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OUR STORY

Our Beginnings Hamilton and Clark Funeral Home is the oldest on-going business in the village of Wilson, New York. It was founded by cabinet-maker Jerome Cooper in 1869. In 1902, Jerome purchased the land where Hamilton and Clark currently exists and ran a cabinet shop, printing business, and funeral home from there. It was customary back then for a cabinet shop to be combined with a funeral parlor because furniture and caskets were often manufactured together. Jerome’s daughter, Kate Cuddeback helped her father operate the business until his death in the year 1914 at the age of 88. Kate continued to run the business even after her father’s death under the name of Cuddeback and Cooper Furniture Store and Funeral Home. In the Spring of 1918, Kate sold the business to LaMott Hamilton and Ray Clark. LaMott was an employee of hers and Ray was a Wilson native who worked as a salesman for Friend’s Manufacturing Company in Gasport, NY. That is when the business name was changed to Hamilton and Clark. Ray Clark received his embalmer’s license from Syracuse University after returning from the war in 1919. LaMott’s wife, Gertrude Mudge died during the big influenza epidemic that fall. Hamilton and Clark continued to operate as a thriving upholstery trade during the 1920s. Their finished goods were transported throughout the East on the now defunct “Hojack” railroad. Ray Clark died in 1926 at the young age of 33. LaMott Hamilton continued running the business in Wilson until his death in 1958. Lamott’s niece Janet Naslund and her husband Jack inherited the business. At that time the furniture making and reupholster business was discontinued. All furniture was then purchased and sold from mainline manufacturers such as Kling, Harden, Crawford, and Nathan Hale to name a few. Donald Held became Jack’s business partner in 1978 and bought the business from Jack on January 1, 1987. Donald Held sustained the tradition of running the business as a furniture store and funeral home until 1993 when he dissolved the furniture business. He continued to operate the business solely as a funeral home until his retirement in July 2010. The funeral home was purchased by David and Michael Ross on July 15, 2010. They decided to keep the name Hamilton and Clark because of its fine reputation for quality merchandise and dependable service. David and Michael are third generation funeral directors and are very proud to be part of this story that began over 140 years ago.The Ross Funeral Directors' team is four generations of a family that settles for nothing less than perfection. The late Adrian Ross was the 1st generation working as a funeral director out of Medina, NY, his son David Ross joined him in his work and eventually took over the firm and moved it to Akron, NY. David had two locations in Akron in his time of owning the firm, he tried to retire to Myrtle Beach, SC but the opportunity to build two new firms with his sons' Michael and David II brought him back to New York. David and Michael purchased two funeral homes, Hamilton & Clark Funeral home in Wilson, NY and Ross Funeral Home Gaul Chapel in Lockport, NY. In preparations for the future for the firms and for the family name they brought on board Devon Ross to learn the trade and the level of excellence required to work under the Ross family name.

One can find David Sr., David II and Devon at either location any day of the week working and continually remodeling to bring to the public the most comfortable experience possible.

To Serve The Living.

​More than a slogan, a way of life that is met every day.


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