Frank H. (Frank Hayward) Severance

Born in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, in 1856 and raised in Wisconsin, Frank Hayward Severance learned printing as a boy before studying at Cornell University. He went on to build a career in journalism, which shaped the clear, accessible style that later marked his historical writing.

After moving to Buffalo, he became closely identified with the city's historical and cultural life. He served the Buffalo Historical Society and edited many of its publications, helping document the history of Buffalo, western New York, and the Niagara frontier in careful detail.

Severance is best remembered as a historian who brought regional history to life for ordinary readers as well as researchers. He died in 1931, leaving behind books and essays that still matter to anyone interested in early New York and Great Lakes history.