GEORGE MARTIN TREFTS, son of John Trefts, is one of Buffalo's leading business men and citizens. As a proprietor and acting head of the firm of
Farrar & Trefts, he directs the business of a gigantic industry, and has won the reputation of being one of the ablest industrial executives in the country.
Mr. Trefts was born at Collins Center, Erie County, N. Y., on September 8, 1850. His boyhood was spent in Buffalo, where he received a public school education. He gained his first practical experience in business selling papers. Later he entered the employ of Mixer & Smith, lumber merchants, on the docks.
After the firm of Farrar & Trefts located on Perry street, George M. Trefts entered the establishment. As a young man he mastered every branch of the business, both in its technical aspects and its broader bearings. He rapidly grew to be an important factor in the industry, and in course of time became general manager. Since the death of both the partners, Mr. Trefts has carried on the business, which is one of the largest of its kind in this section of the country. At the extensive plant of Farrar & Trefts are manufactured stationary engines and boilers, and the concern does a general foundry and machine works business. The firm also owns the
East Buffalo Iron Works, a plant covering seven acres.
Mr. Trefts is a member of Hiram Lodge of Masons; Lake Erie Coal- mandery, Knights Templar; Buffalo Council, Royal and Select Masons, and Ismailia Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is socially prominent, and is a member of the Buffalo and Ellicott Clubs.
Mr. Trefts was married to Miss Eva Imogene Jones, daughter of Miles Jones of Buffalo, and Elizabeth Roop. Mrs. Trefts died in 1900, leaving two children, George M. Trefts, Jr., and John C. Trefts.
Information Sources
- Memorial and Family History of Erie County, New York, Vol. 1, 1906-1908, pages 285-286