Among the younger business men of Fort Plain, LeRoy E. Yerdon stands out as one possessed of unusual initiative and constructive ability. He is the proprietor of a highly successful wholesale and retail ice cream and candy manufacturing concern, which he founded shortly after leaving school and has developed to its present size and prosperity. Born in Fort Plain, on the 13th of July, 1893, he is the son of Harvey and Margaret M. (Billington) Yerdon, both of whom were natives of Montgomery county. His father, a butcher by trade, operated a meat market in Fort Plain years ago, but died at the untimely age of twenty-nine, June 6, 1897, when his little son was less than four years old. Mrs. Yerdon is still living and resides in Fort Plain.
LeRoy E. Yerdon spent his boyhood and youth here and is a graduate of the local high school, class of 1912. The year that he finished his high school course he engaged in his present business, which he has managed ever since. A dozen years of experience in the candy and ice cream business have given him a comprehensive knowledge of the tastes and preferences of the public, young and old. He caters to these demands with a large variety of confectionery and enjoys the large patronage that is his due. His wholesale and retail trade in the Mohawk valley extends from Little Falls to Fonda and includes Fulton and Otsego counties.
Mr. Yerdon was married to Miss Isabelle Walrath on September 27, 1922. Mrs. Yerdon is the daughter of Seward and Jennie (Brinnaman) Walrath and comes from a family that numbers among its ancestors soldiers of the Revolutionary war. Her father and mother were both born in this county and they make their home in Fort Plain, where the father is mail carrier.
In many ways Mr. Yerdon has evidenced a commendable interest in the life of Fort Plain, both social and political, doing his share toward promoting those things that make for civic virtue. At the election on March 18, 1924, he was elected village trustee, without pay, for a two-year term, and is now ably performing the duties involved in that office. His political affiliations are with the republican party and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Yerdon is a member of the Fort Plain Club, whose associations mean much to younger men of the community as well as to the men who have been on its roll for a generation or more, and is also identified with Fort Plain Lodge, No. 433, A. F. & A. M.; and the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Another of his associations is with the Winning Hose Company. It has been with deep satisfaction that his friends and well-wishers have watched the progress of this young man and it is safe to say that their predictions for his achievements in the future will be more than fulfilled.