april buffalo new_york businessman fortune stores merged stores cousins form went hold prominent positions merged company father grandfather founders biography born april russell saint lawrence county new_york father farmer married james grandfather fought american revolution line come massachusetts belfast ireland attended russell district school gone high school began teach school career seventeen moved hart michigan years worked left reading pennsylvania entered partnership cousins later donated dedicated july served town merged initially partner jointly opening reading pennsylvania store september entire life savings reading store hours sales partners took walk returned find local factory workers let sales partners looked second store newark new_jersey short lived partnership nonetheless venture pennsylvania enabled buy newark lease partnered frank open buffalo store main street october able buy cousins maintained business relationship cousins fact bought merchandise wholesale traded competition formed brief partnership friendly rival opening buffalo cent store established headquarters buffalo store sources disagree chronology later stores source says second buffalo store opened william street june says opened second store december main street days store main street destroyed wonderland building fire store replaced main street december fire moved continued build cent store empire time incorporation second largest store operators canadian locations received million million merger proceeds appointed director senior vice principal corporation remembered pioneering city center store operator detroit michigan store outside agricultural small market towns friendly rivals emulated plan purchased interests death vice president chairman generations family serve chairman personal life married raised children grandchildren original principal owners grace established fund donated bred champion polo died buffalo new_york
Seymour H. Knox I