My Genealogy Hound

W. J. GREENMAN, president of the Cortland Door & Window Screen Co., and a public-spirited and progressive citizen of the village of Cortland, is a son of John M. and Hannah H. (Cowan) Greenman, and was born in the town of Cortlandville, December 13, 1858.

His grandfather, Homer Greenman, was born in Albany, N. Y., and came to Cortland County on horseback, settling in the town of Solon, east of McGrawville. He was an industrious, enterprising citizen, with a love for work, and a capacity for achieving success in whatever he undertook to accomplish. He followed the pursuits of agriculture all his life in Cortland, and was respected by all men of character and position. His family consisted of six boys and four girls.

His son, John M., was born in Cortland County in 1822, and he also followed the pursuits of agriculture throughout the greater part of his life. Two years prior to his death, which occurred in 1865, he took up merchandising, and was in the midst of a very successful career, when he was stricken low. His wife, Hannah H. Cowan, survives him and lives in Cortland with her son, W. J. The elder son, James, was killed in 1850 at the age of twenty-two, while assisting in the raising of a barn on the home farm.

Mrs. Greenman, the mother of our subject, is a daughter of Judge Cowan, who was born in Scotland. When Judge Cowan was a lad of seven years, his father and mother came to the United States, settling in Delaware County, N. Y. They finally came to Cortland County in 1848, settling between McGrawville and Cortland. There Judge Cowan spent the remainder of his days, engaged in the peaceful and beautiful pursuits of husbandry. He was successful and prosperous to an unusual degree, and was the proud owner of a fertile farm of 255 acres, well improved and adapted to a very diversified and general system of farming. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and for his services received a valuable land grant in the West, to which, however, he did not give much personal attention. He was a stanch Republican in politics, and served as judge of the probate court. Good judgment, executive ability, and a general spirit of enterprise and progressiveness were his striking characteristics. In the county he was most highly regarded, and his influence was wide-spread. His marriage with Miss Maynard, a sister of the father of the late Judge Maynard, of Delaware County, resulted in the birth of nine children, three sons and six daughters, all of whom grew to maturity.

W. J. Greenman received his scholastic training in the institutions of his district, and in the Cortland State Normal School. His first work on his own account was as a traveling salesman for a clothing house. During the first term of President Cleveland, he became deputy postmaster of Cortland, but resigned his position when he determined to engage in his present business. This company, of which he was one of the leading spirits, was organized and incorporated under the State laws in 1885 with the following officers: Harvey H. Greenman, president; Ernest M. Hulbert, secretary; and W. J. Greenman, treasurer and vice-president. Upon the death of his uncle Harvey H. Greenman, in 1887, our subject became president of the concern. He also continued in his position of manager of the company, overseeing personally the getting out of the entire product. In the re-organization of the company, Edward Keator became treasurer; Ernest M. Hulbert was elected vice-president; and Theo. H. Wickwire became vice-president. The company has been accorded the pleasure and satisfaction of seeing the business increase in magnitude with a rapidity, that surely must be gratifying. When business is brisk, it is no uncommon thing to have upwards of one hundred men on the payroll, and engaged in the manufacture of wire screens and doors. The market is not entirely local in its nature, for shipments are made to all points of the United States and Canada. Much of this substantial success is attributed to our subject, who has held the direct control of the company for so long, and who knows the minutest points in all departments of the business.

Mr. Greenman is a Democrat, and takes an active interest in politics, being chairman of the Democratic County Committee. On April 3, 1882, occurred an important event in his life, when he married Mary White of Jersey City, New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Greenman are well known in church and social circles of Cortland, and count many friends. They have two children, Bessie C. and John W.