JOHN MARCH, Rochester, New York.
The subject of this sketch was born in Stark, Herkimer County, New York, on May 27, 1840. His father was Peter March, a prominent farmer, who afterward engaged in railroad contracting and the manufacture of fanning mills. Mr. March left school at the age of 15 and for the next three years engaged in mason work, beginning his railroad career in the summer of 1858. For three years he engaged in wiping engines and in other shop duties with the Erie at the Corning shops, leaving in 1861 to enlist in Company A of the Twenty-third New York Volunteers, under Captain Schlick. He fought in the battles of Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg and others of minor importance, being honorably discharged in 1863 at the expiration of his period of enlistment. He returned to the employ of the Erie and fired two months, and then re-enlisted in the Twenty-second New York Cavalry under Captain Bennett, and was in all the campaigns of General Sheridan until 1866, when he was again honorably discharged. He then took a well-earned rest, and in 1868 again entered the employ of the Erie, and after firing two months on a switch engine in the Buffalo yards was given a local run between Avon and Buffalo, which he held until 1870, when he was promoted to engineer. Since then he has run on the Buffalo Falls Branch, International and Rochester Division, at present having a passenger between Rochester and Elmira.
On January 3, 1870, Mr. March was married to Miss Martha A. Pier of Corning, New York, who died at Avon in January, 1887. They had one child, Jennie, who is the wife of E. Brown, a fireman on the Erie. On November 19, 1892, Mr. March was united in marriage to Miss Clara Hallister, daughter of Monroe M. Hallister, a paint and oil dealer of Rochester. Mr. March is a member of Division 15, B. of L. E., and of Rochester Post No. 620, G. A. R. He and his good wife are regarded as among the best people of Rochester and they have the esteem of a wide circle of acquaintances.
Excerpted from: "American Locomotive Engineers, Erie Railway Edition," H.R. Romans Editor; Crawford-Adsit Company Publishers, Chicago, IL 1899.