Often, streets are named after a developer’s family. This is the case for a bunch of streets in the Kensington-Bailey neighborhood on the East Side of Buffalo. In particular, the streets between Bailey Avenue and Eggert Road, north of the Kensington Expressway are mostly named after the Bickford Family’s first and middle names:
Streets in the Kensington-Bailey neighborhood named by Bickford
The following streets were named for Bickford and his family:
- Alice Ave
- Bickford Ave
- Davidson Ave
- Hastings Ave
- Phyllis Ave
- Martha Ave
- Gail Ave
- Millicent Ave
- Edith Ave
- Godfrey St
- Leonard St
- Kay St
- Janet St
General Bickford and Mary Davidson Wedding, 1904
Harold C. Bickford was born and raised in Toronto. He married Mary Davidson in 1904. Mary and Harold had seven children – Mary, Edward, Phyllis, Beatrice, Millicent, Harold and Faith. General Bickford served in three major conflicts for the British Army – the Boer War of South Africa (1899-1902), World War I (1914-1918) and the Russian Civil War (1918-1920). He was stationed in England, South Africa, India and France. Several of his children were born were born overseas.
General Bickford returned from the war, moved to Buffalo and divorced his wife. He left her with a nanny and seven children. Mary died of appendicitis in 1935. It was reported that the children had a difficult relationship with their father, which may be why he named the streets after them.
General Bickford Grave
General Bickford died in 1956 and is buried in St. James cemetery in Toronto.
To learn about other streets, check out the Street Index.
Sources:
- “Few Streets Named By City Government” Courier Express 2,26, 1954. Scrapbook vol 1, pg 153
- https://sites.google.com/site/genhcbickford/ (online June 2014)
Discovering Buffalo, One Street at a Time 
Do you know the date the streets were named.0? General Bickford divorced in 1933. He may have named the streets beforehand??
The information I had found indicated that he moved to Buffalo and went into real estate after the divorce. Sources show him living in the Statler Mansion in Buffalo starting in 1923. I am not sure of the exact date of the street naming. I have a map from 1917 showing the old names of the street, and the next map I have handy is 1935 with the Bickford family names. Prior to the streets being named after the Bickford Family, they were named after New York State Counties – Rockland, Dutchess, Chautauqua, Rockland, etc., which is why Orleans and Suffolk Streets are still in the mix over there.
I’d be interested in learning more if you have any other information – and would be willing to change the post as such- do you know if any of his children originally moved to Buffalo with him?
All of his children were born by 1918. My father Harold D. said he was five when they moved to Buffalo in 1920…It is feasible that General Bickford named the streets after the divorce in 1933 if the next published map is 1935.
I enjoyed both the Eggertsville information and the General Bickford information. Re: Eggert Road I am more interested in where it ends at East Delavan, Cheektowaga. We attend services at St. Lawrence Church on East Delavan Ave. To get to the church parking lot behind it, one must turn north on the very last street in Buffalo- Wright St. Going South from the exit off the 33, It is an extremely narrow street, especially amidst the close, little houses there. I hope sometime you can focus on the history of that area. It’s a terrific & wonderful job ; thank you !
Thanks Mary! I’ll have to take a look at that area and see what info I can find!