My Genealogy Hound

PETER F. VALENTINE is a remarkably skillful workman in his line of business, for he can make any part of a watch, understands the repairing of tower clocks and can regulate the movement of the most delicate chronometer or the most ponderous clock, and is also a fine practical machinist. He was born in Austria, July 9, 1851, received his education in the common schools of his native country which he attended until he was sixteen years old, when he sought the land of equality and freedom, where he landed in 1867 and located in New Jersey, where he acquired the trade of a machinist. In 1870 he came to Dunkirk and secured employment as a machinist at the Brooks’ Locomotive works, where he remained until 1880, when he was engaged by the Fredonia Watch company of Fredonia, this county, which erected the first watch factory in the State of New York. After working for them one and one-half years he was made foreman of their machine shop and continued here until the factory was moved to Peoria, Illinois, whither he went and remained with them until 1888, when he returned to Orange, N. J., where he was employed for six months in Thomas A. Edison’s works on the latter’s famous phonograph. From there he came to Dunkirk, this county, and engaged in the jewelry business on his own account, in which he is still having a fine stock and a large and constantly increasing trade, his store being located at No. 19 Railroad avenue. He is liberal in his political opinions and always votes for the man he considers best fitted for the office.

P. F. Valentine, in 1872, united in marriage with Sophia Widman, a daughter of Charles Widman, of Dunkirk, by whom he had five children, three sons and two daughters: Carl, Sabina, Ferdinand, Grace and Albert, all of whom are living except Ferdinand, who died in 1888, aged nine years. Mrs. Valentine was killed in the great railroad disaster at Chatworth, Illinois, in 1887, and Mr. Valentine was married a second time, in 1889, to Dora Widman, a sister of his first wife.