson. Van Fleet received 101 votes (45.08%) to 123 votes (54.91%) for Richardson.⁴⁶
      In 1915, Van Fleet ran as the Democratic candidate for Town Supervisor of Alma again. His opponent in the race was Republican candidate Sidney J. Cleveland. Van Fleet won the election, with 110 votes (63.58%) to 63 votes (36.42%) for Cleveland.⁴⁷ As Alma Town Supervisor, Van Fleet was the head of the town government, tasked with managing various aspects of the town government’s services and activities. As Town Supervisor, Van Fleet was a member of Allegany County’s Board of Supervisors.       The Board of Supervisors was the legislative body of the county government at the time, whose functions included creating county laws, managing finances, and overseeing the operations of county departments. As part of the Board of Supervisors, Van Fleet served on the Committee on Equalization and Apportionment and the Committee on Town Expenses. As such, Van Fleet was involved with both managing the operations of both the Alma town government and the Allegany County government.⁴⁸
      In 1917, Van Fleet ran for reelection as Alma Town Supervisor. His opponent was Republican candidate E.E. Bartlett. Van Fleet won the election, with 130 votes to 45 votes for Bartlett, and spent another two years managing the town government and participating in the County Board of Supervisors.⁴⁹
      In 1919, Van Fleet sought to run for another term as Town Supervisor. His opponent was Republican candidate Geo W. Hill. Van Fleet narrowly lost the election by 6 votes. Van Fleet had received 117 votes (48.75), while Hill received 123 votes (51.25%). Van Fleet finished his last term as Town Supervisor and returned to his private life.⁵⁰
      Levi C. Van Fleet spent the last years of his life living in Alma. He died in November 1923. His funeral was held at his daughter’s home and he was buried in Black Creek Cemetery, in New Hudson, New York.⁵¹ Throughout his life, Levi C. Van Fleet was a lawyer, local politician, and Town Supervisor. Throughout his political career, he had been a significant figure in the Allegany Prohibition Party and later the Allegany Democratic Party. Van Fleet’s political career reflects some of the political dynamics and shifts that were going on in Allegany County, New York State, and the United States during the late 19th and early 20th century.⁵²

Sources:

1 Clarence Ricker, “To the Voters of Allegany County”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), October 30, 1901, Accessed, March 24, 2022 ;
“Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze, (Bolivar, New York), September 18, 1896, Accessed, March 24, 2022";
“Levi C. Van Fleet for District Attorney”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), November 1, 1883, Accessed, March 25, 2022;
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2 Ronald Taylor, “New Hudson Cemeteries: Black Creek Cemetery-- T-Z”, Allegany County Historical Society, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.alleganyhistory.org/index.php/research/cemeteries/k-o/new-hudson198/3450-black-creek-cemetery-t-z; Minard, Allegany County and its People: A Centennial Memorial History of Allegany County, 286; “Levi C Vanfleet (1849-1923)”. Find a Grave, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34511219/levi-c-vanfleet; “Levi C Van Fleet”, FamilySearch
3 Minard, Allegany County and its People: A Centennial Memorial History of Allegany County, 286; “Admitted to the Bar”, Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, (Buffalo, New York), June 16, 1877, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/343984206/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1; “Another Crop of Lawyers”, Democrat and Chronicle, (Rochester, New York), June 18, 1877, Accessed, March 27. 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/135079127/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1
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7 “The Allegany County Temperance Association”, Genesee Valley Free Press, (Wellsville, New York), January 21, 1880, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-genesee-valley-free-press/1880-01-21/page-3/
8 “Levi C. Van Fleet for District Attorney”, Rushford Spectator; Lisa M.F. Andersen, The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869- 1933, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013), 99-142; D. Leigh. Colvin, Prohibition in the United States: A History of the Prohibition Party and the Prohibition Movement, (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1926), 123-201; Jonathan Makeley, “The Impact of John St. John’s Campaign in New York State on the Results of the 1884 Presidential Election”, University at Buffalo, 2018, Prohibitionists.org, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Pdfiles/St_John_Paper- Spoiler_in_the_Election_of_1884.pdf. 1-39; “The Temperance Convention”, Allegany County Democrat, (Wellsville, New York), September 12, 1883, Accessed, March 27,2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-democrat/1883-09-12/page-3/;
“Prohibition Convention”, Allegany County Republican, (Wellsville, New York), September 14, 1883, Accessed, March 27, 2022,
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11 “Levi C. Van Fleet for District Attorney”, Rushford Spectator
12 “Levi C. Van Fleet for District Attorney”, Rushford Spectator; W.R. Smith, “The Official Canvas for Allegany County, N.Y., For the Year 1883”
13 “Prohibition Nominations”, Friendship Register, (Friendship, New York), September 8, 1886, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/friendship-register/1886-09-08/page-2/; “Prohibition Meeting”, Cuba Patriot, (Cuba, New York), August 26, 1886, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/cuba-patriot/1886-08-26/page-5/; “Well Done”, Friendship Weekly Register, (Friendship, New York), November 4, 1886, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/friendship-weekly-register/1886-11- 04/page-4/; “Official Figures: The Vote of Allegany County”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 11, 1886, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1886-11-11/page-3/; “Democratic County Convention”, Friendship Weekly Register, (Friendship, New York), October 21, 1886, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/friendship-weekly-register/1886- 10-21/
14 “Proceedings of the Congressional District Convention”, Friendship Register, (Friendship, New York), April 25, 1888, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/friendship-register/1888-04-25/page-2/; “Andover”, Friendship Register, (Friendship, New York), April 25, 1888, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/friendship-register/1888-04-25/page-3/; “NY District 34 Race - Nov 06, 1888”, Our Campaigns, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=732466; "Roscoe Conkling", Encyclopedia Britannica, October 26, 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roscoe-Conkling.
15 “Official Canvas for Allegany County for 1889”, Allegany County Democrat, (Wellsville, New York), November 20, 1889, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-democrat/1889-11-20/page-2/; “Local and General News”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), August 29, 1889, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/rushford-spectator/1889-08-29/page-5/; “The Prohibitionists of Allegany County have nominated the following county ticket”, Cuba Patriot, (Cuba, New York), August 29, 1889, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/cuba-patriot/1889-08-29/page-6/; “County Ticket Placed in Nomination by Prohibitionists”, Democrat and Chronicle, (Rochester, New York), August 24, 1889, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/135130740/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1; “Allegany County”, Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, (Buffalo, New York), November 4, 1889, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/344107769/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1; “About the County”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), March 13, 1889, Accessed, March 27. 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1889-03-13/page-3/; “The Fourth,Ticket”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York). October 3, 1889. Accessed, March 27, 2022,
https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1889-10-03/page-4/; “The Republican Candidate for County Judge”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), September 12, 1889, Accessed, March 27, 2022 https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany- county-reporter/1889-09-12/page-4/; “Democratic Convention”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), September 26, 1889, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1889-09-26/page-7/
16 “Official Canvas for Allegany County for 1889”, Allegany County Democrat
17 “Surrogate’s Court”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), December 4, 1890, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1890-12-04/page-5/; “Samuel C Kemp”, FamilySearch, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/K4T9-4DQ.
18 Surrogate’s Court”, Allegany County Reporter; Lawrence M, Friedman, Joana L Grossman, and Chris Guthree, “Guardianship: A Research Note”, American Journal of Legal History, 1996, https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1090&context=law_faculty; Michael Grossberg, “Who Gets the Child? Custody, Guardianship, and the Rise of a Judicial Patriarchy in Nineteenth-Century America”, Feminist Studies 9, no. 2 (1983): 235–60, https://doi.org/10.2307/3177489.
19 Surrogate’s Court”, Allegany County Reporter; “Samuel C Kemp: 21 January 1881 – 13 November 1904”, FamilySearch, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/9X98-48Z; Mae Anna Kemp, FamilySearch, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L44L-CVX; “Samuel Kemp: New York State Census, 1892”, FamilySearch, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQSW-4YD
20 “Today at Andover”, Rushford Spectator; “Complete County Vote”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 7, 1895, Accessed March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1895-11-07/page-4/; “News Hereabouts”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), September 26, 1895, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/rushford-spectator/1895-09-26/; “Allegany: Prominent Speakers for the Wellsville Fair- Various Notes and News”, Democrat and Chronicle, (Rochester, New York), August 30, 1895, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/135230923/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1
21 “Complete County Vote”, Wellsville Daily Reporter; “Allegany’s Vote”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 8, 1895, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1895-11-08/page-4/; Green, George A. “To The Voters of Allegany County”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), October 31, 1895, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville- daily-reporter/1895-10-31/page-5/
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23 Andersen, The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869-1933, 140-191; Colvin, Prohibition in the United States: A History of the Prohibition Party and the Prohibition Movement, 238-261; “William Jennings Bryan”, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Jennings-Bryan; "Free Silver Movement", Encyclopedia Britannica, April 9, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/Free-Silver-Movement; Alan Gevinson, “Silverites, Populists, and the Movement for Free Silver”, Teachinghistory.org, Accessed March 28, 2022, https://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/25222.
24 “William Jennings Bryan”, Encyclopædia Britannica; Mark Lawrence Schrad, “Why Do We Blame Women for Prohibition?”, POLITICO Magazine, January 13, 2019, https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/13/prohibition-women-blame-history-223972/; "Free Silver Movement", Encyclopedia Britannica; Gevinson, “Silverites, Populists, and the Movement for Free Silver”
25 “William Jennings Bryan”, Encyclopædia Britannica; "Gold Standard Act", Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History, Encyclopedia.com, (February 28, 2022), https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gold-standard-act; Gevinson, “Silverites, Populists, and the Movement for Free Silver”
26 Andersen, The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869-1933, 140-191; “Prohibition presidential/vice-presidential candidates: 1872 – present”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, January 25, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Candidates/candidates.html; Colvin, Prohibition in the United States: A History of the Prohibition Party and the Prohibition Movement, 238-261
27“1896 Prohibition Party Platform”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, March 26, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html; Andersen, The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869-1933, 140-191; “Prohibition presidential/vice-presidential candidates: 1872 – present”, Prohibitionists.org; Colvin, Prohibition in the United States: A History of the Prohibition Party and the Prohibition Movement, 238-261
28 “1904 Prohibition Party Platform”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, March 26, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html; “1908 Prohibition Party Platform”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, March 26, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html; “1912 Prohibition Party Platform”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, March 26, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html; “1916 Prohibition Party Platform”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, March 26, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html; “1920 Prohibition Party Platform”, Prohibitionists.org, Partisan Prohibition Historical Society, Accessed, March 26, 2022, http://www.prohibitionists.org/Background/Party_Platform/party_platform.html; Andersen, The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869-1933, 140-191; “Prohibition presidential/vice-presidential candidates: 1872 – present”, Prohibitionists.org; Colvin, Prohibition in the United States: A History of the Prohibition Party and the Prohibition Movement, 238-261; 304-471
29 Andersen, The Politics of Prohibition: American Governance and the Prohibition Party, 1869-1933, 140-191; Colvin, Prohibition in the United States: A History of the Prohibition Party and the Prohibition Movement, 238-261; 304-471
30 “Local News”, Whitesville News, (Whiteville, New York), October 1, 1896, Accessed, March 24, 2022"; “Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze; “Talked for 53 Cent Dollars: L.C. Van Fleet Esp. of Andover Preaches on Silver Fanaticism”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), August 11, 1896, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1896-08-11/page-4/; “Town Talk”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), October 29, 1896, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/rushford-spectator/1896-10-29/page-3/
31 David Leip, “1896 Presidential General Election Results - New York”, USElectionAtlas.org, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1896&fips=36&f=1; “Prohibitionists: Platform Adopted at Syracuse Convention”, Star-Gazette, (Elmira, New York), August 20, 1896, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/275552013/?terms=prohibition%20state%20convention%20president&match=1
32 “Local News”, Whitesville News, October 1, 1896; “Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze; “Talked for 53 Cent Dollars: L.C. Van Fleet Esp. of Andover Preaches on Silver Fanaticism”, Allegany County Reporter; “William Jennings Bryan”, Encyclopædia Britannica; “Town Talk”, Rushford Spectator
33 “Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze; “P.J. Quinn Nominated”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), September 15, 1896, Accessed, March 25, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1896-09-15/page-4/
34 “Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze; “P.J. Quinn Nominated”, Allegany County Reporter; “Bourbon Democrat”, Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, Accessed, March 25, 2022, https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/2038129.; “Bourbon Democracy”, Reference.JRank.Org, Accessed, March 25, 2022, https://reference.jrank.org/populism/Bourbon_Democracy.html.
35 “Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze; “P.J. Quinn Nominated”, Allegany County Reporter
36 “Republican Landslide: The Town of Bolivar Gave Roosevelt 26 Plurality”, Bolivar Breeze, (Bolivar, New York), November 10, 1898, Accessed, March 24, 2022"; George A. Green, “To The Voters of Allegany County”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 3, 1898, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1898-11-03/page-3/; W.R. Smith, “The Official Canvas for Allegany County, N.Y., For the Year 1883”; “Pluralities in the County”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 9, 1899, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1899-11-09/page-2/; “The Vote in the County”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), November 10, 1898, Accessed, March 28, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/rushford-spectator/1898-11-10/page-3/
37 “From All Over Allegany County”, Bolivar Breeze, (Bolivar, New York), April 13, 1899, Accessed, March 24, 2022"; “Democratic Co. Convention”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), September 6, 1898, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1898-09-06/page-4/
38 “Democratic County Convention”, Bolivar Breeze, (Bolivar, New York), September 28, 1899, Accessed, March 24, 2022";
39 Geo A. Green, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 1, 1899, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1899-11-01/page-2/; “Democratic Judicial Nominations”, Buffalo Courier, (Buffalo, New York), October 5, 1899, Accessed, March 27, 1899, https://www.newspapers.com/image/363168185/?terms=democratic%20judicial%20convention&match=1; “Democrats Can’t Get Together”, Buffalo Evening News, (Buffalo, New York), October 4, 1899, Accessed, March 26, 2022,
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40 “Results in the County: The Vote in Detail and in Neighboring Towns”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), March 8, 1901, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1901-03-08/page-4/
41 Ricker, “To the Voters of Allegany County”; “Democratic Nominations”, Whitesville News, (Whiteville, New York), October 10, 1901, Accessed, March 24, 2022";
“Democratic County Convention”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), October 10, 1901, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/rushford-spectator/1901-10-10/; “County Convention of Democrats Held at Cuba- Resolutions of Sorrow”, Democrat and Chronicle, (Rochester, New York), October 4, 1901, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/135257307/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1
42 Ricker, “To the Voters of Allegany County”; “Republican Landslide: The Town of Bolivar Gave Roosevelt 26 Plurality”, Bolivar Breeze; Jonathan Makeley, “Biography of Walter T. Bliss”, NewYorkProhibition.Wixsite.com, February 2022, https://615c4beb-b241-4f4a-a6b4- a074dc02ce34.filesusr.com/ugd/2cc7be_ac69b383d60240789a062d3e39944406.pdf, 1-6
43 Ricker, “To the Voters of Allegany County”; “Allegany County’s Vote: Complete Vote from Every Town, As Filed with the County Clerk’s Office”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 8, 1901, Accessed, March 24 ,2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county- reporter/1901-11-08/page-4/; Makeley, “Biography of Walter T. Bliss”, 1-6
44 Ricker, “To the Voters of Allegany County”; “County Convention: The Democrats in Allegany Met in Convention in Cuba, Sept. 15, and Nominated a County Ticket”, Bolivar Breeze, (Bolivar, New York), September 24, 1903, Accessed, March 24, 2022";
45 “Late Local News”, Bolivar Breeze, (Bolivar, New York), April 4, 1907, Accessed, March 24, 2022"; “Levi C Van Fleet”, FamilySearch; “H.B. Van Fleet of Belfast Dead”, Buffalo Times, (Buffalo, New York), March 3, 1919, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/441695741/?terms=levi%20van%20fleet&match=1; “Shinglehouse”, Times Herald
46 “In The County: How the Towns Voted Throughout Allegany County- Complete Vote”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 10, 1911, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1911-11-10/page-3/; “Supervisors in Session”, Rushford Spectator, (Rushford, New York), November 14, 1912, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/rushford- spectator/1912-11-14/
47 “County Vote”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 3, 1915, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1915-11-03/page-4/; “Republicans of Alma”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), October 26, 1915, Accessed, March 27,1915, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1915-10-26/page-4/; “Supervisors Elect”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 3, 1915, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville- daily-reporter/1915-11-03/page-3/
48 L.C. Van Fleet, “Town of Alma: Highway, Bridge, and Miscellaneous Report for 1916”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), January 15, 1917, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1917-01-15/page-2/; “County Vote”, Wellsville Daily Reporter; E.J. Richardson, “Town of Alma: Highway, Bridge, and Miscellaneous Report for 1915”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), January 5, 1916, Accessed, March 26, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1916-01-05/page-6/; New York Department of Social Welfare, Annual Report of the State Board of Charities for the Year 1915, Vol.2, (Albany: J.B Lyon Company, 1916), Supervisors Elect”, Wellsville Daily Reporter;“Supervisors at Belmont”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 13, 1917, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1917-11-13/page-3/; “Board of Supervisors”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), February 5, 1916, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1916-02-05/page-6/
49 “The Vote in Alma”, Wellsville Daily Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 10, 1917, Accessed, March 27,2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-daily-reporter/1917-11-10/page-6/; “Supervisors at Belmont”, Wellsville Daily Reporter
50 “Levi C Van Fleet”, FamilySearch; “H.B. Van Fleet of Belfast Dead”, Buffalo Times; “Alma Goes Republican”, Allegany County Reporter, (Wellsville, New York), November 7, 1919, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://howepubliclibrary.newspaperarchive.com/wellsville-allegany-county-reporter/1919-11-07/page-4/
51 Taylor, “New Hudson Cemeteries: Black Creek Cemetery-- T-Z”; “Levi C Vanfleet (1849-1923)”. Find a Grave; “Levi C Van Fleet”, FamilySearch; “Funeral L.C. Van Fleet”, Times Herald, (Olean, New York), December 4, 1923, Accessed, March 27, 2022, https://www.newspapers.com/image/35541175/?terms=l.c.%20van%20fleet&match=1; Bertha B Warner”, FamilySearch; “Shinglehouse”, Times Herald
52 Ricker, “To the Voters of Allegany County”; “Today at Andover”, Rushford Spectator; “From All Over Allegany County”, Bolivar Breeze; “Democratic County Convention: Held at Belfast Last Friday”, Bolivar Breeze; “Levi C. Van Fleet for District Attorney”, Rushford Spectator; “P.J. Quinn Nominated”, Allegany County Reporter; Van Fleet, “Town of Alma: Highway, Bridge, and Miscellaneous Report for 1916”; “Complete County Vote”, Wellsville Daily Reporter; Minard, Allegany County and its People: A Centennial Memorial History of Allegany County, 286; “Allegany’s Vote”, Allegany County Reporter

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-- Contributed by Jonathan Makeley

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