BRADFORD ALMY
pp. 44-45

Bradford Almy, the present county judge and surrogate of Tompkins county, was born in the town of Enfield, this county, February 10, 1845. He comes of an honorable ancestry which is traceable far into the past. His father, also named Bradford, was born in Ithaca, October 19, 1819, and died January 12, 1892. His chief occupation was farming, and while not a public man, he was somewhat prominent in the community and was accorded the full respect of all. He was personally opposed to the acceptance of public preferment, but finally accepted the office of highway commissioner after being twice elected against his wishes. He was also a captain in the militia in the town of Enfield until the repeal of the old militia law. His wife was Marietta Cronk, who was born in the town of Ulysses. Her father was of Prussian descent and came to Tompkins county from Connecticut. Her mother's name was Gould, of Stratford, Conn.

The grandfather of Bradford Almy (the subject) was a native of Newport, R.I., where he was born in 1776. He was an early pioneer westward, and first bought 1,800 acres of land in the township of Brokenstraw, Bradford county, Pa., but a little later came to Covert, Seneca county, where other members of his family had settled. There was patriotic blood in his veins, and in 1812 he enlisted, served honorable, and was twice wounded at Lundy's Lane. In the then primitive condition of surgery, the bullets could not be removed from his body, though he passed much time in hospitals and suffered several operations. He died in Ithaca, at No 53 North Aurora street, in May, 1823, while his son, the father of Judge Almy, was a child. On the male side the Almys were of Quaker descent, and came from William Almy, who emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1630. Through the wife of the grandfather of the subject, whose name was Paddock, the family is descended from William Bradford.

The children of Bradford Almy and Marietta Cronk were: Bradford, the subject; William M., who now owns and occupies the homestead in Enfiled; Eliza A., now the wife of Arthur W. Hawkes, an attorney at Snohomish, Washington; Henry C., and Erastus C., both of Jacksonville, Tompkins county; Cora M., wife of John Wixon, a farmer of Covert.

Bradford Almy, the subject, was educated primarily in the common schools and the Ithaca Academy. Leaving school he taught a short time in Ithaca village, succeeding which he was several years principal of the largest school in Auburn, N.Y. While thus engages he studied under private tutors at the Theological Seminary in Auburn, and thus obtained the course of education usually received in our colleges. Mr. Almy had, long before the conclusion of his studies and this period of teaching, resolved upon the profession of law as his life-work, and with that object in view began law study while still engaged in teaching at Auburn. Beginning in 1870, he gave his whole time to the study of his profession and was admitted to the bar in Elmira on the 10th of May, 1872. In the following year he began practice in Ithaca.

The ancestors of Judge Almy were Abolitionists, his father a Whig and he himself has always been an unwavering Republican, as would naturally follow. His natural tastes have led him to take an active part in the affairs of his party, while his devotion to its principles has been, and is, sincere and uncompromising. At about the beginning of his practice he was appointed a justice of the peace and was afterwards elected to the same office, which he resigned at the end of three years. From that time he continued the general practice of law, meeting with a flattering degree of success until his elevation to the bench. During this period he served several years on the Republican County Committee and a part of the time was its chairman. In November, 1891, he was elected to the office of county judge and surrogate of Tompkins county for the term of six years.

Judge Almy is deeply interested in the cause of education, especially in the technical and manual features that have been introduced in comparatively recent years. He is a firm believer in the theory that through the intermingling of text book study with manual training lies the future best welfare of the young.

Judge Almy is a member of Hobasco Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons; also of St. Augustine Commandery, and of Damascus Temple, of Rochester.

Judge Almy was married on the 20th of July, 1876 to Fanny E. Vant, daughter of John and Mary Vant, of Ithaca. John Vant is a native of England, came to this country when six years old, and during most of his life conducted mercantile business in Albany. His wife was Mary Reynolds, of Burlington, Vt. Bradford and Fanny E. Almy have one daughter, Mabel C., born July 20, 1877, now attending the Ithaca High School.