The cultural side of life in Ilion was greatly enriched in the spring of 1923 when Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. Daniels joined the circle of local musicians. They are both artists of the first rank and have had the advantages of excellent musical educations and long experience in professional life. Mr. Daniels came to Ilion to take charge of the music for the Remington Typewriter Company, which position he now fills.
He was born in Georgetown, Massachusetts, February 27, 1879, and is the son of Edwin S. Daniels, who still makes his home in that place, where he was engaged in the manufacture of shoes for over thirty years. He is now retired and has reached the age of seventy-nine. He was born in Hill, New Hampshire, February 5, 1845. His mother was Helen Harriman before her marriage, the daughter of Kimball Harriman, who was associated with A. E. Little & Company of Georgetown, Massachusetts, the most of his active life. Mrs. Daniels was born in Groveland, Massachusetts, and died in Georgetown in the sixty-fourth year of her life.
Edwin L. Daniels graduated from the Haverhill, Massachusetts, high school in the class of 1898. Ambitious for a musical career the young man went to New York city, where he spent the ensuing four years studying music. Following this he spent a winter in Boston completing his musical education. Mr. Daniels is a flutist of unusual ability and has been fortunate in his connections with some of the best musical organizations in the country. His first professional engagement worthy of note was with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra of Rochester, New York, with which he played for several seasons. Later he returned to his Massachusetts home and on April 30, 1907, was married to Miss Elizabeth M. McKay, a singer of note, whose home was in Bradford, Massachusetts. Mr. Daniels continued to follow his chosen profession after his marriage, his activities centering largely in and around Boston. He has been associated with the Boston Opera Company, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and Sousa's Band. As flute soloist he was with Laura Burnham of the Berlin Opera Company for a time and also was associated with Cora Chase of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Mr. Daniels came to Ilion to take charge of the music for the Remington Typewriter Company on April 21, 1923. In addition to this work he is the head of the employment bureau for the Remington Typewriter Company in Ilion.
Mr. Daniels is a Mason and is affiliated with bodies of that order in Georgetown, his former home, and with the Scottish Rite in Utica. His religious faith is that of the Congregational church, his membership being with the congregation of Georgetown, and politically he gives his support to the republican party. During the World war he was commissioned band leader and assigned to a post with the Coast Artillery Corps. He enjoys hunting and like most hunters is especially fond of dogs. In fact, at one time he bred Irish setters, whose beauty and intelligence have ever made them a favorite breed with sportsmen.
Mrs. Daniels received her academic education in the Haverhill, Massachusetts, high school, after which she took up the study of music in Boston. She is gifted with a pleasing voice and has done much concert, oratorio and operatic work in and about Boston. Like her husband, she has made wise use of the talent a generous nature has bestowed upon her, studying and working diligently that she may bring pleasure and inspiration to her fellowmen.